248 
FOREST AND STREAM 
denla, 1 gather Hint, I here is good turkey shooting around 
Calico Hill, aud some deer shooting. Black bass and shad 
are now plentiful, the latter being caught every night in 
flue condition. They run here till the last of April. 
We had good alligator shooting, seeing several, and on 
one trip since, they counted thirty on the banks. As the 
season advauces they will afford excellent sport. Turkeys 
are found at intervals along the river, hut deer are 
scarce, except back in the woods. The river has never 
been hunted or has the St. Johns, and I believe a party 
could have glorious sport, starting in December. By 
taking the Cumberland to Calico Hill, and then rowing 
about ten miles further, to Ttaclore Hill, they would be 
within a few miles of Okeefenoke Swamp, where deer, 
hear, aud turkeys, are said to live in large numbers. It 
would he an enjoyable and novel undertaking; one easily 
done and likely to prove remunerative. By taking the 
direct steamship Hue to Fernandina, from Hew York, they 
make straight communication with the Cumberland, and 
cau do the whole thing at far less expense than an ordinary 
trip up the St. Johns from Jacksonville and back. 
Hermit me to add, in a postcript, that I think an injustice 
has been done the Fernandina line from New York here, 
and its agent, Mr. Woodward. In a letter in a recent issue 
of Forest aud Streak, he is called hard names, and the 
travelling public advised to seek some other way ol' enter¬ 
ing Florida. It is easy to get aggrieved at a ticket agent, 
and, four years ago, 1 would have advised everybody com¬ 
ing this way to avoid the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad from 
Savannah, because they, as I thought, swindled me, at that 
time. I came here in the Fernandina line last fall, and 
came easier, quicker, cheaper, and brought more freight 
at less expense than at any time before. I do not speak 
' from a Bingle season’s experience, for 1 have traveled the 
route north by all the routes afforded—by rail, via . Savan¬ 
nah; via. Charleston, and direct by sailing vessel, aud 
can honestly say, without hope of reward, that the Fer- 
niindiDa line now affords the cheapest, easiest, and most 
direct route to Florida. I have always found Mr. Wood¬ 
ward courteous and gentlemanly, aud shall think that, 
when he is accused of being “thick-headed,” the fault docs 
not lie entirely with him. Fred Beveria. 
Fernandina, March, 1876. 
[Editorially, we have recommended the Fernandina line 
to those seekine Florida by direct route, especially if they 
have many chattels to take.— Ed]. 
For Forest awl Stream. 
A NARRATIVE OF THE UPPER MISSIS¬ 
SIPPI. 
D URING the summer and autumn of 1874 the writer was 
engaged with u party of engineers in making a survey 
ot the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The mighty 
“Miehe Sepe,” or “Father of Waters,” after leaving the 
maternal bosom of Lake llasca winds its way through al¬ 
most impenetrable cedar swamps, rice beds, and majestic 
pine forests. Now and then spreading out into lakes of 
no inconsiderable extent. The country abounds princi¬ 
pally ia Chippewa Indians, deer, moose, hear, and during 
the milder portion of the year in large flocks of ducks, 
geese, and other migratory fowl. The Cliippewas are not 
indigenous to the soil, but were transplanted thither some 
years ago by the Government from a reservation further 
south, possibly on account of the healthfuluess of the cli¬ 
mate, more probably on account of the worthlessness of 
the country for agricultural purposes, and the Indian, for 
purposes of civilization. These Indians live a contented 
and happy life; they build their huts generally of birch 
bark, subsist mainly by Ashing aud hunting, and when 
they die go to the happy hunting grounds with as much 
ease aud elegance us though they were asked into it with 
all the pomp aud panoply of a modem masonic funeral. 
Of ali the numerous lakes through which the Mississippi 
winds its labariuthin course, Lake Winnebagoish has the 
reputation of being the most dangerous. According to an 
old Indian tradition, the country around this lake was once 
used us a hunting ground by both Lhe Sioux and Chippe- 
was, between whom an eternal onmity existed. Two limit¬ 
ing parties, one from each of these tribes, while persuing 
their Nimrodiam propensities, happened to meet on the 
borders of this lake; a great battle thereupon ensued in 
which the Sioux were totally defeated aud a great number 
of them killed. After the battle their bodies were thrown 
into the lake. It is to these departed spirits that the Chip- 
pewas ascribe the continual turmoil of these waters. But 
to a more enlightened mind the roughness of the lake 
would appear to be attributable more to the nature of the 
lake itself than to any superhumau power these departed 
red skins may exert. In shape this lake is almost circular, 
in diameter about forty miles; being totally devoid of isl¬ 
ands, the wind 1ms full sweep, no matter from what direc¬ 
tion it may come. It was during our return trip and while 
wc were encamped on the borders of this lake, that the in¬ 
cident which 1 am about to narrate occurred. 
In moving our camp from one side of the lake to the 
other it w r as thought best not to load the canoeB to their 
full capacity on account of the roughness of the water, 
hut to leave some of our luggage and send back for it. 
Oliver aud Clarke, two men belonging to the party, were 
accordingly left with the remainiugelfects, while we set out 
for the other side with the rest. J use before starting I 
heard them say that they were going hunting and wanted 
some metallic cartridges for their revolvers. They little 
thought that they would have to use them in another 
cause. By keeping close to lee shore in order to be pro¬ 
tected from lhe wind we managed to make the trip with¬ 
out much trouble. After lauding and unloading the ca¬ 
noes, two Indians, acting in the eupticily of boatmen, were 
dispatched to the other side for the two men aud the re¬ 
maining luggage. The wind by this time was blowiug a 
gale. We stood upon the beach watching the Indians un¬ 
til they had rounded a small promontory. Turning to our 
accustomed duties the day passed on without anything oc- 
cnrlhg to break the monotony of camp life, until about an 
hour before suuset, when our attention was called to a boat 
containing four men about live miles out. The luxe had 
,jioiv become a perfect cauldron, the waves running higher 
lliau we had ever seen them before, with a cross sea. VVe 
knew that the chances were a hundred to oue that the men 
would never reach shore alive. There wo stood an awe 
struck crowd, momentarily expecting to see the boat cap¬ 
size aud sink. But on sbe came rearing and plunging, 
driving right before the wind until she approached within 
two miles of the shore. Suddenly she disappeared from 
view; not a vestige of her was to be seen. For several 
moments not a word was spoken, not a sound was heard, 
save the rushing of the wind through the pine tree tops 
and the roar of the waves as they lashed themselves into 
foam against the rocky beach. Then suddenly we saw 
through the gathering gloom the flash, and a moment after 
heard the report of a pistol. What could this mean? Was 
it a call for help? With anxious and inquiring faces, we 
appealed to each other to suggest some means by which 
we could succor them. Time and again we tried to launch 
a boat, but each lime it was hurled back by the re¬ 
lentless fury of the waves. With sad and downcast faces, 
wc turned aside, each one no doubt thanking God that such 
had not been bis fate. About an hour after a faint cry 
was beard coming from the direction of the lake. Was it 
possible for a man to live through such a war of the ele¬ 
ments as we had just witnessed? We thought not. But 
hark! there it is again! Could it be a man, or was it some 
animal attracted by the light of our camp fire? Seizing a 
pine torch we ran to the beach and there lying half on the 
land and half in the water we saw Oliver more dead than 
alive. Alter wrapping him in a blanket and administering 
a reasonable amount or stimulants he recovered sufficiently 
to give us an account of the affair. In trying to lighten 
the canoe by throwing out some of the luggage, she upset. 
Clarke aud one of the Ihdiaus swam for the shore, while 
Oliver ami the other retained their hold of the canoe, 
which, although half full of water was still floating. It 
soon became evident that Lhe canoe in its present condi¬ 
tion would not support them belli. The thought seemed 
to strike them simultaneously: they must either fight for the 
canoe or swim for shore. To swim ashore seemed impos¬ 
sible; to fight for the ofiuhe was their only alternative. 
The gaining of a moment's time might decide which was 
to live and which to die. They were within arm’s length 
of each other. With the rapidity of thought the Indian 
drew his hunting knife and with a lunge sent it hilt deep 
into his antagonist’s shoulder; the next moment a hall 
from Oliver’s revolver went crashing through his brain. 
Oliver clung to the canoe ‘with his uninjured arm, and so 
saved himself. The following day we were very much 
surprised by the appearance of Clarke and the other Indian 
in camp, as we hail given them up for lost. 
Our stay on Lake Winnebiigoish after this was very 
short, but’long enough for us to become thoroughly im¬ 
bued with the ludiau superstition that the lake was pos¬ 
sessed of the devil. E. U., Jit. 
iMuUville, Ky., March 35 th, 1876. 
For Forest and Stream, 
SNAPPER FISHING IN FLORIDA. 
I THINK that some readers of Forest and Stream 
would like to know how we flail in Florida for snap¬ 
pers. These are fish in no way related to the snapping tur¬ 
tle of “soupy celebrity,” but they exceed him greatly both 
in weight aud flavor. Personally he is a large, ehunky- 
built lish of bright red eolur, weighing from twenty to 
sixty pounds. Jiis lmme is on a reef extending parallel 
with the coast, about twenty-two miles directly out to sea 
from the mouth of the Bt. Johns. He bites greedily; when 
hooked, fights nobly; and last, but not least, “eats” splen¬ 
didly. The steamer Mabcy was to leave Jacksonville at 2 
A. AL in the morning, so about half an hour before that 
time I wended my way through the deserted streets, armed 
with a rope, which by eourtesy they called a snapper line, 
and a hook about six inches long. Most of the excursion¬ 
ists were present, and the remainder were speedily collect¬ 
ed, and so with about fifty impatient fishermen the Afrtbey 
steamed rapidly down the St. Johus, aud about daylight 
we arrived at Mayport, whieh is right near the bar. It 
consists of some twenty houses built upon the pure white 
sand, with not a trace of vegetation. It is a great summer 
resort for the people of Jacksonville, who go there for Lhe 
sea breeze and fishing, Having obtained our bait, we left 
this place and crossed the river, Where a very pretty col¬ 
lection of collages marks the site of Pilot Town, so named 
from beingvihe home of the pilots of the St. Johus bar, 
Having obtained our pilot, we sLood directly out to sea. 
Boys, have yon ever been to sen? If yon have, 
you know what it is to be sea sick; if yon haven’t, 
L will leave experieuue to bo your teacher. Your 
humble servant had not even seen the briny deep till this 
memorable day, and we had no sooner crossed the bar than 
he was leaning over the side, employed in showing to the 
fish his beautiful set Of teulb; nor was he alone in his mis¬ 
ery'. The cabin floor was souu strewn with the groauiug 
forms of sixteen more unfortunates, including the favorite 
Newfoundland dog of one of the gents that had never 
been to sea. We hoped that our groans would descend 
and appease the god of the sea, but alas! we only grew 
woise. Gould the man that, wrote “A Life on the Ocean 
Wave” ever have been sea sick? We got no sympathy from 
those Who had their sea legs; on tne contrary, as some 
poor fellow would make mote noise than usual they would 
ask him if he was frying to say New York, or kindly 
proffer him a piece of salt pork, It was in this stale, ly¬ 
ing fiat on my back, with little thought or care for any¬ 
thing, that we arrived al, the banks. After throwing out a 
buoy to mark the place, the fishermen bailed their hooks 
anil cast-them out, and it was al this stage of the proceed¬ 
ing that 1, who had not stirred from Uie cabin, heard a 
frantic yell of snapper! snapper! accompanied by a scamp¬ 
ering on deck as it bedlam was broken loose. The noise 
continued, the yells grew more frequent, and were of a 
different character, for mingled with tbe cries of snapper, 
I now heard bluckrish! sbftru! Aly sporting instinct was 
aroused, and in spite of myself 1 staggered to my feet, and 
grasping my line, frantically I gained the deck. Such a 
sighi! The deck was strewn with blaekfish, and five or 
six large snappers, while over the side leaned five and 
thirty excited men, some pulling in, some throwing out, 
and all yelling like madmen. 1 lorgot that I was sick. It 
was a triumph of mmd over matter; baiting my hook, 
1 quickly lowered my line. It hardly touched the bottom be- 
i'oic I lull a pull that nearly pulled me over. I responded 
with right good will, and oh! ye ghost of Isaac Walton, 
was it a fish? I had never in my limited experience had 
anything hooked to a line to compare to it. I pulled, he 
pulled; sometimes he gained, and then with a mighty ef¬ 
fort I would bring him in. The deck resounded with en¬ 
couraging shouts. Finally he appeared in sight, 1'oiU’ or 
five fathoms deep in the clear bine water, like a ghost be¬ 
ing drawn out of the depths of the sea. I soon had him 
to°the surface, aud grasping my line I had him aboard. 
What a beauty! Talk about sport, I never have expe¬ 
rienced such a feeling of triumph, as when out of sight of * 
land I landed that snapper. Congratulations poured in, for 
he was the hirgest, caught that day, and weighed full forty i 
pounds. I returned to tlie sport, and though I hooked an¬ 
other snapper, I did not land him, but 1 caught a uoble'j 
string of blaekfish, sometimes two at a time. We only 
could stay ou the bank forty-five minutes, for we had to 
get buck in order to cross the bar at high tide. But in that j 
time were caught 30 snappers, weighing in the aggregated 
600 pounds, aud over 350 blaekfish, which weighed from'* 
4 to 1J lbs. eaeh. If wc had struck the reef a little sooner* 
we could have stayed two hours, and I assure the reader 1 
that two hours of suoh fishing is as much as he will want.* 
We strung all our fish forward, and forgetting our sickness -1 
sat down to a chowder of snapper such as might make an 
epicure's eyes water. We arrived at Jacksonville with bell J 
ringing, whistle blowing, and all our flags flying, and were J 
greeted by a large and enthusiastic crowd. As I had about J 
two miles to walk 1 could not think of carrying my snap- J 
pers and blaekfish; I sold the former easily for $1.50 aud I 
also $1 worth of blaekfish, and had as many as I could 
“tote” home; so you sec, iu a pecuniary point of view, I | 
was better off lliau when 1 started. My friend assures me ] 
that one lime on the snapper banks lie caught by himself] 
16 snappers, paying hiB fare and clearing some $1. 
The main thiug about Florida fishing is that it can be I 
pursued without fatigue to the delicate, while to hunt I 
large game is very exhausting, as tramping through pal-1 
inetto up to your chin, or mud up to your waist, is any- I 
thing but pleasant. But as fur small game, it is very 1 
plenty. Quail, snipe, and many other graniferous birds 1 
are plenty, as well as squirrels, and to the delicate seeking- 
an asylum from the rigors of a northern winter, Florida ] 
will always remain pre-eminent. G. W. I 
For Forest and Stream. I 
A DAY’S GEESE SHOOTING AT CUR- I 
RITUCK. 
* * /'■'OME along, we must be off at once., or we shall bol 
\^, late on our ground—hurry up." I was standing on I 
one oi the Urge open boats commonly used along the North J 
Carolina coasts, and addressing myself toacompanion who* 
still lingered on the beach, about one hundred yards away. I 
A large coop, placed in the centre of the boat, covered with I 
slats, between which the heads and necks of numerous 1 
tame wild geese (if such a liiberniauism can be permitted) I 
were protruding, indicated the kind of game we weteabout I 
to go in quest of. Near the boat lay another of about equal I 
size, just ready to shoot after wild duck with its compli- 1 
mem of three sportsmen aud boat men. A quantity of I 
decoys were stowed away with the traps upon the floor,* 
among which showed conspicuously a large number of 1 
wooden, canvas back effigies, showing that the royal bird] 
was the main object of pursuit. The lime was about four] 
o’clock, of a November morning, and no light had yet I 
begun to steal along the eastern horizon indicating tbe I 
coming day, but both land and water were still shrouded 1 
in darkness, while the sky was hidden by thick clouds that a 
were driven rapidly along by' a rather strong wind, and an | 
occasional slight fall of rain promised anything hut it] 
pleasant day. “I don’t think I’ll go," at length was an- I 
swered from (lie buach, “it i3 going to rain, and I think itl 
will storm before you get back I guess I’ll stay on shore 1 
this time,” “All right,” I replied, “but I mean to have I 
some company.” Then, hailing the occupants of the I 
other boat, which was just leaving, as its sail filled to the I 
wind, I called out, “Boat ahoy! oue of you come with me. j 
George chop aboard here with your traps, there will be | 
enough left to kill ducks.” “All right,” replied that iudi-1 
vidtial. The boat was thrown into the winU.'and soon wG 
were on our way down the sound to one of the low islands I 
that dotted the surface of this great inland bay, and whieh I 
was pretty certain with the wiitd that then prevailed to be I 
a good point for geese. As we proceeded, the splash of tlm I 
waves ugaiust tile bows, startled many a flock of duck,] 
whieh rose unporceivod in the darkness, their whistling] 
wings alonu indicating their line of flight, while heavy I 
strokes upon the water, and the loud bugle notes, told.(it I 
some frightened swan trying to rise from out the troubled,! 
water. 
Shortly after leaving the anchorage, the two boats parted | 
company, their occupants expressing mutual wishes for] 
good sport, ami not long afterwards we arrived at our do- I 
sired point. The island was low and shnely, far out iu tbe | 
middle of the sound, alitieof canegrowingin tlieceutre. It j 
was evidently a place much frequented by sportsmen, foe j 
blinds were in petition, upon the proper places to shoot I 
from, aud cartridge cases lying about upon the sand anil j 
floating on the water along the shore showed that the ! 
stands had been occupied uot many days before. While I 
we were getting our guns aud traps into the- blind we in- j 
tended to shoot from, the Uoatmuu was placing the five , 
decoys in position, oue most favorable to catch the eye of t 
any of their wild brethren passing by. -Eaeh goose was 
fastened to a stake by a leathern strap two or three feet 
long, riveted around the leg. The stake was pushed firmly I 
dowu into the sand so the platform whieh was placed upon 
one of the ends, was only a few inches below the surface. I 
This platform was interned lor the bird to stand upon and ’ 
dress its leathers when tired of swimming about. The , 
five decoys were placed iu two lines growing wider apart < 
as they advanced from the shore, and thus presenting a ( 
broad front to any birds passing up aud dowu the sound. 
The geese having been put into position, and the boat an¬ 
chored behind the island out ol sight, we betook ourselves j 
to one stand, while the boatmen went into the other. As 
the prcpaiai ions were completed, the day began to break,, 
and the voices of the numberless fowl, together with the 
whistling of wings and splashing in the water indicated 
that the birds were beginning to look for some quiet place i 
to pass the day alter their night’s feeding, the decoy | 
geese, since their release from the coop, had been busy wash¬ 
ing and cleaning their feathers, but uow oue or two bonks 
from the outermost birds, quickly repeated by tbe others, 
followed by flapping of their wings, told the Watching gun- - 
ners that the snarp-eyed birds had discovered some ot ihGtlj. 
kindred coming over the water. Soon, against the horizon, . 
three geese were scon ttyiDgluw down, and heading directly < 
for the island, and in a moment alter their answering honk 
was hoard as they sighted their captive fellows, who were 
doing their best to Jut'o them to destruction. 1 might ■ 
point it moral just here, but I never could slop to moralizo ■ 
much when geese were coming head on to decoys. As t he 
birds drew neater the decoys ceased their calling and merely 
expressed their satisfaction by looltiug sideways at their 
