"If they've not
begun to blaze their trees, and set up their compasses, and line off
their maps, it's likely they've not bethought them to disturb
natur' with a name."
"They've not got to that, yet; and the last time I went in with
skins, one of the King's surveyors was questioning me consarning
all the region hereabouts. He had heard that there was a lake in
this quarter, and had got some general notions about it, such as
that there was water and hills; but how much of either, he know'd
no more than you know of the Mohawk tongue. I didn't open the trap
any wider than was necessary, giving him but poor encouragement in
the way of farms and clearings. In short, I left on his mind some
such opinion of this country, as a man gets of a spring of dirty
water, with a path to it that is so muddy that one mires afore he
sets out. He told me they hadn't got the spot down yet on their
maps, though I conclude that is a mistake, for he showed me his
parchment, and there is a lake down on it, where there is no lake
in fact, and which is about fifty miles from the place where it
ought to be, if they meant it for this. I don't think my account
will encourage him to mark down another, by way of improvement.
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