el'T. /9, 1889. J 



FORESt AND STREAM. 



163 



delivery of a battering-ram on a brick wall. We heard a 

 squeal of mingled pain and terror, and then the silence 



of death reigned down in that hole. "Broke Ms neck,'' 



said Bob Brown, the horse- wrangler. "Thank God," 

 said the cook, devoutly. But the boys who had jerked 

 Rube around by the neck out in the berry patch knew 

 better. 



The next morning everything was quiet in the dugout, 

 so we concluded to let the cub alone for a while, and 

 trust to the refining influences of starvation to bring him 

 out. Two days had passed, and Rube had devoted the 

 whole time to fasting and meditation. We could hear 

 Mm sniffing and snuffliug whenever cooking was going 

 on, and we knew that his appetite was coming back fast. 

 On the third day, at dinner time, a big juicy venison 

 steak was broiling over the coals, and the wind carried 

 the savory odor right into the dugout. This was more 

 than Rube could stand. 1 had just sat down to dinner, 

 when my partner, Jack Cornwell, dug his elbow into my 

 ribs, and jerked his thumb in the direction of the dug- 

 out. Framed in the opening were the head and shoulders 

 of the cub. He was sniffing vigorous!}', and surveying 

 the feast with an expression that was pathetic in its wist- 

 fulness. Snatching a, half-broiled steak from the tire, I 

 laid it on a flat stone, about Oft. from the hole, and re- 

 tired. Rube vanished upon my approach, but reappeared 

 before I could resume my seat. He took auother anxious 

 isurvey of the camp, and at hist caught sight of the steak. 

 iCraning his neck out to its full length, he regarded that 

 piece of meat for a few minutes as ii nil his earthly hopes 

 were centered in it. The saliva streamed from the cor- 

 ners of his mouth, and another violent fit of snuffles over- 

 took him, during which he got his forepaws outside. 

 Then his appetite overcame his fear, and shambling out 

 to the steak he made one bite of it, and got up on his 

 •bindlegs, facing us'. We were ready for him with the 

 hindquarters of a blaektail, which lasted him about 

 •twenty minutes. We had no trouble with Rube after 

 that. He never missed a meal, and soon became as tract- 

 able as a house dog. 



Hugh Campbell, a rustler from the Bad Lauds, taught 

 Rube all sorts of accomplishments, among which was 

 boxing; and many a long, hot afternoon we spent in the 

 ishade "putting on the gloves" with the bear. Rubs was 

 fast becoming one of the boys, and we began to discuss 

 the advisability of giving him the freedom of the camp. 

 In this we were overruled by the cook, who swore lie 

 would let the sun shine through the cub the first time he 

 found him loose. 



The summer passed quickly, and almost before we knew 

 it Rube had become a full grown bear. He was a veri- 

 table monster in size. 



One evening in September, wMle Campbell was having 

 a bout with Rube, the beast suddenly let go with his left 

 and knocked Campbell completely out, breaking a buuch 

 >of ribs for him. All fights were immediately declared 

 -off, and Campbell was taken over to South Pass City for 

 surgical treatment. As evening came around Rube 

 would shuffle out to the full length of his chain, and ris- 

 ing on his haunches, " put up" his paws by way of invi- 

 tation. We decided, however, that Rube should continue 

 to wear the belt. For more than two months before this 

 Rube had not curled up for a night's snooze without first 

 having had his sleek, shining head cuffed and punched 

 by the whole camp, and he was now, no doubt, sorely puz- 

 led at the change that had come over the spirit of things. 

 Tom Briscoe, a bow legged cow-puncher from Arizona, 

 was willing to swear that Rube never went to sleep with- 

 out first cuffing himself alongside the jaws until his teeth 

 rattled. 



One morning the whole outfit was aroused by loud, 

 angry snarling from the bear, accompanied by the violent 

 rattling of his chain. Rushing out of my tent I noticed 

 the cook working around the fire with a white, scared 

 look on his face, while Rube had disappeared down the 

 hole, from which came a succession of deep-throated 

 growls. Suspecting foul play on the part of the cook, 

 who hated Rube worse than wet wood, we laid hold of 

 the chain and dragged the bear out. His back scraped 

 the top of the opening in coming out, and down half the 

 length of his spine the hair came off, leaving a streak as 

 bald as the summit of Cloud Peak. He had been scalded. 

 We immediately roimded-iip the cook and hung him by 

 the heels to a cotton-wood limb. Then we poured pretty 

 warm water down his pants legs and turned him loose. 

 We would have hung him by the neck, but he was the 

 only cook in the outfit and we couldn't spare him, After 

 the scalding affair Rube soured on us completely and 

 sulked in his hole for two weeks, snarling and champing 

 his teeth whenever we threw his food to him. When at 

 last he crawled out one evening, with his back nicely 

 healed over, Tom Briscol approached him with a flag of 

 truce in the shape of a freshly caught trout, and only 

 escaped being killed because Rube's chain wasn't three 

 inches longer. We didn't blame the poor brute at all, 

 but we were not affectionately demonstrative in letting 

 him know this. 



When the time drew near for the beef round-up and 

 the breaking up of camp, Rube's future became a subject 

 of daily discussion. No one thought of killing him; that 

 would have seemed downright murder. At last we de- 

 cided to turn him loose when the day of breaking up 

 ■camp came around. Then the question arose as to how 

 we were to get the chain off him. Bob Brown suggested 

 that we cut the chain in two, as near the dugout as pos- 

 sible, and make Rube a present of all that remained in- 

 side. Then Sam Garbett, the broncho-buster, got up 

 and informed us that he had been working for a week on 

 a little scheme, the object of which was to make Rube 

 furnish a little sport for the camp before turning him 

 loose. Sam went on to state that he had all the raw 

 material staked out for a big circus, and that it would 

 surely come off if we only would say so. He proposed 

 that we should get up a fight between Rube and a big 

 black bull in the herd, that only the day before had 

 horned one of our best horses so badly that we had shot 

 the brute to end its misery. Sam's little speech was 

 greeted with a deafening yell, and within less than fif- 

 teen minutes six of our best ropers were mounted and 

 galloping away up the valley in search of the bull, while 

 the rest of us went to work building a ring, to which we 

 put the finishing touches about midnight. It consisted 

 of a circular trench, in which long cottonwood posts 

 were set closely together, and inclosing the dugout. 

 We left an opening wide enough to drive the bull 

 through, and which could be closed by dropping a few 

 posts into place. 



That night I had troubled visions of charging hosts of 

 bulls and bears. Jack Cornwell dreamed that Rube had 

 grown horns 5ft. long, and bad impaled the cook against 

 a wagon wheel. Some of the boys sat up all night, 

 smoking and spinning yarns. Bob Brown told one about 

 a wonderful hot spring out in Idaho, which the miners 

 called the '"Laundry," It flowed from the base of an 

 overhanging cbff into a basin, where it formed a whirl- 

 pool. When you wanted any washing done you just 

 threw your soiled clothing into the basin, and the whirl- 

 pool swashed it around for a few minutes, sucked it 

 down the vortex, and blew it out of a hole into the limbs 

 of a dead tree near by, thus saving the trouble of hang- 

 ing it out. 



I was aroused from sound sleep by a whoop from the 

 boys outside, a signal that the roping party had been 

 sighted. An answering yell came back on the morning 

 breeze, followed by the bellowing of a bull. The gray of 

 dawn was showing faint along the peaks of the Big 

 Horns as we tumbled out of our blankets and hurried 

 outside. About 50yds. away, and half hidden in a cloud 

 of dust that they were kicking up, were the ropers, and 

 although we couldn't see the bull, we knew that he was 

 there all right, and was making it mighty interesting for 

 all concerned . Suddenly the bru te in charging out to the 

 front caught sight of the cam)), and came to a dead halt. 



In was an involuntary tableau, which cannot be described 

 and never will be reproduced. From the palpitating 

 sides of the bull, a reek of steam rose into the frosty air, 

 while the wide quick play of his nostrils told of the 

 mighty struggle through which he had passed. His eyes 

 were baleful with impatient fury, and his hoarse deep 

 bellowing sent the cold chills chasing each other up our 

 spinal columns. The ropers were covered with dust 

 from head to foot, and with faces streaked by streams of 

 perspiration looked like a Crow war party. ' The horses 

 were nearly ready to give up the fight and leaned heavily 

 against the ropes that secured the bull. Horses and 

 riders were spattered with foam, that the bull in charg- 

 ing had flung upon them. 



But the toughest job was yet to come, that of getting 

 the chain off the bear. Steve Leonard volunteered to cut 

 the collar off Rube, if the rest of us would pull his head 

 out of the doorway. Steve drew his bowie across a sand- 

 stone a few times, walked into the pen and climbing up 

 on the dugout knelt down over the doorway. Rube ut- 

 tered a growl that sounded like distant thunder. Fifteen 

 of the boys, full of Dutch courage, went into the pen, and 

 getting hold of the chain gave it a violent and concerted 

 yank, and out came the— chain, while fifteen "cow- 

 punchers" went to grass. The collar had broken and 

 Rube was loose, and a 4ft. opening wasn't half large 

 enough to let the boys out. It was like a front door scene 

 at a burning theater. Steve Leonard shinned up a post 

 and stayed there. 



Rube gave a wicked snarl or two, and tore around in- 

 side a while but did not come out. 



Jack Cornwell planted a sharp stake just inside the 

 opening, and hung the rear section of a red woolen shirt 

 on it. and the boys brought up the bull. He had been 

 taking life easy while we were engaged with the bear, 

 and seemed now as fresh as ever, for when they tightened 

 the ropes on him lie made a break for the river, and came 

 very near getting away from the jaded horses. At last 

 they got him headed for the opening, and when he 

 caught sight of Cornwell's dismembered shirt, he made a 

 charge upon it, that carried him clear through. Drop- 

 ping the posts in place, we shook the ropes off the bull 

 and climbed up to the top of the pen. 



The bull had the circus running wide open before we 

 could take our seats. In chagrin he had run one horn 

 through a corner of the rag, and was now racing 

 around the pen, head and tail erect, with the fragment 

 of Cornwell's shirt streaming out gaily in the breeze. 



Suddenly he stopped opposite the doorway of the dug- 

 out and leaped wildly toward it. He smelt bear. Then 

 every muscle in his mighty frame grew rigid and motion- 

 less, while the white circles widened around his dilated 

 eyes. For one moment he stood thus, and then with an 

 unearthly yell, that the distant Mils seemed to take up 

 and re-echo, he charged upon the dugout and sent a snort 

 of defiance down the hole. Then he retreated to the 

 opposite side of the pen, and again every muscle stiffened, 

 and the massive head was lowered, until his heavy breath- 

 ing blew up the dust in little clouds. The noble brute ! 

 I already regretted my part in getting up the fight. Every 

 instinct of the bull was now alive with terror as he nerved 

 himself to meet the unseen foe, from which there was no 

 means of escape. But Rube had not signified any inten- 

 tion of coming out, and had thus far proved a great dis- 

 appointment to his numerous backers. 



" Say, boys," drawled Thad Grover, agranger from the 

 Goose Creek country, " you bet Rube hain't lost no bulls 

 answering to the description of this here one." 



Just then somebody shouted: "Here he comes ! Whoop!" 



Now Rube came out of that dugout as if he had been 

 blown out by a premature explosion of gunpowder, and 

 without paying any more attention to the bull than if 

 there hadn't been a bull in. Wyoming, he made a break 

 for the nearest post, and went up it just as if there had 

 been something hot under his tail. Reaching the top, he 

 climbed right over Tom Briscal and Sam Garbett, and 

 tumbled over on the outside, striking the ground like a 

 ton of mud. Then he got up, and after falling over him- 

 self a couple of times, he struck out for the foothills, 

 running straight through the horse herd, which stam- 

 peded, wrangler and all. 



Rube's bad break had completely paralyzed us, and we 

 couldn't seem to do anything but sit and watch him 

 streakmg it for dear life, until he passed out of sight in 

 the mouth of a canon over six miles away. Then some 

 of the boys, who sat next to the entrance of the pen, 

 lifted out the posts and turned the bull loose. He went 

 out as he had come in, at a charge, and soon disappeared 

 up the valley in a whirl of dust. Then we got down and 

 relieved our feelings with an old-fasMoned Comanche 

 yell that made the tinware rattle. 



Poor old Rube! We heard from him on the following 

 spring. One evening a big, gaunt grizzly walked into a 

 rustler's camp over in the Stinking Water country, and 

 taking a seat by the fire, waited to be asked to supper. 

 They killed the bear, and when they went to take its" hide 

 off, Tom Briscal, who was with the party, identified the 

 old cub by the collar marks on his neck and the bald spot 

 on his back. When they shot Rube he never showed 

 anyjight, but just lay down and bawled-like a baby. 



Larry Yatt. 



NESTING OF THE BLACK BASS. 



THE fact that the two species of black bass (Microp- 

 terus dolomieu and M. salmoides) prepare a nest, and 

 that at least one of the parents guards it, is now well 

 known. But it may interest anglers as well as natural- 

 ists to learn how long the fact has been recorded, and this 

 phase of the question is not well known. 



The first definite information as to the parental care of 

 the black bass that I know of is to be found in the rare 

 "Ichthyologia Ohiensis" of Rafinesque, written when he 

 was a professor in the old Transylvania University. The 

 complete work was published in 1820, On the last page 

 (88), in a "Supplement" to the work, he has given the fol- 

 lowing note: "14th sp. Lepomis flexuolaris. — Mr. Wil- 

 kins has informed me that this fish watches over its 

 spawn, and prevents any small fish from coming near it; 

 while thus employed it will not bite at the hook, but en- 

 deavors to drive away the bait. It is common in all the 

 tributary streams of the Ohio, also in the Arkansas, 

 Osage, Missouri, etc." Lepomis flescuolaris is one of 

 Rafinesque's names for the small-mouthed black bass 

 (Micropterus dolomieu). 



The next notice of the nesting of the blaok bass and 

 the most complete that has appeared for many years was 

 given " by John Eoff, Esq., of Wheeling," Virginia, and 

 was published in the " Ninth Annual Report of the Board 

 of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution." in 1855 (pp 

 289, 290). Mr. Eoff's article is entitled " On the Habits of 

 the Black Bass of the Ohio (Grystes faseiatus), n Grystes 

 fasciatm was another name for the small-mouthed black 

 bass in current use when Mr. Eoff's article was published. 

 Mr. Eoff prefaced his account with the statement that he 

 considered the fish to be " the most valuable on account 

 of their quality as a panfish and their quantity in our 

 Western streams." After a few more remarks, he pro-"^ 

 ceeded to describe its mdification and parental care: 



"In the winter season they retire to deep and still 

 water, and apparently hide under rocks, logs, etc., and 

 remain there until the 1st of April, when they come out 

 and begin to ascend the streams, apparently to find a con-" 

 venient place for spawning, which commences about the 

 15th of May, varying some little according to the warmth 

 of the season, etc. When that event is about taking 

 place, they appear to separate into pairs, male and 

 female, and hunt out some retired place, or nook, where 

 the water is about eighteen inches deep and still, but 

 adjoining deeper water, to which they can escape if 

 alarmed; they there commence making their nests, that 

 is, washing all the mud, etc.. off the bottom, so as to 

 leave it perfectly clean, in a circular form, the diameter 

 of the circle (or nest) being about twice the length of the 

 fish; after which the female begins depositing her eggs, 

 which appear to become glued to the bottom, or small 

 stones, in rows, after the deposit has taken place. She 

 remains night and day, either on the nest or swimming 

 round about it, apparently guarding the eggs, and driv- 

 ing every other smaller fish away. This watching or 

 guarding continues until the eggs are what is called 

 hatched, which occurs in from eight to ten days, according 

 to the temperature of the water. The young fish at first 

 remain near the bottom, and appear like a gauze veil 

 floating. In two or three days they gradually rise and 

 spread, the old one leaves them, they separate, and each 

 one shifts for itself, i. e., hides under leaves, small sticks 

 and stones." 



Mr. Eoff then expressed his belief that the black bass 

 attained maturity in three years and gave good reasons 

 for the belief. He closed with some judicious remarks 

 on transplanting the species and stocking foreign waters. 

 When it is recalled that the species was comparatively 

 little known or thought of by anglers generally in those 

 days, Mr. Eoff's remarks are truly sagacious: 



"In the spawning season you will find a large number 

 of nests of small bass, the bass being 10 or lliu. long, 

 which I have always concluded were three years old! 

 Hence, from the above fact, you will perceive that the 

 bass of our western country are valuable, and. at the 

 same time, can be easier transferred, and in greater quan- 

 tities, from one stream to another, than almost any other 

 fish. All that is necessary to supply a pond with any 

 quantity, would be to examine their nests at the time 

 they are spawning, and to pick up the small gravel out 

 of the nests, with the eggs attached thereto, and put 

 them in a bucket of water, and place them in your pond, 

 in such a position that smaller fish could not devour the 

 eggs, and in a short time they would hatch,, and the 

 young ones would help themselves. Or, to secure a 

 larger quantitity in a short time, wait until the young 

 are hatched, and are in innumerable quantities, sus- 

 pended over the nest; then, with a piece of gauze net, 

 dip them up and empty them in a vessel containing as 

 much pure water as will sustain them until you can con- 

 vey them to your pond; and then, as I before observed, 

 they can support themselves while young, on insects, etc. 

 Or, early in April or May, if you are fond of angling, 

 you can go to a stream in which there are plenty, and in 

 catching fifteen or twenty, will almost always get nearly 

 one-half the number smaller ones. Put these into your 

 pond unhurt; and, as they have not spawned that "sea- 

 son, they will soon stock the water. Then all that re- 

 mains to be done is to supply your pond with other small 

 fish, minnows, etc,, for food for the large bass, and they 

 will increase in quantity just in proportion to their sup- 

 ply of food. Hence I am satisfied that if a farmer would 

 convert one acre of his land into a pond, well supplied 

 with fresh water, that acre would raise and support more 

 fish yearly (the value of which would be more) than any 

 other two acres cultivated in any other manner — the ex- 

 pense of cultivating deducted from each." 



Much has been written on the black bass since those 

 early days, and every reader of Forest and Stream 

 doubtless knows of the "Book of the Black Bass," by Dr. 

 Henshall. Therein, and in the supplement to it ("More 

 About the Black Bass") are recorded many facts about 

 the nesting of the species and the care of the young. 

 Nevertheless, we have to deplore that as to them, as well 

 as to the common sunfish, we are yet ignorant which 

 parent, male or female, assumes the care as guardian of 

 the eggs and young. It is probable that the male does 

 (and not the female as has been generally assumed), but 

 we do not know. When the nesting season next ap- 

 proaches we may hope that some of our anglers will in- 



