University of Virginia Library

2. CHAPTER II.

Leaving our little band of Green Mountain Boys
to discuss and settle the manner of receiving their
expected visitors, and to make their dispositions for
carrying such plan, as should be finally adopted, into
effect, we will now change the scene a little, and, introducing
the reader to those visitors themselves, accompany
him and them to the scene of action.

In a thickly wooded swamp, near the northern extremity
of the lake before described, were assembled
a group of ten men, awaiting the approach of darkness,
which was already begining to settle in successive
and fast increasing shades upon the low lands
and glens along the foot of the mountain. They
were all armed, though variously—some having muskets,
some large pistols, and some only oaken cudgels.
Apart from the rest stood their leader, a stern,
rough looking personage, engaged in a low, earnest
conversation with another individual, of the apparent
age of twenty-five, whose dress and general demeanor
seemed to forbid the conclusion that he was either
a common follower, or one in any command; and
yet, from the interest he manifested in the business
in hand, it was evident he was in some way connected
with the expedition. As the last named person

may occupy considerable space in our tale, we will
pause to note his personal appearance more particularly:
he was of about the middle height, well made,
though of rather slight proportions. His features,
though regular, were common-place and inexpressive,
with the exception of a pair of small, twinkling black
eyes, in which an observant spectator might often
read meaning considerably at variance with the import
of his language, his plausible manners, and the
obsequious, smirking smile, which he usually assumed
while addressing those with whom he had a point to
carry. The construction of his head seemed to be
somewhat peculiar—his forehead, which was very
tall, being nearly in the shape of a triangle with the
base resting on the eyebrows, and the sides narrowing
to an apex at the hair above; while his head, as
far back as the ears, swelling upwards into large protuberances,
might be better represented by a triangle
reversed. His dress was of a finer texture than that
of any of his present associates, or that ordinarily
worn by the settlers, and his whole appeareance, indeed,
deno'ed some connexion with the more wealthy
and fashionable classes of society.

`You say, Sherwood,' observed the former of the
two last mentioned persons, at that part of their dialogue
which it concerns us to repeat: `you say that,
from having been yourself at this cave, you know all
the surrounding localities?'

`Exactly—just as I described to you when I reached
you last night. There can be no mistaking the
place. They are still there, as is evident from the
smoke which we saw rising over the spot just now,
while passing the head of the lake. The path is now
plain, and the came sure, without further guidance;
so I think, as I began to suggest to your honor a few
minutes ago, that you may now dispense with my

further attendance. If I should be seen by any of
their party I should be delicately situated here in the
settlement.'

`To the devil with your delicacy! Why, man, do
you think I am going on in the dark, stumbling over
logs and through bogs, without a guide? Even you
are none too good a one for this cursed hole; but
such as you are, in the king's name, I retain you;
so not another word about quitting us till the scoundrels
are secured.'

`I am certainly aware, Mr. Munroe, of the importance
of securing this Warrington, so great a disturber
of the public peace, but—'

`Disturber! doubly damned rebel! Why, no man
in the settlement has caused me so much trouble,
considering his audacious assault on me, and all. It
will do me more good to see him hung than to sit at
the king's banquet!'

`O, certainly—it would me; and I would by all
means aid you even to the capture, if your honor's
well known sagacity and bravery on such occasions
did not render my assistance wholly unnecessary.'

`Well, well, Jake,' replied the Sheriff, relaxing a
little from his wonted roughness at the flattering expressions
of the other; `suppose I am all that you
say, it won't serve me in finding a fox's hole in these
woods any better than the instinct of any country
booby, nor half so well. I tell you, Sherwood, you
must conduct us to the place, at least; for we shall
then have enough to do to take the fellow, and, what
is worse, to get him through the settlement to Ticonderoga.
Why, there is not an old woman in all the
Grants but will fight for the scoundrel as if he was
one of her own brats.'

`O, there can be no great trouble, the surprize
will be so great; but, as your honor desires it, I will

go so far as to point out the place, on condition that
I then be allowed to keep out of sight.'

`Yes, but your half of the reward for taking the
fellows, for you say that there is at least one outlaw
besides Warrington: you won't claim all that unless
you help us through the whole affair, will you?'

`Your honor forgets that I was only to conduct
you so far as to point out their retreat.'

`Have it your own way, then—but I hate to see
a fellow so keen on the chase, and then become so
devilish prudent the moment he approaches the
game,' grumbled Munroe, turning away to give some
orders to his men, preparatory to resuming their
march.

It having now become sufficiently dark for their
purpose, the party were put in motion for the prosecution
of their enterprise. And after striking a
light and procuring some materials for torches from
the pine knots gathered in the surrounding windfalls,
they set forward toward the place of their destination,
then about a mile distant. Keeping as far
from the shore of the lake as the nature of the
ground would permit, lest the gleams of their light,
striking across the water to the vicinity of the cave,
should betray their approach, they pursued their
way along the foot of the mountain with all possible
silence and caution; while the glare of their torches,
glittering on the points of the crags, and thrown
back on to the dark forms, and eager and flushed
visages of the party, gliding stealthily along in Indian
file beneath the over hanging cliffs, like tigers for
their prey, gave them a singularly wild and almost
unearthly appearance. At length they arrived at a
sharp knoll, which, running down from the main
ridge above to the water, had so far screened their
approach, and enabled them to advance with their

lights unseen within a few hundred yards of the
cavern. Here they made a brief halt to arrange
their forces for the onset. As soon as this was effected,
Munroe and Sherwood crept noiselessly over
the intervening rise, followed at short intervals by
the rest of the party, with the exception of one
man left behind in charge of the torches. Having
descended to the level beyond, they again paused
to listen and reconnoiter before venturing any farther.
All was dark and silent before them. And
concluding that their intended victims had retired
within the cave and were, probably, by this time, reposing
in unsuspecting slumbers, they now congratulated
themselves on a certain and easy conquest,
and, with freshened impulse, once more began to
move briskly forward; when the loud whoo! whoo!
—whoo! whoo! of the `dismal bird of night,' or of
something strikingly resembling it in note, proceeding
from some point above, came pealing through
the darkness with fearful distinctness to the ears of
the company. All gave an involuntary start.—
Even the stout-hearted Munroe, for the instant,
could scarcely avoid quaking at the strangely dismal
notes that thus broke from utter stillness so unexpectedly
upon them. The next moment, however, as
the consciousness of the insignificant cause of their
affright came over them, a half stifled giggling ran
through the company; while their leader muttering
a dry `umph! scared at a damned owl!' motioned
Sherwood to proceed. But the latter, more accustomed
to the notes of the supposed animal, and
thinking he detected something not quite natural in
the sounds they had just heard, became secretly impressed
with the fears of an ambush, and, without
imparting his suspicions, he hastily pointed out to
the sheriff the mouth of the cave, whose dim outlines
had now become discernable, and, instantly
returning to the rear, quickly retreated over the hill.
With a few muttered expressions of contempt at
the flight of the wary and timid guide, Munroe
once more set forward with the determined motions
of one who is resolved not again to be interrupted
by any slight causes. And being now promptly followed
by his men, he soon, and without further obstacle,
arrived at the mouth of the cave, and, bringing
up his forces, immediately surrounded it. Here
they all paused, standing motionless and silent, listening
long and intensely. Every thing within and
around was as still as if no living being was within
a mile of the place.

`Hallo!' at length sharply uttered the Sheriff,
after waiting till he began to doubt whether his anticipated
captives had escaped, or were all snugly
asleep in the cave, `hallo! within there!'

`Hallo, without there!' was the ready reply from
the cavern.

`Ha! ye rebel dogs!' exultingly exclaimed Munroe;
`you are there, are ye? We have kenneled
ye at last, then. Now hear me—I command ye to
surrender yourselves to the king's warrant, every
scoundrel of ye—but first of all Charles Warrington—do
you hear the summons?'

`We hear the summons, and well comprehend
its import,' coolly replied the voice from the cave,
which was evidently that of the person especially
named by the sheriff; `but touching your last demand,
mine ancient friend—for in your voice I
think I recognize the person with whom I once exchanged
civilities in the southern part of our favored
settlement—touching your last demand, I beg
leave to observe, that being somewhat personally interested
myself in the decision to be made in regard

to the requirement, I would respectfully refer
you to my friends here, who will doubtless give you
such answer as their unbiassed judgments shall dictate.'

`Do you think to dally with me, scoundrel?'—
stormed Munroe, nettled at the provoking coolness
of his antagonist, and especially at his ironical allusion
to a personal chastisement received from his
hands the year before; `such attempts will but little
avail you, you'll find. Nor will it be of the least
use, let me tell you all, to think of contending
against our numbers: and the longer you hold out
the worse it shall be for ye. So yield yourselves instantly,
or, so help me Beelzebub, every dog of you
shall swing for it.'

`Assertions,' observed Selden, who, being Warrington's
only companion in the cave, now took up
the discourse on the hint of his superior; `assertions,
sir Sheriff, sometimes unfortunately are more
easily made than proved. You may not find us,
perhaps, so entirely unprepared for your visit as you
have expected, notwithstanding our warder thought
fit, in his owl-like wisdom, to be somewhat tardy in
announcing your approach. It may not be prudent
in us, however, to speak wholly without reserve in
this matter, as we know not how much aid your
Honor may expect from the friend you last invoked.'

The intimations which they gathered from these
replies, together with the jeering calmness attending
them, which seemed to imply a sense of security in
the assailed from resources unknown to the assailants,
considerably dampened the ardor of the Sheriff
and his band; and they began to suspect that
their triumphs might not prove so cheaply won as
they had anticipated. The men, indeed, now began

to show symptoms of fear and uneasiness at
standing longer before the mouth of the cave, from
which, for aught they could see or know, a dozen
loaded rifles might be pointed against them; and
their leader shouted loudly to the man left in the
rear, directing him to come on with lights, and declaring
at the same time with a tremendous oath,
that if the stubborn rascals didn't instantly yield, he
would send a volley of balls in among them, and if
that failed, he would smoke them out like so many
burroughed foxes. He was not allowed, however,
much time to attempt the fulfilment of his menaces:
for the Green Mountain Boys, two of whom
only, as before mentioned, were in the cave, the
rest being stationed in the nearest surrounding coverts,
now deemed it time to begin their plan of operations.
Suddenly a fearful screech, something
between that of a man and a wild brute, isssuing
from the thicket above the cave, resounded through
the forest, sending its startling thrill to the very
hearts of the appalled and astonished assailants.—
All eyes were involuntarily turned upwards to the
spot from which these terrific sounds seemed to
proceed.

`A catamount! a catamount!' wildly shouted
several of the party.

`Where? where?' eagerly exclaimed others.

`There! up there in the fork of that tree!' hurriedly
replied the former, pointing to the top of a
leaning tree that projected nearly over the mouth of
the cave, in a broad fork of which the outlines of
a dark body, as if some large animal crouching for
a leap upon his prey, with great fiery eye-balls glaring
down upon them, was sufficiently discernable to
justify their alarm.

`He moves!' cried one, `hark! hear him fixing

his claws in the bark! There, he stirs again! look
out! he's going to leap down upon us—fire! quick,
all hands, fire!'

`Hold! hold!' shouted Munroe, the suspicion of
a trick now for the first time flashing across his mind.
But the command came too late; for while the
words were in his mouth, every gun and pistol in
the party, except his own, were discharged at the
object of their terror, which was seen, in the expiring
flash, to bound out from the tree directly over
the place where they stood; and all, in their eagerness
to avoid the clutches of the leaping animal,
well known to be terrible when wounded, even if
in the last agonies of death, broke away, and fled
in confusion from the spot, wholly unmindful of
their duty in guarding the mouth of the cave, and
every thing else, but their own safety, in the general
panic that had seized them. A momentary pause
followed the explosion of the fire-arms, in which
nothing was heard save the hasty scrambling of the
terrified Yorkers in their eager efforts to escape.
In an instant, however, a rushing from other quarters
was heard—dark forms were seen swiftly gliding
from the cave and the thickets above, in the
direction of the retreating party, among whom, in
a moment more, a cry of dismay rose wildly on the
air. Munroe, and three of his men, were suddenly
seized round their waists or legs, from behind, by the
iron grasp of grappling arms, and, being lifted from
the ground, were upborne with resistless force and
rapidity towards the shore of the lake; all of them
but their leader verily believing, in the fright and
confusion of the moment, that it was the catamount,
whose fearful image was still uppermost in their
minds, that had seized them and was bearing them
off in his grasp.

`Help! help, here! He has got me! for God's
sake help me!' screamed one in an agony of terror.

`Murder!' exclaimed another; `Oh! get him off
—get him off! murder! murder!'

`Oh! aw!' cried the third in a yell of despair;—
`he has got his claws in my throat—he'll kill me—
he will! he will! yah! yah!'

Munroe alone, of all the thus oddly captured party,
was mute. Rightly judging the character of the
foe into whose hands he had fallen, and boiling with
silent rage, he made the most desperate struggles to
free himself from the vice like grasp of his captor,
who, he at once concluded from his great strength,
the effects of which he had before experienced,
could be no other than Warrington. But wholly
failing in this attempt, and finding himself still carried
rapidly onward, he knew not to what destination,
he next tried to disengage his dirk from its
sheath, in which it was confined beneath the grappling
arm of his opponent. Before succeeding in
this, however, and while intent only on his murderous
design, he was borne by his intended victim to
the margin of the water, and, with a giant effort,
hurled headlong over the bank. The loud splashing
that succeeded told that he was now struggling
in the embrace of a different, though not a much
more comfortable, antagonist; while three more
heavy plunges, following in irregular succession
along the bank, still further announced that the
vanquished sheriff was not without the company of
a good share of his friends to console him in the
discomforts of the new element, into which they all
had been so suddenly and unexpectedly translated.
The shrill notes of Warrington's signal whistle now

sounded the preconcerted retreat. In a moment
more the victorious party were assembled at the appointed
landing—in another they were embarked;
while their boat, by the strong push of the last man
springing in, was sent, by the single impulse, so far
into the lake as to put a safe distance between them
and their foes, now beginning to rally, with cries of
rage, on the shore. An uncontrolable peal of laughter,
ending in three loud and lively cheers, now
burst from the Green Mountain Boys, rending the
welkin above, and startling the deep recesses of
the surrounding forests with the triumphant shout.

`The battle being over,' observed Warrington,
after the noise of their merriment and exultation
had measurably subsided; `let us now turn our attention
to the wounded and missing.'

`All whole of skin, I imagine,' said Selden;
`though here is one, Smith, I believe it is, who
comes from the fight, as near as I can discover, like
the Benjaminite of the scripture just escaped from
the Philistines, with head bare and garments rent.'

`I must leave my old otter skin cap in their hands
I 'spose,' coolly replied Smith; `I had to take it to
finish off the catamount's head with; for I could'nt
fix the fox-fire for the eyes into the end of that bundle
of dry grass, that I made the body of, so as to
look any how natural without it, and when I pushed
the thing out of the crotch, as I stood behind the
tree with my pole, I gave it such a hoist over into the
bushes among the scared devils that 'twas out of the
question to think of looking for the cap, and grabbing
one of the scamps too. But as to my coat being
tore here a little, I do'nt valley it a fraction,
seeing as how the ragamuffin I hove into the lake
got pretty well choaked to pay for it.'

`Ah, you have done well, Smith,' said the leader;
`all of you, indeed, have done nobly; but of
that hereafter—one of our number I believe is missing—which
is it?'

`It is Pete Jones,' replied Brown.

`And the Indian chap,' added Smith.

`The Indian,' resumed Warrington, `after announcing
the enemy for us by his admirable imitation
of the owl, departed by himself, I presume.—
As near as I could gather from him, he did not
wish to be known as acting against the Yorkers.—
He probably lives with some family in the vicinity
who are trying to stand neutral in this warfare, and
who have cautioned him to govern himself accordingly.
His absence therefore does not surprise
me. But what can have become of Jones? He
surely is not a fellow to be easily ensnared, or over-powered.'

`I rather suspect,' replied Brown; `he is after
that traitor. As when the Yorkers were creeping
on toward the cave he whispered to me he thought
he saw a fellow pointing out the place, and slipping
back over the hill, who, he guessed, was the one—
and the last I saw of Pete, he was working off
that way. Suppose, Captain, that we row along so
as to stand off the shore in that direction, to be
ready to take him in, should he give the word?'

In pursuance of this prudent suggestion the boat
was immediately headed round to the north, and
rowed noislessly along the shore in the direction
supposed to be taken by their missing companion.
They had made but little progress, however, before
they were startled by the sudden flash and sharp report
of a pistol, in a thicket near the shore, about a
furlong ahead.

`There goes trouble for poor Jones, I fear,—the
dastard has attempted his life!' cried Warrington, in
the varying tones of fear for the result and indignation
for the attempt; `but if help be of any further
use to him, he shall have it. So, men, pull for it!
pull for the spot with every nerve you have got, or
the Yorkers will be there before us.'

In an instant the canoe, almost leaping from its
element at every stroke of the excited and strong
armed oarsmen, was surging through the waters,
with bird-like velocity toward the place. As Warrington
had predicted, the enemy on shore, on hearing
the report of the pistol, immediately started for
this new scene of action. And, quickly perceiving
their opponents on the lake making rapidly for the
spot, they redoubled their speed, and rushed on as
fast as the obstacles of the woods and the wet
clothes and benumbed limbs of those who had been
ducked, would permit, to arrive in time to assist, or
rescue, as the case might require, their absent guide,
whom they readily concluded to be an actor in the
fracas, and revenge themselves, if possible, on the
whole band of their foes, for the sad discomfiture
just experienced. The race between the two contending
parties was a close one. The Green Mountain
Boys, however, were again in fortune. Their
boat came whirling up to the shore, adjoining the
scene of action, while the foremost of the enemy
was yet fifty yards distant.

`You may kick till all is blue,' muttered Jones,
whose tall form at that instant came peering from
the thicket, while with irregular motions he made
toward the boat, bearing bolt upright in his arms
before him his grappled foe, who was struggling
with terrible violence, and kicking desperately

against every tree within reach of his feet, with the
hope of retarding the progress of his captor till succour
arrived; `you may kick, and be hanged! but
you have jest got to go, my sweet lad, and into a
little better company too than you hoped for, I
guess. No help for it—so in with you—there!—
now make yourself comfortable friend,' concluded
the woodsman, pitching his captive headlong into
the boat, and leaping in himself, just in time to escape
the pursuers now close at his heels.

`Escaped again, by the pains of tophet!' exclaimed
the enraged Munroe from the bank, as the
boat, previously headed round, shot out into the
lake beyond the reach of the twice baffled Yorkers:
`fire! fire! upon the damned rascals!'

The command was scarcely uttered before Jones,
having as quick as thought again grappled his captive,
and faced round toward the shore, was holding
the deprecating victim before him in the stern
so as to cover the range of the expected volley.

`Let drive there!' exclaimed Pete, with the utmost
nonchalance, `you need'nt feel any delicacy,
gentlemen, for I'll agree to take all the bullets you'll
send through this beautiful target I'm holding for
you.'

`Dont fire! for God's sake dont let'em fire, Munroe!'
screamed the struggling and terrified prisoner.

`You need not be much alarmed I think, fellow:'
said Warrington, `the sheriff's pistols must be rather
too wet to be very dangerous; and as to the
arms of the rest, which were all discharged at the
catamount, we shall have but little to fear from
them by the time they can be loaded.'

`I mistrusted as much myself,' observed Jones, releasing
the prisoner; `but I thought I would scare
the fellow a little for his scurvy treatment to me.'

`The pistol we heard, then, was meant, as we
suspected, for you?' asked the leader.

`O, yes,' replied the other carelessly; `to be sure
he showed the best good will in the world to make
a hole in me; but I should'nt have laid that up
much, seeing he missed his aim, which is a sort of
punishment of itself, you know, if he had'nt afterwards
offered me money to let him go and keep his
name and all close—why I never was so insulted in
my life!'

`His name? who is it? what is his name?' eagerly
asked several of the company.

`Mayhap, you from down south never heard of
him, and don't know him, but I did, the moment I
saw his face as he passed the fellow bringing the
torch light. His name is Sherwood, living down in
New Haven, and he is jest one of the smoothest fellows
that ever wore two faces in a day, asking his
pardon.'

`Sherwood—Sherwood,' said Warrington musingly;
`aha! I now remember to have heard of his
having been at Bennington, and also of his having
made some suspicious visits to Albany. But we
will examine his merits more particularly when we
reach the opposite shore.'

`See how wishful those fellows are looking after
us!' observed Jones, pointing back to the shore, now
about fifty rods distant, where the Yorkers, having
procured a light, were still standing in a dark group,
evidently trying to trace the course of the receding
boat; `I swan! if I was only bloody minded
enough, how I would like to take a shot into that
flock of York buzzards!'

`Hold up a little, oarsmen,' said the leader; `and
we will give them a kinder compliment than that,

before entirely parting. `So good night, Mr. Munroe,'
he continued rising in the boat, and raising his
loud clear voice to a pitch, which, in the dead stillness
of night, might have been distinctly audible to
a far greater distance; `good night! my old friend
—I hope for the pleasure of many such meetings
and partings before we die—pleasant dreams and a
good night to you!'

`Good night, sir Sheriff,' added Selden, in the
same strain of mock courtesy; `we humbly trust
you will duly appreciate our late reception of yourself
and fellows, in imitation of the much lauded
oriental custom of regaling friends with the luxury
of the cool bath, which, together with the honor
done you of being carried, like other immortal heroes,
on the shoulders of men, will make out an entertainment,
we flatter ourselves, not wholly unworthy
of our guests—good night!'

`Halloo there, Sheriff!' cried Jones determined
to have a parting shot as well as the rest; `halloo,
Sheriff, wont you jest be kind enough to tell us by
way of information, before we go, what kind of a
return you calculate to make on that warrant you
told us about. We should like grandly to see it
when you have got it fixed. That 'tother poor
bothered sheriff's non comeatibus in swampo, I guess,
would be a fool to it.'