Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/342

332 Documents of the house told 'em there was a Reckoning to pay and that he must be satisfied before they went so ffastned the Doore and whent out to call some assistance which was the rest of his family, so they held a Consultation what to doe whether they should lett any goe upon there parroll or nott or whether they had best secure 'em all att once, itt was Carried against 'em for itt was thought they would nott Keep their parroll to returne in any limitted time and Considering they were Turks itt was thought most proper they should all fall by the sword which accordingly they Did to the Number of t,2 and where affter Dispers'd among the Christians of the Neighborhood. [8] I have Caught Patrigges so verry often my selfe in Tobacco houses by shutting the Doore after I have found they have bin in the house butt nott with designe butt by accident. I have taken i6 or i8 att a time for there are abundance of 'em in Maryland as allso wild F'easants a great many, butt for wild Gweese and wild Ducks I have somtimes scene some Creekes Black with 'em. the wild Ducks and Geese are very fatt all the winter, in the Sumer there is none to be seene. there are abundance of ffoxes which live upon Poultrey they gett out of the Plantations and also Roccoons a Creature much like too a Fox butt nott that Collour itt being of a Dark grey Collour butt what they Feed on I cannott tell for the[y] seldom harbour about Plantations, there is also a Beast called a Possum, itt is about the bigness of a ffox butt nott so subtle, itt is of a grey collour and has a false Belly so that if they are persued they take in there Young ones and away they carry 'em either up trees or into some safe place or other. I have seene 40 or 50 Woolfes together, every body knows they will nott stick att any thing to suport there Ravenours appetites, if by Chance an ox or a Cow should fall sick away from home and should hapen into the way of these unsattisfied Devills they never ask who he belongs too nor where he lives butt immediately fall to tareing his cloaths and never leave him tell they can see any Part of his flesh hang together which if they cannott compase over Night they make a shift to doe the next morning by makeing an agreement to have there Breakfast out of him leaveing onely the Boanes to lett the Marster see hee is nott run away, there are abundance of wild swans, they say they are verry good meate butt I never did eate any in my life, the Hare in that Cuntrey is verry small being nott bigger then our Comon Rabbitts neither can they run a quarter so farr for if you chance to see a hare in the woods to be sure he takes to a hollow tree and then you may be sure to have him by smoakeing him Downe which I have Done many. [9] There are also abundance of Squirrells of severall sorts as the great fifox Squirrell which are rare good meat. I have eaten part of many a one and had rather eat 'em then Rabbitt. they are admirable food with a Bitt of Bacon Boyld. they make fine Broth; there is a smaller sort which is about the bigness of a Raljbitt when about 3 dayes old which is Called a fflying squirrell. itt is of a grey collour with a