168 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Skptembee 39, 188l 



many would have kept their counsel and never told on me? 

 He had his reward in after years, and he now lives iu :i com- 

 fortable manner '■ way down Bouf " ia ilaoama. Good luck 

 attend him, and may his round, black face never grow dis- 

 contented ! 



It was at the boarding-school that. 1 first Bred my first 

 "sure enough" gnu. I had heen sent to a cobbler of that vi- 

 cinity to K6t my shoes half-Bolcd -needed badly from too 

 much sliding on the ic — and there 1 remember that the dis- 

 ciple of St. Crispin let me have in my own hands an old 

 musket that had seen service in all the wars iu all America. 

 Proudly did the owner point to a dent in the barrel made by 

 an Indian tomahawk. IIow I fawned u | ion that cobbler ! 

 How abjectly I waited breathless upon his lightest word! 

 And yet he ate raw onions and drank had whisky — two 

 things than which there could be nothing more" disgraceful 

 tn my infant mind. (The judgment of my riper years has 

 but confirmed that youthful opiniou.') On the next Saturday 

 but one I was to meet the crafty cobbler (wlto had gobbled 

 my whole supply of pocket uipuej ) in tin- woods, near his 

 cabin. At length the happy day dawned, and I ate little or 

 no breakfast on thai mowing. 1 found him seated on a 

 Btump, with two bottles containing powder and shot, and a 

 think- something to which he had frequent recourse through- 

 out the whole day, necessitating, finahy, his assumption of a 

 recumbent position, where I left him alone in his glory. 

 The gun was handed to iBfl to carry, and proudly did I 

 assume that heavy weight. We had not gone far when a large 

 blackbird, who had been fishing in the creek, (lew upon the 

 top of a tall sycamore and commenced his usual derisive 

 dance upon seeing me — at Ieset, that wa3 the rule with Ins 

 tribe, and Ihid sworn vengeance whenever and wherever I 

 could get a chance at one of his fun-making companions. 

 Laying mv aim up by the side of a small tree, with my heart 

 beating triple time, 1 look deliberate aim and pulled trigger. 

 No one but those who have shot, a flint-lock gun can have 

 any idea of the intolerably long lime intervening between the 

 pulling of the trigger, the fizz! fizz! fizz! of 1 he priming, 

 and finally the loud ri port, followed, as iu my case, hy your 

 falling — in no light manner, either— flat upon your back. I 

 arose, and, feeling for my bruifes, I went to look for my old 

 enemy, the blackbird. I found him doubled up among some 

 briers, looking a very forlorn bird indeed. Where be all 

 your fun-making now of innocent, large-eyed boya? We 

 gather him and go forward on the huut. The tajex at the 

 end of that day sum up : Two blackbirdB, two larks, one 

 y.ellow hammer, one jay, and one glorious rabbit, shot from 

 a rest aeross an old log. 



I had a schoolmate, Peter Holmes, who loved to shoot as 

 wed as I. Many is the tune that we took the cobbler's gun 

 and killed of birds a great, number, finally aspiring to the 

 dignity of killing squirrels, fur which his gun was not well 

 fitted. And right hire let me say that I have found many 

 old smooth-bore muskets that shoot remarkably we'd. On 

 what, principle they do so 1 nm unable to say; but in the 

 hands of our .Southern negroes they have killed all the 

 squirrels. They are certainly not choke-bored : they are 

 not made of fine materials, and yet, for No. 3, No. 4 

 or buckshot, thty will kill like a stroke of lightning 

 I would not shoot one of them for any consideration, but in 

 the hands of pot-hunters they are formidable weapouB. I 

 wish there was not one in Georgia— I should be happy. 



I went home with Peter Holmes, my affinity, to spend the 

 vacation, my uncle remarking in Ids letter giving roe that 

 permission, "that it did not much matter where I was, be- 

 cause gunpowder was plentiful, and I would be sure to bring 

 my inventive genius to bear upon the construction of some- 

 lo burn it." 



Throughout the South at that time all old rifles that had 

 become smooth from long use were bored by gunsmi'tis and 

 converted into shot guns. As the bore was originally very 

 small, the gunsmith merely cut all the "rifles" out, and left 

 the gun about .23 calibre. Indeed, I have seen some as small 

 as .30 calibre. Bored on no scientific principle, admitting 

 but a very light charge, they were utterly worthless at any 

 but a very short range. My friend was the fortunate pos- 

 sessor of one of these unique shot-guns, and, above all, it 

 was fired with percussion caps; and, furthermore, if you held 

 it right, it would kill a squirrel in the very tip top of the 

 tallest shell-bark hickory that could be found on our place. 

 As to doves, why, that gun could kill one ever so much 

 further than brother Jim's rifle, which tore 'em to pieces ; 

 and my gun w T ould do it too, but, you shoot shot out of it, in- 

 stead of a single bullet. As to yellow-hammers, why, I never 

 shot at one in my life, far or near, that he did not fall stone 

 dead Our first, exploit, two or three days after our arrival 

 at Peter's home, was to expend our whole stock of powd 

 and shot at three diabolical gray squirrels which we found 

 up a toll shell bark, at the corner of the wheat field, not 

 more than a hundred yards from tie bouse. The nuts of the 

 eb( I l-bark hickory afford a rich and favorite food for squir- 

 rels in the early autumn. At, each discharge of our gun 

 there was at first a great scampering and chattering among 

 the squirrels ; but as they soon found out that we could 

 not harm them, they would talker a nut, run out on a limb, 

 curl their tails over their backs, wink at us in the most con- 

 fiding manner and profited leisurely to dispose of the spoil. 

 How we sin ok ourfl8ts at them! How I disparaged the 

 noble gun which was to kill ad things, at any range! 



And, shame I Brother Jim, hearing the continual tiring 

 and suspecting something of the truth, came down with his 

 rifle and, at three shots, killed every one of those squirrels! 

 And shot their heads off, too! So, in doubt and darkness, in 

 a supreme contempt for all smooth bores, ended our first ex- 

 perience of old guns in squirrel sbooling. 



Some two years after tbis episode in my sporting life I 

 went to visit a cousin who lived in a fine game counUy. 

 He had a single-barreled shotgun of about 12 calibre, about 

 32 inches long, of wdiich style of guns there were thousands 

 sold every year in the country stores of the South. 



Tliey shot well, tio: some of them extraordinarily well. 

 As wed as I recollect they must have been English guns, for 

 most of them had'on their barrels, "London fine twist," a 

 legend, as I now have reason to believe, like many other le- 

 gends, having no solid basis of truth However, they were 

 good enough for bovs, and we could kill with them. 



Among the negfOes owned by my uncle was a pragmatical 

 old fellow named Joe. A privileged and favorite servant he 

 was allowed otten to take the rifle and kill the squirrels and 

 turkeys with which the woods abounded. But few South- 

 erners allowed their slaves to handle guus, but Joe had been 

 reared with my uncle, ana hud learned to shoot under his 

 tuilion. If there was anything on earth for which Joe had 

 a supreme contempt it was a shotgun. J i was his honest 

 conviction that no shotgun had a range exceeding thirty 

 yards Any distance above that a shotgun, in his opinion, 

 was utterly worthies*, As wt; would ictu in froi" 



he would meet us and, with sneer and gibe, taunt us with 

 the inability " ob rial 0l6 shotgun." So far did he carry it 

 that he offered to let us shoot al him, or rather his back, at 

 seventy-five yards. Exasperated at his jfers at our favorite 

 gun we dared him to a trial. Behold us, then, with sev- 

 enty-five long yards stepped off by Joe himself ! It was fully 

 ninety, but we* did not care, for we intended taking the con- 

 ceil out of Joe forever. Turning his back to us, our living 

 target, with a derisive gesture, told us to "fire away !" At 

 the crack of the gun Joe leaped about three feet perpendicu- 

 larly into the air and immediately fell flat upon his back, 

 while visions of murder seized upon us boys. "Fire! Wa- 

 ter! Murder! Fire!" mingled with horrible oaths came 

 from the prostrate negro in rapid succession. We found on 

 examination that four shot had buried themselves low down 

 in his back, while one had gone through his nose and an- 

 other through Ids ear. This rVid been caused by his looking 

 at me, the marksmau, between his legs. Joe never to his 

 dying day could believe but, that some supernatural or dia- 

 bolical agency was concerned in carrying the shot so far into 

 his corpus. We boys were soundly "thrashed for being such 

 fools as to shoot at o'd Joe, even when he was willing. Wo 

 convinced him. St. Claik. 



A GRAND HUNT. 



READING the accounts of those royally-appointed hunt- 

 ing expeditions to the Far West, gotten up by Mr. 

 Marble, has brought to me recollections of a grand hunt, in 

 which I participated, down the Mississippi River. The party 

 consisted of three gentlemen besides myself. We had built 

 in New York a small propeller, which was shipped to New 

 Orleans by steamer and thence to Cairo by boat, at which 

 point she was launched and there we joined her. Our crew 

 consisted of one engineer, a negro who acted in the dual 

 capacity of stoker and deck hand, and two servants, one as 

 cook, the. other steward. Our vessel measured 42 feet over 

 all, 8k feet beam, and drew when loaded about 3 feet 6 

 inches. The boiler and engine were placed as far aft as pos- 

 sible, leaving the midships for the accommodation of our- 

 selves, and the forecastle for (he men. A standing awning 

 with roll-up curtains on either Bide served as a protection 

 against the weather. The side lockers were made wide 

 enough for their tops to serve as berths ; in the center was a 

 fold-up table, and above it a rack for glassware and crockery. 



On board this diminutive ship we embarked late one after- 

 noon in October in order to reach an island some twenty 

 miles down the river, where we understood geese and ducks 

 to be very abundant. What with the current and the aid of 

 steam, we hove in sight of our first stopping place in about 

 two hours. Charley Fore, the most practical hunter of our 

 party, suggested stopping the engine for a few minutes so. 

 he could listen for any sign of game that might have con- 

 gregated on the island for the night. He leaned over the 

 vessel's side, putting his ear close to the water, and in a few 

 minutes reported birds in quantities. This determined us to 

 tie up for the night, to be ready for business in the morning. 

 After supper the guus were taken from their cases, cartridges 

 dealt around to each, a sigual light hung upon Ihe smoke- 

 stack, one of the men stationed as lookout, and the remainder 

 of us turned in for a dose of " nature's sweet restorer." As 

 the lookout struck "six bells" we arose, but to find ourselves 

 enveloped in a dense fog, accompanied by a misty rain. 



"Just the weather we want," said Charley. 



"Excellent for rheumatism," muttered George D . 



These were the first words spoken, and certainly I agreed 

 with the majority, as a more dismal, dreary outlook it would 

 be difficult to imagine. 



Mr. Kurffman, the engineer, asked if he should get up 

 steam, or "jess hold it 'twixt and 'tween till further or- 

 ders ?" 



"Hold it," replied "George," rather sharply, "or else 

 you'll blow us up to make matters even worse." 



Soon, however, the fog began to blow away, and such a 

 quacking of ducks and squaking of geese I never heard. 



"Now," said Charley, "Mr. Kurffman, if you have your 

 teakettle boiling, w T e will work out into the stream, but go 

 along as slowly as you can to keep stcerageway on the craft, 

 and the sooner we get under way the better." 



With the first signs of Aurora, we were off. The fog had 

 nearly disappeared, and in a few minutes the fusillade began; 

 shooting at the game first in the water, and then as they 

 rose to fly. Ir. was as exciting as a genuine skirmish for the 

 first two or three rounds ; a number of birds fell to our guns 

 and lay on the island and in the water. 



"Let two of us go ashore up here," said Charley, "and 

 then crack steam to the boat, anil make for the lower end of 

 the island, and come back for us through the chute. In tbis 

 way we will have some more good shooiiiig this morning." 



We pointed the boat's head to the land, going slowly, as 

 the water around these islands is very shallow, and as soon as 

 we touched bottom Charley and Jack jumped overboard and 

 waded ashore. Down the main stream we then went, at full 

 speed, rounding as directed at the foot of the island. Our 

 engine made so little noise that we ran up unawares on a 

 large flock of geese, out of which George and 1 bagged six 

 at the first shot and three at the second. Steaming up the 

 chute we scared the birds back toward cur friends, whom 

 we could hear firing in rapid succession. We then checked 

 our speed, and had a couple more shots before the birds left 

 us for good. Picking up the game was tedious work, and no 

 doubt we lost some ; but, as it was, we counted twenty-five 

 ducks and nineteen geese. 



We now Htarted down the river, intending to stop at New 

 Madrid, and take a day's shooting in the lakes back of that 

 place, and to purchase a skiff if possible. It was nearly 

 midnight, when we reached the boat at this earthquake- 

 acstroyed town. Our arrival creaied, even at that late hour, 

 a stir, as the natives had never seen a craft like ours before; 

 they all wanted to come on board, even to the women folks. 

 Of course we gratified them, and it was through one of these 

 visits that a name was given to our unnamed yacht. The 

 morning after our arrival we were seated at breakfast, when 

 an old lady and a young girl came alongside and asked who 

 we were, where from, and the name of the sweet little steam- 

 boat? Answering her questions, she requested us to call tho 

 boat '"Liza Jane,"" after her "gal." As 1 was the owner I 

 agreed, aud the christening ceremony was performed there 

 and then by the girl herself, who came on board, pronounced 

 in a clear voice ' 'Liza Jane," and broke a bottle of Charles 

 HeidBiok over her bow. We then, in a glass each of the 

 sparkling wine, drank long life to the young girl and her 

 namesake. 



The shooting back of New Madrid surpassed any I ever 

 had; ducks and geese being the only game, but in such num- 

 bers bb to soon surfeit any other than a pot-hunter's thirst for 

 blood, The morning >ve slipped our moorings the whole 



town turned out to see us off. " 'Liza Jane " was there 

 decked in tier gayest, although the poor child's face wore an 

 air of sadness as she saw her namesake, steam aw«, 



Every day was a succession of good snooting, a"" we made 

 it a rule to tie up everj' night near some island, to tiave the 

 morning's sport. At the towns we would, of course, stop, 

 give our game away, or else Joe would sell it, and buy in- 

 stead, as he called it, "town grub." 



On reaching Helena we decided to make a short run up the 

 Arkansas Biver, as we found an old, reliable pilot there, who 

 offered to steer us safely, taking his pay out iu fun. We saw 

 but very few birds, but George, who was sitting in the how 

 with his gun in hand, suddenly, as we turned a Sharp point 

 of the river, discharged both harrels, at what proved to be a 

 magnificent buck with superb antlers. This mien IS ltd 

 aroused a greai desire for a land hunt, but, as we had no 

 dogs, the plan was not practicable, and we returned to the. 

 mouth of the river, there to resume our jourlii ;■ do - ' nrj 

 Here I bought the skiff we BO much needed, and which 

 proved invaluable to us in our future matmal si. OOIS. The 

 grandest day weiiad was at Island Ninety-five. TlilS isolated 

 piece of land is nearly two mdes long, and heavily limbered, 

 forming an excellent cover for game. Before daylight, 

 Charley, Jack, Joe and the cook, took to the skiii. a id 

 pulled off to the inside chute of the island, while the "'Liza 

 Jane," with George Kurffman and myself, st -tmieii down to 

 the lower end. Each of us had a gun, leaving the manage- 

 ment of the vessel to the stoker. We began firing as soon as 

 tbe point was turned, and as we steamed slowly up stream, 

 theskilT and its crew was floating down, so that the birds 

 were kept constantly on the win-, coing -ir=t one way, then 

 the other, until at last, we shot out all of our shells, and were 

 rather glad of it. We picked up over two hundred ducks 

 and geese. 



Wo tied up at the plantation of Colonel Dick Christmas, a 

 few miles below this point, to rest awhile; and gave tho 

 " 'Liza Jane " a thorough cleaning before making Viekshurg, 

 at which point we had decided to leave the boat, and to go 

 by rail to New Orleans. After a day or two's sojourn with 

 the amiable Colonel, we again started on our voyage, reach- 

 ing the " City of Hills" after a six hours' run. The '"Liza 

 Jane " was ordered to Deer Creek, and thus ended the most 

 charming hunt of my life. Jj D, H. 



Nashville, Tervn. 



" LEFT-EYED SHOOTING." 



BooKisfinAW, N. C, September 12. 

 Editor Fort.it and tStrmm: 



I was much amused on reading your opiniou in reply to 

 "Invidius," on "Left-eyed Shooting." I will not express 

 the same opinion in regard to yourself that you did of the 

 Philosopher; yet I will say, and I think prov- ii, too, thai the 

 Philosopher was right and that you are wrong. 



1 will premise by saying that a majority of persona are 

 right-eyed; some few, however, are left-eyed ; while others 

 are either-eyed or both-eyed. 



Now for the demonstration or proof. Point with your 

 finger, or with a stick, at any object in the distance, keeping 

 both eyes open, with head and finger both perfectly sb tidy : 



then close your left eye, and if the finger is still in line with 

 the object, you are certainly right-eyed Try again, both 

 eyes open ; now close your right eye, and if your tiugei is in 

 line wiih the left eye, you art i ■■■; \gain, 



both eyes open; now close albTnately one eye and then 

 the other. A little practice in this will determine which eyed 

 you are. Sometimes in closing the eye the finger seems to 

 point to the left, and in closing the othir eye with ELrat open, 

 of course, points to the right at the same distance from the 

 object. In this case you are both-eyed, or either-eyed, 



In answer to Invidius, 1 will say that the only thing nec- 

 essary to enable him to shoot accurately is that he should 

 close that obstreperous left eye of his when the gun is brought 

 to the right shoulder. If lie can accustom himself to bring 

 the gun to the left shoulder, he can shoot equally wall with 

 both eyes open ; yet there is no necessity for it, if he v. ill 

 close his left eye when he shoo's. 



To sum up then, to shoot well, a right-eyed man, with both 

 eyes open, must shoot from, the tight- shoulder, and a left- 

 eyed man from the left shoulder, while each can Bhoot 

 equally well from either shoulder by closing the opposite eye. 

 It a right-eyed man shoots from the left shoulder, aud a left- 

 eyed man from the right, both eyes being open, neither would 

 hit a barn door at forty yards. All this 1 learned years ago 

 in shooting deer from horseback, aud ducks from boats. 

 Now, sir, just pick up your gun.T guess, of course, you 

 always keep one handv, I take it, also, that you are right- 

 eyed— bring gun quickly to the left shoulder • -both eyes open, 

 remember— lake aim, (or try lo. at least,.) at. an object hur- 

 riedly. What is the matter ? Why dun' t you shoot ? _ Can't 

 get your aim satisfactory, ah! No you can't ! 

 cause, sir, you are right-eyed, and jour lei t eyi 

 you iu sighting the object along the rib of tne 1 

 that right eye of yours tries mighty hard to get i 

 left, and if you will not let it, the very best you 

 be to close it, then you are freed from the dilemuiu. 



Pardon me for saying so much, " I rose lo explain," and 

 couldn't get down any quicker. I have never yet met one 

 who knew of this "eyed" business, and have never failed 10 

 ennvince them. So, if you have a great deal of company, 1 

 won't call you " a fool," Tkobbll. 



Why 



Bc- 

 serve 

 s, but 



iu # the 

 10 will 



RUST SPOTS IN GUN BARBELS. 



Camden^N. J., Sept. 20. 

 Editor Forest and Scream 



In your last i-sue a Boston correspondent, F. S., asks for 

 information on the cause of gun barrels rusting in spots. 



If the interior surface of a pair of barrels be examined 

 with a microscope il will be seen that they are covered with 

 an immense number of small holes, which servo excellently 

 to hold moisturer Now, when the oxygen, which exieja 

 more or less in the air, comes iu contact with the steel, it col- 

 lects in aud around these minute holes, forming Ferric oxide, 

 or common rust. This makes the surface still rougher, and 

 if not cared for properly, goes cm taking op dxygan aud con- 

 suming the steel, until the holes become large enough to be 

 seen by the naked eye. 



When in this condition emery paste, made from Hire? parts 

 cosmoline, or oU, and one pari emery, should bo used on a 

 carefully prepared swab, which will smooth tbe barrels out to 

 a certain extent; then apply the wire scratch brush and wash 

 out clean. If this is not attended to frequently, at the sea- 

 shore or in damp situations, nothing but reburiuK will bring 

 out spots or holes. Bo long as the barrels are kept smooth 

 but little (rouble need be expended, but when specks appear 



