AMERICAN SPORTSMAN'S JOURNAL. 



c Wolinrs a Year 



LL 



NEW YORK THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27 1879. 



For Forest and Stream, and Rod and Own. 

 A MEMORY OF tOCOA (1866). 



TTjnTH limbs at rest and Dalf-slint eyeB, 



' * Watching the Btmset burn away, 

 A picture, now tne archer Ilea, 



Floated with the dying day. 



On a low bough that sweeps across, 

 His quiver, piled with shafts, lg hnng; 



1 1 Jin. on tbe seented moss, 

 llis great bow lies unstrung. 



The last song of the valley bird 



Kings by the brook's sweet runaway; 

 But vale and wilderness are stirred 



With more than song can say. 



A sleepy passion, rich and sweet, 



Pervades the heavy-fruited vine, 

 That stands, blood-stained from veil to feel, 



In wasting veins of vine. 



The shrunken river, feeble-voiced, 



Complains along the rainless land, 

 And where of old the floods rejoiced 



Loll tne red tongaes of sand. 



Half glorified and half subdued, 

 Transformed by autumn's Mldian hand, 



Tne old green temples of the wood 

 In golden ruin stand. 



A low, delicious Bound of leaves, 



Clasping and kissing in the breeze— 

 A vagrant, breeze, that softly grieves 



And fondles in the trees. 



Smoky and;gray the mountains stand, 



Like solemn sentinels who guard 

 The frontiers of the archer's land 



In everlasting ward. 



And down yon great gorge comes a flood 



Of music. From her f ailing cloud 

 The One Voice of the solitude, 



Tocoa calls alond! 



» ■>■ 



Bowman. 



For Forest and Blream and Bod and Oun. 



THE Anchor Line of steamers run from Buffalo to Du- 

 luth. One leaves Buffalo daily, or did last season, ex- 

 cept Saturday and Sunday, and will probably ran the same 

 way next year. The trip from Buffalo to Duluth, upon one 

 of these boats, is one ot the finest which can be taken in 

 this country. The passage is about five days. The boats 

 are as well officered, manned and disciplined as any ocean- 

 going steamer. The living and accommodations are fine. 

 They touch at all the principal points along the lakes, and 

 stop long enough to give passengers a chance to see the 

 places, and, if they happen to be hunters, to allow them to 

 stretch the dogs and give them exercise. If any of your 

 readers take the trip next season, allow me to suggest to 

 them to find out which boat Captain Ben Wilkins is in 

 charge of, and go with him if possible. I have made the 

 trip twice with him, and have become used to and like his 

 way very much. The round trip from Buffalo to Duluth 

 costs fifty dollars, with the privilege of stopping anywhere 

 along. It is much better to take dogs upon the boat than to 

 travel with them by cars, and very less expensive. 



From Duluth west the route is, of course, by the Northern 

 Pacific Builroad. My companion and I left Duluth at 1:30 

 p. m. and arrived in Fargo the next morning at 8:30. We 

 had for our traveling companion from Duluth an old friend 

 and acquaintance— formerly of Pennsylvania— Mr. Oliver 

 Dalrymple, known as the "Wheat King of the West. He 

 rode in the car of the railroad officials, which was being 

 sent West to bring President Hayes and his party upon their 

 intended trip over the Northern Pacific. We paid two dol- 

 lars each for occupying it through the night. It was cheap 

 enough ; we Uad it all to ourselves, and we passed a very 

 pleasant night, rolling over the country toward our destina- 

 tion. 



We were about to visit Dacotah at the invitation of the 



; itheis— Messrs. J. L. and E. B. — for the purpose 



of taking with them their annual hunt. The Grandius are 



small farmers up there ; they are only going to put in six 



thousand acres of wheat this year. Every fall after they get 



the crops in, the pumpkins, and turnips all threshed, the wood 

 up for ihe winter, and the chores done generally, they like 

 to take an old shot-gun, go out upon the plains and spend 

 two or three weeks hunting. We arrived at Fargo— the 

 headquarters of the Grandins, the Dalrymples, and the 

 Grangers, generally, of Dacotah Territory. Thursday, Sep 

 tember Sth, was spent in makiug ready for the trip. No 

 North Pole expedition ever had a fuller outfit. We were 

 stocked with all kinds of canued meals, canned fruits and 

 jellies, Boston baked beans, clam chowder, soups, fish, and 

 everything in the canned line that could be fried, roasted or 

 stewed, or had been. We left the Headquarters Hotel, Far- 

 go, Friday, September 6. Our party consisted of Messrs. J. 

 L. and E. B. Grandin, Capt. H. H. Cumings, Tidioute, Pa.; 

 Master Frank Grandin, Henry Souther, Erie, Pa.; Mr. S. S. 

 Blanchard, of Boston. The attachments to the party were 

 H. S. Back, Esq., attorney at law, member of the Dacotah 

 Legislature and large farmer in the territory, a good sports- 

 man, and full of frontier information ; his son, Master 

 Frank Back ; Tom Bush, assistant guide and handy at any- 

 thing out of doors ; John Walker, cook and taxidermist, and 

 Mr. Joseph Hickey, of Fargo, wagon master. The trans- 

 portation department consisted of three wagons and a saddle 

 pony for general use in chasing antelope, etc. 



That pony was a genius. He could do more mean things 

 than any pony I ever saw. The boys used to quarrel to see 

 who shouldn't ride him. We had dogs of several kinds and 

 breeds— Ponto, Duke, Bruce and Frank. They were not 

 proud dogs ; they would sleep in the tent, eat out of the fry- 

 ing pans, take biscuits out of the tin ovens, and drink out 

 of the water pails. The only thing they would not eat was 

 what we had the most of— fried chickens. 



We filed out of Fargo south of the railroad, and struck for 

 the Cheyenne River and the sand hills. The first night we 

 camped seventeen miles from town, and called it Camp Jack 

 Rabbit in honor of the first jack rabbit killed by Captain 

 Cumings. The next day we made Owego— a post office on 

 the Cheyenne River— and camped for the night, fifty miles 

 trom Fargo. Had fine grouse shooting all day from the 

 wagons. When the dogs camo to a point all the hunters got 

 out and made for the game. Generally the first bird up 

 would get about six barrels fired at him, and the weight of 

 shot in his body would bring him to the ground in no time. 

 If the covey was large it would soon scatter, the birds would 

 be "marked down," and generally few of the covey were 

 left. This afternoon we got among the sand hills. The 

 scenery here and along the river is"as delightful as I ever 

 saw. Timber skirts all the river, the trees in full leaf, rich 

 and green. In many places it presents the appearance of an 

 old settled country, with the lawns mowed down, well k°pt 

 and tended; but one looks in vain among the trees in the 

 grove beside the rich green grass-plot to discover the palatial 

 residence of gentlemen who can afford to live in suck style, 

 with such rich surroundings of wide-spreading elm and cot- 

 ton-wood, excelling in beauty and magnificence the estates 

 of men who have expended fortunes upon their acres. 



We made camp late this evening in a small grove near the 

 barn-yard of one Schultz, a German settler, got good water 

 from his well in the house, purchased watermelons from his 

 patch, milk from his wife, fed his flies on our horse flesh, 

 his mosquitoes from our veins, passed the night amid a 

 variety of smells, and made ourselves quite at home gener- 

 ally. We had agreed not to travel on Sunday, but we did 

 in this instance so as to get out of Camp Schultz. We 

 struck out for the open plains about 11 a. m., arrived at 

 Bonners (again upon the Cheyenne), at 4 p. m., and made 

 camp. Traveled all the way along and among the sand hills 

 and the same magnificent scenery of the day'before. Each 

 view of the river from ihe high bluffs above gives us a new 

 picture in our never ending panorama. The air upon these 

 plains is strengthening and Invigorating ; it fills one up full 

 Mr. Peter Bonner and his son-in-law supplied us bounti- 

 fully with watermelons, mushmelons and fresh milk It is 

 strange how much milk two hoys will hold when they do 

 not like water. Startling stories were told us about the 

 amount of game ahead of us. Monday, September 9, we 

 hunted all day, went to a lake called Wood Island Lake, 

 about ten miles from camp, to hunt ducks. The water in 

 the lake is strongly impregnated with alkali. The dogs 

 were thirsty, and although we carry water for them in the 

 wagons and give them freely, of course they had to drink 

 the water from the lake, and the next day thev knew some- 

 thing ailed them, but could not tell what. We came into 

 camp in the evening loaded down with ducks and chickens. 

 We distributed a portion among our neighbors— the settlers 

 upon the other side of the river— keeping such us we needed 

 tor our own use. Our principal meat during the trip con- 

 sisted of gruuse fried in the fattest lard I ever saw. The 

 cook one day did roast some in the oven, but frying was the 

 easiest way of cooking them, and so fried they were. I got 

 so I could not bear the sight of one either dead or alive, and 

 would always try to shoot one as soon as I saw it. 



Our party to-day saw two droves of antelope, the first we 



had seen. We are about twenty-five miles from Wheatland 

 upon theN. P. Railroad. On both Wednesday and Thurs- 

 day nights (llth and 12th) we had severe frosts. Ice 

 formed over the water in the pails and dishes about the 

 camp. Up to Friday morning we spent the days diligently 

 and industriously in slaughtering grouse and ducks. "Each 

 parly in the morning would take its 

 go roaming over the prairie in any direction. The road is 

 anywhere you want it. A short iramp out of the course is 

 not fatiguing ; the wagon comes along and p»< u 

 seugers. Friday at 9:30 we bade good-bye [o Camp Bonner 

 audits hospitable inhabitants, crossed the Cheyenne twice, 

 traveling eighteen miles, and camped for the night at Sib- 

 ley's Crossing in sight of Mourning Mound. This mound is 

 made memorable by a battle once fought there between the 

 Sioux and Cheyenne Indians. It is said that two hundred 

 Cheyennes were surrounded upon the mound by the Sioux, 

 and not one Cheyenne escaped. W r e left the next morning 

 at 8:30— Back, E. B. Grandin, Capt. Cumings and myself, 

 with Hickey for driver— and speeded out for the day. "The 

 others of the party were to go together with the grub wagon, 

 and all to camp at night at Fort Ransom. We hunted till 

 noon, when the dishing of a wagon wheel gave us notice 

 that we must hunt a settlement. We struck a road and fol- 

 lowed it till we brought up at Jack Harris', where we fixed 

 the wheel, got dinner, and started upon our journey. Har- 

 ris is the last settler but one in this direction and upon l bis 

 part of the river. He gave us directions where to find a 

 lake full of ducks and geese, and we Started for it. Back's 

 experienced eye delected it by the timber— a very small 

 clump of trees at least, eight or ten miles away ovei the 

 prairies. When we came to it we found it ail Harri 

 said— it was full of ducks— and the son_ of tb 

 was heard loud and trumpet-like over ihe land. We con- 

 cluded to surround that body of water, fill our wagon with 

 what ducks and geese we could pile in conveniently, and re- 

 turn at onee to our comrades. Afler crawling upon all-fours 

 through the grass we got to the bank of the lake, and. 

 usual upon such occasions, found we were about two gun- 

 shots off from where we ought to be. The first shot set the 

 whole pond in motion, and the air was alive with water- 

 fowl. We fired at them till we got seventeen single- ' 

 when time was called and we headed toward Fort Ransom. 

 It was further off than we supposed. We tried some time 

 along the river before we could find the military road, which- 

 we did at last near the house and upon the farm of n settler 

 named Smith. It was after 8 o'clock when we reached the 

 party, and found them somewhat concerned about our ab- 

 sence and greatly relieved at our appearance. The next 

 morning, while breakfast was being prepared, we went to 

 look at the ruins of the fort, for a ruin it, is, hardly one 

 stone or timber being left upon the other. Back said the 

 fort was built about '70 or "71. The works are in a low de- 

 pression as you approach from the south. In front of the 

 works, and about fifty rods oil', is a large spring of cold, de- 

 licious water. Opposite the fort, and upon the other side 

 of the ravine, is a very high hill ; a battery planted upon the 

 top would have the fort at its mercy, and" rifles could easily 

 reach it from the same position. Capt. I'tti rm ;--.„. ., ho is an 

 old campaigner, thought that incase of a bat if: her, 

 outside the fort would be in the safest posit i a. 



We now held a council concerning our own condition, Tito 

 oats were getting scarce, only enough for two nights more, 

 the indications foreboded a storm, so we decided ion, 

 homeward. Accordingly we took the buck track, and, after 

 driving fourmiles, reached the crossing of the river. Here we 

 found one settler— Smith. The name struck some of the 

 party as one they hail heard before, and perha] - some of us 

 might know him ; but, come to see i.i:. 

 did. He had pushed on so far that he was located upon the 

 Fort Ransom reservation, where he ha , lobe, 



as the land was not open for settlement. He thought, how- 

 ever, he would not be troubled by the Government, and he 

 ought not to be. He had drawn timber from the buildings 

 at the fort, and built himself a good comfortable ■ 

 We had to unload our grab wagon to cross the river, the 

 banks were so abrupt ; but eight men made short work of it, 

 We soon reloaded and climbed a high hill, skirted alofag the 

 river and over the prairie all day toward the lake where we 

 were to camp that night. The scenery throughout was de- 

 lightful ; Central Park in all its glory v t like 

 this. The flowers and plants cue finds upon these prairies 

 are as beautiful and vanegatedas the florist i an iosi iblj 

 duce. Circular plots are- common, filled with plains and 

 leaves, with as many shades and varieties of color as a high- 

 ly cultivated and well si Lved at 

 our lake early in the afternoon, it was actually alive with 

 geese and brant, but no gun was allowed to be fired. We 

 pitched our tent, cocked supper and retired to rest to mako 

 irm lor the wild fo>, i morning. The morn 



i u i- i nli Bin ! „ i coioi -. The 



iniinarios were arranged and we (surrounded Uie lake. 



At a given signal the n i t tile ad Ihe 



i e, made a few circles ah 

 some more quiet resting place. 

 Our bag of ducks amoumed to 

 them all wild we left till n, to 

 journey homeward. The watei in this 

 for drinking and culinary pur," 

 twenty or s,, , . ,,:, , a| ..i ic shon oulcl On 



