382 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jure 14 1888. 



HOW TO BUT A DO/; 



\ SAD-EYED, low-voiced correspondent, who writes to 

 -^*- us from Western New York, and who signs' himself 

 "Victim," asks our advice, fie complains that, when people 

 write to us, anil ask us where they can buy a dog, we 

 always refer lo our advertisers, and asks what guarantee the 

 inquirer has that the dog he purchases will he as represented, 

 and what is to prevent him from being victimized, as our 

 correspondent has been, lie suggests that a person may 

 advertise a number of pups with a pedigree as long as one's 

 aim, for sale til a certain price, but what can a Olie do 

 aftir raising one ni these pups, and rinding that he has a 

 curly-tailed pointer or setter? 



We will try lo answer our correspondent's questions. We 

 refer inquirers to our advertisers, because they are the only 

 people we know who have dogs for sale, A man should 

 not buy a dog without seeing it, or, if it is a young puppy. 

 seeing its parents, moreover, it is by no means certain that, 

 all the puppies of two excellent dogs will be as good as their 

 parents. On the contrary, it almost always happens that 

 one or two of a litter will have a tendency to revert to some 

 ancestor Which had faulty characteristics, anil one can 

 never be sure what he has got in buying a puppy. Pedigrees 

 are excellent things in their way. but they are not by any 

 means every thing, and the most splendidly bred dog in the 

 World may fail to show the good points of his sire and dam. 

 People in this inn hi r , at present are rather given to buying 

 pedigrees and not dogs. Of course they make the pur- 

 chases in the hope of getting dogs, but they are too often 

 disappointed. Any one who has had much experience with 

 dogs, of whatever breed, should know that in buying a 

 puppy he is taking a great mauy chances of beiug disap- 

 pointed, and the man who has not lime to breed and break 

 bis own dogs, will save money, time, and an infinite deal of 

 wear and tear of mind by purchasing an old well-broken dog. 

 We may repeat here some remarks printed in these columns 

 nearly two years ago. which will give our readers our views 

 on the very Important subject of buying dogs: 



In all transactions between buyer and seller, only the strict rules 

 <if business should obtain. 



What should we think of a merchant who, seeing an adver'isi Hni ait 

 of goods by a stranger, should .semi his check tor the amount de- 

 manded without, ih-st satisfying himself that the advertiser was 

 responsible! How do you suppose his balance sheet 

 would average on such ventures} We know that many men. who are 

 considered sound upon most subjects, are entirely daft when anyone 

 says do,; in their presence; and are easily persuaded to overstep the 

 bounds of prudence in their eagerness to Beoure some cauine paragon, 

 whose perfection are gl ,'-'!L-i'. described in a speciottty worded 

 advertisement. Therear&also many mer 

 quiet lives, who, feeDos Hit- need of relascs 

 sports of the BeUI and. all unused to Che wi 



'. Has of a wicked world, confidingly comply with the request 

 of some unscrupulous scoundrel to "send Hie money," and "(hid. 

 . f<!.ii taen betray." PeTbaps an idea 6f what Is proper 

 in the matter would induce them to make inquiry as to the relia- 

 bility of t i Iser.J a. ..a innate feeling of delicacy, that leads 

 them to scrupulously avoid wounding the feelings or giving offense 

 to their fellow men, restrains them acid they become the dupes of de- 

 signing knaves, who knew full well that beyond a letter or two of 

 mild reproach they are safe from any attempt at recovery of their 

 ill-gotten gains; and, emboldened by success, they continue their 

 swiniliug operations us long as they can find victims. So great an 

 evil has this become, and to so great an extent, have these dishonest 

 dealers practiced then- tricks, that in justice to honest dealers, sum- 

 mury measures should be at once adopted, to put an end to then- 

 career. This can easily be accomplished if every one wishing to 

 purchase will take the ordinary precautions that should be observed 

 in any business transaction. 



, hi .' i ''.-alei- will object to the closest scrutiny regarding the 

 animal he may offer for sale, nor to the fullest inquiry as to his own 

 reliability and responsibility; and no feur of a possibility of wound- 

 ing any one's sensibilities should deter would-be purchasers from 

 fully satisfying themselves in these respects, of perfect immunity 

 from becoming the victims of fraud. 



Before purchasing a dog it is, if possible, very important that you 

 should see him at actual Work in the Held on game, in order that you 

 may know how he does his work, and learn just how he has been 

 handled When this is not practicable, you should receive from Ms 

 owner minute instructions as to the different words, signs and whis- 

 tles used, as well us a full description of any peculiarities that he may 

 possess, either natural or acquired. YOU will also find it greatly to 

 your advantage to become well acquainted with him before taking 

 him luto the Held, particularly If lie is young, or has not had expert- 



That, the complaints of purchasers, who think that they have been 

 cheated, are sometimes unjust orperhaps entirely without the pale of 

 reason, we are well aware. It is often the case that, persons who buy 

 a flog are woefully Ignorant of everything pertaining to his manage- 

 ment, and because their recent purchase wilt not in a faultless man 

 ner execute their commands— which probably are couched in lan- 

 guage which the poor animal has never heard in las life- tin;, at 

 once pronounce him worthless, and sJizing their pen. they write us 

 pages Of vilification and abuse of the seller, who very likcli is en 

 Lir.-iy itonest and has sent them an animal which is just as repre- 

 sented by him. 



Every one who has had much experience with dogs should know 

 that, no matter how perfectly trained a dog may he, in the bauds of 

 a stranger, be the man ever so expert a handler, with perhaps the 

 advantage of having witnessed the manner in which his former 

 owner worked him. the animal will not acquit himself nearly BO well 

 as when under the eye of bis accustomed master. This to one of 

 slight experience is a prolific' source of disapppointiuent ; and as first. 

 impressions are generally the most indelible, often ends in discard- 

 ing a really worthy animal, whoa- only fault is that he cannot at 

 once -'oft' with the old love and on with the new." 



lions tnibits and 

 urally I urn to t 



It is an occasion of regret among Canadians that Mr. J. 

 U. Gregory, of Quebec, could not have gone, to London in 

 charge of the Canadian fishery exhibit, his important offi- 

 cial duties detaining htm in Quebec. It was due in a very- 

 large measure to Mr. Gregory's energetic services that Can- 

 ada's display is so large and complete. 



MAJOR JIM O. 



JIM O. was a warbler of a iHHerent feather from slouchy 

 old Davy W. Dave might be likened to thai solitary 

 bird with ventriloquial "kolk" that boys call rain-crow 

 His manners were uowise intrusive, and his melodies had a 

 far-off hush-a-by-btihv sound, like the rhythmic healings of a 

 steamer's paddles on a still summer night. While on the 

 other hand, Jim 0. seemed lo be a cross between a blue jay 

 and a guinea fowl, with all the pert impudence, al the one, 

 and the unceasing cackle of the other. 1 think, too, lie 

 might be classed amOrfg game birds, for there is little doubt 

 hut that he would "lie lo a dog." In truth, when indulging 

 in his favorite amusenienl.be Was never handicapped by 

 cither time, place or subject. "No petit up Utica" con- 

 tracted Jim's powers, lie could lie in one Stale as well as 

 in another, and all over the Union whenever the occasion 

 demanded it. Quick in his motions, self .ssnred in maimer 

 and glib of tongue was Major Jim. There was, in truth, no 

 tile -firing in Major Jim's talk. The words came out i f his 

 mouth like stones from a hundred catapults. Sometimes 

 they seemed to come, out in "ready made" sentences— to 

 come out from both corners of his mouth at, ouce, and then 

 run together like a flock of (lying geese. Yet Jim was no 

 goose. He had a mother wit that made up in a great meas- 

 ure for his lack of education, and an assurance thai lifted 



him over every difficulty, To many of his associates lie 

 was a prodigy of learning, and they listened with open- 

 mouthed wonder to his long Latin quotations, of whose 

 meanings neither speaker nor audience had Hie remotest idea. 



My ttr.st meeting with the Major was wholly accidental. 

 It was a beautiful day in October, and the sun, hanging 

 low in the western sky,' 



Shot shafts of gold 

 O'er shining river and darkened wold, 



and shone with mellow radiance upon our camp at Brushy- 

 Lake. Besides the writer, our party counted as follows: 

 Lucicn K., a young planter. Ben II,. my old neighbor, and 

 old Steve Slaughter. A word ahoiil old" Steve, lie was one 

 of those unfortunate orphans, left by thai defunct institu- 

 tion, vcleped "Freedman's Bureau, "'to the tender charities 

 of their old masters and playmates. A genuine African, 



with a genuine Afri-Amerfean dialed. His grizzly heard, 

 his woebegone look, and shambling walk, with his spinal 

 column carried at an angle of forty degrees with the plane 

 of the horizon, generally led the casual observer to think 

 him old and decrepit. Vet such was not the case, for 

 although he boasted of having "chawed t.erbarker fur 'nore'u 

 a hundred year," he had at the time of which we write 

 scarcely passed the halfway station on man's allotted pil- 

 grimage. Polite and obliging, brim full of humor, a good 

 singer, with a rich, mellow voice, and a laugh of whose 

 "music" no combination of the letters of our alphabet can 

 give the least idea, Steve, with his half dozen mangy curs, 

 was always welcomed whenever we went on a -'bar''' hunt, 

 which was our present business. 



The better to enable the reader to form a mental picture of 

 Steve, let me state that he was a raWntiMr of more than 

 ordinary merit, ami hud a habit before speaking of always 

 doffing his weather-beaten chapeau and placitur it under his 

 left arm, and accompanying his recital with a continual 

 bobbing up and down of his head ,1 la an old. Muscovy 

 drake when talking to his bride. Steve also had another 

 peculiarity: lie invariably began his replies, and inter- 

 larded his stories with the words "Yas, iny master," and con- 

 trary to the habit of his race, and to his own usage genet- 

 ally, he always gave the vowel in these words the tiat sound 

 which it, has in the word fate, or more correctly the pro- 

 longed sound which we hear in the good-morning "ma-a" of 

 a nanny goat. 



On fiie occasion of which we write, Steve, armed and 

 equipped with a greasy haversack and an old army musket,, 

 and imitating as he came through the woods I he bugle note 

 of a calliope, had followed Ben and myself into camp, to 

 which we had just returned after au unsuccessful drive. 

 Just as Steve reached our camp a stranger, doubtless led by 

 Steve's song, was seen approaching, riding upon a mule. We 

 were not long kept in suspense as to who our visitor was. 

 ltidins up, he addressed our party generally: 



"Glad lo meet you, gentlemen. Glad to strike you, sirs. 

 Cut hunting stray stuck; heard that old darkey's racket and 

 followed him in.'vou sec." 



He then went on to inform us that lie was Major Jim 0., 

 that he had lately moved on to the Braydakc plantation, etc. , 

 ending by a jequest for one of us to pilot him out of the 

 swamp, he having completely lost his bearings, and having 

 no idea of the way home. We invited him to get, dowu from 

 off his mule, and 'suggested to him that Lucicn R... who had 

 not as yet returned to camp, would soon be in, and intend- 

 ing to return home after an old strike dog that had becu ac- 

 cidentally left behind, would put hiuiiu the Cold Lake road, 

 and thus'euablc him to reach Braydake. He had previously 

 met .Lucicn li., and readily agreed to get down and wait. 

 Introducing myself and Ben H., and not forgetting old 

 Steve who, doffing his hi aver and making a low bow, said, 

 "l'se glad to see you, Mister Major." 1 pointed our visitor 

 to a seat on a convenient log. lie had hardly taken his seat 

 before, BS Bteve remarked after he was gone, "he give tongue 

 like a young dog on a wet trail." 



"Really clad I met you. Col. Clad I met you, sir. Hear 

 you're from the old Dominion- native of the grand old Slate 

 myself, sir. Born on the shores of the classic Jeetus, edu- 

 cated at her noble university, sir." 



"Ah," 1 broke in as he paused to draw breath. "I had the 

 honor of being expelled from that noble institution myself, 

 1 suppose, Major, you were a student what time old Cess 

 satin the eurule chair. " . 



"Ah, there you've got me," he answered. Never could 

 remember names, sir — never could. Old Cess or old Reckon 

 or something of that sort. I'm jest like old Joe Fisher, sir 

 — lived dowu in Warren county, five miles from Vieksburg, 

 all his life, sir — never went to town but, he had to ask some- 

 body the name of the place, sir. Forgot his own name 

 once, sir. Couldn't draw ou his merchant— niggers liked 

 to starved to death, sir." 



The conversation, if such may be called a one-sided affair, 

 then drifted into other channels, and in the meantime, while 

 Major Jim, like an old maid at a watering place, was fast 

 getting over his basht'ulue.ss. Lucifln E, was seen approach- 

 ing camp. "What luck, Mr. K. ■/"asked the Major, as he 

 came near, for, as was before mentioned, they were ac- 

 quainted. 



"None at all, Major," he answered. "They say that old 



Zack Lukins killed seven bear one day last week, and it 

 seems that the others, if any are left, 'have vamoosed the 

 ranch." 



"That's so," said the Major, "B'ars will leave when you 

 make it loo hot for 'cm. sir. Why, sir, when I was rioiti' 

 business for old .ledge Smides, down in Madison parish- 

 plantation lay right ou the river — Mississippi River you 

 know — one night, 1 was sitt'm' on my gallery smokin', s'ir — 

 moon comiu' up over the trees on t'other side the river — 

 stars shinin' bright— not or cloud in the sky, and everything 

 je-'l as still as er dead mule, sir. Well, first thing I knowed 

 1 heeril a kindernoise way up 'cross the river, and it sounded 

 sorter low like at first, and then it. kept gilliu' louder and 

 louder, twell I eouldent stand it no longer, sir. I jest 

 jumps up on my feet and I says, 'Old ooman, my God, old 

 ooman, a hurricane 's couiein', sure as you're born.' Says 

 she. ' .Major 0.'— she always called me Major (X when she 

 wan't in a hurry — 'how in the name o' sense cmi u hurri- 

 cane be a er jin' when there ain't a cloud In the sky/' 



' Wei V says I, 'there's the devil to pay somewhere,' So 1 

 picks up my double barrel and I breaks out for the levee, 

 and when l'gils there I lissen, and I hears that roarin' 'cross 

 the river gittin' louder and louder, jest, like a nigger 



rune: 



bilei 



id I 



id Bl- 



and shuck tlteyselvi 

 like the whole* world was fi 

 my tracks and I killed thirl 

 iu the drove, and when I 

 livin'soul on that plantatii 



■se 1 



hen they begin to blow the mud out their 

 sir. And I looked where the moon was shinin', 

 icen that whole river tttrnin' black, sir. and comiu' 

 nd closer up to where I was standbi'. Skeared! I 

 1 was skearcd. Why, sir, my hu'r would a lifted a 

 haha I would a put np and dusted, and 1 did 

 inch back er little, but, I dazzenl, run, sir, with Susan 

 standin' there on that gallery. There she stood, sir, 

 it she'd sing 'Old Hundred,' and then she'd git down 

 on In r marrow bone* and moan out her little prayer, 'Aow 

 1 lay me down lo sleep.' and then every once in a while she'd 

 holler out, 'My Lord, Jim, what in the matter?' as if I would- 

 cnt a given six quarts of Dexter' s best jest to a half knowed 

 what inix the matter. If you'd a bin there, sir, you'd a 

 thought. 1 had a full grown canip-meetin' in that house and 

 every sinner of 'cm had drawed a straight flush, sir. If 

 you'd a seed me. sir a standin' there bavin' one agu on top 

 Of another fnster'ii you could count 'em. and flu- cold sweat 

 rutmiti' out the. holes in my boots, you'd a knowed, sir, how 

 happy I wtis, sir. when I seed somethin' black riz up mil 

 that, river and shuck hissclf. 1 jest up and hollered lo Su>an 

 Ann tiol. to be carryin' on like 'a mooniack and makciu' a 

 durncd fool of herself: hul the Lord knows Iliad jest as 

 well hollered at, a loggerhead turkle, for Susan Ann and 

 every nigger ou that hill had lit out for the canehreak, sir. 

 So I jest Stood there lonesome by myself, and 1 jest poured it 

 into them b'ats right, and left when MJOJ foppCd that levee 

 broad daylight, sir. It looked 

 ill of l.'ars. sir. 1 jest stood in 

 j •■eigiii of 'cm, sir,— the biggest 

 stopped Bhootin' there wasent a 

 3 'cept me and tin in dead b'ars. 

 Every nigger, sir. little and big, and Susan Anu to boot, was 

 clean gone, sir. I got some nigger dogs and 1 ketehed the 

 old ooman down on Joe's Bayou the next day, but some of 

 them niggers never did git back, sir, never "did. Yes, sir, 

 b'ars will travel when you makes it hot for 'cm. But. come, 

 Mr. R., let's be going. Good day, gentlemen;" and Major 

 Jim was gone. 



"Great Jehosaphatl" exclaimed Ben, as the tramp of the 

 Major's mule died away in the distance; and, turning to the 

 old orphan, "Why, Steve, that man can give you and Dave 

 two and the deal and beat you. What do you think about 

 him, anyhow?" 



"O, mv master," said Steve, removing his brim less hat, 

 "l'se afeard to 'spress my 'pinion 'bout that Mist.i r Major 

 man. l'se afeard 1 coodeu do him jestis, my master. But 1 

 does thinks if it had bin me a-slewin' dem varmints, I'd 

 a-cluni olier de fence an' er kerliumuxed two nunc item bar.s 

 ef 1 had to doed it wid er stick, sir.. I thinks hi 's er bob- 

 tail nag. my master." And theu, as if the words recalled to 

 memory some old song, his deep-toned voice rolled out 

 through the mule forest: 



Whoar-r-r ! Wboar-r-r! 

 Camptown races five mile long, 

 Doodar, doodarday. 

 bets my money on de bobtail horse, 

 Who dur bet on de bay? 

 Aud having finished his impromptu serenade, he broke 

 out into one of his untranslatable African "guffaws," in 

 which Ben aud I joined from sympathy, and we till three 

 laughed and shouted until the whole woods rang with echoes, 

 and the owls in the gray-draped cypress trees laughed and 

 shouted back from behind the "silver-trosU-d lacework Of 

 their IMund&ia curtains. Tccrauok. 



CAMPING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 



V VISIT to Southern California will convice lie most 

 skeptical that a finer climate cannot be found in North 

 America, it', indeed, in any other locality. The peculiar 

 claims of this climate cannot, be. transferred lo paper though 

 this has been tried many times. The ocean, the mountains, 

 the beautiful scenery, till combine to render Southern Cali 

 fornia very attractive, and few who go there care to leave. 

 The air is pure and dry. so that the bodies of dead animals 

 dry up rather than decay. Venison, or meat of any kind, is 

 dried by hanging it, on' clothes lines in the open 'air. We 

 have known the bodies of animals to be preserved two and 

 three years after death. .For persons afflicted with pulmon- 

 ary complaints while in the earlier stages, a surer cure than 

 a sojourn iu this region cannot be found. Camping out is 

 indulged in to a large extent, and the writer, while engaged 

 in archffiologiea] explorations, spent nearly two years of 

 this out door life in that lovely clinic. 



For five years our hoiue was in that pretty little city of 

 Santa Barbara, about 350 miles south of San Francisco. It is 

 situated ou the Santa Barbara channel, one of the finest 

 harbors on the. coast, with the ou, lying islands — the nearest 

 of which is twenty-five miles distant— serving as huge 

 breakwaters, mountains on two sides that ward off any dis 

 agreeable winds, a refreshing breeze continually blowing 

 from the ocean. All this gives Santa Barbara the advantage 

 of her sister cities in the way of climate am! scenery. Came 

 abounds within a short distance, and deer, bears, wildcats, 

 mountain lions, mountain and valley quail, ducks, geese, 

 and rabbits are to be found here. So one pleasant day in 

 September, Frank D., Jim II,, and the writer started on a 

 hunting aud Ashing excursion. 



Our outfit consisted of a span of large mules, a heavy 

 spring wagon, two Winchester titles, a shotgun, and about 

 everything needed on a trip of the kind. I must not forget 

 to mention Dave, a cross between a pointer and a setter, 

 who up to that time had never seen a deer, and was kept 



