FOREST AND STREAM. 
33 
on a weak plank and stove it through, and the boat im- 
mediately sank in 3 feet of water. This was on the 
Maryand side, of course, we not yet having reached 
our starting point for crossing. Many of the goods 
were consequently damaged. Most of the party jumped 
out into the water at once, but after they had waded 
ashore I and two others threw them a rope and per- 
suaded them to haul us up to terra firma with wet feet 
only. The goods were immediately put on shore and 
secreted in the woods to secure them from the launches 
of the gunboat ilotilla, which are alwaj's cruising along- 
shore. There we camped for about two hours. In the 
meantime we procured a seme boat from a fishing shanty, 
and at i o'clock proceeded on our perilous journey with 
an experienced pilot and a sharp lookout. The price 
charged for taking the party over waas $150 in green- 
backs. Nevertheless, one of the men we had bargained 
with became timid and backed out, and as no one else 
could pull an oar T took his place, though I didn't get 
his pay, as I ought to have done. iVbout $5,000 worth 
of goods went over On that trip, and it is estimated that 
nearly $1,000,000 worth have been supplied to the Con- 
federates in this way from a single town. This is one 
reason why the town is so carefully guarded. 
Nothing exciting occurred until we had gotten some 
ways out on the river. It was cloudy and dark. Just 
then a gunboat was discovered going up, but she was 
past u.s. When we had reached the middle, another was 
seen bearing directly upon us. It was a critical time. 
We ceased rowing, lay low and kept the bow of the 
boat always toward the steamer, so as to present the 
smallest possible object. She came so near that we could 
see the gunners through her lighted ports. Fortunately 
she did not observe us, and we moved on. After that 
we grounded on a sandbar, and had more trouble to get 
• of? without noise. Sounds were heard very distinctly in 
the humid atmosphere. Soon afterward a drizzling rain 
commenced. It grew very dark, and directly we almost 
ran into the revenue cutter which is stationed ofif Pope's 
Creek as a guard boat. I happened to be looking at a 
light on shore when it became momentarily obscured, 
and looking sharp we discovered the vessel, whose masts 
had passed between us and the light! We were not 
hailed! 
One more gunboat avoided and Ave approached the 
Virginia shore. Meanwhile the rain had changed to a 
wet snow, which drenched us all to the skin and almost 
froze us. Rowing was what kept me warm. When near 
the shore we had to look out for launches again, as well 
as for Federal pickets on shore. But the weather became 
verj-^ thick, and we succeeded in finding a landing after 
a long and laborious search, thanks to our pilot. Our 
baggage and goods are now stored in a private house. 
On Saturday and Sunday the pickets were moving about, 
and we lay perdu under some haystacks where their 
horses were eating until we thought they would stamp 
our feet oft', though we drew them under as close as we 
could. After they had gone we couldn't stand, we had 
been so cramped. It wasn't a bit funny. To-day the 
coast was clear, so you see providence has been kind 
to us from the beginning. 
Our party is a tolerably select one, apparently, as we 
have two Confederate officers, one of whom served in 
Texas before the present war; a prominent Baltimore 
banker, a Southern Express agent and a young man who 
is going to ioint the Southern army. The first said that in 
all his experience he had never had a rougher time than 
last night. I was the onh^ one beside the boatman who 
didn't complain, and I had pulled a heavy oar almost con- 
tinuously for seven hours. It was the worst of all my 
checkered experiences. All agreed that if it had not been 
for me, we would now be aboard of a United States gun- 
boat. I think so too. I never worked so hard in my life, 
but I am feeling as well as though I had my regular 
night's rest for a week past. Snow is now S inches 
deep on the ground. We are waiting for the storm to 
abate. To-morrow we go on to Lloyd's in a private 
team, and will probably be at Fitzhugh Lee's headquar- 
ters at Bowling Green in the evening. At Milford, two 
miles distant, we take the train for Redmond. 
Charley. 
P. S. — was ju.st about to seal this note to send by the 
boatman going back, when our attention was called to 
three gunboats at anchor just off the mouth of the 
creek where we ran in. Too late, Mr. Federal ! C. 
Fixtures. 
BENCH SHOWS. 
Nov. 29-Dec. 1.— New York.— American Pet Dog Club's show. 
S. C. Hodge, Sec'y. 
FIELD TRIALS. 
Nov. 28.— Paris, Mo.— Missouri Field Trial Association's third 
annual trials. L. S. Eddins, Sec'y. 
Dec. 8.— Newton, N. C— Continental Field Trial Club's trials. 
Theo. Sturges, Sec^'y. 
1900. 
Jan. 22.— West Point, Miss.— United States Field Trial Club's 
annual trials. W- B. Stafford, Sec'y- . , „ . , 
Feb. 5.— Greenville. Ala.— Alabama field Trial Club s fourth an- 
nual trials. T. H. Spencer, Sec'y. 
Speaking of Dogs. 
San ■ Francisco, Nov. 12. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
Lives there a man with soul so dead who never to him- 
self hath said, 'T love not dogs"? Such were the thoughts 
that came to me a m.oment since as I stood at the window 
observing my old setter Sly, as he lay sunning himself 
on a bed of ivy vines, with three cats lying on him and 
between his paws fast asleep, and evidently much to his 
discomfort, as he raised his head and looked at them 
with an expression which plainly said. "I wish to gracious 
you would ge: oft' and let me scratch that flea that is 
giving me fits." But rather than disturb his companions 
he endured ihe Ilea. 1 said to myself, "Would a rnau 
have as much consideration?" which led lo the reflection 
of how little we appreciate the good qualities — I may say 
gentlemanly qualities — and characteristics of the dog. I 
have been ridiculed all my life for my weakness for dogs, 
and— I suppose I should be ashamed to say it— for cats 
also; in fact, animals generally. From this fondness and 
observation I have discovered qualities that only a close 
observer and lover of animals ever does. 
How often I have noticed the expression of the face of a 
horse when he was being badly handled and abused. He 
was saying to himself. "What does this devilish fool 
want me to do? He don't know himself," and then to 
see the distressed expression of his face when, being 
overloaded, he is whipped to make him exert himself 
beyond his strength. Animals must think and reason; 
the evidences are of daily observation, and what must be 
their opinions of mankind? How often do we see the 
driver when a horse slips or stumbles take out his whip 
and give him a cut, punishing the poor horse for an ac- 
cident, the result of a badly paved street or a smooth 
shoe. And how often the impulse has been almost irre- 
sistible to sally out in the street and give the driver a 
lick over the head with my cane. 
There are twc» institutions that deserve the aid and 
encouragement of every good citizen. One is the Salva- 
tion^ Army and the other the Society for the Prevention 
of Cruelty to Animals. I have seen such evidences of 
the self-sacrificing devotion to the poor and unfortunate 
by the Salvation Army, and the good they do, that I have 
a respect for them; and as for the Society for Prevention 
of Cruelty to Animals, every lover of dumb beasts should 
give it his unqualified indorsement. 
I had an idea in my head when I lit my pipe and sat 
down to gossip with Forest and Stre.\m. It was to 
suggest that as you have had a run on bears, skunks, 
wildcats, coons and varmints generally, why it would not 
be a good idea to branch off on dogs for a change. It 
is true lovers of dogs do get in a good deal of dog talk ; - 
but who ever gets tired of it? Let us have a department 
<.-f "That reminds me" on the dog — experiences, anec- 
dotes, instances of their doings, and their intelligence. It 
might include other animals as well. I think it would be 
a very interesting column. It would certainly gain many 
friends for the Forest and Stream among the women 
and children. I could write pages about the dogs I have 
owned, for when I had a place to keep them I never 
had less than a dozen of assorted breeds and degrees. 
I had a den sacred to pipes, guns, fishing tackle and dogs, 
wjiere the smaller pets spent the evening with ine, greatly 
to 1113^ entertainment, and whose society I much preferred 
to th€ two-legged species that were much less entertain- 
ing . . 
Speaking of dOgs, my old dog Sly is an illustration 
of a dog with true gentlemanly, unselfish instinct. When 
ever his dirrer is prepared for him he refrains from 
touching it until the cats are ready to share it with him; 
and he lets them have the choice of the tid-bits on the 
plate, and when they get the largest share he expresses 
no dissatisfaction. In the morning he is very partial to 
his cup of coffee, which is always prepared for him, with 
milk and sugar, and if by accident the sugar is omitted 
he tastes it, sits down and waits patiently until it is 
added. It is the only instance I ever knew of a dog being 
fond of coffee — I have never tried hiiu on tea. His 
coffee is made of the same strength as for the family; 
and he don't swear if his dinner is sometimes late, wherein 
he diff'ers from the average man of the house and rises 
superior to him. 
Many men and women too own dogs that occupy a 
large share of their affections, and who, if theFoRESx ani> 
Stream adopts my suggestion, will doubtless be glad to 
tell us of their perfections, and give the dogs the promi- 
ence they desire, and an equal show with the bears, 
coons, and the gentlemen in the perfumery line. 
PODGERS. 
Western Massachusetts Fox Hunt. 
The Western Massachusetts Fox Club, of Westfield, 
Mass., held its twelfth annual hunt on Wednesday and 
Thursday, Nov. 15 and 16. That it was a success is 
readily seen when it is stated that eight brushes were 
secured — all the first day. The hunters covered the same 
territory both days, ' which no doubt accounts for the 
poor showing of Thursday-. The conditions on both 
days were excellent for trailing. On Wednesday there 
was a half-inch of snow on the groimd, which held the 
scent admirably, wliile on Thursday, although the stiow 
had melted, the ground was left just damp enough to 
hold the scent for a long time. But there were no foxes 
running the second day, and the members of the club who 
had hopes of beating all records in the number of pelts 
secured (their hopes being raised by the fine showing of 
Wednesday) were doomed to disappointment. Westfield 
is an ideal place for the holding of such a hunt. The 
town is situated just at the foot of the famous old Berk- 
shire Hills, and a drive of a few miles brings the hunter 
to the hilly coimtry. The hounds are generally loosed 
at the foot of the mountain, and the sportsmen may take 
the choice of ascending the mountain or station them- 
selves along the base of the range of hills or else at some 
favorite runway on the rolling plains of the north and 
east. The sly creatures abound in this farming section 
known as Pochassic and Montgomery, and in spite of the 
fact that the club has hunted there for seven or eight 
years, and slain in all nearly fifty foxes, the ground still 
remains a great favorite, and Reynard is kind enough to 
keep migrating into that territory. Through the pasture 
land on top of the mountain and on the low ground at 
the foot of the range there are scores of favorite run- 
ways, and it is no wonder that these annual gatherings 
attract many a hunter from distant towns and cities. The 
view from the top of Montgomery Mountain is superb, 
and a poor lover of nature is he who could fail to derive 
inspiration from the glorious otitlook. There you find 
yourself less than a half-dozen rniles from Westfield, yet 
from 1,000 to 1,200 feet above her spires. The valley 
spreads out before the A'ision, and j'ou ponder on the 
glories of old nature, and finally are able to appreciai-e 
the beauty of the whole scene. To the west can be seen a 
wide, deep valle3% and then the eye takes in the Blandford 
Hills, fully 300 feet higher than where you are stand- 
ing. You look upon an almost unbroken forest, but a 
glance along the crest of one of the highest points reveals, 
standing out against the clear sky, a wiiite church that 
appears like a solitary sentinel guarding the mountain 
fastnesses. It looks like a mere toy, but it stands year 
after year on its foundation of solid rock, faithful to its 
trust and unmoved by the raging elements. 
While the first day this year was an ideal one for track- 
ing, the elements were not as favorable to the hunters. 
The snow of Tuesday night turned to a mist and sleet by 
Wedhesda3r morning, and for the first few hours of the 
day the men stood by their positions with chattering 
teeth and benumbed hands and feet. The mist wet 
through several thicknesses of clothing, and gathered on 
gun barrels until a thick coating of ice was formed. The 
disagreeable conditions continued through the day, but 
the true fox hunter cared little for such trifles when his 
keen ear received the welcome tones of the dogs as they 
drove the fox over mountain and plain. Some of the 
driving was the most exciting for several years, and in a 
number of instances the foxes were chased by from five to 
ten dogs. This, of course, made music dear to the hearts 
of the seventy-five listening hunters, and as the pack 
came closer every nerve was steadied in the watch for the 
much coveted brush. The hounds did their work to per- 
fection, and the two score of dogs deserve their full 
share of credit for the great success of the first day. The 
Kinnej'-White pack from Worcester was represented by 
five dogs, headed by the well-known Logan. He is a 
veteran of the Westfield hunts. Several youngsters were 
put in for experience, and followed along the trail like 
veterans. A few others, that appeared to have all the 
fine points of good hounds, seemed startled at all the ex- 
citement, and either hung around some farmhouse or 
sneaked along at a hunter's heels. The snow not only 
aided the dogs, but furnished a great deal of satisfac- 
tion to the sportsmen who were engaged, as they went 
through the woods to see the tracks where a fox had 
passed along during the night or early morning. One 
peculiar dog was noticed with a tail like a setter and the 
head and body of a hound. He belonged to a farmer in 
the neighborhood, and was out on his own account after 
a fox. He struck a scent on top of the mountain and 
worked back and forth on the single trail a dozen times 
through a long swamp, before he started on. He was a 
queer dog. with a voice similar to that made by a hog 
being butchered. He was independent also, and failed to 
understand why such a crowd was on hand to interfere 
with his sport. Every hunter that he caught sight of 
would receive a warm reception. He would leave the 
trail for a moment and run toward the hunter, growling 
and barking with hair standing on end. After such a pro- 
test he would continue his work and proceed until he got 
sight of another stranger. From the way he worked he 
couldn't have covered more than a couple of miles all 
day. One of the hunters related a story that he had seen 
a fox chase and kill a woodchuck, and that he then 
gave chase to the fox. A brother hunter thought it 
strange that he should have chased the fox when he had a 
gun in his hand, and still another reminded the story 
teller that a woodchuck is not generally jumping around 
in the snow at this season, for such animals hibernated 
a month ago. The farmers in the Montgomery and 
Pochassic region are exceedingly kind to the men and 
dogs, and food is distributed with a willing hand. On 
the first day, hot coft'ee and rousing wood fires served to 
warm the inner and outer man at noon time, and the 
groups that gathered for shelter, food and warmth dis- 
cussed with fervor the experiences of the day. Some, of 
course, had seen no less than a half-dozen foxes just out 
of range, and the enthusiastic owners of certain dogs 
were sure their animals had been in at the death of no 
less than half of the total number of foxes whose tails 
were hanging from the pockets of the fortunate and much 
envied hunters. 
The first fox was shot just before 7 o'clock way off to 
the north of where the best driving was done, and was 
bowled over by Heniy Herrick, of Montgomery. Fred 
Brass, of Westfield. had the good luck to ktiock over two 
during the day, and Seth Sharp, of Granby, Conn., se- 
cured his brush in the middle of the day in front of a 
single dog. Jabez Ripley, of Granville, a 'wildcat trapper 
of renovvn, was on a ledge far up the side of the hill, 
when he caught sight of a sneak fox at long range, and 
brought him down. Leslie Fowler, of Westfield; George 
Marvel, of West Springfield, and Edwin Williams, of 
Southwick, complete the list of the successful hunters. 
The second da\' not a single fox. was seen, nor was there 
a drive of consequence. In past years one or two women 
have usually taken an active part in the hunt, but this 
year on account of the storm only one ventured out. She 
was Mrs. John T. O'Neil, and withstood the sleet and 
cold like a veteran. She is an expert with the gun or 
rifle. Woe be to the fox that comes her way. 
The familiar figures of Congressman John R. Thayer 
and A. B. F. Kinney, of Worcester, were missed this 
year, as was also Big-Hearted George W. Roraback, the_ 
father of the club. Congressman Thayer was detained by 
business, and Mr. Kinney by illness. Mr. Roraback 
has been sick this summer, and did not dare take any 
chances in the storm. He was at the banquet, though, and 
out the second day. Judge Huber Clark, of WiUiman- 
tic. Conn., Secretary of State of Connecticut, was one of 
the active hunters, and he is an enthusiast, ' • 
The banquet in the evening at the Gem Opera House 
was a delightful affair, and 180 men gathered about the 
tables to partake of the bountiful spread. In the gal- 
leries a hundred women looked down on the merry scene, 
wishing inwardly, for the time being, that they were men 
and could partake of the good things. The admitting of 
the women as spectators was an innovation, and the 
speakers all complimented the club upon its action. After 
the course had been served and cigars passed, Lawyer 
Richard J. Morrissey was introduced by President John 
T. Way as toastmaster, and he presided in a most credit- 
able manner. The speakers all told a string of capital 
stories, manj* at the expense of the ladies, and altogether 
it was a session of wit and eloquence. George W. Rora- 
back was called ttpon to tell of the starting of the club 
and how it was inspired b3- the gift of a hound. Prin- 
cipal C. S. Chapin, of the Westfield Normal School; 
Law3^ers H. W. Ely and A. S. Kneil were the other West- 
field speakers, while the orators from abroad were Con- 
gressman George P. Lawrence, of North .'Vdams; Col. C. 
L, Young, of Springfield; Judge Clark, of Willimantic. 
Conn., and Parley A. Russell, of Great Barringtdn, a 
member of the Governor's Council. It was after 1 1 
o'clock before the enthusiastic gathering "broke tip." and 
then followed the election of officers, with John T, Way, of 
