THIRTY VEAIiS A HTJNTEH. 59 



that it was impossible to sleep* They accordingly 

 laid pieces of bark across the canoe, covered them 

 with clay, and built upon it a fire of rotten wood. 

 This raised a smoke which protected them effectually. 

 The next day, about eight miles further up the creek, 

 they arrived at the third fork of Pine Creek. On 

 the west side, opposite the fork, they discovered a 

 large tract of cleared land, consisting of as many as 

 a hundred and sixty acres, to which they gave the 

 name of the Big Meadows. They were the first 

 white men ever there. It had been cleared by the 

 Six Nations, and they thought had probably been 

 vacated for twenty or thirty years, "but they could 

 still discern marks of corn-hills. A few hickory 

 trees grew next the river and along the foot of the 

 hill, but besides these not a tree nor shrub was visi- 

 ble, and it was covered with blue grass. On the 

 opposite side of the creek, near the fork, they found 

 a plum orchard of twenty acres, abounding with 

 fruit. Between the plum orchard and the creek 

 was a tract of cleared land of about thirty acres, 

 which appeared to have once been a corn-field. In 

 this vicinity they found a great many elk and bears. 

 As it was not the season for the latter, and their fur 

 and skins were of no value, they did not molest 

 them They then ascended the fork seven miles, 

 when they arrived at a place which they called Bi^ 

 Marsh. Here the country was more level, and less 

 rocky than it was down Pine Creek. From here 

 they returned to the Meadows, where they left their 

 canoe, and proceeded on foot twelve miles up the 



