Oct. 7, 1886.j 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



207 



Gen. Biirleser, yvith. a small force of Texans, overtook the 

 remnant of the ouce powerful Cherokees, and had a severe 

 bout witli them, kilUug six Indians and capturing many 

 prisoTici s—w 1)1 Lieu and children— including the wife and 

 cliildren of the celebrated Cherokee Chief Bowles. This 

 blow exterminated that once formidable tribe, and re- 

 stored peace to the frontier for some time, until the 

 Comanches and Apaches began to raid the frontier in 

 18G4-a. 



CjVjip Hot Spring, Sept. 1.— We broke camp yester- 

 day Home time after sun up, after killing five squirrels 

 and one teal duck, which we had for breakfast. Ben was 

 ixp early asking if them wolves liad been around camp 

 anymore, and "he woukl. jnyt Hke to get a shot at one 

 with a gij(3d rest on thf w:ig-*m vr'ieel. he would pay him 

 back for afciu-bin" liis slumbers." We arrived here about 

 4 P. M. , pitched our tent and prepared supper. Wliile Ben 

 was washing potatoes, Mr. Lusk and I got out oiu' rods 

 and went to' the lake, just below the spring, baited our 

 hooks with live miunows, and in k^ss than half an hour 

 we had three yellow catfish, weighing about lUbs. each; 

 two bass, ^\-eighing fibs, eacli and one goggle-eye perch. 

 Wo had tres]i fish, quail and doves that we had Idlled on 

 tlie road for diujier. AVe spent the balance of the even- 

 ing in fishing and killing squirrels. Tlie next day we 

 spent looking oxcv the couutry for deer. I mounted my 

 horse and with a Sliarps viflc rode to the footliills, some 

 .seveji miles back, but could not get in range of deer, 

 though tliere were several bunches of fine bucks always 

 ahead or on my right or left in an open coxmtry. On tlie 

 2d several of our friends, all good hunters, came into 

 camp to arrange for a deer hunt the next day. We con- 

 cluded we would have a first-class dhmer of our own get- 

 ting up, so some went fishing, some shooting quail, and 

 one of our pai'ty himted bees. In an hour we had an 

 abundance of fish and flesh, and our friend who was 

 looldng after his stray bees informed us that in coiu-sing 

 some bees tliat were working on button willow he had 

 found a l>ee tree. We had an ax and it was not long 

 until Ave were in j)ossession of a quantity of beautiful 

 clear honey. All the stockmen and farmers on the creeks 

 and rivers here have bees, which do well. When Ben 

 anounced dinner, five of us sat down to a meal that the 

 most fastidious would enjoy. Fresh fish, fried quail, 

 honey, biscuit, corn bread, potatoes, onions, fresh pepper 

 pods and coiTee, We ate dinner in a beantifirl pccau 

 grove, tlie tcees loaded with fruit nearly ready to drop 

 out, ami Avithin 15ft. of the celebrated Hot Spring, whose 

 clear j)ure v, aters flow out of a fissure in the rocks and 

 leap several feet to the earth. 



The next morning Messrs. Lnsk, H. S. Reeves, Lovel 

 and James L. Kuykendall, Dr. Homner, myself and Ben 

 started out early for a deer hunt on the north fork of the 

 (yherokee, seven miles distant. We there divided in twos. 

 Ml'. Lusk and J. L, Kuykendall formed the extreme right. 

 Lo\ el l<aiykendall and Ben formed the center, and Mr. 

 Reeves and myself the extreme left, with an interval of 

 half a loile between each couple. The country is covered 

 A^dth scrub mesquite, five oak, sumac, shin oak and cats- 

 claw. We hunted faithfidly until 10 o'clock without see- 

 ing a deer, except that Mr, Lovel K. and Ben, when they 

 returned, related that while on Round Mountain they 

 saw some seven, or eight bucks about tlu-ee-quarters of a 

 mile fi-ora them. "We dismoimted," Mr. Lovel said, 

 "and tied our hoi-ses behind a clump of live oak bushes. 

 The ground in front of us was broken and covered here 

 and there with smnac. We had crept to within some 

 five hundred yards of the deer; some were standing up 

 and the others T^'ere lying down; all of a sudden the entire 

 band ran a^vay as if jjursued. I got np and could see 

 nothing, when Ben said, 'Do you see thatdod dmmed yal- 

 ler dog up there? He has done gone and scared them deer 

 otf.' I looked, m the direction Ben pointed and saw a. 

 large loba wolf trotting along and coming quartering 

 toAvard me. I raised my rifle and waited until he was 

 opposite and fired at about one hundred and seventy-five 

 yards. I struck him just behind the shoulders.' He 

 dropped, and Ben remarked, 'That's what you get for 

 rriming around tlie coimtry: if you had stayed at home 

 yoLi Avould not be dar now where you is.' " 



111 tlie afternoon we killed a dozen or more of squirrels 

 that ^.vere cutting oft" Tlie pecans, and. some quail as we re- 

 turned to camp. The next day we started for a different 

 l/lace with the same crowd, augmented by the genial Dr. 

 Homner. Messrs. Lusk, Reeves and Homner went to a 

 point in a large pasture to wait until Lovel Kuykendall. 

 myself and Ben should take a circuit several miles to the 

 right. We had almost completed the circuit when I 

 heard Ben say: "Look out, look out dar, there he goes!'" 

 Kuykendall pushed ont to the right and headed oft' a large 

 buck, Avhich turned and ran with the Avind and within 

 50yds. of Ben, who Avas stid on his horse. Ben was point- 

 ing his gun toAA^ard where lie had last seen the deer, and 

 the horse having had some experience in the same kind 

 of business, was rather uneasy; as Ben Avould point his 

 gun one Avay the horse would tm-n the other way, while 

 Ben was holding the gmi m one hand and holduig the 

 horse with the other, his eyes dming the excitement were 

 shining hke tin pans and Avere almost as large. He fired 

 away over his horse's head, Avhicli Avas as soon turned to 

 where his tail should have been. The ball struck a bush 

 about one foot over the deer and went whistling over the 

 hill. Ben started after the deer thinking he could ovei"- 

 take it. This ended our day's himt. 



The rest of our time was spent in fishhig and Imnting 

 quail, Avliich are exceedingly abundant in San Saba 

 county. We spent several pleasant days, and on om" re- 

 tnrn home after crossing the Colorado River, which Avas 

 red with a hea vy rust, caused by rain on the plains, we 

 killed and carried home a large number of squirrels and 

 quails, and arrived home on the llth at 10 o'clock P. M., 

 having driven forty-five miles the last day. J. B. 



Beltox, Texas^ 



MASSACHUSiiTTS.— The opening meeting of the season 

 of the Massachusetts Fish and Game Protective Associa- 

 tion was held at the Parker House, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 

 about thirty members being present and President E. A.' 

 Samuels in the chau-. The names of two new candidates 

 were proposed. The evening was devoted to a general 

 discussion on fish and game, more especially on the short 

 lobster question. It was voted nnanimously to support 

 Deputy Fish Commissioner Shattuck in his prosecution of 

 these cases, both morally and financially. Diu-mg the 

 evening a fine collation Avas serA-ed. 



RoBiKS, Meadow Laeks and High-Holes cannot law- 

 tully be killed at any time in New York. 



AN OCTOBER OUTING. 



I WAS reading back numbers of the Forest akd Stream 

 lately, Avhen I came across this sentence in one of the 

 articles, "It is not all of fisliing to catch fish," and at once 

 my thoughts tiu'ned backward to many a past and gone 

 camp by shore and in the forest. To my recollection 

 thus stimulated, each particular outing seemed fresh in 

 mind as the day when it hapijened. As I thought of one 

 in j)articular, I softly murmnred to my sleeping dog, 

 "Neither is it all of gunning to make a big bag, hey, old 

 boy," and Jack opening one eye sleepily, nodded as much 

 as to say, "I agree AA^ith you, pard,"' I haA'e often 

 thought I would Avrite up that trip, and noAv I am going 

 to do it. 



To begin, it was my idea, no matter what John may 

 say to the contrary, I was tired, business was dull, the 

 woods, changed to brigJit orange and scarlet, seemed to 

 say, "Come away from the dusty city, with its cares and 

 perpetual din; come to me and rest." So I made up my 

 mind that if I could only work John u]3 to the proper 

 pitch I would go. But I was crafty about it, for I kncAV 

 that such a proposal fir ed point blank at liim would call 

 forth the usual excuses of business, etc. I Im'ed him to 

 dine with me, and AAdien we Avere seated in my den, 

 I'edolent of canoeing and the A\'oods, I led the conversa- 

 tion gradually round to past experiences, and at last re- 

 marked, "John, I've an idea. Let's take a week along 

 shore,'' and John slapped me on the back and exclaimed, 

 "I'll go Avith you, Ned," and so it was settled. 



Bell old us then next morning collecting om* traps and 

 driving our respective households to the verge of mad- 

 ness by calls for camping duffle Avhich had been stowed 

 away for the winter. But it isn't real to us, we can't pos- 

 sibly make it seem so, that we are actually going out for 

 a wliole week. Now we are seated in the smoker, sm*- 

 rounded with gims, blankets, gTub baskets, etc., bound 

 for jM. Avith a Avhole Aveek ahead of us and business f admg 

 away in the distance behind. Jack, John's namesake, 

 lay cm-led up at my feet, every noAv and then giving a 

 knoAving Avink, as if he said, "There's fun ahead, I can 

 almiy-it scent a bird now." 



Here we are at last at M,, and how famiUar everthing 

 looks, the brown marshes stretchmg away to the north 

 and south and yes, here's Jim with his team, ready to 

 carry us to our "qt^arters way doAvn there in the marsh, 

 whei e yon see that creek lilie a sih'er thread. We throAv 

 in our traps, jump up on the first seat, and as the train 

 pulls out Avith a parting wMstlc of ''Good luck, boys," we 

 trot gaily a^vay at a pace of nearly six nfiles an hour. Fu'st 

 turn to the left, along the sandy road, down this gentle 

 slope, UOAV out with you and let down these bars; so, and 

 now we can see the fiouse in tlie distance. 



"Any birds on the marsh, Jim'?"' 



"Waal, boys, not meny. Si' Ewellwas out t'other day 

 an' gut putty good mess, but they're scarcer 'n red ears at 

 ahuskin'." 



Does this diminish our ardor? Not in the least; what 

 do Ave care if Ave didn't even see a bird; isn't it enough 

 to be out in this glorious air? I look at Jolm's character 

 face, behind his black brier, and he seems to agree with 

 me. 



Here Ave are at last in front of the little cottage which 

 AA^e alAvays dignify with the name of "The Mansion;" out 

 we jump, our duftle tumbled likewise and -Jim drives off. 

 Open goes the door and we stand in the dining-room, bed- 

 room, recei)tion-room combined, A\dth its two bunks on 

 one side, and the rusty stove and deal table on the other. 

 Now to work; I am cook, .John splitter of wood and fire 

 maker in ordinary. Jack biggest loafer in the croAvd. 

 Soon a spiteful sizzling is heard and a gentle odor — no, 

 one can't describe it; no banquet ever gave forth such an 

 odor. The delicious fragrance floats oiit to the Avood pile, 

 and brings John in axe m hand. He pauses in the door 

 and delivers himself thus: "Cook, if supi^er aint ready in 

 fifteen mimrtes, your liead shall grace The Mansion's 

 walls and I Avill gnaAV those marrowy bones of thine." 

 With AAduch he disappears, Avhile cook, shaking with 

 langhter, spreads the cloth, dishes up the savory Adands, 

 and roars sup-per in a voice calculated to alarm every 

 bu-d on the marsh. Supj)er is dispatched by the light of a 

 tallow dip, and noAv for a peaceful pipe out of doors be- 

 fore a blazing camp-fire. "Foolish to go out of doors 

 when you've a house?" Well, perhaps so; but camping 

 Avithout that fire at night under the stars is to me like 

 "bread without salt, good but insipid." John makes the 

 fire (a la "Nessmuk"), while I stretch out my 5ft. Sin. be- 

 fore it, and ara inclined to take a rosy view of life in gen- 

 eral. 



Reader, did you ever have a chum with whom an out- 

 ing Avas one season of unalloyed contentment; in whose 

 company the greatest discomforts Avere only stupendous 

 jokes, but Avithout whom there was always something 

 lacking, no matter if the trout did bite well and the 

 weather Avas all you could desire? That's John. 



But here it is 11 P. M., and if we are to make any land 

 of a decent try for birds to-morrow it is high time for us 

 to retire; so in Ave go. The alarm clock is Avound, straw 

 shaken up, door and AAdndoAv left Avide open, and noAv — 

 yes, then you are fast asleep. No turning and twisting, 

 just one roll in the blanket and good night. 



Then you di-eam you are out on the marsh, and here 

 comes a flock of teal, 500 of them; you can count them 

 easily. You make ready to bag just 495 of them; but 

 there is John, in the last stages of buck ague, both bai-rels 

 cocked and blood in his eyes. "Well, let him have tu-st 

 go; liasn't he done the same by you many a time?'" There 

 he goes. Bang! Avhizz! biff"! Avhang! Great Scott! Was 

 that an earthquake or a cyclone? Only the alarm saying 

 in large print, "Five o'clock, boys." Out Ave jnmp, wash 

 in the creek, snatch a hasty breakfast and paddle doAvn 

 the creek to our stand; then out with decoys and lie doAvn 

 in oirr blind. 6:30 A. M.— No birds. 7 o'clock — Jack 

 yawns, John follows suit. 8 A. M. — John takes a tramp 

 and bags two AA^r etched j)eep (cheers from the blind), 

 comes back exultant, knows there are more coming. 

 Hello! look at that big felloAv coming straight over us. 

 VvHrat is it? Never mind, bag him first and Ave'll name 

 hijn afterward. Now he's right over ns; wait till he's 

 passed. Now! Bang go fom- barrels, but he don't pause, 

 not much, he's used to it; just two feathers come floating- 

 down the Aviad, and he sails away with a "Good-bye, 

 boys, some other time." (Dead silence in the blind.) Bad 

 shooting? Of course; but if we measured our enjoyment 

 by the birds we kfiled our trips Avould count zero. 



After this we conclude to go back to the Mansion; we 

 leave the boat and tramp back, hoping to get a shot at 

 something on the way. Slowly we make cm- Avay along 



the creek, when suddenly there is a flutter of wings, a 

 yell from John, and I turn just in time to see a large 

 bird making off as fast as his wings can carry him. He 

 don't go far though; the two guns roar and he concludes 

 to stay with us. Great rejoicing. We execute a war 

 dance round him that would do credit to a band of 

 PaAvnees, and now we go home jubilant for we have 

 some game. "Only three birds," I seem to hear some 

 crack shot mutter. Well, do you suppose we want the 

 Avhole earth and all the birds on it? No, we are not of 

 that sort, my sarcastic friend. We go back perfectly con- 

 tented and prepare the birds for dinner. We don't know 

 what the large bird is, but we are going to eat him from 

 a sense of duty. Anythmg so unsportsmanlike, as killing 

 game and leaving it to rot, is something we are incapable 

 of even if we are'poor shots. (Take that, my crack shot 

 friend). But the bird eludes us. His revenge comes 

 after death; don't he just smell though, after Ave liave 

 cleaned him. We soak him in many Avaters but the odor 

 is still there. I tell John it is oiily the gamy flavor peculiar 

 to denizens of marshy disti-icts, but he'doubts me and even 

 mutters "chestnuts" under his breath. Finally we throw 

 it away, for John says it is poison, and even Jack agrees 

 Avith liim after one sniff, Then we all feel better and 

 content ourselves with bacon, griddle cakes, etc., which 

 are good enough for any man. 



In the afternoon we paddle down the creek, across tlie 

 river, to the beach, where we spend the P. M. at full 

 leng-tli on the beach, smoking innumerable pipes and 

 fairly reveling in the salt sea air. We have the j)eeps for 

 supper, almost a mouthful apiece, and are just lighting 

 our camp-fire, when there comes a sudden hail from the 

 marsh, and Jim appears, ".Jest slipped doAvn to see how 

 we Avus farin'," as he remarks. So down he sits on half 

 of my blanket, fills his pipe, and after a pull or two in- 

 quires, "Waal, what luck?" Thenwe tell him about the 

 "big bird," and ask him what it was. After various 

 queries as to its head, plumage, etc., are answered, he 

 delivers himself thus: "Mus' hev bin a coot. Though 

 'twas cui-us ye shot liim in the mash. Mebbe he was 

 kinder prospectin' roun'. They do smeU almity strong. 

 An' so ye couldn't eat 'im, hey," and he roars with 

 laughter. 



Next morning we are up bright and early and try the 

 woods for partridge, but without success: so we give up 

 after a while and tramp home. Is the day lost because 

 we haven't bagged all the game we can carry? Not 

 much. You don't knoAv us. Many a time we have tm- 

 jointed our rods and left the trout still jumping, Ijecause 

 Ave had enough, and we would do the same Avith the 

 birds, only— AveU, there is no danger of our ever getting 

 a great many of them. 



We devote the whole of the next day to a cruise down 

 river, and although we take guns it is only for show; Ave 

 have long since given up the bhds. The breeze is norih- 

 east, strong and steady, so hoisting sail, for Ave have 

 chartered Bradford's catboat for the day, we slip doAvn 

 river AAdth its brown marshes on one side^ and the narrow 

 spit that sejiarates it from tire sea on the other. Many 

 years ago, before M. had settled doAvn into its present 

 toi-por, an attempt was made to cut through this spit and 

 thus afford an entrance for vessels. An opening was 

 made, but the sea cooly filled up the gap, and to-day only 

 an indentation remains of the New Gut, as the inhabit- 

 ants still call it. Fm-ther down at White's Ferry, we pass 

 what was once a favorite camping spot Avith us. This 

 was a small hillock on the spit, on which grew a f cav 

 dwarfed trees. It used to be a spot where one could find 

 absolute peace. The broad ocean in front, behind the 

 river, and on either hand the lonely beach; here I have 

 passed many a pleasant day, alone or in company with 

 John, Avith no sound but the lapping of the waves or the 

 scream of the gull to mar our enjoyment. Now, how- 

 ever, a huge summer hotel rises on that very spot where 

 om- tent was pitched and the air is made hideous with 

 the screams of fair bathers. Match-making mammas and 

 young men of the cigarette fiend order noAv usurp our 

 old camping gromid and eye us when Ave pass up or 

 down riA'Cr Avdth glances of distrust. To-day, liOAA^ever, 

 they are far away, so we pass by in peace and soon see 

 the broad ocean and feel just the fii'st swell of its AvaA-es. 

 That's far enough; we don't care about going outside with 

 this wind and sea, so down with your helm; that's the 

 caiier, and now for a square beat back through the wind- 

 ing channel of North River. Camp is reached at 6 P. M. 

 and after supper comes the long evening, the blazing fire 

 and the jug of cider sent in by Jim. Heaven bless every 

 Avi-inkle in his jolly old face. 



Then comes that day which we always resolve solemnly 

 never to tliink of until it is faMy on us. That day when 

 the Sim alAvays shines brightest, the birds ahvays sing 

 loudest, and everything seems more beautiful to"^ us, be- 

 cause, miserables that Av^e are, the time has come to go. 

 We rise heaA^y-hearted, get oiu- plunder together, then sit 

 doAvn and wonder when we can come again and where 

 the week has gone. A week, Iioav it drags in the city, 

 and how in camp the days fly. We load our baggage into 

 the wagon and see it di-i\^e off, for we always walk to the 

 station on the return trip; and as w^e pause for a last look 

 at the "Manse," John pathetically remarks, "Well, Ned, 



"Tis better to haA'e camped a week, 

 Than neA'^er to have camped at aU." 



The train pulLs up, otu- traps are tumbled aboard, 

 "Good-bye, Jim, old man," "Good luck, boys, come again 

 soon," and we settle oiu'seh-es for the homeward ride. 

 Business cares come thronging upon us, but somehow Ave 

 feel perfectly able to meet them now, yes, and vanquish 

 them too. 



Only once is the silence broken when John says, "Well, 

 Neddy, we'U go again next summer," and I laconically 

 responded, "You bet."' Kanuck. 



UtiOA, N. Y., Oct. 3. — Partridge shooting in central 

 New York is very good this fall and many fine bags have 

 been made by local sportsmen. Not long since a friend 

 told me that he knew of the whereabouts of fourteen 

 broods of partridges. Squhrels are also quite plentiful. 

 I learned to-day that a friend in Trenton killed twelve 

 gray squirrels and another two blacks in a half day's 

 hunt. Woodcock have almost entirely disapjDeared from 

 this part of the State, and few, if any, have been killed 

 here this season. — Pobtsa. 



Marlboro Club.— A club has been foi-med to lease the 

 shooting privileges over a lai^e tract of land at Marlboro 

 Conn. The secretary is iVIr. Fred N. Hall, of Brooklyn. 



