t tell. I felt that he was. I had but one thing to guide me.
A trapper was found murdered near Ticonderoga, and I heard that the one
last seen with him was a fellow who could talk French as well as
English, and I guessed this man might be the one, so I hazarded the
accusation, and struck the bull's-eye."

"What will become of us?"

"Cannot say; but Eben is on the alert, and unless they shoot us without
the usual twenty-four hours' reprieve, he will have Montgomery come to
our rescue."

"Did you give him instructions?"

"Only general ones; he is wide awake, and knows just as well as I do
what ought to be done."

"Don't you think the 'mad monk' will betray us?"

"No; he is a sympathizer with our cause, and---- Let us change the
subject; one of these soldiers is getting suspicious."

When the party reached Sabrevous the sergeant handed his prisoners over
to the proper authorities and reported that he was convinced that a
mistake had been made, and that the prisoners were peaceful merchants
and not American rebel spies.

The monk was examined in secret, and he also bore testimony to the
truth and honor of the chief prisoner.

The accuser was called and asked about the murder he had committed, and
under the terror of the accusation he made a full confession, but asked
for mercy, because he had followed Ethan Allen and handed him over to
the authorities.

His plea for mercy helped Allen, for the English officer believed that
the accusation against Allen was only made to obtain favor with the
authorities.

He was remanded to prison until the civil power could take him and mete
out the punishment he merited.

Allen and his party received the apologies of the officers for their
arrest and detention, and were at once liberated.

It had been a narrow escape, but they did not value their liberty any
the less for that fact.

Some weeks afterward Allen learned that the officers had been severely
reprimanded for allowing the "rebel spy" to escape.

CHAPTER XXVI.

AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT.

Two days later Allen was not so fortunate.

He had been talking to the people and urging them to remain neutral,
allowing the soldiers on each side to fight out the issue, when one of
the people of the little town, near which was a small fort, left the
house and ran to the fort.

"Ethan Allen, the rebel, is at my house," he cried, almost
breathlessly, as he reached the outworks. Instantly there was
commotion amo