ite-billed woodpecker," which was making the
woods ring by the rattling of its bill against a tree. This is a large
handsome bird, (the _picus principalis_ of Linnaeus), it is sometimes
called here the wood-cock. Pigeons, squirrels, and turtle-doves abound in
all these forests, and my friend being an expert gunner, we had always
plenty of game for dinner. The morning was still grey when we set forward.

We forded the Muskakituck river at Vernon, which stands on its head
waters, and is a country seat. We then directed our course to Brownstown,
on the east branch of White river. We found the roads still bad until we
came within about ten miles of that place. There the country began to
assume a more cultivated appearance, and the roads became tolerably good,
being made through a sandy or gravelly district. In the neighbourhood of
Brownstown there are some rich lands, and from that to Salem, a distance
of twenty-two miles, we were much pleased with the country. We had been
hitherto journeying through dense forests, and except when we came to a
small town, could never see more than about ten yards on either side. All
through Indiana the peaches were in great abundance this year, and such
was the weight of fruit the trees had to sustain, that the branches were
invariably broken where not propped.

From Salem we took a westward track by Orleans to Hindostan, crossed the
east branch of White river, and passed through Washington. At a short
distance from this town, we had to cross White river again, near the west
branch, which is much larger than the east branch. We attempted to ford
it, and had got into the middle of the stream before we discovered that
the bottom was quicksands. The horse was scared at the footing,--he
plunged and broke the traces; however, after a tolerable wetting, we
succeeded in getting safe out. A little above the place where we made the
attempt, we found there was a ferry-flat. The ferryman considered our
attempt as dangerous, for had we gone much further into the stream we
should have shot into the quicksands in the deep current. This day the
fates were most unpropitious to us; and had we had, like Socrates, a
familiar demon at our elbow, he most assuredly would have warned us not
to proceed. We had no sooner got into the ferry-flat, and pushed off from
shore, than the horse tumbled overboard, carriage and all, and was with
difficulty saved from drowning.

We passed through Petersburg to Princeton; but