202 NEGRO FAMILY PRAIRIE. 



fire-wood, and was momentarily expected, so I gave my horse 

 some of his hay, and walked out to meet him. Mr Goose 

 readily recognised me ; and on learning my intention of wish 

 ing to pass the night at his house, on account of the tired 

 state of my horse, was informed, he himself would be happy 

 to receive me, but his wife was not fond of seeing strangers 

 at present when small-pox were rife in the country, his 

 family never having had the disease, or been vaccinated. 

 Knowing the situation in which I had been a few hours before, 

 I did not urge the matter with Mr Goose, although not a 

 thorough disciple of the school of infection, and taking my 

 wearied horse in my hand, proceeded onwards. 



I called on Israel Williams, in whose stable I left my horse, 

 and walked on to Mr Carrier s inn, Chatham, where I passed 

 the night. On enquiring for Israel s horses, Pape and Jerry, 

 which carried me round Lake Erie last month, he told me, that, 

 when swimming Pape across the Thames about ten days ago 

 in a canoe, he sunk like a stone, and remained under water 

 two hours, having been, he supposed, seized with cramp. 

 Williams was a runaway negro from the State of Virginia, 

 a smart, active, stout little fellow, in good circumstances, 

 having several stacks of wheat, and six or seven horses of 

 different ages. I was asked to go into his house and see his 

 wife Juliana, who was as stout and glossy black as any 

 negro could desire. They had five or six fine curly-haired 

 children of the same complexion as themselves, none of whom, 

 had been at school, as the teacher could not receive children 

 of colour without displeasing his white employers. 



Next morning, immediately after breakfast, I rode to the 

 plains which I formerly crossed in a waggon, and, under the 

 guidance of the squatter Mr Cass, had an opportunity of 

 giving them .a hurried examination. The plains of Chatham 

 are, beyond all doubt, prairie, extending from Lake St Clair 

 on both sides of the Thames. The east end of the prairie, 

 next to Chatham, is variable soil, embracing sand of different 

 colours, and clay of all textures, generally wet, and seem 

 ingly capable of being drained into the river. The wood 

 islands are small, the grass in some parts very luxuriant, and 

 several of the plants similar to those on the Michigan prairies*. 



