LOST IN THE SWAMP
"This is certainly a wilderness!"
It was Snap who uttered the words, as he stood in the bow of the
rowboat, taking in the scene before him. They had left Firefly Lake
five miles behind them and were on the winding stream leading to Lake
Narsac. On one side of the watercourse were rough rocks and on the
other a tangled mass of underbrush, backed up by rocks and tall cedars.
"A fellow could never make his way through such a woods as that,"
said Whopper, nodding in the direction of the forest. "Why, you'd
tear your clothing all to pieces!"
"I can tell you one thing," put in Shep. "I think there must be
plenty of game up here---if only one can get to it."
They had taken turns at rowing and poling the craft along. For
the most part the poling was better than rowing, for the stream
was too full of rocks to admit the free use of oars. Twice they
had bumped on the projections under water, once with such violence
that Giant, who had been standing at the time, had almost gone
overboard. Once they had to carry craft and outfit around a sharp
bend. The boat had started to leak a little, but not enough to
cause anxiety.
Noon found them encamped on a point of land where the stream appeared
to divide into two parts, one running to the northeast and the other
to the northwest. Which branch to take to get to Lake Narsac they did
not know.
"This is a fine how-do-you-do!" was Whopper's comment. "I wish we
had questioned Jed Sanborn about it."
"From what I thought he said I imagined there was but one stream
leading to the lake," said the doctor's son.
"Perhaps there is, Shep; but which is the one?"
"Don't ask me. One looks as good as the other."
"On the map Lake Narsac is to the northwest of Firefly Lake," came
from Giant. "Consequently I should say that we ought to take the
stream flowing in that direction."
"That sounds reasonable," answered Snap, and the others nodded.
Coming along the watercourse they had managed to shoot several
quail, of the sort known by many as partridge, and also some other
birds. Shep had likewise brought down two squirrels. They had
scared up several rabbits, but these had gotten away in the underbrush.
"Let us take a good rest before we go further," said Shep, while he
was eating. "There is no use of our killing ourselves with rowing
when we are only out for fun."
The others agreed, and as a consequence they took a nap after the
meal and did not get started again until three o'clock.
They soon found the stream they were on broad but shallow, and
felt sure it would lead to the lake. They kept on steadily until
six o'clock, and then came to a halt at a point where the watercourse
narrowed and ran between a series of jagged rocks.
"We ought to be getting to the lake pretty soon," was Snap's comment.
"Jed Sanborn told me we could make the trip from Firefly Lake in a
day if we didn't fool along the way."
"Well, don't forget that we stopped for a nap," answered Whopper.
"Perhaps we'll get there before it gets dark."
Having passed the rocks, they found the stream broadening out once
more. The bottom was now muddy, and here and there grew large clumps
of reeds and cattails.
"This seems to be more of a swamp than a lake," was the comment of
the doctor's son. "From what Jed Sanborn said I thought it was a
narrow stream all the way to the lake."
"So did I," added Giant. "I begin to feel that we have made a
mistake."
"If we have, you're to blame," grumbled Whopper.
"Oh, you were willing enough to come this direction," answered Giant
sharply. "If we are wrong, you needn't blame me."
"It's your fault!"
"Oh, don't quarrel about it," interposed Snap. "We were all willing
to come this way. If we have made a mistake---" He did not finish.
"Don't croak until you are sure we are mistaken," said Shep.
A silence followed, and they moved on, the stream growing broader
as they advanced. It was a lonely spot, and as it grew darker the
loneliness seemed to increase. On all sides were the immense trees
and dense brushwood, while the stream was dotted with little
islands, covered with reeds and rushes and small, thorny bushes.
The sun had gone down, and as the darkness increased the boys looked
at each other wonderingly. This was not at all what they had expected.
"If this is Narsac Lake I don't want to stay here," remarked Shep.
"Why, it can't hold a candle to Cameron or Firefly."
"No wonder nobody comes here," grumbled Whopper. "It's nothing but
a swamp."
"This can't be Lake Narsac," answered Snap. "Don't you remember what
we heard---that it is a very deep lake, set right in among the
mountains. We have made a mistake."
"I see something ahead," said Giant, who was standing in the bow. "It
looks to me like a signboard. Let us row up to it."
"A signboard is just what we want," said Snap, and took up the
oars. Soon they reached the board, which was nailed to a post
set on one of the reedy islands. The board read as follows:
Hooper's Pond S. Hooper, Owner No campingers allowe
"Hooper's Pond!" cried Snap. "We certainly have made a mistake!"
"'No campingers allowed,'" read the doctor's son. "His spelling
and grammar are not very strong but he knows what he means."
"Well, we don't want to camp here," said Whopper in disgust. "Mr.
S. Hooper can keep his pond to himself and welcome."
"I think we'll have to camp here for to-night," said Shep. "We
can't go back to where we took lunch with darkness coming on.
And I am hungry, too."
They were all hungry and tired, and after a brief talk decided to
remain at the pond over night and in the morning retrace their way
to where the stream had forked.
"Shall we camp on one of the islands, or on the shore?" questioned
Shep.
"The main thing is to find some dry spot," answered Snap. "To me
all the ground around here looks spongy and wet."
They tried several of the islands, but found them soft and uncertain,
and so rowed over to the shore on the west. Here was a little hill,
covered with dewberries, and having cleared a spot, they erected
their tent and built a campfire.
"If Mr. S. Hooper is around he may chase us away," said Snap. "But
we'll take the chance of his not being in this vicinity."
The swamp was full of flies and mosquitoes, and they were glad
enough to keep near the fire, to get rid of the pests. After the
cooking was done they built a smudge, of wet reeds, and this helped
to keep the insects away. But it was not a cheerful spot and when
the boys went to bed all felt depressed.
Snap was the first up in the morning, and while he was getting
breakfast ready, Giant took his shotgun and went off in quest of game.
"There ought to be plenty of wild fowl around a swamp like this,"
said the small member of the club. "I am going to see what I can
bring down before we leave."
"If you bring down much you'll have Mr. S. Hooper in your wool,"
answered Snap.
"I don't believe he is around. And, another thing, I didn't see any
fences."
"Nor I. I guess you are safe in bringing down whatever you can
hit. But don't stay out too long."
Giant walked to the other side of the little hill and then along a
cove of the big swamp. Far ahead he saw some birds, resting close
to the water's edge. He felt they might be quail or perhaps some
wild turkeys.
The ground was anything but firm, and Giant soon had to leap from
one dry patch to another. He was half tempted to turn back, but now
he was almost within gun-shot of the game and he hated to give up
the quest.
"I'll go back a bit from the water and come around on the other
side," he reasoned. Then he took to another course, only to find,
presently, that it was worse than the first. He was now between
clumps of reeds, and almost before he knew it one of the clumps
turned over on him, sending him into the water and mud up to his
knees.
"Gracious! this won't do!" he muttered, and tried to turn back.
He found the water and mud very treacherous, and in a few seconds
he went down again, this time to his waist. His feet were in the
mud so firmly that he could scarcely budge them. He let out a cry
for help. Then the mud below the surface commenced to sink, and
in a few minutes poor Giant was up to his armpits. What to do he
did not know, and it looked as if he would surely be drowned.