

FOREST AND STREAM, 



103 



and the cook attended dh urprised to 



find bo ranch conventional style in a place, seeiBiogly, so 



nun all tlic -world. 1 jould not 

 realize thai T was in the v ii i .u i i, ida while gaaing up- 

 II] loi ithit ceiling, with its chamfered and 

 ollOd raf tWS, 01' at the new- ca binet organ, the font and lee- 

 turn, or at jack DJrting tvjtl) a pl'Ctty girl ill ii killing Gains- 

 borough hut and bang 



Two or three miles above Fori Myers there is a group of 

 small islands, where ihe river narrows and becomes of the 

 width of I he average river of Southern Florida; the banks 

 become diversified with a greater variety of foliage, while 

 guarding them like fabled dragous are nunierou.s and large 

 in .rod hi : i abler some fori! miles above 

 v rl ih'Si a clump of palmetto trees, where there 



I landing of hard ground, for i be shores of this 



portion of the river are low and wet. The banks of streams 

 generally On the west coast are much lower than those of 

 tie- .\t lantic coast, and this ia true also oT the shore, line of 

 the Gtnli 



. , .:;,i., :■■ iic plentiful, and the hunt- 



ing (ttCo1lC.nl on the burns in the open pine woods. We 

 enjoyed in, ereatly, for they were the first open 



WOOds-WW had found SittCe leaving Cape Sable. The next 

 day while driiSRiug a deer ami some turkeys at, the landing 

 the little Spitfire W ,, U I puffing by with a party of excursion- 

 ists from Port Dciiaud and Fort Thompson who greeted US 

 with "throe ohei rs anrl n tiger," One day as l waa return- 

 ing to the schooner 1 bo' If heard and smelt a rattlesnake, 



.i i ;- 1 r ► l ■ : ■ was thickly grown with, tall grass! could 

 nol ., ii , and did not care to seaj cb for it in Biichaphice. 



Ill I ...aning along shortly alicrward. Cutl pointed two, 



ii,; crawled out int.> i more open space, wiien they 

 were shot .and brought in for Skipper's dinner, bjil heatill 



preleiTe'l venison or turkey, or even blacll bass, to snake 

 met. Theae snakes were fully jive feet long und three 

 inches in diameter. 



An episode of n serio-comic nature ofcurred to Jack at 

 place, He had gone hunting befoie. breakfast, and los- 

 ing his hearings, When but a. quarter of a mile from the 

 Rambler, he became himself a bewildered rambler in the, 



Lull limitless pino woods of Southern Florida. Being 



i dor Bueh circumstances is sometimes a serious matter, 

 owing to the unvarying moaotonj of the surroundings. He 

 did u'oi n turn until after sundown, though during the after- 

 noon we had searched for him in every direction, shouting 



iii Jims repeatedly, and bad given him up for the 



(light, after setting fire to the scrub to guide his wandering 

 I'ootgl .-.: • i.e. ard. Just bell, re dark I perceived him, 



lj vuvard the schooner. As the. boys fired a 

 volley I sprnmr iulo the rkgimi and waved a white handker- 

 chief, win. I hi i bsen i .1 and made toward US on the double- 

 quick, swinging his hat all the way. lie arrived footsore, 

 mi; in., hungry, for he had not ceased walking all day, 

 evecptfor a half hour, when he stopped at a deserted cow- 

 boy's but in the afternoon. Here he had made up his mind 

 for the night: and finding a pile of new cypress 

 shingles, he wrote out a full account of the parly and its 

 objects, and where his friends might be addressed should he 

 perish in. the lonely rial woods. He then placed the ir «bin- 

 nlai :o -1 in a row in n conspicuous place in the but. 



... tbefi ■- thing! iscribcdib large loiters: ''JRead and 

 Act." ii' ' i. . aether shingle and made a map of his 

 -el,'. ■ louts, the COUiae of the river, and the 



i . After studying this for some time, 

 the idea dawned upon him to strike out in the opposite direc- 

 tion to where he supposed the schooner to lay, and acting 

 upon this impulse he came straight toward us until 1 ob- 

 served him, as stated. And strange to sav, though he had 

 seen the smoke from the. tire, and the head of the mainsail, 

 Which we bad hoisted as a conspicuous object, lie could not 

 b-lieve that it was Ihe Rambler, so confused bad his ideas of 

 loeatioii become, until he heard the gun-, ami saw me waving 

 the handkerchief. His appetite was something marvelous: 

 and as roast turkey, stewed venison, broiled quail, fried fish, 

 Sweet potatoes, hominy, flap-jacks and coffee, were poured 

 in a continuous and uninterrupted stream into his mouth, at 

 into a hopper. Squir t bad fasted since the night 



ore, I :i k'.Lhim why he bad not shot and broiled a 

 squirrel or a quail. He answered: 



"i shot all my cartridges away to try to make you hear, 

 and used all my matches in lighting my pipe!" 



It is astonishing how demoralized a man becomes who is 

 Io$t. He seems to become in a degree deranged, Squire 

 was provoked at Ibis confession of Jack's foolishness and 

 said. 



■'Well, you are a stupid and no mistake. You deserve to 

 have your grub and tobacco shut off for a month." 



"Pshaw f" answered Jack, "I haven't felt hungry till 

 now, for ever since morning I've been — 



•Pacing Chrougn the forest, 

 OllOwing tin- food of sweet, and bitter fancy ' " 



"Yes, you're a single-footed pacer, but hereafter you've 

 got to harn to trot and work double.'' said Squire. 



Jus! above our camp was Twelve Aide Creek, and twenty 

 miles above Foil Myers is a telegraph office where the line 

 crbsses the river, Still further up the river are Fort. 

 j>ur,ud and Fort Thompson, Al the latter place is the falls 

 or rapids. En .the neighborhood of Fort Thompson the soil 

 is rich and deep, but, subject to annual overflow, as is all the 

 OalOOSahatChee country.' It is claimed that the canal which 

 w T as fixing dredged 'from the Caloosahatehee to Lake 

 Okecbobce, by way of Flirt and lliekpochee lakes, will pre- 

 vent this overflow and drain all that, flat section of country, 

 but how the overflow of the river during the rainy season'is 

 to be prevented by bringing the waters of Lake Okecbobce 

 info it, by a canal is hard Co imagine, unless Okecbobce can 

 be drained to the bottom, which i- eol probable, 



We returned lo Fort. Myers and Pnnta Passu, and with a. 

 half gale from the northeast sailed up Charlotte Harbor 

 with the litte ateni-whecli.' Spitfire ahead of us, the latter 

 keeping well tinder the lee of the islands and making but. 

 little headway. On Fine Island, a large one, which we left 

 to starboard, will he found a few deer. On our port Was 

 Sanibol, at the northerly end of which is Boca Ceiga Pass, 

 - span la ... ,.-,. Island, and northward of this is 



I eind with e'.r.jiiva Pass between them. On our 



Starboard we passed a number of small keys and islands. 

 Bird, Fseppi, JVIandingO, etc. On some of 'these keys were 

 rookeries of egi "!■- ii te spoonbills, cormorants, 



frigate birds, etc. \\ e Mopped awhile at a Spanish fishing 

 ranche ou Laeosta, just below Boca Grande, the pass separ- 

 ating it from Big Gasparilla, We found here a number of 

 Spanish or Cuban families, but the season for fishing was 

 over. There are a number of these fisheries on the west 



coast engaged in catching and curing mullet, finding a ready 

 market at Key Wesl arid Havana. 



Big Gasparilla and Little Gasparilla islands are separated 

 by Big Gasparilla. Fass. Both of these islands contain deer, 

 and tin- fishing at the passes is excellent. Ou Big Gaspfi 

 rilla is another fish ranch, but the fishermen aud their fami- 

 lies bad left for the season. Between two of the huts we 

 killed two large rattlesnakes over live feel long. Squire 

 discovered the first as lie was iu the act of stepping over it, 

 as it lay stretched at full length; it is needless to say the 

 step was a long one. He despatched it, and hunting around, 

 mi found its mate, which was also killed, and both 

 reptiles skinned. Skipper still refusing to have anything to 

 do with snake diet, the boys lost all faith in his gastronomic 

 predilections for Ophidian aliment, and relegated his vaunted 

 exploits in that line to the same category with his coffee-pot 

 aud jumping kiuglish yarns: and resolved, moreover, that 

 should his debased appetite return, he must in future hunt 

 bis own rattlesnakes, for from that time forward they repu- 

 diated the role of jackal in providing for Such an unmiti- 

 gated and unconscionable li-on. Aud ao doubt but many a 

 stormy ui<rht during the present winter, when the Winds 

 howled without and the snow and sleel were mercilessly 

 driven into the faces of belated pedestrians, they sat before 

 the fire, toasting their toes, encased in slippers made of the 

 mottled and velvety skins of these same rattlers, aud have 

 thought of Ihe warm, sandy shores of tlasparilla, ot the 

 balmy breezes, of the waving palms, and of the base in- 

 gratitude of the Florida skipper wdio so shamefully ignored 

 the feast they bad so generously and at so great a risk sup- 

 plied. 



At Little Gasparilla we look all the usual variety of fishes, 

 many laruv sharks, and an immense jewfish, nearly as large 

 as the one taken at Jupiter; it weighed fully three hundred 

 pounds, being six aud a half feet in length. Jack and 1 

 towed it ashore ill the dingey, but even with a charge of 

 buckshot through its skull, delivered at a distance of only 

 two feet, we had a difficult job iu beaching it. where, after 

 dissecting it. We rolled it in again for the sharks. The mud 

 flats at Little Gasparilla Inlet at low tide fairly sm ajB ' ' 

 bay snipe and shore birds, while brown and white pelicans, 

 gulls and gannetsare fishing incessantly formullel and other 

 small fry.'" They strike down among the BChoole of small 

 fishes with terrible force and a great splashing, completely 

 deuioraliziue. the little fellows, who are gobbled up before 

 they have discovered the cause ot the commotion. The 

 piratical frigate birds, or man-o'-war hawks, sailing grace- 

 fully overhead, swoop down and rob the industrious 7 gulls of 

 their prey before they have time to swallow it. 



The noble bald-beaded eagle and the magnifice frig 



bird are both first-class sentimental frauds. We have 

 watched the great American bird, time and again, perched 

 atop a lofty pine up the inland streams, sitting motionless, 

 iu conscious pride as a king among birds and the emblem of 

 a glorious nation, iu the interests of which he is supposed to 

 be meditating, with one eye upon the sun (in our school-boy 

 days we were lold hi: watched the sun with both eves, but 

 we" are now- inclined to believe but half of it) and the oilier 

 upon the maneuvers of an industrious osprey fishing for a 

 breakfast for its nestlings. Having secured a fish, it starts 

 off ou joyous wing, when my noble eagle, casting to the 

 winds his* solar observations and the welfare of a nation, 

 pursues with relentless fury the poor tish-hawk, compelling 

 it to drop its well-earned prey, which is instantly seized by 

 our noble bird, conveyed to "his lofty perch, wdiere he igno- 

 mmiously devours it, and in so doing cuts a more sorry 

 figure and appears at even a greater disadvantage than he 

 does on the "dollar of our daddies." 



And the' frigate bird or man o' war hawk, with its long 

 forked tail, the magnificent sweep of its pointed wiugs, 

 stretching fully six or eight feet from tip to tip; soaring 

 aloaftwitha grace and grandeur approached by no Other 

 bird, commands our admiration and wonder until be reveals 

 his inie nature by swooping down upon a poor little defeuse- 

 lees gull who has just emerged from the water with a fish in 

 its bill, and ere it can shake the water from its eyes, the 

 morsel intended for its callow little brood is ruthless!} and 

 remorselessly snatched away by this rapacious robber, wdio 

 thus prostitutes his mighty pinions and powers to such base 

 purposes. Truly the bald eagle and Ihe frigate bird are 

 feathered Pharisees, devouring the substance 0£ ornithologi- 

 cal widows and orphans, white pretending to foster the 

 interests, commercial and marine, of a gnat nation. 



The beaches ol aeGas larilki islands Hrerii h in stores of 

 sea-shells, sea-fans, star-fishes, sea-urchins, shark's eggs, etc. 

 While busily engaged in picking up the treasures one day. 

 two deer came out of the scrub about fifty yards from us, 

 and stood for several minutes gazing at the? unusual sight. 

 After satisfying their curiosity they scampered off with their 

 wdiite flags flying in the rear. We did not molest thetn, for 

 we were already supplied with venison. Charlotte Harbor 

 is one of the best points on the Gulf coast for the sports- 

 man. It. is a fine body of water, with numerous keys and 

 islands, and nowhere will game or fish be found' mure 

 abundant, while there is plenty of oysters, clams, crabs and 

 turtles. The mainland can be penetrated bv several rivers, 

 Alligator Biver in the west, Pease Creek in the northeast, 

 and Myakka River iu the northwest portion, of the bay. By 

 sailing or rowing up any of these streams deer, turkeys ami, 

 if he wants them, alligators, will be found in numbers to 

 satisfy the greediest hunter, while ducks, snipe, quail and 

 shore birds are, to say the least, multitudinous. The passes 

 between the islands abound in fishes of endless variety, and 

 the sen beaches are, as just stated, strewn with marine 

 curiosities. An entire winter can be passed here, and new 

 delights and new pleasures will be developed each day lo a 

 party possessed of a small yacht. And if of an adventurous 

 turn, they can sail up the Oaloosa.halch.vlo Fo:t Thompson, 

 and then'proeecl iu canoes to Lake QkeehobeC; 



We went outside at Little Gasparilla Fa- with a south 

 wind, about noon, and at four, o'clock entered Casey's Pass, 

 Here I captured a large white shark, single-handed', and re- 

 moved bis formidable jaws as a trophy and memento of 

 the event. From Casey's Pass we sailed' next morning with 

 a southwest wiud. In passing Little Sarasota Inlet we saw 

 the D S. Coast Suivej schooner moored inside,, and Hie 

 men at work surveying the inlet. We continued north- 

 ward until we reached Big Sarasota Pass, through which 

 we entered Sarasota Bay. This is a fine body of water, 

 .hough shallow, and the mainland is dotted with the homes 

 Of settlers. The drought si ill continued and water was scarce. 

 At, the fiaherieson Lacasta and Gasparilla there were good 

 wells where we procured, water, but. we were now about out 

 of that necessary article. We sailed across the bay to a 

 house, but found no one at home, but as necessity knows no 

 law, we filled our casks al the cistern and proceeded on 

 our way, camping near the bead of the bay. There is not 



much game in this vicinity, for being somewhat thickly 

 settled, the deer keep well back from the bay, nor did we 

 much smaller game, consequently our stay was short,, 

 On one of the islands shutting in the harbor is another fish- 

 ery, and likewise one on Palliia Sola Poim on the mainland 

 at the head of the bay. There ate many small keys and 

 some larger islands, as Chaise's, Long" and Anna' Aleria 

 Keys and Sarosota Island. All of these we left to port as 

 we sailed up the harbor. Pounding Fnlma Sola Point we 

 entered Tampa Bay, with the lighthouse on E&mont Key to 

 the north west, 



ON THE OLD TEXAS TRAIL. 



A T the present lime, when everybody is complaining of 

 J\. the high price of beef, it may be interesting to some 

 of your readers to learn something' of the value and manner 

 of handling beef cattle in Texas a few years since, and Ihe 

 style and character of the men engaged" in that business. 



'When the Confederate. Army was disbanded at lib BlOse 

 of the war, and the Texana returned to their homes, thev 

 found that their caitle. which bad been left to wander at 

 will over the immense prairies of that, boundless domain 

 during the lour long years of the rebellion, had increased 

 greatly in numbers, and had become as wild as deer, so that 

 they would scamper off into the almost impenetrable cane 

 breaks and ehaparal, not, only on the approach of men, bill. 

 even at the scent of him which they, in common with other 

 wild animals, could distinguish at a great distance. 



After tin- people of Texas had again commenced lo culti 

 vale their long-neglected fields, they found lhat immense 

 droves of these wild cattle would break through their fences 

 on moonlight te'ehts and in a few moments trample down 

 aud destroy the growing crops which the poor settler:- had 

 planted, until it became a momenlousquestion with them as 

 lo what means should lie taken lo gel rid of (.he cattle that 

 had become such a pest. 



In lSfiti, John Ohisholin. who was oue of the largest slick 

 owners iu Texas at that time, gathered together a die,, , ,. 

 beeves numbering about 3,500 head, and "started, with the 

 aid of about sixty herders, to drive through India" n Terri- 

 tory to a Northern market. After experiencing main d;i 

 Acuities and a great deal of annoyance from the Indians, 

 through whose country he had to pass, be found ready sale 

 for his c attic in the northeastern portion of Ihe State of 

 Kansas. He was followed bv Shanghai Pierce, Bill Hit.-.nn 

 George Mabry. Eugene Millett and "other enlerprisin, end 

 daring spirits: and thus sprang into life the great: Texas 

 cattle trade, which has done so much for the lienelil of the 



si" of Kansas. Colorado and Kebiaska, and has e: 



Ihe building of so many nujes of railroads. 



In lh.' earlj years of the trade the average value of stock 

 cattle in Southwestern Texas was from §3..j(l to Ss.S.ho p. r 

 bead in specie, for the Te.xaus bad no use for "greenbacks," 

 or "Yankee money," as they called it; and the same cattle, 

 after being driven up the trail and wintered in Kansas. 

 would bring from $30.00 to $40.00 per head. 



Upon a concerted day in the early spring of the year, the 

 "raneheros." as the pioneer settlers of Southwestern 'i '<•■■ as 

 were- called, would start out with all the assistance they 

 could muster, aud encircling a wide radius, would drive all 

 Ihe cattle, etc. , that, they found toward one previously agreed 

 upon point or "rodeo" ground, where each man w ouhi cut 

 out his own cattle into a separate herd, the young calves of 

 course following ihe mother cows; the uubranded ealw s 

 which had been weaned from Ihe c,ow% or "Maverie 

 they were called, were then divided equally among Ihe 

 parties who had assisted in the round up, ami each ran- 

 chero would then drive his little herd tohis corral, where be 

 would brand the yearly increase. 



The origin of the term "Maverick." as applied to uu- 

 branded cattle, is worth relating. Sain .Maverick, w ho set 

 lied in Ihe neighborhood of San Antonio, ou the banks of 

 the San .Marcus River, and who died possessed of nearly a 

 million of acres of Texas lauds, just before the rebellion 

 broke out, neglected to brand his cattle, as his ueighb.es 

 did, and being remonstrated with by soms of them, replied: 

 " Well, you can brand yours, and all the unblended cattle 

 will then "belong to me." Under this arrangement he sub 

 Sequently attempted to lay claim to all thestock which the 

 owners had neglected or had been unable to brand. Thus 

 all unbranded stock found roaming on the prairies became 

 known as "Mavericks." 



The scene afforded by one of these general round-ups on 

 a rodeo ground was one of the most picturesque imagin- 

 able. The vast expanse of almost unbroken prairie, thou- 

 sands of acres in extent, on which were to be .seen thirty or 

 forty thousand head of terrified cattle, mothers lowing for 

 their young which had been lost in the melee, calves scam- 

 pering around bleating for their mothers, and scattered here 

 e A there through thenerd hundreds of thoroughly fright 

 ened antelope, deer, and other wild animals, for even the 

 coyotes and wolves would be driven toward the common 

 point in the general battue, together with the cordon of 

 herdsmen ill their picturesque and bright-colored COStUOt. 

 mounted on their sturdy little mustangs; all this waisa gro i fl 

 sight, once seen never to he forgotten. 



The costume of oue of these herdsmen or "vaqueros," 

 the name by which they were then designated, 1 will try to 

 describe, uis head, surmounted by a broad-brimmed som- 

 brero, trimmed around the edge with gold and silver lace, and 

 heavy gilt or beaded cords around the crown ; over his brbdit ■ 

 colored shirt would be worn a short jacket of either buck- 

 skin or heavy broadcloth, frequently richly embroidered by 

 the nimble fingers of some dark-eyed sehora, al whose shrine 

 he worshipped; around his waist be wore:, heavi leather 

 belt on which would be slung 4B army size Colt's revolver. 

 Bowie knife, and cartridge pouch . his fas. encased iu wide 

 leggings, made from the dressed skins ol ihe black bear, deer, 

 musk hog, or often of the beautiful Cashmere or Angora 

 goat, worn wilh the hair out; from his heels hung" an 

 immense pair of Mexican spurs with rowels two aud a half 

 or three inches in diameter, and silver bells dependent from 

 the shanks, while from Ihe pommel of his Cumbrous-look- 

 ing Mexican saddle, ou the right side hung, neatly eoiled, a 

 well plaited raw bide lariat, forty or forty-five feel in length, 

 and on the left side he carried his short, carbine, in a leather 

 scabbard, so bum: that the slock rested a</ains! Ihe llOl 

 shouldei blade and the ban-el lay along the side, under the 

 knee of the rider, whence he could withdraw it in a second 

 if needed. 



The dealers intending to drive to Kansas would attend 

 these round tips 1 have mentioned and select therefrom such 

 cattle as suited their purpose, not paying for them cash 

 down, but agreeing lo pay a certain price per bead for them 

 on their return from Kansas, the price being fixed by the 

 ages of the cattle, averaging $3 for yearlings, S-" 1 for two- 



