4 i
M ' NORTH CAROLINA STATE WBRAAV.
i - THE -
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forth-Carolina Chronicle or, Fayetteprlk Gazette
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-NJ4, of Vol. II. j
M O N D AY, OCTOBER 4, 1790.
i; Total Nv 56.
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HISTORT.
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CARVER'S TRAVELS.
Continued.)
BOUT ten days after I had parted
JL L from the traders, I landed, as I ufu--Tl
jdid every evening,andhavingpitched
: tent, 1 oidered my men, when night
-.'riie' on, to lay themfelves down to
i -p. By alight that I kept burning I
:n fat down to copy the minutes I had
1 :en in thecourfe of the preceding day.
.bout ten o'clock, having juft fir.Uhed
::i .memorandums, I ftepped out of my
Imttofee what weather k was. As I
czitmy eye towards the bank of the riv
er, I thought I law by the light of the
ffswhic'i flione bright, fomething that
h:i tke appearance of a herd of beafts
coming down a defcentat fome diilance.
YThilft I was wondering what they could
br,one of the number fuddenly fprung
::-and diicovered to m the form of a
r.:i. In an inftant they were all cn
t.r::ir legs, and I could count about ten
cr twelve men running towards me. X
I: mei'.i.uely re-entered the tear, and
r.-aking my mn, ordered tkem to take
t!:tir aims and follow me. As my firft
lipprehenfions were for my canoe, I ran
to the water's fide, and found a party
cfJr.dians (for luch I now difcovered
them to be) on the point of plundering
it4 Before I reached them I command
"eiray men not to firt till I had given
the word, being unwilling to begin hof
tillties unlcfs ccafionabfolutely required.
I accordingly advanced '-with refolution,
clofc to the points of their fpears, they
had no other weapons, and brandithing
niy hanger, afked theni with a ftern
voice , wh-t they wanted. They were
fl.agj;crd at this, and peroeiving they
were like to meet a warm reception,
turned about and ptcipitately retreated.
Ye purfued them to an adjacent wood,
v aich they entered, and we.faw:io mare
cflhejn. However, for fear of their re
t :rr.,we watched alternately duriRgthe
: iiair.dcr of the night. The next day
: I krvtnts were under great apprehen
f hi, tad earnestly entreated me to re
t fn to the traders wc had lately left.
I it I told them, that if thiey would aot
te;mcd eld women (a terra ot tuc
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greateft reproach among the Indians)
theymtift follow me ; for I was deter
mined to purfae my intended route, as
an Engliftiman, when once engaged in an
adventure never retreated. On this
they got into the eaaoe, and I walked
on tho more to guard them 'from any fur
ther attack. The party of Indians who
had thus intended to plunder me, I af
terwards found to be fome or" thofe ftrag
gling bands, that having been driven
from among the different tiibes to
which they belonged fon various crimes,
now alTociated themfelves together, and
living by plunder, prove very trouble
fome to travellers who pafs this way ;
nor are even Indians of every tribe
fpared by them. The traders had be
fore cautioned me to be upon my guard
againft them, and I would .repeat the
fame caution to thofe whofe bulinefs
might call them into thefe parts.
n the fir ft of November, I arrived
at Lake Pepia, which is rather aa extend
ed part of the River Miffifippi, that the
French have thus denominated, about
two hundred miles from the Ouifconfm.
The Miffifippi below this lake flows
with a gentle current, but the breadth
of it is very uncertain, in fome places it
being upwards of a mile, in others not
more than a quarter. This river has a
range of mountains on each fide through
out the whole of the way ; which in par
ticular parts approach near to it, in
others lie at a greater diftance. The
land betwixt the mountains, and on
their fides, is generally covered witK
grafs with a few groves of trees inter
fperfed, near which large droves of doer
and elk are frequently feen feeding. In
many places pyramids f rocks, refemb-linp-
old ruinous towers, at others amaz
in precipices ; and, what is very remark
able, whilft this Icene prefented itfelf on
one fide, the oppoiite fide of tke fame
mountain was covered with the fineft
herbage, which gradually afceaded to its
fummit. From thence the moft beauti
ful and extcafive pxofpeel that imagi
nation can fbim opens; to yoar view:
verdant plains, fruitful meadows, nu
merous iflands, and all thofe abounding
with a variety of trees that yield amaz
ing quantities of fruit, without care or
cultivation, fuch as the mj;-trce, the
maple which produces fu gar, vines load
ed with! rich graprs, -iiid plumb trees
bendingSmder their bioomin burdens ;
but, above all, the .fine riverj flowing
gently beneath, and reaching1 as far as
the eye can extend, by turns attract
your -admiration, and excite ybur won
der, i
The lake is about, twenty miles long
and neat fixJn breadth ; in iome places'
it is very deep, and'aboucd with various
kinds oil fifh. Great numbers! of fowl
frequent alfo this lake and riverj adja
cent, fuch as"ftroks,fwans, geefe, brants
and ducks, aid in the groves are found
great plenty of turkeys aad partridges.
On the plains are the largeft buffaloes of
any in America. , Here i l obferved the
ruins of a French factory, where it is
faid captain St. Pierre refided, and car
ried on a very great tr ade with the Nau
doweffits. before the reduction cf Ca
nada.- j r
Aboat lixty miles beiaw tms lafce is
a mountain remarkably fituated : it ftands
by itfelf, exactly in the middle of the riv
er, and, looks as ; if it had flidden fron
the adjacent fh ore into the ftreamt It
cannot be termed -.A an ifla.nd, as it rfes
immediately from the brink of hewa
ter to a confiderable hright ; both tho In-
dians and the'Frenchi call it the monn- 1
tain in the river. ' i
x One day, having landed on the fhore
of he Miffifippi, fonie miles beow Lake
Pepn, whilil m attedants wiire prepar
ing my dinner, I Walked out to take a
view of the adjarent country I had not
proceeded far be 'ore I tame to a fine,
level, open ptain, oiy whiqh I peicoived,
at a little diitance, a partial elevation
that had the appearance of an intrench-
ment. On a nearer infpeclic n I had
greater reafm to iuppoie that it had
really been intended or this anany cen v
turies ago. Notwfthftanding it was
now covered witji grafs, I could plainly
difcern that it had once been a breaft
work of abaut four feet in height, extrnd
iag the be t part ofo mile, and luffici
ntly capacious to oover five thouland .
men. I'sfofm was' fomewhat circi lar
and its flanks reached to" the rirr.
Though much defaced by time every
aagh w diftirgujfh:ble, and appeared
as iebular, and Jafiiioncd with j much