NORTH AMERICA 
445 
my charge, to fteady the raft and haul it back 
again after being unloaded. As foon as he had 
fafe landed and hauled taught his vine, I pufhed 
off the raft, which he drew over as quick as pof- 
fible, I fteadying it with my vine : in this man- 
ner, though with inexpreffible danger of lofing 
our effects, we ferried all fafe over. The laft 
load, with other articles, contained my property, 
with all my clothes, which I dripped off, ex- 
cept my breeches, for they contained matters of 
more value and confequence than all the reft 
of my property put together ; befides I did not 
choofe to expofe myfelf entirely naked to the 
alligators and ferpents in eroding the flood. Now' 
feeing all the goods fafe over, and the horfes at a 
landing place on the banks of the river about 
fifty yards above, I drove them all in together, 
when, feeing them fafe landed, I plunged in 
after them, and being a tolerable fwimmer, foon 
reached the oppofite fhore. But my difficulties 
at this place were not yet at an end, for our 
horfes all landed juft below the mouth of a con 
fiderable branch of this river, of fifteen or twenty 
feet width, and its perpendicular banks almoft 
as many feet in height above its fwift waters, 
over which we were obliged to carry every article 
of our effefts, and this by no other bridge than 
a fapling felled acrofs it, which is called a rac- 
coon bridge ; and over this my Indian friend 
would trip as quick and light as that quadruped, 
with one hundred w r eight of leather on his back, 
when I was fcarcely able to fhuffle myfelf along 
over it aftride. At laft having re-packed and fat 
off again, without any material occurrence inter- 
vening, in the evening we arrived at the banks 
of the great Tallapoofe river, and came to camp 
under fhelter of fome Indian cabins, in expanfive 
fields, 
