106 
A JOURNEY TO 
it as well as we can. After the major had convinced himself of the idleness 
of his tenant, he returned back to Blue Stone, and Harry Morris and I went 
in quest of a fine copper mine, which he had secured for me in the fork. 
For which purpose, about a quarter of a mile higher than Hogen's, we crossed 
a narrow branch of the river into a small island, not yet taken up, and after 
traversing that, forded a much wider branch into the fork of Roanoke river. 
Where we landed was near three miles higher up than the point of the fork. 
We first directed oiir course easterly towards that point, which was very 
sharp, and each branch of the river where it divided first seemed not to ex- 
ceed eighty yards in breadth. The land was broken and barren off from 
the river, till we came within half a mile of the point where the low-grounds 
began. The same sort of low ground ran up each branch of the river. 
That on the Staunton (being the northern branch) was but narrow, but that 
on the south, which is called the Dan, seemed to carry a width of at- least 
half a mile. After discovering this place, for which I intended to enter, we 
rode up the mid-land five miles to view the mine, which in my opinion hardly 
answered the trouble of riding so far out of nur way. We returned down- 
wards again about four miles, and a mile from the point found a good 
ford over the north branch, into, the upper end of Totero island. We 
crossed the river there, and near the head of the island saw a large quantity 
of wild hops growing, that smelt fragrantly, and seemed to be in great per- 
fection. At our first landing we were so hampered with brambles, vines and 
poke bushes, that our horses could hardly force their way through them. 
However, this difficulty held only about twenty-five yards at each end of the 
island, all the rest being very level and free from underwood. We met with 
old fields where the Indians had formerly lived, and the grass grew as high 
as a horse and his rider. In one of these fields were large duck ponds, very 
firm at the bottom, to which wild fowl resort in the winter. In the woody 
part of the island grows a vetch, that is green all the winter, and a great 
support for horses and cattle, though it is to be feared the hogs will root it 
all up. There is a cave in this island, in which the last Totero king, with 
only two of his men, defended himself against a great host of northern In- 
dians, and at last obliged them to retire. We forded the strait out of this 
into Occaneeche island, which was full of large trees, and rich land, andUhe 
south part of it is too high for any flood less than Noah’s to drown, we rode 
about two miles down this island, (being half the length of it,) where finding 
ourselves opposite to Blue Stone Castle, we passed the river in a canoe, 
which had been ordered thither for that purpose, and joined our friends, very 
much tired, not so much with the length of the journey, as with the heat of 
the weather. 
18th. We lay by till the return of the messenger that we sent for the am- 
munition, and other things left at the court house. Nor had the Indians yet 
joined us according to their promise, which made us begin to doubt of their 
veracity. I took a solitary walk to the first ford of Blue Stone creek, about 
a quarter of a mile from the house. This creek had its name from the colour 
of the stories, which paved the bottom of it, and are so smooth that it is pro- 
bable they will burn into lime. I took care to return to my company by 
dinner time, that I might not trespass upon their stomachs. In the afternoon 
I was paddled by the overseer and one of my servants up the creek, but 
could proceed little farther than a mile because of the shoal water. All the 
way we perceived the bottom of the creek full of the blue stones above men- 
tioned, sufficient in quantity to build a large castle. At our return we went 
into the middle of the river, and stood upon a large blue rock to angle, but 
without any success. We broke off a fragment of the rock, and found it 
as heavy as so much lead. Discouraged by our ill luck, we repaired to the 
