h had been more than
once so near extinction, had grown to be the greatest in America. Half a
million people were settled along her bays and rivers, engaged, for the
most part, in the culture of tobacco, for which the colony had long been
famous and which was the basis of her wealth. Her boundaries were still
indefinite, for though, by, the king's charter, the colony was supposed
to stretch clear across the continent to the Pacific, the country beyond
the Blue Ridge mountains was still a wilderness where the Indian and the
wild beast held undisputed sway. Even in Virginia proper, there were few
towns and no cities, Williamsburg, the capital, having less than two
hundred houses; but each planter lived on his own estate, very much
after the fashion of the feudal lords of the Middle Ages, generous,
hospitable, and kind-hearted, fond of the creature-comforts, proud of
his women and of his horses, and satisfied with himself.

It was into this world that George Washington was born. While he was
still a baby, his father moved to a place he purchased on the banks of
the Rappahannock, opposite Fredericksburg, and here the boy's childhood
was spent. His father died when he was only eleven years old, but his
mother was a vigorous and capable woman, from whom her son inherited not
a little of his sturdy character. He developed into a tall, strong,
athletic youth, and many stories are told of his prowess. He could jump
twenty feet; on one occasion he threw a stone across the Rappahannock,
and on another, standing beneath the famous Natural Bridge, threw a
stone against its great arch, two hundred feet above his head. He grew
to be over six feet in height and finely proportioned--altogether a
handsome and capable fellow, who soon commanded respect.

At that time, surveying was a very important occupation, since so much
of the colony remained to be laid out, and George began to study to be a
surveyor, an occupation which appealed to him especially because it was
of the open air. He was soon to get a very important commission.

When Augustine Washington died, he bequeathed to his elder son,
Lawrence, an estate on the Potomac called Hunting Creek. Near by lay the
magnificent estate of Belvoir, owned by the wealthy William Fairfax, and
Lawrence Washington had the good fortune to win the heart and hand of
Fairfax's daughter. With the money his bride brought him, he was able to
build for himself a very handsome dwelling on his estate, who