your homes; Mr. James Lamb and I said, Gentlemen let us
go home, & were answered by some, home, home; according-
ly I asked Mr. William Hickling if he was going home, he
said he was, I walked with him as far as the post-office, upon
my stopping to talk with two or three people, Mr. Hickling
left me; I then saw Mr. Pool Spear going towards the town-
house, he asked me if I was going home, I told him I was ;
I asked him where he was going that way, he said he was go-
ing to his brother David's. But when I got to the town-
pump, we were told there was a rumpus at the custom-house
door ; Mr. Spear said to me you had better not go, I told him
I would go and try to make peace; I immediately went there
and saw Capt. Preston at the head of six or eight soldiers in a
circular form, with guns breast high and bayonets fixed ; the
said Captain stood almost to the end of their guns. I went
immediately to Capt. Preston (as soon as Mr. Bliss had left
him), and asked him if their guns were loaded, his answer was
they are loaded with powder and ball ; I then said to him I
hope you do not intend they shall fire upon the inhabitants;
his reply was, by no means. When I was asking him these
questions my left hand was on his right shoulder ; Mr. John
Hickling had that instant taken his hand off my shoulder, and
stept to my left, then instantly I saw a piece of snow or ice
fall among the soldiers, on which the soldier at the officer's
right hand stept back and discharged his gun, at the space of
some seconds the soldier at his left fired next, and the others
one after the other. After the first gun was fired, I heard the
word Fire, but who said it I know not; after the first gun was
fired the said officer had full time to forbid the other soldiers not
to fire, but I did not hear him speak to them at all ; then turning
myself to the left I saw one man dead, distant about six feet ;
I having a stick in my hand made a stroke at the soldier
who fired, and struck the gun out of his hand. I then made
a stroke at the officer, my right foot slipt, that brought me on
my knee, the blow falling short ; he says I hit his arm ; when
I was recovering myself from the fall I saw the soldier that
fired the first gun endeavoring to push me through with his bayonet,
on which I threw my stick at his head, the soldier starting
back, gave me an opportunity to jump from him into exchange-
lane, or I must been inevitably run thro' my body. I looked
back and saw three persons laying on the ground, and perceiv-
ing a soldier stepping round the corner as I thought to shoot