202 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[April 12 1883. 



I1USTIXG W TTW MIDDLE AGES. 



"By banting one avoids the sin of Indolence, from which springs ill] 

 mnt-mlsins; and, according to onr faith, h«wlin avoids tha seven mor 

 lal sins will be saved; therefore, the good sportsman will he Kaved." 

 — Oonton Ph\ 



r SMIK good people of the Middle Ages were as fond of 

 -* limiting as we are today. Kings, ecclesiastics and 

 peasants took pail in the sport, and, game being plenty and 

 hammoiie-s htveoh-londers lacking, Ibc "gentlemen Sports- 

 metl" of Lh"08e days probably never bad any occasion to 

 write caustic, letters to their sportsmen's journal anent the 

 depredations of pot-hunters. Hunting, as it was then fol- 

 lowed, was divided into three lirancbes. Yeuery, one 

 branch of the sport, as defined by M. Klzear Blaze, was 

 "(be science of Snaring) taking or killing one particular 

 iinini.il from amongst a herd." Hawking or falconry was 

 the I raining and using of birds of prey to bunt feathered 

 game; and fowling (7V,\, '■', ,■;, i w a- tin: destroying, in a sorl 

 of go-as-you-please way, of all I he birdswbicb made havoc on 

 crops and fruits. 



(lenieuiaeiic was Ihe greatest hunter of bis time. With 

 a troop of knights and "ladies fair." .■u-cotupaniod by hounds 

 and a gang of beaters, be would ride at. the bead of uiaCOm- 

 panv into tin- forest, attacking witb spears such animals as 

 came in bis way. The boaters and dogs first scurried 

 through (he woods, blowing boms and making a great hul- 

 labaloo, driving the wild bores, bears, wolves, stags and 

 what-not into an iuclosure of cloths or nets, where the poor 

 things couldn't get out. without running the gauntlet of the 

 emperor and bis knights. Sometime an irate porker would 

 rip up a horse or two with bis tusk, or a demonstrative bear 

 would bug the life oul of half a dozen beaters, and then 

 there was Inn, you can be sure. The knights would boldly 

 attack with their lances, while the ladies, at a safe distance. 

 would cry. "Ain't it awful!" (in French, of course), or 

 giggle behind thbil fans when some 'mnrtoy who wanted to 

 show off goi the seam of bis hose and smallclothes ripped up 

 by a stag's bom. 



Palcomy or hawking was the gill-edged sport of the 

 Middle Ages, as only the nobility could afford this costly 

 pastime. The birds used were the gyrfaleou, saker hawk, 

 burner, merlin anil sparrow-hawk, the last being the small- 

 est, and used only in the pursuit oi pigeons, quail and small 

 birds. ThO birds were imported at great eostfrom Sweden 

 Iceland, Turkey and Morocco, and enormous, ftttmii were 

 spent in their 1 nulling aud equipment. 'They were consid- 

 ered lite noblest of biruVi'.- Tar superior to an eagle as we 

 would deem >vt cstflesuperior to a mud-ben. The li ailn I 

 loo Is ffierDOn their heads were embroidered with gew- 



gSWa made of gold and pearls, their perches were gold- 

 mounted, and the glove on which they were cairicdby 

 tbeir owner was made of richest stuff adorned with costly 

 jewels. History doesn't stale whether Ibeywere led on 

 Dresden or Sevres china, but it does say that no other 

 birds were permitted lo eat from the dishes used by the 

 falcons. 



Their training was undertaken by the bead falconer 

 whose rauk was the highest of any of tin- servants of the no- 

 hilily. That bis position wasn't exactly what a politician 

 would call a "soft snap" we can imagine from the amount 

 fjf learning necessary lo the complete education of a. falcon. 

 The voting bird was first, made familiar with men, horses 

 and dogs? When his fear of these was overcome, a cheek- 

 cord was attached to bitn, be was allowed lo By a short dis- 

 tance and was then drawn back to be fed. Afterward be 

 was permitted to calch a wounded bird or bare, near his 

 preceptor, and bis prey was taken away from him before 

 be had an opportunity to tear it in pieces. On his returning 

 to his perch on the hunter's thumb be was invariably led, so 

 that, his dietetic sentiments being worked upon, the bird 

 was never anxious to put too great a distance between 

 himself ami the source of bis nourishment, especially as he 

 was hunted on an empty stomach, kfter being taught to 

 obey the Whistle, the voice and the signs of ibc falconer. 

 I wo silver hells were attached to the bird's legs, and the fal- 

 coner reported to bis noble lord that his pupil's education 

 was complete. If, however, the sweet bird-graduate refused 

 to come back to the lordly thumb on his first trial, or 

 couldn't be lured by an imitation bird of cloth with afavor- 

 ile piece of flesh as bait— presto! off comes bis trainer's 

 head, and his lorship advertises for a new falconer, with 

 references, What painstaking pedagogues we would have 

 if that rale were law in these dark ages] 



Tin -y had sportsmen's clubs in the MiddleAges, too, with 

 Free Mason tendencies, having signs, passwords and grips, 

 lucky numbers and emblematic colors. Gerad, Duke of 

 Cleves. created in 1468 the order of Knights of St. Hubert, 

 into which only those of noble blood were admitted. As a 

 badge they wore a gold or silver chain formed of miniature 

 hunting bot'us, from which was suspended a small likeness 

 of the patron saint. Perhaps it was this club which made 

 the first attempt on record to stock a country witb foreign 

 game. Anyhow, we are told thai in the time of Charles 

 Y1U. winded- worn imported into France from Lapland, 

 and pin asanls from Tartary. The latter thrived, and our 

 Frencb friends are shooting their descendants to tills day-; 

 but Ibc- men who took the job of bringing over the reindeer 

 forgot to fetch along enough icebergs to last, through the 

 dog days, and the result was that, the warm climate cue r- 

 vated the once hardy reindeer. Tbey acquired habits of in- 

 dolence, became corpulent, anil instead of running away 



when hunted, they would lie down quietly, chew their ends, 

 and pass themselves off on the dogs for new milch cows, so 

 that the noble lord would experience much the same soul- 

 Stirring excitement in the sport, its he would by going out in 

 his barnyard and killing his best Jersey heifer with a meat 

 axe. 



In the National Library atParis is an illustrated manuscript 

 treating of the art of bunting, written by Gaston Pbcebus, 

 whose simple and sound views on the future salvation of 

 sportsmen will he found at the head of this article. The 

 author lived in the earlier portion of the Middle Ages, and 

 bis writings, and sketches may he accepted as accurately rep- 

 resenting modes of hunting in those days. He has drawn 

 pictures Of dogs that are perfect representations of modern 

 greyhounds, and several that would pass for pointers ir it 

 W ere noi for their heads, which are contracted like the bead 

 of a bulldog. The only rough-coated dogs represented are 

 two, which resemble the setter in all but the head, that ap- 

 pendage having the appearance of a "cutting" from a bull- 

 dog grafted on a setter's body. 



The "sliooliug-iron" of Phccbus's time was a cross-bow, 

 the arrows used having long, sharp metal points for pene- 

 trating the thick fur and tough hides of bears and wild 

 boars, while those used for hares and such small game bad a 

 conical-shaped terminus like a potaloe-masber, probably of 

 lead, lo stun the quarry. Leopards imported from Africa, 

 our author tells us, were used for hunting animals the same 

 as falcons for hunting birds, and lie gives us an illustration 

 of a huntsman .seated on a horse, with a leopard ensconced 

 on the croup behind him. The sardonic smile on the 

 leopard's face seems to intimate that, in default of other 

 game, be would have no scruples about, gobbling up the 

 huntsman/and bis horse. 



Some of our modern bunting stratagems are shown by Gas- 

 ton Phoebus to be nothing new, alter all. Out on the West- 

 ern prairies geese are often approached within gunshot by a 

 sportsman driving an ox-cart, or concealed behind a grazing 

 horse. In Ibis ancient manuscript is an illustration of a 

 hunter approaching his prey in a cart, with a "blind" of 

 twigs and leaves built, around him; and another represents;! 

 hunter stealing toward a body of wildfowl, holding in posi- 

 tion a piece of cloth cut after the pattern of a horse. They 

 must be geese indeed that would take this bandy-legged 

 hunter and bis cloth for a grazuig horse. It 

 is interesting to note- that "toling" was practiced in 

 those days—not on ducks, out on woodcock. There can be 

 no mistake about it, for the drawing of the woodcock is per- 

 fect. The hunter was completely covered, except his eyes, 

 in cloth of a dead grass color (in autumn), and on spying the 

 woodcock would lie at full length, waving a scarlet cloth 

 back and forth. The foolish woodcock, impelled by curi- 

 osity, would approach nearer and nearer, until the hunter, 

 able to slip a noose over the bird's head, would yank him to 

 kingdom come. An amusing way of trapping birds was to 

 distribute small mitrois around the forest.. When a hc- 

 pheasaiit, in his post -prandial saunter, caught, sight in the 

 glass of what he probably supposed was another he-pheas- 

 ant mimicking bis motions, he would haul off lo "knock 

 him out," and at the first crack down w oul d come a rock, 

 and there would be no more postprandial saunters for Mr. 

 Pheasant. Sometime a number of stool-birds were set 

 loose from their cage, and cords covered with bird-lime at- 

 tached to them. Then divers other birds that might seek 

 their acquaintance would become so firmly attached to them 

 that they couldn't fear themselves away when they bad fin- 

 ished their call, and were forced to stay to dinner, which 

 they attended in undress uniform, sometimes reclining on 

 pieces of toast, with drawn butter poured over them. 



Old German legends are notorious for telling some pretty 

 tough stories, and they have given us some on hunting, 

 which, although we repeat them, had better be taken runt 

 gmno .itilis, as we cannot vouch for their strict up and down 

 truth. 1 n one of them it is stated that, when beasts were 

 being pursued, if they ran into the. arms of a saint or into a 

 sanctuary, their lives were always spared. This fact getting 

 noised around among' the animals, tbey wouldn't skip for 

 their dens when alarmed, but would cut 'cross lots for the 

 nearest church or abode of a saint. One day a huge bear, 

 finding the chase growing too hot to be comfortable, burst 

 into the cell of a saintly monk while the latter was piously 

 engaged in deepeniug the color of his nose With a bottle of 

 Veuve Clicquot. It seems that this particular saint wasn't 

 aware of the arrangement, between animals and those in 

 religious Orders, and while the bear, in bis untutored, bearish 

 way, was trying to explain I bat it. was necessary for him to 

 repose in the monk's arms in order to stive his life, the monk 

 fired the bottle at the bear and took a back summersault out 

 of the window, the beast following. But tint more the 

 latter insisted on seeking his embrace the harder ran the 

 saint, counting his beads wrong end foremost hi bis haste, 

 and you could have played checkers on the tail of the holy 

 man's cassock until the hunters caught up witb. the bear 

 and killed him. 



Another legend relates that a bunter sold his soul for an 

 mchanted arrow that never missed its aim, and another 

 ■swapped his soul for an arrow that would carry an enormous 

 listance. What a haul of souls the devil could have made if 

 he'd bad a few choke-bore breech-loaders and thread-wound 

 cartridges to dicker with! 



In the Middle Ages hunters lied about thequantity of game 

 they killed just, as tbey do now. Seneca. 



\ht gportsitfmt Stntrigf, 



HUNTING THE MOUNTAIN GOAT. 



"Here's a health to the Forest and Stream." 



TT 0R . ten lon K hours We have been toiling up the side of 

 1- this rugged mountain, and when at last, by the over- 

 hanging roots and branches, we pull ourselves up the last 

 Steep pitch, and catch the cool breeze from the surrounding 

 snow peaks, anil know that for the present our climbing is 

 at an end, we feel like embracing somebody. And when 

 a little later W. shoves a cup of hot punch under our nose, 

 and asks us to taste it, we ought to say something as a. 

 toast, and why not the one thai heads this article. And so 

 here, some three thousand miles away from you, and four 

 thousand feet above the sea level, we reach out our baud to 

 the Forest a±\u Stream as lo an old friend. 



My party consisted of Mr. II., Mr. W. and Mr. IC, gen 

 tlemen who, having a few davs respite from poring over 

 pay lists and balance sheets of this end of the Canadian 

 Pacific Railway, very wisely elected to spend it with rod 

 and gam, beneath the Shade of Douglass tirs, by the side of 

 the noisy stream, or 



"Up where the canyon's dizzy trail 

 Leads to the snow- divide." 

 Our camp was pitched on one of the numerous ridges 

 which make up the summit of Ibis portion of the coast 

 range. To the south this ridge rose with an easy grade till 

 its crest was reached some two hundred feet, above the level 

 of our camp ground, at which point it was intersected br- 

 others running at. different angles. 



Along the crests of these ridges one may travel for miles, 

 having in many places only a few yards on either side be- 

 tween him and a fall of five or six hundred feet. A lev, 

 yards north of our tent the ridge terminated, or rather broke 

 off abruptly, forming a prelty'sheer precipice, at the foot 

 of which, five hundred feet below, nestling in a setting of 

 green ami gold, was a beautiful little lake some four or live 

 hundred yards in extent. 



Although at our feet the heather bloomed witb the fresh- 

 ness of summer, everywhere on the woodeei slopes the varied 

 tints Of the dying year met the eye, and a step higher up the 

 sight is lost in a confusion of snow peaks and storm-swept 

 canons. 



II. had laid down his rifle and was busy with his pencil 

 and sketch book when Leammux, who appeared to be more 

 concerned about the welfare of his four tiusky companions 

 than with mountain scenery, came up, aud pointing up the 

 ridge, asked if it was our intention to feed his Indians on 

 white man's muck-a-muck, or the flesh of the mountain 

 goat. If the latter, which be much preferred, if I would be 

 Kind enough to lend him ray rifle he would see that their 

 first supper on the top of the mountain wo-.J i hi made from 

 the juiev ribs of that, animal. We turned and looked in the 

 direction pointed out by the Indian, and -en enough three 

 goals were insight, two on the left slope of the riOgC, and 

 one on the right. H. at once started in pursuit of the two, 

 while Leam mux and I stole away toward the single one. 



I did not understand, until some time after our return 

 home, why it was that Leaminux was so concerned about 

 my success, and put on such a terrible scowling look t'very 

 time I made a failure. The reason was this : He had made 

 a wager with his companions that 1 would kill more, game 

 than anyone of the party, and to this day he believes 1 sold 

 him; and it has already cost me a cast-oil coat, a pair of old 

 gum boots, and a worn-out hat to get him lo recognize me 

 when we meet. As we left H., no sooner was the latter 

 out of sight, than the old fellow started on the run, urging 

 me forward, in hopes that 1 would get in my shot, first. J3ut 

 I took my time. It was H.'s first sight of these animals, and 

 1 was anxious that he. should make a success of his first 

 shot at them. 



At length we ueared the point where the goat was first 

 noticed, when Leammux suddenlv ducked down behind a 

 block of granite and commenced jerking bis long bony arm 

 in the direction of the top of the ridge, while every feature 

 of his greasv face, every contortion of his huge mouth, said 

 as plainly as if he had shouted through a trumpet, "Why in 

 thunder don't you shoot?" I looked but could sec nothing 

 on the heather covered slope but a few blocks of gray gran 

 ite and here and there a patch of snow. I was about to 

 take, a glance toward Ihe Indian, when quick as a Hash one 

 of the patches of snow threw up its head and disappeared 

 over the crest of the ridge. The Indian stood up, and just 

 then two shots were heard in the direction of if. Leanunux 

 StUCk up two lingers, uttered the word "mm" I'.woi ami 

 stepping past me with the air of an offended Sitting Bull, 

 strode ol! to camp Without once looking behind him. H. 

 had belter luck and had knocked oyer two goats; and long 

 alter we had retired to rest our dusky guides squatted round 

 the camp-fire, and, with pieces of mountaiu goat, broiling 

 before them, spun out yarns of deeds clone by mighty goat 

 hunters of their tribe who were now defunct. 



The next morning we had our breakfast, over by daylight. 

 The Indians were just finishing theirs. My companions 

 were in the tent fixing up for the day's hunt, 

 while 1, with my back lo the fire, was leaning over 

 a. rock enjoying a quiet smoke. Suddenly the tread of 

 some animal, coming along the face of the cliff be- 

 low- our camp, caught my ear. Now, as before stated, 

 the ridge, a few rods north of our camp, broke off almost 

 perpendicularly, leaving a face some 500 yards wide. Still, 

 on a previous visit here, 1 had noticed a trail along which 

 goats had made theft way across Ibis face from one slope of 

 the ridge to th 



reetlv 



kept, 1 

 becaus 



came out upon the more level ground, di- 

 I, and about twenty v ards from me. So 1 

 on that point, rather carelessly, though, 

 mid not imagine that any wild animal of 

 itlld be. so near to our camp with all the 

 bustle of the morning meal going on. I had not long to 

 wait. Presently the head, then the shoulders appeared, and 

 finally the whole body of a monster white goat stood before 

 me. I suppose the animal was surprised, tor it stood stock 

 still, anil subsequent events proved that 1 was not only sur- 

 prised, but completely dumbfoundeel. I threw Up my' ride, 

 cocked it, but in bringing back my baud in some unaccount- 

 able don't-know-how-i't-was-done way the piece was dis- 

 charged in the air. The goat wheeled and disappeared 

 under the cliff. A hop, step aud a jump brought me lo the 

 edge of the cliff just beyond our tent, wJiere I again 

 came in sight of the goat making his way alonr its 

 tace. He was over two hundred yards away, uuu at 

 mat distance I fired three shots at him, which 



