THE AM. 



run up from the river and Hit; points that jut I 

 basins. Fust the dim gray of morning silvers i 

 yet we see nothing. 



Hist! Down low! Now raise your head cautiously and 

 look in the edge or the cuapparal just below yonder peak. 

 Do you sea that spot of dull gray ? 



elI rifle. No trying long shots if we can get 

 . iimke the top of that peak. That spot is 

 browsing aud suspects nothing. 



Bwinging carefully around and out of sight, in a few 

 minutes we reach the top of the peak, some 131 yards above 

 where the gray spot, was. The morning sun now floods the 

 dark-green hill with golden light and glistens on something 

 bright in the edge of the dense chapparal below. See ! it 

 moves, and several others close beside it. And now we see 

 the long, gray ears on each side of the glittering tines. 



Keep cool now until we can see his body. J ust take it easy 

 aud make no noise or motion. We must have a sure shot on 

 him it we have to wait an hour. 



In a few moments he moves out and stands in the open, 

 about 130 yards from us, proudly erect, with massive neck, 

 shining cat and glistening horns-a grand picture on a grand 

 background. Fifteen hundred feet below, through its im- 

 mense and rugged banks, the river whirls its sparkling mica 

 sand; the deep gorge, with sides robed in a thousand ever- 

 greens, is filled with a hundred hues and shadows ; the aged 

 oaks and sycamores, and even the old, gray granite boulders, 

 that hang along the slopes, seem to smile with new life as the' 

 rising sun strikes them. There stands the buck snuffing the 

 morning air, watching keenly every approach, and apparently 

 priding himself on his smartness. 



Here, take my rifle. That chap must be killed dead, for if 

 he can run for two minutes he is lost to us, and to-morrow 

 the buzzards will be wheeling above him. Sit down and rest 

 your elbow on your knee; take it as coolly as if shooting at a 

 target, and hold a very fine sight middling high on his 

 :h a ■■'. There, he starts oil on a walk. Full a few inches 



ahead of him and let go. 



Bang; go five drachms of lightning powder from my .05 

 calibre Nichols & Lefever Express. A distinct "whop" 

 comes b ick on the bit ; the buck humps his back into an 

 arch, walks a few feet, staggers, and lies down. 



Sit right still. You wouldn't believe me about holding 

 ahead, and have hit him too far back. He can't stand that COO 

 grain expansive ball, though, anywhere, and will soon die if 

 left alene. But if he sees us he may make a plunge and get 

 into the brush. Hold ready to give him the second barrel if 

 lie rif.es. 



But it's not needed ; for see ! his head droops, he gives two 

 or three convulsive kicks and rolls over, dead. 



He is soon loaded up on a horse and we return to camp, 

 where we take another lunch and some coffee, then break 

 camp and get home by eleven o'clock, the whole hunt requir- 

 ing no more time and much less fuss than many an ordinary 

 " chicken hunt " back on tho Western prairies. 



For Forest and Stream and Hod and Sun. 

 GEESE, BRANT AND DUCK NEAR 

 ABSECOM. 



Dookino Under Difficulty! 



I HAD been for a week too sick to try cases, but well 

 enough to be out of bed, when 1 received a telegraphic 

 summons from Albert Adams, the jolly good fellow who, till 

 last Tuesday, filled the office of Sheriff of Cape Hay County, 

 N. J-, to come and shoot ducks at Leed's Point, 



The dispatch took mc in the humor, for the sight of 

 pleas, bills, narrs, replevins and replications had become ex- 

 tremely disgusting to me, and even politics, which Seward 

 (the great Win.) said was the "sum of all the sciences," failed 

 to charm me. 



Stein, the prince of gunsmiths, got ready my double-bar- 

 relled Westley-Richards, and 1 hauled out my RR, pass, intent 

 on brant, duck and wild goose, and struck the 4:13 p. m. train 

 an Camden, on the Atlantic Road for Leeds Point, Atlantic 

 County. 



A sis-mile drive over a good c-oad, in a country stage by the 

 inoonlig-.it, on as sweet a night as that upon which "Jessica 

 eat a net sighed tier soul away toward the Grecian tents," led 

 us up to the door of Joab Sooy's hotel. Joab, who is a double- 

 fisted, warm-hearted, big-browed Jerseyman, welcomed us 

 right royally to the freedom of the hostlerie, and to a supper 

 of buckwheat cakes, Jersey sausages, and coffee the color of 

 Sammy BeUle's (Quaker) coal : coffee as cheering to the eye 

 »nd the taste as Blaunahassets' "srhubberry— that Shenstoue 

 might have-envied." 



High Sheriff Adams, as brimful of mother wit as an egg is 

 of meat, had provided himself with an overcoat pocket-full of 

 Irish potatoes, one loaf of bread, a bag of salt, and ■& demi- 

 john of old "Gibson." 



Like the Western woman, I never could abide the taste of 

 corn, but when it took the shape of corn-juice I could worry 

 a little down ! 



Adams knew this, and knew that I was really too sick to go 

 a ducking, but had enough of the miching mallecho, or 

 mountain devil, in bicu to desire much to see how a Jersey 

 lawyer would behave at 4 o'clock in the morning on the 

 dreary, dreary moorland, with 



icle on the back of his 

 neck— too Kick for the labors of _ law, but well enough to seek 

 brunt aud duck with a fowliug-piece at the early hours of the 

 morning. 



Aimer Doughty, the best gunner in the bay, called for us 

 at 3 A., si. the coldest November morning I had ever appreci- 

 ated. Joab, feeling sympathy for me on account of my re- 

 semblance to the Job of tbe'Bible— he of the many boils— 

 gave us a hurried cup of coffee, which, like the gold which 

 lps the hurt that honor feels, sweetened and 

 braced us up for the toils of the day, which 1 knew would bs 

 considerable, as soon as I sniffed the morning breeze of as 

 bracing a day as ever welcomed a skater on a winter's rink. 

 There were four of us ; besides the High Sheriff, with the 

 "skipping spirit" Adams, came Doughty aud his assistant, all 

 loaded to the teeth with "traps," as well as our heavy guns. 



bridegroom's coming, I thought of Chaucer's happy line — 



" Top rose tne ana, and up rose Emily." 

 A long pull and a strong pull landed us two miles from where 

 we started, on a shelving beach, which our little hosts no 

 sooner touched than , by command of Skipper Abuer 

 we hauled them up bigil and dry, and quick as willing hands, 

 a little numbed with cold, could do, we had dug ;l irench, 

 planted our bouts in them, and built up a breastwork as high, 

 perhaps, as ibose of Hunker Hill, when our ancestry saw the 

 white of the British eye. 



Abner planted his decoys swiftly as I can write the account 

 of it, and then kindly loaded mv double-barrel , ..■■ 



o . , o | [n the little boat and fasep 



still. AMeiiAdama(for.soweliar] lameahim fortheburn- 

 ig-red of the hair of his he id clamore I Or a cocktail, gazing 

 1th pathetic tenderness at Ihedemjjobn which seemed as 

 near and dear '.o him as the Apple of his eye, albeit it was not 

 apple-jack. The demijohn Lad to be opened, as he swore no 

 duck should fall till one swallow (of Gibson) had helped to 

 make a summer in his eetomach. 1 am habitually a temperate 

 man, and like John Albion Andrew, the noble Governor of 

 Massachusetts, of blessed memory, not a total abstinent ; but, 

 the truth of history must be told when I say that that cock- 

 tail caused gladness of stomach all around the board. We 

 had not crawled into our boats five minutes before a flock of 

 brant (a bird always seeming to me to be half duck and half 

 goose) circled around our decoys in easy distance of our shoot- 

 ing irons as we cautiously bent the pregnant hinges of the knee. 

 Alfieri Adams blazed away, dropping two brant; simultane- 

 ously, just as any green duckist would do, I let drive both 

 barrels, and Sown tumbled three royal big onrs. Well, it 

 might have been "ag'in' the rules of the game," but I think 

 the shout which went out of that red head (A. A.) and from 

 the vicinity of the carbuncle cf M. S., could have beeu heard 

 at Barnegat. » 



Abner Doughty looked disgusted, but "scooped in" the 

 ducks by hauling one of the light batteaux out into the bay 

 quick as lightning. Our success warmed us up. Even Al- 

 fieri cast no longing glance at his big demijohn, and said 

 "Gibson " not once. He patted his paunch of plethoric size, 

 with fat capon lined, and asked permission to build a lire, 

 roast some potatoes, as it was eight of the clock in the morning 

 and before breakfast. " Some drinking, bul no eating," said 

 the sententious Doughty, ' ' till this 'ere duck shooting is 

 done.' 



We relapsed into our respective boats. An hour passed, 

 and we could see the flock of brant and ducks, thousands in 

 the distance, for tho bay is dotted with islands, and apparent- 

 ly from every island came the most sweet voiced "honk" Of 

 the wild goose. It had become a question of endurance be- 

 tween me and the red-headed sheriff — one of the best.fellows, 

 too, to travel with the world ever taw — which could stand the 

 cold the longest, Alfieri would crawl over and tell me some 

 sidesplitting anecdote while the brant would be slowly 

 coming down toward us with the tide; then lie would quiet- 

 ly slip beside his gunner, who had all he cared to do to keep 

 the sheriff quiet, " D— u it," said the gunner, "all lay still 

 for them brent ; you can't take them with no sort of BoHUm 

 PittW like you can them runaway buggers around the Cape 

 May Court House." 



Albert subsided. I sat shivering with the cold and wishing 

 myself as strong as Dr. Maginn's wild Irishman, the "calves of 

 whose wicked-looking legs overe three feet, about, rny dear" — 

 (JToeles Aiuhro.-iniia:). Presently our pulses warmed, and the 

 laymen, at least among the gunners, felt their hearts begin to 

 beat against their ribs, for an immense flock of brant we had 

 watched with eager eyes for one hour rose and came straight 

 toward our boats and decoys. By signal agreed upon we were 

 to let eight, barrels go into this flock — four barrels as they tried 

 to light and four as they took wing after the first four doses. 

 You could have heard a pin drop in the bay (almost). I 

 don't think I breathed for a space ; I was so deliriously 

 frightened ; shooting at ray first buck in Tennessee was noth- 

 ing to it. Bang! four times, close as two successive Hashes 

 of lightning. They rose again, but this resurrection was the 

 crack of doom to them. Abner Doughty yelled a hallelujah 

 chorus this time himself, theu dragged the smallest boat off, 

 sculled her rapidly among the dead and dying, and gathered 

 them in to the number of fifteen brant. ' Tlie state of the 

 Weather absolutely demanded a drink all round. 



It was only a question after that of how long we could wait. 

 Pluck sustained me, aud I prayed for hunger and a good di- 

 gestion to fix the rest. We did wait till four p. m., and then 

 an appealing look from J. M. S. toward the semi-corpulent 

 and carnivorous Sheriff decided the day, and we folded our 



mi bored our ducks and bl 

 Greek host crying, "Hallatta! Hallatta! 

 infinite sea 1" when Xenophen stole towar 

 beach, did not express one-half the ezttbc 

 body felt, to end this lucky, but much-i 

 nunc hour ot exposure would have ended 

 political career inside of a w< 

 unable to lift my gun, chilled f 



. Th< 

 • thougrt 



that historic sea- 

 mi joy my aching 



during, day. One 

 ly professional and 

 ik. I was completely numb, 

 centre to circumference. 



We killed a goose on the wing on our way to the main-land, 

 and counted the spoils of war. We had bagged 35 brant, 17 

 ducks and 1 wild goose. We made the gunners carry the 

 game, for Adams' stomach yearned for dinner equally with 

 that of the writer. We had watched the 

 we toiled home we saw it set, surrounded with "looming 

 bastions fringed with fire," and, as I picked up the dry leaves, 

 half crimson and still beautiful, 1 murmured the sweet liues 

 of the German L'hlands, a painting in themselves : 



As on aooBumpUou'S waning cheek, 



But luck had not deserted us. The bonk, honk of a tre- 

 mendous flock of wild geese sounded over the tree-tops as we 

 walked homeward. Abner handed me the only loaded gun 

 we had, and as the flock was high above the trees and straight 

 overhead, seemingly among the clouds. Hired, and, i 

 of an honest barrister, down came, directly at ray feet, the 

 biggest goose I ever saw. I N. B.— Shall I except Alfieri when 

 in love?] Our happiness was now complete. Nothing 

 daunted us but the long, weary walk back to Sooy's. 



Abner Doughty, with a stroke of genius, said", " Come to 



my cabin and I will cook this goose." Alfieri, the Sheriff, 



i foy at the thought, "We were soon there— a little. 



frame shanty, with a good ore burning iu it. To us a .Mecca 



fry a sing! 

 Under Difii 



As a duel 

 once, I said 

 boys at onci 



I have d 



of the mind. Cnly a house on piles iu the inlet, three feet 

 above the water. 



Delmonico and Welker have " whacked" some hundreds in 

 cash out of me in gastronomic pleasures; but, never did I 

 or edtndi as I did that lone goose at Abner 

 It. nighty's homely but homelike fireside. On a November 

 night, it was. And 1 slept— I think it was the sleep of the 

 just— and I dreamed that the ex-Secretary of the Navy did 

 not get elected 1 to Congress in my district, that J. M. s. was 

 the •■coming man," and was sitting in Speaker BandaU's chair. 

 This sudden joy brought, out a profuse perspiration, and the 

 morning light, or Alfieri' s melodious voice singing, "Hove 

 my cocktail in the morning," aroused me just as I was striking 

 the gavel upon the Speaker's desk and declaring thai the 



"Richard " and" Hartndge " Associations were both defeated. 

 Likc_ single-speech Hamilton, 1 won my spurs, as a fighter 

 itl. a bunch of lives. One "Ducking 



r, successful and even brilliantly so for 

 le farmer, from whom death snatched two 

 ttiate archer, would not one suffice?" 



to more. When Alfieri suggests another 



trip after brant, geese and ducks, I suggest, "Alfred, is it not 

 a trifle cold ?'' Yours tenderly, J. M. S. 



p— • •— * 



For Forest and Stream and Sod and Gun. 

 EDISTO RIVER FISHING. 



YOUR inspiring pages of fishing and hunting, here, there 

 and everywhere, from our great lakes and rivers of the 

 wealthy and happy States of the North and West, are now 

 constantly perused by me with much interest. Your until'! 

 ing efforts to multiply your supply of fish, your game laws' 

 and the gusto with which your young, and even old, men pre- 

 pare and fix up for a hunting and fishing maroon, either on 

 land or water, or for birds or beasts, all tell me how your 

 people are enjoying life, and increasing the energy of their 

 constitul ions as well as their muscles in your great States, 

 acquire in my mind as a reader, much admiration and sym- 

 pathy. Do not, however, l'oramoment;mdulgellieideathatyou 

 alone have these fascinating sportsVmd reunions, for away south 

 of you in the black waters oi theEdisto, rising in the "middle 

 country" of South Carolina from springs of clear and delicious 

 water, our trout, and rock, and jack, and perch bite as lively 

 as crickets, aud pull as heavily aud with as much activity as 

 any fish do in any portion of the Republic. The Edisto River 

 is a bold, dee ■ stream, abounding with islands, 



covered with (the fagus) beech, the Alba quereus (the white- 

 oak}, the pine if:', ae Magnolia j/ranttifiora 

 (magnolia), and many other smaller trees of less note, but in 

 the general aspect they offer a panoramic coup <F»# to these 

 islands which invite their visiting sportsmen to go on shore 

 and enjoy their smtas, spend their nights, use 

 Barley Corn" with a freedom that "disturbs with mirth the 

 drowsy ear of night," and sets agog the "moping owl that, to 

 the moon complains of such hunting wassaliers wandering 

 near her secret bower, molest her ancient, Bolitai 

 Now we allude to our Southern bird of this species 

 actlamator capita Uvi, corpore grisco, or the whooping, svhoop. 

 ing owl, and occasionally the screech owl, Stria ■<,. ; 



vpora ftrniijiiuo. The great white or Bliowy owl 

 I, seldom ventures so far in Dixie, though I have 

 seen one specimen in this State, and one or two in Rapides 

 Parish, in Louisiana. These birds all have curiosity, ami 

 soon come up to bivouac to see and hear (he news, a 

 fail to join in catnp revelry, and laugh and hurrah like the 

 rest of the a • -I, however, never makes free, but 



keeps by, watching passing events. I have sometimes known 

 that they enjoyed tk owl was, 



by the ancient people, considered a bird of wisdom, and he 

 was promnte,i i . pen her shield, but 



the demoralized modern people look upon her as an omen of 

 evil, a harbinger of misfortune, and among the vulgar 

 dreaded and hated. So it is "Oreteiius," buf 1 pass her on 

 her parole, in contradistinction to the general verdict of tha 

 "brutem futmen," on the assurance , n o asserts- 



that she possesses a large share of the organ of phil 

 tiveness. 



Well, we went to theEdisto on the invitation of Dr. J, Q. 

 Gurnard, and in company with C. J. Tobin, General John E. 

 Xobin, Luther White Williams and Dr. Joseph Morgan— ft 

 nice party you will say if you only knew them— carrying 

 fishing tackle, guns and many other descriptions of groceries; 

 paramount, John Barley Corn, tobacc 



the Virginia tobacco plant ; yes, and the celebrated "Perique'' 

 (smoking tobacco), made in "its highest perfection in the parish 

 of St. James, Louisiana,— and after a liberal potation at the 

 island in honor of Bacchus, old John Barley Corn and Minerva, 

 we sat down to a hearty meal of boiled trout, fried perch 

 '. jack fish, or, us the French would say, 

 fckapaw," or man-eaters; "Court 

 billim, John Baptist (lialtase), "Pisces," illustrated by one 

 of the (12) twelve signs ol the Zodiac. 



Then we drew forth with pious regard and iu solemn form, 

 our meerschaums, manufactured in the American ol 

 New York, by F. Julius Kaldenberg, Post-office bos 01, ami 

 filling I hem with Perique tobacco, filled the island atmo- 

 sphere with an exhalation that would have thrown th 

 of Monte Gristo higher into the upper spheres of an Elysian 

 phantasy than his far-famed "Hatchis" ever did, say nothing 

 Of your Powhatans, or your Durhams. They are nowhere ; 

 they are mere incorporeal hereditaments, ami as far behind 

 the times as " old Hip Van Winkle was after his passing 

 through his twenty years of hibernation on lorn diingnmn's 

 mountains in old North Carolina." Thanks to the Great 

 Architect for giving us tobacco ! 1 : for, taken in modern! 



sness, and produces a state of languor of a mi >st 

 tie class, inclining to repose upon a series 

 phantasmagorias, which elevate the soul, culm the senses, 

 and relieve us of all worldly anxiety and selfish. 



We had a long, flat-bottomed barge, with a fine tent over 

 it; tables, benches, curtains and furniture Eor the expedition, 

 and three batteaux for the division of our parly, and our 

 barge was our store-ship j took about two hundred pounds of 

 fine fish, the trout averaging from one pound and a half to five 

 pounds, the jack about the same, and the perch from three- 

 quarters of a t" . ,d and a half. Killed so 

 squirrels [Sciurmi, smelted a brain (bear), and 

 alligator (Ict/igosaunti). The waters abound with them, and 

 the swamps have plenty of bear, but are hard to get at on ac- 

 c.uutof the den , .,] wide swamps. In the latter 

 part of our first day's sport our schoolmate, Elijah Willis, and 

 his angling civilian, Assa Franklin, fell in with us, and ju 



