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Show niCHAHD II URDIS. west from a. sterile reg-ion like North Cnrolina, most commonly, gnin in their worldly goods, their lo~~es arc yet incomputable. 'l'hc delicacies of society arc most ustwlly thrust from the sight of the pioneers; tl1c nicer harmonics of the moral world become impaired; t lJC swcrter cords of affection nrc undone or rudely snapped asunder, and a. rude indiffNence to the claims of one's fellow, must fo llow every breaking up of the old and station· ary abodes. 'l' ltc wandering habits of our people arc the grcnt obstacles to their perfect civ il ization. 'l'hesc lmbits nrc encour· aged by the chcnpncss of our public Jnnds, ::mel their constant exposure for sale. 'l'hc morals 110t less than the manners of our jJcoplc arc diseased by the license of the wilderness; and tlte remoteness of tl1e wl1ite settler from his former :.1ssocintes n.p_prox j. mate him to t.he sav:-~ge feebleness of the Indian, wl10 ltas been subjugated and expelled simtJly because of hiS inferior mornlity. \V c joined tile wnyfarers, aud accommodating our pace to tl10 slow and weary movcmuHt of their cavalcade, kept with them lo11g enough to answer and to ask a lnmdrcll questions. 'l'hcy were a. simple aud hardy peO}Jie, looking poor, but proud; nntl though evidently neither enterprising nor atlYenturous, yet, once ab1·oad and in the tempest, suOiciently strong and bold to cmlure and to defy its buffet ing. 'l'bcrc was a. venerable gram!· i~tthcr of the flock, one of the finest heads I ever looked UJ)Oll, wl10 mingled the srniling elasticity of youth, with the garruli ty of age. lie spoke ns s~1nguine l y of It is futme prospects in Mississ ippi, as if he ·were only now a Lout to commcucc the world; and while he spoke, l1is eyes danced and twinkled with deligJ,t, and his l.uugh rang tltrough the forests, with such fervor and l ife, tlJat an irreprcssiLle sympathy made me laugh with l1im, and forget, for a moment, my own dull misgivings, and heavy thoughts. His mirth was infectious, and old and young shnrcd in it, as most probably they lw.cl done from childhood. \r c rode off, leaving tl1cm in a ]JCrfect gale of dc1ig!Jtcd merriment, l1aving their best wishes, and giving tltcm ours in return. 'l'o one ignorant of tl10 grent \\'est ; to t11c dweller in tl10 Eastern cities-accustomed only to tl1c dull, unbroken routine of a life of trade, which is at best only disturbed by some spl eu~ rlid forgery, or a method ical and fortunate bankruptcy, which makes the bankrupt rich at the expense of a cloud of confiding Till~ E~l JC JU NTS. 67 creditors-tlte variety, and tl1o vicissitudes of forest life, form a. series of interesting n)JJ!Unces. 'J'hc very love of change, which is the marked characteristic of our people in reference to thci 1• lwbitations, is productive of constant adventures, to hca.r whi c!t, the cars tingle, and the pulses bound. '!'he mere movement of the self-expatriated wanderer, with his motley caravan, large or small, ns it wimls its way through the circuitous forests, or along the Lufi":tlo trncks, in tl1e level prairies, is picturesque in the last degree. .An.d this pictmesqucncss ~s not a wl1it diminislted by tile somctl11ng of mclancl10ly, wluch a knowledge or the facts provokes necessarily in tl1c mind of the observer. Not thnt they who colllposc the cavalcade, whctLer masters or men, women or cltildrcn, arc tronhlcJ -...vith any of this feeling. On the contrary, tl10y are usually joyful and light spirited enough. It is in tltc tit oughts ;mel fau.cics of the spec tator only that gloom hangs over the path, and clouds the fortune of tl1e wnyfarer. lie thinks of the deserted country which they ha.ve left-of tiJC cottage o:ergrown with weeds-of the young children carried into wildernesses, where no sabbathbell invites them to a decot·ous scrvicc-wllcre the schoolmas· tcr is never seen, or is of li ttle value - and where, if fortune deio-ns to sm ile upon the Uesircsofthe cultiYator, tltC wealth which lie ~ains, descends to a race, uninformed in nny of its duties, n.nU, therefore, wholly ignoraut of its proper uses. \V ca lth, under such circumstances, becomes a. cmse, and t.he miscrnlJie possessor a victim to the saddest error that ever tempted tl10 weak mind, and derided it in its overthrow. These thoughts force themselves upon you us you bel told th.c patient industry of the travellers while they slowly make the1r w:.1y through the tedious fo rests. 'rheir cqnipnge, their arrange~ lTtents, the evidence of the wcn.r and tenr inevitable in a long jonmey, and conspicuous in sltattercd vehicles and bandugccl harness, the string of wngons of all shapes, so rt s, aml sizes, the mtul-Lespattcrcd carriages, once finely ntrnished, in wldch the lady ancl the children ride, the fiery horse of the son in his teens, the clnmky }lOney of the no less daring boy, the wriggling jersey-the go-cart with the little negro children; nnd the noisy whoop of blacks of both sexes, mounted and afoot, nml taking it by turns to ride or walk-however cheering all |