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         for a with diaresis below, to read a: in fa:ll
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[Illustration: G. Washington with handwritten signature]


The Youth's Library

THE STORY OF THE THIRTEEN COLONIES

BY

H. A. GUERBER







New York
D. McNetton & Company
150 Fifth Avenue

Copyright, 1898, by
H. A. Guerber.

STORY OF THE THIRTEEN COLONIES.
M. B. C. I




PREFACE.


This book is intended as an historical reader, an elementary
text-book in the history of our country, or as an introduction or
supplement to any of the excellent text-books on the history of the
United States now in use.

The aim has been not only to interest children in the great men of
their own country, but to stimulate them to the cultivation of the
lofty virtues of which they read, and to instil within their hearts
a deep love for their native land.

All the main facts in our early history have been given as
simply and vividly as possible, and the lessons of patriotism,
truthfulness, courage, patience, honesty, and industry taught by the
lives of our principal heroes are carefully enforced. Great pains
have also been taken to relate all the well-known anecdotes and
quote the famous speeches which are so frequently alluded to in our
current literature.

Although this book ends with the Revolutionary War, the story of
our country is continued on the same lines in a companion volume
entitled "The Story of the Great Republic;" yet each book is
independent of the other and can be used separately.

So simply worded as to be easily intelligible to average children of
ten or twelve years of age, the text is further arranged in short
paragraphs, to facilitate its use as a reader in large classes.

The pronunciation of difficult proper names is indicated in the
text, and, more fully, in the carefully prepared index. The system
of diacritical marks used is explained on the first page of the
index.


HINTS FOR TEACHERS.

The best results in reading can often be obtained by the teacher's
reading a chapter first, while the pupils closely follow the text
in their own books. When called upon to re-read the same passages,
it will be noticed that they almost unconsciously imitate every
inflection they have heard. Thus they soon learn to read with due
regard to expression, and therefore take a livelier interest in the
subject-matter.

Aside from its use as a reader, this text can also serve to supply
themes for daily language work, certain parts of the lesson being
chosen for verbal and others for written reproduction. My experience
has been that after reading the chapters over once or twice most
children remember both facts and names. If they cannot do it at
first, they may easily be trained to do it by the judicious stimulus
of a little praise, and the hope of winning their teacher's approval.

To fix important facts in the memory, and to serve as reviews of
previous readings, I have found that a set of question cards is
almost invaluable. These can be quickly distributed among the
children, who are called upon to answer them verbally or in writing,
as best serves the teacher's purpose at the time.

Pupils consider historical matches even more exciting than spelling
matches. To vary recitations, matches can be conducted in various
ways. For instance, all the question cards bearing upon the parts
of the book already perused can be divided between the two "sides."
The pupils furnish oral or written answers, the side answering
most questions correctly reaping the honors. The match can also be
carried on by the teacher's supplying names or dates, and requiring
pupils on alternate sides to state clearly what they know in
connection with them. At other times, ordinary quiz methods can be
used, or the teacher can relate some fact or anecdote, calling upon
different pupils to supply the purposely omitted names or dates.

Children are also often deeply interested in verbal pictures. For
example, the teacher, without mentioning name, time, or place,
can describe Franklin flying his kite, Ethan Allen surprising the
garrison at Ticonderoga, Columbus at La Rabida, etc. The description
ended, each pupil can write down the names of the characters
described, and mention time, place, and any other fact the teacher
calls for. Such historical riddles seem more like play than work to
the average child, and before long all take great pride in making
verbal pictures of their own, to be guessed by their schoolmates, or
handed to the teacher instead of an ordinary composition. Such work
not only appeals to childish imagination, but cultivates memory and
attention while firmly fixing important facts in youthful minds.

To encourage a taste for poetry and rouse a love for the beautiful
by fine descriptions of the noted characters or great events with
which the pupils have just become familiar, it is often well to read
aloud some of our most famous songs or poems.

It is universally conceded that history and geography should go hand
in hand; so suitable maps have been supplied, upon which children
should be encouraged to locate each spot as soon as it is mentioned.
The teacher should also procure a blank map for each pupil (such
as the Eclectic Map Blanks, American Book Company), so that, after
finding any place named on the ordinary map, the pupil can locate it
exactly on an outline map. Many children are greatly interested in
marking the names themselves as soon as their attention is drawn to
them, and take great pride in seeing their maps grow. This method
is often more helpful than any other in making children see how
civilization has spread and what changes have gradually taken place
in our country.

To fix upon their minds the fact that colonies were planted by
different European nations, it is often advisable to purchase at
a stationer's tiny adhesive stars of various colors. Each color
serves to represent a nation, and stars are pasted upon the
spots where colonies once stood. In cases where colonies proved
unsuccessful, a black star can be pasted over the colored one, but
in such a way that enough of the original star remains to show to
which nation the colony once belonged. Where colonies changed hands
several times, stars of appropriate colors can be pasted overlapping
one another. This work fascinates children, and as the stars are
adhesive, it can be done in class with very little trouble. A little
tact on the teacher's part will make each pupil strive to have the
neatest and most accurate map.

History and geography, when studied in their turn, will seem far
more attractive to children if these methods have been pursued;
for many persons and places already familiar will then be joyfully
greeted as old friends.




CONTENTS

                                                     PAGE

        I. Our Country Long Ago                        13

       II. The Barbarous Indians                       17

      III. The Mounds                                  20

       IV. Where the Northmen went                     24

        V. The Northmen in America                     27

       VI. Queer Ideas                                 31

      VII. Prince Henry the Navigator                  33

     VIII. Youth of Columbus                           36

       IX. Columbus and the Queen                      39

        X. "Land! Land!"                               44

       XI. Columbus and the Savages                    48

      XII. Home Again                                  51

     XIII. Columbus illtreated                         54

      XIV. Death of Columbus                           57

       XV. How America got its Name                    60

      XVI. The Fountain of Youth                       62

     XVII. "The Father of Waters"                      66

    XVIII. The French in Canada                        70

      XIX. French and Spanish Quarrels                 73

       XX. The Sky City                                77

      XXI. Around the World                            80

     XXII. Nothing but Smoke                           83

    XXIII. Smith's Adventures                          87

     XXIV. The Jamestown Men                           91

      XXV. Smith wounded                               94

     XXVI. The Visit of Pocahontas to England          97

    XXVII. Hudson and the Indians                     102

   XXVIII. The Mayflower                              105

     XXIX. Plymouth Rock                              109

      XXX. The First American Thanksgiving            113

     XXXI. The Snake Skin and the Bullets             118

    XXXII. The Beginning of Boston                    122

   XXXIII. Stories of Two Ministers                   126

    XXXIV. Williams and the Indians                   129

     XXXV. The Quakers                                134

    XXXVI. The King-Killers                           136

   XXXVII. King Philip's War                          138

  XXXVIII. The Beginning of New York                  142

    XXXIX. Penn and the Indians                       147

       XL. The Catholics in Maryland                  152

      XLI. The Old Dominion                           155

     XLII. Bacon's Rebellion                          157

    XLIII. A Journey Inland                           160

     XLIV. The Carolina Pirates                       162

      XLV. Charter Oak                                166

     XLVI. Salem Witches                              170

    XLVII. Down the Mississippi                       174

   XLVIII. La Salle's Adventures                      180

     XLIX. Indians on the Warpath                     183

        L. Two Wars with the French                   187

       LI. Washington's Boyhood                       191

      LII. Washington's Journey                       195

     LIII. Washington's First Battle                  198

      LIV. Stories of Franklin                        199

       LV. Braddock's Defeat                          206

      LVI. Wolfe at Quebec                            210

     LVII. How England treated her Colonies           214

    LVIII. The Stamp Tax                              218

      LIX. The Anger of the Colonies                  220

       LX. The Boston Tea Party                       224

      LXI. The Minutemen                              228

     LXII. The Battle of Lexington                    233

    LXIII. Bunker Hill                                237

     LXIV. The Boston Boys                            242

      LXV. The British leave Boston                   245

     LXVI. Declaration of Independence                248

    LXVII. A Lady's Way of Helping                    253

   LXVIII. Christmas Eve                              258

     LXIX. The Fight at Bennington                    262

      LXX. Burgoyne's Surrender                       267

     LXXI. The Winter at Valley Forge                 271

    LXXII. The Quaker Woman                           275

   LXXIII. Putnam's Adventures                        279

    LXXIV. Indian Cruelty                             283

     LXXV. Boone in Kentucky                          288

    LXXVI. Famous Sea Fights                          293

   LXXVII. The "Swamp Fox"                            297

  LXXVIII. The Poor Soldiers                          302

    LXXIX. The Spy                                    304

     LXXX. A Traitor's Death                          309

    LXXXI. Two Unselfish Women                        312

   LXXXII. The Surrender of Cornwallis                315

  LXXXIII. The British Flag hauled down               319

   LXXXIV. Washington's Farewell                      323


MAPS.

  The Thirteen Colonies before the Revolution          12

  North America before the French and Indian War      189

  Part of the Northern States                         230

  Results of the War for Independence                 322

[Illustration: THE THIRTEEN COLONIES BEFORE THE REVOLUTION]




[Illustration: decoration]




STORY OF THE THIRTEEN COLONIES.




I. OUR COUNTRY LONG AGO.


Learned men, who read the story of the earth in the mountains,
valleys, rivers, lakes, and seas which cover its surface, tell us
that America, although known as the New World, is really older than
Europe. The sun has shone upon this continent and the rain has
watered it for more centuries than we can count. If you study your
maps carefully, you will notice lofty mountains, great lakes, and
long rivers in many parts of the country; and you will see that it
is beautiful and fertile almost everywhere, except in the far north,
where snow covers the ground most of the year.

The same wise men who found out that the country is so old, dug down
into the soil, examined the things they found there, questioned the
Indians, and, little by little, discovered that our continent has
been inhabited by many different kinds of animals and men. They
found huge bones of animals which died thousands of years ago, and
placed these in museums, where you can now see them. They also found
the bones of some of the ancient men and women, with some of their
weapons, tools, kitchen pots, and bits of their garments.

By studying these things very carefully, and by listening to the
stories of the natives, they learned a great deal about the country
which, from Greenland and A-las´ka in the north, to Cape Horn in the
south, was once inhabited by tribes of Indians. None of these had
white skins like the inhabitants of Europe, black skins like the
negroes in Africa, or yellow skins like the Chinamen in Asia. But as
they were more like the people in Asia than like those in Africa or
Europe, some men now think they may once have belonged to the same
family.

[Illustration: A Savage Indian.]

Still, the men living on our continent were so unlike others that
they are called red men, and form a race by themselves. Those who
lived in the part of the country which is now called the United
States had copper-colored skins, high cheek bones, straight, coarse
black hair, small black eyes, and very wide mouths. Although they
all looked somewhat alike, they were very different in their ways of
living. The Indians living east of the Rocky Mountains were a little
more civilized than those living west of those mountains and in the
far northern parts of the continent.

[Illustration: A Wigwam.]

The western and northern Indians are generally called savage
Indians, for they lived by hunting and fishing, had no houses like
ours, and were always roaming around in search of game. They were
sheltered from the sun and rain by tents called wigwams. These rude
dwellings were made by driving poles in the ground, in a circle as
big as the wigwam was to be. When all the poles had been set up, the
tops were drawn close together and firmly tied. Over these slanting
poles the Indians spread the skins of the animals they had killed,
or else they wove leaves and branches between the poles to form a
thick screen. The space between two of the poles was left open to
serve as a door, and over this was hung a bear or buffalo skin to
keep out the sun, rain, or cold.

The space inside the wigwam was generally very small; but all the
family crowded in, and when it was cold or wet, a fire was lighted
in the middle of the floor. The smoke then escaped through a hole
purposely left in the top of the wigwam, or through the open door.

The savage Indians had learned to make baskets, which they
plastered with clay inside and out, and dried in the sun until they
could hold water. When they wanted to boil their meat or to warm
water, the women, called squaws, heated stones in the fire, and then
dropped them into the water, which was thus brought to a boil.

These Indians rowed about in canoes made of basket work, of birch
bark, or even of hollow tree trunks. As they had only stone axes,
they could not easily cut down trees, so they brought them to the
ground by kindling a fire all around them. When the tree had fallen
they built another fire farther up the trunk. A log of the right
length having thus been secured, they hollowed it out by starting
small fires on top of the trunk, and scraping away the charred wood,
until the log formed a rude canoe.

The Indians made their birch-bark canoes by sewing long strips of
bark together with plant fibers or the sinews of the animals they
had killed. The basket-work canoes were covered with skins to make
them water-tight.

[Illustration: Making a Canoe.]




II. THE BARBAROUS INDIANS.


The Indians east of the Rocky Mountains knew a little more than the
savage Indians, so they are called the barbarous Indians. Besides
hunting and fishing, they dug up roots with stone hoes, or with
shells, and planted corn, beans, pumpkins, squashes, tomatoes,
tobacco, and sunflowers. Of course they did not have neat fields and
gardens, such as you see now; but they scratched a hole wherever the
ground seemed good enough, dropped a few seeds into it, and covering
them over, left them to grow without further care.

[Illustration: Indian Pottery.]

The barbarous Indians were not content, like the savage Indians
in the West, to fling a skin around them to keep off the cold,
merely fastening it with a big thorn to hold it together. So they
made winter garments by sewing skins together with sinews or plant
fibers. In summer they had lighter clothes, rudely woven out of
cotton or plant fibers. They, too, wove baskets, made beautiful
birch-bark canoes, and after fashioning pots and pans out of clay,
hardened them in the fire, so that they could use them in cooking.

These Indians had tools and weapons made of finely polished stone or
bone, and they liked to live in villages. Instead of wigwams, many
of them built houses of wood, or basket work and clay, roofed over
with strips of bark. Sometimes the roof was a very thick layer of
long grass, laid on rude rafters, and held down by poles to form a
kind of thatch.

[Illustration: A Long House.]

The houses thus built were generally very long and rather narrow,
with a door at either end, and a passageway running through the
center. On either side of this hall there were little rooms, each
occupied by a family. At intervals along the passage the ground
was hollowed out, and a clay or earthen fireplace was built, where
four families cooked their meals. Above the fireplace there was a
hole in the roof to serve as chimney. The rooms near the doors were
generally used as storerooms for food and fuel. When several of
these long houses were built together, they were often surrounded by
a wooden wall, or palisade, to keep out the wild beasts and to serve
as protection in time of war.

The Indians who once lived in New York and in the valley of the St.
Law´rence lived in long houses, but the Mis-sou´ri Indians had
round houses, built of the same materials. In the round houses the
fireplace was in the middle, and families lived in rooms shaped like
cuts of a pie. Many of these round houses were built close together,
and then surrounded by a palisade made of tree trunks. These were
driven into the ground so close together that they formed a very
strong fence.

Although Indians did not have family names, such as we have now,
each great family, or clan, had a special sign whereby it was known,
such as a bear, a turtle, or a beaver. This sign was often marked
upon their bodies in bright colors, and they carved and scratched it
on all their belongings. From this sign the family was known as the
bear, the turtle, or the beaver clan. Each clan selected a ruler,
called sachem, or sagamore, whose orders all obeyed, and they also
chose a chief to lead them in time of war.

The Indians had never been told about the God we love, so they
worshiped the sun, moon, and stars, the lightning and thunder, the
wind and rain, and said that one great spirit, called Man´i-to, was
always watching over them. They also believed that when they died
they would be carried off to a place where they could hunt and fish
forever, and they called this heaven the happy hunting grounds.

Their religious ceremonies were usually performed by Indians called
medicine men. These pretended to be very wise, and frightened the
others by dancing and yelling wildly, and using strange words and
signs. They said this would please their gods, and drive away the
evil spirits of sickness, storm, or drought. The Indians were so
simple that they believed all this nonsense, and they were so
afraid of evil spirits that they often begged an animal's pardon for
killing it. You see, they thought the spirit of a wolf or bear might
else be so angry as to torment them in their dreams!

[Illustration: A Papoose.]

The men spent their time hunting, fishing, and fighting, but left
all the rest of the work to the women. When they moved from one
place to another, the squaws had to carry all the household goods,
as well as the papooses, or babies. But the men carried only their
bows and arrows, hunting knives, and the hatchets called tomahawks,
which they threw with great force and skill.




III. THE MOUNDS.


Besides the savage Indians of the north and west, and the barbarous
Indians of the east, there were also half-civilized Indians in
the south of our country. They dwelt not only in what is now New
Mex´i-co and Ar-i-zo´na, but were also found in Mexico, Central
America, and South America, as far down the map as Chile (che´lā).

The southern Indians had learned how to build canals, so as to lead
the water far away from the streams into dry and barren lands. When
the ground had thus been watered, or irrigated, it became very
fruitful, and they could grow all the grain and vegetables they
needed.

The southern Indians lived together in huge fortresses, built of
sun-dried bricks, called adobe. These fortresses were large houses
five or six stories high, containing ever so many little rooms, each
occupied by one family. Thus one house often sheltered two or three
thousand people.

[Illustration: Cliff Dwellings.]

Sometimes these Indians built their houses on the ledges of steep
rocks, or canyons. Such houses were called cliff dwellings, and many
remains of these queer homes are still found in the southwestern
part of our country. The Indians who lived there were gentle, and
not fond of fighting, but they built fortresses and cliff dwellings
to defend themselves when attacked by the savage Indians.

You see, the savage Indians did not grow any grain or vegetables,
but they came down from the north to steal the provisions of the
southern Indians. These, therefore, carried all their supplies into
the cliff houses, which they built in such a way that it was almost
impossible for an enemy to get in them.

The inhabitants themselves, however, easily went in and out by means
of ladders, which led from story to story, or from ledge to ledge.
Their houses had no doors down near the floor, but were entered by a
hole in the roof.

In each of these fortresses there was a great cistern, full of
water, and so large a supply of food that the Indians could stand a
long siege. In times of danger they pulled all their ladders away up
out of reach, and when their enemies tried to climb the steep cliffs
or straight walls, they pelted them with stones and arrows, and thus
drove them away.

Wise men tell us that even before our country was occupied by the
savage, barbarous, and half-civilized Indians, whose way of living
has just been described, it had been inhabited by their ancestors
or by an older race of men. We know they existed, because people
have dug up their bones. These have been found principally inside
huge earthen mounds of very queer shapes. The mounds were evidently
built by those early inhabitants, who are hence known as the mound
builders. Trees hundreds of years old now grow upon these mounds,
which are found in most parts of the eastern Mis-sis-sip´pi valley,
especially in O-hi´o.

In one place you can see a big mound representing a snake one
thousand feet long, his body lying in graceful curves along the
ground. This snake's mouth is wide open, and he looks as if trying
to swallow an egg-shaped mound, which is one hundred and sixty-four
feet long, and hence a pretty big mouthful. As this mound is so odd,
it has been inclosed in a park, where it is to be kept just as it
is, to remind people of the mound builders who lived here so long
ago.

[Illustration: mound in shape of snake.]

No one now knows exactly why these queer mounds were made, but
learned men have dug into about two thousand of them, and as they
have generally found bones, stone arrowheads and axes, beads,
mortars, hammers, tools for spinning and weaving, pottery, baskets,
and coarse cloth, they think the mounds must have been intended
principally as burying places. The beads found in them are very like
those which the barbarous Indians called wampum and used as money.
Indians wore these beads in strings around their necks, or wove them
into belts, using beads of different colors to form very pretty
patterns.

[Illustration: Wampum.]




IV. WHERE THE NORTHMEN WENT.


As you have seen in the first chapters of this book, America was
once a very different country from what it is to-day. Now you are
going to learn how it changed, little by little, from the wild land
where Indians roamed about in the huge forests covering the greater
part of the country, into a civilized country.

We are told that in all the wide territory now occupied by the
United States, there were, four hundred and fifty years ago, about
two hundred thousand Indians. These were very few inhabitants for so
big a country, for now there are many cities here which count many
more citizens.

The Indians then little suspected that on the other side of the
great ocean there was another country, occupied by a race of white
men, who knew much more than they did, and who were soon coming to
take possession of their land.

But the people in Europe, wise as they were, did not know many
things which everybody knows now. That was not their fault, however,
for they had been trying for several centuries to learn all they
could. In the middle of the fifteenth century Europe was already an
old country, where long series of kings and queens had ruled over
the people. There were then in Europe cities more than two thousand
years old, ancient temples and castles, and many of the beautiful
Christian churches which people still admire, because none finer
have ever been built.

The people in Europe had long been great travelers by land and sea,
although it was not so easy to get about then as it is now. Indeed,
on land they could go only in wagons, in litters, on horseback,
or on foot; and on the water they used nothing but rowboats or
sailboats, because no one had yet imagined that one could use steam
or electricity. On the sea, even the boldest sailors did not dare
venture far out of sight of land, for fear they would not be able to
find their way back.

The best seamen in Europe were the Northmen, or vik´ings. Already
in the eighth century they used to sail out of the _viks_, or bays,
in Nor´way, every spring, to go in search of adventures. These
Northmen, Norsemen, or Normans, little by little explored the coast
of the North Sea, and of the Atlantic Ocean, and finally came to
the Strait of Gi-bral´tar. Passing through this opening, they
came to the beautiful Med-i-ter-ra´ne-an Sea, where they cruised
about, even visiting the Greek islands and the renowned city of
Con-stan-ti-no´ple.

As you will see by looking at your maps, this was a very long
journey for men who had nothing but sailboats or rowboats, such
as very few sailors would dare to use nowadays. But the Northmen
were afraid of nothing, and when the wind blew, and the great waves
tossed their little vessels up and down like cockleshells, they held
tight to the rudder and steered on, singing one of their famous
songs.

Sometimes, however, the tempest raged so fiercely that they were
driven far out of their course. Thus, in the middle of the ninth
century, one of these hardy seamen, after tossing about on the
stormy seas several days, landed on an island which he had never
seen before.

[Illustration: A Viking.]

This new place was Ice´land, and he was so pleased with his
discovery that he sailed home and persuaded his family and friends
to go back there with him to settle down. In a few years other
Northmen came to live in Iceland, sailing across the Atlantic from
time to time to visit their old homes and friends. Soon the colony
grew so large that its seamen kept up a lively trade with different
ports in Europe.

One of these Ice-lan´dic seamen, Gunn´biorn, on his way home, was
once overtaken by a violent storm. It drove him far out of his
course, and finally brought him in sight of a new land, covered with
snow, which he called the White Land. When he reached home he told
the Ice´land-ers what he had seen; but no one cared then to go and
see if there really was a land west of Iceland, as he had said.

About a hundred years later another man, Er´ic the Red, was driven
out of Iceland for murder. Remembering what Gunnbiorn had said, he
sailed westward, and went to settle in the new country, which he
called Greenland, so as to attract other settlers. A number of them
soon joined him there, and began to trade with the Es´ki-mos, a race
of Indians who lived in the coldest part of the country, where they
hunted white bears and fished for cod and seals.




V. THE NORTHMEN IN AMERICA.


After Eric the Red had settled in Greenland, he sent word to one of
his friends, Biar´ni, to come and visit him. Biarni gladly accepted
the invitation, and although he had none of the instruments which
sailors now use to guide them safely over the seas, he set out
boldly, steering his course by the stars.

Unfortunately for Biarni, a storm soon came up. The stars could no
longer be seen, and his ship was driven far out of its way. When the
skies cleared Biarni saw land before him, and fancied he had reached
Greenland. So he sailed slowly along the coast, looking for Eric's
settlement; but, as he could not find it, he soon turned around and
went back to Iceland.

Of course he told his adventures to his friends, and Leīf the Lucky,
hearing him describe the land he had seen, set out in search of it,
in a large ship manned by a number of men. Sailing westward, Leif
coasted along Lab-ra-dor´ and No´va Sco´tia, came to Cape Cod (map,
page 189), and landed, it is thought, somewhere in Rhode Island, in
the year 1001.

Although Biarni and Leif did not know it, they had been the first
white men to see North America, which, as you will see, did not
receive this name till many years later. Leif the Lucky found
so many wild grapes in this region that he called the country
Vine´land, and loading his ship with timber and grapes, he went
home. But he, with another Northman, soon came back to spend a
winter in the new country, where the climate was much milder than in
Iceland or Greenland.

For some years ships sailed from Norway to Iceland, from Iceland to
Greenland, and from Greenland to North America, where a Northman
finally settled with about one hundred and forty men and women.
Snor´ri, the son of this brave leader, was the first European child
born in America. He lived to grow up, and the great sculptor
Thor´wald-sen, as well as several other noted men, claimed him as
one of their ancestors.

The Northmen, however, had a very hard time in America, for they
were soon attacked by the Indians, whom they called Skrae´lings.
Even the women had to fight to defend themselves against the
savages. But when they found that these attacks did not cease, they
decided to leave the country, and went home in 1012.

[Illustration: A Viking's Ship.]

As far as we know, after that no ships from the North visited
America for several hundred years. But the story of Eric the Red
and of Leif the Lucky was, fortunately, written down in one of
the old Norse tales, or sagas. It is probable that the people went
on talking for some time of the strange country their friends had
visited, but after a while they forgot it entirely. Indeed, were
it not for the old story, no one would now know that they were the
first Europeans who set foot in our country, and you will still hear
some people deny that they ever came here.

Now, it may seem very strange to you that the news of the Norse
discovery of the new land was not made known everywhere; but you
must remember that the people in Europe had no newspapers or
printing presses, and that news traveled very slowly. No one but a
few Northmen, therefore, were aware that land had been found in the
West.

So America was forgotten until, according to an old story, a Welsh
prince named Mad´oc was driven across the Atlantic by a storm, in
the twelfth century. He was so well pleased with the new country he
found that he is said to have left some of his men there, promising
to return soon with more settlers. The story goes on to say that
he sailed from Wales to keep this promise, but no one ever heard
anything more of him, or of the men he left in America.

Some people think that he and his men perished in a storm, and that
the settlers he left behind him were murdered by the Indians. Others
insist that the whole story was made up by the Welsh, so they could
claim the honor of having discovered America. Whether the Welsh ever
came here or not,--and it is hardly likely they ever did,--the fact
remains that our continent, after being discovered by Europeans, was
lost again.




VI. QUEER IDEAS.


People living in Europe, near the sea, were all fond of cruising
about; but as they had no compass at first, they seldom ventured out
of sight of land, for fear of losing their way. After a time they
learned to steer their vessels by means of the stars; but as these
could serve as guides only on clear nights, sailors were glad to use
the compass when it became known in Europe, in the twelfth century.

But although seamen now fearlessly cruised about the European
waters, they did not venture far out into the Atlantic, which
was then known as the "Sea of Darkness." The fact is, they were
afraid to do so, because they had been told they would meet strange
monsters there, such as mermen and mermaids. They also thought their
vessels would be drawn toward the "Loadstone Mountain," a great
magnetic rock which would draw all the nails out of their planks,
and thus make their boats fall to pieces.

[Illustration: Primitive Map]

Of course this was all nonsense, but most of the seamen believed
these tales as firmly as some sailors now believe that Friday is an
unlucky day; and as no one had ever gone far out in the Atlantic,
even learned men could not prove to them that they were mistaken.
Besides, although they had fairly good maps of the countries they
had visited, people knew nothing at all of the rest of the world.
Their maps showed only the northern part of Africa, the western and
southern parts of Europe, and the western part of Asia. All the rest
was a blank.

Common people then believed that the earth was round and flat,
like a pie, with the ocean flowing all around it. So they were
afraid to venture too far out, lest they should fall over the edge
of the world and drop down into space! Wise men, however, already
knew better; for, about three hundred years before Christ, Greek
philosophers had begun to suspect that the earth is round like a
ball, and not flat, as every one until then had supposed.

They and their pupils wrote books giving their reasons for believing
this; but as printing was not invented till seventeen hundred years
later, these works were known only to a few learned men. Most of the
European scholars then lived in Greece or Constantinople, and kept
these precious manuscripts in monasteries or private libraries, or
in palaces and schools.

In the twelfth century a Spanish-A-ra´bi-an philosopher read some
of these Greek manuscripts, and then wrote a book, saying that he
not only believed that the earth is round, but that he thought it
would be possible to sail around it! This statement, so natural and
simple now, seemed so absurd to the people who heard it then that
they began to make all manner of fun of it. They asked how it would
be possible for a ship to sail uphill, even supposing it did not
tumble off the earth when it reached the edge, which they called the
jumping-off place.

They also asked how the trees on the other side of the earth could
grow with their roots up in the air, and inquired whether the rain
and snow flew up instead of falling down. These questions, which
seem so odd now, were very natural, for people did not then know,
what your teachers have explained to you, that the earth is like a
big magnet. It holds fast everything on its surface, and nothing can
fall off, even though it spins around and around, and whirls through
space much faster than the fastest express train can travel.

The Turks, who were not Christians, besieged the city of
Constantinople in 1453, and when they became masters of it, and of
the surrounding country, the learned men all fled, taking with them
many of their precious manuscripts. Deprived of their quiet homes,
and in many cases forced to teach to earn their living, these wise
men settled in various cities, where they imparted to others all
they knew.

As printing had just been invented, books, instead of being worth
a fortune, soon became so much cheaper that almost everybody could
afford to have one or two volumes. The precious manuscripts the wise
men had saved from the Turks were therefore printed, and people soon
began to talk about the strange things they read in them, and longed
to know more.




VII. PRINCE HENRY THE NAVIGATOR.


Among the first books printed were the accounts of the travels of
two daring men, Mar´co Po´lo and Sir John Man´de-ville. These men
had visited many of the countries of the East, and the first had
even gone to China, which was then called Ca-thay´. The stories
these travelers told were so interesting and exciting that people
became anxious to visit these strange countries, and especially to
trade there and thus grow rich.

Ever since the days of Al-ex-an´der the Great, if not sooner, a
certain amount of trading had been done with the East. But as all
the silk, sugar, spices, etc., had to be brought by coasting vessels
to the head of the Per´sian Gulf or the Red Sea, and thence overland
by caravans to some port on the Black Sea or the Mediterranean, they
became very costly.

[Illustration: A Caravan.]

Sometimes, too, the goods were brought all the way from China or
India, or the heart of Africa, through deserts and over mountains to
the Black, the Mediterranean, or the Red Sea, by caravan, although
it took a long while to travel all those weary miles.

For some time the Turks allowed this trade to go on, but by and by
they began to treat the traders so badly that the traffic almost
stopped. The cities of Ven´ice and Gen´o-a in Italy, whose ships had
constantly sailed to and fro in the Mediterranean and Black seas, to
carry these goods from port to port, were now nearly idle, and the
people who had grown so rich were about to become poor.

As the Turks were too strong to be driven away, the traders longed
to find another road to reach India, Cathay, and Ci-pan´go, or
Japan. A way of reaching these countries by sea was what they most
desired, because it is much easier to carry goods in ships than on
camels.

The Ve-ne´tians and Gen-o-ese´, however, were not the only ones who
wished to find a new road to the East. Many of the European coast
cities fancied that if they could only discover it, they could keep
the trade all to themselves, and thus grow richer and more powerful
than their neighbors.

One of the countries which most coveted the Eastern trade was
Por´tu-gal, where a bright boy was heir to the throne. This lad,
Prince Henry of Portugal, once went with his father to Ceu´ta
in Africa. Although then very young, he listened eagerly to the
wonderful stories told about Guin´ea, on the southern side of the
Sa-ha´ra. He soon began to wonder if it would not be possible to get
there by sailing along the coast instead of crossing the African
desert. This, you must know, was a great undertaking, because people
found nothing to eat or drink there, and suffered much from the
heat. Besides, the wind called the simoom raised such clouds of dust
that whole caravans were sometimes buried in the sand.

By looking at the maps in your geography, you can see that it was
easy to sail from Portugal to Guinea; but at that time people knew
nothing of the west coast of Africa. Prince Henry, in hopes of
solving the problem, began to study very hard. Before long he read
in an old book that a wise man thought it possible to sail all
around Africa, and he longed to find out if this was true.

As soon as he grew up, he therefore hired a number of seamen to try
it, and showed such interest in sea voyages that he is often called
the Navigator. The mariners thus sent out, little by little explored
the coast of Africa, and creeping farther south every journey, they
discovered the Ma-dei´ra and Canary Islands.

But the sight of the smoke above the volcano of Ten-er-ïfe´ so
terrified them that they dared go no farther. It was only some time
later that Por´tu-guese mariners reached the Cape Verde Islands and
Sen-e-gal´. But one of their number had in the meantime learned,
from a Flem´ish seaman, that there was a group of islands westward,
and the Portuguese, going there, planted a colony on the A-zores´,
which still belong to them.




VIII. YOUTH OF COLUMBUS.


While Henry the Navigator was busy with his discoveries, the rest of
the world was not standing still. Although he little suspected it,
a boy born in Genoa, about 1436, was to be a far greater navigator
than he. This boy was Christopher Columbus.

Although Christopher's father was only a poor wool comber, he
managed to send his son to school at Pavia (pah-ve´a). There the
little fellow studied hard. But he had no pretty books such as you
have now, and had to pore over musty parchments. In spite of that,
he took special interest in geography and mathematics. When only
thirteen, Christopher was forced to leave school, because his father
could not afford to keep him there any longer. After combing wool
for a short time, he went to sea with one of his relatives.

A sailor at fourteen, Columbus began to lead a very stirring and
adventurous life. Genoa, his native city, was then often at war with
other places, and battles were fought on the sea as well as on land.
Besides, in going about from place to place, Genoese vessels were
frequently overtaken by pirates; so mariners in those days had to
know how to fight, as well as how to sail their vessels. Columbus,
therefore, had more than one battle with these sea robbers, whose
aim was to secure the goods on board his ship. Once he took part in
a fight off Cape St. Vin´cent. Here, his vessel having caught fire,
he and his crew sprang into the sea to escape the flames. By rare
good fortune, Columbus managed to grasp a floating oar, and with
this slight help he swam to the distant shore.

In the course of his many journeys Columbus visited all the
principal ports of the Mediterranean Sea. Ever eager to learn, he
questioned the seamen and travelers he met, and they gladly told him
the strange things they had seen and heard while visiting foreign
lands.

After a time Columbus came to Lis´bon, hoping to be employed in
making discoveries for the crown; for, as we have seen, the
Portuguese were the boldest seamen of the day. Whether or not
Columbus took part in some of their journeys we do not now know; but
we do know that he soon found himself obliged to earn his scanty
living by drawing maps. As he was a very pious man, he daily went
to say his prayers in a neighboring convent church, where he met a
young lady whom the nuns were educating. Falling in love with her,
Columbus soon made her his wife.

The newly married couple lived with the mother of the bride, the
widow of a seaman and chart maker. She soon gave her son-in-law
her husband's papers and instruments. In looking over the former,
Columbus found that his wife's father had once been in the employ of
Henry the Navigator, and had written an account of his voyages.

Poring over these papers, and thinking over all he had read and
heard from travelers, Columbus became more and more convinced that
the earth is round, and that by sailing directly westward one would
reach the coast of Asia. This idea, which had already haunted him
for some time, now left him no rest He longed to try, for he was in
hopes of finding a new road to India, which would enable his native
city to carry on the trade which had made it so rich. This trade
had been stopped, when he was about seventeen, by the taking of
Constantinople, as you have already heard.

According to the calculations of Columbus,--for, like all the wise
men of his time, he fancied the earth smaller than it is,--the
lands known to the Europeans extended over about two thirds of the
surface of the globe. As he thought that Asia stretched much farther
east, he now began to think that perhaps the strip of ocean which
separated Cipango from the Canary Islands might not be so very
broad, after all.

To discover whether others shared this belief, Columbus wrote to
Tos-ca-nel´li, a learned Italian, asking him whether he thought it
possible to reach Asia by sailing straight across the Atlantic.
Toscanelli answered that he thought it could be done. He also sent
Columbus a map he had drawn, on which he had placed Cipango (Japan)
nearly on the spot which Cu´ba occupies in your geographies.

When Columbus received this map he determined to make an attempt to
reach Asia by boldly sailing westward. But he was too poor to buy or
hire a vessel himself, and we are told that when he once asked the
Genoese to supply him with one, offering to give them the benefit of
his discoveries, they only made fun of his plans.

Although disappointed, Columbus did not give up his idea, and still
tried to gain all the information he could. He even made a journey
to Iceland; but the people he talked with there had so entirely
forgotten the land that Eric and Biarni had visited in the west,
that they never even mentioned it to him, so far as we now know.




IX. COLUMBUS AND THE QUEEN.


Genoa having refused to help him, Columbus, some time later,
explained his wishes to John II., the new king of Portugal, for
Henry the Navigator was dead. This ruler also took great interest
in such matters, but as he was not very wise himself, he called
together a council of his most learned men to listen to all that
Columbus had to say. These men declared the plan absurd; but the
king did not feel quite sure that they were right.

John did not wish any other country to have the glory of finding
the new road to India; still, he did not want to trust a ship to
Columbus. Advised by one of his bishops, he secretly sent out a
light ship, with orders to sail directly westward. The captain and
crew did not believe one could sail across the Atlantic, and were
sorely afraid of the monsters which they fancied swarmed in the Sea
of Darkness. They therefore took advantage of the very first storm
to come back, reporting that it was impossible to go any farther.

When Columbus heard that the king had been so dishonest as to try to
steal his ideas, he was justly indignant. He left Lisbon in anger,
vowing he would have nothing more to do with such a ruler. Still,
as he was fully determined not to give up his cherished plan to try
himself, he sent his brother Bar-thol´o-mew to England to ask if
Henry VII. would give him a ship.

In the meanwhile Columbus staid in Spain, earning a scanty living
for himself and his little son Diego (de-ā´go); for by this time his
wife had died, leaving him alone with this child. But although so
poor that he often had to beg food, Columbus thought night and day
of the time when he would sail westward to Asia. As he went from
place to place, he tried to interest various people in his plans,
and for a while believed that some Spanish noblemen would help him.

[Illustration:

     _V. Brozik, Artist._

Columbus at the Court of Ferdinand and Isabella.]

But they finally told him they could not undertake such an
important expedition, and advised him to apply for aid to the king
and queen at Cor´do-va. Hoping still, Columbus journeyed thither,
and found that the royal couple were too busy trying to drive the
Moors out of Spain to pay much attention to him.

Time went on thus, and while Columbus was anxiously waiting,
Portuguese seamen crept down the coast of Africa until they reached
its southern point. There a tempest raged so fiercely that the
captain called it the Cape of Storms, and, not daring to venture
around it, sailed home. When he told John II. of his discovery, the
king declared that the cape should henceforth be called the Cape of
Good Hope, for there were now good prospects of reaching India by
coasting all around Africa.

In 1487, the very year that the Portuguese thus finished exploring
the western coast of Africa, Columbus was called before the learned
men of the Spanish court at Sal-a-man´ca, to explain what it was he
wanted to do.

But after talking about his plan for three years, these men also
declared it was impossible, because one of the fathers of the church
had said that the earth could not be round. Columbus was in despair,
for he had spent years in trying to convince them, and in following
the court from one city to another.

Greatly discouraged, yet determined not to give up, Columbus decided
to leave Spain and go to France to seek help of the French king. He
therefore set out on foot for the nearest seaport, but on the way
thither stopped at the monastery of La Rábida (rah´be-dah) to ask
for a drink of water and a bit of bread for his hungry boy.

While the child was eagerly eating the food given him, the prior,
or chief of the monastery, passed by. Struck by the noble appearance
of Columbus, he began to question him. Columbus then told Prior
Perez (pā´reth) how much he longed to carry out the plan upon which
he had set his heart.

[Illustration: La Rábida.]

The prior, who was a learned man, listened with great interest to
the tale Columbus told. He also invited the travelers to tarry with
him a few days, and sending for his friends, bade them hear what the
stranger had to say. Among the listeners were the brothers Pinzon
(peen-thōn´), experienced seamen from the neighboring port of Palos
(pah´lōs).

The prior and the Pinzons were so impressed by all Columbus said
that the latter offered to furnish a ship and go with him, provided
he could secure enough help to carry out his plan. As for the prior,
he offered to go to court and persuade Queen Is-a-bel´la--whose
confessor he had once been--to supply the necessary funds.

True to his resolve, the prior rode off on his mule, and laid
the whole subject so simply and plainly before Isabella that she
promised to give all the help needful. This answer so pleased Perez
that he wrote to Columbus, "I came, I saw, God conquered," and sent
him money, bidding him come to court without further delay.

It seemed at first as if Columbus's troubles were now over; but
in spite of all Isabella's good will, some time passed by before
she and King Fer´di-nand could hear him. Then, more delays having
occurred, Columbus set out, in disgust, to try his luck elsewhere.
But Isabella, fearing that the chance of great wealth and honor
would escape her, sent a messenger after him, saying she would even
pledge her own jewels to raise the necessary sum. Hearing this,
Columbus came back, and only with great difficulty secured a royal
promise that he should have the title of admiral, that he and his
descendants should govern any lands he discovered for Spain, and
that he and they should receive one tenth of all the pearls, gold,
and spices brought to Spain from these new countries.




X. "LAND! LAND!"


In 1492, therefore, more than eighteen years after he began asking
for help to carry out his daring plan, Columbus sailed out of the
port of Palos with three little vessels--the _Santa Maria_ (sahn´tah
mah-ree´ah), the _Pinta_ (peen´tah), and the _Niña_ (neen´yah).
Columbus himself commanded the first, the Pinzon brothers were
captains of the other ships, and the crews, all told, consisted of
about one hundred men.

The vessels were small and uncomfortable, without real decks,
cabins, or holds; but Columbus started out boldly to brave unknown
dangers and venture into strange seas. His course was first
southward, because he intended to get fresh water at the Canary
Islands before sailing due west in search of Asia.

[Illustration: The Santa Maria.]

Although still in well-known waters, the seamen already seemed
doubtful and afraid, and the third day after they sailed, the
_Pinta_ signaled that there was something wrong. Columbus soon
learned that her rudder was out of order; and although Pinzon tried
to mend it, his vessel could not sail fast.

When Columbus came to the Canary Islands the rudder was properly
repaired, and while waiting for that to be done, he heard from the
inhabitants that after strong westerly winds they had often found on
the beach strangely carved bits of wood. Once two bodies were washed
ashore, and the islanders said they were those of men unlike any
race ever seen in Europe or the parts of Asia and Africa with which
they were familiar.

Setting out from the Canaries, Columbus quieted the fears of his
crew, when they came within sight of Mount Tenerife, by explaining
to them that it was only a volcano, like Mount Et´na. Then he
steered directly westward.

The men's hearts sank as they lost sight of land, and all began
to think over the terrible stories they had heard. People who
are always looking out for something to get scared at are easily
frightened; so when the three ships sailed into the warm waters of
the middle Atlantic, where seaweed grows in such quantity as to make
the sea look green, the sailors were terrified.

But Columbus was no faint-heart, and he steered right on, making the
ships cut their way through the floating masses of seaweed in the
Sar-gas´so Sea, as that part of the Atlantic is called. Perceiving
that his men grew more frightened as the distance increased between
them and their homes, Columbus did not tell them how many miles they
had really gone, but carefully kept the account for his own use. To
cheer his men, he promised a great reward to the first who caught
sight of land.

Instead of looking for mermaids, monsters, and boiling seas, the
sailors now began to watch for land, and several times they mistook
clouds for distant mountain peaks. Day after day passed on, until
the men, horror-struck at the endless stretch of sea and sky, again
and again begged Columbus to turn around; but he always refused.

Then they grew so angry that they plotted to throw him overboard
and take command of the vessels themselves. They were on the point
of doing this, when they saw a shrub covered with fresh berries
floating over the waters. A little farther on they found a carved
stick and a small board, and soon after beheld birds flying
southward. By these signs they felt sure land must be near, and
eagerly resumed their watch for it.

To please one of the Pinzon brothers, Columbus unwillingly consented
to change his course and follow the birds; but if he had gone
straight on he would have landed in what is now called Flor´i-da.

Standing on top of the poor little cabin of his vessel, on the
evening of October 11, Columbus peered out into the darkness,
wondering whether he would see land before him when the sun rose.
Suddenly he fancied he saw a light. He called two men, and as they
saw it too, he felt sure they were near land at last.

A few hours later, at early dawn on Friday morning, October 12,
1492, the _Pinta_, which was ahead, gave the joyful signal that land
was in sight. When the sun rose, all on board beheld one of the
Ba-ha´mas, which Columbus mistook for an island off the coast of
Asia.

[Illustration:

     _John Vanderlyn, Artist._

Landing of Columbus.]

Although uncultivated, the island was inhabited, and the Spaniards
soon saw naked savages run out of their low huts, to stare in wonder
at the ships. The poor creatures, who had never seen sailing vessels
before, fancied that the boats had come straight down from the sky.

Dressed in scarlet, wearing beautiful armor, and carrying a flag
which bore the crowns and initials of Ferdinand and Isabella,
Columbus went ashore in a small boat. As he set foot upon land, he
fell on his knees, and after thanking God for bringing him there in
safety, he took possession of the island in the name of the king and
queen, and called it San Salvador (sahn sahl-vah-dōr´).

His men, who had been disobedient, hateful, and ready to kill him
such a short time before, now crowded around him, kissing his
hands and feet, and begging his pardon for their past ill conduct.
The natives, who had fled into the woods at the approach of the
strangers, watched all these proceedings from behind the trees.
After a short time they timidly came forward, and, encouraged by the
Spaniards' kind glances, wonderingly touched the white men's hands
and beards, and evidently admired their gay apparel.

Columbus was so sure he was near India that he called the savages
Indians, a name which has ever since been used for the red men in
America. Then he gave them colored caps, glass beads, and little
bells, trinkets which the Indians fancied were priceless heavenly
treasures!




XI. COLUMBUS AND THE SAVAGES.


Although Columbus could not understand one word of the language the
savages spoke, and although they did not know Spanish, he tried
to talk to them. As you can readily imagine, this was not an easy
thing to do; but by making signs, Columbus soon made the Indians
understand that he would give them more of his trinkets in exchange
for fruit, a kind of bread they showed him, and the yellow ornaments
they wore.

When Columbus found out that these ornaments were of pure gold, he
felt more convinced than ever that he was near Cipango, Cathay, and
India, and he asked the natives where they had found the precious
metal. As they kept pointing southward, and said words which he
fancied sounded like Cathay and Cipango, he imagined they were
trying to tell him about those countries, and about a king in the
south, who was so rich that all his dishes were of gold.

The desire to reach this country and to visit Asia's ruler--for whom
he had brought letters from Ferdinand and Isabella--made Columbus
set out early on the morrow. He took with him seven happy natives,
whom he intended to use as interpreters; but they fancied he was
carrying them off to heaven.

Coming to some more small islands, Columbus took possession of them
also; and on the way to a larger one he overtook a savage in a light
canoe. The Spaniards drew the man on board with his skiff, and as
they found in the latter a gourd of water, some bread, red paint
such as the savages used to beautify themselves, and a string of
the beads they had brought, they concluded he was going to announce
their coming to some friends.

When they drew near the coast, therefore, they sent this man ashore
in his little canoe, and, landing themselves the next morning,
found the savages assembled and ready to exchange gold and food for
worthless European trinkets.

After visiting several of these islands, Columbus steered southward
in search of a larger island, which was Cuba, but which he at first
mistook for Japan. Here the savages fled at his approach; but
Columbus, anxious to make friends with them, went into their huts,
and left a few beads in each, forbidding his men to carry anything
away.

Still searching for the wonderful city of the fabulous ruler who ate
and drank from vessels of pure gold, Columbus coasted along Cuba.
As he saw nothing but mean huts, he fancied that the city must be
far inland, and that none but poor fishermen lived on the shore.
He therefore sent an expedition inland; but his men were sorely
disappointed to find a collection of mud huts instead of the grand
palaces they had expected to behold.

The savages here did something which greatly puzzled the Spaniards.
Taking a certain kind of dried leaf, they rolled it up, and,
lighting one end, stuck the other between their lips. Then they drew
into their mouths and blew out a strangely perfumed smoke! Seeing
that the savages seemed to enjoy it, the Spaniards tried it also,
and thus became acquainted with the tobacco plant and learned to
smoke.

It was now so late in the season that Columbus did not dare to wait
any longer to secure the cargo of silks, pearls, spices, and gold
which he had hoped to carry home. He therefore determined to sail
back to Spain, make known his discovery to the king and queen, and
fit out a larger expedition for trading.

On his way home he discovered and took possession of Hāi´ti, which
he called His-pan-io´la, or "Little Spain." His best ship, the
_Santa Maria_, having been wrecked, forty men were left behind in
a fort there. Columbus bade them be good to the savages, and learn
their language, so they could tell him all about the great king when
he came back.




XII. HOME AGAIN.


Columbus set out on his return journey in January, but he was
obliged to go very slowly, because the wind was often against him,
and because one of his vessels was badly crippled. In the middle of
February a terrible storm separated the two ships, and Columbus,
fearing his vessel would sink, and the news of his discovery perish
with him, wrote out two accounts of his journey. These were inclosed
in cakes of wax, which were put into empty casks. One of them was
cast into the sea, but the other was left on deck, so it could float
off if the boat sank.

The storm grew so fierce that Columbus and his men vowed to go in
procession to the first church they saw after landing, and return
thanks, if they were only spared. When the storm-tossed navigators
finally reached the Azores, therefore, they tried to keep this
promise; but the people were so unkind that they imprisoned those
who landed. Columbus managed to recover his men, but on the way from
those islands to Spain another tempest overtook him, and it was only
after much tossing that the _Niña_ at last reached Portugal.

[Illustration: The Niña.]

As soon as he landed, Columbus sent a messenger to Ferdinand
and Isabella to announce his safe return, and the success of his
undertaking. The very people who had once made fun of him now
eagerly listened to all he had to say, and their hearts were full of
envy at the thought that the newly discovered islands would belong
to Spain, and not to Portugal. It is even said that some one basely
proposed to murder Columbus and send out ships to take possession of
the land in the name of Portugal.

The king, however, would not consent, and Columbus, sailing away
again, finally entered the port of Palos, whence he had started
so many months before. As soon as the people heard that he had
succeeded, they were almost wild with joy, and rang all the bells
in the city. One of the Pinzons, who had hoped that Columbus's
vessel had gone down in the storm, came into Palos just then with
the _Pinta_. He had intended to claim all the honors of the new
discovery, and was greatly disappointed when he found that Columbus
had reached port before him.

[Illustration: The Pinta.]

As the court was at Bar-ce-lo´na, Columbus immediately went there,
with his Indians, parrots, and other curiosities, and all along the
road people came in crowds to stare at him. They gazed in wonder at
the Indians, who, in their turn, were bewildered by all the strange
sights they beheld.

The royal couple received Columbus in state, and, after he had
bent the knee before them in homage, made him sit down in their
presence--a great honor--and relate his adventures. Columbus gave
them glowing descriptions of the new islands, told them he had found
the road to India, and promised that they should soon be rich. This
news caused such rejoicing that the royal couple went to give solemn
thanks in the chapel.

Honors were now showered upon Columbus, who was welcomed and feasted
everywhere. In fact, people made such a fuss over him that some of
the courtiers became jealous. A story is told about one of these men
who sneeringly remarked at a banquet that even if Columbus had not
discovered the road across the ocean, there were plenty of brave
Spaniards who could have done so. Columbus seemed to pay no special
attention to this taunt, but quietly taking an egg from a dish
placed in front of him, he asked the guests if they could make it
stand on end. All tried, and failed. When they finally declared the
feat impossible, Columbus struck the egg on the table hard enough to
break its shell slightly. Then, leaving it standing there, he calmly
said that everything was equally easy--after you knew how to do it.

The news brought by Columbus made a sensation everywhere; but while
all the people were talking about his discoveries, he was actively
preparing to cross the Atlantic again, intending this time to reach
India. Instead of three miserable little ships, and very small
crews, he now had a fleet of seventeen vessels, carrying about
fifteen hundred men.

The second expedition set sail in September, 1493, and, after
stopping at the Canary Islands, steered across the Atlantic to the
eastern West Indies. There Columbus found a fierce race of Căr´ibs,
of whose attacks the Indians had complained to him the year before.
The Spaniards explored these islands, lost their way at times in the
forest, and once came to the homes of some cannibal Caribs. When
they saw a heap of human bones, left over from a horrible feast,
they shuddered with dread at the thought of falling into the hands
of these cruel men.




XIII. COLUMBUS ILLTREATED.


About one year after leaving the colony at Haiti, Columbus came
back, to find the place deserted. One of the Indians who had
gone to Spain with him knew enough Spanish by this time to act
as interpreter. Through him, Columbus learned that some of the
colonists had fallen ill and died. The rest, disobeying his orders,
had been cruel and unkind to the natives, and so anxious to get rich
that the Indians, in self-defense, had fallen upon and killed them.

The site of the first colony having proved so unlucky, Columbus
established the next on another spot, and called it Isabella, in
honor of the queen. Here the Spaniards began to trade with the
natives for gold, and Columbus sent this metal to Spain, asking that
provisions should be sent out in exchange, because the Spaniards did
not like the natives' food, and had not yet found time to grow crops
for their own use.

Besides the gold, Columbus sent back a whole cargo of men, women,
and children, to be sold as slaves. This was cruel and wicked; but
Columbus believed, as most men did then, that it was far better for
the Indians to be slaves among Christians than free among heathens.

The colonists had expected to grow rich very fast, and to find all
the gold they wanted. They were therefore sorely disappointed at
getting so little, and before long became discontented and hard to
manage. While they were trading with the natives, Columbus sailed
away, still seeking for India, which he felt sure must be quite near
there.

He went along the coast of Cuba, and then southward to Ja-māi´ca,
finding several other small islands. But after cruising about for
some time, he came back to Isabella, where he found the colonists
ill and unhappy. They had not only quarreled among themselves,
but had illtreated the natives, robbing them of their wives and
daughters, as well as taking their food.

The Indians, who had once been so happy and indolent, were now weary
and sad. Besides, they had learned to hate the Spaniards, and were
plotting to murder them. Learning this, Columbus had to treat them
as foes, to protect the Spaniards. The natives next refused to sell
any more food to their enemies, and if a provision ship had not
come from Spain, Columbus and his colony would surely have died
of hunger. As there was very little gold to send back this time,
Columbus shipped all his prisoners of war, and thus five hundred
natives were forwarded to the Spanish slave market.

During the next two years Columbus had much trouble with the
Indians, who, finding it almost impossible to collect the amount of
gold he exacted as tribute, often revolted. He also had a hard time
managing the colonists. Homesick and discouraged, they accused him
of deceiving them by false tales of the riches they could get, and
of ruling so badly that their lives were in danger.

These complaints were sent to Spain, and the royal couple, hearing
so much against Columbus, sent a nobleman to Haiti to find out if
their viceroy was really acting unjustly. Some people say that this
nobleman did not even try to find out the truth, and Columbus found
it necessary to go back to Spain with him and explain matters to the
king and queen, leaving Bartholomew Columbus in charge of the colony.

The second arrival of Columbus at court was very different from the
first. Instead of greeting him with cheers and festivities, people
now looked coldly upon him and avoided him as much as they could.
It was only three years since he had discovered a road across the
Atlantic; but as he had not yet brought back huge cargoes of spices
and silks from India, people openly despised him.

Although this reception cut Columbus to the heart, it made him all
the more anxious to reach India, the goal of all his hopes. He
therefore prepared a third expedition; but this time he had so much
trouble in getting funds and ships that it was not till May, 1498,
that he could again set sail, with a fleet of six vessels.

Instead of taking his usual course, Columbus steered directly
westward from the Cape Verde Islands, and reached Trin-i-dad´ in the
middle of the summer. After visiting that island, he explored the
gulf behind it, and came to the mouth of the O-ri-no´co River. From
the great volume of water, he concluded that this river must flow
through an extensive continent, and thought it must surely be one of
the four great streams from the Garden of Eden!

Although Columbus now felt certain he had finally reached the
mainland of Asia, he could find none of the rich cities he sought,
and sadly went back to Haiti. There things had been going on worse
than ever, for the Spaniards had mutinied, as well as the natives.

Columbus now forwarded the most disobedient of the colonists to
Spain. But when they got there, they complained so much about him
that the king and queen again sent out a nobleman to see what was
amiss. The Spanish officer no sooner reached Haiti than he took the
command away from Columbus, who was put in irons and sent back to
Spain to be tried there.




XIV. DEATH OF COLUMBUS.


Eight years after his first journey across the Atlantic Columbus
returned to Spain a prisoner! The captain of the vessel wanted to
remove his chains, but Columbus proudly said that as they had been
put on by the orders of his sovereigns, he would wear them until the
king and queen set him free. He also added that he would keep those
chains as long as he lived, and have them buried with him, so that
people might know how unjustly he had been treated. It is said that
the fetters hung six years over his bed, and that, at his request,
they were placed in his coffin and buried with him.

When Columbus reached Spain the sensation was great. The people,
who had been at first enthusiastic and then indifferent about him,
were now indignant that he should be treated so unjustly, and when
Isabella received a letter, telling her how he had been insulted,
her heart was filled with pity.

She immediately sent a messenger to remove Columbus's chains, and
summoned him to court, where she wept with him when she heard him
describe his sufferings. But although Isabella promised that his
honors should all be given back to him, and that she would soon fit
out a new expedition for him, she kept him waiting two long years.

In 1502 Columbus set out on his fourth and last journey, not as
ruler of the new lands, but merely as explorer. After a stormy
passage, he reached the colony at Haiti, where the governor refused
to allow him to land. Columbus told this man that a tempest was
coming up, and that it would not be safe for any one to leave the
port. But the governor would not believe him, and ordered some
Spanish vessels, which were laden with gold and ready to start, to
set out for Spain.

They no sooner got out of the harbor than the storm overtook and
sorely damaged them. But Columbus, who had warned them of the
danger, safely weathered the storm, and, sailing on, he explored the
coast of Central America, still seeking a road to India.

Columbus was now old and ill; so after coming to a part of the
coast which he took for the Spice Islands because he found spices
there, and after suffering shipwreck, he returned to Haiti and
thence to Spain. There he soon heard that Isabella, Queen of Castile
(kahs-teel´) and Le´on (parts of Spain), was dead, and his sorrow at
her loss made his health worse than ever. The Spaniards, knowing his
principal friend was gone, now treated him even more scornfully than
before, and mockingly called him "Lord of Mosquito Land," because
there were so many mosquitoes along the South American coast.

These insults, added to his disappointment at not finding India,
helped to make Columbus's illness fatal; and feeling that he was
about to die, he wrote his will, leaving his title of admiral to his
son. He passed away in the month of May, 1506, saying: "Into thy
hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit."

Buried at Valladolid (vahl-yah-dō-leed´), his body was removed
first to Se-ville´, then to San´to Do-min´go, in Haiti, then to
Ha-van´a, in Cuba, and finally, after the relinquishment of Cuba by
Spain in 1898, back to Seville again. After his death, people began
to realize what a great man Columbus was, and King Ferdinand, who
had been so unkind to him while he lived, put up a monument in his
honor, on which was later inscribed the motto: "To Castile and Leon
Columbus gave a new world."

Since then, many monuments have been erected and many pictures
painted of the man who, in spite of poverty, illness, and countless
obstacles, never gave up his aim, and manfully strove to reach it as
long as he lived. His faith, his courage, and his perseverance have
served as shining examples for more than four hundred years, and
although he died poor and neglected, he is rightly considered one of
the world's greatest men.




XV. HOW AMERICA GOT ITS NAME.


The news of Columbus's first successful journey no sooner became
known in Europe than each country wanted to secure some share of the
profitable trade which they fancied would soon be opened with India.
Henry VII., King of England, who had refused to listen to Columbus's
plan, now hired a Venetian captain named John Cab´ot, and sent out
an expedition in 1497.

Cabot crossed the Atlantic, and explored what he thought was China,
but what was really part of North America,--probably the coast
of New´foŭnd-land and of the mainland from Labrador to Cape Cod.
Sailing along, he found a beautiful country, saw a bear plunge into
the water to catch fish, and, landing at least once, planted an
English flag upon our soil, thus taking formal possession of it in
the name of England.

The next year his son made a similar journey. Sailing in and out of
every bay, he sought a strait which would take him past these wild
lands to the rich cities of the East, which he fancied were very
near there. Of course he failed to find such a strait between Nova
Scotia and Cape Hat´ter-as, but the English later claimed all this
part of the country, because it had been discovered by the Cabots.
Still, for many years they made no attempt to plant a colony there,
and prized their discovery so little that Henry VII. gave Cabot only
£10 reward for all he had done.

The Portuguese, as we have seen, were very jealous when Columbus
came back from his first journey, saying he had found the road to
India. But while he was away on his third expedition, one of their
captains, Vasco da Gama (vahs´co dah gah´mah), sailing all around
Africa and across the Indian Ocean, reached Cal´i-cut in India. He
came home in 1499, with a rich cargo of silks and spices; and the
Portuguese rejoiced greatly that they were the first to reach India
by sea.

The next year some Portuguese ships, on their way around Africa,
happened to go so far west that they sighted the coast of South
America. Spain and Portugal had by this time drawn a line of
demarcation on the map, agreeing that all lands west of it should
belong to Spain, and all east to Portugal. As the new land was
east of this line, the King of Portugal sent a fleet to explore
it, and thus found it was a great continent. All the lands already
discovered by the Spanish and English were supposed to form part
of Asia; but this land was so far south that it was called the New
World.

The pilot of the Portuguese fleet was a young Italian named
A-mer´i-cus Ves-pu´cius. He took note of all he saw, and wrote an
interesting account of his voyage. This narrative described the
country, and as every one wanted to hear about the new discovery,
it was soon published. A German geographer, reading the account
of Americus, was so delighted with it that he suggested that the
new continent should be named America, in honor of the man who had
explored and described it so well. The name was thus given at first
only to part of South America; but when, years afterwards, it was
found that all the western lands belonged to the same continent, the
whole of the New World was called America. Thus, by an accident,
our country bears the name of Americus, instead of that of
Columbus, its real discoverer, for it was the latter who showed the
way to it, although he believed till his death that he had found
only a new road to Asia.

Many writers claim that the first voyage of Americus to the West was
in 1497, four years before his exploration of South America, and
that he then landed on the American continent, shortly before Cabot,
and more than a year before Columbus reached the mainland. According
to them, Americus was thus the first to reach the continent which
bears his name.




XVI. THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH.


The Spaniards, as we have seen, immediately began planting colonies
in the West Indies, and in a few years they took possession of all
the islands, and made the natives their slaves. These poor creatures
were forced to work hard for their new masters, who, thirsting
for gold, made them wash the sands of all their streams, and toil
without ceasing.

The Spaniards in Cuba and Haiti, hearing many tales of the gold to
be found in the west, soon sent out several expeditions. They also
planted a few colonies along the coast of Central America, but at
first these did not thrive.

Among the colonists in Haiti there was a Spaniard named Bal-bo´a. He
was poor but very daring, and wished to join an expedition bound for
the mainland. As he could not pay for his passage, he hid in a cask
and had himself carried on board ship as freight.

When far out at sea Balboa crept out of his hiding place, won the
captain's forgiveness, and soon made so many friends that he became
a leader in the settlement they founded on the Isthmus of Da´ri-en,
or Pan-a-ma´. After a time he learned from the natives that a great
ocean lay on the other side of the ridge of mountains. He therefore
made his way through the tangled underbrush and rank tropical
growth, bidding his men wait at the foot of the mountain, while he
climbed up alone.

[Illustration: Balboa Discovers the South Sea.]

On reaching the top, he gazed southward and beheld a great stretch
of water, which he called the Great South Sea (1513). Falling down
upon his knees, he gave thanks to God, and then made joyful signs to
his followers to come up and join him.

Accompanied by these men, Balboa next went down the opposite slope,
and, reaching the shore, waded out into the ocean, with a flag in
one hand and his drawn sword in the other. Standing thus in the
waters of the Great South Sea, he took possession of it in the name
of Spain, declaring that all the countries it bathed belonged to his
sovereigns.

That same year one of the former companions of Columbus, Pōnce de
Leon, started out from Puerto Rico (pwĕr´tō re´co). Like many other
men of his time, he believed that all the stories he had heard were
true, and that somewhere in the world there was a magic spring
called the Fountain of Youth. He thought that if one drank of its
waters, or bathed in them, one would be sure to become young again,
and as he was rapidly growing old he longed to find and try it.

After vainly seeking the fountain on the newly discovered islands,
he fancied, from what the natives told him, that it might be
situated on the mainland, so he set out in quest of it. On Easter
Sunday (_Pascua florida_), he landed in a beautiful country, which,
in honor of the day, he called Florida. After taking possession of
it for Spain, he began exploring; but although he drank from every
spring, and bathed in every stream, he could not find the Fountain
of Youth, and kept growing older and older.

After several years he made another journey to Florida, to continue
his search, and to make a settlement; but as there were no roads
through the dense forests and treacherous marshes, he and his men
suffered greatly from hunger and heat. Finally Ponce de Leon was
sorely wounded in a fight with the Indians, and his men carried him
back to Cuba. There he died, a wrinkled old man, still regretting
that he had not been able to find the Fountain of Youth. His
friends, who admired his bravery, and often said he was as bold as
his namesake the lion, wrote upon his tomb: "In this sepulcher rest
the bones of a man who was Leon [lion] by name and still more by
nature."

While Ponce de Leon was seeking the magic fountain, some of his
countrymen were exploring the Gulf coast, from Florida to Mexico,
under the leadership of Pineda (pe-nā´da). In 1519, also, a
Portuguese, named Ma-gel´lan, took a Spanish fleet down the coast of
South America. After a time he came to the strait bearing his name,
and, sailing through it, beheld the Great South Sea.

Magellan was such a brave seaman that he steered boldly across this
unknown expanse of water. It was so much smoother than the Atlantic
that he called it the Pacific, or "Peaceful" Ocean, a name which
it has borne ever since, and which suits it much better than the
one given by Balboa. After a journey of a year and a half, Magellan
finally reached the Phil´ip-pĭne Islands, where he was killed in a
fight with the natives.

One of his officers now took command, and went on till he reached
India. Thence, by way of the Cape of Good Hope, he came to Spain,
sailing for the first time all around the globe. Besides proving
that the earth is round, this voyage showed that South America is
separated from India by a great stretch of water. Magellan's journey
took three years, but now, thanks to steamboats and railroads, it
can be made in about two months.




XVII. "THE FATHER OF WATERS."


The year 1519 was eventful for the Spanish. In that year Magellan
started out on his journey around the world, Pineda explored the
Gulf coast, and Cor´tez,--a very brave Spaniard,--landing at Vera
Cruz (vā´rah croos), marched into the country and took Mexico, the
city of a great Indian chief named Mon-te-zu´ma.

Although Cortez had only five hundred men, and the Indians were
very numerous, he soon became master of the whole country, which
belonged to Spain for many a year. The Indians in Mexico were partly
civilized, and the region was rich in gold and precious stones.
Another Spaniard, named Pi-zar´ro, shortly after conquered Pe-ru´,
and owing to the cargoes of gold constantly sent from Mexico, Peru,
and other parts of the newly discovered lands, Spain soon became the
wealthiest country in Europe.

Although the Spaniards were anxious to grow rich, they also wished
to convert the natives. Besides soldiers and colonists, therefore,
every vessel brought out priests to convert the heathen. These men
were very good, and so fearless that they went everywhere, preaching
and teaching with great zeal.

They tried to learn the natives' language, and often questioned the
people about the country. All that they heard they repeated to their
leaders, who, finding there was much gold in the northwest, resolved
to go in search of it. A party headed by Narvaez (nar-vah´eth) set
out, therefore, to explore and conquer the northern coast of the
Gulf of Mexico.

But Narvaez was very unfortunate. While he was inland his ships
sailed on, and when he came back to the shore they were out of
sight. Painfully making his way along through the tangled woods for
many miles, he finally reached the coast again and built a second
fleet. This, however, was wrecked at the mouth of the Mississippi
("The Father of Waters"), where Narvaez was drowned.

Four of the followers of Narvaez, narrowly escaping death, soon
after fell into the hands of the Indians. By pretending to be
magicians, these men made the Indians fear them. They lived eight
years among various savage tribes, wandering all across the
continent to the Gulf of Cal-i-for´ni-a, and finally came back to
Mexico, where their leader, Cabeza de Vaca (cah-bā´sah dā vah´cah),
told their adventures to the Spaniards. He was the first European to
visit the region between the Mississippi and California, and it is
said that he tramped more than ten thousand miles during those eight
years of captivity.

The tales told by Vaca and his companions made the Spaniards long to
visit the country and find the Seven Cities of Cibola (see´bo-lah),
where they fancied they could secure much gold. A priest named
Mar´cōs therefore set out to question and convert the natives.
Taking one of Vaca's companions, a negro servant, as guide, Marcos
wandered on foot into New Mexico, where he saw from afar seven Zuñi
(zoo´nyee) pueblos, or villages.

Hearing from the Indians that these were the Seven Cities of Cibola,
he went back to report what he had seen. A Spaniard named Coronado
(co-ro-nah´tho) now set out with an army of about two hundred and
fifty men. He made his way into the new country, visited the Cibola
pueblos, and hearing wonderful tales of Acoma (ah´co-ma), a city
built in the skies, set out to find it. After many hardships, he and
his little army came into a wide valley, in the center of which rose
a huge rock, with straight sides more than three hundred feet high,
and with a broad flat top of about seventy acres.

On the top of this rock the Indians had built one of their cliff
dwellings, which they reached by narrow rocky stairways. Coronado
visited this strange city, but finding the people poor, and hearing
there was gold farther north, he pressed on, and even came to the
Grand Canyon of the Col-o-ra´do.

While Coronado was thus exploring much of the southwestern part of
our country, another Spaniard, De So´to,--who had helped conquer
Peru,--set out from Cuba with nine vessels and an army of nearly
a thousand men. He landed in Tam´pa Bay, and, searching for gold,
wandered for three years through the forests of Florida, Geor´gi-a,
Al-a-ba´ma, and Mississippi. Often attacked by hostile Indians, and
suffering greatly from hunger and sickness, he nevertheless reached
the Mississippi River, and crossed it near Lower Chick´a-saw Bluffs.

But he could not find the El Do-ra´do, or "Land of Gold," he was
seeking, and after exploring the region between the Missouri and
the Red rivers, and losing many men, he resolved to turn back.
Before long, however, De Soto died of malaria (1541), and the
Spaniards, after secretly burying him, told the Indians he had
gone on a long journey. But when they saw that the savages did not
believe them, and gazed suspiciously at the upturned soil, they
began to fear the Indians would treat De Soto's remains shamefully.

[Illustration: De Soto's First View of the Mississippi.]

In the middle of the night, therefore, they took their dead leader
up out of his grave, and wrapped him in a cloak weighted with sand.
Then, rowing out into the Mississippi, they noiselessly lowered his
body into the middle of the great stream which he had been the first
European to visit since the Spaniards were shipwrecked at its mouth
in 1519.

His little army, after making a desperate attempt to retrace its
way overland, came back to the Mississippi. Here the Spaniards built
huge rafts, and, floating down the stream, reached its mouth at the
end of nineteen days. Then, coasting along the Gulf, they made their
way to a Mexican settlement, where they told the story of all their
adventures during this long search for gold.




XVIII. THE FRENCH IN CANADA.


Columbus had been dead for nearly fifty years, and yet people were
only just beginning to explore that part of the New World which is
occupied by our country. But the coast of South America was quite
well known by this time, and already clearly outlined on maps, while
North America was still a mystery.

Most people still fancied that North America was only a narrow strip
of land, like Central America. They also thought that somewhere
north of the Gulf of Mexico there must be a strait, by means of
which it would be easy to pass into the Pacific Ocean, and thereby
reach India without taking the long journey all around South America.

The navigators who visited the coast of North America in search of
this strait, spoke, on their return, of the great quantities of
fish they had seen. Even the Cabots had found many fish there. Now,
all the Christian people in western Europe were Roman Catholics in
those days, and so ate fish instead of meat on fast days, which were
so many that they took up about one third of the time. Fish was
therefore in great demand.

As the rivers did not supply enough, fishing soon became a paying
trade for those who lived by the sea; and because many fish were
found on the coasts of Brit´ta-ny, in France, the Bret´on fishermen
did a good business. Still, when they heard of great schools of
codfish on the Banks of Newfoundland, which could be caught and
salted very easily, these bold fishermen were anxious to secure
them. They therefore began to make fishing trips across the
Atlantic, and before long gave their name to Cape Breton.

France and Spain often waged costly wars, and seeing that the
Spaniards received much gold from the New World, the French longed
to have some of it, too. Their king, therefore, said that he had as
good a right to any undiscovered land as the Spaniards, and that the
latter should not be allowed to keep the New World all to themselves.

Next, he sent out an expedition under Verrazano (ver-rah-tsah´no),
who explored the coast of North America from what is now North
Car-o-li´na to Newfoundland. Some historians say that this captain
finally fell into the hands of cannibal Indians, who devoured him in
the sight of his helpless crew; but others declare that Verrazano
was caught by the Spaniards during a war with France, and hanged as
a pirate.

The French were not discouraged, however. A few years after the
death of Verrazano they sent out another expedition, in charge
of Cartier (car-tyā´). After sailing nearly all the way around
Newfoundland, this explorer, in 1534, came to the mainland, set up a
huge wooden cross, and took possession of the country, in the name
of France. The next year he came back, and, sailing up the St.
Lawrence River, gave it that name because it was Saint Lawrence's
day in the calendar. He visited the place where Que-bec´ now stands,
and went on up the stream until he came to an Indian village,
composed of several long houses surrounded by a palisade.

[Illustration: Niagara Falls.]

Near this village there was a hill which Cartier climbed, and when
his eyes rested upon the beautiful view at his feet, he exclaimed
that this was truly a Mont-re-al´, or royal mountain. A city built
some time after on this very spot still bears the name he gave the
place.

After spending a short time on the St. Lawrence, Cartier went
back to France, taking several Indians with him. Some of these
savages died, and when Cartier returned without them, and tried to
establish a colony, he had trouble with their relatives. Cartier
gave the name of Can´a-da to part of the country, and in talking
with the Indians learned that far inland there was a huge waterfall,
whose roar could be heard many miles away. Indeed, some of the
Indians called it Ni-ag´a-ra, which in English means "The Thunder of
Waters."

Although Cartier longed to see this wonder, he had no time to visit
it, and as the climate proved too cold for his men, he went back to
France, saying it would not be possible to plant a colony so far
north. For the next few years, therefore, the French had only a few
trading posts along the St. Lawrence River, where the Indians came
at certain times to exchange the furs of the animals they had killed
for the beads and trinkets they loved so well.




XIX. FRENCH AND SPANISH QUARRELS.


Twenty years passed by before the French again attempted to plant
a colony in America--twenty very eventful years for France and for
all western Europe. The people, who, as you have heard, had all
been Roman Catholics for centuries, now began to divide. Some of
them refused to obey the pope, and wanted to worship in a somewhat
different way. In France these people were called Hu´gue-nots, and
among them was a nobleman named Coligny (co-leen´ye).

Seeing that the Huguenots were much disliked in their own country,
Coligny proposed that they should go to the New World and found a
colony where they could worship as they pleased without offending
any one. As Cartier said the climate was too cold in Canada,
Coligny sent the Huguenots farther south, in charge of Laudonnière
(lo-do-ne-ār´) and Ribault (re-bo´).

The French colonists, landing in the New World, called the country
Carolina, in honor of their king, Charles, and they also gave
this name to their fort. But they soon lacked food and became
discouraged. As the vessel in which they had come had sailed away,
they built a new ship and set out for France. At sea, lack of
provisions soon brought them to such desperate straits that they
drew lots and ate one of their number. In fact, had they not been
taken prisoners by an English ship, it is very likely they would all
have died of hunger.

Two years later another French settlement of the same name was made
in Florida, on the St. Johns River. As soon as the colonists were
comfortably settled, Ribault went off to punish some Spaniards for
attacking his fleet in time of peace. But while he was away the
Spaniards came by land to surprise the Huguenot settlement.

Now, you must know that the Spaniards were ardent Roman Catholics,
and believed that all Huguenots were very wicked people. Besides,
they hated the French, with whom they had often been at war, and
claimed Florida as their own land because Ponce de Leon had visited
it first. They were so sure, therefore, that they were doing right
by killing the French Huguenots, that when the massacre was all
over, their leader, Menendez (mā-nen´deth) put up a sign on a tree
near by, saying that he had slain the colonists, not because they
were Frenchmen, but because they were not good Catholics. This
done, Menendez went back to the colony of St. Au´gus-tine, which he
had founded two years before (1565) in Florida. This is the oldest
city on the mainland of the United States, and it still proudly
bears the name given by Menendez, its Spanish founder.

[Illustration: Old Spanish Mission at St. Augustine.]

The news of the massacre of the Huguenot colonists was received
with great indignation in France. As the king would take no steps
to avenge it, a nobleman named De Gourgues (goorg) fitted out an
expedition at his own expense, and attacked the Spaniards on the
St. Johns. He came upon them unawares, and killed them all, as
they had murdered the Huguenots at the same place. Then he placed
a sign above the heads of the men he had hanged, saying they had
been executed, not because they were Spaniards, but because they
were pirates and murderers. De Gourgues then sailed away, for the
Spaniards had so strong a fort at St. Augustine that the French had
given up all hope of settling in Florida.

Four years after founding St. Augustine, the Spaniards planted
the colony of San Diego in California, which, however, was soon
abandoned. Their next colony was started many years later at Santa
Fé (fā´), in New Mexico, and thence many priests went out to build
mission stations in the West and convert the Indians.

The present city of Santa Fé, the oldest town in the western United
States, was founded in 1598 by a Spaniard named Oñate (ōn-yah´tā),
who had married the granddaughter of Cortez, conqueror of Mexico.
This Oñate had helped the Spaniards conquer Peru. He was a very
brave man, and hearing about the "Sky City" of Acoma, he resolved
to visit it. About fifty years after Coronado, therefore, he came
within sight of the strange town perched upon a rock.

The Indians, who by this time had learned to fear and hate the
Spaniards, thought this would be a good chance to kill their
greatest foe. So they invited Oñate up into their city, and showed
him their cisterns and granaries. Then, taking him to the top of
one of their great houses, they bade him step down through an open
trapdoor into a dark chamber.

Oñate, suspecting treachery, refused to enter, and it was well for
him that he did so, for a number of armed Indians were lurking there
in the darkness, ready to kill the Spaniards as soon as they set
foot in the apartment.




XX. THE SKY CITY.


Although Oñate cleverly escaped being murdered by the Indians in
Acoma, another Spanish captain, Zaldivar (thahl-de´var), was less
fortunate, a short time after. He and half his force imprudently
ventured up on the rock; but instead of staying together, as Oñate's
troops had done, they scattered to view the strange place. The
Indians took advantage of this to pounce upon their unsuspecting
guests, at a given signal, and began killing them.

The Spaniards, clad in armor, defended themselves heroically; but
many fell, and the last five were driven to the very edge of the
rock and forced to jump down. But, strange to relate, only one of
these men was killed. The others fell into a heap of fine sand,
which the wind had piled up against the base of the great rock.

These men were promptly rescued by their comrades, who, knowing this
attempt would be followed by a general attack upon all the missions,
hastened back to warn Oñate of his peril. After taking immediate
measures to protect the priests, Oñate sent a force of seventy men,
under Zaldivar's brother, to punish the people of Acoma.

The Indians, warned of the Spaniards' coming, closely guarded
their rocky staircases. When the second Zaldivar summoned them to
surrender, they mocked him, bade their medicine men curse him, and
flung showers of arrows and stones down upon him. The Spaniards,
unable to reach their foes, were obliged to take refuge under the
overhanging rock to escape the missiles hurled down upon them.

All night long they heard the shrieks of the Indians. They were
holding a monster war dance overhead, and fiercely illustrating the
tortures they meant to make the Spaniards suffer the next day. This
prospect, however, did not frighten Zaldivar's brave men, and while
their foes shouted and danced, they made a clever plan to surprise
the city.

Early the next day, Zaldivar and part of his force pretended to
storm the north side of the rock. But while they were thus engaging
the attention of the Indians, twelve of their number slowly crawled
up a neighboring pinnacle of rock, dragging a small cannon after
them. No one noticed what they were doing, and it was only when the
cannon was in place, and the first stone ball came crashing into the
adobe houses, that the Indians perceived their danger.

The rock upon which the Spaniards had planted their cannon was on a
level with Acoma, separated from it by a chasm only a few feet wide
but about three hundred feet deep. From this point the Spaniards
shot ball after ball into the town. When night came on, they crept
down again, cut several trees, dragged the trunks up to the top of
their rock, and at dawn flung one of them across the abyss.

In spite of a hail of stones and arrows hurled by the Indians,
twelve Spaniards rushed boldly across this dizzy bridge before the
log was accidentally jerked out of place by one of their number.
Cut off from their companions, and unable to retreat, these brave
men were now in great danger, for they had to face all those raging
savages alone.

Seeing their peril, one of their comrades drew back as far as he
could on the outlying rock, and rushing forward took a flying leap
across the chasm! By great good fortune he landed safely on the
other side, drew the log into place once more, and thus enabled the
other Spaniards to cross with their cannon.

One house after another was now battered down, and at the end of
three days' hard fighting the Spaniards were complete masters of
the Sky City of Acoma. But they soon left it, and many years later,
when Fray Ramirez (rah-me´reth), a Spanish priest, came thither and
began climbing the staircase, the Indians tried to keep him away by
flinging a shower of stones down upon him.

Spanish priests, however, were ready to risk everything for the sake
of their religion, so Fray Ramirez calmly continued to climb up. In
the general excitement a little Indian girl drew too near to the
edge of the rock, and, losing her balance, fell over! Although her
people fancied she had fallen to the ground and been killed, she had
only dropped to a narrow ledge, where they could not see her. Fray
Ramirez, looking upward, saw the accident. Climbing carefully along
the ledge, he picked up the little maiden, and soon reappeared on
the staircase, carrying her on his shoulder.

The Indians, believing the child dead, now cried out that this was
a miracle, and suddenly ceased throwing stones. When the priest
reached the plateau they ran to meet him, listened quietly to his
teachings, and even built a church in Acoma under his directions.
And it is in memory of his coming among them that the stone stairway
of Acoma is still known as the "Path of the Father."




XXI. AROUND THE WORLD.


After the voyages of the Cabots in 1497-1498, the English for some
time took little interest in the New World. But in the middle of the
sixteenth century several noted seamen visited America. One of these
men was Hawkins, who brought over from Africa a cargo of negroes. He
sold these as slaves to the Spaniards in the West Indies.

Until then prisoners of war had often been sold as slaves, and the
Indians on the newly discovered islands had, as we have seen, found
cruel taskmasters in the colonists. But as these savages were not
used to hard work, they soon died.

Hawkins fancied he was doing a very wise thing in bringing negroes
over from Africa to replace them. Indeed, he was so proud of this
idea that he had a slave painted on his coat of arms, and said, like
Columbus, that it was much better for the negroes to be slaves among
Christians than free among heathens.

It was thus that the negro slave trade began, and for two hundred
and fifty years slave ships plied to and fro across the Atlantic
Ocean, bringing over countless colored people, who were sold first
to the Spaniards and later to the Americans.

The English were so anxious to discover a northwest passage to India
(that is, a way to sail through or around the northern part of
America) that they sent Frob´ish-er out to search for it in 1576.
He sailed northward until he came to the bay which still bears his
name. He landed there, and, to his delight, found some yellow ore,
which he carried home. This was what is now known as fool's gold, or
pyrites; but the English, thinking it was real gold, quickly sent
out a ship to bring home a whole cargo of the worthless stuff.

Some time after this visit of Frobisher's, Da´vis sailed still
farther north, only to be driven back by the ice in the strait
which still bears his name. Although he did not know it, Davis had
discovered the entrance to the long-sought northwest passage; but it
could never be used to reach Asia, as people hoped, on account of
the great icebergs which block it up nearly all the year.

Another great English seaman of this time was Francis Drake, who
first sailed with the slave trader Hawkins. When he came to the
Spanish settlements in the West Indies and Mexico, and saw how
much gold was shipped to Spain, he wanted to get some of it for
his country, too. He therefore set out with several vessels, and
although war had not yet been declared between England and Spain,
he boldly attacked the Spanish colonies and ships, and secured much
booty.

When war broke out Drake became more daring than ever, and running
unexpectedly into the Spanish ports, he began plundering. Then,
setting fire to the shipping, he sailed off again, after thus
"singeing the King of Spain's beard," as he called it. During one
of his many journeys, Drake landed on the Isthmus of Panama, where,
climbing the mountains, he was the first Englishman to behold the
Pacific Ocean, about fifty years after it had been seen by Balboa.

In the course of his piratical expeditions Drake sailed through the
Strait of Magellan into the Pacific Ocean, and, after securing much
booty from the Spaniards in Peru, coasted about until he came to
the Californian bay which still bears his name. He called this part
of the country New Al´bi-on, and made such friends with the Indians
there that they invited him to stay and be their king.

But Drake was anxious to carry his treasures home; and as he knew a
Spanish fleet was lying in wait for him near the Strait of Magellan,
he boldly crossed the Pacific, and went back by way of the Cape
of Good Hope. He was thus, as he said, the first Englishman who
"plowed a furrow around the globe." Queen E-liz´a-beth was so proud
of this fact that she knighted Drake on board of his own ship, the
_Pelican_, and graciously accepted all the stolen jewels he gave her
(1580).

[Illustration: The Pelican Chair.]

The _Pelican_ was carefully preserved for about one hundred years,
and when it fell to pieces a chair was made from its timbers, and
given to the Oxford University, where it can still be seen. As for
Drake, he lived to continue his journeys some time longer, and to
take part in the great naval battle against the Spanish Ar-ma´da;
and he finally perished while on his way to make an attack on the
West Indies.




XXII. NOTHING BUT SMOKE.


The greatest of all the English seamen of this time was Sir Walter
Raleigh (raw´ly). A poet, philosopher, historian, courtier, and
colonizer, Raleigh was also a favorite of Queen Elizabeth. We are
told that he won this lady's approval by once spreading his new
cloak on the ground so that she might pass dry-shod over a muddy
spot.

Raleigh's great ambition was to "plant an English nation in
America." He and his half-brother, Sir Humphrey Gil´bert, therefore
obtained Elizabeth's permission to start a colony in any part of
the New World not yet occupied by any other Christian power. Then
Gilbert started across the Atlantic with several ships and took
possession of Newfoundland. While cruising near there, one of his
vessels was wrecked.

On his return voyage his little fleet was overtaken by a storm.
Gilbert was on a leaky vessel, but as the other ships were not large
enough to contain all his men, he refused to leave it for a safer
one. When they told him that he was in great danger, he quietly
answered, "Heaven is as near by water as by land," and calmly went
on reading his Bible. The storm increased. All at once the other
boats missed the light of Gilbert's ship! They peered anxiously out
into the darkness, but all in vain, for the vessel had sunk with its
brave captain and all its crew.

[Illustration: Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth.]

Undaunted by this first failure, Raleigh soon sent out a new
expedition. It brought back such favorable reports of the coast
farther south that Raleigh named the country Virgin´i-a, in honor
of Elizabeth, the virgin (or unmarried) queen, who gave him a grant
of land there.

Among other strange things, Raleigh's explorers brought back
potatoes, which had never yet been seen in England. Raleigh planted
these on his estate in Ireland, where people were at first afraid
to eat them, lest they should be poisonous. Before long, however,
potatoes became so common that they have been the chief food of the
Irish peasants for many a year.

The first colony established by Raleigh, on Ro-a-noke´ Island, in
what is now North Carolina, suffered many hardships. The people
were so discouraged by the time Drake came to visit them, that
they persuaded him to carry them back to England. Then a second
colony was started on the same spot, which thus became the home of
the first little English baby born in our country. She was called
Virginia, in honor of her birthplace.

A war with Spain prevented Raleigh's sending supplies to this
colony for several years, and when the grandfather of the first
English-American child finally visited Roanoke, little Virginia had
vanished, as well as all the rest of the colonists. No one has ever
known what became of them, but it is supposed that they were all
killed by the Indians. The only trace ever found was one word carved
on a big tree, the name of the neighboring village of Croa-tan´.

These ventures, and his many journeys, made Raleigh so poor that he
finally had to give up all his rights to the land.

As we have seen, Raleigh was a great favorite of the queen,
therefore many stories are told about him. For instance, it is
related that he was the first Englishman to use tobacco, which the
Indians said "cured being tired." One day, when Raleigh was smoking
in his room, a new servant came in with a pitcher of water. Seeing
smoke come out of his master's mouth and nose, the man fancied that
Raleigh was on fire, and hastily upset the water on his head to put
out the flames!

We are also told that Raleigh taught Queen Elizabeth how to smoke,
and that they two enjoyed many a pipe together. On one occasion
Raleigh made a bet with the queen that he could tell the exact
weight of the smoke from her pipe. First he carefully weighed the
tobacco she put in her pipe; then, when she was through smoking,
he weighed the ashes, and won his wager by telling her that the
difference in weight between tobacco and ashes was that of the
smoke! Elizabeth paid the money cheerfully, but remarked that, while
she had often heard of turning gold into smoke, he was the first who
had turned smoke into gold.

About twenty years after Raleigh founded his first colony, another
English seaman, named Gos´nold, decided that it was very foolish to
take the roundabout way by Iceland or the Azores Islands to reach
America. He therefore boldly steered straight across the Atlantic,
thus shortening the trip by about one thousand miles.

The first land he saw he named Cape Cod, because he found so many
codfish there. Soon after he stopped on Cut´ty-hunk Island, near
the coast, where he built a house. Then, after securing a cargo of
sassafras, which was at that time used as a medicine for almost
every disease, Gosnold sailed home, leaving his house tenantless.




XXIII. SMITH'S ADVENTURES.


Sir Walter Raleigh was in favor as long as Elizabeth lived, but when
she died he was accused of treason and put in prison by James I.
While in his cell this brave man wrote a history of the world for
young Prince Henry, who often visited him, and longed to free him.
He once said: "Only such a king as my father would keep such a bird
in such a cage." The same monarch finally ordered Raleigh to be put
to death. Mounting the scaffold, the prisoner asked to see the ax,
and, running his finger along its edge to test its keenness, said:
"This is a sharp medicine, but a cure for all evils."

Before going to prison Raleigh had given up all his claims in
America to English merchants. They formed two bodies, the London
Company and the Plym´oŭth Company, and persuaded the king to give
each of them a piece of land in North America one hundred miles
square.

This matter being decided, the London Company sent out a shipload of
settlers, who, in 1607, sailed into Ches´a-peake Bay. They called
the capes on either side Charles and Henry, in honor of the two
princes; then, passing up a river, they landed on a marshy cape,
where they founded the first lasting English colony in the United
States. River and town were both named after King James, who had
selected their officers and made their laws.

The James´town colonists were nearly all gentlemen, who had come
without their families because they intended to stay only long
enough to get rich. As there were only four carpenters among them,
these men were kept very busy. But, instead of building comfortable
houses, and plowing and sowing, the rest of the settlers spent all
their time looking for gold. The result was that their supplies
gave out, and as the Indians were unfriendly and would not give
them food, they were soon in danger of starving. Besides, Jamestown
was on low, damp ground, and the water was so bad that the ill-fed
people suffered from malaria, and about half of them died.

Among the Englishmen who had come to Virginia there was Captain John
Smith. This man had been a soldier, had traveled a great deal, and
had visited France, Italy, and E´gypt.

We are told that while he was on his way to Egypt a great storm once
overtook his ship. The pilgrims on the vessel cried out that there
must be a wrongdoer, or a Jonah, among them, and in their terror
proposed to draw lots. Finding out thus that Smith was the guilty
person, they hastily pitched him overboard. But although there was
no whale to swallow him, Smith managed to swim ashore, and some time
later, longing for more adventures, he went to fight in Hun´ga-ry.

Here he declared that the teachings of Christ were far better than
those of Mo-ham´med, and offered to prove it by fighting three
Turks. He killed them all, but, being wounded, was soon made a
prisoner and sold as a slave. One day, when Smith was threshing
in the field, his cruel taskmaster beat him severely, although he
had done nothing wrong. Indignant at this unjust treatment, Smith
suddenly raised his flail, and struck the Turk such a hard blow that
the man fell to the ground dead.

Seeing a chance to escape, Smith now quickly exchanged clothes
with the dead man, hid the latter's body under the straw, filled a
bag with corn, and jumping on a horse rode rapidly away across the
plains. After many days of hard riding, he came to a place where his
chains were struck off, and thence continued his journey home.

After several other journeys and adventures, Smith joined the
newly formed London Company, proposing to go out himself with the
colonists. On the way to Virginia he was falsely accused of crime,
and nearly hanged; but when he reached land his innocence was
proved, and he soon became the leading spirit of Jamestown.

Through all the sickness and famine Smith alone seemed brave and
strong. Hoping to secure food for the colonists, he once set out to
find the Indians and trade with them for corn. But at the approach
of the English, we are told that the savages ran away in such haste
that they left their dinner on the fire. The colonists, drawing
near, saw that the Indians had been roasting oysters, and, tasting
them for the first time in their lives, were delighted to discover
a new and delicious kind of food. After shooting a few turkeys, the
English overtook these Indians, from whom they managed to get quite
a supply of corn in exchange for trinkets and a copper kettle.

In another expedition Captain Smith was surprised by the Indians
while he stood in a marsh, picking berries. He seized one of the
savages and held him fast, using him as a shield against the arrows
of the rest until surrounded and made a prisoner.

Instead of showing anger or resisting, Smith now followed his
captors quietly, allowing them to touch and examine him as much as
they pleased. He also tried to interest them by showing them his
compass and explaining its use. Besides, he made friends with the
Indian children and whittled playthings for them. All the prettiest
ones, however, were set aside for Po-ca-hon´tas, the twelve-year-old
daughter of the Indian chief Pow-ha-tan´; and it seems she was
specially pleased with the wooden doll he made for her.

[Illustration: Smith and Pocahontas.]

We are told that Pocahontas soon grew very fond of Captain Smith,
and that when the Indians once tried to kill him, she stood between
him and their raised tomahawks, pleading so hard for his life that
her father declared the white man should not be slain. But this
story is also told of several other explorers, and we do not know if
it is quite true.




XXIV. THE JAMESTOWN MEN.


After several weeks of captivity Captain Smith bargained with
the Indians to set him free, in exchange for a certain number of
trinkets and one of the bright brass cannons they had seen at
Jamestown. This settled, he wrote a letter to the colonists, telling
them what trinkets they were to give the bearers, and warning them
to be sure to shoot off the cannon in the Indians' presence, so that
they should not dare carry it off.

Having finished his letter, Smith gave it to his captors, bidding
them take it to Jamestown. He added that it would tell the English
what they wanted, and that they would hear the big noise which came
out of the bright log (cannon) they coveted. All this, of course,
seemed very mysterious to people who did not know how to write, so
they set out for Jamestown full of curiosity.

When they saw that the white men, after looking at the letter, gave
them all the trinkets they had bargained for, they were amazed. Then
they tried to lift the bright log, and were surprised at its weight.
Motioning them aside, the colonists next shot off the cannon.
The loud noise, and the fact that the cannon ball splintered a
good-sized tree, filled the Indians with such terror that, as Smith
had foreseen, they refused to touch it again. When they got back to
their camp they let Captain Smith go, and he bade a friendly good-by
to the red men, from whom he had learned all he could during his
short sojourn in their midst.

Free once more, Captain Smith used all his energies to get enough
grain for his friends; but had it not been for the Indian girl
Pocahontas the colonists would probably have starved to death.
Several times, in the course of that first hard winter, she brought
them game and corn, and, thanks to her pleading, her father Powhatan
became quite friendly, and supplied their most pressing needs.

In 1608 more colonists came over to Jamestown in search of gold; but
they, too, were gentlemen, and intended to remain only a short time.
They unfortunately discovered some pyrites, and in spite of all
Captain Smith could say, there was "no talk, no hope, no work, but
dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold." The result was that
the vessel in which they had come was sent home laden with worthless
dirt, instead of carrying a cargo of lumber, sassafras, or furs,
which could have been sold in England for considerable money.

The only man who did not share this thirst for gold was Captain
Smith. He continued his explorations, and made a complete map of
Chesapeake Bay to send back to England. Then, the governor having
sailed away with the fool's gold, and the others having proved bad
managers, Smith was soon chosen to be head of the colony.

He began his work by making a few very strict rules, which all the
colonists had to obey. The fine English gentlemen, who had spent
their time playing bowls in the streets of Jamestown, priding
themselves upon never having done any labor, were now told that if
they would not work they should not eat.

To stop the constant swearing in which these men freely indulged,
Captain Smith next ordered that a canful of cold water should
be poured down any offender's sleeve. This soon put an end to
profanity, and by the time a third set of colonists reached
Jamestown it was quite an orderly community.

[Illustration: Crowning Powhatan.]

Two women came out with these last-mentioned settlers to make real
homes in Jamestown, the first English city in what is now the United
States. The same ship also brought over presents from King James to
the Indian King Powhatan. These were a bed, basin and pitcher, a
coat trimmed with gold lace, and a crown.

Powhatan was therefore solemnly invited to Jamestown, to receive
these gifts and be crowned. The Indian chief was greatly pleased
with his fine red coat. But no one could make him understand
that he must kneel to receive his crown. Finally, in despair, the
colonists standing on either side of him leaned so heavily upon his
shoulders that they forced him to bend the knee before the governor,
who quickly crowned him.

To the savages' great delight, drums were loudly beaten in honor
of King Powhatan, but when the cannon was shot off, too, the newly
crowned king of Virginia was so amazed that he almost fell over
backward. When he had recovered from his fright Powhatan gave the
governor his old moccasins, or shoes, and a tattered and dirty robe
of raccoon skins, telling him to send them to King James in return
for his gifts!




XXV. SMITH WOUNDED.


The last Jamestown settlers brought over letters in which the
English merchants asked for gold, and urged the colonists to make
diligent search for a passage to India, where so much money could be
made by trading for silks, pearls, and spices. In obedience to these
orders, a new excursion was tried, but of course no such passage was
ever found on the coast of Virginia.

When the ships went back to England, Smith sent a letter to the
company, begging them to send out farmers, carpenters, blacksmiths,
masons, and men to cut down trees, rather than so many fine
gentlemen who did not know how to work.

Then, as soon as the ships had gone, Captain Smith set all the
colonists to work building houses, planting corn, and working hard
in many ways, so as to supply their daily needs. He also ordered
that the Indians should be treated kindly. But the settlers,
thinking they knew better than he, refused to work, and treated
the Indians so unjustly that they secretly planned to kill all the
English.

We are told that this plot was overheard by Pocahontas. She ran
through the forest all alone, one dark night, and, coming to
Jamestown, secretly told Captain Smith of his peril. He was so
grateful to Pocahontas for her warning that he wanted to give her a
present; but she refused it, saying that if her people saw it they
would suspect she had betrayed them.

By Captain Smith's wise measures, the Indians were awed into good
behavior, and for a time Jamestown was safe. But, unfortunately, a
terrible accident soon happened to the brave man who had been the
life of the colony. A gun, shot off by accident, set fire to the
powder in a boat where Smith lay asleep. He was badly wounded, and
would have been burned to death had he not had the presence of mind
to roll out of the boat into the water.

There were no good doctors in Jamestown, and as the wound in his
thigh did not heal, Captain Smith sailed back to England in the
next vessel, never to visit Jamestown again. But when quite cured
he explored the northeast coast of our country, and drew a good map
of it, calling that part of America New England. It was in reward
for this service that the king gave him the title of "Admiral of New
England." Being now too old to continue his journeys any longer,
Smith spent the rest of his life in writing an account of his
travels and of the founding of Jamestown.

Some people say that Captain Smith, like many sailors, was so fond
of spinning yarns that he did not always tell the exact truth. He
cannot have been a bad man, however, for when he died, those who
had gone out to Jamestown with him said that he hated baseness,
laziness, pride, and falsehood; that he never sent any one into a
danger he was not ready to share; that he was strictly honest in
all his dealings; and that he loved actions more than words; and he
was honored and mourned by all. Brave Captain Smith was buried in
London, where his friends placed this inscription over his grave:
"Here lies one conquered, that hath conquered kings."

After Captain Smith left them, the Jamestown colonists became idler
than ever, and treated the Indians so unkindly that even Pocahontas
refused to visit them any more. The result was that they could not
buy any corn, and as they had no crops of their own, they had so
little food, when winter came, that only sixty out of about six
hundred colonists managed to live.

This terrible winter in Jamestown is known in history as "Starvation
Time;" and some people say that the settlers became so desperate
from hunger that they actually turned cannibals. Their sufferings
were so great that those who survived determined to go home in the
spring. So they put their scant stock of provisions on board their
ships, and prepared to sail.

But before leaving they wanted to set fire to the houses they had
built, and destroy the place where "none had enjoyed one happy
day." The governor, however, refused to let them do this. To make
sure his orders should not be disobeyed, he embarked last, after
seeing that all was safe.

The little band of discouraged settlers now sailed slowly down the
James River. But on reaching its mouth, they were overjoyed to meet
three ships coming from England, with a stock of provisions and
many new colonists. They therefore turned around and went back to
Jamestown, where, you may be sure, they were very thankful to find
their houses still standing and all ready to receive them.




XXVI. THE VISIT OF POCAHONTAS TO ENGLAND.


A new governor, named Dale, now took charge of the Jamestown colony,
and seeing that the colonists were lazy and indifferent, he tried to
find out the cause. He soon discovered that the workers thought it
unjust that they should have to feed the lazy, for the rule had been
that all supplies should go into a common storehouse, and that each
man should receive an equal share.

As the company had in 1609 received a new charter from the king,
granting them land for four hundred miles along the coast, and
thence "up into the land throughout from sea to sea, west and
northwest," they were very anxious that the Jamestown colony should
thrive. Dale, therefore, now said that each man should work for
himself only. The result was that those who were willing to labor
were soon very comfortable, while the lazy colonists became poorer
and poorer. Still, seeing that they must work or starve, the idlers
now did enough to keep themselves alive.

Other laws were made at the same time, and it was decided that
those who disobeyed them should have their tongues pierced with a
red-hot iron. From this time on Jamestown prospered; more colonists
came, grain became plentiful, and instead of digging for gold, the
settlers planted tobacco to sell in England.

The English had by this time learned to like tobacco, although
King James disapproved so strongly of smoking that he wrote a book
called "A Counterblast to Tobacco." In fact, the use of this weed
was so general that the colonists, finding they could get about
seventy-five cents a pound for it, raised all they could, thus
following the example set by John Rolfe, one of their number.

Four years after Captain Smith left the Jamestown colony, the
English captain Ar´gall, remembering how useful Pocahontas had been,
determined to capture her. Hearing that she was with a neighboring
tribe, he bargained with the chief to lure her on board his vessel
and leave her there.

The chief consented, and walked off in triumph with his reward,--a
shiny copper kettle,--leaving Pocahontas in the hands of Captain
Argall. He took her to Jamestown, where she was kindly treated. John
Rolfe converted the young prisoner, and made her his wife as soon as
she had been baptized. Powhatan and many of his tribe were invited
to this wedding, the first between an Englishman and an Indian girl.
Of course it was a great event in the colony, so when the next ship
went back to England it carried this piece of news to court.

[Illustration: Marriage of Pocahontas.]

When the king heard it he was greatly displeased, for he fancied
that, after marrying the daughter of the King of Virginia, Rolfe
might want to rule over the country. But Rolfe wished nothing of the
kind, and after growing tobacco for a while, he took his Indian wife
to England.

To please Captain Smith, the queen welcomed Pocahontas kindly. She
appeared at court in fashionable English clothes,--which must have
seemed very uncomfortable to an Indian,--and was presented as the
"Lady Rebecca," for since her baptism her name had been changed.
Pocahontas spent a few months in England, and she had just started
to return to Virginia, when she was taken ill and died. But she
left a little son, who lived to grow up and became the ancestor of
several noted families in Virginia.

[Illustration: Wives for the Virginians.]

The colonists soon found tobacco so profitable that they planted it
even in the streets of Jamestown, and used it for money. Instead of
saying a thing was worth so many dollars, as we do now, they said it
was worth so many pounds of tobacco. They rapidly grew rich, and as
they no longer feared starvation, all longed to have wives to make
them comfortable.

They therefore wrote to England, asking that women should be sent
out to them, offering to give from one hundred to one hundred and
fifty pounds of tobacco to pay for their passage. The next ship,
therefore, brought over a cargo of young women, and the men who
wanted wives rushed down to the wharf, and wooed them so eagerly
that there were soon many happy homes in Virginia.

As tobacco crops rapidly exhaust the soil, the colonists occupied
more and more land, settling generally near a stream, so that
vessels could come and load at their private docks. And because
tobacco is planted, and not sown, their lands were called
plantations, a name still used in the South for any large farm. Some
people, however, say the name was given to any settlement planted in
a new place.

To make sure they would always have a good government, the Virginia
planters, who in 1619 had eleven settlements, or boroughs, chose
two men from each borough to sit in a House of Bur´ges-ses at
Jamestown. These burgesses helped to make a set of laws, called
the "Great Charter." The fact that the colonists now had a share
in ruling themselves, made them take special pride in their new
homes, although they still spoke lovingly of England as the "mother
country."

Strange to relate, the same year that the Virginia colonists claimed
their right as freemen to help govern themselves, a Dutch ship
brought twenty negroes to Jamestown, and sold them as slaves. But
although these were the first colored people in our country, they
were not the first or only slaves, for the king had already sent out
a number of convicts and homeless children to serve the colonists.

There was always a great difference between white and colored
slaves. White men were sold only for a certain length of time, after
which they again became free; but the negroes were sold for good and
all, and they and their children were to be slaves forever.




XXVII. HUDSON AND THE INDIANS.


While the English were gaining ground in Virginia, the other nations
were not idle. The Spaniards, as we have seen, had settled in
Florida and New Mexico, and, in the latter place especially, their
priests started several mission stations.

This was very dangerous work, because they often had to go alone
among the Indians, who at times rose up against them and even
tortured them to death. But these priests were quite ready to die
for the sake of their religion, and although in the course of the
next one hundred years more than forty were murdered, others were
always ready to take their places.

After many failures the Spaniards finally made friends with and
converted most of the Pueb´lo Indians, who learned to live on
peaceable terms with the white men, as they still do to-day. In
fact, although they had but one small town, Santa Fé, the Spaniards
had many missions and eleven churches in New Mexico before the
Jamestown colonists first sat in the House of Burgesses.

The French Huguenots, as already said, tried to make a settlement
in the southern part of our country, but had been murdered by their
Spanish neighbors. Next, some Frenchmen tried to settle in Maine,
but soon gave up the attempt. Their first lasting settlement was
therefore made in 1604, at Port. Royal in A-ca´di-a, where they
at first suffered much, but afterwards prospered greatly and had
comfortable homes.

The Dutch, living near the ocean, were great seamen and traders, so
you will not be surprised to hear that they, too, sent ships across
the Atlantic before long. One of these vessels, the _Half-Moon_,
under Henry Hudson, came over here to look for the northwest
passage. Sailing along the New England coast, and thence southward,
Hudson entered Del´a-ware and New York bays. He also sailed up a
great stream, then called the North River, but now generally known
as the Hudson (1609).

At first Hudson thought this broad river must be the long-sought
road to India, because at high tide the water was salt many miles
upstream. But sailing on, he finally discovered that it was a river,
which he explored to the point where Al´ba-ny now stands. It was in
September, the weather was beautiful, and Hudson and his crew were
in raptures over the lovely views. The coming of this vessel created
a great sensation among the Indians, who rushed to the edge of the
water to see the "great white bird." They called the _Half-Moon_ a
bird on account of its spreading sails.

[Illustration: Hudson on the River.]

Hudson traded with the natives for tobacco and furs, and once when
they tried to steal some of his trinkets he gave them a terrible
fright by shooting off his cannon. On his return he landed on
Man-hat´tan Island, where the Indians gave him a feast, breaking
their arrows to show he need fear no treachery on their part.

We are told that, in exchange for their hospitality, Hudson offered
the savages some rum to drink. They looked at it, and smelled it,
but passed it on without tasting it. Finally the bottle came to
an Indian who was somewhat bolder than the rest, or who feared to
offend the white man. He drank a great deal of the liquor, but he
had no sooner done so than he fell down senseless, and all his
companions thought he was dead.

After a few hours, however, the Indian awoke from his drunken sleep,
to remark that the Dutchman had the strongest water he had ever
tasted. The other savages were now all eager to try the "fire water"
too; and, having drunk it once, they took such a fancy to it that
before long they were ready to give all they had in exchange for
more. But, as you will see, this fire water was to do them a great
deal of harm.

On his way home Hudson stopped in England, where they kept him
a prisoner, saying an Englishman ought to make discoveries only
for the good of his own country. But Hudson managed to send a
description of his journey to Holland, and he then reported that he
had visited "as beautiful a land as one can tread upon." Hearing
from him also that great bargains in furs could be made with the
Indians, Dutch merchants soon sent out vessels to establish trading
stations near Albany and on Manhattan Island.

While the Dutch were thus bartering, Hudson, set free, started out
on a voyage for England. Sailing farther north, in search of a
passage to India, he came, in 1611, to the bay which still bears his
name. Here his crew suffered so much from the cold climate that,
in their anger against their captain, they put him, his son, and
seven sick men in a boat, and cut them adrift. The ship came back to
Europe in safety, but nothing more was ever heard of Hudson or the
unfortunate sailors with him.

The Dutch soon built Fort Orange on the Hudson, near Albany, Fort
Nas´sau on the Delaware, and, later, a fort on Manhattan Island.
Here, in 1614, they founded the colony later called New Am´ster-dam,
on the very spot where a shipwrecked captain had built the first
Dutch-American vessel about one year before. Little by little the
Dutch now took possession of the land along the Hudson River and New
York Bay. They built comfortable houses of bricks brought over from
Holland, and before long had many thrifty farms in what they called
the New Neth´er-lands.




XXVIII. THE MAYFLOWER.


While the Spaniards were settling in Florida and New Mexico, the
French in Acadia, and the Dutch in the New Netherlands, the English,
as we have seen, had also been busy. In Virginia they had founded
Jamestown, and Gosnold and John Smith had visited and named several
places in New England, such as Cape Cod and the Charles River.

During the next few years several attempts were made to found a
colony in New England, but all failed. Still, although no real
settlements were made, English fishing vessels were often seen
along the coast, where codfish could easily be caught and dried.
The captain of one of these fishing boats is said to have captured
twenty-four Indians, whom he carried off to sell as slaves. Among
these savages was one named Squan´to. He was taken first to Spain
and then to England before he was shipped back to his native land.

When poor Squanto finally reached the New England shores once more
he found everything sadly changed. During his absence a terrible
plague had broken out and swept away nearly all his tribe. Wigwams,
fields, hunting and fishing grounds were now deserted, and the few
Indians who had escaped death had gone to live elsewhere. Squanto
therefore joined another tribe, to whom he soon proved very useful,
for he had learned enough English to serve as interpreter between
them and the fishermen.

Nowadays people can be of any religion they choose, but in the
beginning of the seventeenth century every one was expected to
practice the religion of the country in which he lived. After
following the Roman Catholic religion for about nine centuries, the
English, in the middle of the sixteenth century, suddenly decided
that England should have a church of her own. Their king, Henry
VIII., said that while the pope was head of the Roman Catholic
Church, he would henceforth be head of the An´gli-can or English
Church. He added that all his subjects would have to attend the
services of that church, and pay a tax to him for its support, just
as they had done to the pope.

Although there were a great many people quite willing to do this,
others said that nothing would induce them to give up the Roman
Catholic religion. These people were very firm, and although the
king tried to force them to change their religion, many of them
bravely died rather than do what they considered wrong.

At first there were only Roman Catholics and Anglicans in England.
But after a time some of the Anglicans said that they wanted a
plainer and _purer_ religion. They repeated this so often that
before long they were known all over England as the Pu´ri-tans.
Next, some of the Puritans refused to go to the Anglican Church at
all, or to pay for its support, and because they did this they were
treated just as unkindly as the Roman Catholics.

Those Puritans who separated themselves from their brethren
and refused to go to the Anglican Church were soon called
Sep´a-ra-tists. They were held in great contempt, and persecuted by
all those who did not believe exactly as they did. After standing
this for several years, some of them left England in 1607, and after
many trials founded a Separatist colony at Leȳ´den in Holland.

Here they had to work very hard to make a living; and although they
tried to keep their children apart from the rest of the people, they
soon saw that the boys and girls were learning the Dutch language
and ways so rapidly that before long they would cease to be English.
The Separatists therefore began to wonder where they could go so
their children would hear nothing but the English language, have no
dealings with people of a different religion, and still have a fair
chance to make a living.

They finally decided to go to the New World, and sent to ask King
James's permission to found a colony in a place where, while
remaining his faithful subjects, they could worship as they pleased.
James allowed them to go to America, but refused to give them a
paper granting all the rights they wished. Still, as the Separatists
knew that the king was as likely to break a written promise as a
verbal one, they made up their minds to run the risk.

Too poor to hire vessels to carry them and their goods across the
ocean, the Separatists borrowed the necessary money from English
speculators, promising that all their earnings for the next seven
years should be equally divided between the merchants and the
colonists. Then, hearing that none but Church of England people
would be received in Virginia, they decided to settle in the land
Hudson had described so favorably.

As the Separatists were about to set out on a long pilgrimage, or
journey, for the sake of their religion, they took the name of
Pilgrims. The youngest and strongest among them were to go out
first, under the guidance of one of their teachers, Elder Brewster.
But all the old and feeble members were to remain in Holland a
little longer, in charge of their minister, Mr. Rob´in-son. After
a last feast together, and a solemn parting prayer, the Pilgrims
received their pastor's blessing, said good-by to their friends, and
embarked on the _Speedwell_ at Delfs-ha´ven. The spot whence they
started is now marked by a monument commemorating their departure,
and from there Robinson prayerfully watched them until they were
out of sight. Although their vessel was old and leaky, the Pilgrims
reached South-amp´ton safely. Here they found friends waiting for
them, and all ready to sail in the _Mayflower_. After a short delay
both vessels set out together; but they soon had to put back,
because the _Speedwell_ proved unsafe. Leaving it at Plymouth, one
hundred and two of the most determined Pilgrims embarked on the
_Mayflower_, which set out alone to cross the Atlantic Ocean (1620).

[Illustration: The Mayflower.]

In those times all travel, whether by land or sea, was very slow.
It was therefore only after sixty-three days that the _Mayflower_,
driven out of its course by a storm, reached Cape Cod Bay. Thus,
you see, it came to the shores of New England instead of New York
or New Jersey. During that long and tempestuous journey one of the
passengers died; but as one little baby was born on the ship, the
Pilgrims still numbered one hundred and two souls.




XXIX. PLYMOUTH ROCK.


The season was so far advanced when the Pilgrims reached our
northeast coast, and the seas were so rough, that the captain of
the _Mayflower_ said it would not be safe to go any farther. So the
Pilgrims, who were tired of the ship and eager to begin building
their new homes, decided to settle in New England. Before they left
the ship, however, the men assembled in the little cabin to draw
up a paper, in which they pledged themselves to be true to their
country, king, and religion, and to obey any laws made for the good
of the colony. Then they elected John Carver, one of their number,
as governor for one year, and named Miles Stand´ish, an old soldier,
their captain.

[Illustration: The First Wash Day.]

While the women hastened ashore to wash their linen, Standish and
his little band of Pilgrim soldiers began to explore the coast to
find the best spot for their settlement. For a few days they tramped
up and down on Cape Cod, once only catching a glimpse of an Indian
and a dog. But finally they came to a ruined wigwam, where they saw
a copper kettle. This showed them that Europeans had been there
before. Soon after they found some buried corn, and carried it off,
intending to pay the owners for it later.

About three weeks after this, some Pilgrims and seamen took a boat
and sailed off to make a more extensive exploration of the coast.
After going a long distance they landed, and as they walked along
they were surprised to find so many graves, for they did not know
then that the plague had raged there two years before. Early one
day, after spending an uncomfortable night out of doors, and saying
their morning prayers, the explorers were startled by a terrible
Indian war whoop, and a flight of arrows fell all around them.

But Miles Standish was so brave a man that he made his men stand
firm and drive the Indians away. The Indians had attacked the party
only because they fancied that the Pilgrims had come to steal
Indians, as the fishermen had done several times before.

The Pilgrims now continued their explorations in the midst of a
driving snowstorm. Their rudder broke, and they had to steer with
their oars. Finally they were driven ashore, where they kindled
a fire, spending Sunday in prayer and praise, and resuming their
journey only on Monday morning.

On December 21 or 22 they again ran ashore, landing on a rock,
since called "the stepping-stone of New England," and now carefully
preserved and known as "Plymouth Rock." The land around seemed so
favorable that they decided to plant their colony here, naming it
Plymouth, in honor of the last English town they had seen before
leaving old England.

As the landing of the Pilgrim fathers is one of the great events of
our history, the anniversary of their coming is still kept in New
England and elsewhere, and is known as "Forefathers' Day."

[Illustration: Landing on Plymouth Rock.]

While Standish and his men were busy exploring, the _Mayflower_ rode
at anchor, and its inmates barely escaped a horrible death. One of
the colonists, named Bil´ling-ton, having, gone into the cabin to
get powder, carelessly left the barrel open. His boy, a mischievous
youngster, crept into the cabin unseen, and began playing with a
gun. Of course it went off unexpectedly, and the child came very
near setting fire to the powder in the barrel, and thus blowing up
the _Mayflower_ and all on board.

As soon as Standish had made his report, the anchor was raised, and
four days later the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. The first
woman to set foot upon it, we are told, was a Puritan maiden. Soon
all the settlers were very busy building a storehouse for their
provisions, and homes for themselves.

The men, exposed to the bad weather, caught such heavy colds that
before long all were ill, and when the storehouse and a log hut were
finished, both had to serve as hospitals for the sick. In spite of
an unusually mild winter, the colonists found their close quarters
on the _Mayflower_ and in damp log houses so uncomfortable that they
suffered greatly.

At one time all but seven were seriously ill, and in the course of
the winter nearly half of their number perished. Grave after grave
was dug in the frozen ground, but the Pilgrims dared not mark them
in any way, lest the Indians should discover how many of the white
men had died. They were careful about this, because, although they
had not seen any, they knew that Indians were lurking near them, for
tools left in the woods a few hours had mysteriously vanished.




XXX. THE FIRST AMERICAN THANKSGIVING.


Early in the spring the Pilgrims were startled, one day, by the
voice of an Indian saying: "Welcome, Englishmen." Looking up, they
saw a savage named Sam´o-set, who had boldly walked into their
village to greet them with words learned from English fishermen.

The Pilgrims received Samoset so kindly that he came back on
the morrow with Squanto, who told the colonists that the Indian
chief Mas´sa-soit wished to make friends with them. A meeting was
appointed, and when Massasoit appeared, a few days later, Standish
received him. The drums were beaten loudly, and the Pilgrim soldiers
gravely escorted the Indian chief to their principal log hut, where
Governor Carver was waiting for them.

Here all the choice articles of the Pilgrims had been gathered
together to make a fine show, and a rug and green cushion were laid
on the floor for Massasoit to sit upon.

After smoking the calumet, or "pipe of peace," together, the
Indian chief and the Plymouth governor--with the help of their
interpreters--made a treaty, whereby they promised not to harm but
to help each other, and to trade in a friendly spirit.

The Indians now walked freely in and out of the village, where they
ate and drank so much that the Pilgrims' scant stock of provisions
grew rapidly less. Edward Wins´low, one of the Pilgrims, therefore
took occasion, on returning Massasoit's visit, to tell him that
the Indians were to come to Plymouth only when they bore messages
from him. To make sure that the right Indians would always be well
treated, Winslow gave Massasoit a ring, which was to serve as
passport for his men.

Were you to read Winslow's description of his visit to the Indian
chief, you would be greatly amused. Massasoit had no provisions
in his wigwam, so he and his guests went to bed hungry. Besides,
Winslow and his men had to sleep side by side with the dirty chief
and his squaw, and they were so crowded by other Indians that they
were very uncomfortable indeed.

In April the _Mayflower_ went back to England; but although the
Pilgrims had suffered so sorely during the winter, they all wrote
brave letters to send home, and not one of them asked to go back.
After the _Mayflower_ had sailed away Governor Carver fell ill
and died, so William Bradford was elected to take his place. This
Bradford made so good a ruler that he was elected again and again,
and during the next thirty-six years he was head of the colony
nearly all the time.

Squanto soon became a great favorite with the Pilgrims. He played
with the children, taught the boys to trap game, and told the
settlers to plant their corn as soon as the leaves of the white oak
were as large as a mouse's ear. He also taught them to put a fat
fish in each hill, to serve as manure for the growing grain, because
the ground around there was very sandy.

The colonists now worked diligently, making their fields and gardens
over the graves of their dead companions, so that no hostile Indians
should ever find out how many had died, or dig up their bones. The
crops being all planted, the Pilgrims went on building, made friends
with nine Indian chiefs, and traded briskly with the savages for
furs.

But day by day the stock of provisions brought from England grew
less and less, until they finally saw with dismay that it would be
entirely exhausted long before their corn was ripe. So they were
put on such scant rations that it is said they sometimes had only
six grains of corn for a meal! As they were not good hunters or
experienced fishermen, they lived almost entirely on shellfish,
Elder Brewster piously giving thanks to God for supplying them with
"the abundance of the seas and the treasures hid in the sand."

Although the winter had been very damp, the summer proved so dry
that it soon seemed as if the Pilgrims' crops would perish for want
of rain. A day of fasting and prayer was therefore appointed, and
for nine hours the Pilgrims besought God to help them. Some Indians,
hearing that they were going to pray for rain, watched the sky
anxiously, and when it finally clouded over and a gentle rain began
to fall, they remarked in awe-struck tones that the God of the white
men had evidently heard their prayers.

Ten days of moisture which followed the day of prayer assured a
plentiful harvest, which was safely gathered. The Pilgrims were so
grateful for this mercy that they set a day in which to give thanks.
After a solemn service they held a great feast, to which Massasoit
and ninety other Indians were invited.

At this dinner they ate wild turkeys shot by the colonists, venison
supplied by the savages, and pies which the Pilgrim mothers made
from yellow pumpkins, as they had no apples. During the next three
days all the young people indulged in games and athletic sports,
in which the Indians also shared. After this "Thanksgiving Day,"
as the Pilgrims named it, a feast like it was kept every year in
New England. This custom gradually spread from there over the whole
country, until now the day is observed in all the states of our
Union. The President, who appoints the day, generally chooses the
last Thursday in November.

[Illustration: The First Thanksgiving Dinner.]




XXXI. THE SNAKE SKIN AND THE BULLETS.


As the Pilgrims were just in all their dealings with the Indians,
and honestly paid them for the corn taken when they first landed,
the natives became quite friendly. They not only brought back the
missing tools, but once found and carried home the mischievous
Billington boy, who had lost his way in the forest, near the pond
which still bears his name.

The Indians felt such respect for the Pilgrims that when Massasoit
fell ill he sent for Winslow right away. The latter went to the
chief's wigwam, where he found a crowd of Indians eagerly watching
the antics of the medicine man, who had come to drive away the
chief's disease.

After ordering all the Indians out of the wigwam, Winslow let in
some fresh air, cooled the sick Indian's hot brow and hands with
clean water, and gave him some medicine. Presently the savage chief
asked for chicken broth, which he had once tasted at Plymouth,
so Winslow sent a messenger to Plymouth for a fowl. Thanks to
Winslow's good nursing,--for fresh air and cleanliness are good
doctors,--Massasoit soon recovered, and ever after he was the white
men's firm ally.

All the Indians were not friendly, however. Ca-non´i-cus, chief
of the Nar-ra-gan´setts, an enemy of Massasoit, hated to see the
land occupied by the English, so he soon sent them a rattlesnake's
skin full of arrows. Governor Bradford looked at it wonderingly and
then asked Squanto what it meant. The Indian said it signified that
unless the white men crept away like serpents the Indians would
slay them all with their arrows.

Hearing this, Bradford coolly took the arrows out of the skin,
stuffed it full of powder and bullets, and silently handed it to
the messenger to carry back to Canonicus. The savage glided rapidly
away, and gave the skin to Canonicus, who, afraid of the powder,
passed it on to another Indian. The snake skin went thus from hand
to hand, but was finally sent back to Plymouth, with an offer of
friendship. The Indians, seeing that the English governor was not
afraid of them, now begged for peace, promising to bury the war
hatchet so deep that it could never again be dug up.

The fact is that powder at first seemed a very mysterious thing to
the red men. They were afraid of it, but at the same time longed to
have some. One Indian is said to have bought powder from a colonist,
who gravely told him that if he wanted any more he must plant the
black seed. The savage obeyed, but as nothing came up from it, the
shrewd Indian declared that he would pay the colonist only when the
powder grew!

The Pilgrims, fearing the Indians might attack them, built a log
meetinghouse on a hill, and used it as a fort, placing their cannon
on its flat roof. This place was also surrounded by a palisade, or
great fence of tree trunks, so that it could afford the colonists
a safe shelter in time of danger. Generally, however, it served as
a meetinghouse, for the Pilgrims were all very religious, and when
the drums beat on Sunday morning all came out of their houses and
marched in solemn procession to church.

At the door the men stacked their arms, leaving them in charge of a
guard, who was to give the alarm at the first sign of danger. In the
meetinghouse men and women sat apart, listening to the long prayers
and sermons, or slowly singing very sober hymns. The boys sat on the
pulpit steps, in full view of the congregation, to make sure they
would behave properly.

The sexton, armed with a long stick, rapped the boys on the head if
they proved unruly, or poked the men when they fell asleep. But if
the girls or women dozed, he gently tickled their cheeks with the
foxtail hanging at the other end of the same stick. Sometimes, too,
it was he who turned the hourglass when all its sands had run out,
for the minister was then only halfway through his two hours' sermon.

In the first fall the colony was increased by the arrival of more
Separatists; but it did not really prosper until the settlers
bought the shares of the English merchants, and, instead of holding
everything in common, began to work each for himself. They were so
industrious and thrifty that before long their debts were all paid,
and they had comfortable homes and good farms.

The Plymouth people were so strict that they would allow none but
church members to vote. Their colony therefore grew very slowly, and
at the end of ten years it numbered only about three hundred souls.
But other Puritans, who did not believe exactly as the Plymouth
colonists, came over to America and founded other colonies along the
New England coast.

[Illustration:

     _G. H. Boughton, Artist._

Pilgrims going to Church.]

Thus, for instance, the first Mas-sa-chu´setts Bay colonists came
over in 1628. As their hope was to convert the Indians, they adopted
a seal on which there was an Indian, with the inscription, "Come
over and help us." They, too, were very strict. They said, "No idle
drone may live among us," and expected every one to work hard. They
settled at some distance from Plymouth (map, page 230), in a spot
which they called Sa´lem ("Peace"), because they hoped to live and
worship there in peace.

The principal man in the Massachusetts Bay colony was John
En´di-cott. He felt such intense horror for the Roman Catholic
religion that before he had been in America very long, he drew out
his sword and cut the cross right out of the English flag, saying
that Puritans could not look with respect upon such a popish emblem.
Besides, hearing that some English colonists had put up a Maypole on
Merry Mount, and danced there, he cut down the pole and scolded the
people for indulging in "the folly of amusements."




XXXII. THE BEGINNING OF BOSTON.


Besides Puritans, a few other men came over to New England. Among
these was Standish, who, as you know, proved very useful to the
Plymouth colony, and a learned man named Black´stone. The latter
tried at first to live with the Separatists at Plymouth, but when
he saw that they were not willing to let him do as he thought
right, and wanted to force him to think just as they did, he boldly
said: "I came from England because I did not like the Lord Bishops,
but I cannot join with you, because I would not be under the Lord
Brethren."

Having spoken thus, Blackstone left the colony, and withdrew to
a hill about forty miles up the coast, where he built himself a
comfortable house. Here he soon had a fine garden, where he grew the
first apples seen in New England; and his cow, wandering around in
search of pasture, made the first winding paths through the forest
in that part of the country.

Although the Plymouth settlers were, as we have seen, usually on
friendly terms with the Indians, there were some worthless settlers
where Weymouth (wā´mŭth) now is, who soon quarreled with them
(1623). Hearing that the Indians had planned to kill all the whites,
Captain Standish and his little force marched over to Weymouth.
Though small, he was very brave. He sent for the Indian chiefs,
and met them in a log hut. When one of them threatened his life,
Standish boldly attacked him. There was a terrible tussle, but the
white man finally killed his huge enemy. This act of daring made
other Indians respect Standish, whom they called the "big little
man."

While Standish was struggling with one Indian, two more were killed
by the other white men in the hut, and a few others were slain
afterwards. When this news reached Mr. Robinson at Leyden, he sadly
cried: "Oh, that they had converted some before they killed any!"

In 1630 the colonists of Massachusetts Bay were reinforced by the
arrival of seven hundred newcomers, "the very flower of the English
Puritans." Led by John Winthrop, a noble and clever man, some of
them came over in a ship which was called the _Lady Arbela_, in
honor of a delicate lady on board. But seventy-six days of sea
journey proved so trying to this frail woman that she died soon
after landing at Salem.

At first the newcomers tried to settle near Charles´town; but they
found the drinking water so bad there that they finally went to
Trimountain, or Tre´mont ("Three Hills"), where Blackstone had built
his house. Not liking to live so near a large colony of Puritans,
Blackstone sold them his house and land, and went to settle
elsewhere.

The land thus purchased was divided among the settlers, who,
for convenience' sake, built their houses along the paths made
by Blackstone's cow. Some people say that this accounts for the
crooked streets in old Boston, for such was the name this settlement
received soon after it was made (1630). Six acres, however, were set
apart as the Common, or pasture ground, for everybody. This part of
Blackstone's farm still bears that name, but it is now in the very
heart of the city of Boston, a beautiful, well-kept park, and no
longer a mere pasture ground.

The Boston colonists had brought tools, cattle, and seed in
abundance; but in spite of all their foresight and supplies, their
first winter proved very hard. It was very cold, and as they had to
go some distance for their fuel, many could not secure enough. We
are told that one man was even caught stealing wood from Winthrop's
pile. Now, the Puritans considered stealing almost as bad as murder,
and had the man been publicly accused, they would perhaps have
condemned him to death. But Governor Winthrop was so good and gentle
that he merely said he would cure the man of the habit of stealing,
and did so by sending the rascal all the fuel he needed until spring.

Like the Plymouth colonists, the Puritans were threatened with
starvation long before their ships could return. Winthrop then
generously supplied the people's needs from his own store, and
actually gave the last flour he had in his house to a poor man who
came to beg. But the good governor did not suffer on account of his
generosity, for that very day the returning ships sailed into port,
bringing plenty of provisions for all.

The colony now prospered greatly, and sent home such encouraging
letters that more and more people ventured across the ocean.
Winthrop sent for his wife, and a minister wrote to his friends that
"a sup of New England air is better than a whole draught of Old
England's Ale."

During the next ten years, more than twenty thousand
English-speaking persons came over to New England. There, in time,
they formed fifty parishes, or villages, connected by roads and
bridges. Some of these settlements were planted far inland, although
the Puritans at first declared they would never need more land than
what was inclosed in a circle drawn ten miles around Boston.

A governor was elected to rule over the colony, and each town ruled
itself. But the people also sent representatives to the General
Court, or Assembly, where public matters were discussed and laws
were made for the good of the whole colony.

The government being in the hands of the people, and the Puritans
wishing their children to be well educated, public schools were soon
provided in every village, and in 1636 the General Court started the
first college. It was located in a spot which was called Cam´bridge,
in honor of the great university town in England. Two years later,
a minister named Har´vard left his library of about two hundred and
fifty books and some money to the new college, which since then has
borne his name.




XXXIII. STORIES OF TWO MINISTERS.


At first, Harvard College had only a very few students, who were
to be educated for the ministry. All the colonists contributed to
the support of the institution, for those who were too poor to give
twelvepence in money were told to bring a measure of corn or some
fire wood. Four years after the college was founded, the first
English printing press was set up there, and began to print books of
psalms for the Puritan churches.

While the new college was training missionaries for the Indians,
the latter had found a good friend in John El´i-ot, who came over
to America in 1631. While preaching in Boston and Rox´bur-y, Eliot
learned the Massachusetts Indian language, and began to translate
the Bible into that tongue. It took him nearly thirty years of
patient work to do this, in the midst of all his preaching and
teaching. But his Bible was the first printed in America, and many
of his "praying Indians," as the converts were called, learned to
read in it.

Eliot was a sweet, simple, and very lovable man. He was so generous
that once, in paying him his salary, the parish treasurer tied it up
in the good man's handkerchief with several knots, so that he should
not be able to give it all away before reaching home. But Eliot,
unable to undo these hard knots when he met a poor woman, gave her
handkerchief and all, saying: "Here, my dear, take it; I believe the
Lord designs it all for you."

After years of faithful work among the savages, Eliot, the "Apostle
of the Indians," died, at the age of eighty-six. He tried harder
than any other Puritan to convert the red men, who lost their best
friend when he passed away. The Bible he worked so diligently to
translate still exists; but as there are no Massachusetts Indians
left, it is now of no use, except to remind us of Eliot's great
patience and perseverance.

As the soil was poor, hands few, and the harvests too scanty to
supply food for all, the colonists soon began to wonder how they
could earn money. Before long, they discovered that by sending
fish to England, they could get all the food they wanted. For that
reason they fished diligently, and soon used a huge codfish as an
emblem for the Massachusetts Bay colony. Next, the colonists built
a large ship called the _Blessing of the Bay_, in which they sent
lumber to the West Indies. In exchange for timber, they got sugar
and molasses, from which they made rum to ship to England. Thus
commerce was begun, and, increasing year by year, finally made the
Massachusetts Puritans both rich and independent.

The Puritans, as you have seen, left England because they were not
allowed to worship there as they pleased. But although they did
not like it when the English tried to make them obey the Anglican
Church, they now wanted to force all who came among them to think
just as they did.

One young man, Roger Williams, came to New England in 1631, and
preached for a while at Salem. But as he openly said that the
Puritans had no right to punish people for thinking differently
about religious matters, or for such trifles as smoking on the
street or laughing too loud, he soon displeased some of the
colonists.

They sent him away for a while, thinking he would change his mind;
but when Williams came back to Salem, he insisted harder than ever
that every man had a right to think just as he pleased, to worship
God as his conscience bade him, and to vote whether he went to
church or not. He also declared that the land around there belonged
to the Indians and not to the King of England. These opinions seemed
so wicked to the good Puritans that they called him up before their
Council to reprove him.

[Illustration: Williams Welcomed by the Indians.]

Finding that the Puritans would not let him live in peace in any
part of the colony, but intended to send him back to England to be
tried, Williams secretly escaped from Massachusetts, and went to
live among the Indians. As he knew their language, and had made
friends with them, he spent a very peaceful winter in their camp.

When spring came, Williams wanted to settle at See´konk; but as
the Plymouth people claimed that part of the land, he went farther
still, to a place which he called Prov´i-dence. Settling there, in
1636, on land he bought from the Indians, Williams was soon joined
by others who shared his opinions, and thus a colony was formed in
what is now Rhode Island, where all except Jews were allowed to
vote. This was considered very generous in those days, although it
now seems unfair to exclude anyone on account of religion.

Because Williams was so much broader-minded than many other people
of his time, he has often been called the "Apostle of Toleration"--a
word which means letting others alone, or allowing others to do as
they please. People of every belief came to settle in Williams's
neighborhood before long, and there was soon such a variety of them
that it was said if a man had lost his religion he would be sure to
find it again in Rhode Island.




XXXIV. WILLIAMS AND THE INDIANS.


One of the first important persons who followed Williams to Rhode
Island was Mrs. Anne Hutch´in-son. Soon after her arrival in
Massachusetts, in 1634, she began to hold meetings and to preach.
The Puritans, who did not believe in women's talking in public, told
her to be silent; but she refused to obey, and went on preaching
until she gained great influence over many people.

Indeed, when an Indian war broke out, her followers even refused
to go and fight unless she was allowed to talk just as much as
she pleased. But as soon as the war was over, Mrs. Hutchinson was
banished. Then she, too, went to Rhode Island (1637), where she
bought from the Indians the large island of that name. She gave them
only twenty hoes, ten coats, and forty fathoms of wampum in payment
for it, and near one end of it she began the town which is now the
beautiful city of New´port. Several Quakers, driven out of the
Massachusetts colonies by the Puritans, also came to live near her,
and her settlement prospered greatly.

Other colonies were also begun farther north. A short time after the
founding of Plymouth, Mason and Gor´ges received from the king a
grant of land. Coming over to America, they divided their land and
founded colonies, Gorges in Maine and Mason in New Hamp´shire. Among
the principal settlements thus made were the towns of Ports´moŭth
and Dover. Some years later, however, these places were added to
Massachusetts, to which colony New Hampshire was joined for about
thirty-five years.

In 1630, at the time when Boston was founded, some fishermen
reported that the Con-nect´i-cut River flowed between very fertile
banks. This news made Lords Say, Brooke, and others ask for a grant
of land there, which the king readily gave them. These owners then
prepared to found a new colony, which was called Say´brook, after
two of their number. But they very soon found that there was no time
to lose if they wanted to claim the land the king had given them,
for the Dutch had already built a trading station where Hartford now
stands, and were threatening to occupy all the Connecticut valley.

In spite of the fact that the Dutch got there first, Winthrop's son
was told to build a fort at the mouth of the Connecticut, or Long
River, where he was soon joined by a colony of about fifty men.
These settlers suffered greatly from lack of food and proper shelter.

[Illustration: Carrying Mrs. Hooker to Hartford.]

Still, the white men spread rapidly in Connecticut, and in the
spring of 1636, Pastor Hooker, "the light of the western church,"
came there from Massachusetts, with about one hundred men, women,
and children. Walking through the woods, driving their cattle
before them, and carrying poor sick Mrs. Hooker on a litter, these
colonists came to settle on the banks of the Connecticut, where
they founded Hartford. They brought written laws with them, in
which, among other things, it was stated that a man need not be a
church member to vote.

But the Connecticut colonists soon met two foes in this new region;
they were the Dutch and the Pe´quot Indians, of whom the latter
proved by far the more troublesome. Soon after murdering one
settler, the Pequots carried his family off to Block Island. The
news of murder and capture no sooner reached Massachusetts, than
ninety men set out, under John Endicott, to punish the Indians.

Sailing to Block Island, the Indian stronghold, they killed the
Indians and burned down their village. Then some of them went on
to the Connecticut valley, to join and help the English there. The
Pequots, angry with the colonists, now sought the friendship of the
Narragansett and Mo-he´gan Indians; for they thought that if three
such powerful tribes joined forces, the white men would soon be
crushed.

When the settlers heard of this, they were terrified. But knowing
Roger Williams was the only man who could prevent the Narragansetts
from making an alliance with their foes, they hastily sent him a
message, imploring his aid. Instead of acting meanly, as some other
men would have done in his place, and leaving those who had treated
him ill to look out for themselves, Roger Williams set out right
away, although a terrible storm was then raging.

Narrowly escaping death, he paddled bravely on in his frail skiff
till he came to the Narragansetts' camp. There he found the Pequots
fiercely urging their friends to fight by showing them the bloody
scalps they had already taken. During the next three days and
nights, Williams pleaded and argued with the Narragansett Indians,
and he finally persuaded them not to take part in the Pequot war.
Thanks to his efforts, too, the Mohegans sided with the white
men, their chief bravely helping John Mason, the commander of the
settlers' force.

After a night spent in prayer, the combined force of colonists and
friendly Indians suddenly attacked the principal Pequot camp in what
is now southeastern Connecticut. Taken unawares, the savages, roused
by the barking of their dogs, sprang out of their wigwams, only in
time to see the white men rush into their fort. A moment later, the
invaders flung blazing torches at their dwellings, which were soon
in flames over the heads of their wives and children. Many perished
in the fire, and the glare of the flames allowed the colonists to
see and kill nearly all their dusky foes.

Soon after this massacre, the Pequot chief was overtaken and slain,
and his head was long exposed on a tree, in a place since known as
Sachems Head, or Point. The few remaining Pequots either became
slaves or fled to the Hudson River. This was the first real Indian
war in New England (1636-1638). After it was all over the colonists
along the Connecticut were left in peace, and for nearly forty years
there was no more trouble with the red men.

The Pequot war was scarcely finished when three hundred English
settlers came to found New Haven. They were mostly rich trading
people, and they wanted to have a colony which would be governed
only by the laws of the Bible. The New Haven colony grew fast, and
before long included Saybrook and five other very prosperous towns.

It was in the Pequot war that the colonies first saw the advantage
of helping one another, and five years later (1643) a league was
formed between Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New
Haven. Maine and Rhode Island were not allowed to join it, because
they were not Puritan colonies. But New Hampshire really belonged to
it, as that colony had been joined to Massachusetts in 1641.




XXXV. THE QUAKERS.


While the English were founding the New England colonies, many
changes had taken place in England. King James I. was succeeded by
Charles I., and the English, weary of monarchs who did not keep
their promises, rose up in rebellion in 1643.

By this time, the English Puritans had increased so that they became
masters of the whole country. It was governed by their chief, Oliver
Crom´well, and called the Commonwealth of England. The Puritans,
being in power, made the Roman Catholics and the Church of England
people as uncomfortable as the latter had once made them. Many
Catholics and Anglicans were therefore only too glad to cross the
ocean, in their turn, so as to found new homes where they could
worship as they pleased; and you shall soon hear how they prospered.

Cromwell, as Protector of the Commonwealth of England, made a new
law (1651), called the Navigation Act. By this law it was decided
that the colonists should build no more ships, and that all their
goods should be carried across the ocean only in English vessels.
This law was very unjust, and captains of English ships speedily
took advantage of it to raise their prices for freight. So, while
England was rapidly growing rich, her colonists grumbled sorely at
the heavy rates they had to pay.

That same year began the great Quaker excitement in Massachusetts.
The Quakers were the disciples of a very good man, George Fox. They
called themselves Friends, but were called Quakers by the other
people, because they often said one ought to quake at the thought of
the wrath of God.

As some of the months and days of the week bore the names of old
heathen gods, the Friends would not use them, but, instead, numbered
the days and months, speaking of the first day of the sixth month,
the twelfth day of the second month, and so on. They would not take
any oaths, either, but used only the words "yea" and "nay." They
further treated all persons alike, calling even the king by his
given name, and refused to take off their hats in his presence.
Although generally quiet and modest, a few of the Quakers were so
anxious to spread the teachings of their preacher Fox that they came
over to Massachusetts, knowing they would be illtreated there.

Nevertheless, they began preaching, and firmly but quietly refused
to stop when told to do so. They were therefore tortured and
punished in many ways. A few were whipped, sent to jail, or put in
the stocks. Their books were burned; they were driven out of the
colony; and as all this was not enough, four of them were hanged.

The Quaker excitement finally grew so great that some of them were
sent back to England and the rest forced to take refuge in Rhode
Island, where they could practice any religion they liked. But the
Quakers who had been shipped back to England, and especially a few
discontented colonists, complained very much of the Massachusetts
government, and made considerable trouble for New England.




XXXVI. THE KING-KILLERS.


Cromwell having died in 1658, the English, most of whom were still
greatly attached to the royal family, soon begged Charles II. to
come back and take possession of his throne. He gladly returned to
England, where he punished no one for the revolution, except the
men who had condemned his father, Charles I., to death. A few of
these king-killers, or "reg´i-cides," as they were called, fled from
England as soon as they heard the king was coming, and three took
passage for America.

Two of these men, Goffe and Whal´ley, after some trouble, reached
the New Haven colony, where Puritan friends helped them to hide. The
king sent orders to arrest them, and magistrates began to search
every house to secure the regicides. For about eighteen years these
two men lived in constant dread of being caught; but, thanks to
their many friends, they always escaped. They dwelt for a while in
a deserted mill, then in a cave, and once hid under a bridge while
their pursuers galloped over it, expecting soon to overtake them.

The fact that the New Haven people had sheltered some of his
father's judges, added to the complaints of the Quakers and
discontented colonists, displeased Charles II. greatly; and he
finally declared that New Haven should cease to form a separate
colony, and joined it to Connecticut, which received a new charter
(1662).

It is also said, however, that these two colonies were united mainly
to please the Connecticut people, because they had won the king's
favor by sending him a pretty message to welcome him back to the
throne. The charter he gave them was the most liberal ever granted
the colonists, although the one Roger Williams secured for Rhode
Island also granted many privileges.

You doubtless remember the treaty made between the Indian King
Massasoit and Governor Carver, when the Pilgrims first came to
Plymouth. This treaty was kept forty years, and Massasoit and his
tribe faithfully helped the colonists to fight the other Indians.
But when Massasoit died, his two sons, who had received the names of
Alexander and Philip, began to rule in their turn.

Alexander knew, by the wampum belts which were the history books
of his tribe, that nearly all the land of his Indian fathers had
been sold to the white men, piece by piece. It had been given in
exchange for beads, kettles, blankets, etc., and now very little
was left. But the Indians fancied that, although they had sold the
land, they could still hunt and fish there as much as they pleased.
The colonists, however, would not allow them to do so, and drove the
Indians farther and farther off, until they began to feel cramped
for space.

It is said that when one of the colonists once came to bid an
Indian chief to remove still farther from the white settlements, the
red man invited him to take a seat beside him on a log. Crowding
nearer and nearer his guest, the chief bade him move again and
again, until he forced him to the very end of the log. But when the
colonist declared he could not move another inch without falling
off, the chief calmly answered: "It is just so with us. We have
moved as far as we can go, and now you come here to ask us to move
farther still."

This feeling of unfair treatment made Alexander so angry, at last,
that he formed a secret alliance with the Narragansett Indians to
kill all the white men. But the Plymouth governor, hearing of this,
promptly sent for him, bidding him come and clear himself of the
accusation of treachery. Then, as the Indian did not obey at once,
Winslow quickly set out, with his men, to bring him by force.

Alexander, furious at being thus compelled to mind, fell seriously
ill from fever. The colonists then allowed his followers to carry
him home; but on the way back, the Indian chief breathed his last.
Ever after, his people were in the habit of saying that he had gone
to the Happy Hunting Grounds, where the palefaces could never come
to crowd him out.




XXXVII. KING PHILIP'S WAR.


At Alexander's death, Philip became chief of his tribe; and thinking
the English had poisoned Alexander, he began to plot revenge. After
brooding over his wrongs for several years, Philip was accused of
planning to attack the colonists. The governor of Plymouth sent
word to Philip to come and explain his conduct, but, we are told,
the Indian haughtily said to the messenger: "Your governor is but
a subject of King Charles of England. I shall not treat with a
subject. I shall only treat with the king, my brother. When he
comes, I am ready."

[Illustration: An Indian Attack.]

Still, Philip did come, and promised to keep the peace. But a few
years later, he was about to fall upon the colonists unexpectedly,
when a praying Indian warned them of their danger. This Indian was
murdered by three of Philip's friends, who were found guilty and put
to death for the crime. Not long after this, the Indians attacked
the colonists at Swan´sea, as they were walking home from church,
and killed all those who could not escape in time to the blockhouse.

As had been agreed beforehand, an alarm was sent right away to
Plymouth and Boston, where signal fires were kindled on what is
still known as Beacon Hill. An army of colonists hastily obeyed this
summons, and set out to attack Philip. But the latter was too quick
for them, and managed to escape from his camp at Mount Hope, with
about seven hundred Indians.

Small villages and outlying farmhouses were now in constant danger;
for the savages, gliding along as noiselessly as snakes, pounced
upon the people by day or by night. They forced their way into the
houses, killed and scalped the men, carried women and children off
into captivity, and left nothing but heaps of smoking ruins behind
them.

In the course of this terrible war, several women were carried off
with all their children. One child--a tiny babe--annoyed one of the
savages by crying, so he killed it in the poor mother's arms. The
unhappy woman, too ill to walk as fast as the Indians wished, was
also slain; but the rest of her children were sold into captivity.
In time, all were rescued, except one little girl, who later
married an Indian, and never saw her family again until she was a
grandmother.

In the course of King Philip's War, which lasted from 1675 till
1678, forty out of ninety English towns suffered greatly, and
thirteen were burned to the ground. Although there were no great
battles,--except a swamp fight, in which about one thousand Indians
were killed,--there were many small engagements, one of the fiercest
being that of Bloody Brook, near Deerfield. It seems that, owing to
an alarm, the village was deserted, but nearly one hundred men were
sent there to save the crops. On their way back, they carelessly
laid their guns in a cart, and scattered to eat grapes. The Indians,
lurking in the forest in great numbers, took advantage of this to
fall upon them unawares, and seizing their weapons, killed all but a
few of them.

The Indians treated all their captives cruelly, and often made them
suffer horrible tortures. Terrible stories are told of this time,
when many died, and but few captives escaped. Once, the savages
suddenly broke into a house, and a servant hastily thrust a little
child under a big kettle to hide it from them. The little one kept
so very quiet that the Indians did not know it was there, and later
on it was found unharmed. We are also told that a woman once drove a
party of Indians away by flinging ladlefuls of boiling soap at them,
which made them flee, shrieking with pain. Another band of Indians,
creeping into a house by way of the chimney, were killed on the
hearth, one after another, by a mother who thus bravely defended her
little ones.

Once, while the people of Hadley were at church, some Indians came
sneaking into the village; but they were seen by the king-killer
Goffe, who happened to be hiding just then in the minister's house.
Rushing out, that white-haired old man gave the alarm, and led the
colonists so boldly that the Indians were driven away. But as soon
as the danger was over, Goffe again disappeared, and was never seen
in public again, although he is said to have died at Hadley a few
years later, and to have been buried in the minister's cellar.

All these secret attacks and massacres roused the anger of the
colonists, who finally got the better of their savage foes.
Philip's wife and son fell into their hands, and we are told that
when the Indian chief heard that his child had been sent to the West
Indies, to be sold as a slave, he bitterly cried: "My heart breaks!
I am ready to die."

Shortly after, the camp where he and his tribe were rapidly starving
to death was surrounded by Captain Church's little army. Philip
fled, hoping yet to escape; but a bullet from an Indian's gun struck
him, and "he fell upon his face in the mud and water, with his gun
under him." When his body was found thus, his head was cut off, and
set up on a pole in Plymouth, where it was kept for about twenty
years. To reward Church for his services to the colony, the settlers
gave him Philip's wampum belt, which has always been carefully
kept as a great curiosity; and the sword which he handled in King
Philip's War can still be seen in the rooms of the Massachusetts
Historical Society.




XXXVIII. THE BEGINNING OF NEW YORK.


Charles II. was such a very merry and easy-going king that whenever
his followers asked him for land in America, he readily granted it
to them. In fact, he was so free-handed that sometimes he even gave
away what really did not belong to him! Thus, he told his brother
James, Duke of York, that he could have all the country claimed by
the Dutch, saying that it was English because Cabot had visited it
first.

As you will see, this led to trouble; for the Dutch, after building
their first trading post on Manhattan Island, in 1614, had begun to
form a colony in the New World. At first, the Dutch settlers were
on very good terms with the Indians; but, owing mostly to the fire
water they so freely sold, quarrels soon arose.

Seeing this, the Dutchman Min´u-it purchased the whole of Manhattan
Island, in 1626, for about twenty-four dollars' worth of beads and
trinkets. The town on it was called New Amsterdam, after a great
city in Holland, and this sale, which gave the Dutch land for one
sixth of a cent an acre, was soon followed by many others. Indeed,
they soon owned all the Hudson and Delaware valleys, besides a strip
of coast between the mouths of these two rivers.

Under Governor Kieft, the Indians, exasperated by the treatment they
received, planned to murder all the Dutch. But a grateful Indian
gave a colonist timely warning of the coming danger. Kieft now
tried to make friends with the redskins, and appointed a meeting
with their chiefs on Long Island. When called upon to state their
causes of complaint, the Indians brought forth a bundle of sticks,
and laying them down, one after another, related a special wrong for
each stick.

Realizing that they had good cause for complaint, Kieft made a
treaty with them, which, however, was soon broken. Again farms were
attacked and settlers were scalped, and it was only after the number
of whites had been greatly reduced, and more than a thousand Indians
killed, that peace was finally made, in 1645. It was during this war
that Mrs. Hutchinson, who had left Rhode Island and settled in the
western part of Connecticut, was slain, with all her children except
one, who was carried off into captivity.

To induce people to come and settle in the New Netherlands,--as
the Dutch called their share of the New World,--rich settlers,
or patroons, were promised a farm of sixteen miles' water front,
provided they brought out fifty colonists with the necessary farming
tools and stock. The result of this offer was that many comfortable
Dutch houses arose in the New Netherlands, which soon had many
prosperous settlements, in each of which was a free school, so the
children should not grow up ignorant.

These colonists were simple-hearted, jolly, and fond of good things
to eat. On their numerous holidays they danced gayly, a pastime
which the Puritans considered very wicked, and they often assembled
to help one another and have a good time. Their principal festivals
were held in honor of St. Nicholas, and on January 1, when they
called upon all their friends to wish them a happy New Year.

In 1656, about ten years after the Indian troubles ended, there
were about one thousand inhabitants in the city of New Amsterdam,
which stood on the lower part of Manhattan Island. Protected on
three sides by the waters of the North and East rivers and the Bay,
the town was cut off from the rest of the island by a high palisade
running from shore to shore. This was called the "Wall," and the
place where it once stood is still known as Wall Street. Beyond this
palisade were many farms, among others one on Bowery Lane, which
belonged to Peter Stuȳ´ves-ant, the fourth governor of the city.

The settlers having been driven away from Fort Nassau, on the
Delaware, by the Indians, some Dutch merchants soon sent Swedes
to form a colony on the spot where Wil´ming-ton now stands. The
country around there was therefore called New Sweden. But the
newcomers could not live in peace with the Dutch; so Governor
Stuyvesant attacked them, seventeen years later, and took possession
of their town, so that New Sweden ceased to exist.

[Illustration: Stuyvesant wanted the People to resist.]

It was while this fighting governor was at the head of affairs that
King Charles's brother James, admiral of the English navy, first
claimed his new territory. His ships appeared unexpectedly at New
Amsterdam, and the astonished Stuyvesant soon received a letter
ordering him to surrender the city. Although Stuyvesant had but one
leg, he was a brave man, and wanted the people to resist. But they
refused to fight, and made him so angry by their talk of yielding
that he tore the English letter all to pieces.

In spite of his rage, however, New Amsterdam surrendered, and
Stuyvesant had to march out of the town and return to Holland. The
Dutch flag was hauled down and replaced by the English; but, as
the city had been seized in time of peace, Holland soon showed her
displeasure by declaring war against England. Vessels were sent out
to retake New Amsterdam, which surrendered the second time as easily
as the first, and the Dutch again ruled over their city.

But when the war was all over, the whole province of the New
Netherlands was given up to the English. New Amsterdam's name was
changed to New York (1664), and Holland never again claimed any part
of our country. But the Dutch settlers continued to occupy their
farms, and there are many people now in America who proudly claim
descent from the early settlers of the New Netherlands. Interesting
stories are told about the Dutch settlers, the most famous of all
being Washington Irving's tales of Sleepy Hollow and of Rip Van
Winkle.

The Duke of York, owner of all the land in the New World which had
once belonged to Holland, shortly gave part of it to two of his
friends, who called their tracts East and West New Jersey. The owner
of West New Jersey did not keep his share long, but sold it to some
Quakers, who settled near Bur´ling-ton. East New Jersey was likewise
sold to William Penn and others; but both provinces were given up to
the crown in 1702. New Jersey--as they were now called--was under
the same rule as New York--until 1738, when it became a separate
colony.




XXXIX. PENN AND THE INDIANS.


In the meantime, the Friends in England had greatly increased in
number. There were now many rich and clever people among them
besides William Penn, who was a scholar and a preacher. He had
become a Quaker in spite of all his father's efforts to make him a
courtier, for the elder Penn was an admiral, and a great friend of
Charles II., to whom he lent large sums of money. As the king could
not repay this money, William Penn suggested, after his father's
death, that Charles should give him, instead of all other payment, a
large tract of land in the New World.

Charles was only too happy to clear his debt in such an easy way.
He therefore made Penn a grant of woodland, which he insisted upon
calling Penn-syl-va´ni-a ("Penn's Woodland"). But we are told that
Penn tried to bribe the clerk to write the name "Sylvania" only, as
he thought it absurd that the land should bear his name. In exchange
for this tract, all the king asked was two beaver skins a year, and
one fifth of all the gold and silver found there. The land secured,
Penn prepared to carry out a long-cherished plan, which was to found
colonies of Friends in the New World. For that purpose, he had
already bought a share in the West New Jersey colony, and, in 1682,
he crossed over to America himself.

As soon as Penn set foot in West New Jersey, we are told that the
colonists brought him a sod in which was planted a green twig, to
show that he owned the land and all that grew upon it. Next they
presented him with a dish full of water, because he was master of
the seas and rivers, and with the keys of the fort, to indicate
that he was in command of the army and had all the power. Penn
graciously accepted these offerings, and, as you shall see, made a
noble use of his authority over his province. Although Pennsylvania
had been given him by the king, he rightly considered the Indians
the real owners of the soil, and decided to pay them for it.

[Illustration:

     _Benjamin West, Artist._

Penn's Treaty.]

He therefore sent for the chiefs, whom he met under a huge elm. Penn
came among the Indians unarmed, and, after smoking a peace pipe with
them, bargained for the purchase of a large tract of land. Under
this elm he also made a treaty which lasted for more than sixty
years,--"the only one never sworn to and never broken."

On this occasion Penn made a speech, to which the Indians replied
by saying: "We will live in peace with Penn and his children as
long as the moon and the sun shall endure." Then the two parties
exchanged gifts, the Indians bestowing upon the Quaker a wampum belt
on which a paleface and a redskin were represented hand in hand.
This belt is still carefully kept by the Pennsylvania Historical
Society.

The elm under whose branches this interview took place was carefully
preserved for many years. Even during the Revolutionary War,
sentinels mounted guard over it, so that none of its branches should
be cut off for fire wood. But in 1810 it was unfortunately blown
down, and a monument, bearing the inscription, "Unbroken faith," now
marks the spot where Penn and the Indians first met.

Before crossing the Atlantic, Penn had written out laws for his
province, granting his people the right to do as their conscience
bade in religious matters, to vote, and to be tried by a jury of
twelve men. He now added that if there was any trouble between an
Indian and a settler, the case was to be tried by six Indians and
six colonists, to make sure that justice should be equally well
meted out to both parties.

When the Quakers first left England for the New World, people made
great fun of them, declaring that, since the fighting Puritans,
Dutch, and Virginians had such hard times with the Indians, the
Quakers, whose religion forbade them to return blow for blow, would
soon be killed. They were greatly mistaken, however, for none of the
colonies suffered less from the natives than Pennsylvania.

The Friends were so gentle that they treated every one kindly, and a
little story will show you how good and generous even the children
were. We are told that a little girl sat at the door of a log house,
one day, eating her milk porridge. Her mother heard her softly say
again and again: "Now, thee sha'n't;" then, "Keep to thy part." As
no one was near, the mother stole up on tiptoe to find out to whom
the child could be talking. Imagine her surprise when she saw her
little girl sharing her supper with a big black snake, which ate
from one side of the bowl while she helped herself from the other,
patting him on the head with her spoon whenever he tried to come
over to her side!

It was Penn himself who founded the first town in his grant. He
called it Phil-a-del´phi-a, or the "City of Brotherly Love," because
he wished all the people to live in peace together, like one family.
The first houses were built of wood; then brick dwellings were seen;
and each cottage was soon surrounded by a neat garden, in which
bloomed gay flowers. Many Germans came over before long, at Penn's
invitation, and settled just north of Philadelphia, in what is still
known as Ger´man-town.

These were joined by other colonists, from different parts of
central Europe; and as the English did not perceive any difference
between the various forms of the German language and that used
in Holland, they generally called all the newcomers Dutch. These
settlers managed to understand one another, however, by using a
strange dialect, which is still heard in some parts of Pennsylvania,
where it is now known as "Pennsylvania Dutch."

As Pennsylvania had no seacoast of its own, Penn was glad to buy
some land south of him,--called Del´a-ware, in honor of one of the
governors of Virginia. Having placed his colony on a good footing,
Penn went back to England. He had spent much money in doing this,
and was no longer as rich as he had once been. Besides, his opinions
got him into trouble, and we are told he went to prison rather than
pay what he thought an unjust debt. For a time he was even deprived
of his lands; but they were finally given back to him, and he and
his heirs ruled Pennsylvania until the Revolution.

[Illustration: Old Swedish Church at Wilmington, Delaware.]

It was within the limits of Delaware that the Dutch, as we have
seen, had built Fort Nassau. They were driven away by the Indians,
and that part of the country belonged for seventeen years to the
Swedes, who called it New Sweden. At the end of that time, however,
it again fell into the hands of the Dutch, who, about eighteen years
later, finally gave it up to the English, with all the rest of the
New Netherlands.

Thus within less than fifty years Delaware had completely changed
hands four times, when it was purchased by Penn as seaboard for his
state. For a time it was part of Pennsylvania; but after 1703 it had
an assembly of its own, and it is counted as one of the thirteen
famous English colonies founded in North America.




XL. THE CATHOLICS IN MARYLAND.


When Henry VIII. made a change in the national church, many
Catholics became discontented, and longed to leave England and
settle elsewhere. Later, Lord Bal´ti-more decided to make a home for
Catholics in the New World. As Newfoundland, where he tried to plant
his first colony, proved too cold, he came to Virginia, in 1629. But
the Virginians, being Church of England people, refused to receive
any Catholics in their midst.

Thus driven away from Virginia, Lord Baltimore crossed to the
opposite side of the Po-tō´mac. He asked for a grant of land here,
which was given, in 1634, to his son. He promised to pay the king
two Indian arrows every year, with one fifth of all the gold and
silver he found. This tract was called Ma´ry-land, in honor of the
Catholic Queen Henrietta Maria, and prosperous settlements were made
at St. Marys and at An-nap´o-lis. Unlike their Protestant neighbors,
these Catholic colonists would not allow any one to be persecuted
for religion, and as all except Jews could vote, people of every
faith soon came thither, and Maryland was rapidly settled.

This colony, however, had its troubles, too. There was first a
quarrel with Virginia, and then several Indian wars; and when
William became King of England, he took the government away from its
Catholic proprietor. But later on, Baltimore's heirs, having turned
Protestant, recovered their rights, and were left in control of the
whole province until the time of the Revolution. Maryland's chief
city, Baltimore, was founded about 1729. It was named in honor of
the Catholic founder of the colony, and it still contains thousands
of faithful Roman Catholics.

Owing to mistakes made in drawing up the different grants, the
boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland became a cause for
disputes which lasted about fifty years. Several times surveyors
were sent out from England to settle the quarrel, and the line they
finally drew is generally known as the Mason and Dixon line. At the
end of every mile, these surveyors set up a stone post, bearing
on either side the initial of the colony it faced; and every five
miles, a larger pillar, with the arms of both families, the Penns
and the Baltimores.

While all the changes we have been describing were thus taking
place in the rest of the New World, Virginia had not been standing
still. Indeed, it had prospered so greatly that it had become the
most important of all the colonies. But its progress was interrupted
several times. For instance, three years after the founding of the
House of Burgesses, a quarrel between an Indian and a settler ended
in a murder, which brought about an Indian war.

Powhatan, who had vowed that the sky should fall before the Indians
broke peace with the Virginians, was now dead. The savages, hating
to see their former hunting and fishing grounds occupied by the
planters, now attacked the scattered settlements, and murdered
men, women, and children. Even Jamestown itself would have been
surprised, and all the colonists slain, had not a friendly Indian
given the people timely warning.

Terrified by this Indian outbreak, the colonists no longer dared
occupy their plantations, and either crowded into a few of the towns
or went back to England. In a short time the colony thus found
itself reduced by half, although the Indians were beaten in the war.
Some years later, seeing that the Indians were rising again, and
that nothing but severe measures could save the settlement, another
war was begun, and all the hostile Indians were either driven away
or slain.

When King James I. heard that the colony was failing, he fancied
that the trouble arose from poor laws and bad government; so he took
away the Virginia charter, and made the colony a royal province, in
1624. But although he boasted that he would soon make new and better
laws for Virginia, he never did so. His son and successor, Charles,
after whom one of the capes at the entrance of Chesapeake Bay had
been named by the first settlers, also found too much to do at home
to trouble himself about the Virginians, who were sorely tried by
tyrannical governors.

Still, although they lived on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean,
the colonists loudly insisted that they had the rights of free-born
Englishmen. They therefore said that the governors the king sent
over could not tax them or make new laws, except through the House
of Burgesses. But as the governors would not always agree to this,
quarrels arose, which gradually became more and more bitter.




XLI. THE OLD DOMINION.


It was while Governor Berke´ley ruled Virginia that Puritan England
revolted against and beheaded King Charles I.; and soon after that
they made Cromwell Protector of the new republic, or Commonwealth,
of England. When these tidings came to Virginia, many of the
colonists were indignant. Just as in England, the people sided for
or against the king, the Puritans being called "Roundheads," while
the Royalists claimed the title of "Cav-a-liers´."

The latter were by far the more numerous in Virginia, and as they
prided themselves upon their great loyalty, they invited Charles
II., son of the beheaded king, to come over and rule their colony,
which they now affectionately called "the Old Dominion." Charles did
not accept this invitation, and Parliament, deciding that the colony
should obey England, sent out a new governor. The latter, upon
arriving in Virginia, declared that, according to the new Navigation
Act, Virginia, like all the rest of the colonies, would have to send
its produce to England in English ships.

This law was very unjust, and the English captains who came into
the bays and up the rivers for cargoes, now charged higher rates to
carry produce to England. They could not get good prices for it in
England, had to pay high prices for the goods they bought there,
and, besides, asked heavy freight rates for bringing these goods
back to the planters in Virginia. The colonists thus got little
in exchange for their tobacco and other produce. They were also
greatly annoyed, for even the goods they wished to send to the
neighboring colonies, or to the West Indies, had to be carried first
to England and then back again, unless they paid a heavy duty.

This was unfair, and the Virginians did not like it. Still, it did
not prevent their colony from increasing rapidly, for many of the
Royalists, finding life unbearable under Puritan government in
England, came out to America. Here they talked a great deal of the
royal family, prided themselves upon being true to the exiled king,
and when the news finally came that Cromwell was dead (1658), many
Virginia planters openly rejoiced.

Two years later, the royal family was restored in England, and the
House of Burgesses recalled Governor Berkeley, who had ruled there
in the days of Charles I. But the Burgesses warned him that, while
they were loyal subjects of the king, they were fully determined
to make their own laws, and that his duty would consist mainly in
seeing that these were duly obeyed.

Although the colonists thought their troubles would end when the
king had come to the throne, they soon found out that Charles II.
was a worse master than Cromwell. Always in need of money, the king
not only kept up the hated Navigation Act, but, as Virginia had
become the property of the crown in 1624, he now made a present of
it to two of his friends, Lords Cul´pep-per and Ar´lington (1673),
telling them they might keep it for thirty-one years, and have all
the money they could make from it.

These two noblemen, hearing that there were about forty thousand
people in the Old Dominion, fancied they would be able to tax them
as much as they pleased; but the colonists, who were proud of their
rights and homes, grumbled at this change of owners, and said they
would obey no one except the king.

Jamestown was then the only city in Virginia; but each plantation
formed a small colony by itself, and people traveling from place
to place were always hospitably entertained in the houses they
passed. The estates were so large and scattered that there were very
few schools; but the richest colonists hired private tutors for
their children, and sent their sons to the English universities to
complete their education. In this, Virginia was different from the
Northern colonies, and the greater part of her people were ignorant.
Thinking they would therefore be easier to rule, a Virginia governor
once boasted of the fact that they had neither printing press nor
free schools, and added that he hoped they would not have any for
the next hundred years!




XLII. BACON'S REBELLION.


IN the midst of the trouble caused in Virginia by the change of
owners, and the increased taxes they imposed, the Indians, who had
been quiet for about thirty years, suddenly came back. They said
that while they had sold the land to the English, they still had
the right to fish and hunt wherever they pleased. A dispute about
this question again resulted in a murder, which--for history often
repeats itself--occasioned another war.

Since Berkeley took no steps to defend them from the savages, who
boldly attacked outlying plantations, the Virginians determined
to act themselves, and chose Nathaniel Bacon as their leader. But
Berkeley declared they were rebels, and hearing that they had
started, he would have pursued them, could he have raised troops.

[Illustration: Bacon's Rebellion.]

When the Virginian army came home in triumph from the first brush
with the Indians, Bacon was called before the governor and tried as
a rebel. But the jury promptly acquitted him, to Berkeley's great
disgust. The governor waited until war broke out again, and when
Bacon was too busy fighting to offer any resistance, he declared him
an outlaw. This accusation, added to grievances about the taxes,
caused a short civil war in Virginia, during which Jamestown was
seized by the rebels, and Berkeley fled.

But the governor returned as soon as Bacon was called away, and
prepared to defend himself in Jamestown. Hearing of this, Bacon came
back, ready to lay siege to the city. The angry governor ordered out
the cannon to shoot the rebels; but we are told that Bacon, having
captured the wives of Berkeley's men, now put these women in front
of his little force, knowing their presence there would prevent any
bloodshed.

[Illustration: Ruins of Jamestown.]

Thus routed by a "white-apron brigade," Berkeley fled a second time;
and Bacon, fearing he might return and fortify the city, burned
Jamestown to the ground (1676). The first English city built in
the United States thus became a heap of ruins, and no trace of it
now remains, except a small part of the old church tower and a few
gravestones.

Shortly after the burning of Jamestown, Bacon fell ill and died,
his followers sadly crying: "Who is there now to plead our cause?"
Their helpless grief was so great that Berkeley took advantage of it
to return. He then began to punish all those who had taken any part
in what is known in history as "Bacon's Rebellion," or the "Great
Rebellion" in Virginia.

In fact, Berkeley showed himself so cruel that many of those who
had borne arms were condemned to die. Once, when a prisoner whom
he particularly hated was brought before him, he angrily cried:
"You are very welcome; I am more glad to see you than any man in
Virginia; you shall be hanged in half an hour." This prisoner was
executed, and so many others shared his fate that King Charles,
hearing how Berkeley abused his power, indignantly cried: "The old
fool has taken away more lives in that naked country than I for the
murder of my father."




XLIII. A JOURNEY INLAND.


When Berkeley was called back to England in disgrace, none of the
Virginians were sorry to see him leave. But the new governor sent
out by the owners was no better, for he laid such heavy taxes upon
the people that the king finally had to take back the gift he had
made to his friends. Virginia, therefore, once more became a royal
province. But shortly after, King Charles died, and his Catholic
brother, James, had to put down a rebellion in England before he
could occupy the throne in peace. James was very resentful; so many
of those who had taken up arms against him were sentenced by a harsh
English judge to be shipped to Virginia and sold there as slaves
for a term of ten years.

But although both king and judge had decreed that none of these poor
prisoners should be allowed to buy their freedom, the Virginians
generously set them at liberty as soon as they landed. The governor,
seeing it would make trouble if he tried to oppose the Virginians in
this, made no great objection, and after that no white men were ever
sold as slaves in America.

Before long, too, another improvement was made; for the Virginians,
feeling that it was necessary to have a college of their own, sent
a messenger to England for a charter. Although the king's ministers
swore at this man at first, and told him that Virginians ought to
think of nothing but tobacco, permission was finally granted, on
condition that two copies of Latin verse should be sent to England
every year. The college thus founded--the second in our country--was
called William and Mary, in honor of the king and queen who
succeeded James II. in 1688.

Some years later, Governor Spots´wood built himself a beautiful
house in Virginia, which he ornamented with large mirrors. But the
woods were still so thick there that we are told a deer strayed into
the parlor one day. Catching a glimpse of his reflection in a tall
mirror, he rushed up to the glass and dashed it to pieces with his
horns!

This same Spotswood was of an adventurous turn of mind, and wishing
to see what lay beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains, he once set out
on a journey of exploration. It is said that he and his jolly
companions crossed both the Blue Ridge and the Al´le-gha-nies,
coming home after a ride of about one thousand miles, delighted
with the beautiful country they had found on the other side of the
mountains.

They sent such a glowing account of this journey to King George
I. that he knighted Spotswood, giving him a coat of arms bearing
a golden horseshoe. Some writers add that, in memory of this long
ride, Spotswood founded an order of knighthood in Virginia, which
included all those who had made part of the expedition, and their
direct descendants.




XLIV. THE CAROLINA PIRATES.


You remember, do you not, how Raleigh tried and failed to plant a
colony on Roanoke Island, in what is now North Carolina? For about
seventy-five years after this, that part of the country was left to
the Indians and the few settlers who strayed there from Virginia.
But in 1663 Charles II. gave a large tract of land to several of
his favorites, who were called the lords proprietors. To flatter
the king, they named the country Carolina, the very name which the
French had given it many years before, in honor of their monarch,
Charles IX.

Now, the lords proprietors wanted to make this colony different from
all the rest by placing all the power in the hands of the rich and
noble, as was arranged by a code of laws drawn up by John Locke. But
these laws could never be used, and to induce people to settle in
Carolina at all, the lords proprietors had to promise them large
tracts of land, freedom of thought, and a share in making the laws.

This granted, Quakers, Huguenots, Puritans, Scotch, Irish, English,
Swiss, Germans, and Dutch came there in great numbers. In the north,
the colonists devoted themselves to lumbering, tobacco-raising, and
the production of tar, pitch, and turpentine; but in the south,
they grew a great deal of rice, indigo, and tobacco, and many sweet
potatoes.

At first, the French Huguenots tried to raise silkworms in their
new colony; but they soon had to give up this attempt, because the
climate proved too damp. Still, although unfavorable for silkworms,
Carolina proved just right for the growing of rice. The first seed
was brought to the governor of Charles´ton by a Mad-a-gas´car ship
captain, who bade him plant it in marshy soil. There the rice grew
so well that before long all the swamps were turned into rice
fields, and Carolina rice is now famous in all parts of the country.

Some fifty years later, a planter's daughter tried to raise indigo.
After several failures, she succeeded in doing so, and indigo was
raised in Carolina until the time came when cotton paid better.
Thanks to its rice, tobacco, indigo, and marine supplies, Carolina
became so rich and prosperous that, although it was the twelfth
English colony, it soon outstripped several of the rest. The
Carolina planters, growing rich, bought many negroes to work their
large tracts of land, and spent the greater part of the year at
Charleston, where they led a gay life and entertained a great deal.

Carolina was also noted for her bold seamen, for all along the
coast there were many small harbors, in which pirates could hide.
They sailed out of these places to attack vessels on their way to
and from the West Indies, and often secured much booty. The best
known of all the Carolina pirates was Blackbeard. Like Captain Kidd
of New England, he is supposed to have buried great treasures in the
sand along the coast, and there are still people foolish enough to
try to find them.

The Spaniards, who still held Florida, had always been jealous of
the English. When the latter came to settle in Carolina and Georgia,
the Spaniards, hoping to drive them away, stirred up the Indians to
war against them, and sometimes took part in the fights themselves.
Besides, many disputes arose about the boundaries, both parties
being equally inclined to claim all the land they could.

In 1729 the lords proprietors ceased to have any control over their
lands, which, divided into North and South Carolina, became two
royal provinces. These prospered much during the following years,
and by the time the Revolutionary War began, North Carolina ranked
fourth in importance among the colonies.

We have now seen how twelve of the English colonies were planted on
our coast, and before traveling northward once more, to see how New
England was getting along, you shall hear how the thirteenth and
last colony was founded, in 1733.

James O´gle-thorpe, a kind-hearted Englishman, perceiving the
suffering of debtors, who were then imprisoned like criminals,
longed to give them a chance to begin life over again. Thinking they
could best do this in the New World, he asked George II. for a tract
of land there, promising to hold it in trust for the poor. This
territory was called Georgia, in honor of the king; and Oglethorpe,
having assembled his colonists, sailed for America.

Arriving at Charleston, he went southward and founded the city of
Sa-van´nah. Before doing so, however, he had an interview with the
Indians of that section, from whom he bought the land. In exchange
for his gifts, they presented him with a buffalo robe lined with
eagle feathers, saying: "The eagle signifies swiftness, and the
buffalo strength. The English are swift as a bird to fly over the
vast seas, and as strong as a beast before their enemies. The
eagle's feathers are soft, and signify love; the buffalo's skin
is warm, and means protection: therefore, love and protect our
families."

An attempt to cultivate olive trees and breed silkworms proved as
great a failure in Georgia as in Carolina; but rice soon became one
of the staples of the colony, and the first fine cotton was raised
there from seed brought from India. Oglethorpe, wishing to give his
colony a good start, said that neither rum nor slaves should be
allowed within its limits. But some of his colonists were displeased
at this, although both Oglethorpe and John Wesley--the founder of
the Methodist Church--tried to convince them that they would be far
better off if they did their own work and kept sober. Shortly after
the visit of the Wesley brothers, White´field also came out to visit
the Georgia colony, where he supported the first orphan asylum built
in our country.

In 1739, war having broken out between England and Spain, Oglethorpe
led a small army of Georgians into Florida, to besiege St.
Augustine. To punish the Georgians for this attempt to take their
city, the Spaniards invaded their land three years later, but only
to be defeated at the battle of Fred-er-i´ca. When these troubles
came to an end, Oglethorpe went back to England. But even before his
departure people began to change the laws, and in a few years they
introduced both rum and slavery. Although Oglethorpe gave up Georgia
to the king in 1752, he took a great interest in the settlement he
had founded, and as he lived to be very old, he saw it join the
other colonies in 1776, for it was one of the famous thirteen.




XLV. CHARTER OAK.


After King Philip's War was over in New England, Charles II. turned
his attention to the colony of Massachusetts Bay, where four things
did not suit him. The Navigation Law, which applied to all the
colonies, was not kept in Massachusetts; there were many quarrels
between that colony and the settlements in Maine; Massachusetts
would not have an Episcopal church; and it had coined money. To
punish the colony for these things, Charles took away its charter
(1679), and said that thereafter New Hampshire should form a
separate royal province.

The Massachusetts people were, of course, angry at being deprived
of their charter; still, they managed to keep the money they had
minted. These coins bore on one side a rudely stamped pine tree.
Charles having asked to see one of them, the man who showed it to
him carefully explained that the picture represented the Royal Oak,
whose branches had concealed the king when Cromwell's soldiers were
seeking for him. This clever explanation so amused the merry monarch
that he allowed Massachusetts to retain its "pine-tree shillings."
We are also told that the mint master was allowed a certain number
of these coins as pay. When his daughter married, he made her sit
down in one scale, filled the other with "pine-tree shillings"
till the scales balanced, and gave her with this dowry to his new
son-in-law, telling him he now had a wife who was really worth her
weight in silver.

When James II. came to the throne, he sent Governor An´dros to rule
over New England and New York. This man, wishing to make sure all
the power would be in his hands, tried to get hold of the charters
of the colonies. But when he asked the people of Rhode Island to
give up theirs, they gravely answered they did not have any.

[Illustration: The Charter Oak.]

Next, he went to Hartford and asked the Connecticut Assembly to
surrender their charter. The people, unwilling to give it up,
argued about the matter until it grew so dark that candles had to
be brought into the room. Seeing that the governor would yet compel
them to obey his orders, a patriot, Captain Wadsworth, suddenly
flung his cloak over the candles, and taking advantage of the
darkness and confusion, seized the charter, which he cleverly hid in
a hollow oak. This tree stood in Hartford until 1856, when it blew
down; but the spot where the Charter Oak once stood is now marked by
a monument.

As there were no matches in those days, it took time to relight the
candles; but as soon as that was done, Andros again demanded the
charter. No trace of it could now be found. Andros, in a rage, then
called for the record books of the colony, and writing _Finis_ ("The
End") at the bottom of the page, declared he would rule Connecticut
without any charter at all.

He next proceeded to Boston, where he made the people equally angry
by insisting upon holding Episcopal services in the Old South
Church, by laying extra taxes upon them to pay for the building
of a fine new chapel, and by trying to assume all the power. His
tyrannical ways finally made the Bostonians so indignant that they
put him in prison.

Some of the governor's friends, who were called Tories, because they
sided with the king, now tried to rescue him. They cleverly smuggled
women's garments into the prison, and Governor Andros, dressed like
a lady, would have gotten out of prison safely had not his big feet
roused the suspicions of the guard. Shortly after, he was sent to
England to be tried, and although he later governed Virginia, he
never came back to New England. His master, James II., being as much
disliked in England as Andros was in the colonies, had meanwhile
been driven out of the country, where his son-in-law and daughter,
William and Mary, came to reign in his stead (1688).

The New England people, like most of the English, were delighted
with this change of masters. They had cause to be, for Connecticut
and Rhode Island were now allowed to keep their old charters, while
Massachusetts received a new one, by which the Plymouth colony and
Maine were added to it, and by which the right to vote and partly
govern themselves was assured to the people.

But we are told that Governor Fletcher, who ruled over Connecticut
after Andros, had so little respect for its charter that he once
went to Hartford to assume command over the militia there. He, too,
was met by Captain Wadsworth, who, having called out his men as
requested, bade them beat the drums every time the governor tried to
have his orders read.

This scene must have been very funny; for while the governor roared,
"Silence!" Wadsworth loudly cried, "Drum! drum, I say!" Finally
the captain laid his hand on his sword, saying very firmly: "If I
am interrupted again, I will make the sun shine through you in a
minute." Frightened by this threat, Governor Fletcher returned in
haste to New York, and never made another attempt to tamper with the
Connecticut charter.

At about the same time an interesting meeting was held by several
Connecticut ministers at New Haven. They had decided they needed a
new school, so each man brought a few books, which he laid down on
the table, saying they were his contribution to the new institution.
This school was held in different places at first, but in 1718 it
took the name of Yale College, because a man of that name gave some
books and money for its use.

A few of the old Tories, both in England and America, remained
faithful to the banished James, and among them was the governor
of New York. When William and Mary were proclaimed rulers, this
governor fled, leaving the colony without any head. Leīs´ler, a
patriotic citizen, knowing the French and Indians in the north would
take advantage of this state of affairs to invade the province, now
rallied his friends around him, and with their help began to govern
for William and Mary.

But as Albany at first refused to obey Leisler, there was some
trouble and bloodshed. Soon a messenger came over from England, to
say that the king and queen were going to send over a new governor,
named Sloughter. This messenger bade Leisler, in the meantime,
give up the power to him; but the patriot refused to do so, and
surrendered it only to Sloughter when he finally came.

Because of this refusal, Leisler and eight of his friends were
accused of treason, and sentenced to death. But Sloughter, feeling
that the trial had been hardly fair, would not sign their death
warrants, so they could not be put to death. Leisler's foes,
therefore, had to wait until a dinner party took place, when they
made the drunken governor sign the papers, and hanged Leisler. A
few years later, the whole affair was brought before Parliament,
which declared that Leisler had died innocent, and paid his family
a certain sum of money because he had been wrongfully accused and
killed.




XLVI. SALEM WITCHES.


About four years after the Revolution of 1688, in England, arose the
Salem witchcraft delusion, which you will now hear about. In olden
times, as you have seen, people had very few and poor chances of
learning, compared with what you have now. Almost everybody then
believed in witches. These were supposed to be persons who had sold
their souls to Satan, could ride through the air on broomsticks,
make others ill by looking at them with an evil eye, cast a spell
upon cattle, houses, or furniture, and, in short, do all sorts of
impossible things.

As you know, some children have very lively imaginations, and
hearing people talk of such things as seriously as if they were
quite true, a few children in Salem, Massachusetts, began to fancy
they must be bewitched, because they were not quite well and had
fits. The grown-up people, who should have known better and merely
given the children medicine to cure their illness, believed these
youngsters, and anxiously inquired who could have cast a spell upon
them.

The children, remembering that their elders often spoke of the
witches as old, first began to talk of such and such a woman who had
looked at them crossly or threatened to beat them with her staff
when they played tricks upon her. These poor old creatures, who were
really in their second childhood, and not responsible for what they
said or did, were put into prison, and tortured in many cruel ways,
so as to force them to confess that they were witches. Bewildered,
and hoping to get free, some of the poor old creatures finally
acknowledged that they were witches.

Almost everybody believed in witchcraft at that time, and for many
years supposed witches had been treated with great cruelty in
Europe. When persons accused of witchcraft refused to confess, some
people thought that the only way to find out the truth was to throw
them into the water. If the victims sank, it was said they could
not be witches, but if they swam, it was considered a sure sign that
they had sold themselves to the Evil One, and they were sentenced
to death, either by hanging, burning, or torture. But this was,
after all, only a choice of deaths, for the poor creatures who sank
were allowed to remain under water so long, to make sure they were
innocent, that they were generally dead when taken out.

Persons who were only suspected of witchcraft were put in the
stocks, fastened to the pillory, whipped at the cart tail, or placed
on the ducking stool, or had their ears chopped off. These were
punishments often applied to criminals in those days, and if you
care to see pictures of pillory, stocks, and ducking stool, you can
find them in any large dictionary. Both men and women were accused
of witchcraft in Salem, and one of the men was put to death by a
torture called _peine forte et dure_, by which he was slowly crushed
under a thick door, upon which tremendous weights were laid. He was,
fortunately, the only person in our country who was ever punished in
this inhuman way.

Nearly one hundred and fifty people of all kinds were arrested for
witchcraft in Salem, and nineteen of them, after being tried by
a court, were found guilty and put to death. But people finally
saw that it was all folly, and even the learned minister, Cotton
Math´er, who had believed in witches just like the rest, had to own
that he had been mistaken. The children were now punished when they
pretended to be under a spell, and the Salem witchcraft delusion
came to an end. Ever since then, no one with a grain of sense has
believed in witches; but you will often hear people speak of the
terrible time they had in Salem while the belief in them lasted. The
building shown in the picture was one of the houses of Salem at that
time; and it is still pointed out there as "the witch house."

[Illustration: The Salem Witch House.]

Mather, the famous "Patriarch of New England," who believed in
witches, was a very learned man. He wrote more books than there are
days in the year, and was so busy that he wrote over his door, "Be
short," so that people should not take up his time with idle talk.
In one of his books he once read that smallpox could be prevented by
vaccination. He told this to Boylston, a Boston doctor, who tried it
on his own son and servants. But when the Bos-to´ni-ans first heard
of it, they were so indignant that they wanted to kill Boylston.

In time, however, people saw that the doctor was right, and ever
since vaccination has been practiced, few people have died of the
disease which once swept away whole families. Because Boylston went
ahead and did what was right, in spite of people's threats, he is
now greatly honored, and a fine street in Boston bears his name.




XLVII. DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI.


While the English were planting thirteen colonies along the Atlantic
seaboard, between Nova Scotia and Florida, the French were equally
busy farther north. As we have seen, Breton fishermen visited the
banks of Newfoundland early in the sixteenth century, and gave their
name to Cape Breton Island. Verrazano and Cartier both crossed the
Atlantic in behalf of the French, Cartier naming the St. Lawrence,
Canada, and Montreal, and claiming all Acadia (the land east of
Maine), together with New France, which was situated in the basin of
the Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.

Religious troubles had, as we have also seen, led Coligny to
try to plant colonies in Carolina and Florida. But the Huguenot
settlers were murdered by the Spaniards, and the attempt of De Monts
(mawN) to establish a colony in Maine proved equally unsuccessful.
The first real settlement of the French was made at Port Royal
(Annapolis), in Acadia (Nova Scotia), in 1604. This colony, composed
of thrifty people, in time became prosperous, and the Acadians lived
in peace and comfort in their new homes, being on excellent terms
with all the neighboring Indians.

In 1608, Champlain (sham-plān´), the "Father of New France,"
a noble, brave, and good Frenchman, crossed the Atlantic for
the fourth time. He sailed far up the St. Lawrence, and made a
settlement at Quebec, which soon became the chief French town in
America. Champlain explored the country for hundreds of miles
around there. He was the first European to behold the lake which
bears his name, the same year that Hudson sailed up the river to
Albany (1609). During these explorations of New France, Champlain
made friends with the Al-gon´quin Indians, the great foes of the
Ir-o-quois´ (or Five Nations), who occupied all the central part of
what is now New York state.

[Illustration: Old Quebec.]

The Algonquin Indians, being at war with the Iroquois, persuaded
Champlain to help them. His presence in armor in the next battle,
and the report of European firearms, so terrified the Iroquois that
they were badly beaten on the shore of Lake Champlain. This ever
after made them hate the French as cordially as they did their
lifelong enemies, the Algonquin Indians. To be able to cope with the
latter, who easily got firearms from French traders, the Iroquois
began to buy guns from the Dutch; for their usual weapons, tomahawk
and bow and arrows, were far less effective than firearms.

The French had come to Quebec with two great purposes in view:
the first, to trade for furs, and the second, to convert the
Indians. The colonists were, therefore, either trappers, traders,
or missionaries. The former went about from place to place to set
their traps or trade with the Indians, and were therefore called
_voyageurs_ (travelers), or _coureurs de bois_ (wood rangers).
Finding the European dress unsuited to the rough life they led,
these men soon adopted a half-Indian costume of soft deerskin, and
learned many of the woodland ways of the redskins.

Wherever the trappers and traders went, priests boldly followed,
carrying only a crucifix, a prayer book, and sometimes a portable
altar. They diligently taught, preached, and baptized, making every
effort to learn the Indian languages as quickly as possible, so they
could preach the gospel and win more converts. Full of zeal for
their religion, these missionaries were so brave that they soon won
the respect of the Indians; and when the latter saw how quietly the
priests endured hardships of all kinds, they lent an attentive ear
to their teachings.

Both traders and priests were on very friendly terms with the
Indians, whose good will they retained by living among them and
by making them frequent small presents. As the French hunters
considered the Indians their equals, they soon married squaws, and
their children, being half Indian and half French, strengthened the
bonds between the two races.

Little by little, priests and traders pressed farther and farther
inland, visiting the Great Lakes, along whose shores they
established missions, forts, and trading posts. Finally, they came
to what are now Il-li-nois´ and Wis-con´sin, where many places still
bear the French names then given them.

The most remarkable of all these French traders was Joliet
(zho-le-ā´). Not only was he thoroughly at home in the trackless
forests, but he could also talk several Indian languages. Hearing
the savages tell of a great river flowing southward, he fancied that
it must empty into the Pacific Ocean.

Joliet had long been the companion of Marquette (mar-ket´), a
Catholic priest, so they two resolved to go and explore that region.
But the Indians tried to frighten them by telling them there were
awful monsters on the "Father of Waters," which swallowed men and
canoes.

Fron´te-nac, the governor of New France, having consented to this
journey, Marquette and Joliet met at the outlet of Lake Mich´i-gan
(map, page 322), paddled up to Green Bay, and went up the Fox
River. Then their Indian guides carried their canoes across to the
Wisconsin River, where, bidding them farewell, the trader, priest,
and five voyageurs drifted down the stream to the Mississippi. This
was in 1673. Sailing southward for many miles, without seeing a
single human being, the explorers came to huge cliffs upon which the
Indians had painted rude demons; then they beheld wide prairies and
great herds of buffaloes on the right bank of the river.

Some distance farther on they saw a path, and, following it, they
came to an Indian village. When the Indians saw the white men draw
near, the chief came out to welcome them, shading his eyes with his
hand, and saying: "Frenchmen, how bright the sun shines when you
come to visit us!" To honor his guests, he had a feast of buffalo
meat and fish prepared, and fed the strangers with a huge wooden
spoon, just as if they were babies. Other Indians removed fish bones
for them with their fingers, blew on their food to cool it, and from
time to time poked choice bits into their mouths. As these were
Indian good manners, Marquette and Joliet submitted as gracefully
as they could. But it seems that it hurt their host's feelings when
they refused to taste his best dish, a fat dog nicely roasted!

[Illustration: Marquette and Joliet come to an Indian Village.]

After spending the night with these Indians, Joliet and Marquette
were escorted back to their canoes. Paddling on, they next came to
the place where the Missouri joins the Mississippi. The waters of
the Missouri were both swift and muddy, and whirled whole trees
along as easily as mere chips. After passing the mouth of the Ohio,
the explorers saw Indians armed with guns and hatchets, which proved
they were near European settlements.

Fully convinced by this time that the Mississippi flowed into
the Gulf of Mexico, and not into the Pacific Ocean, as they had
first supposed, and anxious to make this fact known at Quebec,
the explorers turned back, south of the mouth of the Arkansas
(ar´kan-saw). They had thus reached nearly the same place which De
Soto had visited about one hundred and thirty-two years before.
Slowly paddling upstream, they now worked their way up the Illinois
River, and carried their canoes overland to the Chicago (she-caw´go)
River, through which they reëntered Lake Michigan, after eighteen
months' journey.

Marquette staid at a mission on Green Bay for a while, then
journeyed to the Illinois, and when spring came again, he made an
effort to get back to Mich-i-li-mack´i-nac. But he became so ill
that before long he had to be carried ashore, and laid under a tree,
where he breathed his last, and was buried.

Meantime, Joliet hastened back to Montreal to make his report to the
governor. His canoe upset, and his plans and papers were lost, but
the news he brought made the French anxious to secure the land by
building trading forts along the rivers that had been explored.

It is because Marquette and Joliet were the first white men who
visited this part of the country, that their names have been given
to a port and county at the northern end of Lake Michigan, and to
a town in Illinois. They were such bold explorers that beautiful
monuments have also been erected in their honor.




XLVIII. LA SALLE'S ADVENTURES.


In the meantime, another French explorer, La Salle (lah sahl´),
had also been at work, and had discovered the Ohio River. In 1679,
six years after Marquette and Joliet sailed down the Mississippi,
La Salle came to the Illinois River, where he built Fort Crèvecœur
(crāv´ker) ("heartbreak"), near the place occupied by the present
city of Pe-o´ri-a.

La Salle next went back to Canada for supplies, and reached Montreal
only by means of much paddling and a long tramp of a thousand miles.
But he left orders with a priest, named Hen´ne-pin, to explore the
upper part of the Mississippi River. Father Hennepin, therefore,
went down the Illinois, and then paddled upstream to the Falls of
St. An´tho-ny, in 1680. His adventures were very exciting, for he
fell into the hands of the Sioux (soo) Indians. Long after he got
back to Europe, he claimed to have been the first to sail all the
way down the Mississippi; but this honor is now generally believed
to belong to La Salle.

When La Salle came back to Crèvecœur a year later, he found his fort
in ruins; most of his men had deserted. At first he thought that his
few faithful followers had been killed by the Indians, but his fears
were quieted when they joined him at Michilimackinac.

In 1681 La Salle again set out, with his lieutenant Ton´ty and a
band of Indians, for the southern end of Lake Michigan. Sailing up
the Chicago, he had his canoes carried across to the Illinois River.
It was the Indians who taught the white men thus to pass from one
stream to another, and to avoid falls and rapids. These carrying
places received from the French explorers the name of "portage," by
which they are still known, even though no one now thinks of using
them for that purpose.

Sailing down the Illinois and Mississippi, La Salle reached the
mouth of the latter stream in 1682. As was the custom with explorers
of every nation, he solemnly took possession, in the name of his
king, of the river and the land it drained. This territory, as you
can see on your map, included most of the region between the Rocky
and Alleghany Mountains, the Great Lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico; it
was called Lou-i-si-a´na, in honor of Louis XIV. of France.

Arriving at Quebec, after meeting with many adventures, La Salle
told Frontenac that France ought to make good her claim to the land
by building trading posts at intervals all along the principal
streams. He added that it was also necessary to have a fort at the
mouth of the Mississippi, and soon after went to France to tell the
king about his discoveries, and ask for help.

Louis XIV. gave La Salle several ships loaded with supplies; and a
small army of colonists having joined him, the explorer set out.
His fleet reached the Gulf of Mexico in 1684; but, owing to some
mistake, it sailed past the mouth of the Mississippi without seeing
it. As the captain would not believe La Salle and turn back, they
coasted on until they finally landed at Mat-a-gor´da Bay, in Texas.

Here a fort was built; but the spot proved so unhealthful that many
colonists died. The ships having gone back, run aground, or been
dashed to pieces, the French could not get away again by sea. La
Salle therefore decided to set out on foot, so as to join Tonty and
obtain more supplies for his unhappy colony.

As had been agreed, Tonty had come down the Mississippi to meet La
Salle. But after waiting vainly for him several months, he went
northward again, leaving a letter in the fork of a tree, and telling
the Indians to give it to the first white man they saw. Long before
reaching this place, La Salle's men became angry because their
expedition had been a failure. They blamed their leader for all
their sufferings, and, falling upon him unawares, basely murdered
the man who is known as the "father of French colonization in the
Mississippi valley."

Although La Salle was dead, his plan was too good to be abandoned.
Some thirteen years later, therefore, a Frenchman named Iberville
(e-ber-veel´) came out from France to found a fort at the mouth of
the Mississippi. He sailed up the stream, and received from the
Indians Tonty's letter, which, they gravely said, was a "speaking
bark." As Iberville found no good place for a fort near the mouth of
the "Father of Waters," he built Bil-ox´i, on the coast of what is
now the state of Mississippi.

Shortly after, a party of Frenchmen, exploring the banks of the
river, saw an English ship sailing upstream. The newcomers said
they had come to build a fort on the Mississippi; but the Frenchmen
either deceived them by telling them this was not the stream they
sought, or gave them to understand they had come too late. So the
English turned around and sailed away, and ever since that bend in
the great river has been called the "English Turn."

Iberville's brother, Bienville (be-aN-veel´), in 1718 built a fort
and established a colony on the spot where New Or´le-ans now stands.
He gave the place that name in honor of the French city of Orleans.

There was no more trouble with the English, but this colony came
very near being swept away by the Natch´ez Indians, who made an
agreement with the Choc´taws to fall upon the white men on a certain
day and hour, and kill them all. To make sure that there should be
no misunderstanding, each chief was given a small bundle of sticks,
with directions to burn one every day, making the attack only after
the last had been consumed.

An Indian boy, seeing his father burn one of these sticks, stole
two, and secretly set fire to them; and though he thus found out
that they were nothing but ordinary wood, his theft made his father
attack the French two days too soon.

Instead of a general raid upon all the settlements, only one was
surprised, two hundred men being killed, and the women and children
carried off into captivity. The other French colonists had time to
arm, and they defended themselves so bravely that the plans of the
Indians came to naught.




XLIX. INDIANS ON THE WARPATH.


The French were in possession of Acadia, New France, and Louisiana.
The immense tract of land drained by the St. Lawrence and
Mississippi rivers was rich in fur-bearing animals, whose pelts were
brought by Indians and trappers to the missions and trading posts.
There they were loaded in canoes and floated down the Lakes and the
St. Lawrence, or down the Mississippi, so as to be shipped to France
from Quebec and New Orleans.

You might think that the French would have been satisfied with all
they had, but they were not. They longed to control the Hudson also,
which they claimed for France, because they said Verrazano had first
visited New York Bay. Besides, Champlain had come within a few miles
of where Albany now stands, shortly before Hudson sailed up the
river bearing his name.

Longing for an excuse to drive the English away from the Hudson
valley, the French were glad when war was declared, in 1689. Their
king sent over Count Frontenac to be governor of Canada again, and
to lead in the struggle with the English. Frontenac was a good
general, and had much influence over the Indians. He is said to have
joined in their war dances and athletic sports, in spite of his old
age, and to have boasted of the tortures he meant to inflict on his
English foes and their Iroquois allies.

But when Frontenac arrived in Canada (1689), he found that the
Iroquois had struck first. They had destroyed some French villages,
had killed many settlers, and had even roasted and eaten some of
their captives in sight of Montreal. On the other hand, some Indian
allies of the French had surprised Dover, in New Hampshire. Here
dwelt Major Wal´dron, who had taken part in King Philip's war. To
avenge the capture of two hundred of their race at that time, the
savages now tortured Waldron to death, cutting off his hand to see
how much it weighed. To their amazement, the scales marked just one
pound! This awed them greatly, for although the traders had always
told them that a white man's hand exactly balanced a pound of beaver
skins, they had always doubted the truth of that statement. Half the
people in Dover were killed, the rest carried off into captivity,
and the town reduced to ashes.

The next winter (1690), Frontenac sent a small band of French
and Indians against the village of Sche-nec´ta-dy, New York, on
snowshoes. They arrived there in the dead of night. The place was
defended by a high palisade, but the inhabitants felt so sure no one
would attack them that cold night, that they had left both gates
wide open, and guarded only by huge snow sentinels set up there in
fun.

Roused from sound slumbers by blood-curdling Indian war whoops, a
few escaped, but only to die of cold on their way to Albany. Many of
the rest were killed by the attacking party, who, after burning the
place to the ground, withdrew with their captives and plunder.

In the course of this struggle,--which is known in our history as
"King William's War," because it took place during that monarch's
reign,--the French and Indians attacked many villages in New York
and New England. The most daring of all their attempts was against
Hā´ver-hill, a town not very far from Boston. Here much property was
destroyed, and many people killed or captured.

There are countless stories told of the deeds of valor done by men,
women, and even little children in those terrible times. You shall
hear the story of Hannah Dustin, of Haverhill, as an example. This
poor woman was just recovering from illness, and was alone in the
house, with her baby and nurse. Seven other children were out in
the fields with their father, who was busy with his plow. All at
once, they were startled by a war whoop. Mr. Dustin, seeing the
Indians between him and his house, and knowing he could not save
his wife, bade the children run to the blockhouse, while he bravely
covered their retreat.

[Illustration: Mr. Dustin defending his Children.]

Father and children reached the fort in safety; but the Indians
rushed into the house, killed the baby by dashing its head against
the wall, and carried both women off as captives. After several
days' march and much ill treatment Mrs. Dustin, her nurse, and two
captive boys made up their minds to escape. One of the boys had
learned from an Indian how to kill and scalp a foe; so one night,
when their captors were asleep, the four prisoners noiselessly
rose, seized tomahawks, and killed and scalped ten Indians. Then
they took a canoe, and with some trouble made their way home. Mrs.
Dustin received fifty pounds reward for those scalps, besides a
present from the governor of Maryland, who admired her pluck. That
people might not forget what hard times the settlers had, her statue
has been placed in Concord, New Hampshire, where you can see her
grasping a tomahawk, ready to kill her foes.

As long as the war lasted, New Englanders and New Yorkers defended
themselves as bravely as they could. But Indian foes were very hard
to fight, because they always fell upon people unawares. In their
anger, the colonists finally determined to carry the war into the
enemy's country. They therefore sent out a fleet under Sir William
Phips, to attack and destroy Port Royal, in Acadia. This being done,
the fleet tried to take Quebec, while armies from New York and
Connecticut attacked Montreal. But both these attempts failed, and
when the war was ended by the treaty of Rys´wick (1697), neither
party had gained anything, although many lives had been lost.




L. TWO WARS WITH THE FRENCH.


Both the French and the English suffered greatly during King
William's War, but the peace which followed it did not last long.
Five years later, "Queen Anne's War" brought about new sufferings,
and more deeds of heroism.

We are told that, urged by a French priest, the Indians built a
church at St. Re´gis, in Canada. Wishing to have a bell to hang in
the tower of this chapel, each convert brought a pelt, and the bell
was ordered from France. But on its way over, it fell, by accident,
into the hands of the English, who hung it up in the town of
Deerfield, in Massachusetts.

The Indians, feeling that the bell belonged to them, and egged on by
their priest, made a sudden raid upon Deerfield, in 1704, and, after
killing or capturing many of the people, rescued their bell from the
English meetinghouse, or church, and carried it off to St. Regis.
They were so delighted with it that it is said they rang it every
step of the way. This bell was cracked over a hundred years later,
and the Indians, who still prized it greatly, carried it to Troy,
where they had it refounded, while they mounted guard over it day
and night.

France and Spain were allies in this war, so the trouble was not
confined to New York and New England. The Spaniards made a raid from
St. Augustine, and vainly attacked Charleston. A few years later,
the New Englanders conquered Acadia, and at the treaty of U´trecht,
in 1713, the British received this province, Newfoundland, and the
land around Hudson Bay. But Acadia's name was now changed to Nova
Scotia, and Port Royal was called Annapolis, in honor of the English
queen.

For the next thirty years peace reigned unbroken; still, during that
time the French began to build their chain of sixty forts along the
Lakes, the Ohio, and the Mississippi, thus drawing a line from the
mouth of the St. Lawrence to the mouth of the Mississippi. Most of
these forts have since become cities, and you will find that many
of them still bear the French names given by their founders. Their
strongest fort, however, was at Lou´is-burg, on Cape Breton Island.
It was so well fortified that the French boasted that even women
could defend it against a large army.

[Illustration: NORTH AMERICA

BEFORE THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR]

The third struggle with the French and Indians, which began in 1744,
is known in our country as "King George's War," and in Europe as the
"War of the Austrian Succession."

Now, Louisburg was so near Annapolis that the colonists felt
sure the French would set out from there to recover Acadia. They
therefore sent a messenger to England to explain their danger and
beg for troops to protect them. But the prime minister knew so
little about America that the messenger had to show him Louisburg
and Annapolis on a map. He was so surprised then to discover that
Cape Breton is an island, that he ran off to tell it to the king as
a great piece of news.

Seeing that the British did not supply much help in answer to their
appeal, the colonists before long made up their minds to take
Louisburg themselves; and an army of them bravely set out from New
England, under the leadership of Pep´per-ell, in 1745. After six
weeks' siege, and many deeds of daring, these four thousand New
Englanders took the fortress, and when the news reached Boston
the people almost went mad with joy. Three years later, however,
this joy was turned to equally deep sorrow, for when the treaty of
Aix-la-Cha-pelle´ (1748) was signed, the fortress was given back to
France, in exchange for the town of Ma-dras´ in India.

Three wars had now been fought between the French and the English,
but the vexed question as to who should own North America was not
yet settled. The French had, as you have seen, taken possession of
the Mississippi valley; but although some rumors of their presence
there had reached the colonies, very few people really knew what the
country was like, and what a vast tract of land France could thus
claim.

Many of the English colonies had received grants of land running
"from sea to sea," and now that population was increasing rapidly,
people began to talk of crossing the Alleghany Mountains to settle
on the other side. They were eager to do so, because hunters brought
back to Virginia glowing descriptions of the Ohio, or "Beautiful
River," the "Gateway of the West," and of the fertile lands through
which it flowed. Just at this time, the governor of Virginia
heard that the French were on the point of building a fort on the
Allegheny River, so he bade George Washington, a young surveyor,
find out if this news was true, and carry a letter to the French
officer there to warn him that the Ohio country belonged to Virginia.




LI. WASHINGTON'S BOYHOOD.


As you are going to hear a great deal about Washington, it will
interest you to learn something of his family and his youth. Two
Washington brothers came over from England to Virginia about the
year 1657, and settled near the Potomac River. Augustine Washington,
the grandson of one of these men, married twice, and had, in all,
ten children. His eldest son by his second wife was born on February
22, 1732, and named George. Shortly after his birth, the family
went to live on the Rap-pa-han´nock River, and there George spent
his early childhood. He was a fearless, strong, hot-tempered little
lad, but, having good parents, was even then taught to control his
passions.

As he is the greatest man in our history, many stories, true and
untrue, are told about him. Perhaps the most famous is about his
new hatchet. We are told that Father Washington planted young cherry
trees in his garden. He visited them daily to see how they throve,
and was very angry when he saw, one day, that a favorite tree was
badly hacked. On all Virginia plantations, there were many negro
children always running about. Thinking one of these had done the
mischief, Augustine Washington was about to punish him, when his
little son stopped him, saying: "Father, I cannot tell a lie; I did
it with my little hatchet."

Washington was sent to a small school near by, and his blank books,
which can still be seen, show what a careful, painstaking student
he was. In one of these books he copied a set of rules for good
behavior, which he even then tried to put into practice, and of
which the last two were: "Let your recreations be manful, not
sinful," and "Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark
of celestial fire called conscience."

When Washington was only twelve, his father died, leaving an estate
to each of his sons. The care of the six younger children and of
their property was left to his wife, a good and very sensible woman.
She was very strict, and brought up her children so carefully that
they all filled well their places in life. Indeed, her eldest son,
George, like most truly great men, often said that he owed his
mother more than words could ever tell.

Washington was always fond of all athletic exercises, and as a lad
delighted in riding the wildest horses on the plantation. Among
these was one young colt of such a fiery temper that no one was
allowed to mount him. One day, the temptation to do so became too
strong for George, and he suddenly sprang upon the horse's back.
The colt tried to throw him off, and, failing to do so, dashed off
at such a rate that he burst a blood vessel and fell down dead.

[Illustration: Washington and the Colt.]

Washington, dismayed at the result of his disobedience, went
silently home. At table, his mother asked her guests if they had
seen her beautiful young horse. Covered with blushes,--for he was
always modest and reserved,--Washington now confessed what he had
done. Although Mrs. Washington keenly regretted the death of the
colt, she showed no anger, but quietly said: "It is well; but while
I regret the loss of my favorite, I rejoice in my son, who always
speaks the truth."

She was so fond of this son that when one of his half-brothers
wanted him to serve in the British navy, she refused to let him go.
As soon as Washington had finished school, he went to live with this
brother at Mount Vernon, where he learned to know all the people
around there, and, among others, Lord Fair´fax.

This nobleman owned great tracts of land in the valleys of the
Alleghany Mountains, and as they had never been surveyed, he hired
young George to do the work. This was a very hard task, and the
seventeen-year-old Washington was often, for days at a time, far
away from any settlement, forced to depend upon hunting for food,
and obliged to sleep out in the open air.

[Illustration: The Virginia Natural Bridge.]

These hardships, however, only made him strong and self-reliant, and
when he came back to his home, from time to time, he doubly enjoyed
the amusements of the young people, and danced gayly, a pastime
of which he was always fond. It was probably during one of these
surveying expeditions that Washington first visited the Natural
Bridge in Virginia. Here he showed his athletic skill by tossing a
coin on top of it when standing almost directly under it.

We are also told that he scaled the rocks, which were then free from
any except nature's marks, and reaching a high point, carved his
name in the stone. For years, Washington's name is said to have
stood there on the rocks, as far above all the rest as is his worth
compared with that of other men. But a young man once climbed up
there to carve his name above Washington's, an act of presumption
for which every one scorns him. He went up so far that he could not
come down again, but had to climb higher and higher, and at last be
drawn to the top with a rope.




LII. WASHINGTON'S JOURNEY.


By the time Washington was nineteen, he had shown himself so
capable, honest, and thoroughly trustworthy that every one who knew
him greatly respected him. His brother Lawrence having fallen ill of
consumption, Washington went with him to Bar´ba-dos, where he had an
attack of smallpox.

This journey, the only one Washington ever made outside the limits
of our country, was so interesting to him that he kept a diary in
which he made note of all he saw and heard. After a winter spent in
the West Indies, Washington came home to get his sister-in-law; but
before they could sail to join the invalid, they heard he was coming
home to die.

Washington tenderly nursed this older brother to the end, and was
made the guardian of his delicate little girl. Lawrence Washington
said that if his daughter died unmarried, the estate of Mount
Vernon was to belong to George. In spite of all Washington's tender
interest in this little niece, and of the utmost care, she did
not live long, and, as his brother had wished, Washington became
owner of Mount Vernon. There he began his favorite occupation as
a planter, and showed himself to be as careful and painstaking a
farmer as he was a surveyor.

We are told he packed his tobacco himself, and sent such good flour
to the West Indies that barrels marked "George Washington" were
always allowed to pass the customhouse without being examined.
Besides filling his place as surveyor and planter, Washington also
became major in the Virginia militia, and took great interest in all
military affairs.

When the news of the Frenchmen's purpose to build forts along the
Allegheny and the Ohio reached Governor Din-wid´die, he resolved,
as we have seen, to send out a trustworthy person to see if it was
true, and to carry a letter to the commander of the French force
(1753). His choice promptly fell upon Washington, who, receiving his
instructions, and perceiving the need of haste, started out that
same day to carry out the governor's orders.

He made his way across country to Logstown, where he heard that the
French commanding officer was on an upper branch of the Allegheny
River. He therefore went thither, and delivered his letter. But the
Frenchman shrugged his shoulders, and said he would send the letter
on to Governor Duquesne (doo-kān´), whose orders he was in the
meantime bound to carry out. Tramping thus through the wilderness
in the dead of winter, Washington found out all Governor Dinwiddie
wished. Seeing he must hasten, if the French were to be checked, the
young officer left his guides, baggage, and horses, and, alone with
Gist,--an experienced hunter and trapper,--went back to Virginia
by a short cut. During this journey he and Gist had several narrow
escapes.

Once an Indian--who had probably been bribed by the French to kill
them--shot at them. Gist and Washington, suspecting treachery,
pretended it was only an accident; but when the Indian left them at
night, promising to come back in the morning, they promptly broke
camp. Pressing forward all night, they reached the Allegheny early
in the morning, and found it only partly frozen. As they could not
cross on the ice, as they had hoped, they plied their one dull
hatchet with such a will that they soon cut down several trees and
built a rude raft.

But when they got out into the stream, Washington's pole caught in
the ice and jerked him out into ten feet of ice-cold water. Grasping
the raft, Washington escaped; but his clothes were dripping wet, and
a few moments later they were frozen stiff. The raft was now driven
on an island, where Gist lighted a fire as quickly as possible; and
here Washington spent the night, turning around and around so as to
dry his clothes. Luckily, on the next day the travelers found that
the ice was strong enough to bear them, and, crossing over to the
other side of the river, they hurried on.

After visiting an Indian queen, with whom he made friends by giving
her a few trinkets, Washington went on to Virginia, where he gave
Governor Dinwiddie all the necessary information. The governor was
so pleased with what Washington had done, and thought his news so
important, that he published Washington's journal. Then, to carry
out the orders he had received from England, and make sure the land
south of the Ohio should not be snatched away from him, Dinwiddie
raised a force of two hundred men, and sent them to build a fort
at the forks of the Ohio. While these men were busy erecting their
stockade, the French, one thousand strong, came down from Ve-nan´go,
on the Allegheny, and, driving the English away, completed the fort
for their own use, calling it Duquesne, after their governor.




LIII. WASHINGTON'S FIRST BATTLE.


When the Virginians learned that the French had driven their men
away from the forks of the Ohio, and had taken possession of the
fort they had just begun, they were naturally very angry. Seeing
that they would lose all claim to the land unless they drove the
French away, they now determined to raise enough men and money to
equip an army. Before long, therefore, Washington was sent out with
about three hundred men, and he was busy erecting a small breastwork
(called Fort Necessity) at Great Meadows, when he heard that the
French were near there.

Setting out immediately, he surprised and defeated this force; but
learning that more troops were coming, he prudently retreated to
Fort Necessity, at Great Meadows, which he once described as "a
charming field for an encounter." Here the French and Indians soon
attacked him in such numbers that, in spite of his valor, he was
forced to surrender, on July 4, 1754. Washington's men had behaved
so bravely that the French allowed them to march out with the
honors of war; that is, taking their flag and their arms with them.

In describing this battle, Washington is reported to have said:
"I heard the bullets whistle, and believe me, there is something
charming in the sound." But later on, when he had seen what a sad
thing war really is, and some one asked if he had ever said this, he
quietly answered: "If I said so, it was when I was young!"

When Washington and his troops came back to Virginia after the
battle at Great Meadows, the colonies saw that the French were fully
determined to leave them no land west of the Alleghanies. They had
felt so sure of this that a few weeks before the battle they sent
men to Albany to discuss how they could best resist their enemies,
and keep what they claimed as their own.

Still, in one sense, neither French nor English had any right to
this land, for as a bewildered Indian chief remarked when he first
heard of the dispute: "If the French claim all the land north of the
river, and the English all the land south of it, where is the land
of the Indians?"




LIV. STORIES OF FRANKLIN.


One man was to have a great share in the last French and Indian war,
although he was no soldier. This man was Franklin, and as he is one
of the greatest men in our history, it will surely interest you to
hear a little about him.

Born in a poor family in Boston, the lad was named Benjamin,
probably because he was his father's twelfth child. With so many
brothers and sisters older than himself, Benjamin was not spoiled.
As they were all very poor, he was often obliged, small as he was,
to help his father make soap and dip tallow candles, a work he
greatly disliked. But as there had been free schools in New England
from the very beginning, Benjamin learned to read out of the New
England Primer when only a tiny boy. He has told us many stories of
himself; among others, one of his childhood which you ought to know,
because it has given rise to an American proverb.

It seems that Benjamin once had a few pennies. This was a great
fortune for so small a lad, and although his brothers and sisters
teased him to know what he was going to buy with them, he would not
tell. On the street, one day, he saw a big boy blowing a whistle
with all his might. This whistle so fascinated little Benjamin
that, after talking to its owner awhile, he gave all his pennies in
exchange for the toy.

Marching home, Benjamin proudly exhibited his treasure, thinking he
had made a great bargain and bought the finest thing in the world.
His disappointment was very keen, therefore, when his brothers told
him that it was only a common whistle, such as he could have bought
anywhere for one penny! Ever since then, when any one pays too much
for pleasure, or anything else, people have said: "He has paid dear,
very dear, for his whistle."

As was the custom in all Puritan families, the Franklins had long
prayers, and they said such a lengthy grace before meals that hungry
little Benjamin often grew impatient. As their breakfasts generally
consisted of smoked and dried herring, he once suggested that his
father should say grace over the whole barrel, so that he need not
stop to repeat it every time the fish was served!

Franklin's father was too poor to let him go on with his studies,
so at twelve Franklin became apprentice to an older brother, the
printer of the fourth newspaper issued in our country. Here Franklin
learned to set type and to handle the rude press then in use. He
also began to write, and as he did not want his brother to know it,
he disguised his handwriting, and slipped his contributions under
the shop door at night.

These articles, written by a boy of fourteen, proved so able that
the brother read them aloud to his friends, who greatly praised
them, little suspecting that they were written by the apprentice
setting type in the corner. But Benjamin's elder brother proved so
unkind to him that the boy left Boston at seventeen, and, embarking
upon a coasting vessel, went to New York, where he vainly sought
employment.

There he heard that work was to be had in Philadelphia, then the
largest city in our country. A stage ran between that place and
New York twice a week, making the journey in two days. This rate
of travel seemed so very rapid then that this coach was generally
called the "Flying Machine." But as Franklin did not have the means
to pay for a seat in this conveyance, he embarked on a sloop,
working his way. After several days' tacking, a long, weary tramp,
and a row on the Delaware, he landed in Philadelphia early one
morning.

By this time he had only a few pennies left, which, as he felt
hungry, he soon gave to a baker for three large rolls. The small
amount of luggage he had with him was thrust into his coat pockets,
and with a roll under either arm, and one in his hand, Franklin
strolled down the street, munching his bread as he walked along. A
girl standing on her father's doorstep laughed at the awkward lad
passing by, little thinking that a few years later she would be his
wife.

[Illustration: Franklin's Entry into Philadelphia.]

Finding employment in Philadelphia, Franklin worked hard, studying
as much as he could after hours. Every book he could buy or borrow
was eagerly read, and he paid small sums to booksellers for the loan
of their volumes overnight, sitting up late and rising early so as
to get all he could out of them. Franklin loved books so dearly
that he soon learned a great deal about foreign countries. He longed
to visit them, and therefore gladly welcomed a proposal to go to
England and buy a printing press.

As the governor of Pennsylvania promised to supply the necessary
funds, Franklin set out; but upon landing in England he found that
the governor had deceived him, and that there was no money to be
had. Alone in a foreign land, without means or friends, Franklin
again sought employment, and worked for an English printer during
the next few years. By dint of hard work and great economy, he
managed to save money enough to bring him back to Philadelphia, at
the age of twenty. Then, after working as clerk and printer for a
while, Franklin set up in business for himself, and married.

Besides printing a newspaper,--for which he wrote the articles,
set the type, handled the press, and even carted the paper to his
shop in a wheelbarrow,--Franklin soon began to publish a pamphlet
called "Poor Richard's Almanac." It contained not only the usual
information about sunrise and sunset, the moon, tide, and weather,
but many short sayings, full of good advice. They were so easily
remembered, and so often quoted, that some of them have become
household sayings. A few are: "No gains without pains." "Never leave
that till to-morrow which you can do to-day." "Time is money." "Keep
conscience clear, then never fear."

[Illustration: A Page from Poor Richard's Almanac.]

You might think that Franklin was busy enough with all this work;
still, he managed to learn a great deal besides French, German,
Spanish, and Italian, which he studied alone and at night. He
founded the first public library in Philadelphia, the University
of Pennsylvania, and the first fire brigade, the first insurance
company, and the first hospital in the city. Besides that, he
invented the first good stove, advised paving the streets, and was
constantly in political office from the time he was thirty until he
died, at the age of eighty-four.

Franklin was so interested in sciences that he studied them closely,
too; and in 1752, after thinking the matter over a long while, he
decided that lightning must be the same thing as the electricity
produced by rubbing a cat's fur. He therefore determined to bring
lightning down from the clouds, to find out whether he was right.
After many experiments, he built a kite, fastened a sharp point to
it, and flew it one stormy day. He had taken all his measures so
carefully that he thus really drew down some electric sparks from
the sky.

As Franklin was a very practical man, he immediately made use of
this knowledge to invent lightning rods for protecting churches and
houses from thunderbolts. His discovery, ridiculed at first, soon
became known abroad, and thus Franklin was the first American who
won a European reputation.

Franklin's kite-flying paved the way for all the wonderful
discoveries since made in electricity, many of which he then
foretold, although people thought he was only joking. Indeed, we
are told he even demonstrated the deadly effect of a live wire
by killing a turkey on the other side of the river! When his
discoveries became known in Europe, they created a great sensation,
and the "Franklin experiments" were for a while all the fashion.




LV. BRADDOCK'S DEFEAT.


In 1754, Franklin, deputy postmaster-general of the colonies, was
sent to Albany, where, as we have already seen, a congress of
delegates from the colonies met to discuss the best way of opposing
the French. Franklin, knowing that it was only by working all
together that the best results could be reached, now made a plan for
the union of the colonies.

As one can often make people understand things better by telling
them stories or showing them pictures, Franklin remembered the
common belief that a snake, cut into pieces, would become whole
again if the parts were allowed to touch. He therefore placed at
the head of his paper the picture of such a snake, cut into pieces
to represent the colonies, which he further indicated by their
initials. Under this picture he wrote the motto: "Join or die."

Although the colonies did not adopt Franklin's plan of union, they
nevertheless voted men and money for the war. The British, on their
part, sent over General Braddock, one of their best officers, to
take charge of the campaign. Meeting the governors of the different
colonies in Virginia, Braddock decided that, while one army marched
north from Albany to take Forts Ti-con-der-o´ga and Crown Point
before going on to Quebec, a second should move westward from the
same point to Lake On-tā´ri-o and Niagara.

In the meantime, a fleet was to sail from New England to join
the first army in besieging Quebec. But the fourth and principal
expedition, led by Braddock himself, was to march across
Pennsylvania to Fort Duquesne, so as to drive the French out of the
coveted Ohio valley. This plan was very fine; but Braddock, used to
the European way of fighting, little knew how to carry on war with
the French and Indians in the pathless forests.

Washington now advised Braddock, his superior officer, to leave the
heavy baggage and cannons behind; but the British general would
not consent. After much delay, the Pennsylvania farmers loaned
their wagons and horses to carry the baggage, thanks to Franklin's
personal efforts, and the army set out. But as Braddock insisted
upon the army's marching along in an orderly file, a road had first
to be built, and Washington once impatiently said that they stopped
"to level every molehill."

[Illustration: At Braddock's Defeat.]

Washington knew it would be best to advance rapidly and surprise
Fort Duquesne; but the army moved slowly until, at about eight miles
from the fort, it was suddenly attacked by the French and Indians.
The British soldiers, clad in red and marching in close ranks,
made fine targets for their enemies, who, as usual, hid behind
every tree and rock, whence they poured a deadly fire upon them.
Braddock bravely rallied his men again and again; but not knowing
how to fight unseen foes, they were helplessly slain. The general
himself, after seeing great numbers of his men and officers fall,
was mortally wounded, and had to order a retreat.

In the midst of this horrible scene, Washington and his Virginian
soldiers alone kept cool. Four bullets passed through Washington's
coat, and two horses were killed under him, for the Indians aimed
specially at him. But all their bullets failed, and they afterwards
said with awe that he surely bore a charmed life, and that no shot
could ever touch him.

Nearly all the officers were killed, but Washington managed to cover
the retreat of the British, and their wounded general was picked up
and borne off the battlefield of the Mo-non-ga-he´la. Braddock was
now full of remorse for not following Washington's advice, and he
died four days later, saying: "Who would have thought it? Who would
have thought it? We shall better know how to deal with them another
time."

Washington sadly buried the brave general in the Pennsylvania
woods, making the army march over his grave, so that no trace of
upturned soil should betray to the Indians his last resting place.
Then the beaten and disheartened troops slowly made their way
back, encouraged by Washington, who, going afoot, shared all their
hardships, and relieved the weary men by loading their muskets and
baggage upon his own horse.

The army marching westward from Albany had, in the meantime, paused
discouraged at Os-we´go, while the one moving northward beat the
French on the shores of a lake, which they called George, in honor
of the victory won for their king (1755). The French officer
Dieskau (dees´kow) was captured there, and among the English dead
was Ephraim Williams, who left his fortune to found the college in
Massachusetts which bears his name.

Fearing that the Acadian farmers, who still spoke French and loved
their mother country, would turn against them, the British now tried
to make the peasants take an oath of fidelity. When they refused,
the men and boys were bidden to assemble, and then, after some
delay, they and their families were sent on board British ships and
taken away (1755). In the confusion several families were separated.

[Illustration: Expulsion of the Acadians.]

Thus ruthlessly torn from home, the Acadians were scattered
throughout the colonies. Many made their way to Louisiana, so as
to be still under French rule; others escaped into the woods;
and a few spent long years vainly seeking those they loved. If
you care to learn how one girl wandered thousands of miles in
quest of her lover, you should read Long´fel-low's beautiful poem
"E-van´ge-line."




LVI. WOLFE AT QUEBEC.


Until 1756, the war between the French and the British raged only in
America; but after that it broke out in Europe also, where it was
known as the "Seven Years' War."

The French sent over Mont-calm´, one of their best generals, who,
helped by the Indians, soon took and burned Oswego. Next, he
captured Fort William Henry, which the Americans had just built; but
he promised that the garrison should leave under safe escort (1757).
His Indian allies, however, loath to see the foe depart unharmed,
suddenly attacked them, and killed many. Montcalm bravely and vainly
tried to stop this, crying: "Kill me, but spare the English who are
under my protection."

This year of 1757 was, on the whole, a disastrous one for the
British; but during the next, the tables were turned. The principal
statesman in England was then William Pitt, a good friend to the
American colonies. Knowing that, unless prompt measures were taken,
the British would lose the main part of their possessions in
America, Pitt sent over men with great stores of arms and money.

The British and American troops, properly equipped, now started
out again to carry out Braddock's plan. This time, Forbes was in
command, ably assisted by Washington, and they forced the French to
abandon Fort Duquesne. Near its ruins the British built a stockade
which was named Pittsburg, in honor of William Pitt.

Upon returning to Virginia after this triumph, Washington, who had
lately married a widow with two children, quietly took his seat
in the House of Burgesses. To his dismay, the Speaker praised him
for all he had done for his country. Embarrassed by this speech,
Washington arose and vainly tried to make the proper response, until
the Speaker, seeing his predicament, kindly said: "Sit down, Mr.
Washington; your modesty equals your valor, and that surpasses the
power of any language I possess."

A few months before the seizure of Fort Duquesne, the British
captured the fortress of Louisburg for the second time, and Fort
Frontenac was destroyed. Thus, step by step, the French were driven
into Canada, where James Wolfe, a brave young British officer, was
ordered to take Quebec. Now, Quebec is built upon a high rock, and
it was impossible to reach its citadel from three sides. But Wolfe,
thinking that it could be attacked from the Plains of A´bra-ham,
went up the river past the city, and then, one night, drifted
noiselessly downstream toward the place where he wished to land.

Wolfe was a charming young man, loving art and poetry, and as he
went down the St. Lawrence, he mentioned a poem of Gray's, saying:
"I would rather be the author of the 'Elegy Written in a Country
Churchyard' than have the glory of beating the French to-morrow."
Then he repeated the following lines with deep feeling:

    "The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
      And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
    Await alike the inevitable hour;
      The paths of glory lead but to the grave."

As the brave young man seemed to foresee, the path of glory was
to lead him also to the grave. A few minutes later, his boats
came within range of the French sentinels, and their challenge was
answered in such good French that they let the boats pass. After
landing, Wolfe climbed up the steep path, and had his army all drawn
up for battle on the Plains of Abraham the next morning.

[Illustration: Battle of Quebec.]

Montcalm, taken thus unawares, led out his troops and fought
bravely; but he was defeated by Wolfe, who, as well as Montcalm,
was mortally wounded in the fray. The French commander breathed his
last a few hours later, saying: "Thank God, I shall not live to see
Quebec surrender!"

His equally brave young enemy, dying on the battlefield, heard his
men cry: "They run! they run!" Breathlessly he inquired, "Who run?"
but when he heard that it was the French, he fell back, saying: "Now
God be praised! I can die in peace."

This memorable battle, fought in 1759, is commemorated by a monument
on the Plains of Abraham, on which the names of both generals are
carved. There is also a famous monument in West´min-ster Abbey, in
honor of Wolfe, the conqueror of Quebec.

The fall of Quebec decided the fate of the French in America. They
had already lost the Ohio valley, Forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point,
and soon after, Montreal surrendered too.

Although the last French and Indian War was now over in America,
the war between France and England continued until 1763, when it
was ended by the treaty of Păr´is. Because more land changed hands
on this occasion than ever before, the treaty of Paris is known
in history as the biggest land deal ever made. To Great Britain
France gave up Canada and her claims to all the land east of the
Mississippi, except New Orleans. For herself she kept only two
small islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, on which to dry fish.
Spain, siding with France in this war, received from her ally all of
Louisiana west of the Mississippi, and the city of New Orleans. To
recover Havana, which had been taken by a British fleet, Spain gave
up Florida, which had belonged to her ever since Ponce de Leon first
visited it in 1512.

[Illustration: Wolfe's Monument in Westminster Abbey.]

All these changes did not please everybody, and the Indians so
disliked the English rule that, led by Pon´ti-ac, one of their
chiefs, they began a war which bears his name (1763). In the course
of this struggle seven forts were taken, and many settlers cruelly
slain.

The garrison at De-troit´, however, having been warned that the
Indians were planning a surprise, showed so brave a front that
Pontiac failed to get possession of that place. But some of his
allies had better luck at Michilimackinac. They assembled near there
as if to play a game, and tossing their ball nearer and nearer the
palisade, finally made a wild dash through the open gates. The
garrison was butchered, and only one trader managed to escape. Then,
after continuing this war some time longer, the Indians were forced
to submit, and three years later, Pontiac, the leader of the revolt,
was shot by an Indian who had been bribed to kill him.




LVII. HOW ENGLAND TREATED HER COLONIES.


The people in England had seemed to think all along that the
colonies in America ought to do all they could to enrich England.
Their idea was that the mother country had a right to the earnings
of the colonies, so they treated the colonists like little children,
not old enough to think or work for themselves.

Among other things, the English made laws about trade and navigation
which were very good for England, but very bad for the colonies.
For instance, they said that the Americans should not sell their
tobacco, rice, sugar, furs, etc., to any country except England.
Any colonist having any of these things for sale had to put them on
English ships, and pay freight to carry them to England. Then he had
to pay duty before his produce could be sold. Some other articles
could be sold to other countries, provided they were sent over in
English ships. But no vessels from foreign countries were allowed to
come into any of the American ports, either to buy or to sell; and
if a colonist wanted something from France, he had to get it by way
of England, although it cost him much more.

As if all this were not bad enough, the English were so anxious
to sell the goods they manufactured, that they said the Americans
must buy of them, instead of making such articles for sale. Thus,
a farmer could hammer out rough tools for his own use from the
iron dug up on his land, but he could not make even a hoe for his
neighbors in any other colony.

[Illustration: Spinning.]

The women, who spun and wove their own flax and wool, cut and
made ordinary family garments, and plaited straw, which they sewed
together for hats, could not even sell a pair of mittens in the
next colony. If the New Englanders wanted to exchange codfish for
Virginia tobacco, they either had to send it by way of England, thus
paying for its being carried twice across the Atlantic, or else they
were obliged to pay heavy duties.

In her fear that the colonies would sell to other countries anything
she could use, England even forbade Americans to cut down any very
large or straight trees without her permission. She said that all
this timber should be kept until she needed it as masts for her
vessels.

Of course, the colonies did not like this, but they bore it for
a long time as patiently as they could. Other countries did not
approve of England's trade and navigation laws, either. Both the
French and the Dutch, for instance, wanted to trade with the
colonies. As the coast was very long, and there were customhouse
officers in only a few of the towns, some foreign vessels managed to
slip into small bays unseen, and thus began smuggling goods in and
out of the country.

As long as France owned Canada, smuggling could not very well be
stopped, for French or Dutch vessels caught along the coast said
that they were on their way to or from Canada, and that they had
been driven out of their course by contrary winds. But when the
last French and Indian War was over, foreign vessels no longer had
any excuse for coming near North America. The British, therefore,
declared they would now seize any foreign vessel they met, and
search any house where they fancied smuggled goods could be found.

Orders to search houses were called search warrants. They gave
government officers the right to go over every part of a dwelling,
and look into every closet and drawer. But people like to feel that
their houses are their own, and that no one can come in unless
invited. Knowing that those search warrants would make it easy for
any officer who happened to dislike them to annoy them constantly,
the Americans naturally objected to them.

The man who first spoke publicly against these search warrants, in
the old statehouse in Boston, was James O´tis. When he declared that
this was not right, he was told it was done in Great Britain as well
as in America. Otis then answered that, as the British had a share
in making that law, they were, of course, obliged to obey it. But he
added that the Americans had no seats in the British Par´lia-ment,
had had no share in making the law, and were therefore not bound to
respect it.

Many of the colonists agreed with Otis, so the British officers did
not dare offend them by making frequent visits to their houses; but
they kept ships along the coast to chase all suspicious vessels and
see whether they had any foreign goods on board. This proceeding was
almost as disagreeable to the colonists as searching their houses.

One of these boats, the _Gas´pee_, in pursuing a colonial vessel,
ran ashore in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, in 1772. Before it
could be worked off the shoal,--which is still known as Gaspee
Point,--a number of the best citizens of Providence came in disguise
and set fire to the ship. But although the British said their flag
had been insulted, and tried to find the guilty parties, they never
could lay hands upon them.




LVIII. THE STAMP TAX.


Besides the galling trade and navigation laws to which the poor
American colonists had to submit, there were other troubles which
you must try to understand. The French and Indian War had cost a
great deal of money, which had to be paid. It was also needful to
take steps to arrange for the government of the new territory, and
especially to defend it, for the British knew that the French and
Spaniards would like to get it back.

Now, King William's War, Queen Anne's War, and King George's War had
been waged because England and France were fighting in Europe. They
had done no good to the colonists, who, even after furnishing men
and money, and winning Louisburg, saw it given back to the French.
It was different, though, with the fourth war, which was begun in
America, while Great Britain furnished men, money, and arms to
defend the colonies. The colonies had done their best to help, and
the American soldiers, whom the British mockingly called "Yankee
Doodles," had shown great courage.

Franklin tried to arrange matters of taxation by his plan of
government, which, you remember, was set aside at Albany (1754). The
colonies refused it because they said it gave too much power to the
king; and the king refused to accept it because it gave too much
power to the colonies.

King George's advisers now told him that as Great Britain had run
into debt fighting in America, it was only right that the colonies
should help to pay the money. They added that it would be necessary
to keep an army in America to defend the new-won lands, and that
the colonies ought to feed and pay these soldiers.

If Great Britain had asked the colonies, "Will you support an army?"
they might perhaps have consented. But instead of letting the
Americans talk the matter over and raise the money in any way they
pleased, measures were taken by Parliament to raise a large sum,
which the king was to use in providing for a standing army.

At that time, many of the British were dissatisfied, too, for the
members of the House of Commons no longer represented the whole
nation. New cities like Bir´ming-ham, Man´ches-ter, and Leeds had
no right to vote at all, while a few tumble-down places, which had
been towns two hundred years before, still sent several members to
Parliament. Pitt and some other statesmen said that a new census
ought to be taken, and that the House of Commons should represent
all the people of Great Britain; but the king, among others, thought
things ought to remain just as they were.

The two parties were still quarreling over this when the question
about America came up, and it was greatly because the British were
not fairly represented that unjust laws were made. To raise the
money, Parliament decreed that the colonies would have to keep the
trade and navigation laws, and pay a tax upon sugar and molasses,
and that no newspaper should be printed or deed written except on
paper stamped by government officers. This was called the "Stamp
Act."

As soon as Pitt heard that the Stamp Act had been passed, he
said it was wrong to tax the colonies without their consent. But
Parliament would not listen to him. In those days, vessels crossed
the Atlantic only once a month. There was no telegraph, no daily
newspapers, and the post between large cities like Philadelphia
and New York ran only twice or thrice a week. It therefore took
some time before the news of the passing of the Stamp Act became
generally known in America.

Franklin, who was then in England, did his best to hinder the making
of such an unjust law. He was once asked whether the Americans
would be angry; and, hoping to make the British understand how
unreasonable they were, he told them this story: A Frenchman once
came running out of his house with a red-hot poker. He grasped an
Englishman, passing by, and said: "Let me run this poker through
you!" Of course the Englishman declined. Then the Frenchman said:
"Well, let me at least run it a few inches into your body." But when
the Englishman again refused, the Frenchman said, in an aggrieved
way: "If you won't let me do either, you should at least pay for the
trouble of heating this poker!"

Still, all Franklin's tact and good sense could not prevent the law
being passed, and he sadly wrote home: "The sun of liberty is set;
the Americans must light the lamp of industry and economy."




LIX. THE ANGER OF THE COLONIES.


Most Americans were not ready to take things so quietly as Franklin.
Indeed, as soon as the news of the Stamp Act became known, there was
great excitement. Bells were tolled, and every one looked sad. In
Virginia, Patrick Henry arose in the House of Burgesses, and made
a fiery speech which convinced the people that it would be wrong
and cowardly to yield. In his speech he said that tyranny must be
resisted, and added: "Cæsar had his Brutus, Charles I. his Cromwell,
and George III.--" "Treason! Treason!" cried some of the members who
were friends of the king. But Patrick Henry went firmly on, "may
profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it!"

[Illustration: Patrick Henry's Speech.]

His speech fairly carried the people away, and when he concluded it
by saying: "Give me liberty, or give me death," the Virginians drew
up a set of resolutions saying that they had the same rights as the
people in Great Britain, that they could be taxed only by their
assemblies, and that they would not allow any one else to tax them.

In North Carolina, John Ashe said: "This law will be resisted in
blood and death." This opinion was so general that Massachusetts
suggested that a general "Stamp Act Congress" should be held in New
York, in 1765. All but four colonies were represented in it, and six
of them drew up a paper saying that as British subjects they could
be taxed only by their own consent, and that as they had no members
in Parliament, they would not obey that body.

This paper was called the "Declaration of Rights," and they added to
it another, saying that there were five things they had to complain
about. These were: being taxed without their consent, being tried
in some cases without a jury, being hampered in their trading, and
being asked to pay the sugar tax and the stamp tax.

Men everywhere began thinking how they could keep their rights, and
formed companies called "Sons of Liberty." These bands visited the
men chosen to sell the stamped paper, and sternly warned them not
to try to do so unless they wished to be treated like traitors.
The result was that, so far as is now known, not a single sheet of
stamped paper was ever sold in America. Indeed, when the day came
when they were to have been first used, a Pennsylvania newspaper
appeared with the heading, "No stamped paper to be had."

The excitement was such that even the children marched up and down
like their elders, crying, "Liberty, Property, and No Stamps!" or
even such hard words as "Taxation without representation is tyranny."

As we have already seen, there were many people in Great Britain
who thought the Stamp Act unjust. Two great men, Burke and Pitt,
openly said so; and when the news came that the Americans refused to
obey, the latter exclaimed: "I rejoice that America has resisted.
Three millions of people so dead to all the feelings of liberty as
voluntarily to submit to be slaves, would have been fit instruments
to make slaves of all the rest."

The British minister, Gren´ville, now sent for Franklin, and asked
whether he thought the Americans would pay the stamp tax if it were
less. But Franklin said: "No; never! They will never submit to it;"
and went on to explain that it was not a question of more or less
money, but a question of right and wrong.

As the Americans declared they would not buy a single thing from the
British until their rights were respected, British vessels soon went
home with unsold cargoes, and British merchants loudly cried that
their business was ruined. These complaints, added to the colonists'
determined resistance, made Parliament repeal, or call back, the
Stamp Act, six months after it was to be enforced.

The stamps which were never used were stored away in a room in the
House of Parliament. Here they lay forgotten for many a year, and
when they were finally unearthed again, they were either given away
as curiosities or destroyed.

The news of the repeal of the Stamp Act set the Americans almost
crazy with joy. Bells were rung, bonfires lighted, and speeches
made. In New York the people were so happy that they erected a new
liberty pole, and made a big leaden statue of King George, which
they set up on Bowling Green.




LX. THE BOSTON TEA PARTY.


In their joy the colonists did not at first notice that Parliament,
in repealing the Stamp Act, still claimed the right to tax the
colonies "in all cases whatsoever." But the very next year
Parliament passed what are known in history as the "Townshend Acts,"
from the man who proposed them. These laws, besides forcing the
colonists to feed the king's troops and keep the trade law, placed a
tax on glass, paint, tea, and a few other things.

The money raised by these taxes was to be used partly for paying
the salaries of governors, judges, customhouse and other colonial
officers. Hitherto, the colonies had paid the salaries of governors
and judges themselves, and they said that, while it might be all
right to let a good king be paymaster, a bad king might make
them very uncomfortable by sending out governors like Andros and
Berkeley, who, being paid by him, would care only to please him.

Urged on by the Massachusetts people, all the colonies wrote to
Great Britain that they would not buy any British goods until the
taxes were removed. The king, offended by the letters sent him,
ordered the governors to dissolve the colonial assemblies again
and again; but he could not prevent the Americans from talking and
thinking as they pleased. When his troops began to come, men, women,
and children scowled at them, openly calling them "lobsters" and
"bloody-backs" because they wore red coats.

As the Massachusetts people talked loudest, and urged the other
colonies to resist, King George sent General Gage to Boston with two
regiments. They came into the city on Sunday morning, with flags
flying and drums beating, a thing which greatly shocked the good
Puritans.

[Illustration: The "Boston Massacre".]

The presence of British soldiers in America greatly annoyed the
people. They daily grew more and more angry about it, and before
long a small fight took place between soldiers and citizens, at
Golden Hill, in the city of New York. Two months later, in the midst
of the excitement caused by a false alarm of fire in Boston, a
British soldier, annoyed by the taunts and snowballs of a mob, shot
a man. This became the signal for more firing, which killed five men
and wounded a few others (1770).

The excitement caused in the city by the "Boston Massacre," or the
"Bloody Massacre," as it is known, in history, proved very great.
Although the principal men in Boston knew the soldiers had not
been greatly to blame for what had happened, they saw that there
would be more trouble unless the troops left the town. Samuel
Ad´ams, therefore, explained this to the governor, who asked him
if the people would be satisfied if he sent one regiment away.
Adams answered that he would find out, but, going to the Old South
Meetinghouse, where the patriots were assembled, he passed up the
aisle, whispering to his friends right and left: "Both regiments or
none."

[Illustration: Faneuil Hall.]

When Adams reached the platform, and told the people what the
governor had said, his friends loudly cried: "Both regiments or
none!" The rest of the people shouted the same thing. So the
governor, much against his will, was forced to place the soldiers on
an island in the bay. But after that, when mentioning those troops,
King George spitefully called them "Sam Adams's regiments."

The removal of the soldiers quieted the Boston people a little;
still, they often met in Faneuil (fan´el) Hall, where such stirring
patriotic speeches were made that the building is often called the
"Cradle of Liberty."

The people had said they would not buy anything from Great Britain
until the taxes were removed; so, when tea ships came over, their
cargoes were either sent back, stored in damp cellars, or destroyed.
The British merchants complained about this, and the king himself,
who was interested in the tea company, soon found he was losing
money, too. He therefore proposed that the price of tea should be
reduced, so that even after the tax of threepence a pound was paid,
tea would be cheaper than ever before. But this made no difference
to the colonists. The question with them was not cheap tea, but
untaxed tea.

To prevent any one from buying any of this tea, all the ports were
carefully watched; but finally three ships entered Boston harbor
with strict orders to land their cargoes. As the governor would not
send the ships back, and insisted that the king's orders should be
carried out, Samuel Adams finally said, in a large assembly: "This
meeting can do nothing more to save the country."

This was evidently a secret signal, for a voice immediately asked in
an innocent way: "Will tea mix with sea water?" In reply some one
shouted: "Boston harbor for a teapot to-night! Hurrah for Griffin's
wharf!" The crowd now poured out of the Old South, and on reaching
the street saw a band of men, disguised as Indians, rushing toward
the pier. These make-believe Indians took possession of the dock,
boarded the three ships, broke open the tea chests with their
tomahawks, and poured their contents into the harbor, which thus
became a monster teapot at Boston's famous Tea Party.

The Indians were careful, however, not to touch anything else, and
when their work was done, they quickly vanished. Still, they were so
honest that a padlock, broken by mistake, was secretly replaced by a
new one on the next day. It is said that the tide the next morning
left heaps of damp tea leaves on the beach. Some was put in bottles
and kept, in memory of Boston's Tea Party; but the rest of it was
either thrown back into the water or burned, so that no one should
be tempted to touch it.

[Illustration: The Boston Tea Party.]




LXI. THE MINUTEMEN.


Upon hearing the news of the Boston Tea Party Parliament made five
harsh laws to punish the Bostonians. These were that no ships should
be allowed to come in or go out of their port until they had paid
for the tea; that the governor could send any one he pleased to
England for trial; that the charter of Massachusetts was to be taken
away; that the colonists should receive and feed the troops; and
that the province of Quebec should be extended to the Ohio, thus
including the western lands claimed by Massachusetts.

The Bostonians said they could not, and would not, stand these five
laws, which they called the "five intolerable acts." The other
colonies declared that the Bostonians were right, and promised to
help them resist; so it was decided that delegates from all the
colonies should meet at Philadelphia, in 1774, to act together.

All the colonies except Georgia sent delegates to this First
Continental Congress. They met in Carpenter's Hall, in Philadelphia,
and decided to print and circulate papers explaining to the
colonies, to the Canadians, and to the British people their causes
of complaint. They also drew up a declaration of rights and an
address to the king.

Samuel Adams, who is often called the "Father of the Revolution,"
wrote this petition to the king; and his young daughter, seeing the
paper, cried: "Only think of it; that paper will soon be in the
king's hand!" But her father dryly answered: "My dear, it will more
likely be spurned by the royal foot!"

[Illustration: PART OF THE NORTHERN STATES

COUNTRY AROUND BOSTON]

There were many noted men among the fifty-five members of the First
Continental Congress. Franklin had come home to take part in it,
after having patiently tried to make peace with the Englishmen,
who insulted him. While Congress was in session, some one asked
Patrick Henry who was the leading man there, and he answered: "If
you speak of eloquence, Mr. Rut´ledge of South Carolina is by far
the greatest orator; but if you speak of solid information, Colonel
Washington is unquestionably the greatest man on the floor!"

Before separating, this congress decided that another should
assemble the next year to hear King George's answer to their
petition, and to discuss what steps should next be taken. But
although Congress was dismissed, the colonies, in spite of the bad
postal arrangements of the age, kept up a lively correspondence.

Patrick Henry, on his return home, told the Virginia convention
what had been done, and concluded an eloquent speech by saying: "We
must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and
the God of hosts is all that is left us." And in South Carolina the
patriots loudly echoed the sentiments of their delegate, showing
that "three million brave Americans, scattered over three thousand
miles, had but one soul."

This was the opinion of patriots everywhere, and, feeling that they
might soon be called upon to maintain their rights, they formed
companies and drilled regularly. One of these bands of militia was
formed in Virginia, where Washington said: "I shall very cheerfully
accept the honor of commanding it, if occasion requires it to be
drawn out." In New England many similar regiments were drilled, and
as these volunteer soldiers were to be ready to start at a moment's
notice, they were known as "minutemen."

The women were quite as patriotic as the men. They gave up tea and
all other imported goods, and began to spin and weave with such
energy that they and their families soon wore nothing but homespun.
Even at a ball, in Virginia, the ladies wore rough cloth of their
own manufacture, rather than purchase cloth, silk, and lace from
England.

[Illustration: Statue of Minuteman.]

As Boston suffered most of all, the other colonies showed their
sympathy by sending all the supplies they could by land. Indeed,
neighboring places, such as Mar-ble-head´ and Salem, even offered to
let Boston merchants use their port free of charge.

Instead of answering the "olive branch" petition sent by the
colonies, King George told General Gage, governor of Massachusetts,
to bring the people to order as soon as possible. But Gage soon saw
that the colonists were too angry to yield tamely, and all he dared
do was to stop their meetings and to fortify Boston Neck.

But meetings were held in spite of him, for the principal Bostonians
went to Cambridge, where they formed a Committee of Safety. This was
to watch the movements of the British, collect arms and ammunition,
and see that the minutemen were always ready for duty. For every one
now felt that the fight must soon break out, although neither party
wished to begin it.




LXII. THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON.


General Gage knew that the patriots were collecting supplies, and
he was determined to seize them if he could. But there were good
patriots in Boston who were watching him closely, and they had
agreed to warn their friends of any danger, by means of lanterns
hung up in the tower of the Old North Church.

[Illustration: Paul Revere's Ride.]

Two lights in the tower, one night, notified the people of
Charlestown that the British were moving, and the minutemen on guard
scattered to rouse their fellow-soldiers. Paul Re-vere´, among
others, dashed off on horseback, narrowly escaping capture by the
British, who were guarding all the roads. As he galloped rapidly
on, he roused the people by crying: "The British are coming!"
Finally he reached Lex´ing-ton, about nine miles from Boston. Here
Samuel Adams and John Hancock had both taken refuge, because Gage
wanted to seize and ship them off to England, to be tried there for
treason.

The clatter made by Revere roused the sleeping patriots, and
when one of them asked what all this noise meant, Revere quickly
answered: "Noise! You'll have noise enough before long. The regulars
are coming!" Just then the window opened, and Hancock called Revere
in. Soon after Revere rode rapidly on again to warn Concord,
Massachusetts, while Adams began cleaning his gun to join in the
fight. But Hancock stopped his companion, saying that it was their
duty, as members of the Council, to plan and think, instead of
fighting.

The alarm enabled the patriots to conceal most of their arms and
stores, and when the British soldiers arrived in Lexington, soon
after sunrise on April 19, 1775, they found about seventy minutemen
drawn up on the green. The leader of the minutemen bade them "Stand
firm! Don't fire until you are fired at. But if they want war, let
it begin right here."

The British officer, at the head of about three hundred men, now
loudly cried: "Disperse, ye rebels! Disperse!" Then, as they did not
obey, he drew his pistols. Who fired first is a question which has
never been settled, but a few minutes later seven American patriots
lay on the ground dead, and the rest were obliged to retreat.

The British now marched on to Concord, where they began to destroy
the stores. Although they had fancied the patriots would offer no
more resistance, they soon found they were mistaken. The minutemen
were assembling as fast as they could, and Dr. Warren addressed
those at Lexington, saying: "Keep up a brave heart. They have begun
it--that either party can do; and we'll end it--that only we can do."

[Illustration: The Retreat from Concord.]

The British guard at the Concord bridge was now attacked. Hearing
shots in that direction, the British hurried back, to find their men
falling rapidly beneath the fire of the minutemen. The latter were
posted behind every bush, tree, barn, and stone wall all along the
road, so that the British had to retreat between two lines of fire.

Bewildered by the constant shots of enemies they could not see,
the British soldiers soon broke ranks and rushed blindly on, never
pausing to take breath until they met new forces at Lexington,
which covered their retreat. There the fugitives fell to the ground
exhausted and panting, their tongues hanging out of their mouths
from heat and thirst. After they recovered a little, the British,
who had marched out of Charlestown that morning playing "Yankee
Doodle" to vex the patriots, were only too thankful to beat a
retreat. When they reached their fortifications at sundown they
had lost about three hundred men, while only eighty-eight of the
patriots had fallen.

The Revolutionary War had begun, and the day after the battle
of Lexington the Massachusetts Congress wrote to England: "We
determine to die or be free." The news of the first bloodshed was
rapidly carried from place to place by men on horseback. They went
everywhere, calling the people to arms. Guns were polished and
bullets cast, the women sacrificing even cherished pewter spoons and
dishes to supply the necessary ammunition.

The call to arms found Israel Putnam--a hero of the last French and
Indian War--plowing in his field. Unyoking his oxen from the plow,
Putnam bade a lad run for his coat and gun, while he saddled his
horse. He then rode quickly away to take part in the struggle, which
was to last about seven years. Two other patriots, John Stark from
New Hampshire, and Benedict Arnold from Connecticut, were equally
prompt in responding to this appeal, and it is said that in less
than three days, sixteen thousand Americans were assembled around
Boston, completely hemming in General Gage and the British troops.




LXIII. BUNKER HILL.


The news of the battles at Lexington and Concord, where, as
Em´er-son says, was "fired the shot heard round the world," traveled
with remarkable speed to Ver-mont´. There the Green Mountain Boys
quickly sprang to arms, and, under Ethan Allen, their leader,
marched on to Fort Ticonderoga. This place was in the hands of the
British, and contained large stores of arms and ammunition, which
the Americans coveted.

But before the Green Mountain Boys reached Ticonderoga, Arnold
joined them to assume command of their force. As Ethan Allen refused
to give it up, the two patriots headed the force together. They
came upon the fort so unexpectedly that, at the cry of "Surrender!"
the British commander sprang out of bed and rushed to the door,
defiantly asking, "By what authority?" "In the name of the great
Jehovah and the Continental Congress!" thundered Ethan Allen. The
British officer was forced to yield, although he knew the Green
Mountain Boys could have no such orders, for the Second Continental
Congress was to assemble only the next day. The taking of
Ticonderoga, and of Crown Point on the morrow, proved a great help
to the Revolutionary cause, for the patriots thus secured, cannon
and powder which they were to need before long.

Traveling rapidly from place to place, the news of the battle of
Lexington soon spread all through the colonies. The congressional
delegates, therefore, left their homes to meet in Philadelphia,
knowing there was a great piece of work before them. One of them,
George Washington, felt it so keenly that before starting he wrote
to his brother: "It is my full intention to devote my life and
fortune to the cause we are engaged in, if needful."

It was well that he was so ready to serve his country, for it was
sorely in need of help. Congress no sooner assembled, with Hancock
for president, than it began to govern the country, and called for
an army of fifteen thousand men. Adams then arose, saying he would
like to propose as general a gentleman from Virginia, whose "skill
and experience as an officer, independent fortune, great talents,
and universal character will command the approval of all America."

George Washington, who had expected nothing of the sort, and who was
as modest as he was good, fled from the room when he heard this. But
every one voted for him, and when he was called back he reluctantly
accepted the charge given him, saying: "I beg it may be remembered
by every gentleman in this room that I this day declare, with the
utmost sincerity, I do not think myself equal to the command I am
honored with." But he then went on to say that he would do his best,
and refused all pay for his services, asking only that Congress
should pay his expenses, of which he would keep an exact account.

Washington wrote to his wife, at Mount Vernon: "I should enjoy
more real happiness in one month with you at home than I have the
most distant prospect of finding abroad, if my stay were seven
times seven years." But as he always did his duty promptly and
cheerfully, he immediately set out on horseback for Boston, where
the continental troops were rapidly assembling.

The British, in the meantime, had withdrawn once more into Boston,
which they duly fortified by earthworks across the Neck. Here they
were soon joined by new troops; for Generals Howe, Bur-goyne´,
and Clinton had been sent from England to put down the rebellion.
On first hearing that the British soldiers were kept in Boston by
ill-equipped and badly trained Americans, one of these officers
cried: "What! can ten thousand Yankee Doodles shut up five thousand
soldiers of the king? Only let us get in there, and we'll soon find
elbow room!" But, as you will see, they did not find this an easy
task.

The Americans, learning that the British were planning to fortify
Bunker Hill and Breeds Hill, back of Charlestown, determined to
prevent their doing so, if possible, by occupying those places
first. Twelve hundred men were therefore put under command of
Colonel Pres´cott, and, after a solemn prayer, they noiselessly
crept up Breeds Hill in the darkness, and began to throw up
earthworks.

As the patriots toiled silently on, they heard from time to time
the British sentinels cry out, "All's well!" But when the sun rose,
the British found that all was not well, for the Americans were
intrenched on Breeds Hill. Still, thinking it would be an easy
matter to dislodge the patriots, they joyfully prepared for the
battle. The Americans did not quail when British bullets began to
rain around them, for their leader, seeing their dismay when the
first man fell, encouraged them by walking along the top of his
breastwork as coolly as if there were no danger at all.

General Gage, perceiving him through his telescope, asked a
Bostonian who he was, and whether he would fight. The Bostonian
proudly answered that the man's name was William Prescott, and
added: "Fight? Yes, yes! you may depend upon him to do that to the
very last drop of blood in his veins." In the meantime, Prescott
charged his men, who had few rounds of ammunition, not to fire until
he bade them, or until they could see the whites of the enemies'
eyes.

[Illustration: Battle of Bunker Hill.]

This order was so manfully obeyed that when the redcoats climbed
the hill they fell in swaths before the patriots' rifles. Twice
the British fell back dismayed before this deadly fire, and twice
their officers bravely rallied them and led them back. But Prescott
kept up the courage of his men until, seeing that they had no more
bullets, he bade them retreat, using their guns as clubs, since they
had no bayonets. The gallant Warren, who had gone into this fight
saying, "Sweet and fitting it is to die for one's country," fell on
the very spot where Bunker Hill Monument how stands; and Prescott
bravely covered the retreat of his men, being the last to leave the
works.

[Illustration: Bunker Hill Monument.]

In this battle, which is called the "battle of Bunker Hill," the
British drove the patriots away, but at the cost of so many lives
that when the news reached Europe a French statesman said: "Two more
such victories, and England will have no army left in America."
Not only did many British soldiers perish, but as the Americans
discovered that the only cause of their defeat on this occasion was
lack of ammunition, they looked forward to the next battle without
fear.

All felt, as Ward said, that "We shall finally come off victorious,
and triumph over the enemies of freedom and America." This belief,
however, was not shared in England, although Franklin proved that
it had cost the mother country three million pounds and many men to
kill about three hundred and fifty Yankees. He added that in the
meantime so many children had been born in our country that, at that
rate, it would be impossible to find men and money enough to conquer
the whole territory.




LXIV. THE BOSTON BOYS.


The news of the battle of Bunker Hill, and of Howe's setting fire to
Charlestown during the struggle, was sent without delay to Congress.
The messenger who bore it met Washington on his way to Cambridge to
take command of the army. The general in chief eagerly asked how the
Americans had behaved, and when he heard that they had stood their
ground bravely, he fervently cried: "The liberties of the country
are safe!"

[Illustration: The Cambridge Elm.]

The messenger then continued on his way, and when the news reached
Congress there was great excitement. The patriots felt that the
fight could now end only when their rights were assured; and
Franklin wrote to some friends in England: "England has lost her
colonies forever."

Riding on, Washington quickly reached Cambridge, where he made his
headquarters in the house later occupied by the famous American
poet Longfellow. In the beginning of July, 1775, standing under the
Cambridge Elm, Washington took command of the continental army,
composed of about fifteen thousand men of every age and size. They
were armed with hunting rifles, knives, swords, or pitchforks; most
of them had no idea of military drill or discipline, and all were in
need of arms, ammunition, uniforms, and food.

It was impossible to fight without three of these things; so
while the patriots brought food for the soldiers, Washington
bestirred himself to secure arms and ammunition, begging Congress
to supply hunting shirts, so that his army might present a more
orderly appearance. To prevent the enemy from discovering, through
spies, that he had less than half a pound of powder for each man,
Washington had a number of barrels filled with sand. A little powder
was put on top of each, and they were stored away and guarded as
carefully as if there were the greatest danger of their exploding at
any minute.

While waiting for the artillery which Ethan Allen had secured at
Ticonderoga to be brought across country on ox sleds, Washington
and his aids drilled their ungainly troops. But the patriots were
independent and hard to manage. It is said that when a corporal once
bade a private get a pail of water, the latter coolly answered: "I
won't. Get it yourself. I got the last pail; it is your turn now."

The officers, on the other hand, seemed afraid to lower themselves
by doing any work. Washington, hearing a corporal urge his men
to remove a log which was too heavy for them, suggested to the
corporal that in such cases it was well to lend a hand. But the man
proudly answered: "Do you realize that I am a corporal?" Feeling
that example would be better than preaching, Washington dismounted,
lent a vigorous hand to the men, and, when the log was in place,
showed them his uniform and rode off, bidding the men call for him
whenever they needed help.

[Illustration: Washington and the Corporal.]

We are told that on another occasion he found some Marblehead
fishermen and Virginia riflemen quarreling. Unable to bring them to
order in any other way, Washington, who was more than six feet tall
and very strong, strode into their midst, and, seizing the noisiest
by their collars, shook them until he brought them back to their
senses.

For eight months Washington waited and drilled, keeping the British
shut up in Boston. Here the officers tried to kill time by writing
and acting plays, and it is said that the most clever of all these
productions was a work by An´dré making fun of Washington. The
British soldiers, having nothing to do, annoyed the citizens, and so
often spoiled the children's play on the Common, that a number of
big boys finally went to General Gage to complain about it.

The British general angrily asked: "What! Have your fathers sent you
here to exhibit the rebellion they have been teaching you?" But the
boys bravely answered: "Nobody sent us. We have never injured your
troops, but they have trampled down our snow hills and broken the
ice of our skating pond. We complained, and they called us young
rebels, and told us to help ourselves if we could. We told the
captain, and he laughed at us. Yesterday our works were destroyed
for the third time, and we will bear it no longer."

The boys' spirited reply could not but appeal to General Gage, who
said to some people standing near him: "The very children draw in
a love of liberty with the air they breathe." Then, turning to the
boys, he added: "Go, my brave boys, and be assured that if my troops
trouble you again they shall be punished."




LXV. THE BRITISH LEAVE BOSTON.


While Washington was holding the British prisoners in Boston,
Congress made one more vain attempt to be on good terms with the
king. But the only answer he made to their petition was to call
for more soldiers. Finding that the English, who in many cases
thought the Americans were right, would not fight for him, he hired
seventeen thousand Hessian and other German soldiers to put down the
rebellion.

The news that the king was hiring Germans and bribing the Indians
on the frontier to make trouble, made the Americans very angry. On
the same day, they heard that the British had burned down Fal´moŭth
(Portland), in Maine, so they determined to take active measures.

Knowing that the Ca-na´di-ans under Carle´ton would soon march
southward, they sent two armies to the north. One, under
Mont-gom´er-y, passed up Lake Champlain and soon took Montreal.
The other army, although it was winter, heroically forced its way
through the Maine woods to Quebec, led by Benedict Arnold.

There Montgomery joined Arnold; but their combined forces proved
too weak to take the city. Montgomery fell in the very beginning
of the fight, and Arnold, who had behaved like a hero, was badly
wounded. Before he could recover and make a new attempt to seize
Quebec,--where much ammunition was stored,--new British troops came
and drove the American forces out of Canada.

Washington, as we have seen, was seemingly idle, only because
his troops needed drilling and he had no powder. As he did not
wish the enemy to know this, he kept the secret until many people
began to murmur because he spent the winter in Cambridge with Mrs.
Washington, without striking a blow. He had, however, been far from
idle, for, besides drilling his army, he had made many arrangements,
and provided that the American prisoners should be kindly treated
or exchanged. To do this, he wrote to General Gates, who had fought
by his side at Monongahela twenty years before, promising that the
British prisoners should receive just the same care as was given to
the Americans.

As soon as the cannons came from Ticonderoga, Washington resolved
to attack Boston, in spite of the objections of his officers.
The principal house owners there had long urged him to do so,
notwithstanding the fact that their property would suffer greatly.
One night, therefore, he bade his men secretly climb and fortify
Dor´ches-ter Heights. When the British awoke the next morning, they
saw that the American guns covered them. Rather than stand such a
deadly fire, General Howe decided to leave the town. His troops, and
about nine hundred of his friends, went on board the British vessels
in the harbor, and sailed off to Hal´i-fax.

On St. Patrick's day, 1776, Washington triumphantly entered Boston,
where his troops were received with every demonstration of great
joy. Indeed, the Bostonians were so happy that they gave Washington
a gold medal, on one side of which he is represented on horseback,
pointing to the vanishing British fleet.

But Washington did not linger there long. Suspecting that Howe's
next attempt would be to seize New York, and fearing lest he might
have gone there straight from Boston, Washington soon hurried away.
Just before he left the city, a British ship, laden with powder,
sailed into the harbor, as its captain thought the British were
still there. Its cargo was quickly seized, and provided the American
army with seven times more powder than they had been able to secure
by any other means.

About three months later a second British fleet, under Clinton,
suddenly appeared off Charleston, where it began bombarding Fort
Moultrie (moo´trī). The governor of Charleston having sent word to
the general, "Keep cool and do mischief," the fire was promptly
returned. Besides, the British were greatly dismayed to see their
cannon balls burying themselves harmlessly in the soft palmetto logs
and the big sand heaps of which the fort was composed. But the balls
from the fort crippled the British vessels so badly that they had to
sail away again without taking possession of Charleston.

In the midst of this battle, a British cannon ball cut Fort
Moultrie's flagstaff in two, and brought down the flag. The enemy
cheered loudly at this lucky shot; but a sergeant named Jasper
quickly jumped over the parapet, caught up the fallen flag, and set
it up again, notwithstanding the hail of bullets falling around him;
so that it was now the Americans' turn to raise a cheer of triumph.
In reward for his daring action, Jasper was offered the rank of
lieutenant; but as he could neither read nor write, he sadly refused
it, saying: "I am not fit for the company of officers."




LXVI. DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.


In June, 1776, Richard Henry Lee brought into Congress a resolution
"that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free
and independent States." This was now the opinion of the principal
men in our country, and Washington wrote: "When I took command of
the army, I abhorred the idea of independence; now I am convinced
nothing else will save us."

[Illustration:

     _John Trumbull, Artist._

Signing the Declaration of Independence.]

The minds of the people having been prepared for the change by a
little pamphlet called "Common Sense," Congress appointed five men
to draw up a Declaration of Independence. These five men were Thomas
Jef´fer-son, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and
Robert Liv´ing-ston; but as the paper, with the exception of a few
words, is the work of Jefferson, he is generally called the "Father
of the Declaration of Independence."

[Illustration: Jefferson's Writing Desk.]

On July 4, 1776, this paper was adopted by Congress, after hours of
discussion. In the meantime, crowds of people were anxiously waiting
in the street in front of the old statehouse in Philadelphia to hear
the decision of the Congress. A story says that the old bell ringer
was at his post, ready to proclaim the glad news as soon as he
received the signal from a grandson stationed below But time seemed
so long to the old man that he muttered again and again: "They'll
never do it." All at once, however, a little lad darted out of the
statehouse, clapping his hands and shouting: "Ring, grandpa! Ring!"

Then the Independence Bell, which, strange to relate, bore the
inscription, "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the
inhabitants thereof," pealed out loud and clear, announcing the
birth of the United States of America! All the other bells took up
the joyful strain, and the news, flying from place to place, was
welcomed everywhere.

John Hancock, president of Congress, was the first to sign the
Declaration of Independence, writing his name in large, plain
letters, and saying: "There; John Bull can read my name without
spectacles. Now let him double the price on my head, for this is
my defiance." Then he turned to the other members, and solemnly
added: "We must be unanimous [of one mind]; there must be no pulling
different ways; we must all hang together."

"Yes," said Franklin, quaintly: "we must all hang together, or most
assuredly we shall all hang separately."

We are told that Charles Carroll, thinking his writing looked shaky,
added the words "of Carrollton," so that the king should not be able
to make any mistake as to whose name stood there.

[Illustration: Pennsylvania Statehouse.]

Copies of the Declaration of Independence were promptly sent to
every colony, where it was solemnly read. In Pennsylvania this
reading took place in the yard in front of the statehouse, which
has ever since then been known as Independence Hall. It was there
that the Liberty Bell hung, and pealed out the happy news. When the
tidings reached New York, they were joyfully received by the army,
and the Sons of Liberty pulled down King George's leaden statue.
They later sent it to Connecticut, where patriot women broke it up
and melted it to make bullets for the army.

At the same time, fault began to be found with the name of King's
College, which had been established in New York over twenty years.
But nothing was done till after the war, when the name was changed
to Columbia College.

In the summer of 1776 Howe came into New York Bay with twenty-five
thousand men, and soon after landed on Stat´en Island. In coming to
New York, Howe was carrying out part of a great plan which had been
made to separate the southern from the New England colonies. To do
this, he was to march up the Hudson, while Carleton came south from
Canada by way of Lake Champlain.

This plan was, as you see, very cleverly laid; but it was not so
easy to carry out as the British expected. Although Carleton marched
south and won a victory over Arnold at Valcour (val-coor´) Island,
in Lake Champlain, it was at such a cost that he soon retreated in
haste, instead of pressing on.

Soon after General Howe reached New York Bay, his brother, Lord
Howe, made a proclamation offering pardon to all who would lay down
their arms and promise to obey the king. Next, he sent an officer
to the American camp, with this proclamation in a letter addressed
to "George Washington, Esq." Washington, knowing that he must
uphold the dignity of his country, rightly refused to receive any
letter addressed to him as a private citizen. He said that George
Washington, the Virginia planter, would not be at home to receive
letters until the war was over, and that the general in chief of the
American army could not receive any letters unless they bore the
proper address.

Lord Howe now sent a second missive, addressed to "George
Washington, Esq., etc., etc.;" but Washington also refused that.
Seeing that the American general would not yield, Lord Howe ever
after sent his letters properly directed, although he hated to do
so, because it seemed to acknowledge the new government.

We are told that it was sometime during Washington's sojourn in
New York that the British bribed a man to throw poison into the
general's dish of pease. But, thanks to the warning of a faithful
servant, Washington, although very fond of them, did not eat any,
and thus escaped death.




LXVII. A LADY'S WAY OF HELPING.


While Washington was in New York, Putnam had charge of the troops
on Long Island. Here General Howe suddenly came upon him with
such a large force that Putnam was beaten and forced to retreat.
Washington, who saw the battle of Long Island from a distance, is
reported to have wrung his hands, and to have cried, with tears
running down his cheeks: "My God! what brave fellows I must lose
this day!"

At nightfall, the Americans were intrenched on Brooklyn Heights,
where Howe planned to take the "nest of rebels" by siege. But,
thanks to a fog which rose over the bay, Washington cleverly and
noiselessly drew off these troops, and when the sun rose on the
second day, Howe found that the Americans were all on the other
side of the East River. Knowing that Howe would pursue him, and not
wishing to expose New York city to the enemy's cannon, Washington
began to retreat up the Hudson.

While part of the British army landed near the Battery, the rest,
under Howe himself, crossed the East River higher up, so as to cut
off the retreat of the Americans under Putnam. To prevent this,
Washington stationed troops at the landing at Kips Bay (where East
Thirty-fourth Street now ends), bidding them hold the British at bay
long enough to enable Putnam to retreat. But the Americans fled at
the first fire, although Washington tried to stop them. In his rage
and despair over their cowardice, Washington is said to have flung
his hat on the ground, and bitterly cried: "Are these the men with
whom I am to defend America?"

Still, one man could not hold an army in check; so Washington rode
northward, sending word to Putnam to hurry, and begging Mrs. Murray,
a lady living on a hill near by, to use her woman's wit to detain
the enemy. Mrs. Murray bade her servants prepare refreshments, and
when General Howe rode past her gate, she stepped out to invite him
into her house.

It was a very warm day, the house looked cool and inviting, and Howe
accepted, thinking a few moments' delay would not do any harm. But
the ladies proved so entertaining, and the food they set before the
officers so welcome, that instead of staying only a few moments,
they lingered there several hours. Finally a servant came in and
whispered something to Mrs. Murray, who, rising from her seat,
begged Howe to accompany her to see something which she thought
might interest him.

[Illustration: Hale statue]

We are told that she then led the British general to an upper
window, and pointed out Putnam's army vanishing in the dim distance.
The delay had enabled the Americans to escape to a point higher up,
where they still held Forts Lee and Washington, on either side of
the river.

While the battle of Long Island was raging, Washington, needing
information, sent Nathan Hale, a Yale graduate, into the British
ranks. This brave youth was betrayed by a former friend, and the
British, having taken him captive, condemned him to be hanged as a
spy. This was no more than the young man expected; but they cruelly
refused him a Bible or a minister to prepare for death.

We are told that even his last letters to his mother and betrothed
were torn to pieces before his eyes, as they dragged him off to the
gallows. But as the young patriot stood there, surrounded by foes,
he firmly said: "I regret only that I have but one life to lose for
my country." These noble words are carved on the pedestal of his
statue, which now stands in one of the principal squares of New York
city.

Howe and Clinton were now both in New York, where they were warmly
welcomed by a few persons who were still faithful to King George.
But as they had failed to secure the American army, they soon set
out to pursue Washington, who slowly retreated before them.

Washington did not try to do more than check their advance, because
he knew their ships could sail up the Hudson, across which he had
vainly tried to make a barrier by sinking some old ships. Step by
step, therefore, Washington withdrew until he came to White Plains.
There a battle was fought; but, while the Americans were defeated,
the British retreated on the next day, rather than renew the fight
and lose more men.

Washington had left General Nathanael Greene in charge of Fort
Washington, telling him to forsake it rather than run any risk of
losing his troops. But Greene thought it would be safe to remain
there awhile longer. Unfortunately, however, a traitor gave General
Howe the plans of the place, thus enabling him to surprise and
capture Fort Washington, together with three thousand men.

These soldiers, like many other American prisoners, were sent on
board a rotting ship in New York harbor, where, in the course of
the Revolutionary War, more than eleven thousand men died from bad
food, bad water, and bad air. These victims of British cruelty were
first buried in the mud at low tide, but their remains now rest in
Washington Park, Brooklyn. A memorial monument has also been erected
in their honor in Trinity Church, bearing the inscription: "To those
great and good men who died while imprisoned in this city, for their
devotion to the cause of American Independence." This honor was
well deserved, for soldiers who die of disease or in captivity are
just as likely to be heroes as those who fall on the battlefield.

Washington, seeing his fort taken, now went to Hack´en-sack, sending
orders to General Charles Lee to cross the Hudson and join him in
New Jersey. But instead of obeying promptly, Lee delayed so long
that, as you will soon see, he hampered Washington greatly. The
British, in the meantime, crossed the river, and Greene was obliged
to leave Fort Lee in hot haste. Indeed, the enemy were so near that
they found the soup pots still boiling on the fire, and merrily ate
the dinner which was to have been served for the Americans.

Still faithful to his plan to worry and check the British, without
meeting them in open battle, Washington now slowly retreated across
New Jersey. We are told that he often left a place as the enemy came
in; and because he thus imitated the tactics of a Roman general, you
will often hear him called the "American Fā´bi-us."

Corn-wal´lis, the British general now in charge, pursued the
Americans as fast as he could, in order to force them to meet him
in pitched battles. But while the armies were often close enough
to hear the music of each other's bands, and there were many small
skirmishes, no real battle took place.

In one of these small engagements the wads used in loading the
guns gave out. The chaplain of the regiment, who hated the British
because they had cruelly shot his wife and baby, rushed into a
church, tore up some hymn books, and, carrying the leaves to the
soldiers for wads, said: "Give 'em Watts, boys! Give 'em Watts!"




LXVIII. CHRISTMAS EVE.


While retreating before Cornwallis, Washington kept sending stern
orders to Lee to hasten and join him, so that their combined forces
could be used against the British. But Lee did not obey, and came
on very slowly. Indeed, he said freely that he did not consider
Washington a good general, and often boasted that if _he_ were only
at the head of the army the war would soon be over.

Lee was in a little inn in New Jersey, writing a letter to General
Gates expressing his opinion of Washington, when he was suddenly
surrounded by the British and made a prisoner. Without giving him
time to change his dressing-gown and slippers, or get into his
uniform, the British bore him off in triumph, thinking they had
taken the most clever of all the American generals. But Lee was
really no loss, and his army, having fortunately gone on ahead,
joined Washington sooner without a general than it would have done
had Lee been there.

Many of the Americans now fancied, like the British, that since Lee
was a prisoner their mainstay was gone. Besides, the British began
to threaten to illtreat Lee, and as the Americans held no British
generals as prisoners, they could not offer an exchange. Knowing
this, a Rhode Island officer named Barton made a bold plan.

He had heard that the British General Prescott was quartered on the
seashore not very far from Newport. Taking a party of forty brave
seamen and soldiers, he rowed with muffled oars right through the
British fleet, one dark night. Then a sentinel was noiselessly
killed, and the small force surrounded the house where Prescott lay
asleep. A moment later the Americans burst into his bedroom, bore
him off half clothed to their boats, and, rowing away in safety,
sent word to the British that Prescott should receive just the same
treatment that they gave Lee. Nine months later an exchange was
made, and Lee and Prescott went back to their posts (1778).

In the meantime Washington still avoided a battle, and retreated
to the Delaware. There, having cleverly secured every boat within
a hundred miles, he took his army over the river. When the British
came up, not a single boat was to be had; so they camped near the
stream, thinking it would soon freeze hard enough to allow them to
cross on the ice and seize Philadelphia.

This was a time of great trial for the Americans, and Washington was
the only man who did not despair. Still, the British had set a price
upon his head, and were loudly boasting that they would soon hang
him. Speaking of this, Washington once told his friend Joseph Reed:
"My neck does not feel as though it were made for a halter." Then he
added that if things came to the worst they would have to retreat
into Virginia, or even over the Alleghanies, but that they must
never give up the struggle they had begun.

Congress, fearing the British would carry out their plan and seize
Philadelphia, now hastily withdrew to Baltimore. But before leaving,
Samuel Adams wrote: "Let America exert her own strength, and He
who cannot be indifferent to her righteous cause will even work
miracles, if necessary, to establish her feet upon a rock."

Washington, as we have seen, was very prudent; but he was not
lacking in courage. Seeing that the British forces were scattered,
he now thought it a fine chance to win a victory, which would
rekindle the ardor of his men and give new courage to all the nation.

[Illustration:

     _Emanuel Leutze, Artist._

Washington crossing the Delaware.]

He therefore planned to surprise the Hessians at Trenton by crossing
the river, in spite of huge cakes of floating ice which nearly
blocked it. Marblehead fishermen were put in charge of the boats,
and such was their skill and daring that they took twenty-four
hundred men safely over. This crossing of the Delaware on Christmas
night (1776) was one of the most daring feats ever performed.
Besides, the men were only half clad, and so badly shod that they
left bloody footprints in the snow; and the cold was so intense that
night, that two of their number were actually frozen to death.

In spite of drifting snow and driving wind, Washington's force
marched bravely on, and surprised the Hessians at Trenton. The
wounded commander, Rahl, was forced to surrender, and his whole
army was seized. We are told that the Hessian soldiers had been so
busy keeping Christmas that they were all half drunk, and that Rahl
himself was too absorbed in a game of cards to read a note sent to
warn him of his peril. Thinking it a matter of no importance, he
thrust it into his pocket unread, and thus he and his men fell into
Washington's hands.

The news of the victory of Trenton filled the hearts of the
Americans with great joy, but it proved a bitter disappointment to
Cornwallis. Fancying the war all over, he had packed his trunks and
gone on board a vessel to return to England. But now General Howe
sent him back in haste to Trenton to fight Washington. Hedged in
between a river full of floating ice and a large army, it now seemed
as if Washington could not escape.

One evening, therefore, Cornwallis gleefully told one of his
officers that they would "bag the old fox" on the next day. The
officer suggested that it might be better not to postpone it till
the morrow; but Cornwallis answered that this time the Americans
could not escape. That same night, however, Washington took
advantage of the fact that the roads froze hard enough to enable him
to remove his cannon, and slipped away by back roads, leaving his
camp fires burning brightly so as to deceive the enemy. When the
British awoke the next morning, the "old fox" was gone, and sounds
of firing in the direction of Prince´ton soon convinced them that a
battle must be going on there.

Running into Cornwallis's tent, an officer roused him, crying: "To
arms, general! Washington has outgeneraled us. Let us fly to the
rescue of Princeton!" But, notwithstanding all their haste, they
reached Princeton only after the battle--on the present college
grounds--was all over, and the victorious Washington had safely
advanced to Mor´ris-town Heights. This campaign, in the dead of
winter, was so wonderful that it won for Washington the title of
"Savior of his Country," and Frederick the Great of Prussia once
said that it was the most brilliant piece of generalship in the
pages of history.




LXIX. THE FIGHT AT BENNINGTON.


While Washington was spending the rest of the winter at Morristown,
the news of his triumphs reached France. Franklin had been sent
there, in 1776, to secure help, if possible. His reputation as a
man of science, his great talents, and his affable manners made
him a great favorite in Paris, where the fashionable ladies and
gentlemen carried fans and snuffboxes decorated with his portrait.
But although both king and queen received Franklin very graciously,
they would not at first promise him any aid.

A young French nobleman named La-fā-yette´, longing to help the
Americans, now decided to leave his young wife and home. But as the
king forbade him to leave court, he secretly embarked upon a vessel
he fitted out himself, and crossed the Atlantic. Then, as soon as
he landed, he went straight to Congress and offered to serve the
United States without pay. A few days later he met Washington, whose
helper he became, and who soon learned to love him as dearly as if
he had been his own son.

[Illustration: Washington and Lafayette.]

Several other illustrious foreigners came in the same way to fight
for America and freedom. The bravest among them were the Germans De
Kalb´ and Steu´ben, and the Poles Pu-las´kĭ and Kos-ci-us´ko. It is
said that when Kosciusko first presented himself, and was asked what
he could do, he briefly answered: "Try me." This reply so pleased
Washington that he made the young man his aid-de-camp.

Washington's victories at Trenton and Princeton, and his return
toward New York, could not divert Howe from his purpose to secure
Philadelphia. When summer came on, therefore, he set out with his
fleet to take that city. Washington began retracing his steps,
and, knowing that Howe could not sail up the Delaware,--which
was defended by forts,--went to meet him at Chadds Ford on the
Bran´dy-wine (1777). Here a battle was fought, and not only were the
Americans defeated, but Lafayette was sorely wounded.

Although beaten, Washington's army retreated in good order to
Philadelphia, which was soon taken by Howe and the British forces.
Hoping to drive them away, Washington surprised them, one morning,
at Germantown. Here he would have won a brilliant victory, had not a
dense fog made two divisions of his men shoot each other before they
discovered their mistake, thus creating a panic.

As there was nothing to be gained by fighting with exhausted troops,
Washington now withdrew, and before long went to Valley Forge for
the winter. Meanwhile, Howe attacked the forts on either side of the
Delaware River. One of these held out bravely for six days, refusing
to surrender until it had been battered to pieces. Then, as one fort
alone could not check the British fleet, the second surrendered also.

Hoping to damage some of the British vessels at Philadelphia, the
patriots made rude torpedoes, which were placed inside of small kegs
and sent floating down the river. One of these engines struck a cake
of ice and exploded, and the British, thus warned of danger, shot at
every floating object they saw, thus waging what has been called in
fun the "Battle of the Kegs."

The British, having nothing else to do, now settled down comfortably
in Philadelphia, where they lived on the very best of everything.
They spent most of their time giving balls and parties, and grew so
fat and lazy that, as Franklin wittily said, "Howe has not taken
Philadelphia so much as Philadelphia has taken Howe." This remark
proved true, for although the plan had been that Howe should march
northward, he was delayed by Washington until it was almost too
late. Besides, we are told that the British general never received
positive orders to go north, for the paper, being badly written, was
laid aside to be copied, and forgotten until too late.

Meanwhile the British again tried to carry out their plan of
invading New York from Canada. This time, while one army started
from Lake Ontario for the Mo´hawk valley, Burgoyne came southward
up Lake Champlain, with British and Indian troops, and took Forts
Ticonderoga and Edward. This was considered a great victory in
England, and when King George heard that Ticonderoga was taken, he
clapped his hands and shouted: "I have beat them! I have beat all
the Americans!"

This was not true, however. But General Schuȳ´ler, sent to oppose
Burgoyne, had so small a force that all he could do was to hinder
the enemy's advance by cutting down trees and destroying bridges.

The king's advisers had told Burgoyne to hire Indians to help him,
and in spite of all he could do to prevent it, these savage allies
fought with their usual cruelty. They even killed and scalped Jane
McCreā, a beautiful young lady, who, it is said, was on her way to
meet a British officer to whom she was engaged. When this man saw
her long golden locks among the scalps the Indians brought back, he
left the army, and spent the rest of his life alone, mourning for
his betrothed.

After taking the two forts, Burgoyne, hearing that there were cannon
and stores at Ben´ning-ton, Vermont, sent part of his German troops
thither to secure them. But when his men drew near this place, they
found it ably defended by General Stark.

Even as a boy, this American patriot had always shown great courage
and presence of mind. Once, when a prisoner of the Indians, and
forced to run the gantlet. Stark snatched a club from one of his
captors, and struck right and left with such vigor that he dealt
more blows than he received. Later on, he also did many brave deeds
during the French and Indian wars.

When the Germans drew near Bennington, Stark led his men against the
foe, crying: "There they are, boys! We beat them to-day or Molly
Stark's a widow." The men, fired by his example, fought so bravely
that they soon won a signal victory. As Washington said, this was a
"grand stroke," for the Germans were almost all captured or killed,
while only a few of the Americans were lost.

We are told that one old man had five sons in this battle. On the
morrow, a neighbor, wishing to break the news of one son's death,
gently said: "One of your sons has been unfortunate." "Did he run
away or neglect his duty?" the father asked quickly. "No; worse
than that! He has fallen, but while fighting bravely." "Ah!" said
the father, "then I am satisfied!" For the old man was such a good
patriot that he was quite willing his sons should die for their
country, and considered that only traitors and cowards needed pity.




LXX. BURGOYNE'S SURRENDER.


The victory at Bennington not only saved the American cannon and
supplies from the hands of the foe, but enabled Stark and the Green
Mountain Boys to get between Burgoyne and Canada. They thus cut him
off from all help from the north, whence he expected both food and
ammunition for his men.

While Burgoyne was thus between Generals Schuyler and Stark, St.
Lěġ´er, another British general, was coming along the Mohawk valley
to join Burgoyne at Albany. On his way, however, he stopped to
besiege Fort Stan´wix, or Schuyler. Eight hundred volunteers set out
to reinforce the garrison, but on the way thither, at O-ris´ka-ny,
they were surprised by the Indian chief Brant. Their leader,
General Her´ki-mer, mortally wounded in the very beginning of the
engagement, bade his men place him under a tree, and then bravely
said: "Now, go and fight. I will face the enemy." In spite of pain,
he calmly lighted his pipe, and, while smoking, directed his troops
with such vigor that before long the Indians were routed.

The garrison at Fort Stanwix, hearing shots in the forest, made a
brave sortie, in which they captured five flags from St. Leger.
These they hoisted above their fort, upside down, putting above them
all a new flag made from pieces of a soldier's old shirt, a blue
jacket, and a red flannel petticoat. Although fashioned from such
queer materials, this flag bore thirteen alternate red and white
stripes, and in a blue field in one corner was a wreath of thirteen
white stars, the number of the United States. This was the new
American flag suggested by Washington--whose coat of arms bore stars
and stripes--and adopted by Congress in June, 1777.

But while the patriots thus fashioned a rude flag in the wilderness,
and were the first to fight under this emblem, it was Mrs. Ross,
of Philadelphia, who made the first American flag of this kind, in
June, 1777.

When Schuyler heard of Herkimer's brave stand, and of the bold
sortie from Fort Stanwix, he bade Arnold go and relieve the fort.
Fearing that his force might not prove strong enough, Arnold made
use of a trick. He told one of the prisoners, a half-witted lad,
that he should be free if he would only do exactly as he was bidden.
The lad agreed, and, clad in torn garments, ran to St. Leger's camp,
loudly shouting, "The Americans are coming!" Of course the British
and Indians crowded around him, and when the idiot was asked how
many men were on the way, he answered by pointing mysteriously to
the leaves on the trees overhead. This strange behavior made St.
Leger believe that a large force was advancing, and created such a
panic among his men that, in spite of all he could do, they beat a
hasty retreat.

As St. Leger had gone back, and Howe had not come up the Hudson,
Burgoyne was left entirely alone in the heart of the enemy's
country. Schuyler was therefore on the point of winning a glorious
victory, after all his hard work, when Congress suddenly bade him
give up his command to General Gates. Although wounded to the quick
by this order, Schuyler was too noble a man to show any anger.
He gallantly said, "The country before everything," and asked
permission of Gates to serve as an officer under him, since he could
no longer command.

Burgoyne was surrounded, and seeing that he must fight, he advanced
toward the American position on Be´mis Heights, near which the first
battle of Săr-a-tō´ga took place. But night came on before it was
over, and for more than two weeks the armies stood face to face,
watching each other closely, yet not daring to risk a new battle.
Finally, seeing that he must fight, starve, or retreat, Burgoyne
marched out again, to face the Americans in what is known as the
battle of Still´wa-ter.

Daniel Morgan and his sharpshooters, posted behind trees, carefully
singled out the bravest men, and shot them with unerring aim.
Indeed, such was their skill that it is said Morgan's riflemen could
"toss up an apple and shoot all the seeds out of it as it fell."

Chief among the British officers on that day was General Fra´ser,
who, when urged to take a less exposed position, simply replied:
"My duty forbids me to fly from danger." Even while he was speaking
thus, Morgan pointed him out to one of his best marksmen, saying:
"That gallant officer is General Fraser. I admire and honor him; but
he must die. Stand among those bushes, and do your duty." These
orders were so promptly carried out that a moment later Fraser lay
among the dead.

Arnold had been unjustly deprived of his command, but he could not
keep out of the fray. Dashing to the front, he led the advance with
his usual bravery, and forced his way into the British camp. But as
he reached it he fell wounded in the same leg which had suffered at
Quebec. His men tenderly bore him off the field of battle, where he
had won a victory while General Gates was lingering in his tent.

During the battle, some women and children who were with the British
army crouched in terror in the cellar of a neighboring house,
listening to the shriek of the cannon balls overhead. The wounded
in this building clamored for water, until, knowing the men would
perish if they ventured out, a soldier's wife marched boldly down
to the river. She did this several times, in full view of the
Americans, who admired her courage and let her alone.

The battle had raged so fiercely that Burgoyne retreated to
Saratoga, where he held a council of war to determine whether he
should surrender. In the midst of his talk, an eighteen-pound cannon
ball passed right over the table where he and his officers sat, so
they quickly and wisely concluded that it was high time to give up
(1777). The British soldiers, therefore, laid down their arms, and
the Americans marched into their camp playing "Yankee Doodle," the
tune they had adopted as a national air.

We are told that Burgoyne, on handing Gates his sword in token of
surrender, proudly remarked: "The fortune of war, General Gates,
has made me your prisoner"; to which Gates answered, as he gave it
back: "I shall always be ready to bear testimony that it has not
been through any fault of your Excellency." Later on, touched by the
courtesy of Schuyler, whose house he had burned down, Burgoyne said:
"You show me much kindness, though I have done you much injury."
"That was the fate of war," said Schuyler, kindly; "let us say no
more about it."

[Illustration: Burgoyne's Surrender.]




LXXI. THE WINTER AT VALLEY FORGE.


Although Gates received all the credit at first, the two battles of
Saratoga were really won by Schuyler, Morgan, and Arnold. Burgoyne's
surrender proved the turning point of the Revolutionary War, so
the fight at Saratoga is known as one of the decisive battles of
the world. Not only did it end the British plan of separating New
England from the Southern States, but it made the French promise
to help the Americans openly. It also gave King George such a
fright that he even offered to let the Americans send members to
Parliament, if they would lay down their arms and promise to obey
him.

But this offer, which would have more than satisfied the colonists
a short time before, came too late. They had suffered so much that
they were not willing to give up what they had won and again become
subject to a king who, like those who had come before him, might
at any time change his mind or break his promises. Besides, they
remembered only too clearly that, after granting charters, kings had
often taken them away again, and so they decided to keep on fighting
until the matter was settled once for all.

The news of the victory at Saratoga created a great sensation in
Paris, where the French had been waiting to see how things turned
out before they openly sided with the Americans. The king now not
only acknowledged the independence of the United Colonies of America
(1778), but made a treaty of friendship and commerce with them, and
soon sent a fleet to help them fight the British.

This happy turn of affairs was mainly brought about by Franklin, who
for the past two years had been making as many friends for America
as he could. Every one admired him for his learning and good nature,
and the French minister Turgot (tur-go´) once proposed his health,
saying: "He snatched a thunderbolt from heaven, and the scepter from
the hand of the tyrant!"

But Franklin--who had a keen sense of humor, and, like all really
great men, was very modest--smiled, and quaintly answered that while
he appreciated the kindness of the speech, he was obliged to confess
that not only had he left thunder in the clouds,--just where he had
found it,--but that more than one million of his countrymen had
helped him snatch the scepter from the hands of the tyrant!

News traveled so slowly in those days that it took months before
Franklin heard of Burgoyne's surrender, and before Washington and
Howe received word that the French were going to help the colonies
openly. These months were full of hardships for all the Americans,
for while the men were away fighting, the heroic women were obliged
to do their work too.

[Illustration: At Valley Forge.]

Washington's army, as we have seen, had encamped at Valley Forge,
where the soldiers lived in rude log huts. They were without proper
food or clothes, and cowered miserably over camp fires, for which
they had to carry wood on their backs from neighboring forests.
Even General Washington had but one room, and lived on cabbage and
potatoes, with a few hickory nuts for dessert from time to time.

His heart was wrung at the sight of his men's sufferings, and
as soon as his wife joined him at Valley Forge, he begged her
to work as hard as she could to supply the men with stockings.
Mrs. Washington's own knitting needles now flew faster than ever;
besides, she interested all her friends in the work, and every day
visited the soldiers' quarters, carrying them the stout garments
thus secured. But provisions grew so scarce that Washington had to
send all the women home, and Mrs. Washington again withdrew to Mount
Vernon, where she lived as economically as possible, working day and
night for her husband and the army.

As if matters were not bad enough already, some of the officers now
formed a plot to take the command away from Washington, and put
Gates at the head of the army in his stead. This plot, known as the
Conway cabal, was headed by a man named Conway, to whom Washington
had been particularly kind, but who was angry because he had not
been promoted as fast as he wished.

The question was brought before Congress at Baltimore, where,
hearing that there was danger of Washington's being dismissed for
lack of a vote, Du´er, one of his friends, although ill in bed,
determined to go to the meeting. His doctor, however, said that if
he did so it would be at the risk of his life. "Do you mean I should
expire before reaching the place?" asked Duer. "No; but I should not
answer for your leaving it alive," answered the doctor. Hearing
this, the good man firmly said: "Very well, sir; you have done your
duty; now I will do mine." Then he called for a litter to carry him
to Congress.

Luckily for him, some of Washington's friends came back in time to
prevent his leaving his sick room. But better still for the welfare
of our country, the Conway plot failed, and Washington remained at
the head of the army. Conway had been so ungrateful that he was
forced to leave the country, where people despised him for the mean
part he had played.

All these trials wrung Washington's noble heart, and as he had no
privacy in his headquarters, he sometimes rode out alone to think. A
Quaker, hearing a noise in the bushes, once stole up cautiously, and
found the general's horse tied to a tree. A few feet farther away,
he beheld Washington kneeling in the snow, praying aloud for his
country, with great tears streaming down his cheeks. The good Quaker
crept away again unseen, but in telling the story some years later,
he remarked that he felt at the time that the Lord could not but
answer the fervent prayer of so good a man.




LXXII. THE QUAKER WOMAN.


The British quartered in Philadelphia were leading an easy and
merry life; but several times during the winter Howe made plans to
surprise Washington's troops. To his dismay, however, his plans
always seemed known to the Americans, and therefore failed. Afraid
that some spy might overhear him, Howe once held a secret meeting
at night in the house of a Quaker woman, named Lydia Darrah. To make
sure that he should not be overheard, he bade her go to bed, and see
that all her family retired likewise.

Lydia obeyed, and the general, thinking all was safe, explained his
plan to his officers. But the Quaker woman had noiselessly slipped
out of her room again, and was now standing at the door listening to
all that was said. As soon as the talk was over she crept back to
her room, and when the officers had all gone, Howe called her, as
agreed, to lock the door behind him. But she pretended to be sound
asleep, and let him knock at her door three times before she rose,
yawning, to show him out.

The next day, Lydia, who had not dared breathe a word of what she
had heard to any one, said she was out of flour, and got a pass to
go and buy some at a village near by. Meeting a patriot there, she
quickly warned him of Washington's peril, and then quietly went home.

The next day Howe crossly said to her: "It is very strange; you, I
know, were asleep, for I knocked at your door three times before you
heard me; yet it is certain we were betrayed. On arriving, we found
Washington so prepared at every point that we have been compelled
to march back without injuring our enemy, like a parcel of fools."
Lydia heard this without making a sign, and not till the war was
over did it become known that it was she who had saved the army.

Besides the American patriots, foreigners were helping Washington
with all their might. Among these was the Prussian officer, Baron
Steuben, who knew no English, and therefore brought over an
interpreter with him. According to one story, this interpreter
made an idle bet to kiss the first Yankee girl he met. Landing at
Portsmouth, this man won his wager by stepping up to a pretty girl,
bowing politely, and begging permission to kiss her, saying: "Before
leaving my native land to fight for American freedom, I made a vow
to ask, in earnest of victory, a kiss from the first lady I should
meet." The story adds that the young lady accepted the kiss, saying
she could not refuse so small a favor to a man who had come to
fight, and if necessary, to die, for her country.

Steuben joined Washington at Valley Forge, and there began to drill
the troops, so they could meet the British on an equal footing. At
first the German officer was shocked by their lack of discipline,
and swore at them in every language he knew; sometimes he even
called to his interpreter: "Come and swear for me in English; these
fellows will not do what I bid them."

You see, soldiers in those days thought it manly to swear; and as
Baron Steuben had been accustomed to European soldiers, who obeyed
without a question, it took him some time to grow used to Americans,
who, as he said, had to be told, "This is the reason why you ought
to do that," before they would obey. Still, he soon taught our men
to fight like old and trained soldiers.

The winter the troops spent at Valley Forge was one of the coldest
ever seen, and therefore the soldiers' sufferings were very great.
But with the spring, hope revived, for the news of the coming French
fleet made the British leave Philadelphia to defend New York.

General Howe having gone back to England for his health, it was
Clinton who conducted this retreat. Leaving the camp at Valley
Forge, Washington pursued him across New Jersey, planning to engage
him in a battle at Mon´moŭth (1778).

Here Lee, who had been exchanged for Prescott, and was again in
command, disobeyed orders, and bade his men retreat. Warned by
Lafayette, Washington came up just in time to check this movement,
and, dashing up to Lee, hotly asked what his disobedience meant.
Lee answered: "These men cannot face the British grenadiers." But
Washington exclaimed: "They can do it, and they shall!" He was
right; the men could, and did, face the enemy bravely. But precious
time had been lost, and instead of winning a victory, the Americans
only managed to stand their ground.

[Illustration: Molly Pitcher.]

During the battle, Molly Pitcher, a gunner's wife, carrying a pail
of water to her husband, saw him fall. She immediately rushed
forward, took his place, and, loading his cannon, fired it as
quickly and well as he. In reward for filling her husband's place
that day, Congress paid her a small pension, and the soldiers, who
admired her pluck, ever after called her "Major Molly."

When darkness came on, the fight ceased, and Washington flung
himself down to rest. During the night an officer drew softly near,
and the general quickly bade him advance and deliver his message,
saying: "I lie here to think, and not to sleep." Washington's
thoughts were busy, for now he could no longer doubt that Charles
Lee was a traitor. Indeed, he foresaw what soon happened--that Lee
would be dismissed from the army in disgrace. In fact, Lee, who had
tried to harm the American cause, was never allowed to serve his
country again, and had to withdraw to Virginia. There he lived a
loveless and solitary life, in a house whose only partitions were
chalk lines across the floor.




LXXIII. PUTNAM'S ADVENTURES.


On the morrow of the battle of Monmouth, Washington found that
Clinton had withdrawn his army so as to avoid a second battle.
The British were now well on their way to New York, so Washington
could no longer hope to overtake them. To hem them in, however, he
stretched a line of American troops all the way from Morristown to
West Point.

But Washington had to abandon his plan for seizing New York with
the help of the French fleet, because the vessels drew too much
water to be able to cross the bar. As the fleet could not reach
New York, it made an attempt to seize Newport. Here it was met by
British ships; but before a battle could take place, a sudden storm
scattered both fleets, and caused so much damage that they had to
refit.

When Clinton saw that Washington had drawn a close line about him in
New Jersey, he tried to force the American general to break it by
attacking the towns in Connecticut. But Washington would not stir,
for he knew that General Israel Putnam, in charge of the forces
there, was well able to look out for himself. As this Putnam is one
of the heroes of the Revolutionary War, it will interest you to hear
a few stories about him, which all Americans should know.

We are told that, even as a lad, Putnam was famous for his courage.
Once, when a wolf caused great damage in his neighbors' herds, he
determined to kill it. But the wolf withdrew into its den, where it
could be reached only by crawling along through a narrow passage.
As the creature could neither be smoked nor starved out, Putnam
offered to go in and kill it. Tying a rope to his foot, he bade his
companions pull him out when they felt the rope twitch, or heard a
shot. Then he crawled along the passage on his stomach, carefully
holding his gun. At the end of a few minutes he came to a place
where the passage widened a little, and there, in the darkness,
he saw the yellow gleam of the big wolf's eyes! Putnam raised his
gun, shot, and was dragged out by his companions in such haste that
his clothes were actually torn off his back, and his skin somewhat
scraped.

Determined to know whether the old wolf was dead, Putnam, at the
end of a few minutes, again crept into the den. When his companions
obeyed the twitch of the rope a few minutes later, and drew him out
a second time, they thought he was very heavy; but when he got out
they found he was dragging by the leg the biggest gray wolf they had
ever seen!

Putnam had taken part in the last French and Indian War. The year
after the French took and destroyed Fort William Henry, he was with
a British army that encamped on the same ground; and when this army
advanced to attack Ticonderoga, his company led the way. While they
were thus marching through the woods, the French surprised them;
and had it not been that Rogers came to their rescue with more men,
Putnam and his detachment would have fallen. At another time, we are
told, Fort Edward took fire, and the powder magazine was in great
danger. But Putnam fought the flames inch by inch, putting them
out barely in time to prevent the explosion of the whole store of
ammunition.

During this French and Indian War Putnam once volunteered to mount
guard at a place where the sentinel was always found dead in the
morning. While watching there, he heard a strange noise in the
bushes, and saw what he took in the darkness for a wild pig or a
bear. He fired at it without a moment's delay, and, on drawing near,
found he had killed an Indian, who, covered by a bearskin, and
imitating the actions of an animal, had always managed to get near
enough to the sentinels to kill them.

Another time, when Putnam and Rogers were sent to recapture some
baggage wagons, the latter spent the noon hour in target practice,
although warned it was dangerous. The Indians, guided by the sound
of firing, fell upon the British unawares, and seizing Putnam bound
him to a tree.

For a while Putnam found himself between the fire of his own party
and that of the Indians; and when the latter were driven from the
battlefield, they took him away with them. After torturing him in
many ways, breaking his jaw and cutting open his cheek, the Indians
tied him to a tree and began to roast him alive.

The fire was raging around him when a sudden and violent shower put
it out. But as soon as the rain was over the savages rekindled it.
They would have succeeded in roasting Putnam alive, had not a French
officer come up just then, rushed into the fire, cut him loose, and
thus saved him from a horrible death.

Burned, gashed, disfigured, and bowed down by weakness, Putnam was
taken to Montreal, where the other prisoners were careful not to
tell who he was. So the French, thinking him a poor old man who
would never have the strength to fight again, gladly exchanged him
for one of their captive soldiers.

Putnam then went on fighting again till the war was over. He took
an active part in the capture of Montreal in 1760, and in that of
Havana two years later.

A British general once showed him a French vessel on Lake Ontario,
saying it must be destroyed. Putnam immediately volunteered to
destroy it, and rowing out in the dark, he secretly drove wedges
behind the rudder. As the vessel could no longer obey its helm, it
was soon driven ashore and wrecked.




LXXIV. INDIAN CRUELTY.


The French and Indian War ended, Putnam resumed work on his
Connecticut farm. At the time of the Stamp Act trouble he and some
of his fellow-citizens visited the house of one of the men who had
stamped paper for sale. They told him he must not sell a single
sheet of it; and when he objected that he must mind the king, Putnam
declared that if he dared disobey them his house would "be level
with the dust in five minutes."

[Illustration: Putnam's Ride.]

You have already seen how quick Putnam was to respond to the call
when the patriots flew to arms. Ever since the beginning of the
war he had been equally active. Called upon to meet the British in
Connecticut, with but very few men, Putnam nevertheless managed to
hamper their movements greatly.

On one occasion he found himself almost surrounded by the British.
Calling to his companions to save themselves, he drew off the
British soldiers, who hotly pursued him. With the enemy on three
sides of him, and a frightfully steep and rocky slope on the other,
it seemed quite impossible that Putnam should escape. But he boldly
drove his spurs into his steed, rode safely down the stone steps at
Horse´neck, and as none of the British dared follow him, he thus
managed to get away.

Hearing that the British were burning farmhouses and villages in
Connecticut, Washington fancied it might be a good plan to strike a
blow which would frighten them and make them come back. He therefore
planned to storm Stony Point, a place on the Hudson, where the
British were building a new fort.

Sending for Anthony Wayne, an officer who was so brave and daring
that his men generally called him "Mad Anthony," Washington told
him what he wanted. The young man, devoted to Washington, promptly
cried: "I'll storm hell, general, if you will only plan it!" The
patriotic young soldier's answer was so well meant that Washington,
who never swore himself, and generally reproved his men when they
did so, merely smiled on this occasion, and quietly said: "Hadn't we
better try Stony Point first?"

The Americans, with guns unloaded and bayonets fixed, drew near the
fort unseen, led by an old negro who often went in and out of the
British camp to sell strawberries. He walked up to the sentinel,
and whispered: "The fort is ours." As this was the password,
the soldier began to chat with him, and thus did not notice the
Americans creeping up behind him until they seized and gagged him.

[Illustration: The Capture of Stony Point.]

The patriots thus got halfway up the hill before the alarm was
given and firing began. Although one of the first shots wounded Mad
Anthony, he bade his men carry him, and, cheering his soldiers on,
led the way into the fort. Taken by surprise, the British lost many
men and their new fort, and at two o'clock in the morning Wayne
wrote to Washington: "The fort and garrison, with Colonel Johnson,
are ours. Our officers and men behaved like men who are determined
to be free." This charge at Stony Point (1779) is considered one of
the most brilliant deeds of the Revolutionary War, and the place
where it occurred is often visited.

When war first broke out the British hired many Indians to fight for
them. While the two main armies were busy in New Jersey, southern
New York, and Connecticut, people living in northern New York, and
all along the western frontier, were in constant danger. Led by a
man named Butler, some Tories--friends of the king--and many Indians
suddenly appeared in the Wy-o´ming Valley, in Pennsylvania. Here
they cruelly murdered men, women, and children. We are even told
that a cruel soldier once ran his bayonet through a tiny baby, and
tossed it out of its cradle, saying it was a rebel also!

Not satisfied with one raid of this kind, the Indians soon made a
second one at Cherry Valley, in New York. These massacres roused the
Americans' anger, not only against the Indians, but also against
the British for hiring the help of such cruel allies. Still, it
was only the king and some of his ministers who were to blame for
this, for most Englishmen felt like Burke. When the order had been
given to make use of the Indians, but forbidding them to be cruel,
Burke made a speech in the House of Commons, saying: "Suppose there
was a riot on Tower Hill. What would the keeper of his Majesty's
lions do? Would he not fling open the dens of the wild beasts,
and then address them thus: 'My gentle lions, my humane bears,
my tender-hearted hyenas, go forth! But I exhort you, as you are
Christians and members of civilized society, to take care not to
hurt any man, woman, or child!'"

To punish the Indians for the massacres at Wyoming Valley and Cherry
Valley, General Sul´li-van now marched into the Indian territory,
where he burned more than forty villages. He also killed so many
warriors that the Indians in that part of the country never again
dared rise up against the Americans.

The Indian war not only raged in the northeast, but extended even
into what is now Ken-tuck´y. Although there were but very few
settlers there then, many of these were slain. To put an end to
Indian raids, General George Rogers Clark of Virginia marched
northward, hoping to conquer all the land between the Ohio, the
Lakes, and the Mississippi.

[Illustration: Clark's March.]

Although his army was small, it was composed of brave men, used
to the woods and to the Indian way of fighting. They followed him
boldly through the wilderness, fording rivers and streams. We are
told that they once came to water so deep that their little drummer
boy, seeing it would rise above his head, used his drum as a raft,
begging the tallest soldier to steer him safely across.

Marching thus from point to point, Clark's forces took all the forts
in the Illinois country; but as he had few men, he could not send
fair-sized garrisons to all. Some time after Vin-cennes´ submitted,
a large British force appeared to capture it, and loudly commanded
the American officer there to surrender. After some parley, this man
consented to do so, provided he and his garrison were allowed to
march out with all the honors of war.

The British officer granted this request; but imagine his surprise
and anger when he saw the officer march out, followed by only one
man! These two composed the whole garrison, and could boast that
they had held the fort of Vincennes against a force of eight hundred
men. When Clark heard what had happened, he marched over with a
large force and recaptured the fort.




LXXV. BOONE IN KENTUCKY.


As you have heard, the land south of the Ohio suffered much from
Indian raids. This part of the country had already been the scene of
so many Indian battles that it well deserved the name of Kentucky,
or the "dark and bloody ground." Six years before the Revolutionary
War began, Daniel Boone, a hardy pioneer, first crossed the
Alleghany Mountains and came into this beautiful region. Seeing the
tall forest trees and plentiful game, he thought it would be a good
place to live in.

After wandering about it for months, and escaping from the hands
of some Indians who had taken him captive, Boone made up his mind
to settle there. He therefore went back to North Carolina for
his wife and daughter, and, with his brother and several other
pioneers, returned to Kentucky where he formed a settlement called
Boones´bor-o (1775). Like all pioneer villages, this was merely a
collection of a few log huts, surrounded by a tall palisade to serve
as a rampart against Indian attacks.

Boone's daughter and two younger girls, little suspecting danger,
once went out in a canoe to pick flowers along the banks of a
stream. Suddenly several Indians sprang out of a thicket, seized
them, and bore them off into the woods. While the younger girls
cried helplessly, Boone's daughter, seeing it was of no use to
struggle, quietly followed her captor. But she took care to leave
the print of her shoe here and there where the soil was damp, to
break twigs of bushes, and to fasten shreds of her dress to the
briers along the way, so that her tracks could be followed.

As soon as the girls' capture was discovered, Boone and six other
men set out in pursuit. Thanks to the girl's clever way of marking
her passage, they soon came to where the savages were camping in the
woods. Creeping up stealthily, the white men noiselessly got between
the children and the Indians, for they knew the latter would kill
and scalp their captives at the first alarm. The Indians, suddenly
finding themselves in danger, hastily fled, leaving captives and
weapons behind them.

In the third year of the Revolutionary War, some Indians, hired
by the British to make war along the frontier, came to attack
Boonesboro. But the place was so gallantly defended by the settlers
that they could not get in. They vainly directed a steady fire
against the palisades for some time, and then withdrew to a short
distance to rest.

The settlers, who had very little powder within the palisade, were
anxious to secure a keg full of powder that was standing in a hut
near by. Still, they knew that if a man ventured out, the Indians
would probably kill him, and they did not feel that they could spare
a single one. A brave girl, Elizabeth Zane, therefore insisted
upon going, for she said they could easily get along without her,
although they needed all the men.

[Illustration: Elizabeth Zane brings Powder.]

At her request, the gate was opened, and she sped like an arrow to
the house where the powder had been left. The Indians, astonished at
the sight of a woman running out of the fort, stood perfectly still.
In a few seconds they saw her rush back, her apron full of powder.
Now they understood what it all meant; but it was too late to stop
the brave girl, who had reached the fort in safety. The powder thus
secured saved the settlement; for the Indians, after losing many
men, gave up the siege and went home.

In 1778, while out hunting, Boone was captured by Indians, who
carried him off to Detroit. They were about to kill him when an old
squaw claimed him to take the place of her son who had been slain.
The Indians consented, and Boone was adopted by the squaw, who
pulled out all his hair, except a scalp lock, which she dressed with
feathers in fine Indian style.

Boone now made believe to be quite satisfied to stay with the
Indians; so they took him out hunting every day, giving him only a
certain amount of powder and bullets. Boone was such a good marksman
that he soon found he could kill his game with half a bullet and
less powder. He therefore secretly cut his bullets in two, and
although he brought back a bird, rabbit, or deer for every charge
the savages gave him, he really saved half his ammunition without
their suspecting it.

When he had thus collected enough powder and bullets, Boone stole a
piece of dried meat and some parched corn, and went out hunting, as
usual. But as soon as he got out of sight he began running as hard
as he could. As he ran he hid his traces, so the Indians could not
follow him. Thus he darted along fallen trees, jumped from stone to
stone, ran up and down shallow streams, and once, at least, grasped
a trailing grapevine, and, swinging hard, landed on his feet a long
distance ahead.

The Indians, finding out his escape, soon started to follow him; but
while they were hunting around for his broken tracks, he ran on,
pausing to rest only when his strength gave out. Boone thus reached
the Ohio, where he had the good luck to find a leaky canoe, in
which he paddled across the stream.

Then, for the first time, he used one of the bullets he had saved to
kill a turkey, which he roasted over the first fire he had dared to
light since his escape. Tramping thus all the way from the Indian
camp to Boonesboro, Boone found his home deserted. At first he
thought all his family had been killed; but he soon heard they had
merely gone back to their old home, thinking he was dead.

[Illustration: Boone's Grapevine.]

As he knew the Indians would soon come to attack Boonesboro,
Boone collected about fifty-five men, who helped him repair the
palisade. They were scarcely through their work when more than four
hundred Indians appeared, led by a French officer serving in the
British army. When they bade Boone surrender, he answered: "We are
determined to defend our fort while a man of us lives."

Although the Indians tried to break into the fort, they were driven
back, and their bullets had no effect on the heavy logs of the
palisade. Next they made an attempt to set fire to the fort, but the
flames were quickly quenched; and when they began to tunnel a way
into the place, they were forced to give it up.

Weary of vain attempts, the Indians finally withdrew; and when
they had gone, Boone and his companions picked up a hundred and
twenty-five pounds of bullets, which had fallen harmlessly along the
palisade. Later on, Boone brought his family back to Kentucky; but
the Indians continued to make trouble during the next ten years.
Still, when those dark days were all over, so many settlers came
into Kentucky that Boone declared the place was too crowded for him,
and said he needed more elbow-room.

He therefore removed first to a place near the Great Ka-na´wha, and
then to Missouri, which at that time belonged to Spain. Here he
lived long enough to see many settlers cross the Mississippi. He
was again saying that he felt crowded, and talking of moving still
farther west, when he died, at the age of eighty-five, still hale
and hearty, and a famous hunter and pioneer.




LXXVI. FAMOUS SEA FIGHTS.


While American patriots were busy fighting the British on land,
others, equally brave, were fighting them at sea. As soon as the
war began, Congress gave seamen letters of marque, which were
permissions to attack and seize any British vessel they met.

The bravest and best known of all the American seamen of this time
was John Paul Jones. Although born in Scotland, he adopted this
country for his own, and, when the War of Independence began,
offered his services to Congress. He proved such an able seaman that
in 1777 he was sent to France on an important errand. Although the
French did not give him a large ship, as he had hoped, he boldly
cruised around in a little American vessel called the _Ranger_, on
which he hoisted the first American flag ever seen and saluted at
sea.

Paul Jones sailed boldly along, capturing and sinking English
vessels, and even running into the port of White-ha´ven, where he
tried to burn all the shipping. Then, as his boat was no longer good
enough to continue fighting, he went back to France, in quest of a
long-promised new ship. But after five months' weary delay, he was
still ashore and waiting.

One day he read in "Poor Richard's Almanac": "If you would have
your business done, go; if not, send." This saying seemed so true
that he immediately set out for Paris. There he managed to talk to
the French minister, who again promised him a fine ship. But when
the young seaman saw this craft, five days later, he was sorely
disappointed, for it was both old and clumsy.

Still, any kind of a ship was better than no ship at all; so Paul
Jones named it _Bonhomme Richard_ (bŏ-nŏm´ re-shar´), a French
translation of "Poor Richard." Then he set sail in it, accompanied
by a few smaller vessels, and coasted along the North Sea. There
Jones ran near the shore, where his visits were so dreaded that, we
are told, an old Scotch minister at Kirk-cal´dy once prayed: "Now,
dear Lord, don't you think it a shame for you to send this vile
pirate to rob our folk of Kirkcaldy? You know that they are poor
enough already, and have nothing to spare."

Still, Paul Jones was not so vile a pirate as the old minister
supposed, for whenever he landed for provisions, he paid the poor
people for the food and cattle he took. We are also told that, his
men having once robbed a castle of its silver plate, Jones sent it
all back, eight years later, with a polite note.

But while Jones did not wish to harm the poor, he did want to
damage the British navy as much as he could. He therefore cruised
about until he met the _Se-rā´pis_, a British man-of-war, off
Flam´-bor-ough Head(1779). Here was waged one of the fiercest naval
battles ever fought. Although Jones's ship was afire from the very
beginning, his guns all disabled, the vessel shot away between decks
and slowly sinking, he boldly lashed it fast to the _Serapis_.
While doing so he heard one of his men swear, and turning to him,
quietly said: "Don't swear, sir; in another moment we may all be in
eternity."

[Illustration: The Bonhomme Richard and the Serapis.]

By this time the smoke was so thick that the British captain
could not see whether the American flag had been hauled down. He
therefore shouted: "Have you struck your colors?" But Jones coolly
answered: "I have not yet begun to fight." Such was Jones's pluck
that the British commander finally yielded; but when he gave up his
sword to Paul Jones, he haughtily said: "It is with great reluctance
that I surrender my sword to a man who fights with a halter round
his neck."

Paul Jones gave him back the weapon, politely saying: "Captain
Pearson, you have fought like a hero, and I have no doubt that your
sovereign will reward you for it in the most ample manner." These
words came true, for after Captain Pearson had been duly exchanged,
George III. called him to court and made him a knight.

As the _Bonhomme Richard_ was sinking, Jones transferred his men
and prisoners to the _Serapis_. Then he sadly watched his own ship
settle down and vanish beneath the waves. The _Serapis_ was next
taken to France, where it was discovered that Captain Landais
(lahN-dā´), the French commander of one of the smaller vessels in
Jones's fleet, was insane. Paul Jones and his men had known this for
some time, because Landais had disobeyed orders several times, and
when the _Bonhomme Richard_ was fighting against the _Serapis_, he
had even used his cannon against it instead of attacking the enemy.

The news of Paul Jones's victory caused great rejoicings both in
America and in France, and when the young captain returned to the
latter country, he was invited to court with Franklin. King Louis
XVI. heard Jones's account of the fight, and told him that his
enemy, Captain Pearson had just been knighted, and had received a
new ship. Paul Jones then gayly answered: "Well, he deserved the
honor, and if I meet him in his new ship I'll make a lord of him."

This answer greatly amused the king; but at the same time it showed
that Paul Jones, hero as he was, had one great fault--that of
boasting. When he came back to America, Congress honored him; but
as the young sailor did not think his services were well enough
appreciated in America, he left our country soon after the war was
ended, and went to serve Russia.

Paul Jones was not the only hero on the seas at this time, for we
are told the American privateers captured five hundred British
vessels in three years, secured much booty, and did great harm to
the shipping in several English ports.




LXXVII. THE "SWAMP FOX."


The British had failed not only in their first attempt, against
Boston, but also in their second,--to seize the Hudson valley and
thus separate the southern colonies from New England. But as they
were not yet ready to give up the struggle, they decided to try a
third plan. That was to begin a new campaign in the far south, and
march up the Atlantic coast, leaving nothing but conquered people
behind them.

In 1778, therefore, they began their operations by besieging and
taking Savannah. Soon after, they became masters of Au-gus´ta and of
nearly all Georgia. These successes delighted them, for, with one
province won, they fancied they would soon be masters of all the
rest. Still, before they could do much more, the French fleet under
D'Estaing (des-taN´), and an American army under Lincoln, came to
recover Savannah. While the French were bombarding that city from
their ships, the Americans, led by Pulaski, tried to storm it (1779).

But in spite of a most gallant charge, the patriots were driven back
with great loss. Among the dead was Sergeant Jasper, still holding
the flag given him at Fort Moultrie, and Count Pulaski, the generous
Pole who had joined the army and served under Washington in the
battle of the Brandywine. Both of these men were so brave that their
names will never be forgotten, and in Savannah fine monuments have
been erected in their honor.

[Illustration: Pulaski's Monument in Savannah.]

The first attempt to take Savannah having failed, the French admiral
refused to lend any more aid to the Americans in the South. So
Lincoln, after defending Charleston alone for forty days, was forced
to surrender. The British, coming to the city, exacted such hard
conditions from him that they roused the indignation of all true
Americans. But when the British minister heard that the city was
taken, he proudly cried: "We look on America as at our feet!"

The British now overran the state, behaving most cruelly everywhere.
An officer named Tarle´ton not only burned houses, and beat women
and children, but when some Americans asked for quarter,--that is,
vowed not to fight any more if he would spare their lives,--he broke
his promise and had them all killed. Because he did not keep his
word, the expression "Tarleton's quarter" was used in the South as a
term for immediate death.

Although by Lincoln's surrender one American army was lost, the
patriots were not ready to give up yet, and as soon as another force
was raised, Gates was sent southward to command it. He was so proud
of his victory at Saratoga that he started out full of confidence.
When he stopped, on his way, to visit Lee, the latter, hearing him
boast, quietly remarked: "Take care your northern laurels do not
turn to southern willows."

Unfortunately, however, Gates paid no heed to this warning. Thinking
he would soon force Cornwallis to surrender, he was very imprudent,
and when he met the British at Cam´den, a few months later (1780),
he suffered a defeat instead of winning a victory. We are told that
when he saw the day was lost, Gates turned and fled, never daring
to stop until he had put about eighty miles between himself and his
foes. The German officer De Kalb, who had so generously come to help
the Americans, fought in this battle with great courage, and died
from the eleven wounds he received there. He is buried at Camden,
where a monument marks his resting place. This was the worst battle
for the Americans during the whole war, and it was speedily followed
by the loss of nearly all South Carolina. The only people who still
had courage to fight were a few patriots led by such heroes as
Mār´i-on, Sumter, and Pickens.

The first of these three men was so upright, brave, and gentlemanly
that he has often been compared to a brave French knight, and is
therefore known as the "Bay´ard of the South." Marion and his men
had retreats in the woods and swamps, whence they made sudden raids
upon the British. It seems that the latter, wishing to exchange
prisoners, once sent an officer into one of these hiding places
under a flag of truce. As Marion did not wish the British to learn
the way to his retreat, this officer was blindfolded and led a long
distance. When his bandage was removed, he was surprised to find
himself, not in a fort or house, as he had expected, but in a lonely
spot in the woods. Marion stepped forward, politely offered him a
seat on a log, and, when business was over, cordially invited him to
share his dinner.

The officer was just wondering where his dining room could be, when
one of the ragged soldiers appeared, carrying a piece of bark on
which smoked some sweet potatoes, roasted in the camp fire. Marion
helped his guest to a potato on a chip, and began to eat one himself
with a relish. Of course the British officer immediately followed
his example; but he soon asked whether the American officers often
dined so simply. Marion, the "Swamp Fox," answered, "Yes;" and then
gayly added, "but we are fortunate on this occasion, having company
to entertain, to have more than our usual allowance."

[Illustration: Marion's Dinner.]

The officer, hearing this, suggested that the Americans probably
gave their soldiers big pay to make up for such poor fare and
uncomfortable quarters. But Marion truthfully answered that he
received no salary at all. The astonished officer then asked why he
served such a mean country at all; and the brave young Southerner,
looking him full in the face, proudly remarked that a man was always
ready to do anything for the lady he loved, and that the name of his
sweetheart was Liberty.

The British officer could not but admire such a man and such an
answer. On returning to camp, we are told, he left the service,
saying he would have no share in depriving such brave men as Marion
of the rights due them.




LXXVIII. THE POOR SOLDIERS.


In the meantime things were going very badly in the North. The
winter spent at Valley Forge had, indeed, been hard to bear, but
that which Washington spent at Morristown was in some respects even
worse. Congress, in those days, had no power to tax the people to
raise money, the states were in many cases too poor to supply much,
and it was very difficult to borrow funds abroad, because it was
quite evident that if the Americans were beaten their debts would
never be paid.

Already in 1777 Congress began to issue paper money. Of course it
had no real value of its own, like gold or silver, but was merely a
promise that Congress would some day give the bearer the amount it
called for in real money. As everybody knew that Congress did not
have, and therefore could not give, gold or silver in exchange for
these "continental bills," no one liked to take them in payment for
food or clothing.

To make matters worse, the British printed ever so many bills just
like those issued by Congress, and paper money soon became so nearly
worthless as to give rise to the expression still used, "Not worth
a continental." By this time there was two hundred millions' worth
of this money in circulation, and people gave one hundred and fifty
dollars in bills for a bushel of corn, and several thousand for a
suit of clothes, when they had no silver or gold.

Many times during the Revolutionary War the soldiers, knowing their
families were starving, clamored loudly for their money. As it was
not paid to them, some of them rebelled, and it took all their love
for Washington--the only person whom they really trusted--to hold
the army together. Still, these soldiers were faithful to their
country; for when British spies once came among them, offering gold
if they would only desert, they nobly gave these spies up to their
officers, saying that, while they wanted their dues, they were not
traitors.

The British not only tried to win over the men, but also attempted
to bribe American officers and statesmen. But they failed in this,
too; and when they approached Joseph Reed, he proudly said: "I am
not worth purchasing; but such as I am, the King of Great Britain is
not rich enough to buy me."

Washington always supplied the needs of his men as far as he could;
but as he had been away from Mount Vernon several years now, his
fortune was much smaller than it had been, and as time went on he
had less and less ready money. In despair at his men's sufferings,
he wrote again and again to Congress. Finally he warned Robert
Morris, who had charge of money matters, that it would be impossible
to keep the army together if food, money, and clothing were not
forthcoming right away.

This appeal proved successful. Morris not only gave all the money
he had, but, going from door to door, begged from all his friends
for the safety of the country. The Philadelphians nobly answered
his appeal, and on New Year's Day Washington could gladden the
soldiers' hearts by giving them food and money. Shortly after, the
Philadelphia ladies, wishing to help also, sent him twenty-two
thousand shirts, which they had made for the almost naked soldiers,
who were glad to get into warm and whole garments.




LXXIX. THE SPY.


You may remember that Benedict Arnold marched gallantly through the
Maine woods to attack Quebec, and was wounded there in the beginning
of the war. After his recovery he showed his courage in many ways.
For instance, he was once surrounded by Tories, who killed his
horse. While Arnold was trying to release his foot from the stirrup,
one of his foes rushed toward him, crying, "Surrender!" "Not yet,"
answered Arnold, and, drawing his pistol, he shot the Tory, jumped
up, and ran into the woods near by. There, finding another horse, he
quickly mounted, and came back to take part in the fight once more.

You remember, too, how he won the victory of Stillwater, with
Morgan and Schuyler, while Gates was lingering idly in his tent. On
this occasion, however, Arnold was again badly wounded. As he lay
upon the ground, helpless, one of the enemy, who had fought with
great valor and had fallen only a moment before him, slowly raised
himself, and, in spite of a bad wound, tried to get at Arnold to
kill him. Just then a friend of Arnold's came up, and was about to
slay the soldier, when Arnold stopped him by crying: "For God's
sake, don't hurt him; he is a fine fellow!"

Although Arnold could thus show himself both brave and forgiving, he
had one great fault, his vanity. While recovering from his wound, in
Philadelphia, he got into bad company, ran into debt, and behaved
in such a way that Congress bade Washington reprove him publicly
for his conduct. Washington did so as gently as he could, and some
time later, when Arnold asked him for the command at West Point,
he gladly granted this request; for he knew that Arnold was brave,
and thought he had been treated rather unfairly. But no sooner had
Arnold secured this important place than, forgetting his duty to his
country and his honor as a man, he determined to avenge his wrongs
by giving up the fort to the British (1780). He therefore began a
secret correspondence with General Clinton, and finally arranged
to meet a British officer, so as to settle the particulars of the
affair with him.

True to the appointment, Major John André came up the Hudson in an
English vessel, the _Vulture_. Landing at night, he met Arnold as
agreed; but their talk lasted until morning, and the ship, being
then discovered by the Americans, was fired upon. It therefore
dropped down the river. Seeing that he could not join it without
running too great a risk of discovery, André now got a pass from
Arnold. He then crossed the Hudson, and set out for New York on
horseback, reaching Tăr´ry-town in safety, although travelers
were then often stopped by parties of "Skinners" or "Cowboys," as
marauding British and American troops were generally called. André
was just beginning to think that all danger of capture was over,
when three men suddenly sprang out of the bushes, seized his horse,
and forced him to dismount.

Although André offered his horse, his watch, and a large sum of
money to these three men if they would only let him go, they held
him fast and began searching him. At first they found nothing
suspicious; but in his boots they finally discovered plans of the
fort at West Point, and other important papers.

[Illustration: André and his Captors.]

Sure that they held a spy, Paulding, Williams, and Van Wart now sent
word to Arnold to look out, for they had caught a spy, and then they
took André to White Plains. Arnold was at breakfast when the notice
of André's capture reached him. Rising from the table, he hurriedly
explained matters to his fainting wife, kissed his child good-by,
and, mounting his horse, galloped wildly off to the river. There
he found his boat, as usual, and was rowed off to the _Vulture_.
The British, who had watched his approach, received him in grim
silence; for while they would have been glad to take advantage of
his baseness, they all despised him as a traitor.

Washington, then on his way to West Point, received the news of
André's arrest too late to seize Arnold, although he tried very hard
to do so. Still, he did not forget that Arnold's wife was innocent.
Pitying her evident suffering, he soon sent her word that her
husband had escaped, and said that she would be allowed to join him
in New York.

The news of Arnold's treachery, which wrung tears from Washington,
and made him exclaim, "Whom can we trust now?" filled the whole
country with dismay. People were horror-struck; but while all hated
Arnold, many were almost as excited over the capture and probable
fate of André. An artist, writer, and soldier, this young man had
many admirers; but as he had played the part of a spy, and had been
captured in disguise within the American lines, most people thought
he deserved to be hanged.

Still, it was felt that Arnold, the traitor, was the one who merited
that death most, so when the British protested that André should
not be hanged, the Americans offered to exchange him for Arnold,
thinking that if they could only make an example of the real culprit
it would prevent similar cases in the future.

But, much as the British despised Arnold, they could not, of
course, give him up. André's trial, therefore, went on, and the
jury condemned him to death as a spy. Instead of treating him as
the British had treated Hale, however, the Americans allowed him
to write to his friends and prepare for death. When he was ready,
André paid the penalty of his wrongdoing by being hanged. Still,
people have always felt sorry for him, and the British, who would
have gained greatly by his spying, declared that he had fallen a
martyr. They therefore gave him a place in Westminster Abbey, where
many of their greatest men are buried. Besides, two monuments have
been erected for him in our country, at Tarrytown and Tap´pan, thus
marking the places where he was captured and hanged.

But, although André was hanged, his sufferings were slight and
merciful compared with those of Arnold. This was just; for, while
the former had tried to serve his country, the latter had betrayed
his trust, and it was natural that his conscience should trouble
him night and day. Although the British, as they had promised, gave
him a large sum of money and a place in their army, none of their
officers ever treated him as a friend.

We are told that Washington, still anxious to secure and punish
Arnold for the country's sake, made a plan to seize him shortly
after his escape. An officer named Campe deserted the American army,
by Washington's orders, and--narrowly escaping recapture by his
comrades, who were not in the secret--swam out to a British vessel
anchored in New York Bay. The enemy, having breathlessly watched his
escape from his pursuers, welcomed him warmly, and, without asking
any questions, allowed him to enlist in Arnold's new regiment.

Campe intended, with the help of two other patriots, to seize and
gag Arnold when he was walking alone in his garden, as he did every
night. Thence they meant to convey him to a boat, row him secretly
across the river, and hand him over to one of Washington's most
devoted officers, Henry Lee, who was called "Light-Horse Harry," to
distinguish him from the Lee who disgraced himself at Monmouth.

Unfortunately, on the very night when Campe's plan was to have been
carried out, Arnold took his regiment on board a vessel in the bay,
and sailed south to fight for the British in Virginia. There poor
Campe had to wait for months before he got a chance to desert Arnold
and rejoin his countrymen. Until then all his fellow-soldiers had
believed him a real deserter; but after welcoming him cordially,
Washington and Lee publicly told the others how nobly Campe had
tried to serve his country, and how nearly he had secured the
traitor.

While fighting in the South, we are told, Arnold once asked one of
his prisoners, "What do you suppose my fate would be if my misguided
countrymen were to take me prisoner?" The man, who was a good
American, promptly answered: "They would cut off the leg that was
wounded at Quebec and Saratoga, and bury it with the honors of war;
but the rest of you they would hang on a gibbet."




LXXX. A TRAITOR'S DEATH.


Before continuing the story of the Revolutionary War, it is well to
finish this painful story of a traitor. After fighting against his
country in Virginia, and burning many houses and villages there,
Arnold was sent into Connecticut, where he set fire to New London,
watching the flames from the church tower. But soon after this
Arnold went to London, where he spent most of the rest of his life,
with few friends.

We are told that no one respected him there, and once, when he went
into Parliament to hear the speeches, a member pointed right at him,
saying: "Mr. Speaker, I will not speak while that man is in the
house." Another time Arnold was introduced to a British officer who
had fought against him at Saratoga. But, while this man had then
admired him for his courage, and would have been proud to know him,
he now refused to shake hands with him, curtly saying that he could
not endure traitors.

A gentleman who did not know Arnold's story once asked him for
letters of introduction to his friends, saying he was about to sail
for America. But the traitor sadly answered: "I was born in America;
I lived there to the prime of my life; but, alas! I can call no man
in America my friend." In fact, even his children were so ashamed of
what he had done that two of his sons changed their name as soon as
they grew up.

After living thus twenty years, bereft of his own as well as
public respect, Arnold on his deathbed begged for the epaulets and
sword-knot which Washington had once given him, and cried: "Let me
die in my old American uniform, in which I fought my battles. God
forgive me for ever having put on any other!"

Arnold was buried in England. While his victories are honored
in America, his treachery has made his name so disliked that it
is always coupled with the words "the traitor." The battles of
Saratoga, where he, Schuyler, and Morgan really won the victories
attributed to Gates, are kept in mind by history and by the
beautiful monument at Saratoga. There you can see four niches. Three
are occupied by statues of Gates, Schuyler, and Morgan; but the
fourth--which was to contain a statue of Arnold--must always remain
empty!

The sadness which filled all patriot hearts in the country at the
news of Arnold's treason was, however, soon made more bearable by
the welcome tidings of a victory in the South--the battle of Kings
Mountain (1780).

[Illustration: Battle of Kings Mountain.]

More than a thousand of the British troops took up their position on
the top of this mountain, and their leader then cried: "Well, boys,
here is a place from which all the rebels outside of hell cannot
drive us!" Still, a smaller number of patriots climbed up by three
different paths, and, hiding behind rocks and trees, killed many of
the British, and took the rest prisoners.

General Greene, taking command of the American forces in the South
after Gates's defeat at Camden, found himself at the head of a
ragged and almost famished army. But stout hearts beat beneath
tattered garments, and the forces under Morgan soon after won a
great victory at Cowpens (1781).

The cruel Tarleton was in command on this occasion, and during the
battle he was wounded by Colonel William Washington, a distant
relative of the general in chief. In speaking of the battle
afterwards, Tarleton scornfully remarked to an American lady that
Colonel Washington was so ignorant a man that he could not even
write his own name. As people who could not write in those days were
in the habit of making a rough mark instead of signing their names,
the lady archly said, pointing to his wound: "Ah, colonel, you bear
evidence that he can at least make his mark!" When Tarleton later
added that he wondered what Colonel Washington looked like, the same
lady slyly said: "Had you only looked behind you at Cowpens, you
might have had that pleasure."




LXXXI. TWO UNSELFISH WOMEN.


When the battle of Cowpens was over, and the few remnants of
Tarleton's force had fled to join Cornwallis, the latter marched
forward, hoping to catch up with Morgan's army and crush it with
his superior force before it could join Greene's forces. Both
armies were therefore anxious to reach the ford over the Ca-taw´ba
first, and tramped ahead as fast as possible, stopping to rest only
when the men were completely exhausted. But, in spite of the great
odds against him, Morgan finally managed to give Cornwallis the
slip, and, crossing at the ford, was soon joined by Greene. The two
generals continued the retreat, cleverly tempting Cornwallis to
follow, until finally the whole American army was safe beyond the
Dan River in Virginia.

We are told that it was during this race for the Dan that Greene
once stopped at the house of a patriot Southern lady, Mrs. Steele.
She quickly supplied him with warm garments and food, and hearing
him say he could not pay her because he was penniless, she brought
him all her savings, which she forced him to accept and use for the
sake of his country.

It seems also that in the course of this campaign the Americans
laid siege to a house which served as a fort for British soldiers.
Although Light-Horse Harry Lee was very anxious to secure these men,
he soon found that he could not drive them out of the house. He
therefore asked Mrs. Motte, owner of the place, whether she would
allow him to set fire to it, to force the British out.

She not only consented to this,--although the house was all she
had,--but brought Lee an Indian bow and arrows, so that he could
shoot bits of flaming wood upon the shingled roof. The house was
thus soon in flames, and the British, seeing they would be roasted
alive if they staid in it, and shot if they tried to escape,
promptly surrendered. Then the fire was put out, and as it had not
yet gained much headway, Mrs. Motte did not, after all, lose the
house which she had been willing to sacrifice for the sake of her
country.

As was the case all through the Southern campaign, the British were
very cruel; still, a few patriots managed to escape from their
clutches. For example, one of Tarleton's men once ordered a prisoner
to give him the silver buckles he wore. The man proudly bade the
Englishman take them if he wanted them. Knowing that he would be
slain if he did not escape, the American killed the man kneeling
before him, and, jumping on a riderless horse, dashed away. Before
any of the four hundred men around there thought of pursuing him, he
was out of reach.

As soon as his men had rested a little from their fatigues, Greene
again led them against the British, whom he met at Guil´ford
Courthouse in North Carolina. Here, although the Americans behaved
with great valor, the British won the victory. But it was at the
cost of so many lives that when Fox, a British statesman, heard of
it, he sadly exclaimed: "Another such victory would ruin us!"

The site of the old Revolutionary battlefield at Guilford Courthouse
is now a beautiful park. Here are many interesting statues, and
in the museum, among other curiosities, you can see British and
American flags peacefully crossed, showing that after the war was
over the two parties generously forgot the past and were ready to
meet as friends.

After the battle of Guilford Courthouse, Cornwallis retreated to
the coast, and Greene turned his attention to the British forces
farther south, with which he fought the battles of Hobkirk Hill and
Eu´taw Springs. In the latter engagement, Marion, surrounded by
the foe, encouraged his brave men by saying: "Hold up your heads,
boys! Three fires, three cheers, and a charge, and you are free!"
During the same engagement one of Lee's men found himself alone and
without arms in the midst of the enemy. With great presence of mind,
he seized an officer, wrenched his sword out of his hand, and, using
him as a shield, fought his way back to his friends.

Though Greene was often defeated and never won a great victory, the
British loudly complained that he never knew when he was beaten.
But while Greene modestly described his own doings as, "We fight,
get beat, rise and fight again," he and his two thousand men were
little by little driving the British out of South Carolina. Indeed,
by their brave efforts the Americans finally recovered both South
Carolina and Georgia, with the exception of the cities of Charleston
and Savannah.




LXXXII. THE SURRENDER OF CORNWALLIS.


Retreating from the Carolinas, Cornwallis marched into Virginia
to take the place of Arnold, whom the British had been watching
closely, lest he should betray them, too. Clinton now bade
Cornwallis keep near the coast, so that he could embark quickly and
come to the rescue of New York, in case Washington should suddenly
attack it.

The fact was, though, that Washington had no intention of doing
anything of the sort. On the contrary, he had laid his plans to
catch Cornwallis in Virginia, where he had sent Lafayette some time
before. As he did not wish Clinton to suspect this plan, Washington
wrote letters saying he meant to take New York, and cleverly
contrived that they should accidentally fall into British hands.
After reading them, Clinton felt so sure he knew all about the
American plans that he did not stir.

There was no telegraph in those days, and it was a great surprise to
Cornwallis when the French fleet, under De Grasse (grahss) suddenly
appeared in Chesapeake Bay. Thus, even before Clinton suspected the
Americans' intentions, Cornwallis was hemmed in at Yorktown between
Lafayette's troops and De Grasse's fleet, and Washington was rapidly
marching southward to help them.

Hoping to check Washington's advance, or even force him to come
back, Clinton now sent Arnold into Connecticut, where, as we have
seen, he burned New London. This base deed so angered a lady whose
guest he had once been, that she tried to shoot him, we are told,
and would have done so, had not her gun missed fire.

Arnold, and the British officers with him, proved very cruel all
through this campaign; and when one of them seized Fort Griswold,
near New London, he haughtily demanded, "Who commands here?" "I
did," courteously answered the American officer, coming forward to
surrender his sword, "but you do now." The British officer took the
weapon, ran it through its owner, and coolly bade his men kill all
the garrison in the same way.

Although the news of pillage, burning, and murder was carried to
Washington as quickly as possible, he did not--as Clinton perhaps
expected--turn around to defend Connecticut, but kept steadily on.
As he marched by, all good Americans wildly cheered him, crying:
"Long live Washington! He is going to catch Cornwallis in his mouse
trap!" Indeed, such was the faith people had in him that an old
patriot, coming into the room where he was dining, raised his arms
to heaven and solemnly cried, like Simeon in the Bible: "Lord, now
lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen
thy salvation."

On his way to Yorktown, Washington paid a flying visit to his home
at Mount Vernon, which he had not seen since he left it to attend
the Continental Congress six years before. There he learned that it
would have been burned to the ground, had not his steward bribed
some British soldiers to let it stand. When Washington heard this,
he gravely said that he would rather lose all he had, than save it
by making friends with his country's foes.

Reaching Yorktown,--where Cornwallis had once boasted that
he would soon capture "that boy," as he scornfully termed
Lafayette,--Washington found all his orders so well carried out
that the bombarding of the city could begin without further delay.
The French fleet and American army worked together to such good
purpose that before long it became plain that Cornwallis would have
to yield. During this siege a gentleman carefully pointed out his
own house, advising Washington to batter it down first with his
cannon; for he thought that Cornwallis must have selected it for his
headquarters, because it was the best in town.

Washington, who was never wounded in any battle, stood on a height
directing the movements of his troops. He was in such an exposed
place that some of his aids, hoping to make him change his position,
ventured to remark that they were in great danger. "If you think
so," answered Washington, quietly, "you are at liberty to step
back." But as he did not move, the others bravely stood their ground.

A moment later a ball struck a cannon only a few feet off, and
General Knox impulsively cried, "My dear general, we can't spare
you yet!" and tried to drag him away. But Washington carelessly
remarked, "It's a spent ball," and stood there like a rock until
he saw the redoubt taken. Then he joyfully exclaimed: "The work is
done, and well done!"

Washington was right; the work was done, and the patriots' troubles
nearly over. Cornwallis, finding himself unable to escape or receive
help, was forced to surrender on the 19th of October, 1781. But his
pride was so hurt at having to give up his sword, that he pretended
illness, and sent one of his officers to carry it to Washington.
The latter, remembering how the British had tried to shame General
Lincoln at the surrender of Charleston, therefore bade the British
officer deliver it to Lincoln.

The next day, when the British troops marched out of Yorktown
between the French and American armies, their bands dolefully
played: "The World Turned Upside Down." Washington, ever considerate
of people's feelings, had given strict orders that his soldiers
should not jeer at the enemy, or make any unkind remarks. This order
was obeyed, but Lafayette, seeing that the British--who had made
such unmerciful fun of him--did not even look up, suddenly bade his
band strike up "Yankee Doodle." At this hated sound the British all
started, and Lafayette had the boyish satisfaction of knowing that
they had seen him heading part of the forces which had conquered
them.

[Illustration: The Surrender of Cornwallis.]




LXXXIII. THE BRITISH FLAG HAULED DOWN.


The news of the surrender of Cornwallis filled all American hearts
with joy; for our people knew, as well as the British, that the war
was now ended. The tidings reached Philadelphia at night, while the
watchman, making his rounds as usual, was passing up and down the
streets. To the customary announcement of the time, and the cry,
"All's well," he therefore added, "and Cornwallis is taken!"

The joy of this event proved fatal to the old doorkeeper of
Congress, while on all sides bells were rung and loud cheers were
heard. On the next day the members of Congress marched in a body to
church, to return thanks for the "victory of a great and good man in
a great and good cause." But when the news reached England it caused
great dismay. We are told that Lord North fell back as if struck by
a cannon ball, and gasped: "O God, it is all over!"

[Illustration: Washington's Headquarters at Newburgh.]

Although the War of Independence was really over, and several
Americans went to Europe to settle the terms of peace, British
troops staid in America some time longer, and kept possession of
Savannah and Charleston about a year. Washington, therefore, did
not dare dismiss his army. To keep better guard over the British
at New York, he collected all his forces at Newburgh. But although
there was no more fighting, Washington's presence was more sorely
needed than ever, for the men, having received only a small part of
their long-promised pay, and unable to go home and work for their
destitute families, were restless and discontented. In fact, even
the officers thought Congress managed things badly, and wished to
make Washington king.

Had Washington thought of himself more than of others, or been
unduly ambitious, he could now have gone, at the head of the army,
to overthrow Congress and take the power into his own hands, like
Cæsar and Napoleon. But Washington was a real patriot, and had no
thought beyond the good of his country. He therefore sent for his
officers, and made them a little speech.

In reading a letter from a congressman, promising that they should
receive their dues, he had to take out his glasses, and as he put
them on he quietly begged them to excuse him, saying: "My eyes have
grown dim in the service of my country, but I have never doubted
her justice." In his address he urged them not to tarnish the glory
of their past services by rash conduct, and explained that Congress
would soon settle their just demands. Such was the reliance placed
upon his mere word, and the good influence he had over every man
in his army, that all now consented to wait patiently until their
services could receive their reward.

While Washington was thus keeping the soldiers in order, Franklin
was in Europe, treating for peace. In 1782 George III. formally
announced that he would recognize the independence of the United
States, and closed his speech by saying he hoped that the same
"religion, language, interests, and affections might prove a bond of
permanent union between the two countries."

[Illustration: RESULTS OF THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE

BOUNDARY DEFINED BY TREATY 1783]

The treaty, however, was signed in Paris, on the 3d of September,
1783. On this occasion Franklin donned the suit of Manchester
velvet clothes which he had worn ten years before, when insulted
in Parliament, and which he had vowed never to use again until
his country was free. By this treaty the seacoast from Maine to
Georgia was given up to the United States, together with all the
land between the Great Lakes and Florida, westward as far as the
Mississippi. At the same time, the British gave Florida back to
Spain.

The news of this treaty was followed by the departure of the British
soldiers from New York. They sailed away, leaving their flag still
floating from the top of the liberty pole. Here some soldiers had
nailed it fast, carefully greasing the pole so that the Americans
should not haul down their colors until they were at least out of
sight.

But a clever New York boy, seeing that it was useless to try to
climb the greased pole in the usual way, ran into a neighboring
store, and soon came back with a pocket full of nails, some cleats,
and a hammer. Nailing a cleat a short distance up, he stood upon
it to nail another still higher, and, climbing thus from point to
point, reached the top of the pole, tore off the British flag, and
replaced it by the American colors, amid the cheers of the assembled
people!




LXXXIV. WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL.


Washington had already disbanded his army in Newburgh, when, on the
eighth anniversary of the battle of Lexington, the war was formally
declared to be over. Now, the British having gone, it remained only
to bid farewell to his officers. On this occasion he said: "With
a heart full of love and gratitude I now take leave of you. I most
devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous as your
former have been glorious and honorable. I cannot come to each of
you to take my leave, but I shall be obliged to you if each of you
will come and take me by the hand."

General Knox was the first to advance, and Washington drew him
toward him and kissed him. He also embraced all the rest--in dead
silence, for all hearts were too full for speech. The officers then
followed him to the boat and silently watched him out of sight. From
New York, where this parting took place, Washington went direct
to Annapolis, where, on the 23d of December, 1783, he received
the formal message: "The United States, in Congress assembled, is
prepared to receive the communications of the commander in chief."
Washington then appeared before that body to lay down the heavy
charge which he had borne so bravely for nearly eight years. He
again refused to accept any reward for his services but handed over
the exact account of his expenses, proving that he had spent more
than sixty-three thousand dollars of his own money for the good of
his country.

Then he went back to his farm at Mount Vernon, to take up again
his usual work. He had been longing to do this for some time, for
farming was his chief pleasure. Knowing this, his officers formed
a society of which they made him head. They called themselves the
Cincin-na´ti, in honor of a Roman patriot, Cincinnatus, who left his
plow to save his country from danger, but hurried back to it as soon
as the war was over.

[Illustration: The Mount Vernon House, South Front.]

Instead of other pay, many of these officers and of the continental
soldiers now received grants of land in what was then called the
Northwest Territory. There they soon settled, working hard, and
serving their country just as nobly by being good farmers, good
citizens, good husbands, and good fathers as they had done by being
good soldiers in the Revolutionary War. Before long, towns sprang up
in the wilderness, and one of them was named Cincinnati, in honor of
the society of which Washington was the first president.

But there were others besides the soldiers who were anxious to
get back to their families. Foremost among these was the worthy
Franklin, who had spent nearly nine years in France, looking after
the interests of his country. He had seen the Peace of Paris signed;
and when he reached Philadelphia, just sixty-two years after his
first visit, he was welcomed with loud cheers and great rejoicings.
He deserved all the cheering and honors he received, for he had
been second only to Washington in the services he had rendered his
beloved country.

As it was now decided beyond doubt that the former colonies were
to be free states, independent of Great Britain, the Story of the
Thirteen Colonies is ended. There is still to be told the Story of
the Great Republic which was formed from these colonies, and which
has grown to be one of the foremost nations in the world.




INDEX.

     Key to pronunciation.--VOWELS: ā in lāte, ă in făt, â in câre,
     ä in fär, ȧ in lȧst, a: in fa:ll, ạ in wạs, au in author; ē in
     mē, ĕ in mĕt, e= in ve=il, ẽ in tẽrm; ī in fīne, ĭ in tĭn, ï in
     polïce, ĩ in fĩr; ō in nōte, ŏ in nŏt, ȯ in sȯn, ô in fôr, ọ in
     wọlf, o: in do:, oo in loop; ū in tūne, ŭ in nŭt, ṳ in rṳde,
     ụ in fụll, ü = French u; ȳ in mȳ, ў in hўmn. CONSONANTS: ç in
     çent, ¢ in ¢an; ġ in ġem, ḡ in ḡet; ñ = ny in barnyard, ṉ = ng,
     N = ng, but is silent; qu = kw; ş = z; -th = th in then. _Italic
     letters are silent._


                                             PAGE

  A´bra-ham, Plains of, Wolfe victorious at, 212

  A-cā´di-a, claimed by Cartier, 174
    conquered by New Englanders, 188
    farmers driven out of, 209
    French settlement in, 102, 105
    name changed to Nova Scotia, 188

  Ä´co-ma, "Sky City", 68
    besieged by Spaniards, 77-79
    Coronado visits, 68
    Oñate visits, 76

  Adams, John, draws up Declaration of Independence, 250

  Adams, Samuel, advice of, 226, 227
    at Lexington, 229, 234
    called "Father of Revolution", 229
    proposes Washington as general of army, 238
    quoted, 259

  Af´ri-ca, explored, 36
    inhabitants of, 14
    Vasco da Gama sails around, 61

  Āix-lä-Çhä-pel_le_´, treaty of, 190

  Al-a-bä´ma, De Soto visits, 68

  A-lăs´ka, inhabited by Indians, 14

  A:l´ba-ny, Congress at, 199, 206
    Fort Orange built near, 105
    Hudson at, 103
    refuses to obey Leisler, 170
    trading stations near, 104

  Al-ex-an´der, son of Massasoit, 137, 138

  Al-ḡŏn´quĭn Indians, aided by Champlain, 175

  Al´_l_e-ḡ_h_ā-n_i_ēş, claimed by France, 181
    Governor Spotswood explores, 162

  Al´_l_e-ḡ_h_e=-ny River, French forts on, 196

  Al´len, Ethan, takes Fort Ticonderoga, 237, 243

  A-měr´ĭ-ca, civilization of, 24
    known as New World, 13, 61, 62
    named, 61
    Northmen in, 27

  A-měr´ĭ-cŭs Věs-pū´cius (shŭs), America named for, 61

  Ăn´dré (drā), Major John, meets Arnold, 305
    punishment of, 307, 308

  An´dros, governor of New England and New York, 167

  Aṉ´gli-can Church, Henry VIII. head of, 106

  Anglicans leave England, 134

  An-năp´o-lis, English settlement at, 152
    first French settlement at, 174
    Port Royal called, 188

  Är´gal_l_, Captain, captures Pocahontas, 98

  Ar-ĭ-zō´na, Indians in, 20

  Är´kan-sa:_s_ River, Marquette and Joliet at, 179

  Är´ling-ton, Lord, Virginia granted to, 156

  Är´nold, Benedict, attempt to capture, 308
    bravery of, 304
    defeated at Valcour Island, 252
    disgrace of, 310
    granted command at West Point, 305
    leads army to Quebec, 246
    relieves Fort Stanwix, 268
    reproved by Washington, 305
    takes Fort Ticonderoga, 237
    treason of, 305-307
    victorious at Saratoga, 271

  Asia (ā´shĭ-a), inhabitants of, 14

  As-sěm´bly, in colonial government, 125

  At-lăn´tic Ō´cean (-shan), called sea of darkness, 31, 40
    coast of, explored, 25

  Au-gŭs´ta, British conquer, 297

  A-zōr_e_ş´ Islands, Columbus at, 51
    Portuguese colony on, 36


  Bā´con's Re-bel´lion, 158-160

  Ba-hā´maş, discovered, 47

  Bäl-bō´ä, discovers Pacific Ocean, 64
    voyage of, 62, 63

  Ba:l´tĭ-mor_e_, Congress withdraws to, 259
    founded, 153

  Baltimore, Lord, settles in Maryland, 152

  Bär-çe-lō´nä, Columbus goes to, 52

  Bar-thŏl´o-mew Columbus, 40, 56

  Bär´ton, American officer, 258

  "Battle of the Kegs", 265

  "Bāy´ard of the South," Marion called, 300

  Bē_a_´con Hill, signal fires on, 140

  Bē´mĭs Heī_gh_ts, battle of, 269

  Běn´_n_ing-ton, Gen Stark victorious at, 266

  Berk_e_´ley, cruelty of, 160
    flees from Jamestown, 158, 159
    governor of Virginia, 155
    recalled to England, 156, 160

  Biar´ni, voyage of, 27, 28

  Bible, translated into Indian language, 126

  Bienville (be-aN-veel´), builds fort at New Orleans, 183

  Bil´ling-ton, English colonist, 112
    Indians rescue, 118

  Bĭl-ox´ĭ, built by Iberville, 182

  Bĩr´ming-ham (-ŭm), denied right to vote, 219

  Black´beard, a Carolina pirate, 164

  Black´stone, settles in New England, 122-124

  _Bles´sing of the Bay_, lumber ship, 127

  Block Island, Indian stronghold, 132

  Bloody Brook, battle of, 140

  Bloody massacre, 225

  Blue Ridge Moun´tains, Spotswood explores, 161

  _Bonhomme Richard_ (bŏ-nŏm´re-shar´), Paul Jones's vessel, 294
    sinks, 296

  Boon_e_, Daniel, adventures of, 291-293
    settles at Boonesboro, 288, 289

  Boones´bōr-o, Boone settles at, 288, 289
    Indians attack, 289, 290, 292

  Bŏs´ton, Andros imprisoned in, 168
    British shut up in, 244, 245
    British soldiers removed from, 226
    evacuated, 247
    fortified by British, 239

  Boston, founded, 130
    Gen. Gage sent to, 224
    laws to punish, 228, 229
    settlement in, 124

  Boston massacre, 225

  Boston Neck fortified, 232

  Boston Tea Party, 227

  Bow´er-y Lane, Stuyvesant´s farm on, 144

  Bō_w_´ling Green, 223

  Boyl´ston, introduces vaccination, 173

  Brăd´_d_o_c_k, death of, 208
    defeat of, 207
    general of British army, 206

  Brăd´ford, William, governor of Plymouth, 115
    Indian message to, 118

  Brăn´dy-wine, battle of, 264

  Brănt, Indian chief routed at Oriskany, 267,
    leave Boston, 247
    leave Philadelphia, 277
    plan new campaign, 297
    quartered in Boston, 224, 225
    quartered in Philadelphia, 275
    retreat at Concord, 235
    settlements. See under _English_.
    shut up in Boston, 244, 245
    surrender at Saratoga, 270, 271
    surrender at Yorktown, 318
    surrender Ticonderoga, 237
    take Savannah, 297
    under Clinton, bombard Fort Moultrie, 247
    under Cornwallis pursue Washington, 257
    victorious at Brandywine, 264
    victorious at Camden, 299
    victorious at Guilford Courthouse, 314

  Brook, land granted to, 130

  Brook´lўn Heī_gh_ts, Americans intrenched in, 254

  Brṳ´tus, 221

  Bŭṉ´ker Hill, battle of, 239-241

  Bur´ges-ses, House of, 101, 154, 156, 211

  Bur-goyn_e_´, British general, 239
    cut off from Canada, 267
    defeated at Stillwater, 269
    surrender of, 270, 271
    takes Forts Ticonderoga and Edward, 265

  Burke, opposes Stamp Act, 223
    speech of, 286

  Bur´ling-ton, settlement near, 146

  Bŭt´ler, in Wyoming Valley murders, 286


  Cabeza de= Vä´cä (cah-bā´sah), explorations of, 67

  Căb´ot, John, explorations of, 60

  Ç_a_ē´şar, 221, 231

  Căl´ĭ-cŭt, Vasco da Gama reaches, 61

  Căl-ĭ-fôr´nĭ-a, Gulf of, explored, 67

  Căl´u-mět, pipe of peace, 114

  Cām´bridge, college at, 125
    Committee of Safety at, 232
    Washington´s headquarters at, 242, 246

  Cambridge Elm, Washington takes command under, 242

  Căm´den, Gates defeated at, 299

  Cămp_e_, plans to capture Arnold, 308, 309

  Căn´-a-da, Americans driven out of, 246
    ceded to Great Britain, 213
    explored by Cartier, 70-73
    French driven into, 211
    Frontenac governor of, 184
    named by Cartier, 174
    smuggling by way of, 216

  Că-nā´dĭ-ans, under Carleton march southward, 246

  Ca-nā´ry Islands, Columbus at, 44, 45
    discovered, 36

  Ca-nŏn´ĭ-cus, Narragansett chief, 118

  Cape Brět´on Island, French fort on, 189
    named, 71, 174

  Cape Charles, named, 87

  Cape Cod, Cabot explores, 60
    named by Gosnold, 86
    Northmen at, 28
    Pilgrims at, 109, 111

  Cape Hăt´ter-as, explored by Cabot, 60

  Cape Henry named, 87

  Cape Horn, Indians at, 14

  Cape of Good Hope, discovered, 42

  Cape of Storms, discovered, 42

  Cape St, Vĭn´çěnt, sea fight at, 37

  Cape Vērd_e_ Islands, Columbus sails from, 56
    Portuguese at, 36

  Cărĭbs, inhabitants of West Indies, 54

  Cärl_e_´ton, commander of Canadians, 246
    victorious at Valcour Island, 252

  Căr-o-lī´nȧ, division of, 164
    English settlement in, 162
    French settlement in, 74
    granted to lords proprietors, 162
    Carolina, North, English colony at, 85
    explored, 71
    pirates, 164

  Cär´pen-ter's Hall, First Continental Congress at, 229

  Căr´rōll, Charles, signs Declaration of Independence, 251

  Cär-tier´ (-tyā´), explorations of, 71-73, 174

  Cär´ver, John, death of, 115
    governor of Pilgrims, 110
    makes treaty with Massasoit, 114, 137

  Cäs-tïl_e_´, Isabella, queen of, 59

  Ca-ta:_w_´ba River, Morgan crosses, 313

  Ca-thā_y_´, China called, 33
    new road to, sought, 35

  "Căv-ȧ-l_i_ērs´," Royalists called, 155

  Cen´tral A-měr´ĭ-ca, explored by Columbus, 58
    Indians in, 20
    Spanish colonies in, 64

  Ç_e_ū´ta, Prince Henry of Portugal visits, 35

  Chăaddş Ford, Washington defeated at, 264

  Çhăm-plā_i_n´, discovers Lake Champlain, 175
    settles at Quebec, 174
    voyage of, 184

  Champlain, Lake, discovered, 175

  Charles, Cape, named, 87

  Charles I., beheaded, 155
    rebellion in England, 134

  Charles II., land grants of, 142, 147, 167
    recalls Berkeley, 160
    restored to throne, 136, 156
    revokes Massachusetts Bay colony charter, 166

  Charles´ton, attacked by Spaniards, 188
    British fleet at, 247
    rice planted in, 163
    surrender of, 298

  Charles´town, burned by Howe, 242
    Puritans attempt settlement at, 124

  Char´ter, granted to Connecticut, 137
    granted to Rhode Island, 137
    Great, of Virginia, 101
    of Massachusetts Bay colony revoked, 166, 229

  Charter Oak, in Hartford, 168

  Chěr´ry Val´ley, Indian massacre at, 286

  Chěs´a-pē_a_ke Bay, Captain Smith makes map of, 92
    De Grasse's fleet at, 316
    explored, 87

  Çhi-ca:´go River, Joliet and Marquette explore, 179

  Chïl´e=, Indians in, 20

  Chī´na, visited by Europeans, 33

  Chŏc´ta:_w_s, plan to attack French settlers, 183

  Church, Captain, defeats King Philip, 142

  Çï´bo-lä, seven cities of, 67, 68

  Cin-cin-nä´tï, built, 325

  Cincinnati, society founded by Washington's officers, 324

  Cĭ-păṉ´gō, Japan called, 35

  Clans, Indian, 19

  Clark, General George Rogers, march of, 287, 288

  Cliff dwellings, 21

  Clĭn´ton, Arnold conspires with, 305
    attacks towns in Connecticut, 280
    bombards Fort Moultrie, 247
    British general, 239
    proceeds to New York, 279
    pursues Washington, 256
    sends Arnold into Connecticut, 316
    Washington pursues, 278

  Cod, Cape, 60, 78, 86, 109, 111

  Coligny (co-leen´ye), sends Huguenots to New World, 73, 74, 174

  Cŏl´lege, Columbia, 252
    Harvard, 125
    King's, called Columbia, 252
    William and Mary, 161
    Williams, 209
    Yale, 125

  Co-lo´ni-al assemblies, dissolved, 224

  Cŏl´o-nies. See _Settlements_.
    England's treatment of, 214-232

  Cŏl-o-rä´dō, Grand Canyon of, 68

  Co-lŭm´bĭ-a College, King´s College becomes, 252

  Co-lŭm´bŭs, Christopher, adventures of, 37
    asks aid of England, 40
    at Cordova, 42
    at West Indies, 54
    birth of, 36
    calls savages Indians, 43
    coasts along Cuba, 49
    death of, 59
    discovers Bahamas, 47
    discovers Haiti, 50
    discovers Jamaica, 55
    education of, 37
    establishes colony at Isabella, 54
    fourth expedition of, 58
    Genoese refuse to aid, 39
    Isabella and Ferdinand assist, 43, 44

  Columbus, Christopher, marriage of, 38
    returns to Spain, 51, 56, 59
    search for new road to India, 38
    second expedition of, 53
    taken prisoner, 57
    third expedition of, 56

  Com-mit´tee of Safety, formed, 232

  Com´mon-wealth of England, 134, 155

  Cȯm´pass, use of, 31

  Cŏnc´ōrd, battle of, 234, 235
    statue to Mrs. Dustin in, 187

  Cŏṉ´gress, appeals to George III., 245
    bad management of, 321
    First Continental, 229
    issues paper money, 302
    Second Continental, 237
    withdraws to Baltimore, 259

  Con-ně_c_t´ĭ-cut, charter of, 167, 169
    colonies in, 130-132
    joins league, 134
    New Haven joined to, 137
    pillage of British in, 316

  Connecticut River, settlement on, 130, 131

  Con-stăn-tĭ-nō´pl_e_, besieged by Turks, 33
    capture of, 33
    Northmen visit, 25
    seat of learning, 32

  Con-ti-něn´tal bills, Congress issues, 302

  Continental Congress, First, 229
    Second, 237

  Cŏn-way Că-băl´, 274, 275

  Cȯr´-do-vä, Columbus at, 42

  Cȯrn-wạl´lis, besieged at Yorktown, 316, 317
    marches into Virginia, 315
    pursues Washington, 257, 261, 262
    races for Dan River, 312, 313
    retreats to coast, 314
    surrender of, 318

  Cō-ro-nä´do (-thō), explorations of, 68

  Cȯr´-tez, takes Mexico, 66

  Cot´ton, cultivation of, 165

  "Coun´ter-blast to Tobacco, A", 98

  Co:_u_-r_ēu_r_s_´ de bois (deh bwä´), wood rangers, 176

  Cow´boys, marauding troops called, 305

  Cow´pens, American victory at, 312

  "Cra´dle of Lib´er-ty," Faneuil Hall called, 226

  Crè=v_e_´-ċ_o_ē_u_r, Fort, built, 180

  Crō_a_-tăn´, village of, 85

  Crȯm´well, Oliver, death of, 136
    Protector of Commonwealth, 134, 155

  Crown Point, plan to capture, 208
    taken, 237

  Cū´ba, Columbus coasts along, 49
    Spanish colony in, 62

  Cŭl´pěp-per, Lord, Virginia granted to, 156

  Cŭt´tў-hŭṉk Island, Gosnold at, 86


  Dāl_e_, governs Jamestown colony, 97

  Dăn River, American army crosses, 313

  Dā´rï-en, Isthmus of, settlement on, 63

  Dar´rah, Lydia, anecdote about, 276

  Dā´vis, discovers northwest passage, 81

  D'Estaing (des-taN´), French fleet under, 298

  De G_o_ṳrg_ues_, attacks Spaniards, 75

  De Gräs_se_, commander of French fleet, 316

  De Kălb, death of, 299
    joins Americans, 263

  De MôN_ts_, French settler, 174

  De So´to, death of, 69
    explorations of, 68, 69

  Dec-la-ra´tion of Independence, 248-252

  Declaration of Rights, passed, 222

  Deer´field, battle near, 140
    Indian raid at, 188

  Děl´a-wâr_e_, purchased by Penn, 150, 152

  Delaware Bay, Hudson enters, 103

  Delaware River, Fort Nassau built on, 105
    forts on, taken by Howe, 264
    Washington crosses, 259, 260

  Delaware Val´ley, owned by Dutch, 143

  Dělfs-hä´ven, Pilgrims embark at, 108

  De-troit´, Boone at, 291
    garrison at, warned, 214

  Dï-e=´go, Columbus's son, 40

  Dï_e_s´kau (-kow), French officer, 209

  Din-wĭd´_d_ĭe, governor of Virginia, 196

  Dix´on and Ma´son line, 153

  Dôr´ches-ter Heights, fortified, 247

  Dō´ver, attacked by Indians, 184
    burned, 185
    settled, 130

  Drāk_e_ Francis, voyages of, 81, 82

  Duck´ing stool, mode of punishment, 172

  Du´er, loyalty of, 274

  Duquesne (doo-kān´), French governor, 196

  Duquesne, Fort, abandoned by French, 210
    British defeat at, 207, 208
    built, 198

  Dŭs´tin, Hannah, story of, 185-187

  Dutch, build Fort Orange, 105
    build trading stations in Connecticut, 131
    explorations of, 102, 103
    oppose Connecticut colonists, 132
    regain New Amsterdam, 146
    settlements of, 105, 143, 144


  Ẽ_a_rth, discovery and shape of, 32

  East River, Washington crosses, 254

  Ē´d_e_n, Garden of, 57

  Ed´ward, Fort, captured by Burgoyne, 265

  E´ġypt, 88

  Ěl Dō-rä´dō ("Land of Gold"), search for, 68

  E-lec-trĭç´i-ty, discoveries in, by Franklin, 205

  "El´e-ġy Written in a Country Churchyard," Gray's, 211

  El´ĭ-ot, John, translates Bible into Indian language, 126

  E-liz´a-beth, Queen, knights Drake, 82

  Em´er-son, quoted, 237

  En´dĭ-cott, John, influence of, 122
    punishes Indians, 132

  En´gland (ing-), Charles I. beheaded in, 155
    claims New Netherlands, 145, 146
    Commonwealth in, 134, 155
    French and Indian War, 198-213
    gains Canada, 213
    gives Florida back to Spain, 323
    Holland declares war against, 146
    King George's War, 189
    King-killers in, 136
    King William's War, 184, 185
    Land grants of Charles II., 142
    Navigation Act passed, 134, 135
    passes Townshend Acts, 224
    rebellion under James I., 160
    Restoration, 166
    Revolutionary War, 234-322
    Separatists leave, 107
    Seven Year's War, 210
    Stamp Act, 219, 220, 223
    takes Virginia charter away, 154
    treatment of colonies, 214, 232
    war of Austrian Succession, 189
    war with Spain, 81, 165

  En´glish (ing-) Church, established by Henry VIII., 106

  English colonies. See _Settlements_.

  English explorations, 60, 80-85

  English settlements, in Boston, 124
    in Carolina, 162
    in Connecticut, 132
    in Georgia, 165
    in Maine, 130
    in Maryland, 152
    in Massachusetts, 122
    in New England, 111, 125
    in North Carolina, 85
    in Pennsylvania, 147
    in Rhode Island, 129
    in Virginia, 87

  English Turn in the Mississippi, 182

  Er´iċ the Red, discovers Greenland, 27

  Es´kĭ-mōş, trade with Northmen, 27

  _E_ū´rȯp_e_, civilization in fifteenth century, 24, 25
    inhabitants of, 14

  _E_ū´ta:_w_ Springs, battle of, 314

  "Ē-văn´ġe-līn_e_," Longfellow's, 209

  Ex-plo-rā´tions, Dutch, 103, 105
    English, 60, 80-86
    French, 71-74, 174-179
    Portuguese, 42, 61
    Spanish, 47-58, 62-70


  Fair´fax, Lord, sends Washington as surveyor, 193, 194

  Făl´m_o_ŭth (Portland), burned, 246

  Fan´e_ui_l Hall, meetings at, 226

  "Father of Waters," Mississippi called, 67, 177

  Fire brigade, first in Philadelphia, 205

  Fire water, Indians' name for rum, 104

  First Continental Congress, at Philadelphia, 229

  "Five intolerable acts", 229

  Flag, American, adopted, 268

  Flăm´bȯr-ō_ugh_ Head, naval battle off, 295

  Fletch´er, Governor, of Connecticut, 169

  Flŏr´ĭ-da, De Soto explores, 68
    discovered by Ponce de Leon, 64
    French settlement in, 74
    given back to Spain, 323
    relinquished by Spain, 213
    Spanish claim, 74
    Spanish settlements in, 102, 105

  Fȯrbeş, British commander, 210

  Fore´fathers' Day, 112

  Fort Crè=v_e_-c_o_ē_u_r, built, 180

  Fort Duquesne (doo-kān´), British defeat at, 207, 208
    French abandon, 210

  Fort Edward, captured by Burgoyne, 265

  Fort Fron´te-năċ, destroyed, 211

  Fort Griş´wold, seized, 316

  Fort Lee, Americans at, 255
    Greene leaves, 257

  Fort Mo:_ul_´trī_e_, bombarded, 247

  Fort Năs´_s_a:_u_, built, 105, 151
    settlers driven from, 144

  Fort Ne-çes´si-ty, built, 198

  Fort Ŏr´anġe, built, 105

  Fort Sċ_hu_ў´ler, besieged, 267

  Fort Stan´wix, besieged, 267, 268

  Fort Ti-con-der-ō´ga, captured by Burgoyne, 265
    plan to capture, 208
    surrender of, 237

  Fort Wạsh´ing-ton, Americans hold, 255
    capture of, 256

  Fort Wil´liam Henry, seized, 210

  Foun´t_a_ĭn of Youth, search for, 64

  Fox, Charles J., British statesman, 314

  Fox, George, leader of Quakers, 130

  Fox River, Marquette and Joliet at, 177

  France, acknowledges independence of United States, 272
    and Spain, allies in Queen Anne's War, 188
    at war with Spain, 71
    French and Indian War, 198-213
    King George's War, 189, 190
    King William's War, 184, 185
    Queen Anne's War, 187
    Seven Years' War, 210
    territory claimed by, 181

  Frăṉk´lin, Benjamin, career of, 199-205
    deputy postmaster-general, 266
    draws up Declaration of Independence, 250
    in First Continental Congress, 229
    in France, 262, 272
    opposes Stamp Act, 220
    plan of government of, 206, 218
    returns to Philadelphia, 325
    scientific experiments of, 205
    treats for peace, 322

  Frā´şer, British general, 269

  Fray Rä-mï´rez (-reth), Spanish priest, 79

  Fred-er-ï´-ċa, battle of, 166

  Fred´er-ick the Great, of Prussia, 262

  French and Indian War, 198-213
    Putnam's services in, 231

  French, and Indians attack English settlers, 184, 185
    attacked by Natchez Indians, 183
    build forts, 196
    colonies of. See _French settlements_.
    explorations of, 71-74, 174-179
    in Canada, 70-73
    marry Indians, 176
    possessions of, 183

  French Hū´ḡ_u_e-nots, murder of, 102

  French settlements, along Great Lakes, 188
    in Acadia, 102, 105, 174
    in Carolina, 74
    in Florida, 74
    in Illinois, 177
    in Louisiana, 181
    in New Orleans, 183
    in Quebec, 174
    in Wisconsin, 177

  Friends, colony of, in New World, 147
    kindness of, 149, 150
    Quakers called, 135

  Frōb´ish-er, explorations of, 80, 81

  Frŏn´te-năċ, Count, governor of Canada, 184
    governor of New France, 177
    La Salle confers with, 181

  Frontenac, Fort, destroyed, 211


  Gāġ_e_, General, governor of Massachusetts, 232, 245
    sent to Boston, 224
    wins battle of Bunker Hill, 240

  Gas´pee Point, _Gaspee_ burned at, 217

  Gātes, Burgoyne surrenders to, 270
    defeated at Camden, 299
    proposed as commander-in-chief, 274
    supersedes Schuyler, 269

  "Gate´way of the West," Ohio called, 191

  General Court, in colonial government, 125

  Ġěn´o-a, Columbus born at, 36, 37
    trading city, 35

  Ġen-o-eşe´, seek new road to East, 35

  George, Lake, battle of, 209

  George I., 162

  George II., grants Georgia to Oglethorpe, 165

  George III., offers Americans representation, 272
    olive-branch petition sent to, 232
    recognizes independence of the United States, 322
    taxation of colonies, 218

  Ġ_e_ôr´ġi-a, British driven out of, 315
    conquered by British, 297
    De Soto in, 68
    not represented in First Continental Congress, 229

  Ger´man settlement, in Germantown, 150

  German soldiers, hired by British, 245

  Ger´man-town, battle of, 264
    Germans settle in, 150

  Ġĭ-bra:l´tar, Strait of, Northmen at, 25

  Ḡil´bert, Sir Hum´phrey, at Newfoundland, 83

  Gĭst, trapper, accompanies Washington, 196, 197

  Gŏf_fe_, flees to New Haven, 136
    leads colonists against Indians, 141

  Gold´en Hill, fight at, 225

  Good Hope´, Cape of, discovered, 42

  Ḡôr´ġěş, founds colony in Maine, 130

  Gŏs´nold, discovers Cape Cod, 86

  Gov´ern-ment of New England colonies, 125

  Grand Can´yŏn of Colorado, 68

  Great Charter of Virginia, 101

  Great Lakes, missions established on, 177

  Great Meadows, battle at, 198

  Great Rebellion in Virginia, 160

  Great South Sea, discovered, 64

  Greeç_e_, seat of learning, 32

  Green Bay, Marquette and Joliet at, 177

  Green Mountain Boys, cut Burgoyne off from Canada, 267
    march to Fort Ticonderoga, 237

  Greene, General Nathanael, American commander, 312
    defeated at Fort Washington, 256
    defeated at Guilford Courthouse, 314
    joins Morgan, 313
    leaves Fort Lee, 257

  Green´land, discovered, 27
    Indians in, 14

  Grěn´ville, British minister, 223

  Grĭş´wold, Fort, seized, 316

  Ḡ_u_ĭl´ford Courthouse, Greene defeated at, 314

  Ḡ_u_ĭn´ē_a_, stories about, 35

  Gulf Coast, explored, 65, 66

  Gulf of Mex´i-co, La Salle reaches, 181

  Gulf of St Law´rence, French possessions on, 213

  Gṳnn´biorn (byorn), discovers Greenland, 27


  Hăck´en-săck, Washington at, 257

  Hăd´ley, Indian attack at, 141

  Hā_i_´tï, discovered by Columbus, 50
    Spanish colony in, 62
    Spanish mutiny at, 57

  Hale, Nathan, death of, 255

  _Half-Moon_, Hudson's ship, 103

  Hăn´cock, John, at Lexington, 234
    president of Second Continental Congress, 238, 250

  Härt´ford, Charter Oak in, 168
    founded, 132
    trading station at, 131

  Här´vard College, origin of name, 125

  Hăt´ter-as, Cape, explored, 60

  Ha-văn´a, capture of, 282
    Columbus's tomb at, 59
    recovered by Spain, 213

  Hā´ver-_h_īll, attack on, 185

  Hawk´inş, introduces negro slavery into West Indies, 80

  Hěn´_n_e-pin, Father, adventures of, 180

  Hen´ry, Cape, named, 87

  Henry, Patrick, speech of, 221, 231

  Henry VII., Columbus asks aid from, 40
    sends expedition to America, 60

  Henry VIII., establishes Anglican church, 106, 152

  Henry of Por´tū-gal, the navigator, 35, 36, 39

  Hēr´kĭ-mer, General, victorious at Oriskany, 267

  Hessian (hěsh´an) soldiers, hired by British, 245
    Washington defeats, 200, 261

  His-pän-io´lä (-yō-) (Haiti), discovered by Columbus, 50

  Hŏb´kirk Hill, battle of, 314

  Hŏl´land, declares war against England, 146
    Separatist colony in, 107
    trading vessels sent from, 104

  Hook´er, pastor, settles at Hartford, 131

  Horn, Cape, Indians in, 14

  Horse´neck, Putnam's escape at, 284

  Hŏs´pĭ-t_a_l, founded in Philadelphia, 205

  House of Bur´ġes-ses, 101, 154, 156, 211, 221

  House of Com´mons in England, 219

  How_e_, British general, 239
    burns Charlestown, 242
    captures Fort Washington, 256
    captures forts on Delaware, 264
    defeats Americans at Brandywine, 264
    detained by Mrs. Murray, 254, 255
    in New York, 256
    plans to surprise Washington, 275
    returns to England, 277
    takes Philadelphia, 264
    wins battle of Long Island, 253

  Howe, Lord, proclamation of, 252

  Hŭd´son Bay, discovered, 105
    land around, ceded to British, 138

  Hudson, Henry, explorations of, 103, 105
    imprisoned by English, 104

  Hudson Valley, British attempt to seize, 207
    claimed by French, 184
    owned by Dutch, 143

  Hū´ḡ_u_e-nots, go to America, 73, 74
    massacre of, 74, 102, 174

  Hutch´in-son, Mrs. Anne, preaching of, 129, 130
    slain, 143


  Ï-ber-vïl_le_´, builds Biloxi, 182

  Ice´land, discovered by Northmen, 25

  Ice-lan´dic discovery, 27

  Il-lĭ-noi_s_´, forts captured in, 288
    visited by priests, 177

  Illinois River, La Salle explores, 180, 181
    Marquette and Joliet explore, 179

  In-de-pend´ence Bell, 250

  Independence, Declaration of, 248-252

  Independence Hall, in Pennsylvania, 252

  Independence of United States, acknowledged by France, 272
    acknowledged by George III., 322

  In´dī-a, search for northwest passage to, 35, 38, 80, 94, 103, 105

  India, Vasco da Gama reaches, 61

  In´dī-an Ocean, Vasco da Gama sails across, 61

  Indian raids, 286-288

  Indian wars, first in New England, 133
    French and Indian, 198-213
    King Philip's, 138-140
    Pequot, 132, 133
    Pontiac, 214
    with Virginia, 153, 154

  In´dī-anş, aid British in Revolutionary War, 266
    aid French against English settlers, 184, 185
    as farmers, 17
    attack Boonesboro, 289-292
    attack colonists, 111, 139, 143, 158
    attack Northmen, 29
    barbarous, 17, 18
    Captain Smith with, 89-94
    characteristics of, 14
    clans of, 19
    conflict with Spaniards, 76-78
    conquered by Standish, 123
    conversion of, 176
    cruelty of, 286
    Eliot translates Bible for, 126
    fortresses of, 21, 22
    friendly with Pilgrims, 114, 118
    Gen. Sullivan punishes, 287
    hired by British, 286
    in Mexico conquered, 66
    mode of life, 15, 16
    named by Columbus, 48
    Penn's treaty with, 148, 149
    Pequot, 132
    Pueblo, 102
    pursuits of, 15
    religion of, 19
    sold as slaves, 55
    Southern, 21, 22

  In´dĭ-go, cultivated in Carolina, 163

  In-sur´ance Company, first in Philadelphia, 205

  Ire´land, potatoes introduced into, 85

  Ĭr-o-quoi_s_´ (Five Nations), at war with Algonquins, 175
    attack of, 184

  Īr´ving, Washington, Tales of, 146

  Iş-a-bel´la, Queen of Spain, aids Columbus, 43, 44
    death of, 59

  Isabella, colony at, 54


  Ja-mā_i_´ca, Columbus discovers, 55

  James, Duke of York, land grant to, 142

  James, Duke of York, orders surrender of New Amsterdam, 145

  James I., imprisons Raleigh, 87
    makes Virginia a royal province, 154
    sends presents to Powhatan, 93

  James II., appoints Andros, 167
    dethroned, 168
    sends prisoners to Virginia, 160, 161

  James River, named, 87

  James´town, burned, 159
    Captain Smith governs, 92, 93
    colony founded at, 87, 105
    Dale governs, 97
    first English city in United States, 93
    House of Burgesses at, 101
    seized by rebels, 158
    slavery in, 101
    starvation time in, 96

  Ja-păn´, location of, on early maps, 39
    traders seek new road to, 35

  Jäs´per, Sergeant, killed, 298
    rescues American flag, 248

  Jěf'_f_er-son, Thomas, draws up Declaration of Independence, 250

  John II., King of Portugal, 39
    names Cape of Good Hope, 42

  John´son, British colonel, 285

  Joliet (zho-le-ā´), explorations of, 177

  Jones, John Paul, captures English vessels, 293, 294
    goes to serve Russia, 297
    victory of, 295, 296


  Ka-na:´w_h_a, Boone moves to, 293

  Kegs, Battle of the, 265

  Ken-tŭck´y, Indian raids in, 287

  Kidd, pirate captain, 164

  K_i_ēft, Governor, trouble with Indians, 143

  King George's War, 189, 190

  King Philip's War, 138-140

  King William's War, 185

  King's College, 252

  Kings Mountain, battle of, 311

  Kips Bay, troops stationed at, 254

  Kir_k_-ċa:l´dy, Jones at, 294

  _K_nox, American general, 318, 324

  Kos-çĭ-us´ko, joins Washington, 264


  Lăb-ra-dôr´, Cabot explores, 60
    Northmen at, 28

  _Lady Ar-bē´la_, Puritan ship, 123

  Lady Re-bec´ca, Pocahontas baptized as, 99

  Lä-fā-yět_te_´, at Yorktown, 316, 318
    joins Americans, 262, 263
    sent to Virginia, 316
    wounded, 264

  Lake George, victory at, 209

  Lakes, Great, missions established at, 177

  LäN-dā´_is_, Captain, 296

  Lä Rä'bi-dä, monastery of, 42

  Lä Säl_le_, adventures of, 180
    discovers Ohio River, 180
    murdered, 182

  Laudonnière (lo-do-ne-ār´), settles in Carolina, 74

  League of the colonies, 134

  Lee, Fort, Americans at, 255
    Greene leaves, 257

  Lee, General Charles, delay of, 257, 258
    dismissed from army, 279
    retreat of, 278

  Lee, Henry, and Mrs, Motte, 313
    called "Light-Horse Harry", 309

  Lee, Richard Henry, resolution of, 248

  Leeds, denied right to vote, 219

  L_e_īf the Lucky, explorations of, 28

  L_e_īs´ler, governor of New York, 170

  Lē´on, Isabella, Queen of, 59

  Lex´ing-ton, battle of, 234

  L_e_ȳ´den, Separatist colony in, 107

  Liberty Bell, in Pennsylvania, 252

  Library in Philadelphia, founded by Franklin, 203

  Lightning rods, invented, 205

  Liṉċ´o_l_n, Cornwallis's sword delivered to, 318
    defends Charleston, 298

  Lĭş´bon, Columbus at, 37

  Liv´ing-ston, Robert, draws up Declaration of Independence, 250

  Lŏck_e_, John, laws of, 162

  Logs´town, Washington at, 196

  Lȯn´dȯn Company, Captain Smith joins, 89
    formed, 87

  Long Island, battle of, 253
    Kieft meets Indians on, 143

  Long River, Connecticut River called, 131

  Lo:_u_´i_s_ XIV., aids La Salle, 181

  Louis XVI., Jones at court of, 296

  Lo:_u_´ĭs-burg, British capture, 211
    captured by New Englanders, 190
    French fort at, 189

  Lo:_u_-ï-şi-ä´na, Acadians wander to, 209
    ceded to Spain, 213
    territory embraced by, 181


  "Mad An´t_h_o-ny," Wayne called, 284

  Ma-dē_i_´ra Islands, discovered, 36

  Măd´o-ċ, visits America, 31

  Ma-drăs´ in India, ceded to England, 190

  Ma-ġěl´_l_an, explorations of, 65
    Strait of, Drake sails through, 82

  Mā_i_n_e_, added to Massachusetts, 169
    Gorges founds colony in, 130
    quarrels with Massachusetts Bay colony, 166

  Măn´ches-ter, denied right to vote, 219

  Măn´de-vil_le_, Sir John, travels of, 33

  Man-hăt´_t_an Island, Hudson lands on, 104
    purchased by Dutch, 143
    trading station established on, 104, 142

  Maps, in early days, 32

  Mär-ble-head´, offers port to Boston, 232

  Mär´co Po´lo, travels of, 33

  Mär´cōs, explorations of, 63

  Măr´ï-on, called "Bay'ard of the South", 300
    in battle of Eutaw Springs, 315

  Marque (märk), letters of, 293

  Marquette (mär-kět´), explorations of, 177-179

  Ma´rў-land (měr-), boundary dispute with Pennsylvania, 153
    quarrel with Virginia, 153

  Mā´son and Dix´on line, 153

  Mason, John, founds colony in New Hampshire, 130
    Mohegan chief aids, 133

  Mas-sa-chū´setts Bay colony, emblem of, 127
    joins league, 134
    Navigation Act not observed in, 166
    Parliament takes away charter, 229
    Plymouth colony and Maine added to, 169
    Quaker excitement in, 135
    quarrels with Maine, 166
    receives new charter, 169
    resists taxation, 224
    settlement at Salem, 120
    Williams College in, 209

  Massachusetts Congress, 236

  Massachusetts Historical Society, 142

  Măs´sa-soit, Indian chief, cured by Winslow, 118
    makes treaty with Governor Carver 114, 137

  Măt-a-ḡȯr´da Bay, fort built at, 181

  Măth´er, Cotton, minister, 172, 173

  _May´flow-er_, Pilgrims sail in, 108
    returns to England, 115

  McCr_e_ā´, Jane, killed by Indians, 266

  Med´i-çin_e_ men, among Indians, 19

  Med-i-ter-rā´ne-an Sea, Columbus visits ports on, 37
    Northmen explore, 25

  Menendez (mā-nen´deth), Spanish leader, 74

  Merry Mount, English colonists at, 122

  Meth´o-dist Church, Wesley founder of, 165

  Mex´i-co, captured by Cortez, 66
    Indians in, 20

  Mexico, Gulf of, explored, 179
    La Salle reaches, 181

  Mexico, New, Marcos visits, 68

  Miçh´ĭ-gan, Lake, Marquette and Joliet at, 177, 179

  Mĭċ_h_-ĭ-lĭ-mack´i-na:c, Indian victory at, 214
    La Salle at, 180

  Min´u-it, purchases Manhattan Island, 143

  Minutemen, drilling of, 231
    warn soldiers, 233

  Mis-_s_ĭs-_s_ĭp´_p_ĭ, called "Father of Waters", 67
    explored, 68, 177, 181
    lands east of, ceded to Great Britain, 213
    Narvaez drowned in, 67

  Mississippi Valley, mounds in, 22

  Mĭs-_s_o:_u_´ri Indians, homes of, 19

  Missouri River, explored, 69, 178

  Mō´hawk Valley, 265

  Mo-hē´gan Indians, Pequots seek alliance with, 132

  Money, coined in Massachusetts Bay colony, 166
    paper, issued by Congress, 302

  Mŏn´m_o_ūth, battle of, 278

  Mō-nŏn-ga-hē´la=, battle of the, 208

  Mŏnt-ċä_l_m´, captures Oswego, 210
    defeated at Quebec, 212

  Mon-te-zṳ´ma, Indian chief, 66

  Mont-gȯm´er-y, takes Montreal, 246

  Mōnt-re-a:l´, attacked, 187
    Joliet returns to, 179
    La Salle in, 180
    named by Cartier, 72, 174
    surrender of, 213
    taken by Montgomery, 246

  Moors, expelled from Spain, 42

  Mȯr´gan, Daniel, at battle of Stillwater 269
    joined by Greene, 313
    victorious at Cowpens, 312
    victorious at Saratoga, 271

  Mŏr´_r_is, Robert, Washington appeals to, 303

  Mŏr´ris-town Heights, Washington at, 262, 279

  Mŏt_te_, Mrs., sacrifice of, 313

  Mo:_ul_´trĭ_e_, Fort, bombarded, 247

  Mound builders, 22

  Mounds, description of, 23

  Mount Hope, Indian camp at, 140

  Mount Vēr´non, Washington's home at, 193, 195, 196

  Mount Vernon, Washington returns to, 324

  Mŭr´_ra_ў, Mrs., anecdote about, 254


  Na-pō´le-on, 321

  Năr-ra-găn´sett Indians, Canonicus chief of, 118
    Pequots seek alliance with, 132

  Nar-vä´ez (-eth), explorations of, 67

  Năs´_s_a:_u_, Fort, built by Dutch, 105, 151
    settlers driven from, 144

  Nătch´ez Indians, attack French, 183

  Nav-i-ga´tion Act, not observed in Massachusetts, 166
    provisions of, 134, 135, 155, 214, 215

  Ne-çes´si-ty, Fort, Washington builds, 198

  Nē´gro slavery, in West Indies, 80

  New Ăl´bi-on, explored, 82

  New Am´ster-dam, description of, 144
    founded, 105, 143
    surrenders to English, 145, 146

  New´burg, Washington's forces at, 321, 323

  New En´gland (ing-), English settlements in, 125
    explored, 95
    government of, 125

  New´f_o_ŭnd-land, Cabot explores, 60
    ceded to British, 188
    early explorations of, 174
    taken by Gilbert, 83

  New France, claimed by Cartier, 174

  New Hamp´shir_e_, Mason founds colony in, 130
    a separate royal province, 166

  New Hā´ven, founded, 133
    Goffe and Whalley flee to, 136
    joined to Connecticut, 137
    joins league, 134
    school established at, 169

  New Jēr´ş_e_ў, Washington retreats across, 257

  New Jersey, East, sold to Penn, 146

  New Jersey, West, sold to Quakers, 146, 147

  New Lȯn´dȯn, Arnold sets fire to, 310

  New Mex´i-co, Indians in, 20
    Marcos visits, 68

  New Něth´er-lands, settlements in, 102, 105, 144
    surrenders to English, 146

  New Ôr´le-ans, ceded to Spain, 213
    French fort at, 183
    French possession, 213

  New´port, Americans attempt to seize, 280
    settlement at, 130

  New Swē´den, given to English, 151
    settlements at, 145

  New World, America known as, 13

  New World, discovery of, 61

  New York, British leave, 323
    British plan to invade, 265
    fight at Golden Hill in, 225
    Howe and Clinton in, 256
    King's College in, 252
    New Amsterdam called, 146
    statue of Hale in, 256

  New York Bay, Howe enters, 252
    Hudson enters, 103

  Nī-ăg´a-ra ("The Thunder of Waters"), 73
    British army to move to, 206

  _Niña_ (neen´yah), Columbus's ship, 44
    reaches Portugal, 51

  Nôr´mans, explorations of, 25

  Nôrse´men, explorations of, 25

  North America, Norse settlement in, 28

  North Carolina, English colony in, 85

  North River, Hudson River called, 103

  North Sea, coast explored, 25
    Paul Jones coasts along, 294

  North´men, attacked by Indians, 29
    in America, 27
    journeys of, 25
    settle in Iceland, 25, 27

  Northwest´ Passage, search for, 38, 80, 81, 94, 103, 105

  Northwest Territory, land grants in, 325

  Nôr´way, Northmen in, 25

  Nō´va Sċō´tia (-shĭ-a), Acadia named, 188
    Cabot explores, 60
    French settlement in, 174
    Northmen at, 28


  Ō´gle-thorp_e_, James, Georgia granted to, 164, 165
    returns to England, 166

  O-hī´o, mounds in, 22

  Ohio River, called "Beautiful River", 191
    discovered, 180
    explored, 179

  Ohio Valley, claimed by French and English, 191, 198, 207

  Old Do-min´ion (-yŭn), Virginia called, 155

  Old South Meetinghouse, patriots assembled at, 226

  Olive-branch petition, 232

  Oñate (ōn-yah´tā), at Acoma, 76, 77
    founds Santa Fé, 76

  Ŏn-tā´ri-o, Lake, British army starts from, 265

  Ŏr´anġe, Fort, built, 105

  Ō-rĭ-nō´cō River, Columbus explores, 57

  O-rĭs´kȧ-ny, Indians routed at, 267

  Orphan asylum, Whitefield supports first, 165

  Ŏs-wē´go, British army at, 209
    captured by Montcalm, 210

  Ō´tis, James, opposes search warrants, 217

  Ox´ford University, 82


  Pa-çĭf´ic Ocean, discovered by Balboa, 64
    named by Magellan, 65

  Pä´lōs, Columbus sails from, 44

  Păn-a-mä´, Isthmus of, Drake at, 81
    settlement on, 63

  Pȧ-poo´ses, Indian babies, 20

  Păr´is, treaty of, 213, 322, 325

  Par´li_a_-ment, Americans not represented in, 217
    Americans offered representation in, 272
    repeals Stamp Act, 223

  Pa:_u_l´ding, captures André, 306

  Pē_a_r´son, Captain, Paul Jones defeats, 206

  _Pēl´i-can_, Drake's ship, 82

  Penn, William, East New Jersey sold to, 146
    founds Philadelphia, 150
    laws of, 149
    Pennsylvania granted to, 147
    treaty with Indians, 148, 149

  Penn-syl-vā´nĭ-a, boundary, dispute of, 153
    granted to Penn, 147

  Pennsylvania Historical Society, 149

  Pe-ō´ri-a, Fort Crèvecœur built near, 180

  Pep´_p_er-ell(-il) takes Louisburg, 190

  Pē´quŏt War, 132, 133

  Pe=´rez (-reth), Prior, intercedes for Columbus, 43

  Pēr´sian (shan) Gulf, 34

  Pe-rṳ´, conquered by Pizarro, 66

  Phil-a-del´phĭ-a, aids soldiers, 303
    British in, 265, 275
    British leave, 277
    British plan to seize, 259
    delegates meet at, 237
    First Continental Congress at, 229
    first public library in, 205
    founded, 150
    taken by Howe, 264

  Phil´ip, son of Massasoit, 137-139

  Phil´ip-_p_ine Islands, Magellan killed at, 65

  Phips, Sir William, attacks Port Royal, 187

  Pick´enş, American hero, 300

  Pil´grims, friendly relations of, with Indians, 118
    hardships of, 113
    land at Plymouth Rock, 111, 113
    origin of name, 108
    reach Cape Cod Bay, 109-111

  Pil´lo-ry, mode of punishment, 172

  Pi-ne=´da, explorations of, 65

  Pine-tree shillings, 167

  _Pïn´tā_, Columbus's ship, 44

  Pinzon (peen-thōn´) brothers, offer to assist Columbus, 43
    sail with Columbus, 44, 46

  Pitch´er, Molly, in battle of Monmouth, 278, 279

  Pitt, William, advises new census, 219
    opposes Stamp Act, 219, 223
    sends troops to America, 210

  Pitts´burg, built, 210

  Pi-zăr´ro, conquers Peru, 66

  Plains of Abraham, Wolfe at, 212

  Plan-ta´tions, origin of name, 101

  Plўm´_o_ŭth Company, settlements of, 87

  Plymouth colony, added to Massachusetts, 169
    English settlements at, 111
    growth of, 120
    joins league, 134

  Plymouth Rock, Pilgrims land at, 111, 113

  Po-ca-hŏn´tas, aids English colonists, 92
    death of, 100
    marries John Rolfe, 98
    pleads for Captain Smith, 90
    warns Captain Smith, 95
    welcomed by queen, 99

  Poles, assist Americans in Revolutionary War, 264

  Pōnce de Leon (pōn´tha da la-ōn´), death of, 65
    discovers Florida, 64

  Pŏn´tī-ac War, 214

  Poor Richard's Almanac, published, 203, 294

  Port´age, defined, 181

  Port´land, burned, 246

  Port Roy´al, attacked, 187
    called Annapolis, 188
    French settlement at, 102, 174

  Ports´m_o_ūth, settled, 130

  Pōr´tū-gal, covets Eastern trade, 35

  Por´tu-g_u_ēş_e_, discover A-zores´, 36
    explorations, 42, 61

  Po-tā´to_e_ş, introduced into Ireland, 85

  Pō-tō´maċ River, 191

  Pow-ha-tăn´, aids English colonists, 92
    crowned King of Virginia, 93, 94
    Indian chief, 90

  Prěs´cott, American colonel, 239-241

  Prescott, British general, 258, 259

  Prĭnce´ton, battle of, 261, 262

  Print´ing, invented, 32, 33

  Printing press, first in colonies, 126

  Prĭş´on-ers, care for, 246

  Prov´i-dence, Williams settles at, 129

  Pueb´lõ (pwěb-) Indians, converted, 102

  Puerto Rico (pwěr´tō re´co), Ponce de Leon starts from, 64

  Pū-lăs´kĭ, assists Americans, 264
    killed, 298

  Pŭt´nam, Israel, in Revolutionary War, 236
    retreat of, 253-255
    returns to Connecticut, 283
    stories about, 280-284

  Pū´ri-tans, called "Roundheads", 155
    origin of, 107
    power of English, 134
    settlements of, 121, 122, 124


  Quāk´ers, characteristics of, 135
    settle in Rhode Island, 130, 136
    sufferings of, 135

  Que-bec´, attacked, 187, 246
    battle of, 211-213
    Cartier at, 72
    plan to besiege, 206
    settled, 174

  Queen Anne's War, 187, 188


  Rä_h_l, surrender of, 261

  Ra:´l_e_i_gh_, Sir Walter, establishes colony on Roanoke Island, 85
    imprisoned, 87
    Virginia granted to, 85
    voyage of, 83

  _Rān´ġer_, Paul Jones's vessel, 294

  Red River explored, 69

  Reed, Joseph, 259, 303

  Reġ´i-cides (king-killers), 136

  Re-vēr_e_´, Paul, ride of, 233, 234

  Rev-o-lu´tion of 1688, in England, 170

  Revolutionary War, 149, 234-321

  Rhode Ī_s_´land, charter of, 137, 167, 169
    colony formed in, 129
    Northmen at, 28
    Quakers settle in, 130

  Ribault (re-bo´), settles in Carolina, 74

  Rice, cultivated in Carolina, 163

  Rip Van Wiṉ´kl_e_, Irving's tale of, 146

  Ro-a-nōk_e_´ Island, Raleigh establishes English colony on, 85

  Rŏb´in-son, Separatist minister, 108, 123

  Rocky Mountains, 181

  Rŏg´erş, joins Putnam, 281

  Rŏlf_e_, John, marries Pocahontas, 98

  Ro´man Cath´o-lics, persecution of, 106, 107, 134

  Rŏss, Mrs., makes first American flag, 268

  "Round´heads," Puritans called, 155

  Roy´al-ists, called "Cavaliers", 155

  Royalists, come to America, 156

  Royal Oak, 167

  Russia (rŭsh´a), Paul Jones serves, 297

  Rŭt´lě_d_ġ_e_, Mr., 229

  Rўş´wick, treaty of, 187


  Sā´chem, Indian ruler, 19

  Săg´ȧ-more, Indian ruler, 19

  Sā´gȧş, Norse tales, 30

  Sȧ-hä´ra, 35

  St. An´t_h_o-ny, Falls of, 180

  St. Au´gŭs-tïn_e_, besieged, 165
    founded, 75

  St. John's River, French settlement on, 74

  St. Law´rence, Gulf of, French possessions on, 213

  St. Lawrence River, explored, 72
    Indians at, 18
    named by Cartier, 174

  St. Lěġ´er, besieges Fort Stanwix, 267
    retreat of, 268

  St. Marys, settlement at, 152

  St. Niċ_h_´o-las, 144

  St. Pat´rick's day, 247

  St. Rē´gis, Indian church at, 188

  Sā´lem, port of, offered to Boston, 232
    Roger Williams, preaches at, 127
    settlement at, 122

  Salem witchcraft, 170-173

  Săm´o-set, welcomes English, 113

  Sän Dï-e=´go, Spanish colony at, 76

  Sän-tä Fé=, Spanish colony at, 76, 102

  _Sän-tä Mä-rï´ä_, Columbus's ship, 44
    wrecked, 50

  Sän-to Do-mïn´go, 59

  Săr-a-tō´ga, American victory at, 269-272

  Sär-găs´_s_ō Sea, Columbus sails through, 46

  Sā´t_a_n, 171

  Sa-văn´nah, founded, 165
    taken by British, 297

  Say, Lord, land granted to, 130

  Say´brook, colony founded at, 130
    included in New Haven colony, 134

  Sċ_h_e-něc´ta-dy, burned, 185

  Schools, public, established, 125

  Sċ_hu_ȳ´ler, Fort, besieged, 267

  Schuyler, General, sent against Burgoyne, 265
    superseded by Gates, 269
    victorious at Saratoga, 271

  "Sea of Darkness," Atlantic Ocean called, 31, 40

  Search war´rants, opposition to, 217

  See´konk, Williams attempts settlement at, 129

  Sen-e-ga:l´, 36

  Sep´a-ra-tists, found colony in Holland, 107
    persecution of, 107
    sail for New World, 108

  _Se-rā´pis_, British vessel, 295, 296

  Set´tle-ments, Dutch, 105, 143, 144
    English, 85, 87, 111, 122, 124, 125, 129, 130, 132, 147, 152,
        162, 165
    French, 74, 102, 105, 174, 177, 181, 183, 188
    German, 150
    Portuguese, 36
    Swedish, 151

  Seven Years' War, 210

  Se-vĭl_le_´, 59

  Shēr´man, Roger, draws up Declaration of Independence, 250

  Sĭm´e-on, 317

  S_i_o:_ux_ Indians, capture Father Hennepin, 180

  "Skin´ners," marauding troops called, 305

  Skrā_e_´lings, Norse name for Indians, 29

  "Sky City," Acoma called, 68, 76

  Slav´er-y, in Georgia, 165, 166
    in Jamestown, 101
    in West Indies, 80

  Sleep´y Hol´low, Irving's tales of, 146

  Slou_gh_´ter, Governor, of New York, 170

  Smith, Captain, adventures of, 88-91
    called "Admiral of New England", 95
    death of, 96
    governs Jamestown settlement, 92
    joins London Company, 89
    returns to England, 95

  Smok´ing, introduced, 50

  Smug´gling, begun, 216

  Snor´ri, first European born in America, 28, 29

  Sons of Liberty, 222, 252

  South A-měr´i-ca, Indians in, 20
    Portuguese approach, 61

  South Car-o-li´na, Americans lose, 300
    British driven out of, 315

  Spā_i_n, ally of France, 188
    at war with England, 81, 165
    at war with France, 71
    Florida given back to, 323
    gives up Florida, 213
    in French and Indian War, 213
    receives New Orleans and Louisiana, 213

  Spăn´ish, at St. Augustine, attacked, 75
    attack Charleston, 188
    explorations of, 62-70
    invade Georgia, 166
    massacre Huguenots, 74, 174
    settlements, 62-64, 75, 76, 102, 105

  _Speed´well_, Pilgrim ship, 108

  Spice Islands, 58

  Spots´wood, Governor, journey of, 161

  Squan´to, captured, 106
    favorite of Pilgrims, 114, 115

  Squawş, Indian women, 16, 20

  Stamp Act Congress, 222

  Stamp Act, passed, 219
    repealed, 223

  Stand´ish, Miles, attacked by Indians, 111
    conquers Indians, 123
    made captain of Pilgrims, 110

  Stan´wix, Fort, besieged, 267

  Stärk, General, in Revolutionary War, 236
    victorious at Bennington, 266

  "Star-va´tion Time" in Jamestown, 96

  Steel_e_, Mrs., aids Gen. Greene, 313

  St_e_ū´ben, German patriot, 263
    joins Washington, 277

  Still´wa-ter, battle of, 269

  Stocks, mode of punishment, 172

  Stony Point, attack on, 284
    captured, 285

  Storms, Cape of, discovered, 42

  Stove, Franklin's, 205

  St_u_ȳ´ve-sant, Peter, governor of New Amsterdam, 144
    returns to Holland, 146
    takes New Sweden, 145

  Sŭl´li-van, General, punishes Indians, 286, 287

  Sŭm´ter, American hero, 300

  "Swạmp Fox," Marion called, 300

  Swạn´sea, Indian attack at, 139

  Swedes, settle New Sweden, 145, 151


  Tăm´pa Bay, De Soto lands at, 68

  Tăp´pan, monument to André at, 308

  Tärl_e_´ton, cruelty of, 299
    defeated at Cowpens, 312

  Tăr´ry-town, André captured at, 305
    André's monument at, 308

  Tax, on tea, 227

  Tax-a´tion, of colonies, 219-227

  Tea, tax on, 227

  Ten-er-ĭf_e_', volcano of, 36, 45

  Tex´as, French fort in, 181

  Thanks´giv-ing Day, origin of, 116

  T_h_or´wa:ld-sen, sculptor, 29

  Ti-con-de-rō´ga, Fort, British defeat at, 237
    captured by Burgoyne, 265
    plan to capture, 206

  To-bac´co, cultivation of, 98, 100
    introduced into England, 86

  Tom´a-hawks, Indian hatchets, 20

  Ton´ty, lieutenant of La Salle, 180, 182

  Tō´ries, try to rescue Andros, 168

  Tos-cä-nel´lï, a learned Italian, 39

  Tower Hill, 286

  Town´ş_h_end Acts, passed, 224

  Trade laws for colonies, 214, 216

  Treaty, between Massasoit and Governor Carver, 137
    of Aix-lä-çhä-pel_le_, 190
    of Paris, 213, 322, 325
    of Penn with Indians, 148, 149

  Treaty of Rўş'wick, 187
    of U´trěċ_h_t, 188

  Tre´mont ("Three Hills") settlement, 124

  Tren´ton, Hessians defeated at, 260, 261

  Trï´moun-tain, settlement at, 124

  Trĭn-ĭ-dăd´, Columbus at, 56

  Trin´i-ty Church, monument to soldiers, 256, 257

  Tür-go_t_´, French minister, 272

  Turks, besiege Constantinople, 33
    illtreat European traders, 35


  Union, Franklin's plan of, 206

  United States of America, formed, 250
    Independence recognized by England, 322

  U-ni-ver´si-ty of Pennsylvania, founded, 205

  U´trěċ_h_t, treaty of, 188


  Val-co:_u_r´ Island, Carleton victorious at, 252

  Valley Forge, Washington's army at, 264, 273, 277

  Van Wart, captures André, 306

  Väs´ċo dä Gä´mä, voyage of, 61

  Ve-nē´tians, seek new passage to East, 35

  Ven´ĭç_e_, trading city, 35

  Vē´rä Cruz (-croos), Cortez lands at, 66

  Ver-mont´, Green Mountain Boys in, 237

  Verrazano (ver-rah-tsah´no), explorations of, 71, 174, 184

  Vī´kings, journeys of, 25

  Vīks, bays in Norway, 25

  Vĭn-çen_ne_ş´, Fort, surrender of, 288

  Vine´land, Northmen's name for America, 28

  Vir-ġin´i-a, Arnold in, 309
    civil war in, 158
    drives away Catholics, 152
    education in, 157
    government of, 101
    granted to Raleigh, 83, 85
    Jamestown founded in, 105
    Natural Bridge, 194
    Powhatan king of, 94
    presented to Culpepper and Arlington, 156
    prosperity in, 153
    royal promise, 154, 160
    royalists in, 155
    women sent to, 100, 101

  Voyageurs (vwȧ-yȧ-zhẽr´), travelers called, 176

  _Vul´ture_, English vessel, 305


  Wạdş´worth, Captain, conceals charter, 167
    defies Governor Fletcher, 169

  Wal´dron, Major, killed by Indians, 184

  Wall Street, origin of name, 144

  Wạm´pŭm, use of, 23

  War, French and Indian, 198-213
    King George's, 189, 190
    King Philip's, 138-140
    King William's, 184, 186
    of the Austrian Succession, 189, 190
    Pequot, 132, 133
    Pontiac, 214
    Queen Anne's, 187
    Revolutionary, 234-321
    Seven Years', 210

  Ward, quotation from, 241

  Wạr´ren, Dr., addresses minutemen, 235
    dies at Bunker Hill, 241

  Wạsh´ing-ton, Augustine, 191

  Washington, Colonel William, 312

  Washington, Fort, Americans at, 255
    captured, 256

  Washington, George, advice to Braddock, 207
    appeals to Robert Morris, 303
    assists Forbes, 210
    at Fort Duquesne, 207, 208
    at Great Meadows, 198
    at Valley Forge, 264, 273
    boyhood of, 191-193
    called "Savior of his Country", 262
    chosen general of army, 238
    crosses Delaware, 260
    defeated at Brandywine, 264
    defeats Hessians at Trenton, 260, 261
    disbands his army, 323
    discipline of, 243, 244
    enters Boston, 247
    farewell address of, 321, 324
    Gates to supersede, 274
    headquarters at Cambridge, 242
    Howe's letter to, 253
    in First Continental Congress, 231
    in Second Continental Congress, 238
    major in Virginia regiment, 196
    marches to Yorktown, 316, 317
    outwits Cornwallis, 261
    plans to capture Cornwallis, 315, 316
    retreats up the Hudson, 254, 256, 258, 259
    returns to Mount Vernon, 324
    sent to French commander, 196
    surveyor, 94
    tactics of, 257
    victory at Princeton, 262

  Washington, Lawrence, 195

  Washington, Mrs., at Valley Forge, 274

  Washington Park, soldiers buried in, 256

  Wạtts, 257

  Wā_y_n_e_, Anthony, captures Stony Point, 284, 285

  Wěs´l_e_ў, John, founder of Methodist Church, 165

  West In´d_i_ēş, colonists send lumber to, 127
    discovered by Columbus, 54
    negro slavery in, 80
    Spanish colonies in, 64
    Washington in, 195

  West´min-ster Abbey, Major André buried in, 308
    monument to Wolfe in, 213

  West Point, Arnold in command of, 305

  Wē_y_´m_o_ŭth, Standish victorious at, 123

  Whal´ley, flees to New Haven, 136

  Whĭt_e_´field, supports first orphan asylum, 165

  White-ha´ven, Paul Jones at, 294

  White Land, Gunnbiorn discovers, 27

  White Plains, André taken to, 306
    battle of, 256

  Wig´wạms, tents of Indians, 15

  Wil´liam and Mary, reign of, 168

  William and Mary College, founded, 161

  William Henry, Fort, seized, 210

  Williams, Ephraim, founds college, 209

  Williams, Roger, called "Apostle of Toleration", 129
    forms colony at Providence, 129
    intercedes with Indians, 132, 133
    principles of, 127, 128

  Williams, captures André, 306

  Wil´ming-ton, Swedish colony at, 145

  Winş´low, Edward, intercourse with Indians, 114, 118, 138

  Wĭn´throp, John, governor of Boston settlement, 123, 124

  Wis-con´sin River, Marquette and Joliet explore, 177

  Wọlf_e_, James, wins battle of Quebec, 211-213

  Wy-o´ming Valley, massacre in, 286


  Yāl_e_ College, established, 169

  "Yăṉ´kee Doo´dle," adopted as national air, 270
    nickname for American soldier, 218, 239

  York´town, siege of, 316, 317


  Zaldivar (thahl-de´var), Spanish leader at Acoma, 77, 78

  Zāne, Elizabeth, bravery of, 290

  Zuñi (zoo´nyee) pueblos, 68




       *       *       *       *       *




Transcriber's note:

Minor typographical and punctuation errors have been corrected
without note. Irregularities and inconsistencies in the text have
been retained as printed.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 48051 ***