364 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[May f, i8g8. 
tlie "spada," who faces and dominates an enraged ani- 
mal who kills a lion, a leopard, or a white bear. 
Like poets, "toreros" must be born, not made, if you 
will pardon such dusty platitude. The "primas spadas" 
are the nerves of the nation. They are better paid than 
their Secretary of the Treasury, more popular with the 
people than their Premier, or their greatest orator; they 
are idolized by the ladies, bowed to by the society lead- 
ers; frequent the most select circles; are received at 
court; they have their carriage and splendid horses; 
their photographs, oil paintings and statues are dis- 
played everywhere in the shops, placed on fans, figure 
on handkerchiefs. They are the true heroes of Spain. 
Explain it for me if you can, for td liiy mind the 
enirgma is complete. 
I asked my friend Rennyson ivhat he thought about 
it. "Don't let's talk about it, for I am disgusted, wearied 
out, and feeling as if I wanted to sleep for about two 
weeks." Such was the expression of feeling on his part. 
Major W. W." Hastings. 
A Letter from Lake Okeechobee* 
Okeechobee— "Great Water" — is well named, for 
while of comparatively limited area, in appearance it is 
almost boundless. Three-fourths of its shores are fringed 
with a belt of saw grass varying from one to six miles 
Avide; the other fourth of the lake shore is composed 
of a dense forest of cypress, the water flowing freely 
through grass and among trees until it is hard to say 
where land stops or lake begins. We have sailed entirely 
around the lake, and have found very few places where 
one can land dry shod. 
There seems to be an abundance of fish. Big-mouth 
black bass, goggle-eye perch and bream, and leather- 
back turtle, are in evidence, while gators are an un- 
known quantit3^ I had a little experience with one of 
the biggest the other day. Perhaps I'd better tell you 
about it. 
It was over in Chezy Ba}'. I had paddled across and 
up into a little cave among some large cypress trees. 
The water was quite deep, but everywhere covered with 
a dense growth of the cow lily. I had forced the canoe 
well into the mass, when alongside, and not more than 
6ft. from the canoe, there came to the surface the largest 
alligator I have ever seen. He came up very slowly, 
parallel to the canoe. As his eyes came to the surface 
he saw me, and slowly milled around until his head was 
pointing to the bow of the canoe; then he began to swell 
up and rise still higher out of water. His size was enor- 
mous, and I think his girth would equal that of a large 
ox. I had a large double gun loaded with heavy shot. 
I readied for the gun; then I stopped to think. My 
thoughts were something like this: "T can lift the top 
of your head with one barrel, and then you'll kick; and 
then where will I be? If I should escape getting 
my back broken I couldn't swim in all this tangle of lily 
pads." And I very quietl}'^ left the gun alone, took my 
paddle, and very, very carefully backed out of the vi- 
cinity. Perhaps that was not just the way to do, but 
I have alwa3''s been satisfied it was best. 
I have seen but few birds around the lake; beyond a 
few rookeries of cormorants there is a dearth of bird life. 
Deer and turke5'S are fairly plenty now, and a few hum- 
mock and cat squirrels. 
Altogether my impressions concerning the lake are 
disappointing. 
One thing we certainly had a surfeit of, and that was 
rough water. I have done a good bit of sailing in my 
time, and I am of the opinion that Okeechobee can get 
up the meanest and nastiest little chop sea, and can do 
so on the least provocation, of anj' body of water twice 
the size that I am acquainted with. 
All of which reminds me that I must tell you of how 
we made our last harbor on the lake. We had been run- 
ning for some time before a strong easterly wind; a good 
breeze at first, it had gradually increased until at sunset 
it was blowing half a gale. We were looking for shel- 
ter. Ahead and on either bow was a heavy cypress for- 
est. We thought to run in as close as possible, anchor, 
and ride it out. As we neared the trees Ave discovered 
an opening and decided to run in if we could get in. 
We were soon at the little gap, and driven by the now 
furious Avind dashed in between two immense trees, with 
room enough, but none to spare. But the old man was 
at the helm, S. was on the bow, and Charley Avas shak- 
ing in his shoes. It was terribly exciting for a moment. 
No one knew how much Avater Avas under us, no one 
kncAV lioAV many roots and stumps were in our way; 
but on Ave drove. "Lufif!" lufif it is! "Steady! steady! 
Keep off — hard up — stand by for a jibe!" And presto! 
all Avas still as death. We had run out of a furious gale 
into a perfect little basin, surrounded on all sides by 
taU trees, its Avaters scarcely rippled by a breath of the 
storm king that so furiously hoAvled outside. 
"Down jib! Let go anchor! DoAvn mainsail!" And 
here Ave are, in as perfect a little harbor as ever glad- 
dened the heart of a storm-tossed sailor. 
All through that night we could hear the Avind hoAvl 
outside. The thunder and lightning was almost inces- 
sant, while the rain fell in torrents; but we were safe. 
After supper and the usual smoke, with a story or tAvo 
thrown in, Ave sought our little beds, and if we did not 
sleep much we rested safe and secure in our little tree- 
sheltered harbor. 
With the morning came fair weather, and whh a cor- 
dial good-by to our little haven we stood doAvn the lake 
for the canal and home. Tarpon. 
Many readers of the Post are personally acquainted 
with the venerable Samuel Sanders, of Schroon, who 
is one of the old-time hunters and trappers. Mr. Sanders, 
Avho is a blacksmith by occupation, has in the course 
of his long life made 126 bear traps and caught or killed 
92 bears. As a maker of bear traps he stands at the 
head among Essex county blacksmiths, and as a bear 
trapper he ranks next to our peerless Elijah, who is 
Upending the happy evening of a hunter's life under the 
'■hndovf of Mt. Raven, after having killed 150 bears.— 
Elizdbethtown, N. Y., Post. 
Audubon and His Journals** 
Nearly fifty years have elapsed since the death of the 
great artist-naturalist who is undoubtedly the most wide- 
ly known of the ornithologists of America; and tmtil 
noAv no adequate history of his life has ever been AVrit- 
ten. Tavo lives of Audubon have been published, both 
being incorrect, inadequate and so unsatisfactory! We 
have noAv, thanks to the naturalist's granddaughter. Miss 
M. R. Audubon, a life which is as complete as anything 
we can ever hope to have, and AVhich shows us, after the 
lapse of all these years, not so much Audubon the 
naturalist, the artist or the traveler, as Audubon the 
man. 
The material comes to us almost exclusiA'ely from his 
own AA'ritings, and chiefly from journals kept by him, 
in which the happenings of his life Avere set doAvn from 
day to day during his absence from his family for perusal 
by his beloved Avife and later by his sons. These journals 
together Avith a great mass of other material haA^e been 
brought together AA'ith loving labor and untiring in- 
dustry extending over several years by Miss Audubon, 
and the material has been used by her with rare judgment 
and with most effective skill, and so she tells us the story 
of her grandfather's life. 
The year of Audubon's birth is usually given as May 
5, 1780, though it is probable that the real date is earlier. 
He Avas born on the plantation of Mandeville, on the 
north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, in Louisiania, his 
father being a French admiral, and his mother a Spanish 
Creole. He lost his mother early in life, in one of the 
local uprisings of the slaves in Santo Domingo, and Avas 
early taken to France, Avhere his father was in active 
serAace. As a boj^ he was tenderly cared for and greatly 
spoiled by his stepmother, for Avhom he alwaA's felt the 
Avarmest affection, and avIio is constantly mentioned 
in his writings. Happily his father was of sterner mould, 
and learning at last how completelj' the boy Avas his OAvn 
master sent him away to school. 
When about eighteen years of age, the troubles of 
France led to his being sent to America, where he took 
possession of a farm known as Mill Grove, which be- 
JOHN JAMES AUDUBON. 
longed to his father. Here his time was spent in shoot- 
ing, fishing and athletic exercises, and it Avas here that 
he met Lucy BakeAvell, whom he married a few years 
later, and Avho survived him for many years. Unques- 
tionably a great part of Audubon's success in life Avas 
due to the steadfastness Avith which he Avas believed in, 
encouraged and assisted by that noble Avoman. 
Some of the best years of Audubon's life Avere ostensi- 
bly devoted to commerce, and it Avas often his part to 
furnish the capital for various enterprises where other 
people attended to the business. The results of this 
course to Audubon's pecuniary fortunes Avere disastrous. 
-The nattn-alist in fact spent much of his time in the forest, 
studying the birds that he was afterAvard to paint and 
to Avrite about. He had no taste for business, he had even 
no interest in it, except so far as the making of money 
Avas necessary to the comfort of his dear ones. 
It was in the spring of 1826 that Audubon sailed for 
England to set on foot, if possible, the publication of his 
great Avork on birds. His success there is AA'^ell known, 
and is delightfully told in the journals which begin this 
work, for most of the earlier Afolumes of Audubon's jour- 
nals haA-e been lost. But the European journal from 1826- 
29, the Labrador journal, 1833, and the Missouri River 
journals, 1843, remain to us, and are given here, illus- 
trated Avith many hitherto unpublished portraits of the 
naturalist, and together with two of Madam Audubon 
and tAvo each of his tAvo sons, pictures of his residences 
and unpublished sketches of the birds that he dreAV. 
Following the Missouri River journal are to be found 
the episodes Avhich are printed in the original edition of 
the "Birds of America," together with one that has 
not been before printed. 
Much of the material found in the journals, bearing 
on the habits of birds and mammals and on various sec- 
tions of this country, is of course found also in the 
Avorks on birds or the quadrupeds of North America, 
since in these journals are inscribed the field notes from 
which the volumes were Avritten. The material is abun- 
dant, and it is all quotable. We take from the Missouri 
River journals (August, 1843) a few paragraphs about 
the buffalo in those days: 
"Although I have said much about buffalo running, 
and butchering in general, I have not given the particular 
manner in Avhich the latter is performed by the hunters of 
* Audubon and His Journals, by Marie R. Audubon, -with 
zoological and other liotes by Elliott Coues. 2 vols., illus. Chas. 
Scribner's Sons. 
this country — I mean the Avhite hunters— and I will noAv 
try to do so. The moment that the buffalo is dead, three 
or four hunters, their faces and hands often covered Avith 
gunpowder, and with pipes lighted, place the animal on 
its belly, and by draAving out each fofe and llindlef fix 
the body so that it cannot fall doAvn again; an incision 
is made near the foot of the tail, irrimeaiately above the 
foot ill faet, and the skin cut to the neck, and taken bff 
in the roughest manner imaginable, downward and on 
both sides at the safne time. The knives are going in 
MADAM AUDUBON. 
Proiti the Auduboti Magazine. 
all directions, and many Avounds occur to the hands and 
fingers, but are rarely attended to at this time. The pipe 
of one man has perhaps given out. and Avith his bloody 
hands he takes the one of his nearest conipanion, who 
has his own hands equally bloody. Noav one breaks 
in the skull of the bull, and Avith bloody fingers draAVS out 
the hot brains and SAA^alloAvs them with peculiar zest; an- 
other has noAV reached the liver, and is gobbling down 
enormous pieces of it; Avhile perhaps a third, who has 
come to the paunch, is feeding luxuriously on some to 
me disgusting looking offal. But the main business 
proceeds. The flesh is taken off from the sides of the 
boss or hump bones, from Avhcre these bones begin to 
the very neck, and thfe hump itself is thus destroyed. The 
hunters give the name of "hump" to the mere bones 
when slightly covered Avith flesh; and it is cooked, and 
very good Avhen fat, young and Avell boiled. The pieces 
of flesh taken from the sides of these bones are called 
filets, and are the best portion of the animal Avhen prop- 
erl}^ cooked. The forequarters. or shoulders, are taken 
off, as well as the hind ones, and the sides, covered by 
a thin portion of flesh called the depouille, are taken 
out. Then the ribs are broken off at the vertebrae, as 
Avell as the boss bones. The marrow bones, which are 
those of the fore and hindlegs only, are cut out last. The 
feet usually remain attached to these; the paunch is 
stripped of its covering of layers of fat, the head and the 
back bone are left to the Avolves, the pipes are all emptied, 
the hands, the faces and clothes all bloody, and now a 
glass of grog is often enjoyed, as the stripping of the 
skins and flesh of three or four animals is truly very hard 
AVork. In some cases Avhen no Avater Avas near, our sup- 
per Avas cooked without our being Avashed, and it Avas not 
until we had traveled several miles the next morning that 
JOHN WOODHOUSE AUDUBON. ^ ( 
From the Audubon Magazine. 
we had any opportunity of cleaning ourselves; and yet, 
despite everything, we are all hungry, eat heartily, and 
sleep soundly. When the wind is high and the buffaloes 
run toward it, the hunters' guns very often snap, and it 
is during their exertions to replenish their pans that the 
pOAvder flies and sticks to the moisture every moment 
accumulating on their faces; but nothing stops these 
daring and usually poAverful men, who the moment the 
chase is ended leap from their horses, let them graze, 
and begin their butcher-like work." 
