1837.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



697 



their fires were contiimally ffoinjr out. For no 

 sooner was the trash upon the surlace burnt awav% 

 but imiiiediateiy the fire was extinguished by ihe 

 moisiure of the soil, insomuch that it was great 

 part ol the sentinel's busiuess to rel<ini]le it again 

 in a ti^esh place every quarter of an hour. Nor 

 could they indeed do their duty bett*;r, because 

 cold was the only enemy they had to guard against 

 m a miserable morass, where nothing can inhabit. 



20lh. — We could get no tidings yet of our 

 brave adventurers, notwithstanding we despatch- 

 ed men to the likeliest staiions to enquire after 

 them. Tliey were still scullling in the mire, and 

 could not possibly forward the line this whole day 

 more than one mile and G4 chains. Every step 

 ot this day's work was through acedarbofj, where 

 the trees were somewhat smaller, and grew more 

 into a thicket. 



It was now a great misfortune to the men to 

 find their provisions grow less, as their labor grew 

 greater. They were all tbrced to come to short 

 allowance, and consequently to work hard with- 

 out filling their bellies. Though this was very 

 severe upoi> Eiiijlish stomachs, 3'et the people 

 were so lar from being discomfited at it, that they 

 still kept up their good humor, and merrily told a 

 young fellow in the company, who looked very 

 plump and wholesome, that he must expect to go 

 first to pot, if matters should come to extremity. 



This was only said, by way of jest, yet it made 

 him thouirhtful in earnest. However, ibr tlie pre- 

 sent, he returned them a very civil answer, letting 

 them know that, dead or alive, he should be glad 

 to be useful to such worthy good friends. But 

 after all, this humorous saying had one very good 

 effect; Ibr that younker, who belore was a little 

 inclined by his constitution to be lazy, grew on a 

 sudden extremely industrious, that so there might 

 be less occasion to carbonade him for the good of 

 his fellow-travellers. 



While our friends were thus embarrassed in the 

 Dismal, the commissioners began to lie under 

 great uneasiness for them. They knew very 

 well their provisions must by this time begin to fall 

 short, nor could they conceive any likely means 

 of a supply. At this time of the year both cattle 

 and hogs had forsaken the skirts of the Dismal, 

 invited by the springing grass on the firm land. 

 All our hopes were, that Providence would cause 

 some wild game to fall in their way, or else direct 

 them to a wholesome vegetable for subsistence. 

 In short, they were haunted with so many fi'ights 

 on this occasion, that they were in truth more un- 

 easy than the persons whose case they lamented. 



We had several visitors from -Edenton in the 

 afternoon, that came with Mr. Gale, who had 

 prudently left us at Coratuck to scufHe through 

 that dirty country by ourselves. These gentlemen 

 having good noses, had smelt out, at 30 miles dis- 

 tance, the precious liquor with which the liberality 

 of our good ft-iend, Mr. Mead, had just before sup- 

 plied us. That generous person had judged very 

 right, that we now had got out of the latitude of 

 drmk, proper for nien in affliction, and therefore 

 was so good as to send his cart laden with all sorts 

 of refreshments, for which the commissioners re- 

 turned him their thanks, and the chaplain his 

 blessing. 



21st. — The surveyors and their attendants be- 

 gan now in good earnest to be alarmed with ap- 

 prehensions of famine, nor could they forbear 



looking with some sort of appetite upon a dog, 

 that had been the faithful companion of their tra- 

 vels. 



Their provisions were now near exhausted. 

 The}' had this morning made the last distribution, 

 that so each might husband his small pittance as 

 he pleased. Now it was that the fresh colored 

 young man began to tremble, every joint of htm, 

 having dreamed the night before that the Indians 

 were about to barbecue him over live coals. 



The prospect of liimine determined the people, 

 at last, with one consent, to abandon the line Ibr 

 the present, which advanced but slowly, and make 

 the best of their way to firm land. Accordingly 

 they set off very early, and by tlie helf) ol tlie 

 compass, which they carried alonu: with them, 

 steered a direct westerly course. Tliey marched 

 from morning till night, and computed their jour- 

 ney toamoynt to about 4 miles, which was a great 

 way, considering the difficulties of the ground. It 

 was all along a cedar swamp, so dirty and per- 

 plexed, that if they had not travelled lor their 

 lives, they could not have reached so far. 



On their way they espied a turkey-buzzard, that 

 flew prodigiously high to get above the noisome 

 exhalations that ascend fi'om this filthy place. 

 This they were willing to understand as a good 

 omen, according to the superstition of the ancients, 

 who had great iViith in the flight of vultures. 



Howe-ver, alter all this tedious join-ney, they 

 could yet discover no end of their toil, which made 

 them very pensive, especially after they had eat the 

 last morsel of their provisions. But to their un- 

 speakable comfort, when all was hushed in the 

 evening, they heard the cattle low, and the dogs 

 bark very distinctly, which, to men in that distress, 

 was more delightful music than Faustina or Fari- 

 nelli could have made. In the mean time the 

 commissioners could get no news of them from 

 any of their visiters, who assembled from every 

 point of the comiiass. 



But the good landlord had visiters of another 

 kind, while we were there ; that is to say, some in- 

 dustrious masters of ships, that lay in Nansimond 

 River. These worthy commanders came to be- 

 speak tobacco from these parts, to make up their 

 loadings, in contem[)t of the Virginia law, which 

 positively forbad their taking in any made in 

 North Carolina. Nor was this restraint at all un- 

 reasonable, because they have no law in Carolina 

 either to mend the quality, or lessen the quantity 

 of tobacco, or so much as to prevent the turning 

 out of seconds* — all which cases have been provi- 

 ded against By the laws of Virginia. Wherefore, 

 there can be no reason why the inhabitants of 

 that province should have the same advantage of 

 shipping their tobacco in our ports, when they 

 will by no means submit to tlie same restrictions 

 that we do. 



22nd. — Our patrole happened not to go far 

 enough to the northward this morning ; ifthey had, 

 the people in the Dismal might have heard the re- 

 port of their guns. For this reason they returned 

 without any tidings, which threw us into a great, 

 though unnecessary perplexity. This was now 

 the ninth day since they entered into that inhos- 



* By "seconds'" is meant the second growth of to- 

 bacco, made from the suckers, which spring up after 

 the plant had matured, and been cut down. — Ed. 



