With Washington in the west;

At the time Dave Morris first met George Washington, the future President of the United States and “Father of His Country,” as he has affectionately been called, was about nineteen years of age. He was tall, well proportioned, muscular and athletic and showed well the advantages of his temperate mode of living. His eyes were blue and penetrating, and his face, while not severe, showed a quiet reserve and a dignity that made him what he soon after became—a natural leader of men.

It was on the 22d day of February, 1732, that George Washington first saw the light of day, in an old family homestead on Bridges Creek, near where that stream empties into the Potomac river. The homestead was an old-fashioned affair, with sloping roofs coming almost to the ground and with a wide and substantial chimney at each end. It had come into the possession of Colonel John Washington, the future President’s great grandfather years before, and upon the colonel’s death had been left in the family. It was a beautiful spot, but in later years was allowed to go to decay.

The father of the future President was named Augustine, and he was married twice. By his first marriage he had a son Lawrence, of whom we shall hear more later, and several other children. His second marriage was to Mary, the daughter of Colonel Ball, and by this he had George and three other sons and two daughters. Thus it will be seen that the Washington family was quite an extensive one.

George was still a small boy when his father gave up the homestead at Bridges Creek, and moved to a place opposite Fredericksburg, on a bit of rising ground bordering the Rappahannock. The family were well to do, and, as was the custom of many rich folk, Lawrence, the oldest son, was sent to England to be educated. But George had no such advantage, and his first schooling was obtained at a modest country school of the neighborhood, kept by a Mr. Hobby, who was both schoolmaster and parish sexton.

At school George proved a quick and diligent scholar, and there are still preserved some of his copy and other books in which he wrote and ciphered, showing a neatness and orderliness which followed him all through life. He even wrote out for himself a series of Rules of Conduct, which are to-day models of etiquette. He was a champion runner, jumper and swimmer, and many anecdotes have been told showing how he won contests, and how he brought to grief the bully of the school. In those days the wars with the Indians were fresh in the public mind, and Washington with his school fellows played Indians and soldiers, with wooden guns and rude bows and arrows of their own making. Once such play ended in a grand fight that became real, and then Washington did his best to separate the contestants. After the fight was over the schoolmaster called the boys together and asked for an explanation. Each of the boys took his own part, declaring the others in the wrong. In despair the teacher called on Washington, and asked what he knew of the matter. At once Washington stood up and spoke like a lawyer in court, giving the details with great clearness and showing how one was about as much to blame as another, and pleading that the boys be forgiven all around, as they had not meant to make the fight real when they started. The school teacher agreed to let the matter drop if the boys would promise to fight no more, and this the lads did, and separated with a cheer for Washington and with their general good feeling restored.

When Lawrence Washington returned from England, a well educated and highly polished young man of twenty-one, the mother country was having a great deal of trouble with Spain, who had interfered with her commerce on the high seas. This led to the raising of some troops for a campaign in the West Indies, and George’s elder brother obtained a captain’s commission and served under Admiral Vernon and General Wentworth for nearly two years. This service filled George, who was but eight years old, with military fervor, and he forthwith organized the schoolboys into a military company and drilled them on the green—the foundation stone of his great military leadership of the future.

When George was eleven years of age his father died, leaving him to the tender care of his mother and his two older half-brothers. The youth had now outgrown the advantages of the school kept by Mr. Hobby, and consequently was sent to live at Bridges Creek, with his half-brother Augustine, who was married and had settled there. Here George attended a school kept by a Mr. Williams, and was as diligent as ever in his studies, although always preferring those of the more practical kind, reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, history and the making out of bills, accounts and the like. He also studied surveying, and often went out for practice in this art, so that he might master it thoroughly. In the meantime, he did not forget his athletic exercises and his horsemanship, and it was said that he could ride as well and throw a stone as far as anybody of his age.

Shortly after his father’s death, Lawrence Washington had married the daughter of William Fairfax, who was then living in Virginia, and managing the large estates of his cousin, Lord Fairfax,—estates which lay upon both sides of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lawrence had settled at Mount Vernon, named, as told before, after his old commander, and he was now an influential member of the community, belonging to the House of Burgesses, and acting as adjutant-general of the district. Here George was a frequent visitor, and here he became at one time possessed with a desire to join the navy, his brother’s visitors filling him with stories of the glories of such a life. A midshipman’s warrant was obtained for him, his baggage was packed, and all was made ready for his departure. But at the last moment Mrs. Washington broke down and begged her son to remain at home.

“But how can I refuse now I have enlisted?” said George.

“If you go you will break your mother’s heart,” was the sobbed-out answer.

At this George stood for several minutes in deep silence. A struggle was going on in his breast. At last he caught his mother around the neck.

“I will stay at home,” he said, softly. “I can’t go away and see you suffer.”

His baggage was brought ashore, the midshipman’s warrant annulled, and George returned to school. Some few called him a coward for this, but he did not care, for his conscience told him that he had done what was right.

When George gave up school and came to stay again at Mount Vernon he was a frequent visitor at Belvoir, the home of the Fairfaxes, but a few miles away. Here he had a companion in George Fairfax, the son of the manager of the estate, and the two were often out hunting or fishing together. In the meantime, Lord Fairfax, a nobleman of sixty, had come on from England. He was a great hunter and often took the two Georges with him behind his hounds. He took a special liking to Washington and treated him very much as a son, and one day, learning that Washington had studied surveying, asked to see some of the young man’s maps. These were brought and inspected, and at the conclusion of the interview Lord Fairfax made Washington an offer that he survey the estates, and offered him from a doubloon to six pistoles per day, according to the work accomplished. George Fairfax was to accompany the young surveyor.

The compact was made and the young surveyor, but sixteen years old, and clad in plain buckskin and hunting shirt, started out, accompanied by George Fairfax. At times they had attendants with them, but not always. It was the month of March and the snow still lay deep in the mountain passes, and the rivers were much swollen. The two traveled for miles along the Shenandoah, making surveys and maps, the accuracy of which are to-day beyond dispute. It was a life to which Washington was unaccustomed, yet he never complained. For the most part they slept in the open, in the “howling wilderness,” with only the canopy of stars above them. Once they stopped at the cabin of a squatter and the vermin in the bed drove George out in the middle of the night; again they were out in their tent when a big storm came up and blew the tent to shreds and sent their traps flying in all directions. Once Washington’s bed caught fire and he would have been sadly burnt had not his companion awakened him. He now met many Indians, and one day witnessed a war dance, which, however, ended in nothing more than a drunk on the part of the red men. They had to hunt a large portion of their food and had to go hungry several times, when fish and game failed to appear. The Indians were always suspicious of them, and viewed the doings of the young surveyor with awe, and inspected the marks set up with exceeding curiosity. “White man make mark what for?” asked one old Indian, and when Washington tried to explain he went on: “Dis red man’s land, white man no need to mark him,” and strode off in disgust and wrath. That night George and his companion lay awake with their guns in their hands, fearing the old Indian might come back to harm them, but the old warrior did not reappear.

When the surveys were completed, Washington returned to Mount Vernon, drew them up into proper shape, and presented them to Lord Fairfax. His lordship was greatly pleased with the work done and listened closely to all George had to tell him about the soil, the timber in the forests, the currents of the streams, and other matters of importance.

“It was a great work for a young man like you, George,” he said. “A great work. You ought to be a public surveyor.”

“I wouldn’t mind having the position,” answered Washington.

“Then you shall have it—if my influence counts for anything,” replied Lord Fairfax.

Shortly after this his lordship called upon Lawrence Washington, and the three talked it over between them. It was agreed that the opening might prove of value to George in the future, for in the heads of older men there was already a scheme for forming a company to develop the region beyond the Blue Ridge.

“I shall give up Belvoir, go across the Blue Ridge and establish myself at Greenway Court,” said Lord Fairfax. “Then when I am settled we can perfect our schemes. George is honest, fearless, and has a sound judgment in all things, and he will be the man we shall need. He ought to become a public surveyor by all means. Then all his transactions will have a legal standing and will go on record.” And so it was settled.

Washington entered on his new duties with as much faithfulness as ever, and soon he was overcrowded with work, for it was known that he was thoroughly reliable, and there were very few surveyors, considering the many grants of land which had to be mapped out. To him the days and the months passed swiftly. When he needed a rest he either visited his brother and mother, or else went to see Lord Fairfax at Greenway Court, which became a noted resort for all sorts of visitors, who hunted and danced to their hearts’ content. At Greenway Court Washington met many in high life some of whom, when the War of the Revolution broke out, remained his warmest friends, while others became his bitterest enemies.

One day a man named Burger came to Washington and asked him to survey a grant of land near Heckwell’s Creek. Burger was a German who had emigrated to Virginia from Pennsylvania, and he had met Washington while the young surveyor was out for Lord Fairfax, and had helped carry the baggage over a much swollen stream.

“I cannot pay you now, Mr. Washington,” said Burger, “but I will pay you when I am settled down, take my word on it.”

“I will trust you willingly, Mr. Burger,” answered the young surveyor. “I haven’t forgotten the service you rendered me a couple of years ago. You can pay me when you can afford it.” And then he left for Heckwell’s Creek, and went to work. He had been out two days, locating some former landmarks which a storm had partly washed away, when he encountered the nest of snakes, and fell in with Dave as just described.