Year: 1877

which we turned as gladly as n II wero the Styx


THE DEVILS ELBOW.


We were now in the "Devil's Elbow" Such is the
significant name given tortuous and shallow chan
ncl, paved with profound mud and cloggcd with
most riotous growth Of rank smelling vegetation
The boatman's pole sank nearly its full
length in the oozy bottom aud We barely crawied
through a dense mass OF Wild potato vines, growing
two iect higher than the water. The DEVILS Elbow
but an initiation TO tribulation We were wonder
ing what hs become OF great volume OF tho river
when we reached tho upper end OF the "Goose Pas.
ture," where 1t suddenly becomes wider than ever.
The water Is here very shallow and crowded with
dense growth of grass and rushes. which tho boat
must DO forced patiently and by slow degrees Tho
bottom is soft and reacherous and often the boatman
with violent exerlon thruss his pole far down, raag
lining he is making great progress, when in attempting
extrcatc il ho pulls the boat back further than It
had advanced 1t may be believed that tho profanity
here supernduced might justify vesting the title 70
the whole OF this portion Of tho river in HIS Putonic
Majesty. The Pasure' Is favorte feeding place for
ducks, but the lato season had already rendered It
nearly solitude. Luckily for the crew Of tho Ca
ciquc the river full Of water and she slided to
crably fast through this region.


nELLs HALF ACRE.
Our misery was not yet over. however, for as tho
"Dovil's Elbow inducted into tho 'Goose PASTURE
so "Hers Half Acro' was the gauntlet by which We
escaped. 1t was indeed the slmiest, softest oozc
through which We havo yet navigated Had it not
been for high water it would have detained US many
hours, but safely emerged from Eve miles OF dis
gusting toll much earlier than had hoped II was
just at the end OF the sort Of purgatory which have
described that recognized the character OF the forest
the point whore the line of exploration OF the HERALD
camp at Sink o. Pinhooks terminates Imado a recon-
nosance OF the and along the edge Of the open
water with great care, and ran little way
up q tributary stream flowing into the Wacissa on
the west side. Siemming its current short
distance wc found it 10 be quito rapid although
divided into many smaller volumes. At length these
became SO numerous as TO perpcx me, and deter
mined TO proceed down the wacissa and establish my
camp before further exploration. We arc now hero,
and to morrow hope TO have gone far toward asccr
tanning whether the island discovered in January
be reached from this side


MYSTERIOUS BAYOU.


JUNE 16.-Yesterday morning, little alter the break
of day. poles and paddles, NOT shoots and saddles,
sounded in the HERALD camp The Cacique,
relieved Of much of her cargo which left in charge
OF her cook moved lightly up stream until we reached
the mouth Of the bayou, which had been entered on
the previous day. As left the Wacissa the
landscape became wilder The waters OF the stream





Very frequently ths poler could nnd bottom. but
tho trees were so on either side that the boat
easily propelled.


QUERY FROM THE MAsrER--"Is there any bottom
there ?"


':Not a spec, sah''


''Wel how Is 1t now ?n


swell, dcy's little spec. sah''


INSTRUCTIONS


At rst after safely threading labyrinth Of chutes
which had bcwildered mo, the bayou presented clear
avenue for voyage OF discovery; out this continued
not long Penetrating the region west Of the Wacissa
about two miles the channel began TO be dangerously
set with snsgs, and frequently the boat, in making
headway against the whlriing current. would have
been wrecked had she not been carefully Tended from
the visible pcrils in her way. We could always
avoid those which hidden undor the black water
and sudden shocks aud the quivsrng OF tho Cacique
frequently alarmed greatly. Turning bend in tho
channel wo were unexpectedly checked by beholding
enormous tree lying across IT, just as 1t had fallen
after having been slowly deprived Of support by the
insdious waters.


AN UNLucKy REcoSSoIssANcE.


Whilo part OF the crew wero employed in cutting
through the barrier, l, with Jake, landed on small
knob Of terra frsd, which luckily near at hand
We advanced into the forest straight norhward nnd.
ing tho wator through which we waded only about two
feet Deep but the shrubbcry and vines dense
as to bo almost mpenctraole. Our object to find
somo mark OF our former survey eastward of the
Islands. to compare tho of the bayou with
its bearings After we had gone short distance from
tho boat the jungle dark and entanglcd that it
became apparent 10 that the exploration might be
better expedited by following strictly the snuoses OF
the bayous and not trusting to wasting time upon
the uncertainty OF wandering foot in such track
less wilderness. This conclusion not less speedily
reached because Of encounterng several full grown
moccasins that seemed little disposed to avoid
Their proportions such as had
heard described, but had not before 10.
leved in. We pushed forward a mile, taking
pains to break wigs along the path made and occa.
sionalIy to blaze tree. In certain nosomo fens,
where the water seemed etcrnally stagnant covered
with hdeous green slime, swarms Of mosquitoes
and sand flies beset us, and misery became inde.
scrbabc Plainly, 1t was too late in the season for
pedestrian exploration to be practicable The attend
ant pers aud iormcnts we're too much like what had
always believed wcrc reserved only for tho dominion
of darkness in another world who we wero dis
cussing tho prudence OF abandoning this rcconnos-
sancc away from the boat we houghtessy proceeded
few steps onward without the precaution OF marking
our course. We concluded TO turn back, and then,
imagine our constornation on finding no Glow to the
direction whence camel We searched for it in vain.
For moment the sensation OF being lost
rushed mo- and realized new phase of
horror. The predicament not desperate. however
for had the rdo and discharged it into tho air. The
wind bore back faint reply from the boat. and
we set out return. After going short distance in
obedience to the signal we were grataed by coming
upon the landmarks which we had made but had so
fooshy abandoned.


SOLE FoLKsn


The tree which impcded the voyage had bccn cut
away. Tho channel presented obstacles which
grow moro and moro frequent. For mile the axe was
piled vigorously, as the bow OF tho Cacque run
against log after log which had firmly anchored against
the bases of the expresses the opposite sides Of
stream The loud strokes started huge owls from their
roosts and whenever thcso moping dcnzcns Of sc-
tude were tho negroes eager put end
their existence. Tbeir sayings disclosed amusing
kind OF superstition. While fancying that was
~ he