Thisgavemeoccasiontoobserve, that, whenmenareemploy'd, theyarebestcontent'd; foronthedaystheyworkedtheyweregood-natur'dandcheerful, and, withtheconsciousnessofhavingdoneagoodday'swork, theyspenttheeveningjollily; butonouridledaystheyweremutinousandquarrelsome, findingfaultwiththeirpork, thebread, etc., andincontinualill-humour, whichputmeinmindofasea-captain, whoseruleitwastokeephismenconstantlyatwork; and, whenhismateoncetoldhimthattheyhaddoneeverything, andtherewasnothingfurthertoemploythemabout, “Oh,” sayshe, “makethemscourtheanchor.”
Thiskindoffort, howevercontemptible, isasufficientdefenseagainstIndians, , andhavingaplacetoretreattoonoccasion, weventur', , afirewasnecessaryforthem; butacommonfireonthesurfaceofthegroundwouldbyitslighthavediscover', andsomewhatdeeper; , andweobserv'damongtheweedsandgrasstheprintsoftheirbodies, madebytheirlayingallround, withtheirlegshangingdownintheholestokeeptheirfeetwarm, which, withthem, , somanag'd, couldnotdiscoverthem, eitherbyitslight, flame, sparks, orevensmoke: itappear'dthattheirnumberwasnotgreat, anditseemstheysawweweretoomanytobeattackedbythemwithprospectofadvantage.
