n the American advance guard, and burnt a house
or two. The undertaking appears to have been without object, and
resulted in nothing except some harmless cannonading. At other times
armed boats ventured along the Cambridge shore, or tried the rivers,
always to be sent back by the bullets of Yankee sharpshooters. When the
Virginia riflemen appeared, however, there was less of this diversion.
These men, finding themselves debarred from the larger field operations,
resolved at least to get something in return for their long march. So
they set themselves to watch for the appearance of British exploring
parties, and even stalked the sentries. The officers indignantly
complained that this was not war according to rule, but both they and
their sentries took care not to expose themselves. The largest operation
undertaken by the British was at the approach of winter, when early in
November they sent a small force to Lechmere's Point, at a time when a
very high tide had converted the place into an island. They took a few
cows, and lost a couple of men; on retiring they pointed to the American
unwillingness to attack them, but this, as we have already learned, was
on account of the spoiled cartridges.

All these operations, it will be seen, took place practically within the
limits of the Back Bay and its adjacent waters, into which flowed the
Charles River and a few creeks. Once or twice British boats tried to
explore the Mystic, but with the coming of the riflemen that diversion
stopped. When finally the Yankees dragged whale-boats to the Mystic and
Charles, and began building floating batteries on their own account,
British curiosity as to the American shore-line lapsed entirely.

Down the harbor Gage did nothing, except to send, tardily, to repel
American expeditions. We have seen that the British could not save the
lighthouse. The Yankee fishermen now took occasion to remove from the
islands the hay and live stock which they had not taken before Bunker
Hill. Their activities drew from Burgoyne an indignant letter.

"It may be asked in England, 'What is the Admiral doing?'

"I wish I were able to answer that question satisfactorily, but I can
only say what he is _not_ doing.

"That he is _not_ supplying us with sheep and oxen, the dinners of the
best of us bear meagre testimony; the state of our hospitals bears a
more melancholy one.

"He is _not_ defending his own flocks and herds, for the enemy have
repeatedly plundered