NoVXMBXB 24, 1881.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



327 



They hit worse than ever. It became agony. He turned to 

 the hack loodsruan, who had U3 d ibe tar but once. He was 

 tilting in I he stern holding the paddle in one hand and brush- 

 ing the other swiftly but silemly across bis lace. 

 "Hank, these flits are awful." 



" Brush them," said Hank. "Tar-oil ain't of much use in 

 such a place as this." 



Lig. brushed awhile in silence and tried to recall what 

 Murray said about going and coming when you please with a 

 small bottle of ''the compound." 

 He wished Murray in that spot. 

 "It's most dark, Hank." 

 "Yes; I guess we'll light up." 



The jack was produced, lighted and tied to the felt hat. 

 "Now try it on that clump of alders. You want it over 

 the left eye so that your muzzle sight will show bright, and 

 whatever you aim at will be right in the middle of the big 

 circle of light." 

 After some adjusting the jack was made to suit. 

 "Now cap Uer." 



Lig. pu the little leather cap over the bullseye and all was 

 dark. Down stream they went, Hank just guiding the 

 boat as the current carr'u d it along. Suddenly they turned 

 a sharp corner. A low alder bush swept across Lig's face. 

 and carried him over backward. Off went jack and hat, 

 and lutni led into the brook. He plunged one arm into '.he 

 cold water, caught the hat, and pulled it dripping into the 

 boat. Tne jack was saved, but toe cap was carried down 

 stream. Hauk ran the bow of the boat into the bank Rnd 

 held it there, while they lit and adjusted the jack agam. 

 Hank's skull cap was substituted as a cover, and his head 

 w\s tied up in a handkerchief. All was d-irk and still "gain 

 for a time. Lig was ju t losing himself in a doze when Hauk 

 Whispered "The log." They were right upon it. In an 

 instant a plan fla hed across Lig.'s mind. He had studied the 

 laws of inertia. He knew that if he threw himself over the 

 log, the moti >ti that he had in common with ihe boat would 

 carry him onward, and he would drop into his seat again. 

 Happy thought ! He would try it. Hank lay down, and 

 called to his companion to do the Fame. But to the amaze- 

 ment of the guide Lig., instead of lyi»gdowu stood up. For 

 an instant he balanced himself, and then, with a wild leap, 

 flung himself over the log. 



But alas 1 his jump gave the boat an impetus which sent 

 it flying from beneath him. He griped the log convulsively 

 and hung there wilh his feet dangling in the water, while 

 the guide was swept far away from him down the stream. 

 He crawled upon the log, and sst there until Hank could 

 turn the boat about and corne to the rescue. 



Once more all was still again. No, not exactly that. It 

 cannot be called st 11 when hundreds of muskrats are plung- 

 ing, diving and swimming in all directions. Our hunters 

 •were now at the mouth of the creek. At first Lig took every 

 third souse of a muskrat for the step of a deer, and wan' id 

 to start in that direction. After repeated exhortations from 

 Hank to keep still he relapsed into a deep silence, and 

 wend, red why lhat old fanatic, the Professor, could go into 

 ecstasies after a night-hunt over the beautiful calm of a 

 night in the woods. Lig. couldn't see it. The trees wrestled 

 and shook themselves in the darkness, loons uttered their 

 weird infernal scream, two cranes equalled as they flew over 

 the river, owls hooted in all directions, a fox barked in a 

 neighboring ridge, and a bear finally aided in making night 

 hideous with prolonged howling, at which Lig., who had 

 thought each successive noise the scream of a panther, was 

 now sure of it, while all the time huge bull frogs, with Ihe 

 voices of oxen, bellowed an accompaniment without restB, 

 and the muskrats kept up their plunging and scurrying 

 through the water. 



Bat hark! What was that louder splash just across the 

 creek ? 



"A deer."* whispered the excited boy 

 Hank turned the canoe. Lig. unwrapped the jack and 

 raised Ihe rifle. At first he saw nothing; then, just ahead, 

 something black in the water. He fiied. The black thing 

 started directly for the boat. 



"A bear!" screamed the boy. " He's wounded ;" and he 

 made fi antic endeavois to load. Hauk, however, rab-ed the 

 puddle and laid it smartly over the nose of the swimming 

 animal. The creature rolled obedbnlly over, dead. Then 

 the guide liftt d it over the rail. Its weight lipped the boat. 

 It fell heavily upon the bottom. It was an immense hedge- 

 hog. 



"Never miud, older hunters than you have taken the 

 quill-pigs lor bears before this. Load her up." 



No* ihe hunt went on rgain. Slowly, silently the canoe 

 moved along the shores of the creek and ihen out into the 

 river. An hour passed and no sound of a deer. Another 

 hour and the hoy was only kept from falling asleep by the 

 aches which were travirslng his muscles in all directions. 

 Very much of the p etry of night-hunting was gone for him ; 

 therest vanishing fast, when a quiver ran along the boat. That 

 is the guide's way of calling attention. He listened and 

 heard away on the the opposite shore a continuous splashing 

 in the water. All weariness and pain passed away on the 

 insbnt. The poetry of the hunt rushed back again, as his 

 heart beat quicker and the warm blood ran faster through 

 his veins. So it is when long afterward we look back upon 

 our hums in the weeds. The toil and care are no longer re- 

 ruetn' ered then ; the exciiing pleasure of a morutnt, the fair 

 coloring of the picture alone temains. 



The paddle swept swiftly, but noiselessly through the 

 water. The splashing grew louder, then stopped. Another 

 quiver along the boat. The boy uncapped the jack and the 

 light flashed out upon ihe darkness. It threw a round disk 

 on the shore. There, right in the centre, stood a noble 

 buck, looking straight at the canoe. The boy trembled. 

 The inevitable buck fever was raging. He raised the rifle. 

 The light gleamed lull upon the sight. Still ihe buck stood 

 there, immovable, head thrown back, nostrils dilated, and 

 branch ng antlers rising above him. The boy flrtd The deer 

 wheeled about, plained the bank at a bound, and disappeared 

 in the bu-h is. He had missed him! A moment both sat 

 silent. The deer's shrill "whistle" as he went back into 

 the forest aroused them. 



" Well, sir, that was about the biggest buck I ever saw." 

 "I am afraid, Hank, that I had the fever." 

 "I'm afraid you did." 



About two o'clock they reached camp. Wren and the 

 Professor were both asleep. Lig. was caieful not to wake 

 them, as he declared that if the Professor saw that hedge- 

 hog, he would want to stuff it before morning. 



Lig. was nervous and did not sleep well. In about an 



hour-he was awakened. What was it. A heavy footfall 



hack of the tent. He looked out— even ven' ured a few feet. 



A Beriea of haps into tte brush followed. He rushed back. 



" Wren— Hank— wake up, quick— panthers I" 



All were rous-d in a moment. 



"Did you see one?" 



"No." 



" Then how do you know it's a panther ?" 



"How do 1 know? Didn't I hear him and chise him into 

 the bush ? Don't I know that there isn't another beast in 

 the woods that can jump like that?" 



The jack was lit and all advanced, armed wilh rifles. 



"Hark I there he is I" cried Lig., pointing to a brush heap. 

 The light was turned upon it, and out jumped a very inno- 

 cent looking rabbit. 



'• Sure enough," said Wren. " P'raps yu'd like to shoot 

 him an' carry home his skin to Bhow in the city. Let me 

 tell yer now, so yer won't wake this camp again. One rab- 

 bit will make more noise than a dozen cats. Does it with 

 his tail, Pact. So to bed." 



A WINTER WALK THROUGH BERMUDA. 



MY visit to Bermuda was an involuntary one. In fact, I 

 had engaged passage for the West Indies, but con- 

 triry winds and Borne error3 of navigation on ihe part of the 

 Ciptain had thrown our ves»el upon Bermuda reefs. Fortu- 

 nately for us the weather was not severe, or we should n- t 

 have escaped as we did with merely a month's detention for 

 repairs. It was the Bocond day afier the accident that a 

 friend and myself managed to get on shore, and two weeks 

 after lhat I walki d the island through. 



Bermuda is the name given to a chain of islands, over 300 

 in number, lying in the Atlantic Ocean, 600 miles east of 

 the coast of N rth Carolina. They occupy mi an a of only 

 twenty three miles by three, but, fiom the barrier reefs lhat 

 surround them, present the most dreadedobataclcs to naviga- 

 tion in tho-e seas. They are of coial formation, but it would 

 seem, from souudings taken by the Engl sh, that beneath 

 this coral are the peaks of a mighty mountain, risisg up 

 from the general level of the ocean floor to a height of 23,000 

 feet! 



There are but three or four large islands, the remainder 

 being rocks and islets — all, however, attractive, with beauti- 

 ful beaches of sand, depp inlets, with grassy banks, great 

 cliffs, the homes of sea birds, and coral ledges cover, d with 

 an infinite variety of shells of every shape and color, and 

 plants that wave their delicate leaves in the blue waters. 



It was off a portion of the group called Somerset, eight 

 miles from shore, that our vessel was stranded, and in a 

 perilous passage to the beach we encountered many a 

 dangerous coral shoal, over which the boat grated harshly 

 and ominously. These coral banks that surround the Islands 

 are as beautiful as they are dangerous, and later in my stay, 

 while the vessel was being repaired, I returned in a small 

 boat and examined ihese wondrous gardens of the sea that 

 lay submerged in the coral caverns. 



The coral that reaches us of the north is deadaud bleached, 

 but as it is found in the sea, alive and growing, the appear- 

 ance it presents is so different thst you would not recognize 

 it. In the water it is a brown object, branched like a hush, 

 but covered with a disagreeable slimy mass, to remove which 

 it must be buried, and then carefully cl> anscd, when it will 

 form as beautiful an object as you can fin i by the sea in any 

 country. Among the corals, of which there are about a 

 dozen varieties, myriads of bright-coloured tropic fishes play 

 hide-and-seek. Fish of all kinds are extremely abundant, 

 and are tsken alive in nets and fish-pots, and kept iu grated 

 wells in the boats till wanted. 



The great abundance of marine life, both animal and 

 vegetable, is doubtless owing to the proximity of the Gulf 

 Stream, that great river of warm water flowing through the 

 sea from ihe Gulf of Mexico ro the far-distaut North. This 

 cuirent, as you well know, exerts a great, influence upon the 

 climate of the eastern coast of the United States, and 

 brings to our shores nisny stray examples of tropic fishes 

 and sea-weeds. It brndens as it goes norih, and weakens 

 until it is finally merged in the other stre«ms hit help to form 

 the great system of oceau currents of the world. Its course 

 is constantly changing further e istward, and its influence 

 up m the climate ot the n rth diminishing. Eight hundred 

 years ago it gave to Greenland the verdant valleys lhat 

 suggesied the name of tint now d-solate country. Even 

 now its warmth is so great that it dissolves those treat 

 masses of ice that float down from the Arctic region, and is 

 aptly called ihe "grave of the icebergs." ThiH stream of 

 warm water, then, flowing close to the Bermudas, gives to 

 them a cl mate fo delightful during the winter months — from 

 November to May— that they are then the resort of 

 thousands of invalids, who cinnot endure th- ugor of 

 north' ru wiuters. The tempera'ure in those mon "us is mild 

 and equable, ranging from 60 1 1 70 degrees ; but in summer 

 the heat is very great and quite exhausing. 



On that clear, bracing day, I started out from Mangrove 

 B .y, one of the mauy where snowy beaches are hemmed In 

 between blue watersand green mangroves Not far from this 

 bay is Ireland Island, the refitting station of the Royal 

 Navy, famous for its great floating dock, said to be Ihe 

 largest in the world, and capable of taking in the largest 

 ship in the English navy. It was towed out from England 

 iu 1869 by two men-of-war, with another astern to steer it 

 by, tnd placed sifely in its present position, in an excava- 

 fou 54 feet below low- water mark. On the other side of 

 1he bay is Wreck Hill, where the wreckers congregate to 

 wa'ch for wrecks, upon which they mainly depend for iheir 

 provisions. These wreckers are a ravenous set, even now, 

 though instead of murdering crews and enticing vessels upon 

 the reefs as formerly was the practice, they extort from 

 shipwrecked mariners about as much through the courts as 

 they used to get from direct robbery, judges, lawyers, and 

 wreckers being in league to despoil poor jack of his last 

 dollar. As I walked along over the smooth roads, between 

 hedges of oleander, and past little houses of shell-rock, 1 

 could hirdly beiieve that this peaceful island had ever been 

 the resort of pirates and buccaneers, and had given aid to the 

 enemies of our country in the last war. Yet it was at one 

 time a rendezvous for smugglers and blockade runneis, and 

 the people grew rich from ill-gotten gains. The surface of 

 the country, though there are no hills above 250 feet, is 

 agreeably diversified with hill and dale, and the many little 

 islets dating the numerous bays dive all the needed variety 

 to make the entire walk one of delightful surprises and lovely 

 views. The principal trees are cedars (Juniperun oarbadeniis) 

 and the underbrush sage- bush (Lantana odorata) ; there aie 

 now and then marshy tracts filled with reeds and rushes, 

 with a palmetto here and there, while some of the hay a, 

 with muddy shores, are fringed with curious mangroves. 

 Many tropical trees have been introduced, among them being 

 the silk-cotton, india-rubber and cabbage palm. The lHtter 

 iB the most conspicuous, from its great height, even exceed- 

 ing the royal palm of Cuba, for which it is sometimes mis- 



taken. It is, however, a different species, being 'he Oreodoxa 

 ok acta of th- West Indian forests, where it sometimes 

 rehches a height of 50 feet. There are no springs or wells 

 if pure water in these island<; yet. with now and then 

 l drought, there are raised here those supplies of potatoes, 

 onions and toma oes lhat have made Bermuda famous In 

 some portions arrow-root is raised, which firings a price 

 super! -r to any other in the world. Though cramped for 

 room and stinted in soil the Bermud ; ans contrive (with the 

 help of the products of the sea, wrecks cast up by the sea, 

 and visitors from over the sea) to secure a very comfortable 

 living. 



The natural history of Bermuda is so peculiar that I must 

 call attention to the fact that there are hut, four native 

 mammal- (tluee ras and a mouse), and ten resident, liirds — 

 not individuals, but specie-i. You would, I think, recognize 

 the names of nearly all the hints, so I will nunnion them — 

 the Hue bird, cat bird, chic k-of-the-village (>i>i;.<), ca dinal 

 bird, crow, ground dove, quail, heron and coot. But addudto 

 this list are 169 migra <>ry niros. which visit the islands in 

 the winter season. There is one reptile, a lizard; no 

 snakes, but insects are numerous, corals and sponges in 

 great Dumber, and fish so abundant that above 120 species 

 are enumerated. 



There is a lighthouse about midway the inland, with a 

 ight visible for many mi es, 360 leet above the sea. The 

 erection of this light was stromdy o, posed by the wreckers, 

 who foresaw it would diminish their profits by warnng ves- 

 sels a» ay from the reefs Prom the dome the view of the 

 iland is ve y f scinating, the whole chain being spread out 

 before yon as upon a map. The to \ er is iu latitude north 

 32 deg. 15 mm. It is built of the white limestone used en- 

 iirely in the construction of the houses of Bermuda. The 

 rock quarries, from which (his building material is obtained, 

 are worth a visit; there you will see men sawing out the 

 oh cks of stone, which is very soft when quarried, but 

 hardens on exposure. 



The exclusive use of this white rock for building purposes, 

 and the white Btratum laid bare in constructing the roads, 

 produce a painful glare that is too strong for weak eyes to 

 bear without the intervention of colored glasses. Great 

 spaces on the hillsides are also denuded of eanh and plastered 

 over for the catching of raiu water, upon which the inhabi- 

 tants entirely depend. Th s glare is very offensive in Hamil- 

 ton, the. principal town, at which the steamers stop, alfr r a 

 passage of three or four days from New York. The island 

 would be more beautiful without the town, though there is a 

 fine church, an expensive hotel and a puhlic building or two. 

 Leaving the towu behind us 1ft us trudge on toward our 

 destination, sling the north shore Of lb* bits of rural 

 scenery, the most interesting are tuP country churchyards; 

 true church yards are these of Bermuda for around the place 

 of worship are Fcittered the graves of former worshipers, 

 with flowers above them and cedar trees shading them. 

 Conspicuous upon a hill is the signal station, whence vessels 

 are signa led a long time in advance of their arrival. Upon 

 other hills may be seen barracks for the soldiers, for Bermuda 

 is a mi itary and naval station of much importance to Eng- 

 land, being so near the American coast, and several regiments 

 of the line are quartered here, while the engineers are con- 

 stantly building new fortifications and strengthening the old 

 one3. 



The sand-hills of Bermuda, like those of other and larger 

 countries, are coutinually shifting and encroaching upon the 

 more fertile land. Some of them have buried houses and 

 trees tunny feet deep, leaving only protruding chimneys and 

 branches. 



What changes that have taken plac? since these islands 

 were discovered! Though not playing an important part in 

 the hi -lory of nations, yet this disco very is closely connected 

 with 'hat of the Americ in continent. Th y were first seen 

 by Juan Herinudez, a Spanish navigator, while n a voyage 

 troiu Spain to Cuba, iu 1515, and next described by an 

 English priva eer, Henry May, whose ve-sel was wrecked 

 here iu 1593. At that lime every part of the island was 

 covered with cedar, bu there wi re no vegetables fit for food. 

 They found " great store" of turtle, and lived upon th-m 

 while they cousructed a vessel of cedar, in which they 

 sailed for Nova Scotia, and thence to England, Later on 

 another vessel was wreck, d, Containing 150 persons, among 

 th m Admiral Sir George Somers, wh > had been appointed 

 Governor of Virginia, and was 0:1 his way to that new colony 

 when wrecked. It is said that, the heart of Sir Oeorge was 

 buried in Bermuda — St. Georg-'s — he having died there on a 

 return voyage made for the purpose of supplying his colony 

 in Virginia kith provisions. 



Those who have read Shakespeare's 'Tempest" will recdl 

 his "still vex'tl lierinootiies," a 1 d the advenmresof the King 

 of Naples in this, the abode of Piospero. 



Leaving its later history, as not particularly interesting, 

 we shall find Bermuda celebrated in the songs of another 

 poet, who ot ce resided here a while. We shall have c oar 

 pleed, perhaps, wo-thirds our walk of 1:4 miles when we 

 reach the caverns in the limestone rock known as Walsing- 

 ham Caves. They are deep and da k, and a little colored 

 boy comes out at your cab, provides you with candles and 

 lea is the way. You find the usual hollows, grottoes, and 

 stalactites, and dark subterranean ponds that doubtless have 

 oonnection will the sea. Then you em rge into outer a'T, 

 covered wilh candle grease, and glad to escape from the 

 dark dungeons, and proceed to search for the localiies 

 celebrated in M.bore'8 verses. Near the cave are the remains 

 of a calabash tree, beneath wh ch the lazy poet lovrd to 

 recline, and from which he wrote some pleasant lines to a 

 friend in England: 



In 1803 the poet waspre'ented with an office hereunder the 

 English Government, but after a short stay he gave it in 

 charge of a deputy and removed to E gland. This office ho 

 held for nearly forty years, but in the end he was righteously 

 rewarded for his negligence, of trust by being swindled by 

 the deputy in charge of his interests. 



The vegetation iu this secluded spot partakes of the tropi- 

 ca', having among it, bananas, plantains, coffee-trees and 

 pawpaws. In one of the caves, called Chalk Cave, an old 

 neg'ess lived for several years, her only company a pig, 

 which occupied a sty in the c-ive's mouth. 



There is a great cavern, not far distant, filled with salt 

 water, called the " Devil's Hole," where is a perfect aquarium 

 of the largest fish ever gal tiered logel her in captivity. The 

 principal fish there, called "groupers." are very voracious, 

 and will try to swallow anything that touches the water; 

 there are also ground sharks and angel fish, these lust being 

 very beaut i ul, f porting colors of blue, pretn mid gild, 

 and moving through the water with a slow and gracelul 

 motion. 



There remains how only the town of St. George's, named 



