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"Thieves! Whoever passes this door will have to do it over my deadbody."
"Farmer Mervale, we mean you no harm if you are innocent, but if youare guilty then you must bear the punishment."
"Of what do you accuse me?"
Warner was about to equivocate and say that he believed arms weresecreted on the premises, but he was too open for subterfuge, so hereplied:
"We charge you with abducting and imprisoning a young maiden----"
"Ah! you have seen the mad monk?"
"Answer. Have you any maiden imprisoned on your premises?"
"If I had I should deny it, and if I have not I should still say thatyou are impertinent and a rebel who ought to be shot down."
The farmer had his weapon pointed at Warner and was about to shoot him,when his arm was knocked up from behind and the ball passed over hisintended victim's head.
Instantly the man was seized and bound.
The musket had been seized by the hired hand, who had been the cause ofthe farmer's intention being frustrated.
"If you will let me join you I will fight for the cause of liberty,"the man said, very earnestly.
"You must report to Col. Allen at Ticonderoga."
"I will go at once."
"Better stay with us and return when we do; we can vouch for your goodact."
The farmer cha
nged his tone when he was bound and therefore helpless.He cried out for mercy, declared that all he had said was in a jokingsense, and that he hoped the Provincials would win in their fightagainst England.
"You coward!" hissed Warner. "I have a great mind to shoot you as anexample and a warning to others."
"Spare me! I am old and----"
"Old? Why, man, you cannot be forty. Search the house!"
In a few minutes the searchers returned, leading Martha Baker, who wasalmost too weak to stand unsupported.
"Oh, Master Warner, I am so glad you came. I think I should have diedif I had stayed another day in this horrid house."
"Tell me your story, Martha."
"I was sent by my aunt to Farmer Mervale to arrange for an exchange ofeggs. You see, aunt had a lot of hen's eggs and Farmer Mervale had alot of duck's eggs, and the two wanted to exchange. When I reachedhere the farmer asked me my name, and then if I was any relation ofRemember Baker, and I told him that I was his sister. Then he asked meto go upstairs to help count the eggs. I did so, and the farmer toldme that he was going to keep me there, because if my brother attemptedto do anything to his brother, who was a soldier in Ticonderoga, hewould kill me. Then he tortured me by saying that he would poison somesoup and invite the rebels to dinner with him, and that when they hadall eaten heartily he would kill me before their eyes."
The farmer heard the girl's statement, and, instead of denying it,declared it was all a joke, which, perhaps, it was, but it was cruel,and the perpetrator of such a joke deserved punishment.
Warner ordered his men to strip the farmer to the waist and introducehim to the "birch dance," as summary punishment was called.
Fifty good, sharp strokes across the bare back with strong beechensticks made Farmer Mervale wish he had been less fond of joking andillegally imprisoning a girl.
Martha told how she had seen the monk, and had called to him throughthe open window, telling him how she had been served, and also askinghim to let the Mountain Boys know of her detention.
How well the eccentric monk had fulfilled his mission we have seen.
It was rather late in the afternoon when the strong fort at Crown Pointwas reached.
