Arnold was surly. He thought that Allen had lost confidence in him, but Allen reasoned the matter with his Connecticut hero, and satisfied him that no insult was intended. Crown Point is about eleven miles north of Ticonderoga. The town itself lies six miles away from the fort. Seth Warner started on his march, his men highly elated at the prospect of winning renown. When about halfway they were met by a man dressed in the garb of a monk. He carried a crucifix and a long staff. His hair was white, and a long beard, which reached nearly to his waist, was as white as driven snow. Waving his staff above his head, he called to the soldiers to stop. Warner had no great liking for monks, though he was honest enough to respect every man's religion. "What is it you would have, good father?" asked Warner. "In the name of the ever true and good, I crave your assistance, and, if you will grant it, I will give you my blessing, which is better than rubies and more valuable than gold." "In what way can we assist you, good father?" "You are soldiers of liberty. Heaven will bless your swords, and you will live to see the flag of the tyrant go down in the dust, and a flag of a free nation will float over a free people. I am not allowed to fight, or I would gird on a sword and smite me right and left until the friends of the tyrant were all beneath the sod!" "We thank you for your patriotic exhortation, but we have a mission to fulfill and we must not loiter." "The mission is one which will not fail; I know that you have captured the strong fort at Ticonderoga, and that you will enter within the fortifications of Crown Point, but will you assist me?" "What would you have us do?" "To the east of you, one mile and one hundred yards, stands a house. It is a farmhouse. Its owner is no friend of the Provincials, and has a captive whom he holds for ransom." "A captive? Held for ransom? Explain yourself!" "This farmer, fearing that the English might be driven out of the country and that he would lose his possessions, because he is a great worker for the enemy, did find a young girl, who was related to one of the leaders of your holy cause, and he lured her into his house and holds her as a hostage. Should the Provincials take possession of his farm, he will kill the girl, so he says, and a man's word should be believed, and therefore I did make a vow to rescue this maiden from the grasp of the ungodly and restore her to her friends." "Where did you say the farm was?" "Tarry not, I beseech you, but travel to the east one mile and one hundred yards, and you will come to a snake fence; cross the field and you will see a house with a number of vines growing up its sides. Then ask for Farmer Mervale, and you have the man who dares to imprison one of the maidens the Lord loves." Warner consulted with his friends, and they agreed that it would be well to rescue the maiden. "You will go with us?" asked Warner.