South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-03-07
ALONG THE WILD-LAND TRAILS
Which
lint and
ing Kankske Where Throvet peandt Duck.

, on that afternoon, and they were
Gaskill and Kinds and Kinds dog.
With these three, together with guns
and a liberal stock of ammunition
and food, that little boat of Mats
was hard pressed TO remain above the
water. Nevertheless all went well on
the Grapevine while the sun peered
through the tree tops and struggling
birds piped the death song of the
summer.
The shadows OF the day were reach
ing long fingers across the marsh Of
the Big Kankakee when the boat
came into the narrow channel of the
river opposite Long island. A stray
mallard floating among the rushes
sighted the approaching craft and
straightway sought safety in flight.
Now Matt" Kinds had a habit Of
stopping mallards when they sought
safety in flight and he saw no reason
why he should make an exception of
this particular mallard. The gun
spoke and the mallard fell.
Meanwhile MATHS dog had rested
quietly in the bottom of the boat dur
| ing the long. afternoon. When he
heard the gun speak and saw the mall
lard fall he Immediately knew his
duty and did it. As he sprang over
board 10 retrieve the fallen bird the
jar was too much for the heavy-laden
boat, which straightway rolled over,
and, with. a gurgle of satisfaction. de-
| posted its load on the bottom of the
Big Kankakee.
AS the gO~~~ss OF the hunt would
| have IL, th~ Goat went over where the
water was not much more than five
feet deep. When the dog came back
with the mallard he found his master
and his masters companion search
ing frantically in the rivers slime for
what they might find Of guns and
shells and other things And when
| the dog learned that he did not un-
derstand the new game he went to
the shore and. standing guard over
the mallard, he watched and waited
| TO see what might happen next.
Finally, with dampened clothes and
! dampened guns, and dampened shells.
and dampened spirits the hunters
| climbed into their little boat and
pulled stoutly away enroute for the
! state ditch bridge and Charley Yer
! milleF's place. They padded until
far after the time that the sun had set
and they padded until the great dip
per was well along on its nightly
| course through the heavens; they pad
| died until the noise of splashing wa
| ter haunted them as the voices of
evil spirits.
Travelling thus, Gaskill at last sug-
! gested that possibly they were lost.
Matt was certain that this was not
so for-had he not travelled the way
many times before and would it not
| be easy for him to know when they
might come TO the place where Char
| ley Vermiller had his abode? And so
! they padded on and on until the
hours seemed heightened into days
and the haunting noise of splashing
water Wracked their nerves. And then
4 4 i. 81 L. Ill a.
camp for the remainder of the night
as neither was sure whether the state
ditch bridge had been passed or not.
And so they turned the boat to land
and betook themselves TO a spot where
the ground seemed to have somewhat
| of the feeling of firmness under their
| feet. The marsh grasses grew to the
height of a mans head all about them
! and these they trampled down in one
place To the semblance of a bed, and
! then lay themselves down to sleep
until the morning came.
/ When at last the hunters were
awakened by the rustling of the
marsh grasses in the early morning
| breeze they found that their bed had
settled until they themselves were
| laying in six inches of water. Not
caring, under the circumstances. to
| roll over and go to sleep again, they
/ made their way to the boat and re-
sumed their journey. They bent to
their oars and were just warming to
/ the task when there came into view
the state ditch bridge. Within a half
| hour the wanderers were at the home
! Of Charley Nermiller and there
| wrapped in blankets and quilts and
! stationed close to roaring fire they
spent the day sweating the chills
from their systems.