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" buss the book," which they considered as a piece 

 of buckra superstition, mighty useful to the ne- 

 groes, and valued taking their oath upon the Bible 

 to a lie, no more than Mrs. Mincing did the oath 

 which she took in the Blue Garret " upon an odd 

 volume of Messalina's Poems. 5 ' Although I set 

 out from Hordley at two o'clock, it was past seven 

 before I reached an estate called " The Retreat," 

 which was only twelve miles off, so abominable 

 was the road. Here I stopped for the night, 

 which I passed at supper with the musquitoes, — 

 " not where I ate, but where I was eaten." Morant 

 River had been swelled by the late heavy rains 

 to a tremendous height, and its numerous quick- 

 sands render the passage in such a state extremely 

 dangerous, However, a negro having been sent early 

 to explore it, and having returned with a favourable 

 report, we proceeded to encounter it. A Hordley 

 negro, well acquainted with these perilous rivers, had 

 accompanied me for the express purpose of poin ting 

 out the most practicable fords; but for some tune his 

 efforts to find a safe one were unavailing, his horse at 

 the end of a minute or two plunging into a quick- 

 sand or some deep hole, among the waters thrown 

 up from which he totally disappeared for a mo- 

 ment, and then was seen to struggle out again 

 with such an effort and leap, as were quite beyond 

 the capability of any carriage's attempting. How- 

 ever, at the end of half an hour he was fortunate 

 to find a place, where he could cross (up to his 



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