SEPT. 8, 1893. J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



201 



i Tig and crawling as exigency demanded.! found 

 ■hing fairly good for so early in the season, but the 

 I \<H-e not as anxious for the fly as the wiggler, as I 

 1(111 nd out little by little. Bat they were numerously at 

 |r "IP. and the soul-tilling satisfaction at being on a 

 ■'>n not fished to death was simply intoxicating, 

 ^leek and fat the supple black-spotted charmers 

 to be sure, as they came to hand after a desperate 

 resistance, during which some of the larger ones 

 (he rod to seemingly the last ounce of endurance 

 hov- fought for the protecting log or bank, so near 

 am' vt't so far. Perhaps I allow prejudice to somewhat 

 ! : ■ niv opinions, but it seems to me that the trout of 

 icific coast, as a rule, as far as my experience goes 

 ■'•ifihington and Oregon, have not the same dash, 

 ■md iight in them that the Eastern fontinaUs has, 

 - are] wary and wild as trout should be, but they 

 ' seem to make the rod and 

 r work as lively as Old Crim- 

 -if)0ts does. Still the difEer- 

 vvdl never prevent me from 

 irn.ns? for those Western fellows 

 wli.;never I have opportunity. 



hundred yards or so above the 

 : spoken of below which I 

 ; i. 1 came to a stream empty- 

 ( 1 to the Pilchuck, which looked 

 promising water for smallish 

 i and I determined that if I 

 nnicpd a creel full when I returned 

 L would test its capabilities, for I 

 mve often found that seemingly 

 iiMgniticant waters surprise one 

 n jihuiidance and size of fish, this 

 )8Tticularly in trout fishing. Ap- 

 K-.uances are often very deceptive 

 I) ;his matter, though the fact 

 iK-ntioned may obtain chiefly in 

 riip-ions much fished. Often have 

 ' M New England, left larger 

 lis, with deep, promising, un- 

 ! ving holes, for some quiet, 

 -x. little brook hidden largely 

 ihe long grass that hung in 

 es over it as it threaded its 

 silent way through some meadow, 

 with difiiculty dropping the worm 

 through the network of stems, acd 

 weighted my creel with beauties 

 whose velvety sides were as dark 

 as the shadowy retreats where they 

 lay cool and unseen when the day 

 was hot. 



I worked along slowly and en- 

 joyably, as only the trout fisher 

 can, taking a fish here and there 

 with the feathery deception, and 

 saving the spots where I could not 

 cast well, for the worm or fin, on 

 my return, for Iknpw gomelurkers 

 were warily balancing themselves 

 on slow fins as they watched the 

 lumbering monster in the upper 

 world. As I ascended the scenery 

 grew wilder. The mountain sides 

 were more precipitous and the 

 stream bed narrower, making fish- 

 ing more difficult. But it was 

 good to be there amid the solitude 

 and grandeur, with a handsome 

 trout coming to hand now and 

 then, giving vigorous exercise for 

 the resilient Chubb, and piling up 

 more stock in memory's store-room. 

 When the day wore along to the 

 full and a vacant feeling beneath 

 my "weskit" reminded me that I 

 had provender in waiting, I chose 

 a spot where the brawling stream 

 spread itself a little over its rocky 

 bed, and seating myself on a stone 

 with my back comfortably against 

 a stranded log, I stretched my 

 tired limbs at full length and rested 

 myself most enjoyably, wishing 

 fervently that cprcain of my friends 

 far away C3uld b^ there to fill 

 themselves full of this hour, as 

 with pleasant chat we whiledaway 

 the noon, and touched elbows just 



a little closer with nature. Lunch over. I filled the brier 

 root receptacle with comforting Lone Jack, and as the 

 fragrant smoke floated upward and away in graceful 

 shapes, I ruminated on fish and fishing, fishculture, pro- 

 pagation, depletion, protection, and kindred topics with 

 which FoESST and Stream, far away in New York city, 

 was weekly entertaining and euligbtening its readers. 



Memories of many other fishing experiences in widely 

 separated sections of our land rose before me, and with 

 this, that and the other I found myself nodding ere I 

 knew it. I didn't think very favorably of that, away up 

 thei-e in the wilderness, subject to annoying interviews 

 from Cascade fauna, without choice in the matter, so I 

 roused myself, anil with face down stream leisurely in- 

 vestigating likely water, taking some lovely fish out of 

 the wet, and throwing back some right good ones which 

 I should have been very glad to keep on some streams, I 

 plodded boatward. There was one very trouty-looking 

 hole that I couldn't get a fly on satisfactorily when I went 

 up, and as I approached it "on my return I determined to 

 use all my skill to get some big fellows out of it. 



I made a detour through the woods at one side, as we 

 all have so often done, in order to obtain the best 

 vantage. In doing so I had to cross some old logs, and 

 cai-elessly stepping on one I slipped on some mosp, tried 

 to catch my footing, made it worse, and floundering and 

 pawing the air went down in a scrambling heap, throw- 

 ing my rod from me to save it, barking my shins, bruis- 

 ing my hands, nearly putting one eye out against a stub, 

 uttering ejuculations more forcible than elegant and 

 seeing my fish, from a burst-open basket, go flopping in 

 several directions. Then I righted myself, sat down and 

 rubbed my anatomy in divers places, with sundry grunts 

 which seemed to take the edge off the pain, after which 

 I corraled my trout, and proceeded to fish that hole with 

 a worm, and took out some as handsome 1 and a-pounders 

 as ever waved a fin. 



Well, time and a good many steps at length brought 

 me to the little stream before mentioned, and although I 

 had an abundance of trout, the desire to explore, innate 

 in almost every one, led me to go up it a ways, which if I 

 had not done tbi^ tale had not been spun. The stream 

 flowed through a miniature caii m whose walls were for 

 the most part steep and high, in places leaving little more 

 than room for the stream. I found the fish plentiful, 

 though small, in comparison to the average of those in 

 the Pilchuck, and had not gone far before I concluded 

 that I didn't want any more trout that day; so I stopped 

 and proceeded to "knock down" my rig, and had just got 

 as far as to un joint the rod when, glancing carelessly up 

 the ravine, my eye caught a movement among some low 

 bushes a few yards ahead between the stream and rock 

 wall. There was not cover enough for any large animal 

 or I should probably have got out of the locality in haste. 



OTTT FOR SPOKi". 

 FeOM a PH0T0&1?APH by a, G". McFARLAiiD. (CALTPORTs' lA.) 

 (Forest and Stream Amateur Photography Competition.) 



I walked forward as noiselessly as possible, and on near- 

 ing the bushes caught a glimpse of a tawny tinge, svhich 

 moved as the owner apparently saw me, and in a 

 moment I made out the shape of a cougar kitten, 

 which, I concluded, had fallen from some den above, 

 and it wouldn't, probably, be long before the dam would 

 be on the trail. Several thoughts went through me in a 

 hurry. Here was a chance for a flyer in zoology as good 

 as I should ever have. The boat was not far away, the 

 kit was small, not much, I judged, over a foot ia length, 

 and if I could once get aboard wdtn it my chances for a 

 safe outcome were good. I resolved to try for it. I 

 glanced hastily around and above. Nothing in sight. 

 Sd I took oft" my creel and coat, rpplaced the creel, and 

 did it in a hurry, too, and, laying my rod on the ground 

 in plain sight, I took my corduroy coat in both hands 

 and cautiously approached the animal, which had re- 

 mained motionless, either from being hurt or stunned by 

 its fall, or from natural stealth. As I neared it it started 

 up and tried to sneak oft', but I was too quick for it, and 

 spreading the coat out threw it over the kit, seized it, 

 rolled it up as rapidly a^' possible and turning picked up 

 my rod and was off. I am not so limber in my legs as 

 I used to be and my wind is liable to peter out sooner 

 than Pd like, but I believe I made as good time down to 

 the mouth of that brook as any one could. How I did run! 

 I fairly surprised myself. If I could have run like that 

 on a track I could have captured the world's honors as a 

 sprinter. Bat it makes a world of dift'erence whether 

 the incentive to movement is behind or ahead of you. 

 Fortunately I made no misstep. If Iliad I believe I should 

 have broken my neck. I looked back once or twice hur- 

 riedly where a slight turn gave opportunity without 

 slacking speed, but nothing followed, to my great relief 

 and encouragement. The kit struggled some and tried to 

 cry, but I clutched it the closer and ran the faster, if pos- 

 Bible, wMle the way that creel dangled and bumped 



around my body was punishing in the extreme. I thought 

 it would disable me if I had to keep it up long. I ex- 

 pected every jump to hear the enraged scream of the old 

 cat, but I splashed through the mouth of the brook and 

 straightened out in the trail down the Pilchuck all safe, 

 though it wasn't very straight or clear. Still it was a 

 welcome trail and I knew were it led and that a hundred 

 yards or so would take me to the boat. 



As the engineers say, "I pulled her wide open," and 

 although my heart thumped violently and my wind 

 began to grow "powerful lackin','' my legs did them- 

 selves proud, and I soon noticed with gratification that I 

 was nearing the bend at the head of the pool where 

 my boat waited for me. I panted round this bend and 

 was making fine time on the last quarter, when horror of 

 horrors! There in the trail where it ran alongside the 

 steep bank stood a full-grown cougar apparently as 

 much surprised as I. Here was a 

 fix indeed, a full period, a short 

 stop to my progress in that direc- 

 tion. What did I do? What would 

 you doV What would anybody do? 

 There was only one thing to do, 

 and it had to be done presto. I 

 never stopped, but dashed off that 

 bluft' to the left with as big a leap 

 as 1 could spur my legs to make, 

 just as though the trail led that 

 way. I never gave the cat another 

 glance to ascertain what it thought 

 of this episode. I hadn't time. 

 Fortunately I struck the water feet 

 first, and at once made for the 

 swift current, diagonally crossing 

 the channel. In my frantic exer- 

 tions, half swimming, half wading 

 in water nearly up to my shoulders 

 I lost my grip on the coat, which, 

 with the kit still inside, floated 

 away toward the log drift, but 

 before it reached it the tit in its 

 struggles had emerged from the 

 bundle, and floating and struggling 

 with half smothered cries at length 

 reached the jam just ahead of and 

 a little below and clambered out. 

 The moment I laid my hands on 

 the first half submerged log I 

 struck, I looked back and there, 

 headed for me, a little distance 

 from the opposite shore was that 

 cat, now enraged by the cries of 

 its young, making swiftly for my 

 side the stream. It is commonly 

 reported that cats won't take water, 

 but you should have seen that cat 

 swim. It was entirely too much 

 at home in the water to suit me. I 

 hadn't a moment to spare. I dare 

 not run lest the cougar should pur- 

 sue me regardless of the kit. My 

 only hope was to find some weapon 

 with which to smash the creature's 

 skull before it could emerge from 

 the water. Things seemed to be 

 narrowing down to a very tine 

 point. Hastily looking around I 

 saw, a Kttle higher up, a smooth 

 handle of something sticking out 

 of the debris, and running to it 

 was rejoiced, if ever I was, to pull 

 out a heavy handspike, left behind 

 in some lumbering operations, and 

 now washed down there, as I hoped , 

 for my deliverance. I quickly 

 threw off my coat, and with my 

 heart in my mouth stepped down 

 to where the kit was crouching, 

 crying, and which the cat was 

 rapidly approaching with danger 

 in its eyes. I felt that I was 

 trembling as the scene neared the 

 finale, but my grip was tense and 

 steady. The cat made a beautiful 

 picture, I remembered afterward, 

 as with powerful strokes it forged 

 ahead, its long tail waving in the 

 water from the vigorous motion of 

 its hindlegs, all of which I should 

 have admired had I been up a tree 

 with a Winchester for company, but just now I had not 

 time. I did not raise the weapon at once for fear the cat 

 might veer off and land at some place not so favorable to 

 me, but when it got within two or three feet of the logs 

 I raised the stick, seeing which the cat partially stopped 

 and turned as if to go further up. This was my oppor- 

 tunity, and I put all the muscle I had been making for 

 several years into the blow, striking the animal fairly on 

 the head with such force that I must have crushed its 

 skull, and the huge cat ceased motion, quivering as it 

 lay, while again and again I brought the stick down upon 

 its head until I knew i had crushed it to a pulp, and the 

 limp carcass with a lashing of its tail and convulsive 

 working of its limbs floated down a little distance, lodg- 

 ing against a limb of a tree that protruded from beneath 

 the water. If ever I was completely unnerved it was 

 then, for it had been a mighty close call, and my limbs 

 were about to double up under me when a terrific scream 

 from the opposite shore fetched ma all up standing again. 

 There stood the mate of the dead puma, attracted to the 

 place by the crying of the kit, and apparently preparing 

 to come across to see about matters, to which I seriously 

 objected, I didn't want any more zoology or cougar 

 figfits. One was sufficient. There was only one way to 

 prevent it, and that might not succeed, but I determined 

 to try it, so quickly stepping to the kit which was cower- 

 ing, crying, between two logs, where it had crept appar- 

 ently half frightened to death at all this disturbance, and 

 seizing it by the neck with my left hand, and by both 

 hind feet with my right, which I gripped tightly so as to 

 prevent any movement of its claws, I raised it, loosed my 

 left, swung it round my head once, and with all the 

 strength in me, let go. The little thing sailed through 

 the air, turning end over end, and fell splashing into the 

 water a yard or two from the other bank, where the old 

 cat, wading in, seized it, carried it ashore, laid it down, 

 licked it dry, giving me a glance now and then, and to 



I 



