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CHAPTER IV.
A journey to the N W. & [removal.]
Gracious God! How deplorable our situation! Are we doomed to dwell among hoards of savages, & be deprived of all social intercourse with friends & the civilized world? And what will be the situation of our offspring? Will they preserve our customs & manners, cultivate the arts & sciences & maintain our holy religion or [rather] will they not rather degenerate into savages & by mingling with them become the most * * * * * race of beings in existence. Who can endure such reflections, such heart-rending anticipations? They pour upon my soul like a flood and bear me down with the weight of a millstone. Oh that my head were waters & my eyes a fountain of tears, then my intolerable burden should be poured forth in a torrent & my soul set at liberty. But behold the light springs up & beams upon my soul. She brings in her train hope, that celestial Goddess, that sure & strong anchor, that dispenser of comfort & pleasing anticipation, & that dispenser of corroding grief & black despair. She bids me review the exploded reasoning of a great philosopher & compare it with my own observations, perhaps the result will point out a safe road to the land of our nativity.
Thus I reasoned respecting the solar system, of which the Earth is a part. Provided the Earth is stationary, according to the present system of philosophy, then the sun, the moon & the planets, being at an immense distance from the earth , must perform their revolutions round her with inconceivable velocity, whereas, if according to the Platonic system, the earth is a globe, & the sun is stationary then the earth by a moderate velocity can perform her revolutions. This scheme will represent the solar system as displaying the transcendent wisdom of its almighty Architect, for in this, we behold the Sun suspended by omnipotence & all the planets moving round him as their common center in exact order & harmony. In this we can easily account for days & nights & the different seasons of the year. When the earth presents one part of her face to the sun it is day. When that part is turned from his beams it is night. When she varies to the south the sun shines upon us in a more perpendicular direction, the suns beams become more dense & the heat increases, as she returns back the heat decreases in proportion as this part of earth looses its perpendicular direction to the sun & the cold becomes more intense in the same proportion. This accounts for the various seasons of the year, appears correct and consistent & highly honorable to the divine perfections
[But behold the other system. The Earth firmly fixed on a firm foundation, perhaps as some on a giants back who stands on a prodigious rock. Its surface widely extended nearly horizontal -- [& its cut down] & its sides cut down strait or perpendicular to the very bottom below which is a bottomless abyss pray Mr. Philosopher what man was ever there and looked down? And what prevents the Ocean, unless it is dammed with earth & rocks from pouring down & loosing itself in this horrible abyss? But how extensive is this teraque-surface? Indeed I am of opinion, if this system is true I am nearly at one end of it. But the hypothesis is too absurd & inconsistent. The earth must be of a spiracle form & a westerly course will lead us to the land of our nativity. Perhaps this is a part of the eastern Continent, or perhaps only a narrow strip of the Ocean intervenes? On no other principle can we account for the emigration of the ancestors of those innumerable hoards of human beings that possess this continent. Their tradition is that their ancestors came from the west, & they agree in their information that at the distance of fifteen days journey in a westerly direction, there are nations vastly more numerous, powerful & civilized than themselves.]
The earth therefore must be a globe and a westerly course will lead us to the land of our nativity. On what principle can we account for the emigration of the ancestors of these innumerable hoards of human beings that possess this continent? Their tradition tells them that they emigrated from the westward. From this I draw the conclusion that the sea, if any, which intervenes between the two continents at the westward is not so extensive, but that it may be safely navigated. [I have also learned from some of the] we are also informed by some of the natives, that at the distance of there is a great River which runs in a [south] westerly about fifteen days journey in a northwesterly course direction. [they cannot tell how far] -- & that along the banks of this river there are great towns & mighty kings & a people who live in a state of civilization. From all these considerations I am determined to remove, pursue a westerly course & seek the delightful country of my ancestors. Immediately I communicated my determination & the reasons on which it was founded to our little society, who joyfully acquiesced. It was thought to be the most prudential to find out the disposition & character of the inhabitants, who were settled along the great river lest we should fall into the hands of robbers. For this purpose my man Crito & myself & a Delawan for an interpreter set off. We passed through a a country interspersed with villages, inhabited by the same kind of people as the Delawans until we came to a great mountain. Having passed over this we had not traveled far before we came to the confluence of two great rivers which in conjunction produced a river which was called Owaho deep enough, for the navigation of Ships. Here was a large town or city inhabited by a distinct race of people from any we had seen before. We were immediately conducted to the King & were received very graciously, & having asked a number of very pertinent questions & received answers to his satisfaction, I then made known to him our business & had all my requests granted. As we proposed to move into his territory he offered to furnish us for our convenience with four Mammoths & four men to manage them. These were an animal of prodigious magnitude, even bigger than the elephant, which the natives had tamed & domesticated. They were very sagacious & docile & were employed in carrying burdens and in drawing timber [& in ploughing their land.] Their hair at the spring season was about seven inches in length & was of a fine wooly consistence, & being sheared off at the proper season was manufactured into course cloth, and the milk of the females, which they produced in abundance, afforded a very wholesome nutriment. Having thus succeeded beyond our expectation we made as much expedition to return as possible. We arrived in safety without any material accidents. The Little Society I had left were greatly rejoiced on our return, & highly pleased with the account we gave of the country we had visited, & at the sight of those [extraordinary & prodigious animals] mammoths which we had brought to convey our baggage. No time was lost to make preparation for the journey. The Captain, Mate & myself went to the King & held a conference with him & the chiefs & obtained leave to depart, though with apparent regret & reluctance. Sacks were provided from course cloth to receive the most valuable part of our goods & furniture. These were thrown across three of the Mammoths. The other was caparisoned, in a manner too tedious to describe for the accommodation of our women & children. They were all mounted upon him & rode with great convenience & safety. [Being thus prepared & ready] Thus having resided among the Delivans two years, & being prepared to take our departure, the King and his chiefs & many of his principal subjects came forward to take an affectionate farewell. This was done on both sides, with mutual expressions of the most ardent and sincere friendship & the most earnest wishes and prayers for future prosperity and happiness. Having taken our final adieu I observed honest Crito shedding tears very plentifully. "You seem to be affected" said I, "God bless your honor" said he, "when I think how kind & generous these poor Delawans have been to us I cannot help feeling an affection & friendship for them. We were obliged to anchor amongst them, we were strangers & helpless and they were ignorant savages, yet they held out the hand of kindness & treated us as brothers & sisters. Have they not fulfilled the law of Christian charity? Oh that they were good Christians, may God forgive their ignorance & unbelief and reward them for their kindness & generosity." We passed on. No obstacles impeded our journey until we came to the great river Suscowah, which runs between the Deliwah River and the great mountain. The water being too deep for fording, we built a small boat and with this, at several times we conveyed the whole of the baggage & company across, except the manager of the Mammoths, who mounted them & swam them across. We then proceeded on by slow marches, but in crossing the great mountain we had some difficulties to encounter [but however met with received no material damage,] but finally arrived safely at the great city Owhahon on the twenty fifth day after our departure from the Deliwan.
Fatigued with a long and difficult journey, great joy and gladness were visible in every countenance, and all were disposed to establish our residence here until further information could be obtained & further measures concerted to prosecute our journey to Europe. The King and his principal officers proffered us every assistance necessary to make our situation agreeable. They assigned us in [conformity to our wishes] compliance with our request, a number of houses on the bank of the river at a little distance from the City. We made him some valuable presents in return, which he received as a token of friendship but not as a compensation. For such was the high sense of honor which this prince sustained, that when he made a present, he would take it as an insult to offer him any thing as a compensation.
Having now once more become settled our little community continued the same regulations which they had established at Deliwan & all things proceeded in peace & our affairs prospered.
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