LIFE OF WILSON. 
CXXXIX 
tive plant, that shrunk instantly on being touched, covered the 
ground in some places. Almost every flower was new to me, 
except the Carolina Pink-root, and Colombo, which grew in 
abundance on every side. At Bear creek, which is a large 
and rapid stream, I first observed the Indian boys with their 
blow-guns. These are tubes of cane seven feet long, and per- 
fectly straight, when well made. The arrows are made of 
slender slips of cane, twisted, and straightened before the fire, 
and covered for several inches at one end with the down of 
thistles, in a spiral form, so as just to enter the tube. By a 
puff they can send these with such violence as to enter the body 
of a partridge, twenty yards off. I set several of them a hunt- 
ing birds by promises of reward, but not one of them could 
succeed. I also tried some of the blow-guns myself, but found 
them generally defective in straightness. I met six parties of 
boatmen to-day, and many straggling Indians, and encamped 
about sunset near a small brook, where I shot a turkey, and 
on returning to my fire found four boatmen, who stayed with 
me all night, and helped to pick the bones of the turkey. In 
the morning I heard the turldes gobbling all round me, but 
not wishing to leave my horse, having no great faith in my 
guests’ honesty, I proceeded on my journey. This day 
(Wednesday) I passed through the most horrid swamps I had 
ever seen. These are covered with a prodigious growth of 
canes, and high woods, which together, shut out almost the 
whole light of day for miles. The banks of the deep and slug- 
gish creeks, that occupy the centre, are precipitous, where I 
had often to plunge my horse seven feet^ down, into a bed of 
deep clay up to his belly; from which nothing but great 
strength and exertion could have rescued him; the opposite 
shore was equally bad, and beggars all description. For an 
extent of several miles, on both sides of these creeks, the dark- 
ness of night obscures every object around. On emerging 
from one of the worst of these, I met General Wade Hampton, 
with two servants, and a pack-horse, going, as he said, towards 
Nashville. I told him of the mud campaign immediately be- 
