LAWSON'S HISTORY 49 



At the sight of this fair prospect we staid all 

 night ; our Indian going about half an hour be- 

 fore us, had provided three fat turkeys ere we got 

 up to him. 



The swamp I now spoke of, is not a miry bog 

 as others generally are, but you go down to it 

 through a steep bank, at the foot of which begins 

 this valley, where you may go dry for perhaps 

 two hundred yards, then you meet with a small 

 brook or run of water about two or three feet 

 deep, then dry land for such another space, so an- 

 other brook, thus continuing, the land in this po- 

 coson, or valley, being extraordinary rich, and 

 the runs of water well stored with fowl. It is the 

 head of one of the branches of Santee river ; but 

 a farther discovery time would not permit ; only 

 one thing is very remarkable, there growing all 

 over this swamp a tall, lofty bay tree, but is not 

 the same as in England, these being in their ver- 

 dure all the winter long ; which appears here, 

 when you stand on the ridge, (where our path 

 lay,) as if it were one pleasant, green field, and 

 as even as a bowling green to the eye of the be- 

 holder, being hemmed in on one side with these 

 ledges of vast high mountains. 



Viewing the land here, we found an extraordin- 

 ary rich, black mould, and some of a copper color, 

 both sorts very good, the land in some places is 

 much burthened with iron stone, here being great 

 store of it, seemingly very good. The eviling 

 springs, which are many in these parts, issuing 



A3 



