Jtwe 80, 1881. 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



425 



stones to his feet with the strips, determined to jump far 

 enough and deep enough to get the berries. But he was too 

 strong, and jumped way out where the water was black end 

 deep. Down, down he went, and nearly drowned, lie fin- 

 ally succeeded though in breaking Hie strips which held the 

 stones tohis legs, and, tired and half strangled, c imbed out on 

 the bank to rest. An he lay ihre he happened to look up 

 overhead and saw goat bunches of berries growing on the 

 bushes, and immediately perceived how he had been fooled 

 by the refleetkm of them in the water. Picking Up a club 

 he threw it at them, saying, 'There, I will make thorns grow 

 oa you, and after this any one who wants to gather you will 

 have to knock you oil with clubs.' " 



And now the sun had set, and we repaired to the places 

 we had picked out to watch the trails, Pe-uuk-wi-um tak- 

 ing the left one and I the fight. 



My hiding-place was n ,t more than fifty feet from the 

 trail, and commanded a long reach of the path where the sun 

 shone brightly through the stunted pines. As the slight 

 wind was blowing down the mountain in the direction from 

 which the elk would come, 1 dared to light my pipe, and sat 

 for a long time thinking of bygone exploits of mountain and 

 prairie. Hoo, hoo hoo, hoo hoo! cried au owl wav up on the 

 mountain side, and from the dirk recesses below its mate 

 answered back in a, repetition of hoots. What hunter but 

 loves to hoar the hoot of the owl ! What pleasant memories 

 has he of bygone sport, of peaceful camping iu the woods, 

 of silent paddling among the lily pads where the mist winds 

 fantastically upward, but what are associated with the mel- 

 ancholy notes of this queerest of queer birds. 



In my wanderings among the mountains and prairies I 

 miss one old friend of Eastern days— the loon! 11 ow 

 many nights have 1 lain awake in the depths of some Eastern 

 forest and listened to its wierd, long-drawm crv arise from 

 the lake, and, echoing from hill to hill, finally die "away in the 

 distance, hut, hark ! No more dreaming. I heard some- 

 thing surely I Yes, 1 hear it again, the tread of some heavy 

 a lima! coming down Pe-nuk-wi-um's trail. A bright flash 

 from the chiefs gun, a report, followed by a moment's 

 silence. Then from the animal the most unearthly, hideous 

 yell ever heard. I recognized it. Pe-mik-wi-uni had 

 wounded a grizzly! Perhaps ^there were more with it! 

 Perhaps— but I waited no longer. I heard something com- 

 ing through the bushes toward me, and turning, fled with all 

 speed down the mountain. As 1 crossed the glade 1 saw the 

 chief emeige from his hiding-place, in spite of his weight 

 and years running like a deer. He was soon beside me, and 

 tjgetherwo kept on down the mountain. Overrocks and logs, 

 jumping deep holes, we kept on and on, never stopping till 

 we reached the prairie. Exhausted and faint, we sank down 

 upon the grass and tried to regain our breath. 



'•What was it?" I asked. "A bear," gasped the chief. 

 "Did you kill it?" "I don't know," he replied. " 1 saw 

 its eyes in the bushes and thought it was au elk. I fired, it 

 yelled, and 1 ran away as quick as 1 could." No more hunt- 

 ing that night. So we quietly wended our way back to 

 citnp and to bed, but it was long before we fell asleep. 

 Never in rny life had 1 received such a scare. That terrify- 

 ing yell still echoed in my eais and my heart beat, faster 

 every time I thought of it. 



Well, of course by breakfast lime the whole camp had 

 heard of our exploit, and many were the questions asked 

 and taks recounted about the bear. Accotnpaired by six or 

 eight young men, I went back to the lakelet. Arriving 

 there, wo deployed and slowly reconnoitred the ground. 

 Step by step we advanced to the thicket where Po-uuk-wi- 

 um had seen the bear. Not a sound was heard. " I guess 

 it's dead," said one. "I don't believe he killed it," said 

 another. "Look," said another, and running a little dis- 

 tance held up a dead lynx to view. " Hi-hi-hi " thev all 

 snouted. "Look at Pe-nuk-whuui's and Ap-pe-cun-ny's 

 bear. Sec the tag bear which yelled. Se.e the big bear 

 which chased them down the mountain." There was no doubt 

 about it. To Pe-nuk-wi-uui's distorted vision the lynx had 

 seemed an elk and a bear, and my ears had willingly de- 

 ceived me as to the cry. Carefully strapped to a pole, the 

 animal was triumphantly borne into camp and received with 

 shouts of derision by the people. 



Poor Pe-nuk-wi-um ! He never heard the end of the elk 

 hunt. Many a time since have I heard the Indians, speaking 

 of the lynx, call it " Pe-nuk-wi-um's elk." Ap-rn-anN-NT. 



Worl Benton, M. 7',, April 25, 1881. 



TWO "WEEKS WITH THE BASS AND PICKEREL. 

 At Intermediate Lake, Antrim Co., Michigan. 



BY KrN&FISITEH. 



DEAR D.— We went a fishin' up to Northern Michigan in 

 July last, as agreed upon in May, with many regrets 

 that you could not join us as expected ; and I will say to you — 

 and you can apply it to yourself as a scourge — that you 

 missed two weeks of as glorious sport as ever tell to the lot 

 of "ye honest angler." We concluded not to fill your place 

 with an unknown quantity, si the party cont-uoed only two 

 of the old " Kingfishers," W. (thescr.be) and the writer. 

 An editor friend from Hamilton, Ohio, Mr. B., a half-fledged 

 " anguliar," and a mighty good fellow, made up the party— 

 not large, but two of us at least, chock full ol love lor the 

 gentle art. We shipped the camp outfit ten days ahead, to 

 Manceloaa, a station forty ni les Sjuth of t'etoskey, on the 

 G. R. and I. R. K., at wh ch point we were to take wagon 

 for Intermedia e Lake, our objective poiut. By corres- 

 pondence, everything was arranged and ready for us | wagon 

 chattered, camp-boy hired, and two boats eng iged of Post- 

 master Cutler, of Lake Shore P. O. (at lower end of lake), 

 who was to meet us with the boats at Be. la re, the new 

 county seat of Antrim County. I left Cincinnati at 7:15 

 Thu sday morning, Ju y 15 h, and arrived at Maneeloua next 

 morning at 6:04, the other two having left the night before, 

 in order to see the upper end of the roid by daylight, and 

 have things ready for an early start on my arrival. We :eft 

 the stadon shortly after 7 a. m., the sciibe and editor in the 

 hack, while the camp-boy and I went with the bi&gaga on 

 or rather with, another wagon. That hack is a delusion and 

 a snare for the unwary. 1l was simply an oldluruher wagon, 

 without a cover, with two spiing seats huug on to the bed, 

 and was drawn ny a par of ponies a size aed a half larger 

 than jai k rabbi's. It is a mail hack, and if the mail pouch 

 hat-pens to contain two letters more than usual the passen- 

 gers have to walk and help to pushup the sand hies. It 

 makes two trips a week to Bellaire and up the country as far 

 as Cemral Lake P. O. at the head of Intermediate Lake. It 

 leaves Mancelona on Tuesday and Friday, 

 The road to Bellaire, as a wagon road, is frightfully jolty, 



full of root-:, and highly unsatisfactory as a highway gener- 

 ally, but. we found the walking to be fur to unddlin' aud 

 several little cold streams on the way furnished us much 

 comfort, . n tnrd. lee Julv day. After being on the R. R a 

 day and night, f was well nigh t gged out and needed rest ; 



;J ' I fOde ,j oi. . ■:.•■. ii the way dowu except about, twelve 



»'"" -w'iiiiw Bj w.;;.,w and a halt mile-, from Mancwl na ; 

 •''" g'"eal . jj.o: i , 'ware up the distance waked, and walking 

 On an av, rage July day is not Strictly a pastime for a person 

 whose Wnist-bard measures in the lie^u- vicinity of fifty in- 

 ches, "of winch the writer is one." The new c .unty" seat 

 is located on Intermedia e Kiver about midw.iy between. 

 Grass below, and Intermediate lakes above. The river is a 

 rather shallow, winding, narrow stre on, in places scarcely 

 five yards wide, is perhaps four miles long, aud connects the 



two I ikes. Thi 

 of the heavy woo 

 lying as felled by 

 swept, " 

 ing a 

 was a 

 crept i 

 the tie 



then 



ass h- 



Michigan and dr 

 hi ugh in ihwri 

 people clever 



for t!i 



It 



and we 



a,nout r 



minulei 



promised, and we spi nt nearly 



place : locked at the river, a 



bought some lumber at the i 



table, etc.. madoasrood man 



ler, and finally 



him, conclude 



hunt a ca. 



only about 

 P. M. 



iclieve Belli 



n P fe 



huge square b oeked out 

 red with the fal'en trees, 

 le a fire that had recently 

 lerlcss and desolate-look- 

 "d Six months before it 

 :ss, but at the time we 

 one imaginary street at the lower end of 

 ii' t :! fifteen unpainted wooden houses 

 inss iate, screaming fiend whose appetite 

 'd- and at no distant day— when it has 

 lie;: of the noble forests of Northern 

 up its s reams i 1 there will not be water 

 swim a wafer b e. le. We fouod the 

 neighborly, and full of hope and plans 

 —a ly a p etty location for a small town. 

 e lias a futureahead of it. We arrived 

 i lie hack had preceded us only a few 

 Cut'er was not their to meet us as 

 n hour looking around the 

 :• thread through the woods, 

 io matte a fish box, camp 

 nalu ed remarks about Gui- 

 nea cur patience was Worn out waiting for 

 go up the river as far as the lake at least, 

 the light, and lay for that, Postmaster's 

 ug. Wo were told " G.een's landing" was 

 rods up the river, from which point our 



Iked twice a week to snap mails, anc for this we 

 started, the wagon following with the. trapi Luckily we 

 mi l the subject of our remarks a short distance out of town 

 with two of his sons, one of them carrying a well-flattened 

 mail pouch. The introduction was brief: "I suppose this 

 is Mr. Cutler?" '•Yes!" " Well, here's vonr ftshingparty. 

 Shake. Where are your boats?" " Up the river at the 

 landing, about eighty rods." (We found eighty rbds to be 

 tne only appreciable distance in this neck o' woods. 1 Then 

 we wint, I uthat landing ag-tin. 



At the head of wagon" navigation a trail icd down to the 

 water and that landing, which was a spot at the wafer's edge- 

 devoid enough of overhanging "bresh," as ihe camp bov 

 expressed it, to allow a skiff to get, to the bank. 



At this point is the head of the rapids, eighty rods long, 

 more or less. 



The river, through the rapids, is shallow, in places barely 

 deep enough to float a light skiff, and runs like a mill race, 

 which feature no doubt bad something to do with the P. M. 

 preferring to walk from the landing down and back. 



Three narrow, flat-hot touied boats were to transport us 

 and our luggage up the river and lake somewhere to a ca't'.p. 

 We loaded part of the things into them, and the Cutler boys 

 aud the writer, to whom powers were given as to locating, 

 started, leaving the rest to smoke and wait till we came 

 back for another load. 



Troub'e for the writer began right at the landing. The 

 little u now river ran with agood, strong current, as 1 found 

 before reaching the lake, and it is an exceedingly devious 

 stream. Its turnings aud windings are numerous and "ser- 

 pentine," and its currents deceptive. My boat was loaded 

 too much by the head, unavoidable on account of the size 

 of the boxes containing our effects and the narrowness of 

 the craft aft of the rowloaks. It steered wild, ami objected 

 decidedly to keep the middle or any part of the stream, and 

 about every ten yards it would take a notion to shove its 

 nose into the ' 

 overhanging i 

 ing the opera 

 boat up thut 

 m op muscle 



tr at the 



either 



. or wander off under some 

 iewith the evident intention of brush- 

 oars off into the water. Rowing a 

 led as mine was, is calculated to de- 

 ,nd latent profanity, and it requires a fair 

 amount of the former to overcome the current, and a juiici- 

 ous use of the latter, in at least five different dialects, to 

 keep the boat in the stream. By a vigorous use of both I at 

 last turned a quiet kink in the river and beheld the lake only 

 a few yards ahead. I felt like resting, but that contrary 

 boat did not want to go ashore. A dozen vicious yanks on 

 the starboard oar buried her bows in an oozy bar, and 1 

 straightened up, mopped the sweat out of my eyes and made 

 a few remarks about Cutler, his boat, Intermediate river and 

 the country at large. As I gazed out on the beautiful sheet 

 of water before me I thought of old man Columbus and his 

 feelings on first sighting land on his memorable voyage, and 

 reaching away back into the dim past 1 had a figurative and 

 fraternal shake with the lamented mariner. 



Prom the head of the rapids up the banks of the stream 

 are a tangle of swamps. Spruce and cedars overhang and 

 sweep the water in many places, and old dead truuks, brist- 

 ling with countless .jagged Jiwhs and bayonet-like Spikes, 

 giving to some ol them the appearance of enormous "devil's 

 darning needles," reach out over and into and under the 

 water from every conceivable direction. Most of these 

 have, however, been cut away aud removed to make a chan- 

 nel through which to run saw-logs to the lower lakes, and it 

 is an easy matter to make a trip through the nver in a small 

 boat dawn stream. In sight, to the right of us, aud in a line 

 up aud down the lake, were three islands, the second one of 

 which, about a mile distant, the Cutler boys favored as a 

 camping place, and we accordingly struck out for It against 

 a strong head wind and a short, chopping sea. The pull to 

 the island proved more satisfactory, at least to my boat, than 

 that up the river, as it had more room in wdiich to spread 

 itself and indulge its frolicsome and erratic disposition. It, 

 was a good sea boat, however, aud behaved very properly 

 afier relieving it of its bow load. Passing the first island, 

 we dropped in behind the middle one (which we afterward 

 named Middle Bass) out of the wind and pulled a.ound to 

 the east side, where we found a comfortable lauding. This 

 island is probably six or seven hundred feet long 'and less 

 than half as wide, is flat and low, not more than two feet 

 above the surface of the lake at auy point, ground rather 

 spongy, well covered with a ple.ntiful'growth of trees, grass 

 aud underbrush, and contains two and one-eighth acres. 



Last spring, during the prevalence of the long, heavy 

 rains, it was two feet under water. It lies nearljwn the 



middle of the lake, which is here about, a mile wide, and is 

 owned by Mr. Prank Lewis, of the Lewis House, at the head 

 of Torch Lalie. A*> there was no spring nor firewood ou it, 

 we pulled across the lake to < hi. h-r\" Landing iu search of a 

 better camp. Here we found nothing iu Biglll liui au almosi 

 impassable swamp and a half borduroyed sneak through it 



to the hard land a quarter of a, mile back, so w i re .1 tfi 



the island aud concluded it was a very fine placa 1 ir q iafl) pi, 

 which it proved to be on a better acquaintance 



Unloading the ho w tl '" tier the rest of the 



party to find tin' boys out Of patience at our long stay, and 

 worrying lest some mishap had befallen us. 



I loaded my boat this time on an even keel, ihe editor in 

 the stern and some other freight in the bow, and lite trip was 

 made with less outlay of inu-.cfe and fewer general reu 

 than was required by the tied One. 



The other two boats would only carry the remaining bag- 

 gage, which moved Ihe scribe, our Johnny and fa, hi I i. alii i 

 to make a circuit around the swamp and come out to the 

 water nearly opposite the island, "where they waited till we 

 unloaded and brought them over. The sun was dipping into 

 the tree tops iu the west before we were ready to .id'.,; . i ,,,, 

 but where there were so many willing hands" it did not take 

 long to unpack, put up two tents and start, a lire and the 

 supper. Our neighbors took their departure for home, 

 leaving us to fight mosquitoes and arrange the camp for the 

 night's much needed rest. With gum blankets, an extra 

 tent, the kitchen tly, buffalo robe, quilts aud blankets, 

 made a comfortable bed. over which we adjusted a mosquito 

 bar made and provided for this especial trip, and then we 

 rested and smoked and laid out the morrow's work. The 

 ' ' skeeters " were numerous and annoying at , tirst. but after 

 we got better acquainted we did not mind them so much. 

 They seemed to takea special liking to the editor. Ills neck 

 aud hands were usually covered with lumps the size i t soup 

 beans. On the water, while fishing, ihey did not trouble us 



Next morning early we started '.Iota, uy across to Cutler's 

 for milk, butter, eggs, bread, potatoes, etc., which were nil 

 ready for us as per' agreement. We had brought with us 

 pilot bread, bacon, sugar, tea and coffee, canned meals, 

 pickles, beans, etc., and all our larder lacked was fresh fish,' 

 but the camp must be put in order first. Tnc boy was kept 

 busy most of the day getting over from the mainland a sup- 

 ply of dry cedar for" fire wood, and a lot of clean rye Straw 

 from Culler's with which we made a luxurious bed in each 

 tent. With the lumber we made a fable, fixed up the kitchen, 

 stretched a fly over it, and by the middle of the afternoon 

 the camp was pronounced in running order. 



Then we went a-tishin'— down the lake iu the "pocket" 

 ne ir the outlet. We found we could get no minnows with a 

 seine as there was not a spot along The shores or down the 

 river clear euough of bull-rushes, lily p ,ds or bushes lo draw 

 out at. We caught a few dozen small suuflsh with hook and 

 line which proved to be fair bait, but we went back to camp 

 disappointed wilb four or five small bass and a couple of 

 pickerel. Enough, however, to change smells in the frying 

 pans. 



Next morning we tried the sunfi.sh again ; cut off the dor- 

 sal fin as we used them, and had fair sport, but the results 

 were far from what we had been led to expect. I took o ic 

 large mouthed bass during the 1'.. renoon, of four aud one- 

 quarter pounds, which was a fair symptom of belter things 

 in store for us had we only good bait. 



When I struck the old lellow and he left the w-ter three 

 feet to show his size a streak of electricity ran up the line, 

 and down the rod into the remotest parts of the "old frame, " 

 and bait, backache and recollections of Intermediate River 

 all vanished on the instant, and I was a hoy again. 



Back on the island for lunch, some one said "flogs." Why 

 had we not thought of them before ? We got the Cutler boys 

 to catch.us fif tj for a starter, and from that time on we had 

 rare sport. 



Speckled frogs and green were plen y aud of assorted sizes, 

 and, large or small, they were a toothsome morsel for both 

 bass and pickerel. 



Our Johnny was not much of a cook, but he could sur- 

 round a frog with neatness and dispatch, and next to his vo- 

 racity and staving qualities at the table, catching frogs proved 

 ed to be his best "holt," so the question of bait was happily 

 sett ed. 



During the night it commenced lo rain — was raining when 

 we got up— and it came down steadily all day except during 

 an interval of an hour or more in the afternoon. This kept 

 the scribe and editor in camp most of the day. They, how- 

 ever, ventured out when it stopped rain ng, 'mid went down 

 to the pocket where they took a few very tine bass and pick- 

 erel, and fished back lo camp in time to escape the rain when 

 it commenced to come down again. But the spirit ; moved 

 me mcist powerfully that particular morning to go a-tishin', 

 aud as I have always believed that a iittlc"iain"should not 

 hold a lover of the spent back wheu the yearning was strong 

 within him to go I slipped into a rubber coat, put a dozen 

 frogs into a minnow bucket, took the smaller boat, and, 

 crossing over to the east shore, fished quietly up the lake 

 a couple of miles to study the water, and learn, if possible, 

 the feeding grounds of the fish. 



The shores of the lake, and more notably the lower oqr- 

 tion of it, are fringed with a belt of bull-rushes growing from 

 the bottom, aud extending out into the water from a few 

 feet to fifty yards, and here and there a patch of wateHdies 

 spread their broad, green leaves, dotted "with white and yel- 

 low flowers over the water, covering it for yards like a smooth 

 mat. 



Some of these rushes grow to great size. One I pulled up 

 measured sixteen feet and four inches iu length, the lower 

 end being as large as (he butt of a trout rod. In many places 

 along the outside of this bell, pickerel weed and two or three 

 kinds of aqua'ic plants and grasses reach up from the bottom 

 tit. depths of (rom six to eighteen feet, some of them coming 

 to the surface, and in t! is water forest ye honest, angler wiU 

 sometimes allow a bass of much strategy to entangle himself, 

 which is liable to chafe his Hue and "his temper, and open 

 the vials of his wrath. And 1 ok you under this oircum- 

 stauce that you forget not your cunning by waxing much 

 wroth, aud by an ovcr-zca'luiis "yank" rend your tackle 

 asunder to the great hilarity of your tinny friend" at the busi- 

 ness end of the line, whose name is M. pallidas or M. sal- 

 ■inunifics as ihe case may be. 



Along this belt of rushes and lily-pads, from the very edge 

 to fifty and seventy. five ftet out into ihe lake, is found the 

 best of the fishing. 



We did not strike a half dozen fish a hundred feet away 

 from the rushes, but later ill the season they bunt the deeper 

 water, and Frank Lewis says that in October hundreds of 

 bass may be found packed in the deep pools of the little 

 rivers connecting the lakes, nere, under the shadow of the 

 broad leaf of the lily, old "longface," always hungry, poises 



