THE LAND OF EDEN. 
117 
amongst us, nor any of the instruments they make use of. However, inven- 
tion supplied this want very happily, and I contrived to get rid of this trou- 
blesome companion by cutting a caper. I caused a twine to be fastened 
round the root of my tooth, about a fathom in length, and then tied the other 
end to the snag of a log that lay upon the ground, in such a manner that 
I could just stand upright. Having adjusted my string in this manner, I 
bent my knees enough to enable me to spring vigorously off the ground, as 
perpendicularly as I could. The force of the leap -drew out the tooth with 
so much ease that I felt nothing of it, nor should have believed it was come 
away, unless I had seen it dangling at the end of the string. An under tooth 
may be fetched out by standing off the ground and fastening your string at 
due distance above you. And having so fixed your gear, jump off your 
standing, and the weight of your body, added to the force of the spring, will 
prize out your tooth with less pain than any operator upon earth could draw 
it. This new way of tooth-drawing, being so silently and deliberately per- 
formed, both surprised and delighted all that were present, who could not 
guess what I was going about. I immediately found the benefit of getting rid 
of this troublesome companion, by eating my supper with more comfort than 
I had done during the whole expedition. 
iOth. In the morning we made an end of our bread, and all the rest of 
our provision, so that now we began to travel pretty light. All the company 
were witnesses how good the land was upon Sugar Tree creek, because we 
rode down it four miles, till it fell into Hico river. Then we directed our 
course over the highland, thinking to shorten our way to Tom Wilson’s 
quarter. Nevertheless, it was our fortune to fail upon the Hico again, and 
then kept within sight of it several miles together, till we came near the 
mouth. Its banks were high and full of precipices on the east side, but it 
afforded some low-grounds on the west. Within two miles of the mouth 
are good shows of copper mines, as Harry Morris told me, but we saw no- 
thing of them. It runs into the Dan just below a large fall, but the chain of 
rocks does not reach quite across the river, to intercept the navigation. About 
a mile below lives Aaron Pinston, at a quarter belonging to Thomas Wilson, 
upon Tewahominy creek. Tiiis man is the highest inhabitant on the south 
side of the Dan, and yet reckons himself perfectly safe from danger. And 
if the bears, wolves, and panthers were as harmless as the Indians, his stock 
might be so too. Tom Wilson offered to knock down a steer for us, but I 
would by no means accept of his generosity. However, we were glad of a 
few of his peas and potatoes, and some rashers of his bacon, upon which 
we made good cheer. This plantation lies about a mile from the mouth of 
Tewahominy, and about the same distance from the mouth of Hico river, 
and contains a good piece of land. The edifice was only a log house, af- 
fording a very free passage for the air through every part of it, nor was the 
cleanliness of it any temptation to lie out of our tents, so we encamped once 
more, for *the last time, in the open field. 
11th. I tipped our landlady with what I imagined a full reward for the 
trouble we had given her, and then mounted our horses, which pricked up 
their ears after the two meals they had eaten ®f corn. In the distance of 
about a mile we reached the Dan, which we forded with some difficulty into 
the fork. The water was pretty high in the river, and the current some- 
thing rapid, nevertheless all the company got over safe, with only a little 
water in their boots. After traversing the fork, which was there at least two 
good miles across, we forded the Staunton into a little island, and then the 
narrow branch of the same to the main land. We took major Mumford’s 
tenant in our way, where we moistened our throats with a little milk, and 
then proceeded in good order to Blue Stone Castle. My landlady received 
a 
