was coming'. When he was about a foot and 
a half in the air I saw the hook break, or 
straighten out, or something, I don’t know just 
what, but we all saw him drop back ker-splash 
to the water. “He’s gone,” rang into my ears 
from every side. But no—my little brother had 
managed to loosen the net—and was turning it 
around in the water unnoticed when that bass 
dove down and struck right in the center of the 
circle of the net, which was coming up through 
the water, and a half dozen hands pulled both 
fish and net into the boat. But that bass was 
mad. He shook, and he thumped and he pound¬ 
ed for fully ten minutes while we all laughed, 
and cried, and yelled, and howled to our hearts 
content. We must have scared all the other fish 
away for we didn’t catch any more that night. 
The next day when we rowed to shore for our 
milk we showed him to the farmer’s wife who 
said it was the biggest small mouth black bass 
ever caught around there. She insisted on getting 
out her tape measure. The leviathan proved he 
was 22 inches long and 16 inches around and Mrs. 
Farmer said that he must weigh at least six 
pounds. The boys said she was only kidding me 
but she seemed real earnest about it. 
P. S. My sister-in-law says I should write a 
post-script, that every woman does, that it is her 
prerogative, and she must, but I guess she’s 
jealous because my bass weighed more than all 
her perch. 
OLE SAM MOORLEY. 
Concord, N. H., June 24, 1914. 
Ask any alumnus of St. Paul’s School if he knows 
Samuel Morley and an affirmative answer will 
quickly be returned, but more readily and en¬ 
thusiastically, perhaps, if you just put it “Old 
Morley the cricketer,” instead. It is thus that 
he has been familiarly called during the some¬ 
thing like a 30 year period in which he served 
as cricket coach at the Episcopal institution, one 
of the leading preparatory schools of the coun¬ 
try, where the English game and boating have 
always been the chief athletic activities. 
“Old Morley” it has been from the first and 
will continue to be among the boys of the school, 
scions of the wealthiest and most prominent 
families of the country, till he is gathered to his 
fathers. 
“Great is cricket and Morley is its prophet” 
was an earlier creed among the students and 
though rowing has become more of a center of 
interest there are many devotees who remain 
loyal to the faith. 
Wide as is Mr. Morley’s acquaintance through¬ 
out the length and breadth of the land among 
those who are associated with the school’s history, 
it is but trifling when compared with the fame 
he enjoyed in days gone 'by when he was known 
the world over as a bright particular star in the 
cricket constellation. 
At the age of over or probably quite ninety 
years his is a familiar figure in the streets of 
Concord and about the school where as a pen¬ 
sioner of the latter institution he lives in the 
quiet retirement of his little home, with the com¬ 
panionship of two fine hunting dogs. 
Except in his whitened hair and slight lapses 
of memory he betrays but slight evidences of his 
advanced age. His step is elastic, his carriage 
erect and vigorous and he walks with evident 
ease the two or three miles of distance between 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Concord and the school. In manner he is cour¬ 
teous but reserved and with no apparent 
semblance of egotism or disposition to boast of 
his cricket prowess in the past. 
It requires some tactful effort to break the 
shell of his silence when he will talk entertain¬ 
ingly, but never “braggingly,” of his athletic ex¬ 
periences. 
His birthplace was Sutton-Nashfield, Notting¬ 
hamshire, Midland County, England, and though 
his age cannot be absolutely stated it must be 
about 90 years. “I have played cricket since I 
was able to hold a bat,” said he in a recent con¬ 
versation, “and in early days I had to whittle 
out my bats and manufacture by own balls from 
cotton waste and yarn. The games then were 
played in the ‘gutters’ of the town. My firsr 
team work was with the South Suttons against 
the North Suttons and the former invariably won. 
“I have never played with the All England 
eleven, but always against it in some of the 
Ole Sam Moorley and His “Houn.” 
greatest contests that have taken place. This 
has naturally taken me pretty well over the world. 
“I played against the famous Jack Daft of 
the All England, with whom I enjoyed an inti¬ 
mate friendship, and he was good enough to 
say I had a brilliant future as a bowler. My 
first professional games were with Jack Elliot, 
Tom Barnes, Bill Thompson and George Sheldon, 
all players who were famous cricketers in Eng¬ 
land. 
“I came to this country something over 30 years 
ago and toured- the country, playing on some 
of the best teams. Thirty years ago I was called 
from Brooklyn, N. Y., to accept a position as 
coach for St. Paul’s school and with its team 
toured the eastern states and Canada. On the 
Canadian tour we lost but one game.” 
At St. Paul’s school Mr. Morley met with an 
acident which probably has no counterpart in the 
77 
history of the game. A batted ball struck his 
heel, traveled up his leg and spine, landing on 
the back of his head, with sufficient force to 
render bim unconscioifs for several hours. 
The veteran bowler has reason perhaps to at¬ 
tribute his longevity and vigor to indulging his 
love for out-of-door life. He is an enthusiastic 
and successful hunter and fisherman. 
He is no enthusiastic baseball “fan” and de¬ 
clares that the game offers no field for the exer¬ 
cise of skill and scientific playing. 
A. H. ROBINSON. 
GUIDE TO MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK. 
Detailed information regarding the cliff dwell¬ 
ings in the Mesa Verde National Park is con¬ 
tained in a circular just issued by direction of 
Secretary Lane. This park is situated in south¬ 
western Colorado and may best be reached from 
Mancos. Within the park are many notable pre¬ 
historic ruins, the cliff dwellings comprising a 
group of great importance to the study of 
American archaeology. The principal and most 
accessible ruins are the Spruce Tree House, Cliff 
Palace, Balcony House, and Tunnel House. 
Spruce Tree House is located in the head of 
Spruce Tree Canyon, a branch of Navajo Can¬ 
yon. It originally contained about 130 rooms, 
built of dressed stone laid in adobe mortar, with 
the outside tiers dhinked with chips of rock and 
broken pottery. Cliff Palace is located about 2 
miles east of Spruce Tree House, in a left 
branch of Cliff Canyon, and consists of a group 
of houses with ruins of 146 rooms, including 20 
round kivas, or ceremonial rooms, and a taper¬ 
ing loopholed tower, forming a crescent of 
about 100 yards from horn to horn, which is 
reputed to be one of the most famous works of 
prehistoric man in existence. Balcony House, a 
mile east of Cliff Palace, in Ruin Canyon, contains 
about 25 rooms, some of which are in almost 
perfect condition. Tunnel House, about 2 miles 
south of Spruce Tree House, contains about 20 
rooms and 2 kivas, connected by an elaborate 
system of underground passages, and a burial 
ground of 5,000 square feet; in each of these 
villages is an elaborate system of fortification, 
with, in some case, walls 2.3 feet thick and 20 
feet high, watch towers 30 feet high, and block¬ 
houses pierced with small loopholes for arrows. 
Campers desiring to visit the ruins may obtain 
horses either at Mancos, Cortez, or Dolores. In 
addition to the rules and regulations the circu¬ 
lar contains plans of the principal ruins and 
lists of books and magazine articles. 
PLANTS WILD RICE TO-FEED GAME BIRDS. 
Watertown, S. D., June 5.—John K. Terrell of 
Oshkosh, Wis., has planted wild rice in the 
lakes of Codington county. This will give the 
water fowl a quantity of food and make the 
region a better hunting resort. 
NIMROD RIMES. 
By Earl H. Emmons. 
Ding, dong, dell, 
Pussy feels unwell. 
Why should this be so? 
She lost eight lives, you know; 
The hunters everywhere 
All shot her for a hare. 
