But the patriots were too keen-witted to be so easily checked in their plans.  Samuel Adams and John Hancock, the patriot leaders, fearing arrest, had left town, and were then at Lexington at the house of the Rev. Jonas Clarke.  Paul Revere had been sent to Charlestown by the patriotic Dr. Warren, with orders to take to the road the moment the signal lights in the belfry of the old North Church should appear.  These lights would indicate that the troops were on the road.  We have seen how promptly he obeyed, and how narrowly he escaped capture by General Gages’ guards.

On he went, mile by mile, rattling down the Medford Road.  At every wayside house he stopped, knocked furiously at the door, and, as the startled inmates came hastily to the windows, shouted, “Up! up! the regulars are coming!” and before his sleepy auditors could fairly grasp his meaning, was away again.

It was about midnight when the British troops left Boston, on their supposed secret march.  At a little after the same hour the rattling sound of hoofs broke the quiet of the dusky streets of Lexington, thirteen miles away.

Around the house of the Rev. Mr. Clarke eight minute-men had been stationed as a guard, to protect the patriot leaders within.  They started hastily to their feet as the messenger rode up at headlong speed.

“Rouse the house!” cried Revere.

“That we will not,” answered the guards.  “Orders have been given not to disturb the people within by noise.”

“Noise!” exclaimed Revere; “you’ll have noise enough before long; the regulars are coming!”

At these startling tidings the guards suffered him to approach and knock at the door.  The next minute a window was thrown up and Mr. Clarke looked out.

“Who is there?” he demanded.

“I wish to see Mr. Hancock,” was the reply.

“I cannot admit strangers to my house at night without knowing who they are.”

Another window opened as he spoke.  It was that of John Hancock, who had heard and recognized the messenger’s voice.  He knew him well.

“Come in, Revere,” he cried; “we are not afraid of you.”

The door was opened and Revere admitted, to tell his alarming tale, and bid the patriot leaders to flee from that place of danger.  His story was quickly confirmed, for shortly afterwards another messenger, William Dawes by name, rode up.  He had left Boston at the same time as Revere, but by a different route.  Adams was by this time aroused and had joined his friend, and the two patriot leaders, feeling assured that their capture was one of the purposes of the expedition, hastily prepared for retreat to safer quarters.  While they did so, Revere and Dawes, now joining company, mounted again, and once more took to the road, on their midnight mission of warning and alarm.