"It is, lad," answered the old Indian fighter. "There's a big plot afoot with the Britishers to squelch the patriots, and I've got wind of the first section of it." "Say, tell us about it," urged the impetuous Andy. "Because I know you to be two good, loyal boys, and because you must be the bearers of a very important message for the good of your country, I will," said Silas. "You know that the provincial Congress met here at Concord only a few days ago." Both boys nodded. The Congress had been an important and decisive step with the colonists. Many noted patriots had been present, and the event had been of great interest to the Sabine family, for its head had been one of the leaders in the convention. "Very well," continued Silas, "the reports of defiance--the determination of the convention--reached Gen. Gage in Boston. According to my message from my friends there, the Britishers decided that the iron was hot, and that now was the time to strike. Warren, Adams and Hancock were the leading spirits at the Congress. Gen. Gage has decided to arrest them the hour they set foot in Boston again, send them aboard a British man-of-war, and ship them to England to be tried for treason. They hope to crush out the spirit of the masses by taking away their leaders and hanging them." "But they can't do that!" cried Andy indignantly. "It's against the law. It's piracy. It's--it's--" "They mustn't be allowed to do it," interrupted Silas gravely. "You boys must get back to town at once. Tell your father, Andy, what I've told you. Warren, Adams and Hancock have left Concord, but I understand they were going to make the journey to Boston by stages, taking time to consult militia leaders at the various towns. Tell your father to send a messenger at once after them, and warn them under no circumstances to return to Boston, as a plot is on foot to arrest them." "We'll do it, Mr. Berks,--we'll be off like a shot!" cried Andy. "If we can do anything for you to make you more comfortable--" began Phil. "I'll be right as a trivet in the morning," declared the staunch old soldier. "Just shut the door tight, and see that the haystack fire is out, and don't lose any time with that message." "My," exclaimed Andy, as he and Phil cleared the doorway on a bound, "this is just like going off to the war!" CHAPTER VIII THE ROAD TO BOSTON "Phil, it doesn't seem real!" "It seems only too real to me, Andy." "Well, then, I mean that it appears all like a dream." "It's a dream we'll have to keep awake in, if things are as serious as your father thinks," said Phil Warrington. It was pitch dark, two o'clock in the morning, and the situation was so strongly in contrast with the usual midnight hours spent in sound, healthy sleep under a hospitable roof, that Andy Sabine might well think it all had a decidedly dreamy and unreal aspect.