FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July 29, 1898. 



basco. Barbasco is a root, which pounded in water 

 causes the water to assume a milky appearance, and im- 

 parts to it the property to intoxicate fish, which then 

 skip around the surface of the pond and are readily 

 speared from canoes. We half fiUed a small dugout, the 

 fish being of various species unknown to us. 



We returned to Parker's and breakfasted off a portion 

 of our spoils, and soon after started for Iquitos, taking a 

 short cut through a small creek. Never had I seen such 

 a sight before. Enormous trees rose on either side, while 

 graceful palms overhung the water's edge. Parrots, 

 macaws, toucans, herons and cranes flew in every direc- 

 tion; woodpeckers, with crimson breasts and greenish 

 backs, darted in and out among the trees, while king- 

 fishers as small as swallows with plumage like burnished 

 copper flashed here and there in th > sunshine. The vines 

 trailing in the water from overhan-^ing trees were alive 

 with little birds with heads of yellow and of scarlet, and 

 the whole air was noisy with the chattering and twitter- 

 ing of the feathered tribe. It was a scene never to be 

 forgotten. 



Upon our return to Iquitos we found that the small 

 steamer which was to take iis down the Amazon had ar- 

 rived. It brought the news, via Brazil, that Captain 

 Smith's brother, Colonel Smith, whom we had met in 

 Lima, had been elected to represent the Bajo Amazonas 

 in the Peruvian Congress. The tidings had spread through 

 the town and a crowd soon surrounded the sub-prefecture, 

 and after three rousing cheers an Indian stepped forwal'd 

 and made the following speech, which was certainly brief 

 and to the point: 



"Xiong lif e to our new Deputy. Long life to our Sub- 

 Prefect. Aguardiente for the boys." 



Two days later, taking the steamer, we started on our 

 twenty days' journey down the Amazon. 



Clarence Bloomfield Mooeb. 



DANVIS FOLKS.-XIl. 



Waiting for Tidings. 



Notwithstanding the prolonged revels of the previous 

 night, several neighbors dropped in at the shop in the 

 Linter the evening of the following day to learn of any 

 news of the ravager of Joel Bartlett's flock. Sam had 

 not yet returned from his quest, and while they awaited 

 his coming with different degrees of patience, they fell 

 very naturally into the accustomed ways of the old shop. 



Solon Briggs took his seat behind the stove. Joseph 

 Hill seated himself with laborious care on the chair of 

 most doubtful stability, Antoine sat on the floor with legs 

 crossed after the fashion of Turks and tailors. Pelatiah 

 perched uncomfortably, as became his state of mind, on 

 the corner of the shoe bench. With the autocrat of the 

 little realm on his leathern throne, the social pipes alight, 

 Pelatiah ruminating his innocuous cud, they could hardly 

 realize that the old familiar intercourse had suffered a 

 three years' hiatus. 



Uncle Lisha yawned over his work till he pounded his 

 thumb with a misdirected stroke, and then while he 

 sucked the injured digit, impatiently cast aside hammer, 

 awl and lasted shoe. 



"Consarn it all," he grumbled, "carummuxin don't 

 sarve so well wi' seventy odd as it does wi' twenty odd 

 year. Jest one night on 't hes made me sleepier 'n a 

 Quaker meetin', but wken I was Peltier's age I c'd go it 

 eight nights in a week an' work busy's a bee aU. day. 

 Dumbd if I try tu work. Seem's ef 'twas 'baout time for 

 Sam tu come hum." 



"I should raly like to know what specie of savagarous 

 beast has been a deevastatia' Joel's sheep." 



"Proberbly," said Joseph, venturing to tilt his chair on 

 its front legs to enable him to spit at the stove hearth, 

 "it's a wolf ersuthin'." The chair gave a creak ominous 

 of collapse, and he carefully readjusted it to its complete 

 if precarious support of his weight. "Seem's 'ough this 

 'ere chair was a leetle mite more weewaw'an it uster be," 

 and he leaned ca,utiously to one side and the other to 

 inspect the spreading legs, "but I don't know as it is," 

 slowly bending forward for a general survey of them, 

 between his spread knees, "I guess it'll stan' a spell." 



"I wish 't you'd bust the tarnal ol' thing, Jozeff," said 

 Uncle Lisha, with nervous impatience. "It's squeaked 

 an' it's squoke till I am sick an' tired of it." 



"It best was, you'll soet where Ah '11 was, Zhoseff, den it 

 ant da danger for fall off or broke up you sit, ant it?" 



"Judgia' f'm what I hearn," said Uncle Lisha, after 

 watching the chair with a hope of the fulfillment of his 

 wish, "I s'pect it's a wolf. It's ben a good spell sen there's 

 ben one on 'em raound these parts. It's a massy the var- 

 mints ain't so thick as they used tu be. When I was a 

 boy you c'd hear 'em a yowlin' up on the maountain, most 

 any night, 'nough tu make yer back freeze. Naow an' 

 agin, they used tu kill folks, I s'pose. I never knowed o' 

 their kiUin' anybody fer sartain, but some on 'em 'lowed 

 * they killed Cephas Worth an' eat him clean up, an' then 

 agin, some cal'lated they didn't." 



"Haow was 't?" Pelatiah asked agape, the swab where- 

 with he was greasing his boot, arrested half way between 

 it and the pot of neat's foot oil. 



"If it wan't 'at I got feelin's for ye," said Uncle Lisha, 

 regarduig his employment with some severity of ex- 

 pression, "I wouldn't allow you tu waste that precious 

 intement on none o' Olapham's store boots. That aire 

 was made for honest boots, but it don't signify, ile away. 

 Why the way on 't was, ye see Cephas was sugarin' way 

 up on the aidge o' the maountain a mild f'm hum- He 

 hed him a shanty an' kerried up provisions tu last him 

 tew three days an' wouldn't go hum on'y abaout oncte in 

 so often, jest puttin' in his best licks makin' sugar, when 

 there was a big run o' sap. Well, it run all along one 

 spell, nigh enter a week, an' he didn't come hum, an' his 

 womern begun tu tew abaout him, 'cause it wan't no 

 gre't sugar weather an' she knoAved his victuals must be 

 all used up, 'cause he was hearty tu eat, an' bimeby she 

 raousted aout the neighbors tu go an' look him up. ' An- 

 other thing 'at made 'em oneasy abaout him was 'at the 

 wolves was turrible sassy that spring, an' they'd hearn 

 'em a yowlin' up in the neighborhood o' Cephas's camp 

 oncommon, so up they went, Beedy along wi' the rest on 

 'em. Obedience her name was, but they all called her 

 Beedy. When they come to 't, the shanty was hove 

 hither an' yon,_ an' tore tu flinders, an' not a sign o' 

 Cephas on'y a piece o' kwut, an' a dozen bones gnawed 

 clfean. Some was cock sure they was his'n, an' some hed 

 the' daoubts on 't, an' there was some sprinkle o' blood an' 

 wolf tracks all raound thicker 'n spatter, an' ev'rything 



clawed and chewed, 'ceptin' the tub o' sugar. Beedy hed 

 it kerried hum an' sol' it off spry. I s'pose the' was a kin' 

 of a skeery flavor tu it, made folks hanker arter it. 



"Wal, Beedy took on dreffly an' hed a tantrybogus fit 

 on 'caount o' Cephas bein' killed an' eat up by wolves so 

 't there wan't 'nough on him left fer a fun'al, scacely. 

 But she made 'em peek up the bones an' they took 'em 

 hum an' there wa' quite a respectable fun'al considerin' 

 the remains, wi' preachin' an' prayin' an' cryin'. An' 

 Beedy, she hed a grave stun sot up an', twixt hoin' an' 

 hayin', she pulled up stakes an' went off somewhere, 

 said she couldn't stan' it tu stay where she'd suffered 

 such a loss. But there was lots o' folks 'at didn't believe 

 the' was no 'casion fer a fun'al. Cephas was turribly in 

 debt an' his creditors a threatenin' tu jail him — the'iiseter 

 jail folks fer debt in them times — an' he was awful scared 

 o' bein' shet up, an' so they cal'lated he'd jest made a 

 show o' bein' clawed an' chawed an' eat up, an' had 

 cleared aout an' Beedy 'd gone tu fin' him. An' the' was 

 others at stuck to 't he'd raly been killed. I do know the 

 rights on 't, mebby he was an' mebby he wan't, but tew 

 three year arterward the' was a peddler, name o' Treu- 

 man Weeks, 'atuseter travel over three four States, come 

 raound here an' he tol' tu the tarvem 'baout a feller 't he 

 staid with way aout in York State 'at faound aout he'd 

 ben in these parts an' enquired turrible particler baout 

 everybody in Dan vis. But the nub on 't was the feller 

 said he'd lived in Vermont forty year, a warrin' with God 

 and wild beasts till they beat him an' he'd gi'n up an' put 

 aout ther' tu 'scape 'em. The feller's name as he gin it 

 the' didn't nob'dy remember, but the peddler said he'd 

 allers remembered the name the feller called his wife, 't 

 was sech a odd saounding one, Beedy. Puttin' this an' 

 that together, folks s'mised 'twas Cephas Worth, but I d' 

 know. Why on airth," turning and peering out of the 

 broad, low window, "don't that Samwel t3ome along 

 hum?" 



"Dat mek me rembler," cried Antoine, hastening to im- 

 prove the first opportunity offered him to speak, "baout 

 one mans in Canada — " 



"Consarn that everlastiu' man in Canady," Uncle Lisha 

 growled. 



' 'But Ah '11 wan tol you baout it an' baout de loup garou 



SM^ALL BOY AJJD BIG TROUT. 



dat was be mans wen hee'll min' to an' wolfs wen hee'll 

 min' to." 



' 'Antwine, shet yer head. Samwel's comin' an' he'll hev 

 suthin' wuth a tellin'." 



The noise of stamping feet was heard on the doorstep 

 and Samuel entered. AU. eyes were turned inquiringly 

 upon him, for he wore the triumphant air of one who 

 bears important tidings. 



"Wal?" Uncle Lisha laconically voiced the impatience 

 of the audience. 



"Ai-ter a good deal o' sarchin', I faound the track an' 

 follered it tu a spreuce cobble a mild east o' Joel's, an' I 

 cal'late he'll lay up there till he gits hungry agin. I've 

 tol' ev'y body 'long my way hum, an' neow you fellers 

 want to start right straight aout an' pass raound word to 

 ev'ybody to rally in the mornin' an' meet at Joel Bart- 

 lett's. S'posin' Solen an' Joseph notify the folks up their 

 way an Antoine them up his'n, an' Peltier daown west, 

 an' as soon's I get a bite o' suthin' tu eat I'll go over to the 

 store where there'll be a lot a loafin' raound 'at I can send 

 word to heaps o' folks. It's airly ia the evenin' an' the's 

 time tu raoust aout a pai*ty 'at '11 make it lively for the ol' 

 wolf. Turn 'em aout, Uncle Lisher," 



The visitors arose to depart, Antonie sighing as he 

 went. 



' 'Bah gosh, Ah '11 hope it aint one loup garoii. I'll goin' 

 tol' you 'baout dat, firs' chance Ah'll gat of it." 



' 'Make it a p'int tu stop int' Varney's an' tell him 'baout 

 the wolf hont, Peltier," Lisha whispered, as he followed 

 his visitors to the door. He watched them depart their 

 several ways in the moonUght, and then looked up to the 

 star-bejeweled sky. 



' 'It's clear as a Christian's conscience an' not a breath a 

 stirrin'. I s'pose I might go aout an' holler the news in 

 the doo' yard so't some on 'em c'ld hear it. But I might 

 skeer the wolf an' so I guess I'll go tu bed. It'll be a 

 good day for the hunt, Sam." Eowland E. Robinson. 



"PODGERS'S" COMMENTARIES. 



I SEE you have taken up the case of the alligators and 

 lament their gradual destruction. For the life of me I 

 can't see anything worth preserving in that ugly brute of 

 a saurian, nor ca,n I find any bond of sympathy in my 

 soul for him. Of coui-se he has a right to live if he can 

 manage it. Between the darkies hunting his hide and 

 the tourist who bangs away at him from the deck of a 

 steamboat he has a pretty lively time of it. It is the 

 darky that is most to be feared, as he creeps upon him 

 and shoots at close qxiarters, while the Florida tourist 

 seldom hits anything. 



I think I have a latent prejudice against the aUigator 

 from my having lost many a duck by him when shooting 

 in the South, as he has a sly way of rising just under the 

 duck and absorbing him as you essay to pick up your bird. 



If you can point out any redeeming qualities the beaatlyi 

 thing has I wdU in a spirit of justice give him due credit,' 

 but to my eyes he appears at his best converted into a 

 club bag, with nice gilt lock and trimmings. I think he 

 woiild be reconciled and proud to see himself m a show 

 window or the hands of a pretty woman. It is a very 

 rare case of such supreme ugliness converted into tilings 

 of such beauty. 



On the whole, I think it justifiable to bag the alligator 

 to get the alfigator bag — and I shall not miagle any croco-i 

 dile tears with you over his extinction, inasmuch as I ami 

 already looking forward to the cheapening of the article 

 to acquire one. 



Small Boy and Big Trout. 



I notice you have stnick in on fish stories again with 

 illustrations of catches as confirmatory proof of the truth- 

 fulness of the statements; not a bad idea, and it suggestsi 

 sending you the photo of a big fish and a precocious small 

 boy. You will observe that it is a trout — a veritable trout, 

 -a veritable boy and a veritable pipe. It is merely a sam- 

 ple of many that have been and can be caught in a stream 

 Vay back, a private reserve and preserve, I ma.y say,' 

 simply because few fishermen will take the time and 

 trouble to go so far as a two days' journey by rail to get' 

 to it, so it is virtuaUy a preserve that few reach. 



The fish exhibited ia not of my catching, but that of a 

 friend who is both a fisherman and a camera fiend, hence 

 backs up his fishing with the photos. 



It is a mutifying and lamentable condition of things, 

 when fishermen have fallen into such a moral estimate as 

 to be required to back up their statements in this way; 

 but pot-fishermen have so demoralized the calling that it 

 seems to be necessary apparently. 



Grizzly Bears in Callfof-hla 



are almost things of the past, and nearly extinct, but 

 now and then an old fellow pops up to get popped at, as 

 was the case a few days since down ia Kern ooimty. An 

 old fellow that had been hanging around the locality for 

 several years, doing no little damage to sheep and young 

 stock, and cunningly eluding all attempts at capture, but 

 met his fate at the hands of a couple of huntera a few days 

 since. It was a running fight lasting many hours and re- 

 quired over thu'ty shots to kill him. The caliber of the 

 rifles was .33, showing that however effective that cahber' 

 may be for oi'dinary game it won't do for lai'ge. Old 

 grizzly scarcely minded the first dozen shots, although 

 some were found to have penetrated and even passed 

 through the heart, and also several through the head, 

 which fact shows the failure in effect of such a light ball 

 or the toughness of the grizzly. It, however, proves most 

 conclusively that if you are after grizzlies you had better 

 use a heavier arm, or the chances are the grizzly will be 

 after you, and it was in the present case very remarkable 

 that the one in question did not turn upon his assailant*! 

 as usual when Wounded. Possibly he did not consider 

 a .33 bullet a sufficiently serious matter to justify until 

 tdo late. PoDGERs. 



1 



SOME OF THE WAYS OF BEARS. 



Very few people know that bears take to water i 

 naturally. They roam over the mountains and through ' 

 the forests, dig open rotten logs for ants and worms, and ■ 

 secure all the hornets nests they can, tear them to pieces 

 and eat the yoimg grubs; pick and eat all the berries of 

 every kind they can find, and would seem to belong to . 

 the exclusively dry land animals. 



The fact is otherwise. They love the water, not, per- 

 haps, as well as do the moose and deer, but better than 

 most dry land animals. They are very fond of fish. I 

 am not prepared to say they are epicurean, and choose, 

 what we esteem game fish, such as the salmon varieties, - 

 but as far as I know a fish is a fish to them large or small, I 

 and of wliatever kind, and they show more cunning and 

 instinct, if not reason, in capturing fish than many city 

 chaps I have seen about the lakes. 



I once came suddenly upon a very large bear in a thick I 

 swamp, lying upon a hollow log across a brook. I found - 

 after he had left that tliei-e was a large knot hole through I 

 the shell of the log, and he had run his paw through the « 

 hole, holding it in the water until he felt a fish, when he 

 would close his paw on it. Thus he had secured quite a 

 string of fish. The old fellow had been so interested in ■ 

 his sport that he did not notice me until I had got very ; 

 near him, so I could see just how he managed his sport. 

 After I had watched his movements awhile he finally dis- , 

 covered me and made olT on a double quick into the 

 dense underbrush, and, as luck would have it, I had no 

 gun with me that day, and perhaps that may account for 

 my being here writing about it now. 



This brook was fairly alive with little trout, red-side 

 suckers and black suckers, so our bear let himself out on 

 this sport— he did not eat their heads. There was quite a : 

 pile of the log. I suppose the oil on his pawa attracted I 

 the fish and baited them even better than a fly hook, and * 

 his toe nails were his hooks and sharp ones too, and once j 

 grabbed the fish were sure to stay. ' 



Bears also catch frogs in these forest brooks and drink ' 

 of the pure cold water in the hot summer days, and love ■ 

 to lie and cool themselves in the cozy pools, so they fre- 

 quent the lowlands of the forest and follow the winding 

 brooklets for pleasure as well as for food, and make deej* 

 paths, which every bear happening to go that way will ■ 

 follow. They often cross narrow places in lakes and , 

 rivers. They are good swimmers and appear to love to 

 take a tium in the water. I once saw one swimming < 

 across from the main land to Students Island in the Moose- ' 

 lucmaguntic Lake, jost a streak of his back showed above ! 

 the water, looking like a floating log on the water. Some 

 I have seen with the head only above the water 1 j 

 accoimt for this difference by the condition the bear is in . 

 —if he is fat he will more easily float, if lean he sinks 

 deeper in the water. Some bears when shot in the water ■ 

 will sink at once to the bottom, and only rise when the ■ 

 gases accumulate, which is generally in ten days or two ^ 

 weeks. Othei-s float when dead. I cannot account for 

 these phenomena. We may all be allowed our opinion. 

 What do you think about it? 



If you row your boat up to a bear in the lake he will 

 try to get hold of the boat or the oars and wiU capsize 

 you if you do not look out. There should be two persons 

 to capture bears in a boat— one to row and the other to ^ 



