Page:History of the University of Pennsylvania - Montgomery (1900).djvu/229

Rh are subject to great uncertainty." l I gave them the reasons of my doubt- ing ; the subscription was dropt, and the projectors thereby missed the mortification they would have undergone, if the firework had been pre- pared. Dr Bond, on some other occasion afterward, said, that he did not like Franklin's forebodings. Those April days passed in Braddock's society at Frederic- town had not given Franklin confidence in the general's ability to succeed in such untried warfare. When Braddock was detail- ing to him his confident plans by which Fort Duquesne would easily be taken, and from thence to Niagara for its capture, and thence to Frontenac " if the season will allow time, and I sup- pose it will, for Duquesne can hardly detain me above three or four days, and then I see nothing that can obstruct my march to Niagara." But Franklin 2 ventured only to say, To be sure, sir, if you arrive well before Duquesne, with these fine troops, so well provided with artil- lery, that place not yet compleatly fortified, and as we hear with no very strong garrison, can probably make but a short resistance. The only danger I apprehend of obstruction to your march is from ambuscades of Indians, who, by constant practice, are dexterous in laying and executing them ; and the slender line, near four miles long, which your army must make, may expose it to be cut like a thread into several pieces, which, from their distance, cannot come up in time to support each other. He smiled at my ignorance, and reply' d, These savages, may, indeed, be a formidable enemy to your raw American militia, but upon the King's regular and disciplined troops, sir, it is impossible they should make any impression. I was conscious of an impropriety in my disputing with a military man in matters of his profession, and said no more. But Braddock's boast was remembered to the discourage- ment of Dr Bond's proposed firework. This serious reverse to the British arms brought renewed dangers to the frontiers ; the proprietaires, yet unwilling to suffer taxation on their lands, now thoroughly alarmed, added five thousand pounds of their money to whatever sum might be given by the Assembly for such purpose ; whereupon the Assembly passed a new bill with a clause exempting from taxa- tion their estates, and voted sixty thousand pounds, chiefly for 1 Bigelow, i. 263. 2 Bigelow, i. 258.