70 
THE HISTORY OF 
for that reason to be guarded against as well as we can. But the common 
precautions against it, are so burthensome, that people cannot tarry long out, 
and go far enough from home, to make any effectual discovery. The porta- 
ble provisions I would furnish our foresters withal are glue-broth and 
rockahominy : one contains the essence of bread, the other of meat. The 
best way of making the glue-broth is after the following method : Take a 
leg of beef, veal, venison, or any other young meat, because old meat will not 
so easily jelly. Pare off all the fat, in which there is noiftiutfiment, and of the 
lean make a very strong broth, after the usual manner, by boiling the meat 
to rags till all the goodness be out. After skimming off what fat remains, 
pour the broth into a wide stew-pan, well tinned, and let it simmer over a 
gentle even fire, till it come to a thick jelly. Then take it off and set it over 
boiling water, which is an evener heat, and not so apt to burn the broth to 
the vessel. Over that let it evaporate, stirring it very often till it be reduced, 
when cold, into a solid substance like glue. Then cut it into small pieces, laying 
them single in the cold, that they may dry the sooner. When the pieces are 
perfectly dry, put them into a canister, and they will be good, if kept 
dry, a whole East India voyage. This glue is so strong, that two or three 
drachms, dissolved in boiling water with a little salt, will make half a pint of 
good broth, and if you should be faint with fasting or fatigue, let a small piece 
of this glue melt in your mouth, and you will find yourself surprisingly re- 
freshed. One pound of this cookery would keep a man in good heart above 
a month, and is not only nourishing, but likewise very wholesome. Particu- 
larly it is good against fluxes, which woodsmen are very liable to, by lying 
too near the moist ground, and guzzling too much cold water. But as it will 
be only used now and then, in times of scarcity, when game is wanting, two 
pounds of it will be enough for a journey of six months. But this broth will 
be still more heartening, if you thicken every mess with half a spoonful of 
rockahominy, which is nothing but Indian corn parched without burning, and 
reduced to powder. The fire drives out all the watery parts of the corn, 
leaving the strength of it behind, and this being very dry, becomes much 
lighter for carriage and less liable to be spoiled by the moist air. Thus half a 
dozen pounds of this sprightful bread will sustain a man for as many months, 
provided he husband it well, and always spare it when he meets with venison, 
which, as I said before, may be very safely eaten without any bread at all. 
By what I have said, a man need not encumber himself with more than 
eight or ten pounds of provisions, though he continue half a year in the 
woods. These and his gun will support him very well during that time, with- 
out the least danger of keeping one single fast. And though some of his 
days may be what the French call jours maigres^ yet there will happen no 
more of those than will be necessary for his health, and to carry off the 
excesses of the days of plenty, when our travellers will be apt to indulge 
their lawless appetites too much. ' 
2d. The heavens frowned this morning, and threatened abundance of 
rain, but our zeal for returning made us defy the weather, and decamp a little 
before noon. Yet we had not advanced two miles, before a soaking shower 
made us glad to pitch our tent as fast as we could. We chose for that pur- 
pose a rising ground, half a mile to the east of Matrimony creek. This was 
the first and only time we were caught in the rain, during the v/hole expe- 
dition. It used before to be so civil as to fall in the night, after we were safe 
in our quarters, and had trenched ourselves in; or else it came upon us on 
Sundays, when it was no interruption to our progress, nor any inconvenience 
to our persons. We had, however, been so lucky in this particular before, 
that we had abundant reason to take our present soaking patiently, and the 
misfortune was the less, because we had taken precaution to keep all our 
