Nov. 30, 188^.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



347 



coats. Feeling through them slowly, she at length took one 

 down, shook it, and folded i! lip in a neat bundle, and with 

 an injunction of secrecy handed it to me. It ivas a now one 

 thai the old gentleman 'had taken a dislike to, by reason of a 

 misfit or some other slight cause, and it had been left there 

 for years unworn. I hurried home with my prize. Entering 

 my room 1 unrolled it. Oh, what a beauty: glossy black, and 

 the buttons surpassed any buttons I had ever seen; even far 

 ahead of the Major's. I even thought of how I would sur- 

 prise him when be came back. I tried it on ; my countenance 

 fell. Grandfather weighed a hundred and e'ighty pounds, 

 while poor me could hat dly turn the scales at seventy-five: 

 so you can guess how it fit me. Not to be outdone, I cut off 

 the sleeves, then took >t strip one foot iii width out of the 

 back; this was done without cutting the collar, so you may 

 know how it looked when 1 pinned it together to see how" ii 

 would tit. I was beaten; at my row's end; could see no way 

 out of my dilemma, and lay down on the bed and cried from 

 pure vexation, and went last asleep. 



The next morning my dear devoted sister picked up the 

 fragments and at once took in the situation. "Poor boy, 

 you shall hive n hunting coat if 1 have to make it myself." 

 And make it she did: but oil, what a job. Week after week 

 we two worked on that coat. Wb would eul and trim, me 

 begging all the time to save the pockets, she striving to spare 

 as much of them its possible. Then the pieces would be 

 stitched together and 1 would try it on before the big glass 

 in the parlor, when she would laugh at me, and 1 would 

 peer over ray shoulder to see the back. Improvements 

 would be suggested and puckers pinned down. Then the 

 whole would be taken apart and more cutting and paring. 

 Such a time with a coat mortal man never saw. So, after 

 a month's hard work and with a loss of half of the pockets 

 it was declared a fit. and f was nappy. The fact is. it fit 

 pretty well, and looked splendid, considering it was rebuilt 

 by two 3'oung persons who never saw such a garment apart. 

 before, 



'What became of it?" Age, that is the rub. 1 wore it 

 for two seasons. And one' day I bad stolen oil shooting 

 against orders, «o at uight when I goi home I took oil; my 

 coat and hid it beneath a bush in the front yard, intending 

 to take il lo my room when the old man wen! to lied. My 

 gun 1 took to the stable. When I went after my coat it was 

 gone. Next morning at breakfast the head of the house hail 

 a merry twinkle in his eye. and asked pleasant 1), "Are von 

 going lo the moor to-day, my sou? ' Then I knew who "got 

 my cO»t, I never saw i! again. t'ArE KOCK. 



A WEEK IN ISSAQUENA. 



IT was years ago. A party of seven left the Mississippi 

 River steamer at Tallulah. in Issaquena county, Miss . 

 and followed by a retinue of servants, proceeded to the resi- 

 dence of Tom Mayfielcl. Thence, the following day, we 

 were to go on to the Good Intent plantation, whore our great 

 mansion house was waiting lo receive us. 



Maytield's bouse was crowded, Mills, Dr. Nicholson. North, 

 Ike Cheney, Charley Balfour, and two or three others were 

 there, as by agreement, to have a grand hunt; hounds were 

 lied up on' all sides, pandemonium seemed to reign. John 

 Hadicv, an old woodsman, was dispatched to the creek for 

 old Lize and his pack of bear dogs. It was at oue-e decided 

 that our party and the assembled company should open the 

 chase, as soon as signs could be found, beat the forests, and 

 make Good Intent our objective point. 



Shortly attcr daylight the hunters mounted and were off 

 to the. rear of Maytield's farm, where bear and panther had 

 been committing considerable depredations among tin- stock 

 but a few days before. 



The country, as is the entire valley of the Mississippi, 

 was Hat, covered with a heavy growth of timber, and a 

 heavier undergrowth, interspersed right and left by bayous, 

 sloughs and lakes, with a formidable stteam (Steele's bayou) 

 intervening between the river and Deer Creek. It was no 

 joking matter therefore to follow the dogs', as no one- of 

 our party save the two natives kuew r the landmarks, the 

 dread of being lost stared each one in the face. This proved, 

 however, a minor consideration when old "Tarpley" opened 

 on a trail. Lawyer, Perplex, Sandy, Phillis, Dick and Moses 

 joining in the most delightful septette that had been listened 

 to in a long time; the younger hounds and the volunteer 

 curs and halfbreds were likewise influenced, until the echo's 

 coming and going through the still of the crispy, clear 

 morning resounded in. the wilderness, a melody which only 

 tt natural-born sportsman can appreciate. The scent was 

 fresli. dogs and riders elated, and we went scampering at a 

 rapid gait after the game, excited and intoxicated almost 

 with the prospects. Fancy added to the scene still more joy; 

 here came sweet sounds of old Spot's war cry; Lige was on 

 the road, aud only a few moments were required for his pack 

 of twenty couples to augment the. already majestic chorus. 



Never was such a run known, so large was the combined 

 pack, that bruin had no lime for strategy, but acted upon 

 leg bail. At Newsom's bayou, he managed to take water. 

 and thus delude tin- dogs for a few moments, and might have 

 done so entirely, had not one of Lige's dogs, Beppo, which 

 he had attempted to leave al home, straggled behind, and 

 seeing the beast on the opposite side of the stream making 

 away as fast as possible, opened on him a. note or two. which 

 the artists of the main pack recognized, and in less than 

 twinkle had put them all on their mettle again, forcing him 

 to take to a large gum tree, from which, as soon as we got 

 up, J. H. D.. being honored with the shot, killed his game 

 as dead as a door nail. He w r as fully blooded in return" as a 

 souvenir of his first big game in America. 



Here flic dogs were treated to a feast of blood and the 

 entrails of the bear, and afterwards coupled, as their run bad 

 been a hard one, and we had yet five or six miles to do 

 before reaching "Good intent,"" On reaching the house we 

 found everything in readiness to make the whole party com- 

 fortable— bath tubs, rough towels and a change of clothing 

 absorbed at least an hour, when we all sat down to a supper 

 such as ouly a good housewife can prepare. Venison and 

 bear steaks, broiled chickens, hot rolls, stews, coffee, 

 golden colored butter, and milk as rich as cream. Pipes of 

 "killikinick" were then smoked, yarns and adventures re- 

 lated in rapid succession, uulil ehe'eked by the introduction 

 of an old-fasbioued urn, smokiug hot, a" cruixkiii. of rare 

 "Irish," loaf sugar, tumblers and lemons. Of this necta 

 each one took a long pull, and then to bed to dream of the 

 past, and rest the weary bones lor the next day's run. 



Bright and early the huntsmen's horns aroused the com- 

 pany from a sound sleep, aud soon after Ihev appeared Hue 

 Knglisluneu in full rig of boots and breeches). A simple 

 breakfast with an ample amount of hot coffee, was partaken 

 of, and to horse was the order next e ft fk/U. Our mounts 

 were better on this occasion, as Jim, John, Buck, and Bill 



were led out, fresh as three year olds, and as sleek as Derby 

 winners. It was the iutcnlion of Lige to cross the creek 

 just below the house, anil lay on the dogs at the end of II 

 lane, hut iu this lie was frustrated by hearing several hound, 

 evidently running a hot trail, aud coming toward us. Sai 

 he. 



"Mass Harry, dat'8 old Spot and Whiskey over dar, aud I 

 kno's dey don ; t, sing dat way for nuffln, sol link we better 

 go 'long "down froo de field, and ef nuflin turns up, den we'll 

 cross de bridge at de Kelso Place." 



We had not gone more than a quarter of a mile beyond the 

 quarter houses before the pack with us began showing evi- 

 dences of uneasiness, and iu a very snort time afterwards 

 proved they had cause for it, tor at the cistern. Spot, Whis- 

 key, Beppo, and May field's Lawyer crossed the stream, and 

 heedless of our presence, went at lightning speed across the 

 cornfield, in the direction of what was known as the burn; 

 immediately what dogs were coupled were turned loose, and 

 then was presented the handsomest sight I ever beheld in the 

 field. Fancy, reader, not less than fifty dogs on a fresli trail, 

 running so close together that a tarpaulin would have 

 covered them. Our horses were given their heads, and 

 the fastest chase ever heard of in the swan!)) en- 

 sued. Fortunately there was a gap in the fence 

 through which we dashed, enabling us to keep within siirht 

 of the pack, which in time pushed the game so hard, that in 

 less than five hundred yards from the. clearing the dogs had 

 brought them to bay. After searching some time among the 

 foliage of a high oak we discovered two panthers, C. W. W, 

 F. aud Captain W. were allowed the first shot ; the captain 

 took deliberate aim and killed the smaller of the two, but G. 

 W. W. F. was less fortunate, only severely wounding his. il 

 coming down, half climbing and half tumbling, in among 

 the dogs, Here began a most bloody fight, a number of the 

 poor brutes were killed, aud as many more badly cut and 

 scratched. Dr. Nicholson, however,* ventured "up close 

 enough to deal a deadly bullet into the beast's head, ending 

 the fray. 



The pack was so badly used up by this encounter that we 

 determined not to tax them any more that day, so we re- 

 turned to the house, and after kenneling the dogs, impro- 

 vised a deer drive for the afternoon. The overseer on the 

 plantation being the lucky possessor of a couple of fair deer- 

 hounds, he w T as called into requisition, and gave a very pretty 

 chase, which ended in my father's bagging a doe of about 

 ninety pounds weight when dressed. 



The two following days our foreign guests amused them- 

 selves shooting ducks aiid snipe, of which there were any 

 quantity in the creek aud along its banks. 



The dogs having somewhat recuperated, Ihe week's hunt 

 was brought to a close by quite a lively day's work, during 

 which two hears and a catamount werekilled; my father, 

 who was a dead shot, killed one of the bears, Charley Fore 

 the other, while the catamount fell to the srun of Tom May- 

 field. 



To hunt in the swamps of Mississippi at the time of which 

 1 write, was the most exciting sport in the South, in fact, it 

 required first-eljass dogs, I lie best of guns, men of endurance 

 and courage, or otherwise it was attended with coresident!, 

 danger. On some other occasion, in connection with the 

 statement of requirements, I, will attempt to give a descrip- 

 tion of being lost in this vast monotonous wilderness, and 

 then the assertion as to Ihe danger attending hunting there 

 will be more appreciated. ,T. D. H. 



AMONG THE MAHOGANY CUTTERS. 



r IMLE mahogany cutter often completes his work for the 

 JL day at an early hour soon after midday, and the more 

 industrious, who are also lovers of the sport, improve the 

 remaining daylight in exploring the dark forest for game, 

 which is plentiful enough to insure a reasonable return for 

 the labor. The cutter equips himself with his single-barrel 

 gun, costing four or five dollars, loads it with a double charge 

 of powder, a good supply of oakum, a palm full of shot. 

 covered by another wadding of oakum. The whole is ham- 

 mered down with solid blows of the ramrod. A traveler in 

 South America says these guns never burst, supposed be- 

 cause they are warranted not to. and no other reason is 

 known. 



Over ids left shoulder the hunter puts a canvas bag. con- 

 taining a bull's horn powder flask, a cahouu nut shell fanci- 

 fully carved aud opening like a box, containing percussion 

 caps, a small canvas bag fastened with a string for shot, a 

 case of deer skin, which rolls up, as a receptacle for flint 

 and steel, pipe and tobacco, and a coeoauut shell for tinder 

 for lighting the venerable solace of his tired moments, when 

 pausing in the chase. More than this, if the Hunt is liable 

 to be one of several hours, the collection may include a flask 

 of gin, a breakfast basin, a roasted plantain or two, a piece 

 of dried beef, aud a case knife. 



Thus prepared he wanders forth into the forest for deer, 

 peccary, gibbonel, currasou, qualm, armadillo, iguana, 

 squirrel, monkey, or any of the many other species of ani- 

 mals •which abound in the region. 



The Indians of the interior have a curious instrument, 

 more common fifty years ago than now, which they use with 

 the wourali poison to kill both large and small game, and 

 which show's how easily the lack of firearms is overcome, and 

 an effective substitute invented. It consists of a long blow- 

 pipe aud can be described as follows: A reed called ourah, 

 some tea or eleven feet long, of a bright yellow color, smooth 

 inside and out, without joints and hollow, is taken for the 

 blowgun. There is no apparent taper, one end being as 

 large as the other. This is inclosed iu a species of palm, of 

 a brown color, capable of polish, and with joints about six 

 inches apart. The inside consists of a pulp, which is easily 

 removed. The mouth end is tied with silk grass to prevent 

 any splitting, and the other end secured with a seed of the 

 acuero fruit, cut horizontally through the middle and a hole 

 made in the end, through which the end of the blowgun ex- 

 tends. The arrows are uiue inches long, made from a hard 

 and brittle palm, sharp at the point and" sometimes burned at 

 the opposite end to make them still harder than the natural 

 wood. The arrow, tipped with poison, is placed in the end 

 of the blowpipe, the hunter collects his breath for a puff, 

 and the missile goes straight to the mark, a bird high up iu 

 the top of some tall tree two or three hundred feet away, 

 The Indians are very expert with the weapon, and seldom 

 fail to bring down the bird when within a distance of three 

 hundred feet. For larger auimals the bow and arrow arc 

 used. In both cases, however, death is the result of poison, 

 and not from the wound, which in itself may be of n trivial 

 nature. 



The wourali poison, which is used, is made from the 

 wourali vine, Indian pepper, the pounded fangs of the la- 

 barri snake, bitter root, two plants which contain a glutinous 



juice, anil two species of ants. When prepared if ma fees a 

 brownish paste. The preparation is considered by the In- 

 dians a work of danger, aud is a matter of considerable form 

 and ceremony. The poison when introduced into the blood 

 produces a stupor and death in a short lime. The flesh of 

 an animal killed by this poison is said lo remain uninjured, 

 and eating it is never followed by any bad results. The lu- 

 dians of warm climates have little incentive to labor, except 

 when impelled by hunger, and when the stomach commands 

 him to work with his unique weapon and Ihe wourali poison, 

 tie; wanders in Ihe forest and, wilh silent footsteps aud sharp 

 eye, soon brings down a supply of game sufficient to answer 

 his needs lor days, and enough lo make Hie amateur sports- 

 man more than satisfied could he enjoy the sanic amount of 

 good fortune. ST. E. N. 



Fraxklin. Mass, 



IN THE OHIO BOTTOMS. 



A QUAIL shoot among Ihe Ohio Paver bottoms and hills 

 in the vicinity of the Queen City of the West, may 

 not fail entirely of interest to your hosi of sportsmen readers. 

 Leaving courts and dusty law offices behind, iu company 

 with cousin Will, we boarded the evening steamer on the 

 18lh inst. for N. R., twenty-one miles east of this point, fur 

 a couple of days' sport. The weather was windy and very 

 cold, but the wiser heads predicted milder weather to-nior 

 row, in which they were not mistaken. Home folks gave 

 us a hearty "welcome, and after father told us that he had 

 flushed a fine covey of quail out of the garden the day 

 before, we began to feel the' enthusiasm thai always precedes 

 a contemplated day's .-.hooting. 



The next morning, with horse and wagon, by this time 

 joined by Ned and Shot, two staunch aud reliable setters, 

 we drove three miles up the river lo the wide Ohio bottoms, 

 not. caring to disturb our quail about the farm at home. 

 Horse Stabled and blanketed, a fence was cleared adjoining 

 n cornfield fringed by stubble, and the dogs hied on to work! 

 Back and forward they go over the field, when Ned sud- 

 denly cheeked ids speed, pi 'QCeei Ii C g CatltiOtlsly through 

 some weeds near an old rail fence and pointed. A lr 

 covey flushed wild at our approach, but not soon enough to 

 escape my tire, which brought one bird to bag. A way they 

 go out over the road uenr by nud up aiong a hillside, drop- 

 pine among some stunted shrubs and thick blue gross. 



The spot" being approached where they were marked down, 

 Shot stood well with nose nol more than three inches from 

 the bird, and was backed finely by Ned. Bird flushed and 

 fell to Ihe lire of cousin Will. At. that moment: a bird 

 flushed wild and fell to my fire. A little furl her and both 

 ring- point separate birds; five or six birds rise and two 

 brought to bag: then they all rise suddenly and misses 

 abound right and left. The ground be ■ < roll b,,wc 



abandoned these biids and proceeded lo another stubble, 

 where a beautiful point was made by Ned. A double graft 

 tied rae at this fire ; and the birds living out of reckoning 

 were not followed. Ten coveys were our find that day, out 

 of wTiich twenty-four birds were bugged. On Monday lot 

 lowing twenty-six birds fell to our fire over another lay of 

 ground, out of seven coveys found. 



" The (piail shooting in' certain localities in this, region 

 would be very tine, were it not for the rough ground and 

 sometimes impenetrable cover, where birds scatter when 

 flushed, Two-weeks ago Monday, over beautiful grounds,, 

 out of eight c»veys I had the great pleasure of brine;. 

 bag tbirty-one quail out of forty one shots, twice kill in;., 

 two birds across each ol tier's fine of flight. I do not expect 

 to do it again this season, ff this be a mild winter, wilh 

 our short close season, I predict for next fall the ii nest, 

 snooting ever known in this section. J. A. P. 



CnjccsNATt, Ohio, JS'ov. 38. 



ANOTHER OLD BARN-DOOR. 



I)ACKfrom my Gov'nor's bouse seven rods is Ihe barn, 

 ) an ancient, weather-beaten Structure, the door of which 

 is full of reminiscences and shot, and aitesis the ability of 

 the shooters lo hit, at least, a flock of barns. Let us go' out 

 and look it over: perhaps we may recall some, if not all. of 

 the circumstances under which the bombardment occurred. 



Matty of these shots were undoubtedly made with no other 

 object than to empty the gun after returning home from a 

 day'- shooting. Weil, they dou'l signify much, but bring 

 up' the memory of tired legs and lame back, yea. and often 

 an empty game bag. That was in the palmy days of the 

 muzzle-loader, when Ihe feat of knocking a higholdcr off 

 from the top of a tall stub off hand was something lo lie 

 proud of. 



But here are other punctures, dim aud indistinct; aud 

 nearly obliterated by the elements; what are they? 



Those must be holes made many years ago, before I left 

 the shelter of the paternal roof, during a pistol practice be- 

 tween the Governor and myself. I then possessed a little 

 single shooting nondescript, with which 1 would enter the 

 lists against 1 1 1 . • Governor's .Smith A Wesson ,tl short. Well, 

 the Governor was a pretty good shot, but somehow I geu- 

 eralh madi thjib tter string. When lie would declare that 

 "the" cussed thing wouldn't shoot straight anyhow." But not 

 always would I come oil the victor. An exceptionally fine 

 lead of his would sometimes rattle me so that he won— but 

 will pass on, This is sometLing evideutly of a later date, 

 judging from the freshness of the timber; here is a Spatter of 

 little bullets just in beyond the surface of the board. Yes, 

 that was done with a Flobert rifle lhat 1 brought home with 

 me during my annual vacation, Slid if f remember aright 

 those marks nearest the center were made by my sister. 

 Somehow or other she would find the bullseye oftener than 

 the rest of us; but of course we were too gentlemanly to beat 

 her. 



Looking around on the other side of the door we see 

 splinters which indicate the passage of something larger 

 than a .32 bail through it, We can easily explain this. The 

 Governor's .22 short had been growing all these years 

 and had attained Ike dignity of a ,o2 long, with which lie 

 proposed lo dowutny double-acting S. & \\ r ., and we determ- 

 ined there and then to settle the differences of former yfiai 

 so we plastered up a target and took a position distant tea 

 rods, five, shots each. 



You see those two, one above the other, seven inches 

 apart, and the other a trifle to the left and the other two 

 were just outside the tanret. Those w ere mine. Nowglanci 

 along to near the top of the door, there ran father's bullet 

 through; to the left, about four feel and two below, is an- 

 other, thai isNo. '.. The others we looked for, bui d H{ 

 and anxious search on the Governor's part failed to di - 

 their whereabouts. 1 don't Claim very much credit lor thai 

 Victory for any weapon was superior in every respect to his. 



Here we are" nearly to the end of our door, but 1 cannot 



