The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-10-14

SOLD AT SAVANNAH.
rs TWO CHAEs4 ERS.
CHAPTER /.

CHATTER /.
WhenI WAS employed taking surveys
for the projected line between Warrenton
in Georgia and Clarksville, in South Caro-
lima, made the town of Augusta, in the
former State, my headquarters. The line
came to nothing they could not find cap
ital for it, considering the tyiang amount
of traffic to be expected, but that was no
fault of mine. The directors paid me well;
was their head surveyor and my two
horses were none too many for the long
and rough rides had to take, with muddy
fords to cross, and tangled swamps to pick
my way through. was lodged in rather
quiet boarding house, hundred Sacds out
of the town, where the people were kind
and deccut, and where was free from the
incessant noise and quarrels of the Augusta
hotels. My board cost me, as usual SO far
South, three dollars and half, and got
accommodation for my horses close by
WelloccWpied as was, had little leisure,
and less inclination for picking idle acquain,
tances among the horse-jockeys and card
players ds Augusta. knew four or five
of the better sort of young men, but only
one family. This was Quaker household,
very good, gentle, worthy folks from Bos-
ton, who seemed strangely misplaced among
that Iierco and dissolute population. There
was AR. 3oaz Siugley and lis silent wife
and his two dcmure children, and his talka-
tive sister Ruth, thanks to whose perpetual
mode Of addressing him, the Quaker went
by TIE nagle of Brother Boaz." Var De il
from ME, however, to throw any shade of
ridicule On those estimable people kind
licr hearts never beat beneath sad-colored
raiment than theirs; nor should | have
dragged thcm into notice but tha+ It is nee
essary to menticn Them, if would be un-
derstood in my future narration.
One day was riding home frcm long
exploring expedition among the fords and
creeks of the Savannah River--which river,
through its entire course, serves as a
boundary line between Georgia and South
Carolina--when | came 10 a fork in the
road, and bad TO choose between three sew
oval tracks. A glance at my compass suf-
tced TO show that two of these narrow
bridle-paths would lead me with sufficient
directness toward the West, where Au.
gusta was situated. But there is always
something, of embarrassment in a choice,
and in this case there seemed a most puz-
zling equality of merits between the rival
roads. Both were straight and ruggid, and
passed benesth arches OF interlaced branch
es and festoons of parasitic plants, and
both showed vista of thick. boiled cotton
woods and giant myrtles. let my horse
choose, and on we went, There were hoof-
tracks in tho black earth, scanned with veins
of sand, and dappled with tufts of moss,
but had not woodcraft enough to distin-
guish the date Of their imprint. At auy
rate, | was deep in the steaminS depths OF
a Southern forest. A swan? must have
been near, for the frogs kept up such dia-
bolical dispason, at short intervals, as quite
to drown the notes of the screaming Jays,
the ehatteriDg woodpecker, the many un-
known songsters, and the wonderful mock
ing-bird, that counterieited all their tones
and tunes. Yes, swamp mnst have been
near, for there was q dank hot vapor in
the air the flies and mosquitoes were very
teasing, even at that carly hour in the after