THE DIVIDING LINE. 86 



cross a run of water, he launches a chip or piece of bark into the water, on 

 which he embarlts, and, holding up his tail to the wind, sails over very safely. 

 If this be true, it is probable men learned at first the use of sails from these 

 Ingenious little animals, as the Hottentots learned the physical use of most of 

 their plants from tiie baboons. 



15th. About three miles from our camp we passed Great creek, and then, 

 after traversing very barren grounds for five miles together, we crossed the 

 Trading Path, and soon after had the pleasure of reaching the uppermost in- 

 habitant. This was a plantation belonging to colonel Mumford, where our 

 men almost burst themselves with potatoes and milk. Yet as great a curio- 

 sity as a house was to us foresters, still we chose to lie in the tent, as being 

 much the cleanlier and sweeter lodging. 



The Trading Path above-mentioned receives its name from being the route 

 the traders take with their caravans, when they go to ti'affic with the Cataw- 

 bas and other southern Indians. The Catawbas live about two hundred and 

 fifty miles beyond Roanoke river, and yet. our traders find their account in 

 transporting goods from Virginia to trade with them at their own town. 

 The common method of carrying on this Indian commerce is as follows: 

 Gentlemen send for goods proper for such a trade from England, and then 

 either venture them out at their own risk to the Indian towns, or else credit 

 some traders with them of substance and reputation, to be paid in skins at a 

 certain price agreed betwixt them. The goods for the Indian trade consist 

 chiefly in guns, powder, shot, hatchets, (which the Indians call tomahawks,) 

 kettles, red and blue planes, Duffields, Stroud water blankets, and some cutle- 

 ry wares, brass rings and other trinkets. These wares are made up into 

 packs and carried upon horses, each load being from one hundred and fifty 

 to two hundred pounds, with which they are able to travel about twenty 

 miles a day, if forage happen to be plentiful. Formerly a hundred horses 

 have been employed in one of these Indian caravans, under the conduct of 

 fifteen or sixteen persons only, but now the trade is much impaired, inso- 

 much that they seldom go with half that number. The course from Roanoke 

 to the Catawbas is laid down nearest south-west, and lies through a fine 

 country, that is watered by several beautiful rivers. Those of the greatest 

 note are, first, Tar river, which is the upper part of Pamptico, Flat river. 

 Little river and Eno river, all three branches of Neuse. Between Eno and 

 Saxapahaw rivers are the Haw old fields, which have the reputation of con- 

 taining the most fertile high land in this part of the world, lying in a body of 

 about fifty thousand acres. This Saxapahaw is the upper part of Cape Fair 

 river, the falls of which lie many miles below the Trading Path. Some moun- 

 tains overlook this rich spot of land, from whence all the soil washes down 

 into the plain, and is the cause of its exceeding fertility. Not far from thence 

 the path crosses Aramanchy river, a branch of Saxapahaw, and about forty 

 miles beyond that. Deep river, which is the north branch of Peedee. Then 

 forty miles beyond that, the path intersects the Yadkin, which is there half a 

 mile over, and is supposed to be the south branch of the same Peedee. The 

 soil is exceedingly rich on both sides the Yadkin, abounding in rank grass 

 and prodigiously large trees; and for plenty offish, fowl and venison, is infe- 

 rior to no part of the northern continent. There the traders commonly lie 

 still for some days, to recruit their horses' flesh as well as to recover their 

 own spirits. Six miles further is Crane creek, so named from its being the 

 rendezvous of great armies of cranes, which wage a more cruel war at this 

 day, with the frogs and the fish, than they used to do with the pigmies in the 

 days of Homer, About three-score miles more bring you to the first town 

 of the Catawbas, called Nauvasa, situated on the banks of Santee river. 

 Besides this town there are five others belonging to the same nation, lying 



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