RUNNING THE FERRY 



the mail on the south side. At times the water 

 was so high that it could not be carried by stage- 

 As I have said, she was a woman of courage and 

 strength and there were but few men who could 

 excel her with the oars. One morning about 

 daybreak two men on horseback arrived at the 

 ferry and wanted to be hastily transfered to the 

 main land on the south side. They said they 

 had to be in Rennsselaer by noon, as there was 

 going to be a Government land sale at one o'- 

 clock that day and they wanted to be there at the 

 opening of the sale. The recent rains had raised 

 the water in the river and marshes that one- 

 fourth of the way across would swim a horse. 

 Through the timber they could ride their horses 

 as the water was from knee to belly deep to a 

 horse. Mrs. Eaton told them she could ferry 

 them over one at a time but it would delay them 

 about an hour and a half or she could take them 

 both over at the same time and that there were 

 places that they could swim their horses and 

 that they could ride their horses until the water 



103 



