hv_coatesi_account_1798_077

before evening, I found my stock of spirits wasmuch exhausted. About 11 o'clock we had avery heavy rain, such a one as seldom hap-pens. We got very wet. When near Cat-taraugus river we passed through a veryrich bottom, with an uncommonly lux-uriant growth of vegetation; and aboutsunset arrived at the stream, which wefound to be many perches out of its banksat the fording place. Our guide madesigns to us that is would run overour horses' backs and sweep them away. We therefore concluded to pitchcamp being in an open bottom, andwhere there was a pretty good supply ofgrass, so that our horses would have done verywell if it had not been for gnats and mus-quitos. We struck up a fire, and undersome bushes we had put up to keep off the dew, got a pretty comfortable night's rest. We saw neither house nor cabin in thisdays ride. 8th 6th day. The Cattaraugus fell sev-eral inches during the night, but at the placeselected for crossing, the water ran very swiftly,We made a sign to our guide to lead the wayhe being well mounted on Henry Simmons'horse, it being the largest in the company,