RETURN FROM PITTSBURG 313 



you been? Where are you going? How tall are you? 

 Besides this irksome questioning, they have a still more 

 tedious custom of getting everything, inquiry or 

 answer, repeated. For this purpose they make use of 

 a single word, nowhere else customary: Nan! which 

 Nan ! is the first reply to anything said, no matter how 

 slowly or plainly ; and by Nan it is desired that what 

 has been said may be heard again, as if insidious ques- 

 tions or unconsidered answers were to be guarded 

 against at least that is the semblance, albeit it is 

 nothing but ill manners. 



In this limestone valley and in the neighborhood of 

 Shepherdstown, which place itself is not small, there 

 are a few other rather considerable towns, among them 

 Hagars-town or Elizabethtown already of importance. 

 It lies in Maryland and has much inland trade, and 

 many houses mostly stone. Winchester + stands to 

 the south of Shepherdstown, on Virginia soil, but is 

 smaller and still of insignificant importance. The 

 especial products of this region are cattle, grain, and 

 hemp ; and tobacco is gradually winning more place, 

 since, contrary to expectations, it grows well on the 

 rich soil of these mountains. 



The Potowmack at Shepherdstown is pretty broad 

 and deep, however in the winter of 1781 it was seen to 

 freeze so fast that a part of Cornwallis's surrendered 

 army could cross in the morning with wagons and 

 horses where the evening before boats could still be 

 used. Four miles from the river one passes through 

 Sharps-borough, a small place only 17 years old; the 

 land-lord is the minister of the place. Here begins 

 the ascent of the South Mountain which is composed 

 of several moderately high ranges, the valleys fertile 



