Aug. 25, 1900.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
148 
"You fool 1" I shouted in my wrath. "You blankety 
blank idiot, you! You are running on your back track." 
He was somewhat startled and pulled up so short that 
he performed a pecluiar evolution of his own invention 
before coming to a standstill. He gazed at me reproach- 
fully and withdrew to a safe distance and sat down to 
think out the situation. It had been such a fine run and 
he had been having such a beautiful time until my harsh 
■ voice broke in on his dream and brought him back to 
earth. True, he was running on his back track, but it 
was an unintentional mistake, and mistakes were liable 
to occur among the best of us. And then Hogarth's 
warning came back to me and my anger evaporated. 
"Sooner's Sooner," he had said to me when I started 
out. "At times he's all right, an' at times he's a dern 
fool. You'll git mad as thunder at him, but 'twon't do 
you no good. Ef he spoils yer buntin' with one o' his 
smart tricks y' needn't be s'prised. Yessir, Sooner's 
Sooner, an' when you've said that it covers • the hull 
bizness." 
I lit my pipe and with a "Come on, you fool dog," 
started back to camp. Sooner trotted at my heels look- 
ing bored. That was my first hunt with the most en- 
tertaining dog I ever knew. 
In appearance he was a strong, well built, deep chested 
hound. His color was liver and white and he was well 
marked. He had a fine head and ej^es that could almost 
speak. So much for externals. It was his internal 
mechanism — the working of that wonderful, fertile brain 
— ^that made Sooner what he was. 
He never did a thing twice alike. There was a de- 
lightful uncertainty in his every act. He was as full of 
surprises as an Arkansas mule — if you have any idea 
what that implies. 
It is a strong comparison, but Sooner's history will 
bear me out in it. These surprises were not always of 
a pleasant nature. One moment you would be aston- 
ished and filled with admiration at that dog's sagacity; 
at the next you would be wondering if a bigger fool on 
four legs ever walked the earth. 
Old Hogarth had a Yankee's keen sense of humor 
and enjoyed Sooner hugely. He was very fond of Him; 
but for that matter so was everyone that knew him. He 
was always such a "good fellow." After some especially 
brilliant achievement of an idiotic nature he would look 
.at you with his big brown eyes and .=;ay, in dog language: 
"Never mind, old man, it will be all the same a hun- 
dred years from now. We made a mistake this time, 
but we'll try and do better next time." 
That was one of his strong points — the faculty of al- 
ways rnaking you a party to his blunders. His manner 
never implied the use of the personal pronoun. It was 
always "We." Sooner would have made a good editor. 
He di.splayed such sublime sang froid when he should 
have been in disgrace and shirked responsibility so easily. 
Although he Avas five or six years old when I first 
knew him, he still retained manj^ of his puppyish ways. 
He had an utter disregard for what he ate. ' All food 
looked alike to him, and moreover, he had the reckless, 
devil-may-care disposition of a puppy. He weighed con- 
sequences after a thing was all over. He lived entirely 
in the immediate present. When he had an object in ■ 
view he went at it with all his energy in an undeviating 
path. He never took a roundabout course. If a wind- 
fall were in his way when he was anxious to get any- 
where he went through, or over, or under, the windfall. 
This might take more time than going around the ob- 
stacle, but it fitted in with his idea of the proper way 
of attaining one's object. On the other hand, if he 
just "went out to see," as Hogarth expressed it, the long- 
est way around was always the shortest way home. 
His expression was deceiA-ing. It was that of a 
thoughtful, studious-minded dog whose one object in 
life was to do right. He had a habit of puckering up 
his brow, like a person in deep thought, as though he 
carried the affairs of the forest on his shoulders. This 
expression was usually intensified after he had made a 
bigger fool of himself than usual. 
Bill and he were great friends. Sooner understood 
Bill better than Bill understood Sooner. When Bill 
got the "buck fever" and threw his rifle in the lake at a 
buck, Sooner appreciated the act as something worthy 
of himself. It may be that he did not thus reason it out, 
but it was very apparent that Bill was imbued with the 
selfsame reckless disregard for consequences that pre- 
dominated in his own actions. 
Hogarth's other hound, the Old Gal, had a great con- 
tempt for Sooner, but this did not worry the latter in the 
least — in fact, he seemed to reciprocate the feeling be- 
cause of the Old Gal's conservative disposition. Of 
course, there were other dogs about the place, but they 
were all of a nondescript character and not worthy of 
mention on the same page with Sooner. 
Sooner was a waif, or, more correctly speaking, a sol- 
dier of fortune. No one knew his antecedents. He had 
dragged himself into Hogarth's yard one day, worn out 
and exhausted, after a long run on the trail of a buck. 
There was no telling how far he had come, as a fast 
hound will cover many miles in a day and keep it up 
for two or three days. But he had driven the buck into 
the lake and the Hogarth boys had killed it; therefore 
they treated the dog well, and as he liked the place he 
remained and became one of the household. For reasons 
already given, Hogarth named him Sooner. 
The time Sooner discovered he had fighting blood in 
his veins marked an epoch in his life. He overestimated 
bis ability, it is true, and suffered in consequence. A new 
settler moved into that part of the country and estab- 
lished himself about si.x or seven miles from Hogarth's. 
Regarding the size of his family he was far behind 
Hogarth, but when it came to dogs, it was simply a 
walkaway. Several breeds were represented in this col- 
lection, but the "yaller dog" predominated. 
Sooner undertook to clean out the entire crowd alone 
and unaided. It was something of an undertaking and 
he spent six out of seven days in the hospital while the 
war was on. 
"He doesn't seem to be much of a fighter," I re- 
marked to Hogarth one day when the subject was under 
discuession, 
"Oh, he kin fight all right," Hogarth repliedj "it's 
his iedgment what s wrong. Sooner's a fust-rate fighter, 
but he's a dern poor jedge of dorgs." 
He was game, though, and stuck at it until he had 
conquered each one of the new dogs in turn, with the 
exception of a huge brindle bulldog. With this dog he 
employed strategy. . He bowed down before him and 
addressed him with smooth words and made friends with 
him, and then one day he enticed him over to his own 
home and all the dogs tfiere pitched on the brindle bull 
and half killed him. Sooner became more blase than 
ever after this achievement. It so plainly showed lais 
superiority to all the rest of dog creation. 
This fighting trait was unusual in a hound, for as a 
rule they are peaceably inclined. It served to accentuate 
the fact that Sooner was not like other dogs. 
"He's the derndest cuss y' ever see'd," said Hogarth 
on one occasion, when the conversation had drifted 
around to Sooner. "He's did a few things what can't 
be beat by no dorg livin' or dead. Ever tell you 'bout 
the time I got ketched in a b'ar trap? No? Waal, 
'twas this way: 
"One day I got a "idee in my head I'd do somethin' 
smart consarnin' a big b'ar what was foolin' 'round 
these yere parts, so I got out a big b'ar trap I had an' 
fixed 'er up ready fer bizness. 
" 'Whar y' goin'. an' what y' goin' t' do?' sez the old 
woman to me when she see'd me start out, Now, the 
old woman's allers wantin' t' know somethin what don't 
consarn her, nohow. She axes sech plum foolish ques- 
chins. As they ain't no sense in arguin' I jest sez: 'I'm 
goin' out t" see,' sez I. 'Twas plain 'nuff I warn't goin' 
shootin' with a b'ar trap. Course I took my rifle 'long 
in case of accidents, as you never kin tell when you're 
goin' t' need it most. 
"Waal, that was onct I didn't show up so all-fired 
smart after all, the way things turned out. I sot the 
trap all riglit an' sot her t' hold any b'ar fer keeps ef 
he got to monkeyin' 'round it. I had 'er fastened 'round 
a tree with a slipknot in the chain. After workin' 'bout 
two hours, mebbe more, an' jest as I was ready to start 
fer hum, I made a mess of the hull bizness gener'ly by 
steppin' in the trap myself. Don't know how on airth I 
come t' do sech a dodgasted foolish thing, but I done 
it, an' thar I was ketched 'round the ankle tight 's I'd 
want to ketch any b'ar. b'gosh. I was five miles from 
hum, an' night comin' on, an' 'twas cold at that. 'Twarn't 
what y' might call a cheerful layout. My gun was leanin' 
up 'gainst a tree out of reach, an' I couldn't let nobody 
know whar I was. An' seein' I hadn't said nuthin' to 
nobody 'twarn't likely they'd find me in a hurry, Y' see, 
that's whar I wam't so smart arter all in not answerin' 
the old woman. They's no tellin' when you're right 
when you're dealin' with wimmin, 
"Waal, that-air trap hurt worse'n the devil, I kin tell 
you, an' did consid'able cussin' to sort o' ease the pain. 
That helped some, but it didn't loosen the trap, an' I 
couldn't git at it proper to open it. I forgot t' say that 
Sooner'd come 'long with mc. He'd struck a trail the 
fust thing, near whar I was settin' the trap, an' gone 
yelpin' off on it, same's usual. Now, here's where the 
funny part o' this yere bizness come in. As I was settin' 
thar wonderin' how things was goin' to end, all to onct 
I heerd Sooner '^way off in the woods, an' it seemed 's 
if he was comin' toward me. I listened close, an' you 
bet yer life the next twenty minutes seemed like years 
afore I could know fer sartin that he was a-comin' my 
way. When he got whar I thought he could hear me I 
hollered an' whistled like anythin', but he never heerd 
me, but kept on comin' nearer an' nearer. Seein' they 
warn't no sign of a deer, I made up my mind Sooner 
was runnin' on his back track. An' sure 'nuff he was. 
He come nigh runnin' plum into me, but when he see'd 
me he pulled up short an' stared fer a minit or two, an' 
then he sort o' took his bearin's an' sot down to think 
things over. 
"I called to him purty loud an' he come up lookin' 
sort o' s'prised an' innocent like. When he see'd what 
was wrong he looked at me as much as t' say: 'Waal, 
you're a bigger fool 'n I thought you was.' An' then he 
did some thinkin' fer a spell. After a bit he raised his 
head an' sniffed 'round, 's ef he was gittin' his bearin's, 
an' then he lit out an' left me. I was mad, 'cause I 
wanted to use him some way. ef I could, an' I was sure 
I wouldn't see him again. I yelled an' whistled an' 
cussed at him, but he never noticed me, but jest kept 
a-goin', an' T never see'd him run so fast afore. 
" 'Twas gittin' dusk when Sooner left me an' it got 
dark purty soon, an' thar I was with nuthin' t' do but 
trust- t' luck that somebody'd find me. An' 'twarn't 
much of a chanct to gamble on, at least fer that night. 
"Twas three or four hours arter that, I reck'n — seemed 
like years — when all t'onct I heerd a rifle shot an' bimeby 
Sooner's moosical voice j'ined in with the shootin', an' 
then I knew what that-air dorg 'd bin up to. He'd gone 
'way back hum fer help. Arter a while he led 'em to 
me — Bill and the boys — an' they onloosened me an' 
rigged up somethin' like a stretcher an' carried me hum. 
Sooner didn't make no fuss over what he'd done, as 
some dorgs might have done. He acted just 's ef he 
•was used to savin' people's lives every day. 
"When 1 got hum the old woman was layin' fer me, 
an' she said, sez she; 
" 'Stepped in a b'ar trap, did you? What did you do 
that for? Next time mebbe you'll ansur a civil queschin, 
an' then ef y' git lost we kin find you,' sez she. 'Serves 
y' right, this time.' 
"They ain't much use in arguin' with wimmin, so I 
said nuthin', but I've allers had more respect fer Sooner 
since that time — likewise fer the old woman's queschins." 
Such was Sooner. Many years have passed since I 
last saw him and it is doubtful if he is still in the land 
of the living. I have an idea that he "died with his 
boots on," if I may so express it, for he was not fated 
to come to his end like an ordinary dog. 
When I think of Sooner my thoughts stray back to the 
old haunts and I smell the pines and the hemlocks and 
the spruce, and I listen to the wind whispering and 
sighing, and even moaning (it must be a sad tale it tells 
over and over again so many times) and I feel — ah, well, 
you know the feeling. 
Fayette Durlin, Jr. 
The Forest and Stream is put to press each week on Tuesday. 
Correspondence intended for publication should reach us at the 
latest by Monday and as much Mrlier as practicable. 
The Sliding Rock of Papase'ea. 
"Oh, I say now!" exclaimed the Captain of the British 
gunboat then on guard duty in Apia Harbor, "you can't 
expect a man to believe that sort of thing, you know 
Ut course, whatever you say about the political affairs of 
this beach I must believe, for that's your line of country 
and I m here to do your shooting for you whenever it 
becomes necessary. But it is pretty stiff to ask me to be- 
lieve that you sit in the wet and go sliding down a face of 
rock without hurting yourself." 
"Still it is a fact, none the less, and a very exhilarating 
fact, indeed as you will confess if only you will try it 
for yourself." 
"Now, madam, that is rather too much. You have' 
entered into a conspiracy with my wardroom officers 
to make this tour of guard duty memorable to me First 
you got me bragging as to putting up heavy weights, and 
it is true i can put up more pounds than any one of the 
ship s company, and then you whistled up the bow oar 
in your boat and had him beat me at my own game 
JNext you led me on to make the remark that it would be 
easy to include that waterfall of yours in some morning 
stroll; It took me all of fifteen hours of breakneck work 
to get there and bac-k in one day, a1id I was in such a 
state that I could not go to the German Consul's 'bier- 
abend . Now you are trying to get me to give an ex- 
hibition of coasting down a hard rock for the amusement 
ot your fellow conspirators in the wardroom country. At 
my time of life, and having attained command rank I 
must decline to assist in the undertaking." 
' But Captain, will you accompany us if I promise you 
solemnly that the First Luff shall do all the experimental 
sliding, or the Engineer or even the Paymaster?" 
"Why it's positively absurd. You know that the 
human body will sink in water. And this water you 
say IS only 2 inches deep. Now, in the name of all 
hydraulics, how are you going to slide like a bubble on 
tiie surface of the water and not touch the rock below? 
But on your solemn assurance that I can inspect all the 
conditions before venturing on any such exhibition, and 
that you will interpose no objection to my sacrificing 
all of the junior officers in turn, I am willing to "join your 
outing party." 
It was because the captain of this particular British 
gunboat was just as good as gold and as strong as an 
ox, to say nothing of his being as green as grass about 
bamoa, that the preceding conversation was due. He 
had been induced to make a few tripjs into the bush, and 
after the hard experience he was beginning to be a 
-trifle suspicious. But as to the Sliding Rock at Papase'ea 
there was no reason for such suspicion, as will be made 
clear in this story of the trip. 
Fortunately for Capt. Rason's peace, the trail to 
Fapase ea is so regularly traveled by the residents of 
Apia and the few tournists who liave the time that it is 
open to equestrians all the way from the beach to within 
100 yards of the bathing place. That in itself was a great 
thing, for foot travel in Samoan bush is anything but 
easy, and one learns to welcome any spot for the ter- 
minous of an excursion which will obviate the wearisome 
footsteps in the steaming atmosphere under the thick 
shade of the tropical forest. Here comes in the ad- 
vantage of having a practically amphibious boat's crew. 
The first of their duties was to row the boat and sing but 
on shore excursions it was their duty to attend on horse- ' 
back, and the opportunity was offered them to carry on 
little speculations on their own behalf by renting ponies 
when such an opportunity arose, as in this case, when it 
became necessary to mount the greater number of the 
officers of the H. B. M. S. Royalist. 
A trip to Papase'ea is always a picnic and a jtnerry- 
making, for there is something invigorating about the 
water of the mountain stream, which is so much cooler 
than any water on the beach as almost to seem cold, that 
It is impossible to avoid growing rapidly hungry. And 
there is something so unusual about the sport on the 
rock as to set even the morose in good humor. At the 
same time it must be remembered that the Samoans re- 
gard it a solemn duty to eat on all occasions when there 
IS anything edible. But in the islands it is just as easy 
to extend dinner hospitality in the bush as it is in the 
best domestic appointments. It resolves itself down to 
an enumeration of the number of cans that must be 
opened and the number of corks that must be drawn 
and those are operations that can be done just as well in 
the woods and by the streams as under the roof of a 
house. 
The boat's crew were sent out ahead, each armed with 
the necessary provision for the picnic. But even with 
them out of the way, it was an imposing cavalcade that 
set out from the Consulate on the road to the woods. 
With the British officers and the Samoan girls and the 
interpreters and the inevitable Talolo, the party 
amounted to more than twenty, and that is a large num- 
ber in Apia except on steamer days. It made a long 
and sedate cavalcade down the beach road in strict 
obedience to the municipal ordinance against riding 
faster than a walk. The Royalist contingent had come 
so freshly from a long cruise that none of them felt like 
galloping and probably all were just as well satisfied to 
know of the state of the law. This was made quite mani- 
fest when the party turned back from the beach and into 
a long stretch of good road exempt from any restriction 
on .speed. Here the Samoan girls started their half- 
broken Tongan ponies into a speedy gallop and laugh- 
ingly challenged their respective officers to catch them. 
To attempt to chaperon the next two miles of horse race 
was about as futile as it would be to play propriety to a 
three-ring circus. By wise use of a seemingly impractica- 
ble short cut (this was due to the wisdom of Talolo) along 
a soppy trail through a taro swamp and then a clump of 
sugar cane with a few water jumps and a pig fence of 
stone to clear, it was possible to get ahead of the race- 
and to capture the First Luff and the girl who had taken 
the lead. As the other galloping pairs came up they too 
were stopped, and last of all came the Captain, pounding 
steadily on in the' rear with a much winded little rat of a 
pony that had never carried the weight before. All were 
then content to settle down to a more sober and decorous ■ 
pace, for the naval contigent were beginning to feel that 
no matter how experienced they might be in riding the 
waves it called for a different seat when it came to a flat 
race in Samoa, 
