June 39, 1895.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
B27 
long festoons of gray Spanish moss, which the heavy 
wind that was blowing swayed and tossed in the wildest 
manner conceivable. 
Sam and I busied ourselves about collecting wood for 
the fire and erecting the tent while Tom prepared supper. 
We gathered armful after armful of moss which the wind 
had dried and filled the tent nearly up to the ridge with 
It. Over this we spread a couple of blankets, and after 
supper, when everything had been made secure for the , 
night, and while a clear streak of grayish light, which 
extended clear across the western horizon, was rapidly 
growing broader and broader, which made Sam remark, 
"Wind soM-west to-morrow and plenty of it," we, dog 
and all, crawled under our little tent. Our tired bodies 
sunk to the farthest depths that our full weight would al- 
low them to into a bed that was truthfully softer than 
any bed of down, and with the far-off hoot of an owl 
stealing over our senses as in a dream all sunk into the 
sweetest and most restful slumbers. 
T was awakened about 3 A. M. by the dog. He was 
acting in an uneasy, suspicious manner. He would whine 
and tremble and try to get closer to us, which he couldn't 
do very well, as he was pressed right against our feet. I 
wondered what was the matter with him, when suddenly 
from out of the depth of the wood there issued the wild- 
est, wierdest, most blood-curdling screech or scream I 
ever heard. It woke Sam and Tom with a start. It was 
repeated twice after that, but not so loud as the first time, 
seeming as though it was farther away each time. What 
it was I don't know. We never found out, but we made 
up our minds that it was a panther and I have always 
thought so since. 
Whatever it was, it started the owls going all around 
us. I should think half a dozen gathered in the tree 
over our heads, and of all the confounded hootings and 
yawpings ever listened to by man I think theirs was 
decidedly the worst. 
We couldn't get to sleep again so long as they per- 
sisted in keeping their confab going, so we lay and 
talked, and laughed now and then at some of the ridicu- 
lous noises they would make. It was quite a comedy. 
We were not very sleepy, anyhow. We had gone to 
bed so early that we had had eight or nine hours' good 
solid sleep. But the owls finally "let up" somewhere 
in the neighborhood of 4 o'clock, and we gradually, one 
by one, dropped off to sleep again, and didn't awake 
until the sun was quite high. 
In spite of our being disturbed and awakened from 
sound sleep, we had rested as only exhaustion, result- 
ing from hard exercise in the pure air under the free 
heavens, can make a true lover of nature and nature's 
hardship rest. 
We didn't hurry about getting away that morning, but 
took our time. When we did finally cast off the line that 
held our little vessel fast, and spread her single sail to the 
breeze, which was, as Sam said it would be, "from the 
southwest," it must have been nearly 11 o'clock, and a 
fine day it was, too, as bright and pure as it could be. 
Although the wind was not favorable, being almost 
ahead, necessitating a long leg and a short one, we did 
not mind that much. It gradually increased in weight 
though, fulfilling Sam's prediction to the letter. 
It wasn't long before we bad all we could conveniently 
stagger under. But Sam, who held the tiller, handled 
her in the most marvelous manner. I would have upset 
her a dozen times. But Sam, with the tiller in one hand 
and the main sheet in the other, was just in his glory. 
The wind came in hard, sharp puffs, so one minute we 
would be sailing comfortably enough, considering the 
short, choppy sea that was running, and the next minute 
it would hit her so suddenly that Sam would have to let 
fly sheet, and luff as quick as you could say scat. Then 
again she would almost stand still, in regular sharpie 
fashion. Sometimes she would actually begin to go 
astern before she could be brought to her course again. 
She wouldn't get very far before the whole performance 
would have to be gone through with again. 
About noontime we passed Tocoi on the left bank. We 
didn't make much progress this day. About three 
o'clock we saw a tempting looking lot of orange trees, 
all by themselves, on the east shore. We landed, ex- 
pecting to find a house near by, but there wasn't one 
within miles. It was such a desirable looking place for a 
camp, however, and the wind was blowing so hard 
and. unfavorable, that we decided to spend the night 
there. 
We soon had the tent up, right in the midst of the 
grove. It wasn't a great while before moss was gathered, 
and beds were made. Then we cut the trunk of a huge 
fallen tree into three pieces. We rolled the middle log 
in front of the tent for a seat. In front of the log we 
prepared a place for our camp-fire. 
Thinking it would be a good idea to try an orange, I 
selected a nice one and peeled it carefully. Then I broke 
out a section and put it in my mouth. One section was 
enough, and too much, too. I didn't try any more of that 
kind of oranges while in Florida. They were wild"; and 
no wonder there was not a house near them. I did not 
say anything, but let Sam and Tom get their dose, which 
they were not long in doing. 
The river here, I should judge, is at least two miles 
wide; yet that evening, while we were gathered around 
the camp-fire eating supper shortly after sunset, the sound 
of a darky singing as he rowed came plainly to us, the 
singer being clear across the river under the west shore. 
The wind had died with the sun and the surface of the 
river was as smooth as a mirror, so the voice of the rower, 
floating to us as it did in the soft twilight, sounded very 
sweet, distance smoothing off the rough edges. 
We sat around the fire until late into the night, talking 
over the events of the day and devising plans for the 
future. With the aid of our boat, maps and compass we 
depended on ourselves altogether. 
There is not that wild, careless freedom in living in a 
hotel that there is when you have to depend on yourself, 
your boat, camp-fire and little tent. No. Let those who 
prefer them have their hotels. But as for me, give me 
the free outdoors, with its smiling blue skies, its rippling 
rilla, shimmering lakes and flowing rivers, its mighty for- 
ests and bouudless plains, its golden sunsets and blushing 
mornings. Let me pitch my little tent near Old Ocean, 
where I caa hear his mighty voice as it roars along the 
sands, Let me enjoy all these things and I would ask 
but one thing more, and that would be, "that my pen 
might be dipped in the fountain of eloquence," so that I 
could itell of these blessings in such a manner that my fel- 
low gian, who loyes $hese gifts of nature as I do, but who, 
on account of circumstances over which he has no control, 
never can enjoy them in the body, might be carried among 
them in fancy. 
We slept well along into the morning next day; and 
when we finally did turn out it was such a nice day and 
such an elegant camp, and we felt so lazy, that it was 
voted to spend another day here. After breakfast I 
called the dog, and taking a six-shooter cavalry revolver 
started through the hammock into the thick pine woods 
for a stroll. Such woods as these were I never saw be- 
fore. As far as the eye could penetrate, nothing but tall 
straight yellow pines met the gaze. A very easy place, 
these woods, for a green camper to get lost, for every part 
of the forest looks alike. But I had no fear of losing 
myself, as I had a good pocket compass with me, and 
didn't intend to go far enough, from the river to do so. 
I was sauntering along in a lazy manner, when suddenly 
the dog, in advance of me, set up a furious barking. I 
hurried ahead, keeping a cautious lookout the while, for 
fear he might have had a rattler or something as bad. He 
had found something, as I soon discovered, but it was no 
rattler. Before I knew it, I found myself in the midst of 
a whole family of skunks. As soon as they saw me they 
began to shoot. I succeeded in killing four of them with 
the revolver, and then had to retreat. 
I left the skunks, but not their essence. I think it took 
a month to get entirely rid of that. I didn't have to tell 
them where I had been when we reached camp. In fact, 
they knew before we reached there. All that day, when- 
ever I happened to cast my eyes in the direction of the 
dog, I would almost invariably find him eyeing me in the 
most appealing, reproachful manner imaginable. Then if 
any of us approached him, he would get up, and with 
arched back and tail and ears hanging, and a look of 
apology out of the corner of his eye, take himself away 
to the darkest corner of the camp. I suppose he thought 
that I had set that trap for his particular benefit. 
We were astir bright and early next morning and were 
off almost as soon as the sun rose. It proved to be an- 
other grand day, with no sign of cloud and just breeze 
enough from the west. The river opened to us in a suc- 
cession of lakes. In fact, that is what it is practically 
from mouth to source. 
I remember that day as though it were yesterday. The 
air was soft and balmy and the surface of the river was 
ruffled over with little waves, which sparkled and scin- 
tillated in thousands of dazzling prisms and brilliant 
colors, and lipped, splashe i and tinkled merrily under 
the bows and the counter. Every now and then a flock 
of blue or white cranes would sail through the air over- 
head, or some river craft would come steaming by. There 
were two kinds of stern-wheelers — one the modern screw 
propeller, looking clean, neat and business-like; the other 
was what Tom designated "the saw-mill engine propeller." 
Craft of this class received propulsion from one large 
paddle-wheel hung on the stern, which did not give them 
a very nautical look, I must confess. In passing, the 
noise of their machinery sounded as much like a saw mill 
as anything else. 
About 11 o'clock we were off Federal Point. I was at 
the tiller. Tom was attending to something forward and 
Sam was stretched at full length on the cabin top, when a 
puff struck us so suddenly and unexpectedly that I had 
not time to let go the sheet. All I could do was to shove 
the tiller hard down. She all but capsized. I was sur- 
prised when I found that we would not have to swim. 
As it was, the cockpit was fullof water and everything in 
the cabin was afloat on account of the water pouring 
through the open companionway. There was no indica- 
tion of anything of the kind until it happened. We 
always after that kept the sheet in hand with one turn 
around a cleat. 
We noticed many beautiful orange groves between this 
place and Palatka, which place we reached about 3 o'clock 
that afternoon. We tried to buy some bread, but they 
didn't keep it. Then we asked for cake, but the clerk 
said they had nothing but sweet crackers and ginger 
snaps, so we bought 5 or 61bs. of ginger snaps. I was 
surprised to find that most of this kind of pastry sold 
down here came from a New Haven concern. We were 
never able to buy bread in any of the stores, as they 
didn't keep it, so we had to get along on our pilot bread, 
which is good enough for anybody with a good appetite. 
We were never able to obtain butter. 
We passed San Mateo about 5 o'clock, and when it 
began to get dark tied up to the wharf at Rolleston. 
While we were eating supper a cloud of blind mosquitoes 
settled all over us. They don't bite, but it is almost as 
bad, as they fill eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, and in 
fact all parts of one's body that are exposed. The more 
one mops the faster they seem to come. They disap- 
peared as suddenly as they came, however, and we were 
glad they did, for such familiar neighbors are not apt to 
suit the fancy. 
Sam and I prepared our bed on the cabin top that 
night, with the tent stretched over the boom for a roof. 
Tom slept in the cabin and the dog monopolized the 
cockpit. We slept pretty soundly until near morning, 
when we were awakened by feeling cold. 
We didn't get asleep again after this, as it grew colder 
and colder, and by sunrise it was so cold that we were 
thoroughly chilled to the very marrow. This ^as a great 
surprise, coming after such a warm day. 
We did not tarry to prepare breakfast, but he is ted sail 
and started to find warmer quarters. We kept a sharp 
lookout on either bank, trying to find a suitable place to 
build a fire, but nothing met our gaze but one continuous 
swamp, so we finally gave up the idea; running the 
Rambler to the leeward side of a clump of trees and 
bushes that grew out of the shallow water on the east 
side of the river, where we could receive the full benefit 
of the sun's rays. 
At the same time we anchored, lit the oil stove and 
started some coffee to boiling. It seemed impossible to 
get warm, no matter how we tried, as it grew colder and 
colder. After breakfast it was decided to continue up the 
river until we should find a good place to camp, and to 
stay until it got warm again, so we were soon flying up 
the river before the heavy north wind. 
We sailed eight or ten miles before finding a suitable 
place. Both banks were nothing but dreary, dismal 
swamps, and as we rounded bend after bend, we began to 
despair of finding a place at all. Finally there, directly 
ahead, was a nice, high, dry spot, covered with pine and 
cypress trees intermixed with palmettoep, froni the 
branches of which the long gray moss waving in the wind 
seemed to beckon us on, 
Just as we were in the midst of pitching things out on 
the bank, preparatory to making camp, we were surprised 
to observe a young fellow walking rapidly toward us out 
of the hammock. He said the land belonged to his 
father, but that we could camp there if we wished, and 
around the next bend we would find a much better place. 
Rounding the point, we found the highest piece of land 
we had met with since leaving Jacksonville. It was a 
shell mound, and made an excellent place to camp. There 
was a line of trees at the foot of the mound along the edge 
of the water. 
Our tent being so small and low, we gathered a lot of 
palmetto leaves, and after driving a number of stakes in 
the ground, the same dimensions as the tent in length and 
width, and about three feet in height, we thatched them 
all around with the palmetto leaves, making good sub- 
stantial sides, which proved an excellent protection both 
against wind and rain. Over these sides we erected the 
tent for a roof. 
After two or three hours' work, we had the most perfect 
camp we enjoyed while in Florida. We spent three 
weeks here, and enjoyed ourselves hugely. 
Wm. H. Avis. 
[to be concluded.] 
THE "FLAG-TAIL" DEER. 
Hon. H. C. King: Dear Sir — My attention was first 
directed to the small mountain deer, mentioned in your 
letter, during the spring and summer of 1885, while in 
camp at Nevill's Springs, Tex., ten miles north of the 
Chisos Mountains. Deer were very scarce from the fact 
that a hide-hunter named Sparrow, from the town of Fort 
Davis, had spent the winter in and about the Ohisos, and 
had, it was reported, sent out upward of 600 skins, leaving 
the carcasses to rot on the ground. That numbers had 
been so killed I know from the great number of remains I 
found in the country. 
As this was not the hunting season, I devoted most of 
my time to becoming familiar with the country by fre- 
quent scouts. Later on, the Seminole scouts were sent in 
temporarily, their places being taken by white soldiers, 
mostly recruits and very indifferent hunters; so that, in 
order to get some fresh meat to serve as a necessary change 
from our daily bacon, I felt constrained to turn pot-hunter 
in spite of the season. 
While scouting I had seen three deer in the large and 
well-wooded canon which comes out from the north of 
the mountain^ They were well up above us on the 
mountain side, had large white tails, and seemed but lit- 
tle larger than jack rabbits. This small size I attributed 
to the probability of their being much further off than 
they appeared to be — a most common source of error in 
that climate. The presence of white-tail deer so far from 
the river valley surprised me, and I mentioned this to Mr. 
Brough, an old western Texas hunter, who was prospect- 
ing in the Big Bend. He told me that they were not the 
common deer, but a much smaller variety, very much 
resembling them, and differing from them principally in 
the relatively much larger white tail, on account of which 
they were called "flag-tail" deer. 
When, therefore, I found that it would be necessary to 
go out myself in order to get some venison, I determined 
to visit this csfion, knowing that the does would probably 
be alone in the brush and that the three deer seen together 
were quite likely bucks. 
Taking one man, private Bohn, with me, I rode to the 
canon, about twelve miles distant, and soon found my 
three deer. They ran over a high spur into a side canon. 
Sending the man with the horses to the narrow mouth of 
this caiion, I climbed over the dividing ridge and found 
the deer in the narrow valley about 400ft. below me. 
They were in a box canon from which escape seemed im- 
possible, and I was confident that I had them all, only 
debating in mind whether I should kill two, one to each 
horse, or else kill them all and send back after them. 
Not waiting to recover my breath from the steep climb I 
fired, but without effect; a second shot had the same 
result, and the deer, becoming fully alarmed, scampered 
up the opposite wall over ground that I believed imprac- 
ticable for a goat. 
Returning to the horses we continued up the main 
ceilon a short distance, when the ground becoming too 
broken, we dismounted, tied the horses and proceeded on 
foot, taking opposite sides. Soon after, while climbing 
up a steep and wooded bluff, so difficult that it was only 
by hanging to roots and boughs that I could keep from 
falling back, I heard a rustling just above me, and look- 
ing saw, not 15ft. away, a small deer dodging about the 
rocks and brush, not trying to run, but rather to hide — 
like a squirrel or a wounded bird. It was impossible to 
shoot, as I had but one hand free and could get no foot- 
ing, and the boughs prevented my using the carbine with 
one hand. Moving on to where I could get a foothold it 
would be necessary to take my eyes from the deer, which 
would either have disappeared behind a jutting rock or a 
bush. In this manner, clambering back and forth, I got 
four or five glimpses of it, always only a few feet off and 
apparently unalarmed, but every time I was either un- 
able to shoot or else it succeeded in dodging out of sight 
before I could fire. Eventually, overcome with heat and 
fatigue, I had to give it up, although I knew that the 
deer was not 50ft. from me when I finally scrambled to 
the summit. I was thoroughly disgusted, hot and tired, 
and covered with bruises and scratches; for more than 
fifteen minutes I had been playing at hide and seek with 
a deer so close that at times I might have caught it with 
a shepherd's crook. 
While resting on the top I noticed that the hill fell off 
abruptly .into another canon. Some 200ft. below me was 
a circular moth of scrub oak. I could see that Bohn was 
about half a mile off across the main canon. I set about, 
therefore, in the unsportsman-like business of rolling 
boulders over the cliff toward the thickets. Three or four 
had crashed through the brush, making a tremendous 
noise, when finally another one flushed two deer which 
had been in the small clump all the time; I got a hurried 
shot at them as they scampered over the next ridge, but 
missed. This showed me two things: that the deer were 
lying in the thickets and, to borrow from the bird hun- 
ter's vernacular, they were lying mighty close. Follow- 
ing on I came to a }evel bench covered with spiub, and, 
