The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-09-24


see neither beach nor sand-dunes, and
for long distance in front of us, and
on either side, as far rs we could distin-
guish in the dim light stumps of trees,
ugly snags and punches of reeds were
sticking up out of the water. No possi-
BILE camp-ground was visible anywhere,
and for moment we scarcely knew
what to do or which way to turn our
bows. The wind had risen again at sun
set the shallow water grew rougher
every moment, and delay was fatal un-
less we chose to pass the night moored
to snag, or in the shelter of the reeds
on the shore. At first we thought
of taking refuge at one of the
fishermen's huts among the reeds
at the mouth of the passage,
but discovering white building
far across the bay, in the direction of
Sulina, we headed our canoes for that,
knowing we should find solid earth
there, and padded harder than we had
done since we shot the rapids at the
Iron Gates. Drenched with spray from
the high cross-seas, we finally reached
the eothershore just as darkness was shut
ting down, and pushing through great
bed Of reeds, came out into little muddy
pool, with landing made of logs, close
by the little whitewashed house we had
seen from distance. A half-dozen
sailors of the Roumanian navy welcomed
us heartily as we landed, insisted on
carrying up our canoes and luggage,
and helped us pitch our camp on a dry
sandy spot near their quarters. 1t was
the evening of the 9th of September
and the journey from the Black Forest
to the Black Sea, had occupied us eleven
weeks and one day, including twenty
eight days we had spent in excursions
away from the river, and our delays at
Vienna, Hamburg, and Buda-Pesth.
We had padded and sailed 1915 miles,
through Germany, Austria, Hungary,
Servia, Bulgaria, Roumania and Russia.
The following morning we were on
our feet at dawn, eager to see what
sort of country we had reached in the
darkness. We found that we were at
the "cardon," or one of the Roumanian
customs picllet-posts, on point of land
called Cape Masoura, and that we had
come out into the Black sea through
that branch of the river called the
Zaliv The bay we had crossed in the
twilight was the ancient mouth of the
river, not navigable within the memory
of man. Our camp was on the edge of
a broad, rough meadow, bordered on
the north by great shadows, where the
sea is eating into the land, and extend
ing for miles to the southwark.
We cooked a most elaborate break
fast, made our farewell camp toilet be-
fore the nickel-plated rudder, which
served as mirror, and then parted
with everything but our raiment among
the sailors, who had been Interested
but shy spectators of all these opera
tions. The wind was blowing half a
gale, but with plenty of daylight before
us, we had no hesitation in tempting
the dangers of the Black sea, and about
the middle of the forenoon left the
CHEEKY company happy in the posses
sion OF all our pots and pans, and set
out in the direction of Sulina. The
sailors assured US that for several days
at least we would not be able to enter
the river, on account of the high sea
running vt the bar, but we proposed to
skirt the coast as far as we could go,
and then see what would turn up.
We worked our way out of the tangle
of reeds and across the Swallows into
! the open water and turned our bows to
the southwark, where along sand-beach
stretched away in a graceful curve. A
double line of breakers followed the
shore and one could see the white water
on the bar beyond the lighthouse. We
padded on for several miles in the
trough of the sea, lodging the waves
and escaping capsize only by careful
steering. We thought it useless to
venture out into the roadstead, but kept
along near the shore, and when we
found the waves We're rising to height
which made further advance foolhardy,
we ran the canoes ashore through the
surf and hauled them up on the beach
Just under the sand-dunes, the ideal
camp-ground of our imagination We
were not in sight of any house, and as
we could not paddle any further ii
looked as if we might enjoy our
sea-shore camp after all. However,
on reconnoitering from the top OF
one of the dunes, we saw an OK cart
! slowly moving across the meadow u
half-mile or mora away, and ran and
overlook it. The driver was q fine, tall
young Roumanian farmer, with an in.
telligent, handsome face, and he con,
sented to carry the canoes to the Sulina
branch for us. He had an excellent
cart and two yoke of oxen, and there
was an easy road along the hard beach
On the firm, white sand, under Y bril-
liant sun, and in full view of the great
blue e,ipause of the Black sea, we dis
mantled the canoes and lashed them OF
the ox-cart, one above the other Aftei
couple of hours walk along the beach
in the very wash OF the waves, w,
came TO the north bank OF the Sulini
arm opposite the town. Here we slit
the canoes into the stream, took ou
last paddle across the Danube, and de
posted them in the warehouse Of
hospitable friend to await shipment T.
England. IL d. Millet, in Harper
Magazine.
The Puritan 1atu3rs were great,
addicted to smoking. Indeed, the prac
tice became so common that even thes
straight-laced observers of times an
seasons ac tpally smoked in church. Thi
custom soon caused very considerabl
annoyance, as the religious exercise
We're greatly disturbed by the clinlsiu,
of hints and steels to light their pipes
and by the clouds of smoke in church