Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 (1907 Volume 4).djvu/60

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German house. And here it may not be amiss to observe that the German taverns on these roads, are generally better provided with both liquors and provisions, than the English or Irish, but their manners are not the most agreeable, they being very inattentive to any of the wants of a traveller, except the providing his meals, and the bringing him what liquor he calls for.

It is twelve years since Strasburgh was laid out. It contains about fifty indifferent houses, and does not seem to be thriving.

At two o'clock, I began to ascend the North or Blue mountains, immediately from Strasburgh.—After ascending about a mile, I stopped and rested at a hut, the only dwelling on the passage over the mountain. Proceeding from hence, I was overtaken a little higher up by a man driving before him his horse loaded with a bag of wheat. We entered into conversation, and he entertained me with his exploits, in killing bears,[17] wolves, racoons, and foxes, {37} which abound on these mountains, as well as deer, wild turkeys, pheasants, and squirrels. I stopped occasionally, to observe the view behind me, which though a good deal impeded by the trees, is nevertheless very extensive, over a woody country, terminated by the long range of the South mountain, extending*