THE LAND OF EDEN. 
105 
the mine and departed. We left Col. Stith there to keep fast with his miner, 
and directed our course through the woods to Boucher’s creek, which hath its 
name from an honest fellow that lives upon it. This place is about six miles 
from Col. Stith’s works, and can also boast of a very fair show of copper ore. 
It is dug out of the side of a hill, that rises gradually from the creek to the 
house. The good man was from home himself; but his wife, who was as old 
as one of the Sibyls, refreshed us with an ocean of milk. By the strength 
of that entertainment, we proceeded to Mr. Mumford’s quarter, about five 
miles off, where Joseph Colson is overseer. Here our thirsty companions 
raised their drooping spirits with a cheerful dram, and having wet both eyes, 
we rode on seven miles farther to Blue Stone Castle, five whereof were 
through my own land, that is to say, all above Sandy creek. My land there 
in all extends ten miles upon the river ; and three charming islands^ namely, 
Sapponi, Occaneeche, and Totero, run along the whole length of it. The 
lowest of these islands is three miles long, the next four, and the uppermost 
three, divided from each other by only a narrow strait. The soil is rich in 
all of them, the timber large, and a kind of pea, very grateful to cattle and 
horses, holds green all the winter. Roanoke river is divided by these islands ; 
that part which runs on the north side is about eighty yards, and that on 
the south more than one hundred. A large fresh will overflow the lower 
part of these islands, but never covers all, so that the cattle may always re- 
cover a place of security. The middlemost island, called Occaneeche island, 
has several fields in it where Occaneeche Indians formerly lived, and there 
are still some remains of the peach trees they planted. Here grow likewise 
excellent wild hops without any cultivation. My overseer, Harry Morris, did 
his utmost to entertain me and my company ; the worst of it was, we were 
obliged all to be littered down in one room, in company with my landlady 
and four children, one of which was very sick, and consequently very fretful. 
16th. This being Sunday, and the place where we were quite, out of 
Christendom, very little devotion went forward. I thought it no harm to 
take a Sabbath day’s journey, and rode with my overseer to a new entry I 
had made upon Blue Stone creek, about three miles from the castle, and found 
the land very fertile and convenient. It consists of low grounds and mea- 
dows on both sides the creek. After taking a view of this, we rode two 
miles farther to a stony place, where there were some tokens of a copper 
mine, but not hopeful enough to lay me under any temptation. Then we 
returned to the company, and found Tom Wilson was come according 
to his promise, in order to proceed into the woods along with us. 
Jo. Colson likewise entered into pay, having cautiously made his bargain 
for a pistole. There were three Tuskeruda Indians, (which I understood 
had been kept on my plantation to hunt for Harry Morris,) that with much 
ado were also persuaded to be of the party. My landlady could not forbear 
discovering some broad signs of the fury, by breaking out into insolent and 
passionate expressions against the poor negroes. And if my presence could 
not awe her, f concluded she could be very outrageous when I was a hun- 
dred miles off This inference I came afterwards to understand was but 
too true, for, between the husband and the wife, the negroes had a hard time 
of it. 
17th. We set off about nine from Blue Stone Castle, and rode up the 
river six miles, (one half of which distance was on my own land,) as far as 
major Mumford’s quarter, where master Hogen was tenant upon halves. 
Here were no great marks of industry, the weeds being near as high as the 
corn. My islands run up within a little way of this place, which will expose 
them to the inroad of the major’s creatures. That called Totero island lies 
too convenient not to receive damage that way ; but we must guard against 
