, children and
baggage. The day after their arrival while viewing the land covered by
Reid's title, they observed a crop of Indian corn, wheat, and garden
stuff, and a stack of hay belonging to two New England men who,
according to Cameron, had squatted on the land without right or title.
Reid paid these two men $15 for their standing crops and the hay and
made over the same to his new tenants. This was a novel way of telling
how the owners of the titles to the farms received from the New
Hampshire governor years before, were evicted. But Enoch held his peace.
He had considerable doubt in his own mind regarding Colonel Reid's
"guideness," nevertheless, and rose early in the morning and left the
settlement in Bolderwood's canoe. Instead of keeping on up the Otter he
turned back to the lake. The route by which he and the ranger had come
from Bennington would be far shorter than the one he had started upon;
so he went back that way. News of the return of Reid's people must be
conveyed to Ethan Allen and the other leaders of the Green Mountain Boys
as quickly as possible.

He scarcely stopped for food, so anxious was he to get home. He met
nobody on his trip until he reached Manchester and there his story was
hardly believed, for the letter of the New York governor in May,
inviting the Grants representatives to a council, had made a strong and
favorable impression upon public sentiment. This council had advised
that all legal processes against the Grants settlers cease and even now
the echoes had not died away of the jubilation of the deluded people
over what was considered the end of the bitter controversy.

But when he arrived at home and told his mother of his discovery she,
like the truly patriotic woman she was, became vastly disturbed. "You
may not rest idly here, Enoch, while such wrong is being done. Colonel
Allen should know of it at once. He rode past here but yesterday on his
way to Bennington, and gave us a cry. He asked for you, too," she said,
with pride, "and told me how well you carried yourself at training.
There is a council being held in town to-day, I believe, for I suspect
that Colonel Allen and Captain Warner have not been deceived by the
false promises of Governor Tryon. And this business at the Otter Creek
will wake up many of those who would cry 'Peace!' when there is no
peace. Bryce will saddle the horse for you, Enoch," she added, "and
while you eat I will prepare your best breeches and coat. You