ROAD-MAKING IN THE BACKWOODS. 235 



him and the basket. An unloaded gun, that he had 

 accepted in payment of a long-standing debt, lay across 

 the pommel. He kept me constantly amused with his 

 stories, as we jogged along the county road. 



When a county road has to be cut, a director "is 

 appointed, who is authorized to assemble all the male 

 population of the county from the age of eighteen to 

 forty -five; and these stout sons of the forest soon 

 make a clearance among the trees, and roll their trunks 

 out of the way. But holes and other hinderances are 

 left in a state of nature, if there is the slightest chance 

 that a wagon can pass. 



Our road led us near the river, though we seldom 

 saw it, on account of the canes and rushes through 

 which it flows ; moreover, we kept to the heights as 

 much as possible, for the sake of dry ground. The 

 main course of the river is from west to east, with very 

 good land on both banks, forming excellent winter 

 pasture, while the hills, also running east and west, 

 afford equally good summer pasture amongst the tliick 

 pine forests. 



It was long since the road had been inspected. Large 

 broken boughs and fallen trees lay across it, impeding 

 our progress. According to Slowtrap, this was quite 

 natural. He maintained that a tree never would fall 

 any other way than across a road, if it could only reach 

 it, just as a sweet gum tree always fell on a fence, if it 

 stood near enough. We passed a school as we went 

 along — one of the usual log-houses — but with a plank 

 inserted between two of the logs to serve for a desk. 

 The more distant scholars come on horseback, and tie 

 up their horses to the fence during school hours. Of 



