“All this is to provoke the people to strike the first blow,” said Warren.
And thereupon the precautions taken by their leaders to prevent their doing so were redoubled.
Some fourteen thousand musket cartridges were seized by the British guard as the patriots endeavored to get them across Boston neck, and the driver of the wagon was severely handled. This was on March 18th; and the same evening a party of officers attacked the Providence coach.
It was about this time that Nat Brewster became aware that an enterprise of some moment was soon to be undertaken by Gage. There was nothing said openly, no one put it into words; but there was much whispering and signaling among the younger officers; and Nat, whose days were almost all employed at the barracks or officers’ quarters, listened with all his ears.
At length, as March neared its end, the rumor became more definite; and then it was given a name. The stores at Concord were to be destroyed!
When Nat excitedly bore this intelligence to Warren, a guard was at once placed over the magazines; teams were held in readiness to carry them away at the first sign of a British advance. Riders were also despatched to carry the alarm to all the towns and have them hold their companies of militia to answer any call that might be made upon them.
Gage now sent out engineer officers to inspect the state of the towns, to make sketches and maps of the roads and all possible places of defence. Bodies of troops were frequently sent out. On the 30th of March, the first brigade, numbering some eleven hundred men, took its way toward Jamaica Plain, and on their march did much damage by throwing down stone walls and otherwise misconducting themselves. Armed to the teeth, they swaggered through the near-by towns like ruffians. Little did they dream what danger they were in. All about them the country slowly arose; bands of armed minutemen appeared like magic, and, unseen, awaited the word. Dr. Warren, watching the truculent brigade of British from a neighboring hill, smiled grimly to Paul Revere, who sat his horse beside him.
“Let them advance a few miles further, attempt to destroy a magazine or in any way abuse our people, and not a man of them will ever see Boston again.”
But the time was not yet. In the city, the bearing of the king’s soldiers became more and more proud; the population, unable to stand their insults, was slowly drifting into the country. It became quite dangerous for a patriot of mark to remain, and, indeed, most of them had taken their leave of the town long before. But the gallant Dr. Warren remained.
“Some one must take the risk,” said he, simply. “And why not I?”