Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-12-11
CHAPTER vi.

OF by-gone centuries have spread
their arms
Athwart thy path. Now make thy
footing sure
And now. God cheer US, for the toll
Is done"
Night had fairly set in clear star
light night-before the three set forth
upon their proposed adventure. To
Major Singleton, who was native OF
the middle country, and had lived
heretofore almost exclusively in 1t, the
path they now travelled was entirely
unknown. 1t was necessary, therefore.
to move on slowly and with due cir
cumspection. But for this, the party
would have advanced with as much
speed as II they were pursuing the
common highway: for to the other two,
accustomed all their lives to the wood
land cover and the tangled recesses o.
the swamps, their present route, un-
cleared, in close thicket growth, and
diverging as 1t continually did, was,
nevertheless, no mystery. Though nee
essarily somewhat slow in their prog
ress, the delay was much less than
might have been expected; for Single
ton. however ignorant Of the immedi-
ate ground over which they sped, was
yet thoroughly versed In forest life,
and had traversed the larger and
denser swamps of the Santee, task.
though similar, infinitely more difficult
and extensive than. the one now before
him. After a little while, therefore,
when his eye grew more accustomed to
the peculiar shades about him, he
spurred his good steed forward with
much more readiness than at their first
setting out, and 1t was not long before
the yielding of the soil beneath his
hoofs and the occasional plash OF the
water, together with the more frequent
appearance of the solemn and ghostly
expresses around them, gave sufficient
indication of the proximity Of the
swamp recesses.
They had ridden some five miles,
and in all this time no word had been
spoken by either Of the three, except
when, here and there, an increased
difficulty in the path led Humphries to
companions. They were now close up
on the cypress causeway, and the
swamp was gathering around them.
Their pace grew slower and more IA
tiguing, for the freshet had swept the
temporary structure over which they
rode. and many of the rails were float
ing in their path. Little gaps were
continually presenting themselves,
many of which they saw not, but which
fortunately for their safety, were gen.
orally avoided by the horses without
any call for interference on the part
OF their riders. Stumbling sometimes,
however they were warned not to press
their animals; and picking their way
with as much care as possible, they
went on in single file, carefully and
slowly, over the narrow and broken
embankment. II was at this part OF
their progress that Humphries broke
out more freely into speech than he
had done before, for his usual charac-
teristic was that of taciturnity.
Now / do hate these dams and
causeways; our people know nothing of
road making, and they ridge and bridge
1t. while our bones ache and our legs
go through at every step we take in
going over them. Yet they won't learn
they won't look or listen. They do
as they have done hundred years be-
fore. and all your teaching is Of no
manner OF use. Here is this causeway
II &c
banks and tear up the poles, yet they
come back a week after. and lay them
down just as before. They never ask
IL there's a way to build it, which is
to make 1t lasting. They never think
of such a thing. Their fathers did so
hundred years ago. and that's rea-
son enough why they should do so
now"
And what plan have you, Hum
phries. by which to make the dam
solid and strong against the freshets,
such as we have. that sweep every
us half a dozen feet of water for
week. over road that we have been
accustomed to walk dryshod?"
ITO be sure there Is a way, major,
and with far less labor. There's no
use in building a road unless you give
II a backbone. You must run ridge
through 1t, and all the freshets make
it stronger, for they wash the refuse
and the mud up against it, instead Of
washing II away. You see all good
roads rise in the centre. The water
runs off and never settles, which they
always do in the hOllows between
these poles. You fell your tree. al
ways a good big one, to make your
ridge-your backbone; and If it be a
- causeway like this. running through
swamp, that you would build, why you
fell your dozen trees, or more, accord
ing to the freshets call for them. You
lay them side by side, not across. but
up and down the road, taking care to
put the big ones in the centre. So you
may run II for miles, heaping the earth
up to the logs. A road made after that
fashion will stand a thousand years,
while such a thing as this must always
be washing away with every freshet.
II taxes, III lliSN p'eRSS' yNN S~N' -
great deal more of labor and time, and
a great deal more Of timber to build
it after this fashion; then, it takes
more dirt to cover the rails-a hundred
times the quantity-and unless they're
well covered, they can't be kept down;
they will always come loose, and be
floating with every rain and the water
settles heavily in their places and be-
tween them. This can't be the case
where you lay the timber up and down
as | tell you. 1t must stand fast; for
the rain can't settle. and the earth
gathers close to the ridge, and hugs II
tighter the more the water beats on 1t.
Besides. building it this way, you use
heavy timber, which the waters can't
move at any season. But here we