500 



FOREST AND STREAM 



sharp prongs thrust through the body j and in a single in- 

 stance, a hunting companion was near losing his life. He 

 had wounded a large buck with buck-shot, so that the dogs 

 caught him, and while fighting, the hunter approached to 

 shoot the deer in Ihc head with his second barrel, but 

 only wounded him in the jaw, when the buck broke away 

 from the dogs and pitched at the hunter. His 

 life was only saved by falling baokwardB as the buck 

 lunged at him. Fortunately, the dogs again seized the buck 

 and" held on until help arrived, for we heard both shots. 

 With continuous fighting we hurried to the scene as fast as 

 possible; when reached, he was completely unnerved and un- 

 armed ; for in falling his gun stuck in the ground filling the 

 muzzles with earth, and he could not reload. My friend se- 

 cured his buck, weighing over 200 pounds when dressed, but 

 was taught a lesson which he never forgot in our subsequent 

 hunts. After a long experience in hunting both bear and 

 deer, I would sooner " toy conclusions " with the»former than 

 the latter when wounded. The black bear will always escape 

 if practicable when wounded, except possibly to protect the 

 cubs, and usually even then ; but a wounded buck, when 

 harassed by dogs, will at times attack the hunter as soon if 

 cornered too closely, while his great activity and strength with 

 his formidable antlers is much the more dangerous. But this 

 is a digression. 



As we bad more venison than we could use after sending 

 several saddles to distant friends, we decided to vary the 

 sport by a bear hunt, as there was a good deal of sign on an 

 adjacent mountain, and a hear was killed a day or two pre- 

 vious by another party ; but without snow to track them we 

 had to rely on trailing. As our dogs preferred a deer trail to 

 bear we failed to get any started, or if started the dogs would 

 not follow, but went off after deer and left us in the lurch 

 among the rocks with no one to watch the crossings. 



After our party separated, and feeling so much improved by 

 the trip, I decided to remain until a two day's rain storm 

 ceased, and had another hunt, when we killed the second 

 large buck, but while swiramiug, and no fighting. The river 

 was raised eight or ten feet, and no certainty as lo the cross- 

 ings, while the strong, swift current made it an even chance 

 if the game was secured when killed in the river. We only 

 secured this buck by the accidental aid of a boat, after floating 

 a long time. E, S. 



Maryland, Dec, 1878. 



CRIPPLE SHOOTING IN NEW JERSEY. 



Editor Forest and Stream : 



Daring November I am! my friend received an invitation from a 

 Quaker relative, residing at Mount Laurel, to come up and Lave a day' B 

 shooting, promising plenty of birds and good entertainment for man 

 and beast. Of course we Joyfully accepted, and dropped "Vncle 

 Zebedee" a note to meet us on TtoankBglving morning on the arrival of 

 trie early train at Host Mooreetown, being the nearest railroad nation 

 to the " Cripple." At. the time appointed one might have seen your 

 humble servant wending his way wearily along, in the early morning, 

 encased in an immense Ulster coat, and carrying a breech-loader and 

 ammunition, accompanied by aj tine a setter dog as cue would need, 

 going to meet hia friend Tom and Ills brother John [who Had joined 

 our party) at the trysting place, the railroad station. 



We all Kept our appointments, and we lad Canuleu iu the 7:1" A. M. 

 train, reaching East Moorestown half an hour later. But, alas; man 

 proposes, and you can't moBt alwuys toll who disposes. Uncle Zebe- 

 dee was non est. After vain inquiries we were sadly obliged to conf ess 

 the fact that he had not come for us. Nothing daunted we inquired of 

 anative us to what road we shonlil take, and what, the distance was to 

 Mount Laurel, which elicited the following information. "Ju,t take 

 tins Btreet doivu to the lirst, road which runs to the left, then go up that 

 to the first road which runs to the tight, then take that right straight 

 out four miles until you git that." Our native, verifying the customs 

 of hlB country, wanted to know what we were after? "Quails," we 

 replied. "Quails, ell? well, you jlst won't git auy quails there; and 

 I'll give yon fifty cents ahead for all you kill, and meet jou at Ihe rail- 

 road station to-night to git them." We concluded the bargain at once. 



History tells us that men whose names aro enrolled on the banner of 

 fame overcame, apparently, insurmountable obstacles In the beginning. 

 Tradition has it they had their honors thrust upon them, but we, line 

 little Excelsior, as he tolled with his little banner up the weary Alpine 

 height, tolled with our little guns and ammunition through four milta 

 of mad, through a cold, drizzling rain to our destination, which we 

 reached about an hour and a quarter later. Uncle Zebedee gave its a 

 hearty welcome, and Immediately set out to And his friend Zeke, wh3 

 knew all about the gunning business. Iu the meantime Tom went to 

 look for a gun for John, which he produced in the Bhape of an old 

 single barrel, made wheu Adam was a boy, and, judging from its ap- 

 pearance, might have participated in the John Browa raid, bin H was 

 warranted to "kill 'em" every time and not to kick, which recom- 

 mendation John thought Tom might lust as well Investigate, no*, wish- 

 ing to deprive him of auy chance of success, while he kept Tom's fine 

 Claybrough for his own use. 



Uncle Zebedee haying found Zeke, who signified his willingness to 

 ehow us how to do the gunning ouslnes?, proceeded to load his own 

 gun, which was an old-fashioned double-barrel muzzle-loader, but 

 with a first-class stock on her (he knew, for he madeit himself), put on 

 a couple of caps to blow her out, but she didn't blow ; then running his 

 ramrod down each barrel, with the reman that he had loaned her to a 

 friend and guessed he hadn't cleaned her, which remark was verified 

 by the clouds of duBt arising from each barrel, reminding one of a 

 wagon on a country road In the summer time. Zeke then thought he 

 would put in a couple of fingers of powder to eleao her, which lie did, 

 but she didu't go worth a cent. Patience was fast ceasing to bo a 

 virtue. Zeke rushed luto an adjoining house, produced a hair-pin, 

 picked out the tubes, again put on his caps, and guessed sl.e would go 

 this time. The writer' involuntarily selzstl John, who was standing 

 dangerously near, fearing the result, but off she went with a sound 

 Btrangcly suggestive of tearing innumerable yards of cloth. All was 

 now ready, and, Zeke reloading, wo started for the Cripple. We 

 Anally reached the Cripple, as infainons a combination of cat-briers, 

 rag-weed, sorub-oafc and marsh aB one could imagine, without the op- 

 portunity of seeing its equal. Zeke knew the birds were there. We 

 66M our setter dog Glen out to do his work, which he promptly did by 

 mating a point. We crowded around him as quietly and quickly as 

 possible, flushed the birds, and opened our battery of seven barrels 

 upon them; but the birds went on as though, like Mark Twain's 

 acltass-rubblt , they were on business, Gleu looked amazed and could 

 noi understand why lie was not called upon to bring in the dead birds. 

 Finally we sent him out again, and in a few moments he was again 

 pointing. Zeke was nearest him, and eommcuced his encouraging cry 

 of "HI, boy! hi, boy!" The writer ihen interfered, threatening to 

 take bun awuy entirely if the encouragement was persisted In. We 

 again crowded around him, this time with a determination to do or die. 

 We flushed the birds and then tired, with a report strongly resembling 

 the fosilade of a country military company at a Fourth of July celebra- 

 tion. But the birds, they went away as though they were furnishing 

 un for us, and, as it did not hurt them any, had no objections to the 



entertainment. Glen was now thoroughly disgusted; quit work and 

 laid down. Again we started, and niter a weary tramp of an hour and 

 a naif, with bleeding hands, rap : i . Dthes and linking feet, were re- 

 warded with another point. Wo again rallied oni f ices, opened <rar 

 batteries, aud as usnal I tie bird • ■■■n business ; but Glen 



recognizing the value of our skill, marked me bird down, pointed him, 

 and when again flushed caught lire bird in bis | 



All honor be to whom honor is due. Glen saved our reputation and 

 prevented us from returning empty banded, bat, alas I new troubles 

 presented themselves. A Quaker farmer claimed ihe spoils of the 

 hunt as having been shot on hU property. We endeavored to appease 

 the righteous wrath of our friend, but failing to do BO, anally agreed 

 upon the following compromise: that if he would prove how much 

 space between heaveu and earth his title called tor, and ;. rove to us 

 the bird was in that space when shot (of course we did not tell him the 

 dog caught it), we would gladly pay him for It. This was a slunner, 

 and the old gentleman finally bad to concede the victory, and we 

 bagged Ihe spoils. 



This closed the shooting business so far as our friend Zeke was con- 

 cerned, so wc ail returned to Vncle Zebertee'a, enjoyed a good dinner, 

 and were driven to E. M. depot, where we auxlou-ly 10 ■■ ■ 

 quondam friend who was to buy our gims at fifty cents a. head, We 

 spied him down the street, and with the wnter'a coat-pockets filled 

 with newspapers, dog chains, e'e, and one little qaail on top to repre- 

 sent agoodly bunch, started to close the business. Our native imme- 

 diately refused his bargain, out we insisted, and he finally sought 

 safety in flight; but, although iieavi'v encumbered, we kept up the 

 chase through the streets of this interesting village, insisting on the 

 consummation of our sale, until the Whistle of our approaching train 

 called us away. 



In conclusion, we would extend an Invitation to all amateur.-, who de- 

 sire a good d-jy'3 sport, to join us next year in our trip lo shoot op 

 " Uncle Zebcdce's Cripple." W. C. H. 



THE ASCENT OF THE GDADALOUPE 

 SOUFFRIERE. 



BY FREDERICK A. OBEB. 



A Paper Head Before the Appalachian Club, Boston, Jao. 8, 1879. 

 [T was in the height of the " hurricane season," in August, 

 -*- that I left Isle of Martinique, thu birthplace of Josfiphine, 

 for Guadaloupe. At four o'clock one calm morning we 

 steamed into the harbor of Point a Pitre, Guadaloupe's 

 metropolis, and fired a guu. It was [very dark ,- only the 

 light-house lamp sent its gleam abroad ; but in an hour the 

 water about us w r as alive with boats. 



Guadaloupe is separated into two islands, one of volcanic 

 origin, uneven and mountainous, the other low and flat, •with- 

 out even a hill. A narrow creek divides them— a shallow, 

 salt passage called the Kiviure Salee. The banb3 of this 

 creek are lined wilh mangroves ; and it is one of the hottest 

 places in the West Indies, as my subsequent shooting excur- 

 sions verified. Point a Pitre is situated at the southern 

 month of this salt river. It is regularly built, with broad, 

 straight streets, with a fountain in the centre of a square, a 

 fine cathedral and many good houses, Here is, also* one of 

 the largest uamen or factories lor making sugar iu Ihe world, 

 second only to the largest known, the Khedive oj 



What strikes the visitor with surprise is the new 

 ance of all the buildings ami the scarcity of trees. The ex- 

 planation of this is found in the records of the citj 

 recovering from the effects of n destructive fire. Within the 

 past four years Point :! Pitre has passed through at least four 

 trying ordeals by the elements. First, it was shaken down by 

 an earthquake : then all the buildings were of stone, large and 

 massive. Rebuilding their city, these indomitable French- 

 men (sagacious in a human way) constructed their houses of 

 wood. It was not long, not many years, before (in the lau- 

 guage of my informant) " there came along the tallest kind of 

 a hurricane and tumbled their wooden nouses down." 

 To add to the horrors, a lire broke out, which swept their city 

 clean. The wise men cogitated : how to build to escape 

 earthquake, Are and hurricane 1 The result was the adoption 

 of the present, system of construction, with strong iron Irame 

 Blled in with brick or composite. The loss of "life In these 

 successive disasters has been fearful, but these > 

 Creoles have faith in the future of their city ; aud I doubt if 

 they once give a thought to the mighty power against which 

 they are contending— that they are fighting forces, controlled 

 by Nature's laws, that always will operate in tin 

 and place, without regard to the little doings of mankind. 

 But it was uot to remain in Point a Pitre that I came here; 

 the blue mountains forty miles away beckoned me to their 

 cool retreats, and before night I had engaged passage on 

 board a little schooner, the Siren, for Basso Terre, I 

 of the mountains. I left Point a Pitre in the evening — the 

 sea like glass, the mosquitoes like fiends I For many hours 

 we drifted aimlessly. The cabiu was a black hole, full of 

 merchandise, and I was obliged to sleep on deck, which was 

 covered with negroes, who made way respectfully, very re- 

 spectfully — for the vessel's black hog— but not lor me. Witha 

 bulwark of fat and garrulous negroes, men and women, on 

 either side of me, I stretched myself upon a narrow ledge and 

 fell asleep. If that wall of blacks gives way f am lost. To 

 its credit, be it said, it did not. break, but sat there the live- 

 long night and soothed mu to sleep with ihe musical numbers 

 of their patois. The night was dark, the sky black, with 

 stars shining in it as through holes iu a vaulted roof. Iu the 

 middle of the night there came up a rain storm, driving, piti- 

 less. Awakened bv the plashing of drops iu my face, I drew 

 my rubber poncho over me and fell asleep again to the music 

 of their patter on the waves. These are historic waters. I 

 am coasting a Ehore along which sailed the caravels of Colum- 

 bus ; but even the consciousness of this fact could not induce 

 me to go to the rail and peer into the darkness for some 

 ancient landmark. Spite of historic reminiscence, and in 

 spite of my odorous inclosure of natives, I slept the sleep of 

 the just man who is taking bis second night's rest in his 

 clothes ; thanks to years of camp life ! I have said that this 

 was historic ground, this island of Uuadaloupe, aud fraught 

 with dejds dear to America's existence, these waters that lave 

 its shores. 



Let me quote, in coufiiination, the words of Irving as he 

 describes the second voyage of Columbus. "The islands 

 among which Columbus had arrived were a part of that beau- 

 tiful cluster called by some the Antilles, which sweep almost 

 in a semicircle from the ei no Rico to the coast 



oil Paris on the Southern Continent. 



"During the first day that he entered this archipelago, 

 Columbus saw no less than six islands of different magnitude. 

 They were clothed in tropical vegetation and the breezes from 



them were sweetened by the fragrance of their forests. After 



seeking in vain for good anchorage at Done 



another of the group, to which he gave the i 



Marigalante. Llere he landed, displayed the royal banner and 



took possession of the archipelago in the name Of his sovereigns. 



The island appeared to be uninhabited ; a rich and dense 



forest overs;:. _. i ae Of the trees were in blCaao 



laden with unknown fruits, others possessing spicy odors, 



among which was one with the leaf of the laurel and the 



fragrance of the clove. Hence, they made sail for 



of larger size, with a remarkable mountain ; one peal 



proved afterward the crater of a volcano, rose to a gi eat height, 



with streams of water gushing from it. (This is U 



I hope to reach by and'by.) 



"As they approached within three leagues, they beheld a 

 cataract of such height that (lo use the words of the narrator) 

 it seemed to be falliug from the sky. As it broke into foam 

 in its descent, many at first believed it to. fat 

 while rock. To this island, which was culled by the natives 

 Turugutini, the admiral gave the name of QuadalQU] 

 iog promised the monks of Oar Lady of Guadaloupe, iu Ea- 

 tremadura, to call some newly discovered place alter then 

 convent. Landing here on the 4th of November, 1493, they 

 visited a Tillage near ihe shore, the inhabitants of 

 in uffright, leaving their children behind in the'n terror and 

 confusion." ***«**», 



This was the first island in which Columbus saw the won- 

 derful CtirHts, of whom he. heard so much in llispaniola. The 



account he gave of their neat villages, of the finding I 



the fragment of a vessel, and the first pine-apple, is extremely 

 interesting, as are all descriptions of first things— or the dis- 

 covery of things previously unknown to us of the present day. 



Here he first found evidences of cannibalism, as the author 

 goes on to relate : " What struck the Spaniards with horror, 

 was the sight of human boues, vestiges, us they supposed, ol 

 unnatural repasts ; and skulls, apparently used as ■ 

 other household titensils. These dismal objects convinced 

 them that they were in the abodes of the cannibals, 

 whose predatory expeditious and ruthless character rendered 

 them the terror of these seas." Fortunate for Colutnoa ' 

 his crew that all the men were absent on the war trail, otto ( 

 wise he would not have carried away women and children 

 with such impunity, as he did in all his voyages. 



" The island on this side extended for a distance of five- 

 and-twenty leagues, diversified with lofty mountains aud 

 broad plains," 



And this coast, which I later saw in all its grandeur of 

 lofty cliffs and towering mountains, in its loveliness of curv- 

 ing bays and palm-bordered beaches ; this coast, was right 

 abeam, hidden behind the impenetrable wall of rti 

 second time I seek a landing on Guadaloupj 

 o'clock in the morning. We sailed into the roadstead i if Basse 

 Terre, on the open sea at the southern cud of the island. 

 Darkness covered everything, a few cocks commenced crow- 

 ing, a few lights gleamed out. At 5, a gun boomed out from 

 the fort, and the cathedral bells commenced at once, as if 

 from the vibration, tolling for early inaBS. Daylight crawled 

 slowly in and revealed the open market by the landing 

 crowded with people, the noise Of whose v, 

 as long since. 



Basse Terre is the seat ol 

 Fort de France is of that of Martinique. Like Fort di 

 also, it is chosen by these far-seeing Frenchmen as 

 of government properly, that other towns like Ihut ol Point a 

 Pitre and St. Pierre of Martinique, may not, by their , superior 

 advantages for commerce aud trade, draw all the population 



thither. To this end— the distribution of wealth eu ie 



belter cultivation of the soil, the French have coven d both 

 their islauds with roads, in striking contrast t" LI 

 bridle-paths of the English islands equally motiiiLainous. 



The Government buildings are in the upper part ol the town 

 between two rivers, behind a large stone fort. They surround 

 three sides of a square bordered by mighty palmistOS and 

 wilh an elegant fountain of bronze as center -piece. North 

 and east of the town tower the mountains, the land 

 ing to rise to their summits at its very outskirts; 

 streets lead up into the hills. The houses are built of stone, 

 but are not large or pretentious. The streets are straight, 

 parallel with the shore, and at right, angles with it. In the 

 centre of the town is an open market-place, iu which is a 

 fountain fed from the mountains, aud around which is a row 

 of tamarind trees. All the serving women of the place come 

 to this fountaiu to fill their jars wilh the cool water that per- 

 petually drips from the bronze lips of the basin. The raihe- 

 dral, or more properly the Buzilique, is a good old structure 

 of stone dating from the time of Le Fere Labat. As the 

 founder of this town, and an author of note, whose 

 book on the Antilles contains the most comprehensivi 

 count of these islands, this worthy Fere deserves especial 

 notice, but which the time at my disposal forbids. Bora 

 in Paris in 10133, he joiued the Dominican friars in 168S, 

 and two years later was appointed professor of mathematics 

 and philosophy at Nancy. 



In 1693, while in Paris, he saw letters from the 

 of that order iu Martinique to the brothers in France, implor- 

 ing them to send out missionaries to replact 

 died from contagious disease. Seizing this onporti 

 BOnseciatiOg himself to mission work (and carrying out a reso- 

 luliou he had a long time cherishedj, lie dej 

 nique, arriving there in January, 1694. Two years later he 

 was sent to Guadaloupe. Later, returning to Martin 

 found his place occupied by auoi her, and w as, 

 fldence, appointed preeureur gin*ru In this 



capacity he visited all the. isles of the Antilles, French, Eng- 

 lish and Dutch ; but passed the greater portion of bis time iu 

 Martinique audCuadaloupe. Iu 1703 he founded Ui 

 Basse Terre, and took au active part in the defence of the 

 islandagainst the attack of the Engll 

 year. 



The Bellicose Pere Blanc, as he was called by the people of 

 the island, could not prevent his monastery from being burned, 

 by which disaster he lost all his books, manuscripts aud in- 

 struments. He returned to France in 1705, resided in Pans 

 and Rome, and in the former city prepared his different 

 voyages for publication. He there died in 1738. 



His most important work, " A'ouvcau Voyage aux lies 

 " is as valuable as it is at the present I 

 It was published in Paris in 1722. He wrote, to 

 large works of travel, chiefly from the manuscripts 



travelers A cenus of plants, containing a ; p 



to Cuba and one to Cayenne, was named Lai 



The old Basiiique remains, in defiance ol 



hurricanes, a monument to the activity and 



father. Its front, however, was rebuilt •- 



During rny stay in Basse Ti 



children fatherless and motherless, and upon inquiry was told 



that these orphans, whoso sweet laces so appealed 



sympathy, were survivors of the great cholera pis 



