who would not let us leave
to satisfy the wants of nature, and mid excrements the poor wretches,
who only loved their country, died in horrible tortures."

It was a wonder that the letter ever reached Bennington, but the jailer
who passed it out was a warm-hearted man, a son of the soil from
Ireland.

It was in the early spring of 1778 that Allen heard his name called as
he sat in the hold of a war ship lying off New York.

He dragged his legs wearily up the steps to the deck.

He had aged much during those two years, and his friends would scarcely
have known him.

As he reached the deck he heard a voice, which seemed very familiar,
say:

"Colonel, don't you know me?"

A tall, bearded young man stood before him with extended hand.

"Eben!"

"Ah! then I have not changed so much."

It was Eben Pike, dressed in the uniform of a lieutenant of the
American army.

"What brings you here? You are not a prisoner?"

"No; at this moment I am a guest of His Majesty the King of England,
and am acting on behalf of the United States of America, and more
especially the commander-in-chief, Gen. Washington, and----"

"I am so glad to see you, Eben, that I do not know what you have been
saying. I feared you were dead."

"No, colonel, I had a work to do, and I have done it. You see, we,
that is, the American army, took a certain English colonel prisoner,
and England wanted him very badly, so Gen. Washington said: 'You shall
have him in exchange for Col. Ethan Allen,' and at last the order for
the exchange was made and you are free."

What did it mean?

Allen heard the word "free," but it seemed like an echo of fairyland,
having nothing in common with this matter-of-fact, cruel world.

"Yes, Col. Allen, you are free."

This time the word was spoken by an English officer.

Allen staggered like a drunken man, and would have fallen had not Eben
caught him.

"Come, colonel, we must not trespass on the hospitality of the King of
England any longer; I have promised to escort you with all due
diligence to the headquarters of the commander-in-chief."

Allen stood still, looking, with glassy eyes, at the speaker.

In a few moments he asked;

"Am I dreaming?"

"It looked very like it, colonel, for you acted as though you were
asleep; but come now, we must be going."

"Do you mean it? Are you really Eben Pike?"

"Ask the captain here. He will vouch for that. The document reads:
'The bearer, Lieut. Pike, of the