Nov. 7, iOo.3.1 
as evidence that I had not been dreaming. 
After awhile, there being a cessation of hostilities, no 
more strikes materializing. I allowed my gaze to drift 
to the bottom nf the stream, abont twenty feet down. 
I observed a large black object moving .slowly up 
stream. At tirst glance I thought it an alligator. While 
alligators rarelj' get that far north, yet they have been 
seen there, .\fter gazing more closely I concluded it 
to be a large school of catSsh moving up stream slow- 
ly and as compactly as possible. They were lined up 
in twenties. They were evidently moving with a great 
deal of caution. After watching them for some time I 
purposely dropped my paddle, and away they scattered. 
There must have been several hundred of them. With 
all the seining going on there seems to be a few catfish 
left, anyway. Speaking of . seining, reminds me that 
there is hardly a cut-off any^vhere in the St. Francis 
but has a seine stretched across its mouth. Fishermen 
from Buffalo Island and Bertig make periodical visits 
to these seines and bring the fish in by the skiff load. 
They are then packed into barrels and shipped to St. 
Louis. Chicago and even to New York. Notwithstand- 
ing, it is contrary to law, but little effort is apparently 
being made to suppress this traffic. 
One of the several clubs established down there did 
engage a man and had him sworn in as a United States 
deputy marshal, to look after this illicit business. He 
confiscated a great many seines and destroyed many 
more. After he had been shot at from ambush several 
times he gave it up as a "warm" job. I heard several 
of the natives say that they didn't want to "git" (kill) 
him. Just wanted to "skeer" him. Well, they skeered 
him all right. I also heard threats that if a certain club 
didn't quit interfering with their business they might 
wake up some morning and find no club house. (Short- 
ly after this experience a large club house at Bertig 
was burned and has never been rebuilt. The mem- 
bers became discouraged, sought for and found an- 
other location.) 
I arrived at camp without incident, and found the 
rest of the sportsmen had preceded mc. They had 
bagged a dozen of fat mallards and three sprigtails. 
It was agreed that in the morning we would go after 
deer, Old Bill haA'ing seen tracks and signs of them. 
So we started east the next morning to the "Ridge." We 
found where the deer had stripped the bark from a tree, 
which was the beginning of the trail. After following 
the trail for some little time. Bill concluded that the deer 
had bivouacked on the other side of the Ridge. So it 
was agreed that Bill and Jerry should go to the south and 
over the Ridge and beat up the brush and drive the deer 
^cver westward. We three spread about sixty yards apart 
■find Avaited. I took the north side and threw myself down 
in the tall grass, commanding a good A'iew of the ridge. 
T waited for three-quarters of an hour and had grown 
rather restless. I had visions of Bill and Jerry off under 
a tree having a good laugh at our expense. I 
was soon after on the point of giving up in disgust, 
when I heard a rustle back of me. I turned quickly and 
there, scarcely thirty j'ards from me, were two deer, one 
a fine buck. They stared at me and I at them, and we 
all stared. I never saw such large Imninous eyes before. 
1 raised my hand finally and ejaculated "Shoo!" and they 
"shooed." It didn't occur to me to shoot. It was my 
first sight of a wild deer. I did not have "buck ague," 
but it was a close relative. They started like the wind to- 
ward my companions, and I held my breath. Presently I 
heard bang — bang, then two barrels more. My friends 
did, indeed, bag two of them, and I — didn't. I thought it 
best not to relate my experience, having too much con- 
sideration for my peace of mind and reputation, as you 
may suppose. But we had venison for supper all right, 
and it was good. 
Ne.xt morning old Bill came rushing into camp, shout- 
ing, "Git yer guns^ boys, that's bar over yonder," pointing 
excitedly toward the west. We hurried to our boats and 
followed Bill, he leading in a dug-out. In about ten min- 
utes we reached another donique and landed, Bill still 
leading. "You stay right hyar, boys, and I'll rec-con- 
niter," says Bill, and we stayed. We waited and waited — 
ten minutes, fifteen minutes, a half hour. "The old ras- 
cal's giving us a 'con' game," Cap Wheeler growled. 
"Let's go back," he added. 
T was not in favor of taking snap judgment, and de- 
murred against returning without I3ill. So we waited. 
Suddenly we were startled by the report of a gun and 
Bill's voice shouting what we could not make out. We 
started on a double quick in his direction. We had gone 
but a dozen paces when Bill burst into the clearing, hat 
off, hair flying, eyes bulging, and screaming, "The 'bar, the 
bar ! He's arter me now," and he tore past us like a 
whirlwind, and the bear followed right on his heels in a 
lope. If it were not that Bill's life was in danger, it would 
certainly have had a ludicrous aspect. Bill made straight 
for his dug-out, and the bear, paying no attention to us, 
made for Bill, and just as the latter made a leap of it his 
bear.ship fetched him a hook in the rear that carried away 
the seat of his trousers. But Bill was off and pushed off 
into midstream. Then bruin turned and saw us for the 
first time. He sat down on his hunkers, laid back his 
ears, showed his fangs, and growled. We cocked our 
guns and advanced on him slowly. I confess 1 felt rather 
shaky. "Now, boys," said Cap Wheeler, "steadjr it is, and 
altogether, and right at his eyes. Ready, fire !" When 
the smoke cleared away our bear lay curled up and asleep 
— put to sleep by three valiant hunters. It was a specimen 
of the small black bear found occasionally in the swamps, 
and when hungry are very fierce, and will often attack a 
man. Bill by this time had come ashore, and was busy 
bathing that part of his anatomy which suffered from 
the bear's left hook, but had not yet recovered his voice 
or composure. Presently he commenced to swear. 
Finally he looked up and said, "Well, boys, I was 
skeered and don't you forgit it. I thought the tarnal 
critter bed me for keens." 
Here's his story: "I hit the trail jes' beyond the edge 
of the woods and found whar he'd been diggin" up the 
acorns and roQts and I followed along. Pretty soon I 
cam' to some droppings that was still a-smoking and I 
■gin to feel warm. Presently I heard a sound in the bresh 
close to my left, and bless my soul, the bar popped into 
me with a bump. I don't know which was skeered the 
most, me or the bar. He backed away from me with a 
wa-augh! I brought my gun up and blazed away. I 
FOREST AND STkfiAM. 
was so flustrated that t fired wild. But it made him mad, 
and he rushed at me and knocked my gun out of mv 
hands, and— well, boys, then I hollered and run, and you 
all know the rest. But I want my gun, and I want to git 
home quick and git the old woman to rub some 'intment 
on my rear." We loaded the bear into the boat and car- 
ried him to camp, and under Bill's direction skinned him 
and hung up the carcass. 
Inasmuch as we three fired simultaneously at the var- 
mint we were obliged to draw lots for the skin, which 
fell to Cap. Wheeler. It now adorns his library floor in 
the capacity of a rug. Old Bill said the skin by right 
ought to belong to him, for, he argued, did he not bring 
the game to us to shoot ? 
Jerry, the ccok, tried to fry some bear steaks for break- 
fast the ne.xt morning, but we could eat none of it. It was 
f.ltogether tco gamy. Old Bill came to the rescue, and 
suggested that we broil them over the embers of our fire, 
which we did, and found the meat very palatable. That 
night, after we had turned in, it began to grow colder and 
the geese commenced coming in out of the storm — and 
such a noise as they did make. It was simply impossible 
tn carry on a conversation. It took them an hour to get 
settled and become quiet. 
It was proposed that we turn out at 4 A. M. and try to 
bag a few of them. We accordingly set the alarm clock. 
At 4 o'clock we three S''t out in our dug-outs toward the 
line of words in the west, at which point we "spotted'' 
iheni the ni^ht be^ori\ It was dark before us as a stack 
of black cats, and cold as charity. We could not smoke- 
nor con vers •, ncr hirdly breathe for fear of flushing the 
gang. After we had sirusplcd against the flags and moss 
for an hour. Cap. Wheeler signalled a halt by a low 
whistle. Very soon the first streaks of dawn becanv: 
visible and with them came a sound of "honk-honk-honk,'" 
which we knew to be the signal of the old gander to 
iunkc ready. A\'e forthwith made ready, and waited for 
the flight to commence. Our previous discomfiture was 
entirely forgotten in the excitement pending. Suddenly 
there was a treat rush and rp the cloud of geese rose 
with their accompanying discordant cries and our guns 
spoke. My repeater spoke four times and three geese 
answered wi.h their lives. Cap. Wheeler got four and 
Mr. Baltezor piillcd down four more. We heard someone 
else firing in close proxinity. and it developed in the 
person cf Jerry, who had started breakfast and then 
s'arted after rs. "Bedad !" says he, "Oi never did see the 
like of 'em. ' He had three to his credit. "No more'n 
1 got a bade cn wan of 'em and another wan would get 
in the way, and I couldn't help killing two with one shot." 
It was certainly r-^re sport. Then we paddled back to 
camp. A c 'p of black coffee, some hot cakes, finished 
off with a pipe all around, soon .set things to rights. 
That morning Rcse, Old Bill's daugh'.er, gave us a fine 
c.Nhibition of skill with a gun. The trees on the 
donique were very high, some as much as one hundred 
and fifty feet. 'Iliere was a clearing of about one hundred 
feet where their cabin was located, and Rose, only about 
seventeen j'ears old, would stand in this clearing and 
watch the tree tops and woe betide the d"ck or goose 
that attempted to fly over this clearing. While I was 
watching her, she caught a 12-pound goose as it started 
across, and it came to the ground with such force that 
it burst open. Old Bill says. "Yes, that's an old trick of 
the gal's," and didn't seem to think it much of a trick 
either. Another acconaplishment Rose had was playing 
the harmonicon — "mouth-harp," as she called it. She 
could reproduce all of her father's fiddle tunes, and she 
went the city girls one better and "chawed"' tobacco in- 
stead of gum. She always wore rubber boots and car- 
ried a six-shooter in a holster, w'hich she knew how to 
use. Old Bill had a most wholesome respect for Rose, 
too. When "Pa," as she called him, disappeared, as he 
occasionaHy did, Rose would go after him the ne.xt day 
and round him up. She walked into the saloon at Buf- 
falo Island a few days before we came, where Old Bill 
was bluffing the crowd and daring any two of them to 
step out and give him a turn, and took her dad by the 
ear and walked him out, and pointing to her boat said, 
■"Git in thar and come home." And he got in and went 
home as decile as any lamb. 
Our two weeks' ca.np came to a close entirely too soon, 
and it was with sorrowful resignation that we three and 
the pup sat down cn a log watching Jerry put the finish- 
ing touches to our plunder before starting for home. It 
was a glorious trip, and barring the little distemper which 
Cap. Wheeler suffered for a few days, our health was ex- 
cellent. I gained nearly five pounds in weight, and the 
others had just as much to show for the trip, e.Kcepting 
the pup, who had become as skinny as a snake from in- 
cessant activity. 
We arrived home without incident, and the next day 
were deep in the confines of stuffy offices, and this is the 
last of the adventures cf four men and a dog amid the 
swamps of Arkansas. Robest J. Simpson. 
Po t-CIfice Thief 
A Dexvek dispatch to the New York Ti nes says that 
the mystery of mail box robberies at Spanish Fork, Utah, 
which has been puzzling the post-ofiice authorities for 
months, has been solved at last. The robber has been 
caught, tried, and convicted. For months the mail car- 
riers on a certain rural delivery route in Utah have been 
troubled by mysterious thefts from a small mail box near 
the town of Spanish Fork. A day or two ago a circular 
letter was found in a plowed field. Another waj imme- 
diately dropped in the box. and a carrier stationed him- 
self near by to watch. In a few minutes a large black 
ra\en flew up to the box, struggled through the aperture 
for packages, and emerged in a few minutes with the let- 
ter in his beak. The course of its flight was followed, 
its nest detected, and there, h\ a crotch of a big tree, was 
found all the contents of the pilfered letters. There 
were drafts, mone}' orders, samples of dress goods, and 
scraps of love letters. 
All communications for Forest and Stream must 
be directed to Forest and Stream Pub. Co., New 
York, to receive attention. We have no other office. 
die 
Riding a Mule. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
A correspondent some months ago gave a comical 
account of an attempt of an old negro to ride a mule, 
he to get a turkey for his trouble. When reading it 
I thought of an attempt that I once made to ride a 
mule, the difference between me and the darkey being 
that while he did ride his mule, I did not. The mule 
had originally belonged to the Comanches. we having 
captured him in a raid that we made on them. 
I told some time sitace of our visits to Catfish Creek 
to call on these Indians about once each year, our 
first visit having been made in 1867, at the time I 
hunted up the man who was lost on the plains, and 
on this my second visit to it, we got the mule. 
A few naonths after our return from our first visit I 
left the cavalry, my time having expired, and went 
down the country to take service as a cowboy. [ trav- 
eled as far as the little town of Boerne on a wagon, and 
here I met a negro who had a very good cow pony 
and a nearly new^ Texas saddle that he offered me foV 
$30; and as either the pony or the saddle was worth 
that, I supposed that the outfit had been stolen; but a 
storekeeper whom I knew vouched for the negro, so 
I got his pony and saddle; they were just what I 
wanted. Then going down near Fort Mason I began 
work as a cowboy, but only kept at it two months, it 
did not suit me. We had no fences then in the cattle 
country, and had to ride the range, and the range be- 
ing about all the countn^ out of doors as far west as 
we dared go and not meet Indians, I soon got tired 
of it. I could have stood the riding part ot it. that 
suited me; but the grub did not. We would have a feast 
one day and a famine the next, just as we struck the 
chuck wagon or not; and the driver seemed to put in 
his time trying to see how often we did not strike it. 
When I quit I meant to go back to the cavalry, and 
would not need my pony; in fact, I would not be let 
keep him. One of the cowboys took liim oft' my hands, 
trading me an old Henry rifle and a nearly new Colt 
pistol for him. These Henry rifles are never seen 
now; the Winchester is their successor, and in my 
opinion is not much of an improvement on them. Mine 
tooK the old .50-70 Government Springfield cartridge, 
and I could get all of these I wanted from the infantry 
for nothing. The captain of the troop I now joined 
let me carry this gun in the field. 
I went to a troop stationed at Fort Griifin; and 
that fall a large command of colored troops (the 9th 
CavalrjO paid their usual visit to Catfish Creek. This 
time the Comanches found them instead of them find- 
ing the Comanches. Part of the colored men were 
lymg around camp on the creek one afternoon, while 
the rest were in the creek bathing, when the Comanches 
strucK them. The surprise w^as so complete that their 
commander, Major Bacon, could not rally his outfit, 
and the Indians drove him clear away from the creek. 
Major Bacoia was a captain in the gth Cavalry then; 
in 1898, at the time of the Spatiish War, he had got to 
be a brigadier-general. Two of the men who had 
been in the creek bathing, got out on the wrong side 
(it was the right side for them just then) and started 
on foot for Griffin, some 70 miles away. Their own 
camp was only 70 yards away, but there were too many 
Indians around it just then. They got into Griffin days 
ahead of their command, and reported that they were 
the only survivors; all the rest had been killed. Within 
the next twenty-fours at least half a dozen more onb' 
survivors reached us, each one of them reporting 
that he was the only one who had got away, until he 
was told that they were getting away in large num- 
bers. Our commanding officer put them in one of our 
troops to be fed. I should have put them in the guard 
house. 
When we got the first report of this terrible slaugh- 
ter, nobody put on any signs of mourning: the colored 
troops were in bad odor with us then; they had not 
been long organized and we did not want them in the 
service; but after I had got to know them I began to 
like them. Under as good officers as we had these 
negroes would go every inch as far as we would any 
where. I was given charge of a company of the 25th 
Infantry, colored, one summer: their officer was taken 
down with the typhoid fever and sent in oft' a scout, 
and his company was given to me. W'e were short of 
officers ourselves, and no cavalry officer would want 
a negro company, anyhow. But through the whole of 
that summer I never had to give one of these negroes 
an order twice. I have had to repeat an order to 
white men, then explain it with the butt of a pistol 
more than once. 
Major Bacon got into Griffin in due time, and after 
refitting here started back again, taking thirty-six of 
us white troopers under our first lieutenant. We 
camped one afternoon at Catfish Creek in the very 
camp the major had been driven out of a few weeiss 
before; and we had not been in camp here three hours 
when the Comanches came again. But they did not 
surprise us this time: our whites had a picket out, the 
major had not had any when they jumped him. The 
picket gave us the alarm, and we got our saddles on in 
a hurry, then climbed up on the plains, where the 
Indians were mounted, to charge them. 
The major stopped that, though.' "That gang out 
there," he told our lieutenant, "is the same blanked out- 
fit that drove my men out uf camp here; and now I 
propose to make my men whip them or know why. 
You hold this camp." 
This did not suit the lieutenant at all. "I have a 
troop here, sir," he said, "that can whip those fellows 
in ten minutes, and do it alone if you will send us." 
No, he wanted his negroes to whip them, and they 
did it, while we sat in our saddles looking on and not 
firing a shot. The negroes drove the Indians out of 
sight across the plains, then came in again. 
Next morning, while we were down at the creek at 
breakfast, a few of the Indians came again, and our 
trooo was sent out after them. As soon as we took 
up the gallop they left; then seeing w^e did not mean to 
follow them clear to sundown, for we had halted, they 
came back again, just keeping out of good range. .A.11 
