THE DIVIDING LINE. 9 J 



not gone eight miles fartlier before our eyes were blessed with the sight of 

 Sapponi chapel, which was the first house of prayer we had seen for more 

 than two calendar months. About three miles beyond that, we passed over 

 Stony creek, where one of those that guarded the baggage killed a polecat, 

 upon which he made a comfortable repast. Those of his company were so 

 squeamish they could not be persuaded at first to taste, as they said, of so un- 

 savoury an animal ; but seeing the man smack his lips with more pleasure 

 than usual, they ventured at last to be of his mess, and instead of finding the 

 flesh rank and high-tasted, they owned it to be the sweetest morsel they had 

 ever eaten in their lives. The ill savour of this little beast lies altogether in 

 its urine, which nature has made so detestably ill-scented on purpose to fur- 

 nish a helpless creature with something to defend itself For as some brutes 

 have horns and hoofs, and others are armed with claws, teeth and tusks for 

 their defence ; and as some spit a sort of poison at their adversaries, like the 

 paco ; and others dart quills at their pursuers, like the porcupine ; and as 

 some have no weapons to help themselves but their tongues, and others none 

 but their tails ; so the poor polecat's safety lies altogether in the irresistible 

 stench of its water; insomuch that when it finds itself in danger from an 

 enemy, it moistens its bushy tail plentifully with this liquid ammunition, and 

 then, with great fury, sprinkles it like a shower of rain full into the eyes of 

 its assailant, by which it gains time to make its escape. Nor is tlie polecat 

 the only animal that defends itself by a stink. At the cape of Good Hope is 

 a little beast, called a stinker, as hig as a fox, and shaped like a ferret, which 

 being pursued has no way to save itself but by ejecting its wind and excre- 

 naents, and then such a stench ensues that none of its pursuers can possibly 

 stand it. 



At the end of thirty good miles, we arrived in the evening at colonel Boi- 

 ling's, where first, from a primitive course of life, we began to relapse into 

 luxury. This gentleman lives within hearing of the falls of Appomattox 

 river, which are very noisy whenever a flood happens to roll a greater 

 stream than ordinary over the rocks. The river is navigable for small crafl; 

 as high as the falls, and at some distance from thence fetches a compass, and 

 runs nearly parallel with James river almost as high as the mountains. While 

 the commissioners fared sumptuously here, the poor chaplain and two sur- 

 veyors, having stopped ten miles short at a poor planter's house, in pity to 

 their horses, made a St. Anthony's meal, that is, they supped upon the 

 pickings of what stuck in their teeth ever since breakfast. But to make 

 them amends, the good man laid them in his own bed, v/here they all three 

 nestled together in one cotton sheet and one of brown oznaburgs, made still 

 something browner by two months' copious perspiration. But those worthy 

 gentlemen were so alert in the morning after their light supper, that they 

 came up with us before breakfast, and honestly paid their stomachs all they 

 owed them. 



2 1 St. We made no more than a Sabbath day's journey from this to the 

 next hospitable house, namely, that of our great benefactor, colonel Mumford. 

 We had already been much befriended by this gentleman, who, besides send- 

 ing orders to his overseers at Roanoke to let us want for nothing, had, in the 

 beginning of our business, been so kind as to recommend mos^ of the men 

 to us who were the faithful partners of our fatigue. Although in most other 

 achievements those who command are apt take all the honour to themselves 

 of what perhaps was more owmg to the vigour of those who were under 

 them, yet I must be more just, and allows these brave fellows their full share 

 of credit for the service we performed, and must declare, that it was in a 

 great measure owing to their spirit and indefatigable industry that we over- 



