It all began not too long ago as amagrud was recounting a tale of
leading a group into the treacherous Bogue Chitto swamp one night,
the only light being a full but chilling moon. Strangers, they
were. No local person would dare go into that murky quagmire of a
swamp where dangers not dreamed of hide. They say that fish-men
creatures live there who are descended from enormous scaly
reptiles. They are covered with slime and smell of rotting decay
and can twist a machete into a circle with their bare hands. They
say there is quicksand there that can swallow a horse or 4 wheeler
in mere seconds. They say that beneath that black water lie snakes
and alligators and other monsters that swallow their prey whole -
they lurk near the surface waiting for a misstep from their
unsuspecting victim. They say that men have wandered into the
swamps and were never seen again. And, indeed, on a dark night you
can hear screams from deep within the swamp, agonizing cries that
turn one's blood to ice.
But, I digress. As amagrud is captivating his audience with his
boldness and bravery the timid voice of Woodduck in the back of the
room is heard, "Mr. amagrud, is it true that you and Mr. LSUFan
took 12 people in and only came out with 5?" Now, it didn't seem
like the end of the story but a hush fell over the room as each
person relived the dreadful and terrifying tales they had heard. In
each mind the wild boars, the snakes and gators, the terrifying
images came to life.
Since this happened on Valentine's Day, the annual Swamp
Pilgrimmage was scheduled only a few weeks away. camolady turned to
me with tears in her eyes and whispered that some of us might not
even be here by summer. The creatures seemed to have some awareness
of the cachers coming into their territory and who knew which lives
would be claimed. So sad. We decided at that moment to have a
dinner to say goodbye to each other prior to that tragic time. This
dinner is not meant to be unhappy, but to spend one last evening
enjoying a nice meal together. We thought it very fitting to be
held across the street from a cache named "Where Dead People
Live."
As a special treat we are excited to have a legend and real life
hero with us. He has braved the swamps many times and survived. He
is also credited with setting numerous traps for those disgusting,
nasty creatures - the traps are disguised as ammo cans and chained
to trees. This guest of honor is none other than Mr Blue Canary
himself.
We hope to see everyone present to say our goodbyes. This will
be Friday night March 13 about 6:30 pm before the Swamp Pilgrimage
on Saturday. The restaurant offers catfish, seafood, hamburgers,
and steaks. Those wishing to camp closeby can find tent sites or RV
hookups available at Atwood Water Park (601-587-2711 or 587-7732)
or at Lake Mary Crawford (601-587-7853).