Convention was held, from which James Breckenridge and
Captain Jehiel Hawley were sent to London to represent the struggling
settlers, their former minister to the king, Samuel Robinson, having
died before accomplishing the work which he had so well begun.

With the discovery that Governor Tryon's declaration of an armistice had
been an act of treachery, and that the Yorkers were likely to continue
their raids and seize the honestly purchased lands of the New Hampshire
settlers, as Colonel Reid had at Vergennes, the Hardings began to fear
the return of Simon Halpen again. But the summer and fall passed without
the little family being alarmed. With the snow came hog-killing, and
among pioneer people this season was usually one of rejoicing. In the
old times it had been a sort of festival, for with the first fall of
snow all danger from marauding bands of red men ceased. The Indians
would not send out war parties when every footstep would be plainly
visible to the white settlers. The pioneers longed for the snow as soon
as their scanty crops were out of the field, for they were safe then
until the spring. So instead of celebrating "harvest home" they rejoiced
at "hog killing time."

The Hardings had quite a drove of hogs which ran wild in the forest
during the summer and fed on the mast in the fall. But every few days
the widow fed them near the hovel, so as to keep them in the habit of
coming home, and particularly to teach the youngsters where to come if
the old swine should be killed by bears or wild-cats. Now the whole
drove was brought up and "folded" and for two weeks every member of the
family was busy. During that time the bulk of their winter's meat was
salted down, the toothsome sausage made, and all the other delicacies
which old-fashioned folks knew so well how to prepare from the pig.
Somebody has said that at our present day abatoirs they can put to some
use every part of the animal but the pig's squeal; pioneer housewives
were almost as economical.

When the hard work was over Mistress Harding allowed the children to
invite some of the neighborhood youngsters for an evening frolic and
such a gathering had not been enjoyed since the famous stump burning.
Enoch was nearly sixteen now and although Bryce was almost as tall as
his elder brother, the first named was broadening out wonderfully. Few
young men of Bennington under nineteen could have thrown Enoch in a
match of strength, and he had really become the