I do not feel to night, my dear Elizabeth, as if I should ever see you
again- 3 mountains & more hundreds of miles part us; & tho' I cannot
give up the idea of returning, I cannot think of traversing this road
again- If I live to return I will wait till the new turnpike is
finished-- We cross'd the last brother this morning, & found the greater
part of it, better than the other two- but about 60 rods near the top it
was excessively steep-- We found a house at the foot of the steepest
part- A woman & her 2 sons live there & keep cakes & beer-- The woman
told us she had no husband at _present_--I suppose, she has one in
expectation--On the first mountain, I found some sweet Williams-- We
stopt at noon, at a dismal looking log hut tavern- The landlady (I hate
the word but I must use it,) talk'd about bigotry, bigotted notions,
liberty of conscience &c- She did not look as if she knew the meaning of
conscience, much less of bigotry-- All this afternoon we have been
walking over young mountains, distant relations of the 3 brothers, but
not half as clever- I was so lame & so tir'd that for an hour I did not
know but I must set down & die- I could not ride- the road was so bad,
it was worse than walking- I would not tell you all this, if you were to
receive this before it is all over---- It rain'd a very little all day,
but just at night it began to rain very fast, & I expected we should all
catch our death, walking thro' mud & mire, with no umbrella, or but one
that would not cover us all- We were wet thro before we reach'd this
dreadful place where we now are-- The Woman is cross & the Man sick----
Friday night- It rain'd all day yesterday, & such a shocking place as
this is, I never saw- A dozen Waggoners are here, some half drunk & no
place for us to stay in but our waggons or a little chamber with 3
squares of glass in it- with scarcely room to sit or stand--
Saturday morn---- I am now in despair, it continues raining faster than
ever- The house full of drunken prophane wretches, the old woman cross
as a witch- We have nothing to eat & can get nothing but some slapjacks
at a baker's some distance off, & so stormy we cannot get there----
M^{rs} Jackson frets all the time, I wish they would go on & leave us,
we should do as well again---- M^r Beach & his wife & child & the woman
who is with them, are here, & the house is full- M^{rs} Beach rode in
all the rain Thursday, but took no cold & bears it well as any one- It
rains most dreadfully & they say it is the clearing off shower- Oh, if
it only proves so---- "Oh had I the wings of a dove, how soon would I
meet you again"- We have never found the wretches indelicate till last
evening, but while we were at tea, they began talking & singing in a
most dreadful manner---- We are 4 miles from Sidling hill, the next
mountain, & a mile & a half from this, there is a creek which we must
cross, that is so rais'd by the rain, as to render it impossible to pass
it----
Saturday night- Our "clearing up shower" has lasted all day with
unabated violence,-- Just at sunset we had a pretty hard thunder shower,
& at dusk there was clear sky visible & the evening star shone bright as
possible, but now it is raining fast again--After giving an emetic I
would take a long journey with my _intended_, to try his patience----
mine is try'd sorely now- I wish you could just take a peep at me-my
frock is wet & dirty a quarter of a yard high, only walking about the
house- I have been in my chamber almost the whole day, but was oblig'd
to go down just at night to eat, & look at the sky- I was very much
frighten'd by a drunken waggoner, who came up to me as I stood by the
door waiting for a candle, he put his arm round my neck, & said
something which I was too frighten'd to hear- It is the first time the
least insult has been offer'd to any of us- One waggoner very civilly
offer'd to take Susan or me, on to Pitts^g in his waggon if we were not
like to get there till spring- It is not yet determin'd which shall go
with him-- One waggon in crossing the creek this afternoon, got turn'd
over & very much injur'd-- We have concluded the reason so few are
willing to return from the Western country, is not that the country is
so good, but because the journey is so bad-- M^r W. has gone to & from
there, 5 times, but thinks this will be the last time- Poor Susan groans
& sighs & now then sheds a few tears-I think I exceed her in patience &
fortitude----M^{rs} Wolcott is a woman of the most perfect equanimity I
ever saw- She is a woman of great feeling & tenderness, but has the most
perfect command over her feelings- She is not _own_ mother to these
children, but she is a very good one---- I have learn'd Elizabeth, to
eat raw _pork_ & drink whisky-dont you think I shall do for a new
country? I shall not know how to do either when I end my journey,
however- We have almost got out of the land of dutchmen, but the
waggoners are worse---- The people here talk curiously, they all reckon
instead of expect-- Youns is a word I have heard used several times, but
what it means I don't know, they use it so strangely-- M^r Rees used to
exclaim at any thing wonderful, "Only look at that now"-- "I reckon you
are going into the back countries" is now our usual salutation from
every one---- Susan is in bed for want of some employment & I will join
her, after telling you, it has really clear'd off now, & the moon is
shining in full splendor.- I hope to-morrows sun will deign to smile
upon us- It is long since we have seen it---- I expect to be oblig'd to
go thro' a process of fire & brimstone at my journeys end & shall feel
thankful, if that will remedy all the evils arising from dirty beds &c--
I find no necessity for even that yet, but I fear I shall soon----good
night----
Sunday 2 oclock P M- We left the Inn this morning in the hope of getting
a _little piece_ on our way, but have only reach'd the baker's, half a
mile from where we set out- The creek is so high we cannot cross it yet-
An old man & his wife live here, & appear to be very kind clever people,
& what is more than we have found before, they appear to regard the
Sabbath- They are Methodists- This is a small log hut, but clean &
comfortable- There are no waggoners here-- I shall be oblig'd to colour
my frock I believe, for it attracts the attention of those creatures so
much, that I dare not go in sight of them scarcely- I often think of the
2 lines your Mama repeated to us "In Silk, &c"
Sunday night.
About sunset, we left the baker's & came down to the Creek, but found it
was impossible to get over the waggon, & the road was so intolerable
between the place we had left & the creek, that we could not go back, &
what to do, it took a long time to determine; but at length M^r W
concluded we had better come over to a dirty tavern this side, & let
Erastus sleep in the wagon-- The stream runs so fast, that we did not
dare cross it alone, as there was nothing but a log to cross on; so the
waggoners & our own party, were oblig'd to lead & pilot us, over the
stream & thro' a most shocking place as I ever saw- The men were all
very civil- they are waiting
this line is the shape of a Pensylvania waggon--
with of us---- We fare
their the rest
waggons, like
worse & worse, & still M^r W- & his wife, tell us this is nothing to
what will come- I do not fully believe them, for we cannot endure much
more & live--Susan & young M^{rs} Jackson have been quite unwell all
day-- I never felt in better health, & my spirits are pretty good,
considering all things-- We are not able to get beds here, & are to
sleep on the floor to night- There is another family here, with several
little children-- They say there has been a _heap_ of people moving this
fall;- I don't know exactly how many a heap is, or a _sight_ either,
which is another way of measuring people-- I would be _apt_ to think it
was a _terrible_ parcel, to use the language of the people round me----
I have such an enormous appetite the whole time, that I have been in
some fear of starving- for food of every kind, is very scarce with us-
Money will not procure it, & nothing else I am sure, will- for they love
money better than life, if possible-- 4 Sabbaths we have pass'd on the
road, & I suppose 2 or 3 more will pass before we get among people who
"remember the sabbath day to keep it holy"-- We find no books to read,
only at the bakers to day I found part of a bible, a methodist hymn book
& a small book containing an account of the progress of Methodism
throughout the country; in letters from Ministers & others----We left
M^r Beach & family, at the tavern we left to day-- I hope tomorrow to
write you from a comfortable place 6 or 8 miles at least from the next
mountain--
Monday morn- We have now I think met with as bad as can befal us--
Never, never did I pass such a night---- We could get no bed & for a
long time expected to be oblig'd to set up all night- but we could get
no room nor fire to stay by, & the landlady was so kind as to give up
her bed to us; so M^rs W & Susan went to bed there, while I went to bed
with M^rs Jackson in another room- I took off my frock & boots, & had
scarcely lain down, when one of the wretches came into the room & lay
down by me on the outside of the bed- I was frighten'd almost to death &
clung to M^{rs} Jackson who did not appear to mind it- & I lay for a
quarter of an hour crying, & scolding & trembling, begging of him to
leave me-At last, when persuaded I was in earnest, he begg'd of me not
to take it amiss, as he intended no harm & only wish'd to become
acquainted with me-- A good for nothing brute, I wonder what he suppos'd
I was- I don't know of any thought word or action of mine that could
give him reason to suppose I would authorise such abominable
insolence---- The man & his wife, who are here, & their family, John
Jackson & his wife, & M^{rs} Jackson, were all in the room-The moment he
left the room, I put on my frock & was going in to M^{rs} W & Susan, but
I could not get to them without going thro' the room where all the
waggoners were, & M^{rs} Jackson did not think it safe, so I got on
another part of the bed where none of them could come near me, & had
been there about 10 minutes when M^{rs} W & Susan came into the room
both crying, & as much frighten'd as I had been, for one of the
creatures had been into their room, & they could scarcely get him out-
M^r W- was in the waggon, & the landlord was so afraid of these wag^gs
that he did not dare stay in his own house, for they threaten'd to put
him into the creek, if he did not continue giving them liquor- I wish
they had put him in- a mean sneaking fellow!-- His poor wife was then
oblig'd to bear it all, & she was very much distress'd on our account-
She was not to blame for any thing that happen'd, for as long as her
husband suffer'd it, she could not prevent it-At last M^{rs} W- went to
bed with M^{rs} Jackson & me, & Susan lay down with John & his wife- We
lay but a few minutes, when one of them came into our room again
crawling on his hands & knees- M^{rs} W & I sprung & run out into the
mud in our stocking feet & were going to call M^r W.- but the creatures
came out to us & begg'd us not to, & pledg'd their honor (of which you
may suppose they possess'd a great share) that we should not be
disturb'd more- & tenderness for M^r W- who we knew would be sick to day
if depriv'd of rest, at length determin'd us to go back; but we did not
go to bed again till just morning, when some of us slept nearly or quite
an hour- which was every wink of sleep we could obtain during the whole
night- The fellows were all but one, very still afterwards- Indeed there
was but 2 who made any disturbance, & only one of those was very bad-
but one, was a complete child of the evil one- the vilest, worst, most
blasphemous wretch, that ever liv'd-- M^r W- came back to the house
before 2 oclock, & this morning, threaten'd them with a prosecution-
They are quite angry- they are in the employ of this man who is moving;
he is a merchant & they carry his goods to Pitts^g--