Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 (Vol 1 1904).djvu/254

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248
Early Western Travels
[Vol. i

for breakfast, and then began to finish our rafts; we cloathed ourselves as well as we could in Indian dress; it was about two o'clock in the afternoon, before we all got over to the other side, near an old Indian town. The Indians told us, we should not call Mr. Bull, captain, their young men would be mad that we brought a warrior there. We went up a steep hill, good land, to the creek Cowewanick,[1] where we made our fire. They wanted to hunt for meat, and looked for a road. Captain Bull shot a squirrel, and broke his gun. I cut fire wood, and boiled some chocolate for supper. The others came home, and brought nothing. Pesquitomen wanted to hear the writing from the general, which we read to them, to their great satisfaction. This was the first night we slept in the open air. Mr. Bull took the tent along with him. We discoursed a good deal of the night together.

14th.—We rose early, and thought to make good progress on our way. At one o'clock Thomas Hickman shot a large buck; and, as our people were hungry for meat, we made our camp there, and called the water Buck run. In the evening we heard the great guns fire from fort Duquesne. Whenever I looked towards that place, I felt a dismal impression, the very place seemed shocking and dark. Pesquitomen looked his things over, and found a white belt, sent by the commissioners of trade,[2] for the Indian affairs. We could find no writing concerning the belt, and did not know what was the signification thereof: They seemed much concerned to know it.


  1. Connequenessing Creek, whose name, according to Heckewelder, signifies "a long straight course."—Ed.
  2. Persons appointed by law to manage the Indian trade, for the public; the private trade, on account of its abuses, being abolished.—[C. T.?]