I wish my dear Elizabeth, you could be here for half an hour, & hear the
strangest man talk, that you or I ever saw in this world-- He is either
mad or a fool-- I don't know which, but he looking over me & telling me
I _can_ make a writer-- He is the most rating, ranting fellow-- I wish
you could hear him----I begin to think him mad-- His name is Smith-- He
& his wife are journeying either to New Orleans or the Ohio---- I never
was more diverted than to hear him (he is certainly crazy-- repeating a
prayer & a sermon & forty other things in a breath) talk about the
Dutchmen in Pennsylvania-- He & his wife came amongst them one evening &
stopt at several houses to get entertainment, but was sent on by each
one to the tavern-- He began by stating his religious tenets, & at
length after every body & thing was created, he says the _under Gods_
(of whom he supposes there were a great number) took some of the skum &
stir'd it up, & those fellows came out--or rather Hell boil'd over &
they were form'd of the skum----I believe he has been studying all his
life for hard words & pompous speeches, & he rattled them off at a
strange rate-- His language is very ungrammatical--but the Jacksons are
all in raptures with him--They cannot understand his language (nor
indeed could any one else) & therefore concluded he must be very
learned- Their observations are almost as diverting as his conversation-
I could make them believe in ten minutes, that I was a girl of great
larnin-if I were to say over Kermogenious- Heterogenious & a few such
words without any connection--no matter if I do but bring them in some
how-- We are over the 6^{th} mountain & at an Inn at the foot of it-
This m^{tn} is called worse than any of them- it is only about 6 miles
over- We have only come 8 to day, & I have not been in the waggon- The
horses once or twice got set, & cast &c- we have had a deal of bad
luck-- There is a great many travellers here-the house is full---- The
young D^r told me he was married, to day-- I like him rather better than
I did, before, & ventured to walk on a mile or two with him- He gave me
the history of his courtship &c-and some information respecting the part
of Ohio he is going to, that was quite interesting-- Susan chose to ride
down the hill, & I outwalk'd M^{rs} W, so we were quite alone till we
reach'd this house- M^{rs} Jackson & Eliza had gone on before us, and I
every moment expected to overtake them, but did not see them till we got
here-- I am very tir'd & have laughed myself into a headache; so I can
write no more to night.
Monday morn- Last night we were again cheated out of our beds, & oblig'd
to pass the night as we could, & that was most uncomfortably- I was
quite unwell with the headache, & had waited for a bed an hour & a half
longer than I felt able to set up; & when I found I could get none, I
had a long crying spell-- This morning I feel almost sick-- M^r W-is so
much afraid of making trouble, that he will wait till every body else is
served, & let them cheat him out of his eyes, & say nothing. Our party
here consists of English, Irish, German, & Americans-2 of the first- 4
of the second- 1 of the third- & a house full of the last-- This strange
man is an everlasting talker- He knows every body & every thing about
them- He has been repeating one of M^r Pierpont Edwards' speeches to me-
& one of M^r Hilhouse's-Not one second elapses between his words-He is a
very pompous fellow & takes great pains to display what he does know- He
has been a schoolmaster-& now I suspect is crazy & running away with a
girl he calls his wife- but who seems to be nobody---- It rain'd very
fast last night- & is more muddy than ever--