594 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 1 



We quartered with our friend and fellow travel- 

 ler, William Wilkins, who had been our faithful 

 pilot to Coratuck, and lived about a mile from the 

 place where the line ended. Every thino; looked 

 so very clean, and the furniture so neat, that we 

 were tempted to lodge within door?. But thq no- 

 velty of being shut up so close, quite ppoded our 

 rest, nor did we breathe so Iree, by abundance, as 

 ■when we lay in the open air. 



13th. — Before nine oftheclock this morning, the 

 provisions, bedding, and other necessaries, wss 

 made up into |)acks, fur the men to carry on their 

 phoulders into the Dismal. They were victualed 

 for 8 days at full allowance — no body doubting but 

 that would be abundantly sufficient to carry them 

 throuijh that inhospitable place — nor indeed was it 

 possible for the poor fellows to stagger under more. 

 As it was, their loads weighed from 60 to 70 

 pounds, in just proportion to the strength of ihosQ 

 who were to bear them. 



'Twould have been unconsionable to have sad- 

 dled tht ni with burthens heavier than that, when 

 they were to lug them through a filthy bog, 

 which was hardly practicable with no burthen at 

 all. 



Besides this luggage at their backs, they were 

 obliged to measure the distance, mark the trees, 

 and clear the way for the surveyors every step 

 they went. It was really a pleasure to see with 

 how much cheerfiilness they undertook, and with 

 how much spirit they went through all this 

 drudgery. For their greater safety, the commis- 

 sioners took care to furnish them with Peruvian 

 bark, rhubarb, and ipecacuana, in case they 

 might happen in that wet journey to be taken 

 with fevers or fluxes. 



Although there was no need of example to in- 

 flame persons alrendy so cheerful, yet to enter the 

 people with the belter grace, the author and two 

 more of the commissioners accompanied them 

 half a mile mio the Dismal. The skirls of it 

 were thinly planted with dwarf reeds, and gnll- 

 bushes; but when we irot into the Dismal iiself, 

 we found the reeds grew there much taller and 

 closer, and, to mend the matter, were so inter- 

 laced with bamboo briers, that there was no scuf- 

 fling through them without the help of pioneers. 

 At the same time we found the ground n^oist and 

 trembling under our feet, like a quagmire — inso- 

 much that it was an easy matter to run a ten-foot 

 pole up to the head in it, without exerting any un- 

 common strength to do it. 



Two of the men whose burthens were the least 

 cumbersome, had orders to march before with 

 their tomahawks, and clear the way, in order to 

 make an opening for the surveyors. By their as- 

 sistance we made a shift to push tlie line half a 

 mile in 3 hours, and then reached a small piece of 

 firm land about 100 yards wide, slandmg up 

 above the rest like an island. Here the people 

 were glad to lay down their loads, and take a little 

 refreshment, while the happy man whose lot it 

 was to carry the jug of run), began already, like 

 ^^^sop's bread-carrier, to find it to grow a good 

 deal lighter. 



After reposing about an hour, the commission- 

 fers recommended vigor and constancy to their 

 fellow travellers, by whom they were answered 

 with three cheerful huzzus, in token of obedience. 

 This ceremony was no sooner over, but they took 

 up their burthens, and attended the motion of the 



surveyors, who though they worked with all 

 their might, could reach but one mile further, the 

 same obstacles still attending them, which they 

 had met with in the morning. 



However small this distance may seem to such 

 as are used to travcd at their ease — yet our poor 

 men, who were obliged to work with an unwieldy 

 load at their baclvs, had reason to think it a long 

 way ; es;ieciaiiy in a bog, where they had no firm 

 iboting, but every step made a deep impression, 

 which was iustantiy filled with water. At the 

 same time they were laboring with their hands to 

 cut down the reeds, which were ten feet high, their 

 legs were hampered with the briers. Besides, the 

 weather happened to be warm, and the tallness of 

 the reeds kept off every friendly breeze from 

 coming to refresh ihein. And indeed it was a lit- 

 tle provoking to hear the wind vvhistling among 

 the branches of the white cedars, which grew 

 here and there atnongst the reeds, and at the same 

 time not have the comfort to feel the least breath 

 of it. 



In the mean time the three commissioners re- 

 turn,ed out of the Dismal the same way they 

 went in, and having joined their brethren, pro- 

 ceeded that night as far as Mr. Wilson's. 



This worthy person lives within sight of the 

 Dismal, in the skirts whereof his stocks range 

 and maintain themselves all the winter, and yet 

 he knew as little of it, as he did o'l Terra Jfustralis 

 Incognita. He t6ld us a Canterbuiy tale of a 

 North Briton, whose curiosity spurred him a long 

 way into this great desart, as he calls it, near 20 

 years ago ; but he having no compass, nor seeing 

 the sun for several days together, wandered about 

 tdl he was almost famished ; but at last he be- 

 thought himself of a secret his countrymen make 

 use of to pilot themselves in a dark day. He took 

 a fat louse out of his collar, and exposed it to the 

 open day, on a piece of white paper, which he 

 brought along with him for his journal. 'J'he poor 

 insect, having no eyelids, turned himself about till 

 he found the darkest part of the heavens, and so 

 made the best of his way to the north. By this 

 direction he steered himself sale out, and gave 

 such a frightflil account of the monsters he saw, 

 and the distresses he underv.ent. that no mortal 

 since, has been hardy enough to go upon the like 

 dangerous discovery. 



15th. — The surveyors pursued their work with all 

 diligence, but still found the soil of the Dismal so 

 spongy, that the water oozed up into every tbot- 

 step they took. To their sorrow too, they found 

 tJie reeds and briers more firmly interwoven than 

 they did the day before. But the greatest griev- 

 ance was, from large cypresses which the wind 

 had blown down, and heaped upon one another. 

 On the limbs of most of them grew sharp snags 

 pointing every way, like so many pikes, that re- 

 quired much pains and caution to avoid. 



These trees being evergreens, and shooting 

 their larire tops very high, are easily overset by 

 every gust of wind, because there is no firm earth 

 to steady their roots. Thus many of them were 

 laid prostrate, to the great encumbrance of the 

 way. Such variety of'difHculties made the busi- 

 ness go on heavilj^, insomuch, that fi-om morning 

 till night, the line could advance no further than 

 1 mile'and 31 poles. Never was rum, that cordial 

 of life, found more necessary, than it was at this 

 dirty place. It did not only recruit the people's 



