th!"

"The courts have decided that the land belongs to New York; the king,
God bless him! has confirmed the decree, and opposition to it is
treason. Ay, treason, which our king has called upon us to stamp out.
Are you ready?"

"Ay, we will give our lives for the king."

Ethan Allen knew that the very name of the king was sufficient to
strike awe into the minds of the people.

At that time the king was looked upon as the anointed of Heaven, and
only the boldest would dare to say a word against him.

Allen was too democratic to look upon George as infallible, and to him
he was only the head of the nation, and no better than any other man.

But the mass of the people had not shaken off their Old World ideas of
royalty.

"Boys, it may be that his majesty has confirmed the decree," said
Allen, "but he was misinformed, and when he hears from our own
governor, the governor from whom we hold our lands, he will change his
opinion and secure us in our titles. Until then shall we defend them
ourselves?"

"Ay, to the death," answered Seth Warner.

"Then load your guns, and let us drive back these Yorkers into their
own colony."

The Green Mountain Boys fell into line, Ethan Allen and Seth Warner in
front, and in that order they marched against the sheriff's posse.

Volley after volley was fired, and several on each side fell wounded,
some fatally.

Back fell the Yorkers, and still onward went the gallant boys under
Allen's lead.

Allen thought the march too slow, and he gave the order to go at double
quick.

The Yorkers had but little time to load their muskets, and they had not
the quickness possessed by the mountaineers.

The unfortunate Sheriff Merrit many times tried to halt his men so that
they might pour a volley into the ranks of the mountain boys, but they
had become too demoralized to make any determined stand.

Merrit, with the courage which almost ennobled him, snatched a musket
from the hands of one of his men and, standing in the middle of the
road, took deliberate aim at Ethan Allen and fired.

The ball went wide of its mark, but the intrepid sheriff loaded quickly
and again attempted to fire, but he spilled the powder from his pan,
and the spark did not fire the musket.

Then he clubbed the weapon and rushed forward to meet the brave leader
of the Mountain Boys, and was within a few feet of Allen when he
tripped and fell.

His musket fell under him, and by some unaccountable chance was fi