of what he did, but always voluntarily
assumed his full share of all labors and sacrifices that were required.

The members of the society of Friends were very numerous in Philadelphia
at this time, and they held a controlling influence in the legislature.
And inasmuch as the tenets of their society expressly forbade them to
engage in war or war-like operations of any kind, no vote could be
obtained in the legislature to provide for any military preparations. The
Friends, however, were not disposed to insist so tenaciously upon their
views as to be unwilling that others should act as they saw fit. It was
even thought that many of them were willing to encourage and promote the
measures which Franklin was pursuing for the defense of the province, so
far as they could do so without directly violating their professed
principles by acting personally in furtherance of them.

Various instances occurred of this tacit acquiescence on the part of the
Friends in the defensive preparations which were going forward. It was
proposed for example that the fire-company which has already been alluded
to, should invest their surplus funds in lottery tickets, for the battery.
The Friends would not _vote_ for this measure, but a sufficient number of
them absented themselves from the meeting to allow the others to carry it.
In the legislature moreover, they would sometimes grant money "_for the
king's use_" the tacit understanding being that the funds were to be
employed for military purposes. At one time, before the question of
appropriating the surplus funds of the fire company was disposed of,
Franklin had an idea--which he proposed to one of his friends--of
introducing a resolution at a meeting of the company, for purchasing a
_fire-engine_ with the money. "And then," said he, "we will buy a _cannon_
with it, for no one can deny that that is a _fire-engine_."

[Illustration: Indian Bonfire.]

Soon after this Franklin went as a commissioner from the government, to
make a treaty with a tribe of Indians at Carlisle, in the interior of
Pennsylvania. On the night after the treaty was concluded, a great uproar
was heard in the Indian camp, just without the town. The commissioners
went to see what was the matter. They found that the Indians had made a
great bonfire in the middle of the square around which their tents were
pitched, and that all the company, men and women, were around it,
shouting, quarreling and fighting.