1836.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



535 



were drowned, and some few persons also, on 

 Smith's Island. 



There are no slaves, nor any other than white 

 persons on Hog Island. In making inquiry on 

 this head of a very decent old man, at whose 

 house we took dinner, I found that some of the 

 islanders still own slaves, though they hire them 

 out on the main, in preference to working them at 

 home. He said that he had had the use of the 

 last two slaves which had been on the island, but 

 he found that they "wanted so much waiting on," 

 that he was very willing to get rid of them. 

 "They were lonesome here," he added, "as there 

 were no others of their color, and I returned them 

 to my father-in-law, to whom they belonged, that 

 he might hire them out, as they wished, on the 

 main." 



On a shelf in this old man's neat log house, 

 there lay a large new bible, to purchase which 

 must have cost him the net income of his little 

 property for some weeks. A newspaper, which 

 had been brought as a wrapper to our victuals, 

 was eagerly seized on, and read with such inter- 

 est by several members of the family, that it in- 

 duced me to think that here might be made a new 

 and useful disposition of some of the religious 

 tracts with which the good ladies have so glutted 

 the market elsewhere. * * * * On 

 inquiry, I heard that none had yet reached 

 Hog Island. 



Near the habitation, I observed several gourds 

 hung up, with a hole in each, like those designed 

 for martins to build in, but which were much too 

 small lor their use. They were intended lor, and 

 were used by wrens. My old host said he had 

 been induced thus to accommodate them, because 

 so scarce were hollows or suitable places for their 

 nests, that they would often commence building 

 where their labors were sure to be in vain. 

 Sometimes, after having hung his jacket on a tree, 

 while at work, he had found that a wren had com- 

 menced to build a nest in the pocket, or sleeve. 



We left the island precisely at the time which 

 would make the courses of the tides most favora- 

 ble — and there was now a high wind which, though 

 not quite fair, permitted a sail to be used, (and 

 one was as much as the boat would then bear,) 

 for the course through the most open water. The 

 waves ran so high, that if I had suddenly found 

 myself in such a situation without preparation, I 

 should have thought that our best chance would 

 be the chance of swimming. I am rot much 

 afraid of water, (for a landsman,) but have al- 

 ways deemed sail boats the most dangerous of all 

 vessels. Yet so fast had my confidence in our 

 pilot grown, that I felt perfectly at ease, while 

 our little craft scudded over the waves, which 

 once in a while meeting her bow, would throw 

 a shower of spray over till her crew. The. ordi- 

 nary, and always proper precaution, of the line at- 

 tached to the sail being held by the hand, so as to 

 be let go when an upsetting blast of wind strikes, 

 was neglected — and the line was tied down fast, 

 as soon as each new course was taken. This 

 produced a strong proof of the stiffness of the 

 vessel, or of the good luck of its commander. We 

 had barely escaped striking on the extremity of 

 the wide shoal extending from the land which 

 "rejoices in the name," of Rogue's Island, and had 

 taken our proper course, when the wind increased 

 bo suddenly that the mast snapped close off, and 



that alone prevented the whole being capsized. 

 The sail was caught and saved, as it passed by 

 the stern — and the men barely had time to seize 

 the oars and prevent the boat striking on the shoal 

 to which it was drifting rapidly, and where it must 

 have upset as soon as it struck, from the roughness 

 of the sea. After this, we raised the other mast 

 and sail, and our course through the water seem- 

 ed to be rapid, and the passage delightful: but the 

 course was made so circuitous by the state of the 

 tide, that night arrived while we had still a long 

 way to go, and along the creeks or channels be- 

 tween crooked marshes. To mend our prospect, 

 it was very dark, so cloudy that no stars which 

 could direct the course could be seen, and a thun- 

 der storm, with rain, was strongly threatening. 

 The wind was now dead ahead, so that the oars 

 were the only help, and my umbrella could not be 

 hoisted, however desirable it might be, as it 

 would be too great an obstruction to our progress. 

 A strong argument now arose between W. (who 

 also pretended to much seamanship,) and the pi- 

 lot, as to whether the wind had shifted its direc- 

 tion or not — and uncertain as that was, the direc- 

 tion of the wind was the only guide to steer by. 

 Though the marshes, (now so covered that the tall 

 grass only was above water,) were on each side of 

 us, it was too dark to see them unless very near, 

 and we often rowed into the grass before it was 

 seen. The boundary too of such marshes is so 

 irregular, that steering close by them would 

 make the distance more than double the proper 

 course, and might the more certainly mislead, by 

 the many and abrupt changes of direction. I 

 gave up the matter — though silently, as I did not 

 wish to discourage effort — and thought it was ut- 

 terly impossible to find the way through such diffi- 

 culties. I counted on nothing better than spend- 

 ing the night, anchored among the marsh grass,, 

 and with the addition of heavy rain. The vio- 

 lence of the wind had kept, the musquitoes still, as 

 yet — but if it should fall calm, they would be 

 worse than every other annoyance. However, we 

 tugged omslowly enough, against strong wind, and 

 partly against tide also. The rain at intervals be- 

 gan to patter, but fortunately it came to nothing 

 worse. At last, from some more prominent fea- 

 tures of the marsh and water, it was ascertained 

 that old Charles' instinct had not failed him, and 

 after seven weary hours of sailing and rowing, we 

 touched the shore. The carriage which had been 

 ordered to meet us at dark, had very properly been 

 carried back, and we had a midnight walk of a mile 

 and a half to my lodgings. Fatigue had kept off 

 hunger, and left nothing wanting but rest. 



Soon after returning home, I met with my good 



friend Mrs. . who had recently made a 



tour to the north, and who gave me an amusing 

 account of what she had seen. In return, I told 

 her,that much nearer home, I had met with things, 

 or had been correctly informed of their existence,, 

 far more strange: as for example — of the com- 

 monwealth of Virginia having desert islands in 

 the Atlantic Ocean, and others well inhabited, 

 where the gospel had never been preached — or 

 there being on one (Chingoteague,) a breed of 

 real wild, but diminutive horses, which lived on 

 sea grass, and would almost starve on corn and 

 good fodder, and which were caught by throwing 

 the lasso, in South American style — of sailing on 



