^70 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
tSEPt. 30 . J90S- 
it would suah be Robertson, an’ if I was white hit would 
be Henderson. My fathah was a distinguish’d southe’u 
plantah, but on account of a diffahrence of complection 
he wouldn’t own me. The trubble was he wouldn’t sell 
me nuther, fur I was a valleable nigger — so I jes’ ’lowed 
I was a smoked Irishman an’ I came to Californy ’thout 
his blessin’. Bless you, I didn’t even go to the trubble of 
bringin’ my ol’ woman along — an’ there were about seben 
o’ her on the ol’ place down yondah. The fac’ is, Mastah 
Cholly, niggers on some o’ dem ol’ plantations wan’t reg- 
istah’d in de fambly Bible, but the names dey gave to ’em 
was on de oberseah’s list, suah. I nevah know’d my 
actial name, but hit was ’low’d I was a Henderson 
last ’til doomsday” for all manner of tenants, he himself 
long since took up his abode in ' one- made by his suc- 
cessor. 
nigger. 
The old man was fascinated with the bear and would 
watch and play with him an hour at a time. He had no 
fear of Jack, and from the first fondled and talked to 
him as though he were a child. After watching Jack’s 
antics one day the old man said : 
“I dunno, Mastah Cholly, whether niggers regenerated 
to b’ar, er whether b’ar after while gits to be niggers, but 
dey’s suah akin — ’dey suah is. Dat Jack thar looks all 
the work like a blue-gum nigger that I know’d ovah 
yondah.” 
“What’s a blue-gum nigger, old man?” 
“Well, suh, a blue-gum nigger is de wust kind of a 
nigger. Jes’ can’t do nothin’ with ’em. Dey’s jes’ natch- 
elly debelish. When yo’ see a nigger with blue gums an’ 
big white teeth, an’ yeller eyes, an’ gennehly bow-legged 
like dat b’ar, jes’ let him erlone er tell ’im he’d better be 
gwine. Huh! let dat nigger gwan away. He’s no good. 
Min’ what I tell you’, he’s a bad nigger. Blue-gum nig- 
gers is b-a-d niggers. 
“Dat b’ar,” continued the old man, “is suah related to 
niggers. He’s gwine ter steal chickens soon as he’s 
hongry jes’ a little bit — an’ yo’ nebber see any pusson eat 
watahmellens like dat onless he’s a-kin to a nigger. Lawd ! 
Lawd ! — huh ! w’y bless yo’ chile, see dem whites o’ his 
eyes — shoo I” 
“How about ’possum, old man? Would Jack eat 
’possum ?” 
“Whew ! Jes’ try him on ’possum 1 Dey ain’t no ’pos 
sum hyar. Over yondah, O, me 1 ’possums an’ ’simmons 
was a-plenty, a-plenty.” 
Sunday night, po’ ol’ ’possum, 
Monday night, po’ ol’ ’possum, 
Tuesday night, po’ ol’ possum, 
Ebery night, po’ ol’ ’possum — po’ ol’ ’possum. 
As the old man droned these words he closed his eyes 
in a sort of ecstacy of mental retrospection, from which 
he fell asleep, while his cane dropped from his grasp and 
he lay back against the tree under which he had been sit- 
ting. The old man, the two dogs and Jack, the bear, 
were all asleep and snoring more or less harmoniously. 
Although he had often murmured the lines about the 
“po’ ol’ ’possum,” the words given are all that I could 
ever catch. Whether they were part of a song or merely 
a soliloquy that the old man was fond of I never ascer- 
tained. ; 
Henderson, by way of occupation, dabbled some in 
whitewash, but in his old age subsisted chiefly by grave 
digging. After digging a thousand of the “houses that 
Jack Visits the Johnsons, 
On the further side of town lived a colored family by 
the name of Johnson. The family was a numerous one, 
consisting largely of children. The elderly members of 
it were notably quiet and pious as well as good, indus- 
trious people. They occupied a good-sized house on the 
hillside over which a large tree threw its very welcome 
shade in summer. Underneath the tree and about the 
dooryard the younger Johnsons had their playground. 
One evening about dark one of the children ran into the 
house greatly frightened crying that the Bad Man was 
in the tree and had tried to grab him. Doubtless it would 
liave been entertaining to have seen and heard the excit- 
ing skirmishes and reports of the numerous small John- 
sons as they clattered into the house from the tree, each 
bringing more startling accounts of the bugaboo in the 
outer darkness. One after another of them became too 
frightened to- go to the door until the entire dozen or 
more children clustered together in the innermost room, 
tremblingly awaiting the return of Mamma Johnson from 
a neighbor’s house. Although several of the children 
were well grown, girls and boys alike were terrorized, 
perhaps as much by their accounts to each other of the 
shadowy things they had seen as by any real sight or 
sound they had detected. 
It happened that there had been a recent revival of reli- 
gious-zeal in the colored community owing to the visit 
of a circulating preacher of the gospel. The spiritual 
feast had perchance left them more than commonly sen- 
sitive to- supernal mysteries, more alert to infinite possi- 
bilities. According to authentic history of the case, when 
Mamma Johnson returned to her home the children were 
almost pale with terror, and the piping babble of their 
voices recounting the cause of it all was in no sense 
soothing, even to the matron. She was a woman of not- 
able proportions but not lacking in nervous impressibil- 
ity. It was commendable valor in one of her tempera- 
ment to deploy upon a scouting tour in the dark shadows, 
but she ventured to do so. When she regained the door- 
step after this "sally her reappearance was no measure of 
consolation for the young Johnsons. According to her 
own admissions later, she was in a state of almost “hys- 
terrible collusion.” 
“Lawd forgimme !” she exclaimed, “but it was surely 
detrimental ! I nevah was so inexplicable in mah whol’ 
life. Whatevah was in de tree or in de heabens above 
was too intrinsical foh me. Lawd ! Lawd ! but dere was 
a scratchin’ an’ a clutchin’ an’ a clawin’, a clinkin’, o’ 
chains, an’ a contiguity o’ disturbance in dat tree dat 
was suahly diametrical.” 
A messenger would have been dispatched for Papa 
Johnson but no one volunteered for the duty. In fact, 
all the Johnsons, ordinarily active and fleet of foot, were 
in any mood but that of the volunteer to under- 
take a hazardous excursion abroad. For some hours, it 
seemed, they kept within the locked doors and barred 
windows, while even their whispered conjectures were 
hushed by repeated disturbances overhead. Branches of 
"the tree now and then scraped the roof, there was a clash- 
ing of metal and clinking of chains. One or two' loose 
bricks frorn the chimney clattered to the ground, and bi 
those within it was believed the devil himself was abou’ 
to come down the chimney. A dog or two -from neighj 
boring houses were now baying frantically outside, an<| 
terrified cats were scurrying about in vain effort to ge 
into the house. 
^ Papa Johnson arrived at his usual hour, about i 
o’clock, and was obliged to clamor loudly at his own doo! 
for admittance. After he had earnestly protested his owl 
identity repeatedly he was admitted by his dear ones, an 
was almost overwhelmed with demonstrations of fami!,l 
emotions. As soon as he could (as Mamma Johnson exl 
pressed it) “entertain the cause of their remonstrances, 
he called for light, including the barn lantern. He the 
got down a cast iron shotgun, that had perhaps bee 
loaded years before, and armed with this dangerous de 
vice he, with more- or less reticence, hurried slowly on 
to repel something that he suspected might be around, c 
on top of his house. 
He plainly heard the clanking of chains overhead, eve 
above the clamor of dogs and the suggestions of Mamm 
and other Johnsons, from the doors and windows. Flasl 
ing his lantern into the dark clusters of branches he suq 
denly discerned eyes that glowed like balls of fire. Th* 
clanking of chains that- now and then clattered on tb 
shingles, together with the sound of creaking branche 
and finally animated spectral outlines, that seemed hug 
in the shadows above, stirred the old man’s imaginatio 
to its utmost productiveness. It was with much hesitanc 
that he at length prepared to fire upon what might be 
diabolic emissary, if not the devil himself. When I 
presented his gun he had no means of properly directin 
the light and he tried to hang it so that it would enab 
him to aim. In his nervousness the lantern dropped an 
of course, went out. In desperation he pointed his g 
upward in the darkness, and with a tremendous flash an 
an explosion that echoed from all directions, the anciei 
arm, for a wonder, was discharged. 
As Mamma Johnson explained. Papa was “to exagge 
ated to apprehend” all the results of his cannonade. A 
avalanche of incidents came upon him in the instant, con 
prising donations from the tree and the roof, frantic yelj 
■ from the dogs, the smash of the lantern and gun, and tl 
spontaneous contributions of Johnsonian yells. In h 
comparatively rational account of the matter, a week aft 
its occurrence, Mr. Johnson said that whatever it w; 
that came down from the tree had hoofs and horns, at 
smelled of sulphur. It also knocked one of the doj 
through the cellar door and another dog had ever sin 
been under the house, apparently unhurt, but mental 
“decomposed.” 
Although there was no positive proof, nothing but ci 
cumstantial implications, it is my opinion that Jack w 
present and somewhat identified with the disturbance ■ 
the Johnsons. On that particular night, it was asce 
tained, he had broken his chain, and there were be: 
tracks going and coming along the road in certain dire 
tions. In the morning, however, he was asleep in tl 
yard and clamored for his breakfast at the regular ho 
with his customary enthusiasm. It would have been dif 
cult to find a more innocent looking individual in tov 
than he was after having had breakfast. r . - 
•Ransacker? 
[to be continued,] :: 
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Hunting on the Bronx River. 
Sept. 16 being the first day of the open season for 
woodcock, Joe and I decided to- try our luck. The details 
of the trip had all been arranged a week ago. We would 
leave home on the evening of the 15th and drive up the 
Bronx valley a few miles north of White Plains, where 
we knew there was good cover for the birds, stop over 
night at one of the small hotels to be found in this vicin- 
ity, and get an early start the next morning. This part 
of the programme we carried out to the letter, and Satur- 
day morning at 5 o’clock we were at breakfast in the 
hotel above White Plains. 
The report of the proprietor as to local birds was some- 
what discouraging, but it did not dampen our enthusiasm 
in the least, so starting out with two good dogs and a lot 
of confidence in our ability to find any birds in the vicin- 
ity, we were happy and thrilled by that feeling of ex- 
pectancy which every true sportsman feels when entering 
the woods. Crossing a small patch of woodland we ar- 
rived at the west bank of the Bronx River, following this 
a short distance we came to a flat covered with alders, 
which looked good for a couple of birds. Joe worked one 
side with his dog Pete, while I worked the other with 
my dog Vic. Arriving at the end of the alders we com- 
pared notes. Neither had seen a bird nor any sign for 
which we had carefully examined the ground. The same 
result followed with several other places which we 
worked. We then decided that the covers we were work- 
ing were too wet. Pulling out of the swamp we went to 
some alder bushes on the edge of a meadow, which was 
not as wet as those we had left. Here we located two 
birds, and after each had made a miss on the first rise, 
we were steadier on the second and each had a bird. We 
hunted other covers until late in the afternoon, but with- 
out success. Then leaving the woods we found a small 
hotel where the landlady prepared for us a good dinner. 
We learned that we were about four miles from our start- 
ing point. After a short rest we started for home and 
arrived in our town about 8 :30 o’clock. Before going to 
our homes we visited the cigar store where our fellow 
sportsmen congregate, and made a show down of our two 
birds. Game is so hard to find in this section that the re- 
ports of what you kill on your trips is not taken on faith, 
but must be proved by showing the game. One bird to a 
gun is a small bag in the eyes of those who hunt where 
birds are more plentiful than here. Yet I cannot recall 
an outing on which I had more pleasure than this, al- 
though I have many times made much larger bags than it 
is possible to make to-day, I shall certainly visit ‘this spot 
when the flight of the birds commences, and expect to 
make some good bags. One of the incidents of the trip 
was the report of one of the natives that a flock of wild 
pigeons was ^seen in the vicinity of Kensico last fall — 
about thirty birds. He was an elderly man and remem- 
bers the great flights of these birds years ago. He may 
have been mistaken in the birds he saw. If true, they 
should be protected for a number of years, then we might 
have some shooting near New York. Amakassin. 
Massachusetts Quail. 
Boston, Mass., Sept. 23 . — Editor Forest and Stream: 
Your correspondent is in receipt of further information 
on the quail and grouse situation in Massachusetts. 
Mr. Samuel Wooler, of Holyoke, writes that partridges 
are fairly numerous, quail practically extinct. “Don’t 
forget us,” he says, “next spring if you have any seed.” 
I infer he means quail for stocking. He would favor 
putting the law on quail for two years. The section 
about Holyoke lies within the quail zone, as does the 
whole of Hampden county, except one town in the ex- 
treme northwestern corner. Mr. Wooler would forbid 
anyone carrying a gun during the close seasori as the 
only way to give the game birds a chance to increase, 
and he considers the opening of the season on snipe and 
plover so early as July 15 damaging to other garne birds. 
He favors a gun license of $i a year to restock with game 
and pay wardens. 
J. W. Hastings, town clerk of Agawam, Hampden 
county, bordering on Connecticut, says he has seen no 
quail since 1903, also that partridges are very scarce. A 
report from Russell, in the same county, says no quail 
seen, quite a few partridges. 
From the town of Wilbraham is a report of poor pros- 
pects for quail, and partridges quite plentiful. The reports 
now in are sufficient to show that in Hampden county 
as a whole quail are very scarce, grouse more plentiful, 
probably a fair average with -other years.' 
Mount Washington is a town in the southeastern cor- 
ner of Berkshire county, from which the town clerk re- 
ports no quail to speak of. He liberated five Califorr, 
mountain quail last spring, but so far nothing has be: 
heard from them. Regarding grouse the report is qu 
favorable, as the correspondent says he has flushed 
good many along the highways. He suggests that a clb 
season for a term of years might give the birds a cham 
then he would have the shooting season shorter. 
A report from Greenwich in that part of Hampshi 
county included within the quail zone, is no quail, a L 
number of grouse. As a means of improving the cone 
tions the writer says, reduce the number of hunters a; 
fishermen by keeping the members of city sportsmei, 
clubs under better control. Apparently he has observ 
the ways of some so-called sportsmen not of the tr 
type. They may have been^members of city clubs. 
About one-third of Hampshire county should ha' 
quail, but sufficient information is at hand to show the 
are none to speak of. Several towns report no quail, a 
of partridges the clerk of one town says there are a ft 
but they kill them as fast as they come or grow, so th 
don’t gain any. 
Mr. William J. Cross, of Becket, deputy sheriff, and 
game warden, reports mo quail, partridge more plentif 
than for years, and lots of woodcock — a pleasing a 
nouncement of which some readers of Forest a 
Stream will perhaps take advantage. 
Reports from Great Barrington, Peru, Hinsdale, all 
that part of Berkshire included within the quail zoi* 
agree in the main, one only saying there are a very fi 
quail. 
If the sportsmen of these counties are to have quail ' 
the future there is but one thing to do, viz., put out -soi' 
birds from other States for breeders, and then give th( 
a chance to multiply. I have taken special pains to 
reports from the towns in the southern part of Berksh- 
and Hampden in the hope that they would make a betf 
showing than those already heard from, situated fart! 
north, but in this I am disappointed— there is from neat 
all the same sad story. Were the delineations of (' 
quail area in our State made to-day, the four weste 
counties would have to be excluded from the quail zof 
I hope to obtain some further information before su:S 
ming up the status of the game birds of Worcester a' 
Middlesex counties, both of which have a largb quail ai 
as shown on the map of the Biological Division of t! 
Agricultural Department at Washington. 
