A hunter's LIFE, 1^ 



bouring gentleman to her l)i'other-in-law, whose name wae 

 Joseph Robinett, came by chance into the village to trade ; 

 aocl mother by some means found that he lived near her 

 sister, and prevailed on him to assist her in getting me 

 along to her friends ; which place we reached a little 

 after noon. Here we are at Hurley's Branch, and among 

 our friends. 



We remained here two or three weeks, until my wounds 

 and bruises were well, or nearly so, when we went to rav 

 grandfather's, on the head-waters of the Flintstone, and 

 remained during that fall and winter. The spring follow- 

 ing, mother's friends took her to a small piece of vacant 

 land that was too small to attract the notice of others, 

 and DO person had any claim to it : it was very good soil, 

 and something over twenty acres. Here her friends 

 built her up a neat little cabin, and placed herself and 

 her children in it ; and we then had a snug home of our 

 own. 



In a few weeks our sister came to us, having lost her 

 husband, Mr. Harvey, who died the same winter we left 

 Frederick county. She joined us, and to work went all 

 hands ; Joshua and mother to chopping and grubbing, 

 and sister to picking up and burning the grubs and trash 

 that lay over the ground ; and soon they had four acres 

 cleared off, and ready for planting corn. This done, they 

 went into it altogether ; dug holes for the hills of corn to 

 be planted in, and planted as they went ; and when they 

 were done making holes, they were done planting also ; 

 and had filled with pumpkins, cucumbers, and such things 

 as they knew would be useful for the table. Their friends 

 helped, and soon it was under a good fence : then when 

 the corn came out of the ground, all hands went into it, 

 and cleaned out all the weeds, and dug up the ground 

 between the hills _ and in that way they raised nearly one 

 hundred bushels of corn. 



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