e came to no end, we
determined to go across, through the thickets and bushes, due north,
in order that if we could not discover any plantation, we might at
least reach the strand. It was now about nine o'clock in the evening.
After having proceeded about an hour in that direction, we heard
directly in front of us a dog barking, which gladdened us. It was a
remarkable circumstance, as dogs are used to keep men away from
dwellings, but served to bring us to them, and was remarkable also for
the providence of the Lord, who caused this dog to bark, who, the
nearer we approached, heard more noise made by us among the leaves and
bushes, and barked the more, calling to us as it were, to come
straight up to him, which we endeavored to do. We soon came, however,
to a very deep hollow, where we could see over the tops of the trees
in it, and on the other side what seemed to be a shed of a plantation
in which the dog was barking. This encouraged us, but we had yet to go
through the hollow, where we could see no bottom, and the sides were
steep. We scrambled down I know not how, not seeing whether there was
water or a morass there; but on reaching the bottom, we found it was a
morass grown up with bushes. My comrade, who followed me, called out
to know whether we could not pass round it, but we had to go through
it. We came at length to a small brook, not broad, which we crossed
and clambered up the side again, when we came to the shed where the
dog continued barking, and thus led us to the house. His master was in
bed, and did not know what noise it was he heard. On our knocking, he
was surprised to hear such strange people at the door, not knowing
whether we were few or many, or whether he dared invite us in or not,
but he did. We had then little trouble. When we entered the house he
was astonished to see us, inquiring what people we were, where we came
from, where we were going, but especially how we reached there. No
one, he said, could get there easily in the day time, unless he were
shown or knew the way well, because they were very much hidden, and he
would come to have the other plantations sooner than this one. We told
him our adventures, at which he was as much astonished as we were
rejoiced. We had reason to behold the Lord in all this, and to glorify
Him as we did silently in our hearts. The wife arose and offered us a
little to eat of what she had, and afterwards gave me some deer skins,
but they were as dry and hard a