OoT. 15, 1885.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



229 



Another Sleeping Fox.— West Sterling, Mass., Oct. 5. 

 Some time ago when stories of findiug loses asleep were in 

 order, I sent you an account of a man who was out for a 

 walk and found oue asleep, which remained so while the 

 man returned liome for his gun, a di&lauce of nearly half a 

 mile, and coming bacic shot and killed the fox. 1 wish now 

 to give a slill more singular incident which happened re- 

 cently not over half a mile from the scene of the other. On 

 Sunday morning, Sept. 37, as Mr. James P. Weeks, of this 

 place, was driving his cows to pasture, he saw a fox stretched 

 out under a tree either dead or fast asleep. Mr. W. crawled 

 up and caught the fox by one hind leg. whereupon reynard 

 turned his head and tried to hitc, but was soon quieted by a 

 few blows from the butt of a whip. The fox was carried to 

 the house of a neighbor where it was killed. — C. 



Massachusetts Game pgr New Yokk.— Birmingham, 

 Conn.. Oct. 8.— Editor Fcresi and Siream: Am about to 

 take a three or four weeks' vacation in Massachusetts and 

 expect to shoot a little game during that time. Can yon in- 

 form me of any reliable dealer in New York to whom I can 

 dispose oC it? 1 believe there is no law in Massachusetts 

 againsfc shipping out of the State.— D. C. Peck. [No, un- 

 fortunately, there is no such law; but there ought to be, both 

 for the benefit of the men who leave their legitimate occupa- 

 tions "to shoot a little game" for market, ami for the shift- 

 less, lazy fellows who in this nineteenth century can find 

 no Jjoue.st work to do and so skin the game for New York 

 and Boston market stalls.] 



WiLMraoTON, N. C, Oct. 6.— It gives me pleasure to re- 

 port the organization of the New Hanover Gun and Kennel 

 Club at this place. The following officers were elected: 

 Eev. Dr. Prichard, President; W. A. Williams, Vice-Presi- 

 dent; R. H. Grant, Treasurer; B. G. Empie, H. McL . Green 

 and S. A, Haney, Governing Committee; J. C. Lodor, Sec- 

 retary. Objects: To protect game and enforce game laws, 

 improve our dogs, and And diyersion and improvement at 

 the trap. — J. C. Lodor, Secretary. 



Dave Nye.— In the Forest and Stkham the other day I 

 read about '"Dave" (Nye) and Chatham, Cape Cod. Have 

 known that "curlyhead" more than forty years, and have 

 been one of his patrons for many years. He went to Curri- 

 tuck and married Mrs. Van Slick some years since; is now 

 near Norfolk, Va., I hear. "Ninety-seven big birds" would 

 be "hjgh Une" in the work of weeks for three guns these 

 times instead of one day. Hope India Wharf will ^give you 

 more of it." — ^B. 



The Swamp Augel Cagbd.— Little Rock, Ark., Oct. 5. 

 — Teal have made their appearance and the other ducks will 

 soon follow. I think the shooting around here will not be 

 good, as the long drought has dried up many feeding places. 

 1 have not heard of any geese being seen. ""Coahoma" and 

 his Memphis friends can go to Blackhsh now, as the State is 

 eutertainma: the Swamp Angel on a charge of murder and 

 selling liquor without license.— Casual. 



Flight of Wild Gbbse.— South Haven, Mich. — I have 

 read tlie Forest and Stream for years, it renews my youth, 

 keeps me from feeling old. We have to day seen the first 

 flocks of geese flying south. Weather, rain, sleet, hail and 

 sunshine. By the way, have the "Kingfishers" returned 

 from their camp in Michigan? We would like to have the 

 remainder of their experiences. — Medicine Man. 



Wild Rice is advertised in another column by Mr. Wm. 

 Troop, of Hiawatha, which is on Rice Lake, Ontario. This 

 is the time of year to have the rice on hand for sowing a little 

 later. We should be glad to hear from persons who have 

 had success or lack of success with the rice. 



Wm. Dakford, of Duane, N. Y,, a well-known Meacham 

 Lake guide, was accidentally shot and killed by a New York 

 man whom he was guiding. " The hammer of the gun, a .22 

 cal. rifle, caught on a bush and the bullet was discharged. 



Michigan to Dafcota,— The hunting car City of Saginaw 

 has gone to Dakota goose shooting. Mr. W. B. Mershon is 

 one of the party. We hope to have a report of the trip. 



A Woodcock flew across the Creedmoor range the other 

 day during the progress of the Forest and Stream rifle 

 trajectory trials. 



Central Lake, Mich., Oct. 8.— Wild geese going south. 

 — Kelpie. 



m mi ^imr fishing. 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Piiblish- 

 ing Co. 



THE COMING TOURNAMENT. 



TFIE Harlem Mere, Central Park, can be reached by tak- 

 ing the Third Avenue Elevated Railroad to its station 

 at 106ih street, and going west. The Mere is at 110th street 

 and Fifth avenue, opposite the Polo Grounds. Those on the 

 west side of town should take the Nintli Avenue Elevated 

 Boad to 116th street, and walk back to 110th street. The 

 tournament will be finished in one day, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 

 rain or shine, uuless an unusual storm should occur. A 

 business meeting for election of oflicers will be held at the 

 close of the last contest in the hotel of Emil Eitel, adjoining 

 the grounds, as the dinner of the Ichthyophagous Club will 

 interfere with the usual evening; session. Members of the 

 Association wishing to attend the dinner may notify the 

 secretary on the grounds. 



PEIZB LIST. 



Atameetinfr of the committee on Monday, Oct. 1.3, it was decided 

 to omiD tlie rule wLiicb gave winners chioice of prizes, and tiiey will 

 be awarded in theii- regular order. The following is tne list: 



Single-handed Fly-Casting (Amateur).— Judges: Rev. Hem'y L 

 Ziegenfuss, Fi'eJ Mather. Hon. James Geddes, Referee. (Open to 

 amateurs only. See rules in Fore.st and Stream of Oct. 1.) 1. As- 

 sociation Gold Medal; value, $30. a. Split bamboo fly-rod, given by 

 T. J. Conroy; $25. .3. Split bamboo fly rod, given by B. F. Nichols; 

 $20. 4. Split bamboo fly -rod, given by Fred Malleson ; $35. 5. Levi- 

 son fly-book, given by William Mills & Son; ge. 6. S.x dozen flies, 

 given by W. W. Cone; $6. 7. One thousand "Superlative" cigarettes, 

 given by W, ii. Kimball & Co.; $5. 8. Year's subscription to Forest 

 AND Stream; 



Salmon Casting.— Open to all. Judges: Col. Locke W. ^Vinches- 

 er, Hon. R. B. Roosevelt. James C. Mc Andrew, Referee. 1. Associ- 

 tiou gold medal; value, $25. 3. 1,000 "Clotti of Gold" cigarettes, 

 given by W. S. Kimball & Co., $10. 3. Year's subscription to Forest 



AND Stream, $4. 4. "Imperial" waterproof fly-line, given by William 

 Milts & Son, $2.50. 5. Device for drying and storing lines,' given by 

 E. J. Martin, $a.50. 



Heavy Baku OAsTiNa.-Open to all. Judges: S. M. Blatcbford, 

 James L. Vallotton Hon. H. P. McGown, Referee. 1, Association 

 gold medal; value, $35. 2. Five boxes "business" flsli lines, given by 

 E. J- iMartin, $11. Five pounds "Kimball's Salmaeundi" smoking 

 mix Lures, given by W. S, liimball & Co., S7.50. 4. Year's subscrip- 

 tion to Forest and Stream, $i. 



Minnow-Casting for Black Bass.— Open to all. Judges: M. M. 

 Backus, W. 0. Harris. D. W. Cross, Referee.— 1. Association gold 

 medal; value, 825. 2. "Imperial steel pivot" casting reel, given by 

 Wflliam Mills & Son ; $U.50. 3. Half gro.ss trouMlies, given by James 

 Ramshottom; $B. 4. Year's sub.^cription to Fork.st and Stream, $4. 



5. Photograph of black bass 11X17 in., given by G. M. Skinner; $3. 



6. Device for .storing and drying Hues, given by E. J. Martin; $2.50. 



Single-handed Fly-Casting (Expert).— Open to all. Judges: Louis 

 B. VVright, Henry F. Crosby. J. S. Van Cleef, Referee. 1. Associa- 

 tion gold medal; value, $30. a. Half gross Lake flies, given by James 

 Ramsbottom; $15. 3. Package of flies, given by C. F. Orvis; $15, 

 4. "Dorsal Fin" landing net, complete, given by 'VVilliam Mills* Son: 

 $4.26. 5. Year's .subscription to Forest and Stream; $1. 6. Device 

 for drying and storing flsh-Iiues, given by E, J. Martin ; iS.ljO. 



ON LONG LAKE. 



THOROUGHLY tired out, my natural obtuseness vastly 

 augmented by sleepless nights, my appetite constantly 

 craved a bit of salt pork cooked on a ramrod over glowing- 

 coals; a civilized bed became an abomination and I became 

 a.s irritable as the traditional hen in a brush fence. 



Rising one morning from an almost untasted breakfast, I 

 expressed myself as half inclined to s;\ve my patients' a 

 chance to get well, let business go to the dogs, and camp 

 out for a few days under the old oak on the shore of Long 

 Lake. "Capital! Go by all means! I'll have your mess 

 chest and camp equipage ready within an hour. " "Hur- 

 rah! I've been aching to propose that very thing!" The 

 first speaker was my wife and the second an old comrade in 

 the "late unpleasantness" and a tried companion in many 

 adventures, ashore and afloat. Standing .six feet four inches 

 iu his stockings, a giant in sti'cngth, the veiy soul of will- 

 ingness and good nature, and as keen a sportsman as ever 

 lined the sights or balanced a rod, John filled our quota to 

 perfection. 



At the appointed hour Frank and Topsy, staid, service- 

 able horses, stood at my gate, harnessed to a heavy farm 

 wagon, upon which was loaded a large flat-bottom boat, 

 rods, guns, provisions and what other paraphernalia was 

 deemed absolutely essential to the .success and harmony of 

 the trip. Of course Dandy, ray favorite retriever, was" on 

 hand, and his joyous yelps of ".satisfaction as w^e .set forth 

 blended harmoniously with our lively chant, "Begone, dull 

 care." Not wishing to be bothered with the care of the 

 horses while at the lake, we bad prevailed uoon a friend to 

 go along and drive the team back,'prouiisiug liim that within 

 an hour after our arrival at the lake he should liave a goodly 

 string of fish to take home. I had even guaranteed that one 

 of the fish should be a five-pound smalT-mouth bass, deliv- 

 ered within thirty minutes after our boat was in the water. 



At 3 o'clock we stood beneath the old oak, near whose 

 knarled trunk ray camp-fire had often blazed. Bonny Long 

 Lake, I wish 1 could find words with which to describe it. 

 Completely surroimded by bold bluffs covered with a virgin 

 forest of deciduous trees, with here and there a sprinkling of 

 evergreens, the lake, its waters clear and sparkling, stretches 

 north and south for more tiian three miles, with an average 

 width of nearly one third its length. Its two extremeties are 

 marked with a beautiful sandy beach, whiie the main shores 

 would bring ejaculations of delight from a connoisseur in fish- 

 ina: grounds. My friend agreed to manage the boat for me, 

 if in addition to the bass, I would warrant him a wall-eyed 

 pike of equal weight, the time to be extended to forty 

 minutes. The proposition was readily accepted, and, 

 thoroughly knowing the lake, and consequently knowing 

 just where to cast for any and every kind of fish in its 

 waters, 1 honestly believed I could meet my obligations, but 

 my hopes went down to zero when T found that owing to 

 the rough road we had traveled the bait bucket was over- 

 turned, the last frog gone, and my bass rod smashed beyond 

 hope of repair. Making a virtue of necessity I tossed an 

 eighteen foot bamboo rod and line into the boat, seized a 

 trolling line and spoon, and we launched forth. Twenty 

 yards from the shore the spoon was cast overboard, and the 

 line unwound until twenty-five feet were i)aid out. By the 

 time the line was fairly out there came a sharp tug, and a 

 moment later a seven-pound pickerel was beating his death 

 tattoo in the bottom of the boat. "My gracious!" exclaimed 

 Thornely, who was having his flnst experience in Minnesota 

 fishing, ""but that's a young whale." "A young whale! 

 Pshaw! That's only a minnow I've caught for bait. Now 

 pull for that point over to the left, pass it quietly, go about 

 three boat lengths beyond, as many to the east, and then hold 

 steady." Before the point was reached another longsnout, 

 apparently the twin brother of the one we had, was deluded 

 into snapping at the glittering object trailing in our rear, ex- 

 perienced a sudden pain in his jaw and came aboard for 

 surgical assistance, which was promptly rendered. "There! 

 hold steady, Thornely, your five-pound bass is under that 

 bunch of hiypads; just this side of the pads the water sud- 

 denly deepens and there is a boiling spring." 



Taking the bamboo rod and using for bait a narrow strip 

 cut from the pickerel's belly, I cast as far as I could to the 

 right, allowed the bait to sink several feet, and then drew 

 swiftly toward the spring, but no strike followed. Again 

 the maneuvers were repeated and with a like barren result. 



' 'Isn't there an old proverb to the effect that it is unadvis- 

 able to count chickens before the process of incubation is 

 complete," teasingly inquired my companion. 



Even as he was speaking I made a cast shoreward, drew 

 the bait to the edge of the precipitous bank and let it go 

 tumbling downward. In a twinkling there was a rush, a 

 strike and a tremendous strain upon my rod. "Great Scott! 

 don't lose him," excitedly cried Thornely, as the fish, a noble 

 bass, vaulted into the au and endeavored to shake the steel 

 from his powerful jaws. Lose him! Of course not, if I 

 could avoid it, but the chances were not overwhelmingly in 

 my favor. Without a reel I could give no extra line, and in 

 his frantic struggles he threatened to demolish my miserable 

 tackle or tear the hook from his mouth. How I longed 

 for my lancewood and reel! A few minutes of persistent 

 battle and the gamy fellow, weighing six ounces more than 

 enough to fill the bill, was lifted into the boat. 



"How much time have I left?" "Fourteen minutes." "All 

 right. Move the boat toward that bunch of grass and I'll get 

 the pike." I spoke more confidently than I felt; but there I 

 knew my ground, and somehow the new moon always seems 

 to be over my left shoulder when I go aflshing. 



Before the fourteen minutes were out I had the pike, and 

 in addition two more bass of 21 pounds each. "Please 

 may I ask one question?" meekly inquired Thornel}'-, "I'd 



like to know if you had made any previous arrangements 

 with those fish. " 



Lest the great Fokest and Stkbam family mav think I 

 am drawing the lone? bow, I frankly adroit, ~that under the 

 circumstances my success was phenomenal, though if "Wa- 

 wayanda" will come and ^manage my boat I believe I can 

 repeat the performance, i^ong Lake certainly affords the 

 finest fishing I have ever found, and my line has been wet 

 in many waters. 



Returning to our friends we found the tent pitched, beds 

 made, fuel gathered, and best of all, a letnpting lunch ready. 

 Talk of your .areat hotel dinners, where appetites are pro- 

 voked by stimulants, and an after-dinner fill swallowed. 

 Give me the appetite of the honest sportsman, and the 

 wholesome fare of the camp mess chest, and I sigh for no 

 Mohammedan hesiven. The day when victims of dyspepsia 

 and consumption, as well as tired brainworkers, give up the 

 pernicious use of drugs, and with rod or gun start for the 

 dear old woods, will be the beginning of their physical re- 

 demption. 



Our lunch over, Thornely reluctantly turned his face home- 

 ward, while we three, hap]3y as schoolboys during vacation, 

 pulled up the lake. 



"Hold up, John, and we'll try this spot." 



Try it we did, but not a strike rewarded our endeavors. 

 Haif a dozen times we changed our position, and still not a 

 fish; but as the .sun went down behind the bluffs, a gentle 

 breeze swept over the water, and presto 1 all was changed. 

 Three rods curved in unison, three lines out through the 

 water, and three men quivered as though Itolding the wires 

 of a galvanic battery. "Gaff that fellow for me," exclaimed 

 Jacob, skillfully guiding a huge pickerel round to the stern 

 of the boat where 1 sat. "Can't do it, I'm engajjed." "John, 

 hand me the landing net." "Beg pardon, but I want it my- 

 self." 



Fast and furious the sport went on. Scarcely would a 

 bait sink beneath the water, before a tug came. Every thini; 

 estimated to weigh less than three pounds, be it bass, pike or 

 longhead, was unhooked as gently as possible and returned 

 to the water. As twilight came on and "God's little lamps," 

 as my child once called the stars, began to twinkle in the 

 cloudless vault above, we slowly pulled down the lake, fully 

 agreeing with John's sententious exclamation, "It's a blessed 

 good thing to be alive and go a fishing." 



The darkness of a moonless and cloudless night had set- 

 tled down over the landscape as the keel of our'boat grated 

 upon the sandy beach in front of our tent. Five minutes 

 thereafter a roaring camp-fire cast lurid fi,a.«bes out- over the 

 placid waters and caused weird shadovvs to flit liither and 

 tliitlicr among the trees, until one might easily imakriue the 

 stalwart Chippewa warriors h:id returned from the Happy 

 Hunting Ground to revisit oue of their f;ivoiito earthly 

 camping places. "What shall we have for supper?" inquired 

 Jacob, lifting the lid of the mess chest. The question seemed 

 a perfectly natural and timely one, despite the fact that less 

 than three hours had elapsed since our last meal. O, the 

 appetite one gains iu the woods and camp! 



"Come, wake up. It's a lovely morning for fishing, and 

 breakfast is almost ready." 



Poor John! With praiseworthy ambition he had, single- 

 handed, attempted our morning culinary duties, evidently 

 intencUncf to aft'ord us a surprising exhibition of bis dexterity 

 and neatness as a cook. 'The surprise was certainly coni- 

 plete. On the principle of a big hole for the old cat and a 

 smaller one for the kitten, he had kindled two fires, a little 

 one for the coffee pot and a bigger one for the frying pan. 

 While he was busy with the fry kettle the nose and handle 

 of the colTe pot melted off. While he was splitting a stick 

 with which to rescue the remains of the coffee pot from the 

 flames, the meat and fish iu the fry kettle caught fire and 

 were burned beyond recognition. 'Determined to have at 

 least one palatable dish for breakfast, he placed a strawberry 

 shortcake on an earthen plate over a heap of glowing coals 

 for the purpose of warming it up. The intense heat shiv- 

 ered the plate into fragments, and the cake, after perambu- 

 lating around in the Hshes, went roUiug down tiie hillside 

 and with extreme difficulty was saved from a watery grave. 

 "Gentlemen," exclaimed the imperturbable John, "there is 

 plenty of grub in the mess chest, please walk up and help 

 yourselves." 



Jacob was right iu saying it was a lovely morning for 

 fishing. Light gray clouds covered the sky and a cool 

 breeze from the northwest made just the right ripple upon 

 the water. Pulling up the lake, we cast anchor in the cove 

 where I had fished against time the previous afternoon; and 

 immediately the sport began. Before I was ready to make 

 a cast and even before John could ship his oars .Jacob was 

 having, as he expressed it, "a solemn and lively lime" with 

 a goodly sized longsnout, brimful of fight. Now, pickerel 

 fishing on Long Lake is no mean sport; that almost univer- 

 sally despised fish being nearly as gamy as the bass of East- 

 ern waters. I have frequently, when fishing there, had them 

 adopt the characteristic maneuvers of the bass, fight lustily 

 for ten minutes, and during that period vault clear of the 

 water half a dozen times. Hardly was John's line in the 

 water— and our only bait was pieces of pickerel — when a 

 noble bass gave him instant employment. 



Not wishing to interfere with my companions, my first 

 cast was outward from the shore and into deep water. In a 

 moment ttiere came a swift tug, a lightning like downward 

 rush, and I knew that my game was at least a four-pound 

 wall eyed pike. Within the next twenty minutes Jacob had 

 secured three pickerel, estimated to weigh three and a half 

 pounds each, John three bass, estimated at three pounds 

 each, and I three pike averaging four pounds each. It 

 seemed singular that each'should thus have captured three 

 fish, and snould have been confined in his success to one 

 species. 



"I guess we have got the last fin here. Suppose we change 

 our location," said John, after some time had passed without 

 any one of us obliaining a strike. "Wait a bit," I answered, 

 at the same time attaching an enormous .strip, cut from a 

 pickerel's belly, to the medium-sized bass hook I had been 

 using. "Thunder!" ejaculated Jacob as my bait struck the 

 water with a tremendous thud, "why don't you use a codfish 

 for bait and bob for sharks?" I have already explained, on 

 the way to the lake my favorite rod and reel were ruined, 

 and so I was compelled to use an ordinary bamboo rod with- 

 out a reel if I wanted to fish at all. Twice I had shipped 

 my abominable bait around the boat, allowing it to sink a 

 few inches beneath the surface of the water, and persuaded 

 by the laughter of my companions was about to withdraw it, 

 when there came a rush that fahly churned the water into 

 foam, and iu a twinkling 1 was leaning over the side of the 

 boat, desperately clutching the butt of my rod, all of which, 

 except possibly two feet, was under wale")-. For a moment It 

 was Dip and tuck. With bated breath I held on expecting 



