Arcrsr 11,1881.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



25 



Anotuf.I! VICTIM to the fatal 'thought-it-wasn't-loaded " 

 delusion. Last Saturday a tldrteen-year-old boy in Bridgc- 

 ton, N. J., picked up a gun and playfully pointed it at bis 

 mother, assuring her thai it: was uot loaded. The gun went 

 oil and the mother was shot through the heart and instantly 

 killed. This is a picnliarly distressing case. Haw many 

 Stole warning examples must be recorded bel'ore gi opli [11 

 use a grain of common sense wherf handling firearms ? 



As Example Wowiiv of Imitation is set by the Messrs, 

 Gillmau Bros., of Detroit, Mich., who issue as a ear i of 

 their restaurant an epitome of the game laws of their State. 

 They arc not numbered among the slayers of the goose ttiat 

 lays the golden egg, and their praiseworthy a 1 liludc asiolclli- 

 gi nt sportsmen deserves lire recognition of their many Michi- 

 gan friends. Their friends, by the way, are not confined to 

 the Peninsular State — the fame of mine hosts is spread abroad. 



Wild Celery.— Mr. D. W. Cross, of the Winous Point 

 Shooting Club, kindly volunteers, in a letter published else- 

 where, (o supply bulbs of the wild celery for planting next 

 fall, and it is to be hoped that some of our wild fowl shoot- 

 ers who are in a position to make the experiment will do so. 

 If wild Celery can be cultivated it will very materially in- 

 crease the ducking territory. Can any of our readers give us 

 further information on the practicability of cultivating the 

 plant ? 



A Lawn Tennis Tournament will be held at Newport, J!. 

 I., August 31 and September 1, 2 and 3. The Secretary's 

 address is Clarence U. Clark, Gcrmautown, Pa. The game 

 of la«n tennis is the fashionable sport of the day for ladies 

 and gentlemen. 



The Fokest and Stbeam takes this opportunity of thank- 

 ing the numerous correspondents who have so kindly callod 

 atiention to the change in the Minnesota prairie chicken 

 shooting season. 



The Michigan Ahohery Association will hold ils second 

 annual target meeting at Battle Creek, Sept. 6, 7 and 8. The 

 Secretary is Mr. C. C. Beach, at Battle Creek. 



Tun Anti-Biokox Shooting Bill introduced at Albauy 

 during the last session failed to he made a law. 



OUR POLITICS. 



A valued friend of the Forest and Stkeam writes : 



pecJallj in mi youi i nceessfl 1 1 onci almfen! 01 pour political 1 p] . 



ton. May It tie ' ever Urns. 1 Consistency Is a tfilpperj swel, but an 

 accomplished angler' tnat Has baggeffstreweels knows ttie neci 1 ai'j 



grip." 



A SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA DEER DRIVE. 



' ' /^ EORGE, go tie old ' Spring,' she'll be in Ihe woods in 



KJT an hour ; she's playiu' 'round the pup and leadln' 

 him by the ear, tryin' now to git him to follow," said old Pat 

 Bowman, our hunter host, a long, crane-like biped, standing 

 six feet two inches in his boots ; long, grizzly gray beard 

 under his jaw-bones ; hair hanging around his coat collar, 

 combed sleek and flat on his head ; his clothing of home 

 spun jean, and his trowscrs inside of a huge pair of cow- 

 leather boots; but with all of his homilies as kind hearted 

 a creature and as good liver as ever enjoyed the world. Sure 

 enough, "Spring," a nimble, beautiful, blue ticked deer- 

 hound, was capering and fondling with her appaient'y over- 

 grown, awkward-looking black-and-tan pup, and in dog 

 lammase beseeching him to the hunt. 



"Boys," said Pat, " we'll have a right day to hunt to-mor- 

 row. Look how the moon shines. Deer will roam 'round 

 all night." 



This was in the middle of the month of October. We 

 were lounging around the doors after supper, commenting 

 on the hounds. It was late twilight ; a full grown moon was 

 swinging gracefully through a clear, blue sky, rendering- 

 nearly as light as noonday the bottoms which gather in 

 prairie-liue profusion around the noiseless waters of Clinch, 

 forming the boasted "Richlands." And well may the pos- 

 sessor of this choice land boast! On the surface of the 

 mountains which encircle it stand boundless forests of gi- 

 gantic timber, and these are the haunts of deer and other 

 game. Beneath the surface of those mountains there is coal 

 enough to give summer heat to New York city for a cen- 

 tury. The soil of its lowlands is bottomless. The fame 

 birds revel in the "fruitful fells." Clinch hasitsfishand 

 water fowl. It has all a generous soil and climate could 

 have. 



Old Pat, who through life had, in the proper season, been 

 a hard worker and an excellent farmer, had withal been an 

 improvident wrelch— had always been a tenant of the best 

 fanners anil graziers ; loved hounds and horses ; eat all he 

 made except what he drank— and paid all his honest debts. 



Gathered around the free and easy hard of this jolly 

 hunter was this .group of half a dozen young men— cheerful 

 to steal, after a long summei's work, a few days for a •' deer 

 drive." Tils group was of the village brjsmesBHiflO and 

 country farmer ; as congenial, boweve;, as if their shops ad- 

 joined, and wire all to the "manor-born," save one whose 

 frosty accent anil curt tones proclaimed him the lirth.f a 

 colder Climate : but he had no frosty soul, as no spurt man 

 ever has. Pat could see from this "brogue," as he called it, 

 "fuiiner" was in his house. 



"What did you say your name was, Mister," said Pat, 

 " and where yer frura ?" 



"My name is Herbert Kendall, Mr. Bowman, and my 

 residence is on the bank of Geneva Lake, Wisconsin." 



"Then yer a Yankee, haint ye ?" said Pat. 



"Well. I believe yon Call nil Northern men Yankees, don't 

 you, BowHisii ? I'm a Northwestern man" 



•'Gome oiit like n irmn and say y n are a Yankee,'* said 

 Put ; " and may be yOlt are one oi these darned revnmiis.." 



" ; can't fancy wusl you town by tevenues, Mr. Bowman," 

 sail [vend ill, evidently perplexed and look iif m foi hi Ip, 



'■ Win ," .-.aid I'. 4. '■ I mi lb thea ttesrivci'i us m ' 



jerk us up for selliir a nigger ahami of tobaccer lovaday's 

 work, it a poo 1!". M", -M..K 'i iiii.iselliii' a drink'of 



enrn whitiky, and Lake- him slop to the United Slates Court 

 and let him play checkers v. ith his nose (ill his poor brats die 

 in rags. If you are this sort of a mm," cried P;-.t. CM-ile.-'ly, 

 from my " 



"Stop, Bat," interrupted Melton. "Keep cool now. We 

 or «Hse you Mr. Kendall is a perfect gen leman, and loves to 

 Irani as ■• c'l as you, has heard a great deal about you and, in 

 laet, came hero to paj y< u a Wsit." 



"I think I understand Mr. Bowman now," said Kendall. 

 Mm 1 am no Federal ollicbd nor detective. I have 

 a pleasant home and plenty. True, I was bora in Ver- 

 mont." 



"■ "," said Melton, "Here is a vast deal of difference 

 between a Northern g-ntieinan who comes among us and the 

 'revenues,' as you call them." 



"Weil, if 1 lure haint, cuss the Northern gentlemen," said 

 Pat. "You beam of them," continued he. "* meetin' poor 

 Bill Smith drunk on lhe road the other day, and says t"0 him, 

 - .'1 j p] | feU'er, gim me a drink, I'm orful dry ;' and poor, 

 kind-heaited Bill give him asnoil and the revenue says, 

 ' Si ranger, yer too poor to give this to mi , here's 1 quarter, 1 

 and flung it tb him, and oil In- goes and lake:- D it D warrant 

 agin Bill, and he is now in jail, aid he has eleven children." 



"Well, Pat," said Milton, "I tell you, Mr. Kendall is 



one of these people, but I can tell you what he was. Hewas 

 a good Yankee sold, r. Ilmv flu you like llSHI r" 



" Was you in fact a blue belly, Kindle ?" said Pat, 



"Yes, Mr. Boivman, I was a Federal soldier and contin- 

 ued in ac ive service until I was badly wounded in your 

 State— maybe by you ; they say you were a good Reb." 



" Here's my hand, old fellow," said Pal; "if you was a 

 good soldier you are »pt to be a fust-class boy. We'll break 

 no more squares— the latch-string hangs on the outside to the 

 righting boys, whether gray or blue." 



" Thanks, Mr. Bowman," said Kendall, " I could say the 

 same to you were you in my Northern land ; wo fought like 

 soldiers — we forgive like friends." 



"Yes, but," said Pat, "you fought us unfair— you sent to 

 the old country and got them bottie-hebied Dutch to fight us 

 with." 



V\ ell, Mr. Bowman, to tell the truth, we were forced to do 

 that to fill up the ranks you fiery Southern soldiers swept 

 away." 



■ ' Vim lire an honest Yankee, Kindle," said Pat, " and I'll 

 bet was a good soldier!" 



"Mr. Bowman, I'm almost a Virginian— was badly 

 wounded in 1801 in Virginia, from which I have never re- 

 covered, and 1 come to ihe countr},' every summer which de- 

 prived me of health, to get a share of it back from your de- 

 lightful climate and mineral waters." 



" Aid you were wounded in Virginia, Kendall?" said Mel- 

 ton— "what battle?" 



" In a. i kirmish at Hanging Rock, near Salem, onHuuter's 

 retreat from Lynchburg," said Kendall, 



" I happened to have a hand on the other side in that my- 

 self. We did a little retreating (0 Lynchburg first," said 

 Melton. 



" Were you the chap, Melton," said Pat, " that stuck a 

 tarbirrel to the Natural Bridge and tried to burn it before 

 the Yankees passed on that, raid?" 



"Take care, you old crane you!" said Melton ; " I'll tell 

 what a fo il trick you did when you set fire to a barrel of oil 

 11 !■■ 11 1 dgc i across the James at Buchanan — set fire to the 

 end next the Yankees— then had to swim the river and got a 

 bulletin the end nearest the Fed-, too, you old numbskull: 

 then got drunk and swore you'd fight Ihe whole army before 

 they should take the town of Buchanan, because" it was 

 named a! ter your grandfather ; fell in the gutter and let the 

 Yankees capture you." 



' ' Keep that darned oily tongue of yours in your chops, you 

 little snip v 1 said Pat; "there Is no truth itiit, nohow. As lor 

 the Yankees gittin' me, that's none your business. I was 

 cotcb by a cl; ver blue-coat, give him a drink and told him 

 how I got shot and drunk and he slipped me in the brush." 



"1 was on the. advauce guard right at that bridge when 

 burnt," s id Kendall, and his eyes twinkled as though he re- 

 memhere ; more, and Pat gave him an inquiring glance and 

 seemed il elined to change the topic. 



" .Say, Whitten," said Par, '• haven't, you fed yer dogs yit? 

 Go, George, and git him a pot of mush. Let them fill them- 

 selves full of it to-night— it's the best of all feed to run on— 

 and they must have but a bite in the mornin'." They were 

 called up and " filled full " sine enough. 



"Look heie, Whitten," said Pat, "do you think them lit- 

 tle, spinl} -legged dogs of yourn can jump the red brush with 

 my bounds? I tell you, boys," continued Pat, " for a deer 

 dog give me a right big one— wide 'tween fore legs, strong 

 legs, shorl paster jints, big feet and hard as as a noises' huf 

 —want afoot that: won' r let claws wear off and a flog that 

 won't run from a lice. You laugh at me, boys, but 1 know. 

 It stands to reason that any sttong animal is the best for 

 strong work." 



"1 don't know, Pat," said Whitten, "how my dogs will 

 stand a deer — they are capj a] on a fox." 



"Boya, we'll have a. right day to-morrow; it's time you 

 were going to roost. We'll have breakfast at half after thiee 

 in the mornin' and Whitten and Joice must be on the deer 

 afore daylight. 1 wish 1 had a flax break for that Win' snipe 

 to snooze on." 



Huh : fatigued from a day's ride we retired, but forced to 

 steal from the refreshing sleep that awaited a few moments 

 '" muse Over the pleasures of the morrow. Free of all care, 

 how pleasant to anticipate the sight of the nimble, flying 

 deer, the music of the eager and faithful hound, the, dash 

 over the -pleud d mountain mad, to sniff the v rgin breeze 

 of the giant mountain, see. ivy roughs and laurel-hedged 

 nil untain brook and Ihe graceful, swaying hemlock! With 

 these bright fancy pictures, whose mind could spare room 

 or malice, envy, meanne-s or g. oveling idea ? Certain it is 

 that all industrious business men will and ought to have their 

 recreations and sports, ami in spite of the sneers of the pro- 

 phetic croaker the huul seems more ennobling, at li ■„ i . than 

 the ruinous cards or the effeminate and lers attractive bil- 

 liards, full of then absun 1 and niidigniffi 1 wrangl s, 1 leri 

 saint and sinner may will, 1 car and '"tear. The 



hunter's season is but a short one in the least busy time of 

 the year, but most pleasant and healthful. The faro bank 

 and billiard saloon hold but one season— that the year round 



and become most atlractive when the "wicked love dark- 

 ness better than light." 



-"Git up, men," said George, "breakfast is ready. Pip 

 said be drempt of blood last night, and I never knowed it to 

 fail that a deer was kil ed when he drempt thai." 



" I ley, boys, crawl out of here !" said Pat. " I dremp of 

 blood last night, and of killin' a deer and its touaue falliu' 

 out on the right sid ■ of its mouth. Now, boys, this is a cer- 

 tain sigli, unless something breaks the charm. If yon meet 

 a woman today, boys, I want to caution you; it's bad luck, 

 unless you can make her back track. Egad I pay h r to go 

 ba.uk home, or else I'll swear you won't "kill a thing. I've 

 sj enl fifty bushels corn in my life hirin' of 'cm." 



" What sort of a morring, old boomer, is it ?" said Meltou. 



" Capital— foggy down here but frost on the mountain; 

 not a particle of wind, not a leaf fell last night to kiver 

 tracks." 



"That's all right," chimed a half dozen voices. 



In we go to the dining-room. We meet at the door the 

 aroma of venison, "baked pork," fried sweet potatoes, buck- 

 wheat cakes, delicious yellow butter, and an appetite for 

 much else that we found on the copious table. 



"Eat hearty, boys," was Pat's command, and we obeyed. 



"Hello! Somebody at the gate, old man." said Pat's 

 cheerful old spouse. " John Maliney, boys," said Pat ; "he 

 rides a pisun tine sorrel and would kill him any time for a 

 deer. Take, care, Saurer, he don't tan your jackets to-day!" 

 And he was trained to a horse and rides like a Comanche. 



The horn sounded, and its thrilling echoes broke the still- 

 ness of the early morn, winding higher and higher from 

 peak to peak until its countless reverberations reached far 

 aw a y into the shaggy wood, where the startled deer had not 

 yet ceased to nip Ihe tender bud, and then were lost. Then 

 came the chorus of dog yells. 



"Bob," said the old lady to Joice, one of the "drivers," 

 " you had better put a snack of something to eat in your 

 pocket." "No, indeed," said Joice; "don't you know 

 what a fool a koun' is ?— they'd smell the victuls and sneak 

 behind us all day." 



"Boys, I see you all have some sense-you dou't take 

 many 1 raps with you," said Pat; "you'll need more spurs 

 than powder and lead to-day." "I have taken a load or two 

 of small shot, Mr. Bowman," said Kendall. "I thought I 

 might see a partridge before we took our stauds, if you' will 

 consent for me to shoot one." "How in the thunder do you 

 expect to see a partridge in the woods, man ?" said Pat • 

 "they slay in the rag weeds in the bottom." 



We had six miles to ride. The fog lay thick in the valley, 

 around the lowlands, and reached high up the mountain, 

 and three mites were left in the rear before we emerged 

 Irom this thick vapor, which lay then perfectly level, hiding 

 the valley and looking like the face of a calm lake. Throuih 

 it here and there twined in their grand and rugged majesty 

 the peaks of the neighboring mountains. The sun, just ris- 

 ing, shot its beams along the bosom of this ocean of fog and 

 struggled to penetrate below. What a pity to be disturbed 

 in our admiration by one of Pat's ludicrous freaks. While 

 all were intent a grome flew up and circled near Pat, and 

 Kendall followed it with his gun, and when ranging on Pat 

 he "dropped" beautifully to shot by rolling oil his sleek horse 

 flat on the ground. At the report of Kendall's gun a cloud 

 of feathers told the tale. 



••Are you a start natered, teetotal darned fool, Kindle?" 

 said Pat. " You'd a shot me if I hadn't dodged." 



"Fine partridge this is, boys," said Kenoall, holding the 

 bird up. 



"Partridge the devil!" said Pat. " That's « pheasant. 

 They say you Yankees are always inveniin' something, and 

 now you want to make a new name for this old bird." 



"We call them partridges with us, Mr. Bowman." 



"Get on your horse, you old skeleton you," said Melton. 

 " The deer will be through before we get to our stands." 



" Well, you couldn't kill it if you was there, ficeiy !" said 

 Pat. 



Off we went at a brisk pace. Who is it that has sniffed the 

 woodlaud autumn air that can forget its intoxicating effects? 

 The frost was fast, melting before the sun's rays from off the 

 sun-cured leaves, distilling the sweetest and most refreshing 

 of all perfumes. "Hush !" said Saurer. "Listen— the dogs !" 

 Distinctly came the fierce and eager bay of the irrepressible 

 Spring. But a moment and the pack joined in the music 

 upon a fresh and warm scent. Up the rugged red brush and 

 pine spar they go, but still far beneath us. The sounds, 

 softened by distance, arose and came on the crisp air as if 

 mil filed by the wires of the telephone. A perfect yell ! "Lis- 

 ten, boys," said Maltney, " it's jumped ; keep a look out." 

 Nearer they come— one continuous roar, but tierce and eager 

 above all the din was the foremost cry of savage Spring and 

 her dashing shadow, the pup. Yonder it is. Click, click go 

 the locks. '• Oh, p-haw, boys! it is passing below us," said 

 Mattney. "My s ars! it's flying like the wind," said Ken- 

 dail, as his eyes fairly jumped from his head. " Look at ihem 

 dugs," said Pat. "Gosh! they are settin' the woods afire." 

 " Where will it take water, Maltney, do you think ?" inquired 

 Melton. " At the Cold Springat the end of Stone Mountain. 

 See that bare, rough cliff?" responded Maltney. " How far 

 is it, Maltney?' "Seven miles," he responded, as he gave 

 loose rein and leaned forward on his leaping sorrel at' the 

 mention of miles. 



"Good-bye, old snail," said Melton to Pat. 



" I'll bust my hoss's melt or tan your jacket, you aggTva- 

 tiu' cuss you," said Pat, mad as blixum. Pat, clinched his 

 spurs in the sides of his quiet horse, and off he went, like 

 thunder. 



"Bys," said Saurer, as we reached the moun'ain foot, 

 "I'll kill that deer at the Spring, and have a julep fixed by 

 the time you gel there," and like an arrow his res'ive gray 

 shot through the verdant laurel bottom and out of sight. 

 Soju we joined our comrade at the Cold Spring, and cold 

 indeed it was, as the half-icy bubbles, In aded by ihe lichens, 

 over the limestone gravel and down the ce- la- -covered preci- 

 pice with a leap to the river. "Hello! old boy. VVhere's 

 that ileer and julep?" said Melton. " Yonder comes Joice 

 and Whiten, they can tell," was the reply. "Buys, I heard 

 the CUTS bolher Ihe hounds on the. creek, ""said Joice. " 'Spect 

 s aim of them hive been torn up, or the Walls have kill d and 

 hid our deer. I'll gallop back and sfaden 'em," and off he 

 rhot. "Melton, you stand here," said Maltney, "and don't 

 le.ive a moment, and I will scatter the others along the road 

 and top of the mourn aim" 



Here come the tired dogs along the bare stones on top of 

 the mountain. The tireless pup leading on the cold trail 

 tairly gnawing the rocks to find it. 



"Here, Whitten, it's been among a gang of sheep, " said 

 Ji uca 



Kendall had joined the " drivers " by that time, and in- 

 quired of Joice how he knew the deer track from a sheep's. 



