2* B
18 FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF
At this time I had an aunt living near, who was always teasing mother to let me stay with her for company for her, as she had no children. And at last mother yielded and let me go with her; and I staid one summer with her and her husband, whose name was John Spurgin He was a good-natured, kind man, but neglectful, lazy, and unlearned: they made it their aim to seduce me from my mother's love and from my home, and take up my home with them; but took good care not to let mother get the least knowledge of their interested design.
They had me so well into their scheme, that I was ready for any movement they might wish me to undertake. So, in September, they had all things in readiness, and a young man to assist in driving their cattle and horses: they then proposed to me to go with them into the prettiest country in the world; and that I should be their adopted son, and all the cattle and horses we could raise should be mine; and that I could stand in the door and see the pretty deer sporting and playing in the glades; and as soon as I was big enough to shoot, I should have a nice rifle to shoot those deer.
Fired with such prospects of sport, I was ready and willing to undertake the journey forthwith. I was put to bed, and told to go to sleep, and they would wake me before day, and take an early start, so that my mother should have no chance of stopping me. Sure enough, I was awakened a long time before day-light; all was ready for a move, with three horses loaded, and the young man Boon had the cattle ready to follow the horses. I was put on one horse, my aunt on another, and uncle drove the third; aunt in the lead. Off we went, as still as possible, that our movements should not be known to my mother until we would be sufficiently out of her power. On we went, without noise, over the mountains towards Cum- berland; and, as the sun began to show its beautiful
A HUNTER'S LIFE. 19
reflection on the high top of the Dan Mountain, westward of the town, we arrived in sight of the valley in which the town was situated. Here was a new scene to me entirely. The whole valley was covered with a dense fog —nothing was to be seen but the high tops of the west- ern mountains, with here and there stripes of sun-light; whilst all around was in uproar, with cows bellowing, calves bleating, dogs barking, cocks crowing, and, in short, all sorts of noises. The fog was so heavy that I could not see any object until within a few paces of it. Here we halted for our breakfast. By that time the sun had driven away all the misty clouds, and the town was in plain view; and I think that there were not more than twenty or thirty houses, and they mostly cabins, sur- rounded by large corn-fields, containing heavy crops of corn.
Breakfast over, we resumed our march for the new country before us : on, on we went ; and in the evening we found ourselves at the Little Crossings; here we halted for the night; the horses and cows were taken to pasture, for few houses of entertainment in those times kept oats or grain of any kind for feeding purposes, in summer, but depended altogether on grass. Supper being ready, we partook with others of a welcome meal, made up of buckwheat cakes, fresh fine butter, delicious honey-combs, venison steak, as also some fine jerk,* and sweet milk, of which we all took a good share.
We had our own bedding with us, which we laid down on the floor, and prepared for resting our tired limbs : soon we were down and sound asleep. The morning came, with a prospect of a good day; and, by the time I could see to walk, I was called up to fetch the cows, while my uncle saddled the horses, and got ready for breakfast.
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* Jerk: this is the fleshy part of the venison, sliced thin, salted, and dried over hot coals till cured : it is excellent eating.
20 FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF
All this being done, and breakfast over, we bid good-bye to Little Crossings, and took the road again for the "Blooming Rose:" this place is a large tract of land, so called in consequence of the great variety of beautiful flowers that adorned the whole tract; and that part of Alleghany county is still known by that name. We tra- velled without halting, save to water our beasts, until late in the afternoon, when we arrived at the residence of my uncle's father.
Here we baited for a month or two, until uncle should seek a home away in the glades of the Buffalo Marsh, where I was to see so many beautiful sights. After a long time of anxious delay, as I thought, and after two or three different visits to the intended home, he at last determined to make a start for it, much to my joy and satisfaction. This day brought us to a home entirely up to my greatest expectations; for then, although late in October, there was great abundance of pasture for our stock, and uncle had cut plenty of wild grass, the summer before, for all our stock through the coming winter; and we had an excellent log-cabin to live in. This cabin had been the residence of an old hunter, whose name was Augustian Friend, or "Old Teen Friend," as he was called. He had squatted there, to hunt in those beautiful glades and the surrounding mountains; and he had left here to go on the Cheat River, to settle on a new place, where no other hunters would interfere with him. He left a fine potato patch and garden, which we took pos- session of as our own, and no person objected to our claiming the premises.
Here we were in the place I had so long been looking for, with so much anxiety; and I must say that what my uncle had told me as a truth was fully realized; for the country abounded with deer, bears, panthers, wolves, wild cats, catamounts, wild turkeys, foxes, rabbits, phea-
A HUNTER'S LIFE. 21
sants, partridges, wild bees, and in all the streams trout without number.
October being the beginning of the hunting season, my uncle commenced his task of laying in the winter's provi- sions: some days he would hunt for deer, other days for bees; and, as ho was most successful in bee-hunting, he spent more of his time in hunting bees than he did in pursuing the deer. Soon our table was abundantly sup- plied with venison and honey; and the high, fresh tame grass caused our cows to give large quantities of milk, from which aunt, who was a very industrious woman, made plenty of butter; and frequently a fat turkey being added to our table store, we began to think that there was not such a place to be found in all creation.
Things went on well enough until the news came to us that General St. Clair's whole army had been defeated and cut to pieces. This was such frightening news, that aunt was almost ready to leave all, and seek some better place of safety; and indeed I believe uncle too was a little frightened. Be that as it may, he continued but a short time until he took up his march again for the "Blooming Rose." In that neighbourhood there were some thirty or forty families, who were not so easily frightened. Here we continued until the next spring, being 1792; when uncle moved into Monongahela county, in Virginia, to a brother that he had living there. His name was James Spurgin : he was a business man, yet without any educa- tion, but managed his business well, and soon became a wealthy man. Those two married sisters, who were also sisters to my mother.
Here we all lived on the same farm. Uncle James's family consisted of five children, two sons and three daughters, of whom I became dotingly fond; and when our family left theirs, I was sorely afflicted. We did not
22 FORTY-FOUR YEARS OF
move more than two miles apart, and I was allowed to visit often. It gave me great joy to meet them, more especially the second daughter, who was about my age. So things continued, until uncle became restless, and, wishing to have another new home, determined to go back to the Blooming Rose again. This was a hard trial for me. I had all my playmates, and, the worst of all, my sweet cousin to leave. I was, as I thought, in a bad way. I had the cows to drive, and I got them in front, and pushed them hard, so that I could give vent to my feel- ings, for I was ashamed to be seen crying in the road. But by and by we arrived at our journey's end. Here I was a stranger to everybody, and of course kept close at home for at least a month or two.
Our nearest neighbour was an Irish family