NEW YORK, THURSDAY, SEPT. 10, 1874. 



milium Si. (CilyHallSqr.) 



BY THE RIVER. 



BT the bank of a beautiful river, 

 Where the rim of the waters was white, . 

 And the glasses so tall were a-sbivcr 



In the gloom of the fast falling night; 

 Where the. shadows of the hills were reflected 



In the heart of the hurrying stream. 



Anil the rays of the sap were deflected, 



We woke from our passionate dream .- 



And the clouds Ufa great ships on the ocean, 



Spread their sails in the freshening breeze, 

 And the moon like a beacon in motion, 



Sailed away with them over the trees. 

 And the song which the boatman sung gladly, 



Keeping time to the noise of lus oar, 

 Came laiutly, pulsating, and sadly, 



Like an echo from Lethean shore . 



But her lips were as scarlet as ever. 

 And I yearned for one amorous kiss, 



While her eyes were more eloquent, never. 

 And her smile had its quantum of bliss; 



But my pride whispered to me of duty, 

 And I silenced the words on my tongue, 



And 1 turned my gaze 'way from her beauty- 

 Was it foolish •< Ah, well, I was young. 



l:i,i she eon-owed for words that were spoken; 



Had she made but the slightest advance; 

 Had she gave me some sign or a token 



That our meeting was more than a chauce; 

 Had she gave me the ribbon that bound her; 



Had she gave me one glance from her eyes, 

 Or a thread of the gold floating around her, 



Might we both not have known brighter skies* 



But the boatman's song died in the distance. 



And the yellow mists closed in the scene, 

 And I offered no sign of resistance 



When efie tripped away over tj^e green; 

 Though I know she would not have resented 



Had I held her in one fond embrace, 

 And I knew she would there have relented. 



Had 1 kissed but her beautiful face. 



Aud in this way a romance was ended, 



And in this way a life was o'ercast. 

 And in this way an old love was rended, 



And my heart became part of the past. 

 But still the old time will come o'er ine, 



As I sit. in the shadow of years, 

 And the scene will rise up before me 



Like a mirage of beauty in tears. 



For Farett and Stream. 



torts in (ftMomm. 



No. V.— WILD GOOSE SHOOTING BY 

 MOONLIGHT. 



1W AS sitting quietly in my quarters one evening, en- 

 joying the warmth and brilliancy of a crackling wood 

 lire, and reading, by the light of my "student lamp," some 

 papers lately received from the East. The night was 

 chilly, though the moon was bright and the sky clear; for 

 l hough it never becomes cold at Humboldt Bay, a very 

 trifling variation is noticeable, the body becoming sensitive 

 to any change, however slight, in consequence of the even- 

 ness of the temperature. My setter Jack was lazily snooz- 

 ing by the Are, while in dreams he no doubt roved fancy 

 free through the fields and woods in pursuit of his natural 

 and favorite calling, as was evinced by an occasional yelp 

 ot delight or growl of anger, according to the nature of 

 the game he was mentally pursuing. Whenever the dog 

 would growl ray old gray "Thomas puss," Dan, who 

 claimed as his particular domain the corner of the hearth 

 farthest from the door, would spring up, and with arched 

 back and enlarged tail exhibit his sympathy, for they wen; 

 fast friends; but seeing no antagonist, arid only old Jack 

 stretched out. sound asleep, would quietly settle down 

 again, and with half closed eyes resume his musing. Ever 

 and anon my eyes would stray to the corner where resled 

 my faithful double barrel gun and tried old rod, and 

 thoughts of bygone pleasures, in which they had done 

 well l heir part, would flit across my brain. Somewhal fa 



tigued by the labors of a busy day, I was gradually subsid- 

 ing into the doleefar niente, which good news from a far- 

 away home and those I dearly loved, lately received— a 

 good dinner, comfortably eaten (no mean luxury of the 

 frontier) — the soothing influence of the "peaceful pipe," 

 glowing with well ignited "Lone Jack" (not an inappropri- 

 ate name just then) — combined with a bright fire and the 

 presence of faithful brute friends— inspires, when a quick 

 step sounded on the porch, and the door flew open as the 

 Quartermaster entered. Jack bounced up with a joyful 

 bark to greet the intruder, who was a well known friend, 

 while Dan opened his eyes widely, but, seeing who it was 

 closed them again and resumed his meditations. 

 i "Don't you want to go goose shooting, Doctor?" ex- 

 claimed the Quartermaster. "The tide Will be down in an 

 hour, and this bright night the geese will be flying in 

 clouds. I saw them at sundown across the bay by the 

 thousand. We will hare fine sport." 



"Sit down, Captain, aud don't make such an awful rum- 

 pus. What do you want to disturb a man for, this cold 

 night? Take a pipe and toast your heels before this fire. 

 Don't you know it's cold to-night'? I've been bard at work 

 all day, and am tired. Sit down, man, and enjoy the 

 goods the gods have bestowed upon you, and let the poor 

 persecuted geese alone." 



"You be banged, Doctor; you're lazy. Tired! 1 should 

 like to know what 3 r ou have done to make you tired? You 

 havu't chopped off anybody's limb, that I know of, and 



since you and Dr. (one of the physicians of the town) 



nearly killed that poor fellow the other day, I know you 

 can't, get any one to come within a mile of your scalpel. 

 So don't be nonsensical, but get into your old boots and 

 come along." 



"Why don't you go for Capt. T., or some one else, and 

 let me alone? Don't you know that 1 won't be out of the 

 garrison five minutes before "somebody's darling" will 

 have the croup, or the colic, or something, and the poor 

 mother will be frightened into hysterics, and when they 

 find I am away there will be 'the old Harry' to pay?" 



"Nonsense! Leave word where they can find you. We 

 will not go far. Don't be so obstinate. You know you 

 only want to be coaxed. The ladies spoil you doctors, 

 and you are getting to be almost as bad as a miss in her 

 teens. So get your traps in shape while I order the 

 horses." 



"Well, if I must, I must, I suppose, so sit down and let 

 me hear what you propose." 



So we discussed the matter over an amicable pipe, and 

 the upshot of it was that we determined to go out on the 

 flats beyond Humboldt Point, about a mile distant, and try 

 and get some shots as the geese flew over on their way to 

 the places of drinking. These places were springs along 

 the shores of the bay, uncovered by the falling tide, or 

 little brooks which emptied into the bay, and which, when 

 the tide was down, ran far out over the flats, tiny streams 

 of pure fresh water. Thither the]geese were accustomed to 

 repair by night, and we determined to waylay them enrotite. 



While the Quartermaster was bavin* the horses brought 

 round and getting his "implements," I indued my shooting 

 toggery and "old boots." Leaving Jack behind, much to 

 bis disgust, in a few moments we were riding rapidly along 

 the beach on our way to the Point, keeping a bright look- 

 out for the quicksands, the location of which we well 

 knew. There were but few of these along the bay shore, 

 but iu other places they are both numerous and dangerous, 

 and not a few horses and mules, and in some instances, T 

 believe, men also, have perished miserably in them. 



Shortly after my arrival at Humboldt Bay, 1 was one 

 day riding at a hard gallop along the smooth beach or 

 shore of this bay, never dreaming of there being any dan- 

 ger 1 . I rode a very powerful chestnut, sorrel horse, some- 

 what famous iu that pari of the country lor strength and 

 endurance. Suddenly, my hOTSe, in his stride, leaped clear 

 of the solid beach, and sank half way up his side in a 

 quicksand. As he was a very courageous and strong ani- 

 mal, his efforts were tremendous, and in almost less time 



than it takes mc to tell it he had struggled through, and 

 stood with wildly glaring eyes and heaving flanks upon 

 the solid ground. Fortunately, this qutcksand was not 

 deep, but I shudder to think what might have been my 

 fate had I struck a larger, deeper, aud more dangerous one. 

 I should have lost my horse, if not my own life also. When 

 my horse got through, which took scarcely a minute, he 

 was white with foam, and he had not "turned a hair" be- 

 fore. This will give some idea of his struggles. 



Our ride was a short but lovely one, for the moon was 

 dearly full, and the air pure and bracing. The moonlight 

 nights in California are, I think, peculiarly beautiful. The 

 air is so pure and clear the moon shines with a brightness 

 unequalled elsewhere. Talk of the moonlight of the Ori- 

 ent, it cannot compare with it. In California the grandeur 

 of the forests, lit up by the moonbeams, struggling through 

 the tops of the gigantic redwoods, can only be appreci- 

 ated by being seen. "The dim aisles of the forest" are 

 there reality, and the colossal trunks, with their lofty heads, 

 strikingly remind one of the huge columns and carved 

 capitals of a great cathedraL The "subdued ecclesiastical 

 light" there is perfection. Many a night have I ridden 

 through these forests when the entire party has been hushed 

 with the holy awe that pervaded the "temple of the 

 woods." When we came out upon the hills bounded by 

 the ocean, with the flood of soft moonlight pouring down, 

 and every blade of grass glittering with diamond dew 

 drops, with the. ceaseless boom of the mighty Pacific at. 

 our feet, the white capped waves dancing and glancing o'er 

 the dark waters, and the perfection of the spot marred 

 only by our presence, everyone halted as if spellbound. I 

 fell you, comrade, neither Egypt's shrines nor Holy Land 

 ever saw fairer sight or brighter moonlight, or that which 

 filled the soul and impressed the mind with a greater sense 

 of man's littleness, and the power and munificence of our 

 Maker. 



Soon we arrived at our destination, although we had 

 paused on our way to induce L., a brother of the rod and 

 gun, who lived on a small ranche about half a mile from 

 the Post, to accompany us. Fastening our horses securely, 

 each man hunted out from a ruined shanty near (one of the 

 relics of the suburbs of "Humboldt City") a piece of board 

 some ten feet long to lay on the flat, so that we could sit 

 clown, and thus be less exposed to the keen vision of the 

 game, and lead them to consider us some stump or log left 

 by the tide, and also to keep us from sinking in the soft 

 mud in which we floundered, ankle deep, at, every step. 

 Walking out as far as the consistence of the flat would 

 allow, we placed our boards about thirty yards apart, aud 

 sat down to wait patiently for the geese. Soon they began 

 to fly over us in little flocks of half a dozen or more. As 

 they came tip they appeared double their real size, white 

 as snow, aud beautiful beyond compare—flying quite low, 

 often within thirty feet, and giving us good easy shots. 



"Mark," called out the Captain, who was on the extreme 

 right. 



As he spoke, up came a (lock of three or four. Aiming 

 at the middle one, I let drive my left barrel, and down 

 came a fine gander, stone dead, almost at my feet. At the 

 shot the flapping and honking of the. survivors was tre- 

 mendous. Quickly I fired my right barrel, and down came 

 another, in anything but "easy spirals," wing tipped, and 

 off lie ran over the flat toward the water. 



"Catch him, Doctor," sung out L., andat the word I laid 

 my gun on the board and made for him. Talk about the 

 slow and awkward gait of a goose. That one was a born 

 racer, and it was all I could do to reach him before he got to 

 where the mud was too soft, to bear me up. He struck at 

 me fiercely with his uninjured wing, and bit most vicious- 

 ly, but I soon had him safely laid by his companion. 



Loading care ft illy, I sat down on my board, with due 

 patience, when soon another and larger flock coming up 

 gave US all a chance, and we rendered it fair account of 

 them, the Captain ami myself getting one each, and L,, 

 who had the heaviest gun, two. 



Bui what Hoots it liitell of misses mini.- oi conns Seared 



