764 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
Accordingly wo reefed the soil, run a life-line around 
the boat and pumped her out. We then cast off the 
shore-line, made sari, hove the anchor and by the help of 
the setting poles we got her away from the shore close- 
hauled on the starboard tack, and headed for camp di¬ 
rectly across the river, 
‘•Now, Ed,” said I, “you and Henry hold on to the 
main-shoot and don't let go unless I give the word. Ben, 
you stand by the pc ale halliards, and Frank you bail out 
with the bucket—novel- mind the pump — when I tell yon. 
All hands sit well to windward, outside the combing. If 
sbe goes over, hold on to the life line, and keep cool. She 
can't sink, and wo will drift ashore somewhere ! " 
The wind was now howling, the halliards shrieking, and 
the sea pounding with terrific force against the little Blue 
Wing , but sbo stood it bravely and at her way to wind¬ 
ward slowly hut surely. .Suddenly a tremendous sea 
washed F rank and Ben from their windward perch into 
the cook pit and jammed them against the centre-board 
trunk ; but they were up again in an instant, and Frank 
was bailing out for dear life. It was not long before I 
found myself sprawling in the cock-pit, knocked down 
bv a heavy coluber, hut without loosing my bold on the 
tiller. \Ye finally got across without auy further mishaps, 
but it was the longest two miles I ever sailed, None of 
the boys could swim a stroke save Frank and inyself, hut 
they stood it manfully and well: it was a good fessou for 
I,hem, and one that they did not forget. We oast anchor, 
made everything snug, and waded ashore, where we found 
Marion, who was the most frightened one in the party. 
“ I thought you were all gone, sure,” said he, “ half of 
the time 1 could only see the top of the sail, and I thought 
you were swamped.” 
“Oh, no.” said Frank, “we just kept down behind the 
waves to keep out of the wind ! ” 
A number of tire turtlers were there watching our mati- 
teuvres with much Interest, and ready to put out to our 
assistance in a Whitehall boat should it have been nooes- 
sary. Among them was “Jim” Russell, tlm well known 
Indian River guide, who said : 
“ Boys, that’s a bully boat and well sailed ; you need'nt 
fear togo anywhere in her ! ” 
As this was -'praise from Sir Hubert,” we were well 
satisfied. J. A. Hensiiall. 
A TURKEY SHOOTING MATCH. 
T HE story of the old-fashioned shooting match as re¬ 
lated in the issuo of October 2d, sc> interested me 
and afforded so much amusement that I would fain make 
payment therefor by relating another story of old time 
shooting. After the war I went into rifles heavily for a 
youngster, and had about all the ups and downs of rifle 
experience ; filled the neighbors with terror and the trees 
around with bullets ; got myself into hot water times 
without number, and at length sold all my guns and 
bought some oilier makes. But to the story :—December 
25th, 137—, “AGrand Turkey and Chicken Shoot,” so 
said the posters, took place in the suburbs. George, Old 
Dennis, and myself proceeded to the place of shooting; 
found it near a lager beer garden, and given by the pro¬ 
prietor thereof. Turkeys there were, also chickens ; at 
least they designated them thus. Our citizens were there 
in force, and so was zwei lager. Shot guns, chickens, ten 
rods: rifles, turks, and cliicks, distance unknown, and a 
ledge of rook behind it; the fowl placed on a little knoll, 
tied to a stake, with ten feet of cord to play with. Den¬ 
nis had a rifle of his own make, 71 pounds, 36 calibre, us¬ 
ing about 90 grains powder behind a 120 grain tionoidal 
bullet. It was a miniature target rifle. George had an or¬ 
dinary gun for which he payed $15, and was a beginner. 
My gun was 19 pounds, 42 calibre, bullet 100 grains, pow¬ 
der 100 grains. There was one Ballard .44 carbine, and 
one Frank Wesson .32 sporting rifle on the ground. Con¬ 
ditions Shooting, off shoulder; sighting shots, none; 
hits, bury the ball above the knee ; twenty-five cents per 
shot for turks, ten cents for chicks. Weather, cold ; at¬ 
mosphere, thick ; wind, 5 o'clock and strong, gusty. Den¬ 
nis was captain of us, and these were his directions : 
“ Them Dutchmen are so drunk that we needn’t be afeared 
of 'em hittin’ a turk only by accident. Let them shoot 
first, so B-. will get some of his money back, and don’t 
you kill every one you can, if you do old B——, '11 shet 
down on us. Do as I say, an' well git every turk he’s got. 
Now, George, you take the glass (a splendid one by the 
way), and git to wind’ard and watch my bullet. I’ve got 
eight turns on the screw, and the front sight knocked off 
a foot for a foot.” This last for my benefit, as I followed. 
Some shots had been fired by “ them Dutchmen." Gam- 
brinus was triumphant, and the turks safe I At the re¬ 
port of Dennis’s rifle there were exclamations, for “dot 
leedle guns make a pig noise,” and almost simultaneously 
with the stream of smoke from the muzzle of the rifle, 
a puff of dust just ill front of the turkey told where the 
shot had struck. So much for elevation and wind. “A 
leetle more powder next time,” said the old man. I took 
position for firing, Dermis took the glass, and George pre¬ 
pared to follow. “Turn iliat screw of youm down to 
five,” said Dennis, after I had fired, George tried his gun 
in turn, aud so we alternated, until at Dennis’s third shot 
the bird tumbled. I was shivering so much with the cold 
that I took a run out to the turkey, and when George fired, 
would put one footupontheexactspot the bullet touched 
the ground. Soon, over went a turkey in answer to his 
shot, Tli en lie got cold and had too run ou t to the tu rkey- 
stand, and I went to my position, which, when reached, 
found Dennis ready to shoot; a cloud of feathers answered 
the shot, but Mr. Turkey stood there as though nothing 
had happened. “Fire away, Doc, he ain’t hurt.” Iwasin- 
structed, and in answer to my fifth shot; (not at that turk) 
a twelve pound turkey waB declared to be mine. (Dennis 
did hit him, and by the rules might have claimed him. 
My shot killed him instantly.) After this, all three of us 
were warm, and i don't believe that to this day B-. 
knows any better than (hat wo really were cold, When 
we went out to the stand it was by instruction from Den¬ 
nis, and from the tiring-point the exact location of the 
hit could be noted by tlm position of the foot, by the use 
of the glass. ‘ ■ Them Dutchmen ” didn’t realize the fact 
that every time we fired, theturky stood in the same place 
as when the less Shot was fired, or that the small boy who 
happened to be out there was advised to ‘ ‘ shoo the turk up 
by the stake when we waved a hat! ” That the turkey 
was the length of the cord from the stake in any direction, 
was none of our business while they shot, A fter a time 
the “ proverbial bird” ceased to be, and we tried chickens. 
At nightfall B-had placed 17 turkeys upon the stand. 
We had 15 of them; Dennis, 6 ; George, 2 ; I, 7 ; I re¬ 
member 6 five chickens for my shooting, and that alto¬ 
gether a decent wagon load of poultry was killed by us 
three. “ Them Dutchmen ” had the remaining turkeys, 
a few chickens, and more lager than was comfortable. 
After this shooting match we three fellows used to go 
every opportunity, and when working on the plan spoken 
of, were invariably successful. One day 1 went alone, 
walking two miles and carrying my kit (about eighty 
pounds), and thinking I would be smart ana have a lot of 
turks before George could get there, I shot away two dol¬ 
lars and a half not counting the ammunition, and then 
had no bird. The reason was, the flight of the shot was 
so rapid that it. was impossible to spot the shot; couldn't 
get the gun down from t he face soon enough unless the 
range was known. We did not try shooting solus again. 
VlDETTE. 
FACTSAND FANCIES ABOUT SHOOTING. 
NO. 2.—BY A. WINTER. 
HOW TO FIND AND KIEL GAME. 
A S preliminary to the introduction of the sportsman 
into the field, a few words will not be amiss, as to 
proper equipments and ammunition. The relative differ¬ 
ence between th'e better grades of different makers of pow¬ 
der in common use, is very small. I would x-ecommend for 
breech-loaders, a moderately coarse grain : it burns more 
slowly ; the full charge is ignited before it leaves the bar¬ 
rel, and, consequently, the shot get all the momentum 
there is in it. In addition to this, it leaves less residuum 
after combustion, and the gun is easier to keep in order. If 
the Dittmar powder could be relied on, as being safe and 
uniform in its action, it would be the sportsman’s desider¬ 
atum, Unfortunately, however, it is not always to he 
depended on. My first experience with it was delightful; 
there was “no smoke, no recoil, and no dirt." I have 
boon trying it again this season, and find it, not rela¬ 
tively, but positively worthless. While it may be true 
that the particular powder I have been using was an ex¬ 
ception to the general make, still my experience demon¬ 
strates the truth of what I have said. As to the charge, 
of course that varies with the guage of the gun. I have 
never seen the utility of the very large charges so much 
in vogue. I find that 3i drachms answer every purpose, 
and the sportsman’s ears are not deafened with cannon- 
like reports. I would therefore recommend rtho charge 
mentioned, as being amply sufficient for any gun not 
larger than 12-guage ; this, with 1-ounce No. 1(3 shot, will 
kill a quail, snipe, or woodcock with certainty, or at least 
reasonable certainty, forty paces, if the gun be all right 
and well aimed. As to the personal equipment of the 
sportsman, I shall leave that to his own taste, only caution¬ 
ing him against buying the very costly shooting suits, so 
assiduously advertised, unless indeed he desires to ap¬ 
pear as a perambulating advertisement for some fashion¬ 
able tailor. Hunting is rough work ; and briars and 
thorns have no more respect for a forty dollar than for a 
ten dollar suit. Have the feet comfortable, the arms free 
and easy, and no superfluous straps to interfere with the 
movements of the gun, I have missed many a fair shot 
by getting my gun entangled in the straps, used for car¬ 
rying pouch "and flask, when I used a muzzle-loader. 
And.' only the other day, I failed to bag a bird that 
sprung in the fairest possiblo cover, because my gun 
caught in my shooting-coat, whicli happened to lie but¬ 
toned up at the time. These may appear unimportant 
details, but the man who persistently neglects details in 
any of the affairs of life will never be successful. 
1 believe by common consent the quail, Orthyx vir- 
giniunus, is regarded as the represenalive American game 
bird; I shall therefore confine myself to directions as to 
how to find and kill the nimble and swift-of-wing ‘ ‘ Bob¬ 
bies.” Woodcock and snipe shooting is, at best, but epi¬ 
sodical in its character ; and taking into consideration the 
favorite, haunts of these birds— dense swampy coverts, 
and slushy, boggy quagmires — the sport of killing them 
is not to be compared to that of bringing down the whir¬ 
ring quail. One great mistake made by sportsmen in 
hunting quail, is that they start out too early in the 
morning ; the birds are then seeking their feeding grounds 
—are running, and will never stand well to be pointed. 
Wait until the sun has dried off most of the dew, and 
you can hunt with decidedly more comfort to yourself, 
as well as to your dog. The birds will have finished feed¬ 
ing in a great measure in the meantime, and will be 
quietly resting in some grassy covert in their feeding 
grounds, or immediately contiguous thereto. Tlieir flight 
will not be so long, and their movements more sluggish 
after taking flight, which however they will do very re¬ 
luctantly. 
Enter' the field, if possible, so as to bunt up wind. A 
dog will do much better work if this advice is followed ; 
and, though I am trenching somewhat on what will 
properly come under another head, endeaver to make 
your dog understand the difference between pattering 
over ground scents, and hunting with his head well up. 
The best dog imaginable is likely to run over his birds, 
particularly early in the morning, if he hunts ground 
scents, or if he hunts down wind. A little patience and 
cure on this point will be amply repaid, Al ter your dog 
baa established his point, if you are disposed to be ner¬ 
vous, remain perfectly quiet, or stationary, for a full 
minute. This will serve to steady you, and will teach 
the dog habits of stanchness, In the meantime, cast 
your eyes around, to see in what direction the birds are 
likely to fly when flushed. If there is a cover of auy 
sort, woods, or swamps within a radius of three hundred 
yards, you may be sure the birds will make for it; and, 
in the absence of woods and swamps within reach, if 
there be a depression or hollow, or ditch, or fence over¬ 
grown with grasses or briars and weeds, the chances are 
as tea to one. that the birds will go there. After you 
have taken this observation, settle, as well as you can, 
from the direction of the point, the exact location of the 
birds ; then make a small circuit, so as to approach from 
the direction in which the birds are likely to fly, This 
plan possesses two advantages : the birds, in passing, 
should they persist in going to the covers, will give the 
sportsman'the fairest possible shot, with the chances of 
his striking a vital part, considerably increased over a 
dead-away one; and in using the second barrel, the smoke 
from the first does not interfere. Again, if there be a 
cover, such as I have spoken of, the probabilities are that 
the birds will go in the other direction, and thus afford 
some fine single bird shooting. I have very frequently 
seen a covey kept by these tactics from dense cover, into 
which it would have been folly to have followed them. 
Walk your birds up slowly and deliberately; do not rush 
on them, as though you were frightening an obstreper¬ 
ous pig ; and do not shoot the moment they get out of 
cover ; you will miss entirely, or tear your bird up so 
that it will be useless. Wait till the bird has passed you ; 
if they persist to cover, or, in other words, in passing 
cross shots ; or, if they be going straight away, until 
fully twenty paces off, it will then be time; enough. The 
bird, in the meantime, has gotten straight in its flight ; 
if shooting a crossing bird, aim about a foot ahead, or 
have the sight apparently an inch in front of the bird ; 
pull trigger lustily, the moment your gun gets to your 
shoulder, and my word for it, if vou have practised the 
lesson given in the preceding paper, you will bag the 
bird. Don’t wait, however, to speculate on the proba¬ 
bilities of your having killed—the birds are going like 
lightning. Again : select your bird; and, as the distance 
has increased nearly double, or quite so, aim two feet 
ahead, or have the sight two inches in front of bird Of 
course it frequently happens the birds pass so near the 
sportsman, that the angle at which he shoots is not above 
ten or fifteen degress, in which case he must aim a very 
little in front of his bird. The rule given above will ap¬ 
ply to a square cross shot, or, say an angle of ninety de¬ 
grees — the bird at a distance of twenty paces. If the 
angle be less, or the bird further away, diminish or in¬ 
crease the distance aimed ahead, proportionately. If the 
bird be going straight from the sportsman, of course lie 
ought to cover him exactly, if possible. After you have put 
in both barrels, don’t get excited ; keep perfectly coot if 
possible, or as cool as you can — at any rate, remove your 
empty shells, if using a breech-loader, or proceed to load, 
if using a muzzle-loader. After you have finished load¬ 
ing, no matter whether using a breech or muzzle-loader, 
bid your dog hold up. I will take it for granted that he 
has either held his point, or dropped to shoot, which is bet¬ 
ter. If you are certain you have killed a bird, tell him to 
“ fetch.” I say certain, advisedly, for no man can hope 
to have a good retriever who makes his dog look for a 
bird that has never been killed. He will soon leam that 
there is some doubt about the matter; and even when 
the sportsman does kill, will not look up dead game half 
as industriously. And again I would say to the young 
sportsman, keep cool ; if your dog does not find the dead 
bird as readily as you would wish, don’t you get out of 
patience with him ; endeavor to calm him, if he is wild 
or excited, and do so in as quiet a manner as possible. 
Nothing is half so infectious as excitement; and if your 
dog sees you are not calm, be takes it as carte blanche 
permission for him to run wild. 
One thing I forgot to mention : If the sportsman is not 
provided with a marker, he ought to try to mark his 
birds down as well as he can ; this is not so easily done 
when he uses both barrels at the rise; he can, however, 
locate the game very nearly, or, if his dog be an adept at 
his business, he will assist very materially. Practice, in 
marking, can alone make perfect. The best plan is to 
keep the eye well ahead of the birds, when they are ready 
to alight; they will perform the arc of a circle, fold their 
wings, and come to grass. And now comes the most 
difficult part of the young sportsman’s work ; difficult, be¬ 
cause it requires slow, caretul and deliberate work on the 
part of both sportsman and dog. My observation lias 
been that, to ten good covey dogs, you will find one good 
single bird dog, and the proportion of sportsmen who 
work up the scattered birds thoroughly, is still smaller. 
In the South, where I have done all my shooting, this 
arises principally from the abundance of birds, the sports¬ 
man preferring to look up another covey rather then de¬ 
vote so much time to the one already scattered. This 
plan is wrong, however, both in principle and practice ; 
it works badly on dog as well as man ; the man it teaches 
to do his work in a hurried, slovenly manner, while the 
dog can never be depended on for careful and thorough 
work should it ever become necessary. 
I would advise the young sportsman, after he has 
bagged his birds, killed on -the rise, to wait ten minutes 
before looking up the scattered birds; if liis dog did well, 
caress him, and let him know he appreciates his obedi¬ 
ence and zeal; the interval will serve to steady sports¬ 
man and dog, and the birds will become settled. When 
approaching the ground, where the birds likely dropped, 
send the dog forward, steadying him by frequent com¬ 
mands, and making him work always directly in front, 
swinging backward and forward after the ma nn er of a 
pendulum. If the sportsman finds the birds run after 
alighting, and the dog is disposed to road them up by 
ground scent, check him sharply, bringing him to heel ; 
make a detour, so as to get beyond the birds, then work 
toward them 1'rom the direction in which they are run¬ 
ning, The advantages of this plan, if the conformation of 
ground will permit its use, are obvious and decided. It 
is one of the hardest things in the world to make a dog 
do satisfactory work when following up a fresh ground 
scent, even if he hunts with his head well up ; more espe¬ 
cially if he be working up wind: the strong scent, aris¬ 
ing from ground and coming down wind, confuses him, 
and he is apt to make a long point, if cautious, or to flush 
his birds outright, if disposed to press his points. If, 
however, the birds have not moved—and they are not 
likely to do so, if the cover consists of gra3s, briars, or 
rag weeds —keep the dog well in hand, hunting thoroughly 
every part of the ground, over and over and again if 
necessary. Do not give over hunting for them too readily; 
frequently they lie so close, they will suffer themselves 
to be trodden on, before taking wing. When at last the 
dog makes point, approach him cautiously ; the proba¬ 
bilities are very strong that you will spring one or more 
birds in going to him, and, remember one thing — never 
budge an inch without being ready for instant work. 
After you have walked up the pointed bird, the sports¬ 
man is treading on enchanted ground, and his ears may 
any moment be assailed with the sharp whir of rising 
quail. Do not leave the ground until you have sprung 
something like the number of birds you may think dropped 
there, W hether or not the quail has the power to with¬ 
hold his scent, I do not pretend to say : but they have a 
way of allowing hunter and dog to wail, over them, 
which is puzzling to say the least, The tactics I have 
