How wonderfully God works in one’s life! I must have fallen from the log, for I dreamed, Maud and I had both disappeared into a sluggish lagoon. When I came to my senses, I discovered that I was in a great jungle of vegetation; that belonged to a very early age I recognized the dense forest of many species of Carboniferous Tree Ferns and Tree Rushes; and many species of Cycads. Nearly all the trees were inward growers, with plumes of vegetation on top of the scar-marked trunks, from which the leaves had already fallen during their growth upward. I knew that only a thin, hard, outer covering protected the pith beneath of most of the trees around me. Although there were pines, the Angiosperms had not yet appeared. Everywhere were dense masses of sponge-moss, and moss-like trees.

The climate was tropical; the heat intense. The water was fresh; no sea in sight.

I climbed to the top of a tree fern, from which point of vantage, I had an uninterrupted view of the surrounding country; which was one great level stretch of fern plumes, densely intermingled with ancient pines, lepidodendrons, and cycads. The latter resembling gigantic pine apples, with a plume of leaves on top; or with tree-like trunk, and plume of crowded pinnate leaves. These first clung closer to the ground. While the others sought the direct sunlight perhaps fifty feet above. From my field of vision, these vast masses of the most delicate foliage imaginable, moved by the gentle breeze in gentle undulations, with only here and there a break in their carpet-like compactness. While swinging below, as I have already noted, were hanging mosses in various hues. The ground densely covered with sponge-moss. In the lower places pools of water into which the moss extended often completely covering them, a land of treacherous bogs. One must watch his footing as I soon proved, by cutting a rush whose length was over twenty-five feet, and pushed it easily down into one of these small moss-ponds, through the peat and failed to reach the bottom, I realized how easily one might lose his footing, and slip into one of these mossy swamps and disappear.

And another thought came to me of the wonderful bone-bed Miller found along the Big Wichita in Texas, in 1909 where many complete skeletons covering a space six or seven feet wide, ten or twelve feet long and two feet thick. In this limited interval, according to Dr. S. W. Williston, who has been so fortunate as to study the material secured by Miller were dozens of complete skeletons packed like sardines in a box of the wonderful fauna of the Permian of Texas.

From a slight observation of the flora of the region into which we had been miraculously transplanted, it had convinced me that I had gone back from the twentieth century some twelve million years to the close of the Carboniferous, that great age of Coal Plants, when vast regions packed with the moss and other vegetation had been engulfed in the sea, and after ages converted into coal.

So, how easily it was for me to realize that one of these lovely moss covered pools, might prove a death-trap to any animal whose spoor lay through this region. It was lucky for me that I still possessed a Marsh pick with its broad duck-billed end, with which I could easily hew my way through the dense but easily felled trees and rushes, that obstructed in jungles of vegetation my progress. I judged that the open spaces I saw in the distance from my lookout in the crown of a tree fern, must represent ponds or lakes and there, would be by far a better place to study the fauna of this strange region, because I knew from my own discoveries in the Permian of Texas that many of the vertebrates were Amphibians who lived in the water or the land as pleased their fancy.

As I knew I would like to return to the place where I first awoke to the realities of life, and from past experiences Maud was likely to appear near here too. My first act after sliding down from the tree was to divest myself of all my clothing except a pair of shoes, a pair of pants, and a woolen shirt and light hat, with a broad rim I had worn so long. On account of the moist climate and thick vegetation, the air was heavy with carbonic acid gas. The only place where fresh winds were blowing and the air was rich in oxygen, was on top of the forests, or as I hoped along some lake shore where the winds of heaven would be able to ripple the waters at least. So ready armed with my pick to cut a pathway or defend myself from some hungry amphibian or reptile because I expected to find amphibians with huge heads, and bodies larger than my own, armed with terrible teeth. It seemed strange too, that though in the twentieth century the order to which these giants belonged, frogs and salamander were ready to disappear. Here they were the dominant type so abundant that the Permian Age has been called the Age of Amphibian or Batracians, I found the work fatiguing on account of the great heat and close and oppressive atmosphere, that constantly seemed to be on me to take a nap, yet with the power man has over material and sensual things, I cut a pathway broad enough for two to walk in it side by side, I knew if Maud was discovered, she would want not to follow me like an Indian in single file, but beside me. I often stopped to listen, as I rapidly progressed toward one of the open spaces I had noted from the tree, because born on the slight breeze that rustled the leaves above me, I could hear the croaking of frogs that grew louder and louder, the sound put me in mind of a lot of frogs singing through a megaphone. Suddenly without warning, I cut through the jungle and found myself facing an inland lake of fresh water bordered in places with reeds and rushes and moss that reached into the water.

At another place near where I caught my first view of the waters, was a sandy beach. Peopled with life, both reptiles and batracians were everywhere. The great Salamander Eryops of Cope of which I had secured so much material in the Red Beds of the Big Wichita River in Texas both for Cope, Zittel and Von Hume, swam in the waters before me or measured their six feet of length upon the sand. The frog-like noise I concluded came from these huge monarchs of the Amphibians. I could see them resting on logs that were half submerged in the water, or swimming below the water; lying on the bottom or crawling along the shore. Emerging from the jungle that fringed the lake on the further margin from me were strange reptiles. One I noticed in particular was the largest of his tribe we were likely to see here. I say we because I could not believe that He who had brought Maud and me through so many adventures would take her bright presence away forever. These thoughts were in my mind as I watched a reptile come into full view out of the jungle.

The most wonderful thing about him, was that he carried on his back an enormous hump. The spines in the center of the column were at least three feet high, and packed around the base were masses of muscle and ligaments, tapering to a sharp point at the top of the spine. A cross section would be wedge shaped. I learned afterwards from a study of the skeleton, that as the centra of the vertebrae were very weak they were held firmly in place by the crossing ligaments that were wound around the centra and spines in intermingled masses. This creature had come out of the jungle for water interested me greatly. He was about ten feet long from head to the long end of the delicate tail. I was surprised to see him suddenly dive back into the jungle with all the speed at his command. The Eryops too suddenly stopped croaking and a nerve wrecking silence, covered me as with a pall. The reptiles and amphibians sought refuge in the jungle of the bottom of the lake. And that body of water but a second before so full of life and activity lay a mirror, silent as the grave, looking in the direction from which neither reptile or amphibian had run for shelter, I heard too, an unaccustomed sound in these swamps and everglades, it sounded very much like the cutting of trees. I could hear the crush of mingled vegetation as if a tree fern had been felled at one strong blow and it came sliding down against the thickly planted vegetation, I could hear the swish as it was dragged away, to make room for another that quickly fell. Yes! I could hear human voices I was sure, and soon I heard wafted across the lake the loved name Maud. I could see the trees swaying, and then one by one come down in a straight line for the lake, and I knew that in these solitudes I was not alone. That God had brought others to this young earth. Whose surface still felt the subterraneous heat, whose crust was so thin it often sank into the sea or was raised just above high tide. I sprang forward on the beach to the water’s edge just as the last obstruction in the shape of a trunked cycad with its tangled mass of leaflets crushed to the earth and behind the ambuscade of vegetation stood my whole family from Mamma to Levi, and close beside him was Maud. George and Charlie were the ones who wielded their picks, Mabel and Myrtle and the children and the others dragged the trees away and they had their hands on the cycad when they suddenly beheld me standing petrified on the beach. Such a shout went up was never heard before. I waved my pick speechless with surprise, for once at least in my life, as you have all found out my dear readers, as my father used to say “I talk too much.”

All at once I recovered the use of my organs of speech and shouted: “Why don’t you come over?” They all waved branches of the palm like cycad they had torn from its head, as they shouted back: “Why don’t you come over?” Well it did appear to me that it would be easier for me to cross the smooth waters than such a crowd. So trimming off the plumes from a mass of cycad and tree ferns, I soon had enough trunks to build me a raft, I lashed them together with the mid ribs of the cycad leaflets, which proved as strong and pliable as buck-skin thongs. In a very few minutes I had a raft that floated like a cork, as the centers of the trunks were full of pith. We afterwards found this pith was quite starchy and made very acceptable sago flour. In the mean time, the party on the other shore had erected huts covered with leaves above, and open below so the wind might circulate through them and the roofs would not only deflect the ardent heat of the sun but protect us from torrential rains. With a reed for a paddle I sprang on my raft and soon ferried across to my beloved ones, I had never expected to meet in the Permian at least. Of course I was delighted to find Maud.

After our greetings they gathered in affectionate groups under the trees and told me of their experiences since we last met. Mamma said after I disappeared so suddenly and mysteriously from my home in Lawrence, she had induced George and Charlie to move their families into the home nest, from which they had taken flight. She had imagined all kinds of things, and even the Government had missed their fossil hunter and had exhausted the resources of the Detective Division as well as that of the United States in the endeavor to locate me, but I had disappeared as effectually as if the earth had opened her mouth and swallowed me up. Only day before yesterday Levi suddenly disappeared, and left her in a terrible state of suspense as to what it all meant. Last night she had a family council with George and Charlie and their wives. They went over the same old ground again and again and were no nearer solving the perplexing problems than at first. The children had been sent to bed and there were rocking chairs enough to go round in which the grown ups were seated comfortably. Mamma she told me, was the first to doze off and Charlie soon followed suit. The girls and George smiled over the others, but before they realized it they too, had dropped off. George was the first one to wake with a start. He could hardly believe his senses. They were in a dense forest of tree ferns, in fact only a few miles from where I was at the time. They were all there but Levi, and as George’s surprised exclamation woke them all they heard a rustling noise in the edge of a little clearing and before they could say a word Levi broke through the jungle with Maud clinging to his arm. “Well,” Mamma said, “ask Maud to tell the rest of the story.” Which I gladly did. It seems, that as Maud had been through a lengthy experience in the Ancient World, she had become a leader. “Well Papa,” she remarked, “you remember when we disappeared in the water of the Lagoon, I lost all consciousness, but came to my senses in this jungle. My first thought was of course another providential occurrence. I could hear what seemed the bellowing of great frogs and strange sounds my ears had never listened to before. I wondered where you could be, and was so anxious to find you, that I could not stand it, remaining there all alone in this strange country, so I plunged madly on, forcing the thick stems and trunks apart and squeezing through them, I called to you too, ‘papa, papa, where are you!’ I could not see an inch ahead for the vegetation. The moss tangled in my hair that fell down and I must have looked a perfect fright. I came suddenly on a clear space only a couple of yards across, covered with the loveliest moss you could imagine. I sprang into the very middle of it in my haste, and broke through and began to sink. I screamed, ‘Papa, Papa,’ and threw out my arms toward the other side when suddenly I saw two human hands spring out of the jungle and grasp mine, and strong arms drew me bodily out of the treacherous pit, I stood beside smiling brother Levi. He told me that he had gone to sleep in his room at home in Lawrence and had awakened here the day before and that he had wandered around in an almost dazed condition. Every thing so strange. He could not tell what to make of it. I then told him our experiences together in the other ages and regions we had explored, of our boat on Mosasaurian Bay, and the many adventures we had enjoyed together and expressed the belief that we would soon find you and we started on the quest. Levi had his pick and cut a way while I dragged out the trees he felled and piled them in the thick jungle. We had not gone a great ways, when we suddenly heard a shout in front of us. ‘That is George I know,’ cried Levi, ‘I recognize his voice,’ and he raised an answering shout that made the very leaves tremble. We soon reached him and there was Mamma and all the rest of our family. It was a joyful meeting but Mamma would not allow us to remain there talking of our wonderful experience because she was sure you could not be far off. As the boys had their picks they cut a broad path while the rest of us pulled the light trees out of the way and we were progressing famously when we saw your astonished face across the narrow lake.” I could only thank God that I had been reunited with my people and that Maud also was there. It would have seemed terrible to remember her sinking into the treacherous lagoon, then suddenly find myself separated from it by millions of years. Ethel and little Raymond had gone off to the sandy beach to play in the sand and Charlie too. They romped until they were tired and Ethel returned to Mabel and asked her if dinner was ready. We had not thought of it. But had been so excited at our reunion, after so many weeks, so much occupied with our talk, that we forgot to be hungry. Just before the family council had gone to sleep George had been at work inventing some cooking utensils, and had not only made diagrams of them but had secured some sheets of aluminum. He had put them in his collecting bag along with the usual tools he carried in the field, and when he woke with the rest of the family he still had them. So I told him if he would make a cooking kettle I would get something to put in it for dinner. Maud knowing the resources of a forest better than the others gathered some dry sticks and Levi by her advice cut some crotched sticks he drove in the earth, and a cross stick to swing the kettle on. George soon found a round water-worn cobblestone on the beach to use as a mold and hammered a sheet of aluminum around it, and soon had a pot ready. He cut off a narrow strip for a handle and punched holes in the upper rim to fasten it to. In the meantime I wove together a lot of leaves and made a tray, which I took to one of the cycad stumps (we had cut off the trunk). Then with my pick scraped out a quantity of the pith that fell as white powder into the tray. On my return Maud had the water boiling and we stirred in sago flour and as soon as it thickened into porridge it was ready for a lot of hungry mouths. Charlie had made some spoons, so with the pot in the midst we thanked our heavenly Father for the food from his hand and the glad reunion in the Old Permian of Texas. After a hearty meal we planned for the future. Resolving to thoroughly explore the jungle and try and reach tidewater; as we felt sure the old Permian ocean was not far away. After our excited voices had reached quiet and ordinary tones, we were pleased to see the Amphibians and reptiles come out on the beach. One of the most abundant was Labidosaurus an Amphibian like reptile about three feet long. It had short legs and an enormous head compared with its length. I remember a quarry of these reptiles I discovered on the west fork of Coffee Creek in Baylor County, Texas. I found several fine skulls for the late Professor Cope, and later by digging into the greenish sandstone, I secured a number more for Dr. Von Zittel of Munich. Another reptile appeared from the edge of the jungle that so closely resembles a South American lizard of the twentieth century, it was called Varanus, by Dr. Broili. It was about four feet in length, had a long head, delicate lizard-like tail. Still another form soon attracted our attention coming from across the narrow pond out of the woods. It was about four feet long, had strong limbs and short head with many small teeth. The giant amphibian Eryops too, soon found the courage to come out of the water and start his unmelodious croak to be soon answered by a friendly fellow in the distance. So the life and noises of the quiet jungle took up the accustomed tenor of their ways. The children clapped their hands and shouted when a new form appeared, as delighted as if a menagerie were on the tapis, and all the family were deeply interested. I had the boys drive rush stakes into the ground around our clearings, so as to protect us from the inroads of the big reptiles and amphibians, and admit the air freely. We needed all of that we could possibly get. So we passed the day and night fall found us all gathered in our enclosure listening to the strange noises around us. We had already arranged huts for the entire party and after reading a chapter (for Mamma had her Bible with her) we offered our evening prayers and went to restful sleep. In the morning we were early astir. It was no need to warn the younger men and women to beware of the treacherous bogs as they already had learned of Maud’s adventure. We made another appetising dish from the sago flour and I caught some little reptiles not over eight inches long and gar-pike. We fried these in their rich grease, and with the sago mush, had an excellent breakfast. The presence of my beloved family added much to my own pleasure.

My feeble pen would fail to describe the beauty of the Tree Fern and Cycad forest. The enormous fronds of fern leaflets that crowned the marked trunks around us, put me in mind of the Australian Tree Ferns in the Carnegie Conservatories at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Only they were much larger and the massive fern branches formed larger crowns. There was such a wealth of variety here too that delighted me. All were lost in wonder at the strange scenery and life, both in its flora and fauna. We determined to cut our way in a southerly direction as I felt sure I scented the distant sea. Charlie and myself using our picks, cut a wide swath of ferns and cycads and other carboniferous trees. Our women folks hauling them out of the way. We were constantly coming across the strange reptilian and amphibian life of that far-away day, and our exclamations of surprise at the beauty of this ancient forest came involuntarily from our lips. The moss too, in many gorgeous colors, and hues carpeted the damp ground beneath our feet, or hung in tapestry-like folds from the branches overhead. Many hands made rapid progress and though the heat was excessive we all perspired freely. We often came across the bogs of great extent, ponds and lakes bordered with peat moss, and saw countless reptiles on shore or amphibians in the water. With the earnest hope that we might reach salt water, we labored on under the glaring sun above, that penetrated the thick vegetation and as we opened the way, the heat was very trying on our unprotected heads. At last a strong breeze began to sweep the crowns of verdure above us into great billows, making music among the delicate branches, and I was sure we were reaching the open sea. So Charlie climbed the trunk of a tall fern and when he got to the strong bases of the ferns he stood erect on them and shouted, “There it is to the south;” for as he told us, a great ocean lay before him as far as his eyes could reach. So with renewed courage we hurried on and before dark broke through the dense jungles we had been traveling through, on the beach, and into a strong wind that was blowing from the south and curling the waves into swaying masses. It was indeed a glorious sight and we all rushed down and ran into the curling breakers near shore and let them roll over us. Thoroughly refreshed, we returned to the edge of the jungle and went to work building shelters for the whole family. We were delighted when George and Charlie brought us a mess of fishes, sturgeon-like in appearance, which, with the cycad flour, the women got up a fine meal. Levi and Maud came in later and we enjoyed an appetising meal. While we were resting after supper and watching the boundless sea, I recited some of the poems I had written. The first one in honor of Jennie McKee’s wedding day. She had been a very dear friend indeed:

The children had gone to bed and our camp fire of dry fern stumps burned brightly, or faded away as Levi and Maud replenished it. At last worn out with the excessive heat and labor we all retired to our respective huts. We were soon lost in sleep. When the Amphibians greeted the rising sun with their chorus of what to us seemed like discordant notes (doubtless they were melodious to the natives of these early wilds where foot of man had never trod before). The human element stirred themselves, and after breakfast we all wandered down to the beach for an early plunge. We dried our salty clothes by running or walking along the level sandy shore.

Maud had called our attention, in a land locked bay to a fleet of Ammonites. Those lovely nautilus-like chambered shells, who had spread their transparent sails to the morning breeze. Some were enormous, over two feet in diameter, and resembled huge cornucopias. They floated as lightly and as elegantly as a flock of swans. They were arrayed in all the colors of the rainbow. We could also see fishes, all clad in armor of enameled scales, in many a lovely hue, gar-pike and sturgeon were among the most common. The bony fishes did not appear until the Cretaceous Age, you remember.

What the children loved to do most was to dig in the sand or hunt for the nests of small reptiles, six or eight inches long, that often lay coiled a few inches below the surface, their heads could enter mamma’s silver thimble. My parties found many of them in the Red Permian Beds of Baylor County, Texas. As the sun rose higher the children became drowsy and we returned to our huts and laid them down in some soft fern leaflets that made a bed as light as eider down. We talked of our wonderful adventures in quiet tones, so as not to disturb them, and before we knew it, we too, had fallen asleep.