134 SOME EXPERIENCES IN CAMP LIFE. 



Every one went to bed that night feeling very blue at leaving our 

 old quarters, and for a long time I lay on my cot reading by the 

 light of a lamp set upon a camp stool at my side. Suddenly, I saw 

 the lamp totter, and then fall with- a splashing, hissing sound and I 

 jumped out of bed into water up nearly to my knees. The others 

 were soon aroused and we began to work like beavers, for the water 

 was rising rapidly. 



The trees and level nature of the ground prevented any current, 

 but before we could get all our trunks and the instruments to 

 higher ground, the water was up to our waists. It was some dis- 

 tance to the nearest hillside and when it was finally reached, the 

 thick mud there was nearly as bad as the deep water below. 



However, we managed to save nearlj everything of value, though 

 all the "eatables" were washed away and one or two trunks. When 

 the last load was brought up it was necessary to swim across one or 

 two of the deepest places. 



Our Jerry, after doing his level best towards saving the istru- 

 ments, went back for his most precious treasure — a big box filled 

 with collections of curiosities for his home-people — and he was 

 gone so long a time Jhat we became uneasy, but presently saw him 

 coming through Avater up to his chin and balancing the big box on 

 his head. Even under such deplorable conditions it was a ridic- 

 ulous sight, and when he stepped into a hole and disappeared en- 

 tirely, we roared with laughter, although two of the boys jumped to 

 the rescue. He came splashing to the surface and there were real 

 tears in his eyes as he saw his treasured box sailing down the river 

 on its wa} r to some other museum than that in Philadelphia. 



The water had risen too fast for us to move the tents so we had 

 roped them to the trees and then stood shivering in the nasty black 

 mud until morning. Of course there was not a dry article of cloth- 

 ing about us, and everything in our trunks was thoroughly soaked, 

 but we managed to build a fire in a sheltered spot with the assist- 

 ance of an old negro who lived near, and who would have done 

 more for us had his cabin been large enough, and so we made the 

 best of the very worst night in our experience. 



Daylight brought an end to the rain, and showed us the water in 

 its proper place again; but our beautiful camp ground was a scene 

 of utter desolation, covered with slimy mud and hideous in every 



