VIRGINIANS. 
143 
no sucli thing in this part of the country ;• that 
in the house before me no part of the family 
was at home; but that if I rode on a little 
farther, I should come to some other gentle¬ 
men's houses, where I could readily get ac¬ 
commodation. In the course of five or six 
miles I saw several more of the same sort of 
old brick houses, and the evening now drawing 
towards a close, I began to feel the necessity 
of going to some one of them. I had seen no 
person for several miles to tell me who any of 
the owners were, and I was considering within 
myself which house I should visit, when a lively 
old negro, mounted on a little horse, came gal¬ 
loping after me. On applying to him for infor¬ 
mation on the subject, he took great pains to 
assure me, that I should be well received at any 
one of the houses I might stop at; he said there 
were no taverns in this part of the country, 
and strongly recommended me to proceed under 
his guidance to his master's house, which was 
but a mile farther on : Masser will be so glad 
to see to you,'' added he, “ nothing can be 
^like.” Having been apprised beforehand, that 
it was customary in Virginia for a traveller to 
go without ceremony to a gentleman’s house, 
when there was no tavern at hand, I accord¬ 
ingly took the negro's advice, and rode to the 
dwelling of his master, made him acquainted 
with my situation, and begged I might be 
