and the messenger came back without it. Bacon, no doubt, expected this, and had made up his mind. He told his friends that as to himself he was ready to march without any commission. He would take all the risk, and any who wished to go with him could do so.

This was followed by another shout, and the men mounted their horses. Bacon took command, and the whole body set forward. They marched up James River, and into the woods near the Falls, and here they found the Indians and attacked them. The result was a complete victory over them. They were all killed or driven off. And then Bacon and his men marched back homeward in triumph.

But while they were fighting up the river a great excitement had taken place at Jamestown. Governor Berkeley was enraged when he heard that Bacon had marched in defiance of him. So he issued a proclamation that Bacon and his men were all traitors, and got together a body of troops to attack them. Nothing occurred, however. Sir William set out, but found that there was trouble behind him. The Virginians everywhere sympathized with Bacon, and were ready to rise in arms; so the old governor changed his mind, and marched back again with his forces. to Jamestown.

II.

This was a great triumph for Bacon, and all Virginia nearly was in his favor. The old governor was obliged to submit, and said he had no objection to what the people demanded. They might make any new laws they wished, as far as he was concerned; and so a new House of Burgesses was at once elected.

Bacon was chosen one of the members, as he was now extremely popular, and set out down James River in his sail-boat for Jamestown. But the governor was ready. As soon as he arrived he had him arrested and brought

into the State-house. Here Sir William and the king's council were waiting to receive him, and a stormy interview followed. We know how high-tempered the old governor was, and he received Bacon fiercely. But that had no effect upon him. He was too cool a man to cower before Sir William's anger, and discussed the whole matter with him in a very plain manner. He knew that he had acted illegally, he said, in fighting without the commission, and was ready to say so, if the commission was now given to him. To this the governor at last agreed; but he did not keep his word, and Bacon determined that he would force him to do so.

He accordingly left Jamestown, and went home and told his neighbors how matters stood. He was resolved to have the commission, he said, and they said they would assist him. In a short time about four hundred planters assembled, and at the head of them Bacon marched toward Jamestown. As soon as he arrived he drew up his forces on the State-house green, and then sent word to Sir William Berkeley that he had come for his commission.

This greatly enraged the old governor. He was quite as brave as Bacon, and rushed out in front of the men. Tearing open his ruffled shirt so as to leave his breast naked, he exclaimed, violently,

"Here, shoot me-'fore God, a fair mark!-shoot!"

But Bacon had no intention of hurting the governor. He advanced toward him and bowed, and said,

"No, may it please your Honor, we will not hurt a hair of your head or any other man's. We have come for a commission to save our lives from the Indians, which you have so often promised, and now we will have it before we go."

There was then great confusion, and an angry scene followed. But Bacon stood firm, and declared that he

would not go without the paper; so the governor was obliged at last to submit. He consented to what Bacon demanded, and he received his commission, when he mounted his horse again and marched his men out of Jamestown.

III.

This act of Bacon's was open defiance, you see, of the king's authority, for Sir William was his representative in the colony. The governor was a brave old fellow, and resolved to fight; so he suddenly left Jamestown, and crossed York River to Gloucester, where he raised his flag, and called on his friends to assemble.

But Bacon was quite as resolute as he was. He was not afraid to make war on the king himself, though he risked his head in doing so; and at once set out with a small army to fight Sir William. When the governor heard of this he fled across Chesapeake Bay to Accomac, and Bacon was in possession of the whole country.

He and his men then acted like true patriots. A new House of Burgesses was ordered to assemble, and in the mean while they pledged themselves not to lay down their arms. As Sir William had sent to England for soldiers to fight for him, they bound themselves to fight these soldiers, as they had fought the governor; and they signed a paper to this effect, whose date was August, 1676. This was just one hundred years before the American declaration of Independence, you see, and there is not much difference. between the two papers.

In the midst of all this, Bacon heard that the Indians were making trouble again, so he resolved to march at once and put an end to them. The tribes which murdered the settlers lived in the neighborhood of the present city of Richmond, and Bacon soon reached the spot and prepared to attack them.