he meant to march straight forward, with his drums and trumpets sounding, and make an end of the French before the autumn. Of this there could be no doubt. Fort Duquesne would not keep him more than three or four days; then he meant to march on and attack Fort Niagathen another fort called Frontenac. And that would be the end of the matter.

ra,

Among the persons to whom he talked in this manner was the celebrated Benjamin Franklin. He had come from Pennsylvania to see Braddock on business, and wore

a Quaker coat and hat, and was as cool and cautious as the Englishman was boastful.

"To be sure, sir," Franklin now said to Braddock, in reply, "if you arrive well before Duquesne with these fine troops, the fort can probably make but a short resistance."

The trouble, however, Franklin went on to say, was to get there safely. The Indians would help the French, and waylay the English in the woods probably; and if they did not look out carefully, the line of soldiers would be "cut like a thread into several pieces."

But Braddock only laughed, and sneered at the idea that a Quaker could tell him anything about military

matters.

"These savages may be indeed a formidable enemy to raw American militia," he replied, "but upon the king's regular and disciplined troops, sir, it is impossible to make any impression!"

Braddock had intelligence enough, however, to know that it would be better to have some one with him who knew the country toward Fort Duquesne; and he was informed that a young soldier, living at a place called "Mount Vernon," was well acquainted with it. This was Washington, and Braddock sent him an invitation to come to Alexandria, where the English had landed, and see him. Washington rode over at once. Braddock offered him a place on his staff, and the young soldier accepted it, and promised to go on the expedition.

The great trouble now was to procure wagons to convey the munitions and provisions. The troops had gone forward to Fort Cumberland, but could not move, Braddock said, without wagons; and whenever he spoke of these wagons, he cursed and swore in the most violent manner. In fact, Braddock swore at everything. When he set out for Cumberland, he swore at the roads; when he spoke of the provincials, he swore at them; and when nothing in particular annoyed him at the moment, he swore at the country in general.

This will give you some idea of General Braddock's character. He was a brave man and a good soldier, but very high-tempered and domineering. He could not control his anger when he became excited, and, what was worst of all, he had an extravagant opinion of his own judgment. Washington observed this, and must have felt very melancholy as to the fate of the expedition. He saw

that Braddock would take no advice, and that something unfortunate would probably happen. He had accepted Braddock's offer, however, to go with him, and did not mean to turn back. They set out from Alexandria, and went to Frederick, in Maryland. Then Braddock, who travelled in a fine coach, guarded by a troop of cavalry, travelled through muddy roads to Winchester, which was near Greenway Court. Whether he visited Lord Fairfax there is uncertain. But Washington did: he obtained fresh horses at Greenway, and then rejoined General Braddock, who, after a short halt at Winchester, continued his way through the mountains to Cumberland.

Here his army awaited him, and were drawn up in line to receive him. His coach, with its cavalry guard, passed rapidly along the line, in the midst of the roll of drums, and a salute of seventeen pieces of artillery was fired to welcome him.

II.

Many weeks passed at Cumberland before the little. army was in order to march. It consisted of about two thousand men, and Braddock drilled it carefully and established rigid discipline. Washington saw that the general was a thorough soldier, and would be obeyed. Drunkenness was punished by close confinement, and theft by cruel whipping. Some Indians who came with their wives and daughters to the camp were ordered away at once, and Braddock's firm hand was felt everywhere.

All this proved very instructive to Washington, and he witnessed the military ceremonies which were observed with deep interest—the regular guard-mountings, the drills and reviews, and the burial of an officer one day, when a guard of honor marched beside the coffin, on which lay the dead man's sword and sash, with their guns reversed, and fired a salute over the grave.

At last the wagons, which General Braddock had sworn so often about, were obtained, and the army set out on its march. It had to penetrate the "Shades of Death," as the Great Woods were called; and this proved, as Washington had told Braddock, a "tremendous undertaking." Bodies of men had to be sent in front to cut a road for the wagons through the woods; and day after day the army toiled along, watched by parties of Indians from the

surrounding hills, ready to attack it on the first opportunity.

At last Washington lost his patience. It seemed utterly absurd to him that the army should be delayed by this long, cumbrous train of wagons, loaded down, for the most part, with the baggage of the English officers, which they refused to leave behind. He therefore went to General Braddock, and told him that the wagons must be left to come on, while the army marched forward. He could carry the powder and provisions on pack-horses; and if

this was not done, they would not reach Fort Duquesne until the French had collected a large army to receive them.

Rash and impatient as Braddock was, he saw the goodsense of this advice. He began to understand that there were some things which the provincials could teach him, and ordered Washington's views to be carried out. Twelve hundred men and ten pieces of cannon, with the stores on pack-horses, advanced in front, commanded by Braddock, and the rest followed with the slow wagontrain under Colonel Dunbar.

The twelve hundred men now advanced steadily in the direction of Fort Duquesne. On the way an incident occurred which again showed how obstinate General Braddock was, and how little he knew about fighting in the woods. A well-known hunter and woodsman named Captain Jack, or "Black Rifle," joined the troops with some of his men, and offered Braddock his services. Captain Jack was a wild-looking hunter, with a long rifle, and dressed in deer - skin. He informed the general that he and his men were well acquainted with Indian fighting, and, if he wished, they would scout in front, and report whether they discovered any enemies.

General Braddock ought certainly to have had sense enough to accept this offer. Why he did not it is hard to say, unless he was determined to show that he did not require assistance from anybody. At all events, he received Captain Jack's offer very coldly, telling him that "there was time enough for making arrangements, and that he had experienced troops, on whom he could rely for all purposes." He then made Captain Jack and his men a bow, to show them that he had said all that he had to say, and that was the end of it. They left without further words; but if Braddock had accepted their ser