Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 (1907 Volume 4).djvu/222

 was a most fatiguing one, being thirteen miles, mostly along a very rich bottom, with the creek on the right, and steep hills on the left, over spurs of which the road sometimes leads, which was always a relief to me, after wading for miles through the mud below. This tract is tolerably well settled, the soil being esteemed as rich as any in the state. At eleven miles from Reeves's, is a hamlet of six or seven cabins called Cat-tail swamp, and two miles further I came to Rogers's on the bank of the north fork of Paint.

Reeves's appears to be the best land and the best improved farm on this side the Ohio, but Rogers's, nearly as good a soil, is I think superiour in beauty of situation. The house which is a story and a half high is of square logs, and commodious enough for a farm house. It is on a moderately high bank, from whence they descend to the river by a flight of wooden steps, at the foot of which is a most beautiful spring which flows into a cask sunk on purpose, and from thence is conveyed by a small spout into the river, whose bank is guarded by a natural wall of soft slate, which I think could be easily wrought into good covering for houses. Nature has formed natural stairs of the slate, by which one may descend to any depth into the river for bathing, washing linen, or for any purpose which may be necessary, in proportion as the river rises or falls. A swimmer may also enjoy that invigorating exercise charmingly, as though the river is only about thirty yards wide, it is at this place sufficiently deep, and the current is moderate. Rogers has been here about nine years from Virginia, and was one of the first settlers in this part of the country.

{193} I supped and slept here, and next morning, Thursday the 13th August, after refreshing by swimming in the river, I pursued my way to Chilicothe four miles, the first mile and half of which was over a chain of moderately high and not very steep hills of a tolerably good soil, to colonel