Mat U, 1888.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



347 



head feeling as though it required hoops to keep it from 

 splitting open, my heart loudly thumping against my 

 collar button in an attempt to burst the collar band of 

 my shirt, my 6esh quivering and reeking in perspiration, 

 while I shook like one with the palsy, I crawled over the 

 edge of the shelf and threw myself flat down. An- 

 thonv grasped as much of his shirt as he could in his 

 hands and wrung it out as one would wring a wet towel. 

 He and I were the heavy-weights. At that time I weighed 

 about 220, and Anthony 201bs. more, while the Judge and 

 Bony together probably did not weigh much more than 

 250. In a pocket of my vest I had placed a box of wax 

 matches, and while resting on the shelf I got out a cigar 

 and felt for the matches. The pasteboard box had re- 

 turned to paper pulp and the matches to liquid wax, and 

 the vest itself was as wet from perspiration as though I 

 had been out in a heavy rain. The remainder of the 

 slide was much easier to climb, and soon after reaching 

 the top we began to descend a little. The crests of the 

 mountains were still above and about us, but the "lay of 

 the land*' told where to look for the pond. 



Less than two miles of down hill work brought us to 

 the pond, and just before we caught sight of it the rain, 

 which had threatened since we started, began to fall. 

 When I had taken a good look at the pond and its sur- 

 roundings I was not surprised that nobody knew it; I was 

 only surprised that any one should wish to know it. It 

 was little better than a mud hole, and if there were black 

 bass in it they deserved sympathy. It was after I o'clock 

 when we arrived, and the first thing to be considered was 

 dinner. A little back from the water was an opening in 

 the trees, and there we went. This space was about one 

 hundred feet square and covered waist high with fire 

 weeds. (If the editor knows of a meaner weed than fire 

 weed will he please blue-pencil "fire weed" and write in 

 the other kind, for that is whaC it was.) At one side of 

 the clearing was a one-man lean-to of old, damp, half- 

 rotten plank, and there for the first time since starting 

 Anthony unharnessed from the cracker box. As a mere 

 matter of form, for we were a* wet as we could well be, 

 we asked Bony for our rubber coats, and the bundle of 

 coats and blankets was missing. It did not make any 

 difference where the coats were so long as they were not 

 where we needed them. There were some old logs on 

 which the lean-to rested, and we rested on them also 

 while Anthony built a fire and Bony went for water. 

 The Judge remarked that it was a fine hole for a camp 

 and asked Anthony if he supposed that snakes were, ever 

 found there. Anthony said that we were at least five 

 miles from where a snake had ever been, and then he 

 started for wood, walking through the weeds, striking 

 them right and left with a stick of kindling wood to 

 knock the water from them. He was not fifty feet from 

 where we sa t when he startled us by exclaiming : ' ' Here's 

 the biggest snake I ever saw!" 



Although I have put that in quotation marks it is not 

 exactly what he said, for it would not be polite for me to 

 give his introductory remarks, and pen and paper can- 

 not reproduce the vigor of his words; for he had raised 

 his foot to step on a log when he saw that the log had 

 been engaged as a sort of reserved seat. Anyway, he 

 went nearly over backward in his attempt not to* take the 

 log away from its occupant. The Judge seized the gun, 

 I took a stick from near the fire, and we both ran through 

 the weeds, cross lots, to Anthony. Bony arrived about 

 as we did, and he had an axe. "Where's the snake?" 

 "He ju->t went into that clump of bushes, and he's an old 

 settler." The Judge thought he saw the snake and fired, 

 but just then it stuck its head out on the opposite side of 

 the bush and Bony cut it nearly in two with his axe, and 

 I mashed its head. "We returned to the fire, but in single 

 file, stepping high, going slow and looking sharp. The 

 snake was 4-Jft. long and had twelve rattles. The strange 

 part of it was, the snake did not rattle nor did it attempt 

 to coil, although Anthony struck it with the light stick 

 he had in his hand when he discovered it. 



We ate our dinner in the rain and went down to the 

 pond. If we needed more evidence than the lean-to that 

 the pond was not known, we found it when we discovered 

 a miserable leaky boat pulled up on the shore in the mud. 

 The Judge and 1 got into the boat and pushed out, and I 

 came very near not being here at this time to make that 

 statement. We told the men to build a raft and then 

 slowly and sadly made our way to the camp-fire and 

 watched for the mate to the dead snake, for both men 

 insisted that the mate was around there. It was evident 

 that there was some way of getting to the pond besides 

 climbing the slide, for the boat, which had been used for 

 jacking deer, and the planks in the lean-to never came 

 over the slide boulevard. We had one felt blanket which 

 we stretched over the lean-to, and by letting our legs 

 stick out in the rain we could keep our heads and 

 shoulders dry, except in such places as the roof leaked. 

 It took the men untfl time to get night wood to build the 

 raft, so the Judge and I kept fire, smoked, visited with 

 each other, and prepared the supper. The dead snake 

 had been stretched out on a log, but thinking we would 

 need the log for wood I laid the snake out on the roof of 

 the lean-to, only a foot or two from where the fish rods 

 Were leaning. When the men came from raft-building 

 Anthony knocked one of the rods down, and as he re- 

 placed it his eyes wandered from the butt up toward the 

 tip to see if it had been injured by the fall. When his 

 glance got up to the roof he yelled, "Another snake!" and 

 for the second time that day he tried to stand on his head 

 by turning backward. 



It would have been a miserable attempt at a mean 

 joke, for I believe such things are called jokes by some 

 people, if I had intended such an outcome from placing 

 the dead snake on the roof ; but I had no such idea, and 

 only the falling of the rod could have brought about the 

 scare, for otherwise Anthony would have seen the snake 

 before he got his nose within eighteen inches of it. The | 

 affair did not trouble Anthony in the least, but it did ! 

 trouble me. I like a harmless joke, but don't think I 

 could be guilty of acts that are sometimes performed by 

 thoughtless people and miscalled jokes. When I was a 

 boy I went several miles out of town with a party of 

 young people on a picnic. One of the girls was terribly 

 afraid of snakes, which fact all the party knew. Some 

 one killed a little garter snake and placed it in a path 

 and arranged for the girl in question to discover it. She 

 saw the snake, and with one terrible shriek sank to the 

 ground in a heap with eyes closed and hands clenched. I 

 had driven my sisters and others to the picnic in a carry- , 

 all, in this the girl was placed almost by force and then I 

 ran the horses all the way to town, the unfortunate victim ! 



of the joke uttering piercing screams almost every 

 moment until I thought reason was dethroned. At her 

 house a physician was called and ii was hours before she 

 could open her eyes, and days, if not weeks, before she 

 recovered from the shock to her nervous system. That 

 was more than thirty years ago, and to this day I have 

 not ceased to be glad that I had nothing to do with putting 

 that snake in that path. That is a digression, but if it 

 could be the means of preventing some young readers of 

 Forest and Stream from doing that which causes fright 

 or pain to others, it will be the best part of my letter. 



At our camp the rain continued all the afternoon and 

 during the night, but the men kept up a roaring fire, so 

 we did not mind the drenching. At times during the 

 night one or another would try to get a nap under 

 the miserable lean-to, around the back and. sides of 

 which the rank weeds grew in profusion. We had a lan- 

 tern with a reflector, and this was placed to throw the 

 light just beyond our heads when lying down. With a 

 piece of a log for a pillow, I curled up for a nap. which 

 was very short; as I opened my eyes I looked inward, and 

 there near the Judge's head was coiled a snake with head 

 erect. I scarcely breathed as, hastily, I put my thoughts 

 in operation to discover a way out of the predicament. 

 As I gazed earnestly at the snake in the gloom, not more 

 than three feet away from my head, it slowly assumed 

 the form of a piece of inch rope, coiled, with a spliced 

 loop sticking up in the middle. I awakened the men who 

 sat in the rain with their heads in their hands, and prom- 

 ised a druui-head court martial on the spot if the fire was 

 again allowed to go down. 



I tried once more to sleep, but woke with every nerve 

 alert because of the queer motion of something against my 

 leg just back of my knee. I did not move for perhaps a 

 minute. I was prepared for a snake and not prepared 

 for anything else, but I could not make out what it was 

 that produced the queer feeling. Slo vvly raising my head 

 and turning my neck I saw Anthony asleep just outside 

 the lean to, his head on his arm, which was probably 

 asleep also, and his finger-tips just reached and played 

 nervously on my leg under my knee. I gave up trying to 

 sleep after that, nor did I let any one else sleep, except 

 Bony, who can sleep through any noise, for I tried him 

 with my singing. Just before dawn the rain ceased and 

 with the first gleam of light we got breakfast and pro- 

 ceeded to the pond. The raft was a little uncertain so we 

 put the so-called boat on the raft and nailed it fast. The 

 result of the fishing is quickly told, and the more quickly 

 the better. I used crickets and the Judge used hoppers 

 for bait. I caught two bass of perhaps lib. each, then 

 the Judge had a bite and lost the fish. I caught the third 

 bass and proposed to stop and sound the pond, but the 

 Judge insisted that there was one more fish in there and 

 he must catch it, as it had taken his hopper. Bony said 

 my last fish had a hopper in its maw and the Judge 

 thought that was his bass and the last one in the pond. 

 We spent several hours sounding the bottom and did it 

 thoroughly, but could not find anything but weeds, mud 

 and ooze; not a single place suitable for a spawning 

 bed. 



This is a sample of some of the fish stocking that is 

 going on to day. Whoever put the bass in the pond did 

 herculean work, but it was labor thrown away because the 

 pond is only fit for lizards. Personally I think it a 

 waste of time and fish to stock small ponds with black 

 bass, and it is certainly worse than useless if there, is 

 lack of proper food, proper water and breeding places. 



We ate our dinner, shouldered our duffle and started 

 on our return journey, which was simply the reverse of 

 that of the day before, and without special incident ex- 

 cept that we lost the trail for half an hour. From the 

 slide we had, through an opening in the hills below, a 

 fine view of the lake. We had not noticed the view the 

 day before, partly becatise of the overcast sky and the 

 mist, and partly because we were too tired. We reached 

 the cottage on Ranger Island before dark, and that even- 

 ing as we sat on the verandah , footsore and weary, the 

 Judge looked up toward the mountains as he contentedly 

 smoked his cigar, and remarked: "I would not for fifty 

 dollars have missed the trip to our unknown pond." As 

 a reply was expected I said: "And I would not for a 

 thousand, take it again; but if you hear of another un- 

 known pond let me know at your earliest convenience 

 and together we will seek it." A. N. Cheney. 



Glens Falls, N. Y. 



THROUGH MIRAMICHI WITH ROD 

 AND RIFLE. — II. 



PROCEEDING some four miles above the Grand Falls, 

 we reached another rocky gorge called the Narrows, 

 about one-quarter of a mile in length, through which the 

 river roared hoarsely. Here must have been at one time 

 the scene of an imposing cataract, but centuries of attri- 

 tion had completed their work, and cut out a channel. 

 All our stuff had to be portaged by the path; but the men 

 were able to pole up the empty canoe. It took them some 

 length of time and furnished me with a very pretty spec- 

 tacle. Looking over the brow of the cliff, below in di- 

 minished perspective the Indians with every nerve and 

 muscle at full tension were to be seen forcing the canoe 

 through the seething water, sometimes scarcely gaining 

 a foot in five minutes. The picture was framed by the 

 walls of dark rocks on both sides of them. 



Once more we were pitching our camp as evening fell; 

 this time on a grassy meadow at the mouth of Nine-Mile 

 Brook. While the camping preparations were going for- 

 ward, I put my rod together and killed sufficient trout 

 for the pan in a few minutes. In fact small trout swarmed 

 everywhere in this part of the river, I caught one 

 trout 6in. in length, distended in an abnormal fashion; 

 and found on investigation that its stomach contained a 

 young mole. How the fish sw llowed the animal and 

 was able to take the fly when the tail was actually prctrad- 

 i ig from its throat puzzled me very much. In the upi >f r 

 pools I afterward frequently caught large fish with an 

 imitation mouse made of fur twisted on the hook, I also 

 heard of squirrels being swallowed (on undoubted testi- 

 mony) as they Bwam across the pools; but these fish were 

 over 41bs. in weight, while this midge was only 4oz. , and 

 had swallowed a creature almost as heavy as himself, 

 i On the following day Forty-two Mile Brook was 

 reached. Landing on the river bank I walked ahead 

 of the canoe for some distance and shot a number of 

 juicy young paiixidges and two rather tough shield ducks 

 to vary the fare. The beauty of a large part of the river 

 had been sadly marred by recent fires, and it was with 



no small relief" that we found the ravages of fire had here 

 terminated, and once more we welcomed the green 

 woods. 



Fire has been the great curse of New Brunswick. The 

 terrible Miramichi fire that occurred some sixty years 

 since is one of the most terrible instances on record of 

 the ravages of that element. Picture the Miraniichi 

 River with farmhouses and clearings bordering its banks 

 on both sides for a distance of upward of one hundred 

 miles. Flanking this double strip of cultivated and in- 

 habited country, extended the unbroken forest of spruce 

 and pine in every direction. The summer of 1826 had 

 proved exceptionally hot and dry. All nature was 

 parched and scorched. A party of unlucky hunters had 

 kindled a camp-fire and allowed it to get beyond control. 

 The flames spread with fearful rapidity, devouring the 

 feast the extraordinary drought tt&d prepared for them. 

 One fatal evening the dwellers on the banks of the M.ra- 

 inichi beheld the sun sink red as blocd. and when night fell 

 saw lurid gleams shoot high into the sky, and the air grow 

 dense with smoke and resinous vapors. With a hideous 

 roaring and crackling the fire closed upon the wretched 

 people with a speed exceeding the pace of a fast horse. 

 So intense was the heat that every fibre of wood was 

 licked up in its progress and the very rocks seemed to 

 melt before it. Hundreds were overtaken in the act of 

 flight and burned to death ; men in lumber camps were 

 first stifled and then consumed ere they left their tents. 

 Large numbers rushing from death by fire met death in 

 the river by the over-crowding of boats. Whole villages 

 were swept away. Families were dispersed never to be 

 re-united. Thousands were left bereft of homes, property, 

 kindred and every earthly possession. Subscriptions 

 were mercifully set on foot for the miserable survivors, 

 and the tragic tale aroused the sympathy and pity of 

 England and America. A fire so disastrous to humanity 

 told with added force against the helpless animals of the 

 forest. Many touching stories are recorded of the terror 

 of the dumb creation, who seemed to lose all fear of man 

 in presence of the dreadful calamity. Even birds were 

 seen to fall from a height overpowered by the heat, and 

 moose and bears cowered peacefully together in the sav- 

 ing waters of the river. Almost all, however, fell victims 

 to the fury of the fire. For many years the hunter's 

 occupation was gone. No game survived but the mink 

 and otter and beaver, which could exist below the surface 

 of the water. Hundreds of square miles of most valuable 

 timber land were left bare as the Sahara. The district we 

 had now reached had suffered severelv. Though sixty 

 years had elapsed, only in a few places had any vigorous 

 growth of trees developed. Cowering under the effects 

 of that paralyzing blow, the earth seemed powerless to 

 re-clothe its nakedness, except in tattered shreds and 

 patches. 



Joe pointed out the site of a lumber camp where seven- 

 teen men had been burned in their beds. Uninviting as 

 was this spot for a camping ground, we determined to 

 halt here for a day, as there was a good lake for black 

 duck within reach, and bears were known to be attracted 

 to the neighboring hills by a prolific growth of blue- 

 berries. So our tent poles were erected on a dry bank 

 close to the murmuring river, whence we had a fine op- 

 portunity of observing the range of hills on the opposite 

 side, where we expected to see bears. Nor were we dis- 

 appointed. We had bagged three widgeon and a teal in 

 Red Pine Lake, and were eating some of Joe's rather 

 tough pancakes when that worthy began to knit his 

 brows and focus his eyesight upon a small black object 

 on a bare hill opposite. After many minutes of close 

 observation we settled it that the object moved, and that 

 it must be a bear. In a few minutes we were across the 

 river and toiling over prostrate trees that had been killed 

 by fire and fallen in inextricable confusion. It took us a 

 good hour to get to the leeward of bruin, where we could 

 plan our attack. A deep ravine, through which a small 

 brook brawled and nourished with its moisture a tangled 

 growth of hemlock, intervened between us and the sum- 

 mit of a hill from which we felt confident we should get 

 a shot at our game. 



It took us a long time to struggle through this valley 

 and reach the eminence beyond. Slowly we raised our 

 heads above the brow of the hill; and there, some 150yds. 

 away, was the unconscious bear, with head down, biting 

 at the sprays of luscious blueberries, as he moved 

 leisurely along. My Winchester was held true, as was 

 evident from the bear's actions, for suddenly rolling and 

 striking at his side with, his forepaw, he started off for a 

 thicket only a few yards away and was lost to sight, 

 "Come away," said Joe, "I'll skin him to-morrow morn- 

 ing." The wisdom of this proceeding was made evident 

 on the following morning when m searching the thicket 

 we found the carcass,. The ball had gone through the 

 stomaeh and had we disturbed him after he lay down, he 

 might have traveled a long distance and been lost to us. 

 Returning to camp with the skin and choice bits of the 

 meat, we were delighted by the hunter-like aspect of 

 things. The bear meat simmered in the pot (the Indians 

 putting in a fork every once in a while), while the skin 

 was artistically stretched out by Joe to dry on stakes 

 erected for the purpose. 



Of .course bear stories were the order of the day. Joe 

 delighted in presenting bruin in .comical aspects, telling 

 how once a bear broke into a lumber camp, and drawing 

 the molasses tap rolled over and over in the sweet flood; 

 then breaking up a flour barrel rolled over and over in 

 the Hour. When the men returned they were startled to 

 find a white bear in their house. "This is the only in- 

 stance, I suppose, Joe, where the white bear has been "seen 

 in Now Brunswick," I said. "No, sir; I once heard of a 

 white bear with pink eyes killed on this river." Could 

 this have been an albino, or was Joe hoaxing? Once Joe 

 saw a bear seated on the top of a beaver house, trying in 

 vain to hit the beavers a bio w with his paw as they swam 

 past him in a tantalizing manner, just beyond reach. 

 Once when out with a brother hunter, Tom Isaacs by 

 name, an otter was stolen from Tom'H steel tiap by a bear; 

 made evident by the telltale track. Tom swore a terrible 

 revenge, for an otter was worth about $13, Wandering 

 afterward in a neighboring barren, he came quietly upon 

 a bear feeding on berries. "Where's my otter?" thun- 

 dered Tom. The bear jumped aside nearly twenty feet, 

 and failing a satisfactory answer was shot dead by Tom. 

 On another occasion he watched a bear on a large log 

 amusing himself by delivering a series of blows on a poor 

 calf that he had just captured. Every blow, delivered at 

 intervals, elicited a loud roar from the terrified beast, 

 which seemed to afford bruin vast amusement. This ani- 



