Jr?NE 18, 1891.J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



4SS 



At such times sportsraen and guides gathering around 

 form an t xtremely grotesque group. Stories are never 

 mnre in order, and bear siorieB, deer stories, fish stories 

 and general nnecdotes float arouud promiscuously. And 

 so do the coidgi ts, mo=qmtoes or black flies early in che 

 season, but by the latter part of August these pests dis- 

 appear pntirely. 



By reason of contact during the summer season with 

 people from outsirie the guides hive many of their 

 routih edges worn off and are generally intelligent and 

 obliging; still the majority of them are disappointing, if 

 not almost worthless. An experience in camp is the 

 only method of judging as to their merits or demi^xits. 

 While I do not want to be sev^ere about Adironddck 

 guides, some of whom I legard with the strongest of 

 friendly feelings, I do say most emphatically that there 

 is a choice, and one cannot be too careful in making his 

 selection, aad well in advance, to >. Nor should one 

 seeking sport be uamitidful of procuring good dogs and 

 enough of them — after Sept. 1, when hounding com- 

 mences, this is imperative. Instances are frequent where 

 guid 8, reputed as first-class, are spoiled by employers. 

 Fair dealing, appreci ition and respectabdity m a sports- 

 man fctr outclass closeness, ind fference and vulgarity. 



B^'ars never have shown themselves more fiT quently 

 than during the season of 1890; yet there is no well-sus- 

 tained reason why, except the claim that the mildness of 

 the present winter had Bomething to do with it. Dtu-ing 

 our btay of one month eleven bears were seen at or around 

 the 1 -ke by those stopping at LaMont's. While paddling 

 on Harrington Pond une mornmg with Jricquelin and 

 Duffy, I saw a good-sized fellow waddling leisurely along 

 the soggy, moss-covered shore, about 50yds. away; but 

 before Jacqut'lm could bring the rifle to hiS shoulder he 

 had disappeared behmd some bushes, so the shots were of 

 no avail. Mr. L. O. Crane, of Boston, his guide, Fassett, 

 and LaMont set out a powerful steel trap for a bear on 

 the Salmon Lake Stream. TMs they baited with putrid 

 venison and the entrails from a deer. In place of fasten- 

 ing the ring at the end of the heavy c^iain to the trap, it 

 was slipped over a clog or stout green piece of oak, lOft. 

 long and 4in. in diameter, which eftectuilly prevents the 

 beast from traveling far in the thick forest. The trap 

 was visited on the following two mornings early by Fas- 

 sett, but with no success in finding anything. On the 

 third day he went again, and in a couple of hours re- 

 turned with the news that a bear was in the trap; then all 

 the people at Jim's hastily dressed and set out to see bruin 

 captured, Fassett leauing the string of boats. On nearing 

 the trap the bear was startled, and standing up on his 

 hindlegs m a most formidable attitude, with his fore paws 

 around a maple, he gave vent to terrible howls, a chal- 

 lenge to us to approach nearer I suppose. He was well 

 caught by the jaws of steel just aoove one of the hind 

 paws, and during the night must have made frantic 

 eiforts to free himself. After taking a photograph of 

 him, Mr. Crane, standing off some 60ft., put a bullet into 

 his head just back of the ear, and dropped him to the 

 ground witnout another struggle. We dragged the body 

 to the boats, and the row back to the house gave us a big 

 appetite that morning, and a live topic of conversation, 

 too. While there is a bounty of $10 for bear, one would 

 have to expend twice that stxm to go to Albany an del aim 

 the same; and, furthermore, neither bounty nor sale of 

 hide would be at all alluring to a sportsman having such 

 success. 



Rf-u Town, Du=tin, and Fassett, while putting out the 

 dogs near the Salmon Lake stream had a most remark- 

 able experience. They were working around not more 

 than a couple of hundred yards back in the forest when 

 they noticed signs of some fierce fight of wild animals. 

 The surface of the ground was much torn up, the leaves 

 and ferns being brushed away, while a tamarac tree near 

 by showed the imprint of some animal who had crawled 

 up into it. J^'urther examination a few yards off shovved 

 the ear of some beast protruding from a bed of leaves, 

 and on brushing these away there lay a good-sized bear 

 cub, perfect as far as its forward half was conctrned, 

 but with its hindquarters literally eaten away, and the 

 backbone projecting raggedly out. It told a story to 

 those intelligent hunters which nowadays is rare, that 

 the other combatant was a panther. A trap was immed- 

 iately placed on the spot, but caught no panther. 



There are those people, and properly so, too, who dare 

 not get very far into the Adirondack forests on account 

 of the impossibility of prompt communication in Ciise of 

 necessity. Smith'n Lake, notwithstanding its remote- 

 ness, has been connected with LowviUe and interlying 

 points by telephone, thus giving instant intercourse with 

 the outside world, yet bringing it no nearer to the civil- 

 ization we desire to leave on going there. Mr. Wm. H. 

 Morrison, of Lowville, deserves considerable credit for 

 his enterprise in c mslructing this line, for it can hardly 

 be looked upon as a paying investment, and possibly was 

 never so thought of. Mr. Morrison is one of Lcawvilhi's 

 prominent merchants, and is the owner of LiMont's place 

 at Smith's Lake, where he goes every summer. 



A peculia,r experience was enjoyed by Mr. R. H. Hand- 

 ley, from Long Island, a fellow boarder with us at La 

 Mont's. H mdley, who is a sportsman of no mean c-xlt- 

 ber, was watching one day on Albany Lake for a deer; it 

 was the day, m fact, of our grand hunt, when we drove 

 eight of them into Smith's and Albany. He had been 

 very successful in getting deer previous seasons, so this 

 year had his guide row up to the swimming animal; 

 but only if he proved to be a buck, with an especially 

 fine pair of antlers, would he kill him, otherwise he 

 allowed the animal to swim gracefully to the shore un- 

 harmed. The dog with the loudest bay of all drove in a 

 small two-year old buck, but not being what Hindley 

 desired he merely rowed up beside him. To his astonish- 

 ment, the deer when patted on the head showed no 

 timidity at all but rather drew clo3'='r to the boat and en- 

 couraged the petting. On pulling the boat positively 

 away from the pretty fellow he followed. On reaching 

 the shore he walked leisurely out of the water, stood for a 

 moment at the edge of the forest, returned for more pet- 

 ting, then quietly went without any semblance of fear 

 into the woods. He was assuredly a wild deer, and the 

 only way to account for his singular conduct is that the 

 deep-voiced hound remained on the opposite shore baying 

 funuuily all this time; perhaps, therefore, the deer, 

 fatigued by a long ch-ine, was alarmed and so sought 

 safety with Handley, who harmed him nut. None of the 

 guides could remember ever having heard of such an odd 

 exhibition of confidence on the part of a deer before, but 

 the uarratiou, neverthelesB, is positively true, 



Although not a powerful man in appearance, yet James 

 LaMont is as mu-cular and wiry as any one that I have 

 ever known of his build; in fact, he has the reputation of 

 being able to cover more territory in the woods in less 

 time than any one of the guides, no matter what the 

 general conditions may be. Nobody disputes this claim 

 of his friends, for occasional contests show him to be in- 

 vincible where endurance and forest intelligence count 

 for anything. One is alwas lucky when Jim vvill consent 

 to pilot him in search of game. He is particularly enter- 

 taining, and the stories of his experiences — and they have 

 been world wide— told in his quaint style, are of rare inter- 

 est to people. Mr. Edward H. Litchfield, of New York, 

 who hunts in the West nearly every year in the most ex- 

 tensive possible manner, went to Alaska last October, and 

 having learned of LaMont's prowess, sent for him to go as 

 a companion or body guard. Considering the extent of 

 the trip, its expense, and the fine inducements offered to 

 .Jim L iMont, Mr. Litcbfi^ld piidahigh compliment to 

 my Adirondack friend, whom he had never seen until be 

 sent for him. Mrs. LaMont is an educated and superior 

 woman, and with two grown children, assist materially 

 in making the backwoods lodging thoroughly comforta- 

 ble and interesting. If any one wishes to communicate 

 with .James LaMont, his address is Smith's Lake, via 

 Lowville. Of course, the mail by necessity is only carried 

 in and out by parties, but during the season is fairly 

 prompt. 



Reader, go there! You will have a glorious time! 

 Whf n you return you will find yourself to be a wiser, a 

 healthier, and a stronger man than you were before par- 

 taking of the hospitalities of that forest primeval. 



Ra-ymond G. Hopper. 



LIFE AT PAUL SMITH'S. 



THERE is a tradition up here that the immortal story 

 of "Johnny, get your gun," is one of the saddest 

 origin. Johnny, it seems, had a bad lung, and it was his 

 doctor's advtce that drove him to get a .44cal. Winchester 

 and come up here and go shooting tor his health. Johnny 

 obeyed: and Johnny moreover brought bis wife with him. 



It is indeed a curious state of affairs the way that all 

 the world, when he c >mes into the Adirondacks, brings 

 his wife with him. In a stay of two months at the far- 

 famed and fashionable hostelry of Paul Smith's, only one 

 man was found brave enough to aay that he had left a 

 loving and trusting wife at home, and he went about 

 making affidavits that he had only done so because he 

 had been suaimoned to the bedside of a nephew, who was 

 not expected to live. Moreover, when the world and his 

 wife elect to spend a month together here they brave it 

 out oak and ivy fashion, so much so that the story teller 

 of the house was one day forced to quote that beautiful 

 tale that is told of the wife of one of San Francisco's 

 most speedily rich railroad magnates. This simple little 

 anecdote is to the effect that the fi st grand dinner party 

 which this good lady ever attended was given to her. 

 But when the square-jawed butler announced that "ma- 

 dame was served, and the host respectfully offered his arm 

 to the guest of honor, that virtuous lady hunched him 

 haughtily away. "Go 'long withyer," she cried, "take 

 out your own wife!" 



Once here, with a fair instinct of knowing what is good 

 for himself, every man Jack takes out his own wife. He 

 takes her out rowing, he takes her out fishing, and he 

 takes her out gunning, always provided, of course, that 

 she has not carefully looked the field over and concluded 

 that she would prefer to stay at home and knit. In that 

 case he takes out a guide or a dog, either warranted harm- 

 less; never by any chance another woman, saving only 

 his wife's mother, who is warranted to sit solidly in the 

 stern, while he, well aloft in the bow, thrashes the water 

 with ineffectual oars. This, N. B., is supposed to be both 

 goodexfrcise and harmless excitement. It probably is. 



The season here begins in June. In that balmy month, 

 the snow being almost gone, save of course in the more 

 sheltered spots, the guide shakes off hissloth and dpscends 

 from the lumber camp, where he has only been chopping 

 down trees, and goes into training. A man must expect 

 to be in the very pink of condition who expects to carry 

 wraps and lunch baskets for invalid ladies all summer. 

 He must be sound in wind and limb, using care only not 

 to combine power with good looks, for as Charley, the 

 handsomest guide up here says, "It's as much as a man's 

 life is worth to have to take some of the young women 

 out. They seem to think ev^ry young fellow here came 

 in on a load, of hay some time last week, and never heard 

 of love-making in his life. For my part, I'd give half my 

 savings if I'd never have to take out another woman 

 under sixty. S' help me, it's better to have 'em afraid 

 something will hajjpen to 'em than to have 'em afraid 

 something won't!" 



In June, also, the big trout, the exclusive family of 

 kingfishers and three chipmunks that constitute the game 

 of this famous hunting region allow themselves to be 

 seen. Not for publication, necessarily, but as a guarantee 

 of good faith, and to keep up the reputation of the place. 

 There's a pickerel, too, over in Osgood's Pond, but he is 

 something of an aristocrat in his way; he never shows 

 himself, but lays low until he sees a $1.50 minnie-gang 

 coming, when he neatly bites it off with his sharp white 

 teeth and adds it to his collection, which must be, accord- 

 ing to the stories told of him, particularly extensive. 



These simple preparations made, the Adirondacks are 

 ready for guests. With the exception of Saranacand the 

 logging camps, which in winter bear the same relation to 

 the entire district that the breathing holes over a sheep's 

 nose do in a snowdrift, everything and every one has hi- 

 bernated. But with the arrival of the first letters and 

 telegrams from the city all is comparatively gay. The 

 guides begin to clear the camp and put everything in 

 order. They build huts, put up tent-poles and tents, the 

 ice house they have already seen to; they stock the cel- 

 lars and the larder, make the beds, and have even the 

 kettle smoking on the hearth, and the 5 o'clock tea-table 

 in its accustomed nook. This is in the case of old 

 campers. Men and women fresh from the wilds of New 

 York ure a little apt to lock the door after the guide has 

 left and take the key away with them, to say nothing of 

 a careful inventory of all boxes of sardines, all teacups 

 and sticks of wood in the woodshed. When they get 

 back there the next spring and find an uncomfortable 

 and cheerless camp, while next door neighbors slide into 

 the lap of luxury, they make up their minds to one 

 thing, and that is that the Adirondack guide is as near as 

 he knows how to be the ealti of tjje earth, Hoaest, faith- 



ful, sturdily American and self-respecting, he would no 

 more betray his employer's trust than he would consent 

 to call him his superior. The experienced guide won't 

 even descend to tell fibs about game as the gentleman 

 sportsman will do; nor yet will he tell a stranger that he 

 might as well fish in a Union Square fountain as in St. 

 Regis Lake. All he will do is to take the non-committal 

 ground of saying: "Wall, you can never tell tillyer 

 try!" Those are his limits, and woe be unto the visitor 

 who discloses himself to his guide as a man of less honor, 

 Blessed innocent soul who will nurse a man with the de- 

 la'ium tremens for three weeks in a childlike faith that 

 he is stricken with pneumonia, let him once feel that that 

 man looks upon him as a servant, and the comedy is 

 over. The same thing is true in a more marked degree 

 in those who really hire as servants. Speak to the night 

 watchman as he comes to your door with your 10 o'clock 

 milk punch, and he swings himself into the rocking chair, 

 puts his lantern well back between his legs and prepares 

 to answer you! Let your red-cheeked chambermaid hear 

 you have your regular morning cough, and with adorable 

 frankness she will tell you "that if you knew what was 

 good for you, you'd be at home with your folks while you 

 could be, and not up there all alone!" While as for "the 

 waitress — a whole tableful of people were convulsed the 

 other day when a very pretentious New York dame, who 

 paraded the piazza all day in white kid gloves that came 

 to the elbow and a $50 white lace parasol, learned her 

 lesson. She sat at the end of the table, her half-grown 

 son at her right. Some delicious venison was brought, 

 and she put one piece on the ^late before her and waited 

 for the waitress to pass it to her sen. The waitress was 

 watching her with her wondrous blue eyes. Madame 

 touched the plate. "H-m?" said the waitress. "That is 

 for Master George," said madame. "Huh!" said the maid, 

 and with that deftlj^ picked up the plate, slid the venison 

 off into the boy's plate, shook off the dripping gravy, and 

 with much manner rettirned it to its former place. 

 Madame was a woman who had seen the world. "Will 

 you have a potato, my son?" she said, and passed the dish 

 herself. 



In point of fact it is very rarely that you hear a good 

 story told on a guide. Now and again you hear some 

 legend like the one that is told on old "Hi Hathaway," 

 but they are rare. And being rare it is very good, es- 

 pecially as it includes none other than Dr. Harry Loomis, 

 the growing son of his father, the famous Dr. Loomis, the 

 accepted authority on the subject of "The Tubercle Bug 

 and His Works." Hi Hathaway is a native New Yorker 

 who cut short a useful life as a blacksmith at the untimely 

 age of sixty, then to turn a guide. Among the first to 

 agree to pay him $3 a day for his services was Dr. Harry, 

 who engaged him for an extended trip. They were half 

 way over Spitfire Lake, which is so named becatise of 

 the ridiculous way in which it will boil up in a minute if 

 a puff" of wind but strikes it the wrong way. The garrul- 

 ous "Hi" concluded that in the son of the father' he was 

 etu-e to have a sympathizing listener, and forthwith con- 

 fided in him how terribly he has always suffered from 

 epileptic fits. 



"What's that?" said Dr. Harry, as interested as even 

 Hi could wish. 



"Why, you see, I was just a saying that it was mighty 

 orkword that a body couldn't never tell when one of 'em 

 was coming on. You never feel safe, ezzactly, 'specially 

 if it's been 'bout so long since you had one afore." 



"I should say as much," quote his companion. "By the 

 way, what is that bush on the bank there — elderberry?" 



"I 'spect 'tis," answered Hi shortly, for who indeed likes 

 to be interrupted? ' 'An' as I was saying — " 



"I'd like to see that," continued Dr. Harry calmly, 

 "row in there a minute!" 



The boat grated on the shallows and with a flying leap 

 the doctor was safe on the shore muddy and wet as a 

 wounded blue heron, but perfectly satisfied to be out of 

 an eighteen-inch canoe and off a lake whose foundation 

 is of quicksand. The startled Hi looked as if he were 

 to give him a sample fit then and there. 



"That's all right, my friend," said the Doctor, "you 

 may go back to the hotel and get your money, I'll wait 

 here, if you please, for a guide that doesn't have fits." 



With harmless little stories like these it is true the lazy 

 guest will regale a late comer over his tea, but— faith! — 

 they are nothing beside those the guide could tell on the 

 guest if he only chose, and especially the guide about 

 Paul Smith's. There is something about this name to 

 which the average gentleman from Brooklyn— or Boston, 

 —rises as a trout does to a red hackle fly. He dreams of 

 the sylvan haunt where President and Mrs. Cleveland 

 dreamed the suimy hours away, and his imagination 

 fairly kaleidescopes in the effort to picture the time he's 

 going to have. He lays himself out at his tailor's and he 

 ruins himself at a gun and rod shop, and with a fine air 

 of having been there before, many's the time, buys the 

 best outfit for d^^ep-sea fishing that, probably, ever came 

 up over the Chateaugay R. R. In his fore-and-after cap 

 he lies thoughtfully back in his chair as the train winds 

 in and out among the charcoal kilns that sprinkle the 

 hills and, though he doesn't say so, everybody knows he 

 is as greatly disappointed as was a small boy of eight 

 who came up this summer. "Mamma," said he, as the 

 train slowed up at Bloomingdale, "I haven't seen a bear, 

 not one!" and the disgust in his voice was an inch thick. 



That is the way that the man from the city feels as the 

 porter lands him and his guns and tackle, his hat-box, his 

 Gladstone and his basket of champagne on the Bloom- 

 ingdale platform, and the only thing that raises his 

 spirits is the sight of the eight-horse Deadwood stage 

 drawn up before him. 



"Ha, ha!" thinks he to himself as he appropriates the 

 topmost ■ seat. "Now for a bracing ride through the 

 woods. If I could only get out my cartridges I might 

 get a shot." And then he thinks it's a little early in the 

 afternoon for the deer to be running. That much he 

 knows for keeps, but, ah, the ride he's going to have. Ah I 



It has rained for two weeks, and it's a dry patch on the 

 road where the mud and water is less than a foot deep. 

 With one foot in the small of the driver's back, the other 

 in that of the express agent and bath hands fast in straps, 

 the gentleman from the city enjoys an immistakably 

 "bracing" ride. Half-way there he is limp, even beyond 

 surprise at the way the sober-minded horses leap up the 

 hill and tear up before the hotel door as if they had come 

 on a dead jump all the way from Deadwood city. 



The driver smiles as he unties him and lets him down. 



A half-hotu' later, spirits up, in deer-stalkers, cordui'oys, 

 and bunting boots, the gentleman from the oity is pre- 



