Muskrat City

Lost in a rain‑soaked forest, two companions trudge onward after a missed lunch stop, their shoes filled with water and their bearings muddled by the storm. Their banter with a ship’s captain about “nothing lost when you know where it is” sets a light‑hearted tone as they press through the wilderness, convinced they’ve passed Plum Pond but unsure of direction. Suddenly a ridge gives way to a sunlit valley, and the bewildered travelers gasp at a surprising sight.

Below the steep hills lies a “beaver meadow,” now a quiet swamp dotted with a cluster of modest mud huts—each home to a muskrat family bustling with children and bachelor residents. The narrator sketches the humble origins of the settlement, noting how former beaver dams shaped the landscape and recalling the tiny “Cities” that dot Iowa’s plains. Hungry and damp, the pair quickly light a fire on the gravelly bank, turning the unexpected discovery into a moment of rustic hospitality.