I- V/ LX.XU OX sxrs XJ O 1 XL Cj 1\ xVl . 



rained to risk a long shot, for the seal is a very 

 - beast when out of the water, la the water he is 

 ly tame ; I have known them rise quite elose to a 

 ml follow it for miles. In deep water, however, it is 

 ss barbarity to sLoot at them, for you never can 

 the carcass, unless, indeed, you chance to hear of its being 

 Trashed ashore clays nftenvard. If you can kill him dead, how- 

 ever, when he is well up on a rock, of course you get him; 

 but you must not leave a kick in him, or he'll use it to slide 

 down into his favorite element. 

 All was breathless attention. If Tim had been dead he 

 not have made less noise, and I could hear my heart 

 kg against the side of the boat as I lay in the bow. I 

 had made up my mind to tire as soon as we reached a certain 

 point, and (ho critical moment was fast approaching, when 

 Tim suddenly broke the silence with a loud cry, " Oh be 

 Crypes " i his favorite oath), ''look out, Captain!" Down 

 : cd the seal into the water, and I turned on Tim with a 

 if speechless indignation. In answer to my look, Tim 

 ejaculated, "Och, damn the seal ; get out the other paddles 

 le love o' God I" I turned round, and to my amazement, 

 saw that the only outlet to the bay consisted of a passage 

 about seven feet wide. 



The tide outside, which had been falling for some hours, 

 was already fully four feet lower than the water in the bay we 

 were in, and the latter was pouring out through the orifice in 

 itle but powerful cascade. We sprang to the paddles, 

 need pulling our level best, but all in vain, we had 

 too near the hidden opening, and in another mo- 

 i took the neatest possible somersault over the falls. 

 The boat shot down stern foremost and turned clean over into 

 the water beyond. Fortunately we could both swim like fish- 

 es, and rising at once to the surface we collared the boat and 

 got it upon the rocks. 



We managed also to capture the floating paddles, but an 

 excellent rifle, and a favorite breech loader that fitted me like 

 a glove, remain— I suppose to this day — at the bottom of that 

 confounded little miniature cataract." Slowly and sadly we 

 paddled back to the small shanty where we were to encamp 

 for the night, and it took several horns of the pure "dew of 

 the mountain" to enable me to think with any sort of equa- 

 nimity over my first attempt at seal shooting in Conuemara. 



N- O.E. 



For Forest and Str0am and Rod and Gun. 



.A. WILD GOOSE CHASE AND A PRAIRIE 

 FIRE. 



M 



T venerable friend, Mr. "C," a veritable Nimrod from 



the city of -, in N. EL, who has been sojourning 



among us since last fall — good-natured, Kind and persevering— 

 has but one fault, to wit : he believes and maintains that he 

 is the fortunate possessor of the best breech-loading shot-gun 

 that was ever made. It is a Clabrough Bros. No. 10, and if 

 it wasn't a ''leettle" too heavy forbin>7 he wouldn't part with 

 it this side of the happy hunting grounds. With regard to the 

 wild goose chase 1 am to speak of, we — my friend of the 

 "Claybrough," myself and son— started at 3 a. m. by r the 

 watch, and very soon were safely aboard of our trim little 

 boat on the bosom of the gentle. Minnesota. It was an April 

 morning. Although early in the season for this northern 

 country, the weather was delightful, with a starlit sky over- 

 head and a bracing morning air all around us. We soonpassed 

 the ferry, the Indian camps, snugly situated on both sides of 

 the river (these Indians are old residenters among us and 

 have never taken up arms against their pale-faced brethren), 

 and rounded the big bend near Major Murphy's, going at the 

 rate of eight or ten knots an hour, with a strong cm-rent and 

 id Of a good pair of oars, old Mr. 0, occupying the stern. 

 In due time we safely moored our craft on the left bank of the 

 stream, and cautiously crept up the bank and began to recon- 

 noitre in the gray light of the early morn. Mr. C, who was 

 the generalissimo of this campaign, had the plan all laid out, 

 where each of us were to be posted along the banks of a long 

 lake, the nightly resort of the Anscr cunadenm— our game. He 

 knew fix m previous experience where the geese were sure to 

 fly out a little before sunrise— they always flew out this way- 

 and in whispering accents we two received our general "in- 

 structions, and silently proceeded to take up the positions 

 assigned us, well covered with reeds and bushes. Success 

 was sure, as, unlike "C. C.'s" bear story in your paper, the 



were there, and we couldn't have missed them. Occa- 



iy a: flock of mallards or woodducks would come skim- 

 ming in from the uplands, offering very good shots, but we 

 were after geese, and did not want to speak to them just now. 

 Presently the geese on the lake began to get up a lively dis- 

 cussiou as the first red streak was tinging the eastern horizon, 

 heralding the coming of "Old Sol" in all his majesty and 

 and hark! up they go, about fifty of them! - Closely 

 uggedthe ground, but to our great surprise they must 

 istaken in their bearings, or else a sly old gander 

 that we had heard discoursing out on the lake had received a 

 friendly warning front some of the ducks flying into the lake 

 close over us. Bucks, like women, can't keep a secret any- 

 how. The geese hugged the lake close, and finally crossed 

 over to their feeding grounds, where they were well out of 

 our reach. Not a word was said, not a whisper was 

 heard ; there were more geese in the lake talking rapidly and 

 loud, some of them surely must come our way ; they 

 always flew that way. Hark! up goes another flock, quite as 

 large as the first, and they are nearing, but— well, I didn't 

 swear— I never swear — but confound that tell-tale drake that 

 betrayed us; they flew in the same track that the first flock 

 did. That decided me. A heavy fog had risen, and under 

 its cover I hastened to the place where I had seen the two 

 first floeks cross the river. Come on, now, I've got ye at last. 

 Pst! up goes a tremendous big flock, seemingly the remainder 

 of the army. Having sent their skirmishers ahead they will 

 surely follow in the same track, for as yet not a gun had been 

 discharged. With bated breath I watched them rise over the. 

 low fog bank : higher and higher they rose ia their spiral 

 and when they were about as high as the surrounding 

 hills they sped up the lake and crossed over at the Murphy 

 place a full mile above where we were sure they always flew"! 

 Well, when t he geese w r ere gone we three met. Says bur com- 



er, " Never mind, we'll get those geese yet when they 

 come in again at about 8:30 a. m.! They always come in on the 



track that they fly out." That was cheering n. , 



our coffee and partook of breakfast. 

 After _>uii dour pipe and contentedly Listened to 



hiinuou-oo" of the innumei able prairie roosters and hens, 



and the drumming of the pheasants close by. One of the. 



in particular seemed to be very close to us, andwecould 



almost feel distinctly every rap tie gave that old log with his 



I etched wings. Poor fellow, it proved to ba his last en- 



joy un ?nt Alter an hour or so Mr. " C." remarked that we 

 Her take up our position, as the geese WOUldSQC 

 aiu. 'i he eaily morning train came thundering up the 

 valley within a quarter of a mile of us. and for the time being 

 all creation seemed hushed in silence witnessing with awe the 

 performance of that ruonsler of human ingenuity— the iron 

 horse ! Leisurely we proceeded to the place.-, assigned us by 

 our commander-in chief, in the tuil consciousness that now 

 we had them. Having waited probably thirty minutes, our 

 expectant ears were greeted with that familiar sound proceed- 

 ing from the game we were then lying in wait for. Nearer and 

 nearer came that sound. Keep well covered. Butlo! what's 

 the use to describe our feelings when we looked from behind 

 our blinds. The geese, were already over the lake spreading 

 their wings preparatory for a downward flight. "They did 

 come in by the snme road they flew out,"" but not exactly 

 where we knew they always would come in ! Well, we didn't 

 want any geese very badly anyhow— it was Friday too— and 

 so we gave it up. After a while mj T son began to strike out 

 for himself in the hope of talkinga word or two with some ducks. 

 Accidentally passing by the log where our pheasant had been 

 drumming lustily only an hour ago, when up springs a large- 

 hawk, holding securely in his talons the ill-fated pheasant. 

 The boy wasn't slow in raising his old No. 10, and in an in- 

 stant down came hawk and pheasant. On an examination, 

 however, he found that the robber had already killed his 

 quary and had been tearing into the nice plump breast of our 

 little friend. The poacher, for such he was according to ae 

 laws of our State which forbids the taking, etc., of any quail, 

 pheasant, etc., in this and some other months, was not much 

 hurt, so we secured him in spite, of his very loud protestations, 

 and tied him to a sappling till our return home, in order to 

 deliver him up to the proper authorities. After a while we 

 tried to get at the geese by strategy, but they seemed to see 

 through all our manoeuvres, and finally we resolved that we 

 should not be bothered with them any more. 



But hark ! what makes that fearful sound in the distance 

 like an approaching thunderstorm! It must be the express 

 train due in Shakopee at 9:80. No, that had passed! See the 

 fearful clouds of smoke rising up before us with a dreadful 

 crackling noise. It is a fire in the big rushes on the low 

 prairie extending on both banks of the river and the adjacent 

 lakes. ' ' Are we in danger ?" asked Mr. " C. " " Guess not ; 

 it seems to be across the river." Louder and nearer comes the 

 sound ; blacker and blacker rolls the smoke ; the wind too 

 increases, large cinders are falling thick around us. " Why. 

 look! it is on this side of the river already !" exclaimed Mr, 

 "O," and off he puts for the boat. "Where is my boy, he 

 has the key to the boat in his pocket ?" Why not set fire to 

 the rank grass and weeds where we are ? We dare not. for it 

 would be between us and the boy! Call him in ! We shouted 

 and whistled. No answer. Again we uttered a prolonged 

 whistle. At last we see him coming toward us. No time to 

 lose, the smoke becomes stifling. Away we hastened to the 

 boat in the nick of time, and by strong rowing against the 

 heavy current we succeeded in escaping, and landed at a safe 

 distance, where we rested for a good long while, and finally 

 put out for home, tired, hungry and disgusted at the idea that 

 any one person could tell with any degree of certainty any- 

 thing about the flight of those geese! Mr. " O. O..'' of Rock 

 Camp fame, had at least a deer or two to console him, but we 

 didn't get a feather. In my next I will give you a description 

 of our famous duck passes. Ducks are here in great numbers. 



Sfiakopee, Minn., April 18, 1877. Ki struts. 



THE OLD HUNTER'S STORY. 



ONLY a kick frum a broncho boss, and a man with a ugly 

 leg, but it seems mitey strange to me to be lyin still 

 on my blankets with the brite sun shining down on the pines 

 an laffin to see the old hunter abed in the warm lite ov day. 

 The rocks roll on the mountain wharthe deer an bighorn walk 

 free in thur trails ; quail an gray squirrell ur cabin an ehat- 

 terin roun the spring, not quarrelin nur scoldiu, but almost 

 like talkin for pure pleasure ov free air an good water. 

 Wild pigeon lite thick in the dead pine at the foot ov the 

 cienega, but they fear the black eagle perched on a pint in the 

 cliff crost the canyon more than eny rifle. Three days will 



w T eather, an Tom piled me wood enough handy to last fur a 

 week if need be. A hurt heals quick fur a man dials healthy. 

 Why, the thing mite hev happened in stun dura city stead ov 

 in the free mountains. Lord! how pleasant the day is. Come 

 closter, Boze, ole dog, I want to pat you. I guess 111 take my 

 stub ov lead pensil an tell my fur off friends in a city some- 

 thins bout these mountains. Talkin ur a heap easiei 

 writin, but thars no one to talk to cept Boze, an he's sleepy. 

 I hope you'll xcuse this kind ov paper, we use it mostly fur 

 Cagarriios. 



Hear to sundown one day I was crossin the Santa Rosa 

 mountain, auwhar the trail turns down toward the ri 

 a thick patch ov manzanita, which wood ar sum harder nor 

 iron, I foun thar hed bin queer doin's ; brush broken an 

 trampled, that two bulls fiten kud hardly hev managed; I war 

 lite loded, had little but my rifle an blankets. Arter examina- 

 shun I see that bar don it, an big ones. Pokin roun 1 kum to 

 a break in the bresh leading dow r n to a canyon ; thar wur 

 cold blood on the rocks an haron the broke ends ovthe breshes. 

 Lookin off down the hill somethin bleedin hed bin drug, makin 

 a plain trail, which I follered, findin, well-covered with dead 

 bresh an pieces ov rat's nest, a middlin-sized cub, partly 

 eaten. I knoed a lion hid it; but Lord ! who ever heered ov a 

 lion killin even a cub grizzly, sides, wbar wur the she one boat 

 that time ; goin back I foun whar the lion cum into the broke 

 place, his tracks was on top ov the tore up ground and led to 

 the spot whar I seed frum the sign the cub hed fur some time 

 bin lyin; ov course whar he drug off the body it wiped out his 

 tracks, being sorter behind him. I continued the sarch ; my 

 hart jumpt plum to my mouth ez I picked up a man's hat. an 

 seehangin to the bush the hat lay under most all ov a coat- 

 sleeve, an along in the broke place leadin down toward the 

 canyon nigh every bush hed a rag on it. At the end of this 

 break, bresh was broke in every direckshun, and fresh dried 

 blood was quite plentiful. I foun two places whar thar hed 

 bin pools like, an fer the first time I noticed dog ez well as 

 bar (racks. In one bar trail I foun only three foot tracks an 

 considerable part dried blood and paunch stuff, which showed 

 me one of them ar bars wus bad hurted. Just then I noticed a 

 slight trail leadiuoff down the hillside kinder sideways, an with 

 little lookin, cuni to ihe conclusion that a man bi 

 by bars, but not follered, hed crawled off thatavays. Hurry- 

 in back up the hill fer my blankets 1 foun a rifle lyin bout 

 ten feet, from the tracks, not loaded, an with the hammer broke 

 off. Lcavin it thar I tuck the trail an fullered aefast ez I could 



. bresh an avei 

 mitey bad thinkin bow the poor feller must a suffered in 



elm. At the loot ov the slope was a narrer canyon and small 

 stream ov water; here I seed whar he drank, leavin the print 

 ov one han an one knee in the edge ova dam made by the full- 

 en down trunk ov a alder, and kep on down the canyon whar 

 the travelin got smoothur. Hog an bar tracks wus thick m 

 the canyon, an it made me feel kinder opiarmish to think how 

 quick hogs would eat a dead body. Night come on piitty 

 black, but I knoed thet noway s he couldn't git outer the canyon, 

 an kep on, hollerin quite frequent for fear I mite pass him an 

 him alive yit, Mebbe a mile, to me it seemed longer, from 

 whar I first come into it, the canyon turned short to the east an I 

 widened. I nder a oak near the water wus a cabin, it wus so 

 still an black lookin it made me think ov a coffin. I hollered, 

 to which no one giv anser. Twur most infernul quiet I 

 erecped in at the ooor-plttce an listened, but didn't hear nuthin 

 cept my own hart beatins. Three matches broke short off 

 before I end git one hted. Then, ole uoze, you crawled ' 

 whining out ov a corner, and, lookin, I seed that the cabin 

 wur in fact a coffin. 



Poor young feller! I donno es I kud a helped him even ef I 

 he J bin a heap sooner. Thet nite I camped out in the open 

 air an kep up a good fire. Tho you wus onlv a puppy an 

 hungry, ole Boze. you stuck elost to what hed bin your master 

 spite ov all my enticm; an we both know the reason why no 

 hogs hadn't got into the shanty. When the sun dumb 

 over the mountain I went into the cabin a minit. He'd 

 had a fire, a coffee pot wuz upsot on the ashes, an half 

 melted. Thar want no wooden thing left in the cabin 

 he cud git at. On a rafter wur a poke holdin sum oiled shote 

 an corn bread : neither uv you cud reach it, He had evident 

 tried to wrap some rags roun his hurt shoulder; but, o-oudLord ■ 

 how cud he do it? The right arm and shoulder wur chawed 

 into pieces— bone mixed in with flesh every whiebaways— an 

 the right leg bit most off nigh the hip jint ; the face "wasn't 

 hurted. When the bar grabbed him I spose that he t browed 

 up his arm to perteet it, Skeercelv more nor a boy, poor fel- 

 low ! He must a bin handsome; his lone, yeller bar wur soft 

 like a baby's, an his han no bigger nor awoman's. Thar wur 

 marks in the dirt on the floor that wur some kind ov writin 

 but nobody cud read it for dog tracks. Thar wur marks, tho' 

 I cud read most too easy— whar he'd dragged hisself to the 

 fire, an under the rafter whar the food wur, an once whar he'd 

 bm to the water. Soon after— leavin the puppy, which hed got 

 tolerabil friendly, all the grub cept a little pinole~l struck 

 out for Bill Foster's on the river. Bill Bed as how the young 

 feller wur a stranger he'd hired bout three weeks before to 

 look arter hogs in that canyon, which wur troubled with o-riz- 

 zhes ; thet he'd guv him a rifle an the best dog he had to help 

 him; that he'd came thar afoot from the JSmbaraukro, whar 

 he'd run away from a schooner ; that he war so young an 

 white handed that he kinder mistrusted to hire him, but the 

 ole woman, who wur mighty soft hearted, sed he'd starve sure 

 if they didn't ; that his name was Charley, and once sence he'd 

 bin herdin he cum over to ax fer some writin tools and paper 

 (which they hedn't) to write to his mother; that he seemed 

 elredful disapinted an down-hearted, an Miss Foster giv him 

 the pup I'd seen to kinder console liim. The nex day me an 

 Bill went up thar an berried him, wrapped roun in a par ov 

 Bill's blankets an a white sheet Miss Foster sent by us. I don't 

 know much about prayin, but when all was finished we tuk 

 off our hats and Bill sed, " The young feller wur chock full 

 ov good grit an of luv for his mother. " El Cazadok. 

 > ■«.-. 



Wild Turkeys.— In the expressive language of the Indians 

 the month of September is known as the moon of turkeys. 

 Early in September the males collect together by themselves, 

 and the hens and young ones in another flock, and continue 

 so for some time ; all the while, however, moving about in 

 search of food. In their travels they often reach the banks of 

 considerable rivers, where they all join in company. Crossing 

 a river is to them an undertaking of serious magnitude. They 

 first betake themselves to the nearest eniinecce,*;md there often 

 remain a whole day, or sometimes two. as if for consultation. 

 During this time the males are heard "gobbling," calling, and 

 making much ado, and arc seen strutting about as if to'raise 

 their courage to a pitch befitting the emergency- a line of con- 

 duct imitated by the females and young. At length, when 

 the weather appears to be settled, and all around is quiet, the 

 whole party mounts to the tops of the highest trees, whence 

 at a signal, consisting of a single cluck, given by a leader, the 

 flock takes flight for the opposite shore. The old and fat birds 

 easily get over, even should the river be a mile in breadth ; but 

 the younger and less robust frequently fall into the water- 

 not to be drowned, however, as might be imagined. They 

 bring their wings close to their body, spread out their tail as a 

 support, stretch forward their neck, and, striking Out their legs 

 with great vigor, proceed rapidly toward the shore: on ap- 

 proaching which, should they find it too steep for landing 

 i se their exertions for: a few moments, float down the 

 stream until they cbrac to an accessible part, and by a violent 

 effort generally extricate themselves from the water. The 

 tame turkey is a direct descendant from the wild, and there- 

 is little difference in the quality of the flesh.— Montreal Btar. 



The Place AVtief.e the Sua Urwps a Da v.— Chatham 

 Island, lying off the coast of New Zealand, in the South Pa- 

 cific Ocean, is peculiarly situated, as it is one of the few in- 

 habitable points of the globe where the day of the week 

 1' is just era the lire of dcrnarkatiou between dates 

 There high twelve pn Sunday, Or Sunday noon, ceases, arid In- 

 stantly Monday meridian begins. Suhdaycomes into a man's 

 house on the east side, and becomes Mondiy by the time it 

 passes out of the western door. A man sits down to his noon- 

 day dinner on Sunday and it is Monday noon befeirehe finishes 

 it. There Saturday is Sunday and Sunday is Monday, and 

 Monday becomes suddenly transferred into Tuesday; 

 1- .« ) « 



Killed by a Panther.— Wednesday, Aug. 1, a young 

 lady, aged about sixteen, daughter of Mr. Luce, who' lives 

 about nine miles west of Paris, Michigan, was one of a party 

 out picking whortleberries on the plains in the township of 

 Barton. During the day she became separated from the rest 

 of the party, and was supposed by her associates to have gone 

 home, bat on going to the house "later in the day they learned 

 that she was still absent. Returning to the point when 

 waslasl search was commenced, which was soon 



rewarded by the discovery of her remains, about forty rods 



was about half devoured, wl 

 posed from the tracks in the neighborhood to have been the 

 work of a panther. 



