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where there had been a very unhappy accident the night before. Two men being in liquor, they quarrelled till they came to blows, when one had the fortune to throw the other down; the undermost, finding the other to be too strong for him, bit off his nose, which made the other immediately let him go; upon which the fellow made his escape, and was not then to be heard of. We stayed there two hours, and hearing the freshes were risen very much, my companions did not care to venture the same way back, but chose to go over at Daubusk's ferry, about eight miles to the north east of Le Brey's, but desired me, as I had the freshest and strongest horse, and one that had been pretty much used to those roads, to go the other way, in case his horse should be gone that way, and so we miss of him, and to meet them the same night at Captain Screen's, which I promised to do. When I came to Cedar creek, the freshes were so very high, that the people of the house desired I would not venture over there; for that it was impossible without swimming my horse, it having rose at least eight feet the night before, but rather to go about two miles higher up the said creek, where I might see a blind sort of a path, which they were obliged to make use of sometimes themselves, and where I might go over in safety; but, happening not to go high enough up, mistook the path, and was obliged to swim my horse at last, and imagining by his treading on the stump of a tree, that he had recovered ground again. The stump broke, and the horse and myself tumbled in over head and ears, and it was with great difficulty we both got out again. I had at least five miles farther to Le Brey's, or the ferry, and was obliged to ride that in my wet clothes. I reached there about six at night, when it was too late for me to go over, it being very dangerous after sunset. But now comes the worst misfortune of all; for after I had dried myself, and began to examine my pockets, I recollected I had not one farthing of money. In this condition I did not know what to do, for I had ten shillings to pay for my ferriage, and horse, lodging and punch, &c. besides; but as fortune would have it, there accidentally came in three country planters, who proposed playing a game at whisk, but wanted a fourth to make up a set, my landlord not being at home; so they desired me to make one, which I did, remembering the old proverb, "nothing venture, nothing have." We played till two

o'clock in the morning, in which I made shift to win two pounds, seventeen shillings, and six pence. In the morning, calling to pay reckoning and ferriage, it came to two pounds, so that I had then seventeen shillings and six pence clear. I set out from thence about six in the morning, and at seven landed on the other side, where I met one of my companions. coming to relieve me, imagining, as well they might, that I had pawned myself, knowing I had not one farthing about me; but when I showed them the money I had, and did assure them my ferriage, &c. was paid, they were agreeably surprised, and could not imagine by what enchantment came by it. I told them the story, they were wonderfully pleased, for money began to be short with us all. We set out at ten from Captain Screen's, and by noon reached Witton's, where we dined about two in the afternoon; we set out from thence, and by six reached Childsberry, where we slept that night. The next morning about ten we crossed the ferry, and reached Mr. Katirg's in Goose creek by noon, where we spent the last of our money. We reached Charleston the same night by twelve, calling at several planters' houses by the way, where we were handsomely received.

I stayed in Charleston till the 20th of April, 1734. Where I set on my travels to the southern parts of South Carolina by land, and after having crossed Ashley river, and two branches of Stone river, took up my lodgings at one Major Smith's, a very worthy gentleman, where I was handsomely entertained. It is about thirty miles from Charleston, and the land is, for the generality, very good, being most of it oak and hickory, which is counted the best for corn and peas, which they plant in great plenty hereabouts. The next morning, about five, I left the Major's house, and by ten crossed Edistow river in a little canoe, swimming my horse on one side of it. The land is mostly thereabouts fine cypress swamps, which they count the best for rice, which, if it was well settled, would be very valuable. About two miles after I crossed that river I lost my way, and came to a place called Jackson's ferry. About six miles to the southeast of it I met with a beautiful plantation there, belonging to Captain Peters, very much resembling a gentleman's country seat in England; I there met with one Mr. John Woodward, a young gentleman, that country born, who car

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ried me that night to Captain Grey's, one who had formerly been a Captain at Savannah garrison in that province, who entertained us with the best he could afford, being hominy and milk, and potatoes. The potatoes are not like our English ones, some of them are so large they weigh three or four pounds; they eat, when baked, much like a roasted chestnut. They feed their negroes there with nothing else in the season, and in the summer with nothing but hominy; they count it very hearty food, and at most planters' houses they eat nothing but one or the other in the room of bread. We left his house about four the next morning, and reached Mr. Woodward's by ten, where I made a hearty breakfast. It is a fine old plantation, settled by his grandfather, on the head of Ashepoo river, which is a branch of Edistow; but being driven from thence in the Indian war in 1713, has never been improved since, till this year.

Governor Craven kept a garrison there for a considerable time in the Indian war, and the remains of it are to be seen at this day. I stayed at his house three days, and met with a very hearty welcome, and plenty of wine, punch, and good English strong beer.

The gentlemen in general, in this country, are exceeding civil to strangers, so that a man, if he knows but the nature of the country, may go from one plantation to another, for a year or two, and keep his horse, and never cost him a farthing, and the gentlemen will be always glad of his company.

On the fourth morning I left Mr. Woodward's, accompanied by himself, to a large savannah, called Godfrey's, where he took his leave of me.

A savannah is a large spot of clear land, where there never was any timber grew, and nothing but grass, which is exceeding good for a stock of cattle, and on which they frequently settle their cow-pens. This savannah is about one mile over, and several in length; but being obliged to cross it, it was so very boggy that I could not ride, so was obliged to drive my horse before me, and sometimes tumbling in almost up to the middle. When I was got about half over, I overtook one Captain Macpherson, Captain of the Fort of Argyle, on the Ogechee river, in the colony of Georgia, being near to the Spanish settlement named Augustine. He was driving one hundred and fifty cattle to Savannah, in Georgia, by Mr. Oglethorpe's order, on the trustees' account.

I rode in company with him for about six miles, when he was so kind as to offer me a servant to show me the way to a plantation of his about sixteen miles from thence, which he had newly settled, and where his wife then was. About six at night I crossed the salt-catchers, being the head of the Cambake river, in a small canoe, swimming our horses on one side of it. As soon as we crossed the river we came to a small savannah, where we had once a terrible battle with the Indians, and lost a great many of our men. There are several large pine trees now to be seen, full of bullets. About half a mile from thence I came to an old fort which has been demolished on account of setting the fort on Ogechee river, in the colony aforesaid, and from thence to Captain Macpherson's plantations, where I was handsomely received by his wife, considering it is one of the out settlements. I lay at his house two nights, and the next morning set out for Captain Bellinger's cow-pen, which is about six miles from thence. I met with another very bad savannah, belonging to Captain Bellinger, but not quite so bad as Godfrey's. I took a guide with me from thence to conduct me the way to Purysburg, which I judge to be sixty long miles through the woods, without so much as seeing house or path. I had very good fortune in crossing two rivers; the one called Chille Fenne, and the other, Cocættatche, which I forded without so much as wetting myself, which I understand is not common. I reached Purysburg the same night, without so much as resting myself or horse, and was received there by Hector Berrenger Beaufin, Esq. a very worthy gentleman, and one that was a fellow passenger with me from England. I met with great plenty of deer, and plenty of wild turkeys, and six bears in my passage, but having no gun, only pistols, could shoot nothing. The next morning I took a second view of the town, but it was surprising to see the improvement those poor people had made, in such a short time; there was several families that had begun to make improvements on their plantations; I understand they intend speedily to build another fort at the upper end of the town, which will be a great security to it. I stayed there three days, and from thence proceeded on my journey by land to Georgia, having a great curiosity to see as much of that new colony as possible; the same night I reached the Pallachuculas fort, which is about thirty miles up the Savannah river, being obliged

to go so high before I could find a fording place; I was well received there by Captain Mackintosh, captain of the said fort; the land thereabouts is but very indifferent, being mostly pine barren.

The next morning I crossed Savannah river, and went through a great body of very good land, being most of it oak and hickory, and fine cypress swamps; as likewise a great body of fine black walnut, and likewise a great number of large laurel trees. I lay in the woods that night, having nothing but my saddle for my pillow, and the next morning early, came to an old Indian camp, in an open pine barren, where I unkennelled a fox, and pursued him so close, that I fairly run him down in about two miles riding: the foxes here are not half so speedy as they are in England, nor near so large, and if they are pursued and almost spent, they generally run up a tree. I met with great plenty of bears, wolves and tigers; about ten the same morning, I met with an Indian fellow who had been out a hunting, and had just then shot a young buck. I inquired of him how far it was to Savannah, but he, not understanding me, held up his two fingers, pointing a quite different way from my road, which I knew by my compass, and gave me to understand, he would be my guide, and that I should be welcome to some of his venison. I followed him to the place he pointed to, which I judged to be about two miles, when we came to a little sort of a settlement, which proved to be a cow-pen belonging to one Musgrove, a half Indian, who is the interpreter at Georgia, and a great trader among the Indians; this cow-pen is about six miles from Savannah. I left my horse there, and padded down from thence to Savannah by dinner time, where I met with a kind reception from those gentlemen Mr. Oglethorpe has left managers there. I think I never in my life saw such a visible and surprising alteration as there was since I saw it, for the houses are not only increased from forty to a hundred in the town, but they have settled several villages some distance from the town, as likewise several plantations on Ogechee river, and divers other rivers. If it flourishes already so fast, what must it do in ten years more? There are several poor people from Purysburg here, who come down and earn two shillings a day, and go up to their wives every Saturday night.

There never was any one place settled, which had ever

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