The Hero of Ticonderoga; or, Ethan Allen and His Green Mountain Boys
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CHAPTER XXVII.
A PRISONER.
Three days later Allen received another command to penetrate intoCanada and seek to interest the Canadians, especially the French, inthe colonial cause.
The Green Mountain Boy would have preferred to stay with the army andparticipate in the siege of St. John, but he was a soldier, and asoldier's first duty is obedience.
He addressed the people in every town and village, and the result wasfar beyond his expectations.
In a week he had traversed the country as far as St. Ours, twelve milessouth of Sorel, and had enlisted two hundred and fifty Canadians andhad armed them.
He wrote to Montgomery, telling him of his success, and adding that hehoped to be with him in three days to take part in the assault on St.John.
The return march was commenced, and on the second day the advance guardencountered a regiment of Americans under command of Maj. Brown.
Allen was delighted to meet a brother officer, and regretted that hehad sent half his men forward under command of Remember Baker.
Brown was sanguine and saw a chance of striking a great blow at theEnglish power.
"Montreal," he said, "is defenseless, and, with your forces united tomine, we can capture it."
Allen fell in with the suggestion, and a plan was discussed.
The men had met on the east bank of the St. Lawrence, between Longueuiland Laprairie, and it was arranged that Allen was to cross the river incanoes a little north of the city, while Brown and the men under hiscommand were to cross to the south, and, advancing from differentdirections, make themselves masters of the works and the garrison.
The difficulty of obtaining canoes delayed Allen.
He sent up and down the river to get boats, either by purchase or byforce, but only succeeded in getting a very few.
He had to cross and recross three times before he landed his littleparty on the opposite side.
The night was squally. The wind blew in fearful gusts, and often thefrail boats were in danger of being wrecked.
Allen cheered his men and promised them a glorious victory.
It was sunrise before all had crossed, and then the little partyawaited the signal from Maj. Brown.
An hour passed and no signal was heard.
Half an hour more, and then Allen knew that Brown had not crossed.
His position was critical.
He would have retreated had it been possible, but he would be seen bythe enemy, and a fire opened on the canoes would speedily sink them.
"Men, we are lost. Brown has failed to cross the river. If we couldretreat we would, but that would mean death without glory. We muststand our ground and die with glory. Our country must never say wewere cowards."
There was a suppressed cheer, and Allen knew that his few men wereready to make a determined stand.
Very soon they were to be put to the test.
The gates of the city were opened and a body of red-coated Britishregulars was seen to emerge; after them came two hundred Canadians, andan equal number of Indians.
The Americans saw they were outnumbered five to one.
"We will resist to the death!" Allen said to one of his officers, andthe men heard the words and got ready to fight like brave heroes.
Although the British outnumbered the Americans five to one, they actedwith the greatest caution, sheltering themselves behind woodpiles,houses and in ditches.
Allen's men returned the fire with vigor, and for two hours preventedthe enemy from emerging into the open.
The British regulars began to be irritated at the stubborn resistanceof the few Americans, and made a move which Allen knew was to be anattempt to flank him.
He called Capt. Lossier and bade him take fifty men and advance to theright and post himself in an advantageous ditch and to maintain hisposition there.
Lossier and his men advanced, but as soon as they came in sight of theredcoats they made a wild rush for the woods and scattered in alldirections.
To make Allen's position worse, a small detachment on the left, underthe command of Lieut. Young, a Canadian volunteer, also broke rank andfled, giving the enemy a chance to take up several strong positions.
Allen now found himself with only forty-five men, including the braveyoung Eben Pike.
They poured in their volleys as fast as they could load and fire.
In order to do more effective work five men were told off to load, andas the men who had run away had thrown down their muskets, there was agood chance to keep the guns cool.
But what could forty-five do against five hundred?
Allen saw that unless he retreated while his rear was open, he would besurrounded and all his men slaughtered, for he knew the command hadgone out to butcher all found with arms in their hands.
With great reluctance he gave the order to retreat. The Indians wererapidly gaining in the direction of the rear, and only fleet feet wouldgive the Americans a chance.
Although the Americans could run, they were no match for the Indians,and Allen found himself surrounded.
He had only twenty-eight men left, and yet he would not surrender.
With fixed bayonets the little band waited the onslaught of theBritish, who were only a few yards away on all sides.
An English captain, mad at the way in which his men had been kept atbay, snatched a musket from the hands of one of his men and fired atAllen.
Although only a few yards distant, the ball missed, and Allen, not tobe thought wanting in reciprocal feelings, fired at the captain, butboth were too much blown to take aim, so the shots were wasted.
"Coward!" shouted Allen--"cowards all! To think that it took fivehundred men to capture twoscore patriots!"
The captain answered back and demanded surrender.
"As prisoners of war?" asked Allen.
"No. As rebels."
"Then, by the great Jehovah, I will die fighting! Men, let us resistto the death!"
To the surprise of the English, a volley was fired into their ranks,and the Americans prepared to load again.
Seven more of Allen's men had fallen wounded, while twelve of theEnglish had been made to bite the dust.
"On what terms will you surrender?" asked the captain.
"That we shall all be recognized as prisoners of war and receivehonorable treatment."
"On the word of a British officer, your terms shall be accepted."
The Americans threw down their arms.
As Allen presented his sword to the officer a naked savage, withhellish visage, made still more repulsive by the fact that half hishead was shaved and the other half adorned with feathers, rushed atAllen and placed his musket at his head.
Allen caught the English captain and swung him between the Indian andhimself, but the savage flew round with incredible swiftness and greatfury, trying to kill the brave mountaineer without injuring the officer.
Allen succeeded in keeping the Englishman between him and the savage,but another Indian came rushing up and Allen gave all up as lost.
"Arrah, be jabers, if I can shtand that same!" shouted an Irishman inthe service of England.
He rushed forward with fixed bayonet, risking punishment for breakingrank, and swearing by his forefathers that he would kill the "haythen,"rescued Allen.
Thus, while Montgomery was waiting for him at St. John, Ethan Allen wasa prisoner in the hands of the English and being marched into Montreala captive.
In the barrack yard Gen. Prescott confronted him.
"Are you the Col. Allen who captured Ticonderoga?" he asked.
"I am."
A long string of expletives poured from the general's lips, and heswore that Allen should be shot.
He raised his cane to strike Allen across the face, but the GreenMountain Boy placed himself in fighting attitude.
"I am unarmed, you coward, but strike me and I will show you that myfists can smash your dastardly head."
An officer pulled the English general away, and Allen had nooppor
tunity to avenge himself at that time.
"By Jove! I'll hang every one of you," shouted Gen. Prescott."Colonel, see that thirteen of these d--d rebels are hanged within anhour; take the first thirteen--quick--there shall be no delay."
"If you dare to do it, I swear that you shall die within an hourafter," shouted Allen, defiantly.
It was a strange threat for an unarmed prisoner to make.