GREAT MEN'S BODIES
For not only was he, as Custis says, a runner, and "amazingly swift of foot," but tradition says that of the best jumpers of his day, Nathan Hale—at the running broad jump, of course—did twenty feet; that Lindley
a colonel in the British Army, and was in Virginia at the time, and was, or had been, on some military errand, and was returning from the same on horseback. The road upon which he was travelling led him through a small village, or hamlet, and as he drew near the village green, which was bounded upon one side by the road, he noticed a number of young men jumping, and being fond of athletic sports of that character, he rode to the place where they were, and asked one of the young men that stood there, why, or for what, they were jumping. The gentleman of whom Washington made the inquiry told him the reason, which was as follows:"It seems that a well-to-do farmer had had a haying-bee that day, and he had told the young men in the morning that if they would finish that afternoon early enough, he would go down to the village green with them, and they could jump for the hand of his daughter, who was the belle of the county. At that time she was betrothed to a young man by the name of Henry Carroll, who was quite an athlete, and was one of the young men at the bee. Washington asked if the contest was open to strangers, and on being told that it was, and that he could jump if he desired, he waited until they all had jumped, including this Carroll, who cleared twenty-one feet and seven inches in his leap, which surpassed all the others. Washington dismounted, tightened his belt and jumped twenty-two feet and one inch, beating Carroll, the next to him, by six inches. Of course Carroll and the young lady—who witnessed it—were very much chagrined at having a stranger stop and out-jump all others. After making the jump Washington stepped up, stood alongside of the young lady for a few moments, said a few words to all that were there, and then handed her over to Carroll, mounted his horse, and rode away. No one there knew him, and they all wondered who it was that could make such a leap. Time rolled on, and during one of Washingington's campaigns in Virginia, Carroll, who had become acquainted with Washington during this war, invited him and some
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