Oct. 3, 1896.J 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
268 
him valuable knowledge, and taught him the difference 
between shooting large game and making holes through 
paper soi'eens. Accident had disabled him to such an 
extent that he was really unfitted for long tramps, but 
the charms of the forest lured him into extended walks, 
the soft, mossy carpet of the woods gently yielding to his 
stricken ankle. 
He loved a good horse, and never tired of telling of the 
fine ones he had owned and trained. The log walls of 
our little shanty broadened out through the tobacco 
smoke into magnificent trotting parks as night after 
night Millions and Chilly told of the marvelous speed 
they had extracted from quite ordinary appearing horses, 
all of which was entertaining, for ours was a loyal crowd, 
and whatever the tale it was absorbed without the wink 
of an eyelid. No allusion even was made to their 2:40 
horses which could not be made to trot in six minutes, 
and the stories of the six-minute ones that were easily 
sent in 3:40 were thoroughly enjoyed. 
Millions was a firm advocate of early rising. Springing 
from the fir bed of his upper berth at the first dawn of 
day, he would give forth a yell which not only aroused 
the camp, but caused the deer that had sought the lake- 
side for a cool morning draft to withdraw silently into 
the woods again. A little later Millions, wrapped in his 
long ulster, would quietly paddle across to the well-trodden 
pathway and patiently await the coming of the buck 
which had heard his morning salutation and departed 
half &n hour before. 
Millions was a persistent hunter, and lameness, fatigue 
and pain were lost sight of in his determination to suc- 
ceed. Some of the deer on the mountain came to know 
him well and how to elude him. As he followed their 
tracks up the old abandoned lumber roads, whither they 
had retired after their morning visit to the lake, they 
seemed to be perfectly aware of his movements, and upon 
too near approach they would steal off to one side and 
"watch him as he passed on. Then they would go leaping 
down the mountain at wonderful speed, and the only 
satisfaction Millions had as he retraced his way was to 
gaze at the deep hoof prints the deer had left behind. 
After this had occurred two or three times Millions 
aroused himself and evolved the plan that was to insure 
their capture. Norgum and Chilly were to follow up' the 
tracks as he had done, while he and Corporal were to be 
stationed on lower levels, with rifles ready to receive the 
returning deer as they came dashing down. 
A rifle shot was to be the signal that the game was afoot. 
^Corporal, with his customary laziness, took his station 
"well down the path and prepared a comfortable seat 
tvhere he might rest at ease and watch the advent of a 
new day as it came glimmering through the forest, and 
incidentally to have his best ear (he had but one good one) 
turned toward the mountain side. Millions, higher up the 
ascent, was impatiently waiting the fruition of his hopes 
and plans. 
Half an hour passed and then, far up among the spruce 
trees, there rang out the sharp crack of Norgum's rifle. 
With strained eyes and ears and with weapons ready 
stood Millions and Corporal, but no sound broke the still- 
ness save the chatter of the red squirrels and the beat of 
the woodpecker's bill as he sought his early breakfast, or 
the quiet flight of the moose bird as he uneasily flitted 
from tree to tree. 
A moment later and down the hillside came the crack 
of the rifle once more, and then another, and still 
another. Alas! for the scheme of Millions' An hour 
later and down came Norgum, whose propensity for 
shooting at a knot or chip had overcome his devotion to 
the hunt. Triumphantly he and Chilly exhibited the 
shattered bits of wood as trophies of their skill. Millions 
walked back to camp a little lamer, seemingly, than ever, 
and he said little, but that little was vigorously expressed. 
Not until Norgum, as a peace offering, had given him the 
choicest node of spruce gum in his whole collection did 
our leader's customary good nature return, 
But the greatest disappointment that came to Millions, 
and one in which we all shared, was his failure to secure 
his caribou. 
He was the only one of the party to have a good, clear 
shot at a buck caribou, and he failed to stop it. 
The animal, one of a pair that crossed the path in his 
front, had given him an excellent shot, and, after once 
coming to the ground, had broken away into the forest 
and was lost. The rifle that Millions used could have been 
purchased at a very low figure just then. In fact, it came 
near being thrown into the woods after the caribou. 
The charm which his .44 40 had woven about his target 
practice at home was broken forever. 
He was full of suppressed excitement upon his return 
to camp, and placed the gun in a corner of the cabin with 
^reat emphasis. 
Theron and Coiporal returned with him to the spot, a 
mile or so distant, but without success save to find a few 
hairs and view the wounded animal's tracks, which soon 
becamp, lost on the leaf- covered grcund. 
Jfvyer was the youngest member of the party and one 
who could not well be spared. He was full of life, 
muscular and willing to assume almost any risk. It was 
a pleasure to hear his ringing laugh, listen to his good- 
natured raillery and see him cut firewood, drink strong 
coffee and eat with an appetite that made his beard 
grow. Of this woods-grown beard he became v^ery proud 
and was determined to preserve it for exhibition to his 
young wife and child at home. No amount of jocose 
leasing influenced him to sacrifice it. Even the wonder- 
fully improved appearance of Chilly after his painful ex- 
perience with the amateur barber at Limonite on our 
return from camp did not cause him to waver. Oaly 
when his wife closed the door in his face and refused to 
own or renogniza him did Fryer yield and give up his 
Pme Mountain ornament. He was out for a good time, 
and no tramp through the forest was too long or too hard 
to dismay him. Familiar with rifle and canoe from boy- 
hood, he proved a valuable lieutenant to Theron, whom 
we thought he sometimes surpassed in endurance. While 
pome of us might creep carefully on through the woods, 
Fryer crushed the twigs beneath his feet, and with eyes 
alert strode along, with little care seemingly whether the 
ridge beyond concealed a buck or not. The grouse, 
hedge-hog or owl that came his way had a sorry time 
of it. For the moment deer, caribo^^ an^ moose were for- 
gotten and the report of his rifle went echoing through 
the woods. And yet no one of ug had so many shots at 
large game as he or secured so many deer. An ideal 
guide was ruined when Fryer turae<l tg paeehanioal 
business, - ' » • ' • 
The exigencies of the hunt called for excursions into 
new domains, and the three most vigorous members of 
the party, Theron, Chilly and Fryer, left the three more 
flimsy ones to care for the camp and hunt in its immedi- 
ate neighborhood, while they, with supplies strapped upon 
their backs, strolled away to the eastward twenty miles 
or so through the pathless forest for a few days' sport in 
undisturbed territory, from whence they returned in due 
season, weary, but quite successful. 
The bright October days followed each other all too 
rapidly, the rainy periods coming almost wholly in the 
night time. It was rather droll to see Millions and Cor- 
poral in their upper berth trying to protect themselves 
from the rain that dripped through the cracked and 
warped roof above their heads. Rubber blankets were of 
little protection, and served chiefly to direct the water to 
one or the other of the recumbent occupants, or conduct 
it in small runlets tiown upon Norgum in the berth below, 
When this became intolerable recourse was had to the 
large dish-pan, which Millions held on his chest to catch 
the great drops as they beat down in rythmic modula- 
tion into the tin receptacle. Then the tired hunter, lulled 
by the patter on roof and in basin, would drop into light 
slumber, and the gentle ^?) snore that accompanied his 
caribou hunting therein added a delightful bass to the 
concord of wet harmony. Occasionally a severe struggle 
in the forests of dreamland would cause the pan to tilt 
over a little, and Corporal, penned in as he was at the back 
side of the bed, would be irrigated with the water so 
carefully collected. The glorious mornings, however, 
drove away all of the slight annoyances of such nights, 
and the resplendent autumn days, full of sunlight and 
cloud shadows, came — 
"* * * like the benediction 
That follows after prayer." 
During the absence of our able-bodied trio the camp re- 
ceived a short visit from Theron's quiet, keen-eyed, low- 
spoken partner from beyond the mountains, where, miles 
away from human companions, he lives for the most part 
alone amid these imprpssive surroundings. 
Unlike Theron, he does not guide, and hunts by him- 
self; gathers gum from the mountain spruces; and pre- 
pares, for other fortunate hunters, specimens, heads and 
antlers for the finishing touches of the taxidermist. 
What to such men are the push and jar of lifo outside 
with which they come in such slight contact? Their 
wants are few and are easily supplied by occasional visits 
to the settlements, whither their wandering steps return 
when the brumal weather sets in. The late autumn 
storms may beat around their shanty and cover it with 
the white wrappings of approaching winter, but they pile 
on the fuel and keep warm in their rude bunks enveloped 
in their woolen blankets, while they listen to the tempest 
surging through the woods and along the desolate maun- 
tains. Possibly, some day, a strange wanderer may push 
the cabin door aside only to find a silent figure resting in 
eternal quiet. 
The truth of Theron's remark, "I tell ye what, boys, 
you are a pretty hearty set of fellows," became evident 
enough, for our generous stock of provisions, even to our 
improvised "pie" of raspberry jam and crackers, was ex- 
hausted before the time set for our departure. The last 
night in camp was wet and disagreeable, but the morning 
came bright and invigorating. 'The steaming horses came 
up over the rough, rocky trail, our luggage and large 
game — four deer and one moose, or what remained of 
them — fastened to the jumpers, the door of the cabin 
closed, not locked, and we reluctantly began our march 
toward Limonite and the troubles of conventional civili- 
zation. 
Halfway down to the valley Norgum, who was leading 
the way, fired the farewell shot of the expedition and 
neatly decollated a grouse, which Corporal tucked into 
his hunting coat for future use. Then we turned our 
backs in earnest on Pine Mountain and its sun-lighted 
forests of yellow, crimson and green, its glistening ponds 
and streams, and all the ariose music of its woods and 
waters. CoRroRAL. 
North Chblmsford, Mass. 
DUCKS ON THE GULF COAST. 
I HAD always wanted to enjoy some real duck shooting, 
such as we read about from the pens of the more favored 
devotees of the sport who have leisure and money enough 
to indulge the taste, but I am poor. Still, the glowing 
accounts of the fun to be had in the South, from Brother 
Hough and others, made the attractions of the New Eng- 
land coast seem poor indeed, where we count ourselves 
lucky if we get a dozen coot — almost worthless when we get 
them— or three or four snipe, or a partridge or two, and I 
determined to have a go at Southern birds for once, at any 
rate. So late in November I took a ticket on a steamer 
plying between New York and a Gulf port, not knowing 
a soul there or where I should find any birds. Upon my 
arrival there the first sight that greeted my eyes was a 
nice string of bluebills — dosgris they call them there — 
which a couple of boys were carrying through the streets 
on a pole. They said there were 133 of them, and they 
had killed them all between Saturday night and Monday 
morning within a few miles of the city, That looked en- 
couraging, and I at once decided to let well enough alone 
and not search further for fabulous game fields I had 
heard of. 
The next thing was to find out which way to go, and it 
was surprising how little people could or would tell me. 
"Oh, most anywhere," was the nearest to information I 
could get. Some said: "Better get a hunting boat to take 
you out." I didn't know what they meant by a hunting 
boat, but upon further inquiry I found that all the hunt- 
ers brought in their ducks in catboats from the hunting 
grounds, and all the boats came in at one dock, and the 
people came down and bought the game of them right off 
the boats. So I hied me to the dock, and sure enough, there 
were a score or more of catboats from 20 to 30ft, in length, 
built with a small cabin and a large f orehold covered with 
hatches. Some were oystermen, some brought charcoal, 
some vegetables, some fish; but three or four were game 
boats, as evidenced generally by a brant or goose hanging 
ignominiously by the neck in the rigging for a sign, 
sometimes run up to the masthead that he might be the 
more conspicuous. 
In a circumspect way I began to ask questions. I didn't 
know one duck from another, or whether they shot over 
decoys or on passes or in the marshes. I soon found that 
iny NQrttierB acg§B| w^^ m gi:ei!j.,t TeoomiBeudatipn. in my 
favor, and the hunters were rather inclined to regard me 
with suspicion, not to say disfavor. However, the sight 
of the birds made me very hungry for a hunt, and I bar- 
gained with one man to take me out with him on his 
next trip, give me a little hunt and bring me back, the 
price he chat-god nr^ for the extra trouble I should put 
him to being .flO, We had rather a pleasant time, the 
whole experience being new to me. Many pelicans and 
other strange birds flew around us, oysters in quanities 
were to be sesn on the bottom, covered only by 4 or 5ft. 
of water, and the air was as mild as ours in June, though 
the North was covered with snow, At the end of our 
voyage my guide procured a somewhat rickety single 
buggy and ancient horse from an Acadian, and taking 
along a camping outfit headed for where he expected to 
find ducks. The Creole was a somewhat noted local snipe 
shot, and be came enthusiastic when I told him I was in 
quest of the like. I noticed that instead of "bfecassine," 
as the Canadians call the jack snipe, this man said "cache- 
cache," which is certainly a name well merited. 
I found we were making for some shallow pools of 
fresh water, surrounded by sea cane and tall grass, and 
we reached them after a drive of a dozen miles along the 
Gulf beach. All the way we passed shore birds, our 
friends from the North in their winter home, where they 
are seldom molested. Ducks are en plenty that nobody 
troubles yellow-legs or plover. We had brought no 
decoys, but simply walked up to a pond, scaring the 
ducks out as we appeared, and sat down in the high grass 
and waited. Presently a few green-winged teal pitched 
back into their favorite pond and we gathered them in; 
then a spoonbill (shoveler) came blundering around and 
met the same fate, and then my guide hunted up some 
bits of twigs, and running them down into the mud 
thrust the upper ends into the mouths of the ducks, let- 
ting their bodies float on the water, and lo! we had de- 
coys. This was wrinkle number one. A few more teal 
and shovelers decoyed to these dead ducks and joined 
their number (and some decoyed to them, but didn't), but 
there seemed not to be many birds flying that day, and I 
wearied of lying still and started to tramp the marshes, 
leaving the native asleep. He was not much of a gun- 
ner, as shown by bis habit of firing at a bird no matter 
whether it was in range or not. I remarked on this, but 
he said he had a lot of old shells he wanted to use. 
The groimd looked snipy, so I loaded one barrel of my 
good old Fox with some 83 I happened to liave along and 
the other with a duck load of 53. 
No snipe were to be found, though I tramped far and 
wide in what seemed the most likely ground. Presently 
I spied a beautiful pair of mallards sitting in a little water 
hole just a nice gun shot off. probably 35yd8. Well, game 
seemed to be so scarce and I wanted one of them so much 
that I was guilty of taking the shot the instant I saw 
them. I shot the load of 5s at the old gseenhead as he 
sat there, but seemed to make no impression on him, for 
both sprang into the air, making quite a racket at being 
disturbed. As they rose I tried the load of 83 and just 
then the two ducks very obligingly got in line as they 
rose and the charge covered both and down they came. 
Better luck than I deserved 1 I stuck them in the capa- 
cious pocket of my hunting coat and proceeded. I 
jumped a black duck (summer mallard they are called 
there) out of some sea cane and got him all right, but 
couldn't find a snipe. People had told me great tales 
about snipe shooting hereabouts and I was disappointed. 
Upon returning to my friend he thought best to move 
camp to another point and see if we should not find more 
game. We toasted some of the teal on sticks and made a 
fine meal; spread our blankets and slept under the 
Southern sky almost as soundly as I used to under the sky 
of Montana, which State was my home for six years in 
the good old days. 
In the morning we moved, and although the duck 
shooting was nothing to brag of , I found where some of 
the snipe were. On a little patch that had burned over 
and grown up green a nice little bunch of snipe had. 
pitched down. There may have been twenty of them. I 
managed to got twelve, I think, and I certainly shot three 
shells to the bird or more; I couldn't seem to hit them. I 
found too that walking was tiring work in that soft air, 
coming as I did from the bracing air of the North. My 
guide seemed to think he had given me |10 of amusement, 
and I was tired enough to join him in the buggy and we 
let it go at that. We put into the ice box of the boat when 
we reached it again what game the hunters of the neigh- 
borhood had gathered up and sailed back to the city. 
Everyone apologized for the lack of game and laid it to 
the drought, which was probably right. The region we 
visited is a noted one for both ducks and snipe. 
Next I heard of a better place and decided to take my 
trunk and all my duffle aboard the sail boat that carried 
the mail to that neighborhood, and stay right there for a 
while. I took along this time a case of No, 6 shells, 500 
rounds, and both canvas and wooden decoys and a skiff. 
My fellow-passenger on the mail boat was a German 
woman who said that right on her farm the shooting was 
good, and that I might board at her house and hunt all I 
liked. I accepted the proposition and found that she had 
spoken truly. We got there after dark and in the silence 
of the night the waterfowl could be heard very plainly 
not 200yd3. from the house. I walked down to the shore 
and listimed to the cries, moat of them strange to me, 
of the myriads of birds roosting on the surface of the 
bay. It certainly seemed that at last I had reached the 
promised land. I could hardly wait for daylight, and 
when it came I got right to work. I found the natives 
hunted there a good deal out of boat blinds, just a line of 
brush stuck around in the shallow water the shape of a 
skiff's outline, the decoys being set directly to windward 
and the gunner sitting in the boat within the blind. The 
blind being left there all the time, the birds become used 
to it and decoy very well when the day is not too still, 
Here I got mostly sprigs, bald-pates (widgeon), teal, shov-; 
elers, mallards, a few redheads and canvasbacks, and 
sometimes a bufilehead, bluebill or sawbill (hooded mer- 
ganser). Much to my surprise the bluebill is not prized 
very highly here, nor often shot. When we get one at 
Annisquam or Great South Bay we call him a pretty good 
bird, but when he gets to Southern waters he become^ 
more fishy and less desirable. It was not go with the 
other birds; they were as fine as silk and often so fat they 
would burst upon striking the shallow water or flats when 
killed at a considerable height in the air. 
One very foggy day I was sitting in my blind, when I 
heard some one splashing toward me through the water 
(we waded arouod anywhere, thei wfttey wa^ ?q §^Qal), 
