his death--I am sure of it!" cried the boy.
"You well know how he hated father. Halpen would never forget the
beech-sealing he got last fall. He threatened to be terribly revenged on
us; and Bryce and I heard him threaten father, too, when he fought him
upon the crick bank and father tossed the Yorker into the middle of the
stream."

Bolderwood chuckled. "Simon as well might tackle Ethan Allen himself as
to have wrastled with Jonas," he said.... "But we must hurry, lad. We
have work--and perhaps serious work--before us this day. It may be the
battle of our lives; we may l'arn to-day whether we are to be free
people here in Bennington, or are to be driven out like sheep at the
command of a flunkey under a royal person who lives so far across the
sea that he knows naught of, nor cares naught for us."

"You talk desp'rately against the King, Mr. Bolderwood!" exclaimed
Enoch, looking askance at his companion.

"Nay--what is the King to me?" demanded the ranger, in disgust. "He
would be lost in these woods, I warrant. We're free people over here;
why should we bother our heads about kings and parliament? They are no
good to us."

"You talk more boldly than Mr. Ethan Allen," said the boy. "He was at
our house once to talk with father. Father said he was a master bold man
and feared neither the King nor the people."

"And no man need fear either if he fear God," declared the ranger,
simply. "We are only seeing the beginnings of great trouble, Nuck. We
may do battle to Yorkers now; perhaps we shall one day have to fight the
King's men for our farms and housel-stuff. The Governor of New York is a
powerful man and is friendly to men high in the King's councils, they
say. This Sheriff Ten Eyck may bring real soldiers against us some day."

"You don't believe that, 'Siah?" cried the boy.

"Indeed and I do, lad," returned the ranger, rising now with the carcass
of the doe flayed and ready for hanging up.

"But we'll fight for our lands!" cried Enoch. "My father fought Simon
Halpen for our farm. I'll fight him, too, if he comes here and tries to
take it, now father is dead."

"Mayhap this day's work will settle it for all time, Nuck," said the
ranger, hopefully. "But do you shin up that sapling yonder, and bend it
down. We wanter hang this carcass where no varmit--not even a
catamount--can git it."

The boy did as he was bade and soon the fruit of Enoch Harding's early
morning adventure was hanging from the top of a youn