people together, heard some of them say, they
would go down to the custom-house, where
there was a centry placed, and would take him
off
his post. Upon this Mr. Hills went immediately
to the main-guard to acquaint the soldiers with
what he had heard. In the mean time the mob
surrounded the centry, and began to attack him
by striking at him with clubs, swearing they
would be revenged on the soldiers. The centry
defended himself, as well as he could, with his
bayonet, and desired them to keep off, saying,
"He durst not quit his post; and that, if they did
"not desist, he must call the guard." They did
not however desist, but pelted him with sticks
and large pieces of ice picked up from the streets.
This obliged him to retreat to the door of the
custom-house, where, getting upon the steps
of
it, he loaded his musket in the fight of the peo-
ple, and, after he had loaded it, he struck the
butt-end of it against the steps three or four
times, hoping, as it should seem, that the sight
of the danger they were running, if they pressed
upon him any further, would induce the people
to keep off, (See Thomas Cain's deposition, No.
46.) But it had not this effect; for the people
assembled in greater numbers, and set him at de-
fiance, crying,
"Fire, fire, and be damned."
And some of them drew quite near to him; Mr.
Knox says, within the distance of ten feet: upon
which he snapped his piece upon them, but did
not fire it, endeavouring again to frighten
them
from approaching any nearer to him. Mr. Knox