B20 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



\Dkc. 16, 189S. 



THE SQUIRE'S YALLER DOG. 



'■It's goin' to rain," croaked the Growler as he rolled out 

 of bed and flattened his nose against the pane. 



"Not a bit of it," said I, "when the fog clears off the 

 fiat the day will be glorious." 



"Are we goin' to take that cussed yaller, composite, 

 flea-bitten dog of the Squire's with us?" demanded the 

 Growler, 



"I guess so, the Squire says he's a daisy for grouse." 

 "Then mark my words sonny, we won't get a bird to- 

 day." 



The cheery voice of the Squire summoned us to break- 

 fast, where a steaming pyramid of flap-jacks, fried as 

 only they can be fried in Bluenose land, awaited our at- 

 tack. The Growler alluded in dismal terms to the deadly 

 effects in certain cases of buckwheat upon the human 

 system, but he appeared to be stowing away his share. 



The valley of the Nashwaak seemed like an enchanted 

 land thqt morning as we climbed the hillside. Millions 

 and millions of frosty diamonds and sapphires were flash- 

 ing and blazing in the stubble and from every naked twig 

 in the woodland. Jack Fr. st bad robbed October of her 

 gorgeous crazy quilt, but he had decked her in a gai-ment 

 still more beautiful. 



Far to the north, the river, like a broad belt of silver, 

 extended through ample intervales that were dotted with 

 the white houses of the settlers and flanked by noble bills 

 on either side. Some of the latter were cleared and 

 ofiiered pasture gi'ound for a multitude of horses, sheep 

 and cattle; others were clad to the summit in sombre firs 

 relieved by an occasional patch of birch, beech or maple. 

 Once over tbese hills we shall be out of the region of firs, 

 and into the second growth of wood, in which are hurry- 

 ing brooks, and alder swales, and sunny glades, and 

 ancient grassy roads where lurk the furtive grouse. 



There were just four of us. Flash and Jeff, the Growler 

 and I. Flash was a pointer of peerless pedigree, valued 

 by his former owner at a fabulous sura, but knocked 

 down to the Growler as a special friend at a ruinous 

 figure. Jeff was a wretched mongrel, owned by the 

 Squire. He had a guilty, terrified aspect that suggested 

 a career of crime and retribution, but what he had ever 

 done or what anybody had ever done to him (barring the 

 fox trap) was a mystery even to his intimate friends. He 

 seemed to be especially depressed in spirits this morning 

 and eyed our preparations for the chase in a mournful, 

 hopeless manner. 



"Don't you worry about him," said the Squire as the 

 Growler surveyed the dog dubiously, "he'll root out more 

 partridges 'n five minita 'n yer bilyun-doUar p'inter kin 

 find 'n a month !" 



The prophecy began to be fulfilled at once. As we left 

 the farmhouse the spirits of the mongrel rose with a 

 bound, he sneezed and shook himself at the prospect of 

 the fun ahead, and darted into the first low-lying belt of 

 firs like a flash. Not like the Growler's Flash, I grieve to 

 say, for that stately animal had just come to a dead point 

 on a squirrel that was perched upon the farmyard gate. 

 We had no thought at all of finding game in these firs, but 

 at that instant a sharp, musical yelp arose from Jeff, and 

 out of the stubble a noble grouse went roaring up the 

 hillside, followed by the mongrel at his topmost s])eed. 

 The flight w^as fully 100yds,, but as the bird struck the 

 ground the dog was on him again, and up he rose and 

 thundered across the swale into the firs. There even 

 Jeff could not find him; we tramped around for over half 

 an hour, but failed to discover where the cunning rascal 

 was hidden. Regretfully we gave him up and began to 

 climb the slope. 



Is there any sight, I wonder, in all the realm of forest 

 and field more agreeable to the eye than that of a brace 

 of dogs, with nose to ground and tail at work (be it ever 

 so brief a tail), scurrying hither and thither hot upon the 

 scent of grouse? The pointer could not begin to cover a 

 fraction of the ground that the light and agile Jeff" tra- 

 versed, but he was honest in his efforts, and honesty in 

 dog or man should be respected. We followed for a while 

 an old wood road without starting a feather, when away 

 to the left came the mongrel's warning note, a sound of 

 whirring wings, and a bird flew over the path ahead and 

 treed in a clump of cedars, I saw exactly where he 

 lodged, and, as the ethics of grouse hunting in these parts 

 do not compel a man to hf t his hat and apologize to a bird 

 that chooses to tree, nor yet to club him out of the tree 

 for the purpose of missing or maiming him in the air, I 

 dropped this one out of the cedar top instanter, and had 

 the pleasure of seeing the mongrel retrieve him in the 

 most scientific manner. The pointer meanwhile was justi- 

 fying his right to exist by burrowing for a ground hog at 

 the root of an old rampike. 



We worked carefully but without further result through 

 the scrub until we struck an old wagon road whose grassy 

 bottom seemed to promise birds at every turn. Jeff 

 crossed and recrossed the road in wide, sweeping circles, 

 but gave no siijn. Then we heard his music over in a 

 bunch of tall spruces on the right. The Growler scanned 

 them through without success. The mongrel insisted that 

 the bird was there, nevertheless, and barked long and 

 furiously. Then the pointer, whose knowledge of the 

 matter must have been limited, rushed upon the scene 

 and set up a vigorous howling. And then— Ca^,sar's ghost! 

 a big gray knot flew off tlie trunk of a tree within a yard 

 of the Growler's head, and went sailing ov'er the scrub 

 with his trunk checked for Labrador. Startled though he 

 was, the Growler let go at him with both barrels, and, as 

 ■we emerged from the shadows a flurry of feathers flutter- 

 ing down showed that the shot had told. For a quarter 

 of a mile we waded through the brush and over the blow- 

 downs, but caught no sight of him. We were retracing 

 our steps sadly when the mongrel came running to us with 

 the bird in his mouth, having foimd him at least 200yds, 

 from where the Growler had fired. 



We regained the road and had progressed about a dozen 

 yards when— heavens, what an explosion! One, two, 

 three, four, live, six! Before we could recover our wits 

 they were all gone, and only the mournful howling of 

 the dogs told the dismal tale, "Hello," exclaimed the 

 Growler, dropping the final vowel in his excitement, and 

 sprang to the right af ter two of the birds, while I rushed 

 into the cedar swamp across the road. Then the wood- 

 land fairly rang with the mad music of dog and gun. 

 When we met again the Growler smded freely. We had 

 made a clean sweep. 



Four birds more were added to our bag while yet the 

 morning was youug — one a tremendous old drummer that 

 was routed five times and finally succurubed to the 



Growlers deadly left, and another which the mongrel had 

 actually captured unaided and quietly laid at our feet. 

 We asked him how he did it, but he merely wagged his 

 forlorn remnant of a tail and bounced into the bush as 

 though nothing unusual had happened. 



On a big mossy log, by the side of a clear, sparkling 

 stream that ran across the road, we sat down for luncheon. 

 The Growler insisted on boiling coffee in a kettle that he 

 had laboriously carried with him, and never did choicest 

 Moccha on sea or shore send forth more grateful odor. 



In the afternoon the wind sprang up and the birds were 

 wild; we had just three hard-wing shots during the next 

 two hours and missed them all. The Growler grassed a 

 belated woodcock up the brook, and a snipe on the edge 

 of the clearing. About this time the pomter flushed a 

 porcupine and came whining to us with his head full of 

 quills, the extraction of which engaged our tmdivided 

 effort for a season. We returned to the Squire's by way 

 of Italy, as he facetiously termed the bush where he 

 hunted his cows at nightfall, and here the composite 

 treed a fine sprtice cock which the Growler ventilated at 

 once. The bird lodged in the tree and the Growler was 

 forced to climb. He was up there so long that when he 

 was working down the pointer regarded him as an enemy 

 and seized him by the leg. I must have laughed im- 

 moderately, for the Growler maintained an awful silence 

 the whole way out. He soon thawed, however, and 

 when we took our leave of the Squire and his rosy- 

 cheeked wife and boarded the evening train forborne, the 

 Growler was happy as a king full. 



•'What is your opinion of that 'cussed yaller composite' 

 now?"' I asked the Growler, 



The Growler answered not, but just then I heard a 

 rumble and jar like the collision of two heavily loaded 

 trains. It was the collision of two trains of thought. It 

 was the Growler changing his mind. Pi40WLEE. 



Frkdericton, N. B. 



SHORT vs. LONG BARRELS. 



Chicago, Dec. d.— Editor Forest and Stream.: Mr, 

 Armm Tenner's statement "that the length of the barrels 

 above 24in, does not exercise a great influence on the 

 velocity or peneteation, especially with the nitro powders 

 which generally develop the bulk of gases before the shot 

 charge has moved more than l|ft, in the barrel, and the 

 maximum length of barrels is reached in .86in,,'' is so as- 

 tonishing that I hasten to give the facts, which are just 

 the reverse of his statement: 



The editor of the London Field in the fall of 1889, to 

 settle what seemed to be a never-ending discussion among 

 British sportsmen of long vs. short barrels, niade the fol- 

 lowing test, using the Le Boulenge chronograph for ob- 

 taining velocities. The powders u^ed wrre Schultze, E,G. 

 and, if I remember correctly, J. B., all nitros. Also Cur- 

 tis & Harvey's black and brown powder, the latter not a 

 nitro. Two sportsmen sent their famous 2f)in, guns, 

 which were beaten by SOin, guns with all powders, i. e.. 

 for penetration, 



Some correspondent then suggested that a cylinder bore 

 gun be tried with a loose fitting bullet, which would 

 touch the wire exactly the same with each trial and cut 

 the gun off 2in, at a time until reduced to SOin. This 

 suggestion was acted upon and the trial proved that for 

 every inch of reduction a corresponding loss in pf-netra 

 tion resulted with all powders. When the barrels were 

 reduced to 20in. the loss was '40 per cent, in penetration 

 for the nitros, and 13i per cent, for black. This was ex- 

 actly the reverse of what sportsmen were prepared to 

 hear in regard to the nitros, proving that its force was de- 

 veloped near the muzzle, Curtis & Ilarvey's "brown" 

 powder was the best for short barrels,^ 



I yet have these articles clipped from the Field in my 

 possession 



In the book called "Shooting" (Badmintion Library), 

 published prior to these trials, that great sportsman Sir 

 Ralph Payne-Gallvvey says, "No sane man will claim that 

 a 28in. barrel shoots as har-d as a SOin. " 



Recoil is less with nitros thfn black for two reasons. 

 First, the charge of nitro starts slower and burns more 

 rapidly, and second, the absence of smoke gives less 

 square feet of striking force or vacuum in the atmos- 

 phere, also producing less recoil for the same reason. 



The recoil of nitros is a push, not the sudden kick of 

 black. 



I would not give the snap of a finger for Mr. Tenner's 

 powder test if made with one gun only, unless a cylinder 

 bore, as various forms of choke perform best with certain 

 powders. 1 have two guns by the same maker, both light 

 SOin. 12-bores. The old one shoots most uniformly with 

 E. 0., while the new does best with Schultze. 



I once owned a Harrington & Richardson full choke 12- 

 bore that would, more than one-quarter of thetime, wlien 

 foul, ball No. 8 shot with the right barrel and black pow- 

 der, but with other sizes the patterns of both barrels w^ere 

 alike, I believe it almost, if not quite, impossible to ball 

 shot with any powder in a cylinder bore gun, and if I re- 

 member correctly there was 'less stringing of shot in the 

 Field trial with cjlinders than chokes. 



I will not criticise Mr, Tenner's theory about testing 

 guns with cardboards, as the late Mr, J, D. Dougall has 

 said, "Such ideas would prove the weakest-shooting gun 

 to be the hardest shooter." 



I am in perfect accord with Mr. Tenner in regard to 

 soft and chilled shot, and 12-bore charges, I have never 

 yet found a charge for a properly bored, ?'. e., true to 

 gauge 12-bore, equal to Sdrs, and l^oz. if properly wadded. 

 Any increase of powder and shot in my experience has 

 been detrimental to the shooting qualities of the gun. 



I strongly advise sportsmen to buy Charles Lancaster's 

 "Art of Shooting," also "Shooting," first volume (Badmin- 

 ton Library), 



Questions often discussed have been settled long ago, 

 and these books give data, also much other very valuable 

 information relating to guns and shooting. Wanderer, 



The above having been referred to Mr, Tenner, he sends 

 us the following comments: 

 Editor Forest and Stream: 



'■Wanderer'" is astonished because I stated that the 

 maximum length of shotgun barrels, especially in the 

 case where nitro powders are employed, is reached with 

 26in, He cites the results of some experiments carried 

 uut by the London Field over four year.-^ ago to prove 

 that I am wrong. I am familiar with the results in ques- 

 tion and all other experiuients conducted by the Field in 

 the premises since lbS9, but my tests and those of others 

 carried out more recently make a ditferent vsUowing aod 



warrant the statement made in my report. I have tried 

 something like 300 guns with different lengths of barrels, 

 and have found that, as 1 said, neither pattern nor pene- 

 tration is improved with barrels longer than 26in., com- 

 pared with the results of barrels of this length and even 

 shorter barrels. 



"Wanderer" saj^s that he would not give the snap of a 

 finger for niy tests if they had been made with one gim 

 only. He has learned since that 1 used five different guns. 



But if Mr. '"Wanderer" would ever have occasion to 

 see how such experiments are carried out by the London 

 Field and what instruments are employed, as it has been 

 my gcod fortune to witness, I fear that he would snap 

 his fingers quite freely. 



My gas pressure gun enables me to determine the burst- 

 ing strain at three different points in the barrel, namely, 

 at the cartridge chamber, in the middle of tlie barrel and 

 at a point near the muzzle of the gun. Nitro powders as 

 a rule develop, as stated by me, the bulk of the gases or 

 energy before the shot charge has reached the n\uzzle of 

 the gun; they have therefore exercised tlieir full propell- 

 ing force at sucli a point; and it is to be presumed that 

 when this is done the extra length of the barrel is super- 

 fluous and has no longer any bearing upon the effect of 

 the shot, i. e. . the penetrative power of the pellets. In 

 former time longer barrels were quite in place. The old 

 and coarse-grained black powder develops the gases 

 slower than the modern propelling agents, and to utilize 

 the total effect of such a powder charge requires a long 

 barrel. 



I am pleased to know that '"Wanderei-" agrees with me 

 on some points, and I venture to say if lie had witnessed 

 the Chicago tests he would not differ with me on any of 

 the questions at issue. Armin' Tenner. 



BOSTON AND MAINE. 



Boston, Dec. 2.— Up to Nov. 30, there had been two 

 snowstorms in the big-game sections of Maine. The first 

 snow gave pretty good hunting, and a great many deer 

 were taken. One Boston hunter, who was fortunate 

 enough to be in the vicinity of Moosehead Lake at the 

 time, saj's that he never saw better himting. It took only 

 a few minutes the first morning after the snow to come 

 upon deer tracks, and these tracks immediately led to 

 others. "We tried to select a big track and to stick to 

 it," he remarks, "but it was impossible. We gave up 

 the attempt, being aware that we were in the imme- 

 diate vicinity of a big herd of deer. The tracks went 

 every way; the deer evidently browsing imalarmed. I 

 called my guide in consultation, and we made up our 

 minds to move very slowly. The woods were full of 

 blown-down trees and patches of dense evergreens, and 

 we determined to look each of these over thoroughly 

 before attempting to pass them, or to make the least 

 noise. It was rather tedious work, and we had crept up 

 to and cautiously around a number of thickets and wind- 

 falls before we actually came to the deer. About 11 

 o'clock we came near to a windfall, nearly inclosed in a 

 thicket of spruce and ground hemlocks. The tracks of 

 deer— very fresh— seemed to go directly into the thick?t. 

 We were prelty certain that we were near the game. 

 Creeping almost on our hands and knees in the wet snow, 

 we slowly, and with the greatest caution, approached the 

 thicket, 'Ihst!' whispered my guide, pointing through 

 the thick spruces. Peering in that direction I saw the 

 eyes — all of the head of a deer, A second glance showed 

 me that it was a buck. I was not excited ! I took in the 

 situation calmly. Another look showed me the heads 

 and a part of the bodies of a couple of does. They were 

 ruminating quietly the breakfast of browse. It seemed 

 almost a pity to shoot. My guide intimated by signs that 

 I should shoot tiie buck, and he would take one of the 

 does, I signified to bin:, as well as I could, that the buck 

 was all I A'anted. A^ery caivf ully I took aim, resting my 

 Winchester over a root of the upturned tree behind which 

 we were hiding, I pressed the trigger. There was a 

 loud report and the does were up and away, but the buck 

 simply dropped his noble head, and was dead — shot 

 through the brain. It was one of the most successful 

 shots I ever made, but only one that any hunter ought to 

 be capable of making. Such is stiU-hunting, followed 

 carefully and patiently. I had all the deer I wanted, 

 though the guide was in for getting one of the does. He 

 felt sure that they had gone just over a little rise and 

 stopped. I would not follow them. But the tug of 

 getting the game out of the woods! That buck must ha,ve 

 weighed ISOlbs., after disembowelling. But we reached 

 the neighborhood of teams at last, and I have a fine head 

 and antlers as trophies of that day." 



The Harry Moore Party, told about in the Forest and 

 Stream last week, had a glorious hunt, on the same snow 

 mentioned by the gentleman above. Tliey wei-e fifteen 

 miles in from the Katahdin Iron Works, at Gerrish's 

 Camp, it will be remembered. But all of the story was 

 not told last week. There was not exactly a tenderfoot 

 in the party, but one of those nicest of men, whom it is a 

 pleasure to know — one that may be disturbed if his steak 

 is not done to a turn, or if there happens to be a wrinkle 

 in the sheets of his bed. He dearly loves to be with that 

 parly on their hunting and fi.shing trij^s, but oh the hard- 

 ship, the roughing — it causes! It hm-ts him to the very 

 core, and each time he calls himself a fool and vows he 

 will never do so again. On this trip it took considerable 

 urging to get him started, and even then he only grabbed 

 on to the hand-rail of the last car of the train, as it were, 

 with a thousand nli^givings. But the railway ride was 

 jolly and he IVlt quite cheerful till dinner had to be eaten 

 at 10 A. M., before entering the fifteen miles of woods to 

 the camp. "A pretty time for dinner!" he suggested. 

 "Who can eat anything at this time of day?" But the 

 party took hold, suggestmg to the growler that it was the 

 last opportimity for a meal till camp was reached. The 

 buckboard M'as mounted, nervous man seeking the betit 

 seat. The progress was slow, and the jolting fearful. 

 The unhappy one stood it for a number of miles, tUl his 

 store of patience was exliausted. He was heard mutter- 

 ing to himself "Curse a fool! ' On she went over logs, 

 over stones and into mudholes. "Curse a fool! What 

 am I here for anyway?" The end of the load where the 

 team would be able to haul more than the provisions was 

 reached and seven mih s umst now be made on foot, Tlie 

 growler could not walk; his shoes were too thin. But at 

 last, thoroughly worn out b_v the tremendous jolting and 

 twisting of the butkbuard, he took to his legs with the 

 others. They reachea camp, but not before dark, and 

 two hours ahead of the team on which was every scrap of 

 provisions, A co^d camp and no supper. Curse a fooll" 



