In “Paul Revere's Ride” what happens directly before Paul Revere starts his ride to alert people that the British are coming?

After arranging the signal with his friend, Revere waits across the river. He sees the lantern shining from the church tower, which tells him how the British are traveling, and then he begins his ride to warn the townspeople. So the event directly before the ride is seeing the light in the tower.

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