86 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



IMaiich 1, 1888. 



tional points on the nature oi' the auinial we wore in pursuit 

 of. After finishing my reading I leaned bark on the dea- 

 con's seat, and while .glancing around our strange quarters 

 spent a few moments In delightful musing. 8o while the 

 heavy breathing f the sleepers and the Snapping and crack- 

 ling of the fire-, are the oulv sounds that disturb the silence, 

 let tee transfer a few of my thoughts to this paper, and fill 

 in the gaps Df this long-drawn narrative. First, [am Sure 

 you would have, me call persons and things by their right 

 names, it seems enlirelv out of place that I should so often 

 \\ rile my friend's name, Todd, in this style. lie had been 

 with us but a short time before he was universally called 

 Toddy, the transition to "Whiskv Toddy u was the easiest. 

 and most, untural thing in the world, and thus, no matter 

 how disagreeable this cognomen may be, it sticks. It is 

 wonderful how nicknames will fasten themselves to a per- 

 son, and really in the, multitudinous cases of business, or of 

 toil, how pleasant it is lobe greeted with the old familiar 

 name of school aud college days; and so with Harmon 

 Coulter, Harmony it is on all sides. 



But the uneasy "turnings of some of the men recall me' lo 

 my senses, and as I turn toward the bunk, I cannot refrain 

 from contrasting this sort of life with that of the laborers in 

 the cities. These men come in the woods about September 

 1. and stay until the rivers and lakes break up; in 

 the meantime, day after day, great inroads are made in the 

 forests; it usually pained me to see some powerful tree, the 

 proudest among its fellows, seemingly conscious in its 

 strength, leveled low to the ground. 



When the men first come in they at once go to work and 

 put up the camp, which is the work of a few hours only. 

 The sides are generally made of straight, well-matched tim- 

 ber, crevices and chinks being filled with moss; a layer of 

 bark is put up for the roof, and thickly covered with 

 boughs. In these modern days nearly all the camps have 

 stoves instead of the open Are and hole in the roof for the 

 smote, Which affords the men a vast deal more comfort, 



About time to turn in, you say. Well, 1 shall. So, step- 

 ping over Mitchell's (the guide's) prostrate, form, 1 hie. me to 

 my health-giving bed. In the morning a general shake and 

 wa«h finds' us ready for breakfast. The woodsmcu "chase 

 the antelope over the plain" very early, and are always up 

 before daybreak. 2fo need for the cook to summon 'more 

 than once to breakfast — a meal of beans (again the inevita- 

 ble hean), codfish and tea. Harmony and I look at one an- 

 other aghast at the prospect of this tea arrangement in store 

 for us, Tea sweetened with molasses is far from my ideal; 

 as long as we were in the woods, ii was never without a wry 

 face ami a sidelong glance at one another that Harmony and 

 I absorbed the compound. The "Hardy Whisky," fike a 

 true Bruuswickcr, eagerly drank it at all times and seasons. 

 To. ye, wise men! let "me caution you to take in sugar, 

 and if fond of the morning cup of coffee, convey that also. 



With the daylight we hurry off on one of the logging 

 roads, Whisky' with a new .If cal. Winchester repeater, 

 Harmony fondling a heavy 10-bore, double-barrel Scott gun, 

 myself with a 12-bore and the guide with a substantial 

 muzzle loader. We noted numerous tracks along the road, 

 some comparatively fresh, but we kept on to where one of 

 the teamsters had' sent back word he had seen a very ne 

 track, and Mitchell, examining it yery carefully, pr 

 nounced it the trail of a large doe; he could distinguish a 

 buck from a doe, he said, the buck having sharp and the 

 doe dull hoofs. 



Tightening moccasins and putting BB cartridges into our 

 guns we lost no time in taking up the trail. We had not 

 traveled more than halt a mile before we realized fullv that 



we wt 

 inqhe 



cult, [ 



d< 

 sp, 



in the Maine wood 

 ep, loosly packed. 

 dally for still-hui 



made 

 lodgii 



K 1 



progrreae anything 



the 



chilli 



Me 



snow was about sixteen 

 ig the walking very diffi- 

 fallen trees still further 

 casant. On every possible 

 w had formed, and at the 

 it dampening and 



3 back, 



of : 



appear 



ntlv cheered by tli 

 all my life have I 

 thing compare with it; the woods had the appearance of a 

 huge sheep pasture. At every ridge we would separate and 

 cover the ground carefully. We realized that we were com- 

 ing up with the game 'very rapidly, having found two 

 separate spots, where, after the deer had browsed around a 

 bit. it had lain down and rested. We were now approach' 

 ins a thickly wooded ridge, so each of us, striking off in 

 such ■' way thai the whole ground would be thoroughly 

 covered, weut ahead as noiselessly as possible. We "had 

 passed over about three-quarters ol the ridge when the still- 

 ness was broken by two reports in quick succession. Stand- 

 ing motionless in my tracks I listened intently for any 

 further sound, lint some little time had elapsed before I 



heard a cautious bark (ll 



father). We found ihal W 

 rst shot, but owintrto the 

 he had not been able to p 

 yards and hail thus been co 

 shots, as the deer, diseoveri 



From blood on the snow 

 badly hit, but upon follow!] 

 covered thai it, had a bin 

 along. Taking a hasty Inn 

 most minute (\ 

 ahead 



the crossings as directed 

 ground, with a space of ab 

 us, and watched until 1; 



:11 US t 



lisky Had bad the honor of the 

 now on the cedars and bushes 

 er ahead more than twenty -rive 

 ipelled to take two hasty snap 

 g him. had "lit out." 

 re thought the deer had been 

 : the trail a short distance dis- 

 leir broken, which it dnigg L -d 

 h, Mitchell, after ifiving us the 

 1 likely crossing places, plunged 

 the trail, and we made (lie best possible speed to 

 We took stations on a rise of 

 t live hundred yards bet 



supper we had a jovial talk with Joshua Crockett (the 1 oss); 

 an original old fellow is he; many of his ideas, though 

 quaiutly expressed, are to the point! A favorite theory of 

 bis and his constant injunction to the men was, "If a man 

 wants tor smoke, let him smoke, 'en if a man wants ter chew, 

 let him chew; the more terbucoya man uses the fiercer, mad- 

 der, angrier he gets; that's the man can slash into a tree. I tell 

 you, I wouldn't give, ten cents a day for a man that didn't 

 chaw anything stronger 'en spruce gum." Another was, "No 

 siree, 1 don't want no man 'round me in the summer lime 

 who's all the time downing ice water; it's agin natur'. Wai- 

 ter don't have no ice in summer, never meant, that man 

 should; follow natur', saysl." 



In the. morning we went to where Mitchell thought the 

 deer had crossed, and sure enough there were the tracks. 

 Despite all difficulties we determined to try the snowshoes, 

 and found that on them wc could cut oiil a touch faster 

 pace than on the day before. An occasional fall as the end 

 of the shoes caught on some unseen stump did not cause us 

 a deal of annoyance, traveling together one woidd help the 

 other, for know you, Harmony and 1 were novices at it. We 

 had gone scarcely forty rods, when we discovered Hie bed 

 upon which the doe had passed the night; two hours of 

 steady, rapid work, carried us along the trail to where the. 

 tracks seemed to have just been made. The deer had to n 

 often, but notwithstanding its broken lea 

 mnrkable to notice the tremendous leaps 1" 

 fallen trees aud obstacles of all kinds. K 

 fair gait and plodding along, great was i 

 we discovered that the noon he 

 it was close upon 2 P. M. ; thi 

 that we were nearly famished 

 bite, and then under orders fr 

 started back in all haste for lh« 

 said, the deer was traveling 

 would soon cross th 

 tot vet on the 



THE PARK STABLE OUTRAGE. 



Editor Fbresi and $lr##>n : 



paper in regard to the woudet 



had bee 



lily 



itike" over 

 a pretty 

 se when 

 in fact, 

 realize 

 Just a few moments for a 

 , Mitchell, Whisky and 1 

 igingroad, for, asMitchell 

 irele, and in all probability 

 road. Sure enough, Whisky aud X 

 road, when we heard Mitchell's bark 



dis 



ould r 

 iing up 



ade 



drawing nearer, so spurting ahead we reached the road 

 almost breathless. Hardly had we broken through the bushes 

 before the deer, about eighty yards up the road, broke cover 

 also; as il was nearer Whisky" than myself, he took the shot, 

 which had the effect only of stopping the deer, the second 

 shot went clear through the head. Plucky animal, it de- 

 served almost to live after such a fight, but after we knew 

 that, its leg was broken, we were determined to put it, out of 

 further pain. A roysteri ng time did we have that night, the 

 cook made some doughnuts (n great luxury in camp) espe- 

 cially for us, and the men did many little things to show their 

 appreciation for the supply of fresh venison our coming had 

 afforded them. Joshua held forth at great, length upon the 

 benefits and greatness of Free Masonry (he being a mason) 

 and frequently grew r quite eloquent in the recital. 



From one of the men who had been scouring the country 

 for hemlock bark, we learned that at Monroe Lake several 

 deer had been seen. We decided to make this our lust trip, 

 for the season was fast drawing to a close. We were in the 

 woods long before "sun up." When Old Sol did deign to 

 raise himself from his icy bed, we wished that all lovers 

 of the gun could have been out that morning; to us the 

 woods, had never looked so fine, the rays of tin; suu danced 

 and gleamed from trunk to trunk, an'd brightened up the 

 most sombre cornel's, until the Very air seemed to lie render- 

 ing thanksgiving for this great goodness. I know that wc 

 felt thegeneiKl exhilaration, lot (he swish, swish of the snow 

 shoes sounded more than ever with clock-like regularity. 



When ahoul a mile from the lake we branched off in' dif- 

 ferent direction,; so that the lake ought be approached from 

 the best vantage grounds. Harrntmy and I made a long 

 detour to the further side of the lake; Harmony posted him- 

 self, while I proceeded about a quarter of a mile up the lake 

 around several coves to one particularly inviting spot, My 

 choice was a good one. I had not wa.it'ed long before I saw 

 two deer coming down the lake at a brisk irof. started, no 

 doubt, by the guide, who had gone mound the bead of the 

 lake. 1 felt the first symptoms of buck fever, hut remem- 

 bering the advice of Mitchell, I looked away from the deer 

 for a moment and tried to conlrol myself, but it took all 

 ,-ill power 1 had. Fortunately the deer kept clos 



In 



. of the Yellow- 

 Park, the suggestion was made that iu the contem- 

 plated leases it should be expressly stipulated that no 

 building of any kind should be erected within view of any 

 of its great wonders, believing that such an act " would be 

 an outrage on the eternal fitness of things." 



As an indication that, the suggestion was not made with- 

 out due thought, the following "extract from a letter in a 

 late issue of the Bozeman (Montana) Courier is appended 

 Which will explain itself; 



Mammoth Hot Spbinos, Feb. 6. 1883. -Th* i'ark Improvament < ■.•m- 

 puny have about, finished a large stable, located northeast of tbe 

 capital and east of the road on the old formation. Judging from the 

 siw ef the stable, they anticipate o lively- bu=iiirss n. st -imuner 



npl"M.'in of the hotel proper. The; 



t of the hoi 

 mbers foi 



intil 



the 



pad of elk ami 



< ■ i" 'li.V •- .'.,■ . ,,il , ml : l,- eut, sotlial 

 other game may escape butclieiing. 



Think of it! A large stable alongside and in the imme- 

 diate presence of one of the most beautiful aud wonderful 

 formations of the whole wonderland! Will not the Forest 

 akt) Stream, will not every lover of the grand and beauti- 

 ful in nature, in the whole land, rise up mid join in a protest 

 against this stupendous outrage I If this Is allowed, what 

 will become of "Old Faithful," and "The Grand," and 

 "The Giantess," aud "The Castle," and all the other won 

 ders of this region? 



It was bad enough for a former superintendent of the 

 Park to have erected, what is here designated as "the capital," 

 a kind of a block -house of a building, loop-holed for 

 musketry, on a high eminence, overlooking the spring, and 



to i 



:' t.O 



sito 



the she 



whs 



r the 



this noble fellow. At the tin 

 the lake in Whisky's directioi 

 two shots had I he effect only ol 

 woods further up the lake, 

 the trail, for all preparations h 

 Cutting up the buck and distri 

 " d out rapidly fi 



*2rs 



I fair opportunity presented 

 ova. possible, l' pulled the 

 r-d buck, and as soon as the 



lir-i deer struggling in the 

 ige gave me lull ppsessiosof 



shot its mate darted across 

 but he being loo hasty, his 

 making (he deer take to the 



We had no time to take up 



lbeeu made to start at noon. 



uting the best parfe among 



imp 



•ally 



J said; "Well. boys, we loggers 

 4rangers for board en' tixin's, but 

 id col ledge bred, I'll put the figs er 

 ich of you. and sixteen cents a day 

 ncrw.es so solemn, that we could 



thoughts of summoning 

 pass pushing out for can 

 blood coursing through 

 ridge at Harmony's er. 

 Whisky arrd me scramble 

 where- 



to th 



nd 



tht 



he he 



En 



■ afternoon, I bad serious 



and with the aid of a eom- 

 a report, which sent the 



sounded away down the. 



vigorous bar-king made 

 fast, as possible t o t be place, 

 ically embracing himself, 

 ell g'rown doe. It proved 

 ted after, but I suppose it 

 favorite trysling spot by 



Mitchell had st 

 had been frightened out of sonn 



the noise occasioned in the pursuit, All speed was taken to 

 make out of boughs a rough sort of sled so that we could 

 drag the body easily, and with buoyant sprits we struck 

 out; after a hard pull, about seven o'clock, we reached a 

 well worn logging road, two miles from camp. W" were 

 received with open arms, the men supposing that we were 

 lost in the mazes of the forest. In about, half an hour 

 Mitchell came in, and said that although keeping pretty 

 close to the deer, he. was not able to get near enough to turn 

 it in our direction, but thought it had crossed the logging 

 road far down. 



He, however, had started four others. Great was our re- 

 joicing as we went over the incidents of the day, laughed at 

 the mishaps and sympathized with the misfortunes. After 



>f it n 

 •neb 

 ihot u 

 at six 

 few d 

 and i 



th-boart 

 k-rest. 



charge 

 . chaps, 

 ill fiftveentsa day for < 

 for the boss." His ma 



Bidding the crew good-bv, wc set out on our return trip, 

 er that, abominable bark-road. But it proved too much 

 lor the pung this time; half of the distance had been -ovcred 

 when the dash-board parted company, though we made use 

 It was with the greatest, difficulty that, 

 ook turns in driving, kept from being 

 i feet. Grand La ke Si ream was reached 

 'lock; there we bade adieu lo Mitchell, and -pent, a 

 s longer in cruising about the country after foxes 

 ■fridges, with fair ".success. Thus ended one of the 

 most enjoyable shooting trips wc had ever taken. The re- 

 gion visited is a great, one for game; the sportsman may en- 

 joy rart sport if he uses his privileges with moderation and 

 does all in his power to keep down the deer-hogs. 1 am 

 sure that all sportsmen will join with you in crying down 

 the proposed amendment to the Maine deer laws. Dieus, 



Andoveh, Mass. 



At (he time it was built, there was about as much use for 

 it, as a, blockhouse, as there would be to-day for the erection 

 of a similar buildiug at the head of Pennsylvania avenue 

 for the protection of the Capitol, aud it, is t.o'he hoped that 

 the next appropriation from Congress will be first utilized 

 in pulling it down and removing such an eyesore. P. 



Bozeman, Feb. 22. 



The Amrd Cmirtr-r editorially says; "We publish another 

 letter in this issue from our Mammoth Springs correspond- 

 ent, who gives an accouut of the work being done by the 

 Park improvement Company. According to the report the 

 millionaire lessee is providing stable room for his cowboys' 

 animals. It does not look as though a generous dettire to 

 provide for the comfort of tourists pervades the lessees to 

 any alarming extent. The average sightseer will prefer 

 another stopping place than a stable. The true inwardness 

 of the company is becoming apparent, and legislation which 

 will defeat, the schemes of the Rufus Hatch Cattle Compart}' 

 will be h-;iled with more than oidinnry delight." 



of 



ndcr the horn 



Nbw Yohi 

 been propose 



Protection ot 



: Ctajie 



Law 



—A 



bit 



>* 



rhich 



we 



understand has 



Fish i 



ud iii 



me' 



.,-,",. 



id" 





, < 





a as followa: 



Deer, Aug. 1 



... Dec. 



< , •• r 



"'.''id 





ed 







V'i'r 



, also deer on 



Lone Island !' 









ml, Sep. 1 to 



'.:, . i , ai ie 



















d shore blrdsj 





















11; woodcock. 



Juh Beptetn 



















•; black and 

















■ i 





pniee arouse, 



Sept. 1 lo Dee- 









bo-!: 





stu, 1 







-hole, tinglish 

 to Aug. 31, in 





, 1 10 1 



ec. ;-;; 





e,;l, 



1 1 





ie 



•11 1 



Warren, Clint 



:.u. Ess 



tx, Ha 



mil. 



11 .1 



*tf<< 





!•>• 



nkli 



t, Leifis and 



St Lo .vleiH-e 



eounti 









i: 



■lllfoi 







t, -Mav 15 to 



Aug. 31 ; sata 





lake) 





Ap 



ll 



t o s'„- 



pt 



tt, in 



Lake (leorge 



May 1 to Sept 



30; Mil 



■It lid-. 



1 >.- 





ibo 







"-"• 



ba^s, str ped 



baas aud mus 





Juuo 





I'e.' 



111 



wlth 







allowed els<* 



Ho-mdlng d(s 



lidden 



in St. Ls 











where Sept, 1 



■o Dee. 



1 

















SUMMER SHOOTING. 



JN many places farmers have a strong dislike to the aver- 

 age sportsman. Summer shooting lies at the bottom of 

 much of it. The farmer works early and late. His life is 

 one of hard realities. Seldom a sportsman himself, he looks 

 on the pursuit of birds as a waste of time at best. 



lie contrasts his lot with that of the so-called "brniu- 

 worker, " and finds himself at a great disadvantage. To 

 crown all, his ears are saluted by the echoing shot' in the 

 alders, and his eyes by damaged' fences, tangled grass, and 

 trampled crops, which advertise too plainly what he calls 

 "cussed idleness." This when summer shooting prevails. 

 11 will be objected that the true sportsman is not guilty of 

 these, offensive acts. 



How many of those who use guns arc true sportsmenV 

 The best of us will work the corn and potato fields in sum 

 mer shooting, and who can resist the spring-hole shaded by 

 the clump of trees, even if the way to it lies over a field o'f 

 grain or -tandiuc- grass. 



In my immediate vicinity some of our best ground has 

 been posted by the owners. A few quail had taken refuse 

 there. Their'beautA and tameness had made them great 

 favorites with the farmers and their families. Then e»nn 

 the most insatiable shooter I ever knew — a "brain-worker." 

 of course — who makes it exceedingly sulphurous for those 

 ouail from morn till dewy eve. and from dewv eve till pilch 

 dark, day after day, till'at best the laud was posted, and 

 some twenty-five or thirty of us shut out, not, however, till 

 the aforesaid "brain-worker" had had lots of fun. Perhaps 

 he is unaware that he was the exciting eaipe of our afflic- 

 tion. It would, no doubt, grieve him much, as he is really 

 a most estimable gentleman -and good fellow, only he is a 

 "victim of the strange fascination of the t ri u ger, " 9tid tl 

 someliioe-. -gets away" with him. 



Take the case of the farmers here mentioned as illustra 

 ting, to some extent, the position of their class* Kot one of 

 perhaps the whole dozen ever has killed or will kill a game 

 bird. 



Shall we cry "dog in the mauger'" Well, the manger is 

 his aud he will stay there. As we cannot drive him let us 

 try other measures'. Suppose "Olericus" converts him to 

 the belief in St. Hubert. Vaccinate hint with the "strange. 

 fascination of the trigger." Keep oil' from his fields till his 

 harvests are over, to a time when a rail carelessly let down 

 will not let cattle into his crops to his great damage, moral 

 and pecuniary. Respect, ids pet quail. Treat him like a 

 man and a brother and he will treat you like one. 



"Olericus" asks for "some shooting in the vacation sea- 

 son" — "without sacrificing the game" or "killing the goose 



IIow much shooting; What time in the season? How 

 kill the game without sacrificing it V Are the "brain- 

 workers" alone to have the advantage of the supplementary 

 season ? 



Imagine, the "tens of thousands" of college professors aud 

 school-teachers, and ten times tens of thousand* of lawyers, 

 actors, clericuscs, etc., turned loose with dog and gun for a 

 portion of the vacation Season, the mourners would soon 

 write the epitaph of ruffed grouse and quail, "Gone to meet 

 the DodO and the Auk." 



Woodcock being nearly exterminated, tin- hist day would 

 finish them. 



Last September two men drove about twenty miles from 

 this place' to the borders of Massachusetts, hoping to find 

 bird or two for a poppy that had never seen one killed. 

 Acres and acres of the 'finest cover were worked without 

 finding a woodcock. 



There was no mystery about it. The season opened 

 August 1 About "that time four "brain-workers,'' on. 



