through a rich, wet, & boggy country, about 7 Miles to
Lake Erie, here we indulged ourselves a few moments
in gratifying our sight, which had been long confined to
narrow limits through the wilderness; but could now
traverse in almost every direction the majestic liquid
element as far as the natural sphericity of the globe
would admit. We now promised ourselves a plea-
sant ride & good road down the beach of this leak lake to
Buffalo which was computed 29 Miles, but soon
found our mistake as to the road, it being very hea
vy & wearisome to the horses, as it consisted mostly
where we were out of the water, of coarse sand or
gravel, which gave way under their feet, & was oft
en nearly fetlock deep; besides which we were in se-
veral places confines, for 40 perches & more at a time,
by a nearly perpendicular wall of slate & other stone
intermixed with small stratas of early to the height
of 40 feet & upwards, on our right, with the lake
on our left, with its billows rolling under our horses
& dashing against these rocks would often rebound,
back, in heavy drops over our heads: add to this, that
in many places, for several perches together, the
water was nearly belly deep upon a level, exclusive
of the additional depth occasion’d by the surge and of
so