Extending from the Rappahannock to the Potomac, and stretching away
beyond the Blue Ridge far into the Alleghany Mountains, there lay at
this time an immense tract of forest land, broken only here and there
by a little clearing, in the midst of which stood the rude log-cabin
of some hardy backwoodsman. This large body of land--the largest,
indeed, ever owned by any one man in Virginia--was the property of a
great English nobleman named Lord Fairfax, an old bachelor of
eccentric habits and strange opinions, but of a highly cultivated
understanding, and, when it so pleased him, of polite and elegant
address. His stature was lofty,--far above that of the common run of
men. He was a keen sportsman, had a fund of whimsical humor, and, in
his odd way, showed himself possessed of a kindly and generous heart;
sometimes making a tenant or poor friend the present of a large farm,
without requiring any thing in return but a haunch of venison or a fat
wild turkey for his next Christmas dinner.
Having heard that settlements were being made in the most fertile
valleys of his wild domain, he had lately come over from the
mother-country to inquire into the matter, and make suitable provision
against any future encroachments of the kind upon his rights. He now
beheld his forest possessions for the first time; and so charmed was
he with the wild beauty of the scenery, and so won over by enticing
visions of fishing and hunting, conjured up by the sight of the waving
woods and running streams, that he resolved to leave his native land
for ever, and take up his abiding-place for the rest of his days amid
those leafy solitudes. Accordingly, he betook himself, with all his
negro servants (numbering one hundred and fifty), and a few white
dependants, to the beautiful Valley of the Shenandoah, lying between
the Blue Ridge and the Alleghany Mountains; where he soon cleared a
large plantation, and built thereon a house, to which he gave the name
of Greenway Court.
From that time forward, this became his fixed abode; but, as he had
more land than a thousand men could put to any good use, he was quite
willing to dispose of all, except what lay for a few miles immediately
around Greenway Court, at reasonable rates, to such honest persons as
were willing to buy it and make it their future home. But, in order
that no misunderstanding might arise hereafter between the parties
concerned with respect to the boundary-line and number of acres
bought and sold, it was necessary, in the first place, to have the
land surveyed, and divided into lots of convenient sizes for farms.
Now, you must know that, old Lord Fairfax was a distant relative of
Mrs. Lawrence Washington, and had, as a natural consequence, often met
our George at Mount Vernon; and so struck was he with the manly
bearing, high character, good sense, and mathematical skill, of the
fair-haired, blue-eyed youth, that he offered him, young as he was,
the place of surveyor of all his vast lands. Being the son of a
widowed mother, and earnestly desirous of aiding her all in his power,
and earning for himself an honest independence, George was but too
happy to accept of the offer; and the necessary arrangements were soon
made. Having provided himself with all things needful for the new
enterprise,--such as a horse, a rifle, a blanket, and a steel chain
and compass,--he set out, at the head of a small party of hunters and
backwoodsmen, upon this his first considerable field of labor, early
in the spring of 1748, just one month from the completion of his
sixteenth year.
They were soon, in the depths of the wilderness, miles beyond the most
distant frontier settlements. The snows of winter that still lingered
on the mountains, warmed by the softer airs of early spring, had
melted so rapidly of late as to swell the forest streams to a degree
that rendered their fording often difficult, and even sometimes
dangerous. Now and then, coming to a stream which had overflowed its
banks, the little party would be obliged to construct a raft of logs,
roughly lashed together with grape-vines, upon which they could push
to the opposite side, without getting their baggage wet, and, at the
same time, compel their horses to swim along behind. Their way was
often obstructed by the trunks and branches of fallen trees, thickets
tangled and dense and thorny, huge and rugged rocks, and treacherous
swamps, covered with long, green grass, into which the horses,
stepping unawares, would suddenly plunge up to the saddle-girths in
water and mire.
For some time, they lodged in wigwams or huts, rudely framed of poles,
and covered with the bark of trees; which served the purpose well
enough when the weather was dry and still, but were often beaten down
and overturned by the winds and rains when their shelter was most
needed. After two or three of these rickety shanties had been tumbled
about their heads, to the no small risk of life or limb, they wisely
concluded to abandon them, and sleep in the open air, with the
twinkling stars above them, the gray old trees around them, and the
damp, cold ground beneath them, with nothing between but their good
blankets, and the dead, dry leaves of autumn heaped together; and
lucky was he who got the place nearest the fire, or could put the
mossy trunk of a fallen tree between him and the biting blast, or,
better still, could boast a bearskin for his bed. A little before
sunset, they would halt for the night in some sheltered spot,
convenient to a running stream; where, turning their horses loose to
graze till morning, they would build a cheerful fire of the dry
brushwood close at hand, and prepare their evening meal, which they
would eat with a keenness of appetite known only to the tired and
hungry hunter. Each man was his own cook; their food consisting
chiefly of venison and wild turkey their rifles procured them, and
fish drawn from the neighboring brook, which they would broil on the
glowing coals, fastened to a forked stick instead of a spit, and then
eat it from a maple chip, instead of a dish. If the season permitted
them to add to this a hatful of berries that grew on the sunny side of
the hill, or acorns from the mountain-oak, or nuts from the
hickory-tree, or, more delicious still, plums, persimmons, and
pawpaws, that grew in the more open parts of the woods, they made of
it a dainty feast indeed.
Now and then, in the course of this rambling life in the wilderness,
they met with roving bands of skin-clad Indians, either as warriors
out upon the war-path against some distant tribe, or as hunters
roaming the forest in quest of game. One evening, late, as our little
party of surveyors were about to encamp for the night, they spied
through the trees the glimmering light of a large fire on the top of a
far-off hill. Curious to know who, besides themselves, could be in
that lonely place, they determined to go thither before stopping; and,
guided by the light, reached ere long the spot, where they found a
small squad of Indian hunters, resting themselves after the fatigues
of the day's chase. They seemed to be in high good humor, as if the
hunt had gone well with them that day; and, being in this mood,
extended a true Indian welcome to the new-comers; setting before them,
with open-handed hospitality, heaps of parched corn, and their
choicest bits of venison, wild turkey, bear's meat, and fish. Supper
ended, the pipe of peace and good-will passed from mouth to mouth, as
a pledge that all should go on well between them; after which the
Indians, for the further entertainment of their white guests, and as a
more marked manner of showing their respect, set about preparing
themselves for a war-dance.
In the first place, they cleared the ground around the fire of chunks
and brushwood, and other obstructions that might hinder the free play
of their feet and legs in the performance. Then the two musicians
began to put in order and tune their instruments: that is to say, one
of them filled a camp-kettle half full of water, over which he tightly
stretched a raw-hide, and, tapping it twice or thrice with a stick,
drew forth a hollow, smothered sound therefrom, by way of giving to
those not in the secret a hint that this was to be their drum; while
the other made a rattle by putting a few bullets or pebbles into a
hard, dry gourd of monstrous size, to the handle of which he fastened
a horse's tail, not so much to improve its tone perhaps, as to give it
a more finished appearance.
These simple preparations soon completed, a tall warrior, grimly
painted as if for battle, advanced a few paces into the circle, and,
squatting upon his haunches, fixed his eyes for several moments with a
hard, stony look upon nothing whatever, till the first tap of the drum
and the first jerk of the rattle, when he suddenly leaped up, with a
deafening yell that made the old woods ring again, and began capering
about in the most astonishing manner, causing such a commotion among
the dry leaves and dead twigs as made it appear that a little
whirlwind had all at once been let loose among them. Another soon
followed, and got up a similar sensation among the dry leaves and dead
twigs on his own private account; while a third, springing into the
circle, did the same; and so on, until at last the whole party were
hot in the dance. Some brandished their scalping-knives, some
flourished their tomahawks, some waved aloft the scalps of their
enemies taken in battle; all yelling the while, and all making
horrible faces. And warmer and warmer they waxed in the dance, and
round and round they went; now up in the air, now down on the ground;
jumping and kicking, yelping and barking, spinning and whirling,
yelling and howling, like a pack of hobgoblins and imps on a spree.
The hollow woods gave back the barbarous din in a thousand
obstreperous echoes; and afar off, from the depths of the lonely
forest glens, might have been heard, had not the attention of the
spectators been otherwise engaged, the answering howl of the hungry
wolves.
After some time spent in this outlandish amusement, without any
previous notice whatever, plump down they sat, and, in a minute, were
smoking their pipes with as much gravity and composure as if they had
just come in from a gentle promenade with their wives and children
along the banks of a smooth and tranquil river. It was a sight, once
seen, never to be forgotten. At first, George and his friends had
looked on with open-eyed amazement; but, before the dance was ended,
the whole scene appeared to them so comical, that they had need of all
their self-control to keep a sober countenance, so as not to give
offence to their savage entertainers.