At The House We Lay At, There Was
Very Good Entertainment Of Venison, Turkies, And Bears; And Which Is Customary
Amongst the Indians, the Queen had a Daughter by a former Husband,
who was the beautifullest Indian I ever saw,
And had an Air of Majesty
with her, quite contrary to the general Carriage of the Indians.
She was very kind to the English, during our Abode, as well as
her Father and Mother.
{Thursday.}
This Morning, most of our Company having some Inclination
to go straight away for Virginia, when they left this Place;
I and one more took our leaves of them, resolving (with God's Leave)
to see North-Carolina, one of the Indians setting us in our way.
The rest being indifferent which way they went, desired us, by all means,
to leave a Letter for them, at the Achonechy-Town. The Indian
that put us in our Path, had been a Prisoner amongst the Sinnagers;
but had out-run them, although they had cut his Toes, and half his Feet away,
which is a Practice common amongst them. They first raise the Skin,
then cut away half the Feet, and so wrap the Skin over the Stumps,
and make a present Cure of the Wounds. This commonly disables them
from making their Escape, they being not so good Travellers as before,
and the Impression of their Half-Feet making it easy to trace them.
However, this Fellow was got clear of them, but had little Heart
to go far from home, and carry'd always a Case of Pistols in his Girdle,
besides a Cutlass, and a Fuzee. Leaving the rest of our Company
at the Indian-Town, we travell'd, that day, about 20 Miles,
in very cold, frosty Weather; and pass'd over two pretty Rivers,
something bigger than Heighwaree, but not quite so stony. We took
these two Rivers to make one of the Northward Branches of Cape-Fair River,
but afterwards found our Mistake.
{Friday.}
The next day, we travell'd over very good Land, but full of Free-Stone,
and Marble, which pinch'd our Feet severely. We took up our Quarters
in a sort of Savanna-Ground, that had very few Trees in it.
The Land was good, and had several Quarries of Stone, but not loose,
as the others us'd to be.
{Saturday.}
Next Morning, we got our Breakfasts of Parch'd Corn, having nothing but that
to subsist on for above 100 Miles. All the Pine-Trees were vanish'd,
for we had seen none for two days. We pass'd through a delicate rich Soil
this day; no great Hills, but pretty Risings, and Levels, which made
a beautiful Country. We likewise pass'd over three Rivers this day;
the first about the bigness of Rocky River, the other not much differing
in Size. Then we made not the least Question, but we had pass'd over
the North-West Branch of Cape-Fair, travelling that day above 30 Miles.
We were much taken with the Fertility and Pleasantness of the Neck of Land
between these two Branches, and no less pleas'd, that we had pass'd the River,
which us'd to frighten Passengers from fording it.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 41 of 202
Words from 22078 to 22606
of 110081
