The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-05-15
XIV
Adventures in the Service.

fruitless work in London and returned
to Philadelphia.
1t said: my work in England has
been fruitless and / am done with it..
I bring you much love from the fair
lady of your choice. That, my young
friend, is q better possession than
houses and lands, for even the flames
of wal cannot destroy it. 1 have not
seen, in all this life of mine, a dearer
creature or a nobler passion. And l
will tell you why 1t is dear to me, as
well as to you. She is like the good
people of England whose heart is with
the colonies, but whose will is being
bafled and oppressed. Let us hope 1t
may not be for long. My good wishes
for you involve the whole race whose
blood is in my veins. The race has
V e been like the patient Ok, tread
ing out the corn, whose leading trait
is endurance.
There is little light in the present
outlook. You and Binkus will do well
to come here. This, for a time, will
be the center of U activities and you
may be needed any moment"
Jack and Solomon went to Philadel-
phia soon after news of the battle IF
Lexington had reached Albany in the
last days of April. They were among
the cheering crowds that welcomed
the delegates to the Second congress.
Colonel Washington, the only dele
gate in uniform, was the most impress
sive figure in the congress. He had
come up with a coach and six horses
from Virginia. The colonel used to
say that even with six horses, n had
a slow and rough journey in the mud
and sand. His dignity and noble stat
ure, the fame he had won in the In
dian wars and his wisdom and mod
esty in council, had silenced opposi-
ton and opened his way. He was a
man highly favored Of Heaven. The
people of Philadelphia felt the power
of his personality. They seemed to
regard him with atfectionate awe. All
eyes were on him when he walked
around. Not even the magnificent
Hancock or the eloquent Patrick
Henry attracted so much attention.
Yet he would stop in the street to
speak to a child or to say a pleasant
word to an old acquaintance as he did
to Solomon.
That day in June when the beloved
Virginian was chosen to be command
er-in-chief Of the American forces.
TooI- ,1d CoIon,Oa Jipod with Frank
lin at his home. John Adams of Bos-
ton and John Brown, the great mer-
chant Of Providence, were his other
guests. The distinguished men were
discussing the choice Of Colonel Wash
ington.
Doctor Franklin, who never failed
to show some token of respect for
every guest at his table, turned to
Solomon and said:
Major Binkus, you have been with
him a good deal. What do you think
of Colonel Washington"
81 think he's a hull four boss team
an the dog under the Vaughn" said
Solomon.
John Adams often quoted these
words of the scout and they became
a saying in New England.
Washington set out in June with
Colonel Lee and a company of Light
Horse for Boston where sOme sixteen
thousand men had assembled with
their rifles and muskets to be organ
lied into an army for the defense of
Massachusetts.
A little later Jack and Solomon fol-
lowed with eight horses and two
wagons loaded with barrels of gun
powder made under the direction of
Benjamin Franklin and paid for with
his money. A British fleet being in
American waters, the overland route
was chosen as the safer one 1t was
a slow and toilsome journey with here
and there a touch of stern adventure.
Crossing the pine barrens of New Jer-
sey, they were held up by a band Of
Tory refugees and deprived of all the
money in their pockets.
On the post road, beyond Horse
Neck in Connecticut, they had a more
adventure. They had been
travelling with a crude map of each
main road, showing the location of
houses in the settled country where,
night, they could find shelter and
hospitality. Owing to the peculiar
character of their freight, the commit
tee in Philadelphia had requested
them to avoid inns and had caused
these maps to be sent to them at post
ON the road indicating the
homes of trusted patriots from twenty
to thirty miles apart. About six o'clock
In the evening of July twentieth, they
reached the home of Israel Lockwood,
three miles above Horse Neck. They
had ridden through a storm which had
and smitten the earth with its