Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 (1907 Volume 8).djvu/250

 purpose of introducing an anecdote respecting it, which was communicated to me after my return home, and which afforded me much amusement.

In passing through the country, in the early stages of my tour, some weak minded persons, who thought that my excursion was so frought with danger as to render it presumptuous, were offended by the undertaking; and adding a little ill-nature to this idea, their invectives were even more keen than the wintry winds. One of these persons, whose common sense is like Shakspeare's grain of wheat in a bushel of chaff; and whose learning is equalled only by that of the good Mrs. Maleprop, exclaimed one day, upon seeing some newspaper, which contained an account of the Pedestrian having been admitted into the Lyceum at Detroit, "well, they have got him into the mad-*house at last!" Mad-house? said a friend. Yes, replied this Xenophen of the age,—"the mad-house!—the Lyceum!—all the same thing!"

{141} From Erie I proceeded to Waterford, a distance of fourteen miles. At this place the snow upon the ground was eighteen inches deep. The spring in the west was very backward. I shall speak upon this topic in another place.

Waterford is a small village, and is situated on the Creek Le Beuf. At this place is a block house, which was erected during the old French war.[96] The Creek Le Beuf is about five miles in length, and about six rods wide. Between this creek and French Creek, there is a little lake, covering about ten acres. French Creek is eighty miles long, and about twenty rods in width. This creek is one of the sources of the Alleghany river, and enters it near Fort Franklin. The Alleghany river rises on the west of the