June 1, 1893.] 



FOREST AND STREAM 



469 



stepped up to the scratch full of conceit, ::^s Old Sam 

 iaUed it. I raised my rifle and fired and down went the 

 jarget. 1 had hit the black not an inch from the center. 

 ;t was then om- boys' turn to shout, which they did lustily. 

 Che yoimg fellow stepped up, but his nervousness had 

 lot all left him. He fired at the first attempt, but did 

 inly a little better than before. I stepped up and shot 

 ny last shot, and planted it in the black near the top and 

 lOt more than.2in. from the first one. The boys shouted 

 igain. The young fellow stepped up again and this time 

 le hit the black just at the edge. His best shot was 

 learly an inch further from the center than my worst. 

 )ld Sam asked his friend if he wanted to steal any more 

 (f his money. He replied not to-day, but said his man 

 lad done the worst shooting he ever saw him do. Old 

 Jam gave me f 10 and a i^artial renewal of our former 

 i'iendship. 



We camped on the North Platte the next Sunday, and 

 ]S we were out of the run of the principal herds of buf- 

 alo, I thought I would kill an antelope. I hunted along 

 ihrough the sand hills not very far back from the river, 

 md at last saw a small band of antelope going into w-ater. 

 ; followed along at a respectful distance ijehind, and when 

 hey came out I got a shot at one about 200yd8. off, and 

 dUed it dead. I took its hams and started for camp, which 



reached tired and hungry. 



We made fair progress until we reached the black hills, 

 lore we sjjent one Sunday. I had heard about black- 

 ailed deer, and and was very anxious to see one. I had 

 iQed two white-tail deer in Kansas, but I wanted to see if 

 black-tad were the same. I left the road, and had 

 raveled for several hours when I came on to a small 



to examine the mess wagons, and if no sugar could be 

 foimd, to go through the train. Before we went through 

 the mess wagon Old Sam said we were not quite out. He 

 only wanted us to go slow or we would soon be out. 



One night we camped near Pacific Springs. A fearful 

 storm came up, blew down a large shed, killed a number 

 of horses, and slightly wounded a couple of men. From 

 here on we had our regular routine of hard work tmtil 

 we reached Salt Lake City, where we discharged our 

 cargo; and after bidding those who were going on good- 

 bye, we doubled up our train, that is, coupled two wagons 

 together and started on our homeward march. Every- 

 thing ran very smoothly, most of the cattle were in the 

 cavayard, while six yoke walked right along with two 

 empty wagons. 



We laid over one Sunday near Independence Rock, and 

 I went out to the south of camp. I killed another black- 

 tail deer and carried the horns to camp. One day while 

 the train was feraveling Old Sam and I went out together; 

 I had a horse, while Sam rode his white mule. We came 

 across a small band of elk; I kfiled one, but it took me 

 three shots to finish it. We packed the hindquarters on 

 one horse and rode the other turn about, Sam doing the 

 most of the riding. We reached the wagons 'just as they 

 went into camp. When we reached the buffalo country 

 I kiUed quite a number, but I never went out afoot again 

 for buffalo or for anything else while thei-e was any 

 danger of encountering a herd. 



We reached Leavenworth just six months from the 

 time we left, all of us tanned to a delicate brown. Some 

 of us started for our homes, while a few spent all they 

 had earned in a few nights, and like some of Uncle Sam's 



creature which attacks them in the water and becomes 

 attached to their sides, causing the fish apparently much 

 suffering. It is no uncommon thing for large fish to be 

 taken there whose sides are all scarred up in consequence 

 of these attacks. 



It would not be sui-prising if many fish were thus de- 

 stroyed. Probably there are not in the world two lakes 

 more numerously stocked with trout than the LTpper and 

 Lower Klamath lakes. Judging by map measurement they 

 each average thirty miles in length by ten miles in width. 

 Many large streams empty into them, affording splendid 

 fishing and spawning grotmds. Lying east of the Cascade 

 range of mountains, where genuine 'winter prevails in the 

 season for it, the water is better and the fish healthy and 

 solid — featm-es which do not prevail on the western side 

 of the mountains, where an almanac has to be consulted 

 to accurately ascertain the season of the year. 



But, to revert to Link River. There is another and very 

 pecuUar feature about its banks, they are a snake para- 

 dise. The blue ribbon — though it may have been consist- 

 ently worn by the sportsman for the last decade of his 

 Ufe— will not prevent the seeing of tens of thousands of 

 snakes in a walk of a mile from the town. They are of 

 a hai'mless variety, and of all colors and sizes, Gin to 6ft. 

 in length. On warm sunny days they lie twisted together 

 in heaps of hundreds, and it is not imcommon to see 

 3,000 of them in fifteen minutes' walk. If disturbed while 

 taking their siesta in their effort to get away they become 

 twisted into the form of a cable as large as a man's body 

 and cannot move. According to an estimate made by one 

 of the oldest and most intehgent inhabitants of that 

 vicinity, there are snakes enough in that country to build 





i 



:■■ t 

 ..if f 







• 1 

















SOME LINKYILLE SNAKES. 

 From a Photograph taken on a Day not Good for Snakes 



stream up in the hills. There was a meadow here some 

 three or fom' hundred yards long. The grass was high. 

 About the middle of the meadow lay a number of ani- 

 mals, and one had a very large pair of "horns, like a deer's, 

 only a great deal larger. 1 knew they must be elk. I 

 took a sui'vey of the ground, and saw that by going back 

 down and crossing the stream I could come up on a small 

 ridge and get within a hundred yards of them. This I 

 determined to do. 



I crawled back out of sight, ran back down stream, 

 crossed and kept aroimd out of sight, and crept up to the 

 brow of the hill. Just before reaching the top I was 

 brought to a standstill. I was stooping over, walking 

 pretty fast, when I came near stepping on a big rattle- 

 snake. I retraced my steps a few feet to where I could 

 get some rock, which I did, and killed that snake before I 

 went on. I looked over the hill very carefully, and there, 

 not over 100yds. away, lay seven elk. I had not forgotten 

 my vow about killing any animal I could not use, so I had 

 only to watch them until I got tired. Then I raised my- 

 self up, and an instant thej' saw me. Thej^ jumped up 

 and acted as though they were bewildered. They did not 

 seem to know which way to go. They would trot off one 

 way, then zigzag off another. I believe I could have 

 killed all of them, but I left them on the hills and started 

 a nearer way back to the wagons. While walking along 

 tolerably fast 1 saw an animal jump up from a small 

 bunch of brusli and it went boimcing ofi: like a sheep. I 

 ran down after it. As soon as it crossed a small ravine 

 and got up on the opposite side about 50yds. it stopi-ied. I 

 shot" at it and killed it dead. I loaded my rifle and 

 went up to it, but could not name it, unless it Avas a 

 black-tail deer. It was red, had horns ahout Sin. long, 

 and they were soft, covered with velvet. It had but 

 little hair on its tail, although there was a little black 

 tuft right at the tip. 



I skinned the head complete and took the hams and 

 made a bee fine for camp. As soon as I got in sight I 

 fired oil my rifle, when a couple of the boys came out and 

 relieved me of my deer and rifle. 



Everthing went all right imtil we got up on the Sweet- 

 water. Here one day the cook of our mess announced 

 that we were out of sugar. I spoke up and repeated what 

 Ml-. Majors had told us, that there was plenty of grub iu 

 the mess wagons to iast us the round trip, and I asked the 

 cook if he had examined both mess wagons. Old Sam 

 sjDoke up in a very gTuff manner, and said he had ex- 

 amined the mess wagon and we were out, and that set- 

 tled it. I said no more and the rest of the meal was de- 

 voured in. silence. After grub 1 called for a meeting and 

 twenty-seven of the boys stood by me, and it was decided 



boys, were ready to enlist again with the first traiu that 

 would start. 



Such is the way a good many of us helped to carry 

 freight across the Great American Desert. 



Lew WiLMOT. 



THE SNAKES OF LINKVILLE. 



Oakland, Cal. — Editor Forest and Stream: As you 

 have got into the way of publishing photographs of 

 hunting scenes and the like, I send you one, taken last 

 summer, illustrative of "The Alluring Charms of Link- 

 ville," published in your paper of Aug. 20, 1891. At 

 the time this was taken it was not a very good time 

 for snakes, for, ordinarily, every crevice of the wall is 

 filled with the reptiles, without an exception. And that 

 which is true of this waU is also true of every stone wall 

 in that region. 



This wall skirts the bank of Link River, and between it 

 and the picket fence shown runs a walk which is a 

 resort for the love-lorn swains and maidens of Linkville 

 in the gloaming of a dusky moonlight eve. If a few 

 score of the crawling creatures attempt to bar their way 

 across the walk they are gently jxished aside, and the 

 wooing still goes on uninterruptedly. It is also the haunt 

 of the festive fisherman, who never lays his string down 

 there to take a rest. He knows what would become of 

 his fish. 



In dift'erent places along the wall close inspection will 

 show some of the skins which the reptiles have shed. In 

 publishing the article of Aug. 20, 1891, I cannot say I 

 blame you for putting it under the "That Reminds Me" 

 head, for it reads too Mimchausen-Uke to be taken for fact, 

 and every statement made in that article was and still is 

 strictly true, and a naturalist could do no better than visit 

 that region. M. W. 



The Alluring Charms of Linkville. 



F)-om Forest and Stream, Aug. SO, 1S91. 



The most unique locaUty to be fotmd by the sportsman 

 is probably that surrounding the town of Linkville, in 

 Klamath coimty, Oregon. The town nestles at the foot 

 of a large mountain, and lies right on the bank of what is 

 locally known as Link River. This stream — ^which is quite 

 large — connects the Upper and Lower Klamath lakes, is 

 alive with thousands, and probably millions, of large fish, 

 which are constantly passing to and fro between the two 

 lakes, and are as constantly jumping out of water in sight 

 of the town. They are of aU sorts and sizes. Some of 

 them appear to be cutting up these antics for the fun of 

 the thing, and some to shake some kind of an eel-looking 



a wall 4ft. wide and 4ft. high at least a mile long. Some 

 of the farms there are fenced with walls laid up with 

 roimd water-worn stones. These walls constitute the 

 home of thousands of these reptiles. If one of these walls 

 is approached, from nearly every interstice a snakes head 

 win be projected with forked tongue forbidding trespass 

 on their domain. What is singular about this whole 

 affair is the protection afforded to these reptiles by the 

 inhabitants there. They will not allow them to be killed 

 or even injured. Their children, familiarized with them 

 from their bu-fch, have no loathing or fear of the reptiles, 

 but pick them up and play with them , as any other child 

 does with a toy, under caution of the pareniis not to hurt 

 them. The reasons given by the farmers and others for 

 this protection are three. First, the farmers could raise 

 no crops without theii' aid in destroying various bugs, 

 insects and vermin which would otlierwise overrun the 

 whole region with destruction of all living vegetation; 

 second, the reptiles smell sickening enough hving, but 

 their stench is intolerable when dead; and third, they 

 devour and reduce the number of frogs; and hereby hangs 

 a tale, o'er true. 



Perennially there descends ujpon Linkville and the sur- 

 rounding country untold millions of little creatures, re- 

 sembling a frog, and about the size of a small one, which 

 are reminders of the Biblical frogs of Egypt. Where they 

 come from no one seems to know, but it is probable that 

 they come from the rivers and lakes andKlamath marshes. 

 Upon their arrival every door and window has to be closed 

 against them, or they will invade the house in countless 

 numbers and dispute possession of every jjart thereof, 

 even to the bed. There is no standing upon politeness at 

 these times. The enti-ance to, and exit from , a house is done 

 with instantaneous celerity, and a resounding slam to the 

 door which, under ordinary circumstances, would betray a 

 passionate mood. Of coui-se the streets of the town are 

 fuU of them. And now the snake takes his annual feast, 

 as that of the Passover. And thus is nature's law of sup- 

 ply and demand fulfilled. Up among the mountains sm-- 

 rounding LinkviUe there are many kinds of game, but 

 thick cowhide boots are the correct thing for the sports- 

 man, as tlie rattler will disjjute his way. 



But if the sportsman deshes to go afishing with the most 

 economical of tackle, he may provide himself with an in- 

 expensive pitchfork and pay a visit to Lost River, a size- 

 able stream a few miles east of Linkville. There he will 

 find pickerel of enormous size, and so thick in the river 

 that they fill it from bank to bank. The inhabitants never 

 use any other kind of tackle, 



I More anon. Ji. W. 



I AiiAMEDA, Cal, 



