University of Virginia Library

2. CHAPTER II.

Leaving Allen and his companions in arms to
make their way to the lake shore, we will now, by way
of marking the progress of the two active foresters,
who had been dispatched northward for boats, change
the scene, for a short time, to the quiet residence
of Captain Hendee.

It was a little past sunset on the evening of the
day, on which the events last described transpired.
It had been a day of unusual stillness in the northern
part of the Grants. The lively sounds of the
plying axe men, which were usually heard ringing
through the forest in every direction, were all hushed.

The women went a visiting, and were seen to
whisper in the corners apart from the children. The
boys finished their tasks by noon, and for the remainder
of the day were sauntering round the brooks
with their fish-poles. All the active men had disappeared;
though no one mentioned aloud the cause
of their absence. And a sort of Sabbath day quiet
and inaction seemed to prevail over all this section
of the settlement. Captain Hendee was sitting in
his open door, enjoying, as usual, his evening pipe,
and wrapped in that placid and contemplative mood
to which this indulgence generally disposes. His
daughter was seated near him at a window, in an
attitude equally calm and contemplative, though engrossed
with reflections, probably, of a far different
nature: for her fair white hand rested on a small
volume lying on the window sill before her, opened
upon those heart melting strains of the hapless Eloise,
which Pope, that master of rhyme and marrer of
reason, sung with such seductive sweetness; and her
tear-moistened eye was fixed pensively and unobservant,
on the slumbering waters of the outspread lake;
while occasionally a gentle sigh, betokening the inward
conflicts of hope and fear, was heaving her
snowy bosom. While the father and daughter were
thus seated, and their minds thus absorbed in their
different trains of reflection, their attention was suddenly
arrested by the sounds of advancing footsteps.

`By all the saints in the calandar!' exclaimed the
Captain, after gazing an instant in surprise at the
striking proportions of our young Anak of the woods,
for it was no other than Pete Jones, who, at the distance
of eight or ten rods, was now seen stalking
towards the house; `what a cloud brusher is there,
Alma! Can you imagine who he may be?'

`No, father,' replied Alma, who was also looking
at the approaching visitor with an expression of mingled
wonder and curiosity; `but I just noticed that
Young Tyler and Wilcox of this neighborhood passed
behind the barn yonder, and I conclude that this
man is some friend of theirs. They are probably
all going on some fishing excursion. The man, I
presume, wishes to get a little fire for this purpose.'

By this time Jones had reached the door in which
the Captain was sitting.

`Good evening! Will you walk in, sir?' said
the latter in an indifferent tone, and without moving,
as if he expected the other would decline the invitation,
and announce his errand at his door.

`Why, yes, I may as well, perhaps,' replied Jones,
offering to pass in without appearing to notice the
hesitating and enquiring look of the Captain, who
now at once yielded the space to his guest. `You
see I was bred to manners,' continued the woodsman,
jocosely bowing, so as to enable him to enter
the door.

The Captain, smiling good naturedly at the remark,
handed Jones a chair, took another himself,
and waited in silence, and with the same expecting
air as before, for the stranger to name his business,
This, however, Jones did not seem ready to make
known, but continued sitting in silence, with a puzzled
and undecided air, as if greatly at loss what to
say, or how to bring about some object he had in
view, now glancing at the Captain, now at the different
objects about the room, and now at Miss Hendee,
on whom his eyes lingered with an expression
of unfeigned admiration.

`Very fine weather, this,' remarked the Captain,

by way of breaking the silence, which he seemed to
think was becoming a little awkward.

`Very; considering the times, and the state of
the nation,' responded Pete, dryly, and with the
manner of one who would show that he is too busy
in thought to engage in conversation.

The Captain then made some other common-place
observation, which met with no reply of any kind;
when finding himself thus defeated in every attempt
to draw the other into conversation, and tired of
waiting for him to name his errand, he withdrew his
attention, and sunk into his own reveries.

After Jones had set awhile longer chewing his
cud of perplexity, a change appeared suddenly to
come over him. A flash of intelligence and decision
lit upon his countenance. And, after dropping
his head an instant, as if settling the details of a
plan which he appeared to have hit upon, he slowly
drew up his features into a sober and troubled air,
and began to catch his breath, and shiver all over,
like a man taken with an ague fit. He then rose,
tottled across the floor to the hearth, raked open the
fire and spread his shaking hands over the coals, at
the same time attempting to speak, as he observed
the eyes of the Captain and his daughter were turned
upon him with a look of lively concern.

`O, nev—never mind!'—he said, articulating with
great apparent difficulty, in his attempt to quiet their
alarm,—` 'twill s—s—soon be o—o—over now—
though the—the—these swamp ag—ag—agues are
bad while they last. You, you don't—keep—keep
great fires—here—I—I—I see.'

`We will have one in a moment, my friend,' said
the Captain, leaping up at this hint, and hobbling
out of doors after wood, with unwonted activity.

No sooner was the old gentleman fairly out of
sight than Jones' malady entirely disappeared. He
quickly drew out a billet, and turning, tossed it into
the lap of the astonished Miss Hendee.

`Here, mum,' said he, in a low, confidential tone,
`there's no time to be polite; but read that, and if
you want to scrabble off two lines, or so, in answer,
contrive to get it into my old hat there on the table,
in almost no time, as I'm in a taking of a hurry.
But stay, where's the Indian?'

`He has gone to take a letter for me to Major
Skene's colored man, now lying with his boat down
here at the landing, I believe,' replied the blushing
girl, already on her way to her apartment to read
and answer the billet, which a glance at the hand
writing told her was from her accepted lover.

`That's lucky,' said Jones; `now I want that
chap to go with us. We have got a trifling chore
to do to-night somewhere in the neighborhood of
Old Ti. Had I better speak to the old gentleman
about his going, or not?'

`My father should be consulted, and yet'—answered
Alma, hesitating, lest the suggested application
to Captain Hendee might in some way lead to
a discovery of her own secret—`I heard him promise
Neshobee's services to Colonel Allen, for such an
emergency. Perhaps you had better consult no one
but Neshobee himself, and if he is willing to go, I
will stand his friend in defending the delinquency,
if such it be.'

Captain Hendee now returned with the wood, and
found Pete's ague much as he left it. But as the
fire blazed up from the light combustibles which had
been thrown on to it, the attack seemed gradually
to subside. Meanwhile, Alma had retired, read the

brief out-pouring of her lover's heart, and penned
in answer—

By the time Alma had completed her note, and
managed, on her return to the room, to slip it, unobserved,
into the designated place of deposit, Jones
had so far recovered from his pretended indisposition,
that he announced himself in a condition for
proceeding on his way. And taking a coal of fire
between a couple of chips, by way of accounting to
the Captain for his call, and stopping a moment to
listen to the sage nostrums recommended by his host
to prevent the recurrence of his ague, he departed,
and joined his two newly enlisted associates, who
were impatiently awaiting his coming in the adjoining
field. It being now sufficiently dusk to prevent
all observation from the opposite garrison, they proceeded
immediately to the landing, which they found
guarded by two Green Mountain Boys, who, making
fishing their ostensible business, had, in pursuance of
the arrangement before mentioned, closely watched
the place during the two preceding days. Here,
also, they met Neshobee, who had just returned in a

skiff, from Major Skene's scow, in possession, as before
intimated, of a stout negro, who, with two low,
sottish fellows under his command, having spent
that day at the fort to take in some loading, and visit
the soldiers previous to starting for home, as they
intended to do, the next morning, had come over
just at night and taken a fishing station near the landing.
Jones and his companions hesitated not to
open their project of obtaining this boat to Neshobee,
who very cheerfully agreed to co-operate with them
in duping the negro, and to assist in rowing the boat
up to the landing, where they were to be met by Allen's
forces. The boat was lying about a dozen rods
from the shore; and black Jack, as he was called,
and his men, having pulled up their anchor, were
now on the point of putting back for the fort; when
the party on shore, their plan of operations being
all arranged, hailed the black commander, and desired
him to haul up to the landing.

`Who the debil you, who want me do all dat for
notting?' replied Jack, in a swaggering, consequential
tone.

`O, pull up to the shore,' said Wilcox, `there are
three or four of us here who are wishing to make a
bargain with you.'

`Bargain, hey? you shackaroons, you! You
tink for play some deblish trick, don't you? Guess
you find out you no catch weasel sleep so easy as all
dat come to!' responded the negro, chuckling at his
own wit and sagacity.

`No, now, honestly, Captain Jack,' rejoined the
first speaker, `we want to go to Shoreham landing
to night, to be ready to join a wolf hunt which they
are going to start there early to-morrow morning.'

`Gosh all fire-lock!' exclaimed the black, whose

opinion of his own importance was greatly raised by
being addressed as Captain: `You tink I row my
boat all de way up dare in de dark jest for commodate
you? No! see you all dam fus!'

`Now you are too bad, Captain; but you won't
damn our jug of old Jamaica, that we intended to offer
you for carrying us up there, will you?' said the
other, taking a jug from under his coat and swinging
it over his head, so that the black, whose taste
for liquor was well known to the young men, might
catch a view of it in the twilight.

`What you say, dere?' eagerly said Jack, stretching
forward his neck to see, and make sure of the
existence of the tempting impliment.

`We say,' replied the former, `that here is a gallon
of as good rum as ever run down your throat,
which is at your service, if you will close the bargain.
Come, give us your answer, for if we can't make a
trade with you, we must be off for a boat somewhere
else. What say you?—and mind ye, we will lend
you a stiff hand at the oars to boot.'

`You help row de boat, you say?' answered Jack,
in an altered and yielding tone. `Why de debil
you no say so fore? Dat be a case dat alter de circumstance.
You wery much to blame, gemmen,
dat you no mention so portant a difference in fus
place,' added the negro, while he and his men headed
round the boat, and handled the oars with such
effect that nearly the next moment she was lying at
the landing.

Within five minutes from this time, the magic
jug, which had effected such a wonderful change in
the aspect of affairs, having been well tested in the
meanwhile by Jack and his associates, all hands
were stripped and bending to the oars of the old

scow, which, under the forceful strokes of Jones and
his party, aided by the rum-power of Jack's two besotted
boatmen, was surging through the waters towards
the south, as fast as their united strength
would drive her.

They were soon met, however, by puffs of south
wind, against which they found it impossible to make
but a very slow head way. And it was not till considerable
past midnight that they came to the last
reach, and hove in sight of the destined landing.
But here, overhauling Douglas with the other scow,
and the party he had enlisted to help man it, both
boats with renewed efforts of rival speed, pushed
forward for the appointed shore.

`Boat ahoy!' called out Allen from the landing
where, as the boats neared the place, his huge, tower-like
form, rising in bold relief over the stationary
group of officers around him, could now plainly
be discerned by the approaching crews: `boat ahoy!
who comes there?'

`Douglas and friends, in this,' was the reply from
the first boat, coming in about its length in advance
of the other.

`And who in the next?' asked Allen.

`Jones and a thunder cloud!' responded the well
known voice of the jolly woodsman. `Now you
needn't think I am fibbing, Colonel; for you will
see it lighten when we get ashore.'

`All is well, then,' said Allen, without heeding
the remarks of Jones, further than his announcement
of himself with a boat: `all is well, and glory
to God in the highest, that you have got here at last!
I thought you would have never come. Why, it has
been an age since dark! Some old sun-stopping
Joshua must be fighting on the other side of the

earth, or, I swear, it would have been day light long
ago!'

By this time the first boat had struck the shore,
and the crew leaping out, were all readily recognized
by the leader, who then turned to the other boat,
at that instant driving up, with the astonished and
frightened negro, (now for the first time mistrusting
a trick,) gibbering and sputtering aloud,—

`What de hell all dis?—who all dese? what pretty
dam scrape you got me into here, you shackaroon
debils, you?'

`What in the name of all that is black and red
have you got here, Jones?' cried Allen, in surprise,
stepping up and peering into the boat, on hearing
Jack's exclamations.

`Why, just what I told you, Colonel. Here!
don't you see it lighten, now?' said Pete, pointing
to the negro's eyes, which, glaring wide with fear
and astonishment, at what he saw and heard, glimmered
like fire bugs in the dark. `But the English
of it is, Colonel, that we came across Major Skene's
scow, commanded by Captain Darkey, with his two
oarsmen, here, who for a gallon of rum were kind
enough to bring us along to join a hunting match at
Shoreham, where we have now arrived, safe and
sound:' he continued, turning to the black, `so
now, Captain Jack, you have fulfilled your bargain
with us; and we have nothing more to say, as far
as we are concerned. If these rough looking chaps
here want to employ you further, they will let you
know it, likely.'

`Jones, you deserve a pension for life!' exclaimed
Allen, comprehending the whole affair in an instant.
`You, and your friends here, have killed more
birds with one stone than you dreamed of yourselves,

perhaps. But we have not a moment to lose, so
leap out my lads. And as to Major Skene's boat,
it is my lawful prize; and Major Skene's negro, and
Major Skene's negro's understrappers here, are all
my prisoners!'

`O, no, totally unpossible to stop, gemmen!' said
Jack, in a good lord, good devil sort of tone, being
doubtful whether they really intended to make him
prisoner, or engage him and his boat to carry them
to some other place: `I have provision for de Major's
family, aboard. Dey all out ob supply for dere necessity.
Quite unpossible, gemmen.'

`We will take care of the provisions. So out with
you in no time, you black Satan!' said Allen, impatiently.

`O, it be out ob all question I stop!' persisted the
negro with increasing alarm, `I have odder portant
business—I have letter from de young leddy at Captain
Hendee's to de young leddy ob Colonel Reed
at de Major's dat I oblige for deliver, early in de
morning.'

`We will undertake the delivery of the letter,'
said Selden and Warrington, simultaneously.

`Tumble them out, boys!' sternly exclaimed Allen.

`O, Lordy, I den be ruin! totally, foreber ruin!'
groaned the distressed and frightened black, as the
men seized him and his two drunken associates, and
led them to the rear to be put under guard.

The boats were now instantly headed round, the
oars muffled, careful oarsmen selected and placed in
their seats; when, after each boat had been filled
with as many troops as their respective burthens
would safely permit, they pushed off from the shore,
preceded a short hailing distance by a skiff, occupied

by Allen and Arnold, with Phelps to pilot them to
their contemplated landing, on the opposite shore.
The wind had some time since died wholly away;
and the elements were now all hushed, as if in the
slumbers of death; while the deeply freighted crafts
glided slowly on, impelled by the light dip of the
feathery oars, which, in the hands of the experienced
and careful men who plied them, unitedly rose
and fell as noiseless as the feet of fairies on beds of
flowers. At length the dark, massy walls of the
fortress, looming up, and marking their broad outlines
against the western sky, became discernable to
the men. And yet, as they drew near these frowning
walls, pierced by a hundred cannon, over which,
for aught they knew, the lighted matches were suspended,
awaiting but the signal to send their iron
showers of death to every man of their devoted band,
on misgivings, no weak relentings came over them: but
at a moment like this, and that which followed at
the onset,—moments, furnishing, perhaps, a more
undoubted test of courage than those of the half
frantic, half mechanical charges of the disciplined
legions of Napoleon, at the later fields of Austerlitz
and Marengo—at a moment like this, we say, their
stout hearts, nothing daunted at the dangers before
them, beat high and proudly at the thought of the
coming encounter, and with stern determination
gleaming in every eye, and with the low whispered
words of impatience for the moment of action to arrive,
they moved steadily on to their daring purpose.

Passing down obliquely by the works, they landed
some distance to the north of them. The instant
they touched the shore the troops leaped on the
banks; and scarcely had the last foot been lifted
from the boats before they were backed, wheeled,

and on their return for another load, leaving those
on shore to await in silence the arrival of a reinforcement
from their companions left behind, before
marching to the onset. Those companions, howevever,
were not destined to share in the glory of this
splendid achievement of the eighty Green Mountain
Boys who had landed: for in a few moments, to the
dismay of Allen, the faint suffusions of dawning
day became visible in the east. Cursing the luck
which had caused such delays, and chafing like a
chained lion held back from his prey, that impetuous
leader for a few moments rapidly paced the shore before
his men, in an agony of impatience,—now casting
an eager look at the fort, still silent and undisturbed,
now straining his vision after the receding boats,
which, to him, seemed to move like snails across the
waters, and now throwing an uneasy glance at the
reddening east, whose twilight glow, growing broader
and brighter every instant, plainly told him that
before another detachment of troops could arrive,
his forces would be discovered, and the enterprise,
in all probability, would thus be defeated. Maddened
at the thought, he stopped short in his walk,
paused an instant, and brought his foot with a significant
stamp to the ground, showing that his resolution
was taken. And quickly calling out Jones and
Neshobee, he dispatched them to go forward, cautiously
reconnoiter the fort on all sides, and return
as speedily as possible to report their discoveries.
He then formed his men in three ranks and addressed
them.

`You see, my friends and fellow soldiers,' he commenced,
pointing his sword towards the east, `that
day light will reveal us to the enemy before a reinforcement
can possibly arrive. But can you, who

have so long been the scourge of tyrants, bring your
minds to relinquish this noble enterprise, and with it
the proud name you have achieved, by turning your
backs on the glorious prize, when it is now almost
within your grasp?'

He paused for a reply; when `no! no! no!' ran
through the lines in eager response.

`I see, I see, my brave fellows,' resumed the gratified
leader, `I see what you would do. I read it in
your deeply breathed tenes of determination—in
your quick and short drawn respirations, and in your
restless and impatient movements. But have you all
well considered? I now propose to lead you through
yonder gate; and I fear not to tell men of your
stamp, that we incur no small hazard of life in the
attempt. And, as I would urge no man to engage
against his own free will, I now give free and full
permission to all, who choose, to remain behind.
You, therefore, who will voluntarily accompany me,
poise your guns!'

Every man's gun was instantly brought to a poise,
with a motion which told with what good will it was
made.

`God bless you, my noble fellows!' exclaimed
Allen, proudly, and with emotion: `Courage like
that'—he continued, in tenes of concentrated energy,
`courage like that, with hearts of oak, and nerves
of steel like yours, must, will, and, by the help of the
God of hosts, shall triumph! Come on, then! follow
me—march while I march—run and rush when
I set the example; and if I fall, still rush on, and
over me, to vengeance and victory! To the right
wheel! march!'

When the band arrived within about a furlong of
the ramparts, they were met by the scouts, who reported

that all was quiet in and about the fort, while
the open gate was guarded only by one sluggish and
sleepy looking sentinel. Halting no longer than was
necessary to hear this report, Allen, placing himself
at the head of the centre column, silently waved
his sword to the troops as a signal for resuming the
march; when they all again moved forward with
rapid but cautious steps towards the guarded gateway.
And so noiseless and unexpected was their
approach, that they came within twenty paces of
the entrance before they were discovered by the
drowsy sentry, who was slowly pacing to and fro,
with shouldered musket before it. Turning round
with a start, the aroused soldier glared an instant at
the advancing array, in mute astonishment and alarm;
when he hastily cocked, and levelled his piece at
Allen, who was striding towards him, several yards
in advance of his men. It was an instant on which
hung the fate of the hero of the Green Mountains,
and probably, also the destinies of Ticonderoga.
But the gun missed fire. The life of the daring
leader was safe, and the garrison slept on, unalarmed,
and unconscious of their danger. Leaping forward
like the bounding tiger on his victim, Allen followed
up the retreating soldier so hotly that, with
all the speed which fear could lend him, he could
scarcely keep clear of the rapidly whirling sword of
his fiery pursuer, till he gained the interior of the
fortress; when he gave a loud screech of alarm, and,
making a desperate leap for a bomb proof, disappeared
within its recesses. Meanwhile, the rushing
column of troops came sweeping like a whirlwind
through the gate; when, fairly gaining the parade
ground in front of the barracks, they gave three
cheers which made the old walls tremble with the
deafening reverberations, and caused the slumbering
garrison to start from their beds in wild dismay at
the unwonted sound. Scarcely had the last huzza
escaped the lips of the men and their leader, who
disdained not to mingle his own stentorian voice in
the peals of exultation and defiance, which rose in
thunders to heaven, before the latter was rapidly
threading his way through flying sentries and half
dressed officers, towards the quarters of the commandant
of the fortress. Pausing an instant on his
way, to chastize a dastard sentinel whom he caught
making a pass at one of our officers with his bayonet,
and whom, with one blow with the flat of his
sword, he sent reeling to the earth with the cry of
mercy on his lips, the daring leader bounded up the
stair-way leading to the commandant's room, and
thundering at the door, called loudly to that officer
to come forth. Captain La Place, who had
just leaped from his bed, on hearing the tumult
below, soon made his appearance with his clothes in
his hand, but suddenly recoiling a step, he stood gazing
in mute amazement at the stern and threatening
air, and the powerful and commanding figure of
the man before him.

`I come, sir, to demand the immediate surrender
of this fortress!' sternly said Allen, to the astonished
commander.

`By what authority do you make this bold demand
of His Majesty's fort, sir?' said the other, almost
distrusting his senses.

`By what authority?' thundered Allen. `I demand
it, sir, in the name of the Great Jehovah and
the Continental Congress!'

`The continental Congress?' stammered the hesitating

officer, `I know of no right—I don't acknowledge
it, sir'—

`But you soon will acknowledge it, sir!' fiercely
interrupted the impatient leader. `And hesitate to
obey me one instant longer, and by the eternal heavens!
I will sacrifice every man in your fort!—beginning
the work, sir,' he added, whirling his sword
furiously over the head of the other, and bringing
the murderous blade at every glittering circle it made
in the air, nearer and nearer the head of its threatened
victim, `beginning the work, sir, by sending
your own head dancing across this floor!'

`I yield, I yield!' cried the shrinking commandant.

`Down! down, then, instantly!' exclaimed Allen,
`and communicate the surrender to your men
while any of them are left alive to hear it!'

Scarcely allowing the crest-fallen officer time to encase
his legs in his breeches, Allen hurried him down to
the scene of action, in the open parade below. Here
they found the Green Mountain Boys eagerly engaged
in the work of capturing the garrison, who were
making considerable show of resistance. Two of
the barrack doors had been beaten down, and about a
third of the enemy already made prisoners. And
the fiery Arnold was on the point of blowing a third
door from its hinges with a swivel, which he had
caused to be drawn up for the purpose; while a
fourth was shaking and tottering under the tremendous
blows of an axe, wielded by the long and powerful
arms of Pete Jones, who was found among the
foremost in the contest.

`Cease, cease ye, all!' cried Allen, in the loud
voice of command, as he appeared among them with
La Place by his side.

`Now, raaly, Colonel,' said Jones, suspending his
elevated implement, and holding it back over his
head in readiness for another blow, `I wish you
would let me settle with this deivelish old oak door
before I stop. Why, I never was so bothered with
such a small potato in my life!'

`No, no!' answered the other, smiling, `let us
have silence a moment, and we will save you all
troubles of that kind.'

`Well, then, here goes for a parting blessing!' exclaimed
the woodsman, bringing down his axe with
a tremendous blow, which brought the shattered door
tumbling to the ground.

The British commandant then calling his officers
around him, informed them that he had surrendered
the fortress, and ordered them to parade the men
without arms. While this was in performance, a
second detachment of Green Mountain Boys reached
the shore, and, having eagerly hastened on to the
fort to join their companions, now with Warrington
at their head, came pouring into the arena. A single
glance sufficed to tell the latter, that he was too
late to participate in aught but the fruits of the victory.
With a disappointed and mortified air he halted
his men, and approached to the side of his leader.

`Ah! Colonel,' said he, `is this the way you appropriate
all the laurels to yourself, entirely forgetful
of your friends?'

`Pooh! pooh! Charles,' replied Allen, turning to
the other with a soothing, yet self complaisant smile,
at the half reproachful compliment thus conveyed,
`you need not mourn much lost glory in this affair.
Why, the stupid devils did not give us fight enough
to whet our appetites for breakfast! But never

mind, Charles, there is more business yet to be done;
Crown Point and Major Skene's stone castle must
both be ours to-night. The taking of the first shall
be yours to perform. And after breakfast and a few
bumpers in honor of our victory, we will dispatch
you for that purpose, with a corps of your own selection.'

`Thank you, thank you, Colonel,' replied the other
with a grateful smile. But the expedition to
Skenesboro'—may I not speak a word for our friend,
Selden?'

`Aha?' replied Allen, laughing, `then his offer
to take charge of the negro's letter had its meaning,
eh? I don't know exactly about that chip of a British
Colonel for a Yankee patriot. Now, yours, Major,
I acknowledge to be a true Cynosure. But his,
I fear, will prove a Dog-star. However, that is his
own hunt; and as he is a finished fellow, and doubtless,
brave and true, I think I will give him the command
of the expedition, unless claimed by Easton.
But hush! the commandant is about to go through
the forms of the surrender. I must away, but will
see you again.'

The brief ceremonies of the surrender were soon
over; when, as the fortress was pronounced to be in
full possession of the conquerors, the heavens were
again rent by the reiterated huzzas of the Green
Mountain Boys, while British cannon were made to
peal forth with their deep-mouthed thunders to the
trembling hills and reverberating mountains of the
country around, the proclamation of victory!—the
first triumph of Young Freedom over the arms of
her haughty oppressor.