LIFE OF WILSON. CXXxix 



tive plant, that shrunk instantly on being touched, covered the 

 ground in some places. Almost every flower was new to me, 

 except the Carolina Pink-root, and Columbo, which grew in 

 abundance on every side. At Bear creek, which is a large 

 and rapid stream, I first observed the Indian boys with their 

 blow-guns. These are tubes of cane seven feet long, and per- 

 fectly straight, when well made. The arrows are made of 

 slender slips of cane, twisted, and straightened before the fire, 

 and covered for several inches at one end with the down of 

 thistles, in a spiral form, so as just to enter the tube. By a 

 puif they can send these with such violence as to enter the body 

 of a partridge, twenty yards off. I set several of them a hunt- 

 ing birds by promises of reward, but not one of them could 

 succeed. I also tried some of the blow-guns myself, but found 

 them generally defective in straightness. I met six parties of 

 boatmen to-day, and many straggling Indians, and encamped 

 about sunset near a small brook, where I shot a turkey, and 

 on returning to my fire found four boatmen, who stayed with 

 me all night, and helped to pick the bones of the turkey. In 

 the morning I heard the turkies gobbling all round me, but 

 not wishing to leave my horse, having no great faith in my 

 guests' honesty, I proceeded on my journey. This day 

 (Wednesday) I passed through the most horrid swamps I had 

 ever seen. These are covered with a prodigious growth of 

 canes, and high woods, which together, shut out almost the 

 whole light of day for miles. The banks of the deep and slug- 

 gish creeks, that occupy the centre, are precipitous, where I 

 had often to plunge my horse seven feet down, into a bed of 

 deep clay up to his belly; from which nothing but great 

 strength and exertion could have rescued him; the opposite 

 shore was equally bad, and beggars all description. For an 

 extent of several miles, on both sides of these creeks, the dark- 

 ness of night obscures every object around. On emerging 

 from one of the worst of these, I met General Wade Hampton, 

 with two servants, and a pack-horse, going, as he said, towards 

 Nashville. I told him of the mud campaign immediately be- 



