Olympus was a new town, only about three years old, and, but for being injudiciously located in a deep swampy hollow, rapid as it had been in growth, it would have, even in so short a time, been a much more considerable place. As it was, it consisted of upwards of twenty houses, a place of worship, a school, and two taverns. It was, however, the opinion of the inhabitants, that it would not succeed, for no fresh enquiries were made for lots by new settlers; indeed, the unhealthy situation was one of the causes which led to the formation of the new settlement at Babelmandel, towards which the tide of emigration was at this time flowing.

Besides arranging a sojourn for the mistress and her three girls, until I should have determined our location, and raised a house for them, it was necessary to stop a day or two at Olympus, to settle with the land-agent of the Babelmandel settlement, who held his office at that time there. But in both concerns I found no difficulty. In one of the taverns we were creditably accommodated on terms that could not be complained of; and the agent was a most civil gentleman, doing all in his power to make things easy, and giving me a deal of good and profitable advice.

Among other things, he remarked, that he thought, considering my stature and light weight, I should find it more to my advantage to try if the overseer of the roads, which were then opening through the settlement, could give me employment as a boss, or foreman, to look over a gang of the roadmakers; and, in that case, to contract with an experienced woodsman to do the chopping on my land, in which work the two boys would be found serviceable, either in collecting the brush or in burning off the logs. “For,” said he, “I can see you are one of those sort of settlers, whose heads are worth four of their hands.”