
Nov, 2, 1907.| 
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LOR ED ieAN Das LRE AM: 
6 9 9 

another long shoal—Jackson’s—where we were 
3% miles by land from where we ate noon lunch 
the previous day, having traveled twenty-nine 
miles. We made it a rule to get out in the 
boats by 7 A. M., and with good start, passed 
from the James into the White about 10:30 A. 
M. We found the latter crystal clear. We made 
about ten miles on the White and camped just 
above White Rock Bluff. We found some very 
fine melon patches and traded ‘music and mirth” 
for melons. We enjoyed the melons while the 
other fellows seemed to dote on ‘Turkey in the 
Straw’ and kindred pieces. At times how little 
effort is required to make others happy, and 
how often we fail to make the effort. There was 
nothing those people had they would not have 
shared with us, simply because we happened to 
hit on something that pleased them. 
At the mouth of the Indian Creek, near a 
spring. we ate lunch. Four miles over the hills 
on the north is Missouri's famous Marble Cave, 
which rivals the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky. 
It has never been fully explored; but some six 
miles of it is pretty well known. It is some 500 
feet down to the first chamber, which, for 
glittering beauty, far excels any hall, being 
100 feet to the roof and several hundred feet 
wide. There is one stalagmite which is too feet 
high by over sixty in circumference. There is 
also an underground river, with blind fish, and 
a week before our visit they discovered a new 
passage and a large lake, we were told. 
After lunch Bill, seeing a likely place, made a 
long cast and stirred up a whole school of bass. 
He was using a spoon and a Seth-Green fly 
with a small piece of pork attached to the single 
hook. Six bass attempted to get the bait. The 
first two missed, but the third struck hard and 
the fun began. The piece of pork could be seen 
at the fish’s mouth, and all the others seemed 
to want it; but a larger bass than the one hooked 
seemed more determined than the others, and 
followed up and down and around in front and 
back again right at the side of the hooked fish, 
then under the boat. When the line was thrown 
around the bow, he broke water, but our bull- 
dog was still there when he came back under 
the boat. We attempted and almost succeeded 
in landing both fish, one of which was not 
hooked at all. Until then he seemed not to 
have seen us; at any rate, he paid no attention 
until we tried to net him. 
We made camp early at the mouth of Long's 
Creek, where two men passed us in a “made in 
Mo., U. S. A.” boat. They seemed in a rush. 
Next morning while shooting a particularly diffi- 
cult piece of water we noticed a rod and reel 
lying in about four feet of water, but as we had 
all we wanted to do to keep from upsetting, we 
passed on; around a high bank we saw the 
Missouri boat resting on a bar. Scattered along 
the bank for several hundred yards were various 
pieces of camp equipment, and a_ half ‘mile 
further on were two forlorn-looking individuals. 
Our offer of assistance was declined, and we 
glided swiftly on to Club House Bend, two 
miles of fine fishing water. Some St. Louis men 
have a club house on the hill. We had more fish 
than we knew what to do with, so turned some 
back. 
At Branson we sent our Galena guides and 
boats back by rail and took on a new crew and 
boats. After supper we took possession of the 
hotel veranda, and the Professor gave a free 
concert to the town. 
The boats obtained here were of a different 
type, being about fourteen feet long and four 
feet wide. That day we made twenty miles to 
Forsyth, probably the oldest town in southern 
Missouri. ‘The view from Forsyth up stream 
is a very beautiful one. Swan Creek empties 
into the White River just above the town, which 
is located on a hill. 
We had quite a character in our guide. He 
is a justice of the peace, Squire Wilse Yandall; 
but owing to his appearance and quaint but 
pointed stories, we called him “Squire Abe,” 
after our martyred President. We made about 
nine miles and ate lunch at the mouth of Beaver 
Creek, where is one of the best springs of water 
on the river. Though we made no strenuous 
efforts, we caught about twenty-five fish, which 
we turned back; in fact, we made this a practice. 

CASTING FOR BASS WHILE FLOATING DOWN AN OZARK STREAM, 
The old fish dams, or traps, are numerous tance below, after passing over an old trap an 
and often difficult to pass, as just above the making a short turn around a bend, among 
water is very shallow and below usually swift snags, etc., we came on to Dad engaged in what 
and deep, often with a drop of two to four feet 
in low water. At these traps in the. fall the 
natives used to catch fish by the wagon load. 
They consist of a dam of rocks across the river 
with a frame work of heavy timbers, a latticed 
bottom and sides set at an angle of less than 
thirty degrees; and when the fish are passing 
down stream in the fall, they pile rock just 
above this frame work, which raises the water 
eighteen’ inches to two feet, then remove the 
rock and the water and fish rush through, but 
the fish land on the trap by wagon loads. 
and most of the game fish jump the dam; cat- 
fish and buffalo were the principal ones caught. 
These traps have been out of commission for a 
number of years. We camped Wednesday night 
at Moore’s Ferry, fifty miles from Branson by 
river and eight miles by land. There we de- 
cided we could not make the float to Colter, 
Ark., in our allotted time, and decided to spend 
the rest of the week getting to Lang’s Ferry, 
sixty miles by river. Therefore we took it much 
easier, and caught many fish, all of which we 
turned back, except what we needed for food. 
The first day below Moore's we passed through 
the park grounds, owned by a Mr. Wetmore, of 
St. Louis, and on down into Arkansas. Our 
camp Thursday night was near the mouth of 
Yoakum Creek. and Friday noon we lunched 
at the Widow Ellis’, just back in Missouri, 
and at the left heel of Horseshoe Bend. We 
had most excellent sport all day Friday, though 
we were only half a day behind a party from 
Joplin, fifteen men in five boats. To catch bass 
we had to make too-foot casts, with red, black 
or brown flies and a strip of pork; at the toe of 
Horseshoe Bend, where we camped, I landed a 
6%-pound big-mouth on a brown fly on a No. 5 
line that had been used two days. He was 
caught fully 100 feet from the boat, and on feel- 
ing the hook, he made a dash down stream, tak- 
ing us along toward a big pile of drift, but by 
Squire’s back-water tactics with the paddle we 
avoided the drift and got out into the open 
water, where, by considerable maneuvering and 
many remarks from Squire, I finally got him 
into the boat, and Squire said we must eat him 
for supper, as if we turned him back, no one 
would ever be able to land him again. This was 
the only time it looked like a storm, but after 
considerable noise, it passed by and we made 
the entire trip without a drop of rain. 
On Saturday, our last day on the river, our 
first cast was made under Jow hanging 
willows, and there was immediate trouble, as 
the water was quite swift; but when we yot 
the bass to the boat he weighed 4% pounds and 
was of the small-mouth species. A short dis- 
Bass 

some 
proved to be a very pretty. fight with another 


large small-mouth. The day proved to be o 
most excellent sport, 
We ate our lunch at the heel of Horseshoe 
Bend, in Arkansas, and a quarter of a mile jus 
over the hill was the place where we ate dinner 
the day before, but some thirty-nine feet nearer 
sea level, if we recollect right. This is the point 
where it 1s planned to tunnel through the hill 
and utilize the power that can thereby be gen 
erated to run most everything in Missouri, ex- 
cept politics. They wish nothing up-to-date; 
not even a game law. 
We reached Lang’s Ferry about 5 P. M., the 
river being at this point the State line. We ar- 
ranged with a farmer to take our outfit to Zinc, 
Ark., seventeen miles, the next day. During 
the night a rise of about two feet reached us, 
the result of the storm above us the previous 
night. Our trip overland we enjoyed, though 
it was somewhat rough. Our euide said he 
would rather walk from our last camp to his 
home, fourteen miles, than ride on the train 
from Zinc. He said he had no desire to ride 
on the train, but we learned that he didn’t like 
the high trestles and the three tunnels between 
Zine and Branson 
Quail were very plentiful our wagon 
route, as were sawmills, lumbering camps, mine 
prospects, This is in the famous Yellville 
district. 
It is said we left the river just above where the 
scenery becomes grand. Next year if all is 
agreeable, we will know for ourselves. How 
ever, as it was, It was one of the best trips we 
have ever taken, there being sufficient variety to 
keep one constantly entertained 
W. 
along 
ere: 

H. SHUFI 
Death of Mr. Burkhard. 
one of the hospitals 
Joun P. BurKwarp died in ; 
2 very brief 
of New York city on Oct. 22 after a 
illness. Mr. Burkhard’s age was forty-two years 
He came to New York from St. Paul, Minn., 
about twelve years ago and began the publica 
tion of Field and Stream, a monthly magazine, 
of which he was principal owner at the time of 
his death. He was very fond of outdoor sports, 
and it was while on a bass fishing trip during 
the wet days of October that he contracted a 
cold which was followed by pneumonia. He 1s 
survived by Mrs. Burkhard. 
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