第18章 The First Year in Georgia(5)
At one o'clock in the morning of Aug.23rd the seven men embarked, taking advantage of the ebbing tide, and made their way down the Savannah River.It was very dark, the Moravians were unaccustomed to rowing, and Mr.Johnson, who steered, went to sleep time after time, so when they accidentally came across a ship riding at anchor they decided to stay by her and wait for the day.When dawn broke they hastened on to Thunderbolt, where a fort had been built, and some good land cleared, and there they found two Indians, who claimed to know the country, and agreed to go with them as pilots.
Toward evening they reached Seituah*, where a stockade was being built as a protection against the Indians, and the night was spent with a Captain Wargessen (Ferguson), who, with several soldiers, was out in a scout boat watching the movements of the Indians and Spaniards in that neighborhood.
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* On Skidaway Island, exact site unknown.
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The next day they made their way among the islands until they reached the mouth of the Ogeechee, up which they turned, but night overtook them, and they were forced to drop their anchor.The Indians had been left behind somewhere, and with the return of day it became necessary to retrace their course for some hours in order to learn where they were.
That night was spent at Sterling's Bluff, with the Scotch who had settled upon it, and the next morning they proceeded to Fort Argyle.
As they rowed up the river, a bear left one of the islands, and swam across to the main land."He was better to us than we to him, for Peter shot at him twice when he came near us, but he left us in peace and went his way!"The following morning Spangenberg and Johnson, accompanied by the Lieutenant from Fort Argyle and several of his rangers, rode out to inspect the land selected for the Moravians.
The horses were accustomed to service against the Indians, and went at full gallop, pausing not for winding paths or fallen trees, and the University-bred man of Germany expected momentarily to have his neck broken, but nothing happened, and after looking over the tract they returned to Fort Argyle.
Despite the exertions of the morning Spangenberg then manned his boat, and started up the river to visit an Indian town, where he hoped to find Tomochichi.Much floating timber rendered the trip dangerous and tedious, and it was not until early Sunday morning that they reached their destination, only to find the place deserted, as the band had left a few days before for a hunting expedition, and, if fortune favored them, for a brush with the Spanish Indians, with whom they had a perpetual feud.Soon Johnson appeared, guided by some of the rangers, who, after a hearty meal with the Moravians, returned to the Fort, Johnson remaining behind.
Monday morning, August 29th, before the sun rose, the party repaired to the Moravian tract, which Johnson surveyed, the Moravians acting as chain-carriers.Spangenberg was much pleased with the tract.
It had a half mile frontage on the Ogeechee, extended two miles back into the forest, and gave a good variety of land, some low and damp for the cultivation of rice, sandy soil covered with grass for pasturage, and dry uplands suitable for corn and vegetables.A rapid stream furnished an abundance of pure water, and site for a mill, while the thick growth of timber guaranteed a supply of material for houses and boats.Near the river rose a high hill, where it had once been the intention to build a fort, and a house had really been erected.This the Indians burned, and later another site had been chosen for Fort Argyle, but the place retained the name of "Old Fort", and the hill would serve as the location for the Moravian dwelling.
Indian tribes which were friendly to the English lived at no great distance, and the trail to Savannah and Ebenezer led directly by Old Fort, while the opening of two roads would bring both those towns within a four hour's ride of the settlement.
Well content, therefore, with their new acquisition, the Moravians returned to Fort Argyle, whence Johnson rode back to Savannah, leaving them to follow with the boat.At the mouth of the Ogeechee they encountered a severe storm, against which they could make little headway, try as they would.
Their anchor was too light to hold against the current, and there was a marsh on one bank and rocks on the other, but at last, after night-fall, in the face of a terrific thunder storm, they forced their way to a place where they could land, and where they passed the rest of the night, enduring as best they could the heavy rain, and the attack of insects, against neither of which they were able to protect themselves."This place takes its name, -- `Rotten-possum', -- from an animal frequently found here, which they call a Possum.I am told that it has a double belly, and that if pursued it puts its young into one belly, runs up a tree until it reaches a limb, springs out on that until it is among the leaves, and then lays itself across the branch with one belly on each side, and so hides itself, and saves its life!"The rest of the journey was uneventful, and on Friday morning, September 2nd, they reached Savannah, having been absent ten days.
It seems a great pity that the Moravians were unable to establish themselves on this tract, where their industry would soon have made an oasis in the wilderness, but one thing after the other interfered, and the "second company" which arrived early in the following year, found them still at Savannah.
In Savannah matters moved toward a fair degree of prosperity for the Moravians.About four acres of Spangenberg's garden were cleared in time for the first summer's crop of corn, which yielded them sixty bushels.They also raised some beans, which came to maturity at a time when provisions and funds were very low, so helping them greatly.