heaps of the branches of trees.

Having no provisions with us we were obliged for the first few days
to eat what we could find in the woods, such as certain little blue
berries that they call "bluets," and other wild fruits, which the
people of the country despise. On the third or fourth day help came.
A Jew and a Protestant appeared on the scene, bringing us potatoes.
This Jew showed a leaning towards our religion, and the Sunday
previous I had said mass in his house. I do not doubt that if we had
remained longer with these people many would have been converted.
There was one entire family, of father, mother and three children,
whom I had instructed, and who were to receive baptism and embrace
the Catholic religion. Unfortunately the woman was the victim of evil
counsel at Milford, and was deterred from her good purpose. There
were many people in Milford who were bitter enemies to the truth.

I often said mass in our cabin. One day we made a cross and carried
it in procession for nearly a mile: we sang psalms, and part of the
way went barefoot, until we reached the spot where we planted the
cross, which was our consolation and our safeguard, as there were in
this desert a great number of rattlesnakes and other reptiles no less
dangerous. When we left our retreat we would sometimes step upon them
and would hear the noise that these serpents make with their rattles.

At last having walked over a great portion of these two thousand
acres of land during the two weeks that we spent there, we left these
solitudes and went down to Philadelphia. [Footnote: It was not deemed
advisable to accept this property, it being almost entirely rock or
marsh land. Besides which it was not suitable for one of our
establishments, communication with other places being too difficult.]