When the messenger reached New York with the news of the Lexington
massacre, a Provisional Assembly was formed which was to look after the
city without regard to the Assembly which already existed. And this is
the way it came about that there was a king's government and a people's
government. Shops were closed and armed citizens paraded the streets.
Matters went on in this fashion for a month, when a Second Continental
Congress met at Philadelphia.

As it was now seen that there was to be a serious conflict with Great
Britain, the army gathered about Boston was adopted as the beginning of
the forces to be assembled and was termed the Continental Army, and
George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief.

[Illustration: East River Shore, 1750, from an Old Print.]

Knowing that they would soon need guns and powder, the Sons of Liberty
seized those held by the royal troops in New York. There was quite a
quantity in a storehouse at Turtle Bay, a quiet little cove three miles
above the town, that curved into a wild and rocky part of the East River
shore. Nowadays the city extends for miles and miles above it. If you go
to Forty-ninth Street and the East River you will see all that remains
of it. Although the houses are built thick about it, there is still an
air of seclusion. Everywhere else along the shore are piers and
bath-houses and wharves and ships and shipping.

So at this Turtle Bay, far from the town, the royal troops had a
storehouse for their arms. A small band of the Sons of Liberty, one dark
night, floated down the river, guided their vessel into the bay,
overpowered the guards before they were fairly aroused, and loaded their
boat with the enemy's powder and guns. Then they made off, and before