CHAPTER XXIII.
FORAGING.
Eben's news was in every point correct. Gen. Schuyler had beenstricken down by sickness, and Montgomery assumed command of one of thearmies of invasion.
Allen went out to meet the Irish general and received a warm welcome.
Montgomery was full of praise of the plan of invasion.
Arnold and Morgan were marching through Maine to attack the citadel ofQuebec, and Montgomery was to march into Canada to the westward, andafter capturing Montreal and other important places, form a junctionwith Arnold and drive the English out of Quebec.
"That man has a great brain," Montgomery remarked, as he told Allen theplan.
"To whom do you refer?"
"Gen. Benedict Arnold."
"What has he done?"
"He formulated the plan and sent it to Gen. Washington----"
"He did?"
"Yes, and the commander was so pleased with it that he wrote a personalletter to Arnold, thanking him and saying that the plan should be putinto immediate execution."
"And Arnold really took the credit, if credit there be?"
"Of course; why not?"
"I am not surprised, and yet----"
"You are not jealous?"
"Jealous? No, not of a thief."
"A thief?"
"Yes, a thief. I drew up that plan and copied it in duplicate, so thatif one got lost the other would remain. I took one copy to Albany andlaid it before the assembly."
"And the copy?"
"I left it at Ticonderoga."
"What became of it?"
"I do not know; at least I find that I know now, though I had nosuspicion. When I returned from the Continental Congress I asked forthe plan, and was told it had been lost. The truth is that Arnold tookit away with him."
"Gen. Washington shall know this."
"No, never mind. I care not who gets credit for the plan if it is onlysuccessful; but if I should fall let the people of Vermont know thatthe plan was mine."
"Rest assured of that."
"I have the original with me, and you shall read it, for I want no oneto accept my word for anything."
Allen was right. Benedict Arnold had read the plan, and had actuallyappropriated the copy and sent it in Allen's writing to Philadelphia.
Once he was asked about Allen's statement, and he replied that he hademployed Ethan Allen to make copies from his rough draft.
The young Irish general of division did not believe in loitering, andafter a day's rest at Ticonderoga the march was resumed.
Allen had joined, but having no commission, he was placed in rather adelicate position, though the very fact that he was, in a sense, afreelance, made him more valuable to Montgomery.
A promise was given that, should an opportunity offer, Allen was tocommand a regiment under Montgomery.
After leaving Ticonderoga the march was easy for two days, for thecountry was peopled by friends of the colonial cause; but after thatthe farmers were decidedly hostile.
There was great difficulty in feeding the army, and although thegeneral offered to purchase food, the tories refused to sell any.
Allen was commissioned to take twenty men and forage.
He knew that the farmers were tories, but he shrank not from his task.
He was supplied with a small amount of money, and was empowered to pay,by notes, for any food he secured.
About a mile from camp a poultry farm was reached, and Allen at oncerequisited all the poultry.
The farmer demurred, but the soldiers were the strongest, and very soona quantity of young turkeys, hens and ducks were in the wagons, much tothe delight of the foragers.
At the next house a determined opposition was organized.
At the fence the patriots were met by a number of men, armed with allsorts of weapons.
"We are prepared to pay for what we get," said Allen.
"I guess you will pay for what you get; that would be right easy, foryou'll not get a durn thing."
"My friend, you make a mistake."
"Move on there or I'll set the dogs on you."
To emphasize his assertion he whistled, and immediately two splendidanimals sprang to his side.
"Call off those dogs; we do not war on dumb animals," Allen called.
"I guess I'll not call 'em off. At' em, beauties."
The dogs sprang over the fence, and with glaring eyes and open mouthsmade for the nearest soldier.
Two pistol shots prevented them doing any damage, and Allen gave theorder to his men to charge the obstructives and take whatever food theycould find.
However determined men may be, they cannot stand against muskets andswords, when their weapons are only hay forks and crowbars.
The farm helpers were driven back, and a wagon was quickly loaded withflour and grain and vegetables.
The foraging expedition was a great success, though Allen would havepreferred purchasing the food, if any could have been found to sell.
The next day he was sent out again, and met with good success until hewas ready to return.
A company of soldiers had been quartered on one of the farms by theEnglish, and Allen was unprepared for the encounter.
When he found he was in for a fight, he felt better satisfied to thinkhe met foemen worthy of his steel, instead of a set of half-fed andbadly armed farmers' men.
The English can fight well, and Allen knew that his troops wereinferior in every way to the enemy, but he did not hesitate.
"Men, we are outnumbered, but we are not beaten; shall we retire asprisoners, or fight until death claims us?"
"Fight!"
"We cannot surrender without a struggle."
"Who can tell but we may defeat them?"
Allen, pleased with the speeches of his comrades, gave the order tocharge the enemy.
The fight was a sharp one.
Hand-to-hand struggles always partake more of the brutish, and thetruth about such encounters is far more horrible than any description.
Allen was in the thickest of the fight all the time; his sword wasdripping with blood every time he raised it above his head, and thatwas just as frequently as he could free his arm from the crush to wieldhis weapon.
Only a few minutes did the struggle last, but the carnage was out ofall proportion to the number engaged.
Seven of Allen's men were killed, while the enemy lost twelve, and whatseemed remarkable, all who fell were dead. No one seemed to be woundedor maimed; death came to all who were stricken.
The return journey was a sad one, though from the point of view of asoldier it was glorious.
Montgomery congratulated the mountaineer on his bravery, and told himthat his record should be known at headquarters.
The next day the march was resumed, and through lack of guides the armytook a wrong course.
The vanguard, in crossing a wide stretch of what seemed level country,found themselves in a marsh, and up to their waists in water.
The worst of it was that the bottom was treacherous, for the soilseemed like quicksand, and drew them in until they had difficulty inraising their feet.
After considerable floundering about they got out of the marsh just intime to warn the main body of the army.
The adventure was amusing except to the participants, and many a laughwas had at the expense of the unlucky men.
After a number of strange adventures the army reached Isle-aux-Noix,where Montgomery intended to camp for a time.
Two days after reaching there Allen was delighted to welcome Eben Pike,who had promised to follow as soon as his strength was regained.
He looked as hearty as ever, though less effeminate than when he firstjoined the Green Mountain Boys.
He had a man's strength, though his appearance was deceiving.
He had such an excellent idea of topography that Allen knew he would beextremely useful to the army of invasion.
The Hero of Ticonderoga; or, Ethan Allen and His Green Mountain Boys Page 23