ery scout had joined them, and the Scout Master gravely
returned the proffered courtesy.

At a gesture the boys sat down again, and the lieutenant, sitting so
that the fire light fell steadily on the open book in his hand, began
to read:

"'George Washington was not more than thirteen or fourteen years
of age when he was encouraged to put his skill in mathematics
into definite use by learning surveying. He applied himself so
thoroughly that before long he surveyed the land about the schoolhouse
which he attended. As he was the first pupil who had performed
such a practical piece of work, his schoolmates were deeply interested
in his exploit.'"

"'A little later, when he had advanced so far in his study as
to give him some idea of the proper use and handling of the chain
and compass, he began to put his knowledge into practice by taking
surveys of the farms lying in the immediate neighborhood of his
schoolhouse.'"

"'Assisted by his schoolmates, he would follow up and measure off
the boundary lines between the farms, such as fences, roads, and
water courses; then those dividing the different parts of the same
farm; determining at the same time, with the help of his compass,
their various courses, their crooks and windings, and the angles
formed at their points of meeting or intersection. This done, he
would make a map or drawing on paper of the land surveyed, whereon
would be clearly traced the lines dividing the different parts with
the name and number of acres of each attached, while on the opposite
page he would write down the long and difficult tables of figures
by which these results had been reached. All this he would execute
with as much neatness and accuracy as if it had been left with him
to decide thereby some gravely disputed land claim.'"

Lieutenant Denmead paused and glanced at the group of faces steadily
turned toward him. Then he resumed:

"'The habit of mind thus cultivated continued through life; so that,
however complicated his tasks and overwhelming his cares, he found
time to do everything, and to do it well. He had acquired
the magic of method, which of itself works wonders.'"

"'When about sixteen years old, George Washington was asked by his
friend, Lord Fairfax, to make a survey of the latter's extensive
lands, a vast territory lying between the Potomac and Rappahannock
Rivers. He undertook the commission in the early spring, when the
mountains were still white with snow and the