$66 
Travels in 
that perfon at length was prevailed upon to fuffer 
him to efcape. 
Again, when in my youth, attending my father 
on a journey to the Catfkill Mountains, in the go- 
vernment of New-york; having nearly afcended 
the peak of Giliad, being youthful and vigorous in 
the purfuit of botanical and novel objects, I had 
gained thefummit of a fteep rocky precipice, a- head 
of our guide; when juft entering a fnady vale, I 
faw at the root of a frnall ftirub, a lingular and 
beautiful appearance, which I remember to have 
inftantly apprehended to be a large kind of Fungus 
which we call Jews ears, and was juft drawing back 
my foot to kick it over ; when at the inftant, my 
father being near, cried out, a rattle fnake my 
fon ! and jerked me back, which probably faved my 
life. I had never before feen one. This was of the 
kind which our guide called a yellow one, it was 
very beautiful, fpeckled and clouded. My father 
pleaded for his life, but our guide was inexorable, 
faying he never fpared the life of a rattle fnake, 
and killed him; my father took his fkin and fangs. 
Some years after this, when again in company 
with my father on a journey into Eaft Florida, on. 
the banks of St. Juan, at Fort Picolata, attending 
the congrefs at a treaty between that government 
and the Creek Nation, for obtaining a territory 
from that people to annex to the new government; 
after the Indians and a detachment from the gar- 
rifon of St. Auguftine had arrived and encamped 
feparately, near the fort, fome days elapfed before 
the bufinefs of the treaty came on, waiting the ar- 
rival of a vefiel from St. Auguftine* on board of 
which were the prefents for the Indians. My fa- 
ther employed this time of leifure in little excur- 
fions 
