or after twenty minutes or more the cannonading ceased; but
we continued strengthening the defense, for, as Hiram said:

"If the Britishers are fools enough to give us a chance to do as we
will, it's a case of buckling to it the best we know how."

"That's what we have been doing since midnight," Archie replied grimly,
"and while there is no thought of complaining in my mind, I'd almost
welcome the coming of the enemy, since it would give us good excuse for
throwing down these pick-axes and shovels."

"If General Gage knows on which side his bread is buttered, the lobster
backs will soon be upon us," Hiram cried as if exulting in such a
possibility. "I fail to understand why two or three thousand of their
fancy red-coated, overly-drilled men have not been sent already to stir
us up."

"It may be the king's governor is so kindly-hearted that he means to
give us every opportunity to make ready for his coming," Silas
suggested.

Then one lad had some bantering word, or another pictured what the
Tories might be doing and thinking, while a third proposed that the
enemy would wait before attacking, until reinforcements could come from
England, and so the time went on with many a quip and jest; but no
cessation of the work until about an hour and a half after daybreak,
when the British battery of six guns on Copp's hill opened upon us as if
beginning the battle.

These last missiles were like to do us more harm than had those from the
_Lively_, for the iron balls came among us far too plentifully, and
altogether too near at times, to be pleasing to those among us whose
hearts were inclined to be faint, and I question much whether all our
people would have remained at work during such a cannonading but for the
fact that Colonel Prescott showed himself here and there, regarding not
the danger in order to encourage and prevent the least show of
retreating.

When he cried out that that which we failed of doing might cost the life
of many a good man, or as he shouted that every spadeful of earth thrown
up was accomplishing just so much toward protecting those who were
devoting themselves to the colony, from the hirelings of the king, we
forgot that our hands were torn and blistered, that our joints ached
with fatigue, or that our backs had been bent until near to the breaking
point--forgot all save that we must put forth every effort in making
ready for this real measuring of strength between well-armed soldiers of
his maj