went on, “to General Lovell.”
“And there are British rats at Majajuce,” Revere said.
“As far as we can determine,” Wadsworth said, “they’ve landed at least a thousand men and possess three sloops-of-war. Not an overlarge force, but not risible either.”
“Risible,” Revere said, as if amused by the word. “But to rid Massachusetts of those rats, General, you’ll need guns.”
“We will indeed.”
“And the guns will need an officer in command,” Revere added pointedly.
“Indeed they will,” Wadsworth said. All the senior appointments of the expedition that was being hurriedly prepared to evict the British from Majabigwaduce had been made. Solomon Lovell would command the ground forces, Commander Dudley Saltonstall of the Continental Frigate
“The guns will need an officer in command,” Revere pressed Wadsworth, “and I command the Artillery Regiment.”
Wadsworth gazed at a ginger-colored cat washing itself on top of a barrel. “No one,” he said carefully, “would deny that you are the man best qualified to command the artillery at Majabigwaduce.”
“So I can expect a letter from the Board of War?” Revere said.
“If I am satisfied,” Wadsworth said, nerving himself to raise the matter that had brought him to the armory.
“Satisfied about what, General?” Revere asked, still looking up into Wadsworth’s face.
Peleg Wadsworth made himself look into the steady brown eyes. “A complaint was made,” he said, “concerning the Castle Island ration demands, a matter of surplus, Colonel . . .”
“Surplus!” Revere interrupted, not angrily, but in a tone suggesting he found the word amusing. He smiled, and Wadsworth found himself unexpectedly warming to the man. “Tell me, General,” Revere went on, “how many troops you’ll be taking to Majajuce.”
“We can’t be certain,” Wadsworth said, “but we expect to take an infantry force of at least fifteen hundred men.”
“And you’ve ordered rations for that many?”
“Of course.”
“And if only fourteen hundred men report for duty, General, what will you do with the surplus ration?”
“It will be accounted for,” Wadsworth said, “of course.”
“This is war!” Revere said energetically. “War and blood, fire and iron, death and damage, and a man can’t account for everything in war! I’ll make as many lists as you like when the war is over.”
Wadsworth frowned. Doubtless it was war, yet the Castle Island garrison, like Lieutenant-Colonel Revere himself, had yet to fire a shot at the enemy. “It is alleged, Colonel,” Wadsworth said firmly, “that your garrison was comprised of a fixed number of men, yet the ration demands consistently cited thirty nonexistent gunners.”
Revere gave a tolerant smile, suggesting he had heard all this before. “Consistently,” he said derisively, “consistently, eh? Long words don’t kill the enemy, General.”
“Another long word,” Wadsworth said, “is peculation.”
The accusation was now open. The word hung in the dusty air. It was alleged that Revere had ordered extra rations that he had then sold for personal gain, though Wadsworth did not articulate that full accusation. He did not need to. Colonel Revere looked up into Wadsworth’s face, then shook his head sadly. He turned and walked slowly to a nine-pounder cannon that stood at the back of the storehouse. The gun had been captured at Saratoga and Revere now stroked its long barrel with a capable, broad-fingered hand. “For years, General,” he spoke quietly, “I have pursued and promoted the cause of liberty.” He was staring down at the royal cipher on the gun’s breech. “When you were learning books, General, I was riding to Philadelphia and New York to spread the idea of liberty. I risked capture and imprisonment for liberty. I threw tea into Boston Harbor and I rode to warn Lexington when the British started this war. That’s when we first met, General, at Lexington.”
“I remember it’” Wadsworth began.
“And I risked the well-being of my dear wife,” Revere interrupted hotly, “and the welfare of my children to serve a cause I love, General.” He turned and looked at Wadsworth who stood in the buttress of sunlight cast through the wide-open door. “I have been a patriot, General, and I have proved my patriotism’.”
“No one is suggesting’.”
“Yes, they are, General!” Revere said with a sudden passion. “They are suggesting I am a dishonest man! That I would steal from the cause to which I have devoted my life! It’s Major Todd, isn’t it?”
“I’m not at liberty to reveal’.”
“You don’t need to,” Revere said scathingly. “It’s Major Todd. He doesn’t like me, General, and I regret that, and I regret that the major doesn’t know the first thing he’s talking about! I was told, General, that thirty men of the Barnstable County militia were being posted to me for artillery training and I ordered rations accordingly, and then Major Fellows, for his own reasons, General, for his own good reasons held the men back, and I explained all that, but Major Todd isn’t a man to listen to reason, General.”
“Major Todd is a man of diligence,” Wadsworth said sternly, “and I am not saying he advanced the complaint, merely that he is a most efficient and honorable officer.”
“A Harvard man, is he?” Revere asked sharply.
Wadsworth frowned. “I cannot think that relevant, Colonel.”
“I’ve no doubt you don’t, but Major Todd still misunderstood the situation, General,” Revere said. He paused, and for a moment it seemed his indignation would burst out with the violence of thunder, but instead he smiled. “It is not peculation, General,” he said, “and I don’t doubt I was remiss in not checking the books, but mistakes are made. I concentrated on making the guns efficient, General, efficient!” He walked towards Wadsworth, his voice low. “All I have ever asked, General, is for a chance to fight for my country. To fight for the cause I love. To fight for my dear children’s future. Do you have children, General?”
“I do.”
“As do I. Dear children. And you think I would risk my family name, their reputation, and the cause I love for thirty loaves of bread? Or for thirty pieces of silver?”
Wadsworth had learned as a schoolmaster to judge his pupils by their demeanor. Boys, he had discovered, rarely looked authority in the eye when they lied. Girls were far more difficult to read, but boys, when they lied, almost always looked uncomfortable. Their gaze would shift, but Revere’s gaze was steady, his face was earnest, and Wadsworth felt a great surge of relief. He put a hand inside his uniform coat and brought out a paper, folded and sealed. “I had hoped you would satisfy me, Colonel, upon my soul, I had hoped that. And you have.” He smiled and held the paper towards Revere.
Revere’s eyes glistened as he took the warrant. He broke the seal and opened the paper to discover a letter written by John Avery, deputy-secretary of the Council of State, and countersigned by General Solomon Lovell. The letter appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Revere as the commander of the artillery train that was to accompany the expedition to Majabigwaduce, where he was ordered to do all in his power to “captivate, kill or destroy the whole force of the enemy.” Revere read the warrant a second time, then wiped his cheek. “General,” he said, and his voice had a catch in it, “this is all I desire.”
“I am pleased, Colonel,” Wadsworth said warmly. “You will receive orders later today, but I can tell you their gist now. Your guns should be taken to the Long Wharf ready for embarkation, and you should withdraw from the public magazine whatever gunpowder you require.”
“Shubael Hewes has to authorize that,” Revere said distractedly, still reading the warrant.
“Shubael Hewes?”
“The deputy sheriff, General, but don’t you worry, I know Shubael.” Revere folded the warrant carefully, then cuffed at his eyes and sniffed. “We are going to captivate, kill, and destroy them, General. We are going to make those red-coated bastards wish they had never sailed from England.”
“We shall certainly dislodge them,” Wadsworth said with a smile.
“More than dislodge the monsters,” Revere said vengefully, “we shall slaughter them! And those we don’t kill,
