ben, you ought to be a general. Wake the others and caution them to
lie still."

The boy crawled round the loft and quickly did his work.

When Ethan knew that all were awake he spoke in a loud whisper to them:

"Eben has suggested a plan of campaign and I shall adopt it. We must
all pretend to be asleep. Let the English enter the loft, and, when
the opportunity arises, let the English be on the ground and the
patriots above them."

Every man lay perfectly still, and it really seemed as though Eben had
been mistaken, for the time was so long before any attempt was made to
enter the loft.

Eben knew all that was transpiring. He saw a man's head rise above the
floor and look around, and then he heard the man descend the ladder.

It was fully five minutes after he had reached the ground before he
again ascended.

The man crawled along the floor and lay perfectly still.

Another, then another, ascended the ladder, until a dozen soldiers in
uniform were in the loft.

Eben was not the only one who had watched their movements, for each of
the Mountain Boys had one eye sufficiently open to see them.

A rustling of the hay was the signal given by the sergeant for the
English to rise.

Each man rose to his feet and stood over the apparently sleeping
colonials.

But no sooner had the enemy taken its position than the mountaineers
put out their hands suddenly and grasped the soldiers by the legs.

In an instant every soldier was on his back, thrown to the floor with a
violence which he did not relish.

And over each man stood one of the mountaineers, ready to blow out the
soldier's brains did he attempt to move.

"Get up!" commanded Allen.

Each man rose, looking very sheepish.

"Hand over your guns and other weapons."

The soldiers obeyed. Not because they desired to do so, but at each
man's head was a pistol, and in each pistol was a bullet which meant a
nameless grave for the man who received it.

The captured men were made to descend the ladder, but no chance of
escape was given them, for at the foot of the ladder stood some of the
Mountain Boys, ready to fire if necessary.

There was a coil of rope in the barn, and this Allen utilized in
securing the prisoners in a novel fashion. He ordered the men to be
tied in couples, the right leg of one to the left leg of his mate,
after the fashion of a three-legged race. Then the couples were united
by a rope which wound round their arms and passed from