The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-22

an easy matter TO go eighteen miles in. three
| or Tour hours and get to the river Before
dark, the sun setting at about $50 o'clock.
we had heavy load. but the team
made good time, and at last we struck the
swamp. And what swamp l think it
was the meanest swamp ever went into.
Ialk about the jungles of Indiai The Alta
maha river swamp in some places will COM
pare favorably with any Jungle in the
| world IN thickness. The trees and bushes
form complete network, and the road
through them seemed not to have been
traversed in an age, being entirely undis-
tngulshable in great many places. But
II that had been the only difficulty we had
to encounter | would not now be telling you
my story. We had gone but short dis
tance In 1t before we went into a bog. The
mules went down and the wide wheels of
the wagon sank about foot, but, after a
! good amount of exertion and snorting on
the part of the animals we got out of the
| mire.
1--WE considered this only an ordinary oc-
currence, for we had been through several
| places OF like nature in our journey. We
had gone but few hundred yards, how
ever, before we discovered that the muls,
IN their pull through the mud, had broken
a very necessary part of the harness. OF
course we had to stop and patch up, as we
We're not likely to get to the river without
little more hard pulling and with broken
harness in another bog we would be as
helpless as babe in its cradle.
/ lit took us quite while to get things in
shape again, but we finally went on our
way rejoicing over the fact that matters
were no worse than they were. We Travelled
| along quietly for some time, but the uncer
tain road and tangled mass of bushes was
| tough experience for the mules. The sun
had gone down and darkness was fast set
ting in; the owls commenced to boot, and
the night birds and animals of prey were
| beginning to make the air hideous with
| their yells and screams. Now and then the
mules would stop, but little application
| of the whip would start them again.
"We were now in the middle of the
swamp, we thought and believed that it
could not be great distance to the ferry,
If we had been keeping the right road, and
it became evident to us that if we did not
! soon reach the river we would be in terri
BILE dilemma, for it was getting as dark as
1t possibly could get, not star showing
| itself in the sky overhead. To add to the
| uncomfortable situation, the driver nor the
mules could recognize the road no longer,
and we realized that we were lost in the
swamp. In fact, we could tell that we had
left the road entirely by the in
ing. Suddenly our faithful animals
stopped. We applied the lash, but t ey
seemed unable to move step, though they
were doing their best 1t was impossible to
see our hands bafore our faces, and conse-
| quently could not tell what the trouble was
have often heard of quicksand-of the
| the fatal accidents resulting from it-how
wagons, horses and men have been engulfed
| in it-but never thought much of it until
this night. All at once the mules seemed to
give up all efforts to pull out, driver jumped
from his seat and felt the wagon culver.
| took in the situation in less time than |
can tell you of it. The mules,
wagon and all were going down
in bog I leaped from the wagon
and landed almost knee deep in the mud |
managed to extricate myself, however, and
by stepping lightly upon the treacherous
soil, | succeeded i'll getting to solid ground.
| climbed tree, thinking that it would
hardly go down, too, and eagerly listened
for any sound from the driver, mules or
wagon. In a moment or two heard bray
from one of the poor brutes, which caused
my blood to freeze, 1T seemed, and then all
was still | knew they had gone down with
the wagon, and would never go through an
other swamp with me.
'Wtat became of my driverw you ask.
do not know to this day, but he probably
Jumped from the wagon on the other side
and succeeded in getting on hard ground
like myself. | remained up the tree all
night, and next morning went in sight of
the fatal spot Il was not anxious to go
| nearer, but could not see a single trace of
anything of my former property.
81 footed it to the river and crossed on
the ferry boat that morning-minus two
good mules, wagon and driver"