THE DIVIDING LINE, 
17 
a Lot comitry, it was wisely forbidden and made an abomination to the Jews, 
who lived much in the same latitude with Carolina. 
■ 1 1th. We ordered the surveyors early to their business, who were blessed 
with pretty dry grounds for three miles together. But they paid dear for it 
in the next two, consisting of one continued frightful pocoson, which no 
creatures but those of the amphibious kind ever had ventured into before. 
This, filthy quagmire did in earnest put the men’s courage to a trial, and 
though I cannot say it made- them lose their patience, yet they lost their 
humour for joking. They kept their gravity like so many Spaniards, so that 
a man might then have taken his opportunity to plunge up to the chin, with- 
out danger of being laughed at However, this unusual composure of coun- 
tenance could not fairly be called complaining. Their day’s work ended at 
the mouth of Northern’s creek, which empties itself into North-west river; 
though we chose to quarter a little higher up the river, near Mossy point 
This we did for the convenience of an old house to shelter our persons and 
baggage from the rain, -which threatened us hard. We judged the thing right, 
for there fell a heavy shower in the night, that drove the most hardy of us 
into the house. Though, indeed, our case was not much mended by retreat- 
ing thither, because that tenement having not lo.ng before been used as a 
pork store, the moisture of the air dissolved the salt that lay scattered on the 
floor, and made it as' wet within doors as without. However, the swactaps 
and marshes we were lately accustomed to had made such . beavers and 
otters of us that nobody caught the least cold. We had encamped so early, 
that we found time in the evening to walk near half a mile into the woods. 
There we came upon a family of mulattoes that called themselves free, though 
by the shyness of the master of the house, who took care to keep least in. 
sight, their freedom seemed a little doubtful. It is certain man}^ slaves shelter 
themselves in this obscure part of the world, nor will any of their righteous 
neighbours discover them. On the contrary, they find their account in set- 
tling such fugitives on some out-of-the-way corner of their land, to raise 
stocks for a mean and "inconsiderable share, well knowing their condition 
makes it' necessary for them to submit to any terms. Nor were these worthy 
borderers content to shelter runaway slaves, but debtors and criminals have 
often met with the like indulgence. But if the government of North Carolina 
has encouraged this unneighbouiiy policy in order to increase their people, 
it is no more' than what ancient Rome did before them, which was made a 
cit}^ of refuge for all debtors and fugitives, and from that wretched beginning 
grew up in time to he mistress of a great part of the world. And, consider- 
ing how fortune delights in bringing great things out of small, who knows 
but Carolina may, one time or other, come to be the seat of some other great 
empire 1 
12th. Every thing had been so soaked with the rain, that we were obliged 
to lie by a good part of the morning and dry them. However, that time was 
not lost, because it gave the surveyors an opportunity of platting off their 
work and taking the course of the river. It likewise helped to recruit the 
spirits of the men, who had been a little harassed with yesterday’s march. 
Notv/ithstanding all this, we crossed the river before noon, and advanced our 
line three miles. It was not possible to make more of it, by reason good 
part of the Way was either marsh or pocoson. The line cut two or three 
plantations, leaving part of them in Virginia, and part of them in Carolina. 
This was a case that haj)pened frequently, to the great inconvenience of the 
owners, who were therefore obliged to take out two patents and pay for a 
new survey in each government. In the evening, we took up our quarters 
in Mr. Ballance’s pasture, a little above the bridge built over North-west 
river. There we discharged the two periaugas, which in truth had been 
