at having been thus
soundly whipped by a company of boys who had never until that moment
even so much as played at being warriors.

We followed close in the wake of the schooner with scarce sixty yards
between us, and then, had we been so blood-thirsty, we might have picked
off every man that showed himself on her deck, while they could have
inflicted no damage upon us.

Once we had stretched off on a course that would lead us to the mouth of
the Mystic or the Charles river, whichever we saw fit to make, Hiram
gave up the tiller to Archie, who, like myself, had come off without a
scratch, and he and I set about doing whatsoever we could in our
ignorant way for the relief of those who were suffering.

My heart grew sick within me when we found two of the poor lads lying on
deck still in death; but our first care was necessarily for the living,
and we did whatsoever we could in our poor way for the two who were most
grievously wounded, after which was made an examination of the lesser
injuries.

We Minute Boys had gone into the battle fifteen strong, and, counting
Hiram, we had our full number on board the sloop; two of these had gone
over into that world of the Beyond; two lay, as it seemed to me, nigh
unto death, while five had received what might be called trifling
wounds, although I question whether a fellow who suffers from the pain
caused by a British bullet through the fleshy part of his arm or leg,
would be willing to call the hurt "trifling."

Long though the list was, it must have been small in comparison with
what we had done to the lobster backs. From all I had seen, it appeared
to me that at least five were put beyond all power of doing harm to us
of the colonies, and I dare venture to say that not more than three or
four of the entire number escaped without some evidence of our skill as
marksmen.

And now, if you will believe me, in the midst of our rejoicing, for we
did rejoice even though those two poor lads lay in the bow silent and
motionless, covered with canvas, Hiram broke out with complaint because
our work had not been finished, whereupon I asked in amazement and no
little anger what he considered the finishing of the task.

"We failed of getting more than one cargo, and there were two to be had
on Hog island, as I know full well. But for the fact that we are what
you might call short-handed because so many are wounded, I would put
about and pick up what laid ready for our hands but for the