The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-03-21


certain we were In the main stream |
again. The current was so nearly i'm
perceptible that II was most difficult |
to avoid the innumerable blind chan
nels.
BY this time we were all suffering
from the effects OF the putrid water.
and Myers was really Ill. Fortunate
ly happened to have bottle of Ja-
maica ginger with me. which proved
invaluable.
A third night approached and we
had not the faintest idea where we
were. Just before dark we ran into
a tremendous bed OF lettuce. Half
way through It the boats bow struck
something solid. 1t was a cypress
log, lying Just below the weed. The
boat had TO be lifted over 1t, and the
work fell to Marshall and myself.
shall never forget how supremely un-
comfortable / felt as I stepped over
the side and clung with my bare toes
to the rounded, Shiny log. We had
seen scores of moccasing poisonous
water-vipers) in the weed beds
There was more than chance of
treading on one of these sluggish but
deadly reptiles.
Or suppose l slipped! There was
twelve feet of oily water below the
log, and, once under the wood, the
strongest swimmer in the world
would be helpless.
1t took all our strength to lift the
boat and slide her over the obstruc-
tion, but 1t was done at last, and Just
as It grew pitch-dark we cleared the
lettuce and floated into a wide lagoon
in which bull-frogs croaled dismally
and every now and then a heavy fish
rose with sounding "plop!"
Hero we made another fruitless at
tempt To light fire. BY this time
all the biscuits were gone, and we
made a miserable meal of slices of
bacon toasted on the embers in the
| frying-pan. We were very thirsty,
but only dared to drink a. few drops
of tho brown. flthy water.
The fourth morning found us
much the worse for wear. Our faces
were swollen out of all recognition
by insect bites. and personally had
an ugly feeling of sinking weakness.
| But there was no use complaining
forward was the word, and we pulled
on. taking fifteen-minute spells at
the oars Happily the weeds were
not so thick. and our hopes rose.
Suddenly the boat emerged from
the endless arches of cypress, and,
their place was taken by forest of
tall cabbage palmettoes. The under
growth changed, too; 1t was as thick
| as ever, but not so lofty. Wild
| grape-vines matted it, and flock of
birds of the startling tribe rose and
winged chattering across the water.
Hurrah! Here was land at last!
Mud, certainly, and of the blackest
character, but still firm enough to
bear our weight. Joyfully we pulled
ashore. but the brush was like a
| quick-set hedge. We had to chop a
| foothold before we could land.
Franks was the first to leave the
boat. An odd, whirring noise came
from the thicket, and he sprang back
hastily. Marshall snatched u gun,
and as the heavy report rolled down
the silent river five-foot diamond
rattler writhed in its death agony on
the mud.
II reckon that was close enough!"
was all Myers said. We were too
hungry and thirsty to mind even a
rattlesnake, and in five minutes a
fire was cracking. Our kettle was
gone, but we boiled water In the fry
ing-pan, and l never tasted anything
so good as that first cup of scalding,
milkless coffee. strongly favored as it
was with smoke and bacon-grease.
Then we set to work to cook some
limpkin which we had shot the pre-
vious day They were birds very like
our moorhens and excellent eating.
We devoured them half raw, and the
next thing was to make bread, which
we baked in our ever-useful frying
pan.
We ate every bit of the first batch
hot, and then cooked some more,
After that we made up the fire and
sheltered from mosquitoes by Its
kindly smoke, lay and Slept till past
midday.
We were different men when we
woke, and ready for anything. We
felt sure we could not now be far
from the mouth of the river, so de-
cided to push on at once. We had
bread and cooked bacon for another
twenty-four hours, and before thai
time we should certainly reach st
Johns.
But our troubles were not yet
over. A mile or two farther on the
river split again into half a score oi
channels. Twice we took a wrong
one and wasted hours. Night caught
us In a worse place than ever, and
quite unable to find ground for a fire
The longing for hot coffee drove us
to build a raft of logs and try tC
light q fire on this. 1t was mos
} tedious work, for we were now aggiI
among Expresses. and their branches
, were high out of reach, so that We
/ had to depend on floating stun. Blu
, we persevered hravely. and at las
got tiny FIRE to burn. 1t was hardl!
started when, with C. sudden rusl
! and hiss, down splashed heav.
: Shower, wetting US to the skin anC
putting out the feeble blaze. There
r upon we crawled under the sail ant
ate dry bread and cold fried bacon.
} Next morning Myers had a bad at