THE AMERICAN SPORTSMAN 
[Entered According to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, toy the Forest and Stream Publishing Company, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
1 , S4 a Year. 10 0(9. a Copy.! 
Mo's, S3, Three Mo’s, SI. f 
NEW YORK, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1879. 
I Volume 13-No. 0. 
I No. Ill Fulton Street, New York. 
THE S1NG-AWAY BIRD. 
/ \ SAY, hare you heard of the sing-away bird, 
S/ That sings where the Kunaway River) 
Buns down with Its rills from the bald-headed hills 
That stand In the sunshine and shiver? 
“0 sing! sing-away! sing-away!” 
1 How the pines and the birches are stirred 
By the trill of the sing-way bird! 
jlnd the bald-headed hills, with their rocks and their rills, 
To the tune of his rapture are ringing, 
[And their faces grow young, all their gray mists among, 
While the forests break forth into singing, 
“ 0 slug! sing-away! sing-away! ’’ 
And the river ruus singing along; 
And the flying winds catch up the song. 
t was nothing but.—hush! a wild white-throated thrush, 
That emptied his musical qiver 
With a ebarm and a spell over valley and doll 
On the banks of the Runaway River. 
“ 0 sing! sing-away!’ sing-away 1 ” 
Yet the song of the wild singer had 
[ The sound of a soul that is glad. 
And, beneath the glad sun, may a glad-hearted one 
Set the world to the tuno of bis gladness. 
The rivers shall sing it, the breezes shall wing it, 
TUI life shall forget its long sadness. 
“O sing I sing-away! sing-away!" 
Sing, spirit, who knowest joy’s Giver- 
Sing on. by time’s Hunaway River! 
Lucy Larcom, in SI. Nicholas. 
loricld. 
(Second Paper.) 
I INDIAN RIVER, T1TCSYILLE AND VICINITY. 
ITUS VILLE, though a small village, is a place of con- 
J siderable importance in East Florida, being the em- 
um for the entire country south for a distance'bf two 
ired miles. Its former name wag Sand Point, which it 
ill called by the boatmen and lower country people, 
hg, saudy point projecting into the river a quarter of' 
lile above gave it this name. It is now known as 
sville in honor of Col, H. T. Titus, one of its pioneer 
tents, and whose enterprise gave it its initiative im- 
e of activity and importance. It has now two 
Is and a half-dozen stores, and is the distributing and 
ping point for Southeast Florida. The products of 
country, such as Oranges, limes, pineapples, bananas, 
s syrup, early vegetables, green turtle, oysters, veni- 
slrins, hides, etc., are shipped to Jacksonville via 
Lake, while the return cargoes consist of groceries, 
dsions, clothing, household goods, etc. Its wooden 
iway will be extended to Lake Harney—some twenty 
js—this season, which will add greater facilities for 
e and travel. Mr. S. J. Fox is the principal owner 
manager of this road, and sportsmen and tourists 
find him genial, jolly and fully alive to their inter¬ 
file hotels are the “Titus Hotel” and the “Lund 
ise,” the former owned by Col. Titus and the latter by 
t. Lund, of the Jacksonville and Salt .Lake line of 
mers. Both are good houses. The “Titus” waskept 
winter by Messrs. Bodine & McCarty, and the 
Jind”by S. A. Merrill, Esq., of Lynn, Mass. Mr. 
rill expects to “run it” again next winter, and I can 
srfully recommend it to the notice of tourists. It is 
rmingly located near the river beach, and is a most 
—ifortable hostelry. Mr. M. “knows how to keep a 
si,” as he has had an experience of twelve year’s in 
iucting a summer house on the Massachusetts beach, 
intends introducing a novel and desirable feature next 
ter—he will have several yachts, in charge of com- 
■nt skippers, who will take parties of guests on camp- 
and fishing excursions down the river, at no addi- 
lal expense to the regular per diem rate of the hotel, 
ich is $2 per day, 
iere are a number of places of interest in the im- 
iate vicinity of the village. About a mile northwest 
Titusville is quite a large and thrifty settlement, 
1 believe, Pfeiatersville. The settlers are engaged 
he culture of oranges and early vegetables. About 
ft miles above, on the same side of the river, is the 
' ament oalled Aurantia. From Titusville to the head 
idian River is fourteen miles ; to the Haulover Canal, 
connecting Indian River with Mosquito Lagoon, is ten 
miles, and the celebrated Dummit’s orange grove is in 
that vicinity. Opposite Titusville is the head of Merrit’s 
Island, which is a wedge-shaped island about thirty miles 
long, bounded on the north by Banana Creek, on the east 
by Banana River, and on the west by Indian River. It is 
ten miles wide on the northern end, and inns to a point 
at its southern extremity, opposite Eau Gallie. At the 
head of the island there are plenty of deer, and on Banana 
Creek, the mouth of which is live and a half miles east 
from Titusville, the gunner will rind good wild fowl and 
snipe shooting. The fishing is all that can be desired, and 
the angler will need no guide to find the best places, for 
fish will be found wherever there is water. Quail are 
plentiful, and one can hear them cheerfully piping 
“ bob-white ” in the palmetto scrub among the pines, not 
two hundred yards from the hotel. 
At the several stores everything in the way of “ grub ” 
can be obtained at reasonable rates. Self-raising flour, 
bacon, coffee, sugar, canned goods of every description, 
and the great Florida staple, hominy, or “grits,” can be 
purchased at about Jacksonville prices ; but the sports¬ 
man must take his ammunition and fishing tackle with 
him, or at least procure them in Jacksonville. 
Indian River is an extensive but shallow sheet of water, 
150 miles in length, and above the narrows varies from a 
mile to five miles in width. It is not a river, properly 
speaking, but a shallow salt water lagoon, or sound, with 
two inlets from the sea—one opposite Fort Capron and 
the other at its extreme southern end. at Jupiter River. 
From Jupiter Narrows to the head of the river there is no 
current, and the mean rise and fall of the tides is but 
three inches. From Jupiter inlet to the Narrows there 
is a strong derivative tide-wave of greater mean. The 
general course of the river is N. N. W. and S. S. E. The 
variation of the compass at Titusville is 2 deg. 54 sec. E. 
It is a magnificent body of water, separated from the 
Atlantic by a narrow strip of land, generally from a 
fourth to a half mile in width, though in places the in¬ 
tervening strip is not more than from seventy-five to 
two hundred yards wide. 
Being so near the sea, there is a good sailing breeze al¬ 
most every day, and with an easterly or westerly wind 
one can lay his course either up or down the river. While 
the breezes are almost always fresh, gales are veiy infre¬ 
quent during the winter season. “Northers” are 
dreaded most, chiefly on account of their coolness, but a 
“ sou-wester” is the most treacherous, baffling and 
squally wind that blows on Indian River. 
The entire carrying or freighting business is done by 
small yachts and sailboats, consequently there are plenty 
of boats and experienced boatmen that can be chartered 
to convey parties or individuals to any portion of East 
Florida. These boatmen are, as a rule, intelligent and ac¬ 
commodating. An Indian River boatmen is sui generis; 
a peculiar and unique combination of sailor, fisherman, 
hunter, guide, cook, woodman, and philosopher ; an ani¬ 
mated Salmagundi, full of all kinds of expedients for all 
kinds of emergencies. ■'The boats are necessarily light 
draught and centre-boarders. There are the “ skimming- 
d ish, ” the ‘ • pumpkin seed, ” and the ‘* flat-iron ” models, all 
half-round yacht-built boats, broad and beamy, cat-rigged 
or sloop-rigged ; they all pound and spank in a sea-way, and 
are very wet. Then there is the ‘ ‘ skip-jack,” a much su¬ 
perior model for sailingj” wall go to windward much 
better, but, as they are built very fiat, with little or no 
sheer, and with chubby bows, they are also wet. There 
are a few ships’ boats, picked up on the beach mostly, 
built over, and usually schooner-rigged; they do very 
well sailing free, but on the wind are logy. Last and 
best is the “ batteau,” of good length, little beam, and 
flat bottom, with “pirogue,” or “ periauger,” rig — that 
is, two leg-o’-mutton sails like the “ sharpie.” I will say 
here, that if the “sharpie” is ever introduced in East 
Florida, it will rapidly take the place of all other boats, 
for it is undoubtedly the boat for Florida waters, being 
fast, safe, weatherly, easily handled, of extremely light 
draught, great carrying capacity, and cheap. 
The day after we arrived in Titusville was Christmas 
day ; but it was hard to realize it with the thermometer 
at 75 degrees, with the birds singing merrily, and flowers 
blooming in the open ground; while all around were 
trees and shrubs luxuriant in their green and graceful 
foliage.' Feeling ten years younger, I hastened to the 
river in search of a suitable boat for our party ; and, by a 
stroke of extreme good fortune, I hit upon a “skip-jack " 
yacht, cat-rigged, 19 feet long, 7 feet beam, drawing 15 
inches when loaded ; she was decked over forward and 
aft, with a very roomy cock-pit. I examined her thor¬ 
oughly and found her tight, in good order, and sound 
condition. She was called Blue Wtng, and proved to be 
one of the fastest and safest boats on the river. 1 pur¬ 
chased her for quite a moderate sum — about one-half her 
real worth. Of course, my purchase was soon “noised 
abroad ” among the boatmen; and at night there were 
“ all hands and the cook ” mustered in the office of the 
hotel. >¥1111 an eye to the main chance, many were quite 
anxious to go with me in the capacity of skipper and 
guide. They were quite solicitous in regard to our wel¬ 
fare ; and I was entertained graphically with the diffiul- 
ties of navigating Indian River with its intricate chan¬ 
nels, rocky reefs, treacherous shoals, oyster bars, varia- 
grounds and hunting localities, known only t 
few.” But as I deemed tny past experience in sailing— 
ten years of my youthful life in Chesapeake Bay, and 
later on Long Island Sound, and still later on Lake Mich¬ 
igan—sufficient for Indian River, I declined their kind 
(Sees with the best grace possible, and put a bold face 
on the matter as the following colloquy may witness. 
After I had been interviewed by a number, one who ap¬ 
peared to be a kind of “oracle” amongst them, ap¬ 
proached me and cast off his " jaw-tackle ” in this wise :— 
Oracle (patronizingly)—“ Doc., I’d like to sail the Blue 
Wing for you fellows, and learn yon the ropes. Flow 
long will you be on tbe river? ” 
“ About four months." 
O. (surprised)—“ Why, most parties only go down for 
two or three weeks; but I 'spose you’ll run down to Jupiter 
and make long camps all the way down?” 
“ I shall stop but a day or two at Horse Creek and El¬ 
bow Creek; a few days on Banana River; then Crane 
Creek and Turkey Creek; a week on Sebastian Creek; 
through the narrows and Capron tor another week ; then 
St. Lucie River and through Jupiter Narrows, and Hobe 
Sound to Jupiter River. After a few days at Jupiter I 
will go to Lake Worth.” 
O. (emphatically)—“ But you can’t get the Blue Wing 
through the saw-grass to Lake Worth I ” 
“ No; I shall go over Jupiter bar, and sail outside 
to Lake Worth Inlet.” 
O. (amazed)—“ But she has never been outside; and, if 
you’ll take my advice, you won’t try it.” 
“ And from Lake Worth I will sail to Biscayne Bay." 
O. (astonished)—“Jerusalem! Why, that’s 150 miles 
outside sailing! ” 
“No, only about seventy-five miles, with two good 
harbors between ; New River and Hillsboro’ River.” 
O. (vanquished)—“ Well, Doc., you’ll excuse me— I don’t 
want any of that outside bizness in mine—not in an 18- 
foot boat, anyhow! ” 
“ Then I may cruise along the Keys to Key West, and 
if the hoys stand the racket pretty well I will sail up the 
west coast to Charlotte Harbor and Pease Creek, where I 
will sell the boat, hire an ox-cart and team, and go across 
the country to Lake Okecliobee and come out at Fort 
Capron, where I will charter your boat to bring us up to 
Titusville, provided you are on hand.” 
O. (admiringly)—“ Why, Doc, yon must be a regular 
old salt!” 
“ Yes, I can discount Lot’s wife for saltness ; I am the 
saltiest of the salt—saltpetre and Epsom salts—a double 
dose.” 
O. (reflectively)—“ Are the rest of your party good 
sailors?" 
“ I don’t think either of them ever saw a sail-uoat be¬ 
fore they reached Jacksonville, and I am certain that 
none of them were ever in one.” 
O. (decidedly)—“ Well, they’ll have a rough time of it 
if they follow you.” 
“ That’s what I brought them here for, to rough it. 
The oracle moved away and mingled with the crowd. 
Frank told me afterwards that he heard him tell the 
others that “ tbat doctor from Kentucky had been to In¬ 
dian River before, and knows the ropes like a book.” 
It being Christmas night, every one was now in a thor¬ 
oughly good humor, and we were “ swapping yarns ” and 
retailing old jokes. Some one then suggested to Mr. 
Long, the shipping-clerk of the railroad, to get his violin. 
He readily complied, and after he and several boatmen 
had taken a turn at it, the “ oracle ” sidled up and re¬ 
quested me to “play a tune,” observing that he knew 
from the “ cut of my jib ” that I could do so. Nothing 
loth, I scratched off “Devil’s Dream,” “Grey Eagle,” 
“ Arkansas Traveller ” and other lively tunes, to the great 
admiration of the crowd, and especially of the “ oracle” 
himself, whose delight seemed unbounded, and who 
seemed to take a patriarchal or proprietary interest in 
me, exclaiming : 
“ First you’re a doctor, then you’re a sailor, and now 
you’re a fiddler!" 
“ Yes," said I, “I sometimes fiddle for my patients ; it 
does them more good than medicine.” 
At Mr. Long’s suggestion we then repaired to the par¬ 
lor, when I surrendered the violin to liim and accompa¬ 
nied him on the piano. It was not long until the " oracle” 
again approached me, confidentially, and asked me to 
“ sing something,” naming several of my favorite songs. 
I wondered a little at this, but when he called for “ The 
Nine Little Pigs,” then I knew that my party had been 
" giving me away.” However, I accepted the situation, 
and with a few-••forecastle songs” 1 snug myself right 
into the hearts of those rough but honest boatmen, and 
during my stay in Florida I bad no better friends. They 
were always ready, and more than ready, to do me any 
favor in their power.” 
On the morning of Dec. 27th we doffed our "store 
clothes,” packed them in our trunks, which were left at 
