Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-11-19
PIsCATORIAL.
The Jolly Jaunt of Some Disciples of
Ezaak WaItOn-The Treasures of
Big RoItoIn. on DUCK lsiHer

Dlu, tue SoOk, anu Ed, the assistant, an
J. and II. followed and joined us fe,
days afterward.
1t was beautiful. Monday mornin
lste in October, and all were at the de
pot of the Northwestern Railroad in da
time.
The outfit of an angling party with
little dash OF the hunter mixed in !
worthy of notice.
The first concern was about the tent
Is that in good condition and in place
Next the minn0w sein. They are here
two IN number, well rugged and ready 70
use. How many minnow buckets hav
we in ala Fourteen. All sound will
proper fastenings. Three with bacol
sides, corn meal, flour, salt, coffee, sugar
butter, cakes, bread, cooking utensils
axe, hatchet nails, saw, rope and Irvine,
with red pepper, pepper sauce, chow
chow and vinegar-no whisky nor brandy
not drop, while our medicine box con
tanned nothing but one box of Cooks
pills.
AS Co individual Or personal outfits
no one man can furnish full list. Tht
wadiug boots, fish buckets, rods, reels,
shawls, blankets, guns, bird bags, pow,
der, shot, boxes and bundles, together
with tive dogs, with chains and collars;
but every man knew his own property, SO
that there was neither trouble or confu
sion.
As our trip was for ten days at least,
and possibly longer, our outfit was rather
extensive.
For our special accommodation the
General Agent of the road had passen-
ger car attached to freight train, with q
letter of instruction to agents and con.
ductors to let US off and take Us or al
our discretion Che ought 10 have had a
hsh) and the conductors were kind, gentle
manly and accommodating, and in the
name of the party l make this acknow-
ledgment of obligation.
In addition TO what has already been
mentioned, Ed, our assistant cook, had a
gun, primitive single barrel shot gun,
M. commended that il was a musket, but
Ed. insisted upon it that it was shot
gun, and the controversy remains unset
tied 10 this day. En-. said that it 7lOut
have been musket in the beginning but
had turned into a shot gun. Whatever
1t was or was intended for, there is one
thing that it would not do, it would not
shoot. Ed was trying from time 10 time
10 make ii fire, but fire il would not. G.
told him he would have to snap until the
frizan would get hot before it would ever
flre. Some one of the party took ad-
vantage of Ed. s absence and put match
to 1t and It banged away with commend
able earnesJness; this was unknown g. Ed.
and when we had left the cars and were
on the wagons, wherever game was seen
Ed would be among the first of the
hunters cut, and swapping away with
terrible earnestness, not knowing that his
gun was empty, and he spent much of his
leisure moments in trying to insert fresh
powder in at the toUchbole. l asked him
at length what he thought was the matter
with his gun, FL. said that be believed she
was chOked.. l told him tina, be would
have to strike her in the back or give her
snuff till she would sDeeze, but poor Ed.
said she would not sneeze nor do nothing
else. At length, from the mere force of
habit, he blew into the muzzle, and to his
great surprise he found his gun was
empty, and being confident that he put a
load into her, aud not knowing how it got
out, he changed his views entirely, and
said the touchhole was so large that the
load all wasted out at j., or else he had
shot it all away, Just a little at time,
AMI did not know it. But ne loaded up
Q ain, but never got thst load out until he
laid her on log and struck the hammer
on q rock, when she fired with ven
geance, jumping about one foot
high aud several feet backward,
and turned over on her side and looked
quite exhausted, but it was found that
either by the effort 10 shoot or beating
she got from the rock, that the main
spring OF the lock was broken, Ed. was
now in deep distress, and asked H., who
is dealer in hardware, which would be
the cheapest, to get the msin spring
mended or buy a new one. q. told him
that the whole establishment was lot
worth more than fifty cents: that it could
only be sold az old iron, aud poor iron at
that-sO much for Eds outfits
But back 10 our narrative. At the
blowing OF the whistle at : O'Clock A N.
We were all in readiness and Off we went
toward the setting sun. When about
thirty miles from the city, two Of The
freight cars became contrary and threw
themselves across the track and had to be
removed before we could wag again, but
the party took the delay easy; some
hunted birds and squirrels, others grapes,
and all took hand in changing freight,
and in few hours we were Whistling on
= gain at the rate of Is miles to the hour,
and reaching the point where &c were to
leave the CRrs 3 little after sunset
Mr.. b. with whom we stopped was lock
ing for us, aud received Us with all the
kindness Of Abraham Of old. Here We
were handsomely entertained. and on the
next morning, men, sCiu and buckets,
were all at the creek at an early hour:
for here the minnows had 10 be caught.
At IL o'clock A. N the buckets were
filled, and we psrt0uk OF an excellent,
carly dinner, prepared by Mrs s., and
our baggage being stored away in wagons,
we were soon under way 10 Big Bottom,
and Big Bottom il is. The liver line of
this bottom ! suppose is twenty-five or
thirty miles, while the back line is about
ten miles, b,ing somewhat in the form of
a crescent the point selected for our
camp was about midway the water line,
and within one mile of the mouth of Duck
river. We reached the spot at about
O'Clock P. NJ, all safe, nothing broke, and
the minnows geueIally alive, and were
soon enjoying bath in the waters of
Duck river. The tent was pitched, fire
was built, and Robin went to work a. bis
peculiar uade, while G. imprOvised a
pretty good table out of such materials IS
he could gather up-for, be it known TO
you, that we had an axe, saw, Ratchet
and nails, so that we were ready TO bald
table, shelves AID seats. After supper yC
rugged few lines and cast them iuJo the
stream that we might have fish for b.gak-
fast, and soon W, WHO is sure to carch a
fish if there is one in his nrighborho0d,
lands q grey cat fish Of about fifteen
pounds weight, which was handed over 90
Robin, who knew how 10 make steak Of
il, and when set before rs brown aud
smoking, all prejudice against a catfish
gave way and We Jared stump uuusly.
A further notice of Big Bottom will
likely bC L 1liCA lOa. Llts ANlN IL H. Il
is formed by Duck ard Tennessee rivers
on one side, aud the ridges extending from
Waverly and Jacksonville on the other
It is from twenty 20 thirty miles in length
and from two 10 five miles in width. 1t
is overlowed by the waters Of the Duck
and Tennessee so that when either Of these
streams arc high the whole Of this country
is under water, so that no person can live
in the Big Bottom a any point. Conse-
Quenily those who own and CultiYat .these
lands all live back in the barrens or hill
country. TIE land is immensely rich,
while the trees are thick snd of tremeu-
dous growth or size, and the greater por-
ton Of them splendid timber. was in
one field Of corn planned in 9uly and
never plowcd after planting, and yet the
corn was good and seemed 10 be good
crop: but being in danger Of fros, the
owner was gathering It 10 feed to stock.
- I,,st,r,, a v4srra ApF of lakes