August 10, 1882.1 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



23 



above, the melody of tnanyhylas, the cricket's sharp tremulo, 

 the iium Of many, winged insects, and finally, as the mist 

 and darkness grow apace, from the valley below came sharp, 

 clear, and ycf modified by passages through the heavy air, 

 the liukle-iiukle-tintle of 'the musical, mellow-toned cow-bell. 

 No muse has been tuned in honor of this essential thing in 

 backwoods life, which fits so becomingly the primitive con- 

 ditions and customs o£ man. How timid and ephe- 

 meral is the cow-bell. The boy may hear it; 

 the old man never. It has "moved on" to other 

 sections where the axe has but begun, not completed 

 ils work. It ever will be moving on in company with 

 the pioneers of civilization, aud will be no more known to 

 the second or third generation than is the keen bright axe 

 of the pioneer known. 



The mist Had finally o'crspread the whole valley, other 

 voices of the evening time had ceased, the last "high-reach- 

 ing spoke of day's cnariot" had disappeared from the sky, 

 the moon alone shed its pale light over the scene, and as we 

 rose to enter the house the gentle tinkle from below, the last 

 knell to the close of day, had also ceased. J. Quay. 



CAMP FIRE IN THE GREAT SWAMP. 



BY A. MULE.— FABT IU. 



THE battle was o'er and our bigles sang truce, for th< 

 night clouds had lowered. The grim wairiors of the chase 

 and supper-table gathered close around the tiro, and a 

 pause pioplietic ol toai:^ fearlul lies hung listening in the 

 air. Tue little' jobs of camp work were brought out. Here 



Jack P is sewing up the chair end of his breeches, 



lost in the reaching grasp of Bruin; there Tom S cob- 

 bles away at a briolc, and the Doctor aud Shelb. are greas- 

 ing and trashing the dogs crippled by the day's fight. 



"Been made ;". Son ut Malta, Jack?" asked P . 



"That would make him a Maltese Jack." 

 "I'm willing," saLl Juek; "it comes from Bruin, andl al- 

 ways Mili-i 



"Been sinre f heard you cussin' the bartender ior not giv- 

 ing you something 'to take hold of your tripe, 1 then!" 

 " i'n it wis ail tusumJU tor tn« ojcxsioa," said Jack. 

 "Assumed! Lake your tooth the summer you spent in 

 Maine. Dnuik up all the cologne in the house on the pica 

 titat he hau a bad bteath, a rascal, and ha3 a breath like a 

 cow in clover." 



" Well, ru, aunt iiad mo cornered and I had to do some- 

 thing, lor I was swelling up like Dickens' Shepherd on the 

 tea-total dish." 



"Hope you left your Uinfolka more politely than you did 

 the bar to-day when youi underpmn.ag gave way," laid oi i 

 SujIj., di-dy. "Bus .ed if you didn't leave there with more 

 hurry aud tess breeches than I ever did see two friends part 

 before—" 



" Twasn't before, it was behind!" 



"That was a lively fight, wasn't it Shelb. V" asked the 

 Doctor. 



"it was a heap livelier race after Jack got his legs started. 

 But I've be.ee no spiled by good luck that I don't call any- 

 thing a first-class uar figut so long ai you can see the man. 

 In a real tip top scrimmage the bar and dogs and man ought, 

 to be mixed up so harmoniously down in tue cane that you 

 could no more tell which was which than you could separate 

 the hoss from the jackass out of a mule. Things has to 

 get inixe.d in bar hunting. If a man ain't a mixer he had 

 best keep outside. For I tell yon this rambling around 

 shooting business, blazing away and hitting two dogs twice 

 for once into the bar, -von'tdo. A man that wants to get 

 bar meat has to go right in and rastle for it with the bar, aud 

 when, as I said, nim~and the dogs and the bar is down thar 

 a huuitniug like an eighty-saw gin, with the fur a fijing up 

 like a lint room, thsn he can catch some idea of what a gen- 

 uine bar light means." 



"I cannot say that your picture is one I am very fond of," 

 said Tom 8—. "Butt- unless one doss go in with a knife, 

 bear hunting is poor sport. The wild hog is iar more dan- 

 gerous as a lighter as the bear seems to tight a good deal like 

 tttb nigger, plenty of bad temper and jaw, but an instinctive 

 dread oi hurting a white man, wnen it comes to close quarters." 

 "Tut tut," said the Doctor, pompously, "anyoody can 

 hunt tue black bear. I'd rather kill forty bears than one 

 desperate old tusker." 



"fou had butter kill one first, Doctor," said old Shelb., 

 who was riied at the attack on his favorite. "A bar ain't 

 much to kill, i know, if you happen to start right, and I saw 

 Andy Granger beat the brains out of one with a stick, but 

 all tne same f don't go about hunting sore-nosed old shes 

 with cnbB in order to kill 'em with sticks." 



"Tell the boys about the fight you saw between the boar 

 and a bear," said P. 



"It was a great many years ago," said Shelby, "when 

 game was much more plenty about here than now. I was 

 Out on a still hunt, and slipping through the woods I came 

 upon a fine mulberry tree lull of fruit and with a big old he 

 picking berries off the ground. Presently he got tired of 

 that and went up the tree. In a few minutes I saw a wild 

 hog come trotting up and also stop just at that same tree- 

 He was a very big boir, and of course saw the bar, but he 

 wasn't afraid of anybody's bar and so went to rooting away 

 among the trash, picking up the fallen berries on his own 

 account. I guess he had some idea of the bar having been 

 before him, lor every now and then he would give a quick 

 look up the tree and chomp with his teeth aa if fairly eus.sin" 

 the bar. All this time the old he took no manner of notice 

 of the hog, but sot tared back up thar — hauling in the limbs 

 and stripping the berries — smiling politely to hisself, and no 

 doubt felt as fat, and sleek, and happy as any other rich old 

 gentleman. This pretty scene might have lasted tiil yet but 

 for the ambition of the bar. Arter collecting all the "berries 

 just around him and throwing the leaves down to the boar, 

 • who would resent it every time, he concluded to go a little 

 ways out on a branch whar fruit was thicker ana bigger. 

 Out he went, and evidently got a fine haul, as he had both 

 hands and all his jaws working like a engine. Little by 

 Utile, as he ate his way, he would hitch fuither out on the 

 limb. At first he was very cautious about his weight, but 

 as the berries got sweeter and thicker, just so he forgot the 

 situation. The boar had also come round the tree and was 

 greedily picking up the loose berries that fell in a stream 

 from where the old he was moving about above. 



"How it happened, God knows— perhaps the branch was 

 rotten — but, getting a little too far out, crack went the limb 

 and down came tns bar exactly a-slraddle of the hog. It 

 didn't take the hog more than the hundredth of a second to 

 buck the bar off and give him a second tumble before he 

 could say a word. 

 "When he riz I saw there was blood on the moonl 



" 'Whe-e-w! Blast you what did you do that fur?' said 

 the bar. 



" Tou're an infernal black liar!' rip, rip, said the hog, 

 charging at him. 



"And they had it. Clear boxing and science on one side; 

 gouging, and rough and tumble on the other, and a devil of 

 a temper equally distributed. Fust the bar and then the 

 hog had the advantage, and it was the loveliest tight 1 ever 

 One round the old he got the boar fairly in arms, and 

 as he brought out his best hug, the hog's bones cracked. But 

 as he struggled to release himself, by mere accident his head 

 hits up against the bar's under jaw. Of course the old fool 

 had his tongue lolling out, as usual, and when I he lower 

 jaws shut up suddenly with terrific force, off went about 

 three inches of tongue — bit off. 



"I had got so interested that I forgot all about what, they 

 was, and there I was a-skipping around and encouraging first 

 the bar and then the hog. I think the hog, though, would 

 have got the best of it, but they suddenly seemed to catch 

 an idea of man about. Both stopped short off, looked first 

 at me and then at each other, and then with a fearful grunt 

 and snort they broke for the woods. By the time 1 remem- 

 bered who I was they had gone." 



"When that bear got home I'll beta hat he said ptetty 



much the sametuiugthat Jack F did after his fight with 



a man named Sam Turk," said the Doctor. 



"Jack was a little full — possibly his breath was troubling 

 him again — and he got into a fight with Turk, who wears a 

 wig and has no more hair than a billiard ball, though Jack 

 didn't know that. During the scrimmage, of course the wig 

 fell off, and after they were separated Jack swore he would 

 have whipped Turk in three seconds but for the bald-headed 

 scoundrel that ran in and jumped on!" 



"Oh, Doctor, may the Lord forgive you for that one!" 

 groaned Jack. 



"Wish I could have seen the fight," said Tom; the "finest 

 sight in the world is a rough and tumble fight between two 

 well-matched men." 



"Just so long as they only use fists and muscle I believe 

 that to be true. But when it coma3 to shooting and stab- 

 bing, as it does easily out West here, then it is horrible," 



said P , waking out his dreams of new and rare species 



of birds. 



"I have heard my father tell of an incident that is sicken- 

 ing. Long time ago a party of lawyers were riding circuit 

 in Alabama, in those days the terms of lawyer, gambler, 

 drunkard and bully were about synonymous. And this par- 

 ticular party were extra in each of the four lots. There were 

 five of them, all half drunk. My father had just crossed himself 

 over the river at a lonely ferry when the party rode up. 

 As the f.-rry.nm was absaut, they off arei a little copperas- 

 breeches of a mover, who was also waiting to cross, five dol- 

 lars to ferry them over in the flat. After some demur, the 

 little man yielded, drove his wagon into the boat, followed by 

 the high toned horsemen, and set off. Now, more miserable 

 looking specimens than thiB mover and his outfit are rarely 

 3een; and in default ol other mtBchief, the restless bullies began 

 to make fun of their ferryman. Finally one of them raised 

 the cover of the wa;oa and discovered a ragged, sallow wo- 

 man and a dozen scared children. They crowded round to 

 see the show, in spite of the gentle remonstrances of the 

 husband, and finally commenced to make outrageous and 

 vulgar remarks about the whole family. Then lie spoke 

 sharply, and one of them kicked him. Breeches fumbled 

 down in front of his wagon, drew out a rusty knife about 

 two feet long, and went for the party. He killed four on 

 the boat, and the other jumped iu the river and swam ashore, 

 where my father beat him nearly to death with a stick." 



"Those were queer times. In such a state of society only 

 could such characters as Bowie, Houston, MeClurg and 

 others have arisen. Desperadoes are necessities in such a 

 case as a protection to the community. Otherwise the aver- 

 age bullies would soon destroy all society, but kept down by 

 the predominant ones of their own class — these aie readily 

 controlled through their pride and interest to protect the 

 peaceable citizens." 



"The finest character of the kind that ever existed," said 

 P., "was a man named Logan Brandon. He lived in Ala- 

 bama iu the flush times, and was a gambler, horse trader, 

 speculator, everything by turns and nothing long. There 

 are many sorts of courage, but Brandon's was very simple. 

 He was without fear. Silent, gentle and pleasant; he never 

 exhibited the ordinary symptoms of anger or temper. In his 

 worst troubles he was entirely unchanged. Every child, 

 woman and respectable citizen who knew him loved him 

 with enthusiasm. Every desperado feared him. His friends 

 used him, joked him, abused him at will, and to the rough- 

 est treatment he responded only with a patient smile. On 

 one occasion with a party, he had stopped on the bridge 

 over the Black Warrior Kiver, which was very high. As 

 they sat on horseback, looking down at the boiling flood be- 

 neath, one of them. Brandon's best friend too, offered to 

 give him the fine horse he was then riding, If he would jump 

 into the river. Without a word horse and man instantly 

 went over the railing into the water! The friend rushed 

 down to receive them as they came out; caught Brandon and 

 pummeled him soundly, and look the horse away at once, 

 making him walk home, swearing he was too 'blamed a fool 

 to own a horse!' Brandon thought it was a tip-top joke. 



"On one occasion a cousin of his had been divorced by 

 her husband wrongfully and with great insult. The re- 

 spective counties "took up" the cause of each, and there 

 was the very greatest excitement. Brandon rode down over 

 a hundred miles and found the man making a speech to a 

 large crowd at a muster, as he was colonel of the regiment. 

 Without a moment's hesitation Brandon scrambled up on 

 the platform, and just as the dashing colonel finished a bitter 

 tirade against his wife and her friends he felt a hand laid on 

 his shoulder and a low voice sayin' 'Now you have abused a 

 woman, turn and face a man!' He did turn and got one 

 glance at Brandon's gloomy eyes and set face before he fell 

 with a bullet through his heart. 



"The fury of the crowd was awful. On'y the most tre- 

 mendous exertions by the sheriff and a few of the calmer citi- 

 zens saved him from lynching. During all Brandon never 

 said a word nor did his cheek pale or eye waver. Of course 

 he was never tried by law in those days. 



"On another occasion a fierce Indian outbreak occurred, 

 aud the settlers fled to the little towns or forts. Brandon 

 heard that a poor widow had been left unwarned some 

 twenty miles off, and was there in the very midst of the red- 

 skins. His own horses were lent out of course, and he could 

 neither borrow nor buy at that lime. Without a word he 

 left on foot, penetrated the Indian lines, got the widow and 

 her children and brought them to safety, having fought the 

 Indians for the ten last miles with a four-year old baby 

 strapped on his back I" 



A curious sort of sound, something between the filing of a 

 saw and the whistle of a bird, made us all look round at old 

 Shelb. There he sat with a face drawn up like a bamboo root 

 and the tears rolling down his face. 

 "Why, good heaveni, Shelb, what is the matter?" 

 "Not a thing in the world," said the old man "ceptin' 

 that baby." 



"What has that got to do with your spouting like that." 

 "O, nothing much, 'ceptin' that baby wns me !' said Shelb, 

 trying to grin. "Thar was mam and little Jake and Bet and 

 the baby, or rac, if you like, on that trip the colonel was tell- 

 ing about, and a big brindled dog that we ailcrs called Pup. 

 And but for Brandon we was surely dead people that night. 

 God bless him aud bless 'em all, for they are all gone long 

 ago, all dead but the baby, and that's rac!" 



"Do you remember much about it;" 



"No," said Mc. "I don't, ot course, bein'aslwasa mere 

 pup then, and scarcely had my eyes open. But I've hecred 

 that Brandon aud mam both faiuted when they got into 

 the town, and poor old Pup he died wilh a arrow iuside. I 

 wish I had his breed, anyhow " 



"The Lord knows you have dogs enough now for any 

 middle-sized man!" 



" 'Tain't the number that makes a pack, but it is the tem- 

 per," said Suelby, evidently glad to change the subject. 

 "Now I make it a rule never to feed my dogs at home, but 

 hide all the vittles the. best I know how, and let them take 

 chances for finding it. Then tne peartest come out first best, 

 and so merit is rewarded !" 



"Well, that is a new system of dog-l reakiug," said the 

 Doctor, who was awfully scientific on sport. 



"New or old, it brings out the best dogs. For a dog that 

 can't make his own living ain't worth keeping. My dogs 

 know the seasons as well as I do. Iu the summer they live 

 in the orchard on fruit, berries and fruit iu the woods, and I 

 have a hard time to keep them out of the green corn. They 

 will eat corn, died or green, off the ear, as bad as a mule, 

 andgo outon regular hunts for rabbits, rats, moles, b rd nests, 

 snakes— anything almost tbat is chewable at all. in this 

 way 1 can keep a large number of dogs, and keep them 

 peart and active. Of course when I hunt they get all the 

 fresh meat they can eat, and so they are always anxious for 

 a hunt, and soon learn to be careful about it as a mere ques- 

 tion of belly-timber. I don't keer much about having a dog 

 larnt to dance or whistle, or anything of that sort, hut I do 

 want to develop what brains he has got, so as to fit him for 

 my business. And for man or beast the best school house is 

 the belly. This is like the washing machines— 'self-acting, 

 universal and cont nuous.' " 



"I heard of a case in point in Virginia," said Tom. "A 

 gentleman was bragging about his trotting horse, when a 

 neighbor offered to match a hog against him. The race was 

 made. One month for training and the course three miles 

 on a certain road. The horse in harness, the hog to go as 

 he pleased. 



"The hog being selected— a long razor-backed pike— was 

 first, put into a pen at one end of the course. Kept without 

 food for twenty-four hours, he was then kicked and pulled 

 over the track to another pen, there fed, then returned to 

 pen No. 1, The next day or two the same thing. 



"In a few days Major Hog had grasped the situation. In 

 fact he soon became impatient to make the run at least one 

 way. And the day of the race he fairly distanced the horse 

 — squealing at every jump !" 



"Bed time !" yelled the Doctor. • 



"Sleep— sleep — man must have sleep to live. Eusebius 

 says the key of life is to sleep early and rise early." 



"Oh, he was an ass, as you-see-by-us." 



The Doctor nearly fainted. 



"May a million of mosquitoes stick you for that," said 

 he. 



"Have to be like Florida muskeeters, then, big enough to 

 carry my net off." 



"Florida is where they swarm so that they put out the 

 fires, isn't it ?" said Jack. 



"Same place where you sometimes have to poke a hole up 

 through the Insects to see the sun I" said Tom. 



"And vessels coming up to the coast look out for the 

 mosquito haze over the land as a murk," said P. 



"Shaw 1'" said old Shelb, "what air you boys lying so for? 

 Why, I've got a breed of 'skeeters back of my place as bis as 

 turkeys, and every time they nip a man he thinks a dog bit 

 him; and they bit' a little ni>:ger last August so much like a 

 dor that it gave liim the hydrophoby, and " 



"That's enough — '.hat's enough. Good night — good 

 night. ' ' ^___ 



The Fort Klamath County.— A Fort Klamath, Oregon, 

 correspondent, in a personal letter says: "1 think it would 

 be hard to find a place that has a larger variety of game 

 than is to be found in the vicinity of this post. And the 

 fishing — well, it mast be seen to be believed. An officer of 

 my regiment, wdiom I reiieved here, aud who is an excellent 

 fisherman, told me that he several times started to write up 

 some of the catches of large trout he made and saw others 

 make; but did not do it for fear of being accused of lying. 

 I saw a string this evening brought in by one of my men, 

 among which were four fish weighiug all over five pounds, 

 and a number ranging from two to three pounds each, all 

 genuine Sihno purpiiratits. They take a fly beautifully, the 

 trouble is not in hooking them, but in landing thorn after- 

 wards. Williamson Kiver certainly "takesihe cake" as a trout 

 stream, and I hope eventually to make a tolerable fisherman 

 myself if I stay here long enough. At present the birds take 

 up most of my spare time, I find so many species, here whose 

 acquaintance I have not been able to make heretofore, that 

 I don't find much time for fishing." 



Northern Pennsylvania Tkout. — Wellsboro, Pa., July 

 31. — Am just out of the woods, where, thank Heaven, I had 

 one well-put-iu week under the shade of hemlock and pine, 

 where 1 could lie hour after hour on fragrant browse, iu a 

 silence only broken by the wood warbler, the hermit thrush, 

 and the silvery whisper of a mountain brook. I had an In- 

 dianapolis editor along, a man cf large experience in out- 

 door life, ne votes Northern Pennsylvania th . most pleasant 

 land he has struck for campunr out, though the Nepigon and 

 many other regions give muchlarger trout and more of them. 

 We found the trout full of eggs aud ran it light on them. 1 

 took over 500 eggs from three trout less than seven inches in 

 length. It looked like wanton destruction — trout murder— 

 and we let up.— Nessmuk. 



Long Island.— Elwood, Suffolk County.— Plenty of 

 foxes on the plains out this way. Quails are scarce,— J, H. 



