Washington the young surveyor

Lord Fairfax did not know exactly how far his land extended. He decided to send George Washington to survey that part of his land which lay beyond the Blue Ridge. George William Fairfax and three or four woodsmen were to go with him.

This was a real adventure for young George Washington. The trip led him and his companions through a dense wilderness. Now and then they passed a lonely cabin. The people living there were generally poor and very dirty. The two young men spent their second night from home at a cabin. They found there, instead of a clean comfortable bed, a little dirty straw, no sheets, and only one tattered blanket. George Washington learned then that it was better to sleep in his clothes out of doors. Except for three or four nights, the ground was his bed for five weeks. After a man has surveyed five hundred acres of land in one day, he is tired enough to sleep anywhere.

Once the party camped for several days in the wilderness while Washington was surveying. They made a camp-fire and set up a tent. During the night the straw on which Washington was sleeping caught fire. If somebody had not awakened him, he would have been burned.

Some men in the party kept them well supplied with meat. One of them shot a wild turkey weighing twenty pounds. Every man was his own cook. He roasted the meat on forked sticks held over the fire. A broad chip of wood was his plate, and a hunting knife the only cutlery.

Life in the wilderness was rough, but it was exciting. At one place, Washington was surprised to meet thirty Indians who had been on the war-path. They had one scalp. Soon they began a dance. Their orchestra was a drum and a rattle. The drum was a pot half full of water with a deer skin stretched over it. The rattle was a gourd filled with bullets. The Indians sat in a large circle around the fire. Their leader made a speech telling them how to dance. Presently the best dancer jumped up and went running and hopping about the ring. The rest followed him and kept time to the rattling and drumming. Washington thought that the dance was very comical.

Washington worked hard and kept a careful account of all his surveys. Lord Fairfax was much pleased with Washington's report of his surveying. Not long afterwards he made the governor of Virginia appoint Washington a public surveyor. This was a very important job for a boy. He would make surveys and write them down in the books in the county office. When people bought and sold land, they used his figures. These surveys had to be perfect, or people would quarrel with their neighbours over boundary lines. People soon discovered that Washington did not make mistakes.

He was kept busy for three years laying out tracts of land along the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Except in the winter, he lived out of doors. He made friends with many backwoodsmen and Indians, and learned their ways of living and fighting. He even walked like an Indian. He used to sit around the camp fire with his strange companions and listen to their tales of wilderness life. Now and then he would return to Mount Vernon or visit Lord Fairfax and read his books. How he must have enjoyed the good meals after weeks of his own cooking, and how soft the bed must have felt after nights of sleeping on the ground!

Notes:

woodsman — лесник

This was a real adventure for young George Washington. — Для юного Джорджа Вашингтона это было самое настоящее приключение

tattered blanket — рваное одеяло

Every man was his own cook. — Каждый был сам себе по­варом

cutlery — столовый прибор

around the fire — вокруг костра

Not long afterwards he made the governor of Virginia appoint Washington public surveyor. — Вскоре после этого он заставил губернатора Виргинии назначить Вашингтона государствен­ным землемером

figures — чертежи

boundary line — межа

laying out tracts of land — осуществляя разбивку участ­ков земли

EXERCISES

1. Переведите на русский язык:

A real adventure for young George Washington, the trip led him and his companions, through a dense wilderness, they passed a lonely cabin, poor and very dirty, he made friends, with many backwoodsmen and Indians, learned their ways of living and fighting.

2. Выпишите из текста предложения, содержащие следующие словосочетания и переведите их на русский язык:

Not long afterwards, tattered blanket, life in the wilderness, at one place, kept a careful account of all his surveys.

3. Составьте предложения со следующими словами и словосочетаниями:

Three or four woodsmen, his companions, the two young men, they made a camp-fire, set up a tent.

4. Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1. What did Lord Fairfax ask George Washington to do?

2. Who accompanied George?

3. Was it difficult to live in the wilderness?

4. What were the Indians doing when George saw them?

5. Was Lord Fairfax pleased with George's work?

6. How did Washington become a public surveyor?

7. Why was his job so important?