The Life of George Washington Author:Edward Everett Hale Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. EARLY MANHOOD. Land-Surveying—Lord Fairfax—Work in the Valley of Virginia—Washing- ton's Diary There—Life at Greenway Lodge—Accuracy of Hi... more »s Work— Good Education — His Brother's Illness — Bermuda—Return — His Brother's Death—Inherits Mt. Vernon—Rules of Deportment. I THIS commission had been fairly earned. There is no doubt that George Washington was a good land-surveyor. Land-surveying was the duty that came next his hand, and that duty he did well though he was but a boy of fifteen. The pride and fondness of later days preserved the memory of the names of several special teachers who claimed the credit of having trained him. Lord Fairfax invited him one day to join in a fox chase and was delighted with his courage, his horsemanship, and his address. The old nobleman watched the lad, and saw how well he understood the business he had engaged in. He proposed to him to go out with George Fairfax, his son, who was now twenty-two years old, and undertake some of the surveys which were necessary in his Shenan- doah property. For this purpose they left Mt. Vernon in March, 1748, and were absent in the woods for more than a month. His little diary chapter{Section 4LAND SURVEYING. J which he kept during the expedition tells the story so briefly that it is well worth transcribing. March ijth. Rode to his Lordship's (Lord Fairfax's) quarter. About four miles higher up the river Shenan- doah we went through most beautiful groves of sugar WASHINGTON AS SURVEYOR. trees, and spent the best part of the day in admiring the trees and richness of the land. I4th. We sent our baggage to Captain Kite's, near Fredericktown (afterwards Winchester), and went ourselves down the river about sixteen miles (the land exceedinglyrich all the way, producing abunda...« less