ny of Minute
Boys officered despite the better judgment of him who had been selected
as captain.

There was much to discuss on this first night of meeting if we were to
become, as we claimed, a company of soldiers. Plans should be laid
concerning how we best might set about making ourselves recognized by
the Sons of Liberty, or by the officers of the militia. Then we had to
decide upon some regular rendezvous, where at the first summons we might
all assemble, and this last we agreed should be where we then were, at
the old ship-yard, on the tumble-down dock beneath which my skiff was
hidden.

Every fellow had some plan to suggest which would work to the benefit of
our company, and while nothing was actually decided upon save the place
where we should meet at the first summons, the time passed so rapidly
that it was midnight before the last of us had freed his mind. Then, as
a matter of course, we scurried home, going singly or in couples that we
might the better evade the red-coated watch, which patrolled every
street, and fearful lest we be chided by our parents, even though we
called ourselves by the high sounding name of "Minute Boys," for having
remained out so late.

Thus it was that we lads, who prided ourselves on being keenly on the
alert for any movement of the lobster backs, and much the same as
imprisoned in our own city where it all happened, failed of knowing that
shortly before the meeting of the Minute Boys was broken up, eight
hundred of the king's men were embarked in boats at the Common, bound,
as we afterward knew, and as many of our elders were then aware, for
Lexington and Concord.

Before nightfall of the next day the Minute Boys of Boston assembled at
the rendezvous without having been summoned, for word had been brought
into town of the bloody work at Lexington and Concord, and we lads, who
counted on taking such active part in the struggle against the king, had
lost the first opportunity of showing what it might be possible for us
to do.

Sixty-five of the king's soldiers had been killed, one hundred and
eighty wounded, and twenty-eight taken prisoners; while of our people
fifty-nine were killed, thirty-nine wounded, and five failed to answer
to the roll call, having, most like, crawled away, as do the lower
animals, to die alone.

All this had been done within and around that town we had so lately
visited, and yet Archie, Silas and I, who counted ourselves as being
keen-witted, had fai