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.