"And General Washington and his patriot troops went down and took
possession of Boston!" said Tom, his eyes shining.

"Yes, Tom. But General Howe, the British commander-in-chief, did not
keep his troops long in Halifax, but sailed to New York, where he was
soon joined by the British fleet under his brother, Admiral Howe, and
by General Clinton."

"And General Washington and his patriot army came to New York and took
possession of that city," said Tom.

"Yes, and he's there now, and that is where we are going, Tom."

"Hurrah, Dick! Say, I'm glad of it. I want to join the army, and fight
the redcoats. I want to fight for liberty and independence."

"So do I. And we will, too."

"When will we go, Dick?"

"In a few days, likely. We have to get things in shape so that mother
and sister Mary can get along without us, you know."

"Yes, but that won't take long. Most of the work for the summer is
done, and all there will be to do on the farm is to wait for the crops
to ripen."

"True. Well, we'll go in a few days, now, likely."