90 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[July 18, 1908. 
“Bess—that was the bitch’s name—seemed to 
take to Wilson from the first. She just fol¬ 
lowed him round as if he was her master. Some 
men are natural born dog charmers and I guess 
Wilson was one of them. We packed up our 
stuff and started for the landing two miles down 
the lake. Before we got there I saw two canoes 
making for the same spot. One was a long 
way behind the other. We got to the landing 
first and stopped to have a talk with the other 
fellows and see how they’d made out. Luke 
Lonnergan and two foreigners were in the first 
canoe. I saw as soon as he came close to us 
that Luke had been boozing. He’s an ugly sort 
of fellow when he’s sober, but he’s the devil 
himself when he’s coming off a drunk. Wilson 
had the little bitch in his arms, but as soon as 
Lonnergan landed she squirmed loose and ran 
to him and jumped on 
him. He just let her 
have the toe of his moc¬ 
casin in the ribs and 
lifted her six feet into 
the bushes. ‘That’s 
what you get for stray¬ 
ing away from me and 
making up with strang¬ 
ers,’ says he. The poor 
little devil just laid there 
and kiyied. I saw one 
of the strangers, a little 
elderly man, wince as if 
Lonnergan had struck 
him, and Wilson went 
red to the tips of his 
ears. ‘She didn’t stray 
away from you to make 
up with us,’ says he. 
‘We found her in a 
snare; we heard her 
crying and took her out.’ 
‘I’ll teach her to keep 
out of snares,’ says 
Luke, and he pulled out 
his knife and went to 
cutting a stick. 
“Bess just lay and 
watched him, shaking all 
over. ‘What are you 
going to do with that 
stick,’ says Wilson as Luke trimmed the branches 
off it. ‘I'm going to give that bitch the- worst 
thrashing she’s ever had,’ says Luke, ‘and when 
I’m through with her I’ll give you one to match 
it if you don’t mind your own business.’ 
“The words were hardly out of his mouth 
when Wilson made a jump for him, grabbed the 
stick and tripped him. He went on the broad 
of his back and Wilson broke the stick in two 
and threw it into the bushes. Almost before 
Lonnergan touched the ground the little bitch 
mittened Wilson by the leg just above the top 
of his moccasin. He reached down and grabbed 
her by the scruff of the neck. ‘Catch hold of 
her,’ says he, ‘I don’t like to be bitten by a dog 
if I can help it.’ 
“I got hold of her just in time. Lonnergan 
picked himself up and made a run at Wilson, 
thinking to get him in his arms and crush the 
life out of him. He was a bigger man and 
quite a bully among his own crowd. I expected 
to see a mighty tough wrestle, for I remembered 
the didoes Wilson cut up when he was swing¬ 
ing on the pole, and I knew he was pretty good 
BREAKING CAMP. 
A Nova Scotia Woods Scene. 
you’re through, and this gentleman is willing to 
oblige him, it’s all right; but you’ll fight one 
at a time.’ 
“The big beads of sweat stood out on Luke’s 
face and the tears were in his eyes. ‘ ’Nough,’ 
says he, and Wilson let go of him. 
“ ‘Excuse the question, sir,’ says the American, 
‘but are you a professional? I’ve seen a good 
many wrestling matches, but I never saw a 
prettier catch and hold since jiu-jitsu came into 
fashion.’ ‘I’m only an amateur,’ says Wilson, 
‘but I’ve always had a taste for athletics. I 
rowed in the varsity boat on the other side and 
I was always pretty good in the gymnasium.’ 
Then he turns to Luke, who stood squeezing 
his wrist and rubbing his elbow. ‘I’ve taken a 
fancy to that bitch of yours and I’d like to buy 
her. Set a fair price on her and I’ll give you 
your money now.’ ‘Take her if you want her,’ 
says Luke. ‘You’re a littler man than I am, and 
Ryan was right when he said one shave a fort¬ 
night would do you, but you’re a scienced man 
when it comes to a fight, and no man’s ever 
worsted me before the way you have.’ 
Welcome and Appreciated. 
Somerville, Mass., July 4.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: I feel that your paper will be welcome 
and appreciated at our home for another term. 
I am inclosing the required remittance for its 
continuance. 
The only fault that I can find with Forest and 
Stream is that it causes me at times to neglect 
my five other magazines, including two which 
pertain to the same subjects, but in a different 
way. There have been times when I have felt 
like making a request for more illustrations on 
subjects near to hunting and fishing, not pictures 
of slaughtering exhibitions, such as I see too 
often in some of the sporting magazines, but 
much more welcome pictures of a moderate 
sportsman or a good picture of the haunts of 
game fishes and animals. Those that are 
published are of the right sort, but I should 
not tire of seeing them in greater numbers. 
I regret that I cannot contribute in any 
way. 
C. H. S. 
on a lift. For may be half a minute they swung 
and twisted together, then quicker’n scat the 
fight all seemed to drop out of Luke; he gave 
a sort of yelp like a yellow cur does when old 
Tom here gets his hold, and he stood stock still 
with Wilson holding him like a baby. 
“ ‘I’d quit wriggling if I were you, Mr. Lon¬ 
nergan. You’re all right at present, but if you 
give one more twist you’ll find your arm out 
of joint. When you’re tired of standing like 
this just say so and I’ll let you go.’ 
“The strangers didn’t understand what had 
happened for a minute, then they threw their 
hats up in the air and yelled. ‘Better holler 
“ ’nough,” Luke,’ says the elder one. ‘You’ll 
never break that hold if you stay here an hour. 
It’s no use to wait for Israel, because we’ll see 
fair play. If he wants to try his hand after 
“Wilson pulled three English sovereigns out 
of his pocket. ‘Here,’ says he, ‘I’m willing to 
pay for the dog, and if you don’t want the 
money your wife will most likely find some use 
for it.’ Luke could no more have refused that 
gold than he’d have let a drink slip by him. 
He shoved the money in his pocket, then he and 
Wilson shook hands, and Wilson got out our 
second long neck of whisky and pulled the cork. 
There were eight of us, for Israel had landed, 
and it just gave us one good drink all 
round. 
“There was no use in our going out to South 
Francheville when Lonnergan’s crowd were 
going there too, so I just wrote a note to Am¬ 
brose, and Wilson sent a telegram out by one 
of the Americans. We started to swamp out 
the road and had her pretty well clear when the ox 
team came along. Wil¬ 
son used me more than 
white when we came to 
settle. He gave me the 
two hind quarters and 
the hide. The fore 
quarter that wasn’t 
spoilt he sent to old 
Neddy Beavan. He 
gave me five dollars 
over my pay as well. 
“Elis devil carriage 
was waiting for him 
when we got out of the 
woods and he drove me 
home in her and showed 
me where you yarded 
the whisky the day you 
and your wife came to 
niv house with him. 
The last thing I saw of 
him he was going down 
the road like a streak 
of lightning with the 
moose head tied on the 
back of the devil car¬ 
riage and the little black 
bitch sitting between 
him and the driver.” 
