"How did you enter? Where have you been?"
Eben did not answer. He was too weak. His body swayed, his limbs trembled, and he would have fallen had not Allen caught him.
As gently as a mother carries her child, the hero of Ticonderoga bore the half-famished boy into the barracks and asked that he should receive attention.
The boy was undressed and washed, then little sips of beef tea were given him.
In an hour he showed signs of returning vitality, and they knew that he would live.
"He left here a month ago," explained the captain; "I sent him on a delicate mission, knowing that he could be trusted. When he did not return I thought him dead."
"You knew I should be true to the cause then?" whispered Eben.
"Yes, my boy; no one would ever doubt your loyalty. You shall tell your adventures later. You must rest and get stronger."
"But I have news I must tell. Gen. Montgomery is on his way to Ticonderoga to join Arnold in his invasion of Canada. He will be here to-morrow."
The speech was long for him, and his flushed cheek and quivering voice told how the message had shaken his frame.