6cT. 15. 18^5.1 



FOREST AMjJ stream. 



Meantime tbe supplies were drawing near. The officer in 

 command of Fort Shaw had supplied fast teams to hurry on 

 a few loads to the agency, but the roads wore so bad that 

 tbe trains moved with appalling slowness. At length, bow- 

 ever, they got so near the agency that it was possible to send 

 out light teams to meet tbe heavily laden ones, and bring in 

 a few sacks of flour and bacon, and every little helped. 

 Gradually the suffering was relieved, and now for many 

 months tbe Indians have bad plenty, but the memory of that 

 awful season of famine will never pass from the minds of 

 those who witnessed it. 



There is a record of between four and five luradred Indi- 

 ans who died of hunger at this time, and this includes only 

 those who were buxied in the immediate neighborhood of 

 the agency and for whom cofflus were made. Probably more 

 than half as many more died at some little distance iu the 

 camps on other creeks, but this is mere coniecture. It is no 

 exaggeration to say, however, that from one quarter to one- 

 third of the Piegan tribe starved to death during that winter 

 and the following spring. 



For all these deaths one person is responsible; the agent 

 who preceded Major Allen. He starved from five to eight 

 hundred Piegans within a year. Not many people can 

 boast of having made such a killing. But nothing was ever 

 done to him. He still lives; possibly honored and respected. 

 What would be the feelings of a man of ordinary sensi- 

 biUties. who was responsible for such a deed? In these 

 days we have no form of punishment which is adequate 

 to such a crime. Civilization has decreed that death is 

 the punishment for tbe murder of a man. and for the 

 murder of five hundred there is nothing more severe. In 

 the good old days it was not so. There were the stake and 

 fagots, the red hot pincers to tear the flesh from the bones, 

 the -wheel and bar, the kettle of boiling oil. We have out- 

 lived the days of such punishments, but not of the crimes to 

 which they were applied. It is a pity. 



Too much cannot be said in praise of Major Allen's wise 

 and humane management during this most trying time. He 

 showed himself indeed the right man for the place. By 

 means of his vmflagging energy he succeeded in arousing the 

 Government at Washington to speedy action, and in secur- 

 ing the co-operation of the people of Montana at the time 

 when their assistance was most needed. Moreover, his repre- 

 sentations to Congress were so effectual that he secured an 

 appropriation, which, for a year, places the Peigans beyond 

 the reach of want. He has shown a combination of humanity, 

 good judgment and energy, which is very rare, and he de- 

 serves and will receive for his treatment of this miserable 

 remnant of a great people the thanks of the whole country. 



Yd. 



[In connection with Almost-a-Dog's story, Mr. Schultz's 

 Life Among the Blackfect, Forest and Stkeam, Vol. XXF., 

 should be read.— Ed. F. & S.] 



AN OFFING. 



AMONG the many interesting and satisfactory traits of 

 men illustrated io Forest and Stream, are some com- 

 moner, we have faith to believe, to men of a bent for outdoor 

 life than to those who have not the disposition. However 

 .much we err in this general proposition, at any rate, not long 

 lago, yielding we will presume to the importunate demand of 

 ;its followers, the Forest ajid StrejVM gave a large part in 

 its columns to rehearsals of "un.successful expeditions." 

 Whoever heard of "the Uke of this" before? Where is there 

 :another paper having a constituency of sufficient simplicity 

 :and originality, or whatever you chose to call it, to ask a 

 ij)lace to tell and hear of each other's failures? Who did not 

 a-ead with fascinated admiration the yarns of these sons 

 of the air and the woods? Perhaps the contributions from 

 the West, whose boast is its simphcity and freshness, were 

 not so much to be marvelled at, but that the "effete civiliza- 

 tion" of the East, the knickerbockered, dainty-handed triflers 

 with exquisite guns and rods, self-conscious, proud and un- 

 communlcate, for so the popular idea goes, should iind its 

 r&sponsive chord to this tune was somewhat of a surprise. 

 All this may seem to have little point unless it prove the 

 labored introduction to an account of some "unsuccessful 

 expedition." But the unfortunate reader must be reminded 

 that after unstinted praise of these authors it would hardly 

 do to appear on the spot in the same role. 



To be sure we took along guns and rods, but who could 

 be looking much for bass along in October or "food for 

 powder" in such fair weather as we had. Like young 

 geese, which a local wit used to cite in the sjiring, we felt 

 that we wanted to fly and that was all. 



We were an open boat, three boys, one of them the 

 real thing and two of older growth, an oarsman, a canvas 

 covering, old clothes, coffee, potatoes, bread, pork and but- 

 ter and camp utensils of the primitive kind. It was early 

 afternoon before we went aboard and worked well into our 

 flue "white ash" breeze that skirted us up along the shore 

 resplendent in the golden red and brown of autumn foliage. 

 Off on the horizon black lines of flock ducks swept the blue 

 and quiet water toward some night shelter. "In vain the 

 fowler's eye did mark theii' flight to do them wrong." A 

 tribe of impudent coots and fish ducks dove, reappeared and 

 bobbed around successfully, luring us to unsuccessful shots. 

 The light wind went down with the blazing sun, and cool 

 shadows fell across the country before we could land and 

 make camp on the shingly beach, seven miles from town. 

 Our boat was hardly hauled out and backlogs, foresticks and 

 lightwood enough for the fire brought in before twilight had 

 said "good night." And good night it was. 



Supper done for, the shelter of the upturned boat, its 

 ^cushions and "the weed whose clouds all other clouds dis- 

 :per' trimmed the occasion. We saw the stars lioht up their 

 ilights. Venus soon sloped over the Western threshold of 

 .our world. In the north Charles's Wain began for us its 

 slow circitit, and aloft gleamed the stars of Cassiopeia. 

 Later on, in the east Aldebaran's ruddy lamp moved up the 

 sky and the Pleiades "glittered like a swarm of fireflies ' 



tangled in a silver braid." An air off the land rustled amid 

 the neighboring frees and slid out over the lake. Miniature 

 waves broke on the pebbly beach as if muffled to help keep 

 the reign. Even the shrill crickets faded to mar the har- 

 mony, and the intermittent note of some late whippoorwill 

 in a distant wood marked the gentle measure. 



Wrapped in blankets and creeping closer under the shelter 

 of the broad boat, we saw the fire burn down to embers; and 

 at length sleep, won without any wooing, clasped us in 

 comfortable embrace. Twice or thrice during the night the 

 dark .shadow of a companion— self-appointed and faithful 

 stoker— feeding the dying fire to a grateful warmth, breaks 

 the thraldom of our senses and we wake for long enough to 

 hear, perhaps, the brief twittering of a dreamy thrush. 



Whal weather we did have as we vagabonded along shore! 

 Mornings whose sunrises dispelled the usual owliness, and 

 days whose air "sparkled like champagne." 



We trailed our flies up and down over the .shelving bot- 

 toms of the shore and idly contemplated their many-hued 

 pavements of glistening stones and their gardens of seaweed, 

 but we hooked no bass. We sat our e.xpen-sive decoys on 

 "plashy brinks," among succulent lilypads and tempting 

 reeds, and we scoured the heavens from green coverts for 

 the foolish quarry. We saw the water hen run in and out 

 and the cackling blackbird fly back and forth ; we heard the 

 squawk of a woodduck domiciled away up the creek and 

 the bleat of a busy snipe somewhere about, but we bagged 

 nothing. More than one day, always hungry and tired, 

 we toiled home to our grateful habitation empty-handed. 



One day broke gray and windy. Great rolls of somber 

 clouds, the "gray and formless daughters of the air" that 

 haunted Heine's ca.staway, journeyed acros.s the sky. Vessels 

 reeled alons far out from shore under storm jibs and reefed 

 foresails, with dropped peaks. The gra.sses of the marsh 

 pulsated violently at the angry puifs, and trees bent suppli- 

 antly to the blast, scattering prodigally with it their dry 

 leaves. Noon and afternoon the storm grew, until at dusk 

 the angry breakers thundered their volumes of water on the 

 beach as if in ferocity at having missed some prey. At their 

 command we moved our roof and boat together out of the 

 maw of their dark swirl and trouble. The searching wind 

 clean swept great embers from our huge fire of logs, and 

 shot their sparks away like meteors, to be quenched in the 

 hissing foam, or to go out in the upper ah. 



It rained that night. But the boat had turned more water 

 than that, and in rubber coats and on rubber blankets we did 

 as thejr do in Spain when it rains. At length the lashing of 

 the water by the wind and the roars and cries of them 

 both ceased to impress our tired sense. But curiously enough 

 our time was up the next day and our outing ended. Proudly 

 we met our friends in town and reported in triumph the 

 utter barrenness of oiu- hands. They eyed us suspiciously, 

 winked knowingly one to the other and crossed the street. 

 Poor, untaught things! They read not the Forest a^td 

 Stream. They grope in the darkness of thinking that man 

 lives by bread alone. They dream not that there is more in 

 the philosophy of himting and fishing than fat bags and 

 strings of fish. G. T. C. 



Oswego, N. Y. 



A WEEK ALONG THE GULF. 



ON the morning of March 3, 1885, one standing in the 

 business pai-t of Tallahassee, Fla., might have" noticed 

 a light wagon with three persons, two young men about 

 twenty-five and a negro boy of twelve. They were otf for a 

 week's trip to the Gulf of Mexico for fishing and hunting. 

 The elder of the two was Dick Carpenter, of Tallahassee, 

 who enjoyed nothing better than a week off with his rod and 

 gun ; the other was \ vandal from the Florida University, 

 who had accepted Dick's invitation for the purpose of add- 

 ing some new specimens to his collection in ornithology. 



The morning was all that could be desired. It was^such a 

 morning as has made Tallahassee famous all over our coun- 

 try. Mocking birds were singing in every treetop and the 

 air was laden with the perfume of flowers. A half mile out 

 of town a small pond' is passed which contains a flock of 

 forty ring-billed, black-headed ducks. It is an easy matter 

 to kiU them, but to get them out is another question. After 

 considering the matter we leave them to enjoy their morn- 

 ing bath undisturbed. The road now enters an immense 

 yellow pine forest, which appears almost void of animal hfe. 

 Four miles from town we pass through the little village of 

 Bellaire, once the residence of rich planters, but now almost 

 deserted. Here may be seen the old plank road running 

 from Tallahassee to St. Marks, over which the cotton used 

 to be transported. There are no houses now for ten miles, 

 but it is a delightful ride through the immense pine forest! 

 Next we come to the natural bridge across the St. Mark's 

 River. Just before crossing the natural bridge the traveler's 

 eye is attracted by strong lines of entrenchments thrown up 

 during the late w^ar. But now the scene is somewhat 

 changed, for a church has been erected within one hundred 

 feet of the breastworks. A mile further on is the residence 

 of Mr. Frank Hall, who is to accompany us to the Gulf. 

 Mr. Hall has the reputation of being one of the best shots in 

 Florida, and keeps a small armory of heavy and light shot- 

 guns, rifles and shotguns combined, and even old "muskets 

 and navy revolvers. 



Our craft is 16 feet long and and 4 feet beam amidships, 

 and is rigged with an 18-foot sail. Promptly at 8 o'clock the 

 boat leaves the landing and her prow is turned toward the 

 Gulf. The tide has just turned toward tbe sea, twenty-five 

 miles flistant. The St. Marks at this point is one of the 

 most beautiful streams iu the south, the water is deep and 

 clear and_ teeming with ti.sh and game. The banks are 

 covered with a dense foliage of cabbage palmetto, magnoha, 

 cypress, and immense numbers of semitropical plants with 

 foliage so dense that a person's gaze cannot penetrate far 

 into the vast gloom beyond. Here the wild turkey and deer 

 are abundant, and occasionally a bear is killed. But the 

 game is fast diminishing, as every winter brings a greater 

 array of sportsmen from the North, who with the local 

 hunters are fast exterminating the game from this favored 

 region. The Legislature of Florida aftords no protection 

 whatever to the game within her boiders, so that any one 

 can with impunity hunt at any time without fear of the 

 game laws. As the boat passes down the stream a pair of 

 pileated woodpeckers fly across the river just ahead and are 

 soon busy at work on an old dead pine. A little further on a 

 mocking bird ceases his song long enough to dart into a tree 

 where half a dozen cardinal grosbeaks are feeding on berries, 

 and darting first at one, then another, he scatters them in all 

 directions, then returns quietly to his perch and song. This 

 is a favorite prank of the mocking bird, as he seems t® have 

 a deadly hate of the beautiful cardinal. From a tree over- 

 hanging the water a pair of red-tailed hawks start with a 

 shrill .scream. A number of ospreys are flying up and down 



the river. A red-shouldered hawk is perched on a tree near 

 the water, and occasionally small flocks of ducks are seen on 

 the surface. Most of them are widgeons; and there are also 

 large numbers of coots, cormorants and grebes. The Izaak 

 Walton of the party suggests trying bobbing for trout, and 

 after fastening the spoon to the line hands it to the "Vandal/'^ 

 who after a half hour's trying to get a rise gives up and passes 

 the line back. 



We are now near the little village of Newport, which, like 

 Bellaire and St. Marks, were thriving little business places 

 In earlier days, Mr. H. takes a large conch siiell from the 

 bottom of the boat and blows it to call old Reuben, the cook) 

 who had gone in fidvance of the party with cooking imple- 

 ments and fishing tackle. Rr-nbeu i^ a stalwart nearo about 

 '75 years of age and very active. He is m tbe habit of making 

 frequent trips to Newport to see a dusky maid somewhat his 

 junior, and on this occasion, judging from his beaming 

 countenance, he must have been very successful iu his woo- 

 ings. A mile below Newport several large bald eagles 

 passed down the stream, and as night approaches a uunaber 

 of owls begin to tune their voices along the river. About a 

 mile above St. Marks the party encamp for the night. At 4 

 in the morning Reuben is astir and soon has breakfast ready 

 and the party are not long in getting their boat afloat as the 

 tide is running out rapidly. A little way below St. Marks 

 stands the old Marine Hospital with its stone walls, and sur- 

 rounding it are numerous breastworks, thrown tip during the 

 rebellion. Two miles further down is the site of old'Port 

 Leon, now deserted on account of high tides sweeping over 

 it. As we pass down the river the woods on the banks dis- 

 appear and tall rushes and sawgrass taken their place. 

 JNumerous gulls, terns and other sea birds are becoming more 

 plentiful, and the St. Marks lighthouse is in full view. As 

 the boat emerges into the Gulf a large|flock of brown pelicans 

 are busy fishing, phmging from the wing with great force 

 into the water and splashing it many feet into the air. The 

 boat grounds on one of tbe many oyster bars at the mouth 

 of the river and it is the work of half an hour to get her 

 afloat again. A number of Florida crows are feeding on one 

 of tiie bars. 



The destination of the party now is the Pinhook River, 

 about twenty-five miles distant from the lighthouse. Alter 

 exploring two or three streams, which proved to end in 

 ramifications in the marsh, we finally enter another stream, 

 broader than the first. Darkness is approaching very fast; 

 all are tired and hungry, but it is out of the question to land, 

 as the shore for several hundred yards is covered with a 

 growth of rushes and sawgrass no boat can penetrate. Reuben 

 in the meantime keeps up an incessant gi-umbling to his boat, 

 and is beginning to think the Pinhook River is a myth. 

 Mr. H. now says the only hope is to reach the Ancilla River 

 and ascend it. After hours of groping about in the dark- 

 ness and running aground on oyster bars a number of times, 

 the Ancifla is reached and ascended for six miles, where a 

 good camping place is found and supper soon ready. The 

 watches, however, indicate 12 o'clock. Of course no one is 

 hungry. Men used to regular meals are not apt to be after 

 being tossed around for eighteen hours in a small boat. No- 

 body smokes more than two pipes after supper, but all are 

 soon stretched under the friendly palms and dreaming. 



Next morning the sun is several hours high whenNve are 

 astir, and after breakfast lilessrs. Hall and Moore take the 

 small boat and set out once more to find the Pinhook River, 

 leaving the rest of the party to amuse the Jiselves as best 

 they can. Mr. Carpenter and old Reuben try fishing for 

 several hours, but the fish are not inclined to bite and Reuben 

 says, "This heah Ancilla ribber nebber was no good for fish, 

 nohow." The Vandal with his gun is following the birds 

 around the woods, but like the others of the partyls doomed 

 to come in empty-handed, save for a pint of small sea shells. 

 Just across the river a pair of ospreys are very busy repahing 

 an old nest that has evidently been used for many years. 

 About noon Hall and Moore returned, stating they had 

 found the Pinhook and a fine dry camping place, about six 

 miles distant. After a hasty dinner camp is broken once 

 more and the party soon embark to go to this famous hunting 

 ground. Passing down the stream several more large bald 

 eagles are seen, and on a small island in the river about fifty 

 buzzards are quarreling over the remains of a large afligator, 

 denuded of his skin by the alligator hunters. The mouth of 

 the Pinhook is soon reached, and after a hard pull of four 

 miles against tide the party come to a place where the river 

 seems to issue from the earth; one hundred yards further on 

 it again appears and forms a circular pool fifty feet in 

 diameter, in which the water boils like an immense caldron. 

 The river thi-ough its entire course from this point seems 

 part of the time beneath the surface, forming many natural 

 bridges on which large trees of pine, cypress and palmetto 

 are growing, ai:d so proving that these bridges have existed 

 for ages. By the time everything is in readiness about the 

 camp and a comfortable tent of palmetto leaves is built dark- 

 ness has once more spread her mantle over the earth. 



Thursday morning all were astir early, and after break- 

 fast Messrs. Hall, Moore and the Vandal took their guns and 

 went out. In these Florida swamps the foliage is so dense 

 that the eye can only penetrate a few feet ahead; add to this 

 the numerous briers entwined among the heavier trees, the 

 mud and water at times half waist deep, with sawgrass and 

 rushes higher than your head, and you have a fair idea of 

 what the trio had to contend with. If the jungles of Africa 

 or India are any worse I pity the man who attempts to pass 

 through them. The three returned about noon empty -handedl 

 and thoroughly disgusted with the prospects for killing- 

 game. Deer are evidently abundant, as their tracks can be 

 seen everywhere, even within 200 yards of camp, and the 

 hunter who comes here when there is not so much water 

 and mud to contend with can presumably make a good bag 

 of game. On returning to camp Mr. 0. and old Reuben had 

 an out-line all ready to put iu the river. The Vandal on look- 

 ing around discovered a bald eagle's nest in immense yellow 

 pine 300 yards from camp, and a bald eagle was seen to 

 leave the nest. We laid under the pal mettoes near by, when 

 she soon returned and was shot dead by the Vandal, who 

 had been trying in vain for ten years to procure a specimen 

 of this kind. In a few moments the other eagle is seen com- 

 ing from the sea with a large fish iu his talons. He evidentl}'- 

 expects mischief of some kind, as he utters several piercing 

 screams as he descends toward the nest in a spiral column. 

 He is not long in coming within reach of the 10-bore. IJn- 

 like his mate he does not fall dead to the earth at once, but 

 flies part reeling several hundred yards and pitches head 

 first into the swamp. The three go' to the spot and search 

 through the tall grass for several hours, but are obliged to 

 give up and return to camp with but one, Avhich was made 

 into a neat skin and packed carefully away. It was a female 

 in adult plumage and measured six feet sis inches from tip 

 to tip. The party returned to the nest and cut down tbe 



