He was Ethan Allen, the head of the Allen boys, who had stayed away from the meeting the day before. "Men," he said, after glancing at the proclamation, "we hold our lands from the governor of the Colony of New Hampshire. Is it not so?" "You are right, Ethan." "We pay our quota to the expenses of that colony. Is it not so?" "It is." "Then we have nothing to do with the Colony of New York." "Nothing, and never want to have anything to do with that colony." "You are right, Seth Warner; so I tell you what we will do with this piece of parchment." The people looked at the speaker, and wondered what he was about to propose. When they saw him take a knife from his pocket and slit the parchment through the middle, they dare not speak, they were so astonished. In four pieces he cut the proclamation, and then handed it back to the sheriff, who dropped it as though it had been plague infected. Ethan Allen picked up the four pieces. "You did well not to receive it. I have a better use for it." He took out his tinder box, and after a little effort, for the snow made the tinder damp, he got a light. This he applied to the parchment, which sputtered and crinkled up in all sorts of strange shapes, until the great red seal, the token of authority, melted, and the wax ran on the ground. "Now, let the sheriff acquaint the governor of New Hampshire with what I have done." Ethan Allen stepped down, and walked through the crowd. Not one person spoke to him, his act had so taken them by surprise. It was a boldness that perhaps was criminal, they thought. "What think you?" asked one. "It was awful. I wonder the fire from Heaven did not consume him, for the king is the Lord's anointed, and it was in the king's name." "I wonder if they will hang him?" "Who, the king?" "No, Ethan; most like they will." "I guess he knew what he was doing." "Ay, and he did right. We want men of pluck like him." "Take care, Seth Warner; Ethan may get into trouble----" "And I will stand by him." "So will I," said Peleg Sunderland. "And here is another," spoke up Remember Baker. "The lad hath the right spunk. I like him." There was nothing done that day but talk over Ethan Allen's strange and daring conduct. For days the people spoke of it in bated breath, for they had never heard of such opposition to authority in the district, and they were afraid of the consequences. Gov. Wentworth, of New Hampshire, issued a counter proclamation, in which he said that King Charles had never given the land to New York. The governor of New York appealed to King George, and he decided in favor of New York, and so, at the end of six years, the battle of titles stood just where it did when Ethan Allen tore up the proclamation. CHAPTER II. THE GREEN MOUNTAIN BOYS. "What news?" "Welcome back, Ethan. Is it good news?" "Ay, man, tell us; what say the men in Albany?"