The Houseboat Book: The Log of a Cruise from Chicago to New Orleans — John Shaqi
The Houseboat Book: The Log of a Cruise from Chicago to New OrleansWaugh, W. F. (William Francis)
General
The Houseboat Book: The Log of a Cruise from Chicago to New Orleans
Waugh, W. F. (William Francis)
Illinois -- Description and travel; Mississippi River -- Description and travel
We had a full supply of fishing material, frog spears, minnow seine,
minnow trap, railroad lantern, tubular searchlight with bull's-eye
reflector, electric flashlight with extra batteries, twine, trotline,
revolver and cartridges, 50-gauge Spencer for big game, and as a second
gun, with 150 cartridges; 32-H. P. S. Marlin rifle, with 400 cartridges;
Winchester 12-gauge pump, with 2,000 shells; Browning automatic shotgun;
folding decoys, 4 shell bags, McMillan shell extractor, U. S. Gov't
rifle cleaner, Marlin gun grease, grass suit, shooting clothes heavy and
light, hip boots, leggings, sweaters, chamois vest, mosquito hats, two
cameras with supplies, including developers, compass (pocket), copper
wire, whetstone, can opener and corkscrew, coffee pot to screw to wall,
matches in waterproof box, a Lehman footwarmer and two Japanese muff
stoves, with fuel. For the kitchen we got a gasoline stove with an oven.
There was a good kerosene lamp, giving sufficient light to allow all
hands to read about the table; also three lamps with brackets for the
small rooms.
In preparing our lists of supplies we derived great assistance from
Buzzacott's "Complete Camper's Manual." It was a mistake to buy so many
shot-gun shells. All along the river we found it easy to get 12-gauge
shells, better than those we had.
The boy rejoiced in a 20-gauge single barrel. We had so much trouble in
getting ammunition for it that we purchased a reloading outfit and
materials at Antoine's. This little gun was very useful, especially when
we wanted little birds.
A full supply of medicines went along, mainly in alkaloidal granules,
which economize space and give extra efficiency and many other
advantages. A pocket surgical case, a few of the instruments most likely
to be needed, surgical dressings, quinidine (which is the best
preventive of malaria among the cinchona derivatives), insect powder,
sulphur for fumigation, potassium permanganate for the water,
petrolatum, absorbent cotton, a magnifying glass to facilitate removal
of splinters, extra glasses for those wearing them; and a little whisky,
which was, I believe, never opened on the entire trip.
The boy was presented with a shell belt; and a week before starting we
found he was sleeping with the belt on, filled with loaded shells. Say,
tired and listless brethren, don't you envy him? Wouldn't you like to
enjoy the anticipation of such a pleasure that much?
Among the things that were useful we may add a game and shell carrier, a
Marble axe with sheath, and a Val de Weese hunter's knife. After serving
their time these made acceptable presents to some kindly folk who had
done much to make our stay at Melville pleasant.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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