Oct, 13, 1900,] 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
289 
do not very much resemble the old-time blankets. Their 
dyes are not fast, and they do not wear as the old ones 
did, though sometimes unscrupulous dealers counterfeit 
the wear by rubbing the surface, just as the vender of 
Turkish rugs gives them age by artificial means. 
Now, singularly enough, the degeneracy of the Navajo 
blanket is not the fault of the Indian, but of the white 
man. It was a white man, a traveling trader, who dis- 
covered that the Germantown wools would do for weaving 
blankets on these old Indian looms. He took these wools 
to the Indians and told them that the white men wanted 
that sort of thing, and the Indians used the wools to make 
their blankets, thinking that they had struck an improve- 
ment. They were surprised when some other white men, 
who knew the old weave, refused to pay top prices for 
these inferior soft-wool blankets. The Indians thought 
then that white men were very inconsistent beings. 
I presume that the best stock of Navajo blankets of 
the real sort is now owned by J. L. Hubbell, of Genado, 
Ariz., about sixty miles from the railroad. He is ignorant 
of this mention. Hubbell is an old-time Arizona sheriff, 
and, by the way, was the only single individual that ever 
stopped a whole railway system by himself. It is said that 
once uoon a time the Santa Fe Railroad forgot to pay its 
taxes in some little forgotten sand county in the desert 
and Hubbell strapped on his guns, threw the swiLch and 
held the whole thing up till the taxes were paid. Since 
then he has become an Indian trader and knows how to 
get along with the Indians as no tourist can. 
Hubbell conceived the idea of preserving the integrity 
of the old Navajo weave, and he has done so if any one 
can have done so. He employed Mara.ta and Burbank — 
the latter the well-known artist on Indian topics — to 
paint in colors the old patterns of these blankets when- 
ever a real specimen was secured. These two gentlemen 
got him up quite a number of the old designs, known as 
a"t^hentic. and ihey have an open order to-day to send him 
the reproduction of any genuine old pattern which they 
may come across. 
This is how a real old-time Navajo pattern is to be 
obtained to-day,, and it is the nearest you can come to a 
Navajo, unless you are so very lucky as to pick up one of 
the old indestructibles that has come down from the 
first days. The trader, who is known and trusted by the 
Indians and who knows and trusts them, will meet an 
Iridian woman at his store. You are there, and you pick 
out one of the old patterns, with all the quaint and mystic 
lines and bars and puzzling figures. The trader asks the 
Indian woman if she can weave that pattern, and perhaps 
she says that she cannot. If she says she can, the trader 
pays her then and there for the blanket, and she goes 
away to her village, perhaps six:ty or a hundred miles 
away. The trader pays no more attention to her, and 
in perhaps six months or a year she comes in with the 
blanket Indians are honest. In that way you get the 
old pattern, and the nearest approach possible now to the 
old weave. The trader pays the woman more for weaving 
the blanket than we used to pay for the completed 
blanket when we got them in the Southeast, nearly twenty 
years ago. The prices have gone up. and as Mr. Burn- 
bank says, the Indians are getting civilized, instancing 
the fact that one tried to borrow half a dollar of him 
the other day. 
It is said, and I am not sure but I once mentioned 
it in these columns, that some shrewd traders once broke 
into the Navajo reservation and bought a lot of the best 
blankets for two or three doHars ao'ece, because they 
paid for the goods in bright new silver dollars, which 
the simple natives thought were worth far more than an 
old and worn dollar piece. 
The largest Navajo blanket in the world is said to 
be owned by Hubbell. of Genado. It is an old pattern, and 
is 24 feet square and weighs over 200 pounds. It would 
wear well as a dining room rug, but I should not care 
for it on a snowshoe trip for a camping blanket. The 
chief fault of the Navajo as a camping blanket for white 
men is that it is nearly always too small for a sleeping 
blanket, being woven by the Indians originally as a wear- 
mg blanket and not a sleeping cover. It comes from a 
region where the climate is not so rigorous as in the North 
lands, and it is singular enough that it should be the best 
defen'^e ever made aga'nst the cold. Its great weight is 
its only drawback. One of the oM-time ones was both 
blanket, umbrella and poncho, and nothing could phase 
it. I have often seen a row of Greaser teamsters with a 
freight train lying" at night on '^c-me exposed mountain 
side, with only a smok}' little ninon fire to temoer the 
air. with a few broken, ragged boughs for a wind break 
and a -lit'le, absurd, narrow strip of Navajo weave spread 
over their shoulders. Thev made no complaint, though 
their bivouac might have tried the soul of many a North- 
p-ti nian. There was al^n in that region the old native 
Mexican blanket made of loosely woven undyed wool, so 
loose that you poke your finger throush it any place, but 
still quite warm much as is the rabbit hide blanket of 
the Alaska Indians, which latter is said to be ideal for 
cold weather. 
Thus go the times, and' pat comment enough was that 
made this morning bj' a certain small person who was 
speaking of these very things. 
"The white men have been fi.ehting 'the Indians and 
billing them off as fast as thev could, and doing everything 
in the world to show them that they were not fit to live. 
Now that they've got the Indians about all killed, they're 
taking all sorts of pains to get hold of the thinss the 
Indians used, and they make much out of their blankets 
and things. This seems sort of funny to me." 
It is sort of funny. As for the fakps. one takes his 
chances, naturally, but if von do not believe the fad part 
of the above .statement, just price a "genu'ne Navajo" 
in some big fashionable drv goods house. It will make 
your blood mn cold. My Greaser gave two or three pe=os 
for hi.s shoulder ptrio of a squaw blanket. It wotildn't 
buy a corner of a "genuine Navajo" to-day at one of our 
commercial emporiums. 
The Saginaw Cfowd. 
The special car Wm. B. Mershon reached Chicago at 
S P. M. tn-dav. a"d left at f^;r5 over the Wisconsin Cen- 
t— 1 for North Dakota. The partv was compo«-ed of 
Messrs. W. B. Mer=hon. Watts Humnhreys. Geo. E. 
Morley, C. H. Davis, Varnum Lyons, H. T. A. Harvey, of 
Saginaw; Waldo Avery, of Detroit, and A. P. Bigelow, of 
New York. All are well ecxept Mr. Mershon, who is 
nearly ill and hopes for benefit in the North. 
At this writing a cold rain is falling in Chicago, and 
heavy storms are reported in the North. The Saginaw 
party will be apt to meet a good flight. 
Strenuous Sport. 
A friend just back from California says that he ex- 
amined some of the boats which are used in the lower 
coa.st country in fishing for tuna and yellowtail, and he 
noticed that the gunwales and stern boards were cut in an 
inch or so, as though sawed, in a deep grove. This he was 
informed was done by the sawing of the line on the wood 
while the boat was towed by some of the big fellows that 
somelimes fall to the fortune of the angler of that land. 
This would seem a bit strenuous, whether it be work or 
sport. E. Hough. 
Hartford Building, Chicago. 111. 
The Adirondack Deer. 
Schenectady, N. Y., Oct. 5. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: I am sorry if Juvenal cannot get to the xA.diron- 
dacks, now that the opening of the deer season is put 
back two weeks, and I admire his sportsmanship if he 
wails merely from disinterested solicitude for the guides 
and the "great majority," But I seriously question two 
things — first, should the game laws be framed with any 
regard to the convenience or pecuniary profit of the 
guides, and, second, arc the "great majority" of amateur 
sportsmen inconvenienced by the later season? With re- 
gard to the first, the deer are protected and the season 
circumscribed for the benefit of all who may be imbued 
with the charm of huntin.g, be they guide or other, and 
the guides' cry of "poor business" and "no money in 
it" when the season is cut down should not "cut any ice." 
Neither do I think that the guides will be so foolish as 
to shoot more than the usual number of deer out of 
season, from the necessity of having meat for their 
families, because it would be short-sighted policy to kill 
the goose which lays the golden egg, and try to wipe 
out the industry by which, if we believe Juvenal, they 
support their families — which, by the way, they don't. 
Guiding is a side issue, and business runs good or bad 
according to the chances of the season, and a guide's 
cleverness in keeping a man out a week to get a deer 
which might have been procured the first or second day. 
Leave the guides alone. They know where their bread 
is buttered. 
Secondly, the "great majority of men who go into the 
Adirondacks at all" go there with their families to have 
a good time fishing, boating, walking, driv'ng and all that, 
and depart with equanimity wheti the "season" ends with 
August, while the majority of sportsmen stay at home 
and work during the summer months looking forward 
to the fall deer trip with yearning, and roll the anticipated 
morsel in the mouth with keenest relish. They are the 
men who appreciate the change in the open season for 
deer, and who say it is much better as it is, for the 
slaughter of the beautiful creatures is cut down by two 
weeks, and the chances for good hunting increased just 
so much for ottr children's children. 
John A. Learned. 
Big Game on the Miramichi. 
Editor Forest and Stream : 
The big-game season has begun well on the Miramichi, 
and, so far, every sportsman who has come here from the 
United States and reappeared from the woods has brought 
with him his moose, and in some cases, additional trophies 
of the hunt. Among those who have come out during the 
past week are : 
William Crawford, of New York, and A. B. Wallace, of 
Springfield, Mass., who had Ned Way and Carl Bressing 
as guides. They were on the headwaters of the Northwest 
Miramichi. They killed two moose and a bear — all fine 
specimens — which they brought out to Newcastle on 
Thursday, 27th. 
L. M. Thatcher, of New York, who had Geo. McKay 
with him as guide on the Tomognops. a branch of the 
Northwest Miramichi, came out to Newcastle on Friday 
with a big moose. 
Dr. Calle and Adolphe Kouttroff, of New York, whose 
guides were James Manderville and son. came otit from a 
hunt on the Little Southwest Miramichi on Thursday, 
27th, with two moose and two caribou. The antlers of 
the moose heads spread 53 and 61 inches respectively, and 
one of the caribou heads had twenty-seven prongs. 
S. C. Stanley, of Lawrence. Mass., also came out to 
Newcastle from Remus on the Southwest Miramichi on 
Thursday, with Guide Norris Manderville. He had a 
splendid moose w th him which he killed in that region*,''' 
Messrs. H. McK, Kirkland and Irving Kisson, of New 
York, came out to Newcastle on Thursday with two 
moose, which they killed on the Guagus Lake grounds, 
where they were guided by John Wambold. 
On Sunday, 30th, Ernest Houston and David White, of 
Boston, who were guided by Ned Menzies and Wm. Mc- 
Kay on Mountain Brook Lakes, Northwest Miramichi, 
brought witn them to Newcastle a moose each. They 
were Ai specimens. 
So far I have not heard of a single failure among 
our hunters and visiting sportsmen. Among those now 
on the hunting grounds of the Miramichi in quest of 
moose, caribou and other big game are : 
C. C. Taylor, of Philadelphia, and two friends whi^ 
have Guides George McKay, Ned Menzies and Will Mc- 
Kav on Tomognops. 
Henry S. Grew and Alfred Rodman, on Mountain 
Brook lakes, with Ned Wav and Carl Bressing as guides. 
Harry A. Pitman, of Boston, on the Renous, with 
Hiram Manderv'lle a« guide. 
Theodore Hoague, of Boston, is also on the Renous, 
guided by Duncan Manderville. 
Geo, F. Dominic. Jr.. of New York, and a friend are 
wi'h Guide Thomas Weaver, of Blackville, on Sabbies 
River. 
German Consul-General Karl Buenz. Mr. Scherkel and 
Carl Pickhardt, of New York, are in the North Pole-dis- 
trict, Little Southwest Miramichi, guided by Manderville 
and son and others. 
Edwin C. Holmes, of Boston, is under the guidance, of 
Arthur Pringle in the Bald Mountain region of the North- 
west Miramichi. 
Mr. R. H. Armstrong, of Newcastle, in addition to 
doing his own share of hunting, made the necessary local 
arrangements for all the foregoing, save Mr. Holmes. 
D. G. Smith. 
Chatham, N. B., Oct. 2, 
Wildfowl in Chincoteague Bay. 
Editor Forest and Stream : 
I suppose that every one knows that this bay is half in 
Virginia and half in Maryland. It is hard to say exactly 
where the line is, but it crosses the shoals in such a way 
that we are often gunning in Virginia, and Virginia peo- 
ple are gunning in Maryland. The trouble in policing 
these waters has been that the law-breakers would claim 
to be in Maryland or Virginia, just as it suited them to 
escape punishment. Last winter the Virginia Sports- 
men's Association appointed Capt. Jeffries, an old resi- 
dent of Chincoteague Island, game warden, paying him a 
salary for his services, and I am glad to report that at 
last we are in good shape to protect the wildfowl from 
light shooting and all other ways forbidden in the laws. 
Mr. Jeffries is an honest, upright man, and perfectly fear- 
less. A gunner himself, he is acquainted with every 
crook and turn in the big bay, and is perfectly at home 
on the water day or night. He knows every lawless 
shooter on both sides of the line, and knew exactly what 
trouble he would have when he accepted the position. 
Capt. Jeffries went to each man and warned him that he 
would put him under arrest the first time he caught him 
at illegal work. They threatened to shoot him, burn his 
house, sink his boats and do all luanner of terrible things 
to him if he attempted to interfere with them. The re- 
sult has been that Jeffries has nearly broken it up. Two 
arrests were made, and a third man shot at him as he 
was going to him. Jeffries opened on the man with his 
Wincnester, and he has disappeared from these parts ior 
good. Now we are in a fair way to get a good warjen 
on the Maryland side, and between the two it will be pretty 
hot for the lawless gunners. 
There are a few black duck and teal on the marshes, but 
there will be very little shooting here until the first of 
November, when the big flights of shell ducks stop on the 
shoals. Geese will also be here about that time, and we 
are looking for a large increase in numbers. Every spring 
before the one past, hundreds of these geese were killed 
here in April at night with guns and fire box. Last 
April under the special care of Warden Jeffries, I think 
not a single one was killed. This should mean a difference 
in our favor of hundreds of young geese. I have not 
noticed any increase in the brant for a number of years. 
The same favored localities seem to be visited by the same 
sized bunches year after year, tame and easily decoyed at 
first, getting slyer and slj^er as the days go by, until only by 
accident is a shot .e;ot at them. Redheads and blue- 
bills will be here in December, thousands of them cover- 
ing the shoals and filling the air with quick -passmg 
btmches. I think they are on the increase here. I never 
saw them more plentiful tlian they were in '98. and there 
seemed to be just as many last year. I had a gen'le- 
man out last march who shot eighty-four shells in two 
hours, and every shell represented a good killing shot if 
the gun was held right. We have wildfowl here and we 
haA'e good feeding grounds — miles of it — and now that we 
are protected, we will have the best shooting north of the 
Carol"nas. O. D. Foulks. 
Stock roN, Md., Oct. 1. 
"West Virginia Game* 
MORGANTOWN, W. Va.. Oct. 2. — Editor Forest and 
Stream: It is gratifying to note that small game gen- 
erally is more abundant in some parts of Pennsylvania 
and West Virginia this season than for some years past. 
In fact, it is many years since squirrels were as plentiful 
as they are this season in Indiana county. Pa., affording 
local sportsmen privileges which they had counted as 
gone forever. Quail, which have been protected in West 
Virginia at all seasons for four years, are so numerotts 
in this section that their cheerful "Bob White" can be 
heard during the season from the heart of ottr town at 
any time, and it is to be hoped that the}' may be killed 
sparingly and be allowed to sotmd their good cheer 
through o'ur mountains and valleys. 
Noth'ng can be more indicative of a community of 
high-minded and right-thinking people than the presence 
of a goodly amount of game birds and animals. It 
speaks louder than words. 
The cultivation which the Forest and Stream is giving 
to the minds of its readers along that line is worthy of 
the support of all persons and institutions which are in- 
terested in teaching humanitj'^ to think right. It is with 
pleasure that we note the return of big game to parts of 
Vermont and other old Eastern States, where it had long 
ago disappeared, and we now hope that the sentiment 
which has so long and persistently been advocated is 
reaching the people, and when the people are PO'^sessed 
of a disposition to protect the game, then it will be pro- 
tected as no game warden can protect it. 
Wild turkeys are quite plentiful within a few miles 
of here, and one of our townsmen — George Kiger — killed 
two this season. ^Emerson Carney. 
The North American Fish and Game Pro- 
tective Association. 
We have received a pamphlet of 200 pages containing 
the minutes of the proceedings of the first convention of 
the North American Fish and Game Protective A';.socia- 
tion. held rtt Mon^real. Feb. 2, 1000, as was reported in 
these columns at the time. A wide range of subjects was 
under discussion, and the publication in this form is very 
acceptable. 
Viigfinia Birds. 
Staunton, Va...Oct. 6.— Birds hav« never been known 
to be more plentiful than this year. Pheasants are re- 
ported to be numerous, and any quantity of turkeys. Sea- 
son for quail opens Nov. i ; pheasants and turkeys, Ort. 15. 
!M=^.u£»llU: .. - ; _ . - C. S. 
