FOREST AND STREAM. 



159 



miles from the settlement at the foot of Lake Megantie, we 

 read ltd the •• Foster House." 



Our patty consisted of Borlasr (now a prominent Montreal 

 barrister), 'Captain Winder (now fespactor of the Manitoba 

 Mounted PoTffift), and myself. The Captain had been there 

 the previous summer, and rather excited my imaginations by 

 dwelling upon the charms Of Mrs F., whom he termed "it 

 eU-lieatelv-nurtiu-ed lady of very prepossessing exterior, and 

 fit to adorn the most prominent walks in first-class soeiaW 

 And still, hoys, although a lady by birth and education, Bio 

 fcato 3 This wild life as naturally as a duck to water." The 

 charm was rudely hrokeu when, on sighting the shanty, we 

 beheld Mrs. 1', squatted oji a log. scantily attired, enjoying 

 the stump of a very black and dirty looking clay pipe, while 

 "Darwin's missing link," seated close by, clad in hermaphro- 

 dites apparel, WBS introduced to me as Miss F., familiarly 



•ailed Lois. However, what the 



up in hospitality, and we 

 hearty supper of fried pork, bread, : 

 mess of new potatoes, for the old 

 StUm WW aUtJU i tati ■ •.:. anil had quite 

 nnt'y. Borlase furnished so 



tan lacked in beauty 



patch of the fr 



ed her 



it back 

 we had 







miles aia- 



He had a 



along, 



i the \ nuance E 

 im #1.50, and which when packed tilled 

 C firkin, We had a letter to deliver from 

 ngaging Foster to meet his party a day 



of the sh 



a hot punch to as- 

 Foster was off at 

 taut, and filed an ; 

 bag of trout, caugl 

 for which we gave 

 a sixty-pound buth 

 my friend Brooks, 



or* two later, and as the old man expressed his inability to 

 read writing readily the Captain deciphered it to suit, the oc- 

 casion, and we had him engaged do our bidding for SI. 50 

 per diem and found. 



Next i corning we started for the Spider Lake, where we 

 found Foster s birch bark, which ho and myself took posses- 

 sion of, while the rest of the party occupied an old punt 

 which had been left there. What sport 

 basB in the lake and fly-fishing for trout 

 But our commissaries gave out, and : 

 send Foster back to the shanty. He 

 ing evidently in possession of som< 

 which that punch was manufactured 

 ;er had 



Bro 



equn 



had trolling for 



the Upper Biver ! 



;t, day we had to 



armed toward even- 



if the ingredients of 



id informed ns that 



presence to meet 



l that jug, 



Kit's party next day, and he must start that night to get 

 through. "But," said he, •' come, ashore, boys, whar thorn 

 ere white birches is, and I'll map out the course so you can 

 git along just as well 'thout me. Say, let's I 

 Now, boys, ye're just the best, deecntest feller 

 with, and I'll be darned ef I don't wish I could slay, but Mr. 

 Brooks has obleeged me, and I've got to oblecge him. Now, 

 just lookee here and 111 niap your course. Jist keep along 

 the river here, just where I've made this black line, till you 

 git here to a spruce tree with a chip out'n it thet I tuk out- 

 tor a mink trap, then hitch up vonr boat, and when you git 

 atop the bauk yeil see a blaze, toiler it about'er mile and it'll 

 take you to the falls, and I tell yer, boys, ef ye don't git all 

 the trout ye can lug, I shan't tax ye a cent for my sarvices; 

 jist fuller my instructions. Gosh, boys ! it's dry work map- 

 ping. Here's luck 1 Ye're jist the best fellers I ever see, and 

 I'd like to stay but I can't; jist follow my instructions and 

 ye'll git along 'dzaetly as well 'thout me." 



So after one or two more primings, being about that time 

 ,./.!, lie went off. We watched him as in his little birch 

 "he laid out a line for a Virginia fence, and with gloomy fore- 

 bodings of ever reaching the falls by following his instruc- 

 tions, we started, and fortunately got through all right. 

 Well, it's no use talking, but if you want all the trout you 

 care about, running from a quarter to a pound weight, try 

 above those falls late in July and you'll get them. Near the 

 outlet of the upper river in the still deep water the trout 

 run larger. The Patriarch and myself one September took 

 out seventy-four in loss than two hours, weighing over 

 seventy-five pounds, and this with fly, remember. Several 

 weighed four to four and a half pounds each. After a day's 

 fishing on the falls we decided to make our way back to 

 Foster, and had nearly reached the shanty when a terrific 

 thunder-storm came up, completely drenching us. We got 

 to camp, aud/o?' fair of roll we all partook of a good stiff 

 hooker of "old rye" before changing our clothes. Mrs. F. 

 and Lois had adjourned to the "lean to," and the old ryo re- 

 minded the Captain of a story which somewhat delayed his 

 changing. He had got his under-shirt nicely over his 

 shoulders when the old woman, thinking she had given lime 

 enough, stepped in and went about her work quite uncon- 

 cernedly. The Captain finished putting on his dry clothes, 

 and then remarked. 



"1 believe I owe you an apology, Mrs, Foster; I ought to 

 have told you I intended changing my clothes." 



"Nevermind, Captain, nevermind." 



Since then I have frequently had Foster as guide andboat- 

 man, and in either capacity have never met a better man. 

 His cooking is somewhat primitive in Btyle; so that part of 

 the business hadn't better be entrusted to him. That isn't 

 hia/oWc, but take him fire or six miles in the woods, and if 

 you want a bee line made to any particular jioint, Foster's 

 your man. One. day he left us at Trout Pond, between four 

 and five miles from Megantie Lake, at 1:30 p. M., traveled 

 that distance on a blazed line, rowed three miles further to 

 where our supplies were, broke an oar, made a new one with 

 his axe, packed a swag, and was hack in camp at eight 

 o'clock. 



"I guess," said he, "I didn't lose much time, broke my 

 oar at Arnold's Biver, and here I am. What's the time, boys? 

 Pretty quick work ! I felt kinder wilted down thar at the 

 fut of the hill and tuk a swaller out'n the jug, and that kinder 

 helped me." 



The old chap wanted to play "just elevon games euchre 

 for fun," but as he. had to keep telling about "breaking his 

 oar at the mouth of Arnold's Bivor," we never finished the 

 first game. 



The last time I met Foster was three yearB ago last Septem- 

 ber, when he and I arranged to follow Arnold's route from 

 Lake Megantie to Quebec. We Btartod c.niy one morning in 

 a small clapboard built boat, but before we had gotmorethan 

 stuck in a chide, and that boat was win ist in a 

 . an axe, gun, and a box of fishing-rods, and 

 tramp through the woods struck a road, and 

 lunieutabout midnight, Foster has ceased to 

 lc. but every fall ho works his way up from 

 pends a couple of months trapping in the vi- 

 there la ,t fall, but I didn't happen to run 

 oald any ot vour readers visit Lake Megan- 

 guide if he happens to bo there, 

 ud fishing game than any 



fili, 

 jiffy 





abide at Mogi 



Vermont am 



cinity. He \ 

 across him. 

 tic let him g 

 He knows m 

 man I have u 



Don'- 



nth, : 



His 



ng i 



id loi 



u'ticulai 



gh.-r 



"I- 



A- M.S. r Said »■!!■ ;: 



of pickles disappeared: "If there's one thing more than 

 'uother thet I admire Andrew Jackson for, it's because he's 



i eat them pickles. He. said you told bnu 



to take jest what he'd a fancy for, and he fancied them 

 pickles." The pickles wore put" up in Worcestershire Sauce, 

 and I presume were a little ahead of anything he had been 

 used to. D. Thomas. 



Sherirook, P. Q„ March 5, 1877. 



Fur Forest and Stream. 

 SPORTING UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 



EESEtNISCENOE OP 'CUE SEMKOLE WAR. 



LAST winter, when in Florida, after our day's sport we 

 used to sit around Aiken's cheerful log-fire at night 

 and listen to his Indian stories, until at times we almost 

 expected to see the door open and the shade of Billy Bow- 

 legs enter. Aiken himself was not unlike au Indian, with 

 his long black hair and swarthy complexion, though he 

 certainly would not have esteemed it a compliment to be 

 told it, as he had a thorough contempt and hatred for the 

 whole race. I shall endeavor to give yon one of his adven- 

 tures as nearly as rjossible in his vernacular. I believe it to 

 be literally true, as he was very modest about speaking of 

 himself : 



"Itwas during the last Injun war; I was one of the cowboys, 

 as they called us, who undertook to light Billy Bowlegs. I 

 was shut up in Fort Dunn, down near the Kissimmee. along 

 with a lot Of SOldiera and crackers, and there we had been 

 some time waiting for orders. The Injuns was all about 

 through the country and we didn't keer to venture fur from 

 the. fort, I got might v tired of staying in there eating hard- 

 tack when I knew there was plenty of fish and gam- Outside, 

 There was a creek I inly about a mile away chuck full of trout, 

 and I come to the contusion one day I couldn't stand it no 

 longer, so rsavs. 'Bovs' I says, T've'a good mind to go over 

 to the ureek and catch me a bait of fish: we can bekeerful, 

 and if the Injuns comes can make tracks for the. fort. ' Well, 

 we talked it over and three of us concluded to try it, so we 

 took our guns and fishin' lines and started. We got about 

 half way, going along very cautious, when we come across 

 some fresh tracks of Injuns made that very morning, and we 

 knowed they couldn't be far off. When the others see those 

 signs they stopped and wouldn't go no further; said they 

 didn't keer so much about fishing, and nothing would do 

 but they must go back. But I had fixed to have some fish 

 and I kept on to the creek. I got there all safe, and fixin' 

 my line commenced fishing, The troutswas pretty hungry, 

 and I soon had three or four big ones laying out on the grass, 

 and was beginning to think about turning back, when bang 

 goes a gun about a quarter of a mile away, and I had just 

 time to jump behind a big tree and get my old rifle ready when 

 outrun a wounded deer from the hammock and made for the 

 creek. He was badly hurt, and just as he reached the bank 

 staggered and fell, not thirty yards away, on the other side. 

 I stood still poking my eye 'round the tree and not daring to 

 move, for I knowed they'd bo after him; and sure enough in 

 a minute or two there come two Injuns running along on 

 the trail like hounds. They saw thu deer and went up to it, 

 and looking all around to see if there was anybody about, 

 one of them stooped down and commenced taking the 

 insides out of the deer, while the. other stood up to keep 

 watch with his gun ready. I didn't believe the Injun was 

 born that was to take my scalp, but I made myself right 

 small be hin d that tree, just peeping round at him, when all 

 ut once one of the fish I had caught flopped up on the bank 

 and caught the Injun's eye. 



" 'Now,' thinks I, 'old'fellow, I must kill you,' and I just 

 raised my gun and shot him through the stomach. 'Wagh,' 

 he says, and fell over on his face dead, and that other Injun 

 just raised hisself and run off stooping down, without ever 

 stopping to see what was coming next. I didn't stop, but 

 cleared out for the fort, and when I got most there met some 

 of the boys on horses coming to look for me. They had 

 heard the shooting at the. fort. We went back to where I 

 had been rishin' and followed the trail of the Injun who had 

 run, until we got to where they had had -their camp, but 

 they had left, so we come back and got the scalp of the dead 

 Injun, and the deer and fish, and carried 'em back to the 

 fort, and that night we had fish and deer meat for supper. 

 Speaking of supper, I thought I heard Norah call a minute 

 ago ; I reckon its ready. Anyhow, come walk out Cap, you 

 and Doc Cloy. I know you must be hungry after catching 

 them big fish this evening. They ought to eat well 

 to-night." 



They "eat" well and so did we, and as we rashly "turned 

 in" immediately after supper I dreamed all night that I was 

 catching a big fish and an "Lijun" was trying to take my 

 scalp and cut up a deer at the same time. E. S. 



The Gkeat Suspension Bridge. — The work on the Brook- 

 lyn suspension bridge commenced on Jan. 2, 1870. There 

 were $500,000 subscribed by private stockholders, $3,000,000 

 by the city of Brooklyn, and $1,500,000, by the city of New 

 M'ork. Of the private subscriptions $3-10,800 were paid in, 

 but this was returned with interest to the stockholders last 

 year on the assumption of the work by the two cities. The 

 act of the Legislature now requires the bridge to be finished 

 by a joint subscription of New York and Brooklyn, in the 

 proportion from each of the original contribution, the latter 

 to pay twice the amount of the former. The cost of the 

 bridge is given at nine millions, besides the acquisition of 

 land ; the latter is estimated at three and a half millions. 

 VVe put together a few items concerning this bridge : 



Construction commenced Jan. 2, 1870 ; length of river 

 span, 1,595 feet G inches; length of each land span, 930 

 feet (1,860 feet); length of Brooklyn approach, 971 feet; 

 length of New York approach, 1,502 feet 6 inches ; total 

 length of bridge, 5,1189 feet ; width of bridge, 85 feet ; num- 

 ber of cables, i ; diameter of each cable, loi inches : each 

 cable consists of 0,300 parallel (not twisted) steel wires, No. 

 7-gauge, closely wrapped to solid cylinder; ultimate strength 

 of each cable, 11,200 tons ; depth of tower foundation below 

 high-water, Brooklyn, 45 feet ; depth of tower below high- 

 water, New York, 78 feet ; size of towers at high-water line, 

 1'lOxoO feet ; size of towers at roof course, 130x53 feet ; total 

 height of towei-B above high-water, 277 feet, ; clear height of 

 bridge in centre of river span above high-water, at 50 deg. 

 Fakr., 135 feet; height of floor at towers above high-water, 

 110 feet 3 inches ; grade of roadway, 3} feet in 100 feet ; 

 size of anchorages at base, 129x119 feet ; size of anchorages 

 at top, 117x101 feet ; weight of each anchor plate, 23 tons ; 

 total cost of bridge, exclusive of land acquisition, $9,000,- 

 000; cost of land, say $3,500,000.— Sunday JVeuw, 



S™h $»#»!*• 



THE IMPREGNATION OF SALMON 

 EGGS. 



WE have received from Prof. Baird, of the Smithsonian 

 institution, the follow ing translations of interesting 

 articles by Von Haaok, Director of the German fish 

 lishment at Huniugue, which have just been transmitted 

 froni Germany ! 



The leases, frequently incredible, which, during the first 

 years of my being actively engaged here, resulted in 

 the case of impregnated eggs sent me from abroad (losses of 

 50 per cent, by no moans were of rare occasion, nay, they 

 were often much greater), compelled me to apply another 

 method of impregnation than that hitherto resorted to, 

 namely, the eggs wero emptied into a vessel contain- 

 ing water to the height of two or three fingers, and 

 hereupon the milt of the male poured out into the vesBel over 

 the eggs, the whole then stirred about with the hand, left to 

 stand quiet for some minutes, and the fluid then emptied 

 out, and thereupon clean water poured in so long until no 

 turbidness was to be Been, 



This method of impregnation, surely the most natural 

 one and the one most frequently applied, affords no matter 

 for hesitation if properly managed, and will yield good results, 

 provided the milt is put into the water as quickly as possi- 

 ble ami spread oveT the eggs. This method of impregnation 

 is particularly successful with stream-trout, these simdltr 

 fish being easier to handle. 



Whoever has been presont, however, onco at an impregna- 

 tion of salmon or sea trout eggs, and sees what a length of 

 time elapses, even with the greatest diligence, before a 

 serviceable male is found and caught, will find that with 

 these larger kinds of fish impregnation cannot proceed with 

 that celerity as it does iu the case of small fish. In the 

 first instance, the removal of the eggs with a large fish. 

 The taking away of the eggs lasts longer, the fish must bo 

 carefully handled, as it has to be preserved further in a live 

 .slate, must therefore also first be taken back into the reser- 

 voir before the respective male can be made use of. From 

 the middle of spawning time you have often to put back 

 three to four males as haviug already spawned, therefore un- 

 lit for use, until a fit male be found; this applies principally 

 to heavy sea trout, often weighing 40 pounds. Several min- 

 utes elapses as a rule, before the milt of the male comes in 

 contact with the eggs first emptied out, and in consequence 

 of this, a great part (in unfavorable cases the most) of the 

 eggs remain uniuipregnated. 



Tho egg, as is known, as soon as it is put into the water, 

 begins sucking in water, and the egg can principally only 

 be impregnated during the time of suction. If, therefore, 

 the milt only gets into the water, when the suction of the 

 egg has already finished, the sperm no longer penetrate 

 into the egg; no impregnation therefore takes place. These 

 light-colored or glassy, germless eggs (known to all old fish- 

 breeders), in the case of slight contact become immediately 

 white and opaque ; the water which is bit She 



coatings of the egg penetrates into the white of the egg and 

 causeB this to curdle, while the set eggs, even if touched 

 more strongly, sustain no damage. 



Here I cannot refrain from reverting to a thoroughly innc- 

 curato observation of the Norwegian fish-breeder, Mr. 

 Hetting, whosuppUed some very practical directions 

 some time ago in tho circulars of the society for hatch- 

 ing-troughs, etc. Mr. Hetting asserted on that occasion that 

 the bright eggs, as soon as they were brought into a stronger 

 current, showed a distinct fresh development to germinate, 

 but that the germ disappeared again as soon as the eggs 

 returned into sluggishly flowing water. It is impossible 

 that Mr. Hetting in his observations can have used a micro- 

 scope, or even a good magnifying glass, otherwise he would 

 know that there can be no question of any formation of 

 germ whatever; the germ onco existing may perhaps re- 

 main behind, i, s., die, never, however, disappear again. 

 But of this on another occasion. Hereupon, as the method 

 mentioned had only led to bad results with all larger fish, I 

 let the eggs be impregnated in such a manner that first of 

 all some milt was put into the water, and only then the eggs 

 were placed into the water impregnated with milt, where- 

 upon some milt was added. This method also only produced 

 bad results in all cases, when the operation of impregnation 

 proceeded slowly, owing to the above-mentioned cases. 



Neither did the "dry impregnation" frequently alluded 

 to in the circulars of the association yield the desired results, 

 inasmuch as the bringing together of the milt with the 

 eggs would not always be sufficiently speedily effected, be- 

 cause the fishermen dealing with the requisite quantities of 

 water into which the milt was previously to be placed could 

 not be sufficiently superintended and controlled. In the 

 case of clumsy handling, I have met with utter failures just 

 with this kind of impregnation; probably because the fish- 

 ermen delayed too long, so that the sperm had therefore 

 already died, and were no longer movable. 



Hereupon I altered the above method in the following 

 simple manner, and since then these bright eggs scarcely 

 ever occur: The eggs of the rise are placed into an empty 

 vessel, with smaller fishfia; .1. even take three to four females 

 after one another; upon this, without any precipitation, one 

 or two males are taken, and the milt put over the eggs, stirred 

 round with'the hand, and then BOH I B Wider quickly added, 

 eenerally bailed with the hand, and then again stirred with 

 the hand. The eggs having stood t nil I for about two min- 

 utes, are also drain, -.1 oi> .-' ao. Any mistake or blun- 

 der cent, of unimi :■ . 



of i. 





ran 5 per 

 ilered as a bad I 

 11. Tho reason ■ 

 a the following: 



— A wull-apeutlife. Ins lusui's greatest claim on happineea. There 

 could Im uu butter spent life tlmn that wtilcb hue proline ed the fiunit 

 tioitpa iu tho market, and now gives to tbe world that nonpareil, II. T. 

 liul-ibilt'h Toilet Soap, Wc speali of this mailer because thiB toilet Boap 

 iaao pure and delicious a ttousSUOld article.— aid>. 



alkaline fluid, tj 

 again b( made movable. I had further found that the beUy- 



fl'uidof the fish, which escapes ftt I .■ ■ -" a ■■ Wltn (he 



cos, has a weak alkalie action, it lay close at hand, then, in 

 the first instance to pour the milt into the reacting alkalie 

 fluid, and nfter that, tho water over the mixture. ,. ; 

 up to the commencement of the suction of the 

 thoroughly lively in their motions, and th, - 



nuked impenetrate into the egg ami impregnate 



