South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-03-07
BY CHARLES RYAN

Of rubber ice during the night and
as the hunters progressed they found
It necessary at increasing intervals
TO use considerable energy in forcing
the boat forward. Slowly they made
their way along the channel skirting
the shore of Big MUD lake. Their
destination was Hickory island.
But they did not reach Hickory is
land that day. Whether the ice be-
came suddenly stronger or the hunt
ers became suddenly careless is not
certain, but that the sides of the
boat became suddenly stove in is Ger
tain. When the waters of Big Mud
the occupants thereof straightWay
forgot Hickory island and began 10
think of home.
Now the nearest point on shore
was not more than 10 rods away.
but those were very long rOds-the
longest rods that Gaskill or Hayes
had ever seen. Also GaskilTs hat
became suddenly very small-sO
small in fact that it took an amazing
number of hatfulls OF water TO cOun-
teract the flow of Big Mud lake into
that boat.
But the goddess of the hunt. as be-
fits an advise goddess had planned
we'll when she ordained that Gaskill
and Hayes should be the victims OF
her perverse mood. OF this chosen
pair. the one. Hayes, weighed pOssib-
ly 100 pounds Che weighs more now,
and the other, Gaskill, weighed at
least 200 pounds. And this is how
the plan worked out
Butch" said Gaskill. you stand
in the bow and shoot the ice away
| in front of us. I'll sIraddle the stern
and shove US along and also / will
continue 10 return the waters of Big
Mud lake 10 the place where they
belong"
And so, with the nose of the
boat pointing to the tree tops
| they came to the land from
whence they had departed. A heavy
winged bird, Tapping lazily over the
march land in search of signs OF
spring, gazed for a moment on the
strange apparitiOn in the waters be-
low and then hastily left for the
south. over on Hickory island the
jacksnipeS laughed among themselves
as they hurried with the mornings
, business. A marauding squirrel start
! ing forth on an early hunt for hid
den stores caught sight of the strug-
Cling thing in the water and only
after four long hours of frenzied
scOlding was he satisfied that at last
he had frightened it ashore and away
through the woods to other parts.
If Gaskill and Hayes had not been
| true sportsmen the goddess of the
hunt would have discovered it that
day when she forced them TO labor
/ four long hours in travelling a dis
lance of 10 rods. They might have
tried the walking. as the water was
not more than four feet deep. but
such procedure was not deemed adj
visable inaSmuch as all reports had
| it that the mud under the water was
at least $50 feet deep. Possibly, be-
ing true sportsmen, they might have
sought out the jacksnipe later on
that unlucky day. but this they did
not do and one is bound to believe
that the reason was that they had
used all of their shells in shooting
Not only did the goddess Of the
/ hunt choose well when she chose a
! 2OO-pOund man to be the companion
I of Butch Hayes on this trip, but
regardless Of the weight. she knew
: that Gaskill would make a good bail
er and would keep out Of that colo
/ water just as long as power to keeI
out remained with him. How the
! goddess knew this is another tale.
In those distant days when the
| country was young, Gaskill and one
/ II. NJ. Kinds, were wont to hunt to-
gether. IL was in the month of Oc-
| tOber, 1889, when these two chose tC
| travel one day by the way of Crum's
point TO the places where the ducks
/ flew low. A two days hunt was
| planned and so Mats" boat was
loaded TO the gunwales when it was
! launched on Grapevine creek.
It was yet early afternoon wher
the two started dow, the meanderinf
! stream toward the Big Kankakee. Ir
! fact there were three hunters who
sstarted down the meandering stream