These wild men grew fond of little Ben, and made him very happy by giving him some of the red and yellow paint with which they were accustomed to adorn their faces.

His mother, too, presented him with a piece of indigo.

Thus he now had three colors,--red, blue, and yellow,--and could manufacture green by mixing the yellow with the blue.
Our friend Ben was overjoyed, and doubtless showed his gratitude to the Indians by taking their likenesses in the strange dresses which they wore, with feathers, tomahawks, and bows and arrows.
But all this time the young artist had no paint-brushes; nor were there any to be bought, unless he had sent to Philadelphia on purpose.
However, he was a very ingenious boy, aid resolved to manufacture paint-brushes for himself.

With this design he laid hold upon--what do you think?
Why, upon a respectable old black cat, who was sleeping quietly by the fireside.
"Puss," said little Ben to the cat, "pray give me some of the fur from the tip of thy tail ?" Though he addressed the black cat so civilly, yet Ben was determined to have the fur whether she were willing or not.

Puss, who had no great zeal for the fine arts, would have resisted if she could; but the boy was armed with his mother's scissors, and very dexterously clipped off fur enough to make a paint-brush.