CONHOCTON CREEK. 339 
During floods you may go down in light ba^ 4 
teaux along the creek, Tyoga and Susquehan- 
nah rivers, the whole way from Bath to the 
Chesapeak Bay, without interruption; and in 
the fall of the year there is generally water 
sufficient for canoes from Bath downwards ; 
but owing to the great drought that prevailed 
through every part of the country this year, 
the depth of water in the creek was found 
insufficient to float even a canoe of the smallest 
size. Had it been practicable, it was our in¬ 
tention to have proceeded from Bath by water; 
hut finding that it was not, we once more set 
off on foot, and pursued our way along the 
banks of the river till we came to a small vil¬ 
lage of eight or ten houses, called Newtown* 
about thirty miles distant from Bath. Here 
we found the stream tolerably deep, and the 
people informed us, that excepting at one or 
two narrow shoals, they were certain that in 
every part of it, lower down, there w r as suffi¬ 
cient water for canoes; accordingly deter¬ 
mined to be our own watermen, being five in 
number including our servants, we purchased 
a couple of canoes from two farmers, who 
lived on the hanks of the river, and having 
lashed them together, in order to render them 
more steady and safe, we put our baggage on 
board, and boldly embarked. 
It was about three o’clock on a remarkably 
Ob' 
