Jan. 12, 1895.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
23 
Louisana is largely composed of swainps, and that 
intense heat, malarial fevers and general unhealthful- 
ness prevail all the year round. Nothing conld bo more 
erroneous. The greater part of the State is dry. In the 
parishes along the Mississippi River and the Gulf, a 
small area comparatively, there are much swamp and 
marsh. It is hardly necessary to add that in the swamp 
region it is not healthy, though not so unhealthy as one 
might imagine. The State as a whole is remarkably 
healthy. There are none of the violent extremes of heat 
and cold which so sap the energies of the dwellers in 
the North, and which bring so much hardship to the 
poor and aged, the ones least able to stand the rigors of 
an exceedingly cold or warm climate. Life is much 
easier here, for the mild climate dispenses with the 
necessity of heavy clothing ; expensive homes built with 
a view to withstand the cold ; abundance of fuel and 
all the necessities enforced by six months of winter 
weather and barrenness. Neediness comes here only 
from prolonged negligence and shiftlessness, although 
the low price of cotton and the repeal of the sugar 
bounty have caused temporarily much financial distress. 
But financial distress here does not imply the domestic 
distress which comes from an empty pocketbook in the 
great agricultural districts above the snow belt. Wheat 
or corn may sell below the cost of produciton and desti- 
tution may follow, but who evei* heard of a famine in 
the South? The same effort of the wheat or corn growers 
applied in this country would produce far greater 
results. The winters are so mild that work can be car- 
ried on the year round. The growing season is so long 
that two crop of potatoes can be grown in one season, 
and the hardier vegetables can be grown all winter. 
Sugar growing requires a lot of capital, as at present 
conducted, but there is a tendency to smaller holdings of 
land and greater economy in the production of the cane. 
Much of the land is alluvial and wonderfully fertile. 
But, above all, for the sportsman it is a paradise. 
There are many varieties of game and abundance of 
each. Wild turkeys, deer, bear, ducks, geese and 
prairie chickens, the latter in the western part of the 
State, on the great prairies, once numerous, but now 
almost destroyed by the market shooters. Mr. A. Car- 
dona, Jr. , a famous sportsman of New Orleans, whose 
business requires several trips through the State each 
year, assured me that he did not think there were 500 
chickens left in the State, the market shooting causing 
the destruction. Quail are in abundance at all times and 
snipe and woodcock are in still greater abundance in the 
winter months. Here they avoid the cold of the 
North, and, as the snipe family congregate in the 
Southern coast country, some faint idea can be found of 
their number. They can be found plentiful in October 
and November, after which the most of them go still 
further Southwest, though a few stragglers remain dur- 
ing the winter. In February and March they are abun- 
dant again. Last week a gentleman who shot near 
Abbeville bagged over one hundred, which is not poor 
for a mid -winter day. 
Early in the present week, through the kindness of Mr. 
Poster, I had the pleasure of a shooting trip to Tangi- 
pahoa, situated on the Illinois Central Railroad, about 
eighty miles from New Orleans, in Tangipahoa Parish. 
A parish in Louisiana corresponds to a county in other 
States. The outlying country about Tangipahoa is cov- 
ered with pine woods, and has a poor soil with its con- 
sequent returns for the farmer's effort, but the pine 
woods of Louisiana is a favorite habitat of the quail, 
though they are in but moderate numbers about Tangi- 
pahoa. The straight, clean trunks of the pines, with no 
limbs lower than thirty or forty feet from the ground, 
and with abundance of opening between the trees which 
is entirely free of undergrowth, makes no destruction to 
good shooting. The flight of the birds can be marked 
so well that it is but little trouble to find them again 
after the first flush. 
We took the evening train so as to be ready for a good 
start in the morning. The indications were for pleasant 
weather, indications which proved disappointing, for a 
cold rain set in early in the morning, which, after about 
two hours' cessation, settled into a steady downfall. By 
Mr. Foster's prearrangeemnt we were met by Mr. R. S. 
Nicholson, who combines agriculture and dog training 
as an occupation, and he has a good patronage from 
Southern sportsmen, having in charge a number of dogs, 
some in training and others in condition for shooting. 
A drive to his home on the outskirts of the town, a quick 
rearrangement of the trip, three of us mounting horses, 
the "hack" filled with a relay of dogs and we were 
soon started for the pine woods close by. Mr. Nicholson 
had four dogs at heel, where they remained steadily, 
showing remarkable discipline. It is no small matter 
to train dogs to remain at heel behind "a horse. When 
ready for work he sent them out one at a time, working 
all four at once. I had some apprehension that there 
might be trouble in the way of a mix-up when birds 
were found, but, on the contrary, Mr. Nicholson had 
them so well trained that the work was quite finished. 
One would point and the rest would back. When 
searching for bevies they ranged independently and to 
the gun. 
The steady, cold rain became heavier, making most 
unfavorable conditions for finding birds, though three 
bevies were found by the dogs. Mr. Poster had his 
Antonio-Daisy hunter bitch Charlie along, giviug her 
commencement outing for the season's work. Notwith- 
standing her well rounded form, a product of good 
living, she ranged fast and well. She was left with Mr. 
Nicholson for further education. He handles quietly 
and skilfully, having learned the secret of training the 
dog to work intelligently to the gun without the offen- 
sive whistling and bawling so often heard, particulary 
at field trials. In his string was a dog owned by Mr. 
Omer Villere, who once was an active supporter of field 
trials. Another was owned by Mr. Pringle of Franklin, 
the famous snipe shot of Louisiana. The rain at last 
drove us to cover. We took the train in the evening for 
New Orleans. While we did not a have a big day from 
a shooter's standpoint, we had a pleasant one from any 
standpoint. 
A most remarkable feature of the return trip was the 
great number of shooters on the train. From Tangi- 
pahoa, more or less of the city shooters got aboard the 
train in twos and threes and small squads at every sta- 
tion. Some were deer hunters, some were duck shooters 
and a few were returning from a quail' shoot. None 
had any success, e but ir all' , were* : pleasant T rand satisfied. 
The smoking carrwas T filled, two men with two guns in 
each seat, and the shooting costumes T 1 were''as various as 
were the shooters. The next car had a lot of shooters 
also. I was told that nearly eveiy road centering in 
New Orleans had a similar patronage. B. Waters. 
A BLUENOSE BEAR FIGHT. 
Gideon Perkins of Hartland, Carleton County, had a 
controversy with a bear in haying time that discounts 
aiiy episode that ever ocourred to Gideon before. It was 
one of the longest and toughest bear fights on record. It 
bids fair to immortalize Gideon. No matter whero 
Gideon goes now his reputation travels in the same 
train. He is obliged to stop at every way station and 
water tank and explain the whole business. The facts 
related by Gideon are here given in Gideon's own 
words : 
"I claim that I had one of the most faithful dogs on 
earth. There was nothin' on dry ground he wouldn't 
tackle when I told him to. He was a sandy colored dog 
and I guess he was sand clean through. He was none 
of your milyun-doller peddigrees, but jist a regular', 
common, every-day dog. Likewise he was the most 
serious, solenr lookin' dog I ever see.*" 9 He was skeered 
o' nothin', and he was never knowed to bark, even at 
the full of the moon. 
"On Sunday, 'bouthayin' time, my little girl, Emer- 
enzy, she was over to ole Jeff Slocomb's house and one 
of the young wirnmin sings out: 'Emerenzy, what's 
that critter comin' down the line fence over on your 
alder flat?' 
"Sez Emerenzy, 'I don't know. ' 
" 'Well, ' says she, 'better go tell your ma 'bout it. ' 
' ' So over she comes and hollers to her ma, and her ma 
'lowed it was a bear. So Sybil, that's my wife, she runs 
down the hill on to our flat and the bear was makin' for 
the brook then, but the dog tackled him and drove him 
over the fence into Laskey's medder. So when she was 
goin' down one side of the fence the bear was comin' up 
tother, and there was bushes all along, and she couldn't 
see him, and the fust thing she rightly knowed the bear 
hops over the fence jist about foninst her, but mebbe a 
leetle slash ways. Laskey's wimmin see the bear and 
hollered across the flat for her to run. I guess the bear 
cal'lated to grab her, meetin' her so sudden like, but 
jist then the dog jumps over the fence and nips him in 
a tender pint and the bear wheels and makes a swipe at 
him and then heads into a clump of bushes and hard- 
hack on my front. 
"Then Sybil, that's my wife, she makes a beeline for 
the cow yard, where I was, and sez she: 'Gid, the 
biggest bear I ever see sence I was raised is down on 
our flat !' 
"I sez to the boys: 'Git the axe and we'll go down 
and have some fun. ' 
"There was young Beniah Slote and Charlie Callop 
and Ben Laskey, and the women came along, too, and 
the hull passel of us went down together. I stationed 
'em all along the brow of the hill to head off the bear 
while I went into the bushes with the dog to drive him 
out. In two shakes of a lamb's tail the dog rout the 
bear, and the fust I knowed he came tearin' by me, 
crashin' through the hard rack and growlin' like mad. 
I had no axe nor nothin', but I made straight for him. 
He went smash through the alders and up the hill, and 
the dog after him and me after the dog. When he 
comes to the clearin' the dog nails him agin. Ben 
Laseky said every hair on the bear was standin' on end 
and Lish Wilson said he see the bear chuck the dog over 
the top of the alders seven fe^t in the air ! Then young 
Beniah and this here Laskey makes across and heads 
the bear off and fetches him with a rock 'bout as big as 
my head. With that the bear turns tail for the woods 
agin. ' He come right on to me makin' fifteen foot a 
spring and the dog nippin' him near about every 
spring. I stepped behind an ole rampike that was 
there, and the bear was so rattled that he ran agin the 
rampike full split and canted over on his back. He riz 
up quick and started for the brook, but the dog kep'' 
orderin' steak all the time and the fust I knowed down 
they went in the mud, bear on top, dog underneath. I 
thought the dog was a goner, but he wiggled out under 
the pie somehow and nipped the bear close to the gam- 
ble jint. With that the bear fetches the dog a regular 
stinger and knocks him clean off the lot, and +acks up 
an ole road that made through the bushes right into my 
medder. 
"Now, Sybil, that's my wife, she was standin' 
right there to see which way he'd go, and the bear 
went tearin' by her so close that she declared if -she'd 
only had the broomstick she could have knocked him 
cold ! By this time the dog and the bear was gittin' 
pretty well played. Howsomever, the bear started to 
get over the line fence into Laskey's f oiler and the dog 
pulled him back. He tried agin, and the dog pinned 
him agin. The third hitch he got over. That kep' him 
back some and when I came along tire bear was makin' 
for the high laud across the plowed field, but Lish 
Whalen's boys hammered him with a fence rail, and he 
turned back agin and made for the brook. Ole Nige 
Whalen set the dog on, but the bear ketched he dog 
where Mary wore the beads and chucked him over the 
bank into the brook. Then I started across a kind of 
ox-bow to head the bear off. It was gittin' 'bout sun- 
down and Lish Whalen's boys and Ole Nige hung back 
and said it was no use folerin' the bear any furder. 
Sez I: 'I'm goin' to have that bear or know the reason 
why. ' I had no weapon in my hand, but I jist cal'lated 
he was my bear and nobody else's. 
' ' When I cut across the ox bow and came up to the 
bear he was gittin' mighty tired. I told the dog to take 
hold of him, and he did, and with that the bear wheeled 
and rolled j clean over him and I thought my dog was 
gone, sure. He was out of sight so long that I cal'lated 
for a spell that he must be inside the bear. Howsom- 
ever, I picked up a big rock and pounded the bear in 
the head, and that took his 'tention so the dog climbed 
out from under and off he goes agin straight for the 
woods. I guess when landed in the woods he got his 
dander up and cal'lated to have it out right here. He 
came rollin' and wallerin' down a little piece of swaley 
ground that was .there, straight for me, and when he 
got abotit ten feet away he sot up on his hind legs and 
snapped his teeth at- me like's if I was very unpopular. 
"Howsomever/ when I see the ole feller headin' this 
way there was a club 'bout as big round as my wrist 
layin' round in the road and I picks it up and prepares 
fer battle. The club was all dotey, but I didn't have 
time to see whether it was good or bad. I didn't run a 
mite, but stood my ground. When he come within 
range I whacked him over the head as tight as I could 
lick, but I broke the club the first whack, and it took 
no effect on him whatsomever. Thinks sez I: Ole 
feller, you're bound to make a meal off me this time 
sure. I backs up a step or two and then he didn't come 
quite so rash. Still he kep' movin' my way and he was 
jist goin' to clinch me when I hollered fer the dog, and 
the dog ran in and ordered more steak and the ole feller 
reached for him, and then tumbled right over back- 
wards. But he was on his feet in a jiffy, and fer quite 
a spell the dog and him had it nip and tuck, and there 
•was enuff hair flew to stuff a pillow case. Acorse the. 
dog went under and I went in and pounded the bear to 
make him let up on the dog. I really 'magined then I 
was never goin' to see that dog agin alive. I laid over 
him so hard that he left the dog and made a pass at me 
and when I jumped back the bear started to run. He 
was so tired then his tongue was hangin' out 'bout a 
yard. I told the dog to take hold of him, and the bear 
faced round and showed fight. 
' 1 There was an ole pine root right there, and the bear 
backed up agin the root and faced us. I could see he 
was spaxrirr fer wind, and I guess fer a fact the dog 
and me was pretty much as badly blowed as he was. I 
kept hollerin' all the time fer help and quite a crowd 
got round outside, but they 'peared a little bashful 
'bout comin' in. The bear got uneasy 'bout so much 
holllerin', — he cal'lated this was jist a private scrap I 
guess, and off he starts agin. I told the dog to clinch 
him, and as I did the bear made a bolt and clinched the 
' dog. That was a signal for me ter sail in, and I did 
sail in and walloped him till I made his head ache. 
With that he drops the dog and makes off agin. There 
was a little brook ran down there through a kind of ole 
cedar swamp and the bear got over the brook, but on 
tother side the bank was pretty steep. As the bear 
went up the bank the dog nabbed him and hauled him 
back. He fetched the dog a winder in the bread room 
and tried it once more. But the dog meant business 
jist the same as I did. He took a mouthful out of the 
bear and then both bear and the dog keeled over in the 
brook. There they both sot within a yard of each 
other, the bear lookin' at the dog and the dog lookin' at 
the bear, and their tongues hangin' out, like's if they 
was jist havin' a nice little sociable bath together on a 
hot day. 
"Then I thought it was about time to close the agry- 
ment. I fetched the bear on the nose with the club, 
but as I did he made a glom for my leg and ketched my 
foot. I sprung back to clear myself, but my foot was 
fast and I w ent over on the broad of my back. I sposed 
the bear woidd be on top of me that minnit, but the dog 
took another sample out of him and he wheeled and 
grappled with the dog. When I got up the bear and dog 
was havin' a tussle in the brook, and the water was 
flyin' in all directions. I sailed in with club and 
pounded him three or four times across the small of the 
back, and when the dog clim from under him, there sot 
the three of us in the water, him as innocent and 
friendly as you please and the dog on one side and. me 
on the other. W T e didn't move for quite a spelL but 
every feller yarded out his tongue fer all he was worth. 
' ' I hollered fer help as soon as I could ketch my breath, 
and bimeby Melkisedek Sloat came in with the axe. He 
made a blow at the bear when he was mor'n twenty 
feet away I sez : 'Melky, don't be scared, oomeup close 
and hit him in the he^id. ' I guess Melky was afeared 
he'd overreach him. Second time he struck he was only 
'bout six feet from the bear. I sez : ' Melky, come up 
and hit the bear or else gimme the axe. ' With that his 
prejudis agin the bear 'peared to wear off, and he come 
up and hit him a corker with the pole of the axe. The 
bear reached fer Melky, but jist then he got another 
clout, and rolled over on his side and that was the end 
of him. 
"I never did see sich a whopper of a bear in all my 
life. He was jist rollin', swimmin', yon might say, 
in fat. It took eight or ten of us to haul him out of the 
swamp, and when we hitched ole May and the drag 
onto him the horse couldn't haul him mor'n three or 
four rod till he had to stop and rest. I had a set of 
scales in my barn that would lift four hundred pounds, 
and another that would lift three hundred, and we 
jacked the bear up to both pair of scilyards and then we 
couldn't weigh him. Ical'late the heft of that bear was 
about 800 pounds. 
"Sol really think I had one of the most f aithf ullest 
dogs that any man ever had. Howsomever, that fight 
'bout finished him. Fust he took to barkin' in his sleep. 
Then he took to howling all night long. Bimeby he 
'peared to have the agoo or 'stericks or somethin', and 
never stopped shiverin. ' But last Sunday morning he 
stopped barkin' and shiverin' forever, so Lish Whalen's 
boys and me carried the mortal remains of the ole feller 
over in the cedar swamp and berried him by the brook 
where he nipped the bear for the last time. ' ' 
Feedeeictton, N. B. Prowler. 
TRAVE LING IN LUXtlRY. 
Southern Railway (Piedmont Air Line) New Florida 
Short Line Limited. 
Ever ready to provide everything for the accommodation of the 
patrons, the Southern Railway Company has added to their service 
a new train to the South known as the New York and Florida Short 
Line, Limited, which is, beyond doubt, one of the finest trains in 
the world. The Dinlnn and Sleeping Oars are all of the Pullman 
Company's most modern make and are but a few weeks from the 
shops, the Southern Railway and the Pennsylvania Railway being 
the only lines who have as yet received anv of the new Pullman 
Compartment Sleeping Cars. 
The New York a d Florida Short Line Limited leaves the Penn- 
sylvania depot dnily at 3.20 p.m. It is a solid Pullman Vestibule 
d ain and runs between New York and St. Augustine, carrying also 
through sleeper Ne'v York to Tampa and Augusta ; the train is com- 
posed of dining car, compartment, drawing room and state- 
room sleeping cars. The stateroom sleeping cars enable one to en- 
joy perfect seclusion, the same as a drawing room, cost being little 
more than a section in ordinary Bleeper, each stateroom being pro- 
vided with two berths, wash basin, lavatory, etc. Passengers on 
this train go through to St, Augustine and Th rapa without changes, 
dinner being served at Jaeks©nvllle at seven o'clock, St. Augustine 
8.15 p. m„ on the evening of toe day after leaving New York.— Mv, 
i 
