"Is not the Green Mountain Colony pretty?"
"Yes; but I have thought that Vermont—it means Green Mountains—would sound good."
"Nothing could be better," assented Allen, "so we will commence our deliberations with the declaration: 'We, the men of Vermont, in convention assembled'; that will place our name above controversy."
"I propose that Ethan Allen be our governor."
"Stay, that will never do. The king must appoint a governor, so we can only declare our desire to be independent of New Hampshire, and until the king accepts our independence we must nominally recognize Gov. Wentworth as our governor."
It is not our purpose to give the proceeding of that convention in extenso, but this much we have given, in order that the whole country may know that the sturdy mountain boys talked of independence and liberty with spirit even before the Revolution began.
Warner stood on a chair and waved his hand for attention.
"I have heard," he said, "that Gen. Gates is pressing the people of Boston so hard that the English are getting themselves disliked in that city, and I should not be surprised if a rebellion was talked of."
"The sooner the better, say I."
"Yes; why should England govern us?"