Mabch 20, 1897,] 
228 
Htiie md ^ntu 
HOURS IN A BLIND.— II. 
When Birds Came. 
As 1 stood there -watching the live decoys enjoy the water 
and their freedom from the coop, I heard John call "Mark 
to the east/' and turning saw a single bird coming low over 
the marsh. Gently lowering my body until my head was 
hidden by the cane which formed the blind, I watched the 
simple bird's approach. John had given utterance to vigor- 
ous quacks, which had caught the bird's ear, and it had 
seen the decoys and was flying toward them. While it was 
still liJOvds. distant the old drake saw it and saluled, and 
the ducks lifted up their voices in sonorous calls, This was 
too much for the lone black duck. He passed outside the 
decoys, well beyond gunshot, swung up into the wind, 
turned back, and with lowered flight and down-bent neck 
surveyed the decoys and prepared to alight. He swung 
over the live ducks and up toward the drake, and J jumped 
up, put the gun on him and pulled. Bang went the first 
barrel and bang the second; the duck, climbed and climbed, 
and kept climbing; Gunner tore through the cane to see 
what had fallen and to bring in the bird ; John made no 
Comilient and I said nothing either, though I had missed a 
shot that a ten-year-old tioy ohght to have killed. 
I knew why I had missed the bird, though not how. I 
tad let him get too far over the decoys and past me, and 
had shot at him when he was going away, and failing to 
allow for the velocity of bis flight, had shot behind him. Bo 
my first shot for the season was a disgraceful miss. 
I do not know how other men feel about missing, espe- 
cially about missing easy shots, but it plunges me into an 
abyss of shame and mortification from which I do not easily 
emerge. At the best of times I am a very bad shot, and 
often my missing makes me declare that I will give up 
shooting altogether. When, however, the time comes for 
me to get an outing again, I forget all about my past misses 
ahd start forth as hopeful and as free from anxiety about 
missing as if I were a good shot Instead of being a villain- 
ously bad one. So I mourned over this miss, and felt hor- 
ribly ashamed that John, and even that Gunner, had been 
witnesses of my disgrace. 
As I sat there thinking of this John whispered, ''Mark be- 
hind,'' and, turning my head, I saw a pair of mallards— a 
big greenhead and a duck — almost over me. To grasp my 
gun and throw it to my shoulder seemed but a second's 
work; but in a second a duck can go a long way, especially 
down wind, and by the time the muzzle of my gun was 
pointed in the birds' general direction they had passed over 
us and were far beyond the decoys. 
In desperation I fired both barrels, and again I heard 
Gunner rush to the water's edge, saw him look in vain for 
something to bring in, and saw the ducks like a pair of dis- 
jointed parentheses melt into the gray sky and disappear. 
"Those two came badlj-^, sir," ventured John. "Yes, they 
came badly," 1 replied, "but we ought to have been looking 
out for them." 
Some little time elapsed without any further excitement, 
when suddenly— although we thought that we had been 
making ^ood use of our eyes — a duck appeared quite close 
to the decoys, coming in as gently as one could wish. I very 
slowly bent to get my gun, resolved that this time, if it came, 
1 would retrieve myself. On the bird came, looking only at 
the decoys; I rose up slowly, but he saw me and flared" I 
followed him, but gave the gun a little too much swing, and 
shot over him. Another miss. 
Again despair seized me; and when a little later I missed 
an easy double at a pair of sprigs, which were alighting 
among the decoys, it tightened its grip. John said never a 
word in comment, nor did I. The trouble was too deep for 
words. 
It is astonishing how much room there is in the air 
around a duck. I have seen the time when the birds were 
so thick in the air that it seemed as if it would be impossible 
to shoot a charge of shot through them without killing one 
or more, but how very easy it is to spare their lives. After 
a few more misses John seemed to feel that I stood in need 
of comfort and consolation, and ventured the remark that 
there must be something the matter with my cartridges. I 
was shooting wood powder, and he asked if the shells were 
not old ones. They were old ; but I knew very well that if 
the gun was held right the cartridges would do their work 
well enough, and — though I say it myself — I was too honest 
to attempt to excuse my lack of skill on the plea of poor am- 
munition. 
It was not until after lunch that I got my first bird. John 
and I had both become careless about looking out, for it 
seemed useless to see the birds, as I could not hit them. 
Suddenly a big black duck cut across the head of the decoys, 
and, not seeing it until it had got by, I threw up my gun 
and took a snap shot at it, and killed it dead. It fell on the 
edge of the marsh and Gunner brought it with much pride. 
John too was delighted, and assured me that the shot was a 
good one and that I was getting onto them now. I shook 
my head wearily, for I knew what an accident this success 
had been. Still I presume that I was unconsciously a little 
bit encouraged. At all events, we both kept a better look- 
out, and a little later, when three widgeons came by over the 
decoys, but not lowering to them, I doubled on a pair with 
the right barrel and killed the third with mj left. This was 
a little better, of course, but still it did not give me much 
courage. A little later, however, when a pair of mallards 
came up the wind high up, and I killed both, I began to 
take heart and really to feel as if perhaps 1 could do some- 
thing. The conceit was quickly taken out of me, however, 
by three widgeons, which stole in and alighted among the 
decoys unseen. These I missed on the water with the first 
barrel, and on the wing when they flew. They were not 
Boyds. from me. 
It was still early in the day — only 2 o'clock — and there 
was time yet to kill a lot of birds if they kept coming and — 
if I could only hit them. But there did not seem to be much 
chance of my doing that. John was encouraging, however, 
and regaled me with anecdotes of the numbers of birds that 
certain men whom he had accompanied bad killed in the 
afternoon ; and especially of one who only a few weeks be- 
fore, after a day of very bad luck, had in an hour's shooting 
just before sunset run his score up to over thirty. I antici- 
pated no such goad luck, but I determined to endeavor to 
use greater care in shooting; to take my birds earlier, to 
hold further ahead of them, and not to shoot unless I felt 
reasonably sure that I was holding on each bird about as I 
thought 1 ought to. 
M^itating thus, I was watching the sky to the south and 
east, when suddenly I heard from John (the grating^callTof 
the canvasback, followed by several loud honks, and sitting 
down I strained my eyes to see where the birds were to 
which he was calling. Peering through the stalks of the 
cane, I presently saw off to the right a single canvasbacii 
coming with the. steady flight that distinguishes these birds 
from almost any other ducks. He was an old male, white 
and handsome, and was headed straight for the decoys. 
John continued to call, and the bird had evidently made up 
his mind to come. We had a few canvasback decoys out, 
and these with the geese were more likely to bring him; for, 
as is well known, canvasbacks will stool to geese as well as 
they will to their own kind. He came on swiftly and stead' 
ily, and at length, just as he was over the tail decoys, I 
arose, held about 2ft. in front of his bill and fired, and the 
noble bird fell. He had hardly struck the water before 
Gunner had plunged in, swam through the decoys and 
seized him, and in a few moments he was in my hand, and 
I was smoothing out his plumage and admiring the rich 
coloring of his head and neck, and the wonderfiS delicacy 
of his back plumage. 
"Mark in front, high up," said John, before I had finished 
looking at the canvas. High up in the sky to the south of 
us I saw a pair of black ducks, which, in response to John's 
vigorous calls, and to the invitation otfered by the live 
ducks, rapidly lowered their flight, took a quarter oircle lo 
the west, and then coming down to about 6ft. above the 
water flew confidently on toward the blind, one about 2ft. 
behind the other. I waited till they were over the last of 
the decoys, rose to my feet, and killed the first and then the 
second in capital style. "They did not see me and never 
knew what had hit them. This was cheering. 
From this time on until it was time to take up I shot 
fairly well — very well for me — and at night when we re- 
turned to. the house I had twenty-two ducks, and believed 
that I had in some small measure effaced the feeling of con- 
tempt that John — and Gunner — must have for me. 
I had other hours in the blind during my trip, and in some 
of them I did better than on this first day; in none worse so 
far as missing went, though often I came in with a less 
number of birds. 
Men of the Marsh, 
Now and then, while we were sitting in the blind, John 
and I would be joined by one of the club watchmen, whose 
time is devoted to patrolling the marshes, driving off poach- 
ers, preventing night shooting, and generally doing all in 
their power to preserve the shooting. These men are farm- 
ers in summer time, but during the winter are glad to earn 
what they can by watching the marshes; for this is a steady 
job, which pays much better than fishing or gunning. They 
are most of them old gunners, familiar from childhood witli 
these waters and their islands, and with, all the ways of the 
wildfowl. Constantly on the marsh and on the water, they 
know just where the ducks are "using," and what are likely 
to be the best shooting points on any given day. They are 
thus always consulted by the men who are going to shoot 
on the marshes under their charge, and their advice is 
usually taken. 
The life of these watchmen is a lonely one. For six days 
in the week they live on the marshes in little houses built for 
them in the fall, but on Saturday afternoons they report at 
the club and then go to the mainland to spend Sunday with 
their families. Leading such a life, the watchman is de- 
lighted when one of the club members comes to shoot on the 
marsh under his charge, and often he spends most of the day 
with the gunner, helping his boatman to tie out and take up, 
assisting in retrieving the birds killed, and during the quiet 
times sitting in the cane with the boatman and gossiping. 
Some of them are silent men, but others are great talkers. 
The subjects which the two discuss are varied. Of course 
the ducks and their actions are a fruitful theme, but home 
matters claim a good share of attention; the recent social 
events on the mainland, the last sermon of the circuit 
rider; farming, past and futui-e; marriages, sickness and 
deaths. 
I heard one of them tell John a story which will perhaps 
bear repeating. He said : 
"I never knew tell the other day that coons went fishing." 
"Why, of co'se they do," said John; "they mostly live on 
fish and crabs. " 
"No, that ain't what I mean. I mean fishing with a hook 
and line. The other day I was going up a little lead and 1 
come to a bend, going slow and quiet, so's to see if they wus 
any ducks sitting in there. Just as 1 looked over the p int I 
see an old coon a little ahead of me runnin' round on the 
beach this away and that away, like he was plum' crazy, and 
waving his paws. I watched him a little to see what he'd 
do, and pretty soon I see he was working around a little pool 
that had some minnies into it, and pretty soon he druv 
'em up into a corner and he made a rush and swep' a lot of 
'em ashore with his paws. 1 expected now to see him eat 
'em, but he didn't; he just put 'em up where they couldn't 
get back to the water, and then he took one and trotted down 
to the water again. When he got there he stopped and 
looked about a little. When he found a place to suit him he 
stuck the minnie on one of his sharp claws and held that foot 
in the water. Pretty soon I saw from the way he acted that 
a fish was biting at the bait, and in a minute the coon jerked 
his paw out of the water and threw a little fatback out on 
the bank. He ran to it, carried it upon the marsh, and put 
it on a little patch of grass, and then went back and baited 
his claw with another minnie. Then he caught another fat- 
back and put it up with the first one and then went on fish- 
ing again. He kept this up until he had caught quite a 
number, and at last when he carried a fish to where the 
others was lyin' on the grass he set up and put bis hands on 
his knees and looked at the pile of fatbacks, and seemed to 
be studyin'. Then he laughed right out and said ; 'Ha, ha, 
ha! seven. Enough for supper.' That made me laugh out 
loud, and the coon grabbed up his fish and run off in the 
marsh.' 
' 'Huh!" said John. "Expect me to believe that?" 
The lives of these marsh men are monotonous. The watch- 
man rises with the dawn, and as soon as it is light clambers 
up to his post of observation — the roof of his house. Tliis is 
only a one story shanty, but standing here he can see over 
the cane which surrounds him and can look down into the 
larger bays, ponds and creeks which are within his jurisdic- 
tion. He can see if birds are sitting in these waters, and 
whether any are flying, and easily gets a notion of what is 
taking place in all the neighboring marshes, Day after day 
he watches the ducks, studying their habits and learning 
their ways, and no one can give better advice lo the gunner 
as to where he should tie out. 
Now and then a bit of excitement comes into the watch- 
man's life, but it is excitement of a kind that he does not 
like. It is given in doses too strong for enjoyment. Occa- 
sionally the marshes are invaded'lby'^night shooters, who — 
with or without a light— scull up to rafts of sleeping ducks 
or geese and shoot them on the water, creating havoc in their 
close-packed ranks. When this occurs the watchman salhes 
out in his light skiff, and, knowing all the leads and short 
ctits, he usually has no difliculty in coming ud with the 
poachers, whom he tries to drive away. On two or 
three occasions watchmen have been shot at by these 
gentry, though no one has ever been injured in this 
way. Several, however, have been badly frightened, and 
more than one has given up his berth under'the stress of 
such a scare. Others, more courageous and wiser, put a bold 
face on the matter and give back threat for threat. Such 
persons the poachers speedily retreat from and avoid in 
future, for your true poacher is not a courageous animal. 
He does not enjoy a fight. Since the shootings that have 
recently taken place on these marshes the watchmen have 
taken to carrying shotguns and rifles about with them at 
night, and in the future the night shooters may expect a 
little shooting from the other boat. 
Besides his work of guarding and patrolling, the watch- 
man has little to occupy his time. Of course he does his own 
cooking, dish washing, wood chopping, and so on, and now 
and then he may be obliged to make a journey to the main- 
land for wood or water or provisions; but still he has plenty 
of idle time on his hands. Often he employs a part of this 
in trapping the minks, muskrats and coons which abound on 
the stands. The few skins that he may get he sells at the 
store, and the cash which he is paid for these goes a little 
way toward helping out the family living, or perhaps toward 
the expenses of next spring's farming operations. 
Certainly these men are not the least interesting of the in- 
habitants of the marsh. Cotjples. 
[to be CONTIjSfUED.] 
THE FOREST RESERVES. 
Editor Forest and Btream: 
It has been so uniformly my custom ever since your paper 
was founded to indorse the opinions of the editorial depart- 
ment in matters within the scope of its columns that to call 
up for question one of your paragraphs at this time creates 
for me a novel experience. But your editorial in the issue 
of Feb. 27 lauding the action of ex-President Cleveland and 
the report or findings of a forestry commission, by which 
vast areas of the public domain in the Northwest have been 
segregated and sft aside— including several millions of acres 
in the State of Washington — as forest reserves, moves me to 
ask how such action of the executive will, to quote your 
words, "be of incalculable benefit to the Western country?" 
The millions of acres included in the so-called Washington 
Forest Keserve and the Olympia Forest Reservation, while 
they include portions of the densely wooded foothills and 
slopes of the Cascade and Olympic ranges, also include the 
rock-ribbed sides, gulches and treeless summits of these 
mountains that are rich in mineral deposits. All of the rich 
minerals, including valuable quarry stone, abound in the 
country which a commission of experts say should be closed 
to the mechanic arts. Probably more than half of the land 
situated in this State that is included in this "forest" reser- 
vation, and thereby withdrawn from entry, is entirely desti- 
tute of merchantable timber, and contains at best a scrub 
growth fit only for minins; purposes as fuel, while a large 
portion is a treeless, snow- covered region. 
When i came to Washington a few years ago to make my 
home in the Pacific Northwest, I soon learned that the 
present as well as future development and wealth of this 
section of the United States depended largely on its timber 
and mineral resources, and I made an^ effort to become 
acquaintjed with some of the lands that are now embraced in 
the reservation order. Therefore in this connection permit 
me to say that capital has come freely into this State, seeking 
investment in the development of the mineral as well as.' 
timber values lj?ing within the proscribed districts. Thou- 
sands of prospectors have located claims within their borders, 
and a large number of claim-holders have spent time and 
money, and risked life and health, in prospecting and in 
prosecutmg assessment work necessary to secure patents from 
the Government to perfect their titles. To-day hundreds of 
men are threading the caiions of the Cascades and Olympics, ' 
defying the dreaded avalanches of snow incident to this ■ 
time of year, prospecting for the precious metals, some of 
whom are struggling with poverty or meager "grub stakes," 
while others are backed by the hberal hand of moneyed 
capital. 
The late act of the President will seriously embarrass the 
existing situation of affairs and check further development. 
Capital will become frightened ioto abandoning enterprises 
already entered into, and will seek other countries, where 
experts in forestry do not erect Chinese walls around mineral 
belts. The homes of hundreds of settlers are practically 
withdrawn, and all future settlement therein discouraged. , 
Roads, mills, camps, trading posts, and all the means of de- 
velopiog a country rich in natural wealth are virtually pro- 
hibited, so far as the exercise of any liberties therein is 
concerned, notwithstanding the members of a forestry com- 
mission have reported their examination of the situation and 
recommended that the reservations will be beneficial. 
Looking at the matter from the standpoint of a resident of 
the State from which this enormous area of valuable land is 
withdrawn from entry and practical use, permit me to ask 
you on what hypothesis you base your belief that the sweep- * 
mg order of the President will redound to the incalculable 
benefit of the Western country? Cayctga. 
EVKBEiT, Washington. 
[Our comments are given elsewhere.] 
Manitoba Deer and Lumber Camps. 
The provincial authorities are determined to enforce the 
newly enacted law prohibiting the kilhug of deer in the 
Province for a period of two years. Last Wednesday Con- 
stable Cox made a raid upon a camp of hunters, who felt 
themselves secure when in the depths of the Riding Moun- 
tains, and arrested three men who have been in that country 
since last fall, and during that time, it is charged, have killed 
many animals. The heads and hides of the elk and moose 
were thrown out upon the snow to rot. Numbers of these 
were found by Constable Cox scattered about the bush. The 
meat was used lor food and, it is thoueht, sold to lumber 
camps. The trio were somewnat surprised when Constable 
Cox dropped in upon them before breakfast, catching them 
with a supply of the meat on hand. The offenders were 
taken to Dauphin, where they appeared before Magistrate 
Smith, and were fined $50 and costs. Two of them were 
unable to pay, and were taken to Brandon jail to serve 
out a sentence of two months. — Winnipeg Free Press. 
