402 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



of wood-choppers and such like, A large bright log fire 

 "was burning, a sight very acceptable to us all coming in 

 from the rain. A yery cosy room was allotted to uncle and 

 myself. After supper we called in an intelligent young 

 fellow, who volunteered lots of information about deer 

 shooting and trout fishing. A regular young country sport, 

 whose leisure time, when absent from the saw-mills, is de- 

 voted to that delightful pastime. He informed us of the 

 great abundance of deer, a considerable number of small 

 bears, and of any amount of small game to be found 

 around that locality. The rain continued to fall heavily 

 all night. Next day we rose at 5, and dressed by candle- 

 light; at 6 we left in another stage, the rain pouring down 

 as before. The road was very rough, and, owing to the 

 heavy rain, difficult to travel over. Soon after starting the 

 driver cooly asked us to get out and walk about five or six 

 miles, as the roads were so heavy and the horses incapable 

 of dragging s© great a load up the steep ascent of the Na- 

 varra Ridge, I should have mentioned before that the 

 North Fork Hotel (our previous nights' resting place) is so 

 called from being situated on the north fork of the Navarra 

 River, which flows a long distance through these great 

 forests. This stream abounds in trout, and in the proper 

 season affords excellent sport with worm and fly. Our 

 route now lay through a dense mass of redwoods, the trees 

 being of gigantic growth — some as high as 300 feet, and 

 many 13 and 14 feet in diameter. Uncle, the old gentle- 

 man of the party, was allowed to remain in the vehicle. 

 The rest of us footed it up the long road through the forest. 

 The fine rain fell incessantly, but notwithstanding this, and 

 the fearfully muddy walk before us, we none of us com- 

 plained, or felt otherwise than refreshed by the tramp. 

 There is a peculiar fragrance emitted by these redwood 

 trees, which, to my taste, is peculiarly delicious— this, too, 

 in rainy weather is more perceptible. We at length ar- 

 rived at the summit of the great ridge of pine woods, after 

 which the decent was continuous almost all the way to the 

 coast. Just as we emerged from the forest a peep of blue 

 sky appeared, then another and another, till at length the 

 storm clouds dispersed, and the sun shone forth once 

 more with all his genial warmth, truly gladdening out- 

 hearts. We arrived at the Navarra Ridge Hotel, 16 miles 

 from North Fork, a very respectable roadside inn, at noon, 

 and there we took lunch. From this hotel there is a fine 

 view of the ocean and the estuary at the mouth of the Na- 

 varra River. 



And thus we emerged from these mighty forests (the red- 

 woods), which extend on this Pacific coast for hundreds of 

 miles north and south. How wonderful is the contempla- 

 tion in passing beneath the shade of those mighty giants, 

 whose crests have waved through ages past; whose heads 

 have bowed before the storms of centuries. Large saw- 

 mills abound along the coast of Mendocino. Wood-chop- 

 pers' settlements are seen in plentiful abundance, and yet, 

 while this has been going on for years and years, where is 

 the perceptible diminution? Where the gaps in this vast 

 sylvan region? Barely noticeable. Man, with all the 

 means at his command, with all the conveniences of modern 

 travel, the appliance of human ingenuity, has but gathered 

 a few stray fagsots, as the gleaner from the woodland cot. 

 We continued on our way along the coast with every now 

 and again a peep at the ocean to refresh us on our journey. 

 The day was indeed lovely, after the copious rain, and all 

 nature seemed rejoicing with us in the sudden change from 

 darkness to light. 



We passed by several large saw-mills on Little River, 

 Casper Creek, Salmon Creek, and Albion River, We ar- 

 rived at Big River, 80 miles from Cloverdale, at 8 o'clock. 

 This is quite a settlement, with several streets, and two 

 •upologies for churches. There is, a little south of Big 

 River, an immense cave in the cliff, into which a brig was 

 driven by a storm some years ago, and never again seen. 

 Men have entered this cave a short distance in small boats, 

 in calm weather, but none have ventured far lest they might 

 share the fate of those on board the biig. 



At u o'clock we were rejoiced by the first peep of the 

 Noyo mills and river. We alighted at the door of the 

 little hotel on the river banks, right glad that our rather 

 hard journey was ended. What a welcome sight met our 

 gaze! Salmon in great abundance leaping out of the water 

 close to the bridge. We were delighted to find our little 

 inn quite comfortable; rough, of course, for city folks, 

 but having the advantage of perfect cleanliness, 



As to the 



cooking it was exceptionallygood, indeed the house has the 

 reputation of being the best north of "Frisco." The table 

 was spread with everything one's heart could desire. Sal- 

 mon, quail, duck, and delicious pastry. I presented my 

 letters of introduction to Mr. McPherson, the owner of the 

 mills, and lord of the country adjacent for many a wooded 

 mile. 1 found him an agreeable Scotch gentleman of 

 about 50 to 55 years of age. He expressed a desire to do 

 all in his power to make our stay in Noyo as pleasant as 

 possible. The following day we rose fairly before day- 

 light. We had the use of the boat belonging to our land- 

 lord, John Byrnes. Being anchored, or rather tied to a post 

 20 yards from the hotel door, nothing could have been more 

 convenient; and having put our tackle together, we deemed 

 it the best plan to fish and row alternately. Uncle ex- 

 pressed a desire to see me kill the first fish, so he took hold 

 of the oars. Very soon a grab was made at the spoon by 

 a small fish of three pounds, which, after the usual leaps, 

 was duly landed. In a few minutes, both of us having 

 missed a fish, the spoon was again seized, and, after a very 

 exciting contest, a nine-pounder was netted. After this 

 we couid do nothing till afternoon, when I killed a hand- 

 some ten-pound fish. Uncle was unfortunate, killing no 

 fish the first day. We, however, had the opportunity of 

 looking well around us. Our favorite haunt was up the 

 river by the woods, where the scenery is truly magnificent. 

 The woods slope to the water's edge, the undergrowth is 

 varied, rich, and prolific. Great varieties of fir abound, 

 growing to the greatest perfection. As far as the eye can 

 reach, away into the interior of the State, is seen one vast 

 panorama of wooded mountains, completely covered with 

 these colossal redwoods towering in awful majesty toward 

 the skies. After a most enjoyable day, spent entirely upon 

 the river, we returned to our hotel to enjoy an admirable 

 supper. Total bag only 22 pounds— three fish. 



Next day we had not been on the water long before 

 Uncle was into a lumper. The spoon-bait was seized near 

 the bridge ji)^ hotel, and the sport was therefore witnessed 

 by several persons from those points. The fish proved 

 very strong, and fought "like a Trojan" for half an hour, 

 making long runs up and down stream, and leaping many 

 times into the air. At length he was successfully netted, 

 and being weighed, turned the scale at 13 pounds; besides 

 this, Uncie killed a nine-pounder, and I three fish, nine, 



nine, and seven and one-half respectively; our total catch 

 being five fish, weighing 4?i pounds. On that day we 

 visited the extensive saw mills at the mouth of the river 

 and took a walk along the seashore, but could not go far, 

 owing to the steep cliffs, which proved quite inaccessible. 

 We also rowed some distance up the river among the woods, 

 and this was afterwards a favorite excursion. Rounding 

 the two first bends, we came upon a great "boom," or log 

 barrier. This consists of an enormous mass of gigantic 

 logs built up one over the other, and fastened together with 

 massive chains, thus blocking up the river, and preventing 

 the logs from escaping down stream. There are openings 

 through which a limited number of logs can pass when 

 necessary. After a series of very heavy rains, when the 

 rivers are swelled into mighty rushing torrents, the pres- 

 sure becomes enormous; thousauds and thousands »f 

 great logs coming down with tremendous force, and, of 

 course, accumulating all the time above the dam. One of 

 the most beautiful features of interest in that truly wonder- 

 ful country, is the log-shoot, down which the logs descend 

 from the top of the hill into the river. I had occasion to 

 describe these in my account of my trip up the valley of 

 the Truckee River two years ago. It was but a short dis- 

 tance from where our boat was moored that we witnessed 

 this most fascinating spectacle. We were first attracted 

 by a sound as of distant thunder over 1he woods; then, 

 looking up to the top of the s^teep incline, we could per- 

 ceive the end of a massive log being pushed by steam 

 power on to the shoot. Once started The impetus became 

 tremendous. When about uventy feet above the water the 

 log leaves the shoot and plunges headlong into the deep 

 river, the snow-white spray rising into a mighty fountain 

 of often 150 feet. These logs follow each other in rapid 

 succession. But description, however graphic, can convey 

 but a faint idea of the wonderful effect produced by these 

 mighty plunges. I have never witnessed the fall of one 

 of These mighty redwood. I am told by the wood-choppers 

 that this is literally awful. Large trees, when falling 

 from any eminence, unless coming in contact with those 1 

 of their own size and growth, carry everything before 

 them, finally buryiag themselves in the ground at the bot- 

 tom of the valley. 



Our third day (Thursday, Nov. 4th), proved a poor one, 

 as far as sport went. There was, however, no lack of 

 amusement on the river. I took a small Ballard rifle 

 (breech loader), with which I diverted myself firing at 

 ducks, cormorants, divers, etc., making several very suc- 

 cessful shots. Uncie caught a ten and a half pounder, I 

 a sixqiound fish; total, 10| pounds. Following day (Fri- 

 day, Dec. 5th), we had our hands full indeed. We started 

 to fish after breakfast, i. e., about 8 o'clock. The salmon 

 were unable to resist our spoons, as the result at the end 

 of the day proved: Uncle killed six fish, ten, ten, seven, 

 eleven, twelve, and eleven and a half pounds. 1 killed 

 nine fish, nine and a half, nine and a half, six and a half, 

 fceven and a half, ten, ten and a half, and nine pounds; 

 total, fifteen salmon, weighing altogether 140 pounds. 

 Knowing how lively fresh-run salmon from the ocean are 

 it will be seen that we had our hands full nearly the whole 

 day. 



The next day our bag was again remarkable. Uncle 

 killed eight fish, eleven, six, eight and a half, six, ten, 

 nine and a half, and twelve pounas; I killed eight, eleven, 

 twelve, seven, eight, eight and a half, eleven, eleven, ten, 

 and eight pounds; total, sixteen salmon, weighing together 

 147 pounds. That night (Saturday), the clouds gathered and 

 the rain iell heavily, continuing all next day almost without 

 intermission. The pleasantest locality that day was the 

 corner by the big log fire which blazed cheerfully, and 

 proved highly attractive to the weather-bound ciowd in- 

 doors. Many were the stories we listened to, described by 

 several old hunters of their encounters with grizzly and 

 other bears, panthers, and California lions. Small bears 

 are plentiful in these woods, and panthers are occasionally 

 seen, but, as a rule, they steer clear of civilization. They 

 say that in the berry season laige numbers of bears may 

 be seen feeding on the banks of the Noyo River. 



On Mondav 1 started before dawn accompanied by a 

 wood-chopper as a guide, with the hope of being able to 

 bag a deer. We crossed the hills and followed the course 

 of the river for a number of miles, passing through a very 

 rough country, densely wooded all the way. The scenery 

 is exceedingly grand far up the Noyo, and the views from 

 the summits of the woods looking down upon the water is 

 beyond all power of description. After following a trail 

 for about eight miles, we entered the forest to walk wher- 

 ever we could find an available opening. The work was 

 tremendously laborious, the mountains being exceedingly 

 steep, and the woods dense and full of fallen trees, over 

 and under which we had to make our way. At one poiut 

 my guide came to a sudden halt, and, beckoning to me, 

 pointed out a magnificent deer standing still at a distance 

 of about 120 yards. I fired, but without effect, the bush 

 being very thick, and thus preventing a clear view. She 

 turned round broadside, and I fired again, this time with 

 decided effect. On receiving the shot, she leaped six feet 

 into the air and dashed into the thicket. We followed, 

 but alas, having no dogs, we entirely lost sight of her. 

 This was the only shot all diy. We saw any quantity of 

 tracks, but to no purpose. My guide, while walking some 

 distance ahead of me, tired his revolver at a bear which he 

 saw bolting along at the bottom of the hill. 1 rushed for- 

 ward on hearing the shot, and could hear the beast making 

 off through the dense thicket, but though we hunted lor 

 a lonsr time, we failed to turn him out. From dawn till 

 sunset we fought our way through the thickest forests, 

 finally passing down the valley of Pudding Creek, so 

 named from its perpetual state of moisture. This valley 

 is so situated, so shut in, that at this time of the year the 

 sun never shines there. From some cause or other the 

 trees and bushes are ever dripping, and nothing can ex- 

 ceed the chilling effect of the atmosphere. In consequence 

 of this perpetual moisture the foliage is marvelously pro- 

 lific in growth. Ferns and mosses seem to revel in the soft 

 damp ground. Every tree, and especially the many fallen 

 trees are completely covered with beds of the deepest 

 moss, and ferns of extraordinary size and beauty. But 

 the result of the absence of the sun for a long season is, 

 that the ferns, mosses, and general plants are pale and lack- 

 ing in brilliancy of color. 



Our ramble extended over a distance of at least 25 miles 

 and lasted twelve hours. During that time I only sat 

 down for half an hour on a tree in the forest to eat my 

 lunch. During my absence, Uncle enjoyed excellent sport 

 on the river among the salmon, killing no fewer than twelve 

 fish. Of course he had a man to manage the boat, other- 

 wise he could have done but little. His fish ran as fol- 



lows:— One and a half pounds, seven, eight, nine, seven 

 and a half, nine and a half, ten and a half, five, nine, nine, 

 and eight pounds; total twelve salmon weighing together 

 91 pounds. The following day (Tuesday, Dec. 9th), was 

 the greatest triumph of all. Our days' sport turned out 

 as follows: — Uncle killed ten fish, ten, nine, eight, ten, 

 eight and a half, eight, eight, eight, nine, and twelve 

 pounds; 1 killed eight fish, nine, nine, eight and a half, 

 seven and a half, seven, twelve aud a half, and eight 

 pounds. This was actually our last days' fishing. The 

 following day (Wednesday) we devoted to packing up our 

 traps for the journey south on the morrow T . We could 

 not, however, resist the temptation of taking another short 

 spin under the bridge, when I succeeded in killing two 

 fine fish, one ten and a half pounds, the other nine and a 

 half pounds; total, 20 pounds, just byway of a wind-up 

 to our sport. The result, then, of our eight clays' fishing 

 in the Noyo River, may be considered eminently satisfac- 

 tory, indeed I doubt wiiether much finer sport can be ob- 

 tained in any part of the world. Our total bag in eight 

 days amounted to 73 salmon, weighing in all 644^ pounds^ 

 thus giving an average of about 8| pounds per fish. 



It will be observed that our fish ranged generally about 

 the same size. The largest weighed 13 pounds, the small- 

 est li pounds. By the above lists it will be seen that only 

 two grilse were taken. I endeavored perseveringly to at- 

 tract the lordly salmon to the surface with a fly, but to no 

 purpose, I never rose a fish. I am informed, however, 

 that in the spring time and early summer these fish rise to 

 a fly up the river in the fresh water. We enioyed our 

 best sport in the vicinity of the bridge by the hotel, just 

 above and below, -also a short distance up the river near 

 an old stump in a very deep bend. It was in the latter 

 hole that we almost invariably killed male fish, mostly 

 hook-bills, as they are generally termed. These fish have 

 ugly noses, curved round like a large hook, hence their 

 name "hook-bills." Of course these being fresh-run fish, 

 the sport they offered was great. Many were the exciting 

 contest's, as the lively fellows darted up and down stream, 

 sometime leaping a dozen times several feet into the air 

 before they would finally turn over and shew signs of dis- 

 tress. 



Our journey back to Cloverdale, and from thence to San 

 Francisco was but a repetition. We had been very desir- 

 ous of varving the trip by going south by the sea, but were 

 recommended by Mr. McPherson not to atiempt it, as, at 

 this time of the year, many of the schooners become be- 

 calmed, and often occupying three weeks on the down 

 trip. When we arrived at the North Fork hotel— our 

 sleeping place — we found our young friend the sportsman. 

 Such is the abundance of deer in that part of Mendocino 

 that in early morning on the ridges sport is a certainty. 

 The night was fine and bright, so I took a long walk of 

 ten miles or a dozen miles aloug the high "opens" above 

 the woods. During our walk (the young sport being my 

 guide), I saw far away on a high ridge a band of some 

 fifteen or sixteen magnificent deer running in line. The 

 distance was, however, too great and the light too defective 

 to attempt a shot. I much regretted now that we did not 

 leave Noyo two days earlier to give me the opportunity of 

 bagging my first deer. If, next year, or the following, I 

 take my holidays at the same season, I shall devote the 

 time to hunting exclusively. At Cloverdale we slept 

 soundly. We rose next morning (Saturday) at 5, and left 

 by the 6 train for the steamer, which carried us back to 



by 



San Francisco, December 19th, 1876. 



-*♦•► 



P. F. Hooper. 



"CALE' 



For Forest and Stream. 

 LORING. 



TO those who knew Caleb G.Loring will these few 

 reminiscences prove interestiog I trust, and bring to 

 the minds of many surviving friends pleasant memories of 

 dear old "Cale," and happy days gone by. His heart was 

 tender and kind as that of a woman, but his physique en- 

 abled him to undergo the most severe exposures and fatigue 

 incident to hunting^ being extremely powerful; he was at 

 one time known as the "Iron Man." Possessing a great 

 fund of wit and humor, and wonderful power of imita- 

 tion he would have won fame as a comedian equal to 

 Charles Mathews had he adopted the stage as a profession. 

 A keen observer of nature, his knowledge of the habits of 

 birds and animals was extensive and accurate. On one 

 occasion when at "the shanty" I callet} his attention to a 

 flock of birds flying high in air over the marsh at such a 

 distance as to be just discernible. "Cale" watched them 

 a moment and exclaimed "brant." Those accustomed to 

 seafowl shooting know how difficult it is to distinguish, at 

 a distance, if a flock of fowl be brant gees>e, white-winged 

 coots or cormorants; but from his knowledge of every 

 peculiarity of the flight of birds he distinguished the 

 species, and brant they proved to be, although very rarely 

 are they seen flying over the marshes of Scarborough, Me. 

 Cale's wonderful power of imitation served him well in de- 

 coying game, especially the marsh birds. 



Sitting on the piazza of the "shanty," one day of the 

 Indian Summer, we heard a faint whistle, so faint, indeed, 

 at first none among us recognized the bird, excepting Gale, 

 and he answered in exact imitation of the whistle of a 

 curlew, given with a power rivaling a steam engine. After 

 many calls, and occasional faint replies from the bird, it 

 was seen approaching, and as it came uearer Cale gradually 

 softened and modulated his call in proportion to the dis- 

 tance, and the curlew was finally shot from the house, 

 while hovering, anxious to alight by the side of the calling 

 one When first seen the bird was near the mouth of the 

 Nonesuch River, a half mile distant, it being calm and 

 clear, and just before sunset. Ere dark a duck flew down 

 the river, and had passed without noticing the decoys an- 

 chored in front the house, when a quack from Cale attracted 

 the attention of the duck; it immediately turned and came 

 back, and fell a victim to deception and the right barrel. 

 Not unfrequently several sportsmen would return to tne 

 "shanty," after a days' shooting down the river to find that 

 Cale had made a better bag than any of them by ahootiug 

 the birds that had "come around the house; nearly all 

 such birds came into the house, and not a few they were 

 Nearly every morn and eve the song of a robin might oe 

 heard among the pines in the rear of the house > and one 

 morning, after a remark by S. "how sweetly that robin is 

 singing;" one of the party exclaimed "I'll wager a bottle 

 of wine that it is not a robin ." 6. stepped into the kite hen 

 where stood Cale watching the broiling of some buds w h 

 not a muscle of his lace moving; and the robin s song still 

 continuing S. returned to the adjoining room , wceptea 

 the wager; and all went out to find the bird; but being un 



