St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-27
LIFE IN THE BIG SWAMP.
Weird Okefenokee Scenes---Sav-
age Saurians - Shooting Fish
With Arrows.

Weird OkefenOkee, Scenes---Sav-
age Saurians - Shooting Fish
With Arrows.
Atlanta journal.
The prairie land which covers con-
siderable portion of the Okefenokee
swamp is very remarkable formation,
and is, am told, peculiar to this swamp.
1t is open land, entirely free from tim
Der, and stretching away as far as the
eye can reach in every direction. 1t
has most of the characteristics of
huge inland sea, except the waves. In
terSperSed here and there In this
huge prairie are small patches OF
high, dry ground of variable size,
and heavily timbered, lied cow
houses. | am unable to ascertain the
propriety of this name, unless it be that
the cattle, deer and other animals seek
these places for shelter and to get out
of the water. The surface of these
prairies is covered with deposit OF de-
cayed vegetation that has been accumu-
lating for centuries, and is called muck.
This varies in thickness from four to
ten feet, with water beneath, and be-
low the water sand. This singular
formation gives to the swamp its name
of Trembling Earth. 1t will support
the weight of the average man If he
keeps moving onward, but II he pauseS
an instant he commences to sink, and
may go through to his waist or over his
head. At eveIy step the water oozes up
around the feet, while the muck will
tremble and culver for yards around.
There is something grand and even
sublime to the visitor in the silent vast
ness of this prairie formation. 1t
stretches away before the eye in every
d rection until only limited by tue hori-
ION, it's perfect stiffness only broken by
the occasional below of some huge alli-
gator. or the far-distant scream of some
unknown bird. Here and there can be
seen the track left behind by some
hunter, where possibly years ago he had
labOriously pOled his canoe along In
pursuit of game, the path as distinct
and fresh now as if only made yester-
day. All around fish of endless species
and sizes can be seen swimming and
darting about. while not lnfrequently
the eye may fail upon some immense al
ligatOr or snake Stunning himself upon
the surface of the muck and water, or
slowly sinking out of sight as soon as
he is discovered. This description con-
veys slight. but at best. a very imper-
feet idea of the prairie land OF this
swamp.
Upon the island where we are at
present encamped are living two lam
flies, with the aged father, named
Cheshire. The old gentleman is nearly
eighty years of age, and has spent
thirty-odd years of his life here in this
spot. At the time OF the expedition
| sent through the swamp by the Constl-
| tuition he acted as guide, and is full OF
| "reminiscences of that trip. He is
wonderful fisherman, and indeed calls
himself the king Of the swamp, to which
position he says he was duly appointed
and commissioned by DR.. Little, the
| state geologist. The two sons of MI.
| Cheshire have their families here. The
| men attempt to cultivate small crops,
but spend most of their time hunting.
| Their revenue is almost entirely de-
rived from the sale of hides of alli-
gators, deer and bears. The quantity OF
| these that they destroy and many OF
their stories of hunting adventures are
almost incredible.
Think of hunter shooting down four
deer with a rifle, one after another, ana
| without moving from one spot. In sew
eral of the lakes that are thickly inter
spersed throughout this prairie the alli-
gators are so numerous and herce That
they will attack man in a boat as soon
ffc appears anu o'OOS
ing them by night, which is the way
they are commonly killed, is sometimes
attended with no little danger.
The entire armament.o of the Chesh ire
family consists of one ten-gauge. ten
pound, double-barreled Remington shot
| gun ana two Winchester rifles, one 49,
| caliber and one 80. Also a small yell
low-pine bow, and few cane arrows.
| The latter are used in shooting
fish, and I feel safe in affirming
| that the dexterity with which these
| men use their rude bow and arrows will
put to shame the average Atlanta
marksman with his rifle. In passing
over the prairie, one of the Cheshires
will suddenly stop, poise his little bow,
and send his little arrow flying into the
extraordinarily into spot where you
or would see nothing, but the way in
| which that arrow will dance about for
| the next minute or two will convince
you not only that there is an object on
| the other end of it, but that there is an
object of some size, too. When your
| hunter pulls up his arrow, behold!
four or six-pound trout or black bass,
centrally transfxed, a shot that very
| few of our marksmen could make with