t34 JUSTIN MORGAN 



to promise that she should come when all was ready — 

 and there she is waiting in Boston until I send for her." 



Morgan tossed his head, and his tail waved slightly. 



''She shall ride you, little horse, for, by my sword, 

 there never was a more delightful, under the saddle. 

 My mind is made up, I shall buy you, old as you are !" 



There it was again — "As old as you are." Age ! what 

 has age to do with it if the heart and spirit are young? 



"As for these Vermonters," the Captain continued, 

 thinking aloud, and riding on, "they are brave, fine men 

 and they will stand by Ethan Allen's ideals; if war 

 comes they will be with us. I've felt the pulse of Ver- 

 mont from North to South, and I believe in them in 

 spite of their reserve and non-committal attitude." 



They galloped on over rocky, new-cleared spaces, 

 across streams and fences, and pushed their way slowly 

 through underbrush. When they stopped, Dulaney 

 pulled Morgan's lean head round and caught his bright, 

 pleasant eye. The Captain winked at him with a 

 chuckle. 



"We'll win this war yet " 



So there was to be a war ! Morgan's pupils dilated, 

 his nostrils spread. 



"Yes, we'll win this war, as we did the other," and 

 the officer nodded his head with conviction. "I was but 

 a lad of ten, Morgan, when we heard of Cornwallis' sur- 

 render, in 1 78 1. 'Twas a crisp autumn day and I well 

 recall the shouting and hurrahing, the patriotic acclama- 

 tions and glowing ardor of the Americans. 



"To-day we have no Washington, no Hamilton, no 

 La Fayette. We can but wait and see. But to me it 

 seems a foregone conclusion. We have the larger ships, 

 the heavier ordnance, and we are superior in seaman- 

 ship and gunnery. Our vessels are few, but equipped 



