There was no response; the American prisoners were too much engaged in inhaling all the fresh air they could to care about talking. "That is Land's End, in England. You will soon be there, and then you will all be hanged. A short life and a wretched one will be yours from now on. That is all. Take the prisoners back to their palatial quarters." The captain may have thought he was inflicting torture on the prisoners, but he was mistaken. They were not afraid of the fate which awaited them. If they were to die, they would prefer to die on land to being tortured to death in the hold of a small ship. As one of the prisoners quoted the words of an older rebel in England: "The noblest place for man to die Is where he dies for man." So all felt that if they were to be hanged in England they would be tried, and on their trial they would be able to make their defense and let the world know under what grievances the American colonies were suffering. In two days the vessel landed in Falmouth Harbor. The news that the vessel had on board a number of American prisoners caused thousands of people to flock to the wharf. The greatest curiosity was manifested. Had a cargo of wild beasts entered port the curiosity could not have been greater. In fact, Allen soon learned that the Americans were looked upon as wild beasts or savages, and certainly not as civilized beings. The windows were filled with members of the fair sex, the sidewalks of the old English town were closely packed by men and children. Hour after hour they waited to see the show. A lot of detail, commonly called "red tape," had to be attended to before the prisoners were allowed to land. A military band escorted a regiment of redcoats down to the dock, and the necessary papers for the transfer of the prisoners were exchanged. Then across the gangplank walked Ethan Allen and Eben Pike, handcuffed together. The people on the dock pushed and stared at the Green Mountain men. "Why, they aren't green!" exclaimed one of the bystanders with disgust. "No, they aren't Americans; they're Irish," said another. "Of course they're Irish; Americans are black." "No, red." "Not by a long shot; they're all as yellow as guineas." Absurd as it may appear at this day to have to record such ideas, it is an absolute fact that when it was rumored that the Green Mountain heroes were on their way to England the prevalent idea was that they derived their name from the color of their skin. When the other prisoners disembarked the march was commenced to the barracks. The people flocked round the prisoners so that progress was impeded. The soldiers had to charge the crowd with bayonets many times. "What did they mean by saying they thought we were Irish?" asked Eben. "I heard an Englishman say in New York that if it had not been for the Irish the Americans would not have rebelled. Of course it was nonsense, but the people do not know us yet, while they do know the Irish."