386 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Nov. i6, 190I- 
A Narrow Escape. 
Th£»£ is so much in the papers nowadays relative to 
the awful waste of human life in the woods, caused 
by the careless use of firearms, together with the demand 
for more stringent laws bearing upnn this subject, that.i 
feel it a duty to write this sketch. While we deplore the 
fact that many hunters have been taken for deer, shot 
and killed, let us, if possible, have some charhy for tlie 
man who all of his life must carry this awful burden of 
having killed perhaps his best friend unintentionally. 
Three of us started out one beauiiful day in October a 
few years ago after deer. We were the best of friends; 
two of us were hunters and one was new at the business. 
After traveling a while, we struck an old woods road, 
and although one of my companions — the one who was well 
versed in woods craft and the rillc — proposed traveling 
just back of the road a few rods, and parallel to it, so 
that if there might be a deer about he would be most 
likely to jump right into the roa.l when startled, thus 
affording us a good shot, I did nol agree to it, knowing 
its dangers. This plan I always had objected to, and s<i 
told him. It affords the possibility tor an awful mistake. 
■'Let's keep together," t said. 
A little later we were traveling through a beautiful 
clump of spruce, when, as quick as a flash, a deer jumped 
over a small ridge to our left and disappeared. 
■'Hold on! He has gone into that little ravine, and he 
will follow it," said my companion. 
"Don't you remember where the road crosses that 
piece of swale just beyond? Now you are so much 
quicker on the shoot than I, let me go and drive him 
down that rtm, and w^hen you see a piece of him as big as 
your hand, let drive." 
"No, don't worry," said he, as he saw my hesitancy. 
"You can't hit me, for the ridge will be between us. You 
are too careful, you are." 
Well, he went over into that ravine, and seeing nothing 
of the deer, would you believe it. he followed that run 
right down into the swale, where he said the deer would 
ht, without a sign or halloo. He had on one of those 
dead-grass-colored shooting jackets — and, by the way, I 
have never put one on my back since, and would advise 
others to follow my example. 
Standing at ready with my rifle at full cock, I was wait- 
ing for a snapshot, when I caught sight of what I sup- 
posed, of cofirse, was the deer in the swale. 
Remember that this was in a wild countrj^, where there 
was no possibility of any others being about. 
Now, I knew my man ; of course he wasn't fool enough 
to be down there. Just that instant's hesitation while 
this thought passed through my mind was all that saved 
his life and my peace of mind. 
Grasping my rifle more firmly and bringing it to my 
shoulder I took dead aim, and had already begun to press 
the trigger when I caught the outlines of his hat. In- 
stantly throwing the muzzle of the rifle to one side. I 
began to grow first hot, then cold; I trembled, I vomited, 
and, although a man full-grown, in my excitement I 
cried like a child, and the hardest tramp that I ever took 
in my life was my trip back to camp. 
Unmanly you may call the nerve collapse if you will, 
but don't judge too harshly till you've been there. 
Silentlj^ my companion joined me, and we slowly 
wended otu" way back to camp. The occasion did not de- 
mand very lively conversation, and the latter was con- 
spicuous by its absence. 
He was never able to give a reasonable excuse for his 
action. 
Had mv friend been killed, who would have been at 
fault? 
Would I have desen^ed a term at State s prison for 
my mistake? 
Twice since then have I myself been mistaken for deer 
and saved an accident to myself and, at least, embarrass- 
ment to the other man by a quick, sharp halloo, and, al- 
though angered by the carelessness, my own experience 
made me very charitable, for I could very easily put 
myself in the other fellow's place. 
J. A. Thompson. 
A Visit to Mexico* 
(For first paper see issue of Oct. 5.) 
To continue our little hunting excursion through 
Mexico, I will give you, as promised, our trip from 
Tamplco to the interior of Mexico and return via Tam- 
pico to New York city. 
After a most charming stay at tlie rancli of our friend. 
Jim Cathcart, we left Tampico by the Mexican Centra! 
Railroad on the morning of March 27 for Mexico City. 
Of course we all had our guns and plenty of ammunition, 
and the party was a congenial lot of good fellows. Our 
only regret Avas, that our old chum and crack shot, Scott, 
was not along, but we shall hear more of him by and by. 
We reached Mexico Citv^ on the second day. I shall not 
try to tell vou of the many little incidents that hap- 
pened during our trip at sight seeing in the several 
cities we visited, nor will I undertake to tell you of the 
beauty and grandeur of this wonderful republic. I have 
never read anything relative to Mexico that has been 
exaggerated in the least. After spending several most 
delightful days in Mexico City, wc went to Guadalajara, 
where we joined a friend, Mr. Blewitt, who v/as to take 
us to Lake'Chapella, a beautiful sheet of water just south- 
east of Gtiadalajara. The next morning we were bif for 
Chapella. the ride being several hours by traiti to a 
little station called Ocotlan, and ihence by stage to the 
lake. 
We had planned to stop at one of the several- small 
hotels on the lake, but to our surprise .both wefe full. 
People had been turned away for several weeks. We 
first intended camping, but when we found that guides 
were not to he had at any price, nor boats, we were 
certainly disappointed. Of course, the hotel guests Iiad 
all the guides :uid boats in sight, and we had to abando;i 
the plan of what we had so much anticipated — a royal 
hunt. We finally secured quarters by the loan of tents 
from several natives, and spent two days on the lake, 
going each day for a short journey in a naphtha launch. 
Of course wo carried our guns, etc., but you cannot hunt 
ducks and gOfsc to any advantage in a naphtha boat, espe- 
ciallv when it ..makes the noise of a locomotive, as this 
one did. We .saw ducks by the tliousand flocks, and lots 
of geese also. We saw every kind of duck that one 
could possibly mention, except the canvasback and spoon 
bill; even these had been here all through the winter. 
The natives tell us that the canvasback is found in larger 
numbers, though, on the coast, and especially on the Gult 
side. We shot any number of ducks, especially mallard 
and teal. ' • 
There are all sorts of large game here, sucli^ as deer, 
which are very easy to get at. We saw on the first day s 
trip up the lake seven deer at the water s edge, and in 
one lot of this number there were five in a buncli. The 
second day we all carried along our rifles, and George 
got three and Jim one very large buck. We were awfully 
proud of this bag, because it so happened that one party 
had been out for three days after deer and only got two, 
but had wasted much ammunition. We bade adieu to 
Chapella with much regret. It seems hard to leave a 
place when you know there is so much game around, and 
you can't get at it, simply because you can't get guides 
and boats. It's reallv worth the trip to Chapella from 
New York or anv city in the States, if one is a sports- 
man just to see the game that is brought in to the two 
small hotels by the sportsmen every evening— ducks of all 
kinds snipe, turkeys, pheasants, tiger cats and very often 
tigers. I saw a skin before we left that measured SVi 
feet, and was most beatttifully marked. „ 
Not having had the htmt we expected at Chapella, Jim 
proposed that we should take another hunt on his ranch. 
The motion was adopted unanimously, and we were once 
more in old Tampico and at the ranch of our old rehable 
Jim Cathcart. We got there on April 14, and as the steam- 
ship Niagara was to sail on the 19th, we had four good 
solid days to enjov Jim's hospitality. 
By the time breakfast was over the next morning, the 
sun 'was away up high, and the temperature about 75 
degrees. It looked a little warm for ducking, so we all 
sat on the front porch to discuss the matter and help to 
burn Jim's cigars. Before we left Mexico City Jim had 
telegraphed his overseer at the ranch that our party would 
be here about the 17th or i8th, and to have everythmg in 
shape. Well, as we were.puffing away the good cigars on 
the porch, we saw a native on horseback approaching. 
He alighted and handed to Mr. Cathcart the message he 
had sent from Mexico City just nine days prior to its 
arrival at Tampico. We all concluded that when we 
had any more messages to send in Mexico we would 
carry them along ourselves. . 
We all go now to the rear of Jim's house, which over- 
looks the great duck flats, and discuss whether it is too 
hot or too late in the day to go ducking. It really is 
too hot, yet everv one is only too anxious to go, because 
they can" actually see ducks by the thousands, and the 
flats are literally black with them; but Jim knows best 
and decides we won't go to-day. , , . 
Scott arrived this morning, and he and Jim decided that 
we should go pigeon and dove shooting. After luncheon 
we set off on foot to the northwest of the ranch, where 
the flight would soon be on. We took certain positions 
so that there would be no danger, and the rule was to 
leave all pigeons and doves on the ground until after sun- 
set. We waited for nearly two hours before there were 
any signs of this fascinating sport, though now and then 
there would be a straggler, but always out of range. But 
by and by they began to come. It's a pity we didn t 
have our camera: flock followed after flock, extremely 
swift in their flight, and they seemed to be in flocks of 
from fifty to a hundred. We kept firing until Scott called 
out in a little while and said his gun was too hot to 
hold, and George asked if the reports didn't sound like 
the battle of Gettysburg. The birds did not seem to mind 
it at all— they took a straight course— and seldom varied. 
AVhen the shooting was over the game counted was as 
foflows: Scott. 39 pigeons, 3 doves; Jim, 3-2 pigeons, 21 
doves; George, 28 pigeons, 6 doves; myself, 21 pigeons. 
19 doves. In summing up the separate lots, I found 
among George's kill three yellowhead parrots, and Jim 
had one. Jim was aware that he had killed a parrot, but 
George could not explain. These flocks of pigeons and 
doves feed in the big swamps, and come over every even- 
ing; but no one here ever cares to shoot them. Jim 
sent nearly all the birds to his neighboring friends. 
By 4 A. M. the next day we were again m the skitls m 
the large lagoon and off for the grounds, and the waters 
were as before alive with fish. We soon reached the 
flats, and as day dawned the ducks began to fly, and as 
soon as we were in our allotted places wc began" to open 
fire. We all killed in two and one half hours 107 ducks, 
65 of which were teal and 22 the regular summer dtick, 
the rest pintail and spoonbill. As the flight north had 
been on for the past month, it looked as if all the canvas- 
hack and mallard had gone, although we saw one bunch 
of mallards passing very high. We did not use any 
decoys at all, and I do not think it at all necessary. We 
also killed quite a number of snipe. The snipe we killed 
were mostly cycle bill, yellowleg. curlew, willet and 
graybacks, and several snipe that I have never seen be- 
fore. . . , 
The remainder of the day was spent in a trip to tlie 
beach, several miles distant, where we had a sea bath, and 
returned home again in time for dinner. 
With an early breakfast next morning, we were off 
before day to the big woods. Everybody scattered ex- 
cept George and myself, who did not care to venture far 
alone, as this is the cub season with the tiger, and no 
one knows what will happen. We hunted for five long 
hours and saw nothing but several flocks of turkeys, and 
they always found some way to get out of range of our 
guns. Scott turned up about 3 P- M. with the prettiest 
little fawn I ever saw, and told us that he had killed the 
doe. though he did not intend doing so — only that three 
deer jumped at once— and he picked this one, and the 
fawn was so young that he had no trouble in catching it. 
It was so weak that it could hardly statid. Finally Jim 
came in with a native and relieved Scott of the fawn. 
Jim said he had killed three turkeys, two; pheasants and a 
small tiger cat. and soon the native turned up with the 
game on his horse. Nearing home Scott killed a vei7 
fine buck, and I got one turkey, and had several other 
shots, but missed. Reaching home we helped Jim skin 
his tiger cat. while Scott borrowed Jim's manager's baby's 
nursing bottle to give hjs fawn milk, and the little fellow 
took to the bottle at once. Jim is very much of a taxider- 
mist, and has a number of birds and skins which he 
has mounted and cured and will carry to the States, 
On the last day we went fishing, but as we had no 
tarpon rigs, we could only fish for small fish, though 
we made a fine catch. That night Jim entertained us at 
the final dinner. It was simply a dinner that you couldn't 
buy. During dinner the wind blew out the lamps, but as 
soon as they were relighted .Scott said, in his usual way, 
that the sudden darkness reminded him of an old darky 
who had never been on the railroad train before. He 
told us the story : As he boarded a train one day in 
Virginia for Norfolk, he noticed a very tidy old colored 
woman in the car, who seemed to be very nervous, and 
upon inquiry he learned that she was going down the 
country to attend the marriage of a young lady whom 
she had nursed when a baby. .\s she had never been on 
a railroad train before, she seemed to be frightened at 
every noise. When the train started, .she comrnenced to 
mumble to herself the following: "I never did want to 
ride on dese ycre cars nohow. Dey never was made for 
colored folkes. I knows sornepins gwine to happen, from 
the funny way dis thing shakes. Lordy, I done most 
fell right out de seat what I sittin' in." She looked 
around at a gentleman opposite and said: "Mistah, does 
you think day's any danger in dese steam 'gine cars?" 
All of a sudden the train entered a long timnel, and the 
old darky exclaimed: "Fo' Gord, it done got dark all a 
sudden ; dese her steam engines ride you clean out a 
day into the night time, and I know 'tis gwine suppen 
happen, sho." By this time the train was out of the 
tunnel and on a bridge, and a very high one, too, and 
the old auntie looking up said: "Lord, I knows I's fool- 
ish, but 'twas shortes' night I ever seen." And suddenly 
looking out from the train and seeing the groimd so far 
below, she exclaimed, "My. if we ain't flying. Y"es, sah, 
flying dis like a bird." As the train reached level ground 
the old darky gave a long sigh and fell back in her seat 
and said, "Thank God we done lit. 'Tis de curiou.ses 
travelin' I ever did." 
With all our traps and the little fawn, we were off to 
Tampico to catch the steamer Niagara, and soon were 
once again on the good ship. Of course we were all wel- 
comed aboard, and especially by the captain and the 
purser, who are always in the best of humor. As the ship 
would not sail until the morrow, on account of the heavy 
norther blowing outside, we went down to the beach to 
see the surf and maybe kill some snipe. On the beach we 
saw lots of snipe, especially cycle bills and graybacks, and 
could have had good shooting but for the wind and 
sand pelting us in the face so fiercely. In Tampico we 
saAV some very fine tarpon that had been mounted by a 
taxidermist. Scott purchased a very fine one, measuring 
just 7 feet I inch. 
We were off the next day for New York via Havana, 
and reached New York city Sunday morning, April 28, 
after one of the most delightful trips on record. All in 
our party have traveled quite a little, and we cannot recall 
the incident when we were better taken care of than 
on the Niagara. Wc offer many, many t^ianks to the good 
captain and the purser, who understand the wants of their 
passengers and try to make them happy and enjoy a sea 
trip as it should be. We shall never forget their funny 
stories and the songs the purser sang in good, old negro 
fashion. Dick Hawkins. 
Boston and Maine. 
Boston, Nov. g. — The finest string of deer ever seen 
in Boston markets was on exhibition in CHnton Market 
Wednesday. There were eighteen of them, the majority 
large bucks. They came from about 30 miles beyond Jack- 
man, Me., and were ' brought out by a party of nine 
hunters, mostly Boston merchants and marketmen, who 
have been quartered at Henderson's camps in that re- 
gion. In the party were Messrs. Stillman Noyes, of 
Somerville, who really had the party in charge; C. A, 
Currier, H. M. Munroe and G. A. Vickery, of Lexington; 
E. S. Lock, of Roxbury ; W. F. Cobb, of Allston, and J. 
W. Smart ,of Arlington. Each man brought out his two 
deer, and such seems to be the fashion this j'cai", whether 
they shoot them or not. It was a most remarkable piece 
of good luck in hunting that tihould have given each man 
his two deer, especially considering that hunting condi- 
tions were bad, by reason of the noise of the fallen leaves, 
as dry as powder, and making a big noise at every step of ; 
the hunter, and it is a wonder that eighteen were secured 
in so short a time — only seven days. Deer are remark- 
ably plenty in that section. The largest was a buck of 
240 pounds weight, shot by Mr. Cobb. Mr. Noj'es also 
killed one of 225 pounds. "Two of the party got lost after 
hunting late one afternoon. There was a dispute as to 
whether the compass was right or wrong, and one of the 
lost men attempted to lead the other out of the wilder- 
ness. He led him into a blow-down instead. Then he 
decided that he could not find the waj'. Three shots were 
given — ^the signal of distress — and quickly answered by 
the boys at camp. It was not answered by three shots, 
but by "What's the matter there?" from a voice close at 
hand. The lost men were not more than 100 feet from 
the camp. 
Deputy Game Warden Elsmere arrested six men last 
Saturday for dogging deer in the vicinity of Third 
■\Iachias Lake. They were taken to Machias and ar 
raigned in the Municipal Court. Chief Warden Ros 
was present and assisted in the prosecution. After 
hearing each man was sentenced to pay a fine of $40 and 
costs. They appealed and furnished bail in the sum o 
$100 each to appear before the Superior Court. Wilbu 
Day, one of the party, was also arraigned on the charge ol 
keeping dogs for dogging deer, and also for guiding 
without a license. The total amount charged to hi.s 
account in fines is $400. He waived examination and 
furnished bail. 
Boston, Nov. 11. — Last week was a poor one for the 
deer hunters, owing to the dry weather and fallen leaves 
and hunting parties have had poor success, as a rule 
A party of four Boston hunters spent most of the week 
in the vicinity of .Slielburn, N. H.. but got no deer. On., 
of them remarks that he could hear his brother hunters' 
footsteps at the distance of 50 or 100 yards, as the} 
moved over the dry leaves. Bangor makes a poor show- 
ing of deer shipped through for the week, the number 
being 350, and nine moose. This shows that the recorc, 
for the season has nearly reached 2000, by far the largest 
number of any other ye.ir. Up to Saturday 125 moos< 
