A hunter's life. 36o 



and acorns would make thorn very fat. Pork, beef, bear- 

 meat, and venison were easily obtained, and on fair terms ; 

 but wild meat was not thought so much of, on account of 

 its being so plenty in every place. 



In those times, politics were but little understood ; and 

 all the voters in the glade country were Federalists, except 

 one, old Mr. George Rhinehart. * We always held an 

 election on the first Monday in October ; when would be 

 seen a goodly array of bunting-shirts and moccasins, and 

 almost every man with a big knife in his belt. A foreigner 

 would have supposed that the voters were really some 

 military party going to oppose a threatened invasion ; 

 and if a quarrel occurred, they would take off perhaps 

 both coat and shirt, and fight until one or the other ac- 

 knowledged that he had as much of a beating as he was 

 willing to receive. Then their friends, if they did not get 

 into a scrape among themselves, would take the combat- 

 ants to the nearest water, and wash ofl" the blood. If no 

 serious injury was done, which was seldom the case, that 

 would, in nine fights out of ten, be the last of the quarrel. 



The people in the country west of Cumberland were 

 exceedingly generous, and particularly so to strangers 

 traveling tlirough their territory. If there was danger 

 apprehended of a stranger losing his way, a hunter would 

 pilot him five, six, or even ten miles, until he was out of 

 danger of being lost ; and then would not receive any 

 compensation for his services 



Although my feelings have been much harrowed by the 



* This olJ Mr. Rhinehart was a Frederick county man, and a 

 Democrat, or rather a Republican, as they were called in the days 

 of Thomas Jeiferson's Administration. At every election he would 

 deposit his vote, and it was the only Republican vote polled in the 

 entire District. I speak of this merely to show the firmness of one 

 man, in contending against ninety or a hundred, as a circumstanca 

 wl "ch does not often occur among voters. 

 31* 



