284 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Oct. i, 1904. 
see what the river was like, as regards the Ford. The 
lagoon that we had come over by the rocks to our camp, 
was now too high to cross, even in gum boots. Artie 
went down to the crossing, but could see no signs of 
the gravel slopes that lead down to the river proper. 
They were all covered with water, and the water was 
still rising. It was obvious we could not get out of the 
flat for a day or two, unless we went out in another 
direction. The following day, two or three had a try 
at the shooting, but the ducks were now pretty well 
driven out of the flat. The "old hand" and I started 
for the top of the flat, where Mr. C. D. Smith was 
camping. The "old hand" took a try in the Black 
Gorge leading to the north, while I went over to Mr. 
Smith's camp, which was situated near the mouth of the 
Gorge, which comes from a more southerly direction, 
down which the Deep Creek flows, all muddy, owing to 
the sluicing done in the claim much higher up. Mr. 
Smith told us that we could get out at the head of the 
flat on the Blackball road, and that it was twelve miles 
by this road to Linburn station, and that we could get 
to Kokonga in time for those who wished to catch the 
train. We started about 9 A. M.; however, he must 
have under-estimated the distance, for we never got 
there till hours after the train had left, and it was 
7 o'clock before we reached Hyde. From where we 
had camped, along the Blackball road, and through 
Patearoa, was too big a drive for the horses in one day. 
Two of us came in by the train, and the rest went on to 
Middlemarch, intending to stop there for that night. 
Altogether, except for the cold wind and the flood, it 
was a most enjoyable trip, and the drive through Pate- 
aroa was especially enjoyable, the weather being simply 
perfect. 
When I took back instructions as to how to get out 
of the flat, via Linburn, our party seemed quite hope- 
ful,but they talked on me a good deal as to the estimate 
of the time it would take to reach Hyde. We did not 
start at 7 o'clock, as advised, but we got away at half- 
past nine. We found we could not get out of the flat, 
(being so heavily loaded as we were), at anything above 
a walking pace. For myself, I enjoyed the drive im- 
mensely; it was such a perfect day. When we got to 
the river at Patearoa, they looked very doubtful at it, 
and I had to wade across it in my fishing trousers, be- 
fore they would tackle it. I found when I got about the 
middle of the river, that I had all I wanted, and in fact, 
if I had not had a strong staff, I would not have man- 
aged it. Even then, they did not feel very confident 
about it, for they loosed one of the horses from the trap 
and tried it that way first. I then saw that it is a simp- 
ler matter for a man to cross a river on horseback. 
Tlie horse has a tremendous weight above the water, 
while a man by the time he is up to the waist, has very 
little weight to put against the stream. Then too, the 
horse's legs are comparatively thin, while a man with 
waders on, creates a good deal of disturbance in the 
water. 
As regards the size of shot. I had most success with 
No. 5. I had No. 5 in the right barrel, and No. 4 in the 
left. I got my geese each time with the right barrel, 
but failed to score with the left. 
There were two or three little things in regard to the 
camping-out that struck me. The first is that instead 
of having the tucker box lid (the tucker box is a great 
institution) to open in the ordinary manner on the top, 
in such a way that you cannot get into it, on account of 
the blankets, etc., being packed on top of it, the idea is 
to have the lid to open backwards and downwards, 
(baker's cart style), having two or three shelves in it. 
This is very convenient when camping on the roadside. 
When you put up your tent, this box can be lifted down, 
and set inside the tent, and the lid lying on the bottom 
of the floor, makes a fairly handy table. Of course, the 
idea could be extended by setting up the box about 
eighteen inches above the ground, and have the lid rest 
on another two legs, the space underneath the box could 
be utilized for keeping the fire-wood dry, and so on. 
Another notion was to take up some large bags of 
cheese cloth. The game can be laid out in these singly 
on the ground, in a shady spot, and there is not the 
slightest fear of flies bothering them. Another notion 
was to lay out about fifteen yards of calico at night, so as to 
catch all the frost there is; then when coming away, to 
wrap up your game in this, two by two. I found my 
tent fly, which I folded early in the morning, was still 
frozen together after traveling a day and a half, and by 
all appearances will keep so for a week. This would 
help the game while traveling. 
Another thing I noticed, that instead of cutting the 
bread with a knife with jam on it, or with tinned fish, 
or perhaps flavoring it with candle grease occasionally 
(as is often done by those who seem to think that 
"camping it" is "hogging it"), a good idea is to have 
a quantity of the bread made into sandwiches, and put 
in a tin box, like biscuits. This keeps things nice and 
clean. 
Re the tent. _ The one I took was a 6 by 8 (calico), 
and although it seemed to me quite big enough, the 
others were grumbling that it was on the small side. 
It is fitted up with rings sewn all around the lower edge, 
and can thus be pegged down tightly to the ground. It 
not only helps to keep the tent steadier in wind, but 
also prevents draughts coming in round the edge. 
There is a fly for it, so one need have no fear of the wet 
coming in, and there is a square fly that one could use 
on an extra ridge pole, and upright in front of the tent, 
either for hanging game in, or for keeping the tucker 
box and having lunch, without disturbing the bedding. 
Next to the tucker box in our estimation, comes the 
fire box. This is an ordinary oil drum, with an open- 
ing at bottom and cross wires to stand the billy on; as 
the billy can be boiled with a tenth of the fuel, it will 
be seen that this is a big item, when on a trip in a tree- 
less region like Central Otago. The oil-^drum is wired 
on to the axle of trap when traveling. Don't forget a 
bottle of kerosene, to kindle the fire on a wet morning 
jn a swamp almost discourages the oldest hand. 
Arthur McCarthy. 
All communications intended for Forest and Stream should 
always be addressed to the Forest and Stream Publishing Co.., 
&Tew York, and not to any individual connected Mtritp. the caper. 
Southern Shooting. 
Hotel Mecklenburg, Chase City, Va., Sept. 22.-^Here 
I am, over in Virgnia, and a little out of my North 
Carolina beat, but yet very much at home among these 
dear Virginians, who, by the way, are very largely 
North Carolinians. This bit of a letter is to be a sort 
of chat about sporting matters in the two States, and I 
am sure will interest not a few Forest and Stream 
readers, 
First of all, about the partridges in North Carolina. 
The "crop" is a very large one, and there is a surpris- 
ing number of double broods. June was very dry and 
simply perfect for the first brood, and these birds are 
big fellows, while the youngsters, locally known as 
"squealers," are tiny as yet. The shooting season does 
not begin in most of the counties until Nov. 1, and 
when it comes it will find some of the late broods not 
fully grown. More peas have been planted this year 
than ever before, and the farmers are very generous 
toward the birds in not gathering the peas too closely. 
I make bold to say that this cornfield pea is the best 
food for partridges on earth. They relish it, they thrive 
upon it, and I really believe it increases the size of the 
birds. It is planted after the wheat is cut, and thus 
gives a double crop to the farmer. 
The Audubon law has been very closely enforced in 
North Carolina, this year, and certainly Secretary Gil- 
bert Pearson has every reason to felicitate himself;upon 
the character and earnestness of the work. From the 
sea to the mountains the good news comes of what the 
enforcement of the law has done. The shore birds are 
breeding again, and Chief Game Warden John W. 
Upchurch, who has a wide territory under his super- 
vision, tells me that the "rookeries" of the tern and 
other birds on the beaches are again becoming some- 
what populous. The arrest of the men who hunt ducks 
by night on the North Carolina sounds has contributed 
a great deal to break up the abominable practice of 
"fire-lighting," which at one time threatened to drive 
away or destroy the ducks, brant and geese. The fact 
is that a lot of the people who went into this fire-light- 
ing business were very desperate fellows, and it re- 
quired stern treatment to put an end to their work. 
_ . The Audubon Society has had some amusing exper- 
iences in the matter of making arrests. The very fun- 
niest of all these was the case of a negro who in August 
captured and killed a mother 'possum and her six 
youngsters, cooked the whole lot, . and had just- fin- 
ished eating them when the warden swooped down 
upon him. It cost him a pretty penny to get out of 
the scrape, and if he had not put up the money he 
would have been sent to the roads for a term of ser- 
vice. The season for 'possums does not open until 
Nov. 1. 
As to the killing of partridges', the negroes and pot- 
hunters and a few countrymen have given most of the 
trouble in the matter of enforcing the law, which some 
of them seem to think infringed upon their rights; but 
it can truly be said that sentiment in favor of the par- 
tridge has developed riiore largely in the past two years 
among the North Carolina farmers than ever before. 
Virginians here tell hie they think the birds are better 
cared for in North Carolina than they are here. 
There is to be an extension of club shooting on the 
North Carolina sounds, and at least four new clubs, 
composed of Northern people, will build club houses 
in that section. Another thing which is of interest to 
sportsmen is the lease for a long term of years of the 
Atlantic & N. C. Railway by R. S. Howland, of Provi- 
dence, R. I., and Asheville, N. C. He tells me he in- 
tends to develop Morehead City and Beaufort, two 
coast towns, a couple of miles apart, as winter resorts. 
Beyond any question, there are no finer places on the 
Atlantic coast between Florida and the north for win- 
ter fishing, and I do not know of any places where the 
summer and autumn fishing, particularly for Spanish 
mackerel and bluefish, is finer. The stretch of salt- 
water sounds is vast, the country is? threaded with 
rivers with broad estuaries, and with deep creeks, with 
fresh-water lakes here and there, and in fact, the whole 
region is a hunters' paradise. Newbern will also be 
made an important center for sportsmen who enjoy 
the charming winter climate of eastern North Caro- 
line, which has just enough coolness in it to give it 
zest. My prediction is that this development is going 
to interest many sportsmen in the North. 
It will be remembered that the writer was at Pihe- 
hurst in March and told of Mr. Tufts' extensive ex- 
periment in breeding partridges there. The news is 
that the birds have done very well indeed, among 
them being almost three thousand which were brought 
in from Kansas. These Kansas birds are considerably 
darker than the North Carolina partridges, as has al- 
ready been mentioned. 
The number of Northern men who have kennels and 
shooting preserves in North Carolina is increasing all 
the time. Some of these people get control of shoot- 
ing privileges on private lands around their places, by 
paying taxes on such lands. Some persons tell me that 
this is not the best plan, but insist that the best way 
is to let the guides arrange the matter, unless one can 
lease ail the territory for a radius of miles, not miss- 
ing any farms; their argument being that if any farmers 
are skipped they become very sour toward sportsmen, 
saying that the tax is not paid on their land, but is paid 
on their neighbors', and that they do not care for any- 
body to come upon their places. While the law in 
North Carolina in most counties makes it a trespass 
to hunt upon the lands of another without permission, 
yet farmers in the majority of cases are courteous 
about the matter. Of course, there are some gruff 
ones, and I know some who will not allow-even their 
own neighbors to hunt on their lands. Such men are 
naturally execrated by their neighbors who are sports- 
men. 
The fox hunting is going to be good this season. In 
North Carolina foxes are found all the way from the 
coast to the mountains, and very nearly all are gray, 
the red fox being really a rarity. Over here in Vir- 
ginia the red foxes are as plentiful as or perhaps more 
so, than the gray ones. Old hunters tell me that 
there is more real sport in chasing a gray fox than a 
red, for the reason that the gray is apt to take a more- 
tortuous course in his run, while the red, perhaps more, 
daring or more confident of his powers, will steer ai 
very straight course for many miles. 
Over here at Chase City, Col. W. T. Hughes at the 
Hotel Mecklenburg has just installed a notably good 
pack of hounds, and to these will be added some from 
North Carolina. For example, Sidney Cooper is going, 
to bring over his pack from Henderson, N. G. I was. 
very much impressed by what a hunter said about the. 
deer in this section. His remark was that he wished 
every deer was dead; that they interfered so much 
with the dogs in the chase of the foxes. It was quite 
a disparaging remark to make about such noble game 
as the deer, but it must be' remembered that this mam 
is a fox hunter and nothing else. It seems singular 
that deer should be so numerous in this rather thickly- 
settled section of Virginia, but such is the case. The 
country is very fine for hunting either deer or foxes,, 
with just enough roll to .it to give zest to the chase.. 
The fact is that here, as in North Carolina, you get 
the actual fox, and don't have to bother with dragging, 
a dummy and then chasing nothing. The Virginians 
are like North Carolinians — they want the real thing 
when they go after it, and they smile at a lot of the 
sporting news which they read. 
Cover is good in this section for partridges, and I 
find a good supply of the vetch, known as the partridge 
pea, of which they are so fond. This place is but a lit- 
tle ways from North Carolina and roads radiate in 
every direction. It is to be made quite a winter resort 
for sportsmen. There really is no reason why as good 
sport of a dozen kinds should not be had in both 
States. There is a club on the Roanoke River near 
here, where two thousand partridges, brought over the 
border from North Carolina, were turned loose last 
spring. This was really in violation of the North Caro- 
lina law. I asked how it was managed, and was told 
the birds were caught in traps and nets in North Caro- 
lina and brought in wagons to the grounds of the club, 
and there turned loose. 
Good shots among the country people are increas- 
ing in number all the while, and some of the best city 
sportsmen are put to it to hold up their end when they 
go out in the fields with not a few of their country 
friends. Good guns and ammunition are responsible 
for a great deal of thiSj and the farmer who ten years 
" ago never thought of shooting on the wing, is now 
able to make a fine record, to have birds on his table and 
often to sell not a few. The partridge is always salable, 
and the demand for these birds North is simply aston- 
ishing. If you go in a restaurant in this part of the 
country a partridge on toast will cost you just a quar- 
ter of a dollar, and he is cooked just right, too. What 
would he cost up North? The hotels and swell clubs 
there are clamorous for birds, so as to get them 'in cold 
storage, and they encourage pot : hunting and all that 
sort of thing, through local men, wherever they can. 
A gentleman from Hillsboro, N. G, tells me that the 
law is evaded there as to shipment of partridges in a 
rather curious way. He says the birds are handed 
to employes of the railway and carried by the latter to 
the State line, and then turned over to somebody. 
Birds may be sent out of Virginia in the same way, but 
it is very certain that the shipment has been im 
mensely curtailed in both States by the Audubon law. 
The express companies declare that no birds are going 
out with their knowlede, and they submit gladly to the 
inspection of all packages by wardens. In North Caro- 
lina there will be many new game wardens this autumn.. 
and they will have their hands full, no doubt, to keep 
people from evading the law. 
A little later in the year I expect to go in the "sound 
country" of North Carolina and to send to Forest 
and Stream some news notes from that watery world. 
The reports which will come in this fall of the suc- 
cess of the breeding of pheasants will be awaited with 
interest. They have been turned loose in some local- 
ities, but it is very hard to induce a lot of people to 
join in preserving them. Negroes, who are born pot- 
hunters, and who will usually shoot anything that runs 
cr flies, are especially troublesome in all these matters. 
They have an utter contempt for game laws of all kinds. 
There are very few negroes in the country who do not 
own , one dog, a half-starved cur or mongrel of some 
kind, as a general thing. These dogs range far and 
near, and the number of partridge eggs they consunv- 
is certainly large. Not many people have taken this, 
matter into consideration; but it is a fact, nevertheless! 
and one to be reckoned with. One thing must be said 
however, and that is that the number of negroes in the 
country is diminishing quite rapidly. They are going 
to towns or saw mills, and thousands of them are drift- 
ing north, never to return in all probability. It must 
not be thought that there are not any white pot-hunt- 
ers, for there are such, all of course being sneaks, wh- 
kill birds on the sly in any sort of way, and dispose of 
them in the same manner. 
I have been much interested in reading in Forest 
and Stream about the "barking" of squirrels I have 
seen several men. do this with the old-fashioned long- 
barreled rifles. ... I have seen both fox and gray squir- 
rels killed in this way, and the skin uncut. At the 
crack of the rifle .if the bullet entered the upper edge 
of the iimb, just under the neck or head, they popped 
-up in the air and then fell to the ground, stone dead. 
I have skinned and examined some of these squirrels 
and found that the flesh was bloodshot just at the point 
where the bullet passed underneath. I have seen squir- 
rels thus shot by a man sixty-two years old, some being 
on the very highest pines and oaks. He did not think 
it unusual, and said his father "shot close up to seventy 
years-" ; Fred A. Olds. 
The Danvis Stories. 
Wymore, Kansas.— One of the family circle said the 
other day: "I like the Danvis stories better every day; 
Uncle Lisher and Aunt Jerushy, Sam and Hulda, Joseph 
and Antwine, and even Granther Hill and old Drive, are 
all still alive. All but poor Peltier; and I expect Sam 
is cutting up his corn and getting ready to go down to 
the Fast Slang after ducks now" A. D. McCandless. 
