Agreeable to previous arrangement, Henrietta S. Hauser, Licetta and G.P. Conrad started very early to pay a visit to the Pilot Mountain, distance sixteen miles. I have long been of the opinion that whoever leaves his duty to indulge in pleasure will always be disappointed in that pleasure. Some unexpected occurrence will transpire which will cast a shadeover the expected satisfaction, if not destroy it entirely.
And this day's experience proves, or at least strengthens, such idea. We were all in good spirits and going very well, thinking of no unfavorable scene, but before we had drove the distance eight miles, our horse ran away while decending a hill. Such screaming I never before heard, indeed everyone endeavored to get hold of the lines, and it was with much difficulty I prevented it. If they had succeeded, it is more than probable we alll should have received injury. I succeeded in stopping the horse, but not before I had received a severe hurt on my kneee by the kicking of the horse, so that when I stepped from the carriage to take the horse, i could not put my foot to the ground. Yet i was not willing to abandon the object in view. After a few moments repairing harness, we proceeded on. I suffered intolerable pain and my knee soon became swollen and flexure very difficult. In this situation, I walked up the ascent to the pinnacle and twice up the pinnacle and when we had finished our survey of the place and I sat down a few moments, my knee became feverish and unable to walk for three days and did not recover from the effect in a month. I stayed at Mr. A. Conrad's for three days and was attended by H., who endeavored to give all the consolation i could receive. Here then was pain overbalancing all pleasure, even if all had been favorable.