[Footnote 39: Old Fields and Wild Meadow.--There were many small, timberless tracts of land on the mountains and in the great valleys of Virginia and Pennsylvania, in regions which were generally, prior to the occupation and the clearing up of the country by the white man, densely covered with trees. Large tracts of such timberless land existed in the region now embraced within the counties of Berkeley, Jefferson and Frederick. Strange as it may appear some of this kind of land within the history of the settlement of the valley became covered with young forest timber. In some respects these openings resembled the treeless prairies of the west. No satisfactory explanation of this frequently observed condition has ever been given. Many of these meadows were the favorite pasturing grounds of the large game and were, therefore, of special interest to the hunter. Clearfield county, Pa., it is believed, got its name from the fact that there were within its territory extensive natural clear fields and meadows.] Fryday 8^{th} we breakfasted at Casseys & Rode down to Vanmetris's to get all our Company together which when we had accomplished we Rode down below y^e Trough in order to Lay of Lots there we laid of one this day The Trough is couple of Ledges of Mountain Impassable running side & side together for above 7 or 8 Miles & y^e River down between them you must Ride Round y^e back of y^e Mountain for to get below them we Camped this Night in y^e Woods near a Wild Meadow where was a Large Stack of Hay after we had Pitched our Tent & made a very Large Fire we pull'd out our Knapsack in order to Recruit ourselves every was his own Cook our Spits was Forked Sticks our Plates was a Large Chip as for Dishes we had none Saterday 9^{th} Set ye Surveyor[40] to work whilst M^r Fairfax & myself stayed at y^e Tent our Provision being all exhausted & y^e Person that was to bring us a Recruit disappointing us we were oblige to go without untill we could get some from y^e Neighbours which was not till about 4 or 5 oClock in y^e Evening we then took our Leaves of y^e Rest of our Company Road Down to John Colins in order to set off next Day homewards [Footnote 40: From the expression, "set the surveyor to work," as well as the language used in the record on the 12th of March, that "Mr. James Genn the surveyor came to us and traveled over the Blue Ridge, etc.," with other expressions at a later date of similar import in the journal and in other documents, it is rendered almost certain that George Washington was, from the first, employed by Lord Fairfax, not as a surveyor, merely, but rather in the capacity of a skilled director of other surveyors, and as the confidential adviser in the division and sale of his lordship's lands.] Sunday 10^{th} We took our farewell of y^e Branch & travell'd over Hills and Mountains to 1 Coddys on Great Cacapehon about 40 Miles