ttesville,
barracks and camps had been erected for the prisoners, who were
constructing a building to be used as a theatre. Many of them had
vegetable gardens, one officer, it was said, having spent nearly five
hundred dollars for seed to be planted by his men.

When these prisoners had arrived there the previous winter, after a
march of over seven hundred miles from Massachusetts, the hillside,
which now bloomed, was desolate and bleak. But few buildings had been
erected, and about the only provisions obtainable were corn meal and
water. All that had been changed as by magic, and many of the poor
fellows had not known such comfort since leaving their homes in
England, while most of the Hessians were faring better than they ever
had done at home.

It will be recalled that Gates had weakly consented to terms which
allowed Burgoyne's soldiers to be transported to England on condition
they should not fight against America. He was so eager to secure a
surrender, that he evidently did not stop to consider that these
soldiers could be used in England to replace those stationed there,
who in turn could be sent to America. Shrewder men were quick to see
the mistake and to take advantage of any circumstance to prevent it.
Such a circumstance was afforded by Burgoyne himself, who, not liking
the quarters assigned to him in Massachusetts, had declared the terms
of the surrender had been broken. Moreover, when the Americans were
ready to let the troops go on their arrival in Massachusetts, the
British would not provide transportation, and by the time they were
ready the Americans had various pretexts for not complying with the
terms of the surrender. The British declared their opponents acted in
bad faith. Undoubtedly many Americans believed England would act in
bad faith if she could get the troops back.

Zeb's attitude on this question was that of many Americans. "I don't
care to argue the matter," he said. "I can if necessary; the argyments
been't all on one side."

Zeb would always be lame from his wound, in fact this had forced him
to leave the army. "The Rangers aren't what they were," he told
Rodney, "since Morgan was given another command. He was the king pin.
He had a way o' seein' the Rangers got what belonged to 'em. They knew
it, an' thar was nothin' they wouldn't do for him. I mind one day he
was ridin' past whar some o' the men were at work clearin' a road. Two
of 'em were tryin' to roll out a big rock an' a litt