466 
FORKST AND STREAM. 
[JuifB 12, 1897 
brought a party of ten persons and trunks and other impedi- 
menta, apparently enough for 100. They were foreigners, 
and one tall, broadshouldered man with a blond beard gave 
orders in a language whose sounds were unfamiliar. I 
watched the party closely and noted that the tall man left at 
once for the hotel and another attended to the detail of land- 
ing the baggage, and that it was all done with a military 
precision that was delightful, but puzzling; and I turned to 
the hotel to prepare for dinner. 
At a place of that kind, when one is the only guest, the 
preparation for dinner is narrowed down to a simple wash- 
up, but the present occasion demanded a white shirt, with 
the abominable addition of cuffs, collar and cravat. Surely, 
evening dress could not be expected, so I togged out in the 
best I had and waited. Mrs. Van Slyke entered and said : 
"The tall, handsome man is the Grand Duke Alexis, of 
Bussia, just run down here for a few days' duck shooting, 
and the rest of the party are his body servants, cooks, etc. 
He asked who you were and I told him that you came to 
collect fishes, and he wishes you to dine with him, for he is 
without company. Here's his card — 'Mr. Brown.' We're 
to call him Mr. Brown while he's here. Do you happen to 
have a card?" 
I did happen to have one, and in due time I followed it in 
* and joined "Mr. Brown" at dinner. Royalty was away out 
of my line at that day — although I've seen more of it since — 
and if I felt a trifle uncomfortable at first my host soon stop- 
ped that. His cooks had taken possession of the kitchen, 
and his waiters served as perfect a game dinner in that old- 
fashioned sportsman's resort as could have been served in 
New York city. His English was that of an educated for- 
eigner, so pure, so free from chipped words and colloquial- 
isms that it was a treat to listen to him. Few to whom 
English is the mother tongue, whether on one side of ihe 
water or the other, can speak as the educated man does who 
has had it drilled into him. I wondered what he thought of 
my careless talk. 
As we smoked upon the piazza, Mr. Brown said: "You 
are collecting fishes, I am informed ; is it in the intertst of 
science?" 
"Partly in the interest of science. The fish collected will 
be taken to the Aquarium in JSTew York city for either the 
amusement or the instruction of the people, the result being 
entirely dependent on those who see them. The careless 
ones w"ill pass by some of the most interesting specimens, 
which a student of nature would dwell a long time upon. 
To a few the Aquarium is a place of study and scientific 
interest." 
"Please tell me, do you fish for sport?" 
"It is my greatest pleasure; but on this trip there is a de- 
sire to get fish for the Aquarium in any way, and therefore 
I come here, not in the character of a sportsman, but of a 
collector, who will get his specimens in any way that he can, 
as long as they are not injured." 
"I have read much of fishing for sport in English books, 
but could never understand the sport of angling. In my 
country, I am a Russian, we shoot for sport, but fish is not 
considered to be game any more than you would class mush- 
rooms as game because you collect them in the fields. Of 
course we have our choice fishes, and rank the salmon and 
the trout above the softer fishes of small lakes, but the 
English and Americans seem to put the capture of these 
fisbes on a plane with the shooting of deer, grouse, wood- 
cock and ducks. I have not been educated to that point; 
my countrymen regard fishing merely as a means of obtain- 
ing food." 
"Yes," I replied, "that seems to be the feeling of all 
European sportsmen outside of England and its dependen- 
cies. The Americans and the Australians inherited their 
love of angling from England, and it seems singular that 
other European nations should not have taken up angling as 
a sport." 
"Do you know anything of the art of fishing with the fly? 
I have read that the casting of the artificial fly was the 
highest form of angling, but I have never seen in done." 
"Yes, I cast the fly some, and am told that there are black 
bass above this place, and if you care to see how we cast for 
them I will be delighted to show you, for I brought a fly- 
rod along, not knowing what use it might be, but I'll not 
promise you that we will take any fish, for the waters are 
new to me and I must depend on a native boatman who may 
or may not know all that he claims." This would "let me 
down "easy" if the bass would not rise. 
The morning was a poor one for ducks, and Alexis did 
not miss any shooting by not going for them. It was bright 
and clear, with a light wind that made just ripple enough 
for fly-casting. He had his own boat and I had two, one 
towed behind with a great iron transportation tank in it, and 
we went up the Sound some two miles to where my boatman, 
whose name was Jim, said: "There's lots o' green bass." 
There had once been an inlet from the sea near this point, 
but storms had closed it many years before, and the water 
was now fresh. The bottom bore evidence that it was once 
salt, by the profusion of marine shells, and I took several 
flounders which had preferred to remain; perhaps they had 
bred in fresh water. 
When Jim let go the chunk of iron which served as a kil- 
lock, the water, appeared to be about 10ft. deep, and quite 
clear, under the lee of the boat. I rigged a cast with one fly, 
a green and gold, and made casts in every direction, begin- 
ning at 20ft. and then enlarging the circle, letting the fly 
sink and trolling it; but not a bass manifested cmlosity 
enough to inspect the fly, as well as we could see for the rip- 
ple. To-day I would not be so rash as to make such a ven- 
ture. Think of the situation. I did not positively know 
that Jim's "green bass" were what I called by a darker 
name; nor, if they were indeed black bass, whether they 
ever rose to a fly in these waters, and I had asked a Russian 
Duke to spe the sport! Worse than that, I had a native boat- 
man to whom the fly-rod was a toy, the fly a doubtful thing 
for a fish to rise at, while I must have appeared to him litre 
half a dozen durned fools boiled down into one, Jim was 
being paid for his work, and kept his mouth shut; but, con- 
found him, I knew that he was thinking. This made me 
nervous; his pale, washed-out blue eyes followed every move; 
but even in North Carolina it is net permissible to kill a 
beach comber for thinking. A new, and apparently absurd, 
style of fishing was on trial before him, and perspiration 
broke out all over me. I didn't mind the Duke at all, he had 
read of the art of fly-fishing for salmon and trout, and knew 
about it theoretically; but Jim was a net-fisherman, who 
sometimes used hooks on hand-lines, and was, as 1 believed, 
boiling inside with contemptuous laughter. If he would 
only say a word I would brain him with an oar; hut he gave 
no such opportunity. 
We aU have diflierent sides to our characters. Ordinarily 
I try to be Dr. Jekyll, but ean't always play the part, and 
am forced to shift to Mr. Hyde; yet something has always 
restrained me from filling the latter role. Looking back on 
my murderous instinct that day, I now see that the fault was 
entirely in my own brain. 
The fly was removed and a grizzly king substituted. The 
colorless eyes of Jim watching the fly-book and the knot in 
a cold-blooded way that made me wish he would attack me 
and give mean excuse to kill him, if I could. But he did 
nothing of the kind. The new fiy had been cast several 
times and then there was a "chug" and a fish of some kind 
made the reel sing as it bored down and off. The Duke's 
boat was alongside and T handed the rod to him, having pre- 
viously told him what to do. He took the rod, but lowered 
the tip. This he corrected; but, contrary to advice, he 
began to reel the fish in by main strength on its first lush 
and the hook tore out, leaving the fly intact. The split- 
bamboo rod stood the strain nobly, and I fancied that Jim 
looked with admiration on its curves as a strong fish battled 
against a strong man. I began to relent. 
While the fish rise to a particular fly it is folly to change, 
and the cast was kept up. Alexis declined to try his hand 
at casting, and when the second fish was hooked he preferred 
to see me fight it. He became excited as the bass allowed 
itself to be reeled up for some feet and then, bending the tip 
to a low point, made a dash which was answered by giving 
only as much line as it could earn from the reel on the pliant 
rod, which kept a constant strain on the fish, even in its 
leaps from the water, for I never follow the rule to "lower 
the tip when the fish leaps, lest it strike the line and break 
free." The quotation may not be exact, but it is the sub- 
stance of the directions in some angling books, which I 
cannot recall. 
As the landing net brought in the bass, a big-mouth, and 
Jim put it in the tank to be kept alive, my hour of triumph 
had come, Jim brought up the tank-boat and put the fish in 
there carefully, saying as he did so: "That ar' fish fi't like a 
game cock, an' I thought ev'ry minnit that he was a goin' to 
snap that little pole in two, but by jing 1 ev'ry time the end 
of the pole was dragged down to the water it sprung up 
ag'in, and the fish he got plum tired out. I'm darned if it 
wasn't as putty as a dog fight." 
I was again Dr. Jekyll, with a love for my fcUow-man, 
and Jim in particular. Jim assumed a new character. He 
was no longer suspected of a contempt for me and my 
methods. How we do warp our judgments by everythmg 
pertaining to self 1 
Mr. Brown thought he now understood how to handle a 
hard fighting fish, and he did. The .next one that was 
hooked he fought like a veteran, giving line or reeling in as 
the exigencies of the case required, or I hinted, and he 
brought to boat a fine big mouth bass of abt ut 61 bs , guess 
weight. He was enthusiastic; and after taking a dozen 
more declared that he would introduce fly-fishing in Russia. 
If he did he has neglected to inform his teaclier, but 1 shall 
see that a copy of this paper reaches him. 
He would not attempt to cast, I did that, and when a fish 
was hooked let bim land it. A new fly was substituted once 
or twice as the old one became frayed or frazzled, but the 
grizzly king did so well that there was no need to change the 
species; a fresh individual suificed. 
It was when we smoked in the evening that my pupil 
manifested the most enthusiasm, "How they do fight," he 
exclaimed, "and what a thrill seems to pass up the line, 
through the rod into your arm until your nerves tingle like 
an electric shock. And how grand it must be to kill a 
salmon of 201bs. ! I certainly shall try it the first time I get 
an opportunity " 
The next day opened with a fog and an east wind. A 
knock on my door was followed by a voice, which said : 
"Mr. Brown presents his compliments and requests the pleas- 
ure of your company to-day on a ducking trip." It was 
evidently one of the servants of the Duke, judging by the 
voice and the accent, and I jumped to the floor. 
"Tell Mr. Brown that I will join him at breakfast in a 
few minutes." 
I was down first and had my 9-gauge muzzleloader and 
accessories all in order. Mr. Brown had a muzzleloader, 10- 
gauge, which he said was a favorite, and two No. 12 breech- 
loaders which were new. He wished to loan me one of these, 
but I was unfamiliar with that kind of gun and replied that 
my gun was also a favorite, and if ducks were plenty it would 
get some. I also declined the offer of a man to load for me. 
I preferred to do that, and then Jim would be with me. i 
liked Jim now. He no longer seemed to be studying me, and 
Jim would be worth more on Currituck Sound than half a 
dozen strange Russians, and he was. His skill in getting a 
boat out after a cripple and in putting me where it was likely 
to rise after a dive, added many a duck to my bag, although 
my muzzleloader could not always get ready for action'as 
quickly as the guns in the other blind, but after the day's 
shooting Jim said : "That's a good gun; it ranges well an' 
hits hard," and I interpreted the words "ranges well" into 
meaning that it would kill at a fairly long distance. Our 
birds this day were redheads, widgeon, bluebills and one 
canvasback. I found that Mr. Brown was well informed 
concerning the gastronomic value of the different ducks, and 
1 placed my bag at his disposal. His judgment agreed with 
mine, and although my duties often took me away all day, 
we dined together every night, and his cook knew how to 
cook game, a thing that French cooks rarely understand, 
excellent as they are with all other meats, 
Jim had engaged some net-fishermen in both salt and 
fresh water to bnng live specimens of fish, and the collec 
tion was growmg so fast that 1 began to fear that I would 
have to leave this place for the city too soon, and so miss 
some shooting as well as fishing. 1 wanted to give Mr, 
Brown a taste of bluefishing out in the open, and see him 
handle a big one with rod and reei, for at that time of year 
they run big, 10 to ISlbs, or more. As Jim did not know 
the bluefish nor the menhaden by those names, I tried all the 
various ones for them that I could remember, and finally 
struck it on "greenfish" and "bugfish" with the aid of dia- 
grams and his imagination, until he agreed that they resem- 
bled the fishes in question. But the day for bluefishing 
never came. Mr. Brown needed but little to make him an 
angler, and he seemed to have lacked only opportunities. 
• He had an ambition to kill a swan, and one rainy morning 
we were in the blinds long before daylight and waited. Sev- 
eral flocks of swans were in sight, but kept out of shot. We 
had no decoys, and I don't know if they are used for swans; 
but our blind was in the grass, far out on a point where the 
great birds swam past when feeding. The rain ceased about 
an hour after sun-up, and it was a treat to seethe swans take 
wing on the still water, beating it with their wings for half 
a mile before they cleared it entirely, the last strokes merely- 
dotting the water with the wing tips. We were fairly well 
soaked as we returned to breakfast about 10 o'clock; a break- 
fast that loomed up like a mountain when it came on, but 
which was unlike a hole in the ground when we left the 
table. You can see a hole in the ground. 
A heavy gale from the north necessitated personal care of 
the floating cars of live fish, and I was compelled to decline 
an invitation to go into the interior for a day with the snipe 
or woodcock; we were both strangers in a strange land, and 
had to depend on the native guides, who were gunners, fish- 
ermen and beach combers, as the season changed. But be- 
tween us and these men stood the mentally and physically 
vigorous Mrs. Van Slyke. She knew every one of them, 
and they knew her. A guest in her house could shoot and 
fish anywhere on her property, and woe be to the boatman, 
gunner or whoever was employed by one of her guests who 
was complained of for laziness, neglect of duty or incompe- 
tency. He might or might not be given a hearing, but 
he was sure to get something else. She might not have 
said, with Othello: "Cassio, I love thee; but never more be 
otiicer of mine;" her language would have been quite 
different and more forcible. Would that more keepers of 
sportsmen's resorts were like her. 
We had more duck shooting and fishing, and the day 
came when this pleasant trip should end. As we sat on the 
piazza, smoking, the night before I left, Mr. Brown said: 
"I was greatly pleased when I asked for terms at this hotel 
to find that there was only one gentleman here; I wanted 
rest and recreation and to have the whole place for myself 
and my retinue; but I am glad that one * * * The 
amount of it was that he did not shoot and fish with his 
servants, and in America he had done as Americans do 
While I had a full understanding of it he explained how 
it was much easier for people to call him "Mr Brown," 
than to use his titles, and it did seem to be a most sensible 
move on his part. A few weeks afterward one of his suite 
brought a package to the Aquarium for me. It was a 
handsome meerschaum pipe and case. On a gold plate it 
said: "To Mr. Fred Mather from Alexis; in memory of 
Currituck," Within a week it was stolen from a pocket in 
my overcoat. 
Those days are among the pleasant memories of life. 
"Mr. Brown" was a most pleasant gentleman, and to me, at 
least, was as democratic as the name he assumtd He will 
probably never be Czar of Russia, for there are two brothers, 
an uncle and three cousins of the present Czar, who stand 
between the throne and the Grand Duke Alexis. 
Fred Mather. 
MAINE FISHING. 
Boston, June 5. — The Produce party had fair fishing at 
Moosehead, though the weather was generally cold and 
rainy. The Duck Lake Club found very wet and disagree- 
able weather at the Schoodics. A few salmon were taken, 
however. Mr. Underwood, who went a week or two before 
the rest of the club, had very fair fishing. He is much in- 
terested in photographing bird and animal life. His owl 
pictures are wonderful. "This trip he succeeded In getting a 
live and wild raccoon up a tree and photographing him in 
four or five positions that are truly natural and very remark- 
able. The Camp Stewart party is out of the woods after 
eight days' fishing at Upper Richardson Lake, Mr. G> T- 
Freeman was high line, as usual, with a 4i^lb. trout, a 7 and 
a l}r\b fish. Mrs Moody lauded one of 441bs. . Mr. and 
Mrs. C. A. Stearns and IVLr. H. S Kempton are down for 2i 
and 51b. fish. Prof. J. F. Moody took a lot of brook trout. 
M. E. C. Fitch, of Waltham, has gone to his salmon 
river. Mr. D. H Blanchard and Mr. Keeler have 
been on a trout fishing trip to the ponds in Monson, 
Me. Mr. Keelcr is reported to have taken a 71b. trout. 
The Ctimp Comfort Club is out from Moosehead, 
with reports of fair luck. A total of 117 fish was the record, 
including eighty-three square tails and thirty-four lakers 
The Mohawk Club, of Haverhill and Boston, has returned 
with a record of over 100 square tail trout out of Moosehead, 
C. C. Moore, of New York, is fly-fishing in Aroostook 
waters and having good success. The coming annual excur- 
sion of the Maine Fish and Game Association will take a 
number of people to the Rangeleys A scheme is reported to 
be on foot for opening up more of the wilderness of northern 
Maine by a line of electric roads from Moosehead to Cham- 
berlain and Eagle Lakes, and steamers on these lakes. It is 
even proposed to extend the line through to the further 
Aroostook waters. The sporting and lumbering interests are 
the ones at the bottom of the scheme. 
Sportsmen aie returning fiom the Maine and Provincial 
waters. Generally their success has been very poor, all 
newspaper reports to the contrary notwithstanding. The 
amount of tall lying that is being done in certain Maine 
papers on the subject of fishing is something remarkable. 
Almost everybody, according to these reports, gets a big trout 
or salmon, when the truth is hundreds are leaving the prin- 
cipal fishing resorts — the better known and older ones — badly 
disappointed. Personally I met a gentleman at the Upper 
Dam, June 1, who spends from one to five months there every 
year, and has done so for eight or ten years. He says 
that the fishing in all that section is terribly 
poor. Party after party come — many of the people 
strangers to the region — and go away after a 
week's stay, without a trout, or only one or two at the most. 
One party of three — from Philadelphia, I believe — after fish- 
ing at the Dam and about there for three or four days with- 
out a strike, gave up in discouragement. The gentleman, 
out of the kindness of his heart, advised them to go to Rich- 
ardson Pond, I could scarcely sanction his advice, having 
tried that pond faithfully for a day and a half with only two 
strikes, and both of these small trout. The blow-hard 
papers have me down as having caught a 71b. trout, which 
is as false as their other reports; the largest trout falhng to 
my score being S^lbs. I want nothing but the truth told, 
and feel that no good can come, in the long run, out of the 
amount of blowing that is being done concerning certain 
fishing resorts. 
Perhaps the want of success for the past ten days at the 
Rangeleys and other Maine resorts is partly the fault of the 
weather, which has been remarkably wet and cold. Six 
out of the eight days of my outing were rainy and generally 
cold, while it rained nearly every night. Since my return 
the weather has been httle better. Such high water for the 
last of May and firsts of June is scarcely on record at the 
Maine waters. Richardson Lake, Mooselucmaguntic and 
Rangeley are running over full. All the ponds about these 
lalies are the highest ever known. 
Smelt and the Trout Supply. 
Perhaps the poor fishing in Mooselucmaguntic and Rich- 
ardson lakes is due to the smelts, which have appeared in 
great numbers for the first time this spring. Perfectly reli- 
