310 



Forest and stream. 



[Nov. 10, "1887. 



neither on this trip, but, as Mrs. Toodles told her better 

 half when she bought a bargain in a doorplate bearing 

 the name of Thompson, there's no telling in this world 

 what may happen and it is well to be prepared for all 

 emergencies. A long minnow seine, two minnow buckets, 

 live nets, a lantern, a number twelve breech-loader and 

 42 Winchester complete the outfit— at least I think so. If 

 I have neglected to mention anything we should have had 

 it is because I have forgotton, not because it was missing 

 from the list. How could it be otherwise with two old 

 rnai — , bachelors, I mean, with nothing else to think of 

 for a week. 



So, at 8:40, P. M., on a certain day last autumn, we left 

 Lexington, all comfortably seated in a chair car on the 

 Missouri Pacific, a railroad that has as well equipped trains 

 as are to be found in the United States. 



"When a man has his eyes and ears about him he can 

 always see something of character. Someway, a railroad 

 car is a good place to observe it. Everybody knows how 

 he is impressed with the cad in the velvet vest, with the 

 big fob and the expansive shirt front. There is as plainly 

 written in his lineaments and his movements, self-satis- 

 faction and the pride that he takes in a fat pocket-book, 

 as if lie were speaking it in the vernacular. People be- 

 come themselves after they have been jolted, dusted and 

 be-cindered in a train for a few hours. The petulant are 

 petulant, the cross are cross and the patient are patient. 



Now for two incidents to prove this. Just back of us 

 was a middle-aged curmudgeon — not that the curmud- 

 geon appeared upon the man at once. He was fairly 

 good-looking, rotund, appeared to be well kept, and upon 

 Ms partly -bald head he had the usual skull cap. At a 

 station, enter a young gentleman and lady, the latter as 

 pretty as a dream in May. They are going through. 

 Nowhere are there two seats together that they can get. 

 The one next the curmudgeon is vacant. The lady is 

 placed in it by her companion, who goes forward to see 

 if he can find two chairs together. Directly he returns, 

 unsuccessful. He seats himself two chairs away, when 

 the lady somewhat timidly says to our friend the bear: 

 "Sir, cordd you kindly exchange seats with that gentle- 

 man; we are going through and would like to sit together?" 

 "Humph ?" grunted the person addressed. Thinking that 

 he had misunderstood her, the lady repeated her request, 

 when he rudely ejaculated, "Naw !" and turned his back 

 upon her. The girl subsided. Poor thing, how sorry I 

 felt, but I could not help her. What emotions and sen- 

 sations that porcine person deprived these two of. Evi- 

 dently lovers, the evening being coolish, how sweet to 

 nestle under the same blanket and furtively squeeze hands 

 occasionally. There be cruel moments in this world of ours. 



The other picture! Well, it is a veiy simple one, with 

 a little darky for its hero. Just opposite me, soundly 

 sleeping, well dressed in brand new togs from cap to 

 shoes, sleeps the sleep of the just, a good-looking negro 

 lad eleven or twelve years of age. A gentleman with 

 him, evidently a gentleman by Ms appearance and man- 

 ners, every once in a while covers the boy with the big 

 blanket that slips down from the motion of the rain. He 

 seems to care for him as tenderly as he could if he were 

 wMte and Ms own. In a conversation before morning, 

 as we were each stretching our legs in the smoking room 

 of the car, the gentleman, who was a southern planter, 

 told us that the" boy was the child of one of his servants 

 and that he had, seven years before, been stolen, during 

 an exodus of the negroes to Kansas. That he had recently 

 heard of and followed him to that State, but had been 

 compelled by the removal of the people who had Mm to 

 go 600 miles further. That he had finally found him, and 

 was now taking Mm to Ms mother. It is often said that 

 you must never judge people hastily. That depends. I 

 saw the two men whom I have here described but a few 

 hours, and I was never "introduced" to either of them, 

 yet I would stake a great deal that I have "sized them 

 up" correctly, and that one was a curmudgeon and the 

 other a gentleman. 



All tMs time, our party, scattered up and down the 

 coach, was variously occupied. Our Frank old bachelor 

 divided the time between snoring and smoking, and 

 "tother one,' our Billy, being a native born Puke, was 

 amusing himself after the manner of his kind, making a 

 sound like a desperate attempt at ejaculating New York, 

 between a word and a snort and with his head out of the 

 window. That is a way he has wlien he rides on a tram. 

 The Lord^ only knows what he would do if he were to 

 go to sea. 



All in good time our train reached Pacific, where we 

 were to change to the 'Frisco for Crocker, from which 

 place we were to debark for the Gasconade. The hour 

 being so early the town was pacific indeed. Even the 

 dogs were asleep, and for some time not a sound greeted 

 us as we walked about the streets. Finally the doors of 

 the hotel were opened and pretty soon breakfast was an- 

 nounced by mine host. Billy was still a little pale, but 

 the way William made the beefsteak fly was a caution. 

 The coffee was fair, the potatoes first-class, let a Teuton 

 alone for that, and the beefsteak very satisfactory. 



We arose from the table much refreshed. Billy, whose 

 stomach had returned to its normal condition, found 

 one of Ms immense boots, we had almost written it 

 "boats," to be chafing his ankle, and hunted up a shoe- 

 maker to doctor it in some way. Moral— Never permit 

 anybody to persuade you into buying heavy wading boots, 

 or heavy boots of any kind to go outing in. Either a 

 broad-bottomed, low-heeled, light boot, or a similar shoe, 

 is the tMng for the woods. Something large enough, not 

 too large, and soft. If it is a boot it should be loose in 

 the instep, so that it can be easily pulled on or off when 

 wet. 



After a while the 'Frisco train came along, and our two 

 trunks and lesser impedimenta were quickly loaded in. 

 We found good places, and were very politely treated by 

 the conductor and tram men. From Pacific, the agent, 

 Mr. Dickerson, had kindly inquired by wire about the 

 two boats engaged for us at Arlington by that prince of 

 sportsmen, Dr. I. G. W. Steedman, of St. Louis, then 

 chairman of the State Fish Commission, so that when we 

 reached that place we found them upon the platform 

 awaiting us. They were quickly put into the express car 

 and away we went again up the mountain. 



The 'Frisco is a beautiful road to travel over, and we 

 cannot see why so many persons go away from Missouri 

 to find the picturesque when they have it in such per- 

 fection in our own State. We shall have more to say as 

 to that in connection with the Gasconade when we get 

 there. 



We reached Crocker at 4:30 o'clock P. M., just twenty 



hours away from home. TMs is a village in Pulaski 

 county, about five miles from the point at which we 

 intended to begin our fifty-mile descent of the Gasconade 

 Eiver. Here we employed a gentleman named Craddock, 

 who, we are told, divides Ms time between acting as 

 guide and philosophizing upon political economy, to haul 

 our boats and other traps to the river. It was not many 

 minutes after we reached the station until our cortege 

 was en route. The two Bills and the boy walked m 

 advance with the artillery. I perched myself on the bow 

 of one of the boats as ballast, and to draw out the gentle- 

 man from Kentucky; and Frank, who carries a stiff leg 

 from a Minie bullet received at the Battle of Pea Ridge, 

 seated himself elsewhere in the wagon. 



It was not hard to make the gentleman from Kentucky 

 talk. It hardly ever is. We did not introduce ourselves 

 to Mm, as we knew he would want us to engage his 

 services, and we did not desire to be chaperoned, but he 

 saw our names upon our boxes, and we hadn't gone a 

 mile and a half until he called us by them as pat as if he 

 had known us for twenty years, and he didn't use any 

 handles to them, either. Why should he? What is the 

 use of conventionality in the woods? He was a useful 

 fellow— he talked a blue streak. He never ceased to talk, 

 except to expectorate. He told us the biography of 

 several of the public men of southwest Missouri, assured 

 us of the intimacy of his acquaintance with Frank Cock- 

 rell, and that George Vest would have gotten liim a 

 position of Indian agent, post trader, or something of 

 that kind, if .another fellow had not unfortunately gotten 

 the place, much to the sorrow of George and of himself. 



He told us that the road we were traveling over had 

 been made by an enthusiast named R. M. Boatwright, 

 who had discovered guano deposits in an immense cave 

 on the Gasconade, near where we were to camp. That 

 lie had built the road, in many places cut into the solid 

 rock, at a cost of $1,800, and had spent $3,000 or $4,000 

 more for machinery to prepare this guano for market, 

 when he considered that his fortune was made, as the 

 chemist told him that this article, when produced by bats, 

 was much more valuable than the variety in which Mi*. 

 Blaine dealt in Peru. After the guano mine was fully 

 developed Mr. Boatwright shipped" five cars of it to Balti- 

 more, where it was sold, bringing $400 less than the 

 freight alone amounted to, and so the speculation had 

 fallen into innocuous desuetude. 



Mr. Craddock told us that he was a first-class bass fish- 

 erman, and we believe in that he told the truth: he as- 

 sured us that it was impossible for us to find our way- 

 down the river without his pilotage: that we wouldn't, 

 know where to find the water in the river, the springs to 

 camp by, or the places in wMch best to lure the wary 

 bass. These oracular utterances delivered he would ex- 

 pectorate and await an answer. None coming he would 

 resume the tMead of his discourse. 



He lingered lovingly on some of the experiences which 

 he had had taking down the Gasconade fishing parties 

 whose principal occupation seemed to have been to fill 

 themselves with bug juice. He inquired in an indirect 

 manner as to the character of our tipple. He advised us 

 to lay in a plenty of eggs. Evidently his idea was that 

 fishing parties could not exist without eggs to eat and 

 whisky to drink. He concluded by assuring us that we 

 would at least have to employ Mm for a few days just to 

 show us how to start off. 



By that time we had reached the river, and we very 

 unceremoniously went to dumping our paraphernalia out 

 of the wagon. As we got through, Mr. Craddock inti- 

 mated to one of the boys that it had been a rather long 

 time between drinks, and was informed that while we 

 regretted any inconvenience it might be to hirn there was 

 not a drop of wine, brandy, whisky, beer or any other 

 intoxicant in the crowd, not even a phial full for snake- 

 bites. His form straightened , Ms nose elevated of its own 

 accord, Ms lip curled, he received the shekels for his drive 

 in sad and pitying silence, he turned away and shook 

 from his feet the dust of such an unprovided camp as 

 that. Forsaken and unbefriended in a strange land we 

 went into our bivouac. 



So here we are, twenty-four hours out from home, 

 cosily camped on the banks of the Gasconade, otu' two 

 boats floating lightly on its waters, which but a few yards 

 Mgher up come foaming down in rapids, making a roar- 

 ing sound that inspires us with that uncertainty of what 

 dangers may be before us which constitutes the spice of 

 adventure. Our first camp was named Trigg. It was 

 upon a point of land between the road and the river's 

 bank, under some grand trees. 



A very few minutes sufficed to pitch the tent, start a 

 fire, fry some bacon, get a cup of coffee, and fall to. It 

 was a beautiful evening. The crescent moon had early 

 disappeared, and left the stars to reign over the night 

 with their me 1 low light. The tree frog chirped his little 

 song, the wind sighed gently through the swinging 

 boughs, and to the grand refrain of the tumbling waters 

 we talked over old adventures, speculated on those before 

 us, and finally snugging ourselves among our rugs and 

 blankets fell to sleep to dream of big creels and a happy 

 time. 



The next morning came bright and clear, and we had 

 an opportunity to see what the river looked like. Above 

 the camp were the rapids of wMch I have already spoken, 

 opposite where our boats were moox-ed a broad, smooti i 

 piece of water, but evidently shallow, a ford. The boats 

 were lightly riding to then painters. Both were long, 

 shallow, scow-shaped affairs, of a bright red color, draw- 

 ing the least imaginable depth of water. The larger one 

 was provided with oars, the smaller one with two paddles. 



Breakfast was hurriedly disposed of and the boats 

 quickly loaded. Frank, Billy and the lad took the boat 

 with the oars and were given the mess chest and the dog. 

 By the way, I forgot to tell you about the canine. When 

 our Kentucky friend left us the night before there re- 

 mained behind him a handsome setter dog. He was in- 

 telligent and obedient, but deaf. He was very affection- 

 ate, and like a woman infatuated with the wrong man, 

 he wouldn't be shaken off; so despite many shifts and de- 

 vices to get rid of Mm he stuck to us through the trip, 

 and when we traveled was a regular passenger in the big 

 boat. The boy named him Scraps, because he lived, per- 

 force, upon the crumbs that fell from the fishermen's 

 table and, we regret very much to say, these crumbs 

 were sometimes rather meager in quantity. At others 

 there was plenty and Scraps fared sumptuously every 

 meal, so that at any rate he "averaged up" pretty 

 well, wMch for a stray dog is doing about as well as 

 could he expected. He had fallen into the hands of men . 



who love a good dog and could not misuse him, otherwise 

 there were occasions when he indulged his propensity for 

 water by swimming to the boats when the occupants 

 were fishing that would have brought to him a dose of 

 cold lead. We do not know that it is anywhere laid 

 down in books that dogs are amphibious, but certainly 

 that one seemed to be so. When it was desirable at times 

 to leave him on the shore he would swim and reswim the 

 river from side to side, up and down, for incredible dis- 

 tances, and finally wind up with his piteous whine in 

 persuading our old bachelors to take him aboard, where, 

 faithful beast, he was as fully contented in the compan- 

 ionsMp and sympathy of man as he would have been 

 upon rags of down in a palace of alabaster. 



And so at last we are afloat upon the bosom of the Gas- 

 conade, Will and I in advance, lightly paddling our 

 canoe and piloting the way when we come to those 

 places where the aforesaid bosom becomes ruffled and 

 turbulent. There be heaving and tumultuous bosoms 

 even upon rivers, as we learned full well before We got 

 to Arlington again. I know of no better place than this 

 to tell you what the Gasconade is. I can't say that I atG 

 mire the name particularly. It is not musical, and I catt 

 but bear in mind that it comes from the province of Gas- 

 cony, the principal characteristic of whose people is, that 

 they are boasters, so much so that the verb gasconade in 

 our language means to boast, to bluster. Maybe you will 

 say, "But that seems to be a very appropriate concomi- 

 tant to fishing, does it not?" Well, we shall see. If I tell 

 any big tales about our catches, or the weight of the fish 

 we capture, that will do. Just now I do not mean to do 

 so; but good intentions, I know, are said to make pave- 

 ments in a very bad place. At any rate, Gasconade in 

 this instance is a noun and not a verb, and it is the name 

 of as beautiful a river as the eye of man need care to gaze 

 upon. A, A. L. 



Lexington, Missouri. 



ANGLING PATENTS. 



THE following is a list of patents issued by the United 

 States during the years 1882, 1883 and 1884, relating 

 to angling and fishculture, taken from a list of all pat- 

 ents relating to fish, the methods, products and applica- 

 tions of the fisheries in the repoi't of the U. S. Fish Com- 

 mission for 1885, prepared by Eobert G. Dyrenforth, As- 

 sistant Commissioner of Patents, U. S. Patent Office. In 

 the original there is a description of each invention and 

 the claim with an illustration, which those especially in- 

 terested may consult. Many of the articles are of real 

 value, while some of them are mere pot-fishing devices or 

 are complicated absurdities; of the worth of the inven- 

 tions we will not judge, leaving this to individual taste: 

 Signals Telling when Fish Take the Hook: Marciene H. Whit- 

 comb, Holyoke, Mass., Feb. 7, 1382; David B. Tiffany, Xenia, 0., 

 June 12, 1883. 



Spring Hooks: Richmond A. Wenfcworfch, Appleton, Me., Aug. 

 29, 1882, and Aug. 21, 1883; Charles J. B. Gaume, Brookly, K. Yl, 

 Feb. 13, 1883; Cicero Fisher, Temperance Hall, Teun.. June 19, 

 1383. Merrill R. Skinner, Hamburtt, N. Y., Oct. 9, 1883; Frank 

 Deforest, DeSoto, Mo., Sept. 12, 1881: William N. Greer, Water- 

 town, Dak., July 3, 1888: Karl Mtiller, Hornberg, Baden, Germany. 

 Feb. 7,1883. 



To Prevent Fish Swallowing the Bait: William C. Bower, 

 Union Springs, Ala., Dec. 80, 1884. 



Hooks With Baiting Needle: William E. Hemming, Rodditch, 

 England; Assignor to Charles F. Imbrie, New York, Feb. 28, 1 882. 



Trolling Hook (Spoon): W. T. J. Lowe, Buffalo. N. Y., April 25, 1882, 

 and 25, 1883; Louis C. Wylly, Patterson, «a., July 18, 1882; Lvsander 

 S. Hill, Grand Rapids, Mich., Nov. 7, 1882: Chr.vstopher Hvmess, 

 St. Louis, Mo., March 13, 18S3; Louis Kessler, Ludington, Mich., 

 July 10, 1883; Artemus Lord Dawson. Elk Point. Dak., Dec, 4, 18S3; 

 William Dudley Chapman, Theresa, N. Y„ March 18,1884; Charles 

 H. Hibbard, Grand Rapids, Mich., March 25, 1884; UarrvComstock, 

 Fulton, N. Y., Jan. SO, 1882; Ernest F. Pflueger, Akron, O., Feb. 13 

 and Aug. 28, 1883. 



TroUing Hook (Squid): Newton A. Dickinson, Chester, Conn., 

 March 18, 1884. 



Leaders or Casting Lines: Carl L. Bollerman, New York, Dec. 4, 

 1888. 



For Rotating Fly or Bait: Archer Wakeman, Cape Vincent, N. 

 Y., Aug. 13, 1884. 



Fly-Books: Francis Endicott. Clifton, N. V., assignor to Charles 

 F. Imbrie, New York, N. Y„ May 23, 1882; Chancellor G. Levison, 

 Brooklyn, N. Y., March 11, 1884. 



Floats: Oliver G. Wilson. Gallatin, Tex., July 18, 1883; Ralph W. 

 F. Aldrich, Northampton, Mass., Jan. 9, 138^; Victor Yidal, Jr., 

 Pignans, France, Dec. 11, 1883. 



Tackle Case: Henry F. Price, Brooklyn, N. Y., April 10, 1883. 



Line and Hook Guard: W. W. Byiugtou, Albany, N. Y„ Dec. 9, 

 1884. 



Sinker and Hook Holder; Sylvester E. Smith, St. Louis Jan. 

 24, 1883. 



Hook Holder: Henry Van Altena, Milwaukee, Wis.. June 13, 

 1883. 



Sinker: Hale Rix, San Francisco, Cal., Sept. 18, ia83. 



Reels: Julius Vom Hofe, Brooklyn, E. D., N. Y., assignor to him- 

 self and Charles F. Imbrie, New York, Jan. 17, 1882; Warren 

 Ohaver, and Taylor O'Bannon, Indianapolis, Ind., assignors to the 

 American Reel Company of same place, Jan. 31, 1882; Franklin R. 

 Smith, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor of one-half to Willis E. Barnutn, 

 of the same place, June 20, 1882; James B. D'A. Boulton, Jersey 

 City, N. J., assignor to William Mills and Thomas Bate Mills, 

 New York, July 11, 1832; George H. Matthews and John T. Ostell, 

 Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Sept. 12. 1882; Edward C. Vom Hofe, 

 Brooklyn, N. Y., Jan. 23, 1883; George IT. Palmer, Fair Haven, 

 Mass., assignor to Thomas M. Bissett and Thomas J. Con- 

 roy. New York, Julv 24, 1833; Thomas H. Chubb, Post Mills, Vt., 

 July 31, 1883: John Dreiser, New York, Aug. 14, 1883; Anton Lang, 

 Brooklyn. N. Y., Aug. 21, 1883: Frederick Malleson, Brooklyn, N. 

 Y., Sept. 4. 1883; Henry C. A. Kasschau, New York, Sept. 25, 1883; 

 William N. Lockwood, Campville, Conn., April 1. 1884; John Kopf, 

 Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor of one-half to Thomas B. Mills, of same 

 place, Oct, 7, 3884. 



Method of Making Reels: John Kopf, Brooklvn, assignor to 

 Thomas B. Mills, of same place, Dec. 16, 1884. 



Reel Fastenings: Louis A. Kiefer, Indianapolis, Ind., Feh. 21, 

 1882; William B. Douhleday, Binghamton, N. Y.. assignor to 

 Henry H. Doubledav, Washington. D. C, Sept. 18. 1883; Gilbert. L. 

 Bailey, Portland, Me., March 4. 1884; Henry F Price, Brooklyn, 

 N. Y„ Aug. 5, 1834; Hiram Eggleston, Manchester, Vt., assignor to 

 Charles F. Orvis, of same place, June 8. 1882. 



Tie-Guides for Rods: Thomas H. Chubb, Post Mills. Vt., Aug. 

 29, 1882, 



Ferrules and Couplings for Rods: Thomas H. Chuhb, Post Mills, 

 Vt., Sept. 12, 1882; James E. Langdon, Torrington, Conn., Sept. 25, 

 1883; Justice Wehb, Georgetown, Ky., Aug. 12, 1884. 



Rods: George P. Andrews, Stafford ville, Conn., Jan. 10,1882; 

 William Mitchell, New York, Jan. 9, 1883. 



Rod Tips: Thomas H. Chubbs, Post Mills, Vt., May 8, 1883. 



Tension Equalizer for Rods: Richard Smith, Sherbrooke, Que- 

 bec, Canada, June 26, 1883. 



Lauding Nets: Jasper N. Dodge, Detroit, Mich., Jan. 16, 1883; 

 Otho M. Muncasfer, Washington, D. C, Feh. 13, 18S3; Richard J. 

 Welles, Chicago, 111., assignor to William Mills and Thomas Bate 

 Mills, Brooklyn, N. Y., March 6, 1883. 



Mixture for Fish Baits: Carol F. Bates, Hughes Springs, 

 Tex., Oct. 21, 1881. 



Bait Kettles.or Minnow Buckets: Willis H. Sherwood, Saint 

 Joseph, Mo., June 3, 1884; Richard K. Evans, Washington, D. C, 

 June 3, 1884; George W. Barton, Bethlehem, Ky., July 15, 1884; 

 Thomas W. Rudolph, St. Louis, Mo., assignor of one-half to Chas. 

 D. Moody, Webster Groves, Md., July 15, 1884; Charles F. Busche. 

 St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 27, 1884. 



Sportsman's Game Carriers: Edward Bourne, Alleghany, Pa., 

 Feb. 14, 1882; Addison White, HuntsviUe, Ala., May 1, 1883. 



Fish ways: C. W. Trammer. Great Falls, Md., Oct. 16, 18S3. 



Fish-Hatching Apparatus: Marshall McDonald, Washington, 

 D. C, assignor to himself and Stephen C. Brown, of the same 

 place^ September 5, 18S2; Livingston Stone, Charlestown, N. H., 



