The man leaned forward in his saddle and
whispered to the horse. Feeling the urgency in
his master’s voice, the horse stretched its legs,THE KING’S HIGHWAY was dark and
dangerous on the night of July 1, 1776 as a
lone rider on horseback, wearing his hat low
and a scarf to cover part of his face, galloped
through the darkened countryside. Guided
only by flashes of lightning, the rider and
horse raced across slippery bridges, through
rain-swollen streams, and sleeping towns.
The rider feared that the sound of the horse’s
hoofs on the cobblestone streets would
awaken someone, but loud claps of thunder
covered the noise, and not even a watchdog
noticed them. Though the rain came down
in torrents, the rider and his mount barreled
through it.running harder and faster. It seemed to fly
toward its destination, as if aware of the dan-
gerous nature of its master’s mission. Caesar
Rodney was a well-known political figure in
Delaware, and he did not want to be recog-
nized. If the wrong person even suspected
how important this ride was to the Colonies,
Rodney’s mission and his life might be in
danger.
At daylight the rider knew he had only
about twenty miles to go, so he changed
horses and continued on without rest, wet
and covered with mud. All night and most
of a day, he urged the horse on to complete
this important mission. Neither the July heat
nor the rain from a summer thunderstorm
would keep Caesar Rodney from reaching
Philadelphia.The
Midnight
Rider
BY VIRGINIA STEVENS
26 Illustrated by John Sandford