d lightened him, and thus he got over. My
companion was yet on the other side, with his travelling bag and two
swords. He did the same as I had done, and placed his breeches on top
of his head, tied the rest on well, and followed us; but he was
scarcely in the middle of the creek when he cried out to us to come
and meet him, and relieve him of the sack if we wished him to come
over, for he could not go any further. Whereupon I went in the creek
again to him, and took from him the sack. Thus we all three waded
over. We dressed ourselves quickly, for it was very cold, putting on
our stiff legs the wet stockings, which chafed them, and over them the
water-soaked shoes and the breeches which were wet through with the
rain and very heavy; and then taking a mouth full of rum, we set out
again on the way, stiff as we were. We were now anxious in relation to
crossing this Millstone at half way, where it would be much broader
and fuller of water. We proceeded then badly conditioned, wet, cold,
and weary enough. We had thirty-six miles to travel to-day and more if
we missed the road. We kept up our spirits, however. We found the land
above so full of water, that we were most of the time over shoes in
it, and sometimes half leg deep. After we had gone four or five miles,
we saw the houses of the Indians on the right, and went to them
partly for the purpose of drying ourselves, for though the rain seemed
at times to abate it still continued, and partly to inquire the best
way to go, in order to cross the large creek. We entered their
dwelling where we dried ourselves and breakfasted a mouthful out of
travelling sacks. We presented the Indians some fish-hooks which
pleased them. As to crossing the large creek, they said it was not
advisable to wade over, as the water was as high as our shoulders or
higher, as one of them showed us, and the current was so swift as to
render it impassable. He said that not far from their house lived a
_sackemaker_ who had in the creek a canoe with which he had set a man
across the day before, who had a horse which he swam over; but the
_sackemaker_ was not pleased at his doing so without his permission.
We promised him a guilder to take us to the _sackemaker_. While we
were in this house a little naked child fell from its mother's lap,
and received a cut in its head, whereupon all who sat around that
fire, and belonged to that household, began to cry, husband and wife,
young and old, and scream more th