was but one of many, separated from each other by low easy
hills, flowed a little river, cleaving its center like a silver blade.

It was upon this beautiful prospect that the travelers saw the sun rise
that morning and all their troubles and labors rolled away. Even the
face of Mr. Ware who rarely yielded to enthusiasm kindled at the sight
and, lifting his hand, he made with it a circle that described the
valley.

"There," he said. "There is our home waiting for us."

"Hurrah!" cried Henry, flinging aloft his cap. "We've come home."

Then the wagon train started again and descended into the valley, which
in very truth and fact was to be "home."

CHAPTER II

THE FIRST GREAT EXPLOIT

They found the valley everything in beauty and fertility that Ross had
claimed for it, and above all it had small "openings," that is, places
where the trees did not grow. This was very important to the travelers,
as the labor of cutting down the forest was immense, and even Henry knew
that they could not live wholly in the woods, as both children and crops
must have sunshine to make them grow. The widest of these open spaces
about a half mile from the river, they selected as the site of their new
city to which they gave the name of Wareville in honor of their leader.
A fine brook flowed directly through the opening, but Ross said it would
be a good place, too, to sink a well.

It was midsummer now and the period of dry weather had begun. So the
travelers were very comfortable in their wagon camp while they were
making their new town ready to be lived in. Both for the sake of company
and prudence they built the houses in a close cluster. First the men,
and most of them were what would now be called jacks-of-all-trades,
felled trees, six or eight inches in diameter, and cut them into logs,
some of which were split down the center, making what are called
puncheons; others were only nicked at the ends, being left in the rough,
that is, with the bark on.

The round logs made the walls of their houses. First, the place where
the house was to be built was chosen. Next the turf was cut off and the
ground smoothed away. Then they "raised" the logs, the nicked ends
fitting together at the corner, the whole inclosing a square. Everybody
helped "raise" each house in turn, the men singing "hip-hip-ho!" as they
rolled the heavy logs into position.

A place was cut out for a window and fastened with a shutter and a
larger space was pr