608 
FOREST AND STREAM 
SMOKE 
|#?S2S| 
IT’S GREAT 
i Oc. per tin 1 (Je. 
Sold by all Tobacconists in Canada Only 
jump on it. But it was a shame; that stock 
would never again touch his shoulder below his 
gray head. In the almost year he had owned 
it, something like affection had grown in his 
heart for the gun, almost as if it had life. 
“From him that hath not shall be taken away.” 
He put it in his boat then with his lovely 
eighteen-year old daughter at the forward oars 
they rowed to the country seat quite a few miles 
away. Their other marketing was a jar of 
pickles and a sack he thought held forty pounds 
of little pie pumpkins—-all he had—hut the 
storekeeper’s scales said he was a poor guesser, 
for it showed twenty-six pounds. Traded even 
for potatoes, even price, which didn’t seem quite 
fair to him, as he thought pumpkins would be 
worth more than spuds. 
No salesman! he could never sell anything. 
But he did try to sell his gun even boring people 
in the street, but the shooting season was near¬ 
ly over, and nobody was buying. Then a young 
man to whom he spoke in a store said to him: 
“I’ll tell you what I would do if I was you: 
Take it to the pool-room and let them raffle it 
for you; it’s your best chance of getting anything 
out of it at this time of year. Thanking him 
“To sit on rocks, to muse o’er flood and fell, 
To slowly trace the forest’s shady scene, 
Where things that own not men’s dominion dwell, 
And mortal foot hath ne’er, or rarely been; 
To climb the trackless mountain all unseen, 
With the wild flock that never needs a fold; 
Alone o’er steeps and foaming falls to lean; 
This is not solitude, ’tis but to hold 
Converse with Nature’s charms, and view her 
stores unroll’d.” 
It was my fortune once upon a time to take 
a trip up the St. John river to Old Enterprise, 
on the shore of Lake Munroe in Florida- I had 
been informed that there were wild turkeys in 
that neighborhood, as well as deer, tigers and 
other game. Having obtained comfortable quar- 
A 1 went to the pool-room, where after much 
hemming and hawing by the proprietor and by 
a low value 'being set on it—$15—the chunky 
owner of the pool-room decided that maybe it 
was worth, trying. The negotiations were car¬ 
ried on over the taken-down gun lying in the 
frowse of opened paper on the counter. 
When the chunky one picked up the pieces, 
stuck Al’s name and address in the muzzle and 
carried them away to a corner, A 1 knew he was 
done! Whatever happened he would never see 
the beloved again, and from all he could gather 
his hope of realizing much from the raffle was 
slight. 
But that was an erroneous mistake! never to 
see. In the course of two months time, hearing 
nothing from Mr. Poolman, and having some 
pressing business with the tax collector at that 
place, he called on him—the poolman. 
Finding that very, very few had taken a chance 
it was decided to call off the raffle, and he re¬ 
ceived back the gun. Shortly after he put it 
up for security for spuds and groceries, the 
bill amounting to $12. And that was the sure- 
enough last of it for him. 
The first gun he ever owned! 
ters at the hotel, I made speedy inquiry as to 
where wild turkeys could be found. 
A colored individual bearing the euphonious 
title of July Jenkins, was pointed out to me 
as the best authority upon that point that could 
be obtained in Orange County. I accordingly 
struck a bargain with him, to take me the next 
morning to a famous turkey roost, where I was 
promised good sport without fail, as the turkeys 
had not been disturbed at all that season; I 
accordingly betook myself to bed at an early 
hour, under the expectation of being called about 
three o’clock A. M., in order to get out for the 
“roost” in season to get there before the rise 
of the sun. 
Having this happy prospect before me, I awoke 
near the appointed time without being called; 
dressed myself, and went down to the office, 
and finding no one there, I took a stroll about 
the grounds. It was about half an hour before 
I came across any one else on the premises; 
and apparently no preparations had been made 
for my early departure. I accordingly returned 
to my room to await the expected arrival of 
July. The hours came and went until 6 A. M., 
still that promising individual came not. As the 
other negroes employed about the hotel began 
to show up, I asked them what had become of 
July. They one and all professed ignorance as 
to his whereabouts, nor did I get any informa¬ 
tion regarding him whatever. 
Accordingly I took a chair on the veranda 
and lighting a cigar, made myself as comfort¬ 
able as possible under the circumstances, and 
awaited the call for breakfast. At eight o’clock 
the breakfast was served, and speedily consumed. 
I then took out my notebook and jotted down 
the items of the past few days; and when that 
business was concluded, called to my friend 
Parker, and told him that it would doubtless be 
December before July appeared; and we had 
better make an attempt to get some one in his 
place without delay; so that, as it was now too 
late to go to the turkey roost, we might at least 
get a start early enough to admit of our reach¬ 
ing the Sheriff’s house, where we had planned 
to put up over night. 
To this, Parker readily assented, and then 
we made another tour of the grounds to see 
if we could at that late hour get any one to 
take us up the river to our destination. 
Each negro referred us to some one else; and 
so we went from one ebony-colored individual 
to another until we had sounded every one in 
the vicinity—and the last, yes, the very last one, 
a young fellow, of some twenty-five years, turn¬ 
ed out to be old July’s nephew, Henry Rock, 
by name. Henry told us that his uncle had made 
all his preparations to take us out at ten o’clock 
as agreed, after we had returned from the 
turkey roost, but unfortunately had taken too 
much old rye for the subsequent carrying out 
of his promise. For during the previous even¬ 
ing he had got into a dispute with Harrison 
Harris and Harrison had got the better of the 
argument; and when the dispute ended July was 
in a comatose state, and had to be lugged < 
the campus by Henry and his brother; and was 
now reposing in their cabin in blissful ignorance 
of all earthly scenes. 
“Well, Henry,” said I, “can’t you take us in 
your uncle’s stead?” 
Suttinly, sah. Suttinly I kin; and will be 
glad to, sah!” 
“Very well, then, Henry; get together the 
things we ordered of your uncle, and bring them 
down to the landing at once, for as Giles Blue- 
skin was wont to remark in the famous play 
of Jack Shepard, ‘we have a long journey be¬ 
fore us-’ ” 
Henry did not need any urging, but hastened 
up to his uncle’s cabin to get the articles re¬ 
quired. He was gone about half an hour, and 
then returned with a couple of army blankets 
and no provisions whatever. 
“Why,” said I, “Henry, where are the potatoes 
that you were to bring?” 
“Well, sah! I don’t know. Dere was no po¬ 
tatoes at de cabin.” 
Turkey Hunting In Florida 
By Henry D. Atwood. 
