70 



THE HISTORY OK 



for that reason to be guarded against as well as we can. But the common 

 precautions against it, are so burthensome, that people cannot tarry long out, 

 and go far enough from home, to make any effectual discovery. The porta- 

 ble provisions I would furnish our foresters withal ai-e glue-broth and 

 rockahominy: one contains the essence of bread, the other of meat. The 

 best way of making the glue-broth is after the following method : Take a 

 leg of beef, veal, venison, or any other young meat, because old meat will not 

 so easily jelly. Pare off all the fat, in which there is no nutriment, and of the 

 lean make a very strong broth, after the usual manner, by boiling the meat 

 to rags till all the goodness be out. After skimming off what fat remains, 

 pour the broth into a wide stew-pan, well tinned, and let it simmer over a 

 gentle even fire, till it come to a thick jelly. Then take it off and set it over 

 boiling water, which is an evener heat, and not so apt to burn the broth to 

 the vessel. Over that let it evaporate, stirring it very often till it be reduced, 

 when cold, into a solid substance like glue. Then cut it into small pieces, laying 

 them single in the cold, that they may dry the sooner. When the pieces are 

 perfectly dry, put them into a canister, and they will be good, if kept 

 dry, a whole East India voyage. This glue is so strong, that two or three 

 drachms, dissolved in boiling water with a little salt, will make half a pint of 

 good broth, and if you should be faint with fasting or fatigue, let a small piece 

 of this glue melt in your mouth, and you will find yourself surprisingly re- 

 freshed. One pound of this cookery would keep a man in good heart above 

 a month, and is not only nourishing, but likewise very wholesome. Particu- 

 larly it is good against fluxes, which woodsmen are very liable to, by lying 

 too near the moist ground, and guzzling too much cold water. But as it will 

 be only used now and then, in times of scarcity, when game is wanting, two 

 pounds of it will be enough for a journey of six months. But this broth will 

 be still more heartening, if you thicken every mess with half a spoonful of 

 rockahominy, which is nothing but Indian corn parched without burning, and 

 reduced to powder. The fire drives out all the watery parts of the corn, 

 leaving the strength of it behind, and this being very dry, becomes much 

 lighter for carriage and less liable to be spoiled by the moist air. Thus half a 

 dozen pounds of this sprightful bread will sustain a man for as many months, 

 provided he husband it well, and always spare it when he meets with venison, 

 which, as I said before, may be very safely eaten without any bread at all. 

 By what I have said, a man need not encumber himself with more than 

 eight or ten pounds of provisions, though he continue half a year in the 

 woods. These and his gun will support him very well during that time, with- 

 out the least danger of keeping one single fast. And though some of his 

 days may be what the French call jours maigres, yet there will happen no 

 more of those than will be necessary for his health, and to carry otf the 

 excesses of the days of plenty, when our travellers will be apt to indulge 

 their lawless appetites too much. 



2d, The heavens frowned this morning, and threatened abundance of 

 rain, but our zeal for returning made us defy the weather, and decamp a little 

 before noon. Yet we had not advanced two miles, before a soaking shower 

 made us glad to pitch our tent as fast as we could. We chose for that pur- 

 pose a rising ground, half a mile to the east of Matrimony creek. This was 

 the first and only time we were caught in the rain, during the whole expe- 

 dition. It used before to be so civil as to fall in the night, after we were safe 

 in our quarters, and had trenched ourselves in ; or else it came upon us on 

 Sundays, when it was no interruption to our progress, nor any inconvenience 

 to our persons. We had, however, been so lucky in this particular before, 

 that we had abundant reason to take our present soaking patiently, and the 

 misfortune was the less, because we had taken precaution to keep all our 



