The reference to his horse contains more than a passing interest.
Probably many other cases occurred during his visits when "borrowing"
a horse was necessary, while his own was recuperating. It was a slow
way to travel, from our standpoint, yet it had its advantages. New
acquaintances, if not friendships, were made as the travelers journeyed
and were entertained on the road.
On the 20th of Ninth month, 1803, Elias Hicks, with Daniel Titus as a
traveling companion, started on a visit to Friends in Upper Canada, and
those resident in the part of the New York Yearly Meeting located in
the Hudson and Mohawk valleys. When the travelers had been from home
a little less than a month, Elias wrote to his wife, from Kingston,
a letter of more than ordinary interest, because of its descriptive
quality. It describes some of the difficulties, not to say dangers, of
the traveling Friend before the days of railroads. We quote the bulk of
the letter, which was dated Tenth month, 16, 1803:
"We arrived here the 3d instant at the house of Joseph Ferris about 3
o'clock at night, having rode the preceding day from Samuel Brown's
at Black River, where I dated my last. We traveled by land and water
in this day's journey about forty-five miles. Very bad traveling
over logs and mudholes, crossing two ferries on our way, each four
or five miles wide, with an island between called Long Island. About
six miles across we were in the middle thereof, the darkest time
in the night, when we were under the necessity of getting off our
horses several times to feel for the horses' tracks in order to know
whether we were in the path or not, as we were not able to see the
path, nor one another at times, if more than five or six feet apart.
Some of our company began to fear we should be under the necessity of
lying in the woods all night. However, we were favored to get well
through, and crossed the last ferry about midnight and after. Landed
safely on Kingston shore about 2 o'clock, all well. Since which we
have attended ten meetings, three of them preparative meetings, the
rest mostly among other people. We just now, this evening, returned
from the last held at the house of John Everit, about four miles
west of Kingston. We held one yesterday in the town of Kingston in
their Court House. It was the first Friends' meeting ever held in
that place. The principal inhabitants generally attended, and we have
thankfully to acknowledge that the shepherd of Israel in whom was our
trust, made bare his arm for our help, setting home the testimony he
gave us to the states of the people, thereby manifesting that he had
not left himself without a witness in their hearts, as all appeared
to yield their assent to the truths delivered, which has generally
been the case, in every place where our lots have been cast.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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