r \jsxsis ci x ai^i u ox i\,h .a jlyj 



used the gum from the pine trees. He had forgotten that 

 the large white grub is very abundant in the barii of old, de- 

 cayed pine logs ; and, "while the Indian indicated these 

 grubs, my friend, taking him too literally, supposed he 

 meant the gum which the Indian had touched with his 

 hand. 



In the chase, also, I am afraid our Eastern friends would 

 be nowhere as compared with brother Lo. Bunting here is 

 very laborious, notwithstanding the abundance of game, 

 owing to the excessive roughness of the country; but the 

 Indian seems to be tireless, and almost never returns with- 

 out meat. In the winter, when the snow is deep on the 

 ground and the game is driven from ihe mountains lo the 

 rocky promontories which jut out on Ihe prairie, the Indians 

 have grand hunts. A whole village— men, women and. 

 children — will go out, and, making a surround of a mile or 

 two in diameter, will close, in gradually toward some point 

 agreed upon. The amount of game thus impounded is 

 often immense. Of course the greater part escapes — the 

 more dangerous— with the free consent of Brother Lo; [or 

 they are after meat, not fur; but it is not infrequent, at 

 these great surrounds or battues, for one or l wo hundred 

 deer to be killed. Ab the circle closes in the frightened ani- 

 mals huddle together, or, impeded by snow, dash frantically 

 from side to side only to meet their foes who; 

 When the circle is sufficiently contracted, the Indians run in 

 on snow-shoes and the slaughter commences. The ct 

 killed with arows, lances, clubs and even knives. In these 

 surrounds fire-arms are used spariugly, for ammunition is 

 scarce and hard to get, and, moreover, it is dangerous. As 

 a general thing, only the chiefs or head buntersindulge in 

 this luxury, and this only with the greatest care and circum- 

 spection. 



Very many of the Indians understand English, and during 

 Nez Perce and Bannock wars they used to gather around the 

 stores where were the post offices on mail days — which 

 they knew as well as we— and listen lor "the news. They 

 will seldom speak English, however, and usually pretend not 

 to understand it. Their means of communication are pim- 

 ply marvelous. When the famous Nez Perce chief, Joseph, 

 was captured, the Indians of this neighborhood knew it 

 and all the details of the battle, before the messengers of 

 Generals Howard and Miles reached the telegraph : and al- 

 though it required but three days for the news to reach us 

 from Walla Walla — the nearest' telegraph station — yet they 

 knew of his capture, and told it four or five days before wo 

 got the news from our own people. Many of the more in- 

 telligent Indians are beginning to understand the home- 

 Steading of land, and see Ihe advantage of permanent homes 

 from which they cannot be ousted, and where they cannot 

 be interfered with by settlers. One of the chiefs here— 

 "Quin-E-Mo-Sa" (To meet together) by name— one of the few 

 IndiaDS who in his younger days would fight a white man 

 with his fisti alone and sustain" himself manfully, a man of 

 some shrewdness, and who has accumulated a few thousands 

 of dollars in hard cash — was located on a verj^ desirable spot 

 of land on the edge of a beautiful lake. Findine his little 

 territory was likely to be encroached upon, he decided to 

 become a citizen anil take up a homestead. So he got one 

 of his white friends to make application in his name to the 

 Register of the Land Office and go through the necessary 

 formalities, the old man paying down the necessary fees like 

 a man. For several mails Old Quin, as he is usually called, 

 came over to the post office in full rig, vjz.: a stove-pipe hat 

 minus the top of the crown ; an old coat with brass buttons 

 and much the worse for wear ; a gorgeous yellow blanket 

 with a border of red and blue stripes ; leggings, parti-col- 

 ored; red and green blanket, with wide flaps or fringes 

 down from the outer seams, and shoes. Each time the old 

 man was disappointed he went off quietly; but one bright 

 day the wished for letter arrived, and the certificate of the 

 Register was placed in his hands. Old Quiu was in ecsta- 

 cies. With the old hat well cocked to one side and his 

 blanket closely wrapped around his stalwart form, he giand- 

 ly strutted forth through the crowd of Siwa«h£ 

 door, exclaiming (though be is usually very taciturn), as be 

 shook the paper before their eyes : " Kika hiyn Boston alta! 

 Wake nika Rewasti ! Wake iskuin illahie Quinemosa alta 1 

 Nika Boston !" (I'm big white man now; I'm no Indian. 

 They cannot take away Quinemosa's land now_ I'm an 

 American). And the old fellow stalked off with Ma expres- 

 sion of the utmost elation and scorn on his features— as 

 proud as a peacock and as independent as a wood-sawyer. 

 Nor was his way stayed, nor was there any laughter, nor re- 

 plies, for he was a mighty warrior and a man of prowess 

 among his people ; his hand is always ready to strike, and, 

 elated as he was with the sense of indisputable possession, 

 there was no one who dared take exception to the old man's 

 self-glorification. It was ahold thing, too, to proclaim himself 

 a white man, for the Indians dislike the whites. But Old 

 Quin does as he pleases among his people, and everywhere 

 else. The old man mounted Iu'b horse, and, as he rode oil 

 with head erect, the last words heard as bi3 voice was lost in 

 the distance, were: " Quinemose Boston alta" (Quine- 

 mosa is a white man now). Mohmoutu. 



AFTER GRAYLING IN MICHIGAN, 



Columbus, Ohio, March 14, 1879, 

 Editor Forest and Stream -. 



I have been intending, since my trip to Northern Michigan 

 last fa)), in company with E. G. Savage, an enthusiastic fish- 

 erman of this city, to give you a few particulars thereof. We 

 left our stopping place on Indian River (which connects 

 Burt and Mullett lakes), where we were spending a lew weeks 

 hunting and fishing, and proceeded to the west branch of 

 Sturgeon Kiver. To reach the fishablo portion we had twelve 

 miles to go by conveyance, which carried our u ut, provisions, 

 traps and a light boat accommodating i i, icreOB To give 

 you an idea of the roughness of the way, it will he bul 

 sary to say that we left, our starting-place lit nearly twu 

 o'clock p. ii., and by eight o'clock that evening bad made ten 

 mileB of the distance, camping on the shore of a small and 

 beautiful lake. We finished our journey early i he u £ s 

 ing, and by nine o'clock we were busily engaged in 

 grayling in water as swift as a mill-race ami 

 swift. 



The west branch of the Sturgeon is a narrow, crooked and 

 very rapid stream, with not an eddy or back water pool in it 

 for the distance of the six miles which we traversed. The 

 banks are studded with the ends of non-decayable pine stumps 

 projecting out and looking like an armory, with limbs, trunks 

 of trees and all binds of wild rubbish entangled therein, which 



the lumbermen have cut down and dragged out to clear the 

 stream for the purpose of running logs. 



After striking the main Sturgeon, we had a deeper and just 

 aB swift a current. The distance from where we. struck the 

 main river to its mouth, about twenty miles, was made by Ufl 

 in four hours, and Was one of the Wildest trips imaginable. 

 During this four hours we had to cut our way through fallen 

 trees a number of times, cut off branches to paES under, climb 

 out ou an obstructing tree trunk at the water's surface and 

 drag our boat over, and work hard all the time with a keen 

 weather-eye open, so that when rounding a curve, we would 

 not be brought up suddenly against, the bank or upon some 

 snag or fallen tree, in which "case we certainly would have 

 had to "make up a load and walk." I would not advise 

 any one not thoroughly acquainted with managing a craft in 

 a very rapid and narrow current to try such a trip on their 

 own hook: if they do they will certainly " get left," We 

 weie under the care and marshalship of David Smith, of 

 Cheboygan, Mich., an old lumberman and a man of good 

 sense and practical experience, who, with his wife and family, 

 is now keeping a " hunters' and fishers' retreat "on Indian 

 River near Burt Lake (the point from which we started), and 

 which 1 take pleasure in recommending to all who wish to 

 sojourn in that locality. 



We caught a great, many grayling in the west branch, the 

 water being very clear, but none in the main stream, as that 

 was riled on account of a heavy rain, which did not affect the 

 west branch much. The sport is very fine, I assure you, to 

 land a grayling weighing a good pound and a quarter in water 

 that iB very rapid, together with the swiftness of the fish, 

 they being, if I am able to ascertain properly, the swiftest 

 fish that live, being even given the name of "umbra." In 

 water two to three feet deep, running smooth aud rapid, 

 where you could see every pebble on the bottom, you could 

 not possibly see these fish, either Btill or moving At the 

 same time we knew they were there, for we were catchiDg 

 them, and the first eight it would be possible to get of them 

 was when they were brought to a check by the tackle. We 

 tried crickets, grasshoppers and artificial flies of different, 

 sizes nnd colors, but, found grasshoppers the best bait for 

 them. They do uot take the bait, as readily on the surface of 

 the water as they do when it is submerged and drawn through 

 it. I had, however, some of my finest sport in catching some 

 with flies on the surface. As to their size, we caught nothing 

 weighing more than a pound and a quarter — from that down; 

 but we heard of some that had been caught the year before 

 weighing two pounds— authentic; and a number of stories of 

 their being caught weighing between three and four pounds. 

 This from our experience we had to take with a grain of al- 

 lowance. The cartilage of the mouth gives way very easily, 

 much more so than that of any other fish I have ever caught, 

 requiring some patience in order to land them in very swift, 

 water. And when just taken from the water I think they are 

 tie handsomest of all fish, being delicate in outline : large 

 dorsal fin elegantly mottled and colored, and the bright ap- 

 pearance of the whole body gives to them an appearance to a 

 sportsman very beautiful. They are also very tender ; one 

 could with thumb and finger pinch the head entirely off. The 

 flesh when first dressed has a slight pink tinge, but upon 

 cooking turns white. It is a finely flavored and very com- 

 pact meated fish, well deserving of the high rank they have 

 attained. 



I would wish here to hack up " Subscriber" from Paines- 

 ville, O., in your number of March 6, in regard to advertisers 

 changing their .ads. These advertisements are to me quite 

 interesting, and the more In detail they go the better 1 am 

 pleased With them, as I have no doubt others are the Bame. 

 Also I wish to heartily recommend the Shelton auxiliary 

 ride barrel as an indespensa.ble addition to a sportsman's out- 

 fit. I have one of .43 cal, which 1 would not exchange for 

 the best shotgun in America. Frank N. Bbkbk. 



LAKE SOPHIA. 



Montreal, Feb. 26, 1879. 

 Editor Forest and Stream i 



On Friday morning, the 21st of February, 1879, the writer, 

 in company with a sporting friend, Charley O , left Tay- 

 lor's Hotel, Sawyerville, Quebec, fully equipped and pro- 

 visioned, for a trip to Lake Sophia, or, aB it is usually called, 

 Upper Coriuecticut Lake. The object of our visit there was 

 to obtain specimens of the fialmo fontinaUs that abound in 

 that lake, and also to see if the French settlers in its vicinity, 

 this side of the boundary line, were r aying due observance 

 to the game laws of this province. These " Canucks " gene- 

 rally have very lax ideas regarding the close season for game. 



Our route from Sawyerville was by the new road through 

 the woods to Emberton. This road in the summer is passable 

 for both single and double teams. We were told at the hotel 

 that the first eight miles of the road would be good ■ alter 

 that distance the remainder would be doubtful. W r heu we 

 reached the doubtful part of the road we found it hardly 

 (racked, so we mounted "Shanks' marc" and trudged ahead, 

 with our "nag," haiding sleigh and traps, following in the 

 rear. The fust six miles of this "doubtful road " was passed 

 over merrily, aud enlivened by an occasional shot at, ruffed 

 grouse, which our spaniel Rover flushed along the way. 

 But soon after this distance was covered Charley's knees be- 

 gan to grow weak, and he swayed aJoDg like a ship in a 

 Btorm. He expressed a desire to try a snowy couch by the 

 wayside. But, words of bantering and cheer sustained 

 him until wo reached a settler's shanty, where he bad 

 B rest, some, hot, tea and pea soup ; then declared his ability 

 to proceed to the next shanty, a mile distant, without further 

 delay. Here we met, Mons. Boscett, whose cabin is wilhin 1] 

 mile of the and 3J miles from the lake. Mons. 



B. bad his team with him, which, by the way, was a novel 

 one— one ox yoked to a light sled— and we soon arranged 

 with him to haul us to his place, where we would take up our 

 quarters during our stay in that, vicinity. The. distance from 

 Sawyerville to the lake by this route is not far from twenty- 

 two miles, and is a very desirable one for sportsmen who 

 wish to visit the lake during the summer months. 



Take the Grand Trunk Railway to Skcrbrooke or Lennox. 

 ville ; then International R. R. to Birchton, a short half-hour's 

 rid.- ; then stage to either Eaton Corners, four miles, or to 

 Sawyerville, six miles, At either of the above places a good 

 m can be engaged to make the trip to the lake and 

 back for about $6. We would advise all parties visiting that, 

 locality to take a tent, with them. M. BoflOett's cabin is one 

 of ihe best in the settlement, built of hewn square spruce 

 l"gs, containing but one room, whose rough walls are decorat- 

 ed with a few cheap portraits of defunct saints, one of 'Pope 

 Leo; n 7x9 mirror, with varnished frame; several pegs and 

 board shelves covered with well worn apparel of all sizes, be- 



longing to both sexes ; cooking utensils ; a cheap su 

 shotgun, with equipments: a largo double stove in 

 of the room, aud four large beds arrayed side by Bide, oppo- 

 site to Ihe door. The family consisted of M. B. and wife, 

 mother-in-law, sister-in-law, one large Thomas cat, three dogB 

 (two of the latter were, of the fi.™., i md eleven 



small children— a family for a poor man 



As we had our own provisions we did not suffer with hun- 

 ger, though Charley did cast longing eyes toward a loaf of 

 buckwheat bread that one of the babies was digging into. We 

 brought in our buffalo robes and blankets and made up a com- 

 fortable shake-down on the floor near the stove, which was kept 

 roaring with a good fire. As we were tired we turned in early. 

 Soon after the family began preparing to retire. Then arose 

 a perfectbabel of sounds— squalling, scolding, jabbering and 

 other like noises, to which we added our quota so 

 as to appear sociable. All intermingled together made a din 

 that once heard would never be forgotten ; but the soundB 

 were at last hushed aud cjuietness reigned, only broken by an 

 occasional long drawn snore. 



We were up early, quite refreshed, and soon ready to visit 

 the lake. That indispensable ox was hitched up and pulled 

 us with a long swinging stride over a good winter road to the 

 western side of the lake. This lake is beautifully nestled 

 among spruce clad bills and peaks, and must be a favorite re- 

 sort of the lover of such scenery during the summer months. 

 As to the number and size of the trout that we took through 

 the ice. that, day we decline to answer until we first ascertain 

 at what time the open seasen for trout fishing begins in New 

 Hampshire. It, however, is our belief, that some fine Balmo 

 fontinaUs inhabit those waters. The day that wo were there 

 it was ten degrees below zero — not favorable weather for 

 winter fishing. The former frequenters of this lake must 

 have been a bad lot of vagabonds, as we noticed that every 

 spruce tree between the lake and boundary had been peeled, 

 which of course destroys the life of the tree. 



When we stood on the boundary mountain, where we had 

 large view of the Megantic country, we saw what was a few 

 years ago a beautiful unbroken forest country, now disfigured 

 by long, unsightly clearings dotted with hundreds of French 

 Settlers' cabins, If the French inhabitants of America con- 

 tinue to increase during the next hundred years at the same 

 ratio that they have for the past twenty years they will over- 

 run this contineuf, for they will not number less than 350, - 

 000,000. What an odor of garlic and pease-soup there will 

 then arise from this land. Oh ! my friends! 



We did not find any evidence that the deer have as yet been 

 molested since the close season began, Feb. 1, though, should 

 a thaw come on and a dust be formed, there is no doubt but 

 that the forest on both sides of the line will be alive with 

 hunters after venison. We returned to Sawyerville over a 

 good road, via. Popes gold mines, Lapertria Island Brook, 

 etc., distance thirty miles. Stanstead. 



THE CARIBS. 



The following is 3D abstract of a lecture delivered befor 

 the Long Island Historical Society, on the 11th of March in 

 stant, by our old Florida correspondent, Fred A. Ober (Fred 

 Beverly), who has recently returned from a two years' ex- 

 ploration of the Windward Islands, in the Caribbean Sea i 



On two of the smaller islands of the Caribbean Sea live the 

 remnants of a people now almost extinct. They are all that 

 remain of a people once powerful and warlike, but now they 

 arc peaceful and gentle, living a life of languid ease, dwelling 

 iu huts of thatch, cultivating their little garden Spot, living 

 ou the fruits of the earth, with an occasional foray into the 

 sea. The bounteous sod of that, tropical clime yields them an 

 abundance of fruit and vegetables sufficient for their simple 

 needs. They are a happy people, their wants are easily satis- 

 fled, and, with little labor, they dream through their fives in 

 the perfect enjoyment of existence. In a land which is theirs 

 by right, and where they ruled supreme, they are oc 

 shadowy remnant, and even their blood is Bo intermixed with 

 the negro that at the present day the number Of pure blood 

 Carib Indians is very small. We most turn to the first page 

 of American history to gather our first account of these people. 

 At no time waB Columbus so popular with the court and 

 people of Spain as when on the eve of setting out. upon his 

 second voyage. The Bay of Cadiz was whitened with his 

 fleet, and the crowds that flocked to him to seek their fortunes 

 in the new world were turned back, lor the expedition was 

 more than filled. On the 35th of September, 1493, he sailed 

 from Cadiz, and the land first made was one of the group of 

 small islands lying to the eastward of the Caribbean Sea. It 

 was the Island of Guadaloupe, and upon landing they came 

 in contact with a tribe of Datives different from those, that 

 had been encountered upon the former voyage. The visitors 

 found about the villages and huts of the savages the I 

 of their cannibalistic practices. They found the bones of the 

 victims, and in one place the flesh of a man boiling in a pot. 

 It was learned that they were a strong and warlike tribe, 

 that they made forays upon the neighboring islands and tribes, 

 often going to a distance of one hundred and fifty leagues in 

 their canoes. In the tribes which they attacked the youngest 

 and handsomest of the women were carried off and the men 

 were taken prisoners to be eaten. Columbus, however, was 

 in search of gold, and coasted away along the belt of islands. 

 In one place a boat's crew attacked a canoe load of these na- 

 tives, and the contest was a long and difficult one. The 

 canoe was filled with men and women, ami both fought with 

 courage and desperation. Even when the canoe was over- 

 turned they continued the contest iu the water, swimming 

 about and" shooting their arrows with perfect e;< 

 Caribs who were captured were sent home to he Bolt ' 

 and Columbus had planned that from this source, viz. : ihe 

 traffic in the natives, the purse of the king would be replen- 

 ished, the expedition paid for, and the souls of 

 heathen saved. The scheme, however, did not, work well. 

 The Caribs could not be enslaved, and Die other and mare 

 gentle native tribes perished by thousands in the attempt 

 made to enslave them . Their easy lives had not fitted them 

 to perform the labors of their brutal Spanish u 

 ia estimated that the Spaniards murdered upward of a million 

 natives in these islands, but they did not like U) Come in con- 

 tact with the Carib Indians. They did not care to meet an 

 enemy who would measure swords with them, and who would 

 set, at defiance with their wild valor, the superior gems and 

 military skill of the white invader - the "Chihii. 

 Sun," as the.v called them. It is <-" the prowess ol 

 costers that the Carib Indians Of to»day owe their ■ [Btej 

 Every trace of the more uumoi iijs and weaker tribes has been 

 swept away, and they alone remain, changed greatly, but 

 still the remnant of the tribe that one* filled the Am i 

 fear. 



I had been a week ori more in the interior of Dominica 



