Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1958-01-09
It was lust one Of those things:

Paul Delphey and had zoomed up from Sen
eca to hunt raccoons on Seldons Island, the fourth
island upriver from Seneca 1t had been damp,
dark, MINDLESS night when our boat landed at the
tip of the huge 500-acre iSland-an island known
all over the East as having been the home of the
sanguinary Conoy Indians. We intended to make
a complete river edge circle of the island.
Its a peach of night" said Paul as he
jumped out and started tying up the boat.
at sure is" said 1, ''but 1 wouldn't be sur
prised if we aren't in for some fog"
Now fog on the river is the bane of the
night hunter. You don't know what to do about
it. II you don't have compass (and who knows
how to read compass, anyway you're in a bad
spot. You might have the fastest boat on the
water but when you're out on that river in a fog
you haven't the slightest idea just where you are
going. In our particular case we would have had
to find the Maryland shore about 1900 feet from
the island. If you'd attempt to hold straight line
across the river you'd find that this would be
we'll nigh impossible. Ninety-nine times out of
hundred land I've tried it many times) you'd
make circle and land right back somewhere on
the island you'd just left You'd see your foot
prints and the dogs footprints and you'd know
for sure you were back on the Island
We'd tried all kinds of ways to beat the fog
Like going say hundred feet and then throwing
out the anchor at the bow and letting the boat
straighten out. Then would know with the
of the boat upstream that the right
would be the Maryland side, and on the left would
be the island. Then we'd haul in the anchor and
go until we got mixed up again. But we never
were able to find the right shore this way.
The Job was hercllean.
Well, to get back to the original story, the
night Paul and hunted Seldon's-we had gotten
about halfway around the island when the fog
to end fogs settled down. 1t got so bad you
could hardly see your hand in front of your face.
BY the time we got back to the boat with the two
raccoons we had caught, we both knew we were
in a spot We were definitely marooned. There
was no way we knew of how to get to the Mary
land shore Worse it had begun to rain, slowly
but steadily
And so there was nothing much else to do
but build fire and wait. A fire wasn't any prob
lem with pile of driftwood handy almost as
tall as a house. With the aid of little cupboard
motor gasoline we soon had the wet wood burn
ing brightly. The dogs came in and lay down
nearby. We huddled as close to the blaze as we
could. We were in a spot and knew it. It
was only 10 o'clock-a long time til daylight 1t
looked like a long wet might.
We both knew that if we could get across to
the Maryland shore could have grand hunt
the four miles back to Seneca. 1t would be an
easy matter to come back the next day in another
boat and get the boat we had left that night. But
how could we get across that river?
I was on the Virginia shore one night by
myself when the fog caught me. knew could
not get across. I didn't even have an cupboard
motor All had was long pole. Well, like
a pole better than like oars-I can make better
time with pole. But pole wasn't going to do
me any good that night, thought
And then, suddenly heard farm dog be-
gin to bark over in Maryland somewhere. Now,
thought l, If that dog will just keep on barking
I'll know just where Maryland is, and I'll make
it, And you know, that dog did keep right on
barking, and went across the river as straight
as a shot. 1t wasn't any trouble.
But dog barked the night were on
Seldons.
was resigned to the inevitable.
Not so, Paul Delphey.
All of sudden he sprang to his feet, Come
Roy, let's build up this fire." he said.
With that he began tearing into that big
pile Of driftwood and throwing it on the fire. l
didn't know what he was up to but did the same
thing Pretty soon we had the granddaddy of all
camp fires shooting up to tree top level That was
some fire, believe me- What in the world was
Paul up to anyway, thought l.
And then the full portent of his idea hit me
collisions or collisions with pedestrians, Bonnell
pointed out.