430 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Juke SI, 1888. 



REBA. 



eEBfiNEiLY slow, 



Faint flushes come and go 

 In cheeks that fade from rose-leaf pink to snow. 



Deep eyes of brown; 



Now sadly drooping down, 



Where all thy maiden fancies seemed to drown. 



Spun fire and gold 



Tumultuous, fold on fold, 



The glory of thy wondrous hair is rolled. 



Oh! tender face; 



Last of a radiant race; 



Veiled in the twilight's soft gray lace. 



Thy star is set 



Far in a firmament of jet; 



Thou art so far, so near, so sweet, dear heart— 

 And yet! 



Springfield, Mass. E. H. Lathrop. 



IN THE MOOSE RIVER COUNTRY. 



TO the many readers of Fokest and Stream who are 

 considering- where they will go for the approaching 

 vacation some description of a part of northwestern 

 Maine may be of interest. 



For nearly eighty miles the goodly stream Moose River 

 flows from the mountains along the Canada border east- 

 ward to Moosehead Lake. Gathering its volume from 

 countless springs that trickle from the rocky, spruce- 

 covered mountains or bubble up in the ravines, its pure, 

 cold waters flow unpolluted and unobstructed till they 

 merge in the waters of Moosehead. Excepting a few 

 hay clearings and a little village thirty miles above 

 Moosehead, called Moose River Village, there are no 

 farms or habitations along its shores. At favorable 

 points trout may at all times in the summer be found, 

 and to its upper waters moose, bear, caribou and deer 

 come, while the beaver yet builds his house and floods 

 his meadows on many of its tributary streams. To the 

 east and northeast lies a great wilderness, extending 

 through the Penobscot, St. Johns and Aroostock River 

 basins. To the south is the Dead River country, and the 

 waters of Spencer stream, a tributary of Dead River, 

 may be reached by a carry of four miles from a point on 

 Moose River about twelve miles above the village. It 

 was near this Spencer stream that the great "Jumbo" and 

 other moose were killed last fall, and in October Fred 

 Henderson, the Moose River guide, killed a fine bull 

 moose near the Spencer carry. The Dead River, while 

 apparently a favored place with the big game, does not 

 usually afford good trout fishing. 



Comparatively few sportsmen have visited the Moose 

 River region, nor can much be learned about it from any 

 guide books the writer has been able to find. The way to 

 reach Moose River has been by canoe up the stream from 

 Moosehead Lake, or by stage or private team seventy -six 

 miles from Skowhegan, via the forks of the Kennebeck. 

 From this season, however, the quickest and easiest way 

 will be to go in via Sherbrooke, in Canada, leaving the 

 new road running from Sherbrooke down Moose River at 

 a point about twelve miles above Moose River Village, 

 and close to the best hunting and fishing grounds of the 

 region. By arranging ahead guides from the village will 

 come up, bringing by canoe camping outfit and pro- 

 visions. 



I visited this country for the second season in August, 

 1887. The guides engaged for a friend and myself, and 

 who had been with me the previous trip, were Will Red- 

 man and Fred Henderson, of Moose River Village. Red- 

 man is thirty-four years old, and the son of the man of 

 rhe same name mentioned in Farrar's guide book as liv- 

 ing on the shores of Long Pond. He stands nearly Gft., 

 weighing 1751bs., without a pound of surplus flesh. 

 Strong, fearless and tireless, he is a typical woodsman, 

 skilled in all manner of woodcraft. Fred Henderson is 

 about 26 years old, small for a woodsman, but with 

 muscles like bands of iron. Brought up on the shores of 

 Moose River, he has been accustomed to handle a canoe 

 all his life, and is exceedingly expert with that graceful 

 craft. These men are both teetotalers — no small recom- 

 mendation for guides. Any sportsman who engages 

 either of them cannot fail to be satisfied, and come away 

 with a very kindly feeling toward the man who has so 

 faithfully sought his pleasure. 



It was Aug. 13 last when the Doctor and myself 

 took our places in our canoes at Moose River Village and 

 in a steady rain headed for Long Pond, fifteen miles 

 from Moosehead Lake. It wss a great delight to be once 

 more afloat in a canoe, and a little summer rain did not 

 seem to detract from the pleasure. On our way, by 

 making a few casts at the mouth of each little stream we 

 passed, we caught a dozen trout, including two that 

 weighed over 31bs. together. Continually the rain in- 

 creased till, by the time a "headworks" on Long Pond 

 was reached, water could not make us much wetter, bills 

 in the inside pocket of a vest having to bedried over the 

 fire. Here we camped in the "headworks" five nights, 

 making daily excursions to fishing places in the vicinity. 



Several small streams flow into Long Pond, and at the 

 mouths of these the best trout are caught. Two larger 

 streams, Parhn and Big Churchill, afford good sport for 

 a considerable distance up their courses, where a canoe 

 can be run, although the trout average much smaller 

 than in the Pond. A family of beaver have dammed the 

 Churchill, making a considerable pond where trout are 

 very numerous. This is an excellent place for a novice 

 to cast his flies and gain the practice necer-sary to acquire 

 the knack of hooking trout when they rise. The trout 

 here run five or six to the pound, with an occasional 

 larger one, and are more difficult to hook than larger fish. 



There is an old logging dam below the beaver dam, and 

 from that to Long Pond about twenty rods of rapid 

 water. Last year the water was high, covering the 

 rocks in the bed of the brook, making one sheet of foam 

 the whole distance. Our guides ran this w^ater in empty 

 canoes, giving us an exhibition of their skill in quick 

 water and showing the possibilities of the canvas canoe 

 when guided by the quick eye and steady hand acquired 

 by long practice. The fifth day we returned to the vil- 



lage, taking in several trout caught at the mouths of 

 brooks along the way. In the lot were four from lib. 

 lOoz. to 2ilbs., making 7£lbs. together. At the village the 

 unpretending Colby House affords a comfortable place 

 for the sportsman at a very moderate charge. 



From here we next went a day's journey up the river. 

 To cut off a big bend a carry of one and a quarter miles 

 is made, from Atteau to Holeb Ponds. The new railroad 

 is to run along this carry, and the foreman of the men at 

 work there very kindly let his team take our camping rig- 

 across. I was almost ashamed to be going into the wil- 

 derness with such an extensive outfit. The body of the 

 double wagon was well filled with our two tents, great 

 rolls of blankets, cooking kit and boxes of provisions. 

 At the mouth of Barrett Brook a few trout, including a 

 plump 2-pounder, were caught the first night, and we 

 went into camp near by on the bank of the river. Here, 

 for the first time, our tents were set up, and the party 

 slept under canvas. 



The first nights in camp are always interesting. If 

 camped by miming water, the murmur and gurgle of the 

 stream mingles with the sighing of the wind through the 

 trees of the forest. Gradually the restless city life ceases 

 to pulse through our being, the hurry of eager crowds 

 loses its effect; business, with its anxieties, its toils and 

 ambitions, is forgotten, the calm of the woods fills our 

 minds, the peace of the eternal hills like a mantle covers 

 us, and the soothing voices of the forest lull to sleep. No 

 voice of bird or beast disturbs the camp's repose. From 

 this life in the woods one may look back to their home 

 life as from a future world we shall look back to tins — so 

 entire is the change, so different the thoughts, the pur- 

 suits, the mode of living, and the conversation. 



The day after going into carnp at Barrett Brook we 

 went up the stream, catching from two great holes in the 

 rocks just below a logging dam a lot of 4oz, and 6oz. 

 trout, finding quantities of large ripe blueberries and ex- 

 amining the fresh tracks of a large moose. Before noon 

 the rain drove us back to camp, where the afternoon was 

 passed very comfortably under shelter of the canvas. The 

 next morning we were again at the mouth of Barrett 

 Brook, and while fishing here Redman discovered a cow 

 moose feeding down the brook toward us. The wind 

 was favorable, so keeping very still we watched with 

 intense interest this great reddish-brown beast slowly 

 step by step draw near. She was feeding on the sub- 

 aqueous vegetation in the stream, which was 12in. or 

 loin, deep. Dipping her mouth under the water she 

 brought up bunches which she leisurely masticated, the 

 water running off in little streams. When first seen the 

 moose might have been fifteen rods away, and she con- 

 tinually advanced, now facing, turning now this side and 

 now the other till about eight rods away, when with 

 great deliberation she pushed her way through the 

 bushes and out on to the bank. Wishing to get one more 

 look the guides were silently paddling the stream when 

 the bushes parted and the head and shoulders of the 

 moose appeared about 70ft. from us, with ears erect and 

 very much the appearance of a petted horse when he 

 sees his master coming. With evident curiosity and no 

 fear she came again into the water, stepping slowly 

 toward our party. And here is the picture fixed in my 

 memory. A stream 20ffc. wide and shallow; the banks 

 thick with bushes, back of these the forest. Two can- 

 vas canoes, in the stern of each a guide holding her 

 steady with paddle, in the bow of each a very much in- 

 terested sportsman, holding motionless in air a 6oz. fly- 

 rod; and there, coming slowly, say 60ft. away, a great 

 moose. Deliberately the moose turns, and unharmed nor 

 frightened walks away into the woods. A rifle lay at 

 hand, but there was in our party no disposition to break 

 the laws of the State or kill game of which we could 

 make little use. We had that monving been shooting 

 rifles at marks around our camp, and while we were 

 watching the moose we could distinctly hear the blasting 

 on the new railroad. The animal paid not the slightest 

 attention to the blasting, but did raise her head and listen 

 when the wind made a more than usual rustle in the 

 trees. 



The next camp was at Holeb Falls, a journey of a few 

 hours along the river. The fishing in the river here does 

 not amount to much in the summer; but three ponds 

 around the base of Holeb Mountain can be depended on 

 to supply sufficient trout for the camp. The nearest of 

 these ponds covers eight or ten acres, and is mostly over- 

 grown with lily pads. In a bright day the trout take 

 shelter under these, making a great stir of the leaves as 

 they run among the stems at the approach of a canoe. 

 The only way to get them then is to drive a school out of 

 the lilies into one of the clear spaces of water, then fish 

 these carefully, sitting down in the canoe and casting as 

 far as possible from that position. In the second pond 

 there is considerable deep water, and I am confident 

 some good trout, but they would not rise for us. The 

 third pond is a flooded beaver meadow, having little 

 depth of water, with plenty of small trout. 



With Henderson \ climbed Holeb Mountain, about a 

 three-hours' walk through primeval forests. While the 

 view from the summit is quite extensive to the south and 

 east, the west and north are cut off by other peaks. Any 

 sportsman going to this region should climb some promi- 

 nent mountain for the better idea he will get of the sur- 

 rounding country. It is a land of mountains covered 

 with spruce, hemlock, and of deep valleys filled with 

 lakes and streams; far as the eye may reach stretch 

 boundless forests of primeval growth, or the lighter 

 woods that follow the axe of the lumberman. From 

 Holeb only one house can be seen, and that a deserted one 

 on a hay farm. Very numerous are the ponds one may 

 see; from Atteau with its sixty islands to tiny beaver 

 ponds, shining like gems among the mountains, testifying 

 to the industry and wonderful instinct of the beaver. 

 Around the base of Holeb the signs of deer are very 

 numerous. We saw two deer feeding in the ponds and 

 found two horns — a four and a five-prong. Between the 

 mountain and the first pond the deer have worn paths, 

 treading them down to the roots of the trees. It seemed 

 from the looks of these paths as if one need watch them 

 but a short time to see some of the deer that evidently 

 frequently used them. Passing above the signs of deer a 

 section of the mountain seems to have no game; then we 

 came to a belt perhaps 300yds. wide running around the 

 summit and a short distance below it, where the caribou 

 make their summer home. Here decayed logs were torn 

 to pieces, moS3 bitten away, and well-defined paths run 

 I in various directions. At our approach one great buck 

 started from his bed in the moss, not three rods away; he 



stood several seconds viewing us in amazement, then 

 bounded down the mountain. 



After three nights at Holeb we moved camp to Three 

 Streams for one night. The camp here was located be- 

 tween two brooks that flow into Moose River. At this 

 point is to be found some of the best fishing on the river 

 in August. Fishing one night and morning we caught 

 many fine trout; the best eight of these weighed 131bs., 

 the largest one 31bs. 2oz. The last, the largest trout of 

 the trip, the Doctor caught, and against a 6oz. split-bam- 

 boo rod a 50oz. trout, 194in. long, can make a very stub- 

 born fight. My companion had never cast the fly till 

 this trip, and as was to be expected, had not succeeded as 

 well as he desired in the earlier days of the outing, and 

 did not seem very niuch pleased with his own skill. Now, 

 after he landed this big fellow, one could not look at him 

 but his face was wreathed in smiles of happy content. 

 The Doctor lives in a somewhat distant city, and the size 

 of this trout may have grown in Ms mind as he traveled. 

 If he can make him weigh 51bs. or 61bs. at home it's all 

 right. I have not given any names. There was a trout 

 caught at Farlin Pond in 1885 that weighed 3| lbs.— the 

 largest ever taken there. In 1886 I stopped at the hotel 

 there, and on making inquiry about this trout was told it 

 weighed 51bs. In 1887 again I inquired and learned the 

 trout weighed 5Jlbs. Some day that will be a very large 

 trout if Parlin Pond Hotel does not change landlords. 

 At the Forks inquiry was made about some trout a party 

 of Hartford gentlemen had brought out from Long Pond 

 in July, 1887; here they were "a fine lot, some of them 

 weighed 41bs. each." At Parlin Pond they were still "a 

 fine lot and one of them weighed 3|lbs." At Moose River 

 the largest one weighed 2£lbs,. and others 21bs. each. I 

 have often wondered how large such elastic fish must 

 have been at Hartford, especially in trotting horse circles. 



From Three Streams to the' village is about twelve 

 miles, with one very short carry. In going into this coun- 

 try I find my expenses about $5 a day for trips of 16 or 

 18 days. The guides furnish tents, blankets, cooking- 

 utensils and canoes, charging $2.25 to $2.50 per day, ac- 

 cording to the time employed. Black flies and mosqui- 

 toes should be provided against with some preparation of 

 tar and oil. Silver-doctor, Montreal, scarlet-ibis, any 

 combination of red and brown are killing for thei?e 

 waters. No. 4 hooks are right size, and two or three 

 dozen flies quite enough for two or three weeks in the 

 woods. 



The trip here partially described was perhaps more than 

 usually interesting. It does not fall to the lot of every 

 man who goes to the woods even for many seasons to 

 have so interesting and protracted an interview with a 

 moose, nor can one always find such uniformly good fly- 

 fishing, yet all who love the woods can enjoy the pure, 

 bracing air of the hills, the fragrance of the forests, 

 the delights of canoeing, and cutting loose from all con- 

 nections with mail and telegraph, and can throw off care, 

 grow strong in body and buoyant in spirit, gaining many 

 pleasant thoughts for future days. 



The Doctor wrote, many weeks after his return home: 

 "I did not realize how much pleasure there was in the 

 trip till I liad time to think it all over at home." The 

 best things the wilderness can offer are not trout and 

 game, but health and vigor for mind and body. F. T. 



Providence, Rhode Island. 



CCEUR D'ALENE. 



I DOUBT very much if there is a prettier or more pleas- 

 ant place for the sportsman to spend the summer and 

 fall than at Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and a most beauti- 

 ful lake it is, twenty-eight miles in length, and from one 

 to two miles wide, nestling in the midst of the Cceur 

 d'Alene mountains, with its innumerable small bays and 

 sandy and rocky beaches, making splendid camping- 

 places. There are plenty of deer on the first table-land 

 above the lake; only a half-mile walk, and one is sure to 

 run across an occasional bear, cougar or lynx, in his walks 

 over the hills, while the trout are only about twenty 

 yards from the camp. This, together with cool bracing- 

 weather, and little or no rain from April to along in Sep- 

 temper or October, is all a sportsman could desire. The 

 lake has two large inlets: the Coeur d'Alene and the St. 

 Joseph's Rivers. The " St. Jo " has a branch that flows 

 into it about twenty miles from its mouth, called the St. 

 Mary's, which is as pretty a trout stream as one could 

 wish to see. 



Like most mountain rivers the first few miles are still 

 water, but seven miles from the mouth the rapids begin, 

 and wuth them the most elegant trout fishing! from there 

 up it is a succession of riffles and deep pools. The moun- 

 tains rise to a good height on the rivers and the game is 

 quite plentiful, especially bear and deer. The outlet of 

 the lake is the Spokane River, which flows from the 

 lower end of the lake, and empties into the Columbia. 



Last year Fred and 1 started on our second trip through 

 the Cceur d'Alene country, and, profiting by the last trip's 

 experience, we struck first for a week's duck and goose 

 shooting and trout fishing to the " St. Jo," and up as far 

 as FerrhTs Ranch, the head of slack water. The river 

 was very high and nearly the whole bottom was over- 

 flowed, and the waterfowl were there in great numbers. 

 We killed a deer the first day on the river and shot ducks 

 and geese till we were tired. Although we made it a rule 

 never to kill more deer than we could use for camp, we 

 "slaughtered" ducks and geese and gave them to the 

 various ranches along the river. 



The second day we arrived at Ferrill's in our canoes, 

 and, as it was rather late and we were tired, we made 

 camp and stayed the rest of the day, arranging our fly- 

 books and jointing our rods. 



We started out early and fished all the next day iu the 

 rapids. What magnificent sport we had! Casting the 

 dainty fly into the rapids (flies preferred; the gray-drake 

 and March-browns on No. 8 hooks at that time of year) 

 and watching the spotted beauties make a rush for it as 

 it swept down stream by the rushing current, the trout 

 making frantic efforts to part company with the hook 

 and coming finally alongside of the canoe and into the 

 landing net. At night we laid 206 trout on the bank, the 

 average about half a pound, the largest 2^1bs. I confess 

 I felt rather ashamed of myself at taking so many, but 

 not having cast for some months I could not resist. 



Next morning we started down stream, and, having 

 the current with us, made the lake by night, killing an 

 occasional duck and pheasant on our way. I was up by 

 daylight the next morning, and, going down for some 

 water, I spied a deer about 70 yards from me, standing 



