[Illustration]

[Illustration]

[Illustration: The Farmer Boy

BOSTON

WALKER WISE & Co. ]

 THE FARMER BOY, AND HOW HE BECAME COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. 

 BY UNCLE JUVINELL. 

 EDITED BY WILLIAM M. THAYER, AUTHOR OF "THE PIONEER BOY, " ETC. 

 SEVENTH THOUSAND. 

 BOSTON: WALKER, WISE, AND COMPANY, 245, WASHINGTON STREET. 1864. 

 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1863, by WALKER, WISE, AND COMPANY, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts

 BOSTON: STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY JOHN WILSON AND SON. No. 5, Water Street. 

INTRODUCTION. 

BY REV. WILLIAM M. THAYER. 

The reader will remember, that, in the preface of "THE PRINTER BOY, " Ipromised the next volume should be "THE FARMER BOY; OR, HOW GEORGEWASHINGTON BECAME PRESIDENT. " That pledge has never been redeemed, though some labor has been performed with reference to it. And nowProvidence seems to direct the fulfilment of the promise by the pen ofanother, soon to be well known, I doubt not, to thousands of youngreaders;--"Uncle Juvinell. "

The advance sheets of a volume from his pen, upon the early life ofWashington, have been placed in my hands for examination. I havecarefully perused the work, and find it to be of so high a character, and so well adapted to the exigencies of the times, that I voluntarilyabandon the idea of preparing the proposed volume myself, and mostcordially recommend this work to the youth of our beloved land. I takethis step with all the more readiness, when I learn that the authorhas persevered in his labors, though totally blind and almost deaf;and I gladly transfer the title which I proposed to give my own bookto his excellent work, well satisfied that the act will prove a publicbenefit. 

The reader will find that Mr. Heady (Uncle Juvinell) has produced avery entertaining and instructive volume. It is written in a racy, sprightly style, that cannot fail to captivate the mind. Partakinghimself of the buoyancy and good humor of boyhood, the author is ableto write for the boys in a manner that is at once attractive andprofitable. He has written a live book of one, who, "though dead, yetspeaketh. " It is replete with facts, and lessons of wisdom. Thevirtues are taught both by precept and example, and the vices are heldup in all their deformity to warn and save. Religion, too, receivesits just tribute, and wears the crown of glory. 

The appearance of this volume is timely. Adapted as it is to magnifythe patriotic virtues, and the priceless worth of the government underwhich we live, it will prove a valuable contribution to the juvenileliterature of the land. In this period of mighty struggles and issues, when our nation is groaning and travailing in pain to bring forth afuture of surpassing renown and grandeur, it is important to inspirethe hearts of American youth by the noblest examples of patriotism andvirtue. And such is WASHINGTON, the "Father of his Country. " It isbest that the young of this battling age should study his characterand emulate his deeds. His life was the richest legacy that he couldleave to unborn generations, save the glorious Republic that hefounded; and well will it be for the youth of our country when thatlife becomes to them the stimulus to exalted aims. Then loyalty willbe free as air, and rebellions be unknown; then treason will hide itshydra-head, and our insulted flag wave in triumph where the last chainof slavery is broken. 

This volume will do its part to hasten this consummation of ourpatriot-hopes. Over its pleasant pages, then, we extend the right handof fellowship to its author, though a stranger to us. Long may hisable pen hold out! Widely may this his last work circulate! Blessedmay be the fruits!

 W. M. T. 

 FRANKLIN, MASS. , October, 1863. 

PREFACE. 

Our beloved country, my dear young readers, has passed through onegreat revolution; and it is now in the midst of another, whichpromises to prove even more momentous in its consequences. 

Knowing, therefore, the deep and lasting impression the great eventsof the day must needs produce upon your opening minds, the author ofthis book has been casting about him how he might contribute to yourand the nation's good. As he is altogether bereft of sight, and nearlyso of hearing, he is, of course, unable to lift a hand in hiscountry's defence, or raise his voice in her justification. But shehas a future; and for that he entertains an earnest hope, that throughyou, the rising generation, he may do something. 

To this end, therefore, he has written this volume, wherein he hasendeavored to set forth, in a manner more calculated to attract andimpress the youthful mind than has perhaps been heretofore attempted, the life and character of our good and great George Washington. 

By so doing, he hopes to awaken in your minds a desire to imitate theexample and emulate the virtues of this greatest and wisest ofAmericans. For should he succeed in this, and thereby influence athousand of you, when arrived at man's estate, to remain loyal to yourcountry in her hour of peril (who might else have been tempted to turntheir hand against her), then shall his humble pen have done more forher future welfare than he could have done for her presentdeliverance, had he the wielding of a thousand swords. 

And, should he ever have reason to suppose that such were really thecase, far happier would he be, even in the dark and silent depths ofhis solitude, than the renowned victor of a hundred battle-fields, inall the blaze and noise of popular applause. Hoping that this littlebook may, for your sakes, fulfil the object for which it was written, and prove but the beginning of a long and pleasant acquaintance, hewill conclude by begging to subscribe himself your true friend andwell-wisher, MORRISON HEADY. 

 ELK CREEK, SPENCER COUNTY, KY. , 1863. 

CONTENTS. 

 _Introduction_ 17

 WHEREIN IT WILL APPEAR WHO UNCLE JUVINELL IS, AND HOW HE CAME TO WRITE THE LIFE OF "THE FARMER BOY" FOR THE LITTLE FOLKS. 

 I. 

 _George at School_ 35

 IN WHICH THE YOUNG READER WILL FIND SOME ACCOUNT OF THE BIRTH, CHILDHOOD, AND EARLY EDUCATION OF GEORGE WASHINGTON, AND THE STORY OF HIS LITTLE HATCHET; FROM WHICH HE MAY DRAW A WHOLESOME MORAL, IF HE BE DESIROUS OF GROWING IN VIRTUE; TOGETHER WITH OTHER MATTERS OF INTEREST AND IMPORTANCE HARDLY TO BE FOUND ELSEWHERE. 

 II. 

 _The First Sorrow_ 46

 SHOWING HOW GEORGE MET WITH THE FIRST GREAT SORROW OF HIS LIFE IN THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER; AND HOW HIS MOTHER WAS LEFT A YOUNG WIDOW, WITH THE CARE OF A LARGE FAMILY; WITH SOME REMARKS ON THE PRUDENCE AND WISDOM SUE DISPLAYED IN THE REARING OF HER CHILDREN; TOGETHER WITH THE STORY OF THE SORREL COLT, WHICH UNCLE JUVINELL INTRODUCES BY WAY OF ILLUSTRATING THE CHARACTERS OF BOTH MOTHER AND SON. 

 III. 

 _Playing Soldier_ 54

 WHEREIN THE YOUNG READER WILL FIND HOW GEORGE FIGURED AS A LITTLE SOLDIER AT SCHOOL; WITH SOME REMARKS TOUCHING HIS WONDERFUL STRENGTH AND ACTIVITY OF BODY, AND COURAGE OF SPIRIT; AND HOW HE WOULD HAVE FIGURED AS A LITTLE SAILOR, HAD HE NOT BEEN PREVENTED BY A MOTHER'S ANXIOUS LOVE; WHICH INFLUENCED NOT ONLY THE WHOLE COURSE OF HIS FUTURE LIFE, BUT ALSO THE DESTINY OF HIS NATIVE COUNTRY, AND, IT MAY BE, THAT OF THE WHOLE WORLD; AS THE LITTLE READER WILL FIND OUT FOR HIMSELF. IF HE BUT HAVE THE PATIENCE TO BEAR UNCLE JUVINELL COMPANY TO THE END OF THIS INTERESTING HISTORY. 

 IV. 

 "_Rules of Behavior_" 61

 AFFORDING TO THE READER ANOTHER AND HIS LAST GLIMPSE OF WASHINGTON AS A SCHOOL-BOY. HERE HE WILL LEARN OF WASHINGTON'S MANY INGENIOUS MODES OF GAINING AND RETAINING KNOWLEDGE, AND HIS HABITS OF PUTTING IT TO PRACTICAL USES; AND WILL FIND HIS RULES OF BEHAVIOR IN COMPANY AND IN CONVERSATION, WRITTEN AT THE AGE OF THIRTEEN, WHICH UNCLE JUVINELL WOULD EARNESTLY RECOMMEND HIM, AND, IN FACT, ALL HIS READERS, BE THEY BOYS OR GIRLS, MEN OR WOMEN, TO STORE AWAY IN THEIR MEMORIES, IF THEY BE DESIROUS OF GROWING IN VIRTUE. AND OF DEPORTING THEMSELVES IN SUCH A MANNER AS TO GAIN THE GOOD-WILL AND ESTEEM, AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE HAPPINESS, OF ALL AROUND THEM. 

 V. 

 _In the Wilderness_ 70

 IN WHICH WILL BE SEEN HOW GEORGE BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH OLD LORD FAIRFAX, AND WAS EMPLOYED BY THIS GREAT NOBLEMAN TO ACT AS SURVEYOR OF ALL HIS WILD LANDS; WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE HE LED IN THE WILDERNESS, AND A SOMEWHAT HIGHLY COLORED PICTURE OF A WAR-DANCE PERFORMED BY A PARTY OF INDIANS FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT OF HIM AND HIS FRIENDS. 

 VI. 

 _The Young Surveyor_ 78

 REVEALING STILL FURTHER GLIMPSES OF WASHINGTON AS A YOUNG SURVEYOR, --IN WHICH THE READER WILL SEE HOW THAT GREAT MAN BROUGHT HIS LABORS IN THE WILDERNESS TO AN END; WITH SOME REMARKS RESPECTING THE LOWLAND BEAUTY, AND HOW LITTLE IS KNOWN OF HER. 

 VII. 

 _First Military Appointment_ 89

 IN WHICH THE YOUNG READER WILL LEARN HOW WASHINGTON, AT THE EARLY AGE OF NINETEEN, BECAME ONE OF THE ADJUTANT-GENERALS OF THE PROVINCE OF VIRGINIA; AND HOW HE WENT ON A VOYAGE TO THE WEST INDIES IN COMPANY WITH HIS BROTHER LAWRENCE, WHO, BEING IN QUEST OF HEALTH, AND FAILING TO FIND IT THERE, RETURNED HOME TO DIE. 

 VIII. 

 _Important Explanations_ 96

 WHEREIN UNCLE JUVINELL AND THE LITTLE FOLKS TALK TOGETHER, IN A PLEASING AND FAMILIAR STYLE OF CERTAIN MATTERS CONTAINED IN THE FOREGOING PAGES; WHICH, BEING SOMEWHAT DIFFICULT OF COMPREHENSION, NEED TO BE MORE FULLY AND CLEARLY EXPLAINED, THAT THEY MAY THE BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT IS TO COME HEREAFTER IN THIS INTERESTING HISTORY. 

 IX. 

 _Indian Troubles_ 165

 WHEREIN UNCLE JUVINELL GOES ON WITH HIS STORY, AND TELLS THE LITTLE FOLKS ALL THAT IS NEEDFUL FOR THEM TO KNOW CONCERNING THE CAUSES THAT BROUGHT ABOUT THE OLD FRENCH WAR; TO WHICH THE YOUNG READER WILL DO WELL TO PAY VERY PARTICULAR ATTENTION. 

 X. 

 "_Big Talk" with "White Thunder_" 115

 EXPLAINING HOW MAJOR WASHINGTON CAME TO BE SENT BY GOVERNOR DINWIDDIE ON A MISSION TO THE FRENCH, NEAR LAKE ERIE. --HOW HE SET OUT. --WHAT BEFELL HIM BY THE WAY. --HOW HE STOPPED AT LOGSTOWN TO HAVE A BIG TALK WITH THE HALF-KING, WHITE THUNDER, AND OTHER INDIAN WORTHIES. --HOW HE AT LAST REACHED THE FRENCH FORT, AND WHAT HE DID AFTER HE GOT THERE. 

 XI. 

 _Christmas in the Wilderness_ 126

 ENABLING THE YOUNG READER TO FOLLOW MAJOR WASHINGTON TO HIS JOURNEY'S END, AND SEE HOW HE AND HIS PARTY SPENT THEIR CHRISTMAS IN THE WILDERNESS. --HOW HE TWICE CAME NEAR LOSING HIS LIFE, FIRST BY THE TREACHERY OF AN INDIAN GUIDE, AND THEN BY DROWNING; WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF HIS INTERVIEW WITH THE INDIAN PRINCESS, ALIQUIPPA. 

 XII. 

 _Washington's First Battle_ 134

 IN WHICH THE YOUNG READER, AFTER GETTING A HINT OF THE TREMENDOUS CONSEQUENCES THAT ENSUED FROM THE FRENCH GENERAL'S LETTER, WILL FIND SO MUCH TO ENTERTAIN HIM, THAT HE WILL READILY EXCUSE UNCLE JUVINELL FROM GIVING THE REMAINING HEADS OF THIS CHAPTER; FURTHER THAN TO SAY, THAT IT WINDS UP WITH QUITE A LIVELY AND SPIRITED ACCOUNT OF WASHINGTON'S FIRST BATTLE. 

 XIII. 

 _Fort Necessity_ 146

 WHAT BEFELL COLONEL WASHINGTON IN AND AROUND FORT NECESSITY, AND HOW HE SUSTAINED HIS FIRST SIEGE; WHICH WILL BE FOUND EVEN MORE ENTERTAINING THAN THE ACCOUNT OF HIS FIRST BATTLE, NARRATED IN THE LAST CHAPTER. 

 XIV. 

 _General Braddock_ 158

 IN WHICH THE YOUNG READER AND COLONEL WASHINGTON FORM THE ACQUAINTANCE OF GENERAL BRADDOCK, AND COME TO THE SAME CONCLUSIONS REGARDING HIS CHARACTER; AND IN WHICH THE READER IS HONORED WITH A SLIGHT INTRODUCTION TO THE GREAT DR. FRANKLIN, WHO GIVES SOME GOOD ADVICE, WHICH BRADDOCK, TO HIS FINAL COST, FAILS TO FOLLOW; AND IS ENTERTAINED WITH A FEW GLIMPSES OF LIFE IN CAMP. 

 XV. 

 _Rough Work_ 172

 THE READER WILL SEE HOW GENERAL BRADDOCK AT LAST SET OUT ON HIS MARCH TO FORT DUQUESNE. --HOW HE GOT ENTANGLED IN THE WILDERNESS, AND WAS FORCED TO CALL UPON THE YOUNG PROVINCIAL COLONEL FOR ADVICE. WHICH, THOUGH WISELY GIVEN, WAS NOT WISELY FOLLOWED. --HOW CAPTAIN JACK MADE AN OFFER, FOR WHICH HE GOT BUT SORRY THANKS; AND WILL FIND A SPRINKLING OF WAYSIDE ITEMS HERE AND THERE; WHICH SAVES THIS CHAPTER FROM BEING CONSIDERED A DULL ONE. 

 XVI. 

 _Braddock's Defeat_ 186

 IN WHICH IS RECORDED THE BLOODIEST PAGE IN THE ANNALS OF AMERICA; OR, TO EXPRESS IT OTHERWISE, AN ACCOUNT OF THE FAMOUS BATTLE OF THE MONONGAHELA, COMMONLY CALLED BRADDOCK'S DEFEAT; WHICH, IT WILL BE SEEN AT A GLANCE, MIGHT HAVE TURNED OUT A VICTORY AS WELL, HAD WASHINGTON'S ADVICE BEEN FOLLOWED. 

 XVII. 

 _Explanations_ 200

 WHEREIN UNCLE JUVINELL AND THE LITTLE FOLKS DISCOURSE TOGETHER, IN A LIVELY AND ENTERTAINING STYLE, OF DIVERS MATTERS TO BE FOUND, AND NOT TO BE FOUND, IN BOOK THURSDAY; WHICH MAY SEEM OF LITTLE CONSEQUENCE TO THOSE ELDERLY PEOPLE WHO ARE TOO WISE TO BE AMUSED, AND WHO WOULD, ANY TIME, RATHER SEE A FACT BROUGHT OUT STARK NAKED THAN DRESSED HANDSOMELY. SUCH OWLS ARE REQUESTED TO PASS OVER THIS CHAPTER, AND PERCH UPON BOOK FRIDAY, PORTIONS OF WHICH WILL, BE FOUND QUITE AS DRY AS THEY COULD POSSIBLY DESIRE. 

 XVIII. 

 _Work in Earnest_ 210

 SHOWING HOW BRADDOCK'S ARMY CONTINUED ITS FLIGHT TO PHILADELPHIA. --HOW WASHINGTON RETURNED TO MOUNT VERNON, AND WAS SHORTLY AFTERWARDS MADE COMMANDER OF ALL THE FORCES OF VIRGINIA; AND HOW HE WENT TO BOSTON, AND WHY; WITH OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST. 

 XIX. 

 _Dark Days_ 222

 STILL FARTHER ACCOUNT OF WASHINGTON'S TROUBLES WITH THE INDIANS AND WITH HIS OWN MEN, AND NOTICE OF HIS MISUNDERSTANDING WITH GOVERNOR DINWIDDIE; ALL OF WHICH, COMBINED, RENDER THIS THE SADDEST AND THE GLOOMIEST PERIOD OF HIS LIFE. 

 XX. 

 _A New Enterprise_ 233

 CONTAINING GLIMPSES OUTSIDE OF THE DIRECT LINE OF OUR STORY, WITH A MORE MINUTE AND CIRCUMSTANTIAL ACCOUNT OF HOW WASHINGTON WOOED AND WON A FAIR LADY THAN IS TO BE MET WITH ELSEWHERE; WITH SOME PARTICULARS TOUCHING AN INTENDED EXPEDITION AGAINST FORT DUQUESNE. 

 XXI. 

 _More Blundering_ 244

 SHOWING HOW BRADDOCK'S FOLLY WAS REPEATED BY MAJOR GRANT, AS FOREBODED BY WASHINGTON; AND ALSO WHAT CAME OF THE EXPEDITION AGAINST FORT DUQUESNE. 

 XXII. 

 _Washington at Home_ 255

 GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF WASHINGTON'S MARRIAGE WITH MRS. CUSTIS. --HIS RECEPTION BY THE VIRGINIA HOUSE OF BURGESSES. --HIS HABITS AS A MAN OF BUSINESS. --HIS RURAL PURSUITS AND AMUSEMENTS. --HIS LOVE OF SOCIAL PLEASURES. --HIS ADVENTURE WITH A POACHER; AND MANY OTHER ITEMS; ALL OF WHICH, COMBINED, MAKE THIS CHAPTER ONE OF THE MOST PLEASING AND ENTERTAINING OF THE WHOLE BOOK. 

 XXIII. 

 _A Family Quarrel_ 269

 WHEREIN THE YOUNG READER WILL FIND WHAT WILL BE EXPLAINED MORE TO HIS SATISFACTION IN CHAPTER XXIV. 

 XXIV. 

 _The Cause of the Quarrel_ 276

 AFFORDING A MORE CLEAR, AND SATISFACTORY ACCOUNT OF THE CAUSES THAT BROUGHT ABOUT OUR REVOLUTIONARY WAR THAN WAS GIVEN IN CHAPTER XXIII; BUT CHAPTER XXV. MUST NEEDS BE READ, BEFORE A FULL AND COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THESE MATTERS CAN BE ARRIVED AT. 

 XXV. 

 _Resistance to Tyranny_ 288

 ILLUSTRATING WHAT PART WASHINGTON TOOK IN THESE MEASURES OF RESISTANCE TO BRITISH TYRANNY. --HOW HE BECAME A REPRESENTATIVE OF VIRGINIA IN THE GREAT COLONIAL ASSEMBLY, OTHERWISE CALLED THE OLD CONTINENTAL CONGRESS; AND HOW, UPON THE BREAKING-OUT OF HOSTILITIES BETWEEN THE COLONIES AND THE MOTHER-COUNTRY, HE WAS MADE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF ALL THE FORCES OF THE UNITED COLONIES; WITH OTHER ITEMS TOUCHING THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, AND PATRICK HENRY, THE GREAT VIRGINIA ORATOR. 

 XXVI. 

 _Conclusion_ 301

 WHEREIN THE YOUNG READER WILL BE ENTERTAINED WITH THE PLEASING AND EDIFYING CONVERSATION WHICH TOOK PLACE BETWEEN UNCLE JUVINELL AND THE LITTLE FOLKS, TOUCHING DIVERS MATTERS IN BOOK FRIDAY; WHICH DEMAND FURTHER CONSIDERATION FOR A MORE COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF OUR HISTORY, PAST AND TO COME. 

THE FARMER BOY. 

INTRODUCTION. 

Somewhere in green Kentucky, not a great many years ago, the ruddylight of a Christmas sunset, streaming in at the windows of anold-fashioned brick house, that stood on a gentle hillside, halfhidden by evergreens, shone full and broad on a group of merry littleyoungsters there met together to spend the holiday with their UncleJuvinell, a charming old bachelor of threescore and ten. 

What with "blind man's buff, " "leap-frog, " "hide-and-seek, " "poorpussy wants a corner, " Mother Goose, dominos, sky-rockets and squibs, and what with the roasting of big red apples and the munching ofgingerbread elephants, the reading of beautiful story-books, --receivedthat morning as Christmas presents from their Uncle Juvinell and otherloving relatives, --these little folks had found this day the mostdelightful of their lives. 

Tired at last of play, and stuffed with Christmas knick-knacks tilltheir jackets and breeches could hold no more, they had now betakenthemselves to the library to await the return of their Uncle Juvinell, who had gone out to take his usual evening walk; and were now quietlyseated round a blazing winter fire, that winked and blinked at themwith its great bright eye, and went roaring right merrily up the widechimney. Just as the last beam of the setting sun went out at thewindow, Uncle Juvinell, as if to fill its place, came in at the door, all brisk and ruddy from his tramp over the snow in the sharp bracingair, and was hailed with a joyous shout by the little folks, who, hastening to wheel his great arm-chair for him round to the fire, pushed and pulled him into it, and called upon him to tell one of hismost charming stories, even before the tingling frost was out of hisnose. 

As this worthy old gentleman has done much for the entertainment andinstruction of the rising generations of the land, it is but due himthat some mention, touching his many amiable traits of character andhis accomplishments of mind and person, should be made in this placefor the more complete satisfaction of those who may hereafter feelthemselves indebted to him for some of the most pleasant moments oftheir lives. 

In person, Uncle Juvinell is stout and well-rounded. His legs are fat, and rather short; his body is fat, and rather long; his belly is snugand plump; his hands are plump and white; his hair is white and soft;his eyes are soft and blue; his coat is blue and sleek; and over hissleek and dimpled face, from his dimpled chin to the very crown of hishead, --which, being bald, shines like sweet oil in a warmfire-light, --there beams one unbroken smile of fun, good-humor, andlove, that fills one's heart with sunshine to behold. Indeed, to lookat him, and be with him a while, you could hardly help half believingthat he must be a twin-brother of Santa Claus, so closely does heresemble that far-famed personage, not only in appearance, but incharacter also; and more than once, having been met in his littlesleigh by some belated school-boy, whistling homeward through thetwilight of a Christmas or New Year's Eve, he has been mistaken forthe jolly old saint himself. In short, his whole appearance is in thehighest degree respectable; and there is even about him an air ofold-fashioned elegance, which of course is owing chiefly to thenatural sweetness and politeness of his manners, and yet perhaps alittle heightened withal by the gold-bowed spectacles that he wears onhis nose, the heavy gold bar that pins his snowy linen, the goldbuttons that shine on his coat, his massive gold watch-chain (at theend of which hangs a great red seal as big as a baby's fist), and byhis gold-headed ebony cane, that he always carries on his shoulderlike a musket when he walks, as much as to say, "Threescore and ten, and no need of a staff yet, my Christian friend. " No man is morebeloved and esteemed by all who know him, old and young, than he; forlike Father Grimes, whose nephew he is by the mother's side. --

 "He modest merit seeks to find, And give it its desert; He has no malice in his mind, No ruffles on his shirt. 

 His neighbors he does not abuse; Is sociable and gay: He wears large buckles in his shoes, And changes them, each day. "

If there is one thing about Uncle Juvinell that we might venture topronounce more charming than another, it is the smile of mingled fun, good-humor, and love, with which his countenance never ceases toshine, save when he hears the voice of pain and his breast with pityburns. Touching this same trait of his, a lady once said in ourhearing, that she verily believed a cherub, fresh from the rosychambers of the morning, came at the opening of each day to UncleJuvinell's chamber, just on purpose to dash a handful of sunbeams onhis head; and, as there were always more than enough to keep his facebathed with smiles for the next twenty-four hours, they were notwasted, but, falling and lodging on his gold spectacles, his goldbreast-pin, his gold buttons, his gold watch-chain, and the gold headof his ebony cane, washed them with lustre ever new, as if his face, bright and broad as it was, were not enough to reflect the love andsunshine ever dwelling in his heart. We will not undertake to vouchfor the truth of this, however. As the young lady was a marriageableyoung lady, and had been for a number of years, it would not begallant or generous for us to mention it; but of this we are certain, that, when this good old gentleman enters a room, there is a warmthand brightness in his very presence, that causes you to look round, half expecting to see the tables and chairs throwing their shadowsalong the floor, as if, by the power of magic, a window had suddenlybeen opened in the wall to let in the morning sunshine. 

If the affections of Uncle Juvinell's heart are childlike in theirfreshness, the powers of his intellect are gigantic in theirdimensions. He is a man of prodigious learning: for proof of which, you have but to enter his library, and take note of the books uponbooks that crowd the shelves from the floor to the ceiling; the mapsthat line the walls; the two great globes, one of the earth and theother of the heavens, that stand on either side of his reading-desk;and the reading-desk itself, whereon there always lies some book ofmonstrous size, wide open, which no one has ever had the courage toread from beginning to end, or could comprehend if he did. 

In the languages he is very expert; speaking French with suchclearness and distinctness, that any native-born Frenchman, with afair knowledge of the English, can with but little difficultyunderstand more than half he says; and in German he is scarcely lessfluent and ready; while his Latin is the envy of all who know onlytheir mother-tongue. In mathematics, his skill is such, that you mightgive him a sum, the working-out of which would cover three or fourlarge slates; and he would never fail to arrive at the answer, let himbut take his time. 

In astronomy, he is perfectly at home among the fixed stars; candistinguish them at a single glance, and that, too, without the helpof his spectacles, from the wandering planets; and is as familiar withthe motion and changes of the moon, as if he had been in the habit forthe last forty years of spending the hot summer months at some of thefashionable watering-places of that amiable and interesting orb. Butit is in the history of the nations and great men of the earth thatUncle Juvinell most excels, as shall be proved to your entiresatisfaction before reaching the end of this volume. 

And yet, notwithstanding the vastness of his learning and the giganticpowers of his mind, he can, when it so pleases him, disburden himselfof these great matters, and descend from his lofty height to thecomprehension of the little folks, with as much ease as a hugeballoon, soaring amidst the clouds, can let off its gas, and sink downto the level of the kites, air-balls, and sky-rockets wherewith theyare wont to amuse themselves. 

Being an old bachelor, as before noticed, he, of course, has nochildren of his own; but, like the philosopher that he is, he alwaysconsoles himself for this misfortune with the reflection, that, had hebeen so favored, much of his love and affection must needs have beenwasted on his own six, eight, or ten, as the case might have been, instead of being divided without measure among the hundreds andthousands of little ones that gladden the wedded life, and fill withtheir music the homes of others more blessed. 

Living, as all his brothers do, in easy circumstances, he has abundanttime and leisure to devote himself to the particular interest andenjoyment of these little ones; and is always casting in his mind whathe may be doing to amuse them, or make them wiser, better, andhappier. 

Such is the ease, heartiness, and familiarity with which he demeanshimself when among them, and enters into all their little pastimes andconcerns, that they stand no more in awe of him than if he were one oftheir own number; and make him the butt of a thousand impish pranks, at which he laughs as heartily as the merriest rogue among them. Andyet it is for that very reason, perhaps, that they love him sodevotedly, and would give up their dog-knives or wax dolls any day, sooner than show themselves unmindful of his slightest wishes, or doaught that could bring upon them even his softest rebuke. They makenothing of taking off his gold spectacles, and putting them on theirown little pugs to look wise; or running their chubby fists into thetight, warm pockets of his breeches, in quest of his gold pencil orpearl-handled knife; or dashing like mad over the yard, with hisgold-headed cane for a steed; or stealing up behind him, as he standswith his back to the fire, and slyly pulling out his big red bandannahandkerchief, wherewith to yoke the dog and cat together as they liesociably side by side on the hearth-rug. In short, he will suffer themto tease him and tousle him and tumble him to their hearts' content, and set no limits to their liberties, so long as they are careful notto touch his snowy linen with their smutched fingers; for, if UncleJuvinell has one fault in the world, it is his unreasonable partialityfor snowy linen. But, were we to go on with our praises andcommendations of this best of men, we should fill a large volume fullto overflowing, and still leave the better half unsaid: so we mustexercise a little self-denial, and forego such pleasing thoughts forthe present, as it now behooves us to bring our minds to bear uponmatters we have more nearly in view. 

Seeing how earnestly the little folks were bent upon drawing out ofhim one of his longest stories, Uncle Juvinell now bade them sit downand be quiet till he should have time to conjure up something morecharming than any Arabian tale they had ever heard; and throwinghimself back in his great arm-chair, and fixing his eyes on theglowing coals, that seemed to present to his fancy an ever-shiftingpanorama, was soon lost in profound meditation. And the longer hethought, the harder he looked at the fire, which knowingly answeredhis look with a winking and blinking of its great bright eye, thatseemed to say, "Well, Uncle Juvinell, what shall we do for theentertainment or instruction of these little people to-night? Shall wetell them of that crew of antic goblins we wot of, who are wont tomeet by moonlight, to play at football with the hanged man's head, among the tombstones of an old graveyard? Or may be that dreadfulogre, with the one fiery eye in the middle of his forehead, who was inthe habit of roasting fat men on a spit for his Christmas dinners, would be more to their taste. Or, if you prefer it, let it be thatbeautiful fairy, who, mounted on a milk-white pony, and dressed ingreen and gold, made her home in an echoing wood, for no other purposethan to lead little children therefrom, who might by some ill chancebe separated from their friends, and lose their way in its tangledwilds. Or perhaps you are thinking it would be more instructive tothem were we to conjure up some story of early times in greenKentucky, when our great-grandfathers were wont to take their riflesto bed with them, and sleep with them in their arms, ready to springup at the slightest rustling of the dry leaves in the woods, anddefend themselves against the dreaded Indian, as with panther-liketread he skulked around their lonely dwellings. "

To each and all of these, Uncle Juvinell shook his head; none of thembeing just exactly the thing he wanted. At length, finding that thefire hindered rather than helped him to make a choice, he rose fromhis seat, turned his back upon it, and looked from one bright face toanother of the circle before him, till his eye rested on Daniel, whowas among the oldest of the children, and was, by the way, the younghistorian of the family, and, in his own opinion, a youth of ratheruncommon parts. He had that morning received from his uncle, as aChristmas present, that most delightful of story-books, "RobinsonCrusoe;" but having seen the unlucky sailor high, but not dry, on hisdesert island, and having run his eye over all the pictures, he hadlaid it aside, and was now standing at the reading-desk, looking aswise as a young owl in a fog over a very large book indeed, in whichhe pretended to be too deeply interested to finish a slab ofgingerbread that lay half munched at his side. 

Seeing his little nephew thus engaged, Uncle Juvinell smiled a quietsmile all to himself, and, after watching him a few moments, said, "Dannie, my boy, what book is that you are reading with so muchinterest that you have forgotten your gingerbread?"

"Irving's Life of Washington, sir, " replied Daniel with an air. 

"A good book, a very good indeed; but too hard for you, I fear, " saidUncle Juvinell, shaking his head. "Tell me, though, how far you haveread. "

"To Braddock's defeat, sir, " replied Daniel. 

"You have been getting over the ground rather fast, I am thinking; buttell me how you like it, " said Uncle Juvinell, by way of drawing hislittle nephew out. 

"Here and there, I come to a chapter that I like very much, " repliedDaniel: "but there are parts that I don't understand very well; and Iwas just thinking that I would point them out to you some time, andget you to explain them to me; as you will, I am certain; for you knowevery thing, and are so obliging to us little folks!"

At this, Uncle Juvinell's face lighted up as with a brilliant thought;but, without seeming to notice his little nephew's request just then, he reseated himself, and again began looking hard at the fire. Thefire opened its great bright eye more widely than before, and lookedas if it were putting the question, "Well, sir, and what is it now?Out with it, and I will throw what light I can on the matter. " After afew moments, there appeared to be a perfect understanding betweenthem; for the fire with a sly wink seemed to say, "A happy thought, Uncle Juvinell, --a very happy thought indeed: I was just on the pointof proposing the very same thing myself. Come, let us go about it atonce, and make these holidays the brightest and happiest these littlefolks have ever known, or ever could or would or should know, in alltheir lives. " And the fire fell to winking and blinking at such anextravagant rate, that the shadows of those who were seated round itbegan bobbing up and down the wall, looking like misshapen goblinsamusing themselves by jumping imaginary ropes, the gigantic one ofUncle Juvinell leaping so high as to butt the ceiling. 

After several minutes of deep thought, the old gentleman rose, andstood on his short fat legs with the air of a man who had made up hismind, and with a smile on his face, as if sure he was just on thepoint of giving them all a pleasant surprise. "Laura, my dear, " saidhe, "take down that picture from the wall you see hanging to the rightof the bookcase; and you, Ella, my darling, take that bunch offeathers, and brush off the dust from it. Now hand it to me. This, mycherubs, " he went on, "is the portrait of the good and great GeorgeWashington, who is called the Father of our country. It is to him, more than to any other man, that we owe the blessings of freedom, peace, and prosperity, we now enjoy in larger measure than any otherpeople of the wide earth; and it was for these same blessings that hefought and struggled through all the weary years of our RevolutionaryWar, amidst difficulties, dangers, and discouragements such as neverbefore tried the strength of man. And when, in the happy end, he, byhis courage, skill, and fortitude, and abiding trust in the protectionof an all-wise Providence, had come out victorious over all, anddriven our cruel enemies from the land, so that our homes were oncemore gladdened with the smiles of peace and plenty, --then it was thata grateful people with one voice hailed him chosen of the Lord for thesalvation of our beloved country. Blessed be the name of GeorgeWashington, --blessed for evermore!" And a big tear of love andthankfulness started from each of Uncle Juvinell's mild blue eyes, trickled slowly over his ruddy cheek, and, dropping thence, wenthopping and sparkling down his large blue waistcoat. 

At this the little folks looked very grave, and thought to themselves, "What a good man Washington must have been, and how much he must havedone and suffered for the welfare of his fellow-beings, thus to havebrought the tears to our dear old uncle's eyes!" After looking at thepicture for some moments in silence, they began talking about it, eachin his or her own fashion; while Uncle Juvinell listened with muchinterest, curious to see what different impressions it would produceon their minds. 

"That scroll he holds in his left hand must be his farewell address tohis army, " said Daniel, the young historian, looking very wise. 

"What a fine long sword he carries at his side!" said Bryce, awar-like youngster who had just climbed to the summit of his ninthyear, and had, as you must know, a wooden sword of his own, with whichhe went about dealing death and destruction to whole regiments ofcornstalks and squadrons of horse-weeds, calling them British andTories. 

"How tall and grand and handsome he looks!" said Laura, a prim anddemure little miss of thirteen: "in his presence, I am sure I couldnever speak above a whisper. "

"That, yonder, among the trees and evergreens on the hill, must be thehouse where he lived, " said Ella, a modest, sweet-mannered little ladyof twelve. "What a beautiful place it is! and what a happy home itmust have been when he lived in it!"

"And see how the hill slopes down to the river, so grassy and smooth!and such a nice place for little boys to roll over and over down tothe bottom!" said Ned, a rough-and-tumble youngster of ten, who spentone-half of the sunshine with his back to the ground and his heels inthe air. 

"And see the beautiful river so broad and so smooth, and the greatships afar off going down to the sea!" said Johnnie, a little poet ofeight, who passed much of his time dreaming with his eyes open. 

"And such a pretty play-house as I see there among the bushes on thehillside!" said Fannie, a stout little matron of five, the mother of alarge and still increasing family of dolls. 

"That is not a play-house, Fannie, but the tomb where Washington liesburied, " said Dannie with an air of superior wisdom. 

"What a splendid white horse that black man is holding for him! How hebows his neck, and champs his bit, and paws the ground!" said Willie, a harum-scarum, neck-or-nothing young blade of fourteen, who wouldhave given his best leg to have been the owner of a galloping, high-headed, short-tailed pony. 

"What is he doing so far away from home without his hat, I wonder?"said Master Charlie, a knowing young gentleman of eight, who was muchin the habit of doubting everybody's eyes and ears but his own. 

"How kind and good he looks out of his eyes, just like father!" saidMary, an affectionate and timid little creature of seven. 

Just then, Addison, a plump little fellow of four, in all the glory ofhis first new jacket and his first new breeches, who was standing onthe top round of Uncle Juvinell's chair, suddenly cried out in a verystrong voice for his age, "Oh! he looks just like Uncle Juvinell: nowdon't he, Cousin Mary?"

For a man of his appearance to be thus compared with so stately anddignified a man as Washington was a thing so ludicrous, that UncleJuvinell was surprised into the heartiest fit of laughter that he hadenjoyed that day. When it was over, he bade Laura hang up the pictureagain in its accustomed place, and began where he had left off sometime before: "Now, my dear children, it came into my mind, while I wastalking with your Cousin Dannie a little bit ago, that I could nottell you any thing more entertaining and instructive than the story ofWashington's life. It will, I am quite sure, interest you much: foralthough he was such a great man, --the greatest, no doubt, that everlived, --and so awful to look upon, yet, for all that, his heart wasfull to overflowing with the most tender and kindly affections, and, if you can believe it, quite as fond of little children as your UncleJuvinell; often joining in their innocent sports for a whole hour at atime. Let me see. This is Wednesday; and we have seven, eight, longholidays before us to be as happy as skylarks in. Now, I am thinking, that, if we would have next New Year's Day find us better and wiser, we could not hit upon a more proper plan for beginning so desirable anend than by spending a part of each day in making ourselves acquaintedwith the life and character of this good and great man, and, at theclose of each evening's lesson, talking over what we have learned, toour more complete understanding of the same. And now, my merry ones, speak out, and tell me what you think of it. "

"It will be just exactly the very thing, " said wise Daniel. 

"Glorious!" said rollicking Willie. 

"Charming!" said prim and demure Miss Laura. 

"'Twill be delightful, I am sure, " said modest Ella. 

"Nothing could please me better, if we have a good big battle now andthen, " said war-like Bryce. 

"I wonder if it will be as interesting as 'Robinson Crusoe'?" put indoubting Charlie. 

"Or 'Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp'?" chimed in dreaming Johnnie. 

"And we'll all listen, and be so good!" said timid, loving littleMary. 

"Wait a moment for me, uncle, till I run down to the cabin, just tosee how Black Daddy's getting along making my sled, " said hair-brainedNed. 

"And wait a little bit for me too, uncle, till I go and put my dollybabe to bed; for she might take the measles if I keep her up toolong, " said motherly Fannie. 

"And let me sit on your knee, uncle; Cousin Mary wants my chair, " saidAddison, the youngest one of them all, at the same time climbing up, and getting astride of Uncle Juvinell's left fat leg. 

"Then settle yourselves at once, you noisy chatterboxes, " said UncleJuvinell with a shining face; "and mind you be as quiet and mute asmice at a cat's wedding while I am telling my story, or I'll"--Histhreat was drowned in the joyous shouts of the children as theyscrambled into their chairs. When they had all put on a listeninglook, he poured out a little yellow, squat, Dutch mug brimful of richbrown cider from a big blue pitcher that Black Daddy had just placedon a table close at hand, and, having wet his whistle therewith, beganhis story. And now and then, as the story went on, the fire, keepingits bright, watchful eye upon the old gentleman, would wink at him ina sly manner, that seemed to say, "Well done, Uncle Juvinell, --verywell done indeed. You see, sir, I was quite right in what I told you. We have hit upon the very thing. The little folks are enchanted: theyare drawing in wisdom with every breath. A merry Christmas to us all!"Pop, pop! hurrah! pop!

I. 

GEORGE AT SCHOOL. 

A hundred years ago or more, there stood on the green slopes of thePotomac, in the county of Westmoreland, Va. , an old red farmhouse, with a huge stone chimney at each end, and high gray roof, the eavesof which projected in such a manner as to cover a porch in front andtwo or three small shed-rooms in the rear. Now, although this housewas built of wooden beams and painted boards, and was far from beingwhat could be called, even for those times, a fine one, --looking as itdid more like a barn than a dwelling for man, --yet, for all that, ithad the honor of being the birthplace of the good and great GeorgeWashington, who is said, by many very wise persons who ought to know, to have been the greatest man that ever came into this pleasant andglorious world of ours. 

His father, Augustine Washington, was married early in life to JaneButler, who died after having borne him two sons, Lawrence andAugustine. In a year or two after this loss, feeling the want of someone to gladden his lonely heart and home, he married Mary Ball, thebelle of Horseneck, and said to have been the most beautiful younglady in all that part of the country. By this union he was blessedwith six children, of whom our George, the eldest, was born on thetwenty-second day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousandseven hundred and thirty-two. 

It has often appeared strange to me that nothing should be known ofthis great man's life up to the completion of his fifth year: and I amsorry for your sakes, my little ones, that such is the case; for itwould be such a nice beginning to our story, could we say withcertainty that he distinguished himself by walking alone at the age offive months; that he could pronounce "Mother" and "Good" with perfectdistinctness when but one year old; that his mother taught him at theage of two to kneel by her side, and lisp, before going to his eveningrest, that beautiful prayer, beginning with, "Now I lay me down tosleep;" that he rode like mad, at the age of three, round and roundthe yard, on his father's buckhorn-headed cane; and that he rode on areal horse at the age of four, and went galloping like a young Tartarround and round the meadow in front of the house, to the delight ofhis young mother, who watched him from the window. Of all this, and agreat deal more of the same sort, you would, I doubt not, like much tohear, and I would like much to tell you; but we must keep within thebounds of true history, and content ourselves with the knowledge ofthat which really did happen. With this safe rule for our guidance, wewill therefore proceed at once to take up the thread of our story atthat period of George's boyhood, concerning which some certain recordhas come down to our time. 

At the age of five, when he was old enough to walk all alone for amile or two through the woods and fields, his parents started him toschool one bright spring morning, with his little basket on his arm, containing his dinner and a bran-new spelling-book, to take his firsttiny steps in the flowery path of knowledge. 

His first teacher was a Mr. Hobby, an old man, who lived on a distantpart of his father's plantation, and is said to have been besides thesexton or grave-digger of the neighborhood; and was, I have my privatereasons for thinking, a broken-down old soldier, with a big cocked hatthat shaded a kindly and weather-beaten face, and a wooden leg, --anornament for which he was indebted to a cannon-ball, and took morepride in than if it had been a sound one of flesh and bone. As it israrely ever the case that men with wooden legs are called upon tofight the battles of their country, this worthy old man, who well knewhow to read and write, and cipher too, must needs earn his livelihoodby teaching school, and sowing his knowledge broadcast among thelittle children of the neighborhood. 

Accordingly, it was to old Mr. Hobby, as everybody called him, thatGeorge was indebted for his first insight into the mysteries ofbook-learning; and although he was in due time to become the greatestman of this or any other age or country, yet he began his educationby first learning his A B C, just as did other boys of that day, just as they are now doing, and just as they will continue to dofor all time to come. After he had taken his A B C into his memory, and set them there in a straight row each in its proper place, he wasnot long, depend upon it, in reaching the middle of his spelling-book;and as soon as he could, without anybody's help, climb over tall anddifficult words of five or six syllables, such as "immortality" or"responsibility, " his master put him in the English Reader, wherehe soon overtook and went clean ahead of boys a great deal olderthan himself. From reading, he in a short time rose to writing;and it was said by those who knew him best, that he learned to writea neat round hand without ever once blotting his copy-book; andfurthermore, that such a thing as a dirty, thumb-worn, dog-earedbook was never seen in his hand. His next step in the path ofknowledge was arithmetic; and, in less time than you can wellbelieve, he had got the multiplication-table so thoroughly by heart, that he could run over it as fast backwards, from twelve times twelveto twice one, as common boys straightforward, even with the open bookbefore their eyes. So well did he study, that, in less than fouryears' time after his first starting to school, the single rule ofthree was no more to him than long division to most boys; and hecould repeat the tables of weights and measures as glibly as you, Master Johnnie, can rattle off the charming story of "Old MotherHubbard and her Wonderful Dog. "

Now, the rapid progress George made in his studies was owing not somuch to his uncommon aptitude at learning as to the diligence andindustry with which he applied himself to them. For example: whenother boys would be staring out at the window, watching the birds andsquirrels sporting among the tree-tops; or sitting idly with theirhands in their pockets, opening and shutting their jack-knives, orcounting their marbles, or munching apples and corn-dodgers in asneaking and unbecoming manner behind their books; or, more naughtystill, shooting paper bullets at old Hobby's wooden leg as he eatdozing behind his high desk of a drowsy summer afternoon, --our George, with his hands to his ears to keep out the schoolroom buzz, would bestudying with all his might; nor would he once raise his eyes from hisbook till every word of his lesson was ready to drop from his tongue'send of its own accord. So well did he apply himself, and so attentivewas he to every thing taught him, that, by the time he was ten yearsold, he had learned all that the poor old grave-digger knew himself;and it was this worthy man's boast in after-years, that he had laidthe foundation of Washington's future greatness. But what old WoodenLeg--for so they always called him when his back was turned--could notteach him at school, little George learned at home of his father andmother, who were well educated for those days; and many a long winterevening did these good parents spend in telling their childreninteresting and instructive stories of olden times, far-off countries, and strange people, which George would write down in his copy-book inhis neatest, roundest hand, and remember ever afterward. 

A more prudent and careful father, and a more discreet andaffectionate mother, than Mr. Washington and his wife Mary, perhapsnever lived. So earnest and watchful were they to bring up theirchildren in the fear of the Lord, and in the practice of every noblevirtue, that their dutiful behavior and sweet manners were the talkand praise of the good people for miles and miles around. They taughtthem to be neat and orderly in their dress, as well as civil andpolite in their manners; to be respectful to their elders; to be kindto one another, and to every thing God hath made, both great andsmall, whether man or bird or beast: but chiefly were they concernedto teach them the love of truth, and to tell it at all times when itshould be their duty to speak out, let the consequences be what theymight. To show you that such wise and careful training was not loston the tender mind of George, I will tell you the story of his littlehatchet, as it may serve you good stead in the day when you may betempted to wander astray from the path of truth and virtue. 

One Christmas Eve, when the sharp, frosty air made the blood brisk andlively in the veins, little George, who was then about six years old, hung up his stocking on the mantel of the huge chimney, saying tohimself as he did so, "Good Santa Claus, be kind to me while I amsleeping peacefully. " Next morning, bright and early, just as a greatChristmas log had begun to blaze and crackle on the hearth, he jumpedspryly from his bed, and, without stopping to put on his clothes, ranto his stockings to see what good old Santa Claus had brought himwhile he slept. I leave you to picture to your minds his delight uponfinding therein a little Indian tomahawk, with a bright keen edge andlong red handle. It would have done all your hearts good to have seenhow he skipped and danced around the room, and flourished his hatchethigh over his head; how he went showing it to every one about thehouse, white and black; praising good old Santa Claus to the veryskies, and never once feeling the want of his breeches. But, betweenyou and me, I am rather inclined to suspect, that, if we had any meansof arriving at the facts of the case, it would be found that SantaClaus had no more concern in this matter than your Uncle Juvinellhimself. To my mind, there is more reason in the supposition, that hisfather, seeing the jolly old saint pass by at a late hour of the nightin an empty sleigh, and that the children were not likely to havetheir stockings filled for that once, got up early in the morning, andput the hatchet in there himself, rather than that his little sonshould be disappointed. 

Be this as it may, it was all the same to George; and he was as happyas happy could be. At the breakfast-table, he could hardly eat hisbread and milk for looking at his shining axe, which he had laidbeside him on the table; and, before it was fairly broad daylight, hewas out at the wood-yard, ankle-deep in snow, cutting and choppingaway at the hard-seasoned beech and maple logs, as if it lay with him, for that day at least, to keep the whole family, white and black, fromfreezing. By and by, however, he found this more work than play, andbegan to cast his earnest young eyes about him for something green andsoft whereon to try the edge and temper of his hatchet. Presently, asill-luck would have it, a fine young English cherry-tree, just overthe fence hard by, caught his attention, which, without further ado, he fell to hacking might and main; and the way he made the littlechips fly was a thing surprising to see. 

Next morning, his father, passing by that way, saw the mischief thathad been done, and was sorely displeased: for he had planted andreared this selfsame tree with the tenderest care; and, of all thetrees in his orchard, there was not one other he prized so highly. Being quite sure that it was the work of some of the black children, he went straightway down to the negro quarter, bent on finding out, and bringing the unlucky culprit to a severe account. 

"Dick, " said he to the first one he met, "did you cut thatcherry-tree?"

"No, mauster; don't know nothin' 'bout it, " said Dick, showing thewhites of _his_ eyes. 

"Did you, Sam?" said Mr. Washington, putting the same question toanother little woolly-head. 

"No, mauster; don't know nothin' 'bout it, " said Sam, likewise showingthe whites of his eyes. 

The same question was put to Harry, who gave Dick and Sam's answerword for word, and, to add force to his denial, showed the whites ofhis eyes in like manner; and so on, till more than a dozen had beenquestioned with the same result; when it came to Jerry's turn to makedenial, and show the whites of his eyes. 

Now, you must know there was not a more audacious, mischief-making, neck-or-nothing black brat than this same Jerry to be found on thebanks of the Rappahannock, which is a very long river indeed. As afish lives in water, or a salamander in fire, so did Jerry live andbreathe, and have his being, in mischief; or, in other words, mischiefwas the element in which Jerry found his chief delight. If any mishapbefell anybody or any thing, at any hour of the day or night, on anypart of the plantation, on foot or on horseback, at rest or in motion, it was sure to be brought and laid at Jerry's door. Being aware of allthis, Mr. Washington was now quite sure, that, as none of the rest hadcut the cherry-tree, Jerry himself must be the offender; and so he putthe question to him; to which Jerry, showing the whites of his eyes, made answer, "No, mauster; I didn't cut the cherry-tree: indeed, indeed, and double deed, I didn't cut the cherry-tree. "

"Ah! Jerry, " said his master, "if you always told the truth, I shouldknow when to believe you; but, as you do not, you must take theconsequences of your evil ways, and blame nobody but yourself. "

Upon hearing this, Jerry began dancing and hopping around the room ina very brisk and lively manner, even before his master was within tenfeet of him, as if he already felt the switch about his legs. 

Just then, in the very nick of time, George came walking leisurely by, hatchet in hand; who, upon seeing how matters stood, without amoment's hesitation, ran up to his father, and, dropping his hatchet, caught him round the leg, just as the first stroke of the switch wasabout to descend on the calves of the unlucky Jerry. 

"O papa, papa!" cried he, "don't whip poor Jerry: if somebody must bewhipped, let it be me; for it was I, and not Jerry, that cut thecherry-tree. I didn't know how much harm I was doing; I didn'tindeed. " And the child began crying piteously. 

With a look of glad surprise, his father, dropping the switch, caughthis brave little boy in his arms, and folded him tenderly, lovingly, to his bosom. "Now, thanks be to God, " cried he, "thanks be to God, that I have a son whose love of truth is greater than his fear ofpunishment! Look on him, my black children, look on him, and be asnear like him as you can, if you would have the love of your masterand the good-will of all around you. "

Seeing the unlooked-for turn the affair had taken, and not having thewords to express the feelings of joy and thankfulness that swelledalmost to bursting in his little black breast, Jerry darted throughthe door, out into the yard, kicked up his heels, yelped like a youngdog, threw a somerset in the snow, and went rolling over and over downto the bottom of the hill, and ever after loved his noble littlemaster to distraction. 

II. 

THE FIRST SORROW. 

When George had learned all that poor old Hobby could teach him, hisfather, to reward him for his diligence and good behavior at school, indulged him in two or three weeks' holidays, which he went to spendat a distance from home, among some friends and relatives. Here, asusual, he was made much of; for, being a great favorite with all whoknew him, he met with a cordial reception wherever he went; and whatwith hunting and fishing, riding and visiting, the time spent here wasthe most delightful he had ever known. But hardly had half the happydays flown by, when word came that his father was sick, even untodeath; and that, of all things, he most desired to look upon his nobleboy once more before he died. With a sadness and heaviness of heart hehad never before experienced, George set out on his return home, wherehe arrived just in time to receive his dying father's blessing. Longand deeply did he mourn his loss; for his father was most tenderlybeloved by his children, and greatly esteemed by his friends andneighbors as a useful member of society, and a man of many sterlingtraits of character. 

Mrs. Washington was thus left a young widow with a large family ofyoung children, whom it now became her duty to provide for and educatein a manner becoming a Christian mother; and how well and faithfullyand lovingly she discharged this sacred trust, is most beautifully setforth in the life and character of her great son. She was a woman ofuncommon strength and clearness of understanding, and her heart wasthe home of every pure and noble virtue. She was mild, but firm;generous, but just; candid whenever she deemed it her duty to speakher mind, but never losing sight of the respect and consideration dueto the feelings and opinions of others. She was gentle and loving withher children, yet exacting from them in return the strictest obedienceto her will and wishes. But of all virtues most sacred in her eyes wasthat of the love of truth, which she ever sought to implant in theirminds; assuring them, that, without it, all other virtues were but asunprofitable weeds, barren of fruits and flowers. She was simple anddignified in her manners, and had a hearty dislike for every thingsavoring of parade and idle show. She always received her friends andvisitors with a cordial smile of welcome, spreading before them withan unsparing hand the best her house afforded: but, when they rose todepart, she would invite them once, and once only, to stay longer;and, if after this they still seemed bent on going, she would do allin her power to speed them on their journey. With so many traitsbetokening strength of mind and character, she had but one weakness;and this was her excessive dread of thunder, caused in earlymaidenhood by seeing a young lady struck dead at her side bylightning. 

And such was Mary, the mother of Washington; and seldom indeed has herlike been seen. As her husband, by industry and prudent management, had gathered together enough of the riches of this world to leave eachof his children a fine plantation, she was not hindered by straitenedcircumstances, or anxiety as to their means of future support, fromgiving her chief attention to such bodily and mental training asshould have a lasting tendency to make them, in more mature years, healthy, virtuous, and wise. 

It has been often remarked, that those men who have most distinguishedthemselves in the world's history for noble thoughts and heroic deeds, have, as a general thing, inherited those qualities of mind and heartwhich made them great, from their mothers, rather than from theirfathers; and also that their efforts to improve and elevate thecondition of their fellow-beings have been owing in a larger measureto the lessons of truth, piety, and industry, taught them by theirmothers in childhood and early youth. If this be the case, then howmuch are we indebted for the freedom, prosperity, and happiness wenow enjoy above other nations of the earth, to Mary, the mother ofWashington! Perhaps, to give you a still more forcible idea of thecharacters of both mother and son, and of the wholesome effects on himof her judicious training, I ought to relate in this place the storyof his attempt at taming the sorrel horse. 

A fine horse was an object that afforded Mrs. Washington, as it didthe other substantial Virginia ladies of that day, quite as much, ifnot more, real pleasure than their more delicate grand-daughters ofthe present now find in their handsome carriages, lap-dogs, andcanary-birds. So great was her fondness for this noble animal, thatshe usually suffered two or three of her finest to run in a meadow infront of the house, where she might look at them from time to time asshe sat sewing at her dining-room window. One of these was a youngsorrel horse, of great beauty of form, and fleetness of foot, but ofso wild and vicious a nature, that, for fear of accident, she hadforbidden any one to mount him, although he had already reached hisfull height and size. 

Now, you must know that a bolder and more skilful rider than Georgewas not to be found in all the Old Dominion, as Virginia is sometimescalled; and it was this early practice that afterwards won for him thename of being the finest horseman of his day. Often, as we may verynaturally suppose to have been the case, would he reason thus withhimself, as, sitting on the topmost rail of a worm fence, he watchedthe spirited young animal frisking and bounding about the field in allthe freedom of his untamed nature: "If I were but once upon his back, with a strong bit in his mouth, believe me, I would soon make him athing of use as well as ornament; and it would, I am sure, be such apleasant surprise to mother to look from her window some fine morning, and see me mounted on his back, and managing him with ease, and toknow that it was I who had subdued his proud spirit. "

Accordingly, full of these thoughts, he arose early one bright summermorning, and invited two or three friends of his own age, then on avisit at his mother's house, to go with him to the fields, to sharewith him the sport, or lend their aid in carrying out his design, should it be found too difficult and hazardous for himself alone. Theyneeded no second bidding, these young madcaps, to whom nothing couldbe more to their liking than such wild sport. So at it they went; andafter a deal of chasing and racing, heading and doubling, falling downand picking themselves up again, and more shouting and laughing thanthey had breath to spare for, they at last succeeded in driving thepanting and affrighted young animal into a corner. Here, by some meansor other (it was difficult to tell precisely how), they managed tobridle him, although at no small risk of a broken head or two fromhis heels, that he seemed to fling about him in a dozen differentdirections at once. Having thus made him their captive, they led himout to the more open parts of the field, where George requested hisfriends to hold him till he could get on his back. But the wild andunruly spirit the young beast had shown that morning had so dismayedthem, that they flatly refused to comply; begging him not to think ofattempting it, as it would be at the risk of life or limb. But Georgewas not to be daunted by such trifles; and seeing that his blood wasup, and knowing that, when this was the case with him, he was not tobe turned aside from his purpose, they at length yielded unwillingconsent to his entreaties; and, giving him the required aid, he wassoon mounted. 

This was an insult the proud-spirited animal could not brook; and hebegan plunging and rearing in a manner so frightful to behold, thatthey who watched the struggle for mastery expected every moment to seethe daring young rider hurled headlong to the ground. But he kept hisseat unmoved and firm as an iron statue on an iron horse. At length, however, the horse, clinching the bit between his teeth, became for atime unmanageable, and sped away over the field on the wings of thewind; till, making a false step, he staggered and plunged, ralliedagain, staggered, and, with the red life-stream gushing from hisnostrils, dropped down dead. 

George sprang from the ground unharmed: but, when he saw the nobleyoung animal stretched out smoking and bloody and lifeless before him, tears of pity filled his eyes; and still faster did they flow when hethought of the grief it would occasion his mother, when she shouldhear how her beautiful favorite had come to his end. His companionsnow rejoining him, they all, with sad misgiving in their hearts, returned to the house, where Mrs. Washington met them with a cheerfulgood-morning, and, when they had taken their seats at thebreakfast-table, began talking with them in her usual lively andentertaining manner, until the dreaded question came: "Well, younggentlemen, " said she, "have you seen any thing of my sorrel horse inyour walks this morning?"

The boys looked at one another for some moments in silence, scarceknowing what answer to make. At last, George, to put an end to thepainful suspense, said in a subdued voice, "Mother, the sorrel horseis dead. " He then, in a few brief words, told her how it had allhappened, and ended by entreating her forgiveness if he had offended;at the same time assuring her, that, in so doing, he had only thoughtof giving her a pleasant surprise. 

When he first began his account of the mishap, a flush of anger roseto his mother's cheek; of which, however, there was not a trace to beseen by the time he had finished; and she answered, with somethinglike an approving smile, "My son, as you have had the courage to comeand tell me the truth at once, I freely forgive you: had you skulkedaway, I would have despised you, and been ashamed to own you as myson. "

III. 

PLAYING SOLDIER. 

After the death of her husband, Mrs. Washington left the care andeducation of her son George, in no small measure, to the judgment anddiscretion of her step-son Lawrence, a young man of twenty-five, andlately married to Miss Fairfax. The love that had always existedbetween these two brothers was something beautiful indeed tobehold, --the more so when we take into consideration the difference offourteen years in their ages; and, now that their dear father was nomore, this love grew all the more tender and strong, and George soonlearned to look up to his eldest brother as to a second father. 

Mr. Lawrence Washington, besides being a fine scholar and one of themost polished gentlemen of his day, was also a brave and able soldier;having served during the late Spanish war as a lieutenant under thegreat Admiral Vernon, in honor of whom he had named his fine estate onthe Potomac, Mount Vernon. 

At Mount Vernon, then, we find George spending by far the greaterportion of his holidays; and here he often fell in with youngofficers, fellow-soldiers of his brother, to whom with eager ears hewas wont to listen as they recounted their adventures, and told ofhard-fought battles by land and sea with the roving pirates, orsea-robbers, and proud and vengeful Spaniards. These stories so firedhis ardent young spirit, that he longed of all things to become agreat soldier, that he might go forth to fight the enemies of hiscountry, wherever they were to be found, and drive them from the faceof the wide earth. To give these feelings some relief, he would musterhis little school-fellows at play-time, and take them through thelessons of a military drill; showing them how to fire and fall back, how to advance and retreat, how to form in line of march, how to pitchtheir tents for a night's encampment, how to lay an Indian ambuscade, how to scale a wall, how to storm a battery; and, in short, fortyother evolutions not to be found in any work on military tactics everwritten, and at which old Wooden Leg, had he been there, would haveshaken his cocked hat with a dubious look. Then dividing them into twoopposing armies, with himself at the head of one, and the tallest boyof the school leading on the other, he would incite them to fight shambattles with wooden swords, wooden guns, snow-balls, and such othermunitions of war as came most readily to hand; in which George, nomatter what might be the odds against him, or what superior advantagesthe enemy might have in weapons or ground, was always sure to come offvictorious. 

He was a handsome boy, uncommonly tall, strong, and active for hisage; could out-run, out-jump, out-ride any boy three years older thanhimself; and, in wrestling, there was not one in a hundred who couldbring his back to the ground. Many stories are told of his wonderfulstrength; and the spot is still shown, where, when a boy, he stood onthe banks of the Rappahannock River, and, at its widest part, threw astone to the opposite side, --a feat that no one has been found able toperform since that day. It was said, that, a few years later, he stoodunder the Natural Bridge, and threw a silver dollar upon the top ofit, --a height of two hundred and twenty feet; not less than that ofBunker-hill Monument, and more than double that of the tallest hickorythat ever hailed down its ripened nuts upon your heads. Although therewere none more studious than he in the schoolroom, yet he always tookthe keenest delight in every kind of active and manly sport, and wasthe acknowledged leader of the playground. But he had qualities ofmind and heart far more desirable and meritorious than those of merebodily activity and strength. Such was his love of truth, his strongsense of justice, and his clearness of judgment, that, when anydispute arose between his playmates, they always appealed to him todecide the difference between them, as willing to abide by hisdecision, and make it their law. Although he had the courage of ayoung lion, and was even more than a match in strength for many anolder boy, he was never known to have a fight at school, nor elsewhereindeed, that I have ever heard; for such was the respect he evershowed to the feelings and wishes of others, that he never gave aninsult, and, depend upon it, never received one. 

The high ground of Mount Vernon commands a splendid view of thePotomac up and down for miles, where it makes a noble bend, and windsits shining course amidst verdant meadow-slopes and richly woodedhills. Now and then, in the course of the year, some noble ship, withall its sails outspread and gay banners fluttering to the breeze, might be seen moving down the majestic stream, hastening in its prideand strength to stem the billows of the mighty ocean. With the keenestof delight none but the young and daring mind can ever know, George, as he stood on the piazza in front of his brother's mansion, wouldwatch them with wishful eyes, until a bend of the river hid theirlofty masts behind the green tops of the yet more lofty hills between. Then would there awaken in his heart an earnest longing to become asailor; to go forth in some gallant ship upon the face of the greatdeep; to visit those far-off countries, where he might behold with hisown eyes those wonders he had read so much of in books. At suchtimes, it may be, there would arise in his mind enchanting visions ofsome desert island, upon whose lonely rocky shores he might some dayhave the rare good fortune of being thrown by the angry billows, thereto dwell, like another Robinson Crusoe, many, many years, with noother company than talking birds, skipping goats, and dancing cats, and, if so lucky, a good man Friday, to be rescued by his daring fromthe bloody clutches of the terrible cannibals. 

Lawrence Washington was not long in discovering the thoughts that wereuppermost in the mind of the adventurous boy; and, like the generousbrother that he was, resolved that, should an opportunity offer, awish so natural should be gratified. In a short time after, Georgebeing then about fourteen years of age, a British man-of-war moved upthe Potomac, and cast anchor in full view of Mount Vernon. On board ofthis vessel his brother Lawrence procured him a midshipman's warrant, after having by much persuasion gained the consent of his mother;which, however, she yielded with much reluctance, and many misgivingswith respect to the profession her son was about to choose. Notknowing how much pain all this was giving his mother, George was asnear wild with delight as could well be with a boy of a nature so evenand steady. Now, what had all along been but a waking dream was aboutto become a wide-awake reality. His preparations were soon made:already was his trunk packed, and carried on board the ship that wasto bear him so far away from his native land; and nothing now remainedbut to bid farewell to the loved ones at home. But when he came andstood before his mother, dressed in his gay midshipman's uniform, sotall and robust in figure, so handsome in face, and so noble in lookand gesture, the thought took possession of her mind, that, if shesuffered him to leave her then, she might never see him more; and, losing her usual firmness and self-control, she burst into tears. 

"Deeply do I regret, my dear son, " said she, "to disappoint you in awish you have so near at heart: but I find I cannot bring myself togive you up yet; for, young as you are, your aid and counsel havealready become to me of the greatest service and comfort; and theselittle fatherless ones, now weeping around you, have learned to lookup to you as their protector and guide. You know too little of theways of the world, and are too young and inexperienced, to go forth toendure its hardships, and battle with its temptations, that lie inwait on every side to entrap the unwary, and lead them down todestruction. Without you, our home would be lonely indeed: then, foryour mother's sake, and for the sake of these little ones, give upyour darling scheme, for the present at least, that we may all behappy at home once more together. "

Thus entreated, what could he do but yield consent to the wishes of aloving and prudent mother, and remain at home? where, in a few days, his noble self-denial was rewarded with a sweet contentment of mindthat he could never have known had he left the dear ones in sorrowbehind him, and gone forth to spend months and years upon the billowsof the lonely seas. Surely a kind Heaven so ordered that the welfareand happiness of us Americans, and, it may be, that of the wholeworld, should be made to depend upon the promptings of a mother'slove; for had the boy Washington realized this early dream, and goneforth in that gallant ship, he might have perished in the stormy deep, and we had never known the name we now love so much to praise andvenerate. Or, by his distinguished abilities, he might have risen tobecome in time the Lord High Admiral of the British Navy; and, insteadof being set apart to the salvation of his native land, might havebeen made an instrument to its destruction, impossible as such anevent may now appear to us, with our knowledge of the glorious work hedid perform when in the fulness of his strength and years, andaccustomed as we are to behold in him our model of all that is greatand virtuous in mankind. 

IV. 

"RULES OF BEHAVIOR. "

For the five years following his father's death, George made his homeat the house of his half-brother, Augustine Washington, at aconsiderable distance from his mother's, where he might have thebenefit of a better school which that neighborhood afforded. His newschoolmaster was a Mr. Williams, a very worthy man; who, however, although he knew a vast deal more than Mr. Hobby, the poor oldgrave-digger, was far from being what we might call a first-ratescholar. But what his teacher lacked in learning, George made up indiligence, and the most judicious use of every means ofself-improvement within his reach. And here, my dear children, let meremind you of a thing worthy of your remembrance through life, thatsuccess in the pursuit of knowledge depends far less upon the abilityand skill of the teacher, than upon the industry, perseverance, andwilling application of the learner. 

Under the instruction of this, his second and last teacher, George gota little insight into English grammar, read some history, became wellacquainted with geography, completely mastered arithmetic, and madehandsome progress in geometry and trigonometry; which, as you mustknow, are higher branches of mathematics than arithmetic, and far moredifficult to comprehend. In connection with the two latter, he studiedsurveying; by which is taught, as you must continue to bear in mindhereafter, the measurement of land. 

When he had advanced so far in this study as to give him some idea ofthe proper use and handling of the chain and compass, the twoprincipal instruments employed in this art, he began to put hisknowledge into practice by taking surveys of the farms lying in theimmediate neighborhood of his schoolhouse, and also of the landsbelonging to the estate of Mount Vernon. 

Assisted by his schoolmates, he would follow up, and measure off withthe help of his long steel chain, the boundary lines between thefarms, such as fences, roads, and watercourses; then those dividingthe different parts of the same farm; determining at the same time, with the help of his compass, their various courses, their crooks andwindings, and the angles formed at their points of meeting orintersection. This would enable him to get at the shape and size notonly of each farm, but of every meadow, field, and wood composing it. This done, he would make a map or drawing on paper of the landsurveyed, whereon would be clearly traced the lines dividing thedifferent parts, with the name and number of acres of each attached;while, on the opposite page, he would write down the long anddifficult tables of figures by which these results had been reached. All this he would execute with as much neatness and accuracy as if ithad been left with him to decide thereby some gravely disputedland-claim. 

To qualify himself for the management of business affairs uponreaching the age of manhood, he would copy off into a blank-book everyform or instrument of writing he would meet with; such as deeds, wills, notes of hand, bills of exchange, receipts, bonds, land-warrants, &c. , &c. And, what was still more remarkable in a boyof thirteen, he wrote down, under the head of what he called "Rules ofBehavior in Company and Conversation, " such wise maxims, and lines ofwholesome advice, as he would pick up from time to time in the courseof his reading or observation, to aid him in forming habits ofindustry, politeness, and morality. Some of these rules, your UncleJuvinell, with an eye mainly to your well-being, will repeat to you;for, when but a boy, he got them by heart, well knowing, that, withoutsome such aid, he would find it hard, if not impossible, to so orderhis walks through life as to win and deserve the esteem and confidenceof his fellow-men, as well as the blessing and approbation of hisMaker. And now that he has reached the evening of his days, and iswell assured that the daily observance of these rules has made him awiser, a better, and a happier man, he would most earnestly advise allhis friends, great or small, but especially small, be they boys orgirls, to pursue the like course, if they would be favored of Heavenin the like manner. Here they are:--

 "1. Every action in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those present. 

 "2. In the presence of others, sing not to yourself with a humming noise, nor drum with your fingers or feet. 

 "3. Speak not when others speak, sit not when others stand, speak not when you should hold your peace, walk not when others stop. 

 "4. Turn not your back to others, especially in speaking; jog not the table or desk on which another reads or writes; lean not on any one. 

 "5. Be not a flatterer; neither play with any one that delights not to be played with. 

 "6. Show not yourself glad at the misfortune of another, though he were your enemy. 

 "7. It is good manners to prefer them to whom we speak before ourselves, especially if they be above us; with whom in no sort ought we to begin. 

 "8. Strive not with your superiors in an argument, but always submit your judgment to others with modesty. 

 "9. Undertake not to teach your equal in the art himself professes; for it is immodest and presumptuous. 

 "10. When a man does all he can, though it succeeds not well, blame not him that did it. 

 "11. Before you advise or find fault with any one, consider whether it ought to be in public or in private, presently or at some other time, in what terms to do it; and, in reproving, show no signs of anger, but do it with sweetness and mildness. 

 "12. Take all advice thankfully, in what time or place soever given; but afterwards, not being blamable, take a time or place convenient to let him know it that gave it. 

 "13. Mock not in jest at any thing of importance: if you deliver any thing witty and pleasant, abstain from laughing thereat yourself. 

 "14. Wherein you reprove another, be unblamable yourself; for example is better than precept. 

 "15. Use no reproachful language against any one; neither curse nor revile. 

 "16. Be not hasty to believe flying reports to the injury of any. 

 "17. In your apparel, be modest, and endeavor to accommodate yourself to nature, rather than to procure admiration; keep to the fashion of your equals, such as are civil and orderly, with respect to time and places. 

 "18. Play not the peacock, looking everywhere about you to see if you be well decked, if your shoes fit well, if your pantaloons sit neatly, and clothes handsomely. 

 "19. Associate yourself with men of good quality, if you esteem your reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company. 

 "20. Let your conversation be without malice or envy, for it is a sign of a kindly and commendable nature; and, in all causes of passion, admit reason to govern. 

 "21. Be not immodest in urging a friend to make known a secret. 

 "22. Utter not base and frivolous things amongst grave and learned men, nor very difficult questions or subjects among the ignorant, nor things hard to believe. 

 "23. Speak not of doleful things in time of mirth, nor at the table; speak not of melancholy things, as death and wounds; and, if others mention them, change, if you can, the discourse. Tell not your dreams but to your intimate friend. 

 "24. Break not a jest, when none take pleasure in mirth; laugh not loud, nor at all, without occasion; deride no man's misfortune, though there seem to be some cause. 

 "25. Speak not injurious words, neither in jest nor earnest; scoff at none, although they give occasion. 

 "26. Seek not to lessen the merits of others; neither give more than due praise. 

 "27. Go not thither where you know not whether you shall be welcome. Give not advice without being asked; and, when desired, do it briefly. 

 "28. Reprove not the imperfections of others; for that belongs to parents, masters, and superiors. 

 "29. Gaze not on the marks or blemishes of others, and ask not how they came. What you may speak in secret to your friend, deliver not before others. 

 "30. Think before you speak; pronounce not imperfectly, nor bring out your words too hastily, but orderly and distinctly. 

 "31. When another speaks, be attentive yourself, and disturb not the audience. If any hesitate in his words, help him not nor prompt him without being desired; interrupt him not nor answer him until his speech be ended. 

 "32. Treat with men at right times about business, and whimper not in the company of others. 

 "33. Be not in haste to relate news, if you know not the truth thereof. 

 "34. Be not curious to know the affairs of others; neither approach those that speak in private. 

 "35. Undertake not what you cannot perform, but be careful to keep your promise. 

 "36. When your masters or superiors talk to anybody, hearken not, nor speak or laugh. 

 "37. Speak not evil of the absent; for it is unjust. 

 "38. Make no show of taking delight in your victuals; feed not with greediness; cut your food with a knife, and lean not on the table; neither find fault with what you eat. 

 "39. Be not angry at the table, whatever happens; and, if you have reason to be so, show it not, but put on a cheerful face, especially if there be strangers; for good humor makes of one dish a feast. 

 "40. If you speak of God or his attributes, let it be seriously, in reverence; and honor and obey your parents. 

 "41. Let your recreations be manful, not sinful. 

 "42. Labor to keep in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience. "

Now, does it not strike you, my dear children, as being most trulywonderful that it should have ever entered the mind of a boy ofthirteen to lay down for his own guidance and self-improvement suchrules and principles as these I have just repeated? It certainly must. And yet when I tell you that he strictly adhered to them through life, and squared his conduct by them daily, you will, no doubt, think itquite unreasonable that he could have been other than the good andgreat man he was. 

These writings I have mentioned filled several quires of paper; andtogether with his business papers, letters, journals, andaccount-books, written later in life, and with the same neatness andprecision, are still preserved at Mount Vernon with pious care; andare even now to be seen by those who go on pilgrimages to that sacredspot, although, since many of them were penned, more than a hundredyears have come and gone. 

And thus, my children, you have seen young Washington, at an age whenmost boys are wasting their precious hours in idle sports, seeking toacquire those habits of industry, punctuality, and method, whichafterwards enabled him so to economize time and labor as to do withease and expedition what others did with difficulty and tardiness. Youhave seen him making the best use of the slender means within hisreach for storing his mind with those treasures of knowledge, andschooling his heart in the daily practice of those exalted virtues, which, after a life well spent and work well done, make good his titleto the name he bears, --the greatest and the wisest of human kind. 

At last, the day came when George was to leave school for ever; and aday of sorrow it was to his school-fellows, who parted from him withmany an affectionate wish, and, as we are told, even with tears; sogreatly had he endeared himself to them by his noble disposition, gentle manners, and earnest desire to do as he would be done by, whichappeared in all his words and actions. In these regrets, Mr. Williams, his worthy schoolmaster, also shared; and it gave him in after-life, when his little George had become the great Washington, the mostheartfelt pleasure to say, that it had never been his privilege toteach another pupil who could at all compare with him for diligence inapplication, aptitude in learning, docility of disposition, manlygenerosity, courage, and truth. 

V. 

IN THE WILDERNESS. 

Extending from the Rappahannock to the Potomac, and stretching awaybeyond the Blue Ridge far into the Alleghany Mountains, there lay atthis time an immense tract of forest land, broken only here and thereby a little clearing, in the midst of which stood the rude log-cabinof some hardy backwoodsman. This large body of land--the largest, indeed, ever owned by any one man in Virginia--was the property of agreat English nobleman named Lord Fairfax, an old bachelor ofeccentric habits and strange opinions, but of a highly cultivatedunderstanding, and, when it so pleased him, of polite and elegantaddress. His stature was lofty, --far above that of the common run ofmen. He was a keen sportsman, had a fund of whimsical humor, and, inhis odd way, showed himself possessed of a kindly and generous heart;sometimes making a tenant or poor friend the present of a large farm, without requiring any thing in return but a haunch of venison or a fatwild turkey for his next Christmas dinner. 

Having heard that settlements were being made in the most fertilevalleys of his wild domain, he had lately come over from themother-country to inquire into the matter, and make suitable provisionagainst any future encroachments of the kind upon his rights. He nowbeheld his forest possessions for the first time; and so charmed washe with the wild beauty of the scenery, and so won over by enticingvisions of fishing and hunting, conjured up by the sight of the wavingwoods and running streams, that he resolved to leave his native landfor ever, and take up his abiding-place for the rest of his days amidthose leafy solitudes. Accordingly, he betook himself, with all hisnegro servants (numbering one hundred and fifty), and a few whitedependants, to the beautiful Valley of the Shenandoah, lying betweenthe Blue Ridge and the Alleghany Mountains; where he soon cleared alarge plantation, and built thereon a house, to which he gave the nameof Greenway Court. 

From that time forward, this became his fixed abode; but, as he hadmore land than a thousand men could put to any good use, he was quitewilling to dispose of all, except what lay for a few miles immediatelyaround Greenway Court, at reasonable rates, to such honest persons aswere willing to buy it and make it their future home. But, in orderthat no misunderstanding might arise hereafter between the partiesconcerned with respect to the boundary-line and number of acresbought and sold, it was necessary, in the first place, to have theland surveyed, and divided into lots of convenient sizes for farms. 

Now, you must know that, old Lord Fairfax was a distant relative ofMrs. Lawrence Washington, and had, as a natural consequence, often metour George at Mount Vernon; and so struck was he with the manlybearing, high character, good sense, and mathematical skill, of thefair-haired, blue-eyed youth, that he offered him, young as he was, the place of surveyor of all his vast lands. Being the son of awidowed mother, and earnestly desirous of aiding her all in his power, and earning for himself an honest independence, George was but toohappy to accept of the offer; and the necessary arrangements were soonmade. Having provided himself with all things needful for the newenterprise, --such as a horse, a rifle, a blanket, and a steel chainand compass, --he set out, at the head of a small party of hunters andbackwoodsmen, upon this his first considerable field of labor, earlyin the spring of 1748, just one month from the completion of hissixteenth year. 

They were soon, in the depths of the wilderness, miles beyond the mostdistant frontier settlements. The snows of winter that still lingeredon the mountains, warmed by the softer airs of early spring, hadmelted so rapidly of late as to swell the forest streams to a degreethat rendered their fording often difficult, and even sometimesdangerous. Now and then, coming to a stream which had overflowed itsbanks, the little party would be obliged to construct a raft of logs, roughly lashed together with grape-vines, upon which they could pushto the opposite side, without getting their baggage wet, and, at thesame time, compel their horses to swim along behind. Their way wasoften obstructed by the trunks and branches of fallen trees, thicketstangled and dense and thorny, huge and rugged rocks, and treacherousswamps, covered with long, green grass, into which the horses, stepping unawares, would suddenly plunge up to the saddle-girths inwater and mire. 

For some time, they lodged in wigwams or huts, rudely framed of poles, and covered with the bark of trees; which served the purpose wellenough when the weather was dry and still, but were often beaten downand overturned by the winds and rains when their shelter was mostneeded. After two or three of these rickety shanties had been tumbledabout their heads, to the no small risk of life or limb, they wiselyconcluded to abandon them, and sleep in the open air, with thetwinkling stars above them, the gray old trees around them, and thedamp, cold ground beneath them, with nothing between but their goodblankets, and the dead, dry leaves of autumn heaped together; andlucky was he who got the place nearest the fire, or could put themossy trunk of a fallen tree between him and the biting blast, or, better still, could boast a bearskin for his bed. A little beforesunset, they would halt for the night in some sheltered spot, convenient to a running stream; where, turning their horses loose tograze till morning, they would build a cheerful fire of the drybrushwood close at hand, and prepare their evening meal, which theywould eat with a keenness of appetite known only to the tired andhungry hunter. Each man was his own cook; their food consistingchiefly of venison and wild turkey their rifles procured them, andfish drawn from the neighboring brook, which they would broil on theglowing coals, fastened to a forked stick instead of a spit, and theneat it from a maple chip, instead of a dish. If the season permittedthem to add to this a hatful of berries that grew on the sunny side ofthe hill, or acorns from the mountain-oak, or nuts from thehickory-tree, or, more delicious still, plums, persimmons, andpawpaws, that grew in the more open parts of the woods, they made ofit a dainty feast indeed. 

Now and then, in the course of this rambling life in the wilderness, they met with roving bands of skin-clad Indians, either as warriorsout upon the war-path against some distant tribe, or as huntersroaming the forest in quest of game. One evening, late, as our littleparty of surveyors were about to encamp for the night, they spiedthrough the trees the glimmering light of a large fire on the top of afar-off hill. Curious to know who, besides themselves, could be inthat lonely place, they determined to go thither before stopping; and, guided by the light, reached ere long the spot, where they found asmall squad of Indian hunters, resting themselves after the fatiguesof the day's chase. They seemed to be in high good humor, as if thehunt had gone well with them that day; and, being in this mood, extended a true Indian welcome to the new-comers; setting before them, with open-handed hospitality, heaps of parched corn, and theirchoicest bits of venison, wild turkey, bear's meat, and fish. Supperended, the pipe of peace and good-will passed from mouth to mouth, asa pledge that all should go on well between them; after which theIndians, for the further entertainment of their white guests, and as amore marked manner of showing their respect, set about preparingthemselves for a war-dance. 

In the first place, they cleared the ground around the fire of chunksand brushwood, and other obstructions that might hinder the free playof their feet and legs in the performance. Then the two musiciansbegan to put in order and tune their instruments: that is to say, oneof them filled a camp-kettle half full of water, over which he tightlystretched a raw-hide, and, tapping it twice or thrice with a stick, drew forth a hollow, smothered sound therefrom, by way of giving tothose not in the secret a hint that this was to be their drum; whilethe other made a rattle by putting a few bullets or pebbles into ahard, dry gourd of monstrous size, to the handle of which he fasteneda horse's tail, not so much to improve its tone perhaps, as to give ita more finished appearance. 

These simple preparations soon completed, a tall warrior, grimlypainted as if for battle, advanced a few paces into the circle, and, squatting upon his haunches, fixed his eyes for several moments with ahard, stony look upon nothing whatever, till the first tap of the drumand the first jerk of the rattle, when he suddenly leaped up, with adeafening yell that made the old woods ring again, and began caperingabout in the most astonishing manner, causing such a commotion amongthe dry leaves and dead twigs as made it appear that a littlewhirlwind had all at once been let loose among them. Another soonfollowed, and got up a similar sensation among the dry leaves and deadtwigs on his own private account; while a third, springing into thecircle, did the same; and so on, until at last the whole party werehot in the dance. Some brandished their scalping-knives, someflourished their tomahawks, some waved aloft the scalps of theirenemies taken in battle; all yelling the while, and all makinghorrible faces. And warmer and warmer they waxed in the dance, andround and round they went; now up in the air, now down on the ground;jumping and kicking, yelping and barking, spinning and whirling, yelling and howling, like a pack of hobgoblins and imps on a spree. The hollow woods gave back the barbarous din in a thousandobstreperous echoes; and afar off, from the depths of the lonelyforest glens, might have been heard, had not the attention of thespectators been otherwise engaged, the answering howl of the hungrywolves. 

After some time spent in this outlandish amusement, without anyprevious notice whatever, plump down they sat, and, in a minute, weresmoking their pipes with as much gravity and composure as if they hadjust come in from a gentle promenade with their wives and childrenalong the banks of a smooth and tranquil river. It was a sight, onceseen, never to be forgotten. At first, George and his friends hadlooked on with open-eyed amazement; but, before the dance was ended, the whole scene appeared to them so comical, that they had need of alltheir self-control to keep a sober countenance, so as not to giveoffence to their savage entertainers. 

VI. 

THE YOUNG SURVEYOR. 

It was a glorious region of stately woods, fertile valleys, clearrunning streams, and lofty mountains, where our young surveyor, withthe exception of the winter months, spent the next three years of hislife. At first, not being accustomed to such severe privations andexposure, it had gone rather hard with him: but he soon became inuredto them; and it was, no doubt, to this rough experience in thewilderness, that he owed, in large measure, his uncommon vigor andactivity of body, and that firm reliance on the resources of his ownmind, which enabled him to endure and overcome those hardships, trials, and difficulties which beset him throughout the greaterportion of his after-life. This severe training was also of anotheradvantage to him, in making him perfectly familiar with all thatregion, in whose dark retreats and rugged wilds he learned, a fewyears later, his first hard lessons in the art of war. 

With all its privations, it was a life he loved to lead; for itafforded him the means of an independent support: and a happy boy washe, when first he wrote his mother that he was earning from fifteento twenty dollars for every day he worked. Besides this, the beautyand grandeur of Nature's works, everywhere visible around him, awakened in him feelings of the truest delight; and he would sometimesspend the better part of a summer's day in admiring the tall andstately trees, whose spreading branches were his only shelter from thedews of heaven, and heat of noonday. At night, after supper, when hiscompanions would be talking over the adventures of the day just past, or laughing boisterously at some broad joke repeated for the hundredthtime, or would be joining their voices in the chorus of some rudewoodland song, our young surveyor would be sitting a little apart onthe trunk of a fallen tree, pencil and paper before him, calculatingwith a grave countenance, and by the ruddy light of a blazingpine-knot, the results of the day's labor. With no other companionshipthan that of the wild Indians he fell in with from time to time, andthe rude, unlettered hunters around him, he must needs turn forsociety to the thoughts that stirred within his own mind. Often wouldhe withdraw himself from the noisy mirth of his companions, and, climbing to some lofty mountain-top, spend hours and hours rapt in thecontemplation of the wild and varied region, smiling in life andbeauty far, far beneath him. At such times, we can imagine hiscountenance lit up with a sacred joy, and his soul rising in praiseand thanksgiving to the great Father, who, in love and wisdom, madethis glorious world for the good and happiness of all that dwelltherein. 

Now and then, for the sake of a refreshing change, he would leave thewilderness behind him, with all its toils and dangers, and betake himto Greenway Court, the woodland home of old Lord Fairfax, with whom hehad become a great favorite, and was ever a welcome guest. Here hewould spend a few weeks in the most agreeable manner you can wellimagine; for the old lord, being a man of some learning and extensivereading, had collected, in the course of a long life, a large libraryof the best and rarest books, from which, during these three years, George derived great pleasure and much valuable information. Besidesthis, a keener fox-hunter than this odd old bachelor was not to befound in all the Old Dominion; and, for the full enjoyment of thissport, he always kept a pack of hounds of the purest English blood. Atthe first peep of dawn, the cheerful notes of the hunter's horn, andthe deep-mouthed baying of the fox-hounds, filling the neighboringwoods with their lively din, would call our young surveyor from hisslumbers to come and join in the sports of the morning. Waiting for nosecond summons, he would be up and out in a trice, and mounted by theside of the merry old lord; when, at a signal wound on the bugle, thewhole party would dash away, pell-mell, helter-skelter, over the hillsand through the woods, up the hills and down them again, across thebrooks and along the winding river; hunters and horses hard on theheels of the hounds, hounds hard on the heels of poor Renard, and poorRenard cutting, cutting away for dear life. 

During the three years thus employed, George made his home at MountVernon, it being nearer and more convenient to his field of labor;but, as often as his business would permit, he would go on a visit tohis mother at the old homestead on the Rappahannock, whither, as Ishould have told you before now, his father had removed when he wasbut three or four years old. These were precious opportunities, everimproved by him, of extending to her that aid in the management of herfamily affairs, which to receive from him was her greatest pleasure, as well as his truest delight to give. 

About this time, he formed a habit of writing down in a diary orday-book such facts and observations as seemed to him worthy of note, by which means he would be enabled to fix firmly in his mind whatevermight prove of use to him at a future day. This is a most excellenthabit; and I would earnestly advise all young persons, desirous ofincreasing their stock of knowledge, to form it as soon as they beginthe study of grammar and can write a good round hand. The following isa specimen of this diary, written by him at the age of sixteen, as youwill see by the date therein given:--

 "March 13th, 1748. --Rode to his lordship's (Lord Fairfax's) quarter. About four miles higher up the Shenandoah, we went through most beautiful groves of sugar-trees, and spent the better part of the day in admiring the trees and richness of the land. 

 "14th. --We sent our baggage to Capt. Hite's, near Fredericktown; and went ourselves down the river about sixteen miles (the land exceedingly rich all the way, producing abundance of grain, hemp, and tobacco), in order to lay off some land on Cole's Marsh and Long Marsh. 

 "15th. --Worked hard till night, and then returned. After supper, we were lighted into a room; and I, not being so good a woodsman as the rest, stripped myself very orderly, and went into the bed, as they called it; when, to my surprise, I found it to be nothing but a little straw matted together, without sheet or any thing else, but only one threadbare blanket, with double its weight of vermin, I was glad to get up and put on my clothes, and lie as my companions did. Had we not been very tired, I am sure we should not have slept much that night. I made a promise to sleep so no more; choosing rather to sleep in the open air, before a fire. 

 "18th. --We travelled to Thomas Berwick's on the Potomac, where we found the river exceedingly high, by reason of the great rains that had fallen among the Alleghanies. They told us it would not be fordable for several days; it being now six feet higher than usual, and rising. We agreed to stay till Monday. We this day called to see the famed Warm Springs. We camped out in the field this night. 

 "20th. --Finding the river not much abated, we in the evening swam our horses over to the Maryland side. 

 "21st. --We went over in a canoe, and travelled up the Maryland side all day, in a continued rain, to Col. Cresap's, over against the mouth of the South Branch, about forty miles from the place of starting in the morning, and over the worst road, I believe, that ever was trod by man or beast. "

In this diary, he also entered such items as these, --the number ofacres of each lot of land surveyed, the quality of the soil, thegrowth of plants and trees, the height of the hills, the extent of thevalleys, and the length, breadth, and course of the streams. From theitems thus collected, he would draw the materials for the reports itwas his duty to submit, from time to time, for examination, to hispatron or employer; and such was the clearness, brevity, and exactnessdisplayed therein, and such the industry, skill, and fidelity withwhich he performed his toilsome and difficult task, that the generousold lord not only rewarded him handsomely for his services, butcontinued to cherish for him through life a truly fatherly affection. 

In after-years, Washington was wont to turn with peculiar fondness tothis period of his life, as perhaps affording the only leisure he hadever known for sentimental musings, and the indulgence of what fancyhe may have had in those bright visions of future happiness, fame, orenterprise; to which all men are more or less given during theimmature years of youth. This, to my mind, is to be easily enoughaccounted for, if we but ascribe it to a certain little circumstance;concerning which, as it exercised no small influence on his mind atthe time, I will now tell you all that is known, and, it may be, morethan ever can be known with possible certainty. 

From a letter written by him at the age of fifteen, and also from somesad and plaintive verses of his own composition found in hiscopy-book, we learn that the boy, who should grow to become thegreatest man that ever made this glorious world of ours more gloriouswith his wise precepts and virtuous example, was at this time a victimof the tender passion called _love_, of which most of you little folksas yet know nothing but the four letters that spell the word. 

The object of this early attachment was a damsel, of whom nothingcertain is known, as her name, from the fact of its never beingrepeated above a whisper, has not come down to our day, but who wascalled by him in his confidential correspondence the Lowland Beauty. As he had none of that self-assurance which lads of his age are apt tomistake for pluck or spirit, he never ventured to make known thesecret of this passion to the object thereof; and it is probable, thatwe, even at the big end of a hundred years, are wiser as to thistender passage of his life than was ever the young lady herself. Nothaving the courage to declare the sentiments that warmed his breast, he wisely resolved to banish them from his mind altogether; and this, I will venture to say, was one reason why he so readily accepted ofold Lord Fairfax's offer, and was willing for so long a time to makehis abiding-place in the wilderness. But it was months, and evenyears, before he could get the better of his weakness, if such itcould be justly called; for a wilderness, let me tell you (and I hopethe hint will not be lost on my little friends), is the last place inthe world, that a man, or a boy either, should take to, as thereadiest means of ridding himself of such troublesome feelings. Nowonder, then, that our young surveyor was grave and thoughtful beyondhis years; and that the lonely forest, with its ever-changing beautiesand wild seclusion, viewed through the bewitched eyes of love, shouldhave had greater charms for him than the noisy, bustling haunts ofmen. That you may have a more distinct idea of the appearance ofWashington at the time of which we are speaking, your Uncle Juvinellwill conjure up, from the lingering lights and shadows of his dull oldfancy, a little picture, to be gilded anew by your bright youngfancies, and hung up in that loftiest chamber of your memory which youare wont to adorn with your portraits of the good and great men andwomen who have blessed the earth, and of whom we love so much to readand hear. 

It is a summer morning, and the eastern mountains fling their shadowslong and huge across the lonesome valleys. Our little party ofsurveyors, having spent the night on the summits of one of the lesslofty peaks of the Blue Ridge, are slowly descending its shrubby skiesto the more densely wooded parts of the wilderness below, of whosewaste fertility many a broad tract have they yet to explore, and manya mile of boundary-line have chain and compass yet to measure anddetermine. Still lingering on the summit far above, as loath to quitthe contemplation of the splendid prospect seen from thence, stands atall youth of eighteen, with his right arm thrown across his horse'sneck, and his left hand grasping his compass-staff. He is clad in abuckskin hunting-shirt, with leggins and moccasons of the samematerial, --the simple garb of a backwoodsman, and one that wellbecomes him now, as in perfect keeping with the wildness of thesurrounding scenery; while in his broad leathern belt are stuck hislong hunting-knife and Indian tomahawk. In stature he is much abovemost youths of the same age: he is of a handsome and robust form, withhigh and strong but smooth features, light-brown hair, large blueeyes, --not brilliant, but beaming with a clear and steady light, as ifa soul looked through them that knew no taint of vice ormeanness, --and a countenance all glorious with a truth and courage, modest gentleness, and manly self-reliance; and as he thus lingers onthat lonely mountain-height, glorified as it were with the fresh purelight of the newly risen sun, with head uncovered and looks reverent, he seems in holy communion with his Maker, to whom, in the tender, guileless years of childhood, a pious mother taught him to kneel, morning and evening, in prayer, thanksgiving, and adoration. 

Anon, his morning devotions ended, he turns to take, ere following hiscompanions down the mountain, another view of the varied panoramaspread out far beneath him, the chief feature of which is a valley, surpassing in beauty and fertility any that that summer's sun willshine on ere reaching his golden gateway in the west. Through thisvalley, glimmering, half seen, half hid among the waving woods, runs ariver, with many a graceful bend, so beautiful, that, in the far-awayyears of the past, some long-forgotten tribe of Indians called itShenandoah, or Shining Daughter of the Stars; a name that stilllingers like a sweet echo among the mountains. And as the eyes of theyoung surveyor slowly range the wide prospect from point to point, andtake in miles and miles of beauty at a single stretch of view, thereis a look in them as if he would recall some pleasing dream of thenight, which he would now fain bring forth, though but a dream, torefine and elevate the thoughts wherewith his mind must needs beoccupied throughout the day. He is familiar with every feature of thelandscape before him: he knows each shady dell and sunny hill, andevery grassy slope and winding stream; for there he has made his homethis many a day. He has seen it all a thousand times, and each timewith renewed delight. But now it has a glory not all its own, norborrowed from the morning sun, but from the first warm light ofyouthful love that burns in his heart for his Lowland Beauty. 

VII. 

FIRST MILITARY APPOINTMENT. 

About this time, the Indians inhabiting that vast region extendingfrom the Ohio River to the great lakes of the north, secretlyencouraged and aided by the French, began to show signs of hostility, and threatened the western borders of Virginia, Pennsylvania, and NewYork, with all the dismal horrors of their bloody and wasting warfare. The alarm spread rapidly from the frontier even to the Atlantic coast, till the whole country was awakened to the sense of the impendingdanger. 

To put the Province of Virginia in a better posture of defence, thegovernor thereof, Robert Dinwiddie, besides other measures, divided itinto four grand military districts. Over each of these he placed whatis called an adjutant-general, whose duty it was to organize and trainthe militia, instruct the officers in matters touching the art andscience of war, to review the different companies when on parade, andto inspect their arms and accoutrements, and see that they were keptready for use at a moment's warning. 

The energy, fidelity, and soundness of judgment, that young Washingtonhad lately shown while acting as surveyor, had won for him a name inthe colony; and, becoming known to Governor Dinwiddie, he wasappointed by that gentleman adjutant-general of the Northern district;receiving along with his commission the rank of major, which entitledhim to the salary of seven hundred and fifty dollars a year. You havealready seen what great delight he took in martial exercises when aschool-boy; and, now that he was to become a soldier in the true senseof the term, you will not be surprised to learn that this appointmentwas altogether agreeable to his present taste and inclinations. Toshow his deep sense of the honor done him, and the trust andconfidence reposed in him, he determined to perform his work well andfaithfully as far as in him lay. 

The better to qualify himself for the duties of his office, he placedhimself under the instruction of his brother Lawrence, and otherofficers living in that part of the province, who had served underAdmiral Vernon during the late Spanish war. These gentlemen, besidesgiving him the benefit of their experience and observation, placed inhis hands the best works on military science then in use; from whichhe learned the various modes of training militia, the differentmanoeuvres of an army on the field of battle, and their managementwhile on the line of march, together with the most approved plans ofbuilding forts, throwing up intrenchments and redoubts, and theconstruction of other works of defence, whether of wood or earth orstone. At the same time, he also made himself acquainted with thehandling and design of many weapons and engines of war; and under theinstruction of Capt. Van Braam, a Dutch fencing-master, he became veryskilful in the use of the sword. Thus Mount Vernon, from being thequiet mansion of a country gentleman, was now, in a manner, convertedinto a military school; and the youth, who but a few years before, ashe strolled among its verdant retreats, had, in honor of his LowlandBeauty, made his first and only attempt of putting his thoughts andfeelings in verse, was, at the early age of nineteen, called upon todischarge those stern duties which men of age and experience alone aregenerally thought able to perform. The district allotted to MajorWashington (for so we must now call him) consisted of several largecounties, each of which the duties of his office obliged him to visitfrom time to time; and such was the energy and spirit he carried intohis work, and such ability did he display, and such was the manlinessand dignified courtesy with which he deported himself on alloccasions, that he soon completely won the confidence and affectionsof both officers and men, who were inspired by his example to stillgreater zeal and patriotism in the service of their country. 

But these labors, so agreeable to one of his age and ardent spirit, were now interrupted for several months. His brother Lawrence, whohad always been of a delicate constitution, was now thought to be inthe last stages of consumption, and was advised by his physicians tobetake himself to the West Indies, where he might yet, perhaps, findsome relief in the warmer suns and milder airs of those beautifulislands. As he would have need of cheerful company and gentle andcareful nursing, he took with him his favorite brother George; and, embarking from Alexandria, was soon out upon the shining billows ofthe deep-blue sea, in quest of that health he was never again to find. Their place of destination was the charming little Island ofBarbadoes, where, after a somewhat stormy voyage, they arrived insafety. 

While here, Major Washington had an attack of small-pox, which handledhim rather severely; and for some time he was thought to be in adangerous condition. But in a few weeks, by dint of careful nursing, joined to the natural vigor of his constitution, he got the better ofthis frightful malady; and, when he was completely restored, not adisfiguring trace of it remained. 

During his sojourn here, he still continued his habit of writing downin a journal whatever of importance or interest came under hisobservation; in which, among other items, we find such as thefollowing, --the speed of the ship in which they sailed; the directionof the winds; some account of a storm that overtook them on theirvoyage; the cities, ships, forts, and military strength of the Islandof Barbadoes; its products; manners and customs of the people, and thelaws and government under which they lived. By this means, contributing as it did to habits of close and accurate observation, heimpressed the more strongly upon his memory such facts as might proveof use to him at a future day. 

Our two Virginians, during the three or four months of their stay onthe island, were treated with much courtesy and hospitality by theinhabitants. But neither the genial climate of the region, nor thekindly hospitality of the people, was enough to restore that healthand strength to the invalid for which he had come so far and hoped solong. 

Feeling that his end was drawing nigh, Lawrence Washington resolved tohasten home, that he might have the melancholy satisfaction ofspending his last moments in the midst of his family and friends. Hehad scarcely returned to Mount Vernon, and bid a fond farewell to theloved ones there, when the angel of death summoned him to take anotherand a longer voyage, in quest of immortality, to be found in theislands of the blest, that smile in never-fading beauty on the bosomof the eternal sea. 

Thus, at the early age of thirty-four, died Lawrence Washington, oneof the most amiable and accomplished gentlemen of his day. He leftbehind him an affectionate wife, a sweet little daughter, a devotedbrother, and many a loving friend, to mourn his loss. In his will, hebequeathed his fine estate of Mount Vernon and all else that hepossessed to his brother George; on condition, however, that his wifeshould have the use of it during her lifetime, and that his daughtershould die without children to inherit it. The daughter did not reachthe years of maidenhood; and, the mother surviving but a few years, George was left in the undivided possession of a large and handsomeproperty; and, in a worldly point of view, his fortune was reallyalready made. But, for all that, he long and deeply mourned the deathof this much loved and valued brother, who had been to him father andfriend ever since that first great sorrow of his childhood, when hebecame a widow's son and a widow's blessing. 

And thus, my little children, I have told you the story of this greatand good man's life from his years of infancy up to those of earlymanhood. I have dwelt at greater length upon this period of his lifethan perhaps any other historian, and have told you some things thatyou might look for elsewhere in vain. In my treatment of this part ofthe subject, it has been my chief aim and earnest desire to impressupon your opening minds this one great truth, --that, if you would begood and wise in your manhood, you must begin, now in early youth, toput forth all your powers, and use all the means within your reach, tostore your mind with useful knowledge, and direct your thoughts andactions in the ways of truth and virtue, industry and sobriety. Theboy Washington did all this; and, ere we have done, you shall see theglorious results of such a good beginning. Be like him in youryouth, --patient and diligent, loving and dutiful, truthful andprayerful; that you may be like him in the fulness of years, --esteemedand beloved, happy and good, useful and wise. 

VIII. 

IMPORTANT EXPLANATIONS. 

When Uncle Juvinell had finished this part of his story, he paused, and with a beaming face looked round upon his little circle oflisteners. Two or three of the youngest had long since fallen asleep;and Master Ned, having heard the story of the little hatchet, hadstolen quietly away to the cabin, just to see how "black daddy" wasgetting along with his sled. Having waited till it was finished, hehad, for his own private amusement, taken it to a nice hillside, andwas now coasting on it all alone by the light of a good-humored, dish-faced moon. The other children had listened with great interestand attention to the story, and were still sitting with their eyesbent earnestly on the fire, whose great bright eye had by this timegrown a little red, and was winking in a slow and sleepy way, as if itwere saying, "Well done, Uncle Juvinell, --very well done indeed. Ihave been listening very attentively, and quite approve of all youhave said, especially all that about the wooden-legged schoolmaster, the little hatchet, the sorrel horse, the Indian war-dance, and theLowland Beauty, not to mention those wise maxims and wholesome moralprecepts you brought in so aptly. All of it is very fine and verygood, and just to my liking. But I am thinking it is high bed-time forthese little folks. "

Uncle Juvinell was much gratified to see how deeply interested thechildren were in what he had been telling them; and in a little whilehe called upon them to let him know how they all liked it. Laura saidthat it was very nice; Ella, that it was charming; Daniel, that it wasquite as interesting as Plutarch's Lives; Willie, that it was evenmore so than "Robinson Crusoe;" and Bryce, that it was very good, buthe would have liked it better had Uncle Juvinell told them more aboutthe Indians. Just then, Master Charlie awoke from a comfortable nap ofan hour or two, having dropped asleep shortly after the sorrel horsedropped dead; and, to make believe that he had been as wide awake as aweasel from the very start, began asking such a string of questions asseemed likely to have no end. After a droll jumbling of Washingtonwith Jack the Giant-killer, old Lord Fairfax with Bluebeard, poor oldHobby, the wooden-legged schoolmaster, with the Roving Red Robber, heat last so far got the better of his sleepy senses as to know what hewould be driving at; when he said, "Uncle Juvinell, did his father lethim keep his little hatchet after he had cut the cherry-tree?"

"History, my little nephew, " replied his uncle with a sobercountenance, "does not inform us whether he did or not; but you may bequite sure that he did, well knowing that a little boy who wouldchoose rather to take a whipping than tell a lie, or suffer another tobe punished for an offence he had himself committed, would never beguilty the second time of doing that wherein he had once beenforbidden. "

"What became of black Jerry after he turned a somerset in the snow, and went rolling over and over down the hill?" Charlie went on. 

"Jerry, I am happy to say, " replied his uncle, "was so won over by thekindness and noble self-devotion of his brave little master, that hemade up his mind to mend his ways from that very moment; and in ashort time, from having been the worst, became the best behavednegroling to be found on either side of the Rappahannock, for morethan a hundred miles up and down. "

"What is a negroling?" inquired Master Charlie, as if bent on siftingthis matter to the very bottom. 

"A negroling, " replied Uncle Juvinell with a smile, "is to afull-grown negro what a gosling is to a full-grown goose. Now, can youtell me what it is?"

"A gosling negro, I suppose, " was Charlie's answer; and then he asked, "Did old Hobby go on teaching school after little George left him?"

"Of course he did, " answered his uncle; "but, you may depend upon it, he never took another scholar as far as the single rule of three. "Then, winking slyly at two or three of the older children, hecontinued: "This worthy schoolmaster lived to the good old age ofninety-nine; when, feeling that his earthly pilgrimage was drawing toa close, he for the last time hung up his big cocked hat on theaccustomed peg, and for the last time unscrewed his wooden, leg, andset it in its accustomed corner; then, like a good Christian, laid himdown to die in peace, giving thanks to Heaven with his last breaththat it had fallen to his lot to teach the great George Washington hisA B C's and the multiplication-table. "

This made Master Charlie look very grave and thoughtful, so that heasked no more questions for the rest of the night. 

Then Daniel, the young historian, who, having his mind occupied withmore weighty matters, had been listening with some impatience whilethe above confab was going on, begged that his uncle would tell himwhat was meant by a midshipman's warrant. 

"In the first place, Dannie, " said Uncle Juvinell, "for the benefit ofthe rest of the children, who are not so well informed upon suchmatters as yourself, we must see what a midshipman is. The lowestofficer in the navy, but still several degrees removed from a commonsailor, is a midshipman, who enters a man-of-war as a kind of pupilto study the art of navigation, and to acquaint himself with othermatters connected with the seafaring life. A man-of-war, you mustknow, is the largest vessel, or ship of war, belonging to a nation;while all the ships fitted out at the public expense, together withthe officers and seamen concerned in their keeping and management, make up what is called a navy. By navigation, we are to understand theart by which sailors are taught to conduct ships from one point toanother. Now, a warrant is a writing that gives some one the right todo a thing or to enjoy it. Thus you see a midshipman's warrant wouldhave given young Washington the right to go on board a man-of-war, where, as a kind of pupil, he would have learned the art ofnavigation, the management of ships, and many other things necessaryto make a good sailor. The knowledge thus acquired, and the trainingto which he must needs have been subjected, would have fitted him intime to become an officer of the navy, such as a lieutenant or acaptain, and, it may be, even an admiral. "

"And what is an admiral?" inquired Willie. 

"An admiral, " replied Uncle Juvinell, "is the highest officer of thenavy; he is to the armies of the sea what a general is to the armiesof the land, and commands a squadron, or fleet, which, you must know, is a large number of armed ships, moving and acting in concerttogether. "

"Does he fight with a sword?" inquired Bryce, who, it must be borne inmind, was the military young gentleman, who carried a wooden sword ofhis own. 

"It is unusual, " replied his uncle, "for either an admiral or ageneral to fight in person; it being their duty to put their armies inorder of battle, and afterwards, during the fight, to control themovements of the different regiments or divisions by orders carried byaides to the officers under their command. "

"You told us, uncle, " said Willie, "that Washington received, alongwith the commission of adjutant-general, the rank of major. Now, whatare we to understand by this?"

"A commission, " replied his uncle, "is a writing, giving some one theright or authority to perform the duties of some office, and receivethe pay and honors arising from the same. The duties of anadjutant-general you have already seen; and the commission received byyoung Washington to perform those duties made him equal in rank, notto a general, but to a major. "

"I know you told us, uncle, " said Ella, "what is meant by surveying;but I don't think that I clearly understand it yet. "

"I will refer you to your brother Dannie, " said Uncle Juvinell; "forhe is looking very wise, as if somebody knew a thing or two, andcould, were he but called upon, greatly enlighten somebody else. Outwith it, Dannie, and let us have it. "

"Surveying teaches the measurement of land, " Dannie made haste toanswer; "and a surveyor is one who measures land with the help of along chain and compass and other instruments. Now, George Washington, for example"--

"That will do, Daniel, " said his uncle, interrupting him: "you havemade it as clear as daylight already; and I dare say your sisterunderstands you perfectly, without the help of any example. "

"Oh, I like to have forgotten one thing!" cried Willie. "Tell us whatis meant by line of march, manoeuvres on the battle-field, throwingup intrenchments, and the like. "

To these points, Uncle Juvinell made answer: "An army, my nephew, issaid to be on the line of march when it is moving from one place toanother. A manoeuvre is an evolution or a movement of an army, designed to mislead or deceive an enemy, or in some way to gain theadvantage of him. An intrenchment is a breastwork or wall, with atrench or ditch running along the outside. The breastwork, beingformed of the earth thrown up from the trench, serves as a protectionagainst the shots of an enemy. The trench being quite as deep as thebreastwork is high, renders it very difficult and dangerous for theworks to be taken by storm; for the enemy must first descend into theditch before he can reach and scale the wall, --an attempt alwaysattended with the greatest peril to those who make it; for they whodefend the works, fighting on top of the walls, have greatly theadvantage of those beneath. Sometimes intrenchments run in straight orcrooked lines, and sometimes enclose an irregular square or circle;and any piece of ground, or body of men, thus enclosed or fortified, is said to be intrenched. "

"What a pity it is we can never know the name of the Lowland Beauty!"remarked Miss Laura regretfully; for she was getting to be quite oldenough to be somewhat interested in matters of this kind. 

"The name the young surveyor gave her, " said Uncle Juvinell, "lends aninterest to this part of his life, which a knowledge of her true namemight never have awakened. Besides this, my dear niece, if you but beattentive to what I shall relate hereafter, you will learn many thingstouching the life and character of his mother Mary and his wife Marthafar more worthy of your remembrance. "

The clock struck ten; the fire burned low, and a heavy lid of asheshid its great red eye. And now Uncle Juvinell bethought him that itmust indeed be high bed-time for the little folks; and in conclusionhe said, "Now, my dear children, I want you to bear well in mind whatI have told you to-night, that you may be the better prepared for whatI shall tell you to-morrow evening. And hereafter I would have youwrite down on your slates, while I go on with my story, whatever youmay find difficult and shall wish to have more fully explained at theend of each evening's lesson. And now let us sing our evening hymn, and part for the night. "

With that they joined their voices, as was their wont, in a sweet hymnof praise and thanks to the great Father of us all, --the little folkscarrying the treble, while Uncle Juvinell managed the bass. This dulydone, they came one by one, and kissed their dear old uncle a lovinggood-night; then crept to their happy beds to dream till morning ofwooden-legged schoolmasters, little hatchets, wild rides on fieryuntamed horses that were always sorrel, of life in the lonelywilderness, rambles without end up and down the mountains, and ofskin-clad Indiana leaping and whirling in the war-dance. 

IX. 

INDIAN TROUBLES. 

And now, said Uncle Juvinell, I see you are all agog, slate and pencilin hand, ready to jot down any question that may chance to pop intoyour busy young brains, to be asked and answered, for our furtherenlightenment, at the end of our evening lesson. So, without more ado, we will begin. 

But, before trudging on further in our delightful journey, we mustpause a moment, and turning square round, with our faces towards thelong-ago years of the past, take a bird's-eye view of the earlyhistory of our country, that we may know exactly where we are when wecome to find ourselves in the outskirts of that long and bloodystruggle between the two great nations of England and France, commonlycalled the Seven Years' War, and sometimes the Old French War. Now, although this would not be as entertaining to your lively fancies asan Arabian tale or an Indian legend, yet you will by and by see veryplainly that we could not have skipped it, without losing the sense ofa great deal that follows; for it was during this war that ourWashington first experienced the trials and hardships of a soldier'slife, and displayed that courage, prudence, and ability, which in theend proved the salvation and glory of his native country. 

In the first place, you must know, my dear children, that thisbeautiful land of ours, where now dwell the freest and happiest peoplethe blessed sun ever shone upon, was, only a few hundred years ago, all a vast unbroken wilderness; a place where no one but savageIndians found a home, whose chief amusement was to fight and kill andscalp each other; and whose chief occupation was to hunt wild beastsand birds, upon whose flesh they fed, and with whose hairy skins andhorns and claws and feathers they clothed and decked themselves. Wherein the leafy summer-time may now be heard the merry plough-boywhistling "Yankee Doodle" over the waving corn, the wild Indian oncewrestled with the surly bear, or met his ancient enemy in deadlyfight. Nibbling sheep and grazing cattle now range the grassy hillsand valleys where he was wont to give chase to the timid deer, or liein wait for the monstrous buffalo. Huge steamers ply up and down ourmighty rivers where he once paddled his little canoe. Splendid citieshave risen, as if at the rubbing of Aladdin's enchanted lamp, where inthe depths of the forest he once kindled the great council-fire, andmet the neighboring tribes in the Big Talk. The very schoolhouse, where you little folks are now tripping so lightly along the flowerypath of knowledge, may perhaps stand on the selfsame shady slope, where, of a long summer evening, he would sit at the door of hisbark-built wigwam, smoking his long pipe, and watching his naked redchildren with a more fatherly smile than you can well imagine in oneso fierce, as with many a hoop and yelp they played at "hide-and-seek"among the gray old trees and pawpaw thickets. On yonder hill-top, where we at this moment can see the windows of the house of Godshining and glancing in the moonlight, he may have stood, with hisface to the rising or setting sun, in mute worship before the GreatSpirit. 

But the stronger and wiser white man came; and, at his terribleapproach, the red man, with all his wild remembrances, passed away, like an echo in the woods, or the shadow of an April cloud over thehills and valleys; and the place that once knew him shall know him nomore for ever. 

And yet it might have been far otherwise with him and with us, had nota certain Christopher Columbus chanced to light upon this WesternWorld of ours, as he came hap-hazard across the wide Atlantic, whereship had never sailed before, in quest of a shorter passage to Asia. 

By this great discovery, it was proved to the entire satisfaction ofall who are in the least interested in the matter, that this earthupon which we live, instead of being long and flat, with sides andends and corners like a great rough slab, was round, and hollowinside, like an India-rubber ball, and went rolling through emptyspace, round and round the sun, year after year, continually. 

Of this bold and skilful sailor, the most renowned that ever lived, Ishould like to tell you many things; but, as we set out to give ourchief attention to the story of Washington, we must deny ourselvesthis pleasure until the holidays of some merry Christmas yet to come, when your Uncle Juvinell, if he still keeps his memory fresh andgreen, will relate to you many wonderful things in the life of thisgreat voyager, Columbus. 

Up to this time, all the nations of Christendom had for ages upon agesbeen sunk in a lazy doze of ignorance and superstition. But, whentidings of the great discovery reached their drowsy ears, they wereroused in a marvellous manner; and many of the richest and mostpowerful forthwith determined to secure, each to itself, a portion ofthe new-found region, by planting colonies; or, in other words, bymaking settlements therein. 

For this purpose, they sent out fleets of ships across the Atlantic tothese distant shores, laden with multitudes of men, who brought withthem all manner of tools and implements wherewith to clear away theforests, till the soil, and build forts and cities, and arms to defendthemselves against the attacks of the war-like savages. Thus, forexample, Spain colonized Mexico; France, Canada; and England, thatstrip of the North-American continent, lying between the AlleghanyMountains and the Atlantic Ocean, now known as the eastern coast ofthe United States. 

At first, the new-comers were received and treated with much kindnessand hospitality by the natives: but it was not long before theydiscovered that they were likely to be robbed of their homes andhunting-grounds; when rage and jealousy took possession of theirhearts, and from that time forward they never let slip an opportunityof doing all the mischief in their power to the hated intruders. Thenbegan that long train of bloody wars between the two races, which havenever ceased except with defeat or ruin of the weaker red man, andbringing him nearer and nearer to the day when he must either forsakehis savage life, or cease to have an existence altogether. 

Now, this may appear very unjust and wrong to my little friends; and, to some extent, it really was: but, in those days, might made right;or, in other words, the strong ruled the weak. And yet we are bound tobelieve that all this, in the long-run, has worked, and is stillworking, to the greatest good of the greatest number: for, had it beenotherwise, all this beautiful land, now the home of a Christian andhappy people, would have remained the dismal wilderness we havedescribed it; answering no good end, as far as concerns the spread oftruth and knowledge, and the cultivation of those useful arts whichmake a nation prosperous in peace, and strong in war. 

Notwithstanding their troubles with the Indians, the hardships andprivations to which the first settlers of a wild country are alwaysexposed, and the shameful neglect with which they were treated by themother-countries, the French and English colonies went on growing andthriving in a way that was wonderful to behold. At the end of ahundred and fifty years, or thereabouts, they had so grown in strengthand increased in numbers, and had so widened their boundaries, that atlast the continent, vast as it is, seemed too narrow to hold themboth; and they began throwing up their elbows for more room, in amanner that would have been thought quite uncivil in a privateindividual at a dinner table or in a stage-coach. 

Whereupon there arose a hot dispute between the kings of France andEngland as to whom belonged all that immense region stretching fromthe Alleghanies to the Mississippi, in the one direction; and, in theother, from the Ohio to the Great Lakes of the North. 

The French claimed it by the right of discovery: by which they meant, that a certain Father Marquette had, nearly a hundred years before, discovered the Mississippi during his wanderings as a missionaryamong the Indians of the Far West. They pretended, that, as this piousman had paddled a little canoe up and down this splendid river a fewhundred miles, his royal master, the King of France, was therebyentitled to all the lands watered by it, and the ten thousand streamsthat empty into it. 

The English, on the other hand, claimed it by the right of purchase;having, as they said, bought it at a fair price of the Six Nations, apowerful league or union of several Indian tribes inhabiting theregion round about the great lake's Erie and Ontario. What right theSix Nations had to it, is impossible to say. They claimed it, however, by the doubtful right of conquest; there being a tradition among them, that their ancestors, many generations before, had overrun thecountry, and subdued its inhabitants. 

Now, the poor Indians who occupied the land in question were veryindignant indeed when they heard that they and theirs had been sold tothe white strangers by their red enemies, the Six Nations, whom theyregarded as a flock of meddlesome crows, that were always dippingtheir ravenous bills into matters that did not in the least concernthem; and their simple heads were sorely perplexed and puzzled, thattwo great kings, dwelling in far-distant countries, thousands of milesaway beyond the mighty ocean, should, in the midst of uncountedriches, fall to wrangling with each other over a bit of wildernessland that neither of them had ever set eyes or foot on, and to whichthey had no more right than the Grand Caliph of Bagdad, or thatterrible Tartar, Kublah Khan. 

"Of all this land, " said they, "there is not the black of a man'sthumb-nail that the Six Nations can call their own. It is ours. Morethan a thousand moons before the pale-face came over the Big Water inhis white-winged canoes, the Great Spirit gave it to our forefathers;and they handed it down, to be our inheritance as long as the oldhills tell of their green graves. In its streams have we fished, inits woods have we hunted, in its sunny places have we built ourwigwams, and in its dark and secret places have we fought and scalpedand burnt our sworn enemies, without let or hinderance, time out ofmind. Now, if the English claim all on this side of the Ohio, and theFrench claim all on this side of the Big Lakes, then what they claimis one and the same country, --the country whereon we dwell. Surely ourwhite brothers must be dreaming. It is our hearts' desire, that ourbrothers, the English, keep on their side of the Ohio, and till theground, and grow rich in corn; also that our brothers, the French, keep on their side of the lakes, and hunt in the woods, and grow richin skins and furs. But you must both quit pressing upon us, lest ourribs be squeezed in and our breath be squeezed out, and we cease tohave a place among men. We hold you both at arm's-length; and whoeverpays good heed to the words we have spoken, by him will we stand, andwith him make common cause against the other. "

But to these just complaints of the poor Indian the French and Englishgave no more heed than if they who uttered them were so manywhip-poor-wills crying in the woods. So they fell to wrangling in amore unreasonable manner than ever. Finally, to mend the matter (thatis to say, make things worse), the French, coming up the Mississippifrom the South, and down from the Great Lakes of the North, beganerecting a chain of forts upon the disputed territory, to overawe theinhabitants thereof, and force the English to keep within theAlleghanies and the Atlantic. As a matter of course, the Englishregarded this as an insult to their dignity, and resolved to chastisethe French for their impudence. And this it was that brought aboutthat long and bloody struggle, the Old French War. 

Thus, my dear children, do great and wise nations, professing tofollow the humane teachings of the man-loving, God-fearing Jesus, often show no more truth and justice and honesty in their dealingswith one another than if they were as ignorant of the Ten Commandmentsas the most benighted heathens, to whom even the name of Moses wasnever spoken. Yet, from your looks, I see that you are wonderingwithin yourselves what all this rigmarole about England, France, theSix Nations, and disputed territories, can have to do with GeorgeWashington. Had you held a tight rein on your impatience a littlewhile longer, you would have found out all about it, without theinconvenience of wondering; and hereafter, my little folks, restassured that your Uncle Juvinell never ventures upon any thing withouthaving all his eyes and wits about him, and that what he may tell youshall always prove instructive, although it may now and then--with nofault of his, however--seem to you somewhat dry and tedious. 

[Illustration]

X. 

"BIG TALK" WITH "WHITE THUNDER. "

But we are a little fast. In order to bring ourselves square againwith our story, we must take one step backward, and begin afresh. 

When tidings of these trespasses of the French reached the ears ofRobert Dinwiddie, then Governor of Virginia, all his Scotch bloodboiled within him, and he began forthwith casting in his mind whatmight be done to check or chastise such audacious proceedings. 

Cooling down a little, however, he thought it would be better, beforethrowing his stones, to try what virtue might be found in grass. Bywhich you are to understand, that he determined to write a letter tothe French general, then stationed in a little fort near Lake Erie, inquiring by what authority these encroachments were made on thedominions of his royal master, the King of England; and demanding thatthey, the French, should abandon their forts, and withdraw theirtroops from the disputed territory, without delay, or else abide theconsequences. He was well aware, that, to insure any thing likesuccess in a mission so difficult and perilous, the person intrustedwith it must needs be robust of body, stout of heart, clear of head;one inured to the hardships of a backwoods life, well acquainted withthe habits and customs of the Indians, and withal a man ofintelligence, polite address, and the strictest integrity ofcharacter. But one such man was to be found among ten thousand; andthis was George Washington, who answered to the description in everyparticular, and was therefore chosen to perform this perilousundertaking, although he had not yet completed his twenty-second year. 

Accordingly, having received from Governor Dinwiddie writteninstructions how to act when come into the enemy's country, MajorWashington set out the next morning from Williamsburg, then thecapital of Virginia, and made his way at once to Winchester, at thattime a frontier settlement of the province, lying on the very edge ofthe wilderness. Here he spent several days in procuring supplies forthe expedition, and raising a small party of hunters and pioneers toguard and bear him company. After some delay, he succeeded inprocuring the services of seven men. Four of these were hardybackwoodsmen of experience, whose business it was to take care of thebaggage and keep the party supplied with game. Mr. Davidson was to goalong as Indian interpreter, and Mr. Gist as guide. A bolder and moreenterprising pioneer than this Gist, by the by, was not to be foundin all the Western wilds; and he is supposed by some historians tohave been the first white man that ever brought down an elk or abuffalo in that paradise of hunters, green Kentucky. In addition tothese, Washington took with him as French interpreter his old Dutchfencing-master, Capt. Van Braam. The worthy captain, however, seems tohave been a far more expert master of sword-play than of thelanguages; for the jargon he was pleased to call an interpretation wasoften such a medley of half-learned English, half-remembered French, and half-forgotten Dutch, that they who listened would be nearly asmuch perplexed to see what he would be driving at, as if he weresputtering Cherokee into their ears. 

All things being at last in readiness, the gallant little party, headed by our young Virginian, turned their faces towards the greatNorth-west; and, plunging into the wilderness, were soon beyond alltraces of civilized man. The autumn was far advanced. The travellingwas rendered toilsome, and even dangerous, by the heavy rains of thisseason, and early snows that had already fallen on the mountains, which had changed the little rills into rushing torrents, and the lowbottom-lands into deep and miry swamps. Much delayed by these and thelike hinderances, Washington, upon reaching the banks of theMonongahela, deemed it best to send two of the backwoodsmen with thebaggage in canoes down this river to its mouth, where, uniting itswaters with those of the Allegheny, it helped to form the great Ohio. Promising to meet them at this point, he and the rest of the partypushed thitherward by land on horseback. Reaching the Forks of theOhio two days before the canoe-men, he spent the time in exploring thewoods and hills and streams around, and was much struck with theadvantages the place held out as a site for a military post. This, together with other items meriting attention that happened to him oroccurred to his mind during the expedition, he carefully noted down ina journal which he kept, to be laid, in the form of a report, beforeGov. Dinwiddie, upon his return. The following year, as a convincingproof to his countrymen how entirely they might rely on his foresightand judgment in such matters, French officers of skill and experiencechose this very spot to be the site of Fort Duquesne, afterwards sofamous in the border history of our country. Near the close of thewar, this post fell into the hands of the English, who changed itsname to that of Fort Pitt; which in time gave rise to the busy, thriving, noisy, dingy, fine young town of Pittsburg, a smoky-lookingpicture of which you may see any time you choose to consult yourgeography. 

Instead of pushing on directly to the Lakes, Major Washington turned alittle aside from his course, and went down the Ohio about twentymiles, to an Indian village called Logstown. Here, as had beenpreviously arranged, he met a few sachems or chiefs of some of theWestern tribes, to kindle a council-fire and have a Big Talk. He wasreceived with much hospitality and courtesy by a stately old chief, whose Indian name you would not care to hear, as it would give MasterCharlie's nut-crackers the jaw-ache to pronounce it. Among theEnglish, however, as he was the head of a league or union of severaltribes, he usually went by the name of the Half King. After the pipehad passed with all due gravity from mouth to mouth, and everywarrior, chief, and white man present had taken a whiff or two, insign that all was good-will and peace between them, Washington arose, and addressed the Half King in a short speech, somewhat after thefollowing manner:--

"Your brother, the Governor of Virginia, has sent me with a letter tothe big French captain, near Lake Erie. What is written therein deeplyconcerns you and your people as well as us. It was his desire, therefore, that you share with us the toils and dangers of thisexpedition, by sending some of your young men along with us, to guideus through the wilderness where there is no path, and be our safeguardagainst the wiles of cunning and evil-minded men we may chance to meetby the way. This he will look upon as a still further proof of thelove and friendship you bear your brothers, the English. As a pledgeof his faith in all this, and as a token of his love for his redbrother, he sends this belt of wampum. "

Mr. Davidson having interpreted this speech, the Half King for somemoments after sat smoking in profound silence, as if turning over inhis mind what he had just heard, or as if waiting, according to Indiannotions of etiquette on such occasions, to assure himself that thespeaker had made an end of his say. He then arose, and spoke to thefollowing effect:--

"I have heard the words of my young white brother, and they are true. I have heard the request of my brother the Governor of Virginia, andit is reasonable. At present, however, my young men are abroad in theforest, hunting game to provide against the wants of the comingwinter, that our wives and children starve not when we are out uponthe war-path. At the third setting of the sun from this time, theywill be coming in; when I will not only send some of them with myyoung white brother, but will myself bear him company. For he mustknow that we have ceased to look upon the French as our friends. Theyhave trespassed upon our soil; they have spoken words of insult andmockery to our oldest sachems. For this cause have my people resolvedto return them the speech-belt they gave us at the Big Talk we hadlast winter at Montreal. It is that I may defy the big French captainto his teeth, and fling his speech-belt in his face, that I now gowith my young brother, the Long Knife. "

On the third day, as had been promised, the young men came in fromhunting; from among whom the Half King chose eight or ten to serve asan additional escort to Major Washington during the expedition. Amongthese was a warrior of great distinction, who went by the tremendousname of White Thunder, and was keeper of the speech-belt. Now, youmust know, that in Indian politics, when two tribes exchangespeech-belts, it is understood to be an expression of peace andgood-will between them; while to return or throw them away is the sameas a declaration of war, or at least to be taken as a hint that allfriendly intercourse between them is at an end. The "keeper of thespeech-belt" was, therefore, a kind of "secretary of state" amongthese simple people. 

Thus re-enforced by his red allies, Washington, who had grown somewhatimpatient under this delay, gladly turned his face once more towardsthe Great Lakes. All this time, the rain had continued to fall withscarcely an hour's intermission. The streams and low meadow-lands wereso flooded in consequence, that they were often obliged to wander manya weary mile over rugged highlands and through tangled forests, without finding themselves any nearer their journey's end. Now andthen, coming to some muddy, swollen stream, in order to gain theopposite side without getting their baggage wet, they must needs crossover on rafts rudely constructed of logs and grape-vines, and maketheir horses swim along behind them. It was near the middle ofDecember, before the little party, jaded and travel-stained, reachedtheir destination. 

Major Washington was received with true soldierly courtesy by theFrench general, to whom he at once delivered Gov. Dinwiddie's letter. A few days being requested for a due consideration of its contents, aswell as the answer to be returned, he spent the time, as he had beeninstructed, in gaining all the information he could, without excitingsuspicion, touching the designs of the French in the North-west, --towhat extent they had won over the several Indian tribes to theirinterest; the number of troops they had brought into the territory;and the number, strength, and situation of the forts they had built. The fort where the French general then had his headquarters stood onthe banks of a little river called French Creek, in which Washingtonobserved lying, and bade his men count, a large number of canoes, tobe used early in the following spring for transporting men andmilitary stores down the Ohio. All the hints and items thus gatheredhe carefully noted down in his journal, to be laid, as I have told youalready, in the form of a report, before Gov. Dinwiddie, upon hisreturn. 

Being wary and watchful, he was not long in discovering that theFrench were tampering with his Indian allies; tempting them, by thegayest of presents, the fairest of promises, and the hottest offirewater, to break faith with the English, and join their cause. These underhand dealings gave Washington much uneasiness of mind; andhe complained to the French general, yet in a firm and dignifiedmanner, of the unfair advantage thus taken of the besetting weaknessof these poor people. 

Of course, the wily old Frenchman denied all knowledge of the matter;although we are bound to believe, that, as these tricks and intrigueswere going on under his very nose, he must certainly have winked at, if he did not openly encourage them. 

It is true that the Indians were by no means too nice to enrichthemselves with French presents, and get drunk on French whiskey; yet, for all that, they turned a deaf ear to French promises, and, keepingtheir faith unbroken, remained as true as hickory to their friends theEnglish. Even the Half King, stately and commanding as he was incouncil, yielded to the pleasing temptation along with the rest; and, for the greater part of the time, lay beastly drunk about the fort. When at last he came to his sober senses, he was not a littlechopfallen upon being somewhat sternly reminded by Major Washington ofthe business that had brought him thither, the recollection of whichhe had seemingly drowned in his enemy's whiskey. Whereupon, as if toshow that all his threats and promises had been made in good faith, hewent forthwith to the French general, and delivered the grave orationhe had composed for the occasion; at the same time returning thespeech-belt White Thunder had brought, as a sign that all friendlyrelations between the French and his people were at an end. 

At last, having received the answer to Gov. Dinwiddie's letter, andlooked into matters and things about him as far as he could withprudence, Major Washington was now anxious to be away from the placewhere he had already been detained too long. During his stay, however, he had been treated with the greatest respect and courtesy by theaccomplished Frenchman, who presented him, upon his departure, with alarge canoe laden with a liberal supply of liquors and provisions, that lasted him and his men until they reached the Ohio. 

To spare the horses as much as possible, Washington had sent them, with two or three of the men, by land to Venango, a fort about fifteenmiles below; whither he now set out to follow them by water. Thenavigation of this little river, owing to its shallows and the massesof floating ice that here and there blocked up its channel, wasdifficult and toilsome in the extreme. Oftentimes, to prevent theirfrail canoes from being dashed to pieces against the rocks, would theybe compelled to get out into the cold water for half an hour at atime, and guide them with their hands down the whirling and rapidcurrent, and now and then even to carry them and their loads by landaround some foaming cataract to the smoother water below. After anirksome little voyage, they reached Venango, fully satisfied that togo further by water was quite out of the question. 

XI. 

CHRISTMAS IN THE WILDERNESS. 

Here, at Venango, Major Washington, much to his regret, was compelledto part company with the Half King and his other red allies. WhiteThunder, keeper of the speech-belt, had been so seriously injured intheir passage down, as to be, for the present, quite unable to travel;and the rest would not think of leaving him, but needs must tarrythere until their friend should be well enough to be brought in acanoe down the Alleghany. 

Remounting their horses, our little party once more took their wearyway through the wilderness. It was now the 22d of December. Theweather was bitter cold; the snow fell thick and fast, and froze as itfell; and the bleak winds moaned drearily among the naked trees. Theforest streams were frozen from bank to bank, yet often too thin tobear the weight of the horses; which rendered their crossing painfuland hazardous indeed. To add to the discomfort of our travellers, thehorses, from poor and scanty fare, had become too weak to be ablelonger to carry their allotted burdens. Moved with compassion at theirpitiable plight, Washington dismounted from his fine saddle-horse, andloaded his with a part of the baggage; choosing rather to toil alongon foot, than to take his ease at the expense of pain even to thesepoor brutes. His humane example was promptly followed by the rest ofthe party; and only the two men kept the saddle to whom was intrustedthe care of the baggage. 

You can well imagine, that a Christmas spent in this wild waste ofleafless woods and snowy hills was any thing but a merry one to thesepoor fellows, so far away from their homes, which, at that moment, they knew to be so bright and cheerful with the mirth and laughter of"old men and babes, and loving friends, and youths, and maidens gay. "And yet I dare say, that, even there, they greeted each other on thatblessed morning with a brighter smile than usual, and called to theirremembrance, that on that morn a babe was born, who, in the fulness ofyears, has grown to be the light and love and glory of the earth. 

Seeing that the half-famished beasts were growing weaker and weakerday by day, and that he would be too long in reaching his journey'send if he governed his speed by theirs, Washington left Capt. VanBraam in command of the party, and pushed forward with no othercompany than Mr. Gist. Armed with their trusty rifles, and clad inthe light dress of the Indians, with no extra covering for the nightbut their watch-coats, and with no other baggage but a smallportmanteau containing their food and Major Washington's importantpapers, they now made rapid headway, and soon left their friends farbehind. The next day, they came upon an Indian village calledMurdering Town; a name of evil omen, given it, perhaps, from itshaving been the scene of some bloody Indian massacre. What befell themhere, I will tell you, as nearly as I can remember, in Mr. Gist's ownwords:--

 "We rose early in the morning, and set out at seven o'clock, and got to Murdering Town, on the south-east fork of Beaver Creek. Here we met with an Indian whom I thought I had seen at Joncaire's, at Venango, when on our journey up to the French fort. This fellow called me by my Indian name, and pretended to be glad to see me. He asked us several questions; as, how we came to travel on foot, when we left Venango, where we parted with our horses, and when they would be there. Major Washington insisted on travelling by the nearest way to the forks of the Alleghany. We asked the Indian if he could go with us, and show us the nearest way. The Indian seemed very glad and ready to go with us; upon which we set out, and the Indian took the Major's pack. We travelled very brisk for eight or ten miles; when the Major's feet grew sore, and he very weary, and the Indian steered too much north-eastwardly. The Major desired to encamp; upon which the Indian asked to carry his gun, but he refused; and then the Indian grew churlish, and pressed us to keep on, telling us there were Ottawa Indians in those woods, and they would scalp us if we lay out; but go to his cabin, and we would be safe. 

 "I thought very ill of the fellow, but did not care to let the Major know I mistrusted him. But he soon mistrusted him as much as I did. The Indian said he could hear a gun from his cabin, and steered us northwardly. We grew uneasy, and then he said two whoops might be heard from his cabin. We went two miles further. Then the Major said he would stay at the next water, and we desired the Indian to stop at the next water; but, before we came to the water, we came to a clear meadow. It was very light, and snow was on the ground. The Indian made a stop, and turned about. The Major saw him point his gun towards us, and he fired. Said the Major, --

 "'Are you shot?'

 "'No, ' said I. 

 "Upon which the Indian ran forward to a big standing white oak, and began loading his gun; but we were soon with him. I would have killed him; but the Major would not suffer me. We let him charge his gun. We found he put in a ball: then we took care of him. Either the Major or I always stood by the guns. We made him make a fire for us by a little run, as if we intended to sleep there. I said to the Major, --

 "'As you will not have him killed, we must get him away, and then we must travel all night. '

 "Upon which I said to the Indian, --

 "'I suppose you were lost, and fired your gun?'

 "He said he knew the way to his cabin: it was but a little distance. 

 "'Well, ' said I, 'do you go home, and, as we are tired, we will follow your track in the morning; and here is a cake of bread for you, and you must give us meat in the morning. '

 "He was glad to get away. I followed him, and listened until he was fairly out of the way; and then we went about half a mile, when we made a fire, set our compass, fixed our course, and travelled all night. In the morning, we were on the head of Piny Creek. "

Thus you see, my dear children, from this adventure, upon what slightaccidents sometimes hang the destinies, not only of individuals, buteven of great nations; for had not this treacherous Indian missed hisaim, and that too, in all likelihood, for the first time in atwelvemonth, it had never been our blessed privilege to know and loveand reverence such a man as Washington; and that, instead of being thefree-born, independent people that he made us, we might have been atthis very moment throwing up our hats and wasting our precious breathin shouts of "Long life to Queen Victoria!"

All that day they walked on, weary and foot-sore, through the deepsnow, without a trace of living man to enliven their solitary way. Thecold gray of a winter's evening was deepening the shadows of theforest when they came to the banks of the Alleghany; and here a newdisappointment awaited them. They had all along cheered themselveswith the prospect of crossing this river on the ice: but they foundit frozen for about fifty yards only from either bank; while the restof the ice, broken into huge cakes, went floating swiftly down themain channel, crushing and grinding together, and filling the hollowwoods around with doleful noises. 

With heavy hearts they kindled their camp-fire, and cooked and atetheir frugal supper; then, making themselves as comfortable as thepiercing winds would allow, they lay down on their snowy beds tosleep, hopeful that the morrow would bring them better luck. Morningdawned, and yet brought with it no brighter prospect. Would you knowwhat they did in this grievous state? Listen while I read MajorWashington's own account of it, as we find it written in hisjournal:--

 "There was no way for getting over but on a raft; which we set about, with but one poor hatchet, and finished just after sun-setting. This was a whole day's work. We next got it launched; then went on board of it, and set off. But, before we were half way over, we were jammed in the ice, in such a manner that we expected every moment our raft to sink, and ourselves to perish. I put out my setting-pole to try and stop the raft, that the ice might pass by; when the rapidity of the stream threw it with so much violence against the pole, that it jerked me out into ten feet of water: but I fortunately saved myself by catching hold of one of the raft-logs. Notwithstanding all our efforts, we could not get to either shore, but were obliged, as we were near an island, to quit our raft, and make to it. The cold was so extremely severe, that Mr. Gist had all his fingers, and some of his toes, frozen; and the water was shut up so hard, that we found no difficulty in getting off the island, on the ice, in the morning, and went to Mr. Frazier's. "

Here, for a space, they stopped to rest and refresh themselves afterthe fatigue and exposure they had just undergone; and here, amongother items of interest, they heard that Queen Aliquippa, an Indianprincess, had been deeply offended that the young Long Knife hadpassed by her royal shanty, the month before, without calling to payhis compliments. Major Washington, well knowing that to humor theirpeculiar whims and fancies was the best mode of securing the good-willand friendship of these people, hastened at once to present himselfbefore her copper majesty, and make what amends he could for hisbreach of etiquette. The present of a bottle of rum (over which, queenthat she was, she smacked her lips), and of his old watch-coat, thatwould so handsomely set off her buckskin leggins, softened her irecompletely, and made her, from that time forward, the stanch friendand ally of the English. 

Travelling on a few miles further, they came to Mr. Gist's house, onthe banks of the Monongahela, where Washington bought a horse to bearhim to his journey's end, and parted with his trusty guide. He was nowentirely alone; and a wide stretch of woods and mountains, swamps andfrozen streams, still lay between him and the cheerful homes to whosecomforts he had been so long a stranger. Now and then, the lonelinessof the way would be for a moment enlivened by the sight of some sturdybackwoodsman, axe or rifle on shoulder, pushing westward, with hiswife and children and dogs and household trumpery, to find a home insome still more distant part of the wilderness. It was midwinter, when, after having been absent eleven weeks on his perilous mission, our young Virginian, looking more like a wild Indian than the civiland Christian gentleman that he really was, rode into the town ofWilliamsburg, nor halted until he had alighted and hitched his horsein front of the governor's house. 

XII. 

WASHINGTON'S FIRST BATTLE. 

Upon his arrival, Major Washington hastened at once to lay before Gov. Dinwiddie, and the Virginia Legislature then in session, the Frenchgeneral's letter, and the journal he had kept during the expedition. 

In his letter, the French general spoke in high and flattering termsof the character and talents of young Washington; but, in languagemost decided and unmistakable, refused to withdraw his troops from thedisputed territory, or cease building forts therein, as had beendemanded of him, unless so ordered by his royal master, the King ofFrance, to whose wishes only he owed respect and obedience. From thetenor of this letter, it was plainly enough to be seen (what might, infact, have been seen before), that the French were not in the leastinclined to give up, at the mere asking, all that they had been at somuch pains and expense at gaining. It therefore followed, that as thetitle to this bit of forest land could not be written with the pen, onfair paper, in letters of Christian ink, it must needs be written withthe sword, on the fair earth, in letters of Christian blood. By this, the little folks are to understand their Uncle Juvinell to mean thatwar alone could settle the question between them. And thisunreasonable behavior, on the part of two great nations, has already, I doubt not, brought to your minds the story of two huge giants, who, chancing to meet one night, fell into a long and stormy dispute witheach other about the possession of a fair bit of meadow-land they hadhappened to spy out at the same moment, where it lay in the lower hornof the moon; and who finally, like the silly monsters that they were, began belaboring each other with their heavy malls, as if the lasthope of beating a little reason in were to beat a few brains out. 

To drive and keep back the French and their Indian allies, Gov. Dinwiddie made a call on the Virginia militia, and wrote to thegovernors of some of the neighboring provinces, urging them, for theircommon defence, to do the same. To strengthen their borders, and givesecurity to their frontier settlers, a small party of pioneers andcarpenters were sent to build a fort at the Forks of the Ohio, asWashington had recommended in his journal. This journal, by the way, throwing, as it did, so much new light on the designs of the French inAmerica, was thought worthy of publication, not only throughout theColonies, but also in the mother-country. The good sense, skill, address, and courage shown by the young Virginian throughout the lateexpedition, had drawn upon him the eyes of his countrymen; and, fromthat time forward, he became the hope and promise of his native land. As a proof of this high regard, he was offered the command of theregiment to be raised: which, however, he refused to accept; for hismodesty told him that he was too young and inexperienced to beintrusted with a matter of such moment to his country. To Col. Fry, anofficer of some note in the province, the command of the regiment wastherefore given; under whom he was quite willing to accept the post oflieutenant-colonel. 

Notwithstanding the pressing danger that threatened all alike, thepeople were shamefully slow in answering the summons to arms. Washington had felt confident, that, at the very first tap of thedrum, squads upon squads of active, sturdy, well-fed, well-clothedyoung farmers, moved by the same spirit with himself, would comeflocking to his standard with their trusty rifles, powder-horns, andhunting-pouches, ready and eager to do their country service. Insteadof this, however, there gathered, about him a rabble of ragamuffinsand worthless fellows, who had spent their lives in tramping up anddown the country, without settled homes or occupations. 

Some were without hats and shoes; some had coats, and no shirts; somehad shirts, and no coats; and all were without arms, or any keendesire to use them if they had them. All this disgusted anddisheartened our youthful colonel not a little; for he was young, andhad yet to learn that it is of just such stuff that the beginnings ofarmies are always made. The slender pay of a soldier was not enough totempt the thriving yeomanry to leave their rich acres and snugfiresides to undergo the hardships and dangers of a camp life; as if, by failing to answer their country's call, and fighting in itsdefence, they were not running a still greater risk of losing all theyhad. 

To encourage the young men of the province to come forward, Gov. Dinwiddie caused it to be proclaimed, that two hundred thousand acresof the very best land on the head-waters of the Ohio should be dividedbetween those that should enlist and serve during the war. Thissplendid offer had, in some small measure, the effect desired; sothat, in a short time, something like an army was cobbled together, with which, poor and scantily provided as it was, they at lastresolved to take the field. 

Col. Washington, in command of the main body, was ordered to go on inadvance, and cut a military road through the wilderness, in thedirection of the new fort at the Forks of the Ohio, by way of theMonongahela; while Col. Fry was to remain behind with the rest of thetroops, to bring up the cannon and heavy stores when the road shouldbe opened. When the pioneers had cut their way about twenty milesbeyond the frontier town of Winchester, there came a rumor, that themen who had been sent to build the fort at the Forks of the Ohio hadall been surprised and captured by the French. In a few days, alldoubts as to the truth of this report were set at rest by the menthemselves, who came walking leisurely into camp, with their spadesand axes on their shoulders, to every appearance quite well andcomfortable. 

For several days, they said, they had been working away on the fortquite merrily; when, early one morning, they were much surprised tosee one thousand Frenchmen, in sixty bateaux, or boats, and threehundred canoes, with six pieces of cannon, dropping quietly down theAlleghany. The leader of this gallant little force summoned the fortto surrender in the short space of an hour, or else they would findtheir unfinished timber-work tumbling about their heads in a way thatwould not be altogether agreeable. No one with even half his witsabout him would have for a moment thought of defending an unfinishedfort with axes, spades, and augers, against a force of twenty timestheir number, backed by cannon and grape-shot. These men had all theirwits about them, and, to prove it, gave up the fort without furtherparley; when the French captain marched in, and took formal possessionof the wooden pen in the name of his most Christian majesty, the Kingof France; after which, with that gayety and good-humor so often tobe observed among the French people, he invited the young ensign--who, in the absence of the captain, had been left in the command of thefort for that day--to dine and drink a glass of wine with him. He thensuffered them all to depart in peace with his good wishes, and withtheir spades, carpenter's tools, and axes on their shoulders. 

Col. Washington was deeply mortified at this intelligence; but, likethe manly man that he was, he put a bright face on the matter, and, tokeep up the spirits of his men, resolved to push on with the road withmore vigor than ever. And a tremendous undertaking this was, I assureyou. The tallest of trees were to be felled, the hugest of rocks to besplit and removed, the deepest of swamps to be filled, and theswiftest of mountain torrents bridged over. With such hinderances, youwill not wonder that they made but four miles a day. Now and then, thesoldiers would be obliged to put their shoulders to the wheel, andhelp the poor half-famished horses with their heavy wagons up somerough and rocky steep. Thus over the gloomy mountains, and down therugged defiles, and through a dark and lonely valley since called theShades of Death, they forced their toilsome way. At last, after manyweary days, they reached the banks of the Youghiogeny, --a romanticlittle river that went tumbling down the green hills in many a foamingwaterfall; then, like a frolicsome school-boy nearing school, put ona demure and sober face, and quietly emptied itself into the moretranquil Monongahela. Here, to give his worn-out men and horses somerepose after their severe and unceasing labors, Washington ordered ahalt. 

Being told by some friendly Indians that the baggage could be carrieddown this stream by water, he set out early one morning in a canoe, with four or five white men, and an Indian for a guide, to see forhimself what truth there might be in this report. When they had rowedabout ten miles, their Indian guide, after sulking for a little while, laid his oar across the canoe, and refused to go further. At first, this behavior appeared to them a little queer; but they were not longin discovering that it was only a way the cunning red rascal had ofhiggling to get more pay for his services. After some pretty sharpbargaining, Col. Washington promised to give him his old watch-coatand a ruffled shirt if he would go on; upon which, without more ado, he picked up his oar, and for the rest of the trip steered awayblithely enough. You can well imagine what an uncommon swell thissavage dandy, with his bare red legs, must have cut, a few days after, in his civilized finery, among the copper-cheeked belles of the woods. By the time they had rowed twenty miles further, Washington wassatisfied, that, owing to the rocks and rapids, a passage down thisriver in the shallow canoes of the Indians was next to impossible. 

Returning to camp, he soon afterwards received word from his oldfriend and ally, the Half King, that a party of French had been seencoming from the direction of Fort Duquesne, who were in alllikelihood, by that time, somewhere in his close neighborhood. Uponhearing this, Washington deemed it prudent to fall back a few miles tothe Great Meadows, a beautiful little plain, situated in the midst ofwoods and hills, and divided by a rivulet. Here he threw up strongintrenchments, cleared away the undergrowth, and prepared what hecalled "a charming field for an encounter. " Shortly after, Mr. Gist, whom you well remember, came into camp, from his home on theMonongahela, with the tidings, that a party of French had been at hishouse on the day before, whom, from their appearance, he believed tobe spies. Washington sent out some of his men on wagon-horses to beatthe woods; who came in about dusk, without having, however, discoveredany traces of the enemy. About nine o'clock that same night, an Indianrunner came from the Half King with word, that some of his hunters hadlate that evening seen the tracks of two Frenchmen not five milesdistant; and that, if Col. Washington would join him with some of hismen, they would set out early in the morning in quest of the lurkingfoe. 

Taking with him about forty men, and leaving the rest to guard theintrenchments, Washington set out forthwith for the Indian camp. Theirway led them through tall and thick woods, that were then in the fullleaf of early summer. As if to deepen their gloom, the sky wasovercast with the blackest of clouds, from which the rain poured downin torrents; and the night, of course, was as dark as dark could be. No wonder, then, that they were continually losing their path, whichwas but a deer-track, and none of the plainest, even in broaddaylight. When any one discovered that he had lost himself, he wouldshout, and set himself right again by the answering shouts of hiscomrades who might be so lucky as to be in the path at that moment. After blundering about all night through marshy thickets, slippingupon slimy rocks, and scrambling over the oozy trunks of fallen trees, they reached the Indian camp at daybreak in a somewhat moist andbedabbled plight, as you may well imagine. The Half King seemedoverjoyed at seeing his young white brother once more; and, with trueIndian hospitality, set before him and his men the best his campafforded. After breakfasting heartily on bear's meat, venison, andparched corn, they all set out together, much refreshed, to seek whatgame might be in the wind. The Half King led the way to the spot wherethe two tracks had been seen the evening before; and, having foundthem, told two of his sharp-eyed hunters to follow the trail untilthey could bring some tidings of the feet that had made them. Likehounds on the scent of a fox, they started off at a long trot; onlypausing now and then to look more closely at the leaves, to make surethey were right, and not on a cold scent. In a short time, they cameback with word that they had spied twenty-five or thirty French andCanadians encamped in a low, narrow bottom, between high and steephills, who looked as if they were desirous of concealment. WhereuponWashington proposed that the two parties should divide, and, stealingupon the enemy from opposite directions, surprise and capture him, ifpossible, without the shedding of blood. To this the Half King agreed;and, parting, they moved off in profound silence, each on theirseparate way. 

A sudden turn of the hollow, down which they had been making their wayfor several minutes, brought Washington and his party, ere they werewell aware, in full view of the enemy. Some were cooking theirmorning's meal, some were preparing their arms for the day'sexcursion, some were lounging, and all were merry. But, seeing as soonas seen, they ran with all speed to their guns, that were leanedagainst the trees hard by, and, without more ado, began firing in sobrisk and earnest a manner, that left the Virginians no choice but toreturn it, which they did with spirit. About the same time, the HalfKing and his warriors came down to the bottom of the hill on theopposite side of the hollow, and, screening themselves behind a bit ofrising ground, joined the music of their rifles with the rest. Forabout fifteen minutes, the skirmish was kept up with great spirit onboth sides; when the French, having lost ten of their number (amongwhom was their leader, Capt. De Jumonville), surrendered, and yieldedup their arms. Washington had one man shot dead at his side, and threemen wounded; but his Indian allies, protected as they were by therising ground, came off without the loss of a single feather orporcupine-quill. Unluckily, in the heat of the encounter, aswift-footed Canadian, better, no doubt, at dodging than shooting, managed to make his escape, and carried the news to Fort Duquesne. 

The Half King and his warriors, I am sorry to tell you, would havebutchered the prisoners in cold blood, had not Washington sternlyforbidden them. They therefore consoled themselves as best they mightfor this disappointment by scalping the dead; which, however, yieldedthem but sorry comfort, as there were but ten scalps to be dividedamong forty warriors. 

The Half King was much offended by this humane interference, on thepart of his young white brother, in behalf of the prisoners; for heseemed to think, that as they were spies, and French spies at that, they richly deserved to be scalped alive. Such milk-and-water, half-way measures might do for pale-faces, but were not the sort ofentertainment to be relished by a genuine Indian brave of the firstwater, or, to speak more to the point, of the first blood. 

Without, however, in the least heeding these muttered grumblings ofthe worthy old chief, who had his failings along with the rest ofmankind, Col. Washington took the prisoners to his camp, where hetreated them with even more kindness and courtesy than they as spiesdeserved. From thence he sent them under a strong guard toWilliamsburg, and wrote to Gov. Dinwiddie, begging him to treat themwith all the humanity due to prisoners of war, but to keep a strictwatch over them, as there were among them two or three very cunningand dangerous men. 

This encounter, commonly called the Jumonville affair, caused a greatsensation, not only throughout the Colonies, but also in France andEngland; for it was there, as you must know, in that remote andobscure little valley, that flowed the first blood of this long andeventful war. It was Washington's first battle; and, being asuccessful one, much inspirited him. In a letter written at this timeto his brother Augustine, after touching upon the particulars of thisskirmish, he says, "I heard the bullets whistle; and, believe me, there is something charming in the sound. "

XIII. 

FORT NECESSITY. 

About this time, Col. Fry died at Wills's Creek, where he had lain illof a fever for several weeks; and Washington, as the next in rank, wasobliged to take command of the regiment. Although this change broughtwith it an increase of pay and honors, yet it caused him the sincerestregret; for even then, young as he was, he had the good of his countrymore earnestly at heart than his own private advantage. He said, andwith unfeigned modesty, that he feared he was scarcely equal to thedischarge of such high and responsible duties, without the aid andcounsel of some older and more experienced officer. 

Capt. De Villiers was now commander of the French at Fort Duquesne. When tidings of the late encounter reached this officer through theswift-footed Canadian, he swore a deep oath that he would chastise theaudacious young Virginian for what he chose to call this barbarousoutrage, and avenge the death of De Jumonville, whose brother-in-law, as ill luck would have it, he chanced to be. Foreseeing his danger, and to defend himself against the superior force he knew would bebrought against him, Col. Washington set about forthwith to strengthenhis works. He dug the ditches deeper, raised the breastworks higher, and surrounded the whole with a row of palisades, firmly planted inthe ground, and set so close together as scarcely to allow of agun-barrel passing between them. 

Owing to the shameful neglect of those whose duty it was to send upsupplies, he and his men suffered much from the want of food, --manydays at a stretch sometimes passing by without their tasting bread. Toaggravate this new distress, the Half King and many of his warriors, with their wives and children, now sought refuge in the fort from thevengeance of the French and their savage allies; which added nothingto their strength, and only increased the number of hungry mouths tobe fed. To this place, then, where gaunt famine pinched them fromwithin and watchful enemies beset them from without, Washington gavethe fitting name of Fort Necessity. Luckily for them, while in thispitiable plight, days and days passed by, and still no avenging DeVilliers showed himself, though alarms were frequent. 

Col. Washington now ordered Major Muse to bring up the rest of thetroops that had been waiting all this while at Wills's Creek, with theheavy stores and cannon. To reward the friendly Indians for theirservices and fidelity, Major Muse brought with him presents ofhatchets and knives, guns, powder and lead, tin cups, needles andpins, beads, and dry-goods of every gaudy hue, and it may be, althoughwe can only guess it, a ruffled shirt or two. In addition to these, there came a number of silver medals for the chief sachems, sent byGov. Dinwiddie at the suggestion of Col. Washington, who well knew howmuch these simple people prize little compliments of this kind. MajorMuse handed out the presents, while Washington hung the medals aboutthe necks of the sachems, which yielded them far more delight, youwill be sorry to hear, than their good old missionary's catechism. This was done with all that show and parade so dear to an Indian'sheart; and, to give a still finer edge to the present occasion, theychristened each other all over again: that is to say, the red men gavethe white men Indian names, and the white men gave the red men Englishnames. Thus, for example, Washington gave the Half King the name ofDinwiddie, which pleased him greatly; while he, in his turn, bestowedon his young white brother a long, high-sounding Indian name, that youcould pronounce as readily spelt backwards as forwards. Fairfax wasthe name given a young sachem, the son of Queen Aliquippa, whoseeternal friendship to the English, it must be borne in mind, had beensecured by Washington, the previous winter, by the present of an oldcoat and a bottle of rum. 

By the advice of his old and much-esteemed friend, Col. WilliamFairfax, Washington had divine worship in the fort daily, in which heled; and, thanks to the early teachings of his pious mother, he coulddo this, and sin not. Solemn indeed, my dear children, and beautifulto behold, must have been that picture, --that little fort, so far awayin the heart of the lonely wilderness, with its motley throng ofpainted Indians and leather-clad backwoodsmen gathered round theiryoung commander, as, morning and evening, he kneeled in prayer beforethe Giver of all good, beseeching aid and protection, and givingthanks. 

As if to put his manhood and patience to a still severer test, therecame to the fort about this time an independent company of one hundredNorth Carolinians, headed by one Capt. Mackay, who refused to serveunder him as his superior officer. As his reason for this conduct, Mackay argued that he held a royal commission (that is to say, hadbeen made a captain by the King of England), which made him equal inrank, if not superior, to Washington, who held only a provincialcommission, or had been made a colonel by the Governor of Virginia. This, in part, was but too true; and it had been a source ofdissatisfaction to Washington, that the rank and services of colonialofficers should be held at a cheaper rate than the same were valued atin the royal army. It wounded his honest, manly pride, and offendedhis high sense of justice; and he had already resolved in his own mindto quit such inglorious service, as soon as he could do so withoutinjury to the present campaign, or loss of honor to himself. To mostmen, the lofty airs and pretensions of Capt. Mackay and hisIndependents would have been unbearable; but he kept his temperunruffled, and, with a prudence beyond his years, forbore to do or sayany thing that would lead to an angry outbreak between them; and asthey chose to encamp outside the fort, and have separate guards, hedeemed it wisest not to trouble himself about them, only so far asmight concern their common safety. 

Days, and even weeks, had now passed away, and still no enemy had cometo offer him battle. His men were becoming restless from inaction; andthe example of the troublesome Independents had already begun to stirup discontent among them, which threatened, if not checked in season, to end in downright insubordination. As the surest remedy for theseevils, Washington resolved to push forward with the road in thedirection of Fort Duquesne, and carry the war into the enemy's owncountry. Requesting Capt. Mackay to guard the fort during his absence, he set out with his entire force of three hundred men, and again beganthe toilsome work of cutting a road through the wilderness. Thedifficulties they had now to overcome were even greater than thosewhich beset them at the outset of their pioneering. The mountainswere higher, the swamps deeper, the rocks more massive, the treestaller and more numerous, the torrents more rapid, the days more hotand sultry, and the men and horses more enfeebled by poor and scantyfood. You will not wonder, then, that they were nearly two weeks inreaching Mr. Gist's plantation on the Monongahela, a distance of butfifteen miles. 

But hardly had they pitched their tents, and thrown themselves on thegrass to snatch a little rest, when there came the dishearteningintelligence, brought in by their Indian spies, that Capt. De Villiershad been seen to sally from Fort Duquesne but a few hours before, atthe head of a force of five hundred French and four hundred Indians, and must by that time be within a few miles of the Virginia camp. Forthree hundred weary and hungry men to wait and give battle to a forcethree times their number, fresh and well fed, was a thing too absurdto be thought of for a single moment. Washington, therefore, as theironly chance of safety, ordered a hasty retreat, hoping that they mightbe able to reach the settlements on Wills's Creek before the enemycould overtake him. The retreat, however, was any thing but a hastyone; for the poor half-famished horses were at last no longer able todrag the heavy cannon and carry the heavy baggage. Moved with pity forthe lean and tottering beasts, Washington dismounted from his finecharger, and gave him for a pack-horse; which humane example waspromptly followed by his officers. Yet even this was not enough: so, while some of the jaded men loaded their backs with the baggage, therest, as jaded, dragged the artillery along the stony roads withropes, rather than that it should be left behind to fall into thehands of the enemy. For this good service, rendered so willingly inthat hour of sore distress, they went not unrewarded by their generousyoung commander. 

Capt. Mackay and his company of Independents had, at Washington'srequest, come up a little while before, and now joined in the retreat. But they joined in nothing else; for, pluming themselves upon theirgreater respectability as soldiers of his Britannic majesty, they lentnot a helping hand in this hour of pressing need, although the dangerthat lurked behind threatened all alike. They marched along, thesecoxcombs, daintily picking their way over the smoothest roads, and toogenteel to be burdened with any thing but their clean muskets and tidyknapsacks. This ill-timed and insolent behavior served only toaggravate the trials of the other poor fellows all the more; and when, at last, they had managed to drag the cannon and the wagons andthemselves to Fort Necessity, they were so overcome with fatigue andhunger, and so moved with indignation at the conduct of theIndependents, that they threw down their ropes and packs, and flatlyrefused to be marched further. Seeing their pitiful plight, and thatit would be impossible to reach the settlements, Col. Washington, astheir last chance of safety, turned aside, and once more took shelterin his little fort. 

As Capt. Mackay and his company of gentlemen fighters had done nothingtowards strengthening the works during his absence, Washington ordereda few trees to be felled in the woods hard by, as a still furtherbarrier to the approach of the enemy. Just as the last tree wentcrashing down, the French and their Indian allies, nine hundredstrong, came in sight, and opened a scattering fire upon the fort, butfrom so great a distance as made it little more than an idle waste ofpowder and lead. Suspecting this to be but a feint of the crafty foeto decoy them into an ambuscade, Washington ordered his men to keepwithin the shelter of the fort, there to lie close, and only to shootwhen they could plainly see where their bullets were to be sent. 

A light skirmishing was kept up all day, and until a late hour in thenight; the Indians keeping the while within the shelter of the woods, which at no point came within sixty yards of the palisades. Wheneveran Indian scalp-lock or a French cap showed itself from among thetrees or bushes, it that instant became the mark of a dozensharpshooters watching at the rifle-holes of the fort. All that day, and all the night too, the rain poured down from one black cloud, asonly a summer ruin can pour, till the ditches were filled with water, and the breastworks nothing but a bank of miry clay; till the men weredrenched to the skin, and the guns of many so dampened as to be unfitfor use. 

About nine o'clock that night, the firing ceased; and shortly after avoice was heard, a little distance beyond the palisades, calling uponthe garrison, in the name of Capt. De Villiers, to surrender. Suspecting this to be but a pretext for getting a spy into the fort, Col. Washington refused to admit the bearer of the summons. Capt. DeVilliers then requested that an officer be sent to his quarters toparley; giving his word of honor that no mischief should befall him, or unfair advantage be taken of it. Whereupon, Capt. Van Braam, theold Dutch fencing-master, being the only French interpreterconveniently at hand, was employed to go and bring in the terms ofsurrender. He soon came back; but the terms were too dishonorable forany true soldier to think of accepting. He was sent again, but with nobetter result. The third time, Capt. De Villiers sent written articlesof capitulation; which, being in his own language, must needs be firsttranslated before an answer could be returned. By the flickering lightof one poor candle, which could hardly be kept burning for the pouringrain, the Dutch captain read the terms he had brought, while the reststood round him, gathering what sense they could from the confusedjumbling of bad French, and worse English he was pleased to call atranslation. After this, there followed a little more parleyingbetween the hostile leaders; when it was at last settled that theprisoners taken in the Jumonville affair should be set at liberty;that the English should build no forts upon the disputed territorieswithin a twelvemonth to come; and that the garrison, after destroyingthe artillery and military stores, should be allowed to march out withall the honors of war, and pursue their way to the settlements, unmolested either by the French or their Indian allies. When we takeinto account the more than double strength of the enemy, the starvingcondition of the garrison (still further weakened as it was by theloss of twelve men killed and forty-three wounded), and the slenderhope of speedy succor from the settlements, these terms must beregarded as highly honorable to Col. Washington; and still more sowhen we add to this the fact, that the Half King and his other Indianallies had deserted him at the first approach of danger, under thepretext of finding some safer retreat for their wives and children. Whether they failed from choice, or hinderance to return, and takepart in the action, can never now be known with certainty. 

Thus the dreary night wore away; and, when the dreary morning dawned, they destroyed the artillery and the military stores, preparatory totheir setting forth on their retreat. As all the horses had beenkilled or lost the day before, they had no means of removing theirheavy baggage: they therefore secured it as best they might, hoping tobe able to send back for it from the settlements. Still in possessionof their small-arms, they then marched out of the fort with all thehonors of war, --fifes playing, drums beating, and colors flying. Theyhad gone but a few yards from the fort, when a large body of Indianspounced with plundering hands upon the baggage. Seeing that the Frenchcould not or would not keep them back, Washington, to disappoint themof their booty, ordered his men to set fire to it, and destroy allthey could not bring away upon their backs. 

This done, they once more took up their line of march; and amelancholy march it was. Between them and the nearest settlements, there lay seventy miles of steep and rugged mountain-roads, over whichthey must drag their weary and aching limbs before they could hope tofind a little rest. Washington did all that a kind and thoughtfulcommander could to keep up the flagging spirits of his men; sharingwith them their every toil and privation, and all the whilemaintaining a firm and cheerful demeanor. Reaching Wills's Creek, hethere left them to enjoy the full abundance which they found awaitingthem at that place; and, in company with Capt. Mackay, repaired atonce to Williamsburg to report the result of the campaign to Gov. Dinwiddie. 

A short time after, the terms of surrender were laid before theVirginia House of Burgesses, and received the entire approval of thatwise body; who, although the expedition had ended in defeat andfailure, most cheerfully gave Col. Washington and his men a vote ofthanks, in testimony of their having done their whole duty as good andbrave and faithful soldiers. 

XIV. 

GENERAL BRADDOCK. 

Having brought the campaign to an honorable if not successful end, Col. Washington threw up his commission, and left the service. Thishad been his determination for some time past; and he felt that hecould do so now without laying his conduct open to censure orsuspicion, having within his own breast the happy assurance, that, inthe discharge of his late trust, he had acted the part of a faithfulsoldier and true patriot, seeking only his country's good. The reasonsthat led him to take this step need not be repeated, as you willreadily understand them, if you still bear in mind what I told you ashort time since touching those questions of rank which caused thedifficulty between him and Capt. Mackay. 

A visit to his much-beloved mother was the first use he made of hisleisure. The profound love and reverence that never failed to mark hisconduct towards his mother were among the most beautiful traits of hischaracter. The management of the family estate, and the education ofthe younger children, were concerns in which he ever took theliveliest interest; and to make these labors light and easy to her byhis aid or counsel was a pleasure to him indeed. This grateful dutyduly done, he once more sought the shelter of Mount Vernon, to whosecomforts he had been for so many months a stranger. The toils of asoldier's life were now exchanged for the peaceful labors of ahusbandman. Nor did this change, to his well-ordered mind, bring withit any idle regrets; for the quiet pursuits of a farmer's life yieldedhim, young, ardent, and adventurous as he was, scarcely less delightthan the profession of arms, and even more as he grew in years. 

The affair of the Great Meadows roused the mother-country at last to afull sense of the danger that threatened her possessions in America. Accordingly, to regain what had been lost, money, and munitions ofwar, and a gallant little army fitted out in the completest style ofthat day, were sent over with all possible expedition, under thecommand of Major-Gen. Braddock. 

From the shrubby heights of Mount Vernon, Washington could look down, and behold the British ships-of-war as they moved slowly up themajestic Potomac, their decks thronged with officers and soldiersdressed in showy uniform, their polished arms and accoutrementsflashing back the cold, clear light of the February sun. From theirencampment at Alexandria, a few miles distant, he could hear thebooming of their morning and evening guns, as it came roiling over thehills and through the woods, and shook his quiet home like a sullensummons to arms. Often, no longer able to keep down his youthfulardor, he would mount his horse, and, galloping up to the town, spendhours there in watching the different companies, as with the precisionof clockwork they went through their varied and difficult evolutions. At these sights and sounds, all the martial spirit within him tookfire again. 

To Gen. Braddock, who commanded all the forces in America, provincialas well as royal, Gov. Dinwiddie and other Virginia notables spoke inthe highest terms of the character of young Washington; giving him atthe same time still further particulars of the brave and soldierlyconduct he had so signally shown during the campaign of the previousyear. They took pleasure, they said, in recommending him as one whoseskill and experience in Indian warfare, and thorough acquaintance withthe wild country beyond the borders, were such as could be turned tothe greatest advantage in the course of the following campaign. 

Desirous of securing services of such peculiar value, Braddock sentour young Virginian a courteous invitation to join his staff; offeringhim the post of volunteer aide-de-camp, with the rank of colonel. Herewas an opportunity of gratifying his taste for arms under one of thefirst generals of the day. Could he do it without the sacrifice ofhonor or self-respect? Although he had left the service for the bestof reasons, as you must bear in mind, yet there was nothing in thesereasons to hinder him from serving his country, not for pay, but as agenerous volunteer, bearing his own expenses. Besides, such a post asthis would place him altogether above the authority of any equal orinferior officer who might chance to hold a king's commission. Debating thus with himself, and urged on by his friends, he acceptedBraddock's invitation, and joined his staff as volunteer aide-de-camp. 

Now, would you know what an aide-de-camp is? Wait, and you will findout for yourselves when we come to the battle of the Monongahela, where Braddock suffered his gallant little army to be cut to pieces bythe French and Indians. 

When Mrs. Washington heard that her son was on the eve of joining thenew army, full of a mother's fears, she hastened to entreat him notagain to expose himself to the dangers and trials of a soldier's life. Although the army was the only opening to distinction at that time inthe Colonies, yet, to have him ever near her, she would rather haveseen him quietly settled at his beautiful homestead, as anunpretending farmer, than on the high road to every worldly honor atthe risk of life or virtue. Ever mindful of her slightest wishes, herson listened respectfully to all her objections, and said all he couldto quiet her motherly fears: but, feeling that he owed his highestduty to his country, he was not to be turned from his steadfastpurpose; and, taking an affectionate leave of her, he set out to joinhis general at Fort Cumberland. 

Fort Cumberland was situated on Wills's Creek, and had just been builtby Braddock as a gathering point for the border; and thither he hadremoved his whole army, with all his stores, and munitions of war. Upon further acquaintance, Washington found this old veteran a man ofcourteous though somewhat haughty manners, of a hasty and uneventemper, strict and rigid in the discipline of his soldiers, much givento martial pomp and parade, and self-conceited and wilful to a degreethat was sometimes scarcely bearable. He was, however, of a sociableand hospitable turn; often inviting his officers to dine with him, andentertaining them like princes. So keen a relish had he for the goodthings of the table, that he never travelled without his two cooks, who were said to have been so uncommonly skilful in their line ofbusiness, that they could take a pair of boots, and boil them downinto a very respectable dish of soup, give them only the seasoning tofinish it off with. The little folks, however, must be very cautioushow they receive this story, as their Uncle Juvinell will notundertake to vouch for the truth of it. 

The contractors--that is to say, the men who had been engaged tofurnish the army with a certain number of horses, pack-saddles, andwagons, by a certain time, and for a certain consideration--had failedto be as good as their word, and had thereby seriously hindered theprogress of the campaign. As might have been expected, this was enoughto throw such a man as Braddock into a towering passion; and, to mendhis humor, the governors of the different provinces were not as readyand brisk to answer his call for men and supplies as he thought he hada right to expect. 

So he poured forth his vials of wrath upon whomsoever or whatsoeverchanced to come uppermost. He stormed at the contractors; he railed atthe governors, and sneered at the troops they sent him; he abused thecountry in general, and scolded about the bad roads in particular. 

Washington, with his usual clearness of insight into character, soonsaw, to his deep disappointment, that this was hardly the man toconduct a wilderness campaign to any thing like a successful end, however brave the testy old veteran might be, and expert in themanagement of well-drilled regulars in the open and cultivated regionsof the Old World. Of the same opinion was Dr. Franklin, who, being atthat time Postmaster-General of all the Colonies, came to Braddock'squarters at Fort Cumberland to make some arrangements for transportingthe mail to and from the army during the progress of the expedition. Iwill read you his own lively account of this interview, as it willenable you to see more clearly those faults of Braddock's characterthat so soon after brought ruin on his own head, and disgrace uponEnglish arms in America. 

 "In conversation with him one day, he was giving me some account of his intended progress. 'After taking Fort Duquesne, ' said he, 'I am to proceed to Niagara; and, having taken that, to Frontenac, if the season will allow; and I suppose it will, for Duquesne can hardly detain me above three or four days: and then I can see nothing that can obstruct my march to Niagara. '

 "Having before revolved in my mind the long line his army must make in their march by a very narrow road to be cut for them through the woods and bushes, and also what I had heard of a former defeat of fifteen hundred French who invaded the Illinois country, I had conceived some doubts and some fears for the event of the campaign; but I ventured only to say, 'To be sure, sir, if you arrive well before Duquesne with these fine troops, so well provided with artillery, the fort, though completely fortified and assisted with a very strong garrison, can probably make but a short resistance. The only danger I apprehend of obstruction to your march is from the ambuscades of the Indians, who, by constant practice, are dexterous in laying and executing them; and the slender line, nearly four miles long, which your army must make, may expose it to be attacked by surprise on its flanks, and to be cut like thread into several pieces, which, from their distance, cannot come up in time to support one another. ' He smiled at my ignorance, and replied, "'These savages may, indeed, be a formidable enemy to raw American militia; but upon the king's regular and disciplined troops, sir, it is impossible they should make an impression. '

 "I was conscious of an impropriety in my disputing with a military man in matters of his profession, and said no more. "

In the course of this interview, Franklin chanced to express a regretthat the army had not been landed in Pennsylvania, where, as everyfarmer kept his own wagon and horses, better means would have beenmore readily found for transporting the troops, with their heavy gunsand munitions of war, across the country and over the mountains. Quickto take a hint, Braddock made haste to request him, as a man ofstanding in his colony, to furnish him, in the king's name, onehundred and fifty wagons, and four horses to each wagon, besides alarge number of pack-horses and pack-saddles. This, Franklin readilyundertook to do; and went about it with such diligence, that by thelatter part of spring, even before the time set, he had fulfilled hispromise to the last letter; and Braddock had now the satisfaction ofseeing his army, after all these vexatious delays, in a condition tomove forward. 

Meanwhile, Washington was all attention to affairs in camp, and wasdaily gaining fresh insight into the art of war, as understood andpractised in the most civilized countries of the Old World. Every daythe men were drilled, and passed under review; their arms andaccoutrements carefully inspected by their officers, to make sure thatthey were in perfect order, and ready for use at a moment's notice. Sentinels and guards were stationed in and about the camp, day andnight. 

So strict was the watch kept by this lynx-eyed old general over themorals of his men, that drunkenness was punished with severeconfinement; and any one found guilty of theft was drummed out of hisregiment, after receiving five hundred stripes on his bare back. EverySunday, the soldiers were called together, under the colors of theirseparate regiments, to hear divine service performed by theirchaplains. 

To lend variety to the scene, the Indians of the neighboringwilderness came flocking in to join their fortunes with the English, or bring information of the movements or designs of the French. Amongthese came his old friend and ally, White Thunder, keeper of thespeech-belt; and Silver Heels, a renowned warrior, so called, nodoubt, from his being uncommonly nimble of foot. Also, as we shallmeet him again hereafter, should be mentioned another sachem, whoseIndian name the little folks must excuse their Uncle Juvinell fromgiving them in full. By your leave, then, for the sake of brevity andconvenience, we will call him by the last two syllables of his name, Yadi. From them Washington learned, much to his regret, that his redbrother, the Half King, had died a few months before; having, as theconjurors or medicine-men of his tribe pretended, been bewitched bythe French for the terrible blow he had dealt them at the battle ofJumonville, which had filled them with such terror, that they darednot hope for safety in the wide earth till certain that he walked andate and slept no more among living men. 

Although Braddock held these savage allies in high contempt, yet whenWashington pointed out to him how much was to be gained by theirfriendship, and how much to be lost by their enmity, he was persuaded, for that one time at least, to treat them with marked respect anddistinction. 

To give them an overwhelming idea of the power and splendor of Englisharms, he received them with all the honors of war, --fifes playing, drums beating, and the regulars lowering their muskets as they passedon to the general's tent. Here Braddock received them in the midst ofhis officers, and made them a speech of welcome, in the course ofwhich he told them of the deep sorrow felt by their great father, theKing of England, for the death of his red brother, the Half King; andthat, to console his red children in America for so grievous a loss, as well as to reward them for their friendship and services to theEnglish, he had sent them many rich and handsome presents, which theyshould receive before leaving the fort. This speech was answered by adozen warriors in as many orations, which being very long and veryflowery, and very little to the point, bored their English listenersdreadfully. The peace-pipe smoked and the Big Talk ended, Braddock, byway of putting a cap on the grand occasion, ordered all the fifes toplay, and drums to beat, and, in the midst of the music, all the gunsin the fort to be fired at once. He then caused a bullock to bekilled, and roasted whole, for the refreshment of his Indian guests. 

The Indians, in their turn, to show how sensible they were of thehonor done them by this distinguished reception, entertained theEnglish by dancing their war-dances and singing their war-songs: bywhich you are to understand that they jumped and whirled and caperedabout in a thousand outlandish antics till they grew limber and weakin the knees, and yelped and bellowed and howled till their bodieswere almost empty of breath; when, from very exhaustion, they hushedtheir barbarous din, and night and slumber fell on the camp. In thedaytime, these lords of the forest, tricked out in all their savagefinery, their faces streaked with war-paint and their scalp-locksbrave with gay bunches of feathers, would stalk about the fort, bigwith wonder over every thing they saw. Now and then, they would followwith admiring eyes the rapid and skilful movement of the red-coatedregulars, as one or other of the regiments, like some huge machine, went through their martial exercises; or, standing on the ramparts, they would watch with still keener zest and interest the youngofficers as they amused themselves by racing their horses outside thefort. 

As ill luck would have it, these warriors had brought with them theirwives and children, among whom were many very pretty Indian girls, with plump, round forms, little hands and feet, and beady, roguisheyes. As female society was not by any means one of the charms of lifeat Fort Cumberland, the coming of these wild beauties was hailed withthe liveliest delight by the young English officers, who, the momentthey laid eyes on them, fell to loving them to desperation. Firstamong these forest belles was one who went by the expressive name ofBright Lightning; so called, no doubt, from being the favoritedaughter of White Thunder. It being noised abroad that she was asavage princess of the very first blood, she, of course, at oncebecame the centre of fashionable attraction, and the leading toast ofall the young blades in camp. No sooner, however, did the warriors getwind of these gallantries, than they were quite beside themselves withrage and jealousy, and straightway put an end to them; making theerring fair ones pack off home, bag and baggage, sorely to theirdisappointment, as well as to that of the young British lions, whowere quite inconsolable for their loss. 

This scandalous behavior on the part of the English--of which, however, your Uncle Juvinell may have spoken more lightly than heought--was, as you may well believe, very disgusting to Washington, who was a young man of the purest thoughts and habits. As may benaturally supposed, it gave deep and lasting offence to the sachems;and when to this is coupled the fact, that their wishes and opinionstouching war-matters were never heeded or consulted, we cannot wonderthat they one by one forsook the English, with all their warriors, andcame no more. 

Foreseeing this, and well knowing what valuable service these peoplecould render as scouts and spies, Washington had gone to Braddock, time and again, warning him to treat them with more regard to theirpeculiar whims and customs, if he did not wish to lose the advantagesto be expected from their friendship, or bring upon him the terribleconsequences of their enmity. As this wise and timely advice came froma young provincial colonel, the wrong-headed old general treated it, of course, with high disdain, and to the last remained obstinate inthe belief that he could march to the very heart of the continentwithout meeting an enemy who could withstand his well-drilled regularsand fine artillery. 

And thus, my dear children, did this rash and wilful man cast lightlyaway the golden opportunity, wherein, by a few kind words, or tokensof respect, he could have gained the lasting friendship of thismuch-despised race, and thereby made them, in all human likelihood, the humble means of saving from early destruction the finest army, which, up to that time, had carried its banners to the Western World. 

XV. 

ROUGH WORK. 

At last, all things were got in readiness; and the gallant little armybegan its toilsome march through the forest, and over the mountains, and up and down the valleys. Beside the regulars, fourteen hundredstrong, it consisted of two companies of hatchet-men, or carpenters, whose business it was to go on before, and open the road; a smallcompany of seamen, who had the care and management of the artillery;six companies of rangers, some of whom were Pennsylvanians; and twocompanies of light horse, which, being composed of young men takenfrom the very first families of Virginia, Braddock had chosen to behis body-guard: the whole numbering two thousand, or thereabouts. 

Owing to the difficulty of dragging the loaded wagons and heavy gunsover the steep and rocky roads, the march was slow and tedious in theextreme; and what made it still more trying to Washington's patiencewas to see so many wagons and pack-horses loaded down with the privatebaggage of the English officers, --such as fine clothing, tabledainties, and a hundred little troublesome conveniences, which theymust needs lug about with them wherever they went. Weeks before theyleft Fort Cumberland, Washington had pointed out to Braddock the follyof attempting to cross that monstrous mountain barrier with a cumbroustrain of wheel-carriages; and expressed the opinion, that, for thepresent, they had better leave the bulk of their baggage and theirheaviest artillery, and, trusting entirely to pack-horses fortransporting what should be needed most, make their way at once toFort Duquesne while the garrison was yet too weak to offer anyresistance. This prudent counsel, however, as usual, had failed toproduce the least effect on the narrow and stubborn mind of Braddock;but by the time he had dragged his unwieldy length over two or threemountains, and had made but a few miles in many days, it began to dawnon his mind by slow degrees, that a campaign in an American wildernesswas a very different thing from what it was in the cultivated regionsof Europe, where nearly every meadow, field, or wood, could tell of aChristian and civilized battle there fought, and where the fine roadsand bridges made the march of an army a mere holiday jaunt as comparedto this rough service. The difficulties that beset him seeming tothicken around him at every step, he was at last so sorely put to itand perplexed as to be obliged to turn to the young provincialcolonel for that advice which he, in his blind self-confidence, hadbut a short while before disdained. 

Too well bred to seem surprised at this unbending of the haughty oldgeneral, although he really was not a little, Washington readily, yetwith all becoming modesty, did as he was desired, in a clear, brief, and soldierly manner. He gave it as his opinion, that their best planwould be to divide the army into two parts, --the smaller division, under command of Col. Dunbar, to form the rear, and bring up the heavyguns and baggage-wagons; the larger division, under the command ofBraddock, to form the advance, and taking with it but two pieces oflight artillery, and no more baggage than could be convenientlycarried on pack-horses, push rapidly on to Fort Duquesne, and surprisethe garrison before they could receive timely warning of their danger, or be re-enforced by the troops from Canada, which would have arrivedere then, had not the summer drought prevented. To some extent, thisprudent advice was followed; and, to give it the force of example, Washington reduced his baggage to a few little necessaries that hecould easily carry in a small portmanteau strapped to his back, andgave his fine charger to be used as a pack-horse. His brotherprovincial officers, accustomed as they were to dealing with thedifficulties and inconveniences of a backwoods life, in a ready, off-hand fashion, followed his example with the greatest willingnessand good-humor. Notwithstanding this, however, there were still twohundred pack-horses loaded with the private baggage of the Englishofficers, who were unwilling, even in that hour of pressing need, tomake this little sacrifice of their present comfort to the commongood. So tender did they seem of their bodily ease, and so given up tothe pleasures of appetite, that Washington began to have seriousdoubts of their fitness to endure the hardships of a rough campaign, and of their courage and firmness to face the dangers of thebattle-field. 

One evening late, about this time, as the army lay encamped at theLittle Meadows, there suddenly appeared among them, from theneighboring woods, a large party of hunters, all Pennsylvanians, dressed in the wild garb of Indians, and armed with hatchets, knives, and rifles. Their leader was a certain Capt. Jack, one of the greatesthunters of his day, and nearly as famous in the border tales ofPennsylvania as Daniel Boone in those of green Kentucky. When yourUncle Juvinell was quite a lad, he read the story of this strange man, in an old book, which pleased and interested him so much at the time, that he has never since forgotten it, and will now repeat it to you inthe very words of the old chronicler:--

 "The 'Black Hunter, ' the 'Black Rifle, ' the 'Wild Hunter of Juniata, ' is a white man. His history is this: He entered the woods with a few enterprising companions, built his cabin, cleared a little land, and amused himself with the pleasure of fishing and hunting. He felt happy; for then he had not a care. But on an evening, when he returned from a day of sport, he found his cabin burnt, his wife and children murdered. From that moment he forsakes civilized man, hunts out caves in which he lives, protects the frontier inhabitants from the Indians, and seizes every opportunity of revenge that offers. He lives the terror of the Indians, and the consolation of the whites. On one occasion, near Juniata, in the middle of a dark night, a family were suddenly awaked from sleep by the report of a gun. They jumped from their huts; and, by the glimmering light from the chimney, saw an Indian fall to rise no more. The open door exposed to view the Wild Hunter. 'I have saved your lives!' he cried; then turned, and was buried in the gloom of night. "

Bidding his leather-stockings to wait where they were till he cameback, the Black Hunter strode on to the general's tent, and, withoutmore ado than to enter, made known the object of his coming there, ina speech that smacked somewhat of the Indian style of oratory; which Iwill give you, as nearly as I can, in his own words:--

 "Englishmen, the foe is on the watch. He lurks in the strongholds of the mountains. He hides in the shadows of the forest. He hovers over you like a hungry vulture ready to pounce upon its prey. He has made a boast that he will keep his eye upon you, from his look-outs on the hills, day and night, till you have walked into his snare, when he will shoot down your gay red-birds like pigeons. Englishmen, dangers thicken round you at every step; but in the pride of your strength you have blinded your eyes, so that you see them not. I have brought my hunters, who are brave and trusty men, to serve you as scouts and spies. In your front and in your rear, and on either hand, we will scour the woods, and beat the bushes, to stir up the lurking foe, that your gallant men fall not into his murderous ambuscade. To us the secret places of the wilderness are as an open book; in its depths we have made our homes this many a year: there we can find both food and shelter. We ask no pay, and our rifles are all our own. "

To this noble and disinterested offer, Braddock returned a cold andhaughty answer. 

 "There is time enough, " said he, "for making such arrangements; and I have experienced troops on whom I can rely. "

Stung to the quick by this uncivil and ungenerous treatment, the BlackHunter, without another word, turned, and, with a kindling eye andproud step, left the tent. When he told his followers of the scornfulmanner in which the English general had treated their leader, andrejected their offer of service, they staid not, but, with angry andindignant mien, filed out of the camp, and, plunging once more intothe wilderness, left the devoted little army to march on to thatdestruction to which its ill-starred commander seemed so fatally benton leading it. The contemptuous indifference which always marked thedemeanor of Braddock towards these rude but brave and trusty warriorsof the woods was very offensive to Washington; the more, as he knew, that, when it came to be put to the test, these men, unskilled thoughthey were in the modes of civilized warfare, would be found far betterfitted to cope with the cunning and stealthy enemy they had then todeal with, than those well-dressed, well-armed, well-drilled, butunwieldy regulars. 

After having rested a few days at the Little Meadows, the advanceddivision of the army once more took up the line of march; but, toWashington's disappointment, made scarcely better speed than before, although lightened of nearly all of the heavy baggage. "I found, "wrote he a short time after, "that, instead of pushing on with vigor, we were halting to level every mole-hill, and erect bridges over everybrook; by which means we were sometimes four days in getting twelvemiles. " Slowly the long and straggling lines held on their weary way, now scrambling over some rugged steep, now winding along some narrowdefile, till at length the silence of that gloomy vale--the Shades ofDeath--was again broken by the shouts and uproar of a marching army. 

For several days, Washington had been suffering much from fever, attended with a racking headache, which had obliged him to travel in acovered wagon. By the time they reached the great crossings of theYoughiogeny, his illness had so increased, that Dr. Craik, his goodfriend and physician, declared it would be almost certain death forhim to travel further; at the same time advising him to stay where hewas until his fever should somewhat abate its violence, when he couldcome up with Dunbar's rear division. His brother officers also, andeven his old general, kindly urged him to give up all thought of goingon for the present; while, to render his disappointment more bearable, some of them promised to keep him informed, by writing, of every thingnoteworthy which should happen in the course of their march. Seeingthen; was no help for it, he suffered himself to be left behind: butit was with a sad and heavy heart that, he saw them pass on withouthim; and when they had vanished, one by one, in the shadows of theneighboring wilds, and the gleaming of their arms could no longer beseen through the openings of the trees and bushes, he turned with asigh, and said to the men whom Braddock had left to nurse and guardhim, "I would not for five hundred pounds miss being at the taking ofFort Duquesne. " Here he lay for ten days; his fever, no doubt, muchaggravated by his impatience to rejoin his comrades, and the fear lesthe should not be well in time to share with them the dangers andhonors of the coming contest. 

Meanwhile, Braddock pursued his slow and tedious march, and in a fewdays had passed the Great Meadows, where young Washington, the yearbefore, as you must well remember, had learned his first lessons inthe rude art of war. A few miles beyond this, he came to a desertedIndian camp, on the top of a rocky hill, where, to judge from thenumber of wigwams, at least one hundred and seventy warriors must havelodged. The fires were still burning; which showed but too plainlythat the stealthy foe was on the watch, and not far distant. Some ofthe trees hard by had been stripped of their bark; and on their white, sappy trunks were to be seen, in the rude picture-writing of theIndians, savage taunts and threats of vengeance meant for the English;while intermixed with these were bullying boasts and blackguard slang, written in the French language, as if to force on the notice of thosewho were to read them the fact, that there were white as well as redmen lurking near. 

It had almost slipped my mind to tell you, that Braddock, movedperhaps by the advice of Washington, had, before setting out from FortCumberland, employed a small party of Indians, with their sachem Yadiat their head, to serve as guides and spies during the campaign. A fewdays after passing the deserted camp on the rock, four or fivesoldiers, straggling too far in the rear, were suddenly waylaid by theprowling foe, and all murdered and scalped on the spot. 

To avenge the death of their comrades, a squad of regulars went outin quest of the enemy, and soon came in sight of a small party ofIndians, who held up the boughs of trees before them, and stood theirrifles on the ground, as a sign that they were friends. Notunderstanding this, however, and the distance being too great for themto make out who they were, the blundering regulars fired, and one ofthe party fell dead on the spot, --a youthful warrior, who proved to bethe son of the sachem Yadi. When Braddock heard of this melancholyaccident, he was deeply grieved. He forthwith sent for the bereavedfather, and, to his praise be it ever recorded, endeavored, by kindwords and liberal presents, to console him, and make some littleamends for his heavy loss; and, as a still further token of hisregard, he ordered the hapless youth to be buried with all the honorsof war. The body, borne on a bier, was followed by the officers, twoand two; while the soldiers, drawn up in two lines, with the gravebetween them, stood facing each other, with the points of theirmuskets turned downward, and their chins resting in the hollow of thebreeches. When the body was lowered, they fired three volleys over thegrave, and left the young warrior to his long sleep on the hillside, with his bright hatchet and trusty rifle beside him. All this was verysoothing to the sorrow and gratifying to the fatherly pride of the oldsachem, and made him ever after a loving friend and faithful ally ofthe English. I have told you this little story to show you, that thistesty and obstinate old general, with all his faults, was far frombeing the hard, unfeeling man that he sometimes seemed; and also as atribute that every historian should pay to the memory of one whosemisfortune it has been to be blamed so much, and pitied so little. 

By this time, Washington had so far regained his strength as to admitof his being borne along in a covered wagon; and, setting outaccordingly, in five days came up with the advance division, where itlay encamped in a beautiful spot about two miles from the Monongahela, and fifteen miles from Fort Duquesne. Here he was joyfully welcomed byboth officers and men, with whom his generosity, and frank, manlybearing, had made him a great favorite. Shortly after his arrival, Mr. Gist and two Indian scouts, who had been sent out to reconnoitre orspy out the enemy, came back with the cheering tidings, that there-enforcements had not yet come down from Canada, and that thegarrison in the fort was at present too weak to stand a single hour'ssiege. But what gave him a little uneasiness was a lofty column ofsmoke, rising from a deep and densely wooded hollow, where they werequite sure the watchful enemy was lurking, and hatching some mischieffor the English. 

Now, the fort and the camp lay on the same side of the river; and themost direct route between them was by a narrow mountain pass, risingabruptly from the water's edge on the left, and, on the right, shutin by a steep and lofty hill, whose stony sides were overgrown withlaurel and stunted cedars and pines. As it was altogether out of thequestion to drag their wagons and artillery along this pass, it wasresolved to cross the river, first at a point just over against thecamp, and then, moving down along the opposite bank, recross it atanother point five miles below; at both of which places the fords wereshallow, and the banks not high. 

At last, the 9th of July, 1755, --a day ever to be remembered inAmerican annals, --began to dawn. Long before its first red light hadstreaked the east, a hum in the camp told that the little army was, even at that hour, all astir, and big with the bustle of preparation. Officers and men were in the highest hopes, and looked forward withconfidence to the coming evening, when they were to plant theirvictorious banners on the ramparts of Fort Duquesne. Although they hadmarched thus far without serious molestation, yet Col. Washington'sfears of an ambuscade were not a whit diminished; for he felt quitecertain that they should never reach the French fort without anattempt being made to surprise, or drive them back. Full of theseapprehensions, he went to Gen. Braddock, and, pointing out to him thedanger hanging over them, urged him by all means to send out theVirginia rangers to scour the woods and thickets, front and flank, andbeat up the enemy, should any chance to be lurking near with thedesign of drawing them into an ambuscade. No advice, as it afterwardsturned out, could have been more timely: but, coming from a rawprovincial colonel, Braddock cast it aside with angry impatience; andwhen the line of march was formed, as if to show in what light esteemhe held it, he ordered the rangers to the rear, to guard the baggage. Before daybreak, a large party of pioneers, or road-cutters, with asmall guard of regulars, numbering in all about three hundred, hadgone on before to open a passage for the army through the woods, andmake the fords more passable by levelling the banks. 

The midsummer sun was shooting its first beams, level and red, amongthe Alleghany hills, when the little army, having crossed theMonongahela at the upper ford, stood on its southern bank, forming inline of march. By order of their general, officers and men had scouredand polished their arms and accoutrements the night before; and nowappeared in full uniform, as if some grand military parade were to bethe programme of the day. The whole line was soon moving slowlyforward, with fifes playing, drums beating, and colors flying; theregulars keeping step the while to the "Grenadier's March. " In theclear and tranquil depths of the river, as they moved along its shadybanks, could be seen, as in a mirror, the long array ofleather-shirted rangers and red-coated regulars, with their sun-litarms and prancing steeds, and bright banners that floated in themorning breeze. This brilliant spectacle, so well set off by thesmiling river in front and the frowning woods beyond, formed a picturethat ever lived in the memory of Washington; and in after-years heused often to say, that, as it then appeared to him, he thought he hadnever seen any thing so beautiful. In the enthusiasm of the moment, heforgot his late illness, the still enfeebled condition of hisbody, --all, save the glory of serving his country; and, mounting hishorse, he joined his brother-aides in their attendance on theirgeneral, else far more fatal must have been the end of that bloodyday. 

XVI. 

BRADDOCK'S DEFEAT. 

In my account of this battle, as well as all the others that will comethundering in upon us from time to time in the course of our story, Ihave thought it would suit our purpose best to touch upon those factsonly that are likeliest to leave the most lasting pictures of suchevents on your minds; using the while no more words than may actuallybe needed to give clearness and completeness to the same. And now, Daniel, my young Herodotus, and Ned, my young Hannibal, bring inanother Christmas log, that we may have a more cheerful blaze; for ourstory will be doleful enough for the next half-hour, without thesegoblin shadows dodging and flitting about the room to make it more so. 

At mid-day, Braddock's army came to the lower ford, where a halt wascalled to allow of a few minutes' rest. Far in front, across theriver, the ringing of a hundred axes, followed at short intervals bythe crash of falling trees, could be distinctly heard; telling thatthe pioneers were there, working might and main to clear a passage forthose behind. The road just opened, after leaving the ford, ranacross a heavily wooded bottom that skirted the river; and thence, fora few hundred yards, up a rocky slope to the foot of a high range ofhills, about a mile distant, where it entered a narrow, bushy defile, and went no further. The country, for miles and miles around, as faras the eye could reach, was thickly wooded, save the rocky slope justmentioned, and the neighboring ravines, which were overgrown withlong, coarse grass and whortleberry-bushes, so high as to sweep thehorses' bellies; with here and there a few scattering trees of somesize. It was the very place, of all others, that the wily Indian wouldbe most likely to choose for his ambuscade. 

By two o'clock, the whole army had regained the northern bank of theriver. They were now within ten miles of Fort Duquesne, and a luckyend to their present campaign seemed near at hand. In a few minutes, artillery and baggage, foot and horse, regulars and rangers, formedinto separate and distinct columns, stood ready to move as soon as theword should be given. Just at the moment, however, when they werelistening to hear the order, "Forward, march!" drop from theirgeneral's lips, they were startled by a sudden and heavy firing amongthe hills, which put a sudden stop to the hundred axes, and told buttoo plainly that the road-cutters and their guard of regulars had beendrawn into an ambuscade. Washington knew at once, and too well, thatthe evil he dreaded from the beginning, had, on the very eve ofsuccess, come upon them; and with it also came the painful reflection, that it would never have so befallen them, had the rangers beensuffered to scour the woods, and beat up the enemy, as had beenrecommended by him but a few hours before. Braddock forthwith orderedtwo companies to hurry on to the relief of the pioneers; and, at hisbidding, one of his aides spurred forward to learn further of thematter, and bring him word. The firing grew heavier and heavier, andseemed to be coming nearer and nearer. The lonely hills and woodsaround rang with the whoops and yells of the unseen savages. Not ableto restrain his impatience till his aide came back, Braddock orderedhis main division to come up at double-quick; and, taking with him histwo remaining aides and a small guard of light-horse, galloped up tothe scene of action. Here what was his rage and mortification to findhis doughty regulars, of whom he had boasted so much, changed, as itwere in the whistling of a bullet, into a mere disorderly rabble ofred-coats, --confused, bewildered, to a degree that he could never havedreamed possible! Crowded and huddled together in the narrow road, hesaw them dropping down under the Indian bullets, helpless as a herd offrightened deer beset by a band of unseen hunters. 

By this time, the Indians, still hid from view by the grass andbushes, had stretched their lines along either side of the road, fromthe hollows among the hills to some distance down the rocky slope, andwere pouring in a murderous fire upon the affrighted English; yellingand whooping the while like a legion of devils at some infernalfrolic. Two bayonet charges had been made to drive them from theirhiding-places, but in vain. The regulars, notwithstanding theirofficers' orders to the contrary, kept up a hurried but random firing, which had little or no effect upon the enemy, as nothing could be seenof him but the puffs of rifle-smoke that rose and hovered in littleblue clouds over his place of ambush. The English, it is said, wereless appalled by the whistling bullet; of the unseen savages than bytheir unearthly yells, --a sound that none of them had ever heardbefore, and many a poor fellow of them never heard again. The Indianwar-whoop has been described as a sound so wild and terrible, that, when once heard in battle, it rings in the listener's ears for weeksthereafter, and is never forgotten even to his dying day. 

But the English officers, on the contrary, behaved themselves with agallantry that filled Washington with astonishment and admiration. Heretofore he had seen them only in camp or on the line of march, where their habits of ease and self-indulgence had led him to doubttheir having the courage and firmness to face, without shrinking, danger in such appalling forms. Unmindful of the bullets that whistledcontinually about their heads, they galloped up and down the brokenand bleeding lines, in the vain endeavor to rally their men, and bringthem again to something like order. Mounted on fine horses, anddressed in rich uniforms, they offered a tempting mark to the unseenrifles that were levelled at them from behind every tree and bush, andtuft of grass; and, ere the work of death was finished, many a gallantsteed, with dangling reins and bloody saddle, dashed riderless aboutthe field. And, as if this were not enough, many of them must needsfall victims to the unsoldierly conduct of their own men, who, forgetful of all discipline, and quite beside themselves with terrorand bewilderment, loaded their pieces hurriedly, and fired them off atrandom, killing friends as well as foes. Nor did this most shamefulpart of the bloody scene end here: many of the Virginia rangers, whohad already taken to the trees and bushes, and were doing good serviceby fighting the Indians in their own fashion, were shot down by theblundering regulars, who fired into the woods wherever they saw a puffof smoke, unable to distinguish whether it rose from a red or a whiteman's rifle. Upon these brave rangers the brunt of the battle fell;and indeed, had it not been for their firmness and presence of mind, their skill and address in the arts and strategems of Indian warfare, which enabled them for a time to hold the enemy in check, hardly aremnant of Braddock's fine army would have survived to behold thegoing-down of that summer's sun. 

At the very commencement of the battle, a small party of warriors, cheered on by a French officer in a fancifully trimmed hunting-shirt, had leaped out from their covert into the road, with the view, itseemed, of cutting off those in front from the assistance of theircomrades in the rear; but the regulars, who guarded the road-cutters, having discharged a well-aimed volley of musketry into their veryfaces, they had turned, and fled with even more haste than they hadcome, leaving behind them several of their number dead on the spot, and among these their dashing French leader. After that, they hadtaken care to keep close under cover of the grass and bushes. Now andthen, however, a tall brave, grim and hideous with war-paint, with ayell of defiance would leap from his ambush, and, darting into theroad, tomahawk and scalp a wounded officer just fallen; then vanishagain as suddenly as if the earth had opened to swallow him up. 

All this while, Col. Washington had borne himself with a firmness, courage, and presence of mind, that would have done honor to aforty-years' veteran. His two brother aides-de-camp having beenwounded early in the engagement, the whole duty of carrying thegeneral's orders had fallen on him; and nobly did he that daydischarge it. Although brave men were falling thick and fast on everyside, yet he shrank from no exposure, however perilous, did his dutybut lead him there. Mounted on horseback, his tall and stately formwas to be seen in every part of the field, the mark of a hundredrifles, whose deadly muzzles were pointed at him whithersoever hewent. Two horses were shot dead under him, and his coat was piercedwith bullets; but he seemed to bear about him a charmed life, and wentunharmed. His danger was so great, that his friend Dr. Craik, whowatched his movements with anxious interest, looked every moment tosee him fall headlong to the ground; and that he came off alive seemedto him a miracle. Washington himself, with that piety which evermarked his character, laid his deliverance from the perils of thatfatal day to the overruling care of a kind and watchful Providence. 

Although brought thus suddenly face to face with new and untrieddangers, Braddock bore himself throughout the day like the valiant manthat he really was. The bullets and yells of the invisible foe hescarcely noticed, as he galloped hither and thither about the field, giving his orders through a speaking-trumpet, whose brazen voice roseloud and hoarse above the din of battle. Under the mistaken notionthat a savage enemy, hid in a thicket, was to be dealt with as acivilized one in an open plain, he sought to recover his lost groundby forming his men into companies and battalions; which, however, hehad no sooner done, than they were mowed down by the murderous firefrom the ambush, that had never ceased. "My soldiers, " said he, "wouldfight, could they but see their enemy; but it is vain to shoot attrees and bushes. " Whereupon Washington urgently besought him to lethis regulars fight the Indians in their own fashion, which would thebetter enable them to pick off the lurking foe with less danger totheir own safety. But Braddock's only answer to this was a sneer; andsome of his regulars, who were already acting upon the suggestion, heangrily ordered back into the ranks, calling them cowards, and evenstriking them with the flat of his sword. He then caused the colors ofthe two regiments to be advanced in different parts of the field, thatthe soldiers might rally around their separate standards. It was allin vain. In his excitement, he cheered, he entreated, he swore, hestormed: it was only a waste of breath; for the poor fellows were toodisheartened and broken, too overcome by mortal fear, to rally again. 

Col. Washington, seeing that the day was on the point of being lost, galloped down to the rear to see if nothing could be done with theartillery; but he found the gunners in a most disorderly plight, benumbed with terror, and utterly unable to manage their guns. WhatWashington did on this occasion, I had better tell you in the words ofan old Pennsylvania soldier, who was there at the time, and survivedthe battle for half a hundred years or more; and used often, for theentertainment of your Uncle Juvinell and other little boys, to fighthis battles over again as he sat smoking in his chimney corner. 

 "I saw Col. Washington, " he would say, "spring from his panting horse, and seize a brass field-piece as if it had been a stick. His look was terrible. He put his right hand on the muzzle, his left hand on the breech; he pulled with this, he pushed with that, and wheeled it round, as if it had been a plaything: it furrowed the ground like a ploughshare. He tore the sheet-lead from the touch-hole; then the powder-monkey rushed up with the fire, when the cannon went off, making the bark fly from the trees, and many an Indian send up his last yell and bite the dust. "

This, however, gave the savages but a momentary check, as he could notfollow it up; there being no one by ready and willing to lend him ahelping hand. The Virginia rangers and other provincial troops, whohad done the only good fighting of the day, were thinned out toone-fourth their number; and the few that remained were too weary andfaint to hold out longer against such fearful odds. Between thewell-aimed firing of the enemy and the random shooting of theregulars, the slaughter of the English officers had been frightful:out of the eighty-six who went into the battle, only twenty-four cameoff unhurt. Gen. Braddock had five horses killed under him. By thistime, he had given up all hope of regaining the day; and, galling asit must have been to his proud spirit, was at last forced to think ofretreating as their only chance of safety. Just as he was on thepoint, however, of giving orders to this effect, a bullet--said bysome to have been a random shot from one of his own soldiers--passedthrough his arm, and, lodging itself in his lungs, brought him to theground, mortally wounded. His officers placed him in a tumbrel, orpioneer's cart, and bore him from the field, where, in his despair, heprayed them to leave him to die. 

Seeing their leader fall, a fresh panic seized the army. And nowfollowed a wild and disorderly rout, the like of which was never knownbefore, and has never since been known, in our border-wars. Thesoldiers in front fell back on those in the centre; those in thecentre fell back on those in the rear: till foot and horse, artilleryand baggage, were jammed and jumbled together, making a scene ofdismay and confusion it would be vain for me to attempt to describe. To add wings to their speed, the Indians, with a long, loud yell offiendish triumph, now rushed from their ambush, and, brandishing alofttheir murderous tomahawks, began to press hard on the heels of theterrified fugitives. The better to elude their savage pursuers, theregulars threw away their arms, the gunners abandoned their guns, andthe teamsters cut their horses from the traces, and, mounting them, fled, never halting until they reached Col. Dunbar's camp, --a gallopof forty miles. A few fell under the tomahawk before the farther bankof the river could be gained. Here, luckily for the survivors, theIndians gave over the pursuit, in their eagerness to plunder theslain, and gather what else of booty might be found on the field. 

Thus ended this bloody battle, or rather slaughter; for in truth itcould be called nothing else. Of the sixteen hundred valiant men whohad that morning, in all the bright array of gleaming arms and wavingbanners, marched along the banks of that beautiful river, nearlyone-half, ere the sun went down, had fallen on Braddock's Hill. Whatmade this disaster more shameful still was the weakness of the enemy'sforce, which did not exceed eight hundred, of whom only a fourth wereFrench; and, of all this number, scarcely forty fell in the fight. 

Col. Washington was now ordered to ride back with all speed toDunbar's camp, to fetch horses, wagons, and hospital-stores for therelief of the wounded. Although still quite weak from his ten days'fever, which indeed had left him with no more strength than shouldhave sufficed for the fatigues of that trying day, yet he set out onthe instant, and, taking with him a guard of grenadiers, travelled thelivelong night. What with those terrible sights and sounds stillringing in his ears, and flashing before his eyes; what with thethought of the many dead and dying that lay on the lonely hillside farbehind, with their ghastly upturned faces, more ghastly still in thelight of the moon; and what with the bitter, bitter reflection, thatall this would never have been but for the pride and folly of a singleman, --that ride through the dark and silent woods must have been amelancholy one indeed. He pushed on, without leaving the saddle, tilllate in the afternoon of the following day, when he reached Dunbar'scamp; and gathering together, without loss of time, the necessariesfor which he had been sent, started on his return that same night, scarcely allowing himself and men an hour for food and rest. Earlynext morning, he met the main division at Mr. Gist's plantation, whither they had dragged their shattered lines the evening before. From thence they all went on together to the Great Meadows, where theyarrived that same day, and halted. 

For the four and twenty hours following the battle, Braddock hadremained sad and silent; never speaking except to say, "Who would havethought it?" The second day, he seemed more cheerful; for he said, "Weshall better know how to deal with them another time. " He spoke inhigh praise of the skill and courage shown by the Virginia rangers andother provincial troops during the whole engagement. He now saw, buttoo late, and to his deep regret, that he had not given these roughand hardy men half the credit due them as good soldiers; and also thathe had made a fatal mistake in underrating the strength, skill, andaddress of the enemy he had been sent there to subdue. To Washingtonhe made a frank and manly apology for the contempt and impatience withwhich he had so often treated his prudent and well-timed counsel. Asif wishing to make still further amends for this, he bequeathed to himhis faithful negro servant, Bishop, and his fine white charger, bothof whom had helped to carry their wounded master from the field. Onthe fourth day after the battle, he died; having been kindly andtenderly cared for by Washington and his other surviving officers. 

They dug him a grave by the roadside, not a stone's-throw from FortNecessity, in the depths of that lonely wilderness; and there, beforethe summer morn had dawned, they buried him. In the absence of thechaplain, the funeral service was read by Washington, in a low andsolemn voice, by the dim and flickering light of a torch. Fearing lestthe enemy might be lurking near, and, spying out the spot, commit someoutrage on his remains, they fired not a farewell shot over the graveof their unfortunate general, --that last tribute of respect to adeparted soldier, and one he had himself paid, but a short timebefore, to a nameless Indian warrior. So there they laid him; and, tothis day, the great highway leading from Cumberland to Pittsburg goesby the name of Braddock's Road. 

I would, my dear children, have you dwell on these glimpses of a moremanly and generous nature that brightened the closing hours ofBraddock's life; because it is but Christian and just that we shouldbe willing to honor virtue in whomsoever it may be found. With all hisself-conceit and obstinacy, he had a kindly heart, and was a braveman; and had it been his lot to deal with a civilized enemy, insteadof a savage one, he would, no doubt, have proved himself a skilfulgeneral. And we should not deal too harshly with the memory of a man, whose faults, however great they may have been, were more than atonedfor by the inglorious death he died, and by "a name ever coupled withdefeat. "

XVII. 

EXPLANATIONS. 

Here, again, Uncle Juvinell paused in his story, and looked beaminglyaround on his little auditors. They were all sitting with their eyesbent earnestly on the burning logs, thinking deeply, no doubt, andlooking as sober as tombstones in the light of a spring morning. 

All on a sudden, Willie leaped from his chair, and gave a shrillIndian war-whoop, that threw the whole bevy into a terrible panic;making some of the smaller fry scream outright, and even UncleJuvinell to blink a little. "There, " said the youngster, "is somethingto ring in your ears for weeks hereafter, and never to be forgotteneven to your dying day. I heard it the other night at the Indiancircus, and have been practising it myself ever since. I fancy it mustbe a pretty fair sample of the genuine thing, or it wouldn't havescared you all up as it did. " Whereupon Uncle Juvinell, frowning overhis spectacles with his brows, and laughing behind them with his eyes, bade the young blood to pack himself into his chair again, and becivil; at the same time threatening to put him on a water-gruel diet, to bring his surplus spirits within reasonable bounds. Then all thelittle folks laughed, not so much at what their uncle had said, as tomake believe they had not been frightened in the least; in whichWillie, the cunning rogue, joined, that, under cover of the generalmerriment, he might snicker a little to himself at his own smartness. 

"And now, my dear children, " continued the good man, "hand me thenotes you have written down, that I may see what it is you would haveme explain. "

"In five minutes' time after you began, " said rattle-brained Willie, "I became so much interested in the story, that I quite forgot allabout the notes, till it was too late to begin; but I was thinking allalong, that I should like to understand more clearly the differencebetween a province and a colony, and"--

"Indeed, uncle, " broke in Dannie, "you made every thing so clear andplain as you went along, that I, for one, didn't feel the need ofwriting down a single note. "

"Then, Dannie, " said his uncle, "that being the case, you can perhapsenlighten your cousin Willie as to the difference between a colony anda province. "

Had his uncle called upon him to give the difference between Gog andMagog, Daniel would have made the venture. So he promptly answered, --

"A province is a country, and a colony is the people of it. "

Uncle Juvinell would have laughed outright at this answer; but he knewit would mortify the young historian: so he only smiled, and said, --

"That will do pretty well, Dannie, as far as it goes; but it does notcover more than an acre of the ground. Now, a colony, you must know, Willie, is a settlement made by a country--called, in such cases, themother-country--in some foreign region at a distance from it, butbelonging to it; as, for example, the English colonies in America, which are separated from the mother-country, England, by the greatAtlantic Ocean. A province, on the other hand, is a similar extent offoreign territory, belonging to a nation or a kingdom, either byconquest or purchase or settlement; and it may also be a division ordistrict of the kingdom or nation itself. Thus, you see, a foreignregion, settled and owned by the mother-country, may, with nearlyequal propriety, be called either a colony or a province; while onethat belongs to a nation or a kingdom by conquest or purchase is aprovince, and nothing else. Thus, for example, Canada is a province ofGreat Britain, won from the French by conquest, as you will learnto-morrow evening. From this you may see, that although a provincemay, yet a colony can no more exist within the boundaries of amother-country, than can a man live at home and abroad at one and thesame time. "

The other children were then called on to produce their notes. Laurasaid, that, after she had written two or three, she found she waslosing more than she was gaining; for, when she stopped to take downany item she wished to remember, she did not hear what came rightafter. Ellen chimed in with the same; and Ned said he was not yet outof his pot-hooks, and couldn't write; but that he was thinking all thetime of getting Willie or Dannie to tell him all about it after theywent to bed. So, what with this excuse, and that, and the other, not asingle note was forthcoming, except a few that Master Charlie, theknowing young gentleman, had written on a very large slate, in lettersquite of his own inventing, which he now laid before his uncle. To setoff his penmanship to the best advantage, and couple the ornamentalwith the useful, he had drawn just above it a picture of Gen. Braddock, mounted on his dashing white charger, and waving aloft asword of monstrous length. One unacquainted with the subject, however, would sooner have taken it for a big baboon, geared up in a cocked hatand high military boots, with a mowing-scythe in his hand, andastraddle of a rearing donkey heavily coated with feathers instead ofhair. The old gentleman's spectacles seemed to twinkle as he ran hiseye over the slate; and after making out two or three rathersavage-looking _s_'s, as many long-legged _p_'s, a squat _h_ or two, abig bottle-bellied _b_, three or four gigantic _l_'s, a broken-backed_k_ or two, a high-shouldered _w_, a heavy-bottomed _d_, and a longslim-tailed _y_, it struck him, at length, that speech-belt, LongKnife, knapsack, Silver Heels, wigwam, and powder-monkey, were theitems concerning which Master Charlie desired further enlightenment. 

"For information touching these matters, my dear Charles, " then saidUncle Juvinell, "I will pass you over to Willie and Dannie, who, Idare say, are quite as well posted up in matters of this kind, as yourold uncle; for, if I mistake not, they have just been reading Catlin'sbook on the Indians, and Gulliver's Travels in Brobdignag. "

"How is it, " inquired Ellen, "that Washington, being the good man thathe was, could have taken part in that wicked war between the Frenchand English about a country that didn't belong to either of them, butto the poor Indians?"

Now, although Uncle Juvinell was satisfied in his own mind thatWashington's conduct in this matter was just what it should have been, yet, for all that, he was a little puzzled how to answer this questionin a way that the little folks would rightly understand. 

"This very thing, my dear niece, " replied he after a moment's pause, "grieved and troubled his mind a great deal, as you may well believe:but he knew, that, if the English did not get possession of this land, the French would; and this, by increasing the strength of the enemy, would by and by endanger the safety of his own native land, and eventhe lives and liberties of his countrymen. And he also knew that itwould be far better for the spread of useful knowledge and the truereligion, that all this rich country should be in the hands of someChristian people, who would make it a place fit to live in, and to bepeaceful and prosperous and happy in, than that it should be leftentirely to those barbarous savages, who only made of it a place tohunt and to fish in, to fight and scalp, and to burn and torture eachother like devils in. Besides this, it is the duty of every truepatriot (and no one knew this better than he) to serve and defend thecountry, under the protection of whose laws he has lived in peace andplenty, against all her enemies, whether at home or abroad, evenshould she now and then be a little in the wrong; for, by so doing, hedefends his own home and family, rights and liberty, --objects thatshould be as dear to him as life itself. "

"O uncle!" exclaimed Ned with a start, as if he had just caught apassing recollection by the tail as it was about skedaddling round thecorner, "tell me, will you? what kind of a life a charmed life is. "

"Really Ned, " cried Uncle Juvinell, "I am very glad that you mentionedit; for it puts me in mind of something I should have told you before, and which I might else have forgotten. This, however, is as good atime as any; and, when you hear what I am now going to tell you, youwill readily understand, without further explanation, what is meantwhen it is said of a man that he bears a charmed life about him. To dothis, I must anticipate a little, or, to speak more clearly, take timeby the forelock, and, going forward a little in our story, tell you ofa circumstance which your Uncle Juvinell, when a boy, often heardrelated by Dr. Craik, who was then an aged and venerable man. 

"Fifteen years after poor Braddock had been laid in his unhonoredgrave, Col. Washington, taking with him his friend Dr. Craik, went onan exploring expedition to the Ohio, in behalf of the brave soldierswho had served under him at the Great Meadows, and to whom, it must beremembered, Gov. Dinwiddie had promised two hundred thousand acres ofthe best land to be found on this great river or its branches. Therewas peace then along the border, and little or no danger was to beapprehended from the Indians. They travelled in a large canoe, rowedby two or three hunters; and what with fishing in the streams (forthey took with them their fishing tackle), what with hunting in thewoods (for they took with them their hunting rifles), what withcamping on the green shore at night (for they took with them theircamp utensils), and what with the comfortable thought that there wasnot an Indian warrior within a hundred miles whose fingers wereitching for their scalps (for they took with them this and many otherpleasant thoughts besides), they had, you may depend upon it, aglorious time. 

"One day, there came to their camp, at the mouth of the Great Kanawha, a party of Indians, headed by an old chief of grave and venerableaspect, who approached Washington with deep reverence, as if enteringthe presence of some superior being. After several pipes of tobaccohad been smoked, and several haunches of venison had been eaten, --thefirst to show that they had come friendly, the last to show that theycame hungry, --the old chief addressed Washington in a speech, whichyour Uncle Juvinell cannot repeat to you word for word as he heard itfrom the lips of the worthy old doctor; but he well remembers thesubstance thereof, and will give it you as nearly as he can in theIndian style of oratory. 

 "'They came and told me, ' began the old chief, 'that the great Long Knife was in our country; and I was very glad. I said to them, though I be old and feeble, though the way be long, and the hills many and high, and the rivers many and wide, yet must I go and see him once more before I die; for it is the young warrior, whom, years ago, I saw shielded from our bullets by the hand of the Great Spirit. Let the pale-faces hear my words. Fifteen summers ago, when the woods and thickets were dense and green, the French and Indians went out to lay in ambuscade for the big English general, among the Monongahela hills. I took my warriors, and went along, and we lay in wait together. The English were many and strong; we were few and weak: thus we had no thought of victory in our minds, but only to give our enemies a little trouble, and keep them back a while till the big French army came down from the Great Lakes. We saw the English army cross the river and come up the hill; yet they suspected not. We saw them walk into our snare, up to the very muzzles of our guns; nor did they dream of danger, till our war-whoop went up, and our bullets began to fly as fast as winter hail. I saw the red-coats fall, and strew the ground like the red leaves of the woods nipped by an untimely frost, and smitten by the unseen hands of a mighty wind. The snows of eighty winters have fallen upon my head. I have been in many a bloody battle; yet never saw I the red life-stream run as it that day ran down Braddock's Hill from English hearts. Listen! I saw that day, among the English, a young warrior who was not an Englishman. I singled him out as a mark for my rifle; for he was tall and strong, and rode grandly, and his presence there was a danger to us. Seventeen times did I take slow and steady aim, and fire; but my bullets went astray, and found him not. Then I pointed him out to my young men, whose eyes were sharper and whose hands were steadier than mine, and bade them bring him down. It was all in vain: their bullets glanced from him as if he had been a rock. I saw two horses fall under him, shot dead; yet he rose unhurt. Then did I lay my hand on my mouth in wonder, and bade my young men turn their rifles another way; for the Great Spirit, I knew, held that young warrior in his keeping, and that his anger would be kindled against us if we desisted not. That young warrior, the favorite of Heaven, the man who is destined never to fall in battle, now stands before me. Once more mine eyes have seen him, and I shall now go away content. '

"And now, Ned, my boy, " said Uncle Juvinell, after he had ended thisoration, "can you tell me what a charmed life is?"

"One that is bullet-proof, I suppose, " replied Ned. 

"You don't mean to say that Washington was bullet-proof, do you, UncleJuve?" put in doubting Charlie. 

"No, not exactly that, my little nephew, " replied his Uncle Juvinell;"and yet a great deal more: for, beyond all doubt, an all-wiseProvidence raised up George Washington to do the good and great workthat he did, and to this end shielded him when encompassed by theperils of battle, strengthened him when beset by the wiles oftemptation, and cheered him when visited by the trials of adversity. Dr. Davis, a famous preacher of that day, seemed to have looked uponhim, as did the old Indian, as one favored of Heaven; for, in a sermonpreached by him a few weeks after Braddock's defeat, he spoke of Col. Washington as 'that heroic youth, whom, he could not but hope, Providence had preserved in so signal a manner for some importantservice to his country. ' And now, my little folks, the clock strikesnine, and our Christmas logs burn low: so join your old uncle in anevening hymn; then haste you to your happy beds to sleep and dream thepeaceful night away. "

XVIII. 

WORK IN EARNEST. 

Hardly had the last clod been thrown on poor Braddock's grave, whenhis army was seized with a second and most unaccountable panic; for noone could tell from whence or how it came. With those horrid yellsstill sounding in their ears, and those ghastly sights of blood andcarnage still fresh in their memories, they fancied they heard, inevery passing gust that stirred the dead leaves, warning whispers ofthe stealthy approach of the dreaded enemy, and that in every wavingthicket he might be lurking for them in ambush. 

Col. Dunbar, as next in rank, had, for the time being, taken commandof the troops; but, cowardly as the old general was rash, he shared inthe general panic, and could do nothing to re-assure his men or givethem a little confidence. So, without waiting to know by whose orders, or if by any at all, they fell to, and destroyed all the heavybaggage, baggage-wagons, and artillery; every thing, in fact, thatcould hinder them in their retreat. Thus disencumbered, they set outin hot haste; and after a hurried and disorderly march, or ratherflight, they reached Fort Cumberland. 

Here Col. Washington, who had taken no part whatever in theunsoldierly proceedings just mentioned, stopped a few days to recruita little after the severe fatigues he had, for a week past, beencalled upon to undergo, while still too much enfeebled from histen-days' fever. The first use he made of this breathing spell was towrite an affectionate letter to his much-honored mother to ease hermind of the anxiety he knew she would be feeling on his account, whenrumors of the late disaster should reach her ears. He told her of hisalmost miraculous deliverance from a cruel and bloody death, inlanguage full of gratitude to the God of battles, who had shielded himin so signal a manner, when his brave comrades were falling byhundreds around him. Writing to his brother Augustine at the sametime, he wittily says, "Since my arrival at this place, I have heard acircumstantial account of my death and dying speech; and I take thisearly opportunity of contradicting the former, and assuring you that Ihave not yet composed the latter. "

When he had so far regained his strength as to enable him to travel, he betook himself once more to the peaceful shades of Mount Vernon. Here-entered at once upon his duties as Adjutant-General of the NorthernDistrict, --a post he still continued to hold, although his connectionwith the regular army had ceased with the death of Braddock. 

But we must return for a few moments to Fort Cumberland, where we leftthe valorous Col. Dunbar quite out of breath from the uncommonly briskspeed, which seems to have been his habit now and then, of gettingover very rough and hilly roads. Any soldier, with a spark of manlyspirit under his sword-belt, would have made a resolute stand at aplace of so much importance, and held it to the death, rather thanleft the defenceless inhabitants exposed to the horrors of a borderwar. Col. Dunbar was not, by any means, the true soldier just hintedat; and consequently did no such thing. Seeing that the sick andwounded were but so many clogs to rapid and easy motion, he resolvedto leave them behind under the care of the slender garrison he hadplaced in the fort, who were expected to defend it against an enemythat he, with a force of fifteen hundred strong, had not the courageto face. Thus rid of his hinderances to the last degree oflightsomeness, he pushed on by forced marches, as if a legion ofpainted savages were yelling at his heels; and never slackened speeduntil he found himself safe within the friendly walls of Philadelphia, where he went into comfortable winter-quarters while yet the dog-dayswere at their hottest. 

Thus basely deserted by these doughty regulars, who had been sentover so many thousand miles of salt water for their protection, the colonists saw with dismay the whole line of their vast frontier, from Lake Ontario to the Carolinas, open to the inroads of theFrench and their Indian allies. In the long-run, however (as youshall see hereafter), two luckier mishaps than Braddock's defeatand Dunbar's retreat, that seemed at the time so fraught with evil, could not have befallen them. They were thereby taught two wholesomelessons, which they might otherwise have been a long time in learning, and without which they never could have gained their independenceand made themselves a nation. The first, by proving that Britishregulars were not, by any means, the never-to-be-beaten, and thenever-to-be-made-to-skedaddle warriors that they boasted themselves tobe, and that one-half of the Americans were foolish enough to believethem to be. Thus, when the War of Independence broke out, ourRevolutionary fathers remembered this, and were not afraid to meet theEnglish even on such unequal terms. The second, by opening their eyesto the fact, that, as they (the colonists) could no longer look to themother-country for protection, they must henceforward rely upon theirown strength and resources for their defence and safety. 

The people of Virginia, seeing the forlorn condition of things, wereat last awakened to a full sense of the danger that threatened, notonly their back settlements, but even the heart of the Old Dominionitself. They therefore began to bestir themselves in right goodearnest to put the province in a better posture of defence; and, tothis end, resolved to send more troops into the field, raise moremoney, procure new arms and fresh supplies of military stores, anderect a chain of twenty block-houses, or small forts, stretching alongthe whole line of their frontier, from Pennsylvania to NorthCarolina, --a distance of three hundred and sixty miles. Washington'scareer as a soldier had not, up to this time, been marked by any ofthose daring and brilliant exploits that charm and dazzle vulgarminds; but had, on the contrary, been one unbroken train ofmisfortunes and disasters. Notwithstanding this, however, theconfidence his countrymen had placed in his prudence, courage, ability, and patriotism, so far from having been diminished thereby, had gone on steadily gaining strength from the very beginning. Theywell knew, that, had the headstrong and unlucky Braddock given heed tohis prudent and timely counsel, the late campaign could never haveended in the disgraceful and disastrous manner that it had. As themost flattering proof of their esteem and confidence, they now turnedto him in their hour of peril, and, although he was not yettwenty-four years of age, called upon him, as with one voice, to takethe chief command of all the forces of the province. After somedeliberation, being persuaded that it was really their earnest desire, he modestly accepted the appointment, on condition that certainchanges should be made in the military, and that he should be allowedto choose his field-officers. This was readily agreed to by theVirginia House of Burgesses; who, in addition, voted him fifteenhundred dollars by way of compensating him for the many losses he hadsuffered, in horses, baggage, and money since the beginning of thewar. 

Accordingly, early in the autumn, he took up his headquarters at thefrontier town of Winchester, beyond the Blue Ridge, in the beautifulValley of the Shenandoah. As four great highways met here from as manydifferent quarters of the country, it was a post of much importance;and he resolved, by strongly fortifying it, to make it therallying-point of all the border. His men were all raw recruits, justtaken from the plough or forge or carpenter's bench, as the case mightbe; and, to render them fit for the peculiar service in which theywere to be employed, it became his duty, besides training them in theregular military exercises, to instruct them in the arts andstratagems of Indian warfare, or bush-fighting, as it is more aptlycalled. Long, however, before he was ready to take the field, theFrench and Indians, made daring and audacious by their great victoryon the Monongahela, had crossed the mountains at several differentpoints in great numbers, and had already begun their bloody work. Theterrified and defenceless inhabitants dwelling in the distant parts ofthe wilderness now came flocking to the Shenandoah Valley forprotection from the merciless enemy, some of them never stopping tillthey had passed on over to the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge. 

One morning, a rumor found its way to Winchester, that a large partyof Indians were within twelve miles of that place, pillaging, burning, and murdering at a frightful rate. Straightway a great fear fell uponthe inhabitants. Little children ran, and hid their faces in theirmothers' aprons, crying piteously; women ran hither and thither, screaming, and wringing their hands; and broad-shouldered, double-fisted men stood stock-still, and shook in their moccasins. Washington tried to prevail upon some of his soldiers to sally outwith him, and drive the enemy back from the valley; but, beingstrangers to military obedience, not a leather-shirt of all the rabblecould he get to venture beyond the ditches. When he put them in mindof what was expected of them as men and soldiers, they only answered, that, if they must die, they would rather stay there, and die withtheir wives and families. Having a lurking suspicion, that, after all, there might be more smoke than fire in these flying rumors, he sentout a scout to bring him some more certain tidings of the matter. In awonderfully short time, the scout came back, pale and affrighted, withthe dismal intelligence that he had, with his own ears, heard the gunsand yells of the Indians not four miles distant, and that Winchesterwould be beset by the savages in less than an hour. WhereuponWashington made another appeal to the courage and manhood of his men;which proved so far successful, that a forlorn hope of forty finallyscrewed up pluck enough to follow him to the scene of danger. Movingwith great caution and circumspection, and keeping all their ears andeyes about them, the party came at length to the spot mentioned by thescout; where, sure enough, they heard a somewhat scattering dischargeof fire-arms, and divers outlandish noises, that bore, however, but avery slight resemblance to the terrific yells and whoops of Indianwarriors. Advancing a few paces farther, a sudden turn of the roadbrought them in sight of two drunken soldiers, who were cursing andswearing and hallooing in a manner quite outrageous and immoral; andnow and then, by way of adding a little spice to this part of theirentertainment, firing off their pistols into the tree-tops. And thisit was that had given rise to those wild rumors that had thrown thewhole country into such a terrible panic. To this imprudent waste ofbreath and ammunition, the latter of which they had but little enoughto spare, Washington put a rather sudden stop by ordering the livelyyoung blades to be seized, and carried as prisoners to Winchester, where he kept them in severe confinement for more than a week afterthey had regained their sober senses. All this was ludicrous enough;and you may be sure that Washington, although grave and dignifiedbeyond his years, had a hearty laugh over it the first time he foundhimself alone with one or two of his brother-officers. 

In addition to his other cares, the duties of his office required himto visit, from time to time, the several forts along the frontier, tosee that those already finished were kept in fighting order, and givedirections for the proper construction of those still under way. Now, the little garrison of forty men, that Col. Dunbar had left to holdand defend Fort Cumberland against the combined armies of the Frenchand Indians, was commanded by a certain Dagworthy, who, pluminghimself upon the king's commission as captain, refused to own theauthority and render obedience to the orders of Washington, who heldonly a governor's commission as colonel. It will be remembered, thatWashington had a similar misunderstanding with Capt. Mackay, eighteenmonths before, at the Great Meadows, touching this same question ofrank between royal and provincial officers, which had caused him greattrouble and annoyance. Matters had now come to such a pass, that alittle upstart captain of forty men could set at naught the authorityof the commander-in-chief of the forces of a whole province, merelybecause he could boast a bit of paper embellished with the king'sname. This was a degradation too grievous to be longer borne by amanly, independent spirit. Though sorely vexed and annoyed, Washingtonhad too much self-respect and prudence to make a noise about thematter; but he inwardly resolved, that, as soon as the coming-on ofwinter would oblige the Indians to recross the mountains to theshelter of their homes beyond, he would take advantage of thebreathing spell thus allowed him to make a journey to Boston, there tosubmit the question for final settlement to Gen. Shirley, who hadsucceeded Braddock to the chief command of all the British forces inAmerica. 

Accordingly, when the departure of the Indians brought the distressedinhabitants of the border the prospect of a few months' peace andquiet, he departed for Boston, in company with two of hisbrother-officers, Capts. Stewart and Mercer. 

Now, in those days, a journey from the Old Dominion to the Bay City, adistance of but five hundred miles, in the depth of winter, when theroads were either deep and stiff with mire, or rough and knobby withfrost, was really a greater undertaking than a voyage in a steamshipfrom Boston to Constantinople would now be considered. Our young mentravelled on horseback, as was the fashion of the day; and took withthem their negro servants, who, riding behind with their masters'saddle-bags and portmanteaus, and dressed in fine livery, with goldlace on their fur hats, and blue cloaks, gave quite an air of styleand consequence to the little cavalcade. 

Washington's fame had long since gone before him, as was proved by themarked distinction and respect with which he was treated atPhiladelphia, New York, and other places along the route. All wereeager to behold with their own eyes the youthful hero, whose gallantconduct and wonderful escape at the defeat of Braddock had been sonoised throughout the Colonies; and when we add to this his tall andcommanding form, the manly beauty of his face, his dignified bearing, his rich and handsome dress, and the unequalled skill with which hemanaged his large and noble horse, we cannot wonder at the interestand admiration his appearance awakened in the minds of all who sawhim. 

When he got to Boston, where he likewise met with a flatteringreception, he lost no time in making known to Gen. Shirley thebusiness that had taken him thither. The justness and reasonablenessof his complaints were promptly acknowledged by this officer, who, toplace the vexed question beyond dispute, declared, that henceforwardCapt. Dagworthy and all inferior officers, holding king's commissions, should own the authority and render obedience to the orders of allprovincial officers of superior rank. This, the main object of hisjourney, thus happily disposed of, Col. Washington set out on hisreturn to Virginia: but, knowing that the Indian war-whoop was notlikely soon to be heard in the Shenandoah Valley, he indulged himselfso far as to tarry two whole weeks at New-York City; and for the bestof reasons, as I will tell you. 

On his way to Boston, he had met here with the beautiful andaccomplished Miss Phillipps, with whom he was vastly pleased; and itwas for the nearer study of this young lady's charms, and furthercultivation of her acquaintance, that our young Virginia colonel wasnow tempted for once in his life thus to linger on his way. Nothingcame of it, however, that anybody now can tell; although the lady, youmay stake your heads upon it, must and ought to have been highlyflattered at being thus singled out by the young hero whose name andpraise were in everybody's mouth. Perhaps his admiration never ripenedinto love; and, if it did, his modesty, as in the case of the LowlandBeauty, must have hindered him from making known his partiality. Whatever it may have been, it is, at this late day, of littleconsequence; for long before that year had passed away, with all itsanxious cares, its perils and privations, and with all its train ofghastly Indian horrors, these tender sentiments had become to himnothing more than pleasant memories. 

XIX. 

DARK DAYS. 

It were long to tell you, my dear children, all that happened toWashington, and all that he did for the next two or three years of hislife. I shall, therefore, in as brief and clear a manner as may be, present to your minds a picture simply of those scenes in which hefigured as the chief actor; although there were, it must beremembered, others who played a far more important part in this oldFrench War than our young Virginia colonel. 

The French and Indians, early in the spring of these years, were wontto cross the mountains at different points, and for months togetherfollow their usual programme of fire, plunder, and massacre, till theapproach of winter, when, loaded with booty and scalps, they would goas they had come, only to return on the opening of the followingspring. With these cruel savages, and their scarcely less cruel whiteallies, neither age nor sex found mercy; old men, tender women, andhelpless children, alike falling victims to their murderous tomahawksand scalping-knives. Farms were laid waste, crops destroyed, cattlebutchered; and often, for days and nights together, the smoke could beseen in many directions at once, as it rose from burning barns anddwellings, and hung like a pall over the ill-fated land. At last, sogreat became the audacity of these pestilent savages, that theycarried their depredations within cannon range of the very walls ofWinchester; and, under their destroying hand, the rich and beautifulValley of the Shenandoah seemed likely soon again to become a wasteand desert place. It was a boast of theirs, that they could take anyfort that could be fired; and round these places of refuge they wouldskulk and lurk with the greatest patience for a week at a time, quitecontent could they but get a single shot at such of the garrison asdared to show themselves beyond shelter of the walls. Sometimes, suddenly darting from their hiding-place, they would pounce uponlittle children playing in the woods, and, in full view of the fort, bear them away captives, never more to be seen by their bereavedparents, who could only listen in helpless anguish to the piteouscries of their little innocents, that grew fainter and fainter astheir savage captors hurried them farther and farther into the gloomydepths of the wilderness. 

Often, in their excursions along the frontier, Washington and his menwould come upon the still smoking ruins of a happy home, or the hackedand mangled body of an unfortunate traveller who had been waylaid andmurdered by the Indians in some lonely mountain glen. In after-life, the recollection of these harrowing scenes was to Washington sopainful, that he could but seldom be brought to speak of them. Now andthen, however, he would relate to a few friends some of these darkexperiences; among which is the following, given in his own words, asa fair example of all the rest:--

 "One day, " said he, "as we were traversing a part of the frontier, we came upon a small log-house, standing in the centre of a little clearing, surrounded by woods on all sides. As we approached, we heard the report of a gun, --the usual signal of coming horror. Our party crept cautiously through the underwood, until we had approached near enough to see what we had already foreboded. A smoke was slowly making its way through the roof of the house; when, at the same time, a party of Indians came forth, laden with plunder, --consisting of clothes, household furniture, domestic utensils, and dripping scalps. We fired, and killed all but one, who tried to get away, but was soon overtaken and shot down. Upon entering the hut, there met us a sight, which, though we were familiar with scenes of blood and massacre, struck us--at least myself--with feelings more mournful than I had ever experienced before. On a bed, in one corner of the room, lay the body of a young woman, swimming in blood, with a gash in the forehead that almost separated the head into two parts. On her breast lay two little babes, less than a twelvemonth old, also with their heads cut open; their innocent blood, that had once flowed in one common vein, now mingling in the same current again. I was inured to scenes of bloodshed and misery; but this cut me to the heart; and never in my after-life did I raise my arm against a savage, without calling to mind the mother and her little twins with their heads cleft asunder. On examining the tracks of the Indians to see what other murders they might have committed, we found a little boy, and, a few steps forward, his father, both scalped, and both stone-dead. From the prints of the boy's feet, it seemed that he had been following the plough with his father, whom he had probably seen shot down; and, in attempting to escape, had been pursued, overtaken, and murdered. The ruin was complete: not one of the family had been spared. Such was the character of this miserable warfare. The wretched people of the frontier never went to rest without bidding each other farewell; for the chances were they might never wake again, or wake only to find their last sleep. When leaving one spot for the purpose of giving protection to another point of exposure, the scene was often such as I shall never forget. The women and children would cling around our knees, and mothers would hold up their little babes before our eyes, begging us to stay and protect them, and, for God's sake, not leave them to be butchered by the savages. A hundred times, I declare to Heaven, I would have laid down my life with pleasure under the tomahawk and scalping-knife, could I, by the sacrifice, have insured the safety of these suffering people. "

The little folks can well imagine how scenes like these must havepained and wrung a heart like Washington's. But what could he do? Hiswhole force did not exceed one thousand fighting men; with which hehad to man more than twenty forts, and guard a frontier of nearly fourhundred miles' extent. In addition to this, his men had been soscattered all the while at these different points, as to have placedit altogether beyond his power to give that attention to theirmilitary training which he had had so near at heart when he firstentered upon his command. It naturally followed, then, that there wasamong the greater number an almost total want of order and discipline. They came and went when and where it suited their humor best; wereimpatient of control; wasted their ammunition, of which there was agreat scarcity, in target-shooting; were far more ready to troubletheir officers with good advice than aid them by prompt obedience toorders; and, if their sagacious counsels went unheeded, they would, without more ado, shoulder their rifles in high dudgeon, and tramphome. And, withal, so tender were they of what they were pleased tocall their _honor_, that they would take it as quite an insult to beput on soldiers' rations; and were too proud or lazy--which with themwas the same thing--to carry their own provisions while on the march;choosing, rather, to risk what chance might bring them, in the shapeof bullocks, sheep, or pigs, which they would knock down, without a"By your leave" to the owner, and, after eating as much as satisfiedtheir present hunger, would throw the rest away. Thus, between theirwasteful defenders and their wasting invaders, the poor distressedinhabitants were brought to the verge of starvation. 

The forts were too far apart to prevent the Indians from passingbetween; and the garrisons were too weak to lend each other aid whenany of them chanced to be in hard, besetting need. This plan of givingdefence to the border had been strongly opposed by Washington, whoforesaw the disadvantages just hinted at, and had urged the exactcontrary. This was, instead of having so many small forts, with but ahandful of men in each, to fortify Winchester in the completest mannerpossible, with a view of making it the only stronghold andrallying-point of all the border, and to be manned by the main body ofthe troops, who were to give support to the smaller parties in theirexcursions against the enemy. Long before the war was ended, it wasclearly to be seen, that, had this plan been adopted, much uselessexpenditure of money and shedding of blood would have been avoided. Asit was, the cunning and watchful foe, whose motions were swift as thebirds, and secret as death, could pass between these forts, not onlyunopposed, but even unobserved, and, without let or hinderance, laywaste the country for the protection of which they had been built. Under this most melancholy state of things, all the region west of theBlue Ridge was fast becoming the dreary and silent wilderness it hadbeen in days gone by. Scarcely a shadow of its former population wasleft: some had fled to the forts for refuge; some had resettled in theeastern parts of the province; some had been carried away into cruelcaptivity; and many, very many, had met with a horrible death at thehands of the merciless invaders. 

As if all this we have just related were not enough to try thepatience and fortitude of young Washington, evil reports, injurious tohis character, and charging him with being the author of all thesefailures and calamities, were set agoing by secret enemies at home. Foremost among these, you will be surprised and sorry to learn, wasGov. Dinwiddie, who had for some time past regarded with a jealous andenvious eye this rising hope of the land, and was now seeking, by avariety of underhand means, to have him disgraced from the service, that Col. Innez, a particular chum of his, might be advanced to thechief command of the Virginia troops instead. The lower offices of thearmy he was zealous to bestow upon a knot of needy adventurers, who, being Scotchmen like himself, were in high favor with him, andscrupled not to make his likes and dislikes their own, if, by sodoing, they could further their own private advantage. Perhaps Gov. Dinwiddie himself may not have been the direct author of thesereports; but it is quite certain that his hungry hangers-on wouldnever have dared whisper them had they not been fully aware of theill-will he bore the person by whose injury they hoped to profit, andthat they had but to do the thing, when their patron would not onlywink at it, but even give it his secret approval. 

When these malicious whisperings came to the ears of Washington, hewas stung to the quick by such unfair and unmerited treatment. Feelingassured in his own conscience that he had done his whole duty as faras in him lay, all his strong and manly nature was roused to indignantanger, that his fair name should thus become the target of thesearrows flying in the dark, without an opportunity being allowed him ofa fair and open hearing in his own defence. He would have left theservice at once, --the very end his enemies had been plotting so hardto bring about, --had not the frontier settlements, just at thatmoment, been threatened with more than usual peril; and to havedeserted his post at such a time would have given his accusers realgrounds for the charges, which heretofore had been but a merepretence. Before the immediate danger was past that kept him at hispost, many of his warmest and most influential friends, residing indifferent parts of the province, had written to him, earnestlyentreating him not to think of resigning his command; assuring him, atthe same time, that the base slanders of those evil-minded men hadfound no place whatever in the minds of his fellow-countrymen. On thecontrary, beholding the courage, patience, and humanity with which hewas discharging the high and sacred duties they had intrusted to him, they felt their love for him, and confidence in him, increasing everyday. With this gratifying assurance that his conduct and motives wererightly understood by those whose approbation he was most desirous ofwinning, Washington now held on his course with renewed hope andspirit. 

Thenceforward, Gov. Dinwiddie, as if to revenge himself for thisfailure of his base and selfish design, never let an opportunity slipof thwarting or annoying the man whose high public character his pettymalice could not reach, and whose private worth his mean envy couldnot tarnish. His letters to Washington, the tone of which heretoforehad been uncivil enough, now became harsh and insolent, full offault-finding, and bristling all over with biting reproofs and unmanlyinsinuations. Although wretchedly ignorant of military matters, and ata distance from the seat of active operations, yet he must needs takeupon himself the full control of all the troops of the province, without seeming to trouble his mind as to what might be the wishes andopinions of him who was in fact their true leader. Whether from aspiteful desire to perplex the object of his dislike, or naturalfickleness of character, every letter from him brought with it somenew plan. To-day, he ordered this; to-morrow, he ordered that; and, the next day, upset the other two by something quite different fromeither: so that Washington was often left completely in the dark asto what the uncertain meddler's wishes or plans really were. 

At last, from being thus harassed in mind by these petty annoyances, and worn in body by the hardships of such rough service, his healthfailed him; and he was advised to repair to Mount Vernon, and thereremain until his disease should take a more favorable turn. Here helay for four long, weary months, before he could rejoin big regiment;during much of which time, his friends, who nursed and watched him, really regarded his recovery as doubtful. This is another instance ofwhat so often seems to us a matter of wonder, --the power of anarrow-minded, mean-spirited, ill-tempered, false-hearted man toinflict pain on a noble and lofty nature. 

A short time before the close of the war, it becoming quite certainthat he had been putting public money, intrusted to his keeping, toprivate or dishonorable uses, Gov. Dinwiddie was recalled, and anothersent over to fill his place. Being the man here described, and a pettytyrant withal, nobody was sorry to see him go, except the needytoadies who had hung about him, and who, seeing that nothing waslikely to turn up for them in the New World, packed off to Scotlandwith their patron, as hungry and empty-handed as they came. 

By the by, I must not forget to tell you of the heroic conduct of oldLord Fairfax. Greenway Court, as you no doubt remember, was in theShenandoah Valley, not many miles from Winchester; and, situated onthe very edge of a vast forest, was quite open to the inroads of theIndians, any one of whom, would have risked limb or life to get hisbloody clutches on the gray scalp of so renowned a Long Knife. To meetthis danger, as well as do his part towards the general defence, hemustered his hunters and negro servants, to the number of a hundred orthereabouts, and formed them at his own expense into a company ofhorse, with which the keen old fox-hunter, now as daring a trooper, scoured the country from time to time, and did good service. 

XX. 

A NEW ENTERPRISE. 

And thus these melancholy years came and went, with all their dark andpainful experiences. A firm and self-reliant spirit like Washington's, however, could not be long cast down by even severer trials than thoseby which we have just seen his strength and manhood tested: so, fromthat time forward, come what might, he resolved to hold right on, norbate a jot of heart or hope or zeal or patience, till the coming-on ofbetter days, when, God willing, he might render a good and faithfulaccount of this, his country's trust. 

But the little folks must not suppose that Col. Washington and Gov. Dinwiddie were by any means the only persons of consequence whofigured in this Old French War. On the contrary, there were others offar more importance at the time than they, not so much from anypeculiar merit of their own, as from the part they played in thoseevents; and upon whom, as such, I must needs bestow some passingnotice, were it but to give to our story greater clearness andcompleteness. What concerns you to know of them at present I willbriefly sum up in a few words, and make it as plain to you as a tableof simple addition. 

As Commander-in-chief of all the British forces in America, Braddock, as I have told you elsewhere, was succeeded by Gen. Shirley; who, proving himself unfit for the place, was soon recalled, and LordLoudoun sent over from England instead; who, proving himself equallyunfit, was dealt with in the same manner, and Gen. Abercrombie sentover instead; who also, proving himself incompetent, was alsorecalled, and Gen. Amherst sent over; who, proving a wiser choice, there followed happier results; and it fell to him, and to the braveyoung general, Wolfe, his next in rank, to bring this long and irksomewar, in due course of time, to a glorious end. After the failure ofBraddock's designs against Fort Duquesne, the conquest of Canada wasmade the chief object of the British Government; and the regions ofthe North thenceforth became the seat of war. While our young Virginiacolonel, making the best use of the slender means allowed him, wasstruggling to keep back the pestilent savages and their pestilentwhite allies from his long line of frontier in the South and West, some of these leaders with their red allies, and some of the Frenchleaders with their red allies, were, with various fortunes andmisfortunes on either side, carrying on the war along the borders ofthe great Lake Ontario, the little Lakes Champlain and George, and upand down the mighty St. Lawrence. 

Of these English leaders, I will mention Lord Loudoun merely, as beingthe only one with whom Washington had any special dealings. Had thisnobleman come up to the hopes and expectations which many of thecolonists were at first wild enough to entertain respecting him, hewould have regained what Braddock had lost, overrun and conqueredCanada, and made a clean finish of the whole French empire in America, in less than six months' time. They soon discovered, however, that hewas one of those unlucky persons, who, knowing much, seldom know whatuse to make of their knowledge; who, having no will that they can calltheir own, can never turn the will of others to any good or seasonablepurpose; and who, making a great show of doing, have never any thingto show in the end what they have done. In this last particular, Dr. Franklin, with that peculiar humor all his own, likened him to thepicture of St. George on the sign, that was always on horseback, butnever riding on. 

Now, the recapture of Fort Duquesne, ever since the disgracefulfailure of that first attempt, had been the one object nearest toWashington's heart. Foreseeing that there could never be peace orsafety for the back settlements of the middle provinces so long asthis stronghold of the enemy sent out its savage swarms to scourgeand waste the border, he had repeatedly called Lord Loudoun'sattention to the fact, and most earnestly urged its seizure as theonly remedy. It was not, however, until early in the autumn of 1758, that an expedition, having for its object his long-cherished scheme, was set on foot. It was undertaken with a force of three thousandPennsylvanians, twelve hundred North Carolinians, Washington'sdetachment of nineteen hundred Virginians, seven hundred Indians, anda few hundred regulars, --numbering in all seven thousand men, orthereabouts, --with Gen. Forbes for their chief commander. 

As an easy and rapid communication between the back settlements ofVirginia and Pennsylvania would greatly lessen the difficulties of thecoming campaign, this officer caused a road to be opened between FortCumberland and Raystown, a frontier post of the last-named province, where he had fixed his headquarters. Before the expedition could beput in motion, it was necessary that Col. Washington should go toWilliamsburg to make known to the Virginia Legislature the needycondition of his soldiers, and make a call upon them for freshsupplies of tents, blankets, clothing, wagons, arms, &c. 

Accordingly, attended by his trusty negro servant Bishop, and mountedon his splendid white charger, --both of which had been bequeathed tohim by poor Braddock, --he set out on his journey, which proved aneventful one indeed to him, as you shall directly see. At the ferry ofthe Pamunkey, a branch of York River, he fell in with Mr. Chamberlin, an acquaintance of his, who, according to the hospitable customs ofthose good old times, invited him to call at his house, not fardistant, and be his honored guest till morning. The young colonelwould be only too happy to do so: but the nature of his business wassuch as would not admit of an hour's delay; indeed, it was quite outof the question, and he must hasten on. But, his friend repeating theinvitation in a manner too earnest to be mistaken, he felt it would beuncourteous to refuse; and consented to stop and dine with him; oncondition, however, that he should be allowed to proceed on hisjourney that same evening. At his friend's hospitable mansion he metwith a gay and brilliant throng of ladies and gentlemen, who, thoughstrangers to him, knew him well by reputation, and were but too proudto be thus unexpectedly thrown in his company. Among them was Mrs. Martha Custis, a young and beautiful widow of good family and largefortune. Her husband had died three years before; leaving her with twosmall children, a girl and a boy. She is said to have been a lady ofmost winning and engaging manners, and of an excellent and cultivatedunderstanding. In stature she was a little below middle size, and of around and extremely well-proportioned form; which, on this occasion, was set off to the best advantage by a dress of rich blue silk. Herhair was dark; her features were pleasing and regular; and there was alook of earnest, womanly softness in her hazel eyes, that found itsway at once to the heart and confidence of all on whom it chanced torest. 

The little folks will not, I hope, suffer their admiration and respectfor our young hero to be lessened in the least, if I tell them, that, like the rest of mankind who came within the magic circle of thosebewitching charms, he was first surprised into admiration, and thenled, whether or no, at a single step, into the enchanted realms oflove. You have seen, how that, in his boyhood, he wrote broken-heartedverses to his Lowland Beauty; and how that, two or three years before, he had nearly yielded himself captive to the beautiful Miss Phillipps:which ought to prove to the satisfaction of all reasonable minds, thatWashington, like other men, had a heart of real human flesh, that nowand then gave him not a little trouble, despite that grave anddignified reserve which hung about him like a spell, and, even at thatearly age, was something to many quite overawing. The dinner, that hadat first, in his hurry, seemed so long in coming on, seemed now quiteas fast in going off. Not that I would have you suppose by this, thathe thought the guests were showing any indecent haste to make way withthe dishes that were set before them without number, and heaped upwithout measure, on Mr. Chamberlin's ample board. On the contrary, they partook of the good things of the table with a well-bredslowness, that would have been beyond his endurance to bear, had Marsbeen thundering with his iron fist at the gates of his fortress. Butas it was Cupid, only tapping with his rosy knuckles at the casementof his heart, that dinner seemed no longer to him than, no, not halfso long indeed as, the shortest snack he had ever eaten on horsebackin the hurry of a forced march. The dinner over, Washington seemed inno haste to depart. 

The trusty Bishop, knowing well what a punctual man his master alwayswas, had appeared, according to orders, with the horses; and wasplainly enough to be seen from the parlor window, had any one cared tolook that way, patiently waiting with them in the pleasant shade of anapple-tree. The fiery white charger soon began to paw the ground, impatient at his master's unwonted tardiness; but no rider came. Bishop Braddock shifted his place once, twice, thrice, to keep himselfand horses in the shade of the apple-tree; but still his masterlingered: and the ivory grin that settled by degrees on his ebony mugshowed that he had a sly suspicion of what was going on in the house. The afternoon sped away as if old Time, all of a sudden forgetting hisrheumatism, had reached sunset at a single stride. Of course, theywould not suffer him to depart at this late hour: so Bishop wasordered to restable the horses, and make himself easy and snug for thenight with the colored folks down at their quarters. The next morning, the sun was hours on his journey to the west, before our love-smittenhero was on his way to Williamsburg. 

Once in the saddle, however, all his yesterday's impatience returnedupon him with redoubled force; and, giving his fiery white charger thespur, he dashed away at a break-neck speed on the road to the Virginiacapital. It is said, so fast did he travel on that day, that, to keepup with him, Bishop Braddock ran serious risk of having his woolly nobshaken from his shoulders by the high, hard trotter he rode; and sosore was he made by the jolting he got, that, for a week thereafter, it was quite as much as he could do to bring his legs together. Thislast, by the way, is merely traditional, and must be received by thelittle folks with some caution. 

Luckily, the White House, the residence of Mrs. Custis, was situatedwithin a very few miles of Williamsburg; which gave young Washingtonmany opportunities, during his two-weeks' stay at that place, ofseeing her, and still further cultivating her acquaintance. Experience, that sage teacher who never spoke to him in vain, hadtaught him, that although there are many blessings of this world whichseem to come of their own accord, yet there are a few that never comeexcept at the asking for; and the chiefest of these is woman's love. So, resolving to profit by this knowledge, he did precisely what anywise and reasonable man would have done in his place, --overcame histroublesome bashfulness, and made the lady an offer of marriage; whichshe, precisely as any wise and reasonable woman would have done in herplace, modestly accepted. The business that had called him toWilliamsburg being at last disposed of, Washington took leave of hisintended, after it had been agreed between them to keep up aninterchange of letters until the close of the present campaign, whenthey were to be united in the holy bonds of wedlock. 

Upon his return to Winchester, he was dismayed to find that theEnglish generals had taken it into their inexperienced heads to cut anew road from Raystown to Fort Duquesne by the way of Laurel Hill, instead of marching there at once by the old Braddock Road, as henaturally supposed had been their intention from the beginning. Foreseeing the consequences, he, in an earnest and forcible manner, hastened to represent to them the difficulties and disadvantages ofsuch an undertaking. Cold weather would be setting in, he urged, longbefore they could cut their way through so many miles of that mountainwilderness to the point in question; and they would be obliged eitherto winter at Laurel Hill, or fall back upon the settlements untilspring. This would give the enemy time to get full intelligence oftheir threatened danger, and send to Canada for re-enforcements. TheirIndian allies too, as was their wont, would grow impatient at the longdelay that must needs attend this plan if carried out; and, returningto their homes in disgust, would fail to render to the expeditiontheir valuable services as scouts and spies, as had been expected ofthem. On the other hand, by taking the old road, they could marchdirectly to the fort; which, being at that time but feebly garrisoned, must fall almost without a blow, and this, too, in less than half thetime, and with less than half the trouble and expense. This prudentcounsel, coming from one, who, from his knowledge of the country, hadso good a right to give it, was nevertheless overruled. The Englishgenerals had gathered a most appalling idea of the difficulties anddangers of this route from the account Braddock had given of it in hisletters. He had therein described it as lying through a region wherethe mountains were of the highest and steepest, the forests of thethickest and tallest, the rocks of the most huge and rugged, theswamps of the deepest, and the torrents of the swiftest. The route forthe new road, on the contrary, according to the Pennsylvanians, whosaw in it a great advantage to themselves, lay through a region wherethe mountains were not by far so lofty, the woods so thick, the rocksso huge, the swamps so deep, nor the streams so swift, or half sogiven to running rampant over their banks. All these advantages thisroute had, besides being fifty miles shorter. So, under the mistakennotion that more was to be gained by following a short road that wouldtake them a long time in getting over, than by following a long onethat would take them but a short time in getting over, they resolvedto cut the new road. 

This was a sore disappointment to Col. Washington; for he saw in it alikelihood of Braddock's folly being played all over again, and that, too, on a still larger scale. The tidings of glorious victories won byBritish arms in the North had filled the whole country with triumphand rejoicing, that rendered him all the more impatient at thetardiness with which their own expedition was moving forward. "Hewished to rival the successes of the North by some brilliant blow inthe South. Perhaps a desire for personal distinction in the eyes ofthe lady of his choice may have been at the bottom of his impatience. "This last, it is but fair to say, is an assertion of our greatcountryman, Washington Irving; who, being a wise and learnedhistorian, would not have made it, you may be sure, had not his deepinsight into the workings of the human heart given him a perfect rightso to do. If this be not enough to convince you that such was reallythe case, know that your Uncle Juvinell is entirely of the sameopinion. 

XXI. 

MORE BLUNDERING. 

At last, about the middle of September, the expedition was set inmotion. Gen. Forbes sent Col. Boquet in advance, with nearly twothousand men, to open and level the road. In order to get more certaininformation touching the condition of the enemy, --his number, strength, and probable designs, --it was thought advisable by some ofthe officers to send out a large party of observation in the directionof Fort Duquesne. It was to be made up of British regulars, ScotchHighlanders, and Pennsylvania and Virginia rangers, --eight hundredpicked men in all. Washington strongly disapproved the plan, on theground that the regulars, being wholly unacquainted with the Indianmode of fighting, and unable to operate at so great a distance withouttaking with them a cumbrous train of baggage, would prove ahinderance, instead of a furtherance, to an enterprise which mustneeds owe its success to the caution, silence, secrecy, and swiftnesson the part of those engaged. He therefore advised the sending-out ofsmall companies of rangers and Indian hunters, who, knowing thecountry well, could spy out the enemy with less risk of detection tothemselves, and, moving without baggage, could make far better speedwith the tidings they may have gathered. The like advice, you mayremember, he gave to Braddock. It met with a like reception, and thelike disaster was the consequence. 

The party set out from Laurel Hill, and began its tedious tramp acrossthe fifty miles of wilderness that lay between that point and FortDuquesne. It was headed by Major Grant, a noisy, blustering braggart, who, hankering after notoriety rather than seeking praise for dutywell and faithfully done, went beyond the limits of his instructions;which were simply to find out all he could about the enemy, withoutsuffering the enemy to find out more than he could help about himself, and, by all possible means, to avoid a battle. But, instead ofconducting the expedition with silence and circumspection, he marchedalong in so open and boisterous a manner, as made it appear he meantto give the enemy timely notice of his coming, and bully him into anattack even while yet on the way. The French, keeping themselves wellinformed, by their spies, of his every movement, suffered him toapproach almost to their very gates without molestation. When he gotin the neighborhood of the fort, he posted himself on a hilloverlooking it, and began throwing up intrenchments in full view ofthe garrison. As if all this were not imprudence enough, and as ifbent on provoking the enemy to come out and give him battle on theinstant, whether or no, he sent down a party of observation to spy outyet more narrowly the inside plan and defences of the fort; who weresuffered not only to do this, but even to burn a house just outsidethe walls, and then return to their intrenchments, without a hostilesign betokening the unseen foe so silent yet watchful within. 

Early the next morning, as if to give the enemy warning of thethreatened danger, the drums of the regulars beat the _réveille_, andthe bagpipes of the Highlanders woke the forest-echoes far and widewith their wild and shrilly din. All this time, not a gun had beenfired from the fort. The deathly silence that reigned within wasmistaken for fear, and made the fool-hardy Grant so audacious as tofancy that he had but to raise his finger, and the fort must fall. AsBraddock's day had begun with martial parade and music, so likewisedid this. As on that day the regulars were sent in advance, while theVirginians were left in the rear to guard the baggage, so was likewisedone on this. On this day, as on that, not an enemy was to be seen, till, all of a sudden, a quick and heavy firing was opened upon themby Indians lurking in ambush on either side; while, at the samemoment, the French flung open their gates, and, rushing out, mingledtheir loud shouts with the horrid yells of their savage allies. Onthis day, as had been done on that, the regulars, surprised, bewildered, panic-stricken, were thrown at once into disorder, andbegan firing their pieces at random, killing friend as well as foe. Unlike them, however, the Highlanders stood their ground like men, and, fighting bravely, cheered each other with their slogan, or wildbattle-cry. On this day, as on that, the Virginians came up in thevery nick of time to rescue the helpless regulars from utterdestruction. On this, as on Braddock's day, the Indians, seeing thehopeless confusion into which the English had fallen, rushed out fromtheir ambush with yells of triumph, and fell upon them, tomahawk andscalping-knife in hand. Major Lewis, the brave leader of theVirginians, fought hand to hand with a tall warrior, whom he laid deadat his feet; but, soon overpowered by numbers, he was forced tosurrender himself to a French officer, who received his sword. Theblustering Grant, more lucky than the headstrong Braddock, saved hislife by yielding himself up in like manner. 

And now the rout became general, and the slaughter dreadful. Seeingthe unlooked-for turn affairs had taken, Capt. Bullitt, whom MajorLewis had left to guard the baggage, gathered a few of his braveVirginians about him, and prepared to make a desperate stand. Sendingback the strongest horses with the baggage, he blocked up the roadwith the wagons, and, behind the barricade thus formed, posted hismen, to whom he gave a few brief orders how to act. These scantypreparations were hardly made, when the Indians, having finished thework of plunder, had sprung into swift pursuit, and were now closeupon them, the wild woods ringing with their terrible whoops andyells. When they had come within short rifle-range, Capt. Bullitt andhis men met them with a well-aimed volley of musketry from behind theshelter of their wagons; which, however, checked the savages but for amoment. Rallying on the instant, they were pressing forward in stillgreater numbers; when Capt. Bullitt held out a signal of surrender, and came out from behind the barricade at the head of his men, as ifto lay down their arms: but no sooner were they within eight yards ofthe enemy, and near enough to see the fierce light that shone in theireyes, than they suddenly levelled their pieces, and poured a murderousfire into the thickest of them; then, charging bayonets, scatteredthem in every direction, and sent them yelling with astonishment anddismay. Before they could rally again, and renew the pursuit, Capt. Bullitt, having picked up many more of the fugitives, began a rapidbut orderly retreat. 

For several days thereafter, the fugitives, singly or in squads, camestraggling into camp at Loyal Hannon. Of the eight hundred picked menwho had been sent out with such good promise of success, twentyofficers and two hundred and seventy-three privates had been leftbehind, either killed or taken prisoners. The whole force of theenemy, French and Indians, did not exceed that of the English: theirloss in the battle is not known; but, as the Highlanders fought welland the Virginians fought well, it must have been heavy. The disasterforeboded by Washington had thus in reality fallen upon them. He wasat Raystown when the dismal tidings came; and, although complimentedby Gen. Forbes upon the bravery his rangers had displayed, was deeplygrieved and mortified. In secret, many a man would have been gratifiedat beholding a prophecy he had uttered thus fulfilled; but Washington, incapable of such selfish and unnatural vanity, could but sorrowthereat, although it must needs increase his reputation for foresightand sagacity. As the only good thing that came from this defeat, Imust tell you (and you will be glad to hear it) that Capt. Bullitt wasrewarded with a major's commission for the gallant and soldierlyconduct he had shown on that disastrous day in the midst of suchfearful perils. 

It was not until the middle of November that the whole army came up toLoyal Hannon, a little distance beyond Laurel Hill. Winter was comingon apace. What with rain and snow and frost, the roads would soon berendered impassable, not only to wheeled carriages, but to pack-horsesalso. Fifty miles of unbroken wilderness lay between them and FortDuquesne, --so long the goal of their hopes and toils, that seemed torecede as they advanced, like some enchanted castle we have read ofbefore now in books of fairy tales, that poor benighted travellersnever reach, although, in fancy, every step they take brings themnearer. The leaders began to talk seriously of going intowinter-quarters at that place until the return of spring; and itseemed as if another of Washington's prophecies were likely to befulfilled. But, about this time, two prisoners from Fort Duquesne werebrought into camp; from whom they drew such an account of the weaknessof the French, and the discontent and daily desertions of their Indianallies, as determined them to push forward without further delay, inspite of the wintry weather, and, at one fell blow, make a finish ofthe campaign. So, leaving behind them their tents and baggage, andtaking with them but a few pieces of light artillery, they once moreresumed their toilsome march. Col. Washington was ordered to go on inadvance with a part of his detachment, to throw out scouts andscouting parties, who were to scour the woods in every direction, andthereby prevent the possibility of an ambuscade. This new arrangement, which showed that Gen. Forbes had the wisdom to profit by the folly ofthose who had gone before him, was a signal proof of the high esteemin which provincial troops were at last beginning to be held; and towhich, by their courage, skill, and hardihood, they had, even yearsbefore, won so just a title. 

When within a few miles of the French fort, the road began to showsigns of the late disaster. Here and there were to be seen theblackened and mangled bodies of men, who, while fleeing for theirlives, had been overtaken, and cut down by the murderous tomahawk; or, exhausted from the loss of blood, had there, by the lonely wayside, laid them down to die of their wounds. As they advanced, these ghastlytokens of defeat and massacre were to be met with at shorter andshorter intervals, till at length they lay thickly scattered about theground. 

Being now in close neighborhood with the enemy, the English moved witheven greater caution and wariness than before; for they had everyreason to suspect, that, as he had suffered them to come thus farwithout molestation, he meant to meet them here, under shelter of hisstronghold, with a resistance all the move determined. When come insight, however, what was their surprise, instead of beholding the highramparts and strong walls, grim and frowning with cannon, which theyhad pictured to their minds, to find a heap of blackened and smokingruins!

Deserted by his Indian allies, threatened with famine, cut off fromall hope of aid from the North (where the English were everywheregaining ground), and with a force of but five hundred men wherewith todefend the post against ten times that number, the French general hadseen that the attempt to hold it would be but folly; and, like aprudent officer, had resolved to abandon it as his only chance ofsafety. Waiting, therefore, until the English were within a day'smarch of the place, he blew up the magazine, set fire to the works, and, embarking in his bateaux by the light of the flames, retreateddown the Ohio. 

Col. Washington, still leading the advance, was the first to enter;and, with his own hand planting the British banner on the stillsmouldering heaps, took formal possession thereof in the name of hisBritannic majesty, King George the Second. And thus this stronghold ofFrench power in the Ohio Valley, so long the pest and terror of theborder, fell without a blow. Under the name of Fort Pitt, it was soonrebuilt, and garrisoned with two hundred of Washington's men; and, from that time to the war of the Revolution, it was held by theEnglish, chiefly as a trading-post; and hence the dingy, smoky, noisy, thriving, fast young city of Pittsburg. 

They now had leisure to pay the last sad duty to the dead who hadfallen in the two defeats of Braddock and Grant. For three long years, the bodies of Braddock's slaughtered men had lain without Christianburial, bleaching in the sun of as many summers, and shrouded in thesnows of as many winters. Mingled with the bones of oxen and horses, or half hidden in heaps of autumn leaves, they lay scattered about thestony hillsides, --a spectacle ghastly indeed, and most melancholy tobehold. With many a sigh of pity for the hapless dead, and many ashudder of dark remembrance on the part of those who had been presentat the scenes of rout and massacre, they gathered together theblackened corpses of Grant's men and the whitened bones of Braddock'smen, and, digging a huge pit, buried them in one common grave. In thispious duty all took part alike, from the general down to the commonsoldier. 

With the fall of Fort Duquesne, ended, as Washington had years agoforeseen, the troubles of the Western and Southern frontiers, and withit the power so long held by the French in the Ohio Valley. TheIndians, with that fickleness of mind peculiar to savage races, nowhastened to offer terms of amity and peace to the party whom thefortunes of war had left uppermost. 

Having done his part, and so large a part, towards the restoration ofquiet and security to his native province, the cherished object of hisheart, for which he had so faithfully and manfully struggled, Washington resolved to bring his career as a soldier to a close. Inhis very soul, he was sick and weary of strife, and longed for peace. The scenes of violence and bloodshed had become loathing and painfulto him beyond the power of words to tell; and, now that his countryhad no longer need of his services, he felt that he could, withoutreproach, retire to the tranquil shades of private life he loved somuch, and had looked forward to with such earnest longings. Hetherefore, at the end of the year, gave up his commission, and leftthe service, followed by the admiration and affection of his soldiers, and the applause and gratitude of his fellow-countrymen. 

With the fall of Quebec in the course of the following year (1759), this long and eventful Old French War was brought to a close, andFrench empire in America was at an end. 

XXII. 

WASHINGTON AT HOME. 

Having done all that a brave and prudent man could for his country'swelfare, Col. Washington now lost no time, you may depend upon it, indoing what every wise and prudent man should for his own: by which youare to understand, that on the sixth day of January, 1759, when hewanted but a few weeks of completing his twenty-seventh year, he wasjoined in the holy bonds of marriage with Mrs. Martha Custis, theblooming and lovely young widow, and mother of the two interestinglittle children, --to all of whom you had a slight introduction a shorttime ago. 

The nuptials were celebrated at the White House, the home of thebride, in the presence of a goodly company of stately dames and fineold gentlemen, fair maidens and handsome youth, --the kith and kin andloving friends of the wedded pair. Had some belated traveller beenovertaken by the little hours of that night, as he chanced to passthat way, he might have guessed, from the soft, warm light that shonefrom all of the many windows, and sounds of sweet music that camethrough the open doors, mingled with peals of joyous laughter, and thelight tripping of numerous feet in the merry dance, that it must be amuch-beloved and fortunate couple indeed that could draw together sohappy and brilliant a throng under that hospitable roof. Had this samebelated traveller wanted further proof of this, he had but to turn alittle aside, and take a peep into the negro quarters, where he wouldhave seen the colored folks in a jubilee over the grand occasion, and, to all appearances, quite as jolly as if the wedding had been anaffair of their own getting-up, and in which each son and daughter ofebony had a personal interest. He would have seen them feasting on theabundant leavings that came down from the great house, till theirfaces shone again; and dancing to the music of Bishop Braddock'sfiddle in a fashion all their own, and nobody's else. 

First and foremost among these, with his wool combed the highest, hisbreeches the reddest, and manners the genteelest, might have beenspied Black Jerry (who, when a negroling, had been saved from athrashing by little George, as you well remember), showing off hisheels to the envy of all male and the admiration of all femalebeholders. This last, it is but fair to say, is merely a fancy sketchof your Uncle Juvinell's, conjured up by recollections of certain longtalks he often had, when a boy, with Black Jerry himself, at that timea very old negro of most excellent morals, who never failed, when hishonored master's name was mentioned, to show his yellow ivory, and, for very respect, uncover his head, the wool of which was then aswhite as a Merino ram's. 

This joyous event having passed thus happily off, Col. Washington, ashort time after, repaired to Williamsburg to take his seat in theVirginia Legislature, or House of Burgesses as it was then called, towhich he had been elected while absent on the last campaign; without, however, any particular desire or effort on his part, but by that ofhis numerous friends. Hardly had his name been enrolled as a member ofthat honorable body, when Mr. Robinson, Speaker of the House, byprevious agreement arose and addressed him in a short but eloquentspeech; thanking him, in the name of the rest, for the many andvaluable services he had rendered his country during the past fiveyears, and setting forth the gratitude and esteem with which he wasregarded by his fellow-countrymen. Surprised out of his usualcomposure and self-possession by the honor thus unexpectedly done him, Washington, upon rising to thank the House, could only blush, stammer, and stand trembling, without the power to utter a single word. Seeinghis painful embarrassment, Mr. Robinson hastened to his relief bysaying with a courteous smile, "Sit down, Mr. Washington: your modestyequals your valor; and that surpasses the power of any language Ipossess. " From that time till near the breaking-cut of theRevolution, --a period of fifteen years, he remained an active andinfluential member of this body; being returned from year to year bythe united voice of the good people whose district he represented. Always thorough in whatever he undertook, he rested not until he hadmade himself muster of every point and question touching the duties ofhis new office; and, for method, promptness, prudence, and sagacity, soon proved himself quite as good a civilian as he had been a soldier. 

Early in the following spring, his first session ended, he betookhimself to the sweet retirement of Mount Vernon; where, cheered by thecompany of his beautiful young wife and her interesting littlechildren, he once more resumed those peaceful pursuits and innocentamusements to which he had looked forward with such brightanticipations amidst the perils and hardships of a soldier's life. War, as war, had already, young and ardent as he was, lost for him itscharms; and he had learned to look upon it as a hard and terriblenecessity, ever to be avoided, except in cases where the safety of hiscountry should demand it as a last desperate remedy. Unlike most menof a bold and adventurous disposition, he all his life long took thegreatest pleasure in the pursuits of a husbandman; and, to his mannerof thinking, there was no lot or calling in life so happy, and nonemore honorable. Having now ample time for the indulgence of histastes, he set about improving and beautifying his plantations, ofwhich he had several, in the most approved style of that day. Heplanted orchards of various fruits; set his hillsides in grass;drained his marshes, and turned them into rich meadow-lands; builtmills and blacksmith-shops; enlarged his family mansion to a sizebetter befitting his elegant and hospitable style of living; adornedthe grounds about it with shrubbery, trees, and gardens; and convertedthe wild woods hard by into open and verdant parks. To his negroslaves he was the kindest of masters; ever mindful of their comfort, and extremely careful of them in sickness. Being of industrious habitshimself, he would not make the least grain of allowance for sloth oridleness in them, or indeed in any one about him, but was strict inexacting of them the speedy and full performance of their allottedtasks; which, however, he always took care should come under ratherthan up to the measure of their strength. In his business habits, hewas methodical to a nicety; kept his own books, and was his ownoverseer: for, having a strong aversion to being waited on, he neversuffered others to do for him what he could do for himself. He kept aclose and clear account, in writing, of the profits arising from thegrain, tobacco, and other produce of his lands; and also the amount ofhis personal, household, and plantation expenses: by which means hecould tell at a glance whether he were on the making or losing order, and readily detect whether any of whom he had dealings were given tocareless or dishonest practices. So superior was the quality of everything produced on his estate, and so widely known did he become forhis honesty and uprightness in all business transactions, that, intime, a box of tobacco or a barrel of flour marked "George Washington, Mount Vernon, Va. , " would be received into many foreign ports withoutthe custom-house authorities opening or inspecting it. 

He was an early riser. In winter, getting up before day, and lightinghis own fire, he wrote or read two or three hours by candle-light. After a frugal breakfast of two small cups of tea and four small cakesof Indian meal, he mounted his horse, and rode about his plantations;seeing to every thing with his own eye, and often lending a helpinghand. This duty done, he returned to the house at noon, and dinedheartily, as well beseemed the active, robust man that he was, yetnever exceeding the bounds of temperance and moderation both as toeating and drinking. His afternoons he usually devoted to theentertainment of his numerous guests, who thronged his hospitablemansion almost daily, and, if from a distance, abiding there for weekstogether. After a supper frugal as his breakfast, if there was nocompany in the house, he would read aloud to his family from someinstructive and entertaining book, or from the newspapers of the day;and then, at an early hour, retire to his room for the night. 

Fish and game abounded in the woods and streams of his domain, as wellas in those of the adjoining plantations; and he was thus enabled toindulge his fondness for angling and hunting to the utmost, wheneverhe felt so inclined. Two or three times a week, the shrill winding ofthe hunter's horn and the deep-mouthed baying of the fox-hounds wouldring out on the clear morning air; when he might be seen at the headof a brilliant company of mounted hunters, dashing over the fields, across the streams, and through the woods, hot on the heels of someunlucky Reynard. I should not say unlucky, however; for althoughWashington was as bold and skilful a rider as could be found inthirteen provinces, and kept the finest of horses and finest of dogs, yet, for all that, he could seldom boast of any great success as afox-hunter. But having the happy knack of making the best and most ofevery thing, be it toward or untoward, he always consoled himself withthe reflection, that, if they had failed to catch their fox, they atleast had their sport and a deal of healthful exercise; which, afterall, should be the only object of fox-hunting. On such occasions, hewas either joined by the neighboring gentry, or by such guests aschanced at the time to be enjoying the hospitalities of Mount Vernon. Among these, it was not unusual to find old Lord Fairfax, the friendand companion of his stripling days, who would come down from GreenwayCourt several times a year, with a long train of hunters and hounds, and by his presence double the mirth and cheer of all the country-sidefor miles and miles around. The fate of poor Reynard being dulysettled, they would repair either to Mount Vernon, or to the residenceof any one else of the party that chanced to be nearest, and wind upthe sports of the day by a hunting-dinner, at which they were usuallyfavored with the company of the ladies. At such times, Washington issaid to have entered so keenly into the general hilarity, as to quitelay aside his accustomed gravity and reserve, and show himself almostas jovial as the merry old lord himself. Speaking of these amusements, brings to mind an anecdote of him, which I must tell you, as it willgive you a still more lively idea of the promptness and decision withwhich he was wont to act whenever occasion demanded. 

In those old-fashioned times, among many other laws that would seemodd enough to us at the present day, there were many very strict andsevere ones for the protection of game, which made poaching (that isto say, hunting on private grounds without leave or license from theowner) no less a crime than theft, and punished the poacher as a thiefaccordingly. Now, there was a certain idle, worthless fellow, notorious for his desperate character, as being the most daringpoacher in seven counties, who was known to be much in the habit oftrespassing on the grounds belonging to Mount Vernon. This had beenforbidden him by Washington, who had warned him of the consequences ifhe did not cease his depredations, and keep at a safe distance; but tothis the sturdy vagrant gave little heed. He would cross over theriver in a canoe, which he would hide, in some secret nook best knownto himself, among the reeds and rushes that fringed the banks, andwith his fowling-piece make ruinous havoc among the canvas-back ducksthat flocked in great multitudes to the low marsh-lands of thatregion. 

[Illustration]

One day, as Washington was going his accustomed rounds about theplantations, he heard the report of a gun in the neighborhood of theriver; and, guessing what was in the wind, he forthwith spurred hishorse in that direction, and, dashing through the bushes, came uponthe culprit, just as he, paddle in hand, was pushing from the shore. The fellow, seeing his danger, cocked his gun, and, with a threateninglook, levelled it directly at Washington, who, without heeding this inthe least, rode into the water, and, seizing the canoe by the painter, dragged it ashore. Leaping then from his horse, he wrenched thefowling-piece from the astonished poacher, and fell to belaboring himin so clean and handsome a manner, as to make the unlucky wightheartily wish he had the wide Potomac between him and the terrible manwhose iron grasp was then on his collar. My word for it, he nevertrespassed again on those forbidden grounds; and I dare be sworn, henever saw or ate or smelt a canvas-back thereafter, without feeling alively smarting up and down under his jacket, and, it may be, hisbuckskin breeches too. It was not that a few dozen or even a hundredducks had been shot on his premises, that Washington was thus moved tochastise this fellow; but that, in spite of wholesome warnings, heshould go on breaking the laws of the land with such impunity; andalso, that, instead of seeking to earn an honest livelihood by thelabor of his hands, he should prefer rather to live in idleness, andgain a bare subsistence by such paltry and unlawful means. 

Although verging on to middle age, Washington was still very fond ofactive and manly sports, such as tossing the bar and throwing thesledge, wrestling, running, and jumping; in all of which he had butfew equals, and no superiors. Among other stories of his strength andagility, there is one which you may come across some day in the courseof your reading, relating how that, at a leaping-match, he clearedtwenty-two feet seven inches of dead level turf at a single bound. 

Notwithstanding his modesty and reserve, he took much pleasure insociety, and ever sought to keep up a free and social interchange ofvisits between his family and those of his neighbors. Besides theirfine horses and elegant carriages, he, and others of the old Virginiagentry of that day whose plantations lay along the Potomac, kept theirown barges or pleasure-boats, which were finished and fitted up in asumptuous style, and were sometimes rowed by as many as six negro men, all in neat uniforms. In these, they, with their wives and children, would visit each other up and down the river; and often, afterlengthening out their calls far into the night, would row home by thelight of the moon, which, lending charms that the sun had not to thetranquil flow of the winding stream, and to the waving woods thatcrowned the banks on either hand, caused them often to linger, asloath to quit the enchanting scene. A few weeks of the winter monthswere usually spent by Mr. And Mrs. Washington either at Williamsburgor at Annapolis, then, as now, the capital of Maryland, where was tobe found the best society of the provinces, and of which they were thepride and ornament. Here they entered into the gayeties of the season, such as dinners and balls, with much real relish; and, if the theatreadded its attractions to the rest, Washington always made it a pointto attend, as the entertainments there offered were of the sort thatafforded him much delight. Nor was he loath to join in the dance; andyour Uncle Juvinell, when a boy, had the rare fortune of meeting, nowand then, with stately old dames, who had been belles in their days, and could boast of having had him for a partner; but, at the sametime, they were wont to confess, that they were generally too muchoverawed by the gravity and dignity of his demeanor to feel entirelyat their ease in his company, however flattered they may have been atthe honor, which he, in his modesty, so little dreamed he was doingthem. 

Washington's marriage was never blessed with children; but he was allthat a father could be to those of Mrs. Washington, whom he loved andcherished as tenderly as if they had been his own. As their guardian, he had the care of their education, and also the entire control of theimmense fortune, amounting, in negroes, land, and money, to nearly twohundred thousand dollars, left them by their father, Mr. GeorgeCustis; and lovingly and faithfully did he discharge this sacred anddelicate trust. Of these two children, the daughter (who was theyounger of the two) died, in early maidenhood, of consumption. She hadbeen of a slender constitution from her childhood; but, for all that, her death was an unexpected stroke, and was long and deeply mourned byMrs. Washington and her husband. He is said to have been absent duringher illness; but, returning a short time before she breathed her last, was so overcome with pity and tenderness upon seeing the sad changewrought in so brief a space by this dreadful disease in her fair youngface and delicate form, that he threw himself upon his knees by herbedside, and, in a passionate burst of grief, poured out a ferventprayer for her recovery. The son now became the sole object ofparental love and solicitude; and being, like his sister, of frail anduncertain health, was a source of much affectionate anxiety to hisstep-father as well as to his mother. 

Both Mr. And Mrs. Washington were members of the Episcopal Church, andpersons of the truest Christian piety. Every sabbath, when the roadsand weather permitted, they attended divine worship either atAlexandria or at a church in their own neighborhood, and always tookpart in the religious exercises of the day with earnest and solemndevotion. In addition to the many charms of mind and person alreadymentioned, Mrs. Washington was a woman of great benevolence, and spentmuch of her time in acts of kindness and charity, which won her thelove and gratitude of every poor family in the country around. 

Thus passed away fifteen tranquil years, --the white days ofWashington's life. When we behold him as he was then, in the fullstrength and beauty of his ripened manhood, possessed of one ofthe handsomest fortunes in America, living in the bountiful andelegant style of those hospitable times, the pride and honor ofhis native province, the object of applause and gratitude to hisfellow-countrymen, and of esteem and love to all whose privilege itwas to call him friend; and, above all, blessed, in the partner of hischoice, with a woman gifted with every grace and virtue that can adornher sex, --when we behold him thus, well may we exclaim, "Verily, herewas a man favored of Heaven in a special manner, and blessed beyondthe lot of common mortals here below. " But the clouds were gathering, and had long been gathering, that were soon to burst in storm andtempest over that happy and rising young land, and force him formany, many weary years from those, his loved retreats and peacefulpursuits, upon a wider, nobler field of action, wherein he was to playa part that should, in fine, win for him the name so dear to everyAmerican heart, --Father of his Country. 

XXIII. 

A FAMILY QUARREL. 

"And now, Dannie, mend the fire with another Christmas log. You, Willie, open the windows at top and bottom, to let out the smoke theyoung historian will be sure to raise. Laura, my dear, trim the lamp;and you, Ella, --will you have the kindness to put a little sugar inyour uncle's cider?--there's a darling! Ned, my boy, just tumblesleepy-headed Charlie there out of his comfortable nap, and touse himinto his waking senses again. All right? Now I would have every one ofyou put your thinking-caps square and tight upon your heads, and keepall your ears about you; for, depend upon it, what I am now going totell you is so full of hard points and tough knots, that, should youbut lose the crossing of a 't, ' or even the dotting of an 'i, 'thereof, all the rest will be to you as so much hifalutintranscendentalism. " (Here Uncle Juvinell took a gigantic swallow ofcider, and pronounced the sugar a decided improvement; while thelittle folks wrote something on their slates, very long, and which notwo of them spelt alike. Uncle Juvinell smacked his lips, and thenresumed. )

Now, you must know, my dear children, that Great Britain, at the timeof which we are speaking, was, and for many years had been, and, infact, still is, and, in all human likelihood, will ever continue tobe, burdened with a mountain-load of debt, which has already given hera frightful stoop in the shoulders, and may, in time, grow to such anenormous bulk as to break her sturdy old back outright. She had, asyou have seen, added all French America to her dominions; but withthis increase of power and glory, that made her king and nobles smileand sing with joy, came also an increase of debt and trouble, thatmade her common people scowl and growl with want and discontent. Theexpenses of the late war with France had added the weight of anotherÆtna or Sinai to the already staggering load that chafed her back;and, sorely grieved thereat, she began casting in her mind what mightbe done to lighten it a little. 

"My young Colonies, " said our mother to herself, "which were plantedby my love so many years ago, have grown to a goodly size, andprospered in a wonderful manner, under my fostering care, for whichthey owe me many thanks; and, being quite old and strong enough, mustnow repay it by taking their due share of my heavy burden. "

Now, in all this, our mother did but deceive herself: for theseColonies had been planted by her oppression, not by her love; theyhad grown by her neglect, not by her fostering care. Therefore, theydid not, as she pretended, owe her either love or thanks, althoughthey gave her both; and she had no right to make them carry her burdenwithout their consent. Strange as it may appear, these infant Coloniesloved their mother to distraction, in spite of her unmotherlytreatment of them; and would have gone any length to serve her, --evento the extent of bearing double the burden she would have laid onthem, --had she been wise enough to consult their wishes about thematter, and suffer them to lay it on their own shoulders, in their ownfashion, and of their own free will. To this the perverse old motherwould not listen for a moment; and, without pausing to reflect whatmight be the consequences, took an Ætna or a Sinai from the load onher own shoulders, and clapped it on those of her children, who satdown under it plump, and sturdily refused to budge until they shouldbe allowed to put it there themselves. Whereupon, this stiff-necked, wrong-headed old Britannia (for such was her Christian name) wasexceeding wroth, made an outlandish noise among the nations, and evenwent so far (you will be shocked to hear) as to swear a little. Seeingthere was no help for it but to remove this Ætna, she did so with asgood a grace as could be expected in a family-quarrel; but was soindiscreet and short-sighted as still to leave a very small burden, --amere hillock indeed, --just by way, as she said, of showing that shehad the right to load and unload them when and how it suited hersovereign pleasure best. 

Now, be it known, it was not the burden they had to carry of whichthese generous and high-spirited Colonies complained so bitterly; butthat they should be denied the right of freely judging when and howand wherefore they were to be taxed, --a right that had been the prideand boast of Englishmen time out of mind. As for the matter of theburden, had that been all, they could have danced, ay, and blithelytoo, under Ætna and Sinai both, had the load but been of their ownchoosing, of their own putting-on, and of their own adjusting. 

To add to their distress and humiliation, this hardest andunnaturalest of mothers now set over them judges, who were strangersto them, and loved them not; who were to hold their places, not, astheretofore, during good behavior, but at her will and pleasure. Another right, as dear to Englishmen as life itself, was taken fromthem, --to wit, the right of trial by jury; which gave every person, great or small, suspected or known to be guilty of any crime againstthe laws of the land, the privilege of a speedy trial, in open court, in the place where the crime may have been committed, and by a jury ofhonest and impartial men. Instead of this, the person accused was tobe taken aboard some ship-of-war, likely as not a thousand miles fromChristian land, and there tried by some authorities of the navy, whowould know but little, and must needs care still less, concerning theperson under trial, or his offence. 

Under these and many other oppressions and injuries, the youngColonies groaned grievously. But, for all that, they were not to besubdued or broken. Time and again, they sent petitions to thisunkindest and wilfulest of mothers, beseeching her, in humble andloving and dutiful terms, to remove this degrading burden from theirshoulders, and once more receive them as children into her maternalbosom; warning her, at the same time, of what must be the melancholyconsequences, if she hearkened not to their prayers. Then was thetime, if ever, when, by a few kind words betokening a desire forreconciliation, she might have secured and made fast the love of thesedevoted and affectionate children for ever; and, had she been as wiseas she was powerful, even so would she have done. But, like the Egyptof olden times, she did but harden her heart against them all themore, even to the hardness of the nether mill-stone; and only soughthow she could the more easily grind them into obedience andsubmission. She had grown to be mighty among the nations, thisBritannia. Her armed legions told of her power by land; her ships ofwar and her ships of commerce whitened a hundred seas. The great sun, that set on every kingdom of the known earth, she boasted never wentdown on her dominion. Wherefore was she swollen and big with pride, and from a high place looked haughtily down upon the little nations ather feet. What height of presumption was it, then, in theseinsignificant young Colonies, struggling for bare existence off thereon the uttermost edges of the civilized earth, thus to lift themselvesagainst her sovereign will, and dare dispute her high decrees! It wasnot to be borne: she would humble them for this presumption, chastisethem for their disobedience, and show them what a terrible thing itwas to provoke her wrath. Her heart thus steeled to mercy, she stayednot her hand, but sent her hosts of armed men in her fleets of armedships, to lay her heavy yoke, and fit it firm and fast on the necks ofher rebellious children. 

Beholding this, and that it were vain to hope for reconciliation, theColonies, with one voice, with one indignant voice, exclaimed, "Now, since our mother seems bent on treating us as slaves and strangers, and not as children, then are we compelled, in our own defence, totreat her, not as our mother, but as a stranger and our enemy. Andbear us witness, O ye nations! how long and humbly and earnestly wehave prayed that there should be love and peace between us and thisour mother; and bear us witness also, that, although we now lift ourrebellious hand against her, there is no hatred in our hearts, evennow, but rather sorrow unspeakable, that she should at last havedriven us to this saddest, this direfulest of alternatives. " Then, moved with one spirit (that of the love of freedom), and bent on onepurpose (that of the defence of their sacred rights), they rose intheir young strength, and, commending their just cause to the God ofhosts, made that last appeal, --which, to a brave and virtuous people, has ever been the last, --the appeal to arms. And so they did, whilethe nations looked on in wonder and applause. 

XXIV. 

THE CAUSE OF THE QUARREL. 

But, my children, I must tell you, in other and perhaps plainer words, what these measures were that led to such momentous results, whyresorted to, how carried out, and by whom. 

From what you have just been told, you can have no difficulty inguessing that Great Britain was desperately in debt, and in the verymood to resort to desperate measures of delivering herself therefrom. Her being in this particular mood at that particular time (for it isonly now and then that she has shown herself so unamiable) was owingchiefly to the fact, that she was just then under the rule, or rathermisrule, of that narrow-minded, short-sighted, hard-fisted, wrong-headed man, who commonly goes in history by the name of KingGeorge the Third. Had he been the superintendent of a town workhouse, he might perhaps have acquitted himself respectably enough; or, if Imay be so bold, he might have served a life-term as Governor of LondonTower, and gone to his grave without any great discredit or reproach:but, in all human reason and justice, he certainly had no morebusiness on the throne of England than your Uncle Juvinell himself. His ministers, who were of his own choosing, were vultures, of thesame harsh, unsightly plumage, and, at his beck or nod, stood ready todo whatever knave's work he might have on hand, --even to the grindingof his people's bones to make his bread, should his royal appetiteturn that way. 

With such men at the helm of State, it is no wonder, then, that unwiseand oppressive measures should be resorted to for raising money, or, as it is more properly called in such cases, a revenue, for paying thedebts and keeping up the expenses of the government. The first pouncethey made was on their young Colonies in America, whom they sought toburden with heavy taxes laid on exports, or articles of commerce sentout of the country, and on imports, or articles of commerce broughtinto the country. The principal articles thus taxed were paper, painters' colors, glass, sugar and molasses, and tea. The tax-money orrevenue scraped together from the sale of these articles--and whichmade them dearer to him who bought and him who sold, according to theamount of duty laid on--was to be gathered into the public treasuryfor the purposes aforesaid. Another plan for raising revenue, hit uponby these ingenious kites, was that famous one called the "Stamp Act, "the design of which was to compel the people of the Colonies, in orderto make their business transactions good and valid, to use a certainkind of paper, having on it a certain stamp. Each kind of paper hadits own particular stamp, and could only be applied to a certainpurpose specified thereon. Thus there was a deed stamp-paper, the willstamp-paper, the note-of-hand and bill-of-exchange stamp-paper, themarriage stamp-paper; and, in short, stamp-paper for every concern inlife requiring an instrument of writing. The paper itself wasaltogether a commodity of the government, by whom it was manufactured, and sold at prices varying from a few pence up to many pounds sterlingof good, hard English money, just according to the magnitude or natureof the business in hand. Had it gone into effect, it must needs haveborne on the dead as well as on the living: for, if the last will andtestament of a deceased and lamented relative were not written onpaper with the proper stamp, it could not have been good and valid inthe king's eyes; and this would have led to grievous misunderstandingsbetween the bereaved and affectionate heirs, and perhaps the deceasedhimself, in consequence, would have slept uneasily in his grave. 

Another oppressive measure--the design whereof, however, was forsaving money, rather than for raising revenue--was that of quarteringtroops upon the country in time of peace; by which means they mustneeds be supported to a great extent by the people so sponged upon. 

But the most brilliant stroke of all was an act forbidding theColonies from trading with any foreign ports, and from manufacturingcertain articles, lest the value and sale of the same articlesmanufactured in England, and to be sold in America, might be loweredor hindered thereby. 

I have already mentioned, how that the right of choosing their judgesand other civil officers, and the right of trial by jury, had beentaken from them, --measures that had a meanness and odium quite theirown; as serving no end of profit, but merely as safety-valves, throughwhich the royal bile might find vent now and then. 

Now, the good people of the Colonies, as I have hinted elsewhere, would not have raised the hue and outcry that they did against thesemeasures, had it not been for one thing, which to them, as Englishmen, was all in all; to wit, the right of taxing themselves, andlegislating or making laws for themselves through persons of their ownchoosing, called representatives. And this is, my little folks, whatis meant by taxation, and legislation by representation, in a nation. You will do well to bear this in mind continually; for it is the verykeystone to the arch of all true government. 

This right of representation, however, was denied them; for whatearthly reason, no one, not in the secret, could imagine. As the kinghimself was never able to render a reason for any thing he did, hisministers would not for any thing they did, and the parliament darednot for any thing they did. 

What could they do, then, but send petitions to the king, andremonstrances to the parliament, complaining of, and crying outagainst, their many grievances, and deploring and demanding that theybe removed and redressed. Although they did this with more dignity andrespectfulness, with more clearness and ability, than the like thinghad ever been done before, or has been since, by any people, yet theirpetitions were spurned by the king, because they were just and manly, and he was not; and their remonstrances went unheeded by theparliament, because they were wise and reasonable, and it was not. 

Failing to get redress for their grievances, the colonists resolvedthat the source of these same grievances should not be a source ofprofit to those who imposed them. To bring about this result, they, asone man, entered into what was called the "non-importationagreement, "--or, in other words, an agreement by which they solemnlypledged themselves to abstain from the use of all articles burdenedwith a tax, until such tax should be removed; and, furthermore, thatthey would not buy or use any thing that they were forbidden tomanufacture themselves; and, still furthermore, that not a ship oftheirs should trade with British ports, until the act forbidding themto trade with foreign ports should be repealed. Some of them, I daresay, would have gone so far, had that been possible, as to pledgethemselves not to die, until the Stamp Act, compelling them to writetheir wills on stamp-paper, was also repealed. This agreement was sorigidly observed, that the men took to wearing jeans, and the womenlinsey-woolseys, which they wove in their own looms; the old ladiesdrank sassafras-tea, sweetened with maple-sugar; and old gentlemenwrote no wills, but declared them on their death-bed to their weepingfamilies by word of mouth. Whether the people stopped marrying or not, it is not known with certainty; but from my knowledge of human nature, which is extensive, I do not think I should greatly hazard myreputation as a historian, were I to state flatly, roundly, andemphatically, that it had not the least effect in that way. 

The days on which these measures were to go into effect were observedby the colonists as days of fasting, prayer, and humiliation. Allbusiness was laid aside, the shops were closed, the churches opened, and the church-bells tolled as on some funeral occasion; and betweenpraying at church, and fasting at home, and brooding over theirgrievances, the good people were very miserable indeed. Although theysuffered great inconvenience from their observance of thenon-importation agreement, yet they bore it patiently and cheerfully, like men who felt that their cause was just and right. But the suddenstoppage of the immense trade that flowed from the colonial ports intothose of the mother-country told dreadfully on the commerce of GreatBritain; and British merchants and British manufacturers, and Britishpeople in general, soon began to suffer even more than the coloniststhemselves. Whereupon, a counter stream of petitions and remonstrancesset in upon the king and parliament from the people at home, whodeclared that the country would be ruined, if these odious measures, crippling American commerce, were not speedily withdrawn. Said they, "If we cannot sell the Americans our broadcloths, our flannels, andour silks, the obstinate men of that country will stick to theirjeans, and the perverse women to their linsey-woolseys, till we areundone for ever. In that one pestilent little town of Boston, ourtrade in silks alone is not so good by fifty thousand dollars a yearas it has been heretofore: and we humbly entreat that our Americanbrothers be allowed to trade with us and foreign nations as in daysgone by; for you must see by this time with your own eyes, that we, asa nation, are growing poorer every day under this state of things, instead of richer every year as had been expected. "

The commissioners--that is to say, the persons who had been appointedby the British Government to bring or receive the stamp-paper, andgive it circulation throughout the Colonies--were mobbed and pelted bythe indignant people, whenever and wherever they made the leastattempt to do their odious work. In consequence of this determinedopposition, the paper never went into circulation: so it was stockedaway in outhouses, and there left to mould and to be eaten by rats andmice, if their stomachs were not too dainty for such vile provender. Thus this famous piece of ingenuity, the Stamp Act, had no othereffect than that of giving the civilized world a hearty laugh, andincreasing the British debt just so much as the paper cost, instead oflessening it, as its inventors, in their blind confidence, had hoped. 

Beholding how utterly had failed all their pet schemes for raisingrevenue, the narrow-minded king, and the king-minded ministry, and themany-minded parliament, were, so to speak, thrown on their haunches, and forced to eat their own folly; which, I dare say, they found lesspalatable than their roast beef and plum-pudding. In other words, theyrepealed the Stamp Act; with one stroke of the royal pen, struck offthe taxes laid on the above-mentioned articles; and once more gave theColonies full liberty to manufacture whatsoever, and re-opencommercial intercourse with whomsoever, they chose. And thus thisnon-importation agreement worked like a charm: it brought about in atrice what petitions and remonstrances had failed to accomplish inyears. 

When tidings came of what had been done at home, there was greatrejoicing throughout the provinces: the church-bells were tolled toanother tune than that with which they had been tolled a short timebefore; the good people met at church, but this time to give thanks;and went home, not to fast, but to feast; and were now quite ascomfortable as they had before been miserable. But I have gone alittle too far, however. There was one circumstance that greatlydampened the general feeling of joy, and made a mere thanksgiving ofwhat might else have been a high-sounding jubilee. This was the tax ontea, which had not been struck off along with the rest, but had beensuffered to remain; not that any great revenue was expected to arisetherefrom, but simply to show that they--the king and parliament--hadnot disclaimed or yielded up the right to tax and burden the Colonieswhen and how they thought fit and proper. This vexed the Americanpeople sorely; for though the bulk of the nuisance had been takenaway, yet all the odor still remained: or, speaking more plainly, theright of laying such burdens on themselves, of their own free will, was still denied them; and this, in fact, was the very thing that madeit so intolerable for them to bear. "Is it, " said Washington in aletter to a friend, "the duty of threepence per pound upon tea that weobject to as burdensome? No; but it is the right to lay this duty uponourselves for which we contend. "

Therefore, as far as the commodity tea was concerned, the people ofthe Colonies still observed the non-importation agreement. From someof the ports, the ships that had come over from England laden withthis delightful plant were sent back, without being suffered todischarge their cargoes; in others, where it had been landed, it wasnot allowed to be sold, but was stowed away in cellars and the likeout-of-the-way places, where it moulded, or became the food of ratsand mice, whose bowels, if we may trust the testimony of some of ourgreat-grandmothers, were so bound up thereby, that a terriblemortality set in among them, that swept them away by cart-loads. 

Now, the East-India Company, to whom had been granted the soleprivilege of trading in tea for the space of a hundred years, if Iremember rightly, were greatly alarmed at the consequences of thetea-tax. Enormous quantities of the article had begun to accumulate intheir London warehouses, now that there was no market for it inAmerica, which hitherto had fed the purse in their left-hand pocket, as did that in Great Britain the larger one in their right-handpocket. "Something must be done, " said they to themselves (theycertainly said it to nobody else), --"something must be done, or thesehigh-spirited women of America will drink their wishy-washy sassafrastill their blood be no thicker than whey, and the purse in ourleft-hand pocket become as light and lean and lank as when we sent ourfirst ship-load thither years ago. " This "something to be done" was aloud petition to parliament, praying for speedy relief from the ruin, which has an uncomfortable fashion of staring at great mercantilecompanies, and was now staring them full in the face. 

So, putting their heads together, the king and parliament hit upon aningenious plan, by which they, the East-India Company, could selltheir tea, and the government collect the duty thereon. It was this:The price of the article should be so far reduced, that it would belower, even with the duty on it, than, at the usual rate of sale, without any duty at all. This was a brilliant scheme indeed, and wouldhave succeeded to admiration, had the good people of America been anation of bats and geese; but, as they were not, the scheme faileddisgracefully, as you shall presently see. 

By way of giving this plan a trial, a few ships loaded with tea weresent over to Boston, where they lay for some time in the harbor, without being permitted by the people to land their cargoes. One day, as if to show the king and ministers and parliament, the East-IndiaCompany, and the whole British nation, that they, the Americans, were, and had been from the very beginning, desperately in earnest in allthat they had said and done for years past, a party, composed of aboutfifty of the most sober and respectable citizens of Boston and thecountry around, disguised themselves as Indians, and went aboard theseships. Not a word was to be heard among them; but, keeping a grim andominous silence, they ranged the vessel from stem to stern, ransackedtheir cargoes, broke open the tea-chests, and, pouring their contentsinto the sea, made the fishes a dish of tea, which is said to have hadthe same effect on them as on the rats and mice. This done withperfect coolness and sobriety, the party returned to their homes asorderly and silent as they had come; not the first movement towards amob or tumult having been made by the people during the wholeproceeding. 

This affair, commonly known in history as the Boston Tea-party, andwhich took place in 1774, overwhelmed his majesty with stupidastonishment, threw his ministers into fits of foaming rage, fell likea thunder-clap upon the House of Parliament, and effectuallydemolished the last forlorn hope of the East-India Company. The spiritof resistance on the part of the Colonies had now been carried to sucha length, that the home-government determined to send over themilitary to awe them by the terror of its presence into obedience totheir unreasonable and oppressive demands; and, should not this befound sufficient, to compel them into submission by the force of itsarms. 

Oh, woful, woful, that ever a tyrant should live to keep hisdragon-watch on the birth of the free-born thought, the independentwish, and ere the full, clear light of heaven descend upon it, warmingit into strength and beauty, to seize and crush it into slavish fear, and love and justice without power to stay his impious hand!

XXV. 

RESISTANCE TO TYRANNY. 

With what deep and earnest interest Washington watched the course ofthese momentous events may be readily imagined, if we reflect how muchof his life had been already spent in the service of the public, andhow near he had ever kept the good and welfare of his native land atheart. 

He was not a mere looker-on, but one of those who had in the verybeginning shown themselves ready to enter, heart and hand and fortune, into all just and lawful measures of resistance to oppression in everyshape and form; but, with his usual modesty, forbearing to pushhimself forward, which served, no doubt, to add to his example stillgreater weight and influence, and make it all the more illustrious. Herigidly observed the non-importation agreement, and was, in fact, oneof the first to propose its adoption; and none of the articles thereinnamed were to be seen in his house until the odious burdens laidthereon had been removed. 

Little or no lasting good, however, could be expected from these, orindeed any measures, unless the Colonies should come to a clearer andfuller understanding, one with another, touching the troubles thatconcerned all equally and alike. To bring this much-to-be-wished-forend about, it was resolved that a general assembly of all the Coloniesshould be called, wherein each province, through its representativeschosen by the people thereof, should have a voice. As the first steptowards this object, conventions were summoned in the variousprovinces, the members whereof had the authority to choose from amongtheir number those who were to be their representatives ormouth-pieces in this great Colonial Assembly, since known in historyas the Old Continental Congress. 

Patrick Henry (the great American orator), Mr. Pendleton, andWashington were those appointed to represent Virginia. Accordingly, about the middle of September, 1774, these three Congress-men set outtogether on horseback for Philadelphia, the place of meeting. Arrivedhere, Washington found assembled the first talent, wisdom, and virtueof the land. It was to him a sublime spectacle indeed, --that of thepeople of many widely separated provinces thus met together to givevoice and expression to what they felt to be their sacred rights asfreemen and free Englishmen. To add still greater solemnity to theirproceedings, and give their cause the stamp of the just and righteouscause they felt it to be, it was resolved to open the business of eachday with prayer. Next morning, there came a report that Boston hadbeen cannonaded by the king's troops, who had been stationed there formany weeks past. Although this afterwards turned out to be false, yet, at the time, it had a most beneficial effect, in drawing still nearertogether those who but the day before had met as strangers, byimpressing their minds with a still deeper sense of the sacredness ofthe trust imposed on them by their country, and by bringing moredirectly home to them their common danger, and dependence one uponanother. The minister, before offering up his prayer, took up theBible to read a passage therefrom, and, as if providentially, openedat the thirty-fifth Psalm, which seemed to have been written expresslyfor this great occasion, and began thus: "Plead my cause, O Lord, withthem that strive with me; fight against them that fight against me. "What wonder, then, that, under circumstances like these, they shouldfeel their hearts joined together in stronger, holier bonds of union, as they knelt side by side on that memorable morning, commending theirjust cause to the Ruler of nations? For several minutes after they hadresumed their seats, a profound and solemn silence reigned throughoutthe house; each looking the other in the face, as if uncertain how toset about the great work that had brought them together, and no onewilling to open the Assembly. The silence was becoming painful andembarrassing; when Patrick Henry at length arose, and began addressingthe House, at first in a faltering voice and hesitating manner, whichsoon, however, as he warmed with his subject, gave place to a bolder, higher strain, till, long before he had ended, the hearts of hishearers were thrilled with a flow of eloquence, the like of which nonepresent had ever heard before; and, when it ceased, each felt that hehad just been listening to the greatest orator, not of Virginia only, but of all America. The burden of his declamation was the oppressiveand unlawful system of taxation devised by Great Britain against herAmerican Colonies; the severe restriction laid on their commerce; theabolition of the right of trial by jury, and of choosing their ownjudges; the danger that must ever threaten their liberties, if theysuffered troops of war to be quartered upon them in times of peace;and, above all, that they should be denied the right of taxingthemselves, of making their own laws, and of regulating their internalconcerns, as seemed to their judgment wise and proper, throughrepresentatives of their own choosing. To get redress for these andsimilar grievances, was the chief, and, I may say, the only object forwhich this first Congress had been called; for at that time, and for along time after, no one harbored such a thought as that of breakingwith the mother-country, with a view of achieving their independence. To this end, they now applied themselves with deep and soberearnestness, and brought to their work all the resources that theirwisdom and experience could command. 

The first session of the Old Continental Congress lasted fifty-onedays. Such was the decorum with which they conducted theirproceedings, such the eloquence, force, and precision with which theyset forth their grievances, such the temperate and dignified tone thatmarked their petitions to the king, and such the manliness, firmness, and unwavering constancy with which they persisted in battling fortheir right as freemen to be represented in the councils of thenation, that thousands of their brothers across the Atlantic werefilled with wonder and admiration. And here, for once and for all, beit known to you, my dear children, and, in justice to the Britishnation as a people, never fail hereafter to bear it in mind, thatthere were many, very many, perhaps a large majority, of our Englishuncles, who deeply sympathized with our fathers in their troubles, andheartily condemned the oppressive burdens heaped upon them by the kingand his ministers. Even in the House of Parliament itself were theremany of the greatest spirits of that age, who had all along opposedthese harsh and unjust measures of the government towards theColonies, and were now so impressed with all that marked theproceedings of this first Colonial Congress, that they exertedthemselves in behalf of their oppressed brothers in America with morezeal than ever before, and pleaded their cause in strains of eloquencethat shall ring in our ears, and dwell in our hearts, till historyshall tell us we have ceased to be a nation. 

And well indeed they might admire and praise; for what with theeloquence of such men as Henry and Rutledge, the learning of such menas Hancock and Adams, the wisdom of such men as Washington, and thepure and exalted character of them all, it was a body of men, the likeof which had never before assembled together in any age or country. 

Patrick Henry, upon being asked who was the greatest man in theCongress, replied, "If you speak of eloquence, Mr. Rutledge, of SouthCarolina, is by far the greatest orator; but, if you speak of solidinformation and sound judgment, Col. Washington is, beyond allquestion, the greatest man on that floor. " Had Mr. Rutledge been askedthe same question, he would as readily have pronounced Patrick Henrythe greatest orator, as indeed he was. 

Bent on one common object, encompassed by dangers that threatened allalike, and glowing with the same ardent and heroic spirit, they seemedfor the time to have quite forgotten that they were the natives andrepresentatives of many different and widely separated provinces, andto think that they were, as Patrick Henry happily expressed it, notCarolinians, not Pennsylvanians, not Virginians, so much as that theywere Americans; and had been sent there, not so much to represent thewill and wishes of the people of their respective provinces, as ofthose of the whole American people. Thus Union became the watchwordthroughout the Colonies. And by union alone were they able to make astand against tyranny; by it alone came off victorious in the end; byit alone won for themselves a place among the nations; and by it alonecan their posterity hope to hold that place as a powerful, free, andhappy people. 

Having done all that could be done for the present, the Congress wasadjourned, and the members returned to their homes to await the resultof the petitions and remonstrances they had sent on to the king andparliament. Although these were couched in moderate and respectfulterms, expressing their unaltered attachment to the king and hisfamily, deploring that there should be aught but peace and good-willbetween them, and entreating him not to drive his children to thedreadful alternative of taking up arms in their defence, yet, likethose that had gone before them, they were received with contempt orindifference, and failed to awaken in the king's mind any sentiment ofmercy, or desire on the part of the parliament for reconciliation withtheir younger brothers in America. Here was the last, the goldenopportunity, wherein, by an act of simple justice, by an expression ofChristian kindness, they might have won back to obedience and lovethis much-injured people; but under the mistaken and fatal beliefthat they were all-powerful, and that, if they yielded up thesepretended rights, the colonists would never rest until they had thrownoff and trampled under foot all authority, they suffered it to passunheeded, lost for ever. 

A short time after the adjournment of Congress, at a second VirginiaConvention, held at Richmond, Patrick Henry, in closing one of thegrandest efforts he ever made, thus boldly declared his mind: "Thetime of reconciliation is past; the time for action is at hand. It isuseless to send further petitions to the government, or to await theresult of those already addressed to the throne. We must fight, Mr. Speaker: I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to theGod of hosts is all that is left us!" The great orator did but givevoice to the feelings and sentiments of thousands of pure patriots, among whom was Washington, who represented his district in thisconvention also. No one regretted more sincerely than he that theywere thus compelled to take up the sword as the only remedy of theirwrongs and grievances. In his own mind, he had fully resolved, ifneedful, to devote his life and fortune to the cause; and was willing, he told his brother, to arm and equip a thousand men at his ownexpense, and lead them to the succor of Boston, at that time blockadedby the British fleet. Grave and thoughtful, and pondering deeply allthese things, he went to his home; and, in this frame of mind, thewinter months passed slowly by. 

It was now apparent to all, that open hostilities between the Coloniesand the mother-country were no longer avoidable; and on the nineteenthof April, 1775, the battle of Lexington announced to the world thatthe first blood of a desperate struggle had been shed, and that civilwar, with all its train of horrors, had begun. 

When the tidings reached Mount Vernon, the impressions made onWashington's mind were solemn and profound, if we may judge from aletter written at the time, in which he says, "Unhappy it is toreflect, that a brother's sword has been sheathed in a brother'sbreast, and that the once-peaceful plains of America are to bedrenched with blood, or inhabited by slaves. Sad alternative! But cana virtuous man hesitate in his choice?" Early in May, as he was juston the eve of setting out for Philadelphia to take his seat in thesecond session of the Congress, news reached him of the capture ofTiconderoga by Col. Ethan Allen. It was a brilliant little exploitenough, and the very kind to raise undue expectations in the many, wholooked no further into the future than to-night, when it is yetevening; but it could have no other effect than to deepen thethoughtfulness of a mind like Washington's, that could look throughthe glare of these accidental hits of war, and behold the untriedperils still further beyond. 

As the war had now begun in earnest, so dreaded and deeply deplored byall the good men, as the only remedy left to their distress, thedeliberations of the second Congress turned chiefly on the devising ofmeans for their defence and safety. Towards this object, nothingeffectual could be done till some person was fixed upon to be theleader of the army, which they had yet, in large measure, to raise, arm, and equip. 

There were not a few, who, for age, talent, experience, fortune, andsocial position, as well as for the sacrifices they had already madeto the cause, were, in the opinion of their friends, and perhaps inthat of their own, justly entitled to this high distinction. Aftersome time spent in viewing the matter in all its bearings, andcarefully weighing the claims of each, without being able to fix upona choice, John Adams decided the question by addressing the House tothe following effect: That the person intrusted with a place of suchimportance to Americans must be a native-born American; a man of largefortune, in order to give him a strong personal interest in the issueof the contest, and the means of carrying it on; he should be a man ofmilitary experience, and accustomed to the government of large bodiesof men; he should be of tried integrity and patriotism, of greatcourage and bodily endurance, and known ability; and a resident ofsome central province, that in him might be blended the extremeinterests of North and South, which would tend to lessen thejealousies of the two sections, and harmonize them, as it were, intoone. Such a province was Virginia, and such a man was Col. Washington;whom, therefore, he commended to the favor and consideration of theHonorable House. 

Before this address was ended, Washington, perceiving that he was theperson on the point of being singled out, rose from his seat, muchagitated and embarrassed, and hastily quitted the House. 

Next morning, Mr. Adams's recommendation was acted upon; and theHouse, without a single dissenting voice, chose GEORGE WASHINGTON tobe _Commander-in-chief_ of all the army of the United Colonies, withthe salary of six thousand dollars a year. In his reply, Washingtonexpressed his grateful sense of so signal a proof of the confidencereposed in him by his countrymen, and added, --

 "But lest some unfortunate event should happen, unfavorable to my reputation, I beg that it may be remembered by every gentleman in this room, that I this day declare, with the utmost sincerity, that I do not think myself equal to the command I am honored with. As to pay, I beg leave to assure the Congress, that, as no pecuniary consideration could have tempted me to accept of this employment at the expense of my domestic ease and happiness, I do not wish to make any profit of it. I will keep an exact account of my expenses: these, I doubt not, they will discharge; and that is all I desire. "

In a letter to Mrs. Washington, informing her of the great change thusmade in his destiny, he deplores the hard necessity that makes it hisduty to give up the sweet pleasures of home and her society; andexhorts her, in affectionate language, to bear up under theirseparation with cheerfulness and fortitude; at the same time givingher the gratifying assurance, that with her he could have morehappiness at Mount Vernon in one month, than he could hope to findwithout her, were he to remain abroad seven times seven years. Fromthe tone of this letter, she must readily have guessed that the placewas not one of his own seeking. 

Accordingly, on the 21st of June, General Washington, --for so we mustnow call him, --having received his commission, set out to take commandof the American army, then lying before Boston, which, being occupiedby the king's troops, was in a state of siege. A company ofPennsylvania light-horse escorted him from Philadelphia to New York, where he was received with all the honor due, not only to the highstation he had been called to fill, but also to his exalted characterand distinguished abilities. Here he heard further particulars of thebattle of Bunker's Hill, fought near Boston a few days before. FromNew York, the general-in-chief proceeded to Boston, and was greetedeverywhere on the way with the greatest enthusiasm by the people, whocame streaming in from all quarters to behold the man into whosekeeping had been intrusted the destinies of America. 

Thus, my dear children, I have brought you, step by step, up to thatgreat event in Washington's life when his character and actions wereto be subjected to the gaze and scrutiny, not only of his own age andcountry, but of all ages to come, and of all the nations ofChristendom. 

XXVI. 

CONCLUSION. 

Here Uncle Juvinell paused, and, with a countenance of undisturbedsobriety, emptied his ninth mug. In justice, however, to the good man, this pattern of old-fashioned gentility, it must be borne in mind, that the mug was a Dutch mug, and consequently a small one (as indeedare all things Dutch, from clocks to cheeses); and also that, small asit was, he never more than half filled it, except once or twice in thecourse of an evening, when he would gird up his loins, as it were, with a brimmer to help him over some passage in his story of unusualknottiness and difficulty. 

Willie (whose surname should have been fox or weasel or lynx), havingheretofore divided his attention between what his uncle imparted andwhat he imbibed, had, by careful counting, discovered that the ninthmug invariably closed their evening lessons: so, without waiting forany further signal that such was now the case, he alertly bounced fromhis chair, and, snatching up a basket of big red apples that blackdaddy had just brought in and set on the hearth, began handing themround to the rest of the company with a great show of playing thepolite and obliging, but taking care, when unobserved, to pick out thelargest and mellowest one of them all for himself, and smuggle itunder his coat-tail. When all were helped, he reset the basket on thehearth, and with a grand flourish, unmasking his royal red, openedwide his mouth, as if he would have bolted it whole: but, seeming tothink better of it, he carefully laid it in Uncle Juvinell's mug, which it exactly filled, saying as he did so, "It goes to my heart topart with you; but only the king of historians is worthy to enjoy thequeen of apples. " Then, plunging his hand into the basket, he snatchedup another, hap-hazard, and began eating it with savage voracity, asif made reckless by this act of self-denial. Re-seating himself as hehad chosen his apple, hap-hazard, he missed his chair, and keeledover, bringing his heels in the air where his head should have been, and his head on the rug where the dog and cat were, and thehalf-munched plug in his mouth, plump into his windpipe, so as toalmost strangle him out of his breeches, and cause his buttons to flylike grains from a corn-cob when thrown into a corn-sheller. Ofcourse, all the little folks fairly screamed with laughter, in whicheven Uncle Juvinell could not help joining right heartily: nor wouldhe venture upon the broad wedge which he had cut out of his apple, till his chuckle was well ended; when he remarked, that "Willie wasone of the boys we read about. " To which Willie, picking himself upagain, replied, that "he rather thought he was not, just then, butperhaps would be as soon as he could get back some of the breath hehad lost, and gather up the buttons he had shed. " Then, drawing downhis waistcoat from under his arm-pits to hide a breadth of whitemuslin not usually intended for the eyes of a mixed company, hereseated himself with such care and circumspection, that the middleseam of his breeches tallied exactly with the middle round of thechair-back, and began mincing and nibbling his apple delicately like asheep, as if to show that he meant to profit by the lesson his fit ofstrangling had taught him. 

After a little while, when he saw that the children had had their fillof laughter and red apples, Uncle Juvinell wiped the blade of hisknife with his bandanna, and said, "And now, my darlings, don't youthink we are getting along swimmingly?"

"Swimmingly!" they all chimed in with one voice. 

"Gloriously?" again inquired Uncle Juvinell. 

"Gloriously!" cried all the children at once, as pat to their uncle'swords as an echo to the sound. Whereupon the old gentleman'sspectacles shone with a lustre that was charming to see. In a momentafter, however, Bryce, the pugnacious urchin of ten, expressed himselfa little disappointed that they had had so much building of forts, anddigging and cutting of roads, and so much scouting and marching, andso much getting ready to fight, and yet withal so little downrightfighting. 

"You quite forget, Bryce, that affair of Grant's defeat there at FortDuquesne, " said Willie. "In my opinion, that was a very decent, respectable piece of bloodshed; and quite as good as Braddock'sdisaster, as far as it goes. "

"How heartless you must be, Willie, to speak so lightly of suchhorrible things!" exclaimed Miss Laura with a look of refined disgust. "To my mind, Washington's courtship and wedding, and the pleasant lifehe led at Mount Vernon, are more entertaining than all your dismalbattles. "

"And those charming barge-rides by moonlight, " chimed in Ella, "thatthe old Virginia planters used to take when they visited each other upand down the Potomac. "

"You are welcome to your courtships and your weddings and yourboat-rides by moonlight, " cried Willie, turning up his nose; "but Iwould not have given a good fox-hunt with old Lord Fairfax for any ofthem: and what a glorious fellow Washington must have been, with hisfine horses and his fine dogs, and his jumping twenty-one feet seveninches at a bound!"

"Oh, Willie! how can you be so wanting in respect as to call such aman as Washington '_fellow_'?" exclaimed Laura, with a look of pioushorror. "I am astonished at you!"

"But I said he was glorious; didn't I now, Miss Over-nice?" retortedWillie. 

"Your Cousin Laura, William, is quite right in what she says, "observed Uncle Juvinell, with something like severity in his look andtone. "We should never speak of the good and great in other terms thanthose of esteem and reverence; for the effect of such a habit is tocultivate in ourselves those very qualities of mind and heart whichmake them worthy of our love and admiration. "

Willie was somewhat abashed by this mild rebuke, and apologized in adumb way by coughing a time or two behind his slate. 

"Uncle, " inquired Ella, "is transcendentalism an art or a science?"

"I think I can tell you what that is, Ella, " Daniel made haste to putin; for he never let an opportunity slip of showing off what he knewto the best advantage. 

"I did not call upon you for information, Mr. Wiseacre, " said Ella, alittle nettled at her brother's air of superior wisdom. 

"Nevertheless, " cried Uncle Juvinell, "let us listen, and be wise. Come, give us the benefit of your knowledge, Daniel, touching thisimportant matter. "

"I overheard father say to you the other day, " replied Daniel, withouthesitation, "that your transcendentalism, uncle, was an equal mixtureof opium, moonshine, fog, and sick-man's dreams. "

"Good! you have hit it exactly!" cried Uncle Juvinell; "and, to rewardyou for your diligence in picking up and storing away such preciousbits of knowledge, I promise you for your next Christmas present agilt-edged copy of Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress. '"

"I thank you very much, dear uncle, " replied Dannie; "but, if it makesno difference with you, I would prefer 'Josephus' to 'Bunyan. '"

"Certainly, certainly, my dear nephew; it shall be as you wish, "replied Uncle Juvinell, a little provoked with himself for having beenso thoughtless as to overlook the fact, that Daniel, being acurly-headed, Jewish boy, was not likely to be much interested in theups and downs of good old Christian's doleful pilgrimage. 

"Tell me, uncle, " cried John, who had an ear for rhyme, "what is meantby taxation, and legislation by representation, in a nation. Is itsense, or only poetry?"

"Bad poetry, but mighty good sense, my little boy, " replied UncleJuvinell; "and, if you will be right attentive, I will endeavor tomake clear to you what is meant thereby. In a popular form ofgovernment, --such as the one we live under, --the people taxthemselves, and make laws for themselves, through persons chosen bythemselves, and from among themselves, to serve for a certain term ofmonths or years in our State Legislatures or in our NationalCongress, as the case may be. The persons whom the people thusauthorize to tax them and make laws, or, as it is otherwise termed, tolegislate for them, representing, as they do, the will, desires, andwants of the communities by whom they are chosen, are calledrepresentatives; and hence the phrase, 'taxation, and representationby legislation. '"

"In a nation, " added Johnnie, by way of giving it a finish, and toshow that it was all as clear as day to him. 

"Yes, in a nation and a state too, " rejoined Uncle Juvinell, with amerry twinkle in his eye. 

"Will you have the kindness, uncle, " said Dannie, "to tell us thedifference between a legislature and a congress and a parliament?"

"In our own country, " replied Uncle Juvinell, "a legislature is thelaw-making assembly of a State, and Congress is the law-makingassembly of the whole nation; while Parliament is the great law-makingor legislative assembly of Great Britain and Ireland. The rules andregulations in all these bodies are quite similar; and, besides beingvested with the power of laying taxes and making laws, they performother services necessary to the safety and welfare of the state ornation. Thus the old Continental Congress was composed ofrepresentatives from all the thirteen States, which entitled each, through its representation, to one vote, and to equal weight andinfluence with the rest, in the acts and deliberations of thisassembly, no matter what may have been its size and population, whether large or small; nor what the number of its representatives, whether one or several. "

"And will you also tell me, uncle, wherein a convention differs fromall these legislative assemblies?" said Daniel, grappling manfullywith the tall words, but staggering under them nevertheless. 

"Simply not being legislative at all, as the term is now generallyused in our country, " replied Uncle Juvinell. "A convention is a bodyof men assembled together as representatives of a party or state ornation, for some special purpose, such as the formation of a new StateConstitution, or for making changes in an old one, or to giveexpression to the views and designs of a party, and to nominatecandidates to the various offices of the government; which purposebeing effected, they are dissolved, and cease to exist or to have anylegal force. "

"And why, uncle, was the name 'Continental' given to our firstCongress?" inquired Willie. 

"To distinguish it from the Congress of the several States, and as theone in which the common interest and welfare of all the States of thecontinent were represented, " was Uncle Juvinell's reply; and then headded, "And hence the same term was applied to whatever belonged tothe States conjointly, and grew out of their union or confederation. Thus, for example, besides the Continental Congress, there was aContinental Army, raised, equipped, and supported at the joint expenseof all the States, and subject in a great measure to the control ofthe Continental Congress. And there was the Continental uniform, whichwas the uniform worn by an officer or a soldier of the ContinentalArmy. And there was the Continental currency, which was thepaper-money issued and put into circulation by the ContinentalCongress, all the States unitedly holding themselves accountable forits redemption in specie; or, in other words, binding themselves, after having gained their independence as a nation, to take it back atthe value specified thereon, and giving to those who held it gold andsilver in exchange. But more of this in another place. "

"And what is a minister, uncle?" inquired Laura. "And what is acommissioner, uncle?" chimed in Ella. "And what is a revenue, uncle?"put in Charlie. "And what is a remonstrance, uncle?" inquired Bryce, following up the attack. 

"Hold, you rogues! and one at a time!" cried Uncle Juvinell. "Aminister, Laura, in the sense in which we have been using the term, isa high officer of State, intrusted with the control and management ofsome office or department of the national government, such as that ofthe navy or war or treasury or commerce or foreign affairs. All theministers, taken collectively, make up what is called the ministry;who, besides discharging the duties of their respective offices, arealso expected to serve as counsellors to the king, and aid him incarrying out the measures of the government. A commissioner, Ella, isan agent appointed and authorized by another, or a number of others, or a State, to transact some business of a private or publiccharacter, as the case may be. A revenue, Charlie, is the income oryearly sum of money of a State, raised from taxes on the people ortheir property, from duties on foreign merchandise imported into thecountry, and from the sale of public lands and other sources, to meetthe expenses of the government. A remonstrance, Bryce, is asetting-forth in strong terms, either by writing or by word of mouth, the facts and reasons against something complained of or opposed, asunjust, unwise, or unadvisable. "

"I can't imagine, " said Daniel, with the air of one who had weighedwell in his own mind a matter of importance, "what advantage tothemselves or to the nation George the Third and his ministers couldhave expected, when they laid those heavy taxes on their AmericanColonies, then took from them the power to pay them by crippling theircommerce and putting a stop to their manufactures; and it seemsstrange to me that Englishmen could ever have denied to Englishmen therights and liberties of Englishmen, without having something more togain. " Here Daniel broke down, and scratched his head; and UncleJuvinell, with an approving, good-humored smile, replied, "Those veryquestions, Daniel, have puzzled many an older head than yours, andmany a wiser head than mine; and, indeed, some of the most learnedhistorians, who have written about these matters, have expressedthemselves perplexed at this strange conduct of the king and hisministers, and have been able to account for it only on thesupposition, that they were all, for the time being, bereft of theirwits, and therefore rendered incapable of foreseeing the tremendousconsequences of their unjust and ill-judged measures. "

Much gratified at the interest the little folks had taken in such drymatters, and seeing that they had no more questions to put to him, andthat some of the smaller ones were already nodding in their chairs, Uncle Juvinell, by way of winding up the evening's entertainment, concluded thus:--

"Some of you, my dear children, have read how good Christian, in hispilgrimage to the Celestial City, went on sometimes sighingly, sometimes comfortably, until he came to the foot of a hill calledDifficulty, where he found three roads to choose between. The one tothe right went around the bottom of the hill, and led into awilderness of dark woods, out of which no one ever found his way againafter venturing therein. The one to the left went likewise around thebottom of the hill, and led into a wilderness of dark mountains, whichwas even more difficult to escape from than the one to the right. Butthe middle road, which was narrow and straight, went right up thesteep and flinty sides of the hill, and was the route that led directto Mount Zion. Not being the man to flinch from any difficulty, however great, good Christian hesitated not a moment to choose themiddle road; and accordingly he fell from running to walking, and fromwalking to going, and from going to clambering upon his hands andknees, till he had made his way to the top. Here, as you must wellremember, there met his view a stately palace called Beautiful, keptby a company of prim, precise, proper, prudent, and pious maidenladies, who gave our weary pilgrim a cordial but well-consideredreception, and, besides admitting him to the hospitalities of thehouse gratis, entertained him with a variety of pleasing and edifyingdiscourse. And you have not forgotten, either, how, when they had aclear morning, these discreet and well-ordered damsels, to reward himfor the zeal and diligence with which he had heretofore pursued hisjourney, as well as to encourage him to still further effort, led himup to the top of their house, whence he might have a delightful viewof the Delectable Mountains, far, far away. And you also still hear inmind, how poor Christian must needs pass through the dismal Vale ofHumiliation, and there meet in deadly fight the terrible monsterApollyon; then through the Valley and Shadow of Death, with all itsdoleful sights and sounds; then through the wicked city of VanityFair; then through the gloomy domains of Doubting Castle and GiantDespair, --all before he could hope to set foot on these DelectableMountains of Emanuel's land. 

"Now, do you not see, my dear children, that not altogether unlikegood Christian's case, at this stage of his journey, is that of ourown at this point of our story? But a little while ago we weretrudging along, sometimes heavily, sometimes swimmingly, till by andby we reached the bottom of our Hill Difficulty; by which, of course, you understand me to mean the causes that brought about ourRevolutionary War. And here, had we gone to the right or the left, weshould most assuredly have wandered into a wilderness of romance andBrobdignagian wonders, among whose mazes we would have becomeentangled beyond all reasonable hope of escape. But our eyes wereopened to our danger; and like good Christian, by whose example wemight profit oftener than we do, we knew in what direction lay ourbest interest, and were not to be enticed astray by the prospect ofease or novelty, nor turned back by flinty facts and rough realities. So straightway up the difficult hill we marched, lofty and steep as itwas; and hardly left a stone unturned till we had scrambled to thetop. This gained, we have felt it our privilege to halt and rest awhile, and refresh ourselves with a little pleasing and edifyingdiscourse, one with another, touching what we have seen or heard inthe course of our journey. 

"We have thus surmounted the most tedious and difficult part of ourstory. But still there lies before us many a hard-fought battle, manyan irksome siege, many a forlorn retreat, many a gloomy winter-camp, and many a season of doubt and discouragement, privation and direcalamity, through which we must pass before we can hope to set ourweary feet on the Delectable Mountains of Freemen's Land, smilinginvitingly beyond. But to reward you for the diligent attention withwhich you have followed me thus far, as well as to entice you totrudge on to the end, I will, from this elevated point, unfold to yourview a glimpse of this glorious region, ere 'the war-clouds rollingdun' from the plains of Lexington and the heights of Bunker's Hillhave too much obscured our morning sky. 

 "See yon land of shining mountains, Stately forests, verdant dells, Sun-bright rivers, sparkling fountains, Healthful breezes, balmy smells, Golden grain-fields, pleasant meadows, Fruitful orchards, gardens fair, Lasting sunshine, fleeting shadows! Freedom dwells for ever there!

 Hark! what song is that high swelling, Like an anthem dropped from heaven, Of some joyful tidings telling, Some rich boon to mankind given? 'Tis a happy people, singing Thanks for Freedom's victory won; Valley, forest, mountain, ringing With one name, --great Washington. Through distress, through tribulation, Through the lowering clouds of war, They have risen to be a nation: Freedom shines, their morning-star. Would we reach those realms of glory, Would we join that righteous band, We must speed us in our story: Come, let's on to Freemen's Land!"

The next evening, the little folks, upon repairing to the library, found their Uncle Juvinell seated, as was his wont, cross-legged inhis great arm-chair, looking with a fixed and absent gaze into 'theglowing embers of the fire, ' as if his thoughts were far away. 

In his hand he held an open letter which he had just brought from thepost-office, in the contents whereof, it was evident, he had foundsomewhat of a painful character; for a slight shadow had dimmed thebrightness of his otherwise placid countenance. So rare a thing asthat of a cloud on their good old uncle's sunny face caught theirnotice at once; and instead of gathering round him in their usualcoaxing, teasing, bantering, frolicsome way, they seated themselvesquietly on either hand, and awaited in respectful silence until heshould rise to the surface of the deep brown-study into which heseemed to be plunged. But the longer he sat, the harder he looked atthe fire, and the deeper he sank into his revery, till the littlefolks began to fear that it would be a full hour before he would reachthe bottom and come up again. 

Daniel, the young historian, sat watching his uncle's countenance withhis sharp black eyes, expecting each moment to hear him break thesilence with, "After the battle of Bunker's Hill;" or, "Washington, upon his arrival at Boston;" or something to that effect. But, last inhis own thoughts, Uncle Juvinell still sat cross-legged in hisarm-chair, and spoke not a word. At last, just by way of reminding himthat a select and highly enlightened audience were in waiting to hearhim, Willie softly arose from his chair, and, filling the little Dutchmug to the brim with rich brown cider, offered it to his uncle, with aforward duck of the head and a backward jerk of the heel, which he, nodoubt, intended for a genteel bow. Uncle Juvinell took it; but set itagain, with an absent air, untasted on the table. Then, drawing hisspectacles down from his forehead, he again perused the letter he heldin his hand, with earnest attention, the shadow on his brow deepeningas he read. 

When he had finished, he laid it on the table, and finally broke thelong silence; his first words falling like ice-water on the ears ofthe little folks. 

"Sad news for you, my dear children; sad news for us all! I have justreceived a letter from my old friend and kinsman, Peter Parley, ofwhom you have all heard so much, and to whom, for the many delightfulbooks he has written, the younger generations of America are moreindebted than perhaps to any man now living. In his letter he tellsme, that, owing to his declining health, and increasing years, he hasceased his literary labors altogether, and betaken himself to NewOrleans, in whose milder climate he hopes he may, in some measure, recruit his failing powers. What he says in addition to this I willgive you in his own words:--

 "The effects of that unlucky fall on the ice, while crossing Boston Common, so many years ago, I have felt in my right hip, to a greater or less degree, ever since; and within the past year my lameness has so much increased as to have become a matter of much anxiety to my friends, and some uneasiness to myself. Taking this in connection with the growing infirmities of age, I sometimes have a foreboding that I shall never return to Boston alive. 

 "Under this impression, I now write you, my Cousin Juvinell, entreating you, as my nearest living kinsman and much-beloved friend, to come and see me at this place, and sojourn here with me, until, in the wisdom of a kind Providence, it be determined whether my span of life is to be shortened or lengthened yet a little more. It will be a comfort to me to have you by my side at the closing scene; and it may be that your cheerful presence and sunny humor will do more to revive me than I can hope for even from this mild, pleasant Louisiana air. 

 "I know that your compliance with my request will for a season prove a serious interruption to the enjoyment of the little folks in your vicinity, whom you have taken under your wing, and to whose entertainment and instruction so much of your useful life is devoted. But they will, I am sure, without hesitation, make this sacrifice in behalf of one who has for many long years labored so hard and faithfully for their happiness and improvement. Commend me kindly to them. Hoping to see you at an early day, I remain, as ever, your affectionate friend and kinsman, "PETER PARLEY. "

Uncle Juvinell went on: "I am gratified, my dear children, to see inyour grateful and sympathetic looks, saddened and disappointed thoughI know you really to be, that you are ready and willing to sacrificewhat pleasure and entertainment my company and conversation may affordyou, to the comfort and wishes of this venerated and excellent man. Mygoing-away at this moment will, it is true, cause a sad interruptionto our story of the life of Washington; but next Christmas, if we allbe spared, and your Uncle Juvinell keep his memory fresh and green, wewill gather together again in this very room, and take it up where wenow drop it, and follow it through all its eventful changes to theglorious and happy end. Meanwhile, ponder well in your minds what Ihave already told you of the childhood, youth, and early prime of thisillustrious man. And after all, now that I give the matter a secondthought, we could not have been interrupted at a more suitable place;for the account I have given up to this point needs scarcely a singleimportant particular to make it a complete and separate story. Wehave followed him step by step, and seen how he rose, first from theboy-farmer to the youthful surveyor, from that to the young colonel, from that to the legislator of more mature years, and lastly from thatto commander-in-chief of the armies of a young and rising nation. 

"The history of his career after this period is, in fact, so closelyconnected with that of his country, as to be altogether inseparablefrom it. 

"And again I repeat, ponder well in your minds what I have alreadytold you, as being, after all, the part most necessary for you atpresent to know. Ever strive to keep his example before your eyes, ever to cherish his virtues in your hearts. Like him, be industriousin your habits, diligent in your studies, polite in your manners, orderly in your dress, peaceable in your disposition, upright in yourdealings, faithful in your friendships, patient under trials, persevering under difficulties, strangers to covetousness, contentwith little, moderate with much, generous, self-denying, courageous inwell-doing, pure in heart, devout in spirit, modest before men, reverent to your parents, respectful to your superiors, humble beforeGod; and, like him, let the clear light of truth shine forth in allyour words, in all your actions, in all your looks and gestures, inall your secret thoughts, and in your very souls. Be all this, thatmen may reverence you, that angels may honor you, that God may blessand reward you. "

Here Uncle Juvinell paused; and, as he looked round on the saddenedfaces of his little auditors, a moisture crept out softly upon hiseyelashes, and dimmed the brightness of his spectacles. "It grieves memuch, my dearest children, " said he, after a moment or two, --and therewas a tremor of deep fatherly feeling in his voice, --"it grieves memuch, that our happy little circle must be broken up. It will be butfor a season, however; and, when we meet again, we shall be happierthan had we not parted at all. On Monday, I take the stage-coach forLouisville; and there I take the steamer 'Eclipse' for New Orleans. Asit is a long journey I have before me, I must needs write manyletters, and do a deal of packing, before setting out: so we will singour evening hymn now, and separate for the night. "

Then, joining their voices together, they sang that beautiful hymn, "Though far away from friends and home. " At the second line, however, --"A lonely wanderer I may roam, "--the little folks fairlybroke down; their hearts rising into their throats from very grief, and choking their voices: but, with all the ease of a professedsinging-master, Uncle Juvinell, though his heart was full too, glidedat once from the lowest bass to the highest treble, which he carriedalone, until some of the children, getting the better of theirfeelings, chimed in with him, when he softly dropped to the verybottom of his bass again. 

The hymn ended, the little folks came one by one, and, withoutspeaking a word, embraced and kissed their dear old uncle, this bestof men; he laying his gentle hand upon their bowed heads, and blessingthem with more than his usual fervor. 

THE END.