362 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[June 7, 



Uie $yortmtimt j^ouiigt 



QUIET SPORT.-VI. 



UV .MIM.MIO. 



VIM next morning R63 p a: ftwaj down Mic 

 nil hI lifter a fish Uncle Philo had told hfm about,; 

 Up old man a fall or two, and hud 

 , .. 1 ! : .hod ;i reputation as a strong, gluMiouotis 



' ■ ' I toy recognized the spot whore lie made his head 



a] ucU Urn battle, but with no hostile demon 



rom the other side, n was a beautiful location, a 

 1I1 i; 1 i.iijiiiiu site for a trout to put up 11 shanty, trad 



Weld Ill friends with the besl in the house. 



R03 'a Bios are well delivered, vet a hair dozen Casts I'rnui 



. e accomplished nothing. Put on a scarlet ibis, 



1 ; 1 ,■ .1 1 aiime him, us he may riseii you throw in the 



1 1 "i 1 . ■ ■ 1 1 ■ . 1 -to, change! a swell in the witter 



and response nnee the rush of a yellow bully; The flbis 



, don its work and the rod bends LntS a semi-circle. 



iwo-poundcr cause any anSietyi Now fl two-pound 



Is no thi largest of trout, butno more Is a six-ouueo 



(■Oil withal, hit :*.i-..- m silk the strongest tackle ID Hie 



world, and while you are hardly doubllul t»t therssu pel 

 there is a chance for the trout, Skill plays the important, 



part. While of chance there is just enough Lo pepper it ; the 



rest is art.. It is no child's play lo land sui h fi lish with ilia 



finest of tackle. The 1 rislimtin who played the violin "be 

 mane strihgth bo Jabbers" tuiglil jerk a big Ironi out of Ihe 

 waler with' coarse heavy rod and line, out' he would experi- 

 ence none ol I in- pleasures vouchsafed lo Die master. 



Don't occupy yourself with the rest of the world. Forgtel 

 In ni. is and mortgages, and look out for your lot lei 



securities and colli, ■em- ■.ieie I'm- a. hit, and collect and se- 

 cure your trout, for he is a customer who reyuires immedi 



ale waitim; iipmi. There is no deferring his demand. Fill 



it order al once. 



The merry click of lie- ,; el. the w lu.slle of tile line :ia it 

 lengthens yurd aflw yard, ihe pliaul rod bendiug to the Iran 

 i'h rii-.li it's perfect cjirvc sptnikiug volumes for the skill of 

 its maker; and then. Oh swoolcsl uni the 1 ;,v, ard swash 



of thill trout which has taken ymr lly pi ci mrr and cannot 



ndcr it. 



As you "give him the Unit" If check him in his mad 



i, 1 ' i 1 1 1 t It 11 1 1 vibratos through yoiU' whole system, and 



all your nerves are tautened lo fuili I let iOU. Fighting for 



every inch of line Up he comes Cm a p> cp Of daylight, but 



lie doesn't like it. A sumneivaiili tnd 'idi ho goes. 



the bottom msearcbofa stone wall, againsl h It 



he can hull his head and disloi s i dislodge the 



hook. It was n good seheme hu' 1 and finally 



he concluded to reform and hc( lod-naturofl and 



i g ttsh thai earedlillle lo live OU Fori ver. hei was will 



ilgto contribute his beautiful oarc ■ , tcr's tlejoc 



lation and his stomach's demands, so nli.i tl mdiliou,-- 



1 bet - igri ed upon be surrendered ; ami .1, ■ vin ■ aim ,, 

 gentle dislocation of the neck dropped him in his croijl, and 



■1 led down th.e stream, the pools below eaoli rook yielding 



I heir tribute and adding In the intensify of his en joy men I. 600(1 

 boy. Roy; you deserve it all for ihe humane and gentle way 

 in' which you hook your lish and crack their necks alba' 

 landing tuem, Roy as all anglers should do. kills his lish 

 before' dropping them into his creel. 



one evening Uncle Plulo tried to pursuttdc (lien Logo 

 jacking with him, but as (Men had been there before he de- 

 clined in favor of one of Ihe others, and related his expert 

 once under a jack something as follows: 



"Like most lovers of the wooils and waler: | waB anxious 



1 i jacking for deer, more perhaps to gratify curiosity 



than from any desire to do unlawful shooting, or from 



scarcity of 'rnnUoa' in camp; and before thai curiosity was 



ihor.m lil- ■■!;„■, , d. I paid [or it with a good many I ■„ 



ol waiting ami watching, which hen after will be devoted 



>..;■ jlgl [}, 



••If was 011 Ihe upper Stillwater of one of the branches, 



Ihe east. I IhhiU, of the Wed Canada (reek in Hamilton 



county, N. V.. where I had my tost float, Gik ' itli'l 



lldti 1 d for me and did it well, oarefullj 1 iplOj'IlUj 1 I r.\ 



lillle put in midpoint: lie never miss, 1 itl(!i ■ lia 



the guuner might do. Myiastrucl ■ at full; given 



and well digested, and with maaj ivonh ri ■ uyd 



eneouragoniMit I look my placi in ihe l)OW, 



•Now, il there is any ha i-d uml I iUUI ■ ■ d 



il may be found imd.er'a jack, wheie you :re eramped 11)1 



and obliged to keep quiet. It wa- pi ai|id •< ■ llie 



business, so (libs said, no m , no wind. 



■■ 'Put out thai pipe oryou'JI drin ■■■ ■ rj rfp 1 live miles 



back from Ihe waler.' 



,i, , I,,',. |,..-i familiar points which w 1 fail tq 



flow ghost -like and \\ <ir<l looks the shore 



1 ■ : U1gl light. Mow !) I : ight< ned crane 



rmli id ami gel down in front. A hedge 



i,,. ( onld i raf I oul to inspect flic outfit and thou lake a 



and then the owls made Ihcir moimi i <■■ 



n ICrning our appearance, to which v. e gave no 



•■The liltli insects wet'O ottt fchal niglit. ill Ihe little 



I - urn 1 1 nuke niirhl hideous and im- 



-, t'Ol ' l)U'/jZing and bilitig ware then' a.ud doing 



i. I i The jim Car as they were concerned. 



,-i the drawing properties of a Well-prepared mustard 



flow they did bite, and I forced to sit ihore like n 



I nn 1 lot 1 adoring tl all, afraid to tight them oil for 



miifimiug Ihe deer. "I'hougii 1 endeavored to I rims- 

 H to ill 1 -■- inmiiii" ■ oiue of the zeal and earn, tuei Hid 



;, telcristie ol th angler, yai under that insect 



■.as like a lish oul ol >■ m ' laVC Ibaf J did 

 ■■' ! 

 "lluf iiiisei-ies and ]ileasu res alike have their endings. It 

 s-idid night lo eonie losleu.ly and lo sleep No 



II , no Wind, UO deer. 



••furiosity unsatisfied must needs take me tinder the jack 

 the following nighl. (Iiles had gone down lo the setllc- 



■ Coi .-iipplios and would not. ret urn until the nexl day, 



so inv angliut;' companion vohiuleereil his services. 



■■II,. was an amaleiir paddlcr its I soon found by Ihe 



racket Tie kept up splashing lie water like a falling briek- 



bai hinimr flic side ol lie 1 boat, losing his balanc'e and re- 

 eovm'iiiLi it" with a ierk, he soon made me conclude in my 



|Jg| L to lake a nap as Ihe easiest way out of a bad scrape; 



i drawing nn lint oyer my eyes and protecting my lace as 



pen ible, i « i : ■■! lo il Lu sleep, and woke up in 



time lo go to bed at the shanty. The amateur had tailed as 

 well as Hie professional, and thus ended my tloaling tor that 

 year 



I lowing year 1 Went to the Wesl Canada lakes and 



| ii Mights wa-' under n jack with no sign of deer. 



■ ii piiddler. The' third night he turned the 

 jack on a hedge hog silting on a fallen tree. I fired and the 

 "■■■: ■ m ]ied in ihe water dead as t!harles j i. 



"'Well, you can shoot,' savs the guide. 'Now, lo-inor- 

 idw night I'll turn the light on a deer for you. i only 

 bunled up this hedge hog to'see if you could sltoot.' 



'■•Shoot! Hang' me if this isn't pleasant to he kep I, up 

 these nighls to let you know whither I could shool or not. 

 I might have tilled you lull oflead for that mailer.' 



"However, the guide was a good fellow dndmeanl no 

 barm. The next night he made good his word, and we had 

 a buck with a bulletin his head hung up in camp: anil I had 

 done with jacking unless starvation was staring me in the 

 face and jacking' was Ihe only resource left to drive him 

 away. 



"My conclusion, after these several nighls' experience, is 

 that all the credit for killing a deer in that manner is due to 

 skillful paddling. There is little, skill required at twenty or 

 twenty-live yards in the shooter. Buck-ague need not Stand 

 in the' way.' 1 cannot understand why one .should tremble 

 and lose control of himself at the sight of a pairof glistening 

 eyes. My poor shool iug could never he attributed to fear 

 nor an\ii 5 



"But uiy deer-floating nights tire over unless something 

 happens. ' 1 have not lost any deer that require searching 

 lor in that manner. You, John Henry, may have my place 

 under the jack. Under the blanket's is good enough for 

 yours frith 1 ,'" 



Uncle I'biloand Ward brought in a. buck sometime during 

 the night. A few days ended our visit with Kiiele I'hilo, 

 when we relumed to our iir.-f camp, and there and in the 

 immediate neighborhood we put in our time lo the best ad- 

 vantage l.oHi to see flic vanishing hours depart, we hung 

 on to them with the grasp of a miser, and improved them to 



the Utmost. Little trials Ynme; little vexations were sand 

 wiebed in between the great health-giving pleasures we ex- 

 perienced. The little' I rials we laughed a w ay , the petty 

 annoyances we smashed with smiles; and renewed ourappli- 



cations of tar and oil. Wet feet and bruised limbs wo wel- 

 come in our minds, but WO dry Ihein and rub litem ; and 

 then like the abbreviation on the tombstone, we let them 

 "H. I, P." 



Oh, dear, for home. Well, that's a good place when 

 you've nowhere else I o go, which reminds me of the old 

 gallant \\ ho had been OOUl'liUg a lady for quite a number of 

 years, and oil being asked why lie did not. many her replied; 

 '"If I were lo mairy her. where would I spend my even 

 iugsV" 



it Collins. (A.I.. A.pi-11 is, (638. 



MUSKOKA LAKES. 



VkKtW /mc,'.-/ iH'l Slronu: 



Noticing; several articles in late issues ol Foni!.sT AND 

 isTUKAH regarding the above lakes. 1 add my lestimony in 

 [heil'favor. Having lived for the last year or more here iu 

 (Iraveuhursf. which is on Ihe southern extremity of Mus 

 kok-i Lake. T am in a. position lo heartily indorse all Mr. M. 

 Mela oil says iu regard to the excellency of the tishing. 

 This lake 'is the largest, in the chain, and one of the 

 most heufiful of our inland lakes. It is studded with in- 

 numerable islands Which Will soon be in all Ihe glory of a 

 spring garb. The lishing is mil the Only attractive feature 

 of Ihe lakes; Ihe scenery is beautiful, and a trip by Steamer 

 presents a changing panorama of the most delightful 

 views. 



The fishing is good, as I have had tnaiiy opportunities of 

 Verifying; Ihe sinall-iuoulh black bass being abundant land 

 particularly gamy and well flavored. While not being able 

 to record any extraordinary weights, I find I he average runs 

 over two pounds, with quite frequent four-pounders. Tlie 

 bait principally used here by our local anglers is crawfish, 



which proves killing at all seasons, although the My and troll 

 take their share aiso. Pickerel arc very plentiful, and are 

 readily token by the troll, minnows, frogs, etc. Mascalonge 

 are also plentiful and are usually taken with the troll. The 

 small streams entering the lakes afford some very good 

 speckled Iron,', lishing. Last week I saw a troul wliieh 

 kicked the oeam at 1J pounds laken from a small stream a 

 short distance from the town. 

 There are many desirable fishing points in the Muskoka. 



hake, till of which' arc easily reached by boat I'toiu Graven- 

 hurst. 



i v, i: ,,,, one of the best, both in point of beauty and ex- 

 cellence Of lishing, is Bala, sixteen miles up the lake. Here 

 Llio waters of Muskoka Lake find an exit by two outlets 

 jrithir, i -ione's throw of each other, and each tumhlinu- over 

 n tall of upward of twenty feet in bight. They unite a few 

 :,i Is ii, low the falls and form the famed Musqttosh River, 

 which eiders Georgian Hay, twenty-three miles distant. Im- 

 ■ ',low Ihe falls some of the best lishing is lo be 



had, where hass, mascalonge, pickerel and pike are to be 

 !l)ia ipol is where the Rudolph Fishing Club, of 

 Pittsburgh, Pa., camped last season. Desirable camping 

 places can be found on most any of the islands or shores. 

 Those preferring ihe comforts of a hotel can be accommo- 

 dated ai lleaiinia.ii's by Mr. Prowse, or on Lake Joseph at. 

 Iiosseau, where two large hotels are located, at most reason- 

 able rales. 



Aboil! July 1 to 15 is the best time to come. The lishing 

 season has nut yet opened, owing j.o unusual hight of wafer. 

 Anglers and campers had belter bring their own tackle, but 

 e\er\ kind of camii supplies in Ihe shape of canned goods, 

 groceries, etc., .caTl be had here iu Oravenliut'sf, our niei- 

 chants making it a point to keep everything in flint line for 

 the. accommodation of campers. The quickest and best way 

 to reach here is bv making Toronto, one hundred and fifteen 

 miles distant, the starting point, There lake the North & 



Northwestern Railroad to Oravenhurst close connections 



are made here wilh all Ihe bonis, as Ihe train runs rigid down 

 to ihe wharf. The Muskoka and Nipissing Navigation Co. 

 have a splendid line of steamers on the lake, of which the 



Wenonah, Nipissing and Kciio/.ha (the latter beinga beaitiy, 



only jusi launched) are the finest. Anglers and tourists will 

 find" the i ompany's officers, from the popular manager down 



to the deck hands, genllemanly. obliging and ever ready lo 

 do all in their power to make tin m comlortable and their trip 

 enjoyable. By advising beforhaud the manager or secretary 



of'the company, steamers can he secured to land parties at 

 that I will always be happy to afford my brothers of the 



gentle ail. till tllO information in my power, and welcome , any 

 who may call on nw. A. P. Counku, M.fl. 



UiuvKNirensT, Muj W), ISHJI. 



HUNTING AND SWIMMING. 

 rpHKEE or four of us, young men but old hunters, were 

 J- seated in our club room one evening, and as the blue 

 smoke from our soothing meerschaums circled lightly and 

 dreamily in the air, our conversation rcvcrled to incidents 

 which had occurred on some of oul hunting tries Andy 

 had related how wliui cross u- laki J:m . - rda in 

 Quebec, they came upon a squirrel swimming al about half 

 a. mile, from shore. The little animal must have lost his 

 bearings, and doubtlessly was fatigued by his efforts to stem 

 (he waters and reach laud, for when one ot the party held 

 out his puddle to him he immediately ran up it and jumped 

 into the canoe. After running about the canoe for awhile, 

 anil peering into all the nooks and corners amontr the cargo, 

 he perched himself upon one of the boxes, where he sal 

 most demurely until the shore was gained, when, with a 

 whistle of his bushy fail, he was off to regain the, shelter of 

 his unlive wilds. No doubt, his whistling and chattering 

 Were intended for a voluble offering of thanks, and although 

 the parly could not, as did Hiawatha understand the squir- 

 rel language, yet they acoi pted his remarks as expressions of 

 gratitude. 1 hope the little chap has met with no worse 

 friends than those hunters proved to he, and that he si ill con 

 tributes to the welfare and advancement of the province by 



planting the Oak-producing acorn. 1 wonder what, made 

 the little animal so lame! 



••Tlie beasts, as 1 ream o er tile plain. 

 My form with indifference see." 

 Thai much of Ihe verse applies til hiscase. with thcexcep 

 lion that the hunters were roaming over the waler, but, the 

 next lines have to be changed son,, what, thus; 



•'He was so aimcuunintl'll With man 



His lam, ■, irss was ylOAsing to— them." 



This little yarn pnl me in mind of a, frolicsome of us had 



i : -Is;, when camped al Timber Lake, Queens county, 



N\ B, ' Thai part, of tile country is a splendid natural 



pasture, ihe grass growing limtrinhtly round the swampy 

 bordersof the lake, and the farmers turn their cattle onto 

 the marshes and let them remain there until the fall, when 

 they collect them arid drive theni In their bams to fallen 



them for market. Wc saw some of those OXoH swimming 

 over the thorougfare, which separates • in- meadows from the 

 mainland, and they kepi lip a continual bellowing during 

 the transit. The ne'.i day, when we went In swimming, it. 

 occurred to one of the party thai we should imitate the 

 actions of the oxen, and forthwith there ascended such a 



lowing and bellow ins as put the cue' i, , line, on Ihe batik 



i i ;. i Ing US iu wonder, to most un M u:dilied 'shame. The 



sighl of three or four young men, with their heads Lhrovi n 



back and eves wide open in imilatiou of the frightened 

 tittle, l id splashing and bellowin» like madmen, presented 

 such a ludicrous picture, thai ii was with difficulty thai I 

 could reach land, so exhausted was I with laughing. 



One tale led lo another, and thus I recalled a circum- 

 stance which occurred some years ftgO. 1 had a. Newfound- 

 land dug. a mere pup. but of goodly size, and one day he 

 I went down to (he river lo swim. ' lie 



1 plunged in he bee 

 and yelping iu 



thought, to the 



life. II 

 and his 



•pleasant, yarns led t< 

 conversation about i 

 ;ef objeelof thispape 



id watched me while I undies-,,,!, and when 



became very excited, running up and down 



, he jumped in, tis be 



new what he intended 



by Ihe back of Ihe 



all my efforts to fight 



nu, his intentions were 



iy arm and together We 



big he, was saving my 



person in the water, 



he first awakening of 



that instinct for which the Newfoundland is so famous. 



Another ineniberof our social meeting then iclaled a little 



incident called to mind by the last mentioned facts. He 



fairer passengers Was a little pel black and tan answering 



lo the name of Oinger. Paddling up a small stream they 



ing log was pushed aside to allow passage for the canoe. 

 Inside the boom, caught in the angle formed with Ihe 

 shore, floated a quantity of chaff— buckwheat hulls, etc. 

 - and Cine-er. mistaking this unstable surface for //rw 

 lima, boldly leaped out of Ihe canoe and disappeared in 

 the tawny Hood. I do not know if the little animal could 

 swim or not, but it appears that, he had never been in 

 the river before, and the female occupants of the canoe 

 K<'rr very much alarmed about, him. lloweyer. he Quickly 

 -':! ■ .1 Ids betid above water and began Splashing vigor- 

 ously, and was secured none the worse for his involuntary 



more important and more 

 wiinming, and i come now to 

 . That every man should ac- 

 m oft-repeated assertion, and 

 truth thereof isifi no wise diminished by the reiteration. 

 eh has been written on this subject, and" yet there are at 

 ■ day thousands iraveling by water aud exposed to death 

 ilro'wniii" who. if they .should be by any accident placed 

 rater oyer their depth, would inevitably perish. My ad- 

 Mo all such is that they lose no time, but immediately 

 lertake to acquire this useful art. But I wish more 

 ecially to speak to all young men who for pleasure go on 

 iting "excursions by water, in canoes or boats. Apart 



iu the piea-.ure and health-giving properties of swimming, 



obtain', by acquiring that ari. the satisfaction of having 



lidence when on the water, a more graceful physical 

 irted by Ihe art of dancing— 

 (reserving our own lives when 



-seue our less fortunate fellow 



beings!' He who can swim ventures with impunity iu his 

 fragile birch canoe upon waters wnere one ignorant of the 

 an dare nol trust himself. His impunity is, iu a measure, 

 his safety. Only those who ca.n swim and are conversant: 

 with the art of handling a canoe can experience I be health- 

 ful excitement and the cxhilaraling exaltation of spirits im- 

 parted bv a contest, of skill against the tossing whitecaps 

 produced by a good still' breeze. The occasion often arises 

 when ihe hunter has to paddle all day in a heavy wind. He 

 cannot always lie by and wail for calm weather. Exposed, 

 as he is, to many dangers, il becomes imperative that he 

 should he able to swim. This !Yei is so self-evident that I 

 need not dilate further upon il. As to how the novice is to 

 learn to swim, the besl method to pursue is to practice in 

 company with friends who have already acquired the art. 

 Alter having learnt the -amok- methods of swimming the 

 ViiTioiw feats given in books on this subject may be 



attempted, 



it- such 

 e all, the 



and the ability to t 



