The man looked down upon his assailants defiantly, and, as if to show more clearly what punishment it was possible for him to inflict upon them, began deliberately to load his musket.
This action intensified the anger of the younger people, and they pressed yet closer.
"Advance one step further, and I kill the man nearest!" the sentinel cried.
"If you fire you must die for it!" Henry Knox[F] shouted from among the throng.
"I shall shoot if they come nearer!"
As he said this the soldier levelled his weapon, evidently determined to execute the threat, and at the same time he shouted lustily for the main guard.
"That's right! Bring on your main guard! But we'll kill you first," Attucks cried, fiercely, as he made a dash forward, forcing his way through the press, owing to his great strength.
Before he could reach the sentinel, Captain Preston, the officer of the day, with a guard of eight men, came on the double quick from the Town House, and forced his way, at the point of the bayonet, to the sentinel's side. Once there, the newcomers provoked the throng to yet greater fury, as they repeated the action of the sentinel, by loading their muskets deliberately.
There were but few among that gathering who were not carried away by the excitement of the moment; yet some retained their presence of mind, and among these last was Henry Knox, who, calling several nearest him to his assistance, succeeded in gaining Captain Preston's side.
There, seizing the officer's arm, to attract his attention, he cried, imploringly: