The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-09-02
THE BLACK SEA.
Canoeing In Its Waters and Camping o
It's Banks.

We had paddle of ten miles before
do it in, and we set off in good spirits,
looking forward with agreeable antici-
pations to our camp on the seashore.
Soon after leaving Vilkoff we entered a
maze of channels among low islands,
where our horizon was limited by the
rank of tall reeds along the shores. We
met several lotkas with fishermen pad
ding up to the village from their sum.
mer huts near the sea-coast, and a large
patrol-boat full of Roumanian soldiers
near large picket station; and judging
from these indications that we were in
the right passage, we padded steadily
on.
In an hour and half the stream
curved round to the southeast, and we
were enabled to take advantage of the
wind, and hoisted sail at once. Just as
the sun was setting we came into q
short reach scarcely wider than the
Danube at Donaueschingen, and there
in front of us was the straight line o.
the sea-horiAon stretching across be
tween two low reed-covered points. II
a few moments more we sailed out gay
ly into the Black sea. The broad oper
cxpanse of the sea was before us, al
yellow and glowing with the reflection
of the gorgeous sunset sky, anSD
light on the jetty at Sulina glihhnesd
brightly in the distance. But we could
see neither beach nor sand-dunes, and
for long distance in front of us and
on either side as far as we could dstin-
guish in the dim light, stumps OF trees,
sticking up out of the water. M posi-
BILE camp-ground was visible anywhere,
and for moment we scarcef knew
what to do or which way to trrn our
bows. The wind had risen agai, at sun
set, the shallow water grew rougher
every moment, and delay was htal, I'M
less we chose to pass the night moored
to a snag, or in the shelter of ,he reeds
on the shore. At first we thought
of taking refuge at one of the
tishermen's huts among the reeds
at the mouth of the passage,
pbC uASNoNNllhH WhlOC
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 thin we had
done since we shot the rapids at the
Iron Gates. Drenched with spray from
the high cross-seas, we finally reached
the other shore just as darkness was shut
ting down, and pushing through great
bed of reeds, came out into little muddy
pool, with a landing made of logs, close
by the little whitewashed house we had
seen from distance. A halfdozen
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 ona 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 1775 miles,
th~e.sh Geru,a~y. Austria. -uxugar xr
Servia, Bulgaria, Roumania, and KtssiS
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 carbon or one of the Roumanian
customs picllet-posts, on point of land
called Cape Masoura, and that we had
come ont 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 ella borate break
fast, made our farewell camp toilet be-
fore the nicllel-piated 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 possess
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 at the bar, but we proposed 20
sklrt the coast as far as we could 20,
and then see what would turn up.
We worked our way out of the tangle
OF reeds and across the shadows into
the open water and turned our bows Ia
the southwark, where "A long sand beach
stretched away in 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, dodging the waves
and escaping capsize only by careful
steering. We thought it useless 10
venture ont into the roaistead. but kept
along near the shore, and when we
found the waves were rising to a height
when made further adva nee fooihardv,
we ran tle canoes ashore through the
surf and hauled them up on the beach
just under the sand-dunes. the ideal
camp-grouni of our imagination. We
were not in sight of any house. and as