cattered resources. He accused the army
contractors of want of faith, honor and honesty; and in his moments of
passion, which were many, extended the stigma to the whole country.
This stung the patriotic sensibility of Washington, and overcame his
usual self-command, and the proud and passionate commander was
occasionally surprised by a well-merited rebuke from his aid-de-camp.

The same pertinacity was maintained with respect to the Indians.
George Croghan informed Washington that the sachems considered
themselves treated with slight, in never being consulted in war
matters; that he himself had repeatedly offered the services of the
warriors under his command as scouts and outguards, but his offers had
been rejected. Washington ventured to interfere, and to urge their
importance for such purposes, especially now when they were
approaching the stronghold of the enemy. As usual, the general
remained bigoted in his belief of the all-sufficiency of
well-disciplined troops. Either from disgust thus caused, or from
being actually dismissed, the warriors began to disappear from the
camp. Before Braddock recommenced his march, none remained to
accompany him but Scarooyadi, and eight of his warriors.

Seeing the general's impatience at the non-arrival of conveyances,
Washington again represented to him the difficulties he would
encounter in attempting to traverse the mountains with such a train of
wheel-carriages, assuring him it would be the most arduous part of the
campaign; and recommended, from his own experience, the substitution,
as much as possible, of pack-horses. Braddock, however, had not been
sufficiently harassed by frontier campaigning to depart from his
European modes, or to be swayed in his military operations by so green
a counsellor. At length the general was relieved from present
perplexities by the arrival of the horses and wagons which Franklin
had undertaken to procure.

CHAPTER VIII.
BRADDOCK'S ADVANCE.--HIS DEFEAT.

On the 10th of June, Braddock set off from Fort Cumberland with his
aides-de-camp, and others of his staff, and his body guard of light
horse. Sir Peter Halket, with his brigade, had marched three days
previously; and a detachment of six hundred men, under the command of
Colonel Chapman and the supervision of Sir John St. Clair, had been
employed upwards of ten days in cutting down trees, removing rocks,
and opening a road. The march over the mountains proved, as Washington
had f