It was a nippy night in Boston of 1773. I had just left the Dartmouth because the number of pesky mice to chase around the ship had decreased dramatically. Being a cunning cat, I convinced the other felines to join me on the wharf.
Pardon me; did I forget to introduce myself? Well, how forgetful of me! My name is Henry. I am a cat traveling on the Dartmouth, a tea merchant’s ship.
I’d pattered over the port when a sleek cat revealed that something exciting was about to happen. I became extremely curious, begging her to tell me more. She explained that it had something to do with the three battered British ships in the harbor and their cargo. Realizing one of the vessels was my own, I waited nervously to see what would happen.
I remembered what Old Smokey, the oldest cat aboard the Dartmouth, had noted about the colonists: “They are determined not to purchase any British goods because the mainland is charging outrageous taxes.”
A fluffy tabby, owned by a Son of Liberty, ambled over and asked if I had heard the news. Totally intrigued, I pleaded for more information. He shared that the colonists insisted on having the tea returned to England, but the Royal Governor of Boston had stubbornly resolved, under the king’s orders, to unload the tea by December 16th, 1772. That was tonight.
Suddenly, the crowd of bystanders parted as a band of strangely dressed men paraded proudly toward the ships!
“It’s the Sons of Liberty,” the tabby whispered, “with their faces covered in soot and painted with red and blue stripes. Look, there’s my master!”
I dashed straight to the Dartmouth to warn my friends. We ran to the empty old tea chest where we could watch safely. What greeted us was the most appalling sight I’ve ever seen.
Whack, whack, whack! echoed their glittering axes, which transformed many sturdy chests into scrap wood. Other chests bobbed in the freezing ocean. As the men worked they loudly chanted, “Bring your axes and tell King George we’ll pay no taxes!”
The tea scattered in Massachusetts Bay. The crowd on the dock cheered as the fragrant scent filled the air.
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