the wounded, another
day had fully come before we entered the encampment, and I was surprised
at finding that all our people there seemed to know as much concerning
what had been done near Hog island as did we who had taken part in the
action.

The sailors of the sloop which we had aided to escape, were so loud in
their praise of what the Minute Boys of Boston had done, and so eager to
make every person acquainted with the part we had played, that had we
been veritable heroes the reception accorded us could not have been
warmer.

Men whom I had never seen before shook me by the hand as if we were
friends of long standing, and had much to say in praise of the past
day's work. Doctor Warren seemingly made it his especial business to
greet each of us in turn, and repeated again and again that he was not
surprised because of our having shown ourselves men, since he knew the
day we carried his message to Lexington that we had in us the making of
soldiers.

As a matter of course I was proud of being thus received by my elders,
but when my father came up hurriedly, taking me in his arms and kissing
me on the cheek as if I had been a mere child, truly was my cup of
happiness running over!

I tried to belittle the affair, although way down in my heart I believed
it was of considerable importance; but he would have none of it,
claiming that those who manned the sloop could not have stretched the
truth, since the result showed that we must have acted nobly.

Now it can well be fancied that we Minute Boys were considerably puffed
up because of all this praise, more particularly when our elders greeted
us as equals. My pride and happiness vanished, however, on that
sorrowful day when our comrades were buried.

General Ward had issued orders that the lads be committed to the earth
with all the ceremony of a military funeral, and we Minute Boys who were
able to march, acted as guard of honor. It was all very imposing; but at
the same time solemn, and my heart grew chill with fear as to the
future, when I realized that it was more than probable others of our
company would give up their lives before we had won out in this fight
against the king.

During four or five days after the funeral our company of Minute Boys
remained within the encampment, for by this time we were come to be
considered a portion of the army, or, a better way of putting it would
be, that our elders recognized us as being worthy of being called
soldiers,