The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-10-03
the Swamp region amazingly, and fugi-
tive slaves cOlld scarcely hide II, If pnu,

WuoAc wutSe uIeu udES NOT IOIOW, as
they did in the days when Mrs. Stowe
wrote her famous novel Of ''Dred, Tale
of the Dismal Swamp" fit companion to
her Uncle Toms Cabin"
In fact, the only thing about it which
impressed me as being dismal during
our whole passage across it was the belt
of dead, stark trees in the wealth of
blossoms and blooms that bordered the
southern bank of the canal. These trees
were evidently killed when the canal
was dug few years ago, by the mud
being pumped and piled up several feet
high against their trunks. In the twi-
light of evening or early morning they
had most weird and sepulchral aspect
here truly dismal swamp. On the
right bank, this strip extended over a
considerable area in breadth, and in some
places farmers were ploughing and Gull
tivating this land made by dredging,
which should be very fertile.
My sail up the whole length of Chesa-
peake Bay ought to have chapter some
time, to tell of our escape from the fish
nets and weirs at night, mostof which,
fortunately, were protected with lanterns
hanging on them. They extended half
way across the Bay almost throughout
its tire length, and they certainly gave
us excitement enough. We were out
among them only one night, however,
and had fine run up the Bay, and
through all the dark hours our path was
about as brilliantly lighted as Broadway,
because of the numerous illumined pas
senger steamers which passed US, often
too near in spite of our lighted lantern
and side-lights and the horn which we
kept repeatedly sounding to warn them
of our vicinity. 1t was "all hands on
lookout all night" on this Chesapeake
cruise.
My fellow members Of the Coot Club
would have found opportunity enough on
this trip to break not only the game
laws, as it has been charged they did by
some over-Zealous wardens and minions
of the law, but to break all the laws of
the Decalogue as well; for the famous
eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay, or
rather of Maryland, to be accurate, and
as it is known the world around wherever
people entertain or are entertained,
abounds in all the good things of life
which the ''Coots" know so we'll how to
enjoy. Then, too, incidentally, the Bay
was so full of ducks and various other
water fowl that | think even they would
have spared a little time from their
usual avocations to do a bit of shooting
and justify the name of the Club.
The many types of shipping we. passed
would have brought forth well-turned
column from The Journal man; will
merely note: Gloucester fishing
schooner, looking probably for bait; va
rious types of "bugeyes" with their
masts raking we'll aft on the wind and
plumb when before it; canoes ditto, i. e.,
Chesapeake canoes, 80 feet long and
wide, their bottoms solid, thick planks
put together with trunnels. imagine,
as no timbers worthy the name are visi-
BILE in them. Then for steamers, we had
the old side-Wheelers 'Pocahontas.
plying up the James and York Rivers to
Shirley ard Richmond, and the Emma
Giles" running between West River
ports and Baltimore, touching at Annap-
olis-place of pleasant memories and
June weeks" and Navy Hops, as we'll
as early morning starts on horseback to
follow the hounds all day through Anne
Arundel County. The "Aloah,' Com
modore James IN. Y. Y. c. barque-
Old Point Comfort. At Annapolis, where
MAY Brown" still, as in my days of
land and with a gun mounted forward,
forms part of the States "Oyster
Navy to keep law and order among the
oyster men and protect their beds from
thleves-an aggressive, rough and ready
set of fishermen, both whites and blacks.
They are good fellows, too, if you strike
them right. 1t has always been interest
ing to me to see their boats, loaded
decks awash' up in the bay, rise per-
ceptlbly out Of the water as they reach
the salt water OF much greater specific
gravity, lower down near Norfolk. Then
too, the oysters have become lighter by
draining, and Captains who used to run
cargoes of them all the way to New
York tell me it is surprising how much
the Smacks come up out OF water on the
passage, drawing perhaps q foot less at
the end of the voyage than at the start.
At Annapolis a familiar figure was
standing at the head of the dock which
runs into the City Square so far that you
can watch all the life of the market
place a few feet away from camp
stool on your own deck. His black face
was transformed into smile as soon as
he recognized us; so wide that one might
almost look down between the rows Of
big white teeth and see successive layers
of those delicious soft-shell crabs, oys-
tiers, terrapin and roe-shad for which
his little restaurant close at hand is
famous in this part of Maryland. 1t
didn' t take him long to get the bow line
we threw him over the pile heads of the
wharf, | can tell you.
To come in from the desolate waste of
unpeopIed waters and find familiar
face and hand to welcome you at the
edge of the inhabited land is not the
least of the pleasures of ocean cruising,
and here would like to say word about
a man who probably welcomes as many
yachtsmen, winter and summer, as any
other in the country, and does it well,
too. refer to my old friend Capt. Ben
Written, who has charge of the New
port, R. l., station of the New York
Yacht Club in the summer, and of the
dock of Mr.. Flagler's big hotel, the
Royal Palm, at Miami, in the winter. He
knows every boat of any size, owner and
captain, both North and South, and if
you want to know anything about them
when in his locality, go to him. He
can tell you just where your friends
yacht is lying at the present moment;
find a cook in an emergency for your own
boat; look after your mail, kilograms
and packages during your absence and
have them ready when you step on hir
float and have YOUR boat there waiting