and ball; and
sensible enough what had raised the storm, and which way it was rolling, could
hardly be supposed very desirous to expose themselves by a valiant defence to
the animosity of so numerous and desperate a mob, to whom they were on the
present occasion much more than usually obnoxious.
    There was a sentinel upon guard, who (that one town-guard soldier might do
his duty on that eventful evening) presented his piece, and desired the foremost
of the rioters to stand off. The young Amazon, whom Butler had observed
particularly active, sprung upon the soldier, seized his musket, and after a
struggle succeeded in wrenching it from him, and throwing him down on the
causeway. One or two soldiers, who endeavoured to turn out to the support of
their sentinel, were in the same manner seized and disarmed, and the mob without
difficulty possessed themselves of the Guard-house, disarming and turning out of
doors the rest of the men on duty. It was remarked, that, notwithstanding the
city soldiers had been the instruments of the slaughter which this riot was
designed to revenge, no ill usage or even insult was offered to them. It seemed
as if the vengeance of the people disdained to stoop at any head meaner than
that which they considered as the source and origin of their injuries.
    On possessing themselves of the guard, the first act of the multitude was to
destroy the drums, by which they supposed an alarm might be conveyed to the
garrison in the castle; for the same reason they now silenced their own, which
was beaten by a young fellow, son to the drummer of Portsburgh, whom they had
forced upon that service. Their next business was to distribute among the
boldest of the rioters the guns, bayonets, partisans, halberts, and battle or
Lochaber axes. Until this period the principal rioters had preserved silence on
the ultimate object of their rising, as being that which all knew, but none
expressed. Now, however, having accomplished all the preliminary parts of their
design, they raised a tremendous shout of »Porteous! Porteous! To the Tolbooth!
To the Tolbooth!«
    They proceeded with the same prudence when the object seemed to be nearly in
their grasp, as they had done hitherto when success was more dubious. A strong
party of the rioters, drawn up in front of the Luckenbooths, and facing down the
street, prevented all access from the eastward, and the west end of the defile
formed by the Luckenbooths was secured in the same manner; so that the Tolbooth
was completely surrounded, and those who undertook the task of