________________________________________The First Survey Through Hal's Lake Swamp Page 15
Our provisions being expended we dispatch William Knight and William Thornton back on our line for a supply, myself and three others of our company employed until 2 PM in exploring the lake and several of its branches and having ascertained that it is fed by the Tombigbee River, we return to the cypress, post set last evening. . . .84
That evening, Thornton came back at dark with some cornmeal and beef, and reported that Knight was waiting to procure more.85
On Wednesday, October 11, Wailes and his group kept surveying, then back to camp, and "William Knight returned in the evening with some fresh pork, coffee and sugar",86 doubtless to a hero's welcome.
On Thursday, October 12, the surveyors continued on mostly north and east, until they were south of the eastern extremity of the Lake,87 and ultimately, to around what is now called "South Lake" at T4N, R2E, §34 or thereabouts, and returned to their last camp;88 the next day was similarly spent.
At this point they had surveyed far enough east that they were pretty well clear of Hal's Lake but they were out of provisions; having earlier heard Powell's horn, they headed up what we now call "South Lake Drain" toward the horn, the bluff on the north of the Lake, and food:
Having heard the horn on Thursday afternoon [three days earlier] and seeing a way recently cut through the cane, we conjecture that Crane has penetrated the swamp thus far and returned. And as we are again out of provisions and despair of any being brought us by him, we determine to leave the line, and pursue the marks which we suppose will direct our horse camp on the high land. . . we arrive at a Lake about two chains89 wide lying nearly north and south,90 and continuing along it about one mile, we come to its junction with Bates Lake, . . . about five chains [330 ft.] wide; we cross it on a raft of cane, about two hundred paces above or S.E. of a bluff on the N.E. side which is known by William Thornton (one
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84p. 172-73. Actually, it may be fed by either the Tombigbee or the Alabama, depending upon the height of each river [in old times, such a body of water was sometimes called a "jumping gully", being fed by backed-up water from rivers].
85p. 173.
86p. 173.
87p. 174.
88p. 175.
89Two chains is 132 feet.
90Now called "South Lake Drain" in T4N, R2E, §27.
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