FOHEST AND STREAM, 
worked ^lii tny mind to such an exteiit that I did nOt 
know but it was for my special benefit. But I iound out 
differently, for I showed the article to a friend; and then 
the friend was not satisfied; he came around in the after- 
noon and said, "Say, just let me lake your Forest and 
Stream to-night, and after supper I will go and sit down 
all by myself, fill m3' old pipe and read it once more. 
Natural, isn't it — that barnyard fence, and" — I could see 
the dew was gathering in his eyes as he walked away; 
and I A'oluntarily went to the window and looked at the 
Atlantic Ocean. The article referred to is "Types of 
Sportsmen — I." After a New England boy has been 
away from home for a quarter of a century and then 
reads an article like that he cannot help but think of 
those old places, the orchard, the pine trees beyond and 
the little hand- we used to clasp as we walked to and 
from the old school house, long since folded in the last 
sleep. 
Pine Tree, too, must be in the same mental condition 
that I am, or he woidd not bring up memories of old 
days when two boys stood on the Hatfield meadows. 
But there were other boys that stood there. • I have been 
there, and also have crawled all over the Northampton 
meadows after black duck with my old musket, that was 
used in the vvar of 1812. And if nothing happens in 
about ten days I shall be fishing, not on Hatfield mead- 
ows, but on a brook called Running Gutter that used to 
run the old saw mill at Hatfield, Mass. I expect to get 
that large trout that I did not get two years ago. He 
lives in a sharp bend of the brook under an old log. An 
old chestnut stump hangs o\'er and gives shade on sunny 
day.s. I can see the place now, but not the trout; but it 
I find him at home about the 23d of this month I .'shall 
be satisfied. ** 
Bear Hunting with the Seminoles. 
Hunting the black bear in Florida is a sport to which 
few are introduced. This bear is not fierce nor danger- 
ous, still he is "big game," and a bear hunt is always 
full of incident and excitement. About ten miles from 
Kissimmee, is a cypress swamp — it is an aquatic jungle 
fuU of fallen trees, brush, vines and tangled undergrowth, 
all darkened liy the dense shadows of the tall cypress 
trees, and full of moccasins and alligators. Running 
through the swaiup is a chain of islands. Here is a field 
for sportsmen, and here live unmolested a whole colony 
of the bruin family. Hunters hear their growls and numer- 
ous fresh tracks shoAv where the night marauders have en- 
tered the hammock, where they feast on wild honey, 
huckleberries, the cabbage of the palmetto and the wild 
orange. They seldom come out to expose themselves 
during the day, hence they are rarely captured, and in 
coiisequence are on the increase. Settlers frequently re- 
port depredations on tlieir hogs, and with a spirit of 
vengeance organize for bear hunts; but bruin is safe in 
his swamp home, for without dogs trained to hunting 
bear, even if he were surprised, he would quickly make 
his escape into the jungle. 
Of all game of the forest bear meat is the favorite dish 
of the Florida Indians — squaws, piccaninnies and dogs 
revel in it. With this knowledge, it was an easy matter 
to secure a party of Seminole chiefs and their trained 
dogs for a bear hunt. The auspicious day arrived. This 
picturesque hunting party came striding into Kissimm.ee 
as unconscious and statuesque as bronze figures of Mer- 
cury. The party was led by Chief Tom Tiger, following 
after in Indian file was old Chief Tallahassee, Doctor 
Tommy and Little Tiger, while trailing along by their 
sides were the formidable looking dogs. Dressed in their 
holiday attire, with new leggins and moccasins, bright 
cahco shirts, a half dozen red handkerchiefs around their 
necks, crowned with the immense red turban, the emblem 
of their race, with knives and cartridges in their belts= 
and Winchesters at their sides, the Indians attracted as 
much attention as a Presidential party. 
If ever men deserved the name of Nimrods, it is these 
sons of the Everglades. Even Lhtle Tiger, a boy of 
twelve, with his fine rifle, could put to shame many a 
skilled marksman. But on to the chase. The souls of 
the red men seemed to leap within them at the thought of 
the sport after bear, while the hounds barked gleefully, 
so with hasty preparations our hunting party started for 
the Reedy Creek jungle. At this point we will turn the 
story over to the "tenderfoot," that the reader may bet- 
ter follow the chase. 
"As we reached tlte hammock, which has, been for 
years a veritable elysium for the bears, the dogs seemed 
to become possessed of a very .spirit of unrest; soon they 
struck a trail. 'To-co-see ojus' (bear plenty)^ exclaimed 
Capt. Tom Tiger, as he observed the numerous cabbage 
palms with their buds freshly torn out, as well as the 
conduct of his dogs, and with a word of command to the 
hounds, he started. The rest of us followed, till we 
struck a marsh heavily timbered with cypress> wdiich 
grew so close that- the sun's rays could not rekch the 
earth. It made a dark, damp and dangerous ground to 
enter. The dogs were now running with broad scent, 
heads well up and throats wide open. If ever there was 
a sound sweet to hunter's ears, it was the baying of five 
hounds close on bruin's trail. With nerves on a ten- 
sion we rushed along, with .gun carried at ready. Oil 
swept the riot. The Indians yelled as only Indians can, 
and the tenderfoot brought up the rear. A hunt in a 
Florida jungle, pulling through soft mud. climbing over 
logs, pushing through vines, sprawling on hands and knees 
through the tangled, matted undergrowth, expecting or 
fearing each step we would .strike a moccasin, are the 
penalties paid for the romantic, adventurous hunt with a 
Seminole Indian. At last the supreme moment arrived: 
the leading dog had reached the bear, and soon the five 
dogs and the bear were having a vigorous rough and 
tumble fight. We were in good hearing distance, but 
travehng was verv difficvdt, and our progress was slow. 
The Indians' cry" 'Yo hoee hee! yo hoee heel' to the 
hounds made them fight furiously, so much so that bruin 
broke from cover and started on the- chase just before 
we reached shooting distance, Further into the woods 
the chase led. Soon the sound of the pursuing dogs 
ceased, much to our surprise. We appealed to the near- 
est Indian for an explanation. 'Lo-co-see (bear) chmb 
tree,' was the brief reply, and later, when we reached the 
dog's, they were running wildly around on the bank of 
a dark creek. We were again at a loss to comprehend 
the situation, until We Were sliawn by the Indians a lean- 
ing tree, the top of which reached to the further side of 
the creek, over which bruin had safely passed. 'Lo-co- 
sec hiepus' (bear gone). 
"Three hours' tramping through ihe swamp and hot 
sun had taken all of the enthusiasm out of us, and we 
were ready to play quits, but the stalwart red men had 
defiance in their, faces as they said, 'Big lo-co-see; fight 
heap; Indian kill lo-co-see to-day.' Away to the left the 
brown legs of Little Tiger could be seen twinkling 
through the foliage; he had found some fresh tracks oi 
a cub, and in his eagerness to capture a baby bear he 
proved a similar nature to his little pale-faced brother. 
But the stern hunters had no time for a cub, and soon 
started for old bruin, who hy this time had crossed the 
marsh and gotten into a tree on the opposite bank, and 
by this trickery put the creek behind him. This did not 
daunt a Seminole Indian. Wading the shallow part of 
the creek, with water to the armpits, again cooled our 
ardor, but safety depended on not losing .sight of the 
Indians, as we 'were miles in the svvarap, and with no 
hope of finding our way out without the guidance of our 
red pilots. At last the bear was driven to a small island 
and surrounded, the island covered with tall grass and 
weeds hiding both dogs and hear. The dogs grew fu- 
rious, and several times forced the bear to stand and 
fight, and .such a battle as it wa.s; the dogs didn't hesi- 
tate to take hold of old bfuin^ and as a result were badly 
lacerated from the blows of her powerful paw. We 
closed in and oiu- game was in a trap. The Indians were 
in their future heaven; but the tenderfoot was getting 
very shy of being hugged. Bruin, now finding herself 
cornered, made a break for the open, and as she emerged 
from the tall grass, with the dogs at her heels, she met 
the stalwart figure of Tom Tiger. Rising on her hind 
legs, with open arms, she made one dash for him, when 
stepping back, in a cool and deliberate manner, he pulled 
the trigger of his "scatter' gun and emptied both barrels 
into the bear's side. This ended the chase, and a hap- 
pier set of Indians the world never saw. Immediately 
they drew their knives and commenced skinning the 
bear. As the skin adheres very tenaciously it should be 
taken of? at once, as it comes off much easier; be.sides, it 
is difficult to scrape away all the fatty tissue after it 
cools, and wherever any remains it rots the pelt. 
"The Indians' method of educating their dogs for hunt- 
ing bear is well wortlt knuwiiig. They take the gall of 
the' bear and thoroughly saturate the nostrils of the 
young dog. This is excruciating pain to the dogs, and 
they howl and whine for hours; but it niakes 'bear dogs' 
out of them, perfect on a trail, and this is the point with 
the Indian. 
''The huge carcass of bruin was divided and each In- 
dian carried a load to camp. A fire was soon built and a 
huge chunk of bear meat was thrown on the coals. AE 
night long they cooked and ate, the tenderfoot getting 
into his hammock beneath the boughs of the oaks. )Ve 
rested and dreamed — the flicker from the camp-fire, the 
Indians moving to and fro, the silence occasionally bro- 
ken by their low soft voices, and ever and anon in this 
wakeful slumber came the half dreaming thought. 'Betty 
and me killed the bear!" " 
Minnie Moore- Wili.son 
Kissimmee, Fla. 
Podgers^ Commentaries. 
San Francisco, May 3. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
I have just finished reading the last number of Forest 
AND Stream, and laid it dowti with a sigh of regret 
that there was no more of it. It is a particularly (not 
exceptionally) good number, and now, having recharged 
my pipe and settled back in my easy chair, the spirit 
moves me to give voice to my reflection and the memories 
of the past joys and sorrows of a sportsman. I might 
say joys oi the past and sorrows of the present, which 
are so ably voiced in your editorial, "Work and Play." 
You say truly that the most enthusiastic sportsman is 
too frequently one whose opportunities for the enjoyment 
of outings are few. and he looks forward to his day or 
two when the shackles are discarded, with quite as 
much enthusiastic anticipation as that with wdtich the 
boys were W'Ont to cormt the days to ensue before the 
arrival of the circus. I am not sure that scoffers are not 
so far out of the way in the designation of the Forest 
AND Stream as the "journal of the workers," or they 
might more properly say, the "consolation of the work- 
ers," those whose only satisfaction and compensation 
it is for being "chained to business" and prominent 
members of the Can't-get-away Club. As they peruse 
its columns and read of sylvan camps and bubbling 
brooks, they can smell the odor of bacon and broiling 
trout, and the scent of the pine cones to their nostrils 
as they glance at tlie breechloader and the split-bamboo 
resting on the wall of the snuggery. 
It is true it stirs up a spirit of restlessness, and causes 
involuntary pacing to and fro like unto that of the wild 
animal in its cage; btit the sportsman consoles him- 
self with the reflection that his day is coming, and 
next week or next month he too will be sitting on a log 
beneath the greenwood tree. 
It is said that the greatest pleasure is in anticipation 
rather than participation. It is often the case when the 
long-looked for outing of the sportsman brings bad 
weather, no game, and no fish; and all that precious 
time comes to naught. It is not as if one had the time 
to wait for a change of weather or a better location. 
No; he has just so many days and hours release from 
the slavery of business. Such disappointments never 
come to the man who neither shoots nor fishes. He 
can go through his confinement to business with perfect 
serenity. An occasional evening out with the boys suf- 
fices. The odor of a not over good cigar serves ?.s well 
for him as that of the balmy pines. Just think what that 
man loses of the enjoyment of life! Presumably he 
never misses such. Think of a man who goes down to 
his grave with the boast that he never shot a bird nor 
caught a fish! Yet I have a few friends who do not 
shoot, do not fish, and abominate the w-ater and_ yacht- 
ing. I look upon them with commiserating pity, al- 
though the poor, misguided chaps seem to manage to 
enjoy life in their miserable way. They play cards 
and billiards long into the small hours, and go home 
with very indefinite ideas of, the location of the latch 
key-hole, and they think they arc enjoying life, I ha^^■ 
expended time in missionary work with one friend, ami 
thought 1 had made a convert of him. He went so far 
as to purchase a gun. All that ever came of it was the 
shooting of a predatory cat on the back fence. Of such 
material are some of the Governors of our States, men 
who are indifferent to the preservation of game. Thty 
don't fish nor shoot; ergo, why bother about such 
trivial matters? I make it a rule never to vote for a 
candidate for any office who does not. and I take especial 
pains to ascertann his status. 
In our State the supervisors of every county are em- 
powered to regulate the periods of the open and close 
seasons; and seldom being sporstmen, they generally 
manage to make a beautiful mess of it. There seems 
to be universal bitterness and prejudice prevailing in 
the country against all clubs who hold shooting preserves, 
by purchase or lease, and the supervisors, influenced by 
that class of men who scorn all restrictions and laws, 
make a great deal of trouble for the clubs. The only 
way out of it to bring about peace and harmony is that 
potent remedy for all differences — a good dinner, for 
the short cut to reason is through a man's stomach. So 
the clubs invite the supervisors to a good dinner, when 
and where the question can be discussed con amore. It 
is astonishing how much more clearly a supervisor can 
see his way, and how much more amenable to reason 
he is with his "stomach with good capon lined," properly 
moistened with liquid arguments. The efficacy of this 
system of settlement of the questions relative to the 
game laws of an adjoining county was illustrated re- 
cently when the stubborn supervisors were invited to 
dinner at a club presided over by a chef of great re- 
nown. There was a certain stiffness and frigidity at the 
outset, but the dinner ended in the most enthusiastic 
expressions of fraternal regard, terminating in the usual 
declaration that none of the party had any special de- 
sire to return to their domicils until the morning sun- 
beams bathed nature in roseate glory — and they didn't. 
I think this whole Philippine difficuhy might have 
been settled in the same way. Instead of a diet of lead, 
an invitation to dinner — ^the novelty of a square meal — 
would have been more potent than btfllets. How much 
less crime there would be in the world if every man 
could have enough to eat and drink. It has always 
struck me that things might have been arrariged differ- 
ently; for instance, with no necessity for eating oftener 
than say once a week. It would give plenty of time to> 
rustle for the next meal. The female portion of the 
community, especially those slaves of the kitchen, would 
rejoice no doubt. 
We have just opened up a new game season for ai 
new game. "The sea lions (so-called generally, but really 
a species of large seals) abounding on the rocks at the 
entrance of the harbor, and along the coast. Their 
breeding rookery is mostly on the Farrallones, a rocky 
island about fifteen miles oft' the coast. The reason of 
the edict against them is the complaint by the market- 
fishermen that they have an inordinate appetite for our 
best fish, especially salmon. Some one of those blasted 
chaps who are eternally figuring up the cubic feet and 
inches of the amount of oxygen a man consumes in a 
Hfetime has estimated that the seals in one harbor con- 
sume 150 tons of salmon and other fish daily, and so 
a howl , has gone up that they must be e-xterminated. 
And this is all to favor a community of fishermen, not 
one man of them a native, but all a foreign population— 
Greeks. Italians and Austrians— not speakmg a word 
of English and hating Americans. Query: Which have 
the best right, the original seals or the interlopers? 
It is something akin to the poisoning of quail by the 
vinevardists because they eat a few grapes. 
Just above the entrance to our harbor is a famous 
rookerv, where the seals breed in great numbers. A 
few days ago preparations were made for a great 'slaugh- 
ter of the innocents, and a party repaired to the rocks 
and bombarded the unsuspecting animals until the waters 
were red with their blood. Hundreds were shot, and 
I suppose the murdering work will continue as long as 
one can be found on the rocks; but the idea of ex- 
terminating them is ridiculous, for they swarm in count- 
less thousands on the coast in the vicinity. The result 
will be that they will congregate at more inaccessible 
points and continue a fish diet as long as there is a 
salmon on the coast, and I don't know why we should 
di.spute their right. They were here a long tmie be- 
fore we came, and fish were created as much for them 
as for us. , , a ^■ 
A young seal when tamed is one of the most affection- 
ate pets. An acquaintance who lived on the beach on 
the opposite side of the bay had a pair that he raised 
and that played with his children about the house, spend- 
ing a part of their time frolicking in the water; and at 
the word of command would plunge in and brnig him his 
breakfast of fish. They were household pets for years, 
but the war of extermination has commenced; how far 
it will succeed is a question. I prophesy it will be a 
failure. As long as the canneries continue to load ships 
for foreign markets as they now do there is a greater 
danger of depleting the supply by such consumption of 
salmon than by the seals. In earlier days salmon sold 
in the markets at 2 cents per pound (before the canneries 
got in their deadly work), and were called poor mans 
beef. Now the price has risen to 20 cents; but there is 
no scarcity as yet. • ... , , ^ t.- c 
I am curious to see what will be the next subject ot 
discussion in the Forest and Stream. Epithets, instinct 
and reason and skunks have had a substantial ainng. 
and now I 'hope to see some equally interesting topics, 
especially the habits and characteristics of animals, a 
subject a lover of animals never tires of. We learn more 
of their habits and natures from such discussions than 
we could from anv other source, being personal experi- 
ences, and many animals are the gamers thereby, lake 
the skunk for instance, who has been greatly the gainer 
bv the experience of contributors who have been favored 
bv his society. His character has been greatly improved. 
He is an illustration of a gentleman that attends strictly 
to his own business, resenting any interference with it— 
an exemplification of the wisdom of abstaining from 
tooling with the buzz-saw. u-u-i.-^ fi-,^ " 
We are just now having the annua] exhibition of the ■ 
dog show, which is well attended, especially by ladies 
every one of whom will have her opmion of the judges 
