40 
THE HISTORY OF 
next. In the mean time they sent out some of their most expert gunners, 
who brought in four more wild turkeys. 
This part of the country being very proper for raising cattle and hogs, we 
observed the inhabitants lived in great plenty without killing themselves with 
labour. I found near our camp some plants of that kind of rattle-snake root, 
called star-grass. The leaves shoot out circularly, and grow horizontally 
and near the ground. The root is in shape not unlike the rattle of that ser- 
pent, and is a strong antidote against the bite of it. It is very bitter, and 
where it meets with any poison, works by violent sweats, but where it meets 
with none, has no sensible operation but that of putting the spirits into a 
great hurry, and so of promoting perspiration. The rattle-snake has an utter 
antipathy to this plant, insomuch that if you smear your hands with the juice 
of it, you may handle the viper safely. Thus much I can say on my own 
experience, that once in July, when these snakes are in their greatest vigour, 
I besmeared a dog’s nose with the powder of this root, and made him tram- 
ple on a large snake several times, which, however, was so far from biting 
him, that it perfectly sickened at the dog’s approach, and turned its head 
from him with the utmost aversion. 
Our chaplain, to show his zeal, made an excursion of six miles to christen 
two children, but without the least regard to the good cheer at these so- 
lemnities. 
25th. The surveyors, taking the advantage of clear woods, pushed on the 
line seven miles and forty poles. In the mean time the commissioners marched 
with the baggage about twelve miles, and tobk up their quarters near the 
banks of the Beaver pond, (which is one branch of Fountain creek,) just by 
the place where the surveyors were to finish their day’s work. In our march 
one of the men killed a small rattle-snake, which had no more than two rat- 
tles. Those vipers remain in vigour generally till towards the end of Sep- 
tember, or sometimes later, if the weather continue a little warm. On this 
consideration we had provided three several sorts of rattle-snake root, made 
up into proper doses, and ready for immediate use, in case any one of the 
men or their horses had been bitten. We crossed Fountain creek once more 
in our journey this day, and found the grounds very rich, notwithstanding 
they were broken and stony. Near the place where we encamped the 
county of Brunswick is divided from the Isle of Wight These counties run 
quite on the back of Surry and Prince George, and are laid out in very ir- 
regular figures. As a proof the land mended hereabouts, we found the plan- 
tations began to grow thicker by much than we had found them lower down. 
26 th. We hurried away the surveyors without loss of time, who extended the 
line ten miles and a hundred and sixty poles, the grounds proving dry and free 
from under-woods. By the way the chain-carriers killed two more rattle-snakes, 
which I own was a little ungrateful, because two or three of the men had 
strided over them without receiving any hurt ; though one of these vipers 
had made bold to strike at one of the baggage horses, as he went along, but 
by good luck his teeth only grazed on the hoof, without doing him any 
damage. However, these accidents were, I think, so many arguments that 
we had very good reason to defer our coming out till the 20th of September. 
We observed abundance of St. Andrew’s cross in all the woods we passed 
through, which is the common remedy used by the Indian traders to cure 
their horses when they are bitten by rattle-snakes. It grows on a straight 
stem, about eighteen inches high, and bears a yellow flower on the top, that 
has an eye of black in the middle, with several pairs of narrow leaves shoot- 
ing out at right angles from the stock over against one another. This anti- 
dote grows providentially all over the woods, and upon all sorts of soil, that 
it may be every where at hand in case a disaster should happen, and may be 
had all the hot months while the snakes are dangerous. 
