such practices, and assures them that, if they do
not leave them off, they shall be severely punished. The officers are
desired, if they hear any men swear or make use of an oath or
execration, to order the offender twenty-five lashes immediately,
without a court-martial. For a second offence he shall be more severely
punished."

As the French army did not make its appearance after waiting many days
for it, Washington resolved to march upon Fort Duquesne, as the French
had named their stronghold at the forks in honor of the governor of
Canada.

Leaving Captain Mackey with his company to garrison the fort, Washington
advanced towards the forks. But he had marched only thirteen miles when
he met several friendly Indians, one of whom said:

"The French are on the march against you."

"How far away?" inquired Washington.

"A few miles only."

"In large force?"

"Eight hundred Frenchmen and four hundred Indians."

"I can hardly credit that they are coming with so large a force,"
replied Washington. "That is a formidable army for my small army to
fight."

The Indians convinced him that it was even so, whereupon he called a
council of war, when it was unanimously decided to retreat to their base
of supplies. After two days of wearisome marching, on the retreat, they
reached the fort at the Great Meadows. Here many of the men and horses
were so exhausted and weak for the want of food that Washington decided
to make a stand there. He was forced to stop there, and so he named the
stockade "Fort Necessity."

The able-bodied soldiers were set to work digging a trench around the
fortifications, and felling large trees to obstruct the march of the
enemy upon their works. But their labors were far from being completed
when, on the morning of July 3, a wounded sentinel came rushing into
camp and shouting, "The enemy is upon us! The French army is here!"

The drum beat the soldiers into line quickly, outside of their
fortifications, though subsequently they were withdrawn into the fort.
About eleven o'clock the enemy opened a heavy fire upon the fort, which
was returned with spirit.

"Waste no powder; fire at discretion; and where-ever you discover a
head, pick it off," were Washington's instructions to his men.

The battle raged all day until eight o'clock in the evening, when the
French commander, Monsieur De Villiers, sent a flag of truce. Supposing
it was a scheme to get a spy within the fort to discover its strengt