JOURNEY TO MEADVILLE. 93 



during the night. How long we might have remained at 

 anchor I cannot tell, had not Captain Judd, of the United States 

 Navy^ then probably commandant at Presqiie Isle, sent a gig 

 with six men to our relief. It was on the 29th of August, 1824, 

 and never shall I forget that morning. My drawings were put 

 into the boat with the greatest care. We shifted into it, and 

 seated ourselves according to direction. Our brave fellows 

 pulled hard, and every moment brought us nearer to the 

 American shore ; I leaped upon it with elated heart. My draw- 

 ings were safely landed, and for anything else I cared little at 

 the moment. After a humble meal of bread and milk, a 

 companion and myself settled to proceed upon our journey. 

 Our luggage was rather heavy, so we hired a cart to take it to 

 Meadvilles, for which we offered five dollars. This sum was 

 accepted, and we set off. 



" The country through which we passed might have proved 

 favourable to our pursuits, had it not rained nearly the whole 

 day. At night we alighted, and put up at a house belonging to 

 our conductor's father. It was Sunday night. The good folks 

 had not yet returned from a distant church, the gi-andmother of 

 our driver being the only individual about the premises. We 

 found her a cheerful dame, who bestirred herself actively, got 

 up a blazing fire to dry our wet clothes, and she put bread and 

 milk on the table. We asked for a place in which to rest, and 

 were shown into a room iii which were several beds. My 

 companion and myself was soon in bed and asleep; but our 

 slumbers were broken by a light, which we found to be carried 

 by three young damsels, who, having observed where we lay, 

 blew it out and got into a bed opposite ours. As we had not 

 spoken, the girls supposed we were sound asleep, and we heard 

 them say how delighted they would be to have their portraits 

 taken as well as their grandmother, whose likeness I had 

 promised to draw. Day dawned, and as we were dressing we 

 discovered the girls had dressed in silence and left us before we 

 had awakened. No sooner had I offered to draw the portraits of 

 the girls than they disappeared, and soon returned in their 

 Sunday clothes. The black chalk was at work in a few minutes, 

 to their great delight ; and while the flavour of the breakfast 

 reached my sensitive nose, I worked with redoubled ardour. 



