EPISODES 317 



The long walks and long talks we have had together 

 I can never forget, nor the many beautiful birds which we 

 pursued, shot, and admired. The juicy venison, excellent 

 Bear flesh, and delightful trout that daily formed my food, 

 methinks I can still enjoy. And then, what pleasure I 

 had in listening to him as he read his favorite poems of 

 Burns, while my pencil was occupied in smoothing and 

 softening the drawing of the bird before me ! Was not 

 this enough to recall to my mind the early impressions 

 that had been made upon it by the descripj:ion of the 

 golden age, which I here found realized? 



The Lehigh about this place forms numerous short 

 turns between the mountains, and affords frequent falls, 

 as well as below the falls deep pools, which render this 

 stream a most valuable one for mills of any kind. Not 

 many years before this date, my host was chosen by the 

 agent of the Lehigh Coal Company, as their mill-wright, 

 and manager for cutting down the fine trees which cov- 

 ered the mountains around. He was young, robust, active, 

 industrious, and persevering. He marched to the spot 

 where his abode now is, with some workmen, and by dint 

 of hard labor first cleared the road mentioned above, and 

 reached the river at the centre of a bend, where he fixed 

 on erecting various mills. The pass here is so narrow 

 that it looks as if formed by the bursting asunder of the 

 mountain, both sides ascending abruptly, so that the place 

 where the settlement was made is in many parts difficult 

 of access, and the road then newly cut was only sufficient 

 to permit men and horses to come to the spot where 

 Jediah and his men were at work. So great, in fact, were 

 the difficulties of access that, as he told me, pointing to 

 a spot about one hundred and fifty feet above us, they for 

 many months slipped from it their barrelled provisions, 

 assisted by ropes, to their camp below. But no sooner 

 was the first saw-mill erected than the axe-men began 

 their devastations. Trees, one after another, were, and 



