Monday and Tuesday. November
10th & 11th, 1823 – [Douglas may be drawing this trip to a close but there’s still
time for one last adventure]
Being unsuccessful with Sarracenia by the great rain a
fortnight since, in company with Mr Hogg we again crossed the River Hudson. We
hired a car, and after driving and walking alternately, reached the spot. The
swamp [Hoboken swamp], as mentioned before, is large. We made an attempt
to get over from the north side but were obliged to return. Mr Hogg led the
way, when suddenly he went down to the middle in mud.
On the south side we were more successful; after some
difficulty, and all besmeared with filth, reached them, having to carry them
two miles through the swamp. Darkness put a stop to our pursuit before we could
get enough plants. In the evening we sat by the fireside talking of our day's proceedings [and drying out and
scraping the mud off, no doubt!].
We have now set out again. By 10 o’clock on Tuesday we had
an abundance of plants and proceeded after something else….A few ferns in wet
places on the outskirts of the woods, but being killed by the frost cannot say
what they are. In the bustle of our proceedings lost the whip, for which the
man extorted two dollars in consequence of it being a favourite whip…..Reached
home [But where was home? Where was Douglas staying? With Mr Hogg? Frustratingly, he never gives any details about his own accommodation in New York]; stand now dry and comfortable, a state we required after such
undertaking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can’t you just see them, blundering around waist deep in the mud of Hoboken Swamp, putting up at an inn somewhere and then having an argument with the car driver about his lost whip. I suspect Douglas and Mr Hogg enjoyed this Boy’s Own Adventure enormously.
And Hoboken is still, if not an actual swamp, at least swamp-like when storm surges like Hurricane Sandy push the Hudson into the city
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