Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-09-26
LIFE IN THE BIG SWAMP.
WIerd Okafenokse scen-s--ssvags sau-
rians-shooting Fish with Arrows.
TIE prairie lagd, whjth covers $n-

TIE prairie lagd. whjth covers $n-
siderable portion OF the Okefenokee
swamp, is a very remarkable forma-
ton, and is, l am told. peculiar TO this
swamp. 1t is open land. entirely free
from timber. and stretching away rs
far as the eye can reach in every di-
rection. II has most Of the character
istics of hugh inland sea. except the
waves. Interspersed here and there
in this huge prairie are small patches
OF high dry ground. of variable size
and heavily tinlbered. called cow
houses. / am unable to ascertain the
propriety of this name. unless it be
that the cattle, deer. aud 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 ac-
cumulating for centuries, and is called
muck. This varies in thickness from
four TO ten feet. with water beneath.
and below the water sand. This
singular formation gives to the swamp
its name of Trembling Earth. 1t will
support the weight of the average man
il he keeps moving onward; but IL he
pauses an instant he commences to
sink. and may go through to his waist
or over his head. At every 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
direction until only limited by the
horizon, its perfect stiffness only
broken by the occasional below OF
some huge alligator. or the far distant
scream of some unknown bird. Here
and there can he seen the track left be.
hind 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 IL
made only yesterday. All around fish
of endless species and sizes can be seen
swimming and darting about, while
not infrequently the eye may fall upon
some immense alligator or snake sun
ming himself upon the surface of the
muck and water or slowly sinking out
of sight as soon rs he Is discovered.
This description conveys slight but
at best very imperfect idea of the
prairie land of this swamp.
Upon the island where we are at
present encamped are living two
families. with the aged father named
Cheshire. The old gentleman is nearly
so years of age, and has spent thirty
odd years of his life in this spot. At
the time of the expedition sent through
the swamp by the Constitution he acted
as guide, and is full of "reminiscences
of that trip. He is wonderful fisher
man. and indeed calls himself the King
of the swamp, to which position he
was duly appointed and commissioned
by DR.. Little, the State geologist. The
two sous of Mr.. Cheshire have their
families here. The men attempt to
cultivate small crops. but spend most
of their time hunting. Their revenue
is almost entirely derived from the sale
of hides of alligators. deer and bears.
The quantity of these that they destroy
and many of their stories of hunting
adventures are almost Incredible.
Think of a hunter shooting down four
deer with rifle, one after another,
and without moving from one spot.
In several of the lakes that are thickly
interspersed throughout this prairie
the alligators are so numerous and
fierce that they will attack man in a
boat as soon as he appears among them.
and shooting them by night. which is
the way they arc commonly killed, is
sometimes attended with no little
danger.
The entire armament of the Cheshire
family consists of one ten gauge, ten
pound double-barrelled Remington
shotgun aud two Winchester rifles. one
thirty-eight calibre and one thirty-two.
Also small yellow pine bow, and a
few cane arrows. These latter are
used in shooting fish. and feel safe in
affirming that the dcxterity 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
Chcshires will suddenly stop, poise his
little bow, and send his little arrow
flying into the water, ordinarily into a
spot where YOU or l 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 il Is an object OF some size.
too. When your hunter pulls up his
arrow behold a four or six pound trout
or black bass. centrally transiixed, a
shot that very few of our marksmen
could make with gun.-AtIaata
Journal.