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WSCCIUCI
VOLUME XL11I—NUMBER THREE
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«I
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Gloomy
of
Glories
the
Wierd Wastes
Dismal Swamp
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By HELEN GRAY.
Written for Zjhc Sunny South
ROM the time of Its discov
ery that Immense mor.vss
which lies partly in North
Carolina and partly in Vir
ginia, best known as The
Great Dismal Swamp, has
had a fascinating interest
for the observing world.
One of the iirst to specu
late on its possibilities was
the “Father of His Coun
try,” who after the revolu
tion explored the region on
foot and on horseback, in
the Interest of a land company, organ
ized by himself, whose object was to drain
it for .purposes of cultivation. One, writ
ing of General Washington's journey,
gives a graphic description:
“In many parts It was covered with
dark and gloomy woods of cedar, cypress
and hemlock, or deciduous trees, the
branches of which were hung with long
drooping moss. Other parts were almost
inaccessible, from the density of brakes
and thickets, entangled with vines, briers
and creeping plants, and intersected by-
creeks and standing pools. Occasionally
the soil, composed of dead vegetable
fiber, was over Ills horse’s fetlocks, and
sometimes he had to dismount and make
his way on foot over a quaking bog that
shook beneath liis tread.”
A SOGGY MORASS.
Prior to Washington's time indefa
tigable Colonel William Byrd, of far-
famed "Westover,” on the James, sur
veyed the swamp, leaving 11s a pictur
esque 3ce?unt of his trip through the
big morass. So spongy was the soil,
says he, that the “water oozed up into
every footstep.” So thick and tangled
were the “weeds and briers,” that it was
next to impossible to make any headway.
And as for the big cypress trees that lay
athwart their way—wind-blown—they
were “our greatest grievance.” The col
on! 1 also tells of the “ignorant border
ers,” who beguiled his men with tales
©- the wild creatures—lions, bears and
alligators—that they were likely to en
counter in the swamp.
But 'tis to Tom Moore that we are to
pay tribute for the poetic glamor that
surrounds the Great Dismal swamp and
its desolate, weird 1'ike lake. Who (has
not heard of the “death-cold maid” with
the “soul so true,” who all night long
by a “fire fly lamp” “'paddies a white
canoe?”
Shakespeare tells us that the world is
6.000 years old. and never a human yet
has been known to die for love. But
merry Tom Moore, forsooth, pens us
loyaller lines, of exquisite rhythm, of a
lover with .heart as beautiful and true
that he hesitates not to follow the wraith
of his lovely dear to the lonely lake of
the swa.m'o:
“Through tangled juniper, Ibeds of reeds,
And many a fen where the serpent feeds.
And man never trod before!
“And oft from the Indian hunters' camp
This; maid and her lover so true.
Are seen, at the hour of midnight damp.
To cross the lake iby a fire fly lamp.
And paddle the white canoe.”
William Gilmore Sims, too, poetizes when
he visits the ‘Take of the Dismal
Swamp.”
“ 'Tis a wild spot, and even in summer
ho urs.
Wllsh wondrous wealth of beauty and a
charm
For the sad fancy, hath the gloomiest
look.
That awes -with strange repulsion. There
the bird
Sings never merrily in the somber trees.
That seem to have never known a term
of youth.
Their young leaves ail being blighted.”
WITCHING MOONLIGHT EFFECTS.
Although this far-famed body of wa
ter, the real name of which is Hike
Drummond, after the hunter who dis
covered it. Is eveT described as desolate
in aspect, it is not without particular
charm, especially to him of poetic mold.
There is even a beauty in its desolation,
and under the light of the moon! Ah!
Tis divinely fair.
What primarily strikes the visitor to
Hake Drummond is the great number
of dead cypress stumps, knot
ted and gnarled, that stand
about its margin in shallow water.
Swampy woods furnish a background,
with multitudinous reeds and rushes.
Here and there on. ithe rim of the lake,
where the ground is sufficiently high, are
to be seen clearings, the remains of lum
ber camps.
In the wooing springtime the swamp
maple mingles its glowing leaves with the
evergreen of the juniper and the lob-lolly
bay; the holly and the oak. Mistletoe
abounds, and yellow jasmine and trum
pet flowers play conspicuous part.
The lake is 3 miles at its widest part,
and about 7 miles in length. It is cen
trally located in the great swamp, and
has the highest point, being something
!ike 22 feet in altitude.
its maximum depth is about 15 foot,
tlie floor In many parts being covered
with fine white sand. The color of the
water of the Great Dismal in general has
been poetically described as “amber” in
shade, which is because of the juice of
tlie juniper tree. This tree, which is
otherwise known as the white cedar, is
the most abundant as well as the most
valuable, in the swamp. Formerly great
numbers of shingles were made from it.
It reproduces itself at a rapid rate, as
many as three cuttings have been ob
tained inside of twenty years from the
same tract; while its thickness is said
to increase at tite rate of one inch a.
j car.
In many parts of the swamp are great
deposits of peat, in which are to bo found
trunks of trees magnllioently preserved.
That in which grows the juniper tree is
vtry poor, when cleared, hardening rap
idly beneath the sun. Far different is
that part of the swamp in which black,
gum has grown, which is noted for its
fertility, the peat being from three to
ten to fifteen feet in thickness; the soil
black, having the advantage of more
advanced vegetable decomposition.
A beautiful tree in the Dismal swamp
Dismal Swamp Canal, Showing Feeder That Connects with the Lake of the Dismal Swamp, Lake Drun mord.
region !s the star-leafed sweetgum, and
some others are elm, chestnut, willow,
beech and rosemary pine. Ferns are
i-.ntiful in the Black Gum section.
'•’in !iu .Itfj .ip liiUiij. creeks and rlwus
have tiheir source, among the number
being the Xansemond and the no-ble Eliz
abeth, upon which stands the progressive
city of Norfolk.
CENTURY-OLD CANAL.
The Dismal swamp canal, which con
nects Norfolk harbor with the Pasquo
tank river, had its beginning more than
a century ago. It is fed by water from
the lake. Within the last feu- years
•tl:ie canal has been considerably deepen
ed, and consequently a growing trade Is
springing up along its way- Dumber is
a chief industry and the market gar
dening on the reclaimed lands, of prime
importance. The eon trade is of b’g
value, most of It going to Germany to
ibe used as seed corn. Potatoes and cab
bage are extensively cultivated, and it
is said that excellent celery can be rised
in the black gum land.
From a sportsman's point of view, we
are told that bears are occasionally seen
on the edge of the swamp, coming up
from its interior, and black bass are
abundant In the la'I
As for the “runaway slaves” story,
connected wf.?Tl the Great Dismal, it is
largely myth.
The swamp in length and breadth is,
respectively, 30 and 10 miles. It is sup
posed to have been a great salt lake,
and r,-io- to tlhat a part of the ocean
When the swamp canal was being built
deposits of marine animals were dug up
from a depth, in some places, of 17 feet.
The water of the Dismal swamp im
pregnated by the bark and wood of the
juniper tree, is claimed to be very health
ful. it will keep pure a long whil^_ and
erstwhile ships were in the habit of bar
reling it for use.
Climatically speaking, the winters of
the region are mild, the summer hot,
tCTough not intensely so.
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U/>e Deserter’s Story
A Series of Humorous Stories by
Gelett Burgess and Will Irwin
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DON’T exactly know why
I married Maxie Morrow,
except that I've always
been a' fool about women.
The thing came so sud
den. I Just jumped and
caught her on the fly.
M'hen she left me, 1 went
pretty much to the bad.
Then Harry Maidslow dis
appeared, because of debts
and one thing or another,
and I turned up as Harry
Roberts In St. Bouls. That
was just about when the Spanish war
broke out. It was too good a chance
to lose, and I decided to begin all over
again. So I enlisted in the regulars,
joining the One Hundred and Fourteenth
infantry. I was hardly more than
through the goosestep when we were
sent to ihe Philippines.
I was no slouch or shirk, either, but I
knew more about eating than anything
else, and I naturally gravitated to the
cook's tent and put him on to a lot of
things the boys liked. I got to be rather
popular with the company In this way,
and when the commissary sergeant was
appointed in Manilla I managed to get
the place, thou-h I was only a rookie.
Perhaps the captain's wife helped me
out side. She, being an officer's lad}',
wasn’t supposed to know I was on earth,
but somehow she noticed me and fixed
It up easy.
Commissary work was a snap—little
drill, no guard mount, leave of absence
occasionally, and the run of the town in
a little pony cart. You see each com
pany had its quota of rations. We could
draw them, or leave them and get credit.
There was maple sirup and candy, can
ned fruit and chocolate, and all sorts of
good stuff In the store house that we
could get at wholesale rates. By cut
ting down on fresh meat and pinching on
bacon, I managed the company’s accounts
so that we could have hot griddle cakes
and maple sirup everry day. That's the
way I held my job. if 1 ever become
famous it will be for having introduced
pie in the Philippines.
Every morning I drove around Manila,
visiting the markets with a man to
help me, exchanging sacks of flour for
fresh baker’s bread and cakes, getting
chickens,and so on, besides making friends
right and left. About two nights every
week I was dancing or flirting with the
half breed women; Me&tizas they called
them. That’s how I got into trouble.
Her name was Senorlta Maria del Pilar
Assompcian Aguilar, and nothing that
ever I saw could touch her for looks.
She was the kind of woman that makes
you forget everything else that ever liap-
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pened before. She and her brother owned
about the whole of a province in the
middle of the island of Luzon. When
she came Into the room It was all over
with me. There was more of the Span
ish than the Filipino in her. enough to
give her the style and air of a lady, but
she got her beauty from the tropics. Her
hair was like one of those hot, black
nights they have down there—silky ami
soft, drifting around her face—but it was
her eyes that made you lose sleep. They
were blue black, not melting, but wide
awake and piercing. They were just a
hit crossed, hardly a hairbreadth out,
but that little cast seemed to make her
even more prettier than If they were
straight. A Kansas sergeant told me
that the family was In from their coun
try place, and that the secret service
people were watching her. She and her
brother were suspected of knowing a
good, deal about Aguinaldo's plans.
You remember that after the battle of
Manila the American troops lay in town
for months, just drilling and waiting to
see what the insurgents were going to
do. There were all sorts of rumors
afloat, and nobody knew which way the
cat would jump. The Filipinos were
camped in a semi-circle outside the city
and growing uglier every day. Our sen
tries were watching them close enough
to see every nigger that stuck his finger
to liis nose at us.
I saw more an more of Marla, danced
with her, or went to her house every
night I could get off. It wasn't long
before I saw that I had her going. Her
brother looked as if he'd like to bolo me
in the back, and never left us alone for
u moment. I didn't care. I was too far
gone myself to be afraid of him. I've
seen one or two women In my time, but
she could put it over them all.
Love goes pretty fast in hot countries.
One night I happened to find her alone.
Her brother WSCs away on some Ka’tlpu-
nan conspiracy business, most likely, or
perhaps dodging our spies. She was
dressed like a queen all ready for me. I
had no more than come in when she
threw herself into my arms and lay there
crying. I had gone too far, and I was in
for it.
1 let her stay there a little while, kiss
ing her and trying to get her quiet, and
then I looked away, and told her what I
should have told her long before—that I
had a wife and couldn't marry. She took
it pretty hard at first.
After she had cried she laughed, and
there was a load off my mind. I said to
myself that 'women must bo different
down here, and thought I was lucky to
get out of it so easy. I thought per
haps she hadn’t been so badly hurt, after
all. She aa!d we'd forget It, and be
friends, just the same. I was a fool and
believed it. She asked me to come back
tomorrow, and I said I would.
The next day I met Senor Aguilar, her
brother, and he seemed to be as friendly
os If we were bunkles. He ins.sted upon
my having a drink with him. He seemed
to be glad to Know that Maria and I
weren’t so much lovers as he had
thought. We sat most of the afternoon
drinking cognac and I got more and
more pleased at having squared myself
with them both. Then some one must
have hit me over the head.
When I came to my head was bursting.
My Hands were bound and I was cover
ed with a sheet of canvas, being jolted
in a little bobbing cart. I yelled for
help and my only answer was the bar
rel of a Mauser rifle stuck in my face.
Then I went off Into a stupor and for
the rest of that trip I only remember
heat, thirst, hunger, tsiff joints and a
murderous headache, 'the Journey seem
ed to go on for years and years, but I
didn't have energy enough even to won
der what had happened or where I was
going.
Finally I found myself stretched upon
a cot In a white walled room, looking
through a great arched window into a
green patio waving with palms. Senor
Aguilar was standing beside me, smiling
wickedly. Bromo seltzer wouldn’t have
cleared my head the way the sight of
him did.
“Senor Roberts,” he said, as soon as
he saw 'that I ivas fully conscious, “pos
sibly you may have suspected that I
have not always been charmed at the
attentions you haTe paid Senorita Maria.
However, you will be glad lo learn that
I have at last decided to accept you as
my brother In law. I hare given direc
tions that the marriage ceremony shall
take place tomorrow evening. I shall
be honored by the alliance. I am sure,
for within a week you will be the only
Americano alive on the island of Luzon.
I have just come from a conference with
General Aguinaldo, and the council of
war has set upon February 4 as the date
when we shall have the pleasure of cap
turing Manila and exterminating your
army. Y'ou are at Carrino, a hundred
miles from the city, helpless and un
armed. I think you will see the advisa
bility of accepting gracefully the privi
lege of becoming a member of our dis
tinguished family.
“It is barely possible,” he went on.
“that you may feel like declining to be
come the husband of Senorlta Maria.
Americanos are not "renowned for their
courtesy. So I give you a day to think
it over We Agmlars do not often force
ourselves upon strangers, but under the
circumstances I consent to forget our
family pride. You may give me your
answer tomorrow.”
I knew what he meant. This was a
sample of Spanish revenge with a Fili
pino barb to it. If I stayed, I was a
branded deserter. T 'knew that, and
Aguilar knew it, too. And he was sure
enough that I'd never marry his sister
under those circumstances, or he’d never
'.have made the offer. The only possible
rway out of IT—although that seemed
hopeless—was to escape, carry the news
to General Otis and save the army. It
would mean a pardon, and may.be shoul
der straps for me.
Could i .get away? That was the ques
tion. 1 had no time to lose. To travel
a hundred miles through an unknown
hostile country in a week, without arms,
food or money, was no child’s play. But
1 'watched my chance.
About sundown a Taga’.o woman, home-
iv as a hedge fence, came in with my
dinner. She hung round as though she
•were willing to talk, and i set to work
to see how l could use her. Dd had
some experience wilih women and I had
found them mostly alike, black and
■white, and 1 used every trick I knew on
her. Of all the cyclone love making I
ever did, that got over title 'ground the
quickest. I worked so hard I almost
meant It, and she rose to the hook.
That night she got the guard off, filled
him u'P with bine, and showed me the
way out of the plantation through the
banana grove. Outside, she had a little
scrub pony waiting. She pointed to It.
and gave me a general idea of the direc
tion, then put her arms on my shoulder
and held up her great thick lips to be
kissed. That was about the hardest
work I lhad on the whole trip. Then i
Jumped into the saddle and pelted down
the road like Sheridan 30 miles away. 1
(thought 1 was a hero, all right, and l
saw my picture In the papers with
shoulder straps and the girls kissing me
like Hobson. It was a grandstand play
■to save the army. As near as 1 could
calculate that was the night of January
31. and 1 had six days to get to Manila.
It looked easy.
I kept as nearly soud.i as I could
guess, and rode tlhat pony almost to
death. At daylight I hid and nobbled
him and crawled into the brush to sleep.
When I wdJke up the nag was lying in
a puddle of blood, hamstrung. That was
the first blow
I got under cover and crawled like a
snake till I came to a patch of banana
trees, where i stopped long enough to
eat and to Itll my pockets. For two
days I kept it up, making about 30 miles
south, I suppose, dodging villages, skirt
ing tlie roads and sleeping most of tine
daytime. I was hot and dusty; food
was scarce and water was scarcer.
■So I fought my way through the trop
ical night, tortured by mosquitoes, insects
and ants. Luckily it was near the full
of the moon, and I was able to drag
myself along all ni'g'ht. The way was
gradually becoming more moist and
swampy. I toiled through slippery mud,
and had often to make detours t.o avoid
sinking in great morasses. Then, just
at dawn of the third morning I came
upon the banks of the Pasig. Now I had
four days more in which 'to save the
army, and a quiet river to drift down at
night, hiding by daylight, if 1 could only
find something to float on.
Toward noon, as T lay in the bushes. I
saw an empty boat bobbing down
stream. I swam out to it, hauled it
ashore, and TTT it in 'the bushes. That
night I began to paddle down the river,
calling myself "Lieutenant” Roberts.
Twice before morning I thought I heard
the sound of oars or paddles behind me.
and got inshore to listen, but nothing
appeared. At dawn I drew to the bank,
hid the boat and crawled to a safe place
and slept like a horse. After I had
■foraged for bananas and got back to the
river the boat wag gone! I began to
lose hope
After I had followed the bank of the
river for some distance, some logs came
drifting down the current. I took the
chances of being seen, and swam out and
captured two of them. Tied together
with long, tough creepers they made a
passable raft, and a.ll that night I floated
down stream, paddling as well as I couid
with my bands. I passed a lot of houses
and villages on the banks, and so I
knew that I was approaching the city.
Sometimes I heard the sound of drums
and bugles, for the insurgents were all
over the country raising recruits. I must
have been wandering in my mind by that
time, for I wasn't a bit scared any more
—only wtachlng for wild bananas and
bread-fruit, and wondering how long I’d
last. I succeeded in killing some of the
many tame ducks I saw. and ate them
raw, not daring to build a fire.
Next night the river broadened out into
a good-sized lake. By the look of it, I
took it to be Laguna de Bay, about 25
miles from Manila. I had only that night
and the next day to reach our troops.
If the first shot were fired before 1 got
to the outposts, I might Just as well drop
into the Pasig and go to the bottom.
When the sun rose I slid into the water
and struck out for the shore, intending
to take my chances along the bank by
daylight. This was the morning of Feb
ruary 4. Somehow, some way, I had
to get through the circle of the Filipino
lines drawn about the city. I hoped that
I was too close to the town for them
to dare to interfere with an American
soldier In the daytime. So I climbed
Up a slippery bank and broke into the
brush, about as tired and discouraged as
a man could be and still live.
Then—all of a. sudden—I was nailed from
behind! The game was up. Somebody
gripped me by the throat. I was so weak
there was no fight left in me. I11 half a
minute I was bound by a dozen niggers,
who eagle Jumping out of the bushes
and fell on top of me from all sides at
once. 1 didn't much care what they
were going to do with me; 1 had quit.
Five days of fear and suspense and suffer
ing had token every bit of nerve out
of me.
As soon as I was tied up they began
to rush mo along the road, kicking m«
up every time I faltered, and jabbing me
with bolos when I fell. 1 don't, know
why I didn’t die right then. I don't
know why my lrair isn't white.
At last we came to a little uipa hut
guarded by Filipino soldiers in dirty white
uuiforms and hare feet. i was thrown
Inside, unbound and given a gourd of
rice. I ate it, hoping it was poisoned.
From all I saw. I was sure the tip about
the outbreak was straight, for the place
was bustling with soldiers coming and
going, and I noticed they all had ammu
nition.
At about 4 o'clock I was hound again
and gagged. I thought it was the end,
sure, this time, and I was ready to die
game. But it was only a new kind of
torture. They prodded me with their
bayonets, marching me to a place where
l could look through the bushes right
across a little river. There, on the othei
side, was one of our sentries pacing up
and down, and way off I saw the Stars
and Stripes floating in the sun. I could
hear a band playing “There’ll Be \
Hot Time,” too. If I could have yelled
•across just once and given our boys
warning, I wouldn't have minded any
thing they did to me- But I was gagged.
I believe I cried .
Then they took me back to the hut, and
(right came on. Every minute that passed
made the torture worse and worse. I
didn’t care for myself any more; 1 was
only thinking about tile boys across the
river, all unconscious of what was going
to happen. I knew so well how careless
they had got to be, and what fun they
made of the idea that the niggers could
possibly have the nerve to attack us.
They would all be fooling around the
streets of Manila, probably half of them
at the theater or dancing or in the cafes,
leaving only the guard to take the first
rush. It didn't seem possible that we
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