ISO 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



IMarch 15, 1888, 



IN THE LAND OF THE M ICM ACS.-V. 



[Continued from Page 68], 

 T^THEN Sebatis had disappeared in the bushes we re- 

 » » suined our pipes, listening to Davey, who kept up 

 a constant rattle of humorous comments on the Indian 

 until he had completed the task of dish washing: then, 

 taking up the, axe, he wandered off. 



We next visited the falls on the North Branch, and 

 spent some time admiring the rocky chasms down which 

 the water tumbled before spreading out into a round 

 dark basin, over which masses of foam floated, ending 

 hither and thither on their endless journey. Here, too, 

 we caught some fine sea trout, wbich Pbil promised to 

 have prepared and smoked according to some new receipt 

 of untold virtues, procured from an "old hand" on the 

 Restigouche. Around the base of the cliffs we found 

 large quantities of wild red currants, their vines trailing 

 over the stones, and clusters of fruit hanging in graceful 

 racemes, painting the dark rocks beneath. Cookey was 

 set to picking at once, and soon had a two-quart dipper 

 filled, which w r e boiled for a few minutes in just a little 

 water, and then pressed out the juice. This was mixed 

 with some sugar and bits of lemon peel, bottled, and 

 packed a way in the damp cool sand under bushes near 

 the water's edge. It was intended to serve as a substitute 

 for lemons, the stock of which was about gone; and when 

 tried in the evening was excellent, one tablespoon ful of 

 the rich syrup in a glass of water making a delicious 

 lemonade, scarcely to be distinguished from the real arti- 

 cle except by the color. Currant picking and syrup 

 making became henceforth quite an industry. 



The sky becoming overcast about 4 P. M., big Peter 

 advised us to try the pool as the fish would likely rise 

 well. We did so and continued whipping its broad sur- 

 face until half past six, when our catch numbered but 

 two— an 8-pounder by Walter and one 10* pounds by 

 James. The salmon were either getting scarce or lazy. 



Returning to tent, Cookey was nowhere to be found, 

 but Louis informed us he had gone away about half an 

 hour before to the North Falls Basin to fish. 



"To fish! Louis," repeated Phil with a puzzled look, as 

 his eye noted all the spare rods still on the pole-supports 

 of the tent, "What on earth is he fishing with?" 



"Outturn birch pole dis mom' berry long, den gettum 

 cod hook mine all same's me usuni for gaff, puttum on 

 piece trout for bait, an' him go 'way." 



"Did he tie the hook to the end of the pole, Louis ?" 



"O, no, brudder, me showum put on line an' all." 



"But what did he use for a line?" 



"Dat big string you hangum shirt on." 



"Sure enough, boys," remarked James, laughing and 

 looking at the two stakes, "The little cod line's gone; 

 Cookey's first fish is bound to come out." 



Away we all hied to the falls to witness Davey's ama- 

 teur performance with this iude tackle. Evidently he 

 was bent on showing us what bis theory of "no foolin' 

 wid a fish" after it was hooked meant, if he could only 

 induce one to snap at a mouthful of iron and bait. We 

 soon descried him standing on a projecting ledge with an 

 enormous wattle in bis hands and looking intently into 

 the pool. Presently he sprang back, raised the sapling 

 high into the air, and tugged and pulled fiercely. Then 

 we ran toward him, more interested than amused, for 

 that must be a whale surely to withstand such force. 

 James shouted at the top of his voice: 



"Hallo! what have you there ?" 



Davey raised Ids head for a moment in the direction of 

 the sound, but upon seeing us turned quickly, and with 

 the wattle across one shoulder, began climbing up the 

 slope, determined to prove he could fetch him out of that 

 without any help from us. By this time we had reached 

 the ledge and observed a black object slowly rising above 

 the surface, which in another moment was seen to be a 

 portion of the trunk of a tree with several long knots or 

 parts of branches and the line twisted around one of 

 them. 



"Easy, easy, Davey, here he comes; look! look!" 

 shouted Walter. 



The excited angler glanced over his shoulder into the 

 pool, but immediately exclaimed: 



"B' the howly saints! black, and wid horns!" and then 

 making a savage pull, the cord parted and down he went 

 among the stones and scrub. Back sprang the line into 

 the water, the black monster sinking slowly and com- 

 pletely disappearing, as Davey regained his feet and 

 reached the ledge. 



"Bad cess t' m' luck! It's too had t' lose the father uv 

 'em all!" said he with some feeling, gazing at the spot 

 where the giant fish had disappeared. 



"What did you hook, Davey?" inquired Phil, looking 

 as sober as possible. 



"What wus it?" replied he somewhat indignantly, 

 "None uv yer skippin' runts, sur, as play wid feathers 

 un floies at the top uv the wathur, but a reg'lar solloka- 

 dowser frum the bottom. I knows where t' find 'em," 

 with a shake of the head. 



"Your line wasn't strong enough, Davey, you must try 

 him to-morrow again," remarked Walter. 



"That I wull, sur, un wid a sthring he'll not fool wid, 

 aythur." 



We thought it best to throw as little light as possible on 

 the subject, leaving to Cookey perfect freedom of acting 

 on his own opinions, and were just about starting to 

 return when we saw Sak approaching hurriedly. He 

 told us a dugout canoe was coming up and Avoidd 

 presently be at the landing. The craft was soon seen 

 close under the shore a short distance below, guided by 

 two men, and looking through Walter's glass Sak thought 

 the tall one in the stern w-as Ben Scrogg, the worst 

 poacher in the country; the other, Jim Kitts, a "silent" 

 partner in the business. Fearing our appearance might 

 cause them to suspect danger ahead and turn hack, we 

 concealed ourselves behind some bushes, and in our object 

 were specially favored by the fact that the Indians had 

 already carried up and arranged the canoes around their 

 fire-place to sleep under, for it was beginning to threaten 

 rain, besides in Davey's absence no fire had been lighted. 

 Thus all was still and natural. 



On came the poachers straight for the little sand beach, 

 but just as the canoe grated on the shore Sak stepped 

 down and accosted the new arrivals, while the whole of 

 us moved into view on the terrace above. 



"Hullo, brudder Scrogg," said he with a smile, "me no 

 spec seeum you up here. Havum hard time polum 

 spose?" 



"Sorter tough, Sak," replied the tall, lank chap, 



evidently surprised but trying to appear calm, as he ! 

 stepped toward the bow, throwing a blanket over a box I 

 on the way; "but what yer doin' up here? there's a hull 

 army o' yes," casting a glance at the party above. 



"Genelmen catchum salmon; me an' udder Injuns ' 

 fetchum in free canoe." 



"Ah! cur'us we heared nothin' 'bout yer bein' head o' 

 us," observed the long individual, stepping out and shak- 

 ing hands with Sak, "but come ter think on't we wus a- 

 worryin' our lives out ter git up afore the water 'ud fall, 

 ter look up a chance fur logs on Libbey's Bruck, so hedn't 

 time ter 'quire along 'bout ennythin'. Yer fine an odd 

 fish in- two here, I s'pose?" 



"O, lots,"' with a wave of the hand toward the pool, 

 "jes fall, all same's one eel pot." 



'Yer don't say so! Well, come ter think on't, Jim 

 ruther 'spected it, didn't yer, Jim?" 



"Ruther," grunted the silent partner, sitting on the 

 bowboard with head bent down, watching the faint 

 wavelets playing with the sand. 



"Ketched menny?" queried Scrogg with an air of 

 interest. 



"Two times," replied the Micinac, spreading out both 

 hands. 



Yer don't say so! Twenty! Cosh, Jim, this is cur'us, 

 aint it?" then in a careless manner, "but it's no odds t' us 

 if the river's full, W'e aint on sich bissness. Who be the 

 gentleman comin' down?" referring to James approach- 

 ing them from the bank. In the friendly, whole-souled 

 manner for which he is noted, the latter quieted the 

 stranger, and soon they were seated side by side on the 

 bow of the dugout, engaged in conversation, Kitts hav- 

 ing exchanged his late resting place for a softer one in 

 the sand, where he was silently amusing himself strain- 

 ing the latter through his hands, and erecting miniature 

 pyramids in the manner of boys. After attempting in 

 vain to get a remark from the mute mound builder, Sak 

 withdrew and rejoined the rest of the party above. 



"Who are the beggars, Sak?" inquired Walter. 



"All sames, me 'spose, Ben Scrogg an' Jim Kitts." 



"Where are they going?" some one added. 



"O, huntum lumber chance, him say; but gottum big 

 box pork an' beans all same," and the speaker indulged 

 in a broad grin. 



"O, yes, we remember your story, the excuses these 

 poachers make. Will you not take us down and intro- 

 duce us?" added Walter, quick to perceive a means of 

 taking some fun out of the event. 



"What you mean by dat, brudder?" 



"You know their names?" alluding to the stranger. 



"Sartin, Ben Scrogg, Jim Kitts, same's me sayum 

 'fore." 



"Well, can't you say 'Mr. Scrogg I've much pleasure 

 in introducing Mr. Miller'?"' 



"What good for all dat pow-wow?" 



"Why, then we shake hands and talk like friends. All 

 white men do it." 



"Why for you no talkuni all same, no pow-wow?" 



"They're strangers, we don't know them, won't talk to 

 them, they are no friends of ours. See?" 



"Berry well, me doum all same. How dat pow-wow, 

 once more?" 



Walter repeated the form of introduction, but the Mic- 

 mac's simple nature and common sense had perforce 

 dwelt on the reasons advanced for the ceremony, getting 

 them mixed up with the verbal presentation; so that 

 when we had halted in silence two or three paces from 

 James and Scrogg, Sak, standing between us, addressed 

 the latter thus: 



"Brudder Scrogg. you one stranger, you no friend to 

 white man here, white man no wantum talk with you, 

 Mr. Miller no wantum talk with you, an' brudder Scrogg 

 dis Mr. Miller all same," extending his hand in the direc- 

 tion of Walter, "an' dis pow-wow big fun for me," and 

 stepping backward, fell over the mound builder into the 

 water. 



In spite of the bewildered looks of Scrogg, we laughed 

 heartily at Sak's performance and its unpleasant ending, 

 so that the mute object on the sand actually looked up 

 for a moment, but dropping its head again, went on with 

 its favorite pastime. Advancing to Scrogg we shook 

 hands heartily, welcoming him to North Branch, and to 

 the hospitality of our board, expressing the hope he would 

 remain with us the whole of the next day, as we pur- 

 posed leaving the morning after. He was afraid he 

 couldn't, had to hurry tip to the mouth of Libby's Brook, 

 four mdes further, and set out on a lumber exploration 

 across the country. He had expected to make the mouth 

 that night, but feared he couldn't, as it was getting late 

 and looked like rain. Inviting him to our tent, we re- 

 galed him after the custom of the country, and he was 

 just beginning to find a fluent tongue, when Cookey an- 

 nounced supper, to which he went after a flood of excuses 

 and apologies about his appearance. But no efforts of 

 ours could induce Kitts to leave the sand or extract any- 

 thing from him but an occasional "no" pitched in a high 

 key and accompanied by an emphasizing shake of. the 

 head. Evidently his business was to keep that box in 

 sight, obeying no doubt the well-understood wishes of 

 the boss, who, however, went so far as to apologize for 

 this apparent lack of courtesy by saying, "He's an odd 

 critter, that air feller, seems born on pupus ter mope 

 roun' an' keep 'is mouth shet, an' hang as clus f the craft 

 as a woodchuck t' 'is hole or a porkapine t' the bark o' a 

 tree. Half "sleep he is mos' al'ays, night an' day jes the 

 same; never eats a reg'lar meal, but keeps a-gnawin' at 

 somethin' old or hard as no one else will tetch ; 'pears t' 

 have an idea 'twas never 'tended for 'im t' talk an' eat an' 

 sleep like other folks — cur'us critter, past all 'countin' for, 

 but a reg'lar buster in the woods, keeps the trail like a 

 hungry dog." 



By the time tea was over, Scrogg was in very good 

 humor, and readily yielded to our wishes to remain all 

 night at North Branch. Calling Kitts, he gave directions 

 about putting up a blanket "lean-to," and storing the 

 traps and grub on the opposite side of our camp-fire, and 

 that mute worthy performed his task with all the care 

 and promptness of one whose only wish and hopes were 

 to please his master. 



As darkness closed in and the camp-fires burned up 

 brightly, our new-comer became exceedingly loquacious, 

 and, seated in our midst, spun story after story of his 

 many adventures and hair-breadth escapes in the wilder- 

 ness. His style was peculiar. He never paused for a 

 word, never hesitated at the end of a sentence, never 

 made the least stop except when he expectorated tobacco 

 juice, which he frequently did, into the center of some I 



glowing coals, and then he gazed in silence at the fadirj 

 blackness, as if at some prophetic charm of life, resun 

 ing the narrative when it had completely disappeared. 



On one occasion, after watching the effect of a weL 

 directed stream for some time, he suddenly straightened 

 himself up as if the dying shadow had touched some can 

 of interest, and looking across the fire and beneath t\ 

 "lean-to" he inquired: "Where is that critter Jim?" then, 

 calmly, "I thought he wus 'sleep by this time, but comtl 

 ter think on't the cur'us cuss hardly ever sleeps ennjf 

 'cept wdien uther folks hev lied down, an' never scasel] 

 till the fire dies down too. an' all's dark's Egypt an' nothin 

 kin see whare he is, jes like an owl, tumble fond o' i 

 dark, ten t' one he's a mopin 'bout that craft, keepin' v 

 out o' sight. Jim! Jim!" Presently a croaking "ya 

 sounded in the darkness and the singular fellow ma 

 his appearance. 



"Hev ye done ennythin with that air box, Jim?" 



"Nab," replied the "silent" partner, edging out of sighH 

 behind the "lean-to." 



"Come ter think on't, genelmen, we've a lot o' pork an' 

 beans in a box thare, an bears is turribly fond o' em, an' 

 come 'casion'ly out on this here pint at night, p'ticklyffl 

 dark, rainy nights, ter nose roun' after berries an' fisffl 

 bones an' toads an' pismires an' sich cultch when a pun 

 son's sleepim an' kint tend to em, so Jim ye orter take§| 

 over t' the rocky pint t'other side whare it'll be safe, causa 

 nothin' ever comes thare 'cept ter die or ter run awafll 

 quicker'n lightnin' when he fines out he is thare, an' wen 

 got some tumble work ahead up to Libbey's Bruck aril 

 kint 'ford to lose eny, will want it all an' more too." 



"Don't take all that trouble, Mr. Scrogg," urged Walter J 

 "put it into our tent, it will be perfectiy'safe there." 



O thankee, the cussed bears might go a nosin' roun'anj 

 tear yer tent or frighten ye, an' Jim's well 'quented witfl| 

 the pint an' ud sooner be alone in the dark, gled ter git3 

 chance ter git away from the noise an' glare o' the firal 

 so ye hed better take it acrost an' put it under the Dism3 

 Ledge, whare nothin' ever comes, not even a bit o' day3 

 light." 



Away went this passive, servile morsel of humanitw 

 into the darkness, and shortly the low sound of a pole 

 being cautiously handled reached our ears. We heard it 

 on the opposite side, just abreast us, and Scrogg rernarkqS 

 carelessly that he was in the right place; but a few ruin-] 

 utes later a faint noise was wafted to us from some dig- I 

 tance down river. Scrogg coughed and glanced around! 

 He easily satisfied himself that we too had heard it. 



Having hidden the object of his master's uneasinesl 

 somewhere among the rocks and scrub a long distanee§ 

 from "Dismel Ledge," Kitts returned at the end of a hajfl 

 hour, and in obedience to the call of Scrogg, emerge™ 

 out of the darkness and stood partly concealed by thm 

 "lean-to." 



"Whare did yer put the box, on the p"int jes ciomI 

 here, Jim?" 



"Yah," came over the fire. 



"That's the place," added Scrogg, with much appareiia 

 satisfaction at having obtained such valuable informal] 

 tion, "but what took yer down so far? Wus it ter giw 

 that pole w-e seen lyin' acrost thare on the stuns as w<M 

 come tip to-day?" The latter question was hurried so 

 quickly on the heels of the former as to give Kitts n(jw 

 time to answer the first. 



"Yah," answered the laconic J im, disai>pearing entireljj 

 behind the blanket. 



"I 'spose yer didn't bring it 'long; foun' it crooked or 

 cracked or broke or somethin'? 



l 'Nah," replied the blanket. 



"Mos' ginrally the case," continued Scrogg, with a 

 profound air; "when a pole gits away on this here streanjj 

 it isn't wuth a cuss, an' ye orter hev knowed that lona] 

 'go an' saved yerself the trouble; I sed as much when Ij 

 seed it, didn't I?" 



"Yah," returned the weather side of the "lean-to." I 



Thinking he had thrown inquisitive and suspicion* 

 people.off the track of the mysterious box, Scrogg re- 

 sumed his narrative: 



"Yes, they is a ketchin an a killin o' the salmon younffl) 

 an' old as fast's they kin, but how's they goin' ter hanm 

 out? Jes see down the river an' bay what's a goin' on, 

 frum Skimminac P'int t' Chatham's, 'bout forty mile, an' 

 both shores jis kivered with nets, a reachin' out half™ 

 nule or more with all kinds o' dum contraptions hookefi 

 on to both sides ter confuse an' tangle an' drownd the 

 poor cusses when they is a feelin' ter git roun", pouns an' 

 triangles an' dens so's yer cudn't count 'em, one insidjB 

 t'other an' t'other inside nex' one, an' so on t' the end o' 

 the chapter. They look like some tarnal varmint, a lizaro| 

 or a daddy-long-legs, with more'n a dozen arms an' legs a 

 swingin' out on both sides, nothin' ter be seen but poleaa 

 an' flats, an' strings an' dugouts big 's scows a movin' 

 backards an' forrards al'ays in a hurry jes as if they wujB 

 a worryin' their lives out fur fear a dum fish gits pagm 

 alive. Yes, suree, these tarnal snares jes as thick as huna 

 rin' bone fences on the mash whare the lots is four rods 

 wide an' fences twixt 'em all so's a little way off not a 

 cussed bit o' mud or grass kin be seen, nothin' but sticlffl| 

 an' poles an' logs a p'intin into the air. Well, that's jes 

 the w r ay the shores look down 'tween Skimminac ana 

 Chatham, fur I seen 'em meself, wus down ter seffl 

 my ole woman's brother Abslum las' week, he hefl 

 the wind-flew r -endways an' janders mighty bad, an' 

 thare is islands outin the water, some on 'em mon 

 as big's the hull o' Red Bank, Huckleberry an' Bay- 

 dewind an' Fox an' Portage an' Sheldrake an' Whiskeij| 

 an' Hay an' Middle Island, an' every blessed one in 

 kivered with them dum lizard-shaped varmints as 

 thick's parrige, an' how on airth is a fish goin' ter dodgg 

 'em an' git up t' Chatham, I'd like ter know? Well, the 

 most sing'lar thing in natur is some do dodge 'em, but tha 

 river gits narrer to Chatham an' keeps a-gittin' narrerefl 

 clean up to Three Islands, nigh on to forty miles more3 

 an' thare it's not more'n thirty yards wide; but the dum 

 nets is thare, too, ter head off an' ketch enny stray devfl 

 's hed luck ter 'scape b'low an kill 'em off afore gittin' to 

 whare they lays their eggs, an' the hull river fur thesfl 

 forty miles is jes lined with nets a-reachin' out frumbotB| 

 sides an' a-shakin' hands in the middle an' a-winkin at 

 one 'nother hows they's doin' the smart thing, or mebbja 

 they is actilly loppin' over one 'nother an' gittin' intfl| 

 trouble with scows an' bots an' canoes as kint pass up uur 

 down without a-foulin' of 'em. Every man 's got a 

 farm long the river no wider 'n a cow lane hes a net son 

 or says he hes the right to sot one if he sees fit, an' GotS 

 ernment be dumnied, an it 'pears he kin do so, fur tha 

 jedges says he hes repairin rights, or somethin' or othed| 



