FOREST AND STREAM. 



183 



on the lee side we bowl along- opposite Captain's Islaud, when 

 tlie swell of a passing steamer lifts Hie "Star" and drops her 

 on a rock. The shock is severe, but subsequent examination 

 proved that no damage had beeen done to her hull. The wind 

 is freshening np as I pass Greenwich Harbor, and I am mak- 

 ing excellent lime, meanwhile lying at nearly full length., 

 With my head resting on the back board and feet on deck, 

 eating fruit, munching hard tack, and smoking, until I pass 

 Greenwich Point, a few miles further on, where I let go the 

 halliards, for it is not worth while to beat into Stamford Har- 

 bor, where I have decided to stop for the night. Unhappy 

 thOoglit that,- let no canoeist stop here. The harbor is 

 ■Wretched and uninteresting besides If. uv; very long and the 

 two hotels are over a mile from Van Tassel's boat-house, the 

 only place where one may leave his canoe, and where, by the 

 by, our purser was shamefully swindled by the said Van T. 

 Six small boys, walking Indian file, and each one bearing tri- 

 umphantly some article from the "Star," pilot me to the 

 Stamford House. 



Friday I wake up at about eight o'clock, feeling much more 

 cheerful and charitably inclined than on the previous evening. 

 A few letters are written to expectant and anxious friends, 

 breakfast is disposed of, and the same half dozen small boys 

 escort me back to the boat-house, where quite a crowd has as- 

 sembled to see us off. To launch is the work of a moment, 

 and as I get under way, 1 find that some of the Stamfordites, 

 who are curious to see how the " Star " will behave in a sea- 

 way, are to accompany me to the mouth of the harbor in sin- 

 gle-sculls, rowboats and cats. There is quite a breeze from 

 the North, wdiich enables me to go out before the wind in 

 grand style, to the delight and astonishment of my friends, 

 who had not thought it possible for so small a boat to do so 

 well under sail. Talking and laughing, we soon reach Ship, 

 man's Point, at the entrance to the harbor, where, with a 

 cheer and a goodspeed, I am left to pursue my way. I have 

 since learned that there is a good hotel on the east side of this 

 point, quite near the water, which might save canoeists the 

 . annoyance of stopping at Stamford. 



itf. This morning is much the same as yesterday afternoon, just 

 enough of a breeze to make it exciting, aud to moderate the 

 heat of the sun, which would otherwise be unendurable. 

 There are quantities of small craft darting about, and I am 

 many a time hailed, " "Whither bound ?" and often asked, 

 " What kind of a boat is that ?" But it remains for some one 

 in a small yacht anchored off my starboard quarter, to hail 

 me, "Canoe ahoy!" This is rather strange, as it is the first 

 time the "Star " is hailed as a canoe, so I ease the sheet and 

 bear down to see who it is that calls my craft by its right 

 name. It is one of a couple of Englishmen, a canoeist him- 

 self, and who takes me for a countryman of his, for he says : 

 " I didn't think anybody knew What a canoe was, in this coun- 

 try." They are, both of them, nice fellows, and I leave them 

 only after having had lunch with them. As a reminder of 

 the visit they kindly press on me a bottle of beer and one of 

 hard cider which are destined to come in very handily later. 

 As I reach Norvaton Point the wind dies out, and the sun's 

 rays scorch so mercilessly that I decide to stop here until sun- 

 set. This decision is the more hastily arrived at, as I can see 

 a picnic grove where hunger may be appeased, and perceive 

 a number of young ladies, evidently city girls, who are spend- 

 ing the summer in the neighborhood, with whom after dinner 

 it will be festive to converse. This delightful combination of 

 the good and the beautiful is not to be resisted, so we make 

 hastily for the shore. Among others who welcome me there 

 is a big, jolly, goodhearted son of the sea, a Sound pilot, who, 

 when he finds out what I am about and where the "Star" 

 comes from and is going to, invites me to make his house my 

 headquarters for the night. " I live in a snug little box on 

 Tavern Islaud, about a mile out from here," says he, "and 

 you shall be made as comfortable as a •lain." I am about 

 twenty-five miles from Bridgeport, but think that by getting 

 up at sunrise the following morning I can manage it, so I ac- 

 cept the hospitable offer. We call each other Cap. and 

 Commodore, and presently are as close friends as two peas in a 

 pod. 



Without any preliminary formalities I boldly approach sev- 

 eral of the before mentioned young ladies — for that canovistis 

 a craven caitiff, who needs an introduction to a pretty girl — 

 and ask them if they would not like to look at the "Star.'' 

 The bait takes, and presently I am surrounded by a dozen at 

 least of the fair ones, and we pass a very jolly and wordy 

 afternoon. At sunset the Commodore aud I adjourn to his 

 little Island, which is just large enough to hold his house 

 aud no more, aiicl sit down to a hearty dinner. A couple of 

 pipes aud a paddle out to Sheffield Island light-house finish 

 the evening, aud at half-past nine I am comfortably packed 

 away for the night. 



" Wake up Cap.," roars the Commodore outside the door, 

 four o'clock Saturday morning. It is nearly an hour before 

 sunrise, and I dress by candle light, and slip down the ladder 

 which serves as stairs, to find my kind host getting the break- 

 fast ready. This meal is discussed, and the clock strikes fiTe 

 as I go on board the ' ' Star." My friend will accept nothing 

 for his kindness to me, so we pledge each other in what is 

 left of the hard cider, and after he has given me some points 

 about the currents, warned me to keep close to the shore, as 

 it is going to blow great guns tod?..,', and giving me a package 

 of luncheon, we part. Thanks to you again. Commodore, 

 for your hospitality ; among many inhospitable strangers you 

 were indeed an exception. 



Although the sun had but just risen, the wind was quite 



fresh from the northwest, and, mindful of the pilot's advice, 

 1 try to weather the many islands which make up the Norwalk 

 group, but somehow I cannot manage it, and every time drift 

 off to leeward. With a stiff wind on the beam, and an ugly 

 sea on, a canoe will always drift a good deal, but in the ex- 

 citement of the moment, rushing along with the spray dash- 

 ing up from the bows, aud the lee well combing Hush with 

 the water, I do not take much notice of this until when about 

 twelve miles from Tavern Island, I notice for the first time, 

 with horror and amazement that I have been makiug most 

 fearful leeway, and am now fully five miles in a bee-line from 

 the main -shore. What shall I do? The wind has been in- 

 creasing so that now for my little boat it is blowing a hurricane 

 and the waveB every moment are breaking on the deck fore 

 and aft, with an exceedingly unpleasant thud. There are but 

 two things to be done, and one of them must be done quickly. 

 Either run before the wind to the Long Island shore, some 

 twelve miles away, or else paddle in the eye of the wind for 

 the Connecticut side, for it would be madness to make it by 

 trying to sail closer to the wind. My mind is soon made up to 

 do the latter, for at all hazards I must catch that 4:50 train. 

 With infinite trouble the mast is unstepped, and stowed away 

 below, the rudder apron is well fastened around my waist,and 

 off I go, steering straight for Greens Farms. 



It took three hours of uncommonly hard paddling to accom- 

 plish those five odd miles, but it was grand fun, with just 

 enough of danger to make it spicy. Tlere it was that the 

 good qualities of a canoe showed themselves in a sea where 

 no row boat could have lived five minutes. Ever and anon 

 a tremendous wave would wash over the Star from stem to 

 stern, wetting me completely and blinding me with spray ; 

 and once the boat was actually lifted from the surface by the 

 combined force of wind and water. Still, with all this, I 

 made steady headway, never stopping to rest for a moment, 

 nor, indeed, feeling a wish to. While still some way from 

 shore I cross the bows of a trading schooner of some 400 tons, 

 with only main, foresail and jib set. Her captain thinks I 

 am in distress and shouts to me if I want assistance. Of 

 course his kind offer is declined. We reach the land 

 in safety. The water is dumped out of the boat 

 (she had shipped about four buckets full), and the 

 cargo bag is examined. Great guns ! it has opened and is 

 full of water, tobacc^ matches, etc., all destroyed. What an 

 ugly sarcasm is a pipe and nothing to put in it ! Luckily, 

 amid all these misfortunes, the lunch is dry, having been 

 carefully packed, and I proceed forthwith to dispose of it. 

 Damages are repaired, and my clothes from having been wet 

 are now so dried that they are only damp, and I embark 

 again. But here I meet with another accident: Standing up 

 to restep the mast I lose my balance, and, to prevent the boat 

 from tipping over aud filling, am obliged to jump overboard 

 head foremost. It is only up to my waist, a few feet from 

 shore, so I wade out. Still it cannot be helped, so I wring 

 the water out of coat and trousers and push on, for too much 

 time has been lost, and as near as I can guess it must be one 

 o'clock. The wind has not abated a jot, and is still blowing 

 directly off shore, but I am more careful now and have a 

 glorious run, paddling and sailing, dancing along over the big 

 waves past Southport harbor and Kensie's Point. Even with 

 the chart before me I mistake Black Eock harbor for Bridge- 

 port harbor, and do not discover my mistake until some dis- 

 tance in. The mistake is easily rectified. I turn about, dash 

 through a marsh, and come into full view of The Bridgeport 

 Park, which extends into the harbor on a neck of land. I am 

 stared at hard by the people out driving and walking, and 

 many young ladies wave their handkerchiefs to us as we 

 glide past close to the bank. The good Bridgeporters on the 

 water are quite as curious, for they all ease off or close haul 

 their boats that they may see the novel craft, and ask us 

 where it hails from. I am escorted in by two or three, and, 

 at precisely four o'clock, weather-beaten, sun-burnt, and with 

 face, hands, and in fact everything covered with a crust of 

 white salt from the evaporated sea water, I touch at the float 

 at the foot of the bridge, and my trip is at an end. 



Accidents, however, never come singly, for when I came 

 to fee the man who helped carry my boat to the depot, I was 

 thunderstruck to find that my assets had disappeared. My 

 two. purses, one containing silver change and the other green- 

 backs, had fallen out of my pocket when 1 went overboard at 

 Green's Farms. It is not necessary to say that I did not take 

 that 4:50 train which I had worked so hard to catch, but was 

 obliged to stay at Bridgeport until Monday morning, 

 when I received remittances from New York. It is not 

 out of place to speak here of the exceeding friendliness 

 of the clerk of the Atlantic House at Bridgeport, who, 

 when he discovered my damp and disconsolate condition, 

 furnished me with an entire dry outfit from his own wardrobe 

 until my own clothes had been thoroughly dried, and advanced 

 money for current expenses. I thank him again here for his 

 kindness. 



Early Monday morning, knowing that it was low tide, and 

 thinking it might be possible to recover some salvage on the 

 Greens Farms beach, I went down there by traiu, and sure 

 enough found my little coin purse intact and high and dry ; 

 the other had probably floated off. 



A word about my canoe. Much has been said concerning 

 the respective merits of the Baden-Powell and Bob Koy canoes. 

 Never having used the former type, I cannot say much about 

 them, except that over the Rob Roy they have the advantage 

 of much better and absolutely dry stovving-room, and are per- 

 haps slightly better sailers and sea boats. On the other hand, 



the Rob Roy, if carefully managed, is as dry as can be wished 

 for, her one sail is easily and safely managed, and her superior 

 lightness, combined with her excellent model, makes her a 

 much easier boat to paddle. These various qualities make the 

 Rob Roy, to my mind, a much better boat for general work 

 than the Baden-Powell. 



If this account of my adventures in the Star does hut induce 

 one man to follow my example and take a canoe cruise I shall 

 consider the time spent in preparing it well employed. 



L. F. D'O. 



. .«. « 



For Forest and Strewn. 

 .THE SiNNEMAHONING COUNTRY. 



I^ROM the St. Lawrence River to the Rio Grande, I know, 

 within those bounds, no better region for brook trout 

 and ruffed grouse than that about the Sinnemahoning River in 

 Potter Co., Pa., the trout making up in flavor, numbers and 

 game qualities what they may lack in size, and being nearly at 

 the head even in the latter particular, and the grouse being in 

 all respects unexcelled. Deer, hears, wild cats and panthers are 

 also moderately abundant— or were in the happy days " befo' 

 the wah. " How, now, I cannot say. Wolves and tha various 

 fur bearing animals were also in moderate abundance. Ducks 

 and geese were rare, wild turkeys unknown, and quail scarce. 

 There were plenty of woodcock in season, and as to wild 

 pigeons, they nested there, and darkened the air with their 

 flight. 



The Sinnemahoning below the junction of East and First 

 Forks I have known both as a rattman and sportsman. At the 

 junction stood Bartran's house, where the wide mouthed fire- 

 place, piled high with huge logs, gave the pilgrim as warm a 

 welcome as he could desire. A short distauce below was 

 Barclay's mill, where the water, pouring over the dam twenty 

 feet in height, left a space under the sheet of water next to 

 the dam large enough for a man to go under. Here trout in 

 endeavoring to leap the dam would sometimes tali back, and 

 have been actually caught upon an inverted umbrella. 1 well 

 recollect the remarks that were made by the rude lumbermen 

 at the mill about the first sportsman passing that way who 

 was too fastidious to eat trout caught in that manner. 



The various tributaries of the Sinnemahoning number, I 

 suppose, one hundred trout brooks, ranging from middling to 

 first-rate. All the other game common to that country was 

 in abundance. There was a herd of elk, too, well up the 

 East Fork ; let us hope they are " still there," and that no son 

 of '• Jximrod" has walked up to them on a thick snow crust 

 and murdered them. 



But the natural approach to this region is, or was, byway 

 of Genesee Station, on the Erie Road ; thence eighteen miles 

 up stream, and up hill to the head of the Genesee, and to the 

 top knot of that part of creation, near the pretty little village 

 of Lewisville, where in a radius of two miles may be found 

 the heads of Genesee above mentioned. Cowanesque, a tribu- 

 tary of the north branch of Susquehanna; Pine Creek, tribu- 

 tary to the west branch of the sauie river and the Alleghany — 

 which has several tributaries, including the Oswayo in the 

 couuty — all trout streams. 



The Genesee and its tributaries furnish from ten to fifteen 

 trout brooks, from fair to middling. The country along the • 

 banks cf these streams is, or was, thicker settled than the re- 

 mainder of the county. 



With the Tiadaghtan branch of Pine Creek the best of the 

 trout fishing and grouse hunting begins ; there are, I suppose, 

 twenty or. more tributaries all good. Passing up the west 

 branch of Pine Creek and over the divide the waters of Kettle 

 Creek are reached, and soon the charming little town of Ger- 

 mania, in the midst of a colony of Germans, planted by Mr. 

 William Radde and others, of .New York. A few miles be- 

 low, New Bergen, a Danish colony; and further on, Oleona, a 

 colony of Norwegians, established by that great torturer of 

 "pussy's bowels," Mr. OleBull. 



At this point, just below the frowning white pine board 

 battlements of Ole Bull's castle comes in the Carey Fork, a 

 celebrated trout stream, running its entire length through an 

 unbroken wilderness ; but Carey's cabin has long since become 

 a " grease spot." Below the junction, for five miles, extends 

 the Laurel Bottom Creek, almost a river, flowing in a succes- 

 sion of deep black pools and wide shallow riffles. 



Happening at the foot of this bottom one Fourth of July morn- 

 ing, with a good cast of rather sober-colored flies, I cut alight, 

 springy black birch rod and resolved to fish the stream up as 

 far as Oleona, in preference to walking. The water was low 

 aud clear, the fish were on the riffles and at the lower end of 

 the pools, and distinctly to be seen. The view was very 

 bracing, in fact exciting. Being headed up stream I had the 

 advantage of seeing the trout before they saw me, but the dis- 

 advantage of having to cast up stream, and thus getting no 

 help from the current in managing my flies and keeping my 

 line taut. Whenever one would take my fly, however, he w r ould 

 start for the deep water above and soon* take the slack out, 

 but the problem was to land him without frightening all the 

 others on the riffle between us in plain view, lazily fanning 

 the water their broad tails. 



We have your excellent paper as a witness of the extreme 

 difficulty of relating a fish story with accuracy. It would be 

 hard to give an adequate idea, much more so to exaggerate 

 the sport enjoyed by this solitary and quiet angler on that 

 day. The broad sliming sides of the fish gleamed through 

 the water, and vigorous play was kept up until strength 

 failed, and the basket was crammed till it could no more, 

 then a forked elm stick used as a string was filled, and over 

 three hundred and forty speckled beauties were taken to mine 

 inn at the close of that day — a much more appropriate load 

 for two men than one. 



Boniface, of the "Oleona House," had watched a deer-lick on 

 the night of the third, and had slaughtered a big buck of 

 seven points, and had the entire saddle roasted in anticipation 

 of our comiug. A few patriotic friends, Dutch, Irish, Nor- 

 wegian, Dauish and live Yankee assembled, lagerbeer had 

 been sent from Germania, and there was wine from the Father- 

 land, and we celebrated the remainder of that glorious Fuurth 

 so. It was the last before the war. The next was cele- 

 brated in camp. 



At another time I may tell you about rock fish and black 

 bass fishing in the Potomac. " Yell 



Jacksonport, Ark., July 4, 1877. 



—A weekly mail has been established bet wet 1 * ampa aud 

 Cedar Keys, in South Florida. 



