or gave the signal he had arranged, and almost instantly a
pistol shot was heard.

Then a second followed.

Eben opened his eyes and looked round.

A cry pierced the walls of the miserable temporary hospital.

"Ethan Allen killed! Who could be his murderer?"

The words were shouted out as though some one was in great distress
over the great tragedy.

"What did he say?" asked Eben.

"It sounded like 'Ethan Allen murdered,' but, perhaps, I am mistaken."

"Go and see. Stay, I will go, and if any one has killed the best man
on earth I will find him and kill him!"

The blood was coursing faster through the boy's veins; the color had
come back to his cheeks and he forgot his wound. His only thought was
about Allen.

"You stay here; I will go and see about it."

"Let me go, please do, doctor?"

"No, you stay here. If the report is true you will need all your
strength to avenge the death of the brave man."

"You are right. But, doctor, I feel right enough. I wonder what made
me think I was going to die?"

"I will tell you all later. Now lie still. I will not be gone long."

"Don't be a minute, please, doctor, or I shall have to come after you."

The surgeon smiled to himself with great satisfaction as he sought the
presence of Ethan Allen.

"Well, how did it go?" asked the mountaineer.

"Like magic. No sooner did he hear the cry than he wanted to get up
and seek your murderer. He is as well as ever he was, though he will
be weak for a day or so."

"Shall I go and see him?"

"Not yet. Wait until I summon you."

The doctor returned to Eben.

"Well, doctor, it is not true--say it is not true!"

"No, the alarm was a false one."

"Thank Heaven!"

"I am just as well pleased as you. Now try and get some sleep."

"Will you ask the colonel to call and see me?"

"Yes. Ah, here he is."

Eben caught Allen's hand and the hot tears flowed over it. He kissed
the hard hand of the mountaineer and stroked it until nature came to
the rescue and Eben fell back asleep.

"He is saved. The countershock did what nothing else could. It was an
interesting experiment."

CHAPTER XXVII.

A PRISONER.

Three days later Allen received another command to penetrate into
Canada and seek to interest the Canadians, especially the French, in
the colonial cause.

The Green Mountain Boy would have preferred to stay with the army and
participate in the siege of St. John, but he was a soldier, and a
so