o thousand troops
stationed in Lancaster. These were British prisoners. Some of them were
kept in the barracks, the officers lodged in private houses, and the
Hessian troops (some of whom had their wives with them) lived in square
huts of mud and sod. This colony of Hessians greatly interested the boys
of the village, and Robert drew capital pictures of them, for he had
been practising sketching and painting all his spare time. In fact, he
decided, at the age of seventeen, to go to the city of Philadelphia and
make a business of painting portraits and miniatures. For four years he
lived there, earning a good deal of money and sending the greater part
of it home to his mother.

Among the many pleasant friends he made in Philadelphia was Benjamin
Franklin. Mr. Franklin and most of his wealthy patrons advised Robert to
go to Europe and take painting lessons of Benjamin West. Before he went,
Robert bought a farm for his mother and sisters. He never forgot to see
that his mother was comfortable.

Robert had been thinking for years how fine it would be if boats did not
have to depend on sails but could be sent through the water by steam.
Over in Europe he met a lord who was making plans for canals, and while
talking with him he grew more interested than ever in ways of traveling
by water. So although he painted enough portraits to lay away money for
a rainy day, he studied all the rules for building canals and about the
machinery that goes in boats. Certainly he was busier than when, as a
boy, he told Caleb Johnson there was no time for dusty books when his
mind was holding so many new ideas, for he learned three or four
languages, invented the first panorama ever shown in France, a machine
for cutting marble, another for twisting rope, and a torpedo boat to be
used in warfare.

Only you must not think that because he had so many clever notions about
the implements of war he believed in nations killing each other off--no,
indeed. He stood for peace more than a hundred and fifty years ago,
before there was so much said and done to encourage it. He said: "The
art of Peace should be the study of every young American!"

He stayed seven years in France and was pointed out wherever he went as
"that talented young foreigner." He lived most of the time with an
American gentleman, Mr. Joel Barlow, and his wife. They were very fond
of Fulton and believed that the experiments he was trying,--to make
vessels go by steam, would prove