The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1927-09-08

| the mountains was WneH he
went across the Blue Ridge into the
lower Shenandoah Valley with George
Fairfax to survey the lands of Lord
Fairfax. He was then 16.
His second of Importance was when
he carried the letter of Governor Din
widdie of Virginia to the French in
northwestern Pennsylvania, warning
them to keep out of the Ohio COM
pany's land. He was then 81 years
old and the famous frontiersman, In
dian and scout, Christopher Gist; the
Hollander, Jacob Van Braam, and
Seneca chief with some Indians went
with him. Van Braam had taught
Washington fencing.
He had some use of French, not re-
iah..e n al The pinches, and was to
act as Interpreter. The Seneca was
k1lwn ID Washington as the Half
King, he being in way proconsul of
the Iroquols among the Ningoes, Del
awares and Shawnees of the Ohio
country.
This mission took Washington to
the forks of the Ohio, Pittsburgh, and
up the Allegheny river, Beaver creek
| and French creek to Fort LIE Boeuf,
on the site of the present Waterford,
Pa, twenty miles south of Lake Erie.
These regions, although Travelled by
a few English traders, were far be-
yond the English colonial frontier Of
the day and many later day.
Of all the great Americans of the
Revolution and of the formation of
the Republic, Washington had the ear
Hest and the keenest frontier sense,
the perception of national expansion
and western development of roads and
waterways and the necessity of thus
knitting the new West beyond the
mountain to the old colonial East of
the seaboard. 1t came from his early
experiences and later judgment.
This wilderness trip of 500 miles in
the hardships of severe weather gave
the young Virginia major an unfavor-
able impression of French character.
He thoroughly distrusted the cordial
ity of the hospitality offered him at
Fort Venango, at French Creek and
the Allegheny, Franklin, Pa, and far
Their on, at Fort LIE Boeuf.
St. Pierre, the commandant at LIE
Boeuf, and his officers in the hilly
wilds were courteous, although they
were firm in their refusal to obey Gov
ernor Dinwiddie. The land was French,
they said, and the English were inter-
lopers, but the letter should be for
warded to Marquis Duquesne, the
Governor, in Canada.
Wine glasses were filled and the
young Virginian was entertained with
every delicacy the French stores in
the wilderness could supply,but Wash
ington watched his hosts with cease
less suspicion. He was sure they were
falsely cordial and that they intended
to detach his Indian guides from him
by getting them drunk and making
them promises, winning them to the
French interest.
This probably was true and Wash
ington repaid them by getting all the
military information he could. He
was anxious to be gone on the return.
The French were anxious to detain
him.
The conviction that they were
treacherous was a part Of the caution
of a young provincial militia officer
conscious of a heavy responsibility
Although Virginia had not yet seen
what New England and upper New
York had experienced of French and
Indian ferocities in war, Washington
knew he was in the company of his
natural enemies and if they were po-
lite he thought it masked a purpose.
The French supplied him generous
ly with wine and supplies for his re-
turn, but his concern was all to get
his Indians out of their hands before
they were beguiled away to the
French side. When he and Gist had
pushed on ahead of their horses, bag
gage and Indians, three days out of
Venango on the return, 1--WE fell in
with a party of French Indians, who
had lain in wait for us. One of them
fired at Mr.. Gist or me, not fifteen
steps off, but fortunately missed"
Washington was convinced that his
recent hosts, the courteous French,
had tried to assassinate him. He
nearly lost his life by polling himself
off raft in the rapids of the Allie
ghany in trying to cross it. 1t was
the latter part of December and the
cold was extreme. 1t was hard trip
even for Gist, who froze his fingers
and toes, and it was a part of the
early discipline of the young man,
Washington. 1t was the middle of
January when he reported back to
Dinwiddie in Williamsburg.
The experience had fixed in his
mind an idea of French duplicity and
treachery and it was to have conse-
quencies which may still have consid-
cradle interest and Importance for
modern consideration, although they
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