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FOREST AND STREAM, • [Nov. 3, i«nr. 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Pub. Co. 



SHOOTING A LEOPARD. 



THERE is no more difficult animal to shoot success- 

 fully than the little blue buck (Cepalophuspygmceus) 

 of southeastern Africa. It was some time before I could 

 succeed in bagging one, as they frequent only the densest 

 parts of the bush, and are excessively shy and wary, but 

 after a long study of their habits, etc., I managed to be- 

 come an expert pot-hunter. If in rambling through the 

 bush I heard their shrill whistle, I knew the animal would 

 be found in the same locality on the following day, either 

 at sunrise or sunset, their feeding boms. Selecting a 

 tree as a focus, I would roughly trim out some three or 

 four diverging paths through the thick undergrowth, and 

 my preparations would be complete for a murderous act 

 on the next afternoon, when I would seat myself at the 

 foot of the tree with a ready-cocked, close-shooting gun 

 in hand. So soon as a shadowy form would cross one of 

 the paths the gun would be trained for the next, and the 

 instant it reappeared the trigger would be pulled, and the 

 result would be the death of a small mouse-colored ante- 

 lope, about 15in. in height. It was simply cold-blooded 

 murder, as I frequently killed them when they were so 

 close to the muzzle of the gun that their heads would be 

 completely blown off. 



I had one favorite ambush, about 150yds. from my 

 house, which was within the corporate limits of Durban, 

 Natal, where I was sure of potting one or two a week, 

 but this was some twenty years since, and I doubt if one 

 can be now found within miles of it. While sitting there 

 one afternoon I had quietly amused myself watching the 

 ants cutting up and carrying away a large caterpillar 

 which had been placed in their path, when the low Vir- 

 ginia quail-like call of the Natal bush shrike (Lanarius 

 quadrieolor) caught my ear, and he soon made his ap- 

 pearance, accompanied by the female, in the lower 

 branches of a small tree, just in front of me. 



The retiring habits and bright coloration of the male 

 make him eagerly sought by all bird collectors, and I 

 longed to secure the skin of this one, but wanting a bit 

 of venison for supper, I refrained from firing. They were 

 soon joined by a pair of the lesser puff -backed bush shrike 

 (Lanarius cubla) which flitted about in the upper portions 

 of the same tree, thus giving me a fine opportunity of 

 observing the habits of the two species. Quiet quadri- 

 eolor and his mate kept down below, occasionally coming 

 to the ground and turning over the dried leaves in their 

 quest of insects, while the more noisy cublas kept above, 

 frequently clambering, tit fashion, along the lower sides 

 of the branches. After watching them for a while, a 

 feeling of drowsiness began to steal over me, no doubt 

 hastened by the monotonous song of the little tinker 

 barbet* (Barbatida pusilla) in the topmost branches of 

 the tree against which I leaned. Just then I was aroused 

 by a crash of boughs, followed by the hoarse bark of the 

 rervot monkey (Cercopitliecus lalandii). Slowly recover- 

 ing consciousness, I began to inwardly swear at a sup- 

 posed wandering Kaffir, who would interfere with my 

 chances for a pot shot, when my feathered visitors showed 

 signs of alarm. Quadrieolor and his mate darted into 

 the thick cover with a low quarrelsome note, while eubla 

 sounded his harsh stridulous cry, and sailed away over 

 the tops of the undergrowth, looking precisely like a ball 

 of white floss silk with a black spot in its center. They 

 were followed by a troupe of chattering, barking monkeys, 

 swinging and leaping through the trees in every direc- 

 tion, and I began to accumulate an extra supply of 

 Billingsgate Kaffir to launch at the intruder, when a large 

 male leopard stepped into one of my rough hewn paths 

 and suddenly crouched, head on, viciously switching his 

 tail, indicative of a charge. I instinctively leveled the. 

 gun at his eyes, hoping to blind him with the contents of 

 both barrels' while in the act of leaping, and the instantan- 

 eous mental work I performed was something wonderf id. 

 I thought of a dozen different ways to get out of my 

 dilemma, and dismissed the lot as impracticable in a 

 twinkling. At the same time it seemed as if my entire 

 body was a huge telegraphic instrument, every infernal 

 click of which seemed to say, "Go home! Go home!" 

 But my suspense was soon ended by the brute rising up 

 and slowly stepping out of sight. Getting up and stand- 

 ing with my back to the tree, I was mentally debating 

 about paying attention to the telegraphic warning, when 

 there was a crash just in front of me, followed, by the 

 sharp whistle of a buck, from which I concluded that my 

 late visitor had not only cheated me out of my game 

 supper, but had missed his own also, and I quietly with- 

 drew in the opposite direction, keeping on the alert for 

 "sign" until clear of the bush. 



On reaching the house the Kaffirs were started for my 

 neighbors with the information that there was a tigerf in 

 the bush, and all pigs and poultry had better be shut up 

 for the night, while I busied myself in housing and secur- 

 ing several living antelopes in my collection. During the 

 evening while sitting and chafing over my afternoon's 

 experience, the persistent howling of the Kaffirs in their 

 huts, just in the rear of my house, made me wrathfully 

 spring up, with the intention of ordering a cessation of 

 the row. Opening the door, my pettishness turned into 

 mirth on discovering the precautions taken by them to 

 prevent a nocturnal visit from the leopard. It was one 

 of those steaming muggy nights, so frequent in semi- 

 topical climates, but the temperature did not prevent 

 them from having a roaring fire, which cast broad bands 

 of light round about, through openings which they had 

 made in the lower portions of the thatch of the bee-hive 

 shaped structure. They were seated in a circle close 

 around the fire, and singing one of those peculiar Kaffir 

 songs, which consists more of deafening grunts than 

 aught else. Judging that the uproar and light would 

 serve not only as a protection to the Kaffirs, but the ante- 

 lopes also, I concluded it would be best to stand the in- 

 fliction, which I had to undergo until morning. We 

 were all stining early, and the Kaffirs soon found the 

 sx^oor of my yesterday's acquaintance in the moist sand, 

 but a short distance from the antelope pens. Not being 

 willing to undergo a second night's annoyance, and sur- 

 mising that the leopard was still in the neighborhood 



♦Called "blacksmith" by the colonists, from its ringing, metallic 

 note. 



tColonial name for the leopard. 



messengers were dispatched with directions to notify the 

 boys in the vicinity to come up in the afternoon with their 

 dogs, and we would endeavor to force the brute into a 

 tree, so that I could get a fair shot at him. 



While engaged in putting the finishing touches on a 

 bird skin, the house was invaded by about a dozen eager 

 youngsters and about an equal number of curs. Stopping 

 my work, I directed them to start the dogs into the bush, 

 promising to join them as soon as the skin had been placed 

 on the drying board. While in the act of hanging the 

 board up beneath the oil cups, to keep off the thieving 

 ants, the yelping of the dogs and shouts of the boys in- 

 formed me that the game was afoot, and in a few mo- 

 ments an excited lad dashed in, exclaiming, "Hurry up! 

 we have him treed." Picking up my rifle, I followed him 

 out, and in passing the carpenter's bench picked up a 

 hammer and nail which were dropped into one of the 

 pockets of my shooting jacket. On reaching the edge of 

 the bush I found the boys assembled, none daring to ven- 

 ture further, with the exception of my young scout, who 

 had wormed in far enough to see the animal. Placing 

 him just behind me and giving directions to the others to 

 follow "Indian file" with as little noise as possible, we 

 slowly pressed through the undergrowth but a short dis- 

 tance, when a nudge from my little guide caused me to 

 stop, and on looking in the direction pointed, it was with 

 difficulty that I made out the leopard, so well did his 

 spotted skin harmonize with the speckled sunlight play- 

 ing through the foliage. He was lying at full length on 

 a large limb, some twenty feet from the ground, with his 

 head projected from a fork, snarling at the yelping pack 

 of dogs beneath him. As we approached him from be- 

 hind, a slight detour was stealthily made, and on reach 

 ing the cover of a large tree on his right I found that a 

 fair shot at his head was afforded. A sharp blow with 

 the hammer sufficed to drive in the nail to serve as a rest, 

 and pinching off a few leaves which interfered, I drew a 

 fine sight for the base of his ear. At the crack of the rifle 

 he convulsively sprang upward and fell sprawling among 

 the raging curs, one of which he almost disemboweled 

 and two others severely maimed in his dying struggles. 



Frank J. Thompson. 



CAMP LIFE ON DIAMOND POND. 



IN the northern part of New Hampshire, about ten 

 miles from the Canada border, among the rear guard 

 of the White Mountains, are two ponds. They are fitly 

 named Little and Big Diamond, for though differing in 

 Bize they are gems and "gems of purest ray." 



This is the location as given on the maps and they lie 

 at a healthy elevation above sea level. Our experience 

 of fife there, however, places them at a much higher 

 altitude; above the turmoil and unrest of business and 

 society life, and we should define the limits of the place 

 by bounding it on one side by Elysiuni, on another by 

 El Dorado, on the third by Utopia; the fourth lying open 

 to a debatable tract by which paradise or Boston are 

 easily accessible. 



Tourists may reach this place by different routes, all of 

 which have their merits. A favorite route from, this 

 point is by the Sound steamers from New York to Fall 

 River, thence to Boston and from there through the 

 Crawford and Franconia notches - in the White Mountains 

 to Lancaster. At this point the tourist will take the 

 Grand Trunk road, under Canadian management, and at 

 once become conscious of a downgrade as to comfort and 

 convenience, and by the aid of two senses, become ac- 

 quainted with the Canucks. 



This is the way to go to Diamond Pond, but do not go 

 unless you are a true lover of nature and can find 

 "Tongues in trees, books hi the murmuring brooks, ser- 

 mons in stones," and beauty every where in the wild wood. 

 If you are thus qualified, and are sure you will not sigh 

 for beefsteak and vegetables, ceiled walls and carpeted 

 floors, and can fight a good fight with black flies and 

 mosquitoes, you will be safe in going, and we predict for 

 you the best time you ever had in your life. You will 

 need but little, baggage; "biled shirts" and bustles, silk 

 dresses and swallow-tailed coats are not "the mode" on 

 the shores of Diamond Pond. As to dress, lightness, 

 ; warmth and the free use of every muscle of the body are 

 the things to be secured. 



Leaving the cars at North Stratford, a drive of twenty- 

 four miles over a good road, through a partially cleared 

 country, will bring you to Little Diamond Pond and to 

 Camp^biamond, consisting of two rude frame buildings 

 and several tents. 



' On the opposite shore of the pond stands the cabin, as 

 it is styled, where the writer and family have spent many 

 pleasant weeks. 



If you feel inclined to go over and take a peep inside, 

 you will be furnished with a boat by the proprietor of 

 Camp Diamond, formerly one of the "Boys in Blue," 

 now a sturdy backwoodsman with a shambling gait, a 

 good face, a slouched hat, brim straight up in front, and 

 keen blue eyes that will "take you all in" while you are 

 walking down to the boat house. You will probably be 

 rowed across the pond by Jimmie, the little lad of all 

 work, and if you have not put your trust in him by the 

 time you have reached the other side, your knowledge of 

 human nature is not worth much. The cabin, standing 

 about 300 or 400ft. from the shore of Little Diamond, on 

 the side of the mountain, is nothing more than a shanty 

 of spruce boards, 30ft. long and 12ft. wide, lighted by 

 three windows. The furniture is simple, and the differ- 

 ent pieces not too numerous to mention. A small cook 

 stove, a few camp stools for the boys and two chairs for 

 the old folks, a table of spruce boards roughly nailed to- 

 gether, three bedsteads of domestic manufacture, a shelf 

 serving as china closet and baking board, enough cups 

 and saucers and plates to "go round," water bucket and 

 tea kettle, frying-pan and grid -iron, dishpan and lantern, 

 were about all we found necessary to a life of luxury and 

 true enjoyment. No; one thing has been omitted — the 

 rolling pin. Pie was necessary to this life of luxury, and 

 to make it we must have a rolling pin, so one of the boys 

 was sent out to get one. He soon came in with a section 

 of a young tree a little over a foot long, and when the 

 bark was peeled off and the ends whittled down we could 

 compete with any pie crust in the market. 



We learned one thing in this rudely furnished little 

 shanty, how little besides health and a" well-stored mind 

 is really necessary to a true enjoyment of life. We do 



I not condemn fine houses and elegant furniture, works of 

 art and due attention to personal adornment, but it is 

 consoling to know that if, in the mutation of fortune, we 



find ourselves deprived of these things, wretchedness is 

 not inevitable; we may still be happy. 



Six weeks of camp life proved to us that "man wants 

 little here below," except m the matter of griddle-cakes 

 and maple syrup, and here we found that quantity was 

 very necessary, a little would not go far. 



This reminds us to say a few words in reference to our 

 bill of fare, which was as follows: Brook trout, varied 

 occasionally by ham and salt pork, baked beans and 

 bread. On Sunday morning, eggs, and plenty of them, 

 milk, gilt-edged butter, cream that would hold a spoon 

 upright, wild strawberries, tea and coffee, and all for the 

 moderate cost of one dollar and twenty cents a week per 

 individual. 



It may now be interesting to know what we did all day. 

 To sum it all up in a few words, life was one long delight- 

 ful "loaf." We were virtually proprietors of an immense 

 estate, and the resourses of forest and lake were at our 

 command. 



If we felt very energetic we were off to the woods, with 

 tin cups and staffs to climb some breezy height and enjoy 

 the view, or to search for a particular wild flower or fern. 

 As in more cultivated regions we found it advisable and 

 pleasant to take the boys along, and if we rambled far 

 they would "blaze" a path, that is, cut notches in the 

 trees that we might find our way home more easily. 



Big Diamond Pond lay about three-quarters of a mile 

 from our cabin, and as lovely a wild wood path led to it 

 as ever our feet have trodden. This was a favorite resort , 

 and with lunch basket, fishing rods and a good book, a 

 day on these bright waters was a day well spent. Read- 

 ing aloud or story telling beguiled the time while the 

 boys lay in the. boat waiting for a bite. Suddenly, as 

 William Black expresses it, we would hear the "'long- 

 shriek" of the reel, as the fish seized the bait and swam off 

 with it, and'so suddenly the boy that owned the rod was 

 on his feet, eyes sparkling in anticipation of the fun, and 

 the landing of that fish was for the moment more im- 

 portant than the balance of power among the nations of 

 the earth, and required tetter judgment and nicer manipu- 

 lation than a nominating convention before a presidential 

 election. At noon we would land, select a spot near one 

 of the fine springs which abound in this region, make a 

 "smudge" to keep blackflies and mosquitoes at a respect- 

 ful distance, spread our lunch and eat it with a relish 

 unknown to the fashionable loiterers on a hotel piazza. 



We recall one such occasion when a cracker spread 

 with dried apple sauce, and a scorched trout, were more 

 delicious than a "swell" dinner at Delmonico's, and that 

 is saying a great deal for crackers and trout. Sometimes 

 we were in the mood, particularly at sunset, to row or 

 float idly over the quiet waters of Little Diamond, enjoy- 

 ing the beauty of the surrounding mountains and the 

 cloud scenery which was sometimes marvelous in glory. 



Once in a great while a little excitement would be 

 thrown into our quiet life; a wagon would come into 

 camp, or once in a greater while deer would come down 

 to the shore of the pond to drink, and a prettier sight is 

 seldom seen than these graceful creatures cropping the 

 grass and splashing in the water, unconscious of the ap- 

 proach of a horrid man with a gun. 



Generally, however, they are smarter than their foe, 

 and, with a snort and snuff, are off to the mountains to 

 take a little longer lease of their free woodland life. 



Once or twice we were awakened in the night by the 

 clanking of their little hoofs on the stones, and the scrap- 

 ing of then horns on the side of the cabin. 



Cold or stormy days were spent in tent or cabin beside 

 a crackling wood fire, with books and fancy work, clean- 

 ing guns, mending fishing tackle and telling fish stories. 



Pleasant excursions maybe taken from Camp Diamond 

 to many places of interest. The drive through Dixville 

 Notch co Errol, about twenty miles, is said to be one of 

 the finest in the country. A ride of eighteen miles to 

 Connecticut Lake is very enjoyable, and if your pluck is 

 good, a short drive further over a road not paved with 

 feather beds will bring you to Second Lake, where you 

 will meet Uncle Tom Chester, who enter tarns city 

 boarders, doing all the cooking, washing, ironing, etc. 

 The stillness and grandeur of the forest at night are awe- 

 inspiring, and as the shadows deepen, and the stars 

 brighten, go out under the open sky and learn the lesson 

 the ethics of the sky will teach; the great facts of gracious 

 Omnipotence, and the soul's immortality. 



In the foregoing we have tried to give some idea of 

 camp life in New Hampshire, but the half has not been 

 told. 



If you would prove the truth of all that has been told, 

 and realize a great deal more, go to Camp Diamond. You 

 will have a pleasant trip, lots of fun and 



"The cares that here infest the day, 

 Shall fold their tents like the Arabs, 

 And as silently steal away." 

 Nobbistown, Pa. C. L. S. 



ADIRONDACK PLEASURE SEEKERS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



There is probably no popular resort in any of the East- 

 ern States which, though ten years ago little frequented 

 by summer pleasure seekers, is now visited by such num- 

 bers, from far and near, as the Adirondack region. This 

 is naturally much deplored by the many who annually 

 spent their spring or fall vaction there, year in and year 

 out, and never tired of the place, as it abounded with both 

 deer and trout, and was a sportsman's paradise in every 

 sense of the word. But should they complain, when they 

 see the hundreds of puny, sickly-looking people who go 

 into the woods and in the course of a month or so return 

 to the city, brown, healthy-looking and in the best of 

 spirits? No. Of course it is hard for men who have en- 

 joyed the beauty and wildness of the Adirondacks for 

 years to see new hotels spring up in every direction, new 

 roads cut through, and, worst of all, the clearings which 

 are taking the place of woods in so many localities; but 

 it is impossible that any place with the numberless 

 attractions which these mountains have should remain 

 the pleasure ground of a comparative few. 



Five years ago I was in delicate health and was asked 

 by friends to accompany them to the Adirondacks, where 

 they had been for four successive years. They were sure 

 it was the place to build any one up. no matter what the 

 ailment might be. I went \ip and spent nine weeks, 

 partly in camp and the remainder of. the time a,t Blue 

 Mountain Lake or off on short trips. 



While there I did some hard work, but not too much at 

 first, and I weighed (the day that I left for home) exactly 



