The Oskaloosa herald., 1902-06-05
DIR GAMPER.-No. 1

George and 81" had been talking
about it for two weeks or more and
finally we "shook" the cares of
family and business and with
weeks supply of everything needful
we hied ourselves to the head waters
of the Oskaloosa Water Co 8. supply.
We had been granted the privilege
(?) of camping in a shack used by
ice men in the winter as kitchen
and by rats and moccasins in the
summer. We arrived at the appointed
place in due time-about 8 O'Clock p.
m. and after spending an hour clean
ing up the shack and meving our
traps inside it rained, it poured! and
stormed otherwise. The roof leaked
until at times we seriously considered
abandoning the shack to keep as dry
as possible. We covered our bedding
and other supplies with tarpaulin
and shifted ourselves around as the
new leaks occurred. The only COM
paratively dry place in the building
was a long stationary table Itrained
until dark and we lit our candles and
went to bed feet to feet on the table
and slept soundly until morning. The
morning came dark, threatening and
chilly aud we had no means of build
ing fire except outside; this we
proceeded to do and the rain ex-
tinguished it before we had made our
cup of coffee and it rained until noon.
In the meantime we had improvised
stove inside using an old coal
bucket and by sitting next to it, In
dian fashion, avoided much of the
smoke which escaped through the
holes in the roof-the same that let
the rain in. Made our coffee, roasted
some potatoes and really had an en-
joyable meal. Some people do not
appreciate the pleasures of camp life,
but there Is nothing quite like it but
only personal experience can give
you the true pleasures (?) of an out
cident which occurred as arose from
my table couch. Sitting on the table
/ reached down for my rubber boots,
had already put on one and as /
raised the other one imagined it felt
unusually heavy and turning 1t up
side down huge water rnoccasin
dumped onto the floor. threw the
boot at him as he glided OUT under
the door and then hoped on one
foot to recover the boot, the floor be-
ing muddy and damp from 'yester-
day 'sp rains. We could not fish,
there was nothing to hunt so we con-
cluded to pack mp and quit the job
for the present. Oh, you want to
take an outing like this to make you
appreciate home life. 1t will do you
good. Just before starting for home
fool mud hen hove in sight and two
close shots from our 80 Winchester
rifle caused it to abandon It's favorite
element and seek safety on the op-
posite shore. A third shot caused its
instant death. Anxious to see the
effect of our shot we walked over to
the defunct mud hen and found II
$40 steps, equivalent to almost q
third of q mile. want to tell you
right now that the Winchester rife
is effective and power when in the
right hands and "we' pretty neal
know how to use it. Many readerl
are not acquainted with the mud her
and for their information alone
offer this. A mud hen has q bill o.
beak like crow and has web feet
. They are to the duck family the sam,
as gar fish is to the pan or gam
fish. The same as toad stool to tn
lucious mushroom. The same a. SOM
people who are constantly in tn
courts are to decent law abiding citi
zens. That's the mud hen an,
ssThat's all.n "hn