ting of his first sight of the forks of the river,
says:

As I got down before the canoe, I spent some time in viewing the
rivers and the land at the fork, which I think extremely well
situated for a fort, as it has the absolute command of both rivers.
The land at the point is twenty-five feet above the common surface
of the water, and a considerable bottom of flat, well-timbered land
all around it very convenient for building. The rivers are each a
quarter of a mile across and run here very nearly at right angles,
the Allegheny being northeast and the Monongahela southeast. The
former of these two is a very rapid and swift-running water, the
other deep and still without any perceptible fall. About two miles
from this on the southeast side of the river at a place where the
Ohio Company intended to erect a fort, lives Shingiss, King of the
Delawares. We called upon him to invite him to a council at
Logstown. As I had taken a good deal of notice yesterday at the
fork, my curiosity led me to examine this more particularly and I
think it greatly inferior either for defense or advantages,
especially the latter. For a fort at the fork would be equally well
situated on the Ohio and have the entire command of the
Monongahela, which runs up our settlement and is extremely well
designed for water carriage, as it is of a deep, still nature.
Besides, a fort at the fork might be built at much less expense
than at the other place.

Leaving Pittsburgh, Washington and Gist proceeded in a northeasterly
direction, and after a day's journey they came upon an Indian
settlement, and were constrained by the tribe to remain there for three
days. A group of these Indians accompanied the two travelers to the
French fort, and on the journey a large number of bear and deer were
killed. At Leboeuff Washington received from the French commander a very
satisfactory reply. On the trip back the two pioneers encountered almost
insupportable hardships. Lacking proper food, their horses died, so that
they were forced to push forward in canoes, often finding it necessary,
when the creeks were frozen, to carry their craft for long stretches
overland. When Venango was reached, Washington, whose clothes were now
in tatters, procured an Indian costume, and he and Gist continued their
way on foot, accompanied by an Indian guide. At this point an
illu