TRAVELS IN 
3 $$ 
leave, returning home, and we continued on oul 
journey, entering on the great plains. We had not 
proceeded far before our people roufed a litter of 
young wolves, to which giving chafe, we foon caught 
one of them, it being entangled in high grafs ; one 
of our people caught it by the hind legs, and an- 
other beat out its brains with the but of his gun,— 
barbarous fportl — This creature was about half 
the fize of a fmall cur-dog, and quite black. 
We continued over thefe expanfive illumined graf- 
fy plains, or native fields, about twenty miles in 
length, and in width eight or nine, lying parallel 
to the river, which was about ten miles diitance ; 
they are invefted by high forefls, extend ve points 
Gr promontories, which project into the plains on 
each fide, dividing them into many vaft fields open- 
ing on either hand as we palled along, which pre~ 
fents a magnificent and pleading fylvan landscape 
of primitive, uncultivated nature. CrofTed feveral 
very confiderable creeks, their Terpentine courfes 
being d t ire6led acrofs the plain by gently fwelling 
knolls perceptible at a diftance, but which feem to 
vanifh and difappear as we come upon them ; the 
creeks were voters of the Alabama, the name of 
the Eafl arm of the Mobile below the confluence of 
the Tallapoofe. Thefe rivulets were ornamented by 
groves of various trees and fhrubs, which do not 
fpread far from their banks. I obferved amongfl 
them the wild Crab (Pyrus coronaria), and Prunus 
Indica or wild Plumb, Corpus Florida, and on the 
graffy turf adjoining grew abundance of Strawber- 
ry vines : the furface of the plains or fields is clad 
with tall grafs, intermixed with a variety or her- 
bage. The mod confpicuous, both for beauty and 
fiovelty, is a tall ipecies of Silphium ; the radical 
