Page:Athletics and Manly Sport (1890).djvu/466

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CANOEING IN THE DISMAL SWAMP.
409

or kindred diversions, such as are becoming more necessary every year. By these means we could attain more practical results in protection of forest game, fish, and other natural luxuries of this country, for the benefit of those concerned, than legislation has been able to reach."

One has only to listen to Mr. King to be converted to his project, which is certainly one of the straws in the wind that have a significance for the future of this region.

The lake itself was discovered in 1775, by a Scotchman named Drummond, after whom it was named. He had followed a deer so far into the swamp, which was then regarded as impassable, that he lost his way. He wandered through the dreadful aimless avenues of the morass for three days and nights, afraid to lie down and sleep on account of the serpents and panthers. He had almost abandoned hope on the third day, and, the story goes, was meditating self-destruction to escape the horrors of a lingering death in the swamp, when he parted the canebrake before him and found himself on the verge of the wonderful lake. He had discovered the jewel hidden in the heart of the swamp! The poor fellow thought at first he was crazy; that this was the wild vision of delirium, till he had waded into the dark water