pale horse.' A dozen bullets whizzed by his head, when he made the first
assault, but, undismayed, the old patriot continued to prance his gay
steed over the heads of the foot-soldiers--to do his own business
faithfully, in the belief that, because others did wrong by firing at
him, it would be no excuse for him to do wrong by sparing the hireling
bullies of a tyrannical government. At length, a vigorous charge of the
bayonet drove the old man, and the party with which he was acting, far
from the main body of the British. Hezekiah was also out of ammunition,
and was compelled to pick up some on the road, before he could return to
the charge. He then came on again and picked off an officer, by sending
a slug through his royal brains, before he was again driven off. But
ever and anon, through the smoke that curled about the flanks of the
detachment, could be seen the white horse of the veteran for a
moment--the report of his piece was heard, and the sacred person of one
of his majesty's faithful subjects was sure to measure his length on
rebel ground. Thus did Hezekiah and his neighbors continue to harass the
retreating foe, until the Earl Percy appeared with a thousand fresh
troops from Boston. The two detachments of the British were now two
thousand strong, and they kept off the Americans with their artillery
while they took a hasty meal. No sooner had they again commenced their
march, than the powerful white horse was seen careering at full speed
over the hills, with the dauntless old yankee on his back.

"'Ha!' cried the soldiers, 'there comes that old fellow again, on the
white horse! Look out for yourselves, for one of us has got to die, in
spite of fate.' And one of them did die, for Hezekiah's aim was true,
and his principles of economy would not admit of his wasting powder or
ball. Throughout the whole of that bloody road between Lexington and
Cambridge, the fatal approaches of the white horse and his rider were
dreaded by the trained troops of Britain, and every wound inflicted by