An Indian Trail 149 



white line can be traced from the base of 

 the summit ; this is the old trail. 



It is a narrow path, but for so long a 

 time had it been used by the Indians that, 

 when once pointed out, it can still be fol- 

 lowed without difficulty. It leads now from 

 one little intervale to another : from farmer 

 A to farmer B; but originally it was part 

 of their long highway leading from Phila- 

 delphia to Easton, perhaps. It matters not. 

 Enough to know that then, as now, there 

 were towns almost wherever there was land 

 fit for dwellings, and paths that led from one 

 to the other. It is clear that the Indians 

 knew the whole country well. The routes 

 they finally chose resulted from long experi- 

 ence, and were as direct as the nature of the 

 ground made possible. 



The study of trails opens up to us a broader 

 view of ancient Indian life than we are apt 

 to entertain. 



We find the sites of villages on the banks 

 of the rivers and larger inflowing streams ; 

 travel by canoes was universal. No locality 

 was so favorable as the open valley, and here 

 the greater number of Indians doubtless 

 dwelt. But the river and its fertile shores 

 13* 



