Oct. 28,: iqgS-I 
higher hills beyond, hills of ancient rock, lately gorgeous 
. in their autumn glory, we came into the heights of twi- 
light, and back of us the western sky lay in - a'-^floodiof 
tender rose deepening into a blaze of crimson at -the 
horizon — the departing glory of an accomplished miracle 
— an October day. Beyond- the .dark summits _ of the 
nearer hills arose in deepest purple the far off ridges of 
• Berkshire, a tale of uncounted ages in their long, grace- 
ful sweeps lying against that splendor of color. The' 
breathless hush of evening fell upon us all as we turned 
to our course, and here, behold ! j ust over - the Brimfield 
Hills hung our Hunter’s Moon, a great disk of burnished 
.silver in an azure field. 
- True to her New England traditions, Mrs. Aldrich 
had prepared for us heaps of hot, brown-crusted biscuits 
with honey, doughnuts, apple pie, cheese, hot tea and ci^er ; 
■ — all of which make for New England cha.racter— and 
those being the halcyon days when we were s6‘ unwise as 
to eat what we liked, we laid to and accomplished mar- 
vels. And then came Amos with the dogs. 
What shall I say of those dogs? My friends know 
that my ignorance of dog-lore is colossal. One was red^ 
dish with coarse, stiff hair and the other was black and 
white. They were of medium size, if there is such a 
thing, and, inasmuch as Amos did not seek to impress 
upon me that they were descended from the celebrated 
champion So-and-so, after the manner of dog men, I 
guess the animals must be classed as just dog. But they 
had their good points, as may appear, later, and were as 
keen and full of life as the youngsters I had with me. 
Amos and the friend who came with him I cannot de- 
scribe. What matter their antecedents so long as they 
were filled with the spirit and felt deeply the stirring call 
of October? They were men of the rocky soil and woods 
and hills, with an instinct for runways and cover, and a 
keen eye for woodland track and sign. Is any class 'of 
men. more contented and happy? 
Halloween — night of mysteries, mellow with legend and 
rite of our heathen ancestors ! A flood of silver light 
filled space and made a strange world out of the varied 
landscape. There were deep black shadows full of mys- 
i tery bred of the powers of mischief, and the half tones 
of doubtful security, but mostly the_ bright ^mOonlit 
reaches where fays and elves danced in fairy circles or 
'played at hide-and-seek among the shocks of corn. We 
could hear the faint rustle of their gauzy garments against 
f the dry leaves when no breeze stirred. We could catch 
; the glisten of their jeweled robes in the frosty air. The 
i play was going on all about us as we made our way 
' down the enchanted lane leading to the pasture, a field 
■ of corn in the shock on either side. 
■ Half-way down the lane there was an end of the merry 
jests and frolic, and partly eaten apples were cast away, 
for here the straining dogs were turned loose and we 
'’waited the whim of Dame Fortune. Both dogs at once 
mounted the wall on the right, eagerly sniffing back and 
forth, and then were lost to sight for a few moments on 
the other side. We heard them beating about the shocks, 
scurrying up and down, and soon, as with a definite pur- 
' ■ pose, both appeared again upon the wall ahead of us, 
crossed the lane and the opposite wall and were lost to 
sight and hearing in the twinkling of an eye. Anxious- 
ly as gamesters watch the turn of the fateful wheel we 
stood harking toward the steep wood that lay across the 
shallow valley, hearts beating wildly and blood _ surging 
into our straining ears. Amos alone seemed undisturbed. 
He calmly chewed his cud and expectorated with regu- 
larity and orecision. The wait was not long. Soon 
through the* still, cold air came the eager barking of both 
dogs, and our throbbing hearts leaped into our throats. 
“They’ve got him !” shouted Lord, and after a moment 
of exasperating deliberation Amos reckoned they had. It 
was enough. 
Ah ! the joyous riot of it ! With a wild shout all hands 
clambered over the stone wall and raced pell-mell across 
the cornfield, even Amos losing his grip upon himself. 
We tumbled over the stake-and-rider fence beyond, g.al- 
loped across the sloping meadow, leaped the low wall on 
, the further side and were at once floundering in the 
.shallow brushy bog. Splashing in the half-frozen mud, 
often knee deep in water, ripping through the thorny 
growth of roses and blackberry vines, tripping over tus- 
socks and hummocks, by sheer rush of young brawn we 
won the other side and swarmed up the steep wooded 
slope beyond ; and there, on the further side of the vvall 
that we had followed up the hill, was one dog barking 
madly and furiously scratching at the trunk of a young 
chestnut tree. The other dog was busy further up the 
hill. Our disheveled band was soon gathered, scratched 
and torn and bruised and wet, breathless but eager still, 
' and Amos collected himself. He looked the tree over. 
There was naught that I could see but a bunch of dried 
leaves well toward the top. He bade me watch that clump 
of leaves while he went up to see what the other dog 
had, so I perched upon the wall and proceeded to get my 
breath and quiet my nerves. I heard the sounds of ex- 
citement above me where the others had gathered about 
a great oak. From the excited calls and the confusion 
of snapping twigs and rustling leaves I knew that they 
were searching the dim tops. Finally the voice of Amos 
brought quiet and a disposition of forces, and after a 
brief suspense came the echoing report of his gun. In- 
stantly there was a wild melee of boys and dogs for half 
a minute, then the warning voice of Amos' again and a 
. dull thud of some hard body against a tree trunk. The 
clamor subsided and I knew it was all over. The oak 
was abandoned and the crowd descended upon my perch. 
My cluster of leaves had not stirred in all the disturb- 
ance, but Amos was in command. He distributed us about 
the tree and disposed the dogs to advantage, loaded his 
gun and fired at that bunch of dead leaves. The phan- 
' tom at once materialized into a whirling dark mass that 
came scraiching down through the branches of the tree 
and landed with a dull thump upon the ground. And 
then, my stars ! there was a lot of trouble right off. For 
' undiluted scrap I commend a ’coon and Amos’’ red dog. 
' Those two “critters,” observing none of the conventions 
of the situation, just took a “grab holt” of each other 
and became a nebulous mass of snapping, snarling, 
scrratching, biting gray and red paws and heads and tails 
and hair, and in a whirlwind of dry sticks and leaves 
went rolling down the steep slope. It took my breath 
away. I never in my life saw things happen so fast. And 
in a moment that whole crowd of men and boys, with a 
P6R.fcSt ANt> STREAM. 
wild whoop, went racing down after them, slipping and 
sprawling and shouting, Amos in the lead, giving vent to 
■"'unse'bmJy speech."" Oh, 'rwhere Was my pedagogic decorum ! 
I \vas not the last one down, but Amos was the first to 
reach the log that had checked the whirlwind. "With quick 
eye and sure grasp he made a sudden dive into the strug- 
gling mass and, shaking off the dog, with a full, strong 
■ sweep, -he bumped the ’coon’s head against a maple and 
there was quibt. , 
Flushed and tumbled and hot with the lust of the chase 
we took account of stock. There were no lives lost or 
limbs broken among the seven human animals — and that 
jWas a wonder. The dogs -also were in fine fettle. The 
red one had but a few slight cratches, and I cannot un- 
derstand how in that fury of scratching and biting there 
^ .was anything whatever left of either dog or ’coon more 
■ than remained of the Kilkenny, cats. Gathering lost hats 
and caps and repairing as well as might be with a stray 
pin or two . .the torn garments of greatest importance, it 
seemed eminently fitting to seek refreshment, and the 
nearest refreshment was stored in the doughnut jar and 
cider barrel at the house. Thither then we marched in 
proud triumph. ■ 
- In honor of the genius of the New England kitchen we 
made our sacrifice of doughnuts — delicious breeders of 
awful indigestion,' fatal as the Siren’s sweet song; and of 
the clear amber fluid — blood of rosy-cheeked apples, re- 
turning the warmth of the summer sun and the fragrance 
of balmy southwinds, tinctured with the breath of orchard 
blossoms — we 'poured out a libation to Pomona and drank 
to the great god Pan. Then off again for another turn, 
through Titania’s Lane and into the pasture. The path 
•was an old cart road leading along the side of a hill into 
a narrowing valley and a wooded glen beyond. 
How like a conjurer delving into the mysteries of an 
unseen world is a hunting dog in the field, how keenly 
alive to a' world of sensation utterly beyond our human 
expefience. Our two friends searched from every .rock 
.and log its secret, and their busy noses drew from 'jach 
clum-p of bushes the .story of its visitors of that night. 
.With wagging tails and sniffs and whinings they gave 
signs of their pleasure, and at last a business air of deci- 
sion gave assurance that their search was not without 
reward. They were . off up the path in a tremendous 
hurry and out of sight. As the moon rose higher the 
clear night became brighter and the frosty air had a de- 
lightful tingle against our hot cheeks. The wait was 
^short this time and the call urgent. Like a troop of 
Fauns and Satyrs, or the motley crew of Circe’s ill- 
starred son, we went stringing through the moon-flecked 
wood. A faulting of the aged rock made a sheer cliff on 
our x'ight, and at the foot of a black hemlock that sprang 
from the top of the cliff and overhung we found the dogs. 
There was no doubt that they had something up that 
tree. What it was no one could say, for all was black 
as blackest night in the thick ramage. The adventure 
just suited Lord. I never yet saw the situation of untried 
hazard that would daunt this lad. His coat was off jn a 
-second, and his shoes in two more, and, seizing the short 
gun from Amos, he was in the lalack tangle before we 
could distribute ourselves. With one dog Amos and I 
went below the ledge and the others gathered at the top. 
To the accompaniment of much gratuitous advice and 
befogging counsel from all below. Lord worked his way 
through the dense branches.. We could hear his grunts 
and deep pantings . with the snapping of twigs and small 
branches. Progress, was slow, but suddenly we heard: 
“Hi there, you little rip !” and he shouted down to us : 
“Here he is.' I nearly put rriy hand on his head. He was 
' here in a crotch of the tree watching me. Look out ! He 
has run out on a limb and I am going to fire !” There 
wa.s a second only of silence and then the blaze and re- 
. sounding report of the gun. Right between me and the 
open sky a great black mass came whirling down. I 
could have caught it in my arms without moving, but 
■ fearing the ’coon would think I was the red dog and do 
■ violence to my already reduced raiment, I side-stepped 
and he reached the ground unchecked. The dog was 
upon Jiim without delay, and so was Amos, who lost no 
time in finding the varmint’s hind legs and swinging him 
hard against .a near tree. In place of the bump there was 
a soft, wet, swishy sound and we were both spattered 
. all over with blood. Lord had held his gun so near the 
’coon that he had blown his head completely off. 
Just beyond, outHde the wood, was the road. It seemed 
■ hardly decent to exterminate the race of sportive ’coons 
that night. In her kindly mood. Dame Fortune had smiled 
broadly upon us, and it is never wise to press the good 
lady too closely in such a mood. And Amos was far 
from his fireside. So we declared the hunt over. 
In our strenuous occupation, and in the dark of the 
woods we had not noticed how wonderfully light the 
night had become. Stepping from the shade into the 
inoon-light it was as though we passed suddenly through 
gates of pearl from a world of riotous red life into a 
strange silvery.. land of dreams and fancy. Hardly a star 
.could be seen in the bright heavens, but over all the sil- 
ver light poured in radiant glory. Every tree and hill, 
every hedge and fence and the buildings of each farm- 
stead tha,t dotted the long stretch’ of. valley below us 
. stood ^clear and .cold in the strange light. Three men 
making across' a hillside 'pasture a mile away we saw dis- 
tinctly, and in the stiffened mud by a wet crossing, where 
■ the cows drink at a tiny watercourse, were the fresh 
tracks of some foraging ’coon daintily impressed and like 
- nothing so much as the imprint of a baby’s rosy foot. 
The ethereal beauty of it all laid a gentle finger upon 
' our flushed spirits. The fairies' dance was over; the great 
god Pan was dead. Even my irrepressible boys felt the 
' holiness of the moment. It laid hold‘*6n the imagination 
and made each of us deeply sensitive to the unspeakable 
charm of a perfect touch. On such a night, over such 
hills, perhaps, the shepherds of old watched the wondrous 
star, their flocks lying about them in the bright moonlight. 
In the stillness and the bright splendor lay the mystic 
■ spell .of the. brooding East.’ As from some “Pisgah, that 
■ is over agai'rts't Jericho,” we caught for the once a glimpse 
of the unknown land, tasted a beauty never to be lost, 
gazed from heights rarely to be scaled. One_ might al- 
most hear “the angel Israfel, whose heartstrings are a 
lute.” 
It was the warm glow and ruddy light of the kitchen 
that recalled us, and soon we were strolling home, down 
through the woods where murmured the voices of the 
§49 
night, across the misty meadows and up into the silent 
village. Then came : 
“Tired nature’s sweet restorer — balmy sleep.” 
So is Halloween a magic word to me. It calls back the 
years of riotous young blood. It paints again the autunin 
glory of those Monson hills. It means a Hunter’s Moon 
and dogs' and ’coons — keen-eyed, fun-loving liule busy- 
bodies that can fight like Fuzzy-Wuzzy. But more than 
all, and best of all, I like to dream of that perfect night, 
of the transcendent glory of my neTer-to-be-forgottett 
Eve of Allhallowmas. 
Camp Surgery. 
Members of the medical profession usually avoid dis- 
cussion of technical points' in the lay press, .as it subjects 
them to criticism from their colleagues, and very properly. 
When Senex described a dangerous method for treating a 
punctured wound, however, it seemed to me best to say a 
word, and this as usual has made it necessary to say 
more, for in Forest and Stream for Oct. 21 Senex asks 
what one really should do when he has received a pene- 
trating wound made by a rusty nail, “miles away from 
the surgeon — ^an emergency case, which might result in 
lockjaw unless scientifically treated.” The things to do 
would be: (i) Pass a sharp' knife blade through the fire 
for a moment in order to destroy bacteria that are on the 
blade. ^ (2) Make a free cut down to the bottom of the 
puncture, and instruct the patient to swear while this is 
Ixeing done. The reasons for the procedure are because 
the free incision allows blood serum to escape freely. 
Blood serum is destructive to bacteria, so long as it is 
being thrown out freely, but after being dammed for a 
few hours it changes character, and then becomes what 
we call a “culture medium” for bacteria, aiding their de- 
velopment. If the patient swears while the cut is being 
made, it relieves nervous tension which otherwise would 
find demonstration in untoward muscular motions. (3) 
If one happens to have a phial of carbolic acid in the 
camp kit, swab the entire cut with pure carbolic acid, and 
half a minute later neutralize the carbolic acid with alco- 
hol, or some alcoholic beverage. (The latter may be 
taken along for the purpose. An old mountaineer told me 
that whisky was a sure cure for rattlesnake bite, if one 
used it in the right way, and the right way was to “al- 
ways have it in ye jest before ye’re bit.”) The rationale 
of procedure depends upon the immediate and complete 
germicidal Influence of carbolic acid. It would go be- 
yond the point of usefulness, if its action were not 
checked before tissues are damaged, but alcohol neutral- 
izes carbolic acid as quickly as water puts out fire. The 
same treatment of swabbing with pure carbolic acid and 
then neutralizing it in about half a minute with alcohol 
will cut short any attack of superficial erysipelas that 
might begin while one was in the woods. Carbolic acid 
is,; however; a dangerously powerful remedy for a layman 
to handle. 'We see much damage done by it here in the 
city, where people step into the drug store and buy it on 
itS: reputation as a germicide. The druggist thinks that 
the buyer only wants it to commit suicide with, and does 
not realize that it may be used for anointing the wounds 
of soiue innocent child. 
(4) After the punctured wound has been freely opened, 
and bacteria destroyed by an active germicide, the patient 
is then pretty well protected against further infection by 
the flow of blood serum, but at this point the boric acid 
of , Senex .would come into play. It is a very harmless 
antiseptic, ;and the wound can now be filled with it, and an 
absorbent dressing of some sort applied. The necessity 
for the absorbent dressing is because absorbent materials 
take away from the wound the blood serum which would 
soon become a culture medium, and they spread and. dry 
it so that bacteria cannot grow in that field. The bacteria 
that like to get into the field are of many sorts. There 
would be ho further danger from the lockjaw bacteria 
after -the 'primary sterilization. Boric acid would aid the 
absorbent dressings by its destructive or at least inhibiting 
effect upon bacteria which did get into the field. 
Powdered dry dead wood makes a good absorbent 
dressing, but a safer dressing would be made by boiling 
a piece of an old coat or shirt for four hours in strong 
soda solution. The soda saponifies gum resins in cotton 
and linen fibre, and as soon as saponified they become 
soluble and leave the fibre. The boiling destroys all bac- 
teria, and the fibre freed from gum resins becomes ex- 
tremely absorbent. 
(5) The bacteria of lockjaw do not grow in all soils. 
In some localities, as on the eastern end of Long Island 
for instance, they are very abundant. If one has received 
a punctured wound in some locality where the tetanus 
bacteria thrive, and if the wound has not been treated in 
the best way, he should make all speed to^ get to some 
point where the physician can employ antitoxin on the 
very first appearance of symptoms of lockjaw. It is then 
a manageable disease. "We all have to meet bacterial in- 
vasion hourly, and nature has equipped us for the battle 
against different bacteria. When any one bacterium has 
gained headway, a special ■ agent against that bacterium is 
manufactured especially in the blood-making organs. We 
make use of that fact by growing the bacterium in some 
other animal, and then taking the fortified blood serum 
and injecting it into anyone who is not making the anti- 
toxin rapidly enough himself. In that way we get ahead 
of the lockjaw bacterium, by keeping on hand a stock of 
special antitoxin collected for the purpose. 
Allow me to say to Senex that his article was extremely ■ 
well written for a layman, as well as it would have been 
written by many physicians, and I wished only to- correct 
the one dangerous bit of advice. In these days of ad- 
vanced medical knowledge not even the physician can feel 
at home in many subjects. In any sort of difficult or ob- 
scure case we may have to employ several specialists our- 
selves before giving an opinion, and with physicians as 
with lawyers, one feels well equipped if he simply knows 
who knows. Just as investment has become a science, 
so it has become a science for the physician of to-day to 
know who knows, and the day of cheap, kindly medical 
service has passed. Robert T. Morris. 
New York, Oct. tS. 
THE MANY-USE OIL 
Coating on guns, reels and all metals; keeps rti^t off, — Adv, 
