The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-03-01
Lost i'm "a Louisiana swamp.

Years ago the cVlntry lying in the rear of
this city was all swamp back to Lake Pont-
chartrain, with the exception ofa narrow strip
of higher land known as the Mctairie Bridge
running east and west, and situated about
midway between the lake shore and the pre-
sent outskirts of the city. En- most places
the timber has been cleared OF as far out as
this ridge, leaving a boggy, uncultivahlc
plain, covered with the weeds and grrSses pc
culiar to low, wet lands, and interperscd with
the decaying Stumps oftrecS and hruShwood,
inpcnetrable to the rays of the sun, and, dur
ing a greater portion of the year. charged
with water rendered almost OF an inky hue
by decaying vegetation.
| Just previous to the recent heavy rains,
which relieved the country of an unusually
long drouth, All amateur Snpe-hunter conclIi-
ded that the swamp district must have felt
the effects of the dry weather, and that it
would be fine thing tolook for sport in this
tern incoqnifo, unknown and uncxflored Of
anybody but runaway darkies, or perhaps,
desperate fugitives from justice. He accor-
dinghy arraycd himself in his sporting appa-
ratuS, procureda wood choppers small" dug
out" and pushed boldly into the swamp,
threading his way for long time, slowly
and painfully through the ttrnings and
twiStings of the narrow and shiny channel,
until finally he could follow it no further
He then guided his little boat into more in.
tricate mazeS of the swamp prop r, where no
hand had marked out a pathway. IIe fire.
quently found natural channels leading from
one miniature pond to another, whose waters
were black and lnotioulcss as if their depth
had never been disturbed by anything, liv-
ing or lnanimate. Finally he reached point
beyond which his boat could not go, and the
land seemed to afford him the promise of a
firm footing. The whirring of a covev of
birds through the bush IS not araway, male
him eager to get ashore, ard fastening Lis boat
he forced his way through the dense under
growth, over a surface of inconvcnient soft
ness, aud fil ofdcep holes, often treacherous-
" concealed by leaves and long fine grass,
which spread out from numerous little ham
moclls Through this STRANGE wilderness,
whore Nature continually presented the most
monstrouS and eccentric distortions, Fitz H.
made his way for some distance, and his
perseverance, was soon rewarded by Il doub-
le-barrelled shot at rising flock of patridgcS,
which brought down number of the delic-
Ious birds. Then on he passed through the
thicket, the features Of the scene about him
changing continually, now CAREFUL crossing
n pond Of stagnant water on mosSv log of
ancient days, anon plunging into the gloom
lest fall swainpy recesSes, where the close
bushes and leaves, and the black overhang-
ing feS toons of Spanish moss, made perpet-
ual twilight even under the rays of noon-day
sun; he finally came out into a more open
space, studied thinlv with stlai trees,
growing out of a surface ofclay, which had
been baked by the Sun untili' was hard and
full of cracks. AS he pooceedcd he found
himself walking among an army of hillocks,
about two feet IN height and crowned with
reeds, and a plant with broad fan-lke leaf
spreading out like the tail of pheasant, and
directly he WAS brought to q stand by a cir
cuIar body of water twenty yards in dame
ter, larger than any he had previously en-
countcred in these soltudes.
This pond, in so strange place, so mac
cassibie TO the hunter, so silent, SO quiet
in the blackness of its styx-like waters,
swarmod with the various species Of water
fowl that frequent this latitude III the winter
season. Everywhere upon its bosom, and
in the air above it, they could be seen swim
ming to and fro, and diving or flying, in per-
suit of their prey. Fitz II. gazed sorrowiul
| " upon the scene He was a sensible man
and a humane sportsman, and he could not
| consent to kill any creature without d pur-
| pose. lie had no boat, no way of nayiga-
| ting this sylvan lake, and not for the wealth
of the world would he have ventured to
wa le into its MYSTERIOUS waters, within
whose depths he could be sworn lurled le-
| giouS of the hideous sauran monsters that
people all louisiana swampS In short
he did choose to shoot ducks that he could
not pick up, and so wandered mechanically
| around the borders ofthe swamp-enclosed ba-
sin to see ifchanc, might not afford a better
opportunity of Hing his game bag. While
moving cautiously along, watching for some
! inlet in which the coveted game might be
found disportinr, he was suddenly started
by the near report of a gun and the rattling
| of huckshot about him one of which inflicted
slight wound upon his arm. At the same
instant he caught a momentary glimps of q
half naked negro with gun in his hand, just
disappearing among the bushes. FitzH com
pretended instantly that he would in all pro
liability return presently in company with
a halfdozen others, for the purpose of mur
dering the white intruder and chucking hi,
body into the pond, or biding it in some 9th
er still more uncomfortable hole. His nerves
! were no match for the horror of such a sup
position, and he accordingly turned and tl2G
into the donset part of the swamp he couh
select, and it everywhere began to lool
gloomy enough for the sun had set and nigh
was coming on He had gone but shor