mitted. At the last desperate moment, he
rallied the artillery and all the forces of his army for a final effort.
The artillery was massed before the English, and they had none to answer
it. The king himself led the charge against their flanks, which the Dutch
should have protected. But the Dutch preferred to remain safely in the
rear. The Coldstreams stood their ground, reforming their ranks with
perfect coolness, until Cumberland saw it were madness to remain, and
ordered the retreat. And it was more glorious than the advance. With only
half their number on their feet, they faced about, without disorder,
their ranks steady and unwavering, and moved off sullenly and slowly, as
though ready at any moment to turn again and rend the ranks of the
victors. It was a deed to match Thermopylae."

I lifted my hat from my head, and my lips were trembling.

"I salute them," I said. "'T was well done. And was General Braddock
present on that day?"

"He commanded one battalion of the regiment. It was for his gallantry
there that he was promoted to the senior majorship."

"I shall not forget it." And then I added, "Perhaps the story you have
told me will give me greater patience with our drill-master."

"I trust so, at least," said Washington, with a smile; "else I fear there
will be little peace for you in the army. I was affected by the story,
Tom, no less than you have been, but after I had left the hall, with its
glamour of lights and gold lace and brilliant uniforms, I wondered if
this discipline would count amid the forests of the Ohio as it did on the
plains of Europe. I fancy, in the battle that is to come, there will be
no question of who shall fire first, and a regiment which keeps its
formation will be a fair mark for the enemy. Do you know, Tom, my great
hope is that the French will send a scouting party of their Indian allies
to ambush us, and that in defeating them, our commander may learn
something of the tactics which he must follow to defeat the French."

As for myself, I confess I shared none of these forebodings, and welcomed
the chance to turn our talk to a more cheerful subject.

"But about yourself?" I questioned. "There is much I wish to know. Until
your note reached me, I had not heard a word from you since you rode away
from Mount Vernon with Dinwiddie's messenger."

His face cleared, and he looked at me with a little smile.

"We went direct to Williamsburg," he said, "where I first met the
general,