.Tanttart 6, 1881.] 



FOREST AND STEEAM. 



449 



vicissitudes, I started on a journey to the republic of Mexico 

 On tlie memorable first of April, 185-, which proved by no 

 jBaeana a lucky one. xVrriving in Cinciniiati by rail, I went 

 dOTVTi to the Ohio to ascertain if any steamer was likely to 

 start soon for New Orleans. Among un inunenae number ad- 

 vertised to sail to that port as soon as their cargoes were on 

 board, I observed a sniMll n in i iiiiuis one named l.hc Aji- 

 glo-Saxon, placarded "I i , sail in the morning." 



This was jtiBt what 1 v.ji il m^^ uu board, I was in- 



formed by the purser th^t Uic-ix- « in- only two berths vacant, 

 and told that if I wished to secm-f one I conUI only do so by 

 Pi-iying my passage money down, lieie tlu; simplicity en- 

 toiled upon me at hinh served the rascal's purpose. I be- 

 lieved him, paid the $2!} and walked the streets of that pig- 

 sticking city for more than two weeks before the Anglo 

 8axon positively sailed in thii uinrning. Two weeks more 

 ■were spent ill •' sparri'iLi ;, iniids of Ihe Ohio and 



two more iiUervL'iied h nnl the Crencei.t City. 



XJtl three different iiii:! _:'.: steainin- down the 



Hiasissippi, the vessel \v,i-, :.,, i:,,, ,,,,: il.-unes being aubdue.l 

 by the passengers, evidenily to liir- chagrin of the captain and 

 purser, who, it was said owned hei-. An oliirions and .silly 

 steerage passenger, wlui Uail noticed some straritteconduct oil 

 the part of tho.se onieci-.s on tlic niglil of llic la.st)ire, fooHslily 

 gave ospresgion to his suspicions.' That very niaiit, shortly 

 after the tire was e-rliii^niishrd, a splash in lla/ water was 

 heard, and no! 1:: ■ ': n ," i lie talkative passenger 



'ill the morning,. i ■iii tkrowni overboard. 



■Like myself, Ih ' u liorn on the first of 



April. Ou ariiv,,.^ ,., ^,l ,. : :..-^^l^o I found myself pumped 

 dry, as is ofuiii llu- cii-se with those who sail down the dark- 

 watered Missis,si]ipi for the first time, and I had consequently 

 tto remain there l(_i recuperate till the following year. On 

 Stmday morning, the first of April, 185-, I took passage on 

 the coasting steamer Arizona for Brazos Santiago, near the 

 mouth of tiie Rio Orande, Texas. A norther sprung up as 

 ■we approached the narrow and dangerous entrance, and 

 «gain the vessel had canulu fire! Without waiting for a pi- 

 lot, we steamed ova tlie bar into the harbor, t)ie passenger.? 

 were landed by boats from the shore aiirl ilif rii,''n'j!s snb- 

 •dued by the aid of a luiinlier of low A[i ' ' -csent 



onboard. A stage ride of twentv-ti'. were 



Linded at Miller's Hotel, Brownsville. i ..nilueky 



first of April on which 1 left the C;reseeiif; Oily. 



A few days after I crossed tlie l-Jio Grande on a scow, 

 pulled over by a rope, into .Mexico, and bent my way to 

 jyiontcrey. I remained uem- that city nearly a year, and 

 started on mj' u.sual starting day in tlie siifcpedin.g year for 

 Dm-ango. A few ilionths sojtnirn here and I was off lo 'Aii- 

 cateca.s. In '62 the Freuch invaders, iti.sregardiiii;: the cele- 

 brated treaty of London, forceil their way into tiir interior, 

 and in the beginning of 'CO were on their way io\v:oJ the 

 ■city of Montczuiua.' The troops from the ,Slafe>- of Duraiigo 

 And Zacatecas were oflt to defend the ain i m _:: U . and I 

 gotaquiet hint that I would have to aii ,, : ' \r.. nuleiu 

 volens, as chaplain, I suppose, or in s I: ■ .Lp,acity. 



Having no desire to fight th" Fi-'MK'h :: : ■ i .i.j- ,!.aL I was 

 "wanted" at home, 1 lin,:^ ■■' • W y- M.- - m-.i and (oo!- pus- 

 Bage on the Olivia ai Er.- ■ i !•! -, .■ i . .i tlio lueiia j-a- 

 blelstof April, VAm. 'IV-n v, ,i:- v.-iy n-v : imavitig the last 

 BTiniversary of my birlla.iay. As the boa! eouveying nstothe 

 vessel was passing over the bar at the mouth of the river 

 the swell was so heavy that wc were all drenched and the 

 boat nearly swamped. A couple of the sailors seized my 

 trimk to tlirow it overhoard, so a.s to lighten it. That trunk 

 contained all my worldlj^gcar (riches), even to my passage 

 money. Scotchmau-like, I clnng to my sillei', and' pulling a 

 revolver from my belt, told them iliey iniL'lit llneiw rheiii- 

 Selves over it fliey liked, but that that trunk slioiilil reinaiu 

 on board as long as I was alive to protect it. Some of us 

 set to bailing the boat with our hats, and a few powerful 

 strokes from four long-sweeping oars in the hands of brawny 

 tars carried her safely over the bar into the gidf, and soon 

 ■we were walking the deck of the brig, I taking care that my 

 trunk was there before me. After all, that was a second 

 lucky 1st of AprU when 1 left the shores of tlie uative soil 

 of prouunciamenlos. 



We lay off the huid tor a few diiys, while the patriotic 

 merchants the Olivia had brought from the north were dis- 

 posing of the arms and ammunition mth which the vessel 

 had been partly freighted to the Confederates for the 

 Slaughter of the Northern troops, taking cotton iu exchange. 

 Already we had on board two or three captain.-, whose ves- 

 sels had paid war rates of insurance before sailing, but who 

 had nothing to return Willi .save i.heir policies of 'insurance. 

 In the nie'antiuu; J aninsed iiiysell ti.sbiuu- for imillet and 

 small blue catfisli over the side of tbe vcHsel, and watching ii 

 Mexican fishing in a novel way inside the ba,-, where the 

 water was comptiratively still. He wotdd wade out till the 

 ■water reached his hips, then whirling over bis lieiid an in- 

 strument made of stonl twine, v.d'th numerous uriiis (of 

 twine) nidiatiii.g from a eomnion centre, each lieiiig si ' 

 five or six feet long and having a coarse hook weigTiin: 

 couple of ounces at the end. til! the e.Ktended ioins gavi 

 the appearance of .an ininieiise wheel. He wonlri ilir.nv il. 

 from him, and ii rapidly .sank. As soon as it reaolii d tbc 

 bottom he would haul it ashore by means of a rope tied lo 

 the ring in the centre, and extricate the fish that had beeonie, 

 entangled in the not, the iron hooks embracing each other, 

 as it were, u.s it was being ch'a-wu in, and so preventing their 

 escape. 



At length the .signal for sailing was hoisted, and the 

 patriots were roweiJ on board. They consisted of two or 

 three veriiaMe Yankee merchants, who, "before the war," 

 had pi-' ! I V ter or lager beer saloons, but who theu 



sport ei finger rings, mounted -with diamonds, 



heavy ^ v lichly jeweled, fine clothes and linen, 



and carrieri an miuiense quantity of aplurge ; two Jews, 

 who had doubtless dealt in "ole clo'" just previous to the 

 breaking out of the rebellion, but who had suddenly become 

 high-tone,i ^-....f fO" Miralniin — who could talk of nothing 

 lesstlvv, bundled bale.s, flour by the thousand 



barrel,-^, v else in a similar Christian-like strain; 



andaf. ■ .king Irishman, whose mercantile am- 



bition but a few short months before could not lia*u ascended 

 , higher than peddling potatoes and fish in the back slums of 

 New Torlc, but who then could talk as big American as bis 

 brother patriots, albeit it was somewhat bro-iiev. uijl. like 

 them, could, while at the North, denounce ili 

 bilterly, but while at the South could furni-! i.i i s 



aruiB and ammunition for a eonsiderfttion. Fruu. lu..; ^--^i-' 

 1 formed a high estimate uf the patriotism of a eeiialn class 

 of Nonheiia merchants, by the weapons and missiles ihey 

 were shipping, sustaining the war their fellow citizens were 

 losing their lives in their efforts to bring to a close. 



Well, ovu anchor is weighed, the sails are unfurled and the 

 Union Jack, that emblem of power and security m those 



days, waved at the stem of that American built and o^wned 

 vessel, to protect it from the Alabama-s and Shenandoahs that 

 at that time were sweeping American comuierce from the 

 sea. Notwithstanding we were a peculiar people on that 

 ship, wo got along pretty eomforialily. Tlie Jews could take 

 a rasher of bacon for breakfast as readily as any of US, the 

 law of Moses to the contrary, governed probably by the fact 

 that they were not at that time in u Chfistian land; but the 

 Irishman declined meat on Fridays, and, there being no fiah 

 ou board, he had to put up ■will) p'iilatoes and biscuit. 



Always oti either side of the vessel could lazy-looking mou- 

 ftera of sharks be tei.ai. They did not appear to move a flit, 

 while wo were sailing at a goi.ul pace, and ytt were never left 

 in the rear, bul ronstanlly slyly peered along our deck -with 

 those cold, eniel, niurde'rou'sdooking eyes of thou'S. Hoivr 

 b^^ hour the por|ioises showed in an undulating maimer their 

 hog-like forms, and swept imder our very Lows, as if hraving 

 our anger and iiioekiiiL'' our .slowne..,:-;. The liyiiiL' fish, lo 

 ;,v.yd lli.ar enemies, darled in meriads from the sea, i-assed 



" ■'■ - ■-■ -t-d waves but a few feet aboA-e liicm, and then 



io to the water again. The pretty liltle striped 

 :-ed our rudder as elosely as ,a well laughtaud 

 :.■. iver does tlie leg of his master when with an 



inv.ard move of the hand or a(genlle ■■elosc " it is intimated 

 llial he is to take that po.sittou. And Lbe pieiiy dolphins 

 I'layed around a,s lambs who had nevei- insid oi volvesor 

 coyotes in 11 pasture field. I yearned i.. - ii; li and 



the Irishnuin longed to eat some, s._. ! ;iit Hue 



Avith a good-sized hook, baited with i : , lice of 



fat poi'k, and was about to cast il ovei ,,,. ... ,.,. ,,iaiathe 

 Ojiptftin yelled out from the centre of the dei k. '.Siopthatl 

 ]So oneever caught a fish lyy trolling iji the Oulf Sire.a'm yet, 

 and uobody ever will. Nobody liuta blamed fool of a Brit- 

 isher would ever think of trjing it." 



"Softly, Captain. Tiieie's no knowing what u Britisher 

 might accomplish v-hieli a Yankee would never think of try- 



g^ Just look at that noble flag, freedom's emblem ou the 



as. It affords voiir vessel more yiroteclion— in the Gulf 



ream— than llie entire navy e,.f the United States would 



er dream of attempting." 



"Just shut up there, or, by Old Abe, I'll jerk you over- 

 board, as a present to that twelve-footer that's rtinning along 

 toleewiml. That rag— " 



"Isfi 1 ted where no Yankee flag dare float. 



Withon the OUvia could not show her how- 



sprit sou , .-hiiid." 



"You oariieii s'lliy-,:;, " -dr.a-wling out the last word as con- 

 temptuously as one who has a patent for speaking tlu'ough 

 his nostrils can drawl — "of a dilapidated monarchy, I'Ushow 

 yon heiw lf,i iiiBiiIt a cilfri'/i of the glorious, free and indepen- 

 dent United Slates rif America on board his own vessel," and 

 he rushed toward me. 



Uortunalely that vessel bad a kind of rope ladders leading 

 from the sides up aloft, up one of which I flew and wiis soe.n 

 beyond bisreach, for he had a very sore leg and could not fol- 

 low. Sealed among the rigging I gave liim several stan/.a.s 

 of "The flag that's braved a thousand years the battle and 

 the breeze," which didn't appear to eilher edify m- mollify 

 him. He paced the deck ivi a kind of sullen, angry mood, 

 till the other watch was called, when he went lielo'w and I 

 came down. Whenever he turned his liack for a few min- 

 utes that hook and fat pork wentoverboard and trailed in the 

 Gulf Stream Ijehiud our vessid. ;\s soon as he came on deck 

 he'd glance toward tlie man at the wheel to see if I was near 

 hiui with the inevilable line in my hand. On spying me in 

 my usual position at the stern, he'd ma.ke a bolt for ine, with 

 a "Didn't I tell you that nriliody but a blamed Englishman 

 would ever thitilc of trolling in I'be Oiilf Si ream?" ' I always 

 inaiiiiged to escape him, thesigh on M-veral oeeasions I felt the 

 lip of his shoe lighth' toinli a spot I hat is said to he more 

 honored in the lireeeh iJiaii out of it. in a minute he'd jerk 

 the line on board and tlirow it, book, bait and all. contempt- 

 uously aside. Hour after hour and diiy after day I 

 ])lied the forbidden avocation of trolling in the Gulf 

 .Stream, whenever o|i|iortuiiity served, in vain. Hope- 

 less dis|);iif seized nie, and even the Irishman 

 lost hope, and aveireil that he was no great lover of fish. 

 The captain swore and railed at me, laughed and ridiculed 

 me. >'iiy, he even went so fur as to awake meat midnight 

 by yelling, "Hadn't you heller ihioir .m; yeair hook, Eng- 

 lisher? There'rcasgood fi.sh iii o ," .night!" 



With a warm bleB.siug on his urn me 



over, and while making ever . , uld be 



eontri\'ing modes of vengetiiicc. i le. e.i ,- i-Mne I could 

 have would be to catch a fish by trolling lu the Gulf Streaui, 

 just to yhow him what a Britisher coidd'do. But I hat grati- 

 fiealion seemed for ever to be denied me. Dolphins in plenty 

 followed our wake. Now and then one ol' them woiild ap- 

 proach the pork asif to smell aud interview il, and, iilthough 

 i would draw it forward slowly at times, and hurriedly at 

 others, swing it first to one^ide aud then the other to tempt 

 them, they proved uncharmable and far less accommodating 

 than the Jew passengers, who could take a little piece of pork. 

 I changed the bait frequently and employed various devices 

 to allure oiii. of tb'ise shy ones of the deep " to try his luck." 

 One day at lie- suggestion of one of the sailors I Soaked the 

 pork in lobaeeo juice, but instead of the weed enticing them 

 It repelled them. I tied a piece of red fl.ainel witb (he pork 

 next day, but this they must ha\e mken f.ir the blrniov 

 standard ol some of the finny AliibHiiiiis of the ocean, ha- iiul 

 a smgle one was visible during thelialf day tiiat wa.s irailiiyg. 

 Then I dipped the bait in scenird hair-oil, and the way they 

 scooted a.liout it direeth^ it w as thrown over led me to feel 

 certaiu of a bite. But, alaa I "they had no hair ou the top 

 of their heads " uor anywhere else, and therefore didn't re- 

 quire the ^jerfumery. Having a Mexican rlollar with a hole 

 in it ] policed it up and tied it at the tin of the bait think' 

 ing that itsbrightnass might probably :ii ' ndwould 



have bailed the hook with my irinik md all, 



to have had satisfaction of that Yai;! .. ; felt cer- 



tain of catching a fish. But tlie ii>ii eouei unewnotthc 

 value of money or were not to be sold so cheaply. Finally 

 "fond recollection" caraf to mj' aid. Ingenuity had lanm 

 taxed to the utmost ■without success. AH the " inanly arts " 

 I could thuik of had been brought into requisition, but to no 

 purpose. Dreams of my boyhood, when I used to catch JVIil- 

 Icr's thmnbs and chub with a whity-brown fJiread for a line, 

 a beat pin for a hood and a maggot for bait, recm-red to me 

 and I spat upon the bait for 'luck. Three or four dolphin 

 were sporting uroouJ our stem when gently I dropped the 



' forlorn hope" into the sea. The capt'ain was for'ard talk- 

 ing to the other passeugers, and I crouched by the wheel to 

 escape his glance should he look that way. The honored 

 Union Jack waived defiantly from the gaff. Then, suddenly 

 and energetically, the line was tugged Smost outof my hand! 

 It was such a pull I thought Ih.at a twelve-foot shark had 

 taken the bait, and would soon t*ke me, too, if I didn't let 



go. Quietly raising myself I peered over the stem, when to 

 my great joy I beheld" a monster dolphin fast on the book 1 

 With a yell of delight I Bhouled, "I've got one! I've got 

 one I Britannia rules the waves!" and beuaii hauling in. 

 The captain barely turned toward the stern, and drawled out 

 through his nose, which seemed to be his principal organ of 

 speech, " You've got one ! You dained English fool, you 1 If 

 you don't quit that stupid trick of trolling in the Gulf Stream 

 I'll mill you with a handspike over your thick skull !" I 

 hauled away, till "the man at the wheel "cried, "He 

 has one, and a whopper, too," when he ran aft as cpilckly as 

 his sore leg would let him. "Haul hirn in quickly, or you'll 

 lose him. Give roe that line." And, seizing it out o"f my 

 hand, he hauled away a.9 if his life and not the dolphin's de- 

 pended unon the hitler's being lauded upon the deck. In a 

 second he -was over the trtiffraU imd at our feet. What a 

 beauty ! Rainbows I've seen in many climes, sunsets I've be- 

 held on the prairies, mountains and the seas, but my first, 

 ■my only dolphin, surpa.ssed them all in the rich blentlings of 

 its variegated colors ! Would thai T could Iiave prcservetl it 

 as it eanie from the sea: it Wijiihl have been a treasure, a 

 wonder, a. thing of joy for everin[.>re. dTie captain called a,ll 

 kinds to come aud see the pretty creature ere its eye beoaine 

 dim, and its pi-istine splendors had faded a\vay. Quicldythe 

 brilliant hues were dissi]>ated, and ere the lisli had ceased to 

 live the entire surface becaine a dirty, leaden hue. I had 

 had my revenge of (hat Yankee .skippiar, and glanced about 

 the deck singhig, "Rule Britannia ! Britannia rules the Gulf 

 Stream," till the whiz of amftrline-.spike as it flew by my lug 

 (ear) reminded me that no matter how completely the Union 

 Jack protected the Olivia it was no protection to rne persoii- 

 ally. Ne.xt dav was Fridav, la;nv 1 refjretted that it was not 

 the MUidveisary of my birth also, and we had the fish for din- 

 ner. Tlie Iri.shnian was delighted. He liked fish once in a 

 while, th'iugh hciw he or any one else could discover any 

 pleasant flavor in the tjesh of a dolphin I can't surmise. 



1 was not done with the captain yet. jirxived at Sandy 

 or some oilier Hook everything about the vessel was in ap- 

 ple-pie order: both passengers and crew were full-rigged; the 

 Union Jack was lowered, and the stars and stripes "hoisted. 

 There wasn't much danger then. The health officer came on 

 board, aud while he was inspecting things above deck I 

 skipped into the cabin, imfolded the beloved old flag, and 

 fastening it with a couple of forks in front of the captain's 

 berthbastened up to pass muster.- Soon the skipper led the 

 way to the cabin, where I suspect he had a bottle of some- 

 thing palatable for the doctor to put him in a good humor 

 imd thus secure a clean bill of health. That doctor was a 

 citizen of the great United States, and seemed posses.sed of 

 more warm (hot If you ■svill) patriotism than the captain, (he 

 merchants, the Jews and the Irishman altogether, while they 

 were in the Gulf Stream. "What's this! What does this 

 meani"' he exclaimed on beholding the emblem of freedom 

 serving as a curtain for the skipper's cot. " Da.sh that 

 dashed Britisher," the captain Screamed. "He fixed tlijit 

 libhy rag there," aud he tore it down. I was peeping down 

 the stairway. "Shame, captain," I cried: "that sacred ban- 

 ner has been vour safeenard, your protection, since you left 

 tltemouiliof the Kio Grande. If it had not floated at the 

 gntf's end the Olivia would h.avt; long since fallen a jirey (o 

 some Confederate cruiser, and yon yourself w^ould eitherhave 

 been thro-nm overboard us a diiinty bit for Daw Jones or be 

 now rotting in some Southern d'lmgeon." " Da.sh the old 

 rag," ho rried, angrily, as he trampled it under bis feet. 

 "Throw nie down that dashed Britisher, and I'll trample 

 him into pulii." ,\s no one would imdertake to throw me 

 down to him lie made up the Stairs for nie, and I made for 

 my usual (ilaee of safetv up tlie rope bidder, whilher his game 

 Icg-WOnldn't iieiiiiit his following. While he was looldng 

 about for Ronu'tliing to hurl at me I moved a few steps fur- 

 ther up alrift so as to be out of harm's way, and whined out 

 in the purest nasal sounds I coidd command, " No American 

 citizen ever ea light a fish by trolling in the Gulf Stream, but 

 fi dashed fool of a British subjeet did." With a shake of bis 

 fist, a grinding of his teeth, 'and a " Dash your" he disap- 

 peared doAvn the cabin stair.s. In the eour.se "of time he and 

 the doctor returned to the deck. His figiu-e-head was rod all 

 over, but the doctor had painted only Ihe point of liis bow- 

 sprit. 



Next day I parted from Captam Townley. He was an ex- 

 cellent sailor ; a sober, careful commander, a really good- 

 natnred fellow, notwithstanding his little eccentrieitle.s^ and 

 possessed of nobleness of heart that distinguishes the u'enuinc 

 American, both North and South of the imaduary division 

 line. A week orso after my retiim to this city I received a 

 N. Y. Herald coutaining a complimentary address the 

 passengers — Jew aud Gentile, American citizens and aBiitish 

 subject— had presented him ■with, and that wns the last I heard 

 of him. Should it ever be my lot to go to sea aeiiin I hope it, 

 may not he ou the first of AprU, and trust that I nuiy find a 

 worthy, generous soul like him skipper of the vessel." 



Toronto Gnn Club, 1880. 



The Park or Salmbt.— English anglers are discussing 

 the old qupsticm whether the parr Is a distinct species or a 

 young salcQon in the columns of the Fkhmff Oaiflte. The 

 question was settled so long ago that we are surprised to see 

 the answers called forth by some writer who displays his ig- 

 norance of natm-al history by declaring them a distinct flsh. 

 There are Just such !men in America but no one heeds them, 



WooDMONi n.in .\%-o GtiN Club— IRM/z/'wyfore, Die, %[\— 

 Bdit'-r F<-i't.t 'i:i(l tif.rejim: I promised yon 'that -^vlien our 



fislliuii- seas _-losed I would furnish yon with our score. 



Our seusou comnienced May XC mid closed Oelnlier 20 It, 

 being our first 3ea.son since the eirganizalion of tlie ehib. ibere 

 ww-e only occasional small parties lisfiiuLr ihirimr tiie enlire 

 season. Yet we have .scored .a.s follows : Caught tl ! black 

 baas, weighing 286i lbs. A. H. Evans. 



Pisinsn IS OsEtDA Lake.— »A correspondent says that 

 noiwithstandmg the poaching ■with nets there are still flsh in 

 I hi? lake of Central New York and that seven banels of 

 ••pike" (wall-eyed pike or pike-perch) were sent to New 

 York in the middle of last month. The flsh weighed from 

 one to seven pounds, aud they are still catching them. The 

 trout pill ill the hike by the State S(nue years "ago have not 

 been heard from. 



LtLitdB Black Bxm—Gakiiburff, IlUiu>fs.--A few days 

 since I was in Batavia, of this State, and had tie pleasure of 

 meeting your correspondent "Hix." Of course I reed not 

 vouch for his eminent trustworthiness. In the oflrtce of B. 

 Kindbltvde I saw an outline of a large black bass (small 



