as one or other of the regiments, like some huge machine,
went through their martial exercises; or, standing on the ramparts,
they would watch with still keener zest and interest the young
officers as they amused themselves by racing their horses outside the
fort.

As ill luck would have it, these warriors had brought with them their
wives and children, among whom were many very pretty Indian girls,
with plump, round forms, little hands and feet, and beady, roguish
eyes. As female society was not by any means one of the charms of life
at Fort Cumberland, the coming of these wild beauties was hailed with
the liveliest delight by the young English officers, who, the moment
they laid eyes on them, fell to loving them to desperation. First
among these forest belles was one who went by the expressive name of
Bright Lightning; so called, no doubt, from being the favorite
daughter of White Thunder. It being noised abroad that she was a
savage princess of the very first blood, she, of course, at once
became the centre of fashionable attraction, and the leading toast of
all the young blades in camp. No sooner, however, did the warriors get
wind of these gallantries, than they were quite beside themselves with
rage and jealousy, and straightway put an end to them; making the
erring fair ones pack off home, bag and baggage, sorely to their
disappointment, as well as to that of the young British lions, who
were quite inconsolable for their loss.

This scandalous behavior on the part of the English--of which,
however, your Uncle Juvinell may have spoken more lightly than he
ought--was, as you may well believe, very disgusting to Washington,
who was a young man of the purest thoughts and habits. As may be
naturally supposed, it gave deep and lasting offence to the sachems;
and when to this is coupled the fact, that their wishes and opinions
touching war-matters were never heeded or consulted, we cannot wonder
that they one by one forsook the English, with all their warriors, and
came no more.

Foreseeing this, and well knowing what valuable service these people
could render as scouts and spies, Washington had gone to Braddock,
time and again, warning him to treat them with more regard to their
peculiar whims and customs, if he did not wish to lose the advantages
to be expected from their friendship, or bring upon him the terrible
consequences of their enmity. As this wise and timely advice came from
a young provincial colonel, th