FOREST AND STREAM. 



zily rise to the surface, breaking so indolently that the 

 circles he made disappeared from, view before they had 

 "widened to a diameter of fifty feet; then a muskrat would 

 be seen swimming composedly along, his tail stretched out 

 behind him, leaving a silvery wake, while a plunge along 

 the shore, a rustling of wings, and a rolling note, like a 

 sharp sound of the watchman's rattle, announced the pres- 

 ence of a kingfisher intent upon an early breakfast. As I 

 remained perfectly still at my lookout, the smoke from my 

 pipe sailed slowly upwards in many a fleecy fold, and first 

 the Canada jay or moose bird {Perisoreus canadensis) would 

 stop and descend to a branch close over my head and have a 

 good look at me, wondering probably what I could possibly 

 be waiting there for; then a small flock of busy, chattering 

 tomtits (Parus atiicapillus) would make me the subject of 

 a few hasty remarks, while at length I became the object 

 o.f examination for a grave and morose raven (Garvus co- 

 rax) who, with many bows and sedate contortions, accom- 

 panied with much swelling of his throat, suggesting a se- 

 vere c?se df goitre, croaked out in no unmeasured or tune- 

 ful accents his entire disapproval of my presence at that 

 particular spot, at least so early in the morning. 



My reveries and observations of what was passing about 

 me were suddenly disturbed by the music of the dogs in 

 full cry upon a neighboring hill. How finely their voices 

 sounded, as the melodious notes roused the echoes of the 

 woods, and were carried from point to point until lost in 

 the far distance. The hounds seemed to be coming direct- 

 ly for us, and I kept a sharp lookout upon the shores hop- 

 ing to see the deer emerge from the woods to take refuge 

 in the water; but suddenly the chase led away in another 

 direction, and the chorus of the pack grew fainter and 

 fainter, as they followed the deer around a distant moun- 

 tain, and again all was still. Nearly two hours now had 

 passed away, the sun had mounted high in the heavens, 

 and his rays still powerful, although the time was Octo- 

 ber, were beginning to make me feel very like indulging 

 in a nap, when I was aroused to full attention again by 

 the faint, distant bark of a solitary hound, that seemed to 

 be following a trail down the river that led out of the lake. 

 *'Aha!" I said to myself, "that looks promising, if it 

 only is the gray buck at his tricks again. I'll try and 

 check-mate him this time." The barking was heard at 

 long intervals, as though the dog was much perplexed, and 

 found the trail difficult to follow, as there was much 

 marshy ground and water holes where he was working, 

 and so for a considerable time he made no progress in my 

 direction, and after listening to him for about half an hour 

 I heard him no longer. I waited another half hour with- 

 out hearing a sound, and as midday was approaching and 

 I had already seen several of our party return to camp, I 

 concluded I would give it up also, as the deer had evidently 

 thrown off the dog. I got quietly into my boat and pulled 

 towards camp. The bay in which I was contracted to a 

 kind of narrows before widening into the main body of 

 the lake, and I had nearly passed through this, keeping 

 a sharp watch still on all the shores, when suddenly I saw 

 above the water near the bank opposite to my stand of the 

 morning, the head and horns of a large buck. The dis- 

 tance was too far for me to tell exactly which way he was 

 going, but he had evidently not observed me, and was 

 swimming at his ease. I at once stopped rowing, and sat 

 quietly watching him, for I saw at a glance my only chance 

 to head him off was to let hirn get well out in the lake, if 

 it only pleased him to take that course. In a little while 

 it was clearly evident that he was going straight across the 

 bay, and so I drew gradually into the shore to get behind 

 him. 



I had nearly succeeded in this when he discovered me. 

 and started at his best gait for the shore I had lately quit- 

 ted. It was now a mere question of speed. I was a long 

 way behind him, and I gathered myself together for my 

 work. The deer was swimming very fast, and I pulled 

 with all my strength, the water flew from the bcw of my 

 boat, and by looking occasionally over my shoulder I saw 

 I was holding my own, and then that I was surely gaining 

 on him. He seemed to see it, too, for he redoubled his ef- 

 forts, and fairly flew through the water. The distance 

 between him and the shore was becoming alarmingly short, 

 and at last I saw that I could not catch him before he 

 struck bottom and must risk a shot. At the same time I 

 noticed D. with his guide who, having seen the chase, had 

 started in their boat, and were coming rapidly on to have 

 a hand in the kill. Looking once more over my shoulder 

 to get the proper direction, I pulled five or six strokes with 

 all ^ my might, dropped the oars, and seizing my rifle 

 whirled around on the seat for the shot. I had gained a 

 little by my last effort, but as I put the rifle to my should- 

 er, the exertion I had been compelled to make had so un- 

 steadied me that for a moment the muzzle danced about 

 like a moth near a candle, and I could not keep it pointed 

 in the right direction. At last I held it quiet for a second 

 and pulled. The bullet, as 1 afterwards found, struck 

 him near the right ear, traversed the side of his face, and 

 passed out near the nose. I hastily put in another car- 

 tridge (my boat being still under good headway), to give 

 him another ball. On receiving my shot the buck wheeled 

 directly around, and seeing me close to him charged the 

 boat without hesitation. He struck the thwart with his 

 horns, and tilted the light skiff so much that I expected 

 certaiuly to be thrown into the lake. I grasped the oar (as 

 shooting with any certainty in my half upset position was 

 impossible} and struck him a violent blow over the head, 

 which fortunately knocked him away from the boat, and 

 as he started to come at me again I seized the rifle and shot 

 him through the neck. On receiving this bullet he swam 



for the shore, near to which in our struggles we had drift- 

 ed, and wading out on to the bank he stood and tossed his 

 head at me, evidently anxious to renew the fight. I now 

 sighted for his shoulder, and on the bullet striking directly 

 in the center, passing through to the other side, he fell 

 over, and with a few convulsive struggles lay dead. 



Just at this moment D. came up, having seen the whole 

 affair. I was pretty nearly as much hors du combat as the 

 buck, and on reaching the bank my first action was to drop 

 on a log and investigate the contents of my flask, carried 

 only for just such emergencies, and after I had consulted 

 this companion I felt much relieved, and turned to have a 

 look at my late antagonist. It was, sure enough, the old 

 gray buck — gray as a badger, as had been said — with a 

 good head of horns, not so heavy as those of the deer I 

 had killed the night before, but still wide spread, with 

 four prongs on a side, evenly distributed. He had been at 

 his old game playing the dog in the river, and had eventu- 

 ally thrown him off; but it had taken him so long to ac- 

 complish this feat (for the hound was a first-rate one) that 

 when he had reached the lake he evidently had intend- 

 ed to take it quietly and cross at his leisure, and his tactics 

 came very near being again successful. D. proposed that the 

 guide should put him into his boat and row him to camp, and 

 he would pull me up, as I was nearly used up, so he said. 

 But I replied that I meant to see the old gentleman home 

 myself, having already had a little walk in his company, 

 and if they would help me provide him with a seat in my 

 boat we would go together up the lake. The deer was very 

 large and heavy, did not stand high, being short-legged 

 rather, but very large in girth. It was as much as we 

 three could well manage to lift him into the boat, and be- 

 fore starting I suggested to D. that it would be appropri- 

 ate for us to solemnize the decease of this ancient friend 

 by some suitable ceremony, and as my flask was of no 

 further use for the present to any one that I knew of, it 

 would afford me much gratification to be able to admire 

 the shape of his. He handed it to me without a smile, 

 and having looked into it with a seriousness befitting the 

 occasion, I returned it to him. He then looked into it, 

 inverted it, shook his head, and with increased solemnity 

 and a sigh motioned to his guide to proceed. Slowly we 

 passed along to our camping ground, and as we drew near 

 the landing place the rest of our party were seen gathered 

 together waiting our arrival. The deer was lifted out and 

 hung up beside ihe one J shot the night before, which he 

 fairly eclipsed in size. George walked gravely around 

 him, examining him at all points, and at length broke the 

 silence: "Zoophilus, my feather weight, there isn't any 

 doubt about it, it's the same venerable gentleman that gave 

 me the slip yesterday, and you have had the honor of kill- 

 ing the old gray buck." Zoophilus. 

 +.+. 



For Forest and Stream. 

 STILL HUNTING ON BIG SARASOTA. 



I SLEPT on board the sloop that night, so as not to dis- 

 turb any one by my early start. I was up and took a 

 look at my watch once or twice during the night, and at 

 half-past two, decided to make a start. On going on deck 

 I found it to be a clear, starlight morning, with a light 

 wind from the northeast. As the island, and especially the 

 hunting-ground I proposed to try, runs nearly north and 

 south, I decided to run down the bay three miles to where 

 the mangroves divide Big from Little Sarasota bay, land 

 there and hunt back with the wind in my face. Every 

 deer hunter, of course, understands the importance of this, 

 for deer are more easily alarmed by the scent than by the 

 appearauce of a man, and in still hunting especially, it is 

 all important that they do not have the wind blowing from 

 you to them. I was soon under way, and gliding along so 

 quietly through the still water that, if one could not see 

 the banks rapidly passing by, it would be hard to believe 

 that any headway was being made. 



I was at the mangroves, the apparent end of the bay, be- 

 fore four o'clock, and as it was only just beginning to be red 

 in the east, and altogether too dark to see the sights on my 

 Ballard, I sat down in one corner of the stern sheets to 

 wait for more light, which came in due season, and I 

 pulled ashore at an old landing just at the foot of an 

 ancient live oak. A small field was cultivated just back 

 from the landing in years gone by, but now the pathway 

 to it was quite grown up with tall reeds and grass. I was 

 wet through as high as my waist from the heavy dew, 

 long before I got out into the open, but that was part 

 of the play and expected. 



To make the situation well understood, I will explain 

 the lay of the land upon this island. On the side towards 

 the mainland, i3 a strip of dense cedar and live oak ham- 

 mock of varying width. This is excellent cover for game 

 of all kinds. After passing through this hammock, one 

 comes out upon an ancient sea beach, but it must have 

 been ages and ages ago since it was washed by the waves 

 of the Gulf, for just across this beach is another liarnmock, 

 quite as old apparently as the first, and then still another 

 beach, and then another hammock, until in some places 

 as many as five pairs of beaches and hammocks can be 

 counted. With the exception of some scanty bunches of 

 grass, there is no vegetation upon the old beaches, but 

 the hammocks are filled up so thick with fallen cedars and 

 cabbage palmetto as to be almost impassable. Occasion- 

 ally you come to a clump of rather stunted sea pine, which 

 with the smooth green grass beneath them, and the lack of 

 underbrush of any kind, give quite a fresh like appear- 

 ance to the piny woods parts. The island is some six 

 miles long, shaped much like an hour-glass, the narrow 



place in the middle being less than a hundred yards wide, 

 while one of the ends is over two miles, and the other 

 about one and a half. The center would be a splendid 

 place for a party to take a stand and have the island driven 

 with dogs. The deer would be driven right over them, 

 and it would be their own fault if there were not venison 

 in the larder. There are many islands quite as well adapted 

 as this for a drive, but driving is seldom resorted to as far 

 south as this, 



I worked my way across the little old field and through 

 a low strip of dense brush out on the first beach and took 

 a look about me. The sun had not yet risen, and the little 

 light there was, made more indistinct by a foggy haze 

 which hung about the thick bunches of cabbage trees. 

 Not a breath of air was stirring, but as outside the wind 

 was from the southward, I walked slowly in that direc- 

 tion. I had not taken ten steps on the old beach, when up 

 from behind a bunch of coarse grass jumps a "cotton 

 tail"; he does not run over two rods before he stops to take 

 a look at this early morning disturber of his revels. I 

 accepted his presence as a good omen, for the island used 

 to be literally alive with them. I never yet hunted them 

 at daybreak, without having from twelve to twenty scurry 

 away from under my feet, and they were always as 

 tame as this one — would stop and look back as soon as 

 their first alarm was over. I never used to shoot at them 

 for fear of frightening nobler game. As they seemed still 

 to be plenty and tame, it rather augured that the island 

 had not been hunted to excess. I picked my way cau- 

 tiously along, strivingto make as little noise as possible, but 

 some how, the old shells would crunch under my feet 

 louder than I could wish. I had kept on in this way three or 

 four yards without seeing a thing, except another "cotton 

 tail" and a cock partridge, who strutted away rather hurriedly 

 into the thicket, when all at once a young fawn broke from 

 the hammock on my right, and darting nearly across the 

 open, stopped just outside of the hammock on the left, 

 along which I was skirting. I halted at once, and squatted 

 down as close to a sheltering bush as I could, almost in- 

 stinctively. What a beautiful little creature it was! Its 

 spots were still bright and plain, and what was better still, 

 I saw at once by the way it kept gamboling about that I 

 had not alarmed it, and the same gambols, together with 

 its frequent and earnest glances towards the same break in 

 the hammock from which it had just come, led me to be- 

 lieve it was not alone, but was now trying to induce its 

 dam, and perhaps others, to join in a frolic on the open 

 beach. I remained perfectly quiet, watching the innocent 

 little creature, and, honestly, the thought of shooting it 

 never entered my head; but, I did think, how delighted the 

 children would be with it for a pet, if I could only capture 

 it unharmed. I did not have many minutes to spend in 

 admiring its sleek, spotted sides, when out from the same 

 opening in the hammock stepped a noble looking doe, and 

 close at her heels still another fawn. They were not over 

 thirty-five steps away, and she stopped and looked square 

 at me. There was nothing to obstruct her view, for I was 

 only covered from the first fawn. I remained perfectly 

 still, and she became apparently satisfied, for she walked 

 half way across before stopping to take another look at me. 

 This also seemed satisfactory. It seems a very curious 

 trait in deer, and is often taken advantage of, for I have 

 walked up to them for a distance of over 2G0 yards when 

 out on the open prairie, where there was not a particle of 

 cover, the grass having just been burned. It seems best 

 to dress in dark clothing. When the deer's head is at the 

 ground feeding, the animal invariably gives its tail a 

 flourish an instant before the head is to be raised. When 

 this signal catches your eye, halt instantly and make a 

 statue of yourself. The deer may gaze at you very 

 intently, and look very much alarmed at first, but if the 

 wind is in your face, or rather from the deer to you, the 

 chances are ten to one, that after looking at you for a 

 minute or so, it will come to the conclusion you are a 

 stump, give its tail another flourish, and begin feeding 

 again. Then walk quietly towards it until the signal is 

 given, and halt again for another inspection. In this way 

 a deer can often be approached to within 50 yards, but 

 it is seldom one has the nerve to get nearer than 75 yards, 

 as feeling sure at that distance with a good rifle, what is 

 the use of imperilling the whole thing by trying to get too 

 close. If there are more than one deer, it requires more 

 patience to stalk them in this way, and sometimes it cannot 

 be done at all, as they may not all feed at the same instant, 

 one being on the look-out. But although this may work 

 very nicely on deer, don't try it upon turkies. When they 

 look up at you, no matter how you may be dressed, they 

 will never take you for a black stump. They will take one 

 hurried glance, and with cries of "quit, quit, quit," will 

 quit your vicinity in a hurry. 



After this doe had looked me over as much as suited her, 

 she joined her fawns in their frolic, and wfiat a time they 

 had together upon the sand. Neither seemed to have an 

 idea that they had a spectator, and in one of the rushes 

 which one of the fawn3 made, it almost came upon my 

 hiding place. I was hoping all the time that they might 

 be joined by a buck, for 1 couldn't think of breaking up 

 this happy family. I was not quite short enough of meat 

 to break our rule about shooting does, and in the present 

 case, of course, the meat would have been almost worth- 

 less. But no other deer joined them. It is true I could 

 have spent the whole morning in watching their frolic, and 

 have enjoyed it highly, but I had got up early that morn- 

 ing with the firm determination to kill a deer, so I couldn't 

 waste more time here. It would not be quite prudent to 

 frighten them, as they might give the alarm to others, st 



