When wearied of this amufement, they either drank tea in their bower, or returning, landed at fome friend's on the way, to partake of that refreshment. Here, indeed, "Youths' free fpirit, innocently gay, Enjoyed the most that innocence could give." Another of their fummer amusements was going to the bufh, which was thus managed a party of young people fet out in little open carriages, fomething in the form of a gig, of which every family had one; every one carried fomething with him, as in these cafes there was no hunting to add provision. One brought wine for negus, another tea and coffee of a fuperior quality, a third a pigeon pye; in fhort, every one brought fomething, no matter how trifling, for there was no emulation about the extent of the contribution. In this fame bush, there were spots to which the poorer members of the community retired, to work their way with patient induftry, through much privation and hardship, compared compared to the plenty and comfort enjoy ed by the reft. They perhaps could only afford to have one negroe-woman, whose children, as they grew up, became to their mafter a fource of plenty and ease but in the mean time the good man wrought hard himself, with a little occafional aid fent him by his friends. He had plenty of the neceffaries of life, but no luxuries. His wife and daughters milked the cows and wrought at the hay, and his house was on a fmaller fcale than the older fettlers had theirs, yet he had always one neatly fur nished room. A very clean house, with a pleafant portico before it, generally a fine ftream befide his dwelling, and fome Indian wigwams near it. He was wood-furrounded, and feemed abfolutely to live in the bofom of nature, fcreened from all the artificial ills of life; and those spots cleared of incumbrances, yet rich in native luxuriance, had a wild originality about them not easily described. The young parties, or fometimes elder ones, who fet out on this woodland excurfion, had no fixed deftina F 3. 1 deftination; they went generally in the forenoon, and when they were tired of going on the ordinary road, turned into the bush, and whenever they faw an inhabited fpot, with the appearance of which they were pleased, went in with all the ease of intimacy, and told them they were come to spend the afternoon there. The good people, not in the leaft furprized at this incurfion, very calmly opened the referved apartments, or if it were very hot, received them in the portico. The guests produced their ftores, and they boiled their tea kettle, and provided cream, nuts, or any peculiar dainty of the woods which they chanced to have; and they always furnished bread and butter, which they had excellent of their kinds. They were invited to fhare the collation, which they did with great eafe and frankness: then dancing, or any other amufement that ftruck their fancy, fucceeded. They fauntered about the bounds in the evening, and returned by moonlight. Thefe good people felt not the least embarraffed at the ruf tic ( 103 ) tic plainnefs of every thing about them; they confidered themselves as on the way,. after a little longer exertion of patient in-dustry, to have every thing that the others. had: and their guests thought it an agreeable variety in this abrupt manner to vifit their fequeftered abodes. IN CHAP. X. Winter Amufements of the Albanians, &c. winter the river, frozen to a great depth, formed the principal road through the country, and was the fcene of all thofe amufements of skating, and fledge races, common to the north of Europe. They used in great parties to vifit their friends at a distance, and having an excellent and hardy breed of horses, flew from place to place over the fnow or ice in these sledges with incredible rapidity, ftopping a little while at every house they came to, and always well received, whether acquainted with the owners or not. The night never impeded these travellers, for the atmofphere was fo pure and ferene, and the fnow fo reflected the moon and ftar-light, that the nights exceeded the days in beauty. In |