Whether it was the intention of the Indian to kill either of them, can only be conjectured. The circumstances were extremely suspicious. Major Washington hints at this incident in his journal. "We fell in with a party of French Indians," says he, "who had lain in wait for us. One of them fired at Mr. Gist or me, not fifteen steps off, but fortunately missed. We took the fellow in custody, and kept him till nine o'clock at night; then let him go, and walked all the remaining part of the night, without making any stop, that we might get the start so far as to be out of the reach of their pursuit the next day, since we were well assured they would follow our track, as soon as it was light." No more was seen or heard of them.

"The book is full of interest," said Mr. Milton, "and when you are old enough, you will delight to follow, step by step, this great man, who seems to have been chosen and placed, by Divine Providence, in exactly the circumstances which were best fitted to prepare him for the great part he was to take in the future destiny of his country and the world."

Little Frank, who had listened quite atten

tively to the conversation and reading, now started up, and said he had something funny

to tell. "At our school, said he, "is John Laidlaw, and it happens he was born in a leap year, and on the 29th day of February, so that he cannot have a real birth-day but once in four years.'

They were all amused at this odd circumstance, and afterward agreed, in speaking of the number of days in the different months, that it would be much more difficult to remember the length of each, if every one had not at his tongue's end the old lines,

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November.
All the rest have thirty-one,

Except February alone;

And when leap year is the time,
February has twenty-nine.

Dr. Solander now came in with his fine bunch of flowers. But he was still obliged to draw from his green-house; and there was little difference between these and the bouquet for January. The doctor told his young friends he could not teach them much botany from these flowers, which were so much influenced by the art of the gardener. When

the spring opened, he hoped to join them in walks into the woods, where they would find the flowers in the simple state of nature, and he should be able to tell them more of their form and character. The brilliant roses, heaths, stocks, geraniums, myrtles, and other productions of the gardener, were not, however, slighted by the less scientific part of the company, but placed in a vase in the middle of the table, that all might enjoy their beauties, and inhale their delicious fragrance.