Down the Muscatatuck. BY PRESTON H. MILES. Monday, June 17.-Seymour is in the northeastern part of Jackson County. From Indianapolis it can be reached in two hours over the Indianapolis, Columbus & Southern Traction line. Seymour is the best point from which to begin the Muscatatuck trip, although it is not located directly on the bank of the river. If one should attempt to set in higher up he would find the stream too small to make travel by water practicable. Here can be purchased groceries and other supplies that will be needed on the trip. A driver can then be found to haul one's boat and supplies to the river, which is only a few miles south of Seymour. The better method, however, of transporting one's boat and kit to the river is to ship them down on the Indianapolis, Columbus & Southern Traction line to Langdon, a "stop" 7 miles south of Seymour. Langdon is about 300 feet in the bank of the river. There are three of us, Dennis, Fred, and I. We are taking with us a supply of groceries that would last three persons a week, although we do not expect to be longer than four or five days. traveling from Seymour to Sparksville, the first town one comes to on the East Fork of the White River after leaving the mouth of the Muscatatuck. But each of us has experienced before now the magic influences that open waters have over the appetite of man. Besides, we may meet with many delays before the trip is ended,-we are not too late to receive a portion of the bounteous spring rains that fall in this part of the State--and we shall pass no towns where additional supplies can be purchased. Our supplies consist of navy beans, potatoes, cornmeal, bread, onions, coffee, condensed milk, butter, bacon, salt, a small can of lark, pickles, and a dozen eggs. Pickles are almost a necessity in any camp; but they can be replaced by apple-butter, or by other articles that contain acid. It is impossible to carry enough eggs and butter to last the entire trip. These, however, can be purchased from farmers and I have no doubt but that fresh milk bought on visits to the farmers will afford a pleasant change from the condensed milk. We are including bacon in our supplies because the stream here at this time of year does not abound in fish as it does earlier in the spring when the river is high. We three shall travel in a fifteen-foot Mullin's steel boat. We have a small canvas covering to stretch over us when we lie down to sleep at night. For cooking over our camp-fires we have with us an iron triangle which the blacksmith at Seymour made for us. Our pans and kettles are thrown loosely into a sack, for the purpose of facilitating the making and breaking of camp. Other articles of our kit are blocks-and-tackle and an axe. The axe will be needed to hew a passageway through portions of heavy timberland where the low-growing limbs of trees lining each bank of the narrow stream are too large to be bent aside. Near such places, too, large drifts of fallen trees, massed with brush, are usually to be found, and around most of these we shall have to drag our boat overground with the blocks-and-tackle. It was 1:30 o'clock by the time we had dragged our boat westward across the field from the interurban line to the bank of the river and had packed our kit preparatory to starting. We did not use the block-and-tackle, but carried the boat empty across the level field, and then made extra trips for our baggage and kit. The river where we set in was about 20 feet wide, with high clay banks on both sides, and shallow. The three of us, besides the kit, made the boat draw so much water that it was impossible to proceed without relieving the boat of a part of its weight. To make our situation more embarrassing a drizzling rain set in. Fred and Dennis took to the banks and left me-I being the only one of us wearing boots-to wade the stream and force a passage for the boat. I soon lost sight of my two companions, who hastened ahead to seek a place where we might find shelter from the rain. And, inasmuch as I did not enjoy the rain a whit more than they, I was quite willing to have them leave me thus. Through drifts and over shallows I labored with the boat, stop ping occasionally for rest and for shelter from the rain beneath some large protecting tree that overhung the river. Many times. I stepped into holes in the river-bed where the water was deeper than my knee-high boots. While forcing the boat over a log that lay across the bed of the stream my footing gave way and I fell into the water. How I longed for a good drying fire! I continued in this manner a distance of 3 or 4 miles. As I turned a bend of the river I saw before me a shed happily located near the edge of the high farther bank. Apparently it was deserted; but at a shout from me Fred and Dennis emerged and directed me to make a landing. I lost no time in carrying out their directions, for now the rain was falling hard enough to balk further progress. Besides, I was hungry, having been with nothing to eat since breakfast, for we had planned to make dinner our first meal on the trip. As soon as we had unloaded our boat and were snugly sheltered in the rough-beard shed, I noticed that my comrades had not been altogether idle while I was bringing the boat downstream. They had collected a pile of good dry wood with which to build a fire, and had spread out a bunch of straw found in the shed to be used as a bed in case we had to spend the night here. They at once informed me that the campfire had not been started only because all the matches we had with us were down at the bottom of our grocery-box. While my comrades busied themselves with cooking, I strove to dry my clothes, and sought cheer from the sparkling fire. The odor of boiling coffee, bacon and eggs, and potatoes cooked with onions began to fill the shed, and it seemed like hours to me before Fred announced that I could now satisfy the ravenous hunger I whetted with my labors down the river. The comforts of the shed had no doubt been looked to by other travelers who had come this way before. In one corner was built a rough-board table, and around this we gathered for the first meal of our trip. To the uninitiated no words can convey an idea of the enjoyment one receives from a meal cooked and eaten in the cpen. Shortly after dinner the rain ceased, and it was decided to proceed on our trip. Although we had made camp intending to spend |