them.

They passed so near the head of the ruined wharf that I could have
tossed my hat aboard their craft, and the only screen we had was the
shadows cast by the timbers; but they saw us not. Going on their way in
ignorance, and happy in the belief that at the first overt show of
rebellion we of Boston would be crushed out of existence, the king's men
continued their round, and verily it seemed as if the good God had
interposed to render it possible for us lads to carry the message which
had been entrusted to our keeping by Doctor Warren.

Not until they were so far in the distance that it was no longer
possible to hear the sound of their oars, did we venture to draw a long
breath, and then it was that Archie said in a whisper:

"Now then, Silas, pull well out into the current, and the sooner Luke
gets the mast into place, the quicker we'll be heading toward
Charlestown. Put a hand over your oar to prevent any creaking, and
don't open your mouth save when it is necessary to breathe."

Both Silas and I understood that Archie was the one who should act as
commander of our small expedition, and we obeyed in silence, the skiff
darting ahead once she felt the weight of the wind, as if understanding
full well the need of speed.

Not until we were well off Morton's point did either of us venture to
break the silence, and then Silas asked suddenly, as if he had been
stewing over the matter for some time:

"Why shouldn't there be Minute Boys as well as Minute Men, and why,
since we have begun to work for the Cause in good earnest, shouldn't we
raise a company?"

CHAPTER II

RAISING A COMPANY

That which Silas proposed startled and at the same time surprised me. Of
course there was no good reason why we lads should not be banded
together in the service of the colony, and yet it seemed a forward thing
to do, thus to ape our elders.

Archie, however, was greatly taken with the idea from the start, and
Silas had hardly more than finished speaking when he cried, incautiously
loud as it appeared to me:

"Well, and why shouldn't we raise a company of Minute Boys? What is
there to prevent, if so be we are minded to stake our lives for the
Cause, even as our fathers are doing?"

"It is for them to say whether we be permitted to bind ourselves
together," I replied, having a doubt as to the wisdom of Silas's scheme,
and yet wishing most fervently that it might be carried out.

"Think you your father or mine, Luke