104 History of Methodism 



nine weeks landed at Philadelphia. He. left this place 

 on the 29th of November, and, in company with Mr. 

 Seward and others, traveled on horseback through 

 Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas, to Charleston. 

 He says in his journal: 



Tuesday, January 1, 1740. About sunset we came, to a tavern five 

 miles within the province of South Carolina. I believe the people 

 of the house at first wished I had not come to be their guest, for it 

 being New-year's-day, several of the neighbors were met together 

 to divert themselves by dancing country -dances. By the advice 

 of my companions I went in amongst them. All were soon put to 

 silence, and were for some time so overawed that after I had dis- 

 coursed to them on the nature of baptism and the necessity of being 

 born again in order to enjoy the kingdom of heaven, I baptized, at 

 their entreaty, one of their children, and prayed as I was enabled, 

 and as the circumstances of the company required. 



Wednesday, January 2. We rose early, prayed, sung a hymn, gave 

 another word of exhortation to the dancers, and at the break of day 

 we mounted our horses. For nearly twenty miles we rode over a 

 beautiful bay, and were wonderfully delighted to see the porpoises 

 taking their pastime. We intended to call at a gentleman's house 

 about forty miles distant from our last night's lodging, but we missed 

 the way, and came to a hut full of negroes. We inquired after the 

 gentleman's house whither we were directed, but the negroes said 

 they knew no such man, and that they were but new-comers. From 

 these circumstances we inferred that they might be some of those who 

 lately had made an insurrection in the province, and had run away 

 from their masters. W T e therefore thought it best to mend our pace, 

 and soon after Ave saw another set of negroes dancing round about a 

 fire. When we had gone about a dozen miles, we came to a planta- 

 tion, the master of which gave us lodging and our beasts provender. 

 During the day we had ridden nearly three-score miles, and, as we 

 thought, in great peril of our lives. 



Thursday, January 3. We had a hospitable breakfast, set out late 

 in the morning, and for the ease of our beasts, rode not above nine- 

 teen miles the whole day. "A righteous man," says Solomon, "re- 

 gardeth the life of his beast." 



Friday, January 4. About eight in fhe evening, after riding forty 

 miles, we came to a tavern five miles from Charleston. 



