848 
The Rime of the Deer Hunters* 
(Suggested by Rudyard Kipling's "Rime of the Three Sealers,' 1 ) 
Away by the home of the sidling lands, 
Where the rifles are rusting red. 
Since the blue game litis) of 'qj 
Passed on to be three times read; 
There, when the Hunters congregate. 
They tell the tale anew, 
ffotv the Driver claimed the right to the hide, 
When deer was dead and the Slayer' s pride 
Made him easy to hoodoo. 
Now this is the law of the Mountaineer, which he proves 
by custom old, 
And when they drove the deer in the fall, it no man 
need be told: 
That the hunter, who started the hounds in the woods 
and climbed the mountain side, 
Was to have his share of the meat allowed, as well as 
the horns and hide. 
The hunters met in the early morn, when the white frost 
made it worth, 
And the buck deer put on his Sunday clothes, and his 
forefoot smote the earth. 
The hounds were loosed in the .mountain top, the 
standers they must wait 
Till the deer was killed or the driver came to relieve 
them soon or late. 
And a man who shot and missed a deer — his shirt-tail 
then was cut, 
And he suffered the gibes of all the camp— the Camp of 
the Hungry Gut. 
But if a deer came through the stand, and was killed in 
passing it, 
The hunters cut him into lots, dividing bit by bit, 
And whether the meat was lost or won by shooting at 
mark or draw, 
The Driver could claim his right to the hide, and his 
claim was good in Law. 
Now this is the tale of two City Men, but one was Hill- 
side born, 
And his nature led him back to the woods when the 
Shirkar shucked the corn; 
And so, one Fall, he brings to hunt at the place where 
the waters head, 
His friend from among the Up Above, who was city 
born and bred, 
In whom the blood of his ancestry made him mad to 
kill a deer, 
And he loaded him down with cartridges and other 
hunting gear. 
The first knew where to find a deer, and the other went 
in search 
Of his place by the side of the noisy stream — the stand 
was the Leaning Birch. 
A buck came down at the Leaning Birch, and around 
him the water swirled, 
And the look that came in the Stander's face was the 
look of another world; 
The look of the prehistoric man, "in the hocking in the 
night, 
When he stood to the flank of the Aurock, when the red 
snow reeked of fight." 
"The flame spurt red sprang out ahead" as the .44-90 
spoke, 
And the noble brute leaped and went down as by a 
thunder stroke. 
The chase was done, the deer undressed, and the Driver 
claimed the hide, 
But the Slayer wished the pelt for a rug, and such was 
his doom and pride, 
For between the two was a poker debt of nine dollars 
and fifty cents. 
Which the Driver swore the hide of the deer should go 
to recompense; 
Firmly he stood and nothing else would induce or make 
him afraid, 
And ere that hide graced the city home thus was the 
bargain made. 
Andrew Price. 
Marlinton, W. Va, 
Boston and Maine, 
Boston, Oct. 21.— Fallen leaves are troubling the 
Maine big game hunters a good deal just at present. 
Still snow has fallen in some of the northern sections of 
the State to the extent that some tracking has been 
done. Mr. G. H. Sperry, of Boston, has captured a big 
moose at Great Fish Lake, Aroostook county, Me. The 
monster is reported to have weighed i,ioolbs., and there 
is no use of disputing the weight till the returns of the 
American Express Company can be got at, when it is 
hkely that the carcass weighed about 6oolbs. The ant- 
lers had a spread of S9^in. Mr. Sperry was accompanied 
on the hunting trip by Byron Stark and Dr. Simpson, of 
New York. They got two deer, one an albino, and a 
black bear. Partridges they found verv scarce. Three 
other moose came down on the same train with that of 
Mr. Sperry. Rev. B. C. Wentworth, of Waterville, Me., 
has returned from a hunting trip in the vicinity of Nor- 
cross, Me., with a fine buck deer. C. L. Cushman, of 
Auburn, Me., with a New York gentleman, brings from 
near the Canadian border the largest buck deer of the 
season, weighing about 2oolbs. Some Lewiston, Me., 
hunters, including F. H. Packard, Henry O. Cutler, 
Edward Wakefield, and some Portland hunters, have re- 
turned from the Seboomook Cottage, Northeast Carry, 
where they killed a black bear, one of the largest ever 
taken in that section. 
Deer are coming into the markets of every village in 
Maine, according to the newspapers, and the numbers 
and size must be great, even if the reports are only half 
true. Not satisfied with marketing the game in their 
own State, the hunters or dealers are sending a great 
many to Boston. I saw a large number of fresh arrivals 
to-day. They are coming some way, of which the Maine 
commissioners can readily be convinced, if they will 
take the trouble to investigate. Evidently somebody is 
killing Maine big game for market, and at an alarming 
rate. 
Oct, 24.— Moose are coming into the Boston mar- 
POHESf AND STREAM, 
kets, notwithstanding they are, without doubt, unusually 
scarce this year. A gentleman who is on the road a 
good deal, and very frequently over the Bangor & 
Aroostook, stopping frequently at the city of Bangor, 
is' just in from a trip, and tells me that not one-half of 
the number of moose have passed through Bangor this 
season, so far, as during the corresponding time a 
year ago. Still, Boston marketmen manage to get hold 
of the few there are. I saw one unloaded into the place 
of a market concern Saturday. Curiously enough it was 
unloaded from the wagon of an East Boston express 
company; a team that would be as little likely to have 
hold of it, if it was being openly and legally forwarded, 
as would a gentleman's carriage. There was no tag on 
it, as the Maine game laws require — tag of the owner. 
It excited some attention, and neither the marketmen nor 
the expressmen had anything to say. The moose was 
evidently a young one; not over three years old. One 
horn was peculiar in formation, making it really a 
horn rather than an antler. It was slender, and of 
nearly the same size for the whole length — iin. in dia- 
meter and at least ioin. long. The horn came down in 
front of the animal's face, something in the shape of the 
horn of a gnu, possibly that of a musk ox or domestic 
cow with crumpled horn. The other horn of the dead 
moose was a regular moose antler, though small in 
size. I will obtain a photograph of the head, for repro- 
duction in the Forest and Stream, if possible. 
F. E. Whiting, of the Boston Herald, is out of the 
woods from a trip to Jo Merry Lake. He brings home 
the head of a fine buck. Among the other Boston 
hunters Avho have taken deer in Maine this season may 
be noted H. L. Wiggin, C. B. Seagrave, C. C. Foster, 
J. Foster, H. E. Gross, D. Sheehan, A. F, Kenney, W. 
H. Lougee, J. L. Towle, J. F. Richardson, W. G. Pay- 
son. Gunners outside of Boston are reported to have 
taken deer as follows: E. W. Prescott, C. M. Gould, A. 
H. Doble. G. E. Morrill, W. H. Priest, M. A. Head, 
M. A. T. Gail, H. T. Stansfield, O. W. Whittemore, A. 
W. Rogers, G. T. Freeman and C. B. Gudell. Mrs. H. 
B. Adams is reported to have killed two deer at Julian 
Viles' Tim Pond camps. 
A Bangor daily paper report says that Fish and Game 
Commissioner L. T. Carlton has just been in that city, in 
the interest of the enforcement of the game laws. He 
has brought two men from Houlton to justice for killing 
a cow moose in April, 1897. One he fined $200 and the 
other $100. Well, I thought that the Maine game laws 
distinctly specified "imprisonment" for illegally killing 
moose, and "no fine about it." Has Commissiorer Carl- 
ton again taken the interpretation of the game laws into 
his own hands, as in the case of the boy moose killers, 
whom he let off altogether? Special. 
Notes from New Brunswick, 
The rush of American sportsmen into this Province 
appears to be nearly over for the present. A much larger 
number than usual, however, are coming to hunt on the 
snow, including some parties who did not secure their 
full complement of big game in September. 
I have had occasion to remark heretofore that no 6oin. 
moose heads have yet been taken on Miramichi waters, 
whereas they have quite frequently been found on the 
Tobique and the Restigouche. Mr. Gordon Parker, of 
Woburn, Mass., however, has shot a moose in the 
Crooked Deadwater country with a cross section of 58in. 
This is crowding the Tobique moose rather close, and 
Braithwaite maintains that "Tim Lynch," the king of all 
moose, is still at large on the head of Renous. Mr. 
Parker and his friend Mr. Fowle are expected out in a 
few days, when full details of their trip will be obtainable. 
Carter H.« Fitzhugh and Owen F. Aldis, of Chicago, 
who were out on a short hunt with William Griffin, of 
Stanley, saw both moose and caribou, but failed to take 
due cognizance of the fleeting element of time, and their 
trophies are still "on the hoof." 
John Bodkin has returned from a hunting and camp- 
ing trip of several weeks' duration on the Nepisiguit. 
Mr. Bodkin's feat of calling up and shooting a moose 
with a spread of over 6oin. last season gave him a well- 
deserved reputation as one of the best of our amateur 
"callers." Mr. Bodkin did not have his usual luck this 
season. He brought home a nice caribou, but no moose. 
He thinks that the upper waters of the Nepisiguit have 
been overcrowded with hunting parties this fall. 
A party composed of A. L. Powell, M. J. Nevins, E. J. 
Mullaley and George H. Davis went through Vance- 
boro the other day in a contented frame of mind. They 
were hunting near the Bathurst Lakes. They killed four 
bull moose in four successive days, and also shot a cari- 
bou. 
It was a pleasure for local sportsmen to learn that Mr. 
Charles S. Bird and his friend, D. F. Fales, of East 
Walpole, Mass., had excellent luck on the Tobique. 
They secured two moose, the largest having a spread of 
57^in. and twenty-six points. This party had George 
Armstrong, of Perth Centre, as guide. Mr. Fales also 
shot a large caribou. 
The American sportsman is almost sure to be break- 
ing some record or other. Mr. B. R. Houghten, of 
Boston, takes a pardonable pride in the fact that he 
arrived in camp on the Tobique Tuesday night, Oct. 4. 
and upon starting out after breakfast next morning had 
his moose down in thirty minutes. 
Moose heads, most of them of wide spread, have lately 
gone through Vanceboro, shot by R. E, Gregg, C. L. 
Jackson, Moses Williams, W. H. Moses, Dr. Tuttle, W. 
L. Miner and M. Williamson. I was unaDle to learn 
particulars. Caribou were taken out by R. E, Gregg, 
Moses Williams, W. L. Pierce and W. F. Jenkins, and a 
deer by Dr. Cliffy Six other moose heads went through 
last week, of which the customs agent was unable to 
learn the owners. 
W. H. Foster, of the editorial staff of the New York 
World, and his friend, John Hunt, came down the other 
day from the head of Tobique. Adam Moore, their 
guide, called up three moose, but our friends were not 
successful in locating the lead in a vital point. They 
secured, however, two caribou and a bear. 
A party composed of J. S. Fhrich and wife, and S. W. 
Lehman, all of New York, returned on the 18th, after a 
fortnight's hunt on the Sisters Lakes. They had as 
guides W. H. Allen, Ed. Norred and Ed. Church. They 
[Oct. 59, 
brought out two heads of 48 and soin, spreads. Mr. 
Ehrich wounded a much larger moose than either of 
these. 
Mr. Z. H. Jarman and brother, of Brooklyn, brought 
a nice moose out of the Canaan country. Their guide 
was James H. Ryder. Mr. Jarman states that the party 
wounded and lost another bull. He speaks very highlv 
of the Canaan region in regard to its moose supply, and 
also of Mr. Ryder as a skillful guide and caller. 
Near the country in which Mr. Jarman hunted are 
the wild meadows of Lake Brook. George H. Wood- 
burn, of Philadelphia, shot a bull moose there on the 
8th inst., with a remarkable set of antlers. The points 
numbered thirty and the spread was 55m. Careful meas- 
urements were taken of this moose, which stood 7ft. lift, 
high at the withers. 
Frank H. Risteen. 
Fredericton, Oct, 21, 
CHICAGO AND THE WEST. 
The Methods of "Mr. Hicks. " 
Chicago, III, Oct. 22. — The Forest and Stream of 
last week contained a mention of the mythical "Mr. 
Hicks," of Milwaukee, who has been acting as a blind 
for the covering of the continuous traffic in illegal Wis- 
consin game. "Mr. Hicks," as is now fully known in the 
cities of Chicago and Milwaukee, is no "one but H. L, 
Brown & Son, of 225 South Water street, Chicago. This 
concern has been dealing in illegal game for a long time 
and had managed to get it in here under cover in one 
way or another. The firm was trapped by means of a 
decoy letter, written by a man in Wisconsin, who repre- 
sented that he could send in a large number of partridges 
daily from his shipping point. The security which seems 
to have been felt by this concern in carrying on its illegal 
work, and- its opinion of the chances of being caught 
for handling game illegal in Illinois, may best be seen by 
the following excerpts from the data collected by Warden 
August Zinn, of Milwaukee, who detected the real na- 
ture of "Mr. Hicks." The first letter read as follows: 
Chicago, 111., Sept. 29.— Your favor of Sept. 26 received. We 
inclose you private instructions for shipping game. Follow these 
instructions closely. _ Bill to Milwaukee and your game will reach 
us all right. We will send you some tags, and the initial letters 
on those tags will represent your name on our books. Partridges 
are worth $4.50 per dozen ; venison 14 to 16 cents per pound. Try 
and have some with us the first of the week. Treat this matter 
confidentially. K. L. Brown & Son. 
The tags inclosed are as follows: 
L. H. HICKS. 
Milwaukee, Wis. 
E. E. E. 
The shipping instructions by which the law of Wiscon- 
sin was to be broken were sent in this form: 
Wisconsin shippers should follow the instructions given below 
and their shipments will reach us promptly and a great deal 
of annoyance in receiving unknown packages will be done away 
with. Bill all packages to L. H. Hicks, Milwaukee, Wis., putting a 
tag to that effect on outside of package and another inside.- The 
outside tag is invariably torn off after shipment leaves Milwaukee, 
and unless you follow instructions and place a tag on inside you can 
easily see that it is impossible for us to determine from whom the 
shipment is, as all packages arc billed ftorn Milwaukee. The 
letter or letters at bottom or back of tags that we sent you stands 
for shipper's name on our books. Do not loan tags unless 
you thoroughly erase these letters, otherwise shipment is credited 
to the name that letter corresponds with here, and sales sent 
accordingly. 
Do not fail to put invoice inside of package, being careful 
to give correctly the count of each variety, and sign your name 
on the back of each ticket. 
We will take cars of you all right at this end. We have now 
on our books a number of unknown packages which we will 
readily account to the shipper for upon receiving a correct in- 
voice and name of owner, with post-office address. 
Market steady, and we hope our sh'opers will observe above in- 
structions to the letter, and we can do a good business together 
this fall. H. L. Brown & Son. 
In case of any game being caught here in Chicago 
by the Illinois warden, this precious set of merchants 
declared themselves ready to stand good for the loss. 
They sent the following guarantee, which I should think 
would make Harry Loveday think a lot of them: 
"We personally guarantee to make good to any ship- 
per any consignment that might be interfered with 
by the game warden at this end, providing same are 
consigned to us in tight packages and the shipper fol- 
lows our instructions as sent out heretofore." 
Loveday Catches "Mr. Hicks." 
Yesterday our State warden, Harry Loveday, came in 
and said he had a bit of news in regard to this end of 
the Wisconsin steal, carried on by the Brown concern. 
He had located a leak, and earlier made a seizure of a 
lot of game that had been shipped in to the outfit, via 
"Mr. Hicks." The lot was mostly partridges. It is a 
certainty that the firm of H. L. Brown & Son would 
better walk the track pretty close from now on, so far 
as the Chicago end is interested. 
Where ihe Illegal Game came from. 
It has been urged upon State Warden Ellarson, of 
Wisconsin, for a long time, that deer were being killed 
pretty much all summer and shipped to market from 
the neighborhood of Greenwood. This the warden 
denied, but proof was later found that the charges are 
only too correct. A great deal of such work has been 
done near Greenwood, Wis. From Neillsville, Wis., 
comes a protest of the citizens of better sort, who de- 
clare that buyers are shipy ng out 500 to 600 partridges 
per day. The men of that c untry wbo want some game 
left declare that at the prese. t rate the deer and grouse 
will soon be gone. This is c te of the supplv points of 
"Mr. Hicks." 
South Water Street. 
Warden Loveday tells me to-day that he finds that 
this year the marketing of Illinois game has fallen off 
to almost nothing. He has caught only three packages 
so far this season. Last year at this time, as may per- 
haps be remembered, he found things very different, and 
had in the same number of days confiscated sixty-five 
different packages of Illinois game. He has this fall 
seized on South Water street and at the depots in all 
eighty-seven packages of game, coming into this market 
ahead of our open season. The contents of these pack- 
ages were 918 prairie chickens, 424 partridges, 730 ducks, 
