THE AMERICAN SPQRTSMAN J S JOURI 



tEntered According to Act of Congress, In tne Year 1879, by tne Forest & Stream Pubitsnlng Company, In tne Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington;] | 



Terms, Four Dollars a Y 

 l>n rem* a Copy. 

 G months, 82 ; 3 mouth*, g 



:.i 



NEW YORK, THURSDAY, JULY 3, 1879 



For Forest and Stream and Sod and Gun. 



$mm$ §odd of Virginia. 



" Anna ttnaiupu eano." 



SO sang the Immortal Virgil, and a right good story he 

 made up, too. But everybody can't be an ^neas, and 

 all heroes are not of the same kind. Neither can all biogra 

 phers hope to achieve such renown as that of the great Ro- 

 man poet. Still, there are many men whose characters and 

 exploits are quite as noble and instructive as those which 

 are embellished by the genius of Homer, or Virgil ; who, 

 " Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife," etc. 



Of one of the latter class I propose to speak, and to nar- 

 rate to the readers of Forest and Stbeam a few incidents 

 in his life, which I think will interest them, and " point a 

 moral," as well as "adorn a tale." The name of my hero 

 is James Todd, who, in his day, was recognized as the 

 greatest hunter in Virginia. His appearance itself would 

 have well juslified one in believing it, had not his exploits 

 been still more remarkable. Six feet two inches tall, straight 

 as an arrow, without a superfluous ounce of flesh on him ; 

 with an eye, set far back in his head, that flashed fire even 

 when not excited ; a short-brim, sunbrowned felt hat on a 

 well-shaped head ; and his ever-present and ever-ready Title 

 in his hand, his deer-skin pouch, and a gracefully-shaped 

 cow's horn hanging by his side, he stands now before my 

 mind's eye as vividly as when I first saw him twenty five 

 years ago, the most perfect specimen of the real mountain 

 hunter that it has ever been my fortune to see, although I 

 have traveled through the far West, and seen many of the 

 border hunters, guides and trappers of more or less renown. 

 In addition to his remarkable appearance, suggesting in 

 every feature, the hardy life which he had led from his 

 childhood, his voice, gesture and bearing showed him at 

 once to be a man of wonderful self-possession and coolness, 

 and a moment's conversation would satisfy even the stranger 

 that every word uttered by that man was as true as Gospel. 

 There was an earnestuess and carefulness in his language 

 that carried conviction in every syllable, as he looked you, 

 with a burning gaze, square in the eye. There was, too, a 

 charm about his conversation that was simply enchanting, 

 not only to lovers of sport, but to all classes of people — old 

 and young, cultivated and ignorant. The first time I ever 

 saw him (in the summer of 1856) he appeared, rifle in hand, 

 upon the portico of the hotel at a little watering-place in the 

 mountains of Virginia — which was about nine miles from 

 his home— with a yearling buck strapped acrosa his back. 

 Soon his appearance attracted a crowd of the visitors around 

 him, who plied him with numerous questions about the deer, 

 which he answered with great precision and politeness, and 

 then dexterously turned the conversation to the political and 

 other questions of the day which were discussed by the 

 more intelligent and cultivated people of the time. To the 

 amazement of every one— save those present who knew him 

 — he showed himself to be accurately informed in everything 

 that was transpiring in the great world without, making the 

 most Soeratic and sententious criticisms upon public men 

 and measures, and soon showed that he not only knew and 

 had very fixed opinions about all that was happening at that 

 time, but that the past history of our country, from the ear- 

 liest colonial times down, was as familiar to him as was the 

 trail of a deer. But all the while the conversation was going 

 on he was not imparting what he knew alone ; he was get- 

 ting out of every man in the party everything that he knew, 

 or thought, about the subjects under discussion, without ap- 

 pearing to be inquisitive about it, either; and before he 

 left them there was hardly one man in the party out of 

 whom Todd had not got the cream of all he knew on those 

 points. Hia insight into the character, motives, objects, 

 business and general affairs of every man with whom he had 

 the slightest intercourse was almost like inspiration, and if 

 it was anything worth knowing he never forgot it. While 

 the conversation was going on to which I have referred, the 

 dinner-gong sounded, but even that ordinarily attractive 

 music failed to lessen the interest manifested in this strange 

 man. But as there has to be an end of all things, the old 

 man after a-while looked up toward the sun with the move- 

 ment peculiar to people who reckon time solely by it, and 

 with the remark, " Well, people, I must he a-going," strode 



into the hotel office, received the money for his venison, and 

 as he passed the group, who were still lingering near the 

 door, he gave them his parting salutation of, " Good-dav, 

 people!" wended his way leisurely up the path on the hill, 

 which led to the blue mountain, on the other side of which, 

 in the wildest of valleys, lay his peaceful hamlet, the sole 

 habitation for many, many miles around. 



I met him occasionally after that, before the beginning of 

 the war, at the same place, and always on the same errand, 

 i. e,, bringing venison to the Springs. His appearance was 

 always hailed with delight by everybody, and he often had 

 great difficulty iu getting away from the visitors in time to 

 get back 10 his house before night. In the early days of the 

 war I saw a great deal of him, and many times during that 

 trying period, and often since, did I partake of his generous 

 hospitality. Humble, indeed, was it, but dispensed with 

 the easr»and welcome that made it truly royal! Therein 

 front of that cabin, in a vast wilderness, right under the 

 towering peaks of the tallest giants of the Alleghanies, in 

 the bright moonshine of many a soft June and October night, 

 have I sat with this wonderful old man and listened to the 

 most enchanting stories of his adventures with both rifle and 

 rod (for the stream that flowed right by his door was 

 " alive," and is yet, with trout), and all told with such 

 genuine modesty that I was almost ashamed to ask him to 

 talk about them; and yet I could not forbear to do so, like 

 the child who wants to hear ghost stories from its nurse. 



As illustrative of his marvellous quickness of perception 

 and retentive memoiy of faces and circumstances, let me 

 tell you the following anecdote. It was told to me not more 

 than a month ago by a gentleman of my city, who is one of 

 the ablest, if not the ablest, lawyer in our State, whose 

 character and veracity are ubove suspicion: 



When beginning the practice of hi3 profession (some 

 thirty-five years aaoj, as was common iu those days he had 

 to travel on horseback through the mountains in going from 

 court-house to court-house west of ours. Upon one of these 

 journeys, owing to high water on the usual -route, he was 

 obliged to cross the mountains by a bridlepath that led 

 through the valley in which Todd lived. It was in the early 

 spring, during the close season for deer, and while riding 

 leisurely along the narrow path in one of the loneliest of 

 hollows, a man suddenly stepped into the path about twenty 

 paces ahead of him, going in the same direction that he was, 

 with a young deer lashed to his back and rifle in hand. The 

 hunter very soon perceived that some one was following 

 him, and, turning half-round, he gave one glance at the 

 horseman and as suddenly disappeared in the thick laurel 

 that bounded the path on either side. Our young Lycurgus 

 was a little nervous about the occurrence until he got out of 

 the deep shadow of the valley into the settlements beyond, 

 when the event passed completely out of his mind. 



Fourteen years after that he was compelled from similar 

 causes to take the same route. But having made a late start 

 from Staunton, he knew he could not reach the settlements 

 on the far side of the valley that day, but learning that our 

 hero lived in the valley, and receiving careful directions to 

 his house, he pushed across the mountains, and as the shades 

 of night were just beginning to fall he rode up to the door of 

 the house. Todd was instantly before him, and after salut- 

 ing him, asked if he would keep him through the night. 

 Raising his hand to his face as if shading his eyes, he peered 

 eagerly into the traveler's face through the gloom of the 

 twilight, aud extending his hand in a moment, with a cheer- 

 ful laugh he replied, "Well, man, bein' as you didn't tell 

 on me about that deer that time, I guess you can stay, and 

 welcome, too!" Neither man had seen the other except on 

 those two occasions, and nothing more the first time than a 

 glimpse, and scarcely more the second lime passed between 

 them; yet, after fourteen years, in the fading light of that 

 spring evening, Todd knew the man who had kept his secret 



so well. -___ Jack. 



For Forest and Stream and Hod and <Jun. 

 | RICE LAKE. 



TT is remarkable that man should seek to justify in the 

 minds of his fellows eccentricities of thought or action; 

 yet so it is, for vanity is strong, and I who am for a sports- 

 man an humble and somewhat reticent individual, and modest 

 withal, am still anxious to appear to those who know me, 

 and to those who don't, as a fair-acting and reasonable 

 creature. 



My noticeable characteristic is a fondness for— I may call 

 thorn— old battle fields, hunting-grounds once prolific in the 

 highest degree, but now, through a long process of depletion, 

 offering as a counter attraction to more virgin grounds only 

 the memory of men and incidents and a moderate supply of 

 game. 



Every year, with one brother sportsman or more, in the 

 bright and breezy, always healthy, month of September or 

 October, I set out on the annual campaign for recreation and 

 amusement. As may be easily imagined, I am somewhat 

 careless as to the usually important item of " bag " in such 

 expeditions. Not as young as, and perhaps less sacrificing 



than, when it was my wont to broil in an August swamp or 

 freeze in the biting cold of a November morning, patiently 

 and happily killing ducks with which to regale expectant 

 friends and swell youihful complacency, I am still fond 

 of rod and gun aud activity, satisfied at times with more 

 passive pleasure. 



A favorite camping ground, and the subject of my sketch, 

 is old Rice Lake, situated in the County of Northumberland, 

 Province of Ontario, and twelve or fourteen miles to the 

 north of this province-naming lake. Now the residents of 

 Rice Lake dis'rict are many, and their utilitarian efforts 

 have so bedwindled the old-time woods that the lake visitor, 

 instead of the overshadowing fore9t that existed in our fore- 

 fathers' time, finds the lake-border occupied by fast-ina prov- 

 ing farms, while to compensate him for the absence of the 

 romantic wilderness are only the luxuries and ease thai now 

 attend the sportsman's perhaps questionable blessings. 



Rice Lake is still pleading to the eye, and, were natural 

 picluresqueness its only attraction, might claim admirers. 

 But the fishing and duck shooting are" tolerably good even 

 now. In July and August the knowing fisbermeo~ean have 

 many an exiting struggle with black bass, and in June, 

 September and early October maakinonge are caught in 

 satisfactory numbers, a morning's trolling, if the weather be 

 propitious, producing mayhap from three to seven fish, the 

 average or total weight of which no man need, no fisherman, 

 would, scorn ; while in September a paddle up one of the 

 several creeks or through the Keene Marsh perchance will 

 afford a half-dozen shots or more at teal or wood-duck, and 

 an agreeable addition to the larder. In October, and until 

 ice closes the Lke, wild-fowl are very numerous. It. is not 

 unusual to see during that time and in early spring flocks of 

 ducks in the open, ranging from one-quarter to two miUs in 

 length, although greedy sportsmen (?), by night shooting 

 and iucessant scaling, seldom permit them to remain for 

 many days together on their natural resting and feeding 

 grounds. 



It is according to the amount of work he does whether or 

 not one fishes or shoots successfully at Bice Lake as else- 

 where. Every man is his own luck. Some days iu October 

 or November one may kill from thirty to fifty ducks, and 

 again for weeks may average no more than eight or ten, 

 thanks to the aforementioned night-shooters. 



My favorite months at Rice Lake are June. September and 

 October, when, although the " bag" may not be so heavy as 

 later in the season, the acquisition of it insures much greater 

 pleasure to those of my mind. Why seek to bag a dozen 

 nmskinonae, thirty bass, or as many ducks, in one day f 

 While acknowledging the satisfaction to be derived from 

 presenting the goodly game to smiling acquaintances, I for 

 one leave out of my gift all who are not very near akin by 

 blood or spirit, the participation of these in the spoil being, 

 indeed, essential to my own enjoyment. One hears of great 

 slaughter of wild-fowl at St. Clair or Long Point, " Cbacun 

 & son gout"; forme the wind-moved rushes of these exten- 

 sive marshes and the shooting lodge, however comfortable 

 the latter, contrast but poorly with my favorite lake, its 

 quiet canals intersecting the rice-fields, its bays, its points, 

 and Inviting shady inlets. Easy of access, and frequented 

 by constant visitors from Maine, Quebec, New Yolk and 

 divers other districts, men whose lives lie for the most part 

 far away from me and from each other, meet here in the 

 genial free-masonry of sporl — the eastern Bluenose, New 

 Englander, Canuck and Western Yankee. 



In this connection it may not be impertinent to attempt to 

 justify the act of our patriotic Government by which our 

 inland fisheries are, so to speak, protected. Foreigners are 

 now charged a daily royalty for the privilege of rishinir, and 

 this tax is imposed, I have been led to understand, wiih a 

 view of ameliorating a very evil practice of greedy fisher, 

 men, whose sense of propriety is extinguished by the pre- 

 ponderating ambition to swell the "bag"— Unit horrid bag! 

 Now, as Ibis act obviously fails of its intention, inasmuch 

 as the greedy fisherman has to fill, under the existing ar- 

 rangement, a maw deeper in proportion to his greanrex 

 pendituro, and the dtsiruhle foreign sportsman is In some 

 cases excluded from his loved haunts, the justification of 

 our Government in the matter I take to be their want of 

 education in what should be, as it was iu the days of old 

 Rome, the highly important subject of the people's recrea- 

 tion, How absurd it is that in our short life the pursuits of 

 trade should not only overshadow, hut annihilate, this con- 

 sideration. Legislation can effect but liule in the real ad- 

 vancement of a nation toward happiness, but. to put it 

 mildly, its action should at least not be detrimental. But 

 ignoring polity. 



One o' the teatures that time has greatly altered at Rice 

 Lake is the population. The Indians there today are poor 

 in numtei s, physique and character, and to limi woo re- 

 members the district as it was twenty years ago, ibeir pres- 

 ent degenerate condition is matter for speculation and regret. 

 There was a distinctiveness attaching to them then that is in 

 a great measure absent now, and while the early Selller of 

 that day has developed into ihe well-to-do farmer of ilii*. 

 the Indian, whose aisle was one of gn nj«J- 



menl, ha- concurrently sunk iu the sode ..f happiness. 



Twenty years ugol H w many incidents or that lime as- 

 sume in memory the abrupt fealures, Vegetable ami human, 

 out of which a careful construction would suffke to fill 

 page upon page with matter of the most general interest. 



