On the twentieth of August 1670, Col. Catlet of Virginia and my self, with nine English Horse, and five Indians on foot, departed from the house of one Robert Talifer, and that night reached the falls of Rappahanock-river, in Indian Mantepeuck.
The next day we passed it over where it divides into two branches North and South, keeping the main branch North of us.
The three and twentieth we found it so shallow, that it onely wet our horses hoofs.
The four and twentieth we travelled thorow the Savanæ amongst vast herds of Red and Fallow Deer which stood gazing at us; and a little after, we came to the Promontories or Spurs of the Apalatæan-mountains.
These Savanæ are low grounds at the foot of the Apalatæans, which all the Winter, Spring, and part of the Summer, lie under snow or water, when the snow is dissolved, which falls down from the Mountains commonly about the beginning of June; and then their verdure is wonderful pleasant to the eye, especially of such as having travelled through the shade of the vast Forest, come out of a melancholy darkness of a sudden, into a clear and open skie. To heighten the beauty of these parts, the first Springs of most of those great Rivers which run into the Atlantick Ocean, or Cheseapeack Bay, do here break out, and in various branches interlace the flowry Meads, whose luxurious herbage invites numerous herds of Red Deer (for their unusual largeness improperly termed Elks by ignorant people) to feed. The right Elk, though very common in New Scotland, Canada, and those Northern parts, is never seen on this side of the Continent: for that which the Virginians call Elk’s, does not at all differ from the Red Deer of Europe, but in his dimensions, which are far greater: but yet the Elk in bigness does as far exceed them: their heads, or horns, are not very different; but the neck of the Elk is so short, that it hardly separates the head from the shoulders; which is the reason that they cannot feed upon level ground but by falling on their knees, though their heads be a yard-long: therefore they commonly either brouse upon trees, or standing up to the belly in ponds or rivers feed upon the banks: their Cingles or tails are hardly three inches long, I have been told by a New-England-Gentleman, that the lips and nostrils of this creature is the most delicious meat he ever tasted. As for the Red Deer we here treat of, I cannot difference the taste of their flesh from those in Europe.
The six and twentieth of August we came to the Mountains, where finding no horse-way up, we alighted, and left our horses with two or three Indians below, whilst we went up afoot. The ascent was so steep, the cold so intense, and we so tired, that having with much ado gained the top of one of the highest, we drank the Kings Health in Brandy, gave the Mountain His name, and agreed to return back again, having no encouragement from that prospect to proceed to a further discovery; since from hence we saw another Mountain, bearing North and by West to us, of a prodigious height: for according to an observation of the distance taken by Col. Catlet, it could not be less then fifty leagues from the place we stood upon.
Here was I stung in my sleep by a Mountain-spider; and had not an Indian suckt out the poyson, I had died: for receiving the hurt at the tip of one of my fingers, the venome shot up immediately into my shoulder, and so inflamed my side, that it is not possible to express my torment. The means used by my Physician, was first a small dose of Snakeroot-powder, which I took in a little water; and then making a kinde of Plaister of the same, applied it neer to the part affected: when he had done so, he swallowed some by way of Antidote himself, and suckt my fingers end so violently, that I felt the venome retire back from my side into my shoulder, and from thence down my arm: having thus sucked half a score times, and spit as often, I was eased of all my pain, and perfectly recovered. I thought I had been bit by a Rattle-snake, for I saw not what hurt me: but the Indian found by the wound, and the effects of it, that it was given by a Spider, one of which he shewed me the next day: it is not unlike our great blue Spider, onely it is somewhat longer. I suppose the nature of his poyson to be much like that of the Tarantula.
I being thus beyond my hopes and expectation restored to my self, we unanimously agreed to return back, seeing no possibility of passing through the Mountains: and finding our Indians with our horses in the place where we left them, we rode homewards without making any further Discovery.