's imperious orders for
submission to his will that he left the place in a rage, went down to
the Ferry and spent the week with Cook.

Brown tendered his resignation as Commander in Chief. There was no other
man among them who would dare to lead. A frank discussion disclosed this
fact and the disciples were compelled to submit. They voted submission
and authorized Owen to put it in writing which he did briefly but to the
point:

Harper's Ferry, Aug. 18, 1859.

DEAR SIR,

We have all agreed to sustain your decisions, until you have _proved
incompetent_, and many of us will adhere to your decisions as long as
you will.

Your friend, OWEN SMITH.

The rebellion was suppressed within the ranks and the leader's authority
restored. But the task of watching and guarding became more and more
trying and dangerous.

One of the women remained on guard every moment from dawn to dusk. When
washing dishes she stood at the end of the table where she could see the
approach to the house. The meals over, she took her place on the porch
or just inside the door. Always she was reading or sewing. She not only
had to watch for foes from without, but she was also the guard set over
the restless "invisible" upstairs. In spite of her vigilance, Hazlett
and Leeman would slip off into the woods and wander for hours. Hazlett
was a fine-looking young fellow, overflowing with good nature and social
feelings. The prison life was appalling to him. Leeman was a boy from
Saco, Maine, the youngest man among the disciples. He smoked and drank
occasionally and chafed under restraint.

In spite of the women's keen watch these two fellows more than once
broke the rules by slipping into Harper's Ferry in broad daylight and
spending the time at Cook's house. They loved to watch the slender,
joyous, little wife at her work. They envied Cook, and, while they
watched, wondered at the strange spell that had bound their souls and
bodies to the old man crouching on the hill to strike the sleeping
village.

The reports of these excursions reached Brown's ears and increased his
uneasiness. The thing that hastened the date for the Great Deed to its
final place on the calendar was the fact that a traitor from ambush had
written a letter to the Secretary of War, John B. Floyd, revealing the
whole plot and naming John Brown of Kansas as the leader.

The Secretary of War was at the time in the mountains of Virginia on
a vacation. The idea of any sane human b