One evening while Colonel Ethan Allen and Levi Roberts were at the house of a friend by the name of Richardson, they were surprised by two sergeants and ten soldiers from the garrison at Crown Point, all of them well armed. Allen and Roberts were well known to the soldiers, and realized they were caught in a trap, as, stimulated by the reward on their heads, the soldiers would be certain to take them before the New York authorities. But even in this dilemma, Allen’s presence of mind did not forsake him. Both he and Roberts had their side arms about them, and he judged the soldiers would not immediately risk an open encounter. Calling for liquor, he began to make merry with the men; and such was his address, and his powers of conversation, that they were actually forced to join in the revelry. It was not long before the sergeants were dismayed at beholding their men, one by one, yielding to the seductive influence of their potations. Yet the doughty Colonel kept lustily calling for more liquor; and with well-feigned huskiness of voice, pressed all to drink, swearing they would merit his eternal displeasure if they refused. At length, after nearly all had rolled from their chairs, stupefied by the quantities of liquor they had swallowed, Allen demanded to be shown to bed. He was answered that the sergeants had engaged the only spare beds in the house. He refused their offer to give up one of the beds to himself and Roberts, with a maudlin remark that two such jolly subjects of the King should have the best the house afforded, and declared his intention to sleep in the barn. Leaving their guns in the house to disarm suspicion, Allen and Roberts suffered themselves to be conducted to the barn by the sergeants, where they were locked up for the night. The Colonel was apparently so far overcome with liquor as to require the assistance of two men to enable him to walk; and he reeled about, and dropping down helpless upon the straw, fell off into a drunken slumber. Even Roberts began to have serious misgivings as to the condition of his Colonel, whom he had seen drain glass after glass during the evening, enough to turn the heads of half a dozen men. But no sooner had the footsteps of the retreating sergeant died away, than the labored breathing of the Colonel suddenly ceased; and sitting up, drew off his boots and poured therefrom the rum that Roberts was ready to swear he had seen disappear down Allen’s throat.