248 NARRATIVE OF AN 



CHAP, all, had been carried upon poles by negro flaves in their 

 ^ _j hammocks : and during all this time we had difcovered 

 nothing. One thing is to be confidered, that while the 

 old gentleman himfelf went through all the above-men- 

 tioned hardlhips, (to which he feemed as invulnerable as 

 a machine of iron or brafs) we had the lefs reafon to 

 complain of bad ufage. In fliort, having as ufual plunged 

 in the river, to wafh off the mire and blood occafioned by 

 the fcratches, and having taken a refrefhing fwim, I 

 looked round for my negroes to ere(St a comfortable hut ; 

 but in this I was difappointed, as they were employed by 

 Mr. Rughcop to build his kitchen, although he had as 

 yet nothing to drefs in it. This piece of unpolitenefs I for 

 once overlooked ; and the rangers having made me a 

 nice bed of manicole-branches on the ground, (there 

 being no trees in the place to lling a hammock) and 

 having lighted a blazing fire by the fide of it, I lay quietly 

 down next to them on my green mattrefs, where, in a clear 

 moonlhine night and no rain, I fell found afleep. >But 

 about two hours before day-break I awaked, when the 

 fire was out, the moon was down, and 1 almofl dead with 

 the cold dew and the damp that exhaled from the earth, 

 being fo ftiff and benumbed that I had fcarcely ftrength 

 to crawl on hands and feet, and awake one of my fable 

 companions ; he, however, having kindled a new fire, 

 I recruited fo as at fix o'clock to be able to rife, but with 

 fuch excruciating pain in one of my fides that I could 

 not avoid groaning aloud ; but to prevent Fourgeoud 

 3 



I 



