198 



THE OOLOGIST. 



laden barges and vessels as do not 

 attempt the ocean trip. 



We made our start from Norfolk on 

 the eighteenth of September, 1901. It 

 was difficult even in Norfolk to obtain 

 any accurate information in regard to 

 the swamp, or by what means it could 

 be reached. We made frequent in- 

 quiries along the wharf front as to the 

 whereabouts of the canal, generally 

 eliciting that discouraging answer, 

 "Deed I doan know sah." However 

 after much travel and questioning we 

 obtained the information that the 

 canal was at Gilmerton, some seven 

 miles from Norfolk and that a steam- 

 er for that place left Norfolk at two 

 o'clock in the afternoon. After assur- 

 ing ourselves that this information 

 was correct, we visited the office of the 

 Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal 

 Company where we obtained an inter- 

 view with the manager. From him 

 we learned that there was a canal 

 which started from Deep Creek, the 

 latter place being abont two and a half 

 mile from Gilmerton. He also in- 

 formed us that formerly the canal 

 commenced at Gilmerton, but that the 

 portion between Deep Creek and Gil- 

 merton had been abandoned. His 

 account of the swamp itself was most 

 discouraging, but in spite of this and 

 the terrible weather we decided to keep 

 going. 



Promptly at two o'clock we appeared 

 at the wharf of the Bennett Line and 

 found there the little steamer Nita 

 which was to convey us to Gilmerton 

 where we hoped to be able to secure a 

 skiff. There had been a terrible rain 

 all this time and our clothes were 

 drenched, which made the little cabin 

 of the Nita seem doubly inviting and 

 comfortable. 



The moorings were soon cast off and 

 we commenced to wend our way up 

 the Elizabeth River, stopping oc- 

 casionally at some little wharf to put 

 off freight. The scenery along the 



banks of the river was really very 

 pretty, marshes of considerable extent 

 reaching out from banks covered with 

 brush, and trees that stood out in 

 clear outline against the sky. 



At Gilmerton we were landed in a 

 scow, from which we clambered to a 

 schooner lying alongside and thence 

 to the wharf. Gilmerton appeared to 

 be a busy little spot but it was raining 

 hard and we could not well appreciate 

 the scenery. A man whom we met at 

 Gilmerton gave us considerable infor- 

 mation about the swamp, his stories 

 about the abundance of game certain- 

 ly contradicting those of our inform- 

 ant in Norfolk. We succeeded in 

 renting a flat bottomed skiff from a 

 "gentleman of color" and after bail- 

 ing it out we embarked and commenc- 

 ed our trip up the canal. 



The scenery along the banks of the 

 canal was very pretty. Many species 

 of trees, among which we noted maples 

 pine, cypress, oaks and willows, inter- 

 mingled with a luxuriant growth of 

 shrubs, lined the banks on both sides. 

 The canal was from fifty to over one 

 hundred feet wide and of a good depth. 

 Had it not been for the rain our trip 

 up this portion of the canal would 

 have been one of many stops, but as 

 the rain was still coming down in tor- 

 rents we hustled along as fast as possi- 

 ble. 



We met our first real trouble just 

 below Deep Creek, in the shape of a 

 carry of over a hundred yards, from 

 the Gilmerton canal into the main 

 canal starting from Deep Creek. Our 

 boat was very heavy and we could not 

 have managed it, had it not been for 

 the keeper of the Deep Creek lock gate 

 who came to our assistance. On get- 

 ting into the main canal it was but a 

 few minutes journey to Deep Creek. 

 When we arrived there the hour was 

 so late that we tied our skiff to the 

 bridge and went hunting for a lodging 



