her father," rejoined the other with some warmth.

"And I tell you that Powhattan was her father, and Opechancanough was
her uncle. If you can't recite history more correctly than that you had
better keep still. Anybody knows that Pocahontas was the daughter of
Powhattan; and he was the greatest Indian chief in Virginia."

"And you are a conceited, ignorant fellow, to suppose that nobody knows
anything but yourself."

And so the dispute became more heated, until both parties were greatly
excited; whereupon a listening school-mate called out:

"Leave it to George; he will settle it."

"Agreed!" responded one.

"Agreed!" shouted the other.

And George was called in to settle the controversy, both parties
acquiescing in his decision.

George often acted as umpire among the boys in Mr. Williams' school.
Sometimes, as in the above instance, both parties chose him for umpire.
Their confidence in his word and judgment led them to submit cases of
trial or controversy to him, whether relating to studies or games. Many
disputes were thus brought to a speedy termination by his discriminating
and candid judgment.

Mr. Weems says of him at this time:

"He carried with him his virtues, his zeal for unblemished character,
his love of truth and detestation of whatever was false and base. A gilt
chariot with richest robes and liveried servants could not have
befriended him so well; for, in a short time, so completely had his
virtues secured the love and confidence of the boys, his _word_ was just
as current among them as a _law_. A very aged gentleman, formerly a
school-mate of his, has often assured me that nothing was more common,
when the boys were in high dispute about a question of fact, than for
some little shaver among the mimic heroes, to call out:

"'Well, boys, George Washington was there; George Washington was there;
he knows all about it; and if he don't say it was so, why, then we will
give it up.'

"'Done,' exclaimed the adverse party.

"Then away they would run to hunt for George. Soon as his verdict was
heard, the difficulty was settled, and all hands would return to play
again."

Another biographer, Mrs. Kirkland, says, "It is recorded of his school
days that he was always head boy; and whether this report be authentic
or not, we can easily imagine the case to have been so, not exclusively
by means of scholarship, perhaps, but by the aid of certain other
qualities, very powerful in school as elsewhere