adn't any coat she took a meal-bag, cut a hole for my
head in the bottom, and made holes for my arms in the sides, cut off a
pair of her own stocking-legs, and sewed them on for sleeves, and I was
rigged. I took the old gun which father carried at Ticonderoga, and the
powder-horn, and started. There is the gun and the horn, Paul, hanging
up over the fireplace.

"The red-coats had got back to Boston, but we cooped them up. Our
company was in Colonel Knowlton's regiment. I carried the flag, which
said, _Qui transtulit sustinet_. I don't know anything about Latin, but
those who do say it means that God who hath transported us hither will
sustain us; and that is true, Paul. He sustained us at Bunker Hill, and
we should have held it if our powder had not given out. Our regiment was
by a rail-fence on the northeast side of the hill. Stark, with his New
Hampshire boys, was by the river. Prescott was in the redoubt on the top
of the hill. Old Put kept walking up and down the lines. This is the way
it was, Paul."

The Pensioner laid aside his pipe, bent forward, and traced upon the
hearth the positions of the troops.

"There is the redoubt; here is the rail-fence; there is where the
red-coats formed their lines. They came up in front of us here. We
didn't fire a gun till they got close to us. I'll show you how the fire
ran down the line."

He took down the horn, pulled out the stopper, held his finger over the
tip, and made a trail of powder.

"There, Paul, that is by the fence. As the red-coats came up, some of us
began to be uneasy and wanted to fire; but Old Put kept saying, 'Don't
fire yet! Wait till you can see the white of their eyes! Aim at their
belts!'"

While the Pensioner was saying this, he took the tongs and picked a live
coal from the fire.

"They came up beautifully, Paul,--the tall grenadiers and light-infantry
in their scarlet coats, and the sun shining on their gun-barrels and
bayonets. They wer'n't more than ten rods off when a soldier on top of
the hill couldn't stand it any longer. Pop! went his gun, and the fire
ran down the hill quicker than scat! just like this!"

He touched the coal to the powder. There was a flash, a puff of smoke
rising to the ceiling, and filling the room.

"Hooray!" shouted Paul, springing to his feet. Muff went with a jump
upon the bureau in the corner of the room, her tail as big as Paul's
arm, and her back up. Bruno was after her in a twinkling, bouncing
about, barking