Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 (1907 Volume 4).djvu/323

 August 23d, departing from Mr. Norris's at early dawn, the road, which had been opened wide enough for a wagon, but now much overgrown by poke and other high weeds, (the dew from which as I pressed through them, wet me as much as a shower of rain would have done) led me along the top of a narrow and very crooked ridge in generally a S. E. direction nearly four miles, where coming to three forks, I kept the left one which brought me in a mile more through some beautiful open woods on a light soil to a small corn field on the right, with no habitation visible, beyond which I crossed up to my horse's knees the North fork of Cole's creek, which now was a pretty little, transparent, sandy bottomed stream, but after heavy rains it swells suddenly and becomes a frightful and deep torrent, sometimes impassible for several days. Turning to the left beyond the creek, I had one mile to an old deserted field, now an arid plain, affording a very scanty pasture of poor grass to a few lean cattle. The distant crowing of a cock {289} advertised me of my approach to a settlement, and I soon after came to a corn field and a hatter's shop, on the banks of the middle fork of Cole's creek, a stream in size and appearance similar to the North fork. Crossing it, the road led through some small plantations on a light thin sandy soil, a mile and a half to Greenville, where I put up at Green's tavern and breakfasted. My host affected a little consequence, but when he understood that I was in search of land to settle on, he became more attentive, and persuaded me much, to purchase from him, a tract of land in the neighbourhood, which he recommended very highly.

Greenville (or Huntstown, its old name) the capital of Jefferson county, is very handsomely situated, on a dry sandy plain near the middle branch of Cole's creek. It is surrounded at a little distance by small farms and woods, which add variety and beauty to its appearance. A stranger