it was very hard to manage them.

When they

The

began to ride, matters became still worse.

The

horses were soon worn out with travelling in deep snow. There were neither houses nor barns. men slept in tents, and the animals fared hardly. Washington gave up his own horse to carry the baggage, and all the men walked.

At last he grew very tired of this slow method of travelling, and determined to leave the party, and strike through the woods for the nearest branch of the Ohio River. A Mr. Gist went with him; and the first day they met an Indian, whom they took as guide. Gist knew the Indians well, and both he and Washington soon began to suspect this man. From his behavior, they thought he was trying to lead them to a place where they might be surrounded and killed. What could two white men do against a party of Indians? Towards evening, the Indian, who was a little in front of them, turned, and fired his gun at Mr. Gist. He was not hurt; and the two secured the Indian before he could fire again. Gist was for putting him immediately to death; but Washington would not consent to that. They were obliged to watch him very minutely; and at last, in order to get rid of him, they gave him leave to go

to his cabin. Gist followed him, and listened to his steps to be sure that he was out of the way; and then the travellers took up their march again, though they had encamped for the night because Major Washington was weary.

They went on anxiously, all that night and all the next day, till they reached the Alleghany River. There was no boat to be seen: they must make a raft, and they had only one poor hatchet. They worked at the raft a whole day; launched it at dusk, and tried to cross the river: but the raft got jammed between cakes of ice. Washington put his pole on the bottom of the river, and leaned against it; but the ice came down with such force that he was thrown off the raft into deep water. He and Gist then succeeded in getting upon an island, where they passed the night. Mr. Gist's hands and feet were frozen. The next day, they crossed on the ice to a house where they were made comfortable.

The dangers of the journey were over; but all the rest of the way was as uncomfortable as very bad weather could make it. While Major Washington was waiting for horses, he paid a visit to an Indian queen. What do you think he gave her? "A watch-coat," he says, "and a bottle of rum;

which latter was thought much the better present

of the two."

On the 16th of January, 1754, he was again at Williamsburg, and gave Gov. Dinwiddie the letter of the French commandant.

His journal of this trip was published, a compliment much more marked at that time than it would be now; for rough journeys through unsettled country were not unusual then, while printing was far less common than it is among us.

The next spring, the Virginia soldiers were early in the field. Washington might have commanded the whole body; but he preferred to be the second officer, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel.*

With

a small force, he worked his way over the mountains towards the Ohio River, preparing the roads for heavy cannon.

He found it very difficult to get men to enlist. Provisions were to be collected, and carried along; and the farmers were very slow to furnish horses and wagons. The officers, also, were dissatisfied because Virginia gave them much smaller pay than

* A colonel commands a regiment. A lieutenant-colonel is the next officer below him; and a major the next.