Sept. 18, 1909.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
455 
Early Autumn in the Blue Ridge. 
Linville Falls, N. C, Sept. 6. — Editor Forest 
and Stream: I have had various inquiries from 
sportsmen about the attitude of the mountain 
people toward visiting sportsmen, particularly 
hunters. The effect of certain sensational arti¬ 
cles in newspapers and magazines, and the works 
of fiction dealing with the mountaineers of the 
Southern Appalachians, is plainly to be seen in 
these inquiries. People in the North have been 
given a wrong impression of the mountain peo¬ 
ple. 1 hey have been led to regard them as 
rough, uncouth, dangerous sort of beings, ever 
ready to shoot some one at the slightest excuse. 
1 he feud as the foundation of stories, long and 
short, has been overworked. People have come 
here for a few days and gone away knowing, 
as they thought, more about the people than 
those who have lived here for years. They have 
imagined they saw a feud in every settlement, 
and the reticence displayed by the people some¬ 
times has stimulated the imagination of the visit¬ 
ing writers. These things have greatly annoyed 
the mountaineers, for as I know them after 
eighteen months in their midst, they are as 
peaceable as the inhabitants of any community 
I know. Not a single shooting or fight of any 
find has occurred near here. Neither do they 
to into litigation of any kind, for they have a 
ivholesome fear of “lawing” and keep out of it. 
They are a very self-reliant and independent 
>eople, and probably the purest American stock 
s found here, for only one person in 200 in 
Yorth Carolina is foreign born. The old 
;amilies have lived here for several generations, 
mly a few having moved away or seen their 
'hildten go West. They are extremely sensitive 
0 criticism, or to comparisons with other peo- 
>les, owing partly to the amount of misrepre¬ 
sentation and sensationalism to which they have 
ieen subjected. Indeed, such comparisons' are 
iffensive to most communities. They are satis- 
ied with their simple ways of living and resent 
my intimation that they are not living as well 
s the people of any other part of the country, 
ihey are content with their lot. No one is in 
yant, most of them own their homes and some 
and, and all are on an equal footing. They are 
i>olite, hospitable, friendly and ready to meet 
ay visitor fairly. But they do not want to be 
'atronized, and they will not stand it. They 
eel very independent of the stranger, though 
i'ey are more interested in him and the outside 
:, '°rld than they used to be, so I am told. While 
liey are keen in a trade, one needs not to lock 
oors, and his belongings scattered about out of 
oors will not be molested. 
A writer who recently sent a letter to a friend 
1 the North, stating frankly a good many things 
leasant and unpleasant, found when it got into 
tint that he was badly misunderstood. He had 
ft written in criticism; in fact, had not corn- 
tented, but only made general statements, but 
was taken for individual insult where such 
as furthest from the intention of the writer. 
,e had simply failed to qualify his statements 
>th sufficient care to show them that neither 
ffense nor individual application was intended, 
tefer to this to caution visitors to' be careful 
hat they write, and to be sure that they know 
hat they are writing about. 
Visiting sportsmen will find less difficulty with 
le People here. I think, than in any of the 
prairie States. Very few farmers will refuse 
permission to a reputable sportsman to hunt on 
their lands, and for $1.50 a day one may hire 
a first-class guide, with a pack of hounds for 
bear, ’coon, ’possum or bobcat hunting. If it 
is quail or pheasants, the visitor must bring his 
own dog. Many of the mountaineers will enter¬ 
tain hunters and give them comfort and plenty. 
The game prospects are good this year, includ¬ 
ing quail and wild turkey. The non-resident 
license in North Carolina is $10. good in any 
eftunty. 1 he license may be procured of the 
clerk of the Superior Court of any county in 
advance of coming here. A fee of twenty-five 
cents is charged by the clerk for issuing the 
license. The county seat of this, Burke county, 
is Morganton. 
Camping parties have been popular in this 
region this year, the weather has been so fine. 
They have varied in character from a lightly 
A CAMP ON THE RIM OF LINVILLE CANON. 
equipped boys’ outfit to quite elaborately pre¬ 
pared parties. A party of seven—three women 
and four men—have camped near Table Rock 
for two months, tramping about the mountains. 
Toward the close of their vacation they walked 
over here, about eighteen miles as they came, 
and were so charmed that, they arranged to 
make headquarters here next year. The Rev. 
William Allen Newell, of Tryon, N. C., who 
was recently married to Miss Bertha Payne, of 
the University of Chicago faculty, took his bride 
on a novel but very interesting wedding journey. 
They had their own conveyance and spent sev¬ 
eral weeks camping in the mountains, including 
ten days on Linville Canon and another week on 
Grandfather Mountain. One night they slept on 
the wind-swept summit to get the glorious sun¬ 
rise. The campers, I have noticed, are always 
the heralds of resort popularity. They find the 
places first and enjoy them in all their virgin 
beauty. Then comes the promoter and the con¬ 
ventional resort, and the crowd. 
Frank W. Bicknell. 
All the game laws of the United States and 
Canada, revised to date and now in force, are 
given in the Game Laws in Brief. Sec adv. 
Crossing the Guadaloupe Mountains. 
Roswell, N. M., Sept. 4.—Editor Fo rest and 
Stream: We all felt as if life was a burden. 
Fo interest was taken in anything. The dog, a 
fox terrier, was a lifeless or very cross old 
dog; the mountains not a summer resort amidst 
a lot of cottages, but the mountains just as we 
took possession of them. 
Our light spring wagon with a rubber cover 
would protect us in a storm. We got ready, 
not with a lot of pies and cakes, but sacks of 
flour, cornmeal, oatmeal; a large can of cotto- 
lene; sugar, salt, pepper and coffee; a package 
of smoked bacon ; a one-burner oil stove. Our 
blankets, guns and ammunition about filled our 
wagon. The horses had to have a sack of oats. 
Water cans, jacketed and covered with canvas, 
were placed under the wagon, and a flat box 
fastened at back of seat held our cooking 
utensils. 
We reached Pecos City, Texas, in good time, 
and rain kept us at the hotel there a few days. 
Lots of quail and rabbits were knocked kicking 
as we drove along toward the mountains. Next 
day the mud was so deep the horses could not 
pull through it, so we left the road, bumping 
over the grass. Meanwhile I shot and retrieved 
ten quail. Before noon the following day the 
sun was so hot we camped by a running creek 
under trees. After eating rabbit pie I got out 
my hammerless and with the dog went to a 
pond. Under a tree was a bunch of mountain 
ducks. I sat down and the dog slipped along 
and put them up; they flew just right. Two 
fell to the first and one for second barrel. The 
dog retrieved them and we had baked duck for 
supper. 
Next morning we went fishing and caught 
enough bass for a meal. B3' moonlight we made 
a drive of several miles over as level a piece 
of mesa as I ever saw; found the mountain 
road and were driving along slowly when there 
was a rustle as a big' bird, then another got up. 
My load caught one and down it went. The 
dog sitting on the wagon took four jumps and 
landed on top of a big Tom turkey, which 
would not go into my oil stove oven, so we 
made two meals of him. 
Our water can being full, we made camp, 
built a fire, fed the horses and by the time the 
turkey had baked I had a bed of live coals, the 
skillet heated up, a loaf of bread baking under 
charcoal and a few potatoes covered with hot 
ashes. How we did eat, the dog watching, 
afraid it would miss something. 
Next day we were camped after a long uphill 
ride among the sweet smelling juniper trees. 
A spring of fresh water was located by a string 
of doves flying down. Our water cans filled, 
I took my gun and by supper time had eleven 
for the frying-pan. 
Two days later, while we were going along 
slow, my husband shouldered his rifle and went 
out of sight. Presently there was a sharp crack 
of nitro powder and he came back with a black 
bear. I tried my best to cook the meat, but we 
c.ould eat very little of it. 
Through the mountains we traveled, stopping 
at the cool springs running from the hills. Every 
day I shot mountain quail and a change to a 
breakfast of bacon, potatoes and oatmeal was 
a relish. Mrs. B. R. Buffham. 
