NARRATIVE OF AN 



On the fucceeding morning we marched again through 

 very heavy rains, v\^hich by this time had fwelled the 

 water fo high in the woods that it reached above our 

 knees, and prevented us from croffing a fmall creek in 

 our way, without the help of a temporary bridge. 



I prevailed therefore on the rangers, with the help of 

 ^ few liaves, to ere6t one, v/hich they did in the fpace of 

 forty minutes, by cutting down a flraight tree, which fell 

 diredly acrofs the creek, to this they alfo made a kind 

 of railing; but ftill with this our commander Rughcop, 

 whofe temper was foured by mifery, and whofe conftitu- 

 tion was already broken by hardfliips, was not pleafed. 

 He paid the rangers for their pains with oaths and re- 

 proaches, who, with a fmile of contempt, left him fwear- 

 ing, and crofled the creek, fome by fwimming, and 

 others by climbing up a tree whofe branches hung over 

 it^ from which they dropped down on the oppofite fliore;. 

 in this I followed their example : and here we flopped 

 till the arrival of the poor trembling and debilitated Major 

 Rughcop, with two-thirds of his troops as fick as himfelf. 



I ftiH continued in perfect health, but I was much flung 

 by difierent infedls, and torn by a thoufand thorns or 

 ??iaccawSj particularly one fpecies? which are ilrong black 

 prickles of feveral inches long, that break fliort in the 

 wound ; they projcsfl like the back of a porcupine, on a 

 kind of low or dwarf palm - tree, called the cocareeta, 

 whofe large branches diverge from the earth like the 

 fire of a fufee from a bomb. Another inconvenience to 

 4 ' be 



