cm) 
travailed 4 miles from its firft aboad. Indeed it met with this 
advantage, that till it came into this Town, all the ground, it 
part over, was almoft of asmutinous anature as it {elf, and want- 
ed nothing but fach a Companion tofetit free 5 and to follicitk 
to this new Invafion. All the oppoficion it met with in its 
Journy hither, was from one Farm-houfe, which flood within a 
mile and a half from its firft fource. This the Owner at firft en- 
deavoured to have fecur'd by force and building of Bulworks a- 
gainft the Affaults thereof 5 but this wing'd Enemy was not to 
befo oppof d : which, after feme difpute, the Owner perceivings 
did not only flight the former Works , but all his Fences, and 
what elfe might obftrud the paflage of this unwelcome gueft, 
and in four years efife&ed that by a Compliance and Submilfion, 
which could never have been done upon other terms : In which 
he was fo fuccefsful, as that there is fcarce any footfteps left of 
this mifchievous Enemy. 
Tis between 30 and 40 years, fince it firft reacht the bounds 
of this Town $ where it continued for 10. or 12 years in the 
Out-skirts, without doing any confiderable mifchief to the fame. 
The reafon of which I guefs to be, that its Current was then 
down-hilly which fhelter'd it from thofe winds, that gave it mo- 
tion. But that Valley being once paft, it went above a mile 
(up-hill) in two months time, and over-ran 200 acres of very 
good Corn the fame year, 'Tis now got into the body of this 
little Town, where it hath buried and deftroy'd dirers Tene- 
ments and other Houfes, and has inforc'dus to preferve the re- 
mainder at a greater charge than they are worth. Which doubt- 
lefs hadalfo periflit, had not my affedion to this poor dwelling 
oblig'd me to preferve it at a greater expence than it was built : 
Where at laft I have given it feme Check,though for 4,01* s.yeais 
our Attaques on both fides were with fo various fuccefs, as the 
Vi&ory remain d very ambiguous. For, it had fo poffeft all our 
Avenues, as there was no paffage to us but over two Walls of 8. 
or 9, foot high (which incompaffd a fmall Grove before my 
houfe, now almoft buried in the Sand -J nay, it was oncefo near 
a conqueft, as at one end of my houfe it was poffeft of my Yard 5 
and had blown up to the Eves of moft of my out-houfes. At the 
other end it had broke down my Garden- waU> and ftopt all paf- 
fage that way. 
