152 



The American Angler 



State in the Union there are dozens of 

 known cases like the above. 



There used to be a queer pair of 

 hunters of my acquaintance, and they 

 were jolly, whole-souled fellows, al- 

 though not well stocked with this 

 world's goods. One was one-armed, 

 and the other one-legged, and they 

 Inmted together a great deal in season. 

 Squirrels were common in these days, 

 and Mr. One Leg would wait on one 

 side of the tree and Mr. One Arm would 

 walk to the other side. They were both 

 good shots. In turkey hunting, One 

 Leg would lie in a good ambush and 

 call on his bone, and One Arm would 

 prowl about and cover the country and 

 hunt for signs. In hunting ducks. One 

 Arm would lie in a blind, and One Leg 

 would row about the lake and scare up 

 the birds ; or perhaps One Arm would 

 travel about the marsh edges of the lake 

 and stir them up. They were both 

 wonderfully good shots and used to get 

 loads of game, and, though probably no 

 good at the trap, could have taught the 

 present generation of shooters some 

 things. 



It is a very common thing to meet 

 one-armed anglers on the trout brook, 

 and if you will observe, they always 

 have fish, too, for a man with the handi- 

 cap generally understands his business 

 and knows a thing or two ; and you may 

 be sure that a man who is a cripple and 

 is a sportsman, too, will give some other 

 folks some points. 



During the winter months the South 

 is a great place for crippled tourists to 

 resort, and at every point in Florida 

 these handicapped sportsmen may be 

 seen taking comfort on the water. They 

 are persistent anglers, too, and will 

 stick to a poor show longer than a bet- 



ter favored mortal will. Many a time I 

 have seen a one-legged man, or worse, 

 a poor fellow crippled with the rheu- 

 matism, fishing for sheepshead, cre- 

 valle, or for the generally despised cat- 

 ties. Sometimes the poor hands are so 

 stiff that they are unable to bait the 

 hook or remove the capture, and the 

 assistance of the boatman is required. 

 But the boatman is never called upon 

 to help with the rod, for that is where 

 the crippled angler gets his chief pleas- 

 ure, and the fish must be nearly large 

 enough to pull him overboard before he 

 will acknowledge himself incapable of 

 handling the gudgeon. 



Then, too, there are delights of trips 

 on the water which others do not feel 

 and cannot enjoy, but which the crip- 

 pled sportsman fully appreciates. He 

 knows that he cannot run about and 

 cover much territory, and so he sits still 

 and makes the best of it, and in the 

 course of time he becomes an observer, 

 then a philosopher and naturalist. Many 

 little things appeal to him which would 

 be unnoticed by the generality of 

 anglers. 



Now, pardner, when you meet one of 

 these cripples, give him a good word ; 

 don't talk sympathy, or he will feel cast 

 down. Talk fish, boats, etc., and he 

 will be happy. And the reason I know 

 so much about crippled sportsmen, is 

 because I've studied them ; in truth, I'm 

 I'm one myself. About three-quarters 

 knocked out physically, and, perhaps 

 you will say, after reading this, men- 

 tally unsound. And I won't dispute it. 

 No use. But my memory is good, and 

 I can still think of the times that were, 

 and let me add that, under favorable 

 conditions, I enjoy the sport. 



