he sentinels at Castle
William, on Castle Island, to the right of them; or to General Howe,
with his vigilant thousands of Englishmen safe and snug in Boston, to
the north of them.

Jeremy was rolling barrels to the brow of the hill they were
fortifying, and tumbling into them with haste shovelful after
shovelful of good solid earth, that they might hit hard when rolled
down on the foe that should dare to mount the height, when a cautious
voice at his side uttered the one word "Look!" accompanied with a
motion of the hand toward Dorchester Neck.

In the moonlight, past the bales of hay, two thousand Americans were
filing in silent haste to the relief of the men who had toiled all
night to build forts they meant to defend on the morrow.

It was four o'clock in the morning when they came. Jeremy was tired
and sleepy too. His eyelids would drop over his eyes, shutting out
everything he so longed to keep in sight.

"You've worked like a hero," said a kind voice to the lad. "It will be
hot work here by sunrise--no place for boys, when the battle begins."

"I can fight," stoutly persisted Jeremy, nodding as he spoke; and, had
anybody thought of the lad at all after that, he might have been found
in the ox-cart, carelessly strewn over with hay, taking a nap.

Meanwhile on came the morning. A friendly fog hung lovingly around the
new hills on the old hills, that the Yankees had built in a night.

Admiral Shuldham was called in haste from his bed by frightened men,
who wondered what had happened on Dorchester Height. Castle William
stood aghast with astonishment. Messengers went up the bay to tell the
army the news.

General Howe marched out to take a look through the fog at the old
familiar hills he had known so long, and didn't like the looks of the
new hats they wore. He wondered how in the world the thing had been
done without discovery; but there it was, larger a good deal than
life, seen through the fog, and he knew also why it was that the
cannon had been playing on Boston through the hours of three or four
nights. He was angry, astonished, perplexed. He had a little talk with
Admiral Shuldham; and they agreed to do something. Yes, they _would_
walk up and demand back the hills looking over into Boston. Transports
came hurrying to pier and wharf, and soldiers went bravely down and
gave themselves to the work of a short sea voyage.

Meanwhile Jeremy Jagger's nap was broken by a number of trenching
tools thrown c