73 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



in Hiawatha, square iuto the setting sun. Had 1 bagged 

 him I would hare tied AV. 



As we rode homo we came to a fellow who had been 

 into town, and had taken on a "Icetle too muck tangle 

 foot;" in fact, he was so drunk that he had to hold on to 

 the grass to keep from rolling off; his comrade appealed lo 

 us to help him get him up on his horso. At this moment 

 Kate came up, and the more sober of the two, looking at 

 her, said, "Well, I swear that is the pootiest hound I ever 

 saw." "Hound! said the slewed fellow, "Hound!" Wily, 

 you derned mutton head, that's no hound, it's one of these 

 minting setters." Gdvon. 



January, 1877, 



For Forest and Stream. 

 CHRISTMAS WITH A LIFE-BOAT CREW. 



, the sailing master of the yacht W , having 



obtained the captaiucy of the Life-boat station near 

 Fire Island Light, wrote me saying they were having fine 

 sport now on the bay, and that if I desired to join them for 

 the holidays, he could accommodate me very comfortably. 



Being fond of shooting, it may readily be imagined I was 

 not long making up my mind to accept this tempting invi- 

 tation. Accordingly, just so soon as our college duties 

 •were over, I packed up my traps, and squared away for 



Bay Whore, L. I., where I found L waiting for me at 



the depot as had been previously arranged. 



The bay was almost entirely frozen over; but the ice, 

 however, was barely thick enough to support the weight of 



a man. L had brought with him one of his crew, and 



we three were to make the passage of seven miles to the 

 boat-house, on this unpleasantly delicate foundation. We 

 had for our journey, one of those boats made famous by 

 the voyage of Mr. Bishop down the Mississippi, and known 

 to the frequenters of the bays along our coast, as the "Bar- 

 negat sneak boat." Into this little craft, 1 immediately 



deposited my gun and bundles. L being the lightest 



of the party, fastened the end of the long "painter" around 

 his shoulders, and armed with an ice spear, took the lead, 

 the man and myself following, holding on to the rope and 

 dragging the boat, each carrying at the same time, an oar 

 in case he should break through the ice. We must have 

 looked very much like a young Arctic expedition striking 

 out for the Pole. 



After traveling for about five miles in this way, the ice 

 began to grow so thin it would no longer bear us, and our 

 boat breaking through, was the signal for all hands to 



jump in, L placing himself in the bow to break the 



passage; we were then, however, but a short distance to 

 Cleat water. Finally, we reached the shore. 



After entering the boat-house L gave me a general 



introduction to the crew. And here let me say, a tine set 

 of fellows they seemed to be, looking equal to any emer- 

 gency. L then Jed me to the dormitory, where he 



showed me my berth, neatly made up with nicewhite linen. 

 As 1 presume all my readers have seeu the model "Life- 

 boat House" at the Centennial, I shall not attempt a de- 

 scription; suffice it to say, Station No. 2a is quite equal to 

 that in its equipments, and the neat manner in which it is 

 kept. 



Late in the afternoon the light-house-kecper dropped in, 

 and siguified his intention of going to the point to shoot, 

 aud asked, if the "Captain" would join him? I answered 

 that "I would like nothing better." We immediately set 

 off, and had not more than comfortably settled ourselves 

 at our station, when the ducks began to fly. Almost every 

 flock, following the shore, passed near us, so, that for a 

 short time, we had lively work. My Parker gun, which 1 

 then used for the first time, I was dulighted with. The 

 breech action is perfect and it shoots as strong, and as ac- 

 curately as any high price English gun 1 have ever seen. 



Having had a hard day's work, I retired early, and had 

 a good night's rest notwithstanding that I was awakened 

 every time the watches were called. The first watch was 

 from 8 to 11:20, the second, from 11:20 to 2:40, then from 

 2:40 to 6 o'clock. In each watch, a man starts from the 

 station to meet the man from the next station; they inter- 

 change names, and the meeting is recorded in the log. At 

 this station, No. 28, there is a large Newfoundland dog 

 named Lion, of whom I'must uot fail to make honorable 

 mention, as he is quite an impoitant character there. He 

 .-sleeps a good deal during the day, but at night, he goes out 

 with every watch, making himself useful in the way of 

 carrying the lantern, or basket, or running back miles for 

 any article that may have been dropped. 



The following day was Sunday, and I was much pleased 

 to see how well the day was observed by these rough men, 

 not a gun was fired, noragameof cards or dominos played. 

 In the afternoon, 1 walked to the Light-house and 

 ascended the tower. As the atmosphere was unusualy clear, 

 1 had a beautiful view of the bay and coast. While look- 

 ing toward Long Island, Billie Pearson, an old harpoouer, 

 "who had put his iron in many a mammoth of the deep, 

 suddenly cried out, "Theic she blowsl" You may be cer- 

 tain, I was not long getting round to his side of the tower, 

 and there, sure enough, full in sight, and not far from 

 shore, was a great "Right Whale," evidently having a good 

 time generally. Every now and then he would send up a 

 column of water that would have done credit to an lee- 

 laud Qeyser; then, he would dive down, throwing up his 

 huge tail. All this continued until he was out of sight. 

 W'e estimated that he must have been between sixty and 

 seventy feet in length. A little farther off, we descried 

 another whale, apparently smaller than the first. Both 

 ■were going westward. Billie was nearly wild with eager- 

 ness to be at them, and -was heard to say, "fX I only liatj a 



good harpoon and line, that ar' whale would be in barrel 

 before long, and we, a couple of thousand in pocket!" 



We had^iutended going off to shoot early the next day, 

 Christmas, but the morning proved snowy, and we were 

 compelled to remain in, very much against our inclinations. 

 However, towards noon, the weather cleared off nicely, 



aud L proposed a swim in the Boyton suits, in which 



I readily acquiesced, and with the assistance of the crew, 

 we were soon arrayed in our armor, and a funny spectacle 

 we presented after we were blown up! but nothing daunt- 

 ed, we took up our Esquimaux paddles and stepped off 

 into the surf , which was at that time running very high; 

 we found little difficulty, however, in getting beyond the 

 breakers, the buoyancy of the suit keeping us high above 

 water. It was almost like being on a feather bed. After 

 amusing ourselves in this way for a good half hour, we re- 

 turned to the house, and on removing our suits, we found 

 our clothes perfectly dry, not a drop of water having en- 

 tered, aud so far from being cold, I found myself all in a 

 glow. I presume we might have remained in the water 

 several hours without the slightest inconvenience. In the 

 evening, we went again to the point, shot quite a number 

 of ducks, mostly pin-tails. 



It was long after dark before we left the grounds. The 

 men went round by the boat, but as I preferred walking, I 

 sauntered leisurely to the house, with my gun on my 

 shoulder, though by this time the night vms pitchy dark. 

 When within about a hundred yards of our abode I heard 

 a sound in the Southwest, I soon made up my mind some- 

 thing was coming, but what it was, I could not see. 

 Neither barrels of my gun being loaded, I hastened to put 

 in a cartridge, and very soon the something, seemed to be 

 passing over my head, judging from the sounds, I fired, when 

 down dropped a fat brant nearly at my feet. 



For two days after that, we had very fair sport, but the 

 weather setting in for a severe storm, which might detain 

 me for a week or more on the island, I concluded to turn 

 my face toward home, rather than run the risk of one of 

 those dreadful little family talks with our estimable 

 Provost. 



Early Thursday morning L-— — roused me with the pleas- 

 ing intelligence that it was an excellent day for ducks. I 

 hurried up my toilet as fast as I could by the light of a 

 llickeiing lamp, and pulling over my clothes a suit of Oil- 

 skins, we started for the ducking ground, and truly a 

 good day for ducks we found it; I never in my life saw 

 so many flocks. In a very little while we had bagged over 

 forty. After which, returning to the Life-Saving Station 



for breakfast, and bidding adieu to the crew, L and I 



put oil' for Bay Shore. As the ice in the bay was by this 

 time pretty well broken up, owing to tho change in the 

 weather, we were able nearly to reach Long Island shore 



without much difficulty, and there, after thanking L 



for the pleasant time I had enjoyed, and for his kindness, 

 I took my leave, but long will I remember with delight the 

 Christmas holiday of 1870, with the Life-boat crew near 

 Fire Island. H. L. W. 



. -«»» 



For Forest and Stream. 

 THE "SAN GABRIEL, NARRKRS." 



BY EL CAZADOB. 



SOME of the boys got to bothering me Hie other night 

 to tell 'em a grizzly story, and one smallish kind of 

 chap, a pilgrim with gold spectacles, asked me if 1 bed ever 

 see a "ursus horrybillis (meaniu' a bar) in his congeenyol 

 wiles," answering to which 1 told him the following, and 

 the others listened: — 



When me an Tejunga was prospecting the wet far above 

 the San Gabriel narrers, we camped the first nite in the 

 canyon nigh to the Sheep Rocks; where we oupacked our 

 burros thar was a little clear place about thirty yards wide, 

 with green grass in it, an tall bresh an trees all aroun it. 

 The cauyon ar not wide to speak ov, an ar deep, with steep, 

 high walls, except one long, low ridge running down from 

 Big Pine Mountain. The nite wur black es a coal mine, 

 an a feller down in that canyon looking up towards the fur 

 off skymite a thought easy he wur in the bottom ov a 

 well with the histin rope missing. Bar tracks wus quite 

 frequent, the leetlest no smaller than a f ryin pan, an some 

 of um bigger than a cart wheel. When bar tracks is fresh 

 an gittin fresher as you rollers ov um up, its pulfeckly 

 astonishing how they duz increese in size. We kinder ha- 

 ted to camp thar ihey wus so durn fresh an numerous, but 

 traveling arter nite in that canyon ain't to be done. It 

 got cloudy, an a big, thick cloud Hopped itself down like 

 a blanket crost the narrer top ov the canyon. Maybe it 

 thought we mite fly out ef it didn't shet us in. We tied 

 two burros up on the side of thecieneja towards the river, 

 hobbled the pochy Jinny (pochy means bob-tailed) an 

 turned hur loose, made a little fire in the open, eat supper 

 ov sap an meat (sap is biled flour with sugar, wheu you've 

 got it), an turned in to sleep. Boze was terribul bheasy, 

 an kept biistliu and growlin an goin out towards the anne- 

 inakand smellin round, and fiuerly kummiu back to the 

 blankets would'nt go to sleep, but kept sittin up an watch- 

 in an tryin lo keep me awake by lickin my face. Arter a 

 while the fire burned down. 1 remember thinkiu mou't be 

 sich a little fire felt lonesome in sick a dark nite. Tejunga 

 wus snoreiu peaceful and reglar. I wus sliden into a easy 

 sleep, comfortable as a houn pup arter a good dinner, kud 

 jest about half hear the pochy Jinny croppin the grass, an 

 a muskeeter buzzin a long way off; even the river seemed 

 goin to sleep, and to slide easy and lazy-like over the rocks. 

 So a sudden Boze stuck his cold nose in my face, guv a 

 growl in gwd. earnest, an. dashed into the bresa, Then 



the canyon woke up in a minit; Bich a growlin, griinlin an 

 snortin, brakin of bresh and chargiu aroun, you'd a 

 thought certain a drove of wild hogs was chaigin the 

 camp. It didn't take me an the old man long to make a 

 lite if I know it. At first we thought sure that that bar 

 wur boun to kum into camp anyhow. Him an ole Boze fit 

 roun in the bresh powerful while we made up the fire. Ar- 

 ter we got a tolerable good lite Boze wud cum back every 

 two or three minits to rest, an that thar bar set out thar in 

 the bresh, from whar he kud see us an we kudn't see him, 

 and puffed and pawed roun an bit off bresh amaziu. Ole 

 Boze was puffectly happy; he'd run out thar and worry, 

 grab a mouthful ov bar, dodge roun in tho bresh till he got 

 out ov wind, then run into the fire an wag his tail an brag. 

 The burros wus skeered most to death, specially wheu the 

 bar worried roun to their side ov the cienega. Pretty soon 

 the old man got sleepy agin, an savin no bar orter spile a 

 man's rest, laid down. I turned in too, an tried to keep 

 the dog quiet, but the bar was too aggravatin by fur, au 

 arter running the pochy Jinny— who'd broke her hobbles 

 — off into the bresh, kum back an kept on raisin cane au 

 foolin round. I spose he'd been used to feed in that cien- 

 ega, and thought we wus stealinhis grass. Fiuerly he wus 

 so durn mean I got mad, slipped outer ths blankets thout 

 wakin Tejunga, put a fresh cap on my gun, pulled my 

 knife an six-shooter roun in front ov my belt whar I kud 

 reach for um handy, an takin the dog by the nek, crawled 

 on my belly out to the edge ov the biesh, an us nigh the 

 bar as I kud git thout brakin sticks an makia noise. He'd 

 always foller the dog to the edge ov the bresh. Well as I 

 kud guess by the soun ov his breathin ami gruntin he wur 

 about twenty-five feet off. He smelled powerful bad. I 

 kudu't see my hand thout holdin ov it up towards the sky, 

 the nite wus so dark. Bozo wus tremlin all over with lite 

 an anxiety; I feeled kinder nervous myself. I knocd the 

 bar wood toller the dog, the dog wood run back to me, an 

 layin flat as I kud with the gun ready, 1 kud probly shoot 

 a hole in him somewheres. I sposed he'd run most on top 

 ov ine arter the dog, stop, snort, and rar up oil eud fote lie 

 tried to grab me, an thar'd he euuf ov him 'tween the MUZ- 

 zle and ssy to shoot at. What wus to foller arter the shot 

 I didn't know, an ef I lied wudn't a took no such chances. 

 I wus some younger then than lam now, an terrible brash. 

 Twarn'tno time for foolin, you bet, an my eyes stuck out 

 so fur trien to see, that 1 wus leered ov hittin pv gainst a 

 bush. I turned the dog loose; he didn't heed no sicken. 

 Thar wasa era? h like a tree falliri as they kum together sum 

 yelpin and grunlin, then the dog run plum over me an put 

 for tlie blankets. Rite behiuo him wus sometlnn like a 

 solid chunk ov nite moviu; es it leched the muzzle ov the 

 gun I pulled trigger. The report sounded like a canon. 

 The gun wus jerked violently oul'n my bans, trieu lo roll 

 out'n the way; soinelhiu like a ton ov reek rolled in a huf- 

 fier robe fell on lop ov me. Es I scrambled out from under 

 I went down for my knife, but before I kud use it wus 

 knocked about ten feet, an rolled agin I he ole man, who, 

 waked up by the gun, bed run out to help me. I pulled my 

 shooter, but the pile ov blackness representiu the "Ursis 

 horrybillis" wur doin its last kick in. We hecru a terrible 

 nise of bttsh brakin and rocks rollin goin up the long ridge, 

 which I've mentioned, an the ole man sed thar must ubin 

 two ov um. My sholeder hurt awful bad, but I jest riz 

 up an bag'd one ov um, or two ov um, or a whole corral 

 full ov um. What did I kcer? I had killed more bar (in 

 imaganashun) nor Capen Adams, an ef the cap snapped 

 wud a killed that thar ole lie. jest as ea-y with my knife. 

 He had tushes an claws a foot long, uu weighed a ton. 

 The ole chiefs hart wus too full to speak; he bed rased me 

 fromaboy.au I knoed he fell proud ov me as 1 did ov 

 myself. He lit a piece of lite wood, the blaze flickered up 

 kinder lively. We went to whar I'd shot; thar iav my rifle 

 an thar, lyiu partly atop ov it, shot Ihrou the bowels an 

 back, powder burnt on the belly, lade Ikepachy •' 



Terrapins.— Perhaps no luxurious article of food has fal- 

 len so little in value as the terrapin. Dining the rebellion 

 the prevailing price was twenty six dollars pet dozen for 

 full-sized "diamond backs." If the demand for them would 

 have continued undiminished up to the present time, they 

 would now be worth fifty dollars per dozen. For several 

 years past there have been comparatively few sold, and pri- 

 ces have receded to eighteen dollars. When terrapins meas- 

 ure one inch less than ths regulated size, 

 en for a "dozen. Young "diamond backs," cows and bulls 

 mixed, sell as cheap as a dollar aud a-half per dozen. This 

 variety, which is considered the most palatable ol 

 rapin family, is principally fouud in the Delaware aud Chesa- 

 peake bays, where the water is not thoroughly salt. In the 

 baysand inlets along the coast, as far south as North < !aro- 

 lina, many are annually taken. Thtty usually frequent water 

 not over six or eight feet in depth,. and large numbers arc 

 captured in heavy drag-nets. Another common way of tak- 

 them is with a pair of long longs, known as "terrapin- 

 clams." A calm moruing in the fall, after a hard frost, is 

 usually selected. The water, at this time, is peril i 

 and while one man stands at the bow with the tongs in his 

 hands, another softly propels the boat. The terrapins arc 

 usually seen on the bottom, slightly covered with mint, and 

 the cause of the elevation is soon transferred to 

 Sometimes they are entirely exposed, lying upon their backs, 

 or only on one side "planied." 



A much-prized variety is found in the Juniata river, of 

 and retails at fourteen dollars per dozen. An- 

 other species, lit* common creek and pond terrapin, large 

 numbers of which are taken from the [Schuylkill and trib- 

 utaiies, sell at from two to three dollars per dozen. A va- 

 riety known as the southern terrapin, sent north from Jack- 

 sonville, Florida, and oilier Bear i markably 

 large head, is much inferior in flavor i 

 back." It retails at four 4< 



