262 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
[OOT, 3, 1896. 
THE BOUNDLES S CONTINENT IS YOURS. 
Camp Life in Maine Woods. In the Adirondack Wilderness. 
Ducks on the Qulf Coast. Minnesota Chicken Prairies. 
Elk Mid Olympic Peaks. Deer in Canadian Wilds. 
TYROS IN THE MAINE WOODS. 
Hhere comes a month in every year, 
A month of leisure and peaceful rest, 
When the ripe leaves fall and the air is clear: 
October, the brown, the crisp, the blest. 
— NestrnvJc. 
In that bright autumn morning our train, with ita 
affable conductor, accommodating brakeman and one 
passenger besides ourselves, at last came to a standstill. 
The road went no further, and our wonder was that it 
ever extended so far. Alighting, we had our first glance 
at the dej 2cted-looking village of Limonite. Its blast 
furnaces, which once clouded* the sky with columns of 
smoke, as thousands of tons of molten ore poured from 
their cupolas, were now wrapped in the dreary silence of 
abandonment. The entrances were closed, the eharcoal 
bins were empty, the windows broken, the refuse ore 
overrun with vines and wild asters, while hundreds of 
tons of iron in the pig, ready for shipment and awaiting 
a market, rose out of the tall grasses in huge piles. 
The touch of decay rested on all the works of man, and 
nature was stoutly asserting itself and reclaiming its 
own. 
The narrow bridge which spanned the clear stream 
that rippled over its bed of oxidized stones and boulders 
was sadly worn, meekly wearing the desolate looks of its 
surroundings. The little hotel gave out the only signs of 
activity in the place. Nearly every person arriving for 
business, hunting, fishing or other pastime, passes through 
the hands of "mine host." He controls the township, 
with its one farm, few gardens and established camps, 
A shrewd Yankee is he, who proposes to secure his share 
of the two or three millions of dollars left in the Pine 
Tree State yearly by the lovers of outdoor life. 
West and north of Limonite a view of rare beauty and 
graudeur appears. Mountain elevations arise, glowing 
in the sunshine, brilliant in color and impressive beyond 
description, while in the valley below nestles one of the 
loveliest sheets of water that ever adorned a landscape. 
What matter if one small bay of the lake holds 2,000,000 ft, 
of logs stripped from the neighboring mountain side, or 
that the waters on one side dash over the huge rafts and 
on the other wash the crumbling foundations of the de- 
serted, dismantled old saw mill which should have been 
converting these same logs into lumber? Certainly the 
scene was in picturesque harmony with all the environ- 
ments. Beyond the beautiful sky line of hills lies Moose- 
head Lake, and old White Cap through the mists that 
rest upon its summit peers over tne unbroken forest 
that intervenes to the more remote Katahdin which rises 
in grand and lofty sublimity in its primeval solitude in 
the north. 
It is little wonder that people go to this quiet place for 
rest and recreation. The waters abound in trout, deer 
are fairly plentiful in the forest around, and caribou and 
moose not uncommon, while 
"The whispering air 
Sends inspiration from the mountain height." 
At the hotel were a few guests long familiar with Lim- 
onite and its principal attractions, and to one gentleman 
and his estimable wife in particular our party was 
indebted for valuable information and advice which 
greatly promoted the success of our outing. 
Our camp on Pine Mountain was reached by a three- 
mile ride from the hotel into the wilderness on a two- 
horse buckboard and a four-mile climb beyond on foot 
up the iiank of the mountain, our luggage and supplies 
being taken in on a Jumper or rude sled made of poles 
and drawn by a pair of stout horses. One of our party, 
by reason of a late accident, made the latter part of the 
journey in the saddle, but with no great pleasure or com- 
fort. We soon came to respect the intelligence and cau- 
tion of these backwoods horses, as they made their way 
around boulders, over fallen tree trunks, through swampy 
spots which seemed to have no bottom, along narrow 
paths where compression was essential to safety, and 
across turbulent water courses on corduroy coverings 
which slipped and rolled under their feet in a perilous 
way. Had one of the animals been caught attempting to 
climb a tree it would have been cause for little astonish- 
ment. One slope of Pine Mountain paused halfway 
down its descent on its southerly exposure, and stretched 
out into a level plateau in which reposed two miniature 
lakes, the overflow from which found its way down the 
mountain to the beautiful body of water at Limonite. 
Near these twin tarns our camp was situated. 
It had been long established, and was originally erected 
as a resort for the few anglers who knew of and valued 
the trout fishing in the nearby waters. Now the camp 
is mostly used by hunters in the autumn, the trout having 
become so depleted in numbers as to afford less attraction 
than formerly. 
The cabin was of good size — 15 X Sift, perhaps — built 
of logs, with puncheon floor and pitch roof covered with 
tarred paper. Two small windows gave light to the 
interior and a thick plank door protected the entrance, 
over which a horseshoe was fastened on the inside and 
the antlers of a caribou on the outside. A cook stove and 
four double berths were permanent fixtures, but nearly 
everything else that might be required visiting parties 
supplied for themselves. In this small home, amid the 
spruce and birch trees, we took up our abode for a two 
weeks' sojourn, our vacation being timed to give a few 
days' fishing before the close of the season, 
A small rill trickled down a diminutive ravine within 
25ft. of the cabin door and supplied all the water we re- 
quired. From the highest of three shallow weUs we took 
what was needed for drinking and cooking purposes, the 
next lower basin served as our wash bowl, while in the 
lowest our trout were cleaned. The year previous another 
party, with the same guide, had used the little stream for 
a similar purpose, and one night after the evening pipes 
were lighted and the evening talk was well under way 
there came up from the gully a cry so startling, frightful 
and unearthly as to render them speechless and nearly 
paralyzed. One of the company, however, stealthily 
opened the door and discharged his rifle in the direction 
of the noise. As the sheet of flame streamed into the 
ravine the tawny form of a panther, with the wrath and 
snarling of a hundred devUs, dashed up the slight bank 
toward the cabin. The door was hastily closed and 
fastened, none too soon, and the infuriated beast dashed 
past and took refuge in a spruce tree not 13ft. from the 
building. In its mad fury the animal sent out its de- 
moniac cries, all the while tearing and scattering the 
bark and branches of the tree in every direction. 
It was some hours before the brute's anger subsided, 
and it took its departure sending back threatening yells of 
defiance as it made its way up the mountain side out of the 
hearing of the excited listeners, "I don't know how the 
other fellows felt, but I tell you I was skeered," remarked 
our guide as he told of the incident. Fortunately for us 
our party experienced no similar adventure, although some 
individuals had exciting ones. Mostly ours was a quiet, 
delightful life, not devoid of its humorous side. 
The red squirrels scolded us from nearby stumps and 
the Canada jay or moose bird was our unfrightened door 
yard scavenger. Ruffed grouse were numerous and 
quietly waited the'hunter's convenience to remove their 
heads with a rifle bullet. In one day eleven were thus 
decapitated and brought in. Two owls flitted past at 
twilight and later in the night hooted at or for us, and by 
the tracks discovered in the morning we know that just 
above the line of light shining through our little window 
deer had stood to view the fascinating spectacle. A few 
trout were taken in the small lakes and their outflowing 
stream, but the greatest success was found at Wildwood 
Pond, near the topmost peak of Pine Mountain, The 
pond is so secluded and difiBcult of access as to be little 
known or frequented. Its waters literally swarm with 
trout. A short time only was needed to take a supply 
that grew very heavy before the cabin was in sight once 
more. 
We had but one guide, as most of us preferred to hunt 
alone in a lazy sort of way. The trend of the country 
around our camp was such that danger of becoming lost 
in the wilderness was small, and a guide was needed more 
for his general knowledge of the locality and for camp 
duties and advice than for a hunting companion. 
There are guides who charge high wages for which they 
give little service in return; there are guides who like, to 
do most of the shooting and little of the camp work; there 
are guides who go into the woods just before taking a 
party in and skin off the cream of the hunting for them- 
selves, and there are guides who are thoroughly honor- 
able and do their best for their patrons. Such men as the 
last are worth all they ask or receive for their services. 
Good Dame Fortune sent Theron to us. He was familiar 
with all the vast wilderness lying east and south of Moose- 
head Lake. His canoes were carefully placed on ponds 
and streams for quick handling if the hunt required. His 
the feet which had stood on almost every mountain top 
and traversed well nigh every water course in this wild 
region. His the knowledge that had been utilized to 
locate and construct the lumber roads and camps through- 
out these primeval forests, and his the rifle at whose 
voice many a moose and startled buck had responded with 
its last convulsive struggle. 
When we went into camp the heavy Marlin rifle, which 
was Theron's favorite arm, was in the hands of a gun- 
smith, and for use imtil its return his partner in wood- 
craft, dwelling over the mountain, had loaned him a much 
lighter weapon of small caliber. Late one afternoon, 
while awaiting the return of the scattered hunters, Theron 
sauntered out for a short walk, taking his way across the 
slight ridge that separated the twin lakelets, a rifle shot or 
two from camp. 
The magazine of his little gun held all the cartridges he 
possessed— four in number. Beyond a point of land ex- 
tending into the pond he came suddenly upon a bull 
moose standing leg deep in the water, O, for a moment's 
use of the heavy Marlin I But the little li&i did its best, 
and sent its quartette of messengers in rapid succession 
into the huge body with all its propelling force. It was 
not enough. Crippled and faint, the animal staggered and 
tried to keep his footing. Theron dashed into the water, 
trusting to his strength and skill to overcome the brute; but 
was forced to return, as the moose made a mad, blind rush 
toward him. To keep the animal in the water until he 
fell was Theron's aim. If the beast had not been in such 
sore distress, faint and sinking, the hunter would never 
have dared to risk what he did. He quickly discovered 
that his knife had been left in the cabin and that he had 
nothing except his hands with which to fight the battle. 
Slowly the great head with its splendid antlers sank 
until the quivering nostrils met the water; the bracing 
limbs trembled under the weight of the great body, and 
the victory seemed almost won. Theron, seizing a large 
stone, made his way to the side of the swaying form and 
dealt it a telling blow just back of one ear, Down into 
the water went the king of the woods. Clutching the 
superb horns, Theron held the head submerged until he 
thought the prize was surely his. As he released his 
grasp, however, and stepped back a little, the brute stag- 
gered to its feet once more, and, making a zigzig rush, 
drove Theron from the pond again, Tlie moose seemed 
to be gaining in strength. He was rallying from the 
shock caused by the light-weight bullets. They had be- 
wildered him, suspending, but not overcoming his great 
vitality. Evidently that was returning in some degree. 
_ It was growing dark, and it would be madness to con- 
tinue to struggle longer under such conditions. Powerless 
to prevent, Theron, with a sinking heart, saw the animal 
totter up the bank and enter the swampy woods, where it 
became lost in the gloomy shadows. 
The next morning we found where the moose had 
lain during the night, not 100ft. from the water's edge, 
but its morning start was earlier than ours, and we never 
saw it again. 
This incident, if it did not yield us much hilarity, gave 
us something to talk about. 
There were five of us, besides Theron, to enjoy the free 
woods life, the eldest being Norgum, then Corporal, 
Chilly, Millions and Fryer. This was a well-balanced 
party, the stronger members of which willingly assumed 
the harder labor of camp life, a course which the less 
favored ones gracefully commended and approved. 
Norgum's somewhat gray hair and beard belied his 
years and youthful spirits. An excellent shot with pistol 
and rifle, he caused, no doubt, many a deer to go tumbling 
up the mountain as fast as fright could take its flying 
feet, by shooting not at them, but at some inanimate 
mark. In this pastime he took great delight, almost as 
much as he did in gathering spruce gum. Others might 
tell at night, as the events of the day were talked over, of 
deer seen bounding over windfalls or tree tops, of great 
tracks of caribou and moose found in the soft earth ; but 
Norgum told of great globules of transparent gun> beyond 
his reach, high up on the spruce trees. He loved the light 
and shade that came and went along the cloud-shadowed 
mountains, and keenly enjoyed the splendor of the morn- 
ing sun glorifying the great forests of spruce, pine and 
birch, high above the little boat from which he so pa- 
tiently and persistently angled for trout that he seldom 
caught. That, however, did not trouble him, He cared 
more for the inspiration of the scene than for fish. The 
ripple of the water was like gentle music to his ears, the 
crisp morning air was giving him new vigor and bringing 
fresh color to his cheeks, and the worry of business cares 
was far away. With his camera he tried to save some of 
the fleeting pictures of forest, lake and hill, and if he did 
make two exposures on one plate, or if an especially fine 
view was lost because of failure to draw the slide before 
"pressing the button," it neither annoyed nor vexed him. 
Corporal, the scribe of this screed, had little to com- 
mend him to his associates save that bond which bound 
all together, the love of outdoor life. From boyhood he 
had been a devotee of the woods, and many happy hours 
therein blended in his memory like dissolving views. 
Around his early country home no path through the 
woodlands existed that his feet had not trod, no stream 
which had not reflected on its undulating surface his 
alder rod in all its crookedness, no hill-top prospect, no 
stretch of landscape horizon that was unfamiliar to his 
eyes. 
The flrst gun with which he struggled was the old 
flintlock "Queen's Arm," stocked to the muzzle and 
griped its entire length with iron bands. Woe to the 
wild pigeon, gray squirrel or "partridge" that came 
within range of its four-finger load (boy fingers) of 
powder, shot, slugs, gravel stones or dried peas. Then 
came the small percussion cap gun, with its short 
20 gauge barrel, costing five very long days' labor in the 
harvest field and thought cheap by the juvenile purchaser 
at that. Possibly the owner, as he observed the small 
boy loitering at his work and dreaming of the woods, 
may have been of the same opinion, 
A great drawback in the enjoyment of this little pi- 
geon gun was a mother's anxious face that accompanied 
it wherever her boy carried it over the New Hampshire 
hills. Only when it passed into the possession of a lame, 
fat tailor in exchange for a drab waistcoat with little 
gold dust buttons, a garment of scant pattern that never 
fitted half as well as did the gun, was relief found from 
that worried look. No other gun of the after days re- 
ceived his loyalty as did this one, 
Now he was somewhat indolently enjoying the autumn 
ripeness of the woods, fishing through the remaining 
days of the open season and later gathering in a few 
grouse for the camp larder. 
Chilly was no novice in what is required to make 
camp life pleasant. The woods of Maine were not new 
to him, his axe had rung out sharply on many a winter's 
morning while the frosty air echoed the crash and faU 
of forest trees. His busy city existence was, for a time, 
ignored and the full relaxation of his vacation in the 
woods thoroughly enjoyed. He was a diUgent hunter 
and courageously lifted his ISOJbs. weight over the hills, 
determined to keep well to the front. If he lagged a 
trifle at the morning start it was possibly because, like 
"Br'er Eabbit, he lay low," for he was always in good 
trim later and came in with the foremost at night, and 
could be depended upon uniformly at meal times. His 
excessive charges of buckshot fired from his hravy 
10-gauge gun carried destruction and sometimes anni- 
hilation to small game, while the deer at oOyds. lifted ita 
white flag at the explosion and bounded away un- 
harmed. 
The beautiful fawn that fled past his hiding place so 
gracefully never realiz'jd, as it disappeared uninjured, 
that the man's trigger finger was held in check by his 
heart's kindly promptings. Chilly was an admirable 
camp-mate and his reminiscent mood was at its best 
when the evening meal was over and the pipes lighted. 
The cry of loon, the whir of black ducks' wings and the 
rushing music of trout streams came back from more 
youthful days as he told of 
"The feats on pond and river done. 
The prodigies of rod and gun," 
and complacently sent the smoke wreaths from his much 
used pipe floating around Corporal's head. 
The success and pleasure of our outing depend largely 
upon the care and thoughtfulness of Millions. He it was 
who, all through the summer, made elaborate plans for 
the fall vacation, to be entirely changed, however, at the 
last moment. The rest of the party gave little concern 
to this, and emphatically approved of the final arrange- 
ments. 
We might joke him about his amateur cooking, and 
even scold him for shouting so loudly in camp, but we 
all acknowledged the benefit of his judgment and ex- 
perience. He was a capital shot, few better, and upon 
this he prided himself with modesty. A leader among 
the target shooters at home, yet the Maine woods afforded 
