172 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
• 
[Aug. 31, igoi. 
showed herself possessed of great staying power, which 
was the more difiicuit, she being for weeks exposed to 
continuous rain. She was used to find the missing of the 
69th Infantry Regiment with great success, and was also 
utilized as messenger to the squadron with good results." 
The following is a description of a trial of ambulance 
dags with the army corps at Coblentz: At dusk on 
July" 27, 1899, the keepers brought out four collies; 200 
soldiers were put out to represented wounded, and 500 
stretcher-bearers set out carrying torches and lanterns 
into the darkness. It was an interesting bit of difficult 
work. Numbers of officers followed on horseback and 
on foot to watch the proceedings. The work commenced 
in the Coblentz wood, and a more difficult task could not 
have been conceived than was that of the dogs, but, not- 
withstanding the horses and sightseers, the dogs on the 
left wing saved all their wounded — two other dogs were 
employed on the right wing and found the wounded in 
pitch -darkness without lanterns. Two hundred more 
soldiers, representing wounded, had been placed in 
various parts of the glacis Coblentz, and, after the 
stretcher-bearers had come in^ reported eighteen men 
not found. The four dogs and keepers were then 
brought up, and in twenty minutes the eighteen men 
were discovered and brought in; otherwise they might 
haAX been left to their fate. The staff of the Eighth 
Army Corps, Coblentz, expressed the greatest satisfac- 
tion with this trial. By order of the German War Of- 
fice the rifle regiments and jager battalions, which are 
numerous, are provided with collies, and some of the 
French regiments have nearly thirtj' dogs with them. 
There are various other uses to which war dogs can 
be put. In investing a fortress an enormous number of 
sentries have to be tlirown round it, who would be liable 
to sudden scrrties of the enemy in squally weather, fogs, 
etc. The hearing powers and scent of the dog Avould 
render the. blockade much more certain, and diminish 
the number of sentries. On the other hand, the employ- 
ment of dogs in an invested place would be useftd, as 
they, by their nice sense of hearing and scent, would be 
able to give such warning as would guard against as- 
saults, and render valuable assistance to the tired sen- 
tries in severe weather. They can also be used as mes- 
sengers at short distances. Regimental dogs, when not 
on outpost duty, would be employed to guard wagons, 
gun carriages, and ammunition: also with convoys for 
scouting in front, and in connecting the sentries at 
night. 
In savage warfare ihey arc extremely useful, and they 
have been used by both French and Russians. The gen- 
eral system of savage v/arfare lies in ambuscades. In 
[Mexico, in the guerrilla war. a colonel of volunteers 
trained some dogs which gave the guerrilla insurgents a 
warm time. If they tried am.bushes the insurgents were 
scented out by the flogs, and their plans failed. If they 
retreated into the depths of a wood they were tracked 
out by the dogs, and when they had camped for the 
night were suddenly attacked by them. War dogs ought 
thus to he able to prevent them creeping up in 
the grass and surprising, and could give timely warning, 
and the march of troops in thick country should be cov- 
ered by dogs as in the Mexican war, and they could 
also follow up the scent cf the retreating foe. 
I may say that I have devoted many years to the 
study of dogs, and have seen the German war dogs work 
in their own country. It has struck me as remarkable 
that we, the ipost doggy nation in the world, who have 
had trials of sporting dogs, sheepdog trials, bloodhound 
trials, etc.. have never taken this subject up, although, 
what is more extraordinary, w-e supply the material — our 
collies and other dog.s — to foreign countries. It is 
hardly to be supposed it is a chimerical idea, as Germany, 
where experimenting has been going on since the war 
of 1870-71. is largely increasing the number of dogs-em- 
ployed. Capt. Haldane, who escaped from Pretdria, 
savs the greatest danger they had of recapture was from 
the Boers' dogs, not the Boers themselves ; and Capt. 
Steele, of the United States cavalry, in writing to a New 
York militarj^ iaurnal, says: "The only way iny troop 
was protected against the Filipinos last year was by a 
dog, who always scented out their ambuscades." 
J." HALiT(jNVir,LE RrcHARDSOX (Major;. 
The Morgfantown Ho«nds» 
The New York Sun. in a recent issue, contained the 
following : 
"MoRG.ANTOsvx, Pa. — The last of the thirty-si.K hounds 
of the Morgantown Hunt Club was shot this w-eek by the 
enraged residents, and all of the vagrant dogs of the once 
famous kennel have been buried in the .special cem.etery 
donated by a former member of the club. Several of the 
members of the club are tip in arms against those who 
shot the dogs. They threaten never to darken the doors 
again of those who had &ny hand in the slaughter. Said 
one of the veteran fox hunters : 
/ " 'The dogs harmed no one. When they were young 
they delighted thousands in chasing foxes ovet the Welsh 
mountains. Not a kennel in Pennsylvania could beat 
this pack when Bart Gable rode at the head of them. 
There was no u.se killing the hounds at all. True, they 
boarded around, but the neighbors gladly fed the old 
heroes of the hills. They didn't scatter fleas any more 
than the other dogs do. I had no fleas in my house, and I 
don't know of any one who had — from these hounds at 
least. They never kept me awake. I can go to sleep with 
the baying of thd dogs. If people can't stand the bark of 
a dog they ought to move off the earth. It was brutal 
to see those three men Avith guns shooting down those 
hounds in the fields, on the public roads, in back lanes, or 
anywhere they'd find them. 
" 'Wherever they saw a hound, asleep or awake, they'd 
just fire away and kill 'em. Why, sir, many a time tho.se 
dogs saw guns in friendly hands and they never winced. 
Every one of them was shot over in rabbit seasons, so that 
when they saw these gunners it was nothing new for 
those dogs. The hounds thought they were in for a gun- 
ning trip. They never suspected. And just as they looked 
forward to an old-time romp through the woods they re- 
ceived hot lead in their brains and their gunning and 
sporting days v/ere over. 
" 'If any of 'em had been killed accidentally I wouldn't 
care, but to see innocent hounds shot to death by those 
who were thought to be friends of the poor brutes— why, 
that makes me sick. I'm sure there will be many an old 
sport in this region who will often visit that little ceme- 
tery where the hounds are buried and think over the old 
times at fox chasing over the Welsh moimtains.' " 
Points and Flushes. 
We have received the following communication: "The 
Pointer Club of America comes out with a programme 
of its second annual field trials, to be held at Manor, 
L. I., Nov. 12, 13 and 14, and it is certainly a fine piece of 
work, for which the secretary, Mr. R. E. Westlake, de- 
serves great credit. It announces a Derby, Members', 
All A^e and a Championship Stake. All stakes are open 
to members only, except the Championship, which is open 
to the world, all forfeits being payable with the nomina- 
tion, the balance the evening before starting. The matter 
interests many pointer men, and it is well worth their 
1 rouble to send their addresses to the secretary at Scran- 
ton. Pa" 
American Ganoc Association, J 900- 1 90 J. 
Commodore, C. E. Britton, Gananoque, Can. 
Secretary-Treasurer, Herb Begg, 24 King street, West Toronto, 
Canada, 
Librarian, vV. P. Stephens, Thirty-second street ana Avenue A, 
Bayonne, N. J. 
Division Officers. 
ATLANTIC DIVISION. 
Vice-Com., Henry M. Dater, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Rear-Com., H. D. Hewitt, Burlington, N. J. 
Purser, Joseph F. Eastmond, 199 Madison street, Brooklyn. N. Y. 
CENTRAL DIVISION. 
Vice-CoTO., C. P. Forbush, Buffalo, N. Y. 
Rear-Com., Dr. C. R, Henry, Perry, N. Y. 
Purser, Lyman P. Hubbell, Buffalo. N. Y. 
EASTERN DIVISION. 
Vice-Com., Louis A. Hall, Newton. Mass. 
Rear-Com., C. M. Lamprey, Lawrence, Mass. 
Purser, A. E. Kimberly, Lawrence Experimental Station, 
Lawrence, Mass. 
NORTHERN DIVISION. 
Vice-Com., G. A. Howell, Toronto, Can. 
Rear-Com.. R. Easton Burns, Kingston, Ontario, Can. 
Purser, R, Norman Brown, Toronto, Can. 
WESTERN DIVISION-. 
Vice-Com., Wm. C. Jupp, Detroit, Mich. 
Rear-Com., F. B. Huntington, Milwaukee, Wis. 
Purser, Fred T. Barcroft, 4(18 Ferguson Building, Detroit, Mich. 
*l 
Official organ. Forest and SisiiLEAit. 
'Mid Reef and Rapid —XIX. 
BY F. R. WEBB. 
Sunday is always a 'comfortable day in a csanoe camp. . 
As a rule, we do not cruise on that day, preferring to He 
by and rest, although in the abstract, I presume there is 
but little to choose between lying quietly in camp and 
drifting quietly down the river ; but an idle day in camp 
now and then is a luxury as Avell as a convenience. In- 
deed, such a day can hardly be called idle, there are so 
many little things to potter around with and look after. 
\\"e shaved, wrote letters and washed out , a few littH 
things, such as handkerchiefs, towels, etc, I took every- 
thing out of the mess chest and washed and sponged 
it out carefully, and set it in the sun for an hour. The 
kitchenware was given a thorough overhauling, cleaning 
and polishing with sand and ashes. Our blankets and 
mattresses were hung in the hot sun and given a good 
airing and freshening; the tents were taken down. and 
the wide-open canoes also placed in the sun, and thor- 
oughly aired and dried out. and all sorts of sitriilar little 
odds and ends were attended to. 
The Colonel Avas obliged to* return home on Monday, 
and we had hoped to reach Massanutton, ten miles below, 
by Saturday evening, as that point is but four miles from 
Luray, which is the most convenient point in this vicinity 
for him to reach the railroad, but as we 'had not suc- 
ceeded in reaching there on Saturday evening, a short 
Sabbath cruise was decided upon, in order to have him 
there when Monday morning dawned ; accordingly the 
scattered articles were collected and the canoes packed, 
and by ii o'clock they were launched, and we were ready 
to resume the cruise; but we were not destined to reach 
Massanutton that day, nor, indeed, for several days, for 
the day's cruise was but a short one, and full of the 
proverb'al Sunday luck in the way of disasters, finally 
culminating in the capsize Lacy had so long and so cheer- 
fully predicted for the Colonel.- 
It was a beautiful, bright morning and the river looked 
inviting, as it rippled in the soft, balmy, summer breeze, 
which rustled the leaves overhead with a musical tinkle, 
and toyed with the soft, delicate folds of our bright, little, 
silken pennants, and the sunlight danced and sparkled 
from the little wavelets, which lapped up under the sides 
and ends of our canops with a melodious gurgle. The 
gentle lowing of cattle from the barnyard above gave a 
pastoral effect to the. scene ; a little "sweetheart bird" called 
his striking little "tweetart, tweetart, tweetart, tweet!" 
from the trees on the further bank, and all nature seemed 
bright and joyous. I drew my canoe lightly up alongside 
of Capt. Keyser's roomy, wooden punt, stepped aboard, 
dropped lightly into my seat, pushed ofif into the still, 
deep water and waited for the others. 
"Hello! here's the mischief to pay! I've sprung a 
leak!" I exclaimed, in dismay, as I chanced to look down 
into the bottom of my canoe, while adjusting my hatches, 
and observed the water flowing in a narrow, black stream 
along down the floor, which was dried and baked to a 
grayish-white by the previous exposure to the morning's 
sun. 
"That's bad !" exclaimed George, as he paused, with 
one foot in his canoe. "Does it seem to be much of a 
leak? I expect we'd better go ashore again and fix it." 
"The water doesn't seem to be coming in very fast," 
I replied, as I watched it closely for a few minutes. "I 
don't think it amounts to much. Come ahead ! I'll keep 
afloat until lunch time, I reckon, b}^ stopping to bail out 
occasionally; it's too much bother to go ashore again 
and unpack, now that we're just launched and readj' to 
start. I guess I must have gotten the worst of it up in 
Kemple's Falls the other day." 
"Yes, I expect that's where you got it." replied the 
Colonel, as his canoe swept alongside of mine, propelled 
by the long, gentle sweeps of his big 8ft. paddle'. 
"It's not far to our lunch place, anyhow, and we'll make 
it in an hour or thereabouts," I added. 
"Where do we lunch?" asked Lacj-, ever alert and 
ready whenever anj-body said anything about eating. 
"At the .spring at the foot of the Columbian Fajls," I 
replied, "about three miles and a half from here." 
"How are the Columbian Falls? Are they any worse 
than Kemple's?" asked the Colonel, as we swept the 
water into little swirls Avith our paddles and got under 
way. 
"Well, they're longer, and, in some respects, more 
troublesome," I replied, as we rounded the bend to the 
left, and entered upon the mile-long backset from the 
Newport dam. "There's a long section in the middle 
that's very tedious, on account of the interminable reefs, 
but^ " 
"Oh! well,*' said the Colonel, carelessly, "they won't 
bother me any then. I don't think much of Kemple's 
Falls, for all the fuss you fellows are in the habit of 
making over their difficulty." 
"Well, that may be," George replied, "but I recom- 
mend you to handle your canoe with circumspection — — " 
"Yes, you want to govern yourself with considerable 
circumlocution," Lacy put in. 
"Especially at the lower end of the falls," George con- 
tinued, "for I assure you the Columbian Falls are no 
joke." 
"That' s all right," replied the Colonel, confidently, 
"don't give yourselves any uneasiness on my account." 
We found the Newport dam entirely rebuilt, and the 
low, easy shoot formerly at the right bank was now 
closed. The dam is a massive log structure, some 6 or 
/ft. high, with a top broad and flat enough to drive a 
wagon over, so gentle is the inner or up-stream slope. At 
the present stage but little water was running over the 
dam, and we beached the canoes along its crest as along 
a flat bank, and stepped out into the clear, shallow 
water, which looked like a sheet of amber varnish spread 
over the clean, gravel beneath. . . ,5 
Over in the middle, where our canoes lay, the water 
below the dam was deep, and a portage was quickly and 
easily made by simply sliding the canoes over the dam 
and dropping them, bow first, into the depths below, the 
operation beirig watched with interest by a little group of 
Sunday idlers, dressed in their rural Sunday best and 
congregated around the closed and silent mill. 
There is, as usual, a short, steep rapid immediately be- 
low the dam. A couple of massive log cribs, built to 
brace and strengthen the dam, extend, buttress-like, dowi 
stream front its base, some 10 or 15ft. or more, an: 
around the left-hand one of these the rapid boils an 
whirls, on its way down the crooked, narrow channel, to 
still water below. George scrambled down the log face 
of this buttress into his canoe, and essayed the rapid. As 
he swung around the corner of the buttress, endeavor-'; 
ing to keep as close in as possible, the swirling current 
caught him in its powerful grasp and swung him out of 
his course toward the reefs at the right of the channel. 
With an herculean sweep of his paddle, he brought the 
Shenandoah back into line again, blit in the effort he 
snapped the paddle short off in his grasp^ '~ 
"Confounded be all they that worship carved images !" 
he exclaimed, devoutly, a~5 he threw away the shorter 
piece, and, with the single blade, he succeeded in working 
through the rest of the rapids, and swung in to the bank 
at the spring, a couple of hundred yards below the mill, to 
await the rest of us. 
Profiting by his mishap, the Colonel and Lacy made no 
attempt to run the rapid, but pushed across the deep pool 
below the dam in their canoes, until their keels grated on i 
the gravel beyond, when they stepped out into the shal- 
low water, and led and shoved their canoes down a little, 
brook-like channel which led down through the rocks 
and over the gravel bar into deep water below, and in 
few minutes the Clyde and Mary Lou were Ijdng cheek ' 
by jowl with the .Shenandoah at the spring. 
.Standing on the log buttress, I carefully studied the 
rapid for a few minutes, then, deciding to follow the 
course chosen so disastrously by George, I chmbed down i 
the face of the buttress and into my canoe, lying quietly 
at its base. Carefully working my way along its sides 
and around the corner by holding on to the logs with my 
hands, instead of using my paddle, and taking good care 
not to let the swift water get hold of the stern of my 
boat and throw it out away from the logs, as had hap- 
pened to George, I succeeded in working my canoe ' 
around the projecting end, and around the further corner 
into the swift little channel, down which, after letting 
go of the buttress and grasping my trusty paddle, I 
swiftly shot, dancing and tossing over the surges, into 
deep Avater beloAV. Avithout touching a rock. ' 
I paddled in beloAV the other three canoes, and speedily 
joined their commanding officers at the spring, Avhere 
Ave enjoyed that most refreshing of luxuries to the sun- 
baked, thirsty canoeist, a good, cool drink of water^ right 
out of the spring. 
"Well, what's to be done?" said Lacy, turning to 
George. 
"You surely can't continue the cruise Avith that broken 
paddle?" added the Colonel, as he lifted the bow of his 
canoe up on a projecting ledge. 
"I can, but I don't intend to," replied George. "There's 
only one thing to be done," he continued, as he picked up 
ray paddle, "and that's to find a carpenter's shop or 
bench and make a new paddle. I'll take yours along, 
Corarnodore, for a pattern," he added, as he started up 
the bank toward the mill. 
"George is a handy fellow, when it comes to making 
paddles," said the Colonel. 
"Yes," I ansAvered, "he ought to be, for he has had 
enough experience. He never makes a cruise Avithout 
smashing at least one paddle, and sometimes tAvo." 
"Hold on a minute, George, and I'll go Avith you," 
said Lacy, as he bustled around, spreading out on the 
rocks and bushes to dry the few minor articles in his 
