Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 (1907 Volume 8).djvu/56

50 tree to tree, not knowing which way or direction was most safe. Heavy thunder, sharp lightning, and the rain falling in torrents, made the scene doubly terrible, and seemingly, nothing but death awaited us every moment. This gale continued about twenty minutes, when the wind ceased, and all was still. My first object was to find my companions and horse, if still alive. I had not seen them since the commencement of the gale. I called aloud, sometimes by name, at other times halloo, but no answer being made, this gave me reason to believe that all was lost. After renewing my calls for some time, I heard a voice and followed it; found it to [be] my companion, and soon after the little boy came up. Our next search was for the horse, which we found about one hundred yards from where we stood, standing still among the fallen trees, stripped of every thing except the bridle on his head. We made him fast, then [28] went in search of the baggage, which we found, at considerable distance from him, almost buried in the mud. Placing it on the horse's back once more, we related our danger to each other, and proceeded on our way, when we soon arrived at the tavern which the boy had mentioned.

This tavern was an old log building of about twenty feet square, and contained the landlord, his wife, and six children. Here we found some pork, a small quantity of bread, and some whiskey, but no food for our horse. This was the greatest accommodation we had found since leaving Batavia. Finding a man who was going on to the end of our land voyage, about seven miles, we left the boy, and about one hour before sunset, we pursued our course. The mud and fallen trees very much retarded our progress; but notwithstanding our wading in water, blundering over trees and stumps, &c., at ten o'clock we arrived at the Alleghany river.