ell
dead. During that dreadful six miles' march to Lexington,
the helpless troops ran the gantlet of the most destructive
storm of bullets they had ever encountered. On Lexington
battle-green several of them fell. It is doubtful if a man
of them would have reached Boston alive but for the cautious
demand for re-enforcements which Colonel Smith had sent back
in the early morning.

Lord Percy, with about nine hundred men, left Boston about
nine o'clock in the morning of the 19th, and a short time
after two in the afternoon reached the vicinity of
Lexington. He was barely in time to rescue the exhausted
troops of Colonel Smith. So worn out were they with fatigue
that they were obliged to fling themselves on the ground for
rest, their tongues hanging from their mouths through
drought and weariness.

Little time could be given them for rest. The woods swarmed
with militiamen, who scarcely could be kept back by the
hollow square and planted cannon of Lord Percy's troops. In
a short time the march was resumed. The troops had burned
several houses at Lexington, a vandalism which added to the
fury of the provincials. As they proceeded, the infuriated
soldiers committed other acts of atrocity, particularly in
West Cambridge, where houses were plundered and several
unoffending persons murdered.

But for all this they paid dearly. The militia pursued them
almost to the very streets of Boston, pouring in a hot fire
at every available point. On nearing Charlestown the
situation of the British troops became critical, for their
ammunition was nearly exhausted, and a strong force was
marching upon them from several points. Fortunately for
them, they succeeded in reaching Charlestown before they
could be cut off, and here the pursuit ended as no longer
available. The British loss in killed, wounded, and missing
in that dreadful march had been nearly three hundred; that
of the Americans was about one hundred in all.

It was a day mighty in history, the birthday of the
American Revolution; the opening event in the history of the
United States of America, which has since grown to so
enormous stature, and is perhaps destined to become the
greatest nation upon the face of the earth. That midnight
ride of Paul Revere was one of the turning-points in the
history of mankind.

THE GREEN MOUNTAIN BOYS.

Down from the green hills of Vermont came in all haste a
company of hardy mountaineers, at their head a large-framed,
stron