Jan. 24, 1G84.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



819 



some two miles above the falls, where they found trout of 

 fair size very plenty. In the course of two hours' time they 

 caught forly-eitrhl line BTgh. Believing that they had enough 

 and more than enough to last the party two days, and not 

 wishing to catch more than could lie disposed o'f. they de- 

 rided to return to eiimp which they reached before dinner 

 time. Cony had caught flee best lot of tisb, not in number, 

 but iu size.' lie had just a dozen beauties, nearly all of one 

 Size, averaging about' l wo pounds each, which he caught in 

 RgOoland p&rtlj under a jam of logs near the fool, of the 

 rapids. It was conceded by all Lands that he had a mag- 

 nificent string of trout. This made the old gentleman take 

 hi* place at the head of the class with a good deal of pride 

 and dignity, 



When it'was time to return to cam)), Martin found himself 

 on the east side nf the rapids opposite to Cony, thus were Saul 



and Jonathan divided. However, they never failed to enjoy a. 



pood point, on each other. A few days before at Attean, 

 Cony had fallen sprawling among the granite boulders and 

 [| his Bsh in (he fails, greatly to his friend's amusement. 

 Now, .Martin undertook to show his superior spryness by 

 jumping SJCTOSR fhQ stream from stone to stone, some of 

 which were two or three inches under water, covered with 

 moss and slippery as an eel. He got on very well until he 

 eame to the last and longest leap, when forgetting that old 

 age was creeping on ; that, he was stiff from "the race to no 

 leh and thinking he was just as young as he used to be, 

 went into the air. but not having the wings of Rasselas to 

 sustain him even in the, water, he fortunately fell on his belly 

 across a rock, his b it dangling in the swift current, with a 

 broken rod. Cony had his laugh this time. 



Between 3 and 1 P. M., "Colcord arrived iu camp, 

 the hero of the expedition. No Indian warrior with his 

 wampum belt, decorated with the scalp of a deadly foe, ever 

 returned from the warpath in greater triumph! Prior to this 

 rcd-Ic1leMta\ . Jos lUCk had been bard, he was back on the 

 fourth seat. He had started for Spencer Falls, five miles be- 

 low, in the morning, alone and downhearted, and came hack 

 in tUt afternoon with his contribution to the day's sport, 

 consisting of six rulfed grouse and sixteen trout. The six- 

 teen i.rrtd wejgjkd fifty pounds. When laid side by side, 

 touching each other, they measured five feet six inches 

 across, aud when laid end to end they measured twenty-three 

 feet. Two Hours before. Cutty had been the -'big Injun" of 

 the party; but as pis eye took in the magnificent fish before 

 him. he 'exclaimed in the language of Shakespeare: "Fare- 

 well, a long farewell, to all niv greatness;" then went down 

 io Hole!) Feci] and washed off his war paint. 



liter had remained iu camp and Potter caught eight 

 good trout about the falls; Hunt had shot six birds' the day 

 before, so with the (rout left over the larder contained over 

 onohundreflfini fi>h and twelve btrds. The party thought 

 they had foilud " 1 1 n ■ promised laud, overflowing with milk 

 and honey." Not wishing to kdl game for the mere sport, 

 when their wants were more than supplied, for two days 

 they rested in camp, They sailed down seventy-five pounds 

 of trout and waxed fal in eating the Others, aud enjoyed 

 themselves in various wn\s. 



Their evening entertainments were well worth attending. 

 Potter; aided by Colcord and sometimes by Hunt and Cony, 

 Would give a conceit. They would sing war songs, negro 

 melodies, but, best of all, those grand old ballads that have 

 held their place in the popular heart for generations. When 

 Ihev Were "Up to tltt CODCeft pitch" these songs rang out on 

 the still evening air, and were a source of wonder to the 

 tenants of forest and stream; for assuredly the deer was 

 listening in the depths Of the wood; the partridge on his fir 

 branch and the fox within his hole, the muskrat left his 

 dam half opened; (he Otter, on his. side, left the fish half 



,. e; the beaver Stopped work on bis dam. and the mink 

 canted his head aud listened. Near the camp and in the 

 sombre foliage of the lofty I ices -hone the great big; eyes of 



awFeold owl,, apparently enamored and charmed' by the 

 harmony of song; for every now and then he would join iu 

 the chorus. 



After spending a week iu Ibis paradise for sportsmen, the 

 parly very reluctantly struck their tents aud turned their 

 faces down river, 'just as the boats were leaving Echo 

 Basin, Martin took a last look behind uud exclaimed:' "Good 

 bye, Itolebl thou art a thing of beauty and a joy forever." 

 And Potter, grown strong and brown, his face showing his 

 regret at leaving, sung. 



"BUM around mo 'twill hovgr 



In Brief or in Rlee, 

 Till life's dream is over, 



i memories of IJjsb." 



The boats floated slowly down stream with the current, 

 the occupants, Inking the listless ease and comfoit. only 

 known to hunters drifting down a beautiful river, overhung 

 by UlQ brandies of great trees, 'there was no inclination to 

 race now. All were contented, and happy. Spencer Falls 

 was reached about noon, where dinner was eaten. There 

 Jt)f.iogB gentle breeze Ihc party caught several large li out 

 above tin- falls: the largest weighing 4J pounds. This is the 

 best fishing place' for large trout in the fall, to be found on 

 the river. "They rise readily to a black alder fly or a brown 

 hackle. 



Spencer Falls is whore Ami True, when on n trip to Moose 

 River, In 1877, with Cony. Martin and Morton, caught his 

 famous string of trout. The year following he was drowned 

 iu Carrying Place Fond. Ills canvas boat was Upset while 

 he was 'in the aci of firing at duoka thai « ere passing by, and 

 he went down in tlii.:; feel il ...iter. He was a most pru- 

 dent man iu use of his shooting coil.-, yet when he got into 

 his boat he forgot, Porthc firs! time in his life, to take off his 

 shooting vest, which carried seventy-five loaded metallic 

 shells weighing about ten pounds. It w'as this fatal weight 

 that carried Imn io ine bottom. 



'fbe paity hit Spencer and continued their journey down 

 Ihc river. Tin y camped that night at a barn just above 



Three Streams. Tin f i, ing here whore lumbermen 



tail haj for winter use in the logging camp. This is a good 



location for duck shooting as they fly up and down stream, 



night and evening. Colcord, with the same gnu that went 



; i ■ si True when be was drowned, gavi a 



food exhibition of duck shooting at the barn; cutting 7 them 

 own right and left until Ll is game bag was lull to overflow 

 ing. 



The next moj > i-tncn wcol on their way almost 



satiated with the line sport which they had enjoyed so 

 keanly the iirst "week out, Tiny now hardly counted their 

 fish aiid birds. Like Livingstone, When wandering among 

 i- cquatorical lakes in Africa, some of the parly began Io 

 the day of the week and month However, none lost 

 their appetite for trout, grouse aud ducks During the fore. 



noon Attean was reached and the long upper carry passed 

 much easier than on the way up. The men had become. 

 stronger and harder. Even the sickly Potter wotdd tackles 

 boat and tug away like a young Samson. 



Their friends, "Gen. J. Manchester Haynes aud Judge 

 Wm. Penn Whitehouse, went over the. sanie route this year. 

 When they left Augusta, Gen. H. was very much out of 

 health, in fact hardly able to leave his bed. His physician 

 advised him to tiyHoleb water, and fitted him out with a 

 lot of medicine, The General said he would try and get as 

 far as the Parlin Pond House and rest. He got there and the 

 bracing air of Northern Maine made him feel better; got out 

 his gun and went on to Moose River; shot birds on the road; 

 got a boat and went up river; felt better every hour; threw 

 his medicine into Attean Pond and climbed Attean Moun- 

 tain, singing: 



"Here the invalid seeks rest. 



Seeks the softened nerves to harden. 

 Sucking from each brawny breast 



Iron milk from out Katahdin." 



Went over to Holeb Pond and round by the way of the falls. 

 He lived on trout and birds, and came home in two weeks 

 feeling like a fighting cock; jumped up, knocked his heels 

 together twiceC aud" discharged bis doctor. Judge White- 

 house, who accompanied him, and wdio is a learned and up- 

 right judge, as w T ell as a good sportsman, enjoyed the trip 

 immensely. It is whispered in court circles that since bis 

 return hehas ruled, "that Holeb is the best place in Maine 

 to brace a man up and find good trout fishing." Try it 

 invalid, and if you don't come back feeling like a new man, 

 the writer will give you his old moccasins. 



'Die camp was at the head of lower Attean Falls. After 

 a good hearty supper on fried trout, hioiled ruffed grouse 

 and roast duck, while all hands were smoking and resting 

 from the sports of the day and watching the approaching 

 twilight, and listening to the music made by the roar of 

 the falls, Jo, Colcord took his rod, which "was leaning 

 against a tent, and, stepping out on a great rock just above 

 the pitch, commenced casting his flies, as though giving an 

 exhibition of his superior skill in trout fishing. He first cast 

 twenty feet up river, his flies falling on the limpid stream 

 soft as thistle-down; then still further out on the smooth, 

 unbroken water nearer the falls; still further up stream his 

 mist-colored leader with its black alder and brown hackle 

 falls, and still, with lengthened lime, he casts till full sev- 

 enty-five feet away his flics fall as gently as a suowflake near 

 a log that lays across a huge old boulder on the very brink of 

 the falls. But see that gleam on the smooth surface; the 

 little whirlpool made in the water; the nervous twist in the 

 fisherman's wrist, and a lusty trout is hooked. He makes 

 an arrowy rusk up stream for deeper water; he is a gamy 

 fish and is fighting hard for life. How he makes the reel 

 sing as he takes out the line. Now he darts for the further 

 shore, hut the springy rod checks his headlong career and 

 turns him toward the angler, and as hetakes a diagonal course 

 across the stream, allowing him to reel in line, now there is a 

 moment's pause in the conflict, during which time this "king 

 of sporting fishes," takes breath and recovers his strength for 

 the final struggle. Then with all his might he darts straight 

 down the stream for the falls, But Jo. is cool as a veteran, 

 which he is, and prepared for the final charge ; and gives the 

 trout "the butt*' of his rod. See how it bends like a horse- 

 shoe curved. Will it break? Jo. shows no signs of fear, for 

 the rod is his owu make. Every piece of lancewoodhe care- 

 fully selected and tested its strength. The fish is brought to 

 a halt on the very brink of the falls. Once in his gallant 

 struggle to free himself from the fated steel he leaps clear of 

 the water, 01 What a beauty. Gradually he is drawn away 

 from the falls, and makes a large, circle, and then another 

 aud another; each time less in diameter. The last bold 

 spurt is telling on him, aud each lessening circle brings him 

 nearer to the surface, until at last he turns on his speckled 

 side exhausted, with his head out of water; seemingly the 

 better to catch in his dying car the silver music of the falls 

 as they go joyously dancing down toward the great lake. 

 Hunt takes the landing net and jumps down to the water's 

 edge and slips it under him, as Jo., standing on the great 

 rock where he made his first cast, his sinewy form outlined 

 clear and distinct aginst the blue of the western sky, swings 

 him in, and a three and a half pound trout is landed. The 

 fight lasted half an hour. All hands applaud heartily, and 

 Walker more than all the others ; saying it was the finest feat 

 iu sportsmanship that, he ever saw. 



After the last trout was landed and the pipes smoked out, 

 the sportsmen uujoinled their rods and carefully put them 

 away in their cases, not to be used again until another year. 

 Although it lacked three days to the legal close time.'Oct. 

 1, to them the fishing season yvas ended. 



The question naturally comes to the mind of the close ob- 

 server, How T long will such magnificent fishing as this party 

 enjoyed last? ll is undoubtedly true that the great forests of 

 Northern Maine, so abounding in lakes and streams, will lie 

 one cf the few last places on this continent to give up its 

 trout. But few people conceive the vast extent of this great 

 unknown wilderness. It has been said that "Massachusetts 

 might be lost in Maine's woods, so that you w r ould need a 

 compass to find it." Seventy-five years ago just as good trout 

 were found in Kennebec, count y, but now all this splendid 

 trout fishing is gone, never to return. It can only be found 

 in out-of-the-way and in inaccessible places where few have 

 the courage and hardihood to go. As civilization advances 

 these places will become accessible, aud before many gener- 

 ations the beautiful trout will disappear. To compensate 

 sportsmen for his loss, the black bass fishing is growing bet- 

 ter every year. Charles Halloek very gracefully bids good 

 bye to the departing trout, and welcomes his successor thus : 



"No doubt the bass is the appointed successor of the trout; 

 not through heritage nor selection, nor by mterloping, but 

 by fnreordi nation. Truly, it is sad to contemplate, in the 

 not distant future, the extinction of" a beautiful race of crea- 

 tures, whose attributes have been sung by all the poets; but 

 we regard the inevitable with the same calm philosophy with 

 which the astronomer watches the burning out of a world, 

 knowing that it will be suceeedod by a new creation. As we 

 mark the soft, vari-tinted flush of the trout disappear in the 

 eventide, behold the sparkle of the. coming glory! AVe 

 hardly know which to admire the most, the velvet livery 

 ami charming graces of the departing courtier, or the flash 

 of the armor plates on the advancing warrior. No doubt 

 the bass will prove himself a worthy "substitute for his pre- 

 decessor, and a candidate for a full legacy of honors." 



Thursday morning, Sept. 39, at sunrise, the tents were 

 struck, and without haste the boats were loaded aud moved 

 gaily down stream toward Attean Pond. As morning 

 advanced a stiff aorthweast wind came up that made the 

 pond quite rough, but the many islands along the route 



afford some protection, so it was got over without much dis- 

 comfort, and the "thoroughfare" was reached when the 

 water was again smooth. The "Moose Horns" were soon 

 repassed, and the sportsmen again came out into the world- 



■' With the odors of the forest, 

 With the dow and damp of meadow. 

 With the curling smoke of wigwams, " 



still clinging to their garments. They went ou to Wood 

 Pond, which was very rough, for the wind was blowing hard, 

 and in crossing the boats took in considerable water, especi- 

 ally Cony's, which was loaded too heavily astern. 



The boats arrived at Moose River bridge ahout noon, and 

 the luggage was carried up the hank by the roadside. The 

 boats were washed out and hauled up; the horses were har- 

 nessed to the wagon, the boats loaded, the luggage put 

 aboard, and the crews jumped to their seats. The horses, 

 glad to be on the road again hounded away right merrily, 

 and the singers catching the' spirit, struck up "a lively air, 

 and all were "as happy as clams at high water." 



A jolly ride of thirty miles through the woods brought 

 them to the forks of the Kennebec, where they camped for 

 the night. Here they- met Jlr. King, a gentleman from Con- 

 necticut, on his way to Holeb for shooting. He goes there 

 in Juue and October. He said that he caught at Attean 

 Palls in one day, last June, one hundred and fifty pounds of 

 trout. 



The best way for the public to Teach Moose River is to go 

 to Skowhegau and take the stage from there to the bridge, 

 eighty-five miles. Information in relation to boats and guides 

 can be obtained by writing to Joseph Clark, "The Forks 

 Plantation," or Cyrus Newton or N. Colby, "Moose River 

 Plantation," Me. 



Bright and early the next morning they were on the road 

 again. The weather was delightful, and the party was in 

 "high feather. " As the horses went spanking along over 

 good roads and amid grand scenery they frequently crossed 

 a rushing brook as it went dancing down to the river. 



-'I chatter, chatter, as I flow 



To join the brimming river; 

 For men may come, and men may go, 



But I go on forever." 



The Kennebec Valley is renowned for its beautiful and 

 picturesque scenery. No finer visions can be obtained on the 

 historic Potomac or romantic Hudson. Whoever rides from 

 the Porks to Norridgewock Falls must he impressed with 

 the grandeur of the beautiful river, winding among the sur- 

 rounding hills; especially if it be when the foliage wears that 

 beautiful golden hue peculiar to Maine forests' in autumn. 

 Such grand and romantic scenery will make the eye of the 

 landscape painter flash with delight. 



At Bingham, sixty miles from Augusta, the sportsmen 

 found the first telegraph office and sent home their first meg 

 sage: "We are coming," and then went dashing after it. A 

 long and merry ride brought them, about sunset, to "Old 

 Indian Point," at Norridgewock Pais. Here they erected 

 their wigwams and camped at the old Tndian village, where 

 once the Indian warrior wooed his dusky male. Their sleep 

 was sweet and undisturbed by the glare of the tomahawk, or 

 war whoop of the red man; for generations ago the Nor- 

 ridgewocks had paddled their birch canoes over the river to 

 the happy- hunting grounds. All that remains of this once 

 powerful tribe is now and then a stone hatchet or arrow 

 head turned up by the ploughshare of the white man; and 

 the marble shaft, not far from our modern nimrods' tents, 

 which marks the site of this old Indian village. 



The rising sun ushered in a glorious autumn morning, a 

 genuine Indian summer day, aud the hunters were soon on 

 their journey, bound for home with the same happy exuber- 

 ant feeling that had been with them throughout the. whole 

 trip. 



Just as the sun was sinking behind the western hills, 

 lighting them up with a blaze of glory, the horses galloped 

 into Augusta and landed the sportsmen at home. They fell 

 stronger and better for their recreation, and that their lines 

 had, indeed, been cast in pleasant places. 



The next day, with browner cheeks and a, new stock of 

 energy and nerve force, they went about their several voca- 

 tions with cheerful looks and merry hearts. Long will they 

 remember and talk ahout this trip to Holeb Palls as an oasis 

 in the pathway of life. Pisc.ATOK. 



Aoocsta, Me. 



FISHING NEAR BALTIMORE. 



THE fishing iu this vicinity the past season has been ex- 

 ceptionally good. Rock especially were unusually 

 abundant, and I never knew of such fine catches of this 

 splendid fish as were made during September and October 

 in nearly all of the rivers accessible to our city. I went 

 down the Gunpowder, off Maxwell's Point, anil to other 

 locations on that river many times during the summer and 

 fall, and on nearly all occasions caught great numbers of 

 fine rock and white and yellow perch. The rock all ran 

 about the same size and weighed from a pound and a half to 

 two pounds. 



On one occasion a friend and myself went down to the 

 stone pile at the mouth of the river to fish for white perch. 

 We left the bridge at 3 A. M., and had a fine breeze down. 

 We made such good time that when we were within a mile 

 of the stones I took in all sail and let the boat drilt for fear I 

 would overrun the bearings. The place is very hard Io find, 

 being simply the wrecks of two canal boats that were loaded 

 with stones for rip-rapping Maxwell's Point. They were 

 wrecked, aud have rotted and fallen to pieces, and the stones 

 have falleu down. The white perch congregate there in 

 great numbers, and of the biggest kind. As soon as it was 

 light enough to get the bearing I got on the place, and we 

 soon had our rods and lines adjusted and hooks baited with 

 "peeler." For five hours we had all we wanted to do. 



They were there, and we took them in out of the wet. 

 The wind died out about 11 o'clock, and as the fish stopped 

 biting, we made track for home, rowing the eight miles with- 

 out any great fatigue. On arriving at the bridge we counted 

 out of the boat over three hundred fine large white perch. 



My boat is a daisy. She is 18 feet loug on top, built of 

 white cedar, sharp at both ends, lateen rigged, and has the 

 Atwood centerboard and Lyman's bow-facing gear, I must 

 say for the latter that, it is splendid. 



Not all of my trips, however, were as successful as the 

 one told of above. One day in November, 1 started dowu 

 the river for Maxwell's Point with a friend. We had a fiue 

 whole-sail breeze going down and were soon tied up to one 

 of the stakes. After we had been there for half an hour 

 the wind lulled, aud suddenly came out from the northwest. 

 It blew harder and harder, until it increased to a gale. I 



