Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1911-09-14
HOW ] SPENT FOURTH OF
JULY IN ALLIGATOR LAND,
n. J. Baker Writes Of His Experience
in Florida.


How would you like to spend the
Fourth OF July in the land OF tne
red bug, centipede and alligator! r.
l. Baker and family did that very
ching and had a mighty fine time
too. Following is the second inter-
eSting letter received from Mr. ba-
ker, of Eureka, Florida:
"Well, when it came Fourth OF
July, absolutely refused to work
that day SO we took the whole ram
lily and penetrated into land OF tne
red bug, the tick, the ant, the wafer
moccasin, centipede. scorpion rat'le-
snake. alligator, etc., via the oKia-
waha and an old 16 foot tub.
The weather was cool and nne'
we went down the river and a little
fellow that is helping me STOOD IN
the bow with a gig Ia spear Win
four barbed prongs on ten to1t
handle which Is attached to a -
font line 80 It can be pulled back
after being thrown and speared ISL
Being cloudy we could not see the
t,sb a. good as usual, but we arrived
at Forty-Foot landing with two Dis
mud fish and a good sized piack
bass, (trout they call the latter
bere.) The place that adjoins TINS
landing is an old deserted orange
farm. II is q great high wooded
bluff with flat top. The old iieiu
Is on top and here Fiddia, the own
.er, plants corn and peanuts anu
chufas and raises hogs. The nogs
simply run wild in the scrub when
adjoins his place and In the winter
he turns them into his field TO eat
the crops which are not gathered
except perhaps a little corn he
often does not see his hogs Tor
month at time. Each time nc
goes over there, he carries a little
sack of shelled corn and calls up
his hogs with a peculiar long drawn
yelp. This keeps them about Vne
Mace. This scrub is full OF wild
hogs-wiId as deer and almost as
fleet often a whole pen full is
framed. In order to kill these hogs
.one must have claim In the scruD
which consists of turning loose IN
the presence Of witnesses one OF
more sows to give you a start Oh
wild hogs. The hogs get hog rat
IN the winter when the acorns are
r,ne During the summer and early
spring they are about the poorest
looking things and 'ornryest' you
can imagine. -.
"But to get back to our Fourth'
When we arrived we pulled up to the
hank through an immense island OF
floating hyacinth and landed on a
sandy beach under spreading i've
oak Then we climbed up a steep
winding path through the thick WOOD
land. Each side of the path is over
grown with all sorts of vines huge
ferns. briars, etc. On top OF the
huff we reached the old plantation
4be house being built Of heart cy-
press is in fine repair. We did no'
uaa Il however, as we wanted to be
ont doors, so we took refuge under
n big open shed formerly used loi
making syrup. After our warm VAIN
We rested in the shade and ate
couple large melons we carried witi
ma. Then we filled the old fire po'
to the sugar boiling kettle with
good fire and as soon as we NAT
good live Goals, we had real isl
fry supplemented with green corr
picked from a nearby patch roasted
sshucks and all in the Goals, An'
then we shore did eat in the Ian
guage of the Florida Cracker Their
were no flies, no mosquitoes no
gnats all day,
eve started home by moonlign
Int It clouded up and got pretty darl
and we found that nothing but man
strength and awkwardness was go
ing to get our old tub back to Eu
reka. After two and one-half hour
continuous rowing we made H. tire'
hut not hungry.
ave have plenty of peas OF gu
own growing now, as well as wafer
melons, corn and pears. But we can
get ice-and no one has cellar ou
we'll is eool-if 1t was not for It W
would parch. The greatest difiicui
ty about housekeeping Is to zee
stuff from spelling from one meal =
another, which necessitates Q fire a
noon which is hard on the cook"
any CONQUEST OF THE POLE.