FOREST AND STREAM. 
[May 9 , 1908 . 
734 
A Florida Outing. 
When Dad received a postal from the guide 
at Espanola, saying, “The ducks is here; let 
me have two or three days to git ready and 
then come,” he forthwith called a council of 
war. Uncle and I attended and the meeting, if 
small, was enthusiastic and we decided to go. 
We made out a list of provisions to procure, 
packed up our tent, decoys and blankets, and 
planned to leave the following morning but one. 
Our destination was Smith’s Creek in St. Johns 
county, about fifteen miles from Espanola. 
Dad has an interest in a turpentine farm at 
Neoga, near Espanola, and as we would need 
teams for transportation we would proceed from 
there. Here we arrived with our bird dogs, 
Rex and Jack, on Tuesday afternoon. Dad had 
erected a one-room cabin for his personal use 
while at the farm, and here our dunnage was 
deposited. “Nel” (Nelson), an old friend of 
Dad’s from Cape Cod, Mass., had been invited 
to go with 11s, and he was already on hand. 
After dinner we drove three miles to Espanola 
to make final arrangements with our guide and 
to hunt quail on the way. After bidding John, 
our guide, see that there was a boat at the canal 
and be ready to conduct us to our destination, 
we drove back to Neoga. 
About half a mile from Neoga, when it was 
almost dark, we came upon a place where a 
number of doves were flying in to roost in a 
thick clump of spruces. Leaving Uncle and Dad 
to hold the horses, Nel and I got out and en¬ 
deavored to secure enough meat for supper. I 
had a new gun, which I was anxious to christen. 
It was dusk and the birds could only be seen 
overhead; against the background of pines they 
were invisible. The first six shots I made I 
did not acquire a feather and I was almost 
ready to condemn the gun, but I redeemed my¬ 
self, for I obtained eight more shots before the 
doves were all driven away and gathered in a 
bird for each one, and Rex succeeded in bring¬ 
ing them all in. 
Nel’s gun had been making music, too, but 
he had failed to connect with any of the swiftly 
flying objects. They were all considerably sur¬ 
prised when I drew out eight birds for their 
inspection, as it was pretty dark for accurate 
shooting. “There are just two apiece. These 
mean a potpie for supper, don't they, Nel ?” He 
had already promised, if we secured the game, 
to try his hand at this toothsome dish, so he 
answered: “Waal, I guess they do.” 
Nel is away up in the mysteries of the culinary 
art as practiced by the Yankee school. I cleaned 
the birds and soon Nel had an odor emanating 
from that pot which made our mouths water 
with anticipation. 
“This self-rising flour is a new wrinkle to 
me, so you fellows needn’t swear at the cook 
if the dumplin’s don’t turn out just right,” said 
Nel as he stirred up a batch of the flour. “Give 
’em just -twenty minutes to cook.” 
The dumplings proved a complete success, and 
with the potpie we had crisp bacon, flapjacks 
and tea. “Easy with them dumplin’s, boys; don’t 
toss ’em or they’ll float away,” counseled Ne! 
as he dished them out. 
After supper we talked over the morrow’s 
plans. It had turned cold and stormy, so we 
prepared for an early start. Dad, Uncle and 
Nel had been boys together on Cape Cod, and 
READY TO TIE SLING ROPES. 
READY TO THROW LASH ROPE. 
the marvelous tales they told of sport afte 
wildfowl on the Cape marshes in bygone day 
filled me with envy. They disputed mildly ove 
the details. To get Dad and Uncle to wrangl 
is one of the chief pleasures of my life. The 
do it in such a mild obstinate way that it i 
vastly entertaining. That night it started i 
their discussion of the fondness of coots fo 
sea clams, and Dad stated that he had know 
them to dive ninety feet in Vineyard Soun 
in order to obtain this favorite food. They ha 
both been masters of coasting schooners in thei 
younger days and Uncle immediately contende 
that there was not more than half that dept 
of water anywhere in the sound. 
Next day as we drove away we passed th 
still, where the turpentine and rosin are madi 
and noticing on it a sign bearing the crude! 
painted words, "NO SMOKIN’ ORLOUD” w 
guyed Dad unmercifully about the reform spell 
ing his employees embraced. 
At Espanola we were joined by John, ou 
guide, with another wagon bearing the boa 
Just beyond this place the dogs found a cove 
of quail and Nel and I each got one on the ris; 
and following them up Nel secured another an 
I two more. About two miles further on th 
dogs pointed again and Uncle killed four an 
I three, making twelve quail in all. We saw n 
more that day. 
Passing the old Kings Road, which ancien 
highway is the route of automobilists from Jack 
sonville to Miami, we shortly plunged into th 
dense tangle of Green’s Swamp. This swamp i 
over a mile wide at this point and here we en 
countered one of the worst and crookedest trail 
ever traveled. Southern roads are proverbiall 
bad and oftentimes do not deserve the narm 
but this one was the limit. Over logs, stump 
and roots, around trees and under overhangin; 
limbs we dodged and twisted. 
Arrived at our camping place in the mids 
of a beautiful dry hammock of live oaks an. 
palms which bordered on the- canal, the ten 
was pitched, the boat launched, animals takei 
out and fed, and some hot coffee prepared t 
eke our cold lunch. By 3 o'clock Dad and Ne 
had set their decoys at points on a small lak 
in the marsh adjoining the canal, Uncle and Johi 
went in the boat to the larger lake further uf 
while Bennett and I sought our luck lower down 
John’s source of information was defective 
for some reason the ducks were not there. W 
saw a few bluebills, but not a single big duck 
I scurried about promiscuously and had the bes 
luck of the afternoon, getting ten. Whil 
Bennett and I were walking back to camp alom 
the canal bank when it was almost dark, thre' 
bluebills came whistling over close in. I killet 
one with each barrel and Bennett stopped th 
third. We were indeed in a country abounding 
in game. We noticed innumerable deer an' 
turkey tracks throughout the hammock, atu 
we came across the huge pues of a bear in th' 
soft mud. Bennett remarked, “It’ll be hard oi 1 
Jinny’s nerves if that ol’ feller comes a-projec 
tin around our camp to-night and she gets win< 
of him.” 
Sure enough, just before we retired then 
arose a great commotion among the tetherec 
animals which took all hands to quiet down 
Bennett assured us that it was caused by th« 
bear s prowling about and their smelling him 
Later on in the night we heard the squeals o 
THROWING LASH ROPE. 
