the outlaw, Baker."

The Green Mountain Boy was not a man to be attacked without due
consideration, and the Yorkers came to the house in the dead of night,
breaking in without warning, and capturing Captain Baker in his bed.
Even thus handicapped Baker fought with desperation and, overpowered by
numbers and cruelly wounded, only gave over the struggle when he saw
that the Yorkers were beating his wife and son as well.

"I surrender to ye, ye dogs!" he cried. "But let the woman and child
alone," and at that they ceased to belabor Mrs. Baker and Robbie and set
about removing the captive as expeditiously as possible. Robbie had been
asleep in the loft with his guest when the attack was made and had run
down the ladder to get at the guns; but this last was impossible.
Enoch's rifle was likewise down-stairs and he was unable to help his
friends; but instead of showing himself to the enemy he lifted a corner
of the bark roof and crept outside. It was dark, and although there was
a watch kept without the house, he was not observed and managed to reach
the ground by climbing down the corner logs.

By this time Captain Baker was a prisoner. They allowed him to partly
dress and then securing him with thongs, brought him forth and threw him
into a sledge which was in waiting. Their haste was obvious. Even in the
night, and at this distance from any succor, the cowardly justice and
his friends feared that members of the Green Mountain company would be
aroused, and they had no wish to face Baker's comrades. Their idea was
to get him across the Hudson and to Albany as swiftly as possible.

But Enoch, though unable to render his friends any assistance in the
fight, had not been idle. Keeping the house between him and the Yorkers
at the door, he reached the stable. Mrs. Baker's voice rose above the
general din, begging the Yorkers to spare her husband--to at least allow
her to bind up the wound in his head before they took him away. But they
merely laughed at her request. It made Enoch grit his teeth in rage, and
pulling open the door of the stable he quickly entered and flung the
captain's saddle upon the horse. Buckling the girth tightly he backed
the steed out of the hovel and was astride it before the enemy observed
him.

With a smart slap on the creature's flank Nuck sent the horse tearing
down the road to Bennington and was almost out of rifle shot before the
Yorkers realized his escape and the meaning of it. Several shots
f