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CAROLINA SPORTS

B? "'

LAND AND WATEU ;

INCLUDING

©KVIL-FISHING, ^f ILP-CAT, DEEll, AND BE All HUNTING, &c.

BY THE HON. WM. ELLIOTT,

OF SOUTH CAKOLINA.

LONDON:

lUCHAED BENTLEY, NEW BUllLINaTOX STREET.
1867.

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^^"^

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INTKODUCTION.

A FEW words of introduction may be permitted to
one who has read these pages with a special interest.
To all who rejoice in invigorating sports^ whether of
the land or waters, the work will commend itself by
the vivid pictures it photographs — by the stirring
incidents related — the bright and genial spirit that
glows upon the page — nor less, too, by the novelty
of the sport. Usually, in works of this nature, we
are constrained to hunt in a circle, pursuing round
and round the same game through very similar inci-
dents. Here, the scenes described will be to most
readers entirely new; few will ever have heard of
the great " Vampire of the Ocean,^^ that figures so
largely in the sport.

A word of him, so full of life and spirit, by whom

924755 "

IV INTRODUCTION.

these pages were penned. In the touching and
beautiful eulogy on the late General Elliott, ad-
dressed by the Hon. W. H. Trescott to the legislature
of South Carolina^ the writer of the following work
is described as — " one of many and varied accom-
plishments— ^for many years a member of the State
Senate — the companion of Pettigru and Grayson in
the hours of lettered leisure — the hero of many a
woodland chase — and the model of every Beaufort
boy who for the first time waded into the surf at
Bay Point, to throw his line for Bass, or saw with
trembling eagerness the great wings of the Devil
Fish flash on the broad waters of Port Royal.^^
Such was William Elliott, a member of one of those
Southern families that formed the nobility of iVme-
rica.

General J^^lliott, the heroic and glorious defender
of Fort Sumter ; Bishop Elliott, known in Europe as
well as America, and beloved and revered wherever
known; William Elliott, the buoyant spirit of
these pages — no one of them survives his country\««
fall. The cordial and graceful hospitality of otlier
days ; the bold spirit tempered by refinement ; the

INTKODUCTIOX. T

hereditary wealth and elegant culture — these are
now memories of the past. The scenes described
but a few years ago, glorying in sunshine and beauty,
tire now but silent desolation : the hospitable hearth
is now roofless and cold. Even as Rachel, the
South sits mourning for her children, and will not
be comforted. Who can recall them from the
grave ?

The calamities which have befallen a great people —
whose only impulse was that desire for self-govern-
ment, ever regarded as a noble aspiration — are
amongst events occurring in these days that are
inscrutable to our judgment. We live in an era
when right, reason, justice have come to be treated
as things obsolete and efffete — when brute force and
success are the idols before which all are to bow
down and worship. But there are those who believe
that, though the principles of truth and justice may
thus be trampled down for a season, the time will
come when, being imperishable, they will reappear,
and command again the reverence of mankind.
When that time shall come, the world will do justice
to the rights which the people of the South attempted

VI INTRODUCTION.

to defend ; and though defeated now and prostrate,
men of such a race^ possessing the material resources
of such a country, will create a future greater than
the i)ast, and enriched with names and deeds and
memories that can never die.

LlVEKPOOL,

Aiigust, 1867.

PREFACE,

Several of the Sketches, which go to compose the pre-
sent volume, have already been published under the signa-
tures of "Piscator" and "Venator." Their reception
has been so flattering, that the author has been induced
to republish them, and to enlarge the collection by the
addition of other Sketches, now for the first time given
to the public.

Possibly he deceives himself, in thinking that the same
favor will be shown to the present collection, as was shown
to the " disjecta membra,*' when they severally appeared.
In commending a single picture one may happen to be
determined less by the skill of the artist than by the
novelty of the subject, or by some other adventitious cir-
cumstance— an advantage that cannot avail him, if he
offers a whole gallery to your inspection. Here they
stand, however, and the public must decide upon them !

He owes an apology to the companions of his sports, for
the occasional introduction of their names. He has done
so, because it has pleased a number of those who have
read the published portion of these Sketches, to consider
them as ingenious fables, rather than truthful narratives —
an error which could effectually be put at rest, only by
the publication of the true names of all the parties con-
cerned

CONTENTS.

PiGB

Devil Flslung, . » . . . • . . i i
The Sea-Scrpeiit, . . . '• . • .105

Drum Fishing, . ' 122

Bass Fishing, I3C>

Shcepshead Fishing, 144

A Wild-Cat Hunt in Carolina, 157

A Day at Chee-ha, ' .170

Another Day at Chee-ha, . . . . • ,181
A Business Day at Chee-ha, . . . . • 193

The Last Day at Chee-ha, 214

The Fire Hunter, 244

Of the Animals of Chase in South Carol! 11a, . . 260
Of the Birds which are the objects of Spor:, . . 270
Random Thoughts on Hunting, 277

CAROLINA SPORTS.

CAROLINA ^S^FO&m^^^

DEVIL FISHING.

Ah, Jean Kibanlt ! — when, in 1562, thy bark,
long tossed by tempests, found anchorage at last
within the sheltered harbor of Port Eoyal, and
thine eye rested, where no European eye had
rested before, on the sweet woodland scenery that
encompassed it about — what exulting thoughts
must have' been thine ? When, gazing with plea-
sure on that broad expanse of water — so wide,
as the memoir of your voyage, yet preserved to us,
expresses it, "that the greatest ships of France,
yea, the argosies of Venice, may enter there in
safety" — and with admiration, at the gigantic pines
that towered above the sin-rounding forests ; while
oaks, festooned with grey moss, or wreathed with
yellow jessamine, bathed their magnificent limbs

in the ocean spray — and the queenly magnolia

1 11

12 DEVIL FISHING.

flung tlie perfume of her white blossoms far over
the murmuring waters — and herds of deer and
buffalo l)]:o'.vv:se:d^ linconscious of fear, on the luxu-
riant herbage-^an4'l?irds of unknown plumage and
:r^i(iriYdifed»YQi§Q'5»'ilu,ttered and carolled among the
trees — ^what pleasant fancies must have crowded
upon thy mind ! and who but must sympathize in
thy emotions — thou pioneer and file-leader of the
Huguenots ?

The deep, too, had its attractions. " We took
to our nets," says the same memoir, " and caught
such a number of fish, that it was wonderful."
Yet, half of these wonders was not guessed at by
the ancient mariner, who first visited these w^aters.
How few could they have seen, compared with the
uncounted varieties that must have escaped the
sweep of their nets ! There was the golden bass ;
and the drum, with its mysterious, and, to a
stranger, its startling sound ; the porpoise, showing
its back above the water; and the unseen and
unsuspected tribes that thronged the depths below ;
the sting-ray, with its jagged spine ; the saw-fish ;
the omnivorous shark; and mightiest, strangest,
most formidable among them all for its strength,
the demlrfifsh ; then rarely seen, and deemed, even
down to our own times, scarcely less fabulous than
the Norwegian kraken 1

DEVIL FISHING. 13

But, do you knoWj gentle reader, what a devil-
fish IS? Perhaps you never saw one, even in a
museum! Imagine, .then, a monster measuring
from sixteen to twenty feet across the back, full
three feet in depth, having powerful yet flexible
flaps or wings, with which he drives himself
furiously through the water, or vaults high into air :
his feelers (commonly called horns) projecting seve-
ral feet beyond his mouth, and paddling all the
small fry, that constitute his food, into that enor-
mous receiver — and you have an idea, an imperfect
one, of this curious flsh, which annually, during
the summer months, frequents our southern sea-
coast.

It is quite possible that, in the course of my

sporting excursions, I have been brought more in

contact with the devil-fish than any man living ;

and I trust, therefore, that I may escape the charge

of presumption, in pretending to interest you with

what I have remarked as peculiar in the habits of

this fish, as well as with the method which I have

successfully adopted in his capture. But, before

we proceed thus far, I Will ask your perusal of an

essay, which, though it sometimes substitutes the

conjectural for the positive, may nevertheless serve

as an introduction to the less spirited, but more

authentic sketches which are to follow.
1-2

14 DEVIL FISHING.

There was a vague tradition in the family, that
my grandfather had, on a certain occasion, sallied
forth from his plantation (washed by the waters of
Port Eoyal Sound) and captured one of these sea
monsters. When a boy, I gathered from a garru-
lous old family servant, that an African, named
" May," had been the spearsman on the occasion,
and had actually leaped on the back of the fish,
with his harpoon. From these hints, I composed
the following devil-fish story, which was contri-
buted to " Skinner's Sporting Magazine," and pub-
lished in the fourth number of the first volume :

FISHING EXTKAOEDINARY.

Beaufort, S. G,
To the Editor of the Sporting Magazine.

Sik: I am a hereditary sportsman, and
inherit the tastes of my grandfather, as well as his
lands. Whoever has seen the beautiful bay on
which they are seated (known on the map as Port
Koyal Sound), with its transparent waters stocked
with a variety of sea-fish, while the islands, that
gird it in, abound in deer and other game — will
confess that it is a position well calculated to draw
out whatever sporting propensities may have been
implanted in us by nature.

Perceiving the relish with which some of your
contributors talk of their capture of perch and

DEVIL FISHESTG. 10

trout of two pounds weight, and other fish of that
calibre, I am tempted to give you an account of
the sport enjoyed by my grandfather; and which
bears the same relation to your lauded trout-fishing
as a Bengal tiger hunt to a match at snipes.

There is a fish which annually visits the bay I
have desci*ibed, from May till August, but in
smaller numbers than formerly. It is described by
Linnaeus as of the genus Kay, species dio-don. It
is called by Dr. Mitchell (not without reason, from
the bat-like structure of his flaps, or wings), " the
vampire of the ocean." It is known with us as
the '' devil-fish." Its structure indicates great mus-
cular power ; it has long, angular wings, a capa-
cious mouth — hut the greatest singularity of its
formation consists in its arms (or horns, as they are
called), which extend on each side of the mouth,
and serve as feeders. Its size, with us, is from
fourteen to twenty-five feet, measured across the
back transversely. Its longitudinal measurement
is less. Valliant describes this fish as reaching the
size of fifty feet, on the coast of Africa ; but Val-
liant was a traveller ! I am a sportsman merely,
Mr. Editor, and claim no charter to exceed the
truth. I must own, then, that the largest I have
seen and measured was but eighteen feet across the
' back, from three to four feet thick, as it lay on the

16 DEVIL FISHING.

ground, had horns or feeders three feet in length,
curiously articulated at the ends, so as to resemble
the fingers of the human hand when clenched, and
enjoyed an amplitude of mouth suflBcient to admit
of its receiving two aldermen abreast, had it
relished such a quintessence of turtle !

It is the habit of this fish to ply these arms
rapidly before its mouth while it swims, and to
clasp with the utmost closeness and obstinacy what-
ever body it has once inclosed. In this way, the
boats of fishermen have often been dragged from
their moorings, and overset by the devil-fish having
laid hold of the grapnel. It was in obeying this
peculiarity of their nature, that a shoal of these
fish, as they swept by in front of my grandfather's
residence, would sometimes, at flood-tide, approach
so near to the shore as to come in contact with the
water fence, the firm posts of which they would
clasp, and struggle to uptear, till they lashed the
water into a foam with their powerful wings. This
bold invasion of his landmarks my grandfather
determined to resent. He launched his eight-
oared barge, prepared his tackle, notified his neigh-
bors of his plan, and waited patiently for the next
appearance of his enemies. It was not many days
before they reappeared, to renew their sports. He
then manned his boat, and soon glided with muffled

DEVIL FISHING- 17

oars into the midst of the shoal. " May/' said my
grandfather to his favorite African slave, who acted
as his harpooner, "look out for the leader, and
strike a sure blow." "Let me 'lone for dat,
massa," said " May," as, staff in hand, he planted
his foot firmly on the bow of the barge. He stood
there but a second, when, grasping his staff in both
hands, he sprang into the air, and descended
directly on the back of the largest devil-fish, giving
the whole weight of his body to the force of the
stroke ! The weapon sunk deep into the body of the
fish, and before he had tightened the rope, "May"
had already swam to the boat, laid his hands on
the gunwale, and been dragged on board by his
fellow-blackies, who were delighted at his exploit.

The fish now dashed off furiously, with the barge
in tow. The bugle sounded the concerted signal.
The planters manned their boats to intercept the
barge ; and each boat, as it arrived, was lashed
alongside of the barge, so that, shortly, a small
fleet. of boats was drawn swiftly along with the tide.
They approached so near my grandfather's door,
that he ordered a bowl of arrack punch to be pre-
pared and sent on board. It soon arrived to refresh
and exhilarate the sportsmen of the little squadron.
To conclude my story, the fish was wearied out,
drawn to the top of the water, speared to death,

18 DEVIL FISHING.

and, when landed on the beach, measured twenty
feet across the back.

I suspect, Mr. Editor, if the truth were told, we
have few sportsmen who would venture on the
daring feat of the African "May." Had he
belonged to the Saxon or Norman race, he had
probably been knighted, and allowed to quarter on
his shield the horns of the devil-fish, in token of
his exploit ! As it is, his praise had almost been
unsung, " sacro quia caret vate."

Our modern sportsmen, far from attacking, are
content to be let alone by these devil-fish. But
two instances to the contrary have occurred within
my recollection. The first eventuated in a sound
ducking to the parties xjoncerned: the last was
more curious. A respectable planter, named Jones,
who was remarkable for mechanical ingenuity, was
in the habit of amusing himself, during the long
days of the summer solstice, in constructing curious
self-invented pieces of mechanism. Like a thousand
others, he attempted the discovery of perpetual
motion ; at one time the mystery was detected in
the shifting buckets of the self-tending Chinese
wheel ; at another, he had solved it by quicksilver,
included in revolving wheels, applied so as to force
down one side with such vigorous impulse as to drive
up its opposite — after the manner in which our Yan-

DEVIL FISHING. 19

kee stage-drivers ascend their short hills. Still this
fugacious problem escaped his grasp, and the unpro-
pitiated monster, friction, like the malicious Genius
in the Arabian tale, was ever thrusting in his Gor-
gon head, and converting motion into immobility.

It happened that Jones, while engaged in these
inqniries, had gone to Beaufort in his small boat,
manned with but two oars, and met, on his return
to his plantation (which lay near the sea), two
devil-Jlshj disporting themselves on the surface of
the water, as innocently as if they had been angel-
fish — ^now showing the dark hues of their broad
backs, now thrusting np a horn, now vibrating a
wdng, and now impelling their enormous mass high
in air by the lever of their powerful wings. Jones
was a sportsman to the backbone ; he cast a glance
at the smallness of his boat, bnt it was a glance
only ; his eye rested on his bright harpoon, which
lay invitingly at his side. He sprang forward,
secured his line to the head of the boat, and darted
his harpoon at the nearest of the sportive monsters.
A violent fall, at full length, into the bottom of the
boat, as it shot forward almost from beneath his
feet, was the first indication he received that his
aim had been good ; and, casting upward his eyes,
he beheld his little boat buried, as it were, in the
waters, while the divided waves curled over it, but

20 DEVIL FISHING.

fell not (sucIl was tlie rapidity of its motion) till
tliey were fairly left astern. His oarsmen, like
prudent fellows, had taken, 'tlirougli clioice, tlie
j)osition wliicli tlieir master had adopted through
necessity, and quietly prostrated themselves in the
bottom of the boat, where they rightly supposed
their situation was safest.

There is much that is pleasant in the excitation
of violent motion ! So thought Dr. Johnson. It is
probable Jones would have added the proviso, " so
long as the motion is under our regulation." It
was not until some minutes had elapsed, that he
had the presence of mind, or the power, to crawl
from his recumbent posture, and occupy his appro-
priate seat at the stern, where, however, he soon
settled himself, and enjoyed the whole luxury of
his situation. The wind fanned his ftice, his hair
streamed off at right angles from his head, and the
water foamed furiously about the stem, as the boat,
impelled by this more than Triton, darted through
the waters with the speed of an arrow. And now
he a]3proached his home, and he rejoiced to see that
several of his friends were assembled on the bluff
to welcome his return. But what was their amaze-
ment, to behold and recognize Jones, seated upright
in the stern of his boat, which seemed to fly through
the waters without the aid of oar, oarsmen, sail or

DEVIL FISHESTG. 21

steam, or any apparent or visible impulsion.
Amazement was tlieir first emotion — -joy was their
second — and tliey sliouted forth in triumph, as the
thought suddenly flashed upon them, Jones has
discovered jper^etual motion ! He shouted to
them for assistance : " Man me a boat, my friends ;
hasten to my rescue." His voice, tremulous from
excitement, or drowned by distance, never reached
their ears. He waved his hat, and sliouted again ;
hats vv^aved in return, and a triumphant shout
responded from his friends — ^but no boat put off, no
rescue came ! Que faut il faire ? He had even to
do, as many a shrewd politician has done before
him, lie still, and watch some favorable turn of
affairs. "These violent motions," thought he,
" must have an end, and even devil-fish must tire.
Friction, at least, that has so often foiled me, now
stands my friend." The fish did pause at last, but
not till the boat had been hurried quite out of the
harbor, and was floating on the waters of the v/ide
Atlantic. It was then that our sportsman left his
position at the stern, where his weight had been
necessary to preserve the equipoise, and cut off,
with his penhnife, the line which bound him to his
formidable companion. The oars had been lost
overboard in the melde ; the sail, however, remained
to waft him to his home. But it was late at night

23 DEVIL FISHING.

when he arrived, exhausted by excitement and
fatigue, and explained to his anxious friends the
mystery of his unintelligible, but fortunately for
him, not jperjpetual motion !

PiSCATOR.

To guard against misconstruction, I here repeat,
that a few leading incidents only of this story are
founded in trutli, and that the rest is to be con-
sidered merely as a fancy-sketch ; but, in making
this admission, I wish it at the same time distinctly
to be understood that in all the sketches that
follow, I shall confine myself strictly to the facts —
that I shall admit no fanciful embellishments — that
I shall report nothing which did not actually
happen — and that the only license that I shall
permit myself, will be that of selection. I shall not
hesitate, of course, to reject and shut out such
unmeaning incidents as could have no other effect
than to clog and give tediousness to my narrative.

It was during the month of August, 1837, that,
attended by my children, and by several friends,
whose inducements were change of air and the
benefit of sea-bathing, I made an excursion to Bay
Point, a small summer settlement situated at the
northeastern outlet of Port Eoyal Sound. There,

DEVIL FISHING. 23

for the first time, I witnessed the sporting of these
sea monsters on the sm-face, and conceived the idea
of taking them with the harpoon. How this pur-
pose was carried into eflfect, will appear from the
statement copied from the " Charleston Mercury,"
and dated 17th August, 1837.

Bay Point, Au^. 11 thy 1837.
To John A. Stuart, Esq. :

I give you a hasty narrative of an aftair which
took place yesterday, between your humble servant
and a devil-fish. It is due to you, as a native of
this region, to whom all the localities are familiar
— as a sportsman every inch, to whom such narra-
tives will be a pleasure, and furthermore, as having
in some sort provoked the adventure, by a recent
boast of your own exploits in the fishing line.

On Saturday, the — August, taking advantage
of a short cessation in the storms that signalized
the week, I crossed from Bay Point to Hilton Head,
on a visit. In the course of the excursion, I saw
eight devil-fish sporting on the surface of the
water. One, directly in the track of my boat, as I
spanked away under a press of sail. He thrust up
both wings a foot above the surface, and kept them
steadily erect, as if to act for sails. I liked not the
cradle thus offered me, and veered the boat, so as

24: DEVIL FISHIXG.

just to miss liim. He never budged, and I passed
so near, as easily to have harpooned him, if the
implements had been at hand.

The devil-fish (in numbers thus unusual), had
doubtless run into the inlet to escape the gales ; for
from repeated observations, I am persuaded that
fish are provided with an instinct, by which they
are forewarned of convulsions in their proper ele-
ment.

The sight of these fish disturbed my rest, and I
felt uncomfortable, until 1 found myself planning
an attack and providing myself with the needful
apparatus. A harpoon, two inches wide in the
barb, between two and three feet in the shank (a
regular whaler), was turned out from the work-
shop of Mr. Mickler. Forty fathoms of half-inch
rope were purchased and stretched. To one end
the harpoon was firmly attached ; the other, pass-
ing through a hole cut in the bottom of a tub,
in which the rope was carefully coiled, was to be
^ fastened to the forecastle. A six-oared boat was
inspected, new thwarted, and new thole-pinned;
and a clete nailed firmly on the forecastle to sup-
port the right foot of the harpooner. A day was
fixed, and friends and sportsmen were invited to
repair to the field of action ; but the weather was
unpropitious, and but two boats appeared.

DEVIL FISHIKa. 25

At six o'clock on Wednesday, the 16tli August,
we started from Bay Point on our cruise for devil-
fish. In my boat, manned by six oarsmen and a
steersman, I was accompanied by my son, a youth
under eighteen. In the second boat were G. P. E.,
and W, C, Esqrs., with a crew of four men. The
•armament of the larger consisted, besides the har-
poon, of a lance, hatchet, and rifle ; that of the
smaller boat, was two bayonets fixed in long
staves (the line which was to have been rigged to
a second harpoon, having been swept away with
a sharp hook attached, by an overwhelming spring
tide the night before). We stretched away before
a fresh northeaster, for the Bay gall on Hilton
Head, and then struck sail and made all snug for
action. Masts, sails, awnings, were all stowed
away in the bottom of the boat, the anchor with
its rope, was transferred to the platform for trim,
and that nothing should interfere with our running
gear. Here a large shoal of porpoises came plun-
ging about us ; the harpoon was poised, but none
came within striking distance ; and after being tan-
talized by this show of unexpected sport, a rifle
shot among them sent them booming off, and left
us leisure to pursue our proper game.

We rowed slowly along between the Bay gall
breaker and the shore, on the early ebb, expecting

26 DEVIL FISHINa.

to meet the devil-fish on their return from Skull
Creek, the scene of their high water gambols.
The smaller boat, with outspread sails, stretched
off and on, traversing the same region, but on dif-
ferent lines. No fish were seen. We advanced in
front of Mrs. E.'s avenue, and took another survey,
and thus slowly extended the cruise to Skull Creek,
while our consort stretched away as far as Pinck-
ney's Island. The ebb was half spent, and we
began to despair. I landed on the beach at Hilton
Head, yet kept the boat afloat, and two hands on
the lookout. Before a quarter of an hour had
elapsed, ''There," cried our lookout man. I fol-
lowed the direction of his hand — it pointed to
Skull Creek channel, and I saw the wing of the
fish two feet above water. There was no mis-
taking it — ^it was a devil-fish. One shout sum-
mons the crew to their posts — ^the red flag is raised
to signal our consort — the oarsmen spring to their
oars — and we dashed furiously onward in the di-
rection in which we had seen him. Once ao^ain
before we had accomplished the distance, he ap-
peared a moment on the surface.

The place of harpooner I had not the generosity
to yield to any one ; so I planted myself on the
forecastle, my left leg advanced, my right sup-
ported by the clete, my harpoon poised, and three

k

DEYIL FISHDra. 27

fathoms of rope lying loose on the thwart behind
me. Tlie interest of the moment was intense ;
my heart throbbed audibly, and I scarcely
breathed, while expecting him to emerge from
the spot yet rippled by his wake. The water was
ten fathoms deep, but so turbid that you could not
see six inches beneath the surface. We had small
chance of striking him while his visits to the sur-
face were so sudden and so brief. " There he is
behind us!" ''Starn all"— and our oarsmen, as
before instructed, backed with all their might.
Before we reached the spot he was gone ; but soon
reappeared on our right, whisking round us with
great velocity, and with a movement ' singularly
eccentric. He crossed the bow — his wing only is
visible — on which side is his body? I hurled
down my harpoon with all my force. After the
lapse of a few seconds, the staff came bounding up
from below, to show me that I had missed. In the
twinkling of an eye, the fish flung himself on his
back, darted under the boat, and showed himself
at the stern, helly iij), Tom clapped his unarmed
hands with disappointment as the fish swept by
him where lie stood on the platform, so near that
he might have pierced him with a sword ! And
now the fish came wantoning about us — taking no
note of our presence, circling round us, witli

28 DEVIL FISHING.

amazing rapidity, yet showing nothing but the tip
of his wing. "We dashed at him whenever he ap-
peared, but he changed position so quickly, that
we were always too late. Suddenly his broad
black back was lifted above the water directly be-
fore our bow. " Forward-!" the oarsmen bend to
the stroke, but before we could gain our distance,
his tail flies up, and he is plunging downward for
his depths. I could not resist — ^I pitched my har-
poon, from the distance of full thirty feet. It went
whizzing through the air, and cleaved the water
just beneath the spot where the fish had disap-
peared. My companions in our consort (who had
now approached within fifty yards) observed the
staff quiver for a second before it disappeared be-
neath the surface of the water. This was unob-
served by myself, and I was drawing in my line
to prepare for a new throw, when ho ! the line
stopped short ! " Is it possible ? I have him — the
devil-fish is struck !" Out files the line from the
bow — a joyful shout bursts from our crew — our
consort is lashed to our stern — ^E. and C. spring
aboard — and here we go ! driven by this most
diabolical of locomotives.

Thirty fathoms are run out, and I venture a turn
round the stem. The harpoon holds, and he leads
gallantly off for Middle Bank — the two boats in

DEVIL FISHING. 29

tow. He puslied dead in the eye of a stiff north-
easter. His motion is not so rapid as we expected,
but regular and business-like — ^i^eminding one of the
motion of a canal boat drawn by a team of stout
horses. On Middle Bank he approached the sur-
face— the rifle is caught up, but soon laid aside as
useless, for no vulnerable part appeared. We then
drew upon the line, that we might force him to the
surface and spear him — ^I soon found that was no
fun. " Tom, don't you want to play a devil-fish ?
I have enough to last me an hour, so here's my
place, if you desire it." Behold me now reclined
on the stern seat, taking breath after my pull, and
lifting my umbrella to repel the heat of the sun.
It was very pleasant to see the woods of Hilton
Head recede, and the hammocks of Paris Island
grow into distinctness, as we moved along ^under
this novel, and yet unjpatented impelling power !
" You will find this melon refreshing, friends ! at
twelve o'clock, let us take a glass of wine to our
success. Tom, why don't you pull him up ?" Tom
held up his hands, from which the gloves had been
stripped clean by the friction of the rope. " We'll
put three men to the line and bouse on him." He
comes ! George seizes the lance, but the devil-fish
stops ten feet below the surface, and can't be coaxed

nearer. George sinks his long staff in the direction

2-2

30 DEVIL FISHING.

of tlie line, feels tlie fish, and plunges the lance into
him. It is flung out of his body, and almost out
of the hand of the spearsman, by the convulsive
muscular effort of the fish. When drawn up, the
iron was found bent like a reaping hook, and the
staff broken in the socket. The fish now quickened
his speed, and made across Daws' Channel for
Paris Bank.

" Just where we would have you, my old boy —
when we get you near Bay Point Beach, it will be
so convenient to land you !" He seems to gather
velocity as he goes ; he gets used to his harness ;
points for Station Creek, taking the regular steam-
boat track. As soon as he gains the deep channel,
he turns for Bay Point. "ISTow, then, another
trial — a bouse on him." Three fellows are set to
the rope — ^his wing Appears — C aims his bay-
onet, and plunges it deep into his body — another
shudder of the fish, and the bayonet snaps short off
at the eye — ^the blade remains buried in his body.
" Now for it, George !" His bayonet is driven in,
and, at the second blow, that is snapped off in the
blade. Here we are unweaponedl our rifle and
hatchet useless, our other implements broken!
" Give him rope, boys, until we haul off and repair
damages." At every blow we had dealt him, his
power seemed to have increased, and he now swept

DEVIL FISHING. 31

down for Egg Bank, with a speed that looked omi-
nous. " Out oars, boys, and pull against him."
The tide was now flood — the wind still fresh, had
shifted to the east ; six oars were put out and pulled
lustily against him, yet he carried us rapidly sea-
ward, against all these impeding forces. He seemed
to suck in fresh vigor from the ocean water.
George meanwhile was refitting the broken imple-
ments; the lance w^as fixed in a new staff, and
secured by a tie of triple drum line ; the broken
blade of the bayonet was fixed on another staff.
Egg Bank was now but one hundred yards to our
left. "Eow him ashore, boys." The devil-fish
refused, and drew the whole concern in the oppo-
site direction. " Force him, then, to the surface."
He popped uj) unexpectedly under the bow, lifted
one wdng four feet in the air, and bringing it sud-
denly down, swept off every oar from the starboard
side of the boat ; they were not broken, but
Vv^renched out of the hands of the oarsmen as by an
electric shock. One man was knocked beneath
the thwarts by the rebound of an oar, and was laid
almost speechless on the platform — quite hors de
corribat. Fresh hands are brought from the smaller
boat ; the fish now leads off with thirty fathoms of
rope — ^he steers for Joyner's Bank. Bay Point re-
ceeds. Egg Bank disappears, Chaplin's Island lies

32 DEVIL FISHING.

behind us, and Hilton Head again approaches, but
it is the eastern face of the island that now presents
itself. The breakers of the Gaskin Bank begin to
loom in onr horizon, and this is done against wind,
tide and oar ! A doubt of capturing the fish began
now to steal over our minds, and show itself in our
faces ; our means of assailing so powerful an an-
tagonist, were too inadequate ; nothing remained
but to bouse on him once more, and endeavor to
dispatch him with the weapons that remained to
us. Three fresh hands took the rope, and after
giving him a long run to weary him to the utter-
most, we succeeded in drawing him to the surface.
He lay on his back without motion — and we looked
on victory as certain. The socket of the harpoon
appeared sticking out, from the helly of the fish :
the whole shank was buried in his body. "We saw
neither tail nor head, nor horns, nor wings — no-
thing but an unsightly white mass, undistinguished
by member or feature. After a moment's pause,
to single out some spot for a mortal blow, I plunged
the lance, socket and all, into the centre of this
white mass. The negroes who held the line of the
harpoon took a turn round the gunwale, to prevent
its slipping. The boat lurched with the swell of
the sea — and the moment the dead weight of the
fish, unsupported by the water, was felt, the har-

DEVIL FISHING. 33

poon tore out ! An instant before, I saw it driven
to tlie socket in the body of the fish, the next, it
was held np in air in the hands of the negro, bent
like a scythe. There was time, if there had been
presence of mind, to plunge it anew into the fish,
which floated a second or two on the surface. The
moment was lost ! I will not attempt to describe
the bitter disappointment that pervaded the party.
For a moment, only, a faint hope revived ; my
lance, secured by a cord, was still in his body — it
might hold him ! " Clear my line, boys !" Alas !
the weight of the fish is too much for my tackle —
the line flies through my hand — ^is checked — the
socket of the lance is drawn through the orifice by
which it entered — and tliefisli is gone ! We spoke
not a word, but set our sails, and returned to
the beach at Bay Point. We felt like mariners,
who, after a hard conflict, had sunk a gallant
adversary at sea — ^yet saved not a single tropliy
from the wreck to serve as a memorial of their
exploit.

Yet, keenly as we felfc our disappointment, there
is not one of us who would willingly have been
elsewhere — and the pleasurable excitement of our
three hours' run, will be remembered to the end of
our lives.

We struck the fish at eleven o'clock, a mile

34 DEVIL FISHING.

below Skull Creek, and lost him at two, near tlie
tail of Joyner's Bank, four miles below Bay Point.
His course was first northeast, then southeast, then
south by east. The direct run, taking no note of
his occasional deviations, was fifteen miles. He
was struck in the belly, from which it would appear
lie was executing a somersault, when reached by
the harpoon. The harpoon must have passed
through to his back, or it could not have resisted
the tremendous pressure applied for three hours.
It entered probably not far from the insertion of
the tail, and passed out near the back bone, for the
rapidity of his motion was striking before he was
harj^ooned, but afterward he seemed to eifect more
l)y gravity than by velocity. The entire fish was
at no time seen — ^his size must be matter of conjec-
ture: fourteen feet across the back, I think no ex-
travagant calculation. How much gratified should
we be if he should float ashore and terminate these
conjectures, for we cannot doubt but that he has
been 'killed^ though not ca^titred.

Our oarsman, injured in the aff*ray, has been bled,
and is doing well — so that nothing remains to mar
our satisfaction, but the loss of our fish. But stop,
Mr. Editor — ^while I am penning this line, a devil-fish
is flouncing along the shore, under my very nose, as
if in bravado. By the ghost of Lignum vitce^ I will

DEVIL FISHING. 35

try another turn with him as soon as my tackle can
be repaired !

PiSCATOK.

The threat with which this narrative concluded
was soon carried into execution. On the 25th day
of August, 1837, three boats appeared at the rendez-
vous at Bay Point, fully equipped for the sport, and
commenced a cruise, full of exciting incident, and,
as will appear in the sequel, eminently successful.
In my own boat, I was accompanied by Edmund
Ehett, Esq., and by my son, Thos. E. S.Elliott, and
.cousin, Jas. H. Elliott — mere youths, but not on that
account th-e less eager for the sport. In the next
boat were G, P. Elliott, Wm. Cuthbert, John G.
Barnwell, and Kobt. W. Barnwell, Esqrs. The
third boat was occupied by Ed. B. Means and Wil-
liam Jenkins, youths likewise, and amateur observers
rather than actors in the scene. I did not write or
publish any account of this day's adventure, at the
time, for several reasons. One was that I was
known under my assumed signature of " Piscator,"
the mask was no longer a disguise ; and I feared
that even a truthful narrative of adventures, in
which I bore so large a part, might be construed
into an offensive egotism ; another was that two
several versions were published, by others who were

36 DEVIL FISHING.

present, and eye-witnesses of the facts tliey narrated.
The first was published in the ''Charleston Mercury,"
in the form of a letter, dated Beaufort, Sept. 2d,
1837 ; and the second appeared in the April num-
ber of the " Southern Literary Journal," year 1838,
and page 267. The reader, who will discover with
what spirited touches and masterly strokes this last
named article abounds, will readily excuse me for
adopting so large a portion of it, instead of writing
out the story de novo.

'^ DEVIL FISHING.

''Beaufort, S. O,

" After all, there is no sport the world over, like the
fisherman's. What of your horse-racing, theatre-gazing,
or tripping it down, of a hot summer's night, to the clat-
ter of noteless pianos, split clarionets, cold iron triangles,
and crazy tambourines ? No I Give me a tight boat,
clean tackle, a few jolly friends, and a warm, pleasant sky,
and adieu, ladies and gentlemen, to your dry-land pastimes,
as you have.no zest for what are far richer, I assure you,
if they are more dearly bought. Pardon me, if I can't
dance to your piping — the fashion of the thing is gone —
the soul that once animated it is dead, and is to have, for
us, no resurrection.

" Those who know anything of our coast, will recollect
the beautiful frith called the Broad River, which comes up at
about latitude 32^ between Hilton Head and Jenkins' Island.

DEVIL FISHm». 37

for some miles into the interior ; its margin at a distance
fringed with tall green wood, descending to the water's
edge, and varied here and there by clusters of white
houses grouping in the prospect like fleets of sail at anchor,
or by the glitter of a tributary river flowing down from
the rich inlands beyond, or perhaps by an occasional
glimpse of a cool vista, leading the eye up to some cheer-
ful retreat of hospitable wealth. All this region had been
the theatre of many a revolutionary adventure, not yet
passed from the memories of the living. But of late years.
Broad Kiver was famous chiefly for its fine fishing. Drum
in the spring, bass in autumn, and so on through the sea-
sons. But a new object was now drawing the eyes of the
curious. A nondescript creature, unlike anything before
heard of in the heavens above, or the earth beneath, had
been seen twirling his giant form, bat-like, along the
shores, now protruding his broad flaps in graceful curves
above the surface and now starting with the nimbleness of
a silver-fish, his full length into the air, and returning in a
cloud of spray and foam into his native depths. Some
called it the vampire, others the devil-fish, and not a few,
shaking their heads significantly, wished to know how it
came to pass, that some one (nameless to ' ears polite ') had
so much more countenance in these parts than formerly.
Marvellous, too, were the tales of his doings in Broad
Eiver. He once took up the anchor of an eight-oared
boat, without the least provocation, and made off to sea
with it, in spite of the outcries and struggles of the occu-

[]8 DEVIL FISHING.

pants, whom he would undo ibtedly have left to the care
of Providence among the breakers, but for the arrival of
friends just in time to save the shivering adventurers from
the gripe of their adversary. It was also said, on the
very best authority, that a fisherman once ran his boat
aground on

" * Him haply slumbering on the Norway foam,'

and was about ' casting anchor on his scaly rind,' * deem-
ing him some island,' when dash went the oars, and away
bounced the insulted monster, leaving the ^night-foundered
skiff' tilting and trembling like a nut-shell in his wake.
Credat Judceus Appdla. All this, however, moved men
not a little. No one dared to approach him in his slum-
ber, or to disturb his solitary gambols over the banks, until
within a week or so, when he was harpooned outright in
in Skull Creek channel^ as he was ' taking his pleasure '
there, and after some hours of hot pursuit, escaped only
by the barbs of the weapon tearing out of his body in the
very crisis of complete conquest. But ' Piscator' was there;
w^hat wonder if the shaft took effect which was wielded by
such a hand I

*' But pciulo majora canamus. The devil-fish might be
taken ; and we resolved to delay the adventure not a
moment. On the morning of the 25th of August, three
boats might be descried moving briskly from the Bay
Point shore across Broad Eiver, two of them furnished
each with a harpoon, lances, cordage, etc., manned by

DEVIL FISHING. - 39

a party of high sph'its, eager for the rapture of this new
but perilous pastime. A number of amateurs had taken
passage in the third boat, which was to lag behind, witii
a view to picking up whatever fell overboard from its com-
panions in the confusion of the scuffle, on condition of
being allowed to be always in a situation to escape season-
ably from danger. The sun was already high ; but a light
breeze which came in from the sea relieved the intensity of
its rays, which descended on our heads through a bright,
liquid sky. The blubber, taking advantage of the flood,
were seen in troops at our side, throbbing their bright,
silky forms toward the banks up the river. A shark now
and then shot his fin across our track, as he dashed into a
shoal of fry, startling the whole glittering tribe into the
air ; while over our heads the sea-gull wended his easy
flight, now swooping gracefully to the surface and then
rising on the wind with his dreary clack, reminding one of
the cry of a doomed spirit.

"We were now moving leisurely along the Hilton
Head shore, looklag out for our foe in one of his old
haunts, about a large trunk which rose black with age and
barnacles, some ten or fifteen feet above water. Not a
sign of him was discovered. We looked in the direction
of Skull Creek, but he was obviously not there, for the sur-
face was as quiet as if he had never ruffled it. A glance
toward the sea at our backs, gave us as little satisfaction.
In the meantime, it was evident from the v/ater-marks on
our left, that the flood v.^as far advanced, and that the

40 DEVIL FISHING.

bank would soon be too deep to reach bim if be came
fishing upon it. Impatience was visible in every coun-
tenance.

" ' The day is fine enough/ said P. ; * they ought to
be hereabouts, for the boys saw them only yester-
day.'

** * I have my doubts/ said another, * as to everything
the rogues tell us, especially if a devil-fish is in the mat-
ter. You know their superstition.'

"'Ah, gentlemen,' exclaimed a third, rising from hiar
seat, and gaping with ennui, *this comes of taking
things too late j you should have followed my advice,
and have come out earlier. As it is, I see we shall have
no sport.'

" ' Look on your right!' shouted a voice from the other
boat.

" The whole party were, in an instant, on their feet.
There they were to be sure. One, two, three, only a few
hundred yards from us, rioting and tumbling fantastically
over each other's wakes.

r ' Where is the harpoon V—' the rifle !'— ' the rifle I'
exclaimed several voices at once.

" * Gentlemen, do be quiet,' said P., as he leaped on
the forecastle, catching up at the same time the harpoon,
which lay on a coil of rope ready for use. * I have seen
some of this service before : pray, go aft, and let me have
a clear swing. By the way, Tom, my son, hold up that
umbrella — there is no merit in spoiling your face unneces-

DEVIL FISHING. il

sarily. Why will you throw av/ay Dr. Muhlenburg's
instructions in this manner ? Now, boys, to your
oars.'

'' A few brisk strokes brought us in the midst of the
play-ground of the devil-fish, over a bank two or three
fathoms deep. No part of their bodies was, however, to
be seen ; nothing but their broad, dingy flaps, their cop-
pered edges glancing to the sun, as they rose and sunk
in graceful parabolas through the turbid brine. All
besides was dark : it was not possible to know where to
strike. Their motions, too, were so rapid and disorderly,
and withal transiently perceptible, that it required our
utmost efforts to shift our boat into available positions.
But our facile jprinceps — the master-spirit of fishermen —
was at the bow. An opportunity at last offered, and
away went the harpoon, and, in a twinkling, the smallest
fish disappeared : he had felt the touch of its keen edge,
and instantly took fright. Another followed his example,
leaving the bank in possession of one, who now seemed
concerned only to show how swiftly and nimbly he could
acquit himself. Instead of emerging, as before, at inter-
vals of a few yards, he took reaches of twenty or thirty
at a time — not one of them on the same line with another
— gyrating, as he went, into the most fantastic attitudes.
At last, the surface was all quiet j every one held his
breath. A heavy whirl appeared at the head of the boat
— what did it mean ? But Piscator knew, and the harpoon
once more took flight, and descending five or six feet into

4:2 - DEVIL FisHma.

the water, stood quivering there for a moment, and then
vanished with the velocity of light.

" ' Habet V shouted a sort of linguist (who was always
boring us with his scrap Latin, to make amends, it was
supposed, for his bad English), as he grasped the line and
huzzaed, until the shore resounded with the music of his
lungs. And it was but too true. The devil-fish, after his
other frolics, had vaulted entirely on his back, and came
floating on the tide, stomach upward ; his white form
reflected along the surface for several yards. A mark so
palpable could hardly escape the stroke of our weapon :
it entered his abdomen about the middle, and cut its way
right down nearly .three feet into his vitals. The line was
clear for him to the extent of thirty fathoms; but, after
running fifteen or twenty, he went plump to the bottom,
defying every eJBTort at removal. At length he gave way,
and after much tugging rose logishly to the top — but da}^-
light inspired him with new strength, and he bounded off
again at the height of his speed. Our man of particles
was now in a sore dilemma. This ' learned Theban ' had
been rude enough to throw the line so carelessly about his
feet, that there was every prospect of his being speedily
caught in its flying tangles, and ducked soundly for his
pains. What was he to do ? A leap or two heavenward
showed that would not answer; so, clearing the forecastle
at a bound, he lit in the body of the boat, with no other
harm done than some commotion among the rigging, a
cry of wonderment from the oarsmen, and sundry ejacula-

DEVIL FISHING. 43

tions of thanksgiving to Providence from himself. The
line now slacked, and the devil-fish was obviously giving
out. He yielded freely to the hand, and, as the last scene
in the drama approached, the boats gathered around to
witness his expiring struggles. The line swayed, and up
he rose, his huge goggles peering out upon us, while his
antennae dangled heavily about, in token of the extremest
exhaustion. One more effort at escape followed ; but it
was too late — the lances were ready, and soon consum-
mated the work of death ; after which, we all joined in
merry procession toward the shore. We drew the devil-
fish on the sands, and found him, on measurement, to be
fifteen feet in width."

Here, then, we have captured onr devil-fish.
He lies stranded on the beach of Hilton Head
Island, at the foot of the Queen's Oak. This
monster, whose existence even was doubted — whose
capture was matter of vague tradition — who had not
been seen and touched by the two preceding genera-
tions of men, to say the least — was here before us in
his proper proportions, palpable to sight, and trod-
den beneath our feet ! "We congratulate each other
on our success, and then betake ourselves to an
exanaination of what was curious or striking in his
conformation. We note with lively surprise his
protruding eyes, his projecting horns, his capacious
mouth, and his complicated machinery for respira-

44r DEVIL FISHING.

tion. We note, too, that like the great ones of the
earth, he is attended by a band of parasites, which,
unlike their prototypes of this earth, remain at-
tached to their patrons after they are stranded.
The pilot-fish, or sucking-fish (properly " remora "),
which followed him into shoal water, adhered so
closely after he was aground, that several suffered
themselves to be taken by the hand.

Having satisfied our own curiosity, our next
thought was to satisfy that of our friends ; and we
hastened to dispatch our fish to Bay Point and
Beaufort. Transferring to our boat the two ama-
teurs who occupied the tender, we supplied her
with our anchors in addition to her own, to secure
her against being drifted to sea, and saw her fairly
off, impelled by sail and oar, with the devil-fish in
tow. Then, turning to examine our tackle, we
found it terribly in disrepair ; the rope knotted and
tangled, the staff splintered, the harpoon bent like
a reaping-hook ! "VYe had scarcely dispatched it ])y
a runner to a neighboring smith, to be set in order,
when a shoal of fish were seen sporting in the chan-
nel abreast of us ! "Have at them," said our com-
panions in the second boat, as their oarsmen sprang
to the oars. " "Wait for us — ^let us still cruise in
company," cried we, in turn. We might have
saved our breath — our companions did not heed us

DEYIL FISHING. 45

— ^the temptation was too strong for weak mortality,
and we saw them bounding on confidently to the
game, of which we were condemned to remain but
the passive and distant spectators. "We followed
them with our eyes, until we beheld our consort in
the midst of a shoal, which kept wantoning about
them. The harpoon is thrown, the boat darts for-
ward, and a black and unsightly object of immense
bulk vaults into the air, at the head of the boat —
then plunges into the depths below, and drags the
boat rapidly in its wake. Meantime we are fuming
with impatience, and while our runner hurries to
us with our harpoon, we scarcely allow ourselves
time to adjust it to the staff, before we push off
from shore — so fearful were we that we should
lose our share of the sport. There was no loitering
by the way, and we soon come within hail.
"What cheer, comrades? Do you need our help?"
"Oh, by no means — we can manage him." "Yery
well, then, we look out for ourselves;" and we
dashed at a fish that was showing himself at inter-
vals astern of the other boat. Again my foot is on
the forecastle — again the harpoon is poised — and,
before five minutes have elapsed, the barb is
planted in him, and we are drawn over the placid
water in nearly the same course with our consort.

To the mere lover of the picturesque, the scene
3-2

46 DEYIL FISHING.

which now presented itself must have been full of
interest; but to every one possessed of the true
spirit of a sportsman, it must have been as exciting
as it was novel ! The winds were hushed, and the
wide expanse of water on which we floated was
smooth as a mirror. The tender, with her devil-
fish in tow, was before us. The tide, still flood, was
drifting her np the river, and out of her desired
course. See ! she has let go her anchors, hauled
her fish close up under her stern, and the boatmen
are beating off with their oars the sharks, that,
having scented the blood, as it fiowed from many a
ghastly wound, can scarcely be deterred by blows
from gorging themselves on the immense but life-
less mass! Further from shore glides the Sea-
GuU — the first energies of the monster fish that
impels her have apparently been tamed down, and
she tacks across the channel, like a barge beating to
windward ! Jests, merriment and laughter are rife
on board of her ; and the mirthful echoes are borne
to ns over the still waters. Behind her is our
own boat — ^whilom the Cotton-Plant, but baptized
anew, after her capture of two hours since — " The
Devil-Fish ;" and her crew, with less noise, but not
with less zest, are enjoying the luxury of the scene !
Three hoats^ each with a devil-fish ! Such are the
compensations, ye sportsmen who inhabit more

DEVIL FISHING. 47

genial climes ! which we find, or make for ourselves^
in latitude 32°, under our blazing sky, when the
sun is peering down vertically upon our heads by
day, and the pestilence is abroad by night !

The fish, meantime, which we had struck, was
moving sluggishly through the water. He had
never drawn out half the rope, and seemed as if he
did not feel, or else disdained the harpoon which
was fastened in him ; when suddenly he darted off
at right angles with his former course. "Hillo
there! give him more rope! How furiously he
goes ! Surely the sharks have scented him, too,
for he rushes on like a stricken buffalo chased by a
gang of prairie wolves. Eope ! give him roj)e !
Head the boat round ! helm down ! pull, starboard
oar !" All in vain : the forty fathoms are out — she
broaches to broadside — something must give way,
or we capsize ! The boat groans in every timber —
the gunwale already kisses the wave — when
shweep ! the harpoon fairly bounds out of the fish
(which the severity of the strain had drawn to the
surface), and flies into the air, as if shot from some
submarine swivel ! The boat rocks fearfully from
side to side, then settles again on an even keel!
The risk and the sport are over at the same instant !
and we draw in our harpoon, which was twisted
into all manner of unserviceable shapes, and row a

48 DEVIL FISHING.

second time to tlie shore to have it repaired. We
landed at Mrs. Elliott's plantation, and refreshed
ourselves with fruits and melons, until our purpose
was effected ; when we sallied forth once more in
quest of sport. The harpoon was now transferred
to the hands of the younger sportsmen; but the
fish had grown shy, showed themselves but seldom,
and then for so short a time, that before we could
succeed in striking another, our attention was drawn
off in a new direction. "We looked for our consort,
and saw her several miles to the east. The sea-
breeze had sprung up — her sails were set, but she
was dragged with ominous speed in a direction
opposite to her intended course. " Yestigia nulla
rctrorsum" — stern foremost, like the beeves of
Cacus, was she wending her way to the den of the
devil-fish. Possibly there is less merriment on
])oard of her than when we parted company ! Pos-
sibly they begin to comprehend the advantage of a
cruise in company ! "No matter ! we must inter-
cept her, before she is carried out to sea.

I here resume the narrative from the " Literary
Journal," which I have interrupted by these re-
marks :

'' One or two hours passed, and our friends had not yet
made any progress toward the capture of then* devil-fish.
Tiiey were, in truth, quite at his mercy. In the first

DEVIL FISHING. 49

instance, he took them over to Paris Island Bank, He
then entered the Beautbrt Kiver, where, after several turns
and returns, as if hesitating what to do, he crossed over to
the St. Helena shore, and coasted along that, until, falling
into the Bay Point channel, he took a steady course for
the ocean. All their efforts to bring him within reach of
the lances, were fruitless : the oars were out, the sails all
set, and a smacking breeze blowing right over the bar : it
was all in vain. Nothing either delayed or diverted his
progress. Having no banks now in his way, it was
obvious that his speed was becoming greater every
moment. Very little of the day, moreover, remained.
The sun was just above the mass of green woods in the
west, sinking majestically into an amphitheatre of bright
clouds, which seemed to heap about him in glorious
homage to his departing rays. Far down in the opposite
direction, the white sails of our companion might be seen
rolling and bending before the wind, as she went helplessly
on toward the breakers. Yet, we were several miles up
the river ! Could we overtake them ? Was it not too
late ? However, not a moment was to be lost. Every
oarlock was filled — every hand grasped an oar — every
sinew strained to the animating task. The devil-fish, after
all, was to be slain by us ! As we approached, the report
of a gun came booming toward us, giving notice of another
device of our friends to check his course. He had, at
last, risen to the surface, and the effect of buckshot was
tried upon him. But if he was touched, it served no

50 DEVIL FISHING.

Other purpose than to quicken his speed. We threw our-
selves on the course of the other boat, some forty or fifty
yards ahead.

" ' Where is the devil-fish V shouted P.

"A sign with the hand directed us some distance
beyond, where we saw indistinctly the wings of the devil-
fish, shooting alternately out to the height of a foot or
more. We were soon over him ; but, with all his skill,
P. could not reach his body. Stroke after stroke failed.
The rocking of the boat, and the exhaustion of the oars-
men, under their constant exertions to keep up with him,
made things still worse. Was he to escape from us after
all ? ' Strike, sir, for the black side of his wing ;' but
the advice was not wanted, for the harpoon was already
deep in him. As before, the devil-fish now went directly
for the bottom ; but we were in the channel, and that
resource could not avail him. He played about for some
time, but we finally succeeded in bringing him up within
six feet of us, where we pierced him with our lances until
life was gone. But no force could lift him higher. By
this time another boat had come from the Point to our
aid, which, with the two we had already, it was thought,
would be quite sufficient to take our fish ashore. The
sails were set, and the oars put out to the number of
eighteen ; the wind, too, was as fair as could be wished —
still there was no headway. The devil-fish was, indeed,
immanageable ; and but for the force of the wind counter-
actmg the outward tendencies of the tide, we must have

DEVIL FISHING. 51

been inevitably swept to sea, or have cut him loose to save
ourselves. Darkness, in the meantime, had set in. The
night was advancing, and we were yet almost stationary.
Our friends on shore, alarmed at our situation, set up
lights for us, which, owing to their dispersion, did more to
confound than guide us. The stars came out ; but
nothing seemed to break the general darkness, except the
agitation of the oars in the water, and the rolling of the
devil-fish, as he now and then emerged on a bed of fire to
the surface. At 9 o^clock, we ran aground upon a shoal,
which proved to be Egg Bank. We were now at a stand,
and a council was called. It was impossible to get the
devil-fish over the bank, for the tide was not high enough;
and the roar of the breakers behind us, added to the
rising of the wind, informed us too plainly that we could
not safely remain where we were. Perhaps the devil-fish
might be anchored : but no anchor was to be had ; no
buoy — not even a barrel, by which he might be designated
the next morning. The resource left us was a hard one ;
but there was no choice — we must abandon him — we
could do no more. Before taking leave of him, however,
we drew him up into three feet water.

" * Jacet ingens littore truncus
et sine nomine corpus.'

" There he lay, extending twenty feet by the wings,
and his other parts in proportion ; and the waves rippling
in pearly heaps around his black form, which stood eight

&Z DEVIL FISHING.

feet in diameter above the water. We cut out our har-
poons, pushed our boats through a neighboring swash,
and, in a few moments, found ourselves surrounded by the

welcoming eyes of beauty.

" R."

It is not to be inferred, from the concluding pas-
sage of the narrative just quoted, that the fish was
eight feet in depth — ^but merely that, grounding in
three feet water, such was his depth that a portion
of his back, equal to eight feet in diameter, was
still left above water. I know not that I ever wit-
nessed anything more strikingly picturesque, than
the appearance of the devil-fish just before he
stranded. The night was dark — the sea brilliantly
luminous — the breakers were roaring a short dis-
tance from us, and the ground-swell that at inter-
vals lifted us up, admonished us that we were ia
shoal water. Looking behind us we beheld the
devil-fish, which we had in tow, mounted upon the
crest of an advancing wave. His wings outspread
— his dark outline distinctly marked, and sepa-
rated, from the surrounding waters by a " starry
belt " of phosphoric fire — ^lie seemed to our excited
imaginations like some monster vampire, hovering
above our heads, and threatening to crush us be-
neath his wings ! There was scarcely time for ap-
prehension, however, before he grounded, and that

DEVIL FISHINa. 53

lu water sufficiently deep to keep our boats
afloat.

To leap into the sea — to mount his back in tri-
umph, and shout a wild huzza ! were impulses that
we all felt and obeyed. Our next thought was to
secure our retreat to the shore. "We were embayed
among the flats : the wind was rising — ^the tide
falling. If we grounded, and were caught in that
situation by the next flood, our boats would be
beaten to pieces, and we should have but a small
chance for our lives. The manner of our extrica-
tion has been already told.

The friends who came to our assistance from Bay

Point, were and , Esqrs., sportsmen

of the conservative order, who had a proper re-
spect for their lives ! They left us at nightfall,
ofi*ering to make fires which might guide us to the
shore — executing, I must admit, a masterly retreat,
under cover of this fire. The fire was not without
its use ; and had the stars been obscured, would
have been indispensable to our safety. I am far
from reflecting on these gentlemen. I think they
did what was perfectly consistent with their posi-
tion. They had not struck the fish, and were
bound by no point of honor, to lie by an unman-
ageable prize, and encounter the hazards of a night
adventure among the breakers.

54 DEVIL FISHING.

The results of this day's sport, I need hardly say,
were exceedingly grateful. We had seen the fish
— ^had measured strength with them — and cwptured
two! We had led the way in a new and exciting
sport. We had done what none had done before,
and what few might hope to exceed. We might
now retire from the scene, and, hanging up our
battered harpoons among the trophies of our hum-
ble rostral column, amuse our children with the
histories that belonged to them.

Several years elapsed before I renewed my at-
tempts against the devil-fish. I was otherwise oc-
cupied— and the scouts that I sometimes sent, to
observe whether the fish were there, reported
" that they did not see them " — so that I inferred
(what I now believe to be incorrect) that their
visits to the coast were but occasional. In the*
year 1843, however, I passed the month of July at
Bay Point, and determined to investigate for my-
self. I found them in abundance, and enjoyed ex-
cellent sport, throughout that and the succeeding
month, chiefiy in company with Wm. Henry Mon-
gin, Esq., of Dawfuskie, whose equipments were
of the first order. On one day we captured a fish

r

DEVIL FISHIKG. 55

apiece. In the course of the season, I harpooned
sixteen with my own hand, but succeeded in land-
ing but seven. I lost many by strikii^g them with
the lance, before a second harpoon had been
planted ; a practice that I thenceforward aban«
doned. The largest fish that I brought to the shore
this season, measured seventeen feet six inches
across — drew me quite out to sea — and resisted
with so much energy, that we were seven hours
and a half, after striking him, before we could
effect a landing, though several boats lent us their
assistance. I published an account of but one of
my adventures of this season ; it is found in the
columns of the " Charleston Courier," 3d August,
184:3. The young gentleman that accompanied
me, was Thomas M. Khett, then a cadet of West
Point. The party who assisted in landing the
prize, were Edward B. Means, and Haskell Ehett,
Esqrs. I proceed with the narrative.

DEVIL FISHING.

Bay Point, July, 1843.

You ask me for a sketch of one of my late " de-
vil fishing adventures," and I comply, yet not
without fear of disappointing your expectations.
Having already taken many, and described the
capture of several, the great charm of novelty has

66 DEVIL FISHING.

worn away, and neither tlie capture nor the de-
scription can be invested with their former interest.
I can no longer realize the excited feelings with
which I first surrendered myself to this manly
sport — against an adversary so rarely captured, so
little known, and endued, as every one believed,
with a strength that made all intermeddling with
him a matter of imminent peril. That strength
has been mastered — and that peril so accurately
measured and guarded against, that the sport, as
now pursued, may be said to offer nothing more
than a fair field of exercise, to such of our adven-
turous youth as contemplate a life of action ! But,
to return — I can neither recall the enthusiasm of
my first feelings, nor hope to impart it; and I
shall, therefore, confine myself to a simple narra-
tive of one of my recent " days."

On the 15th of July, 1843, 1 set out from Bay
Point on a cruise, in a good six-oared boat, manned
by five oarsmen, having T. E., a cadet from West
Point, and his cousin, a youth of fifteeji, on board
with me. E. B. M. and H. E., Esqrs., were in
another boat. We stretched across, with a north-
east wind, for Hilton Head, traversing that portion
of the inlet which, on former occasions, I had re-
marked as constituting their favorite feeding, or
sporting ground. We passed onward as far as Mrs.

DEVIL FISHING. 5T

Elliott's plantation, without seeing a fish. Indeed,
we were not much surprised at this, for we were
anticipating, by several weeks, the customary time
of seeking for them, and looked upon the expedition
somewhat in the light of a reconnoisance. Our
consort, discouraged by the non-appearance of the
fish, and the appearance of some inopportune thun-
der-clouds, turned the head of his boat to the east,
and moved to Bay Point ; while we, preferring to
prolong the cruise, landed at Mrs. Elliott's and,
leaving a look-out man on the bluff, to report if the
fish made their appearance, walked up to the house
to partake of a collation that we had provided. At
half ebb we set out on our return, and had reached
the Bay Gall breaker, when, close to the bank, a
devil-fish showed himself on the surface. Before I
could reach the bow, and prepare my harpoon,
he had disappeared; and we drifted down a
quarter of a mile without seeing him again. I had
scarcely resumed my place at the stern, when he
appeared just under the bow of the boat ; and had
I not gone aft, I must certainly have struck him.
Again he sunk ; but I now resolved to remain at my
post, and not suffer another surprise. A thunder-
squall was in our rear, and the wind, veering to the
east, was blowing so strong, that a short, chopping
sea was raised, and I found it impossible, from the

68 DEVIL FISHING.

pitching of tlie boat, to stand on the forecastle ; so I
took post (standing on the bottom of the boat), a&
near to the bow as I could comfortably get. I did
not wait long before the fish rose, and, as he crossed
the bow with one of those rapid circular movements,
so characteristic of this species, I made a cast at
him ; but from my unsteady footing, and the imper-
fect view of him (the tip of the wing only being
visible, and the water exceedingly turbid), I missed
him. Again he sunk, and when he next rose,
showed his whole back above the surface. From
over-anxiety, I threw the harpoon too soon, it fell
short, and slightly grazed him, without entering the
flesh. The fish darted off in alarm, and rose fifty
yards ahead, with a demi-vault in the air! The
young cadet has the helm — and as the fish shows
himself, now here, now there, heads the boat in the
direction — ^while the oarsmen, with straining sinews^
sweep after him in silence. Before we can overtake
him, he sinks, is invisible for five minutes together,
then suddenly reappears in some unexpected direc-
tion. Not a word is spoken — ^the staff of the har-
poon silently indicates the point — and again we
press forward to assail him. And now, to our great
gratification, we find that two other devil-fish had
joined company ; and this giving greater assurance
of success, I determined to select the largest fish, and

DEVIL FISHING. 59

await a fa,ii'er chance for the next throw. Tlie
roughness of the water, while it disqualified the har-
pooner from taking steady aim, rendered the fish
insensible to the noise of the oars, or the approach
of the boat.

The largest fish now turned to go against the tide
— this made his movements slower — and, as he
brought his broad black back to the surface, I cast
the harpoon, and had the satisfaction to see it this
time take effect near the centre of his back-bone.
Away he flew, the staff, which was firmly driven in
the socket, disappearing with the harpoon, and we
payed out rope to him merrily, as he swept away
for his fastnesses in the deep. "When twenty-five
fathoms were out, we took a turn round the stem,
and gave him the full resistance of the boat. The
iron held bravely; but his runs, though rapid, were
short — and I soon inferred from his stopping and
hugging the bottom, that my aim had been deadly !
These runs, however intermitted, were all toward
the sea; and we found ourselves passing the last
point of Hilton Head, without any assurance that
he might not take us over the bar before flood-tide ;
in which case we must cut our line and lose the fish.
It was necessary, therefore, to give him a check ;
and we manned oars and rowed against him, to
draw him to the surface. The manoeuvre succeeded ;

CO DEVIL FISHING.

and we soon had the satisfaction to see him rise to
within a few feet of the top, his proximity being
shown by the staff of the harpoon, still fixed in its
socket, and standing np perpendicularly from his
back! The thunder-cloud had now passed away,
the wind had fallen, the sea had become smooth,
'and mounting the forecastle, which now afforded
secure footing, I pitched my lance with all my force
and saw it planted alongside of the harpoon, the two
staves bristling up from the back of the fish, while
a gush of blood from the new wound crimsoned the
surface of the sea. Away he dashed, and the stout
cord that held the lance snapped like a pack-thread,
leaving the iron fixed in his body, while the staff,
broken in fragments, fioated to the surface. By the
same effort, the staff of the harpoon is disengaged,
floats, and is taken on board.

Again the fish bears away for the sea, and we
meet him by the same resistance of the oars. But
he has now been taught that danger awaits him at
the surface : he shuns it, and plunges downward for
the bottom. It comes to a dead pull ; and we have
to choose between the risk of drawing out the har-
poon, or being carried out to sea. We take the
former, and having no eflScient lance left to annoy
him, determine, if the opportunity offers, to make
use of the gun. After a long effort, we succeed in

DEVIL FISHING. 61

drawing liim up ; and when lie once more showed
himself to the light, we conld observe the spear-
head, with a portion of the broken staff, still stick-
ing ont from his back. The harpoon had drawn
considerably from its former hold, and the wound
made by it had worried into a frightful gash, more
than six inches in length. Another such hard pull,
and the iron may tear out. It becomes an urgent
matter to dispatch him at once His head emerges
from the water, the gun, with a charge of sixteen
buckshot, is levelled, the whole charge is driven into
him, and a jet of blood, with his next expiration, is
cast several feet into the air. The fish lay for an
instant stunned — then plunged about madly, tossing
himself quite over upon his back — then righting
himself, and skimming over the surface with ex-
panded wings, dashed his head blindly against
the bow of the boat. Amidst these plunges and
convulsions of the dying animal, it was impossible
to keep a tight line or an equable pull ; and we ex-
changed looks of dismay, when we found that the
harpoon had been torn out ! We drew it into the
boat, twisted and strained, but unbroken; and I
looked undeserved reproaches at this tried and true
weapon (which had already compassed the death of
four devil-fish), as if the passive instrument had been

in fault. What a disappointment! — to lose him

4-2

62 DEVIL FISHING.

tlius, in his very last struggle ! A gleam of hope
shoots across us ! In this last struggle, he might
rise to the surface. It is possible yet to recover him.
Let us prepare for it. In a moment the harpoon is
straightened, the staff is refitted, and scarcely is it
done, when, " There ! by heavens ! there he is ! fifty
yards ahead, floundering on the water ! I^ow for it,
boys ! — ^reach him before he sinks !" Alas ! he has
already sunk !

The turbid waters of the river have now given
place to the transparent green of the sea, through
which objects are distinctly visible for feet below ;
and look, he is rising again from his depths ! every
struggle and contortion of the agonized monster is
clearly to be seen, as he shoots upward to the light.
He is upon his back — ^his white feelers thrown aloft
above his head, like giant hands upraised in suppli-
cation. There was something almost human in the
attitude and the expression of his agony — and a
feeling quite out of keeping with the scene stole
over me while I meditated the fatal blow. It
passed away in an instant ; and as he emerges from
the water, the harpoon cleaves the air and is driven
home into his head. A shout of exultation bursts
from the crew. To have thus recovered him, was,
indeed, a gratification. The gun is once more
brought to bear — another shot, and he is still ; all

DEVIL FISHING. 63

to the singular movements of his feelers, which,
plying restlessly about his head, curl and unfold
with all the flexibility of an elephant's snout.
Through the tough cartilage of one of these feelers
the rope is passed, and we have him safe.

And now we look about, to determine on the
best mode of securing and landing our prize.
We are under the Hilton Head shore, abreast of
Joyner's Bank — the ebb-tide is still taking us sea-
ward— ^but that best-tempered of winds, the sea-
breeze, is just springing up to help us. "We pass
our ropes to the stern — draw the head of the fish
close up to lessen the resistance — ^head the boat to
Bay Point, and spread both our sails to the favor-
ing breeze; and now the force of oars is added —
but we make little progress in towing our fish
against the current.

What has become of our consort all the while?
Has the eager zeal of our young sportsmen evapo-
rated quite ? Are they asleep, that they do not spy
us out and come to our assistance ? True to the
letter! The same sea-breeze that was filling our
sails, was fanning them into slumbers undisturbed
by dreams of devil-fish, or fears of friends in
jeopardy. But there were watchful eyes upon us
from the shore ; and when it was observed that the
boat which had steered west in the mOrning, was

6i DEVIL FISHING.

now seen in the southeast, reduced to a mere speck
on the horizon, the whole truth was inferred. The
sleepers are awakened, and make amends for their
forgetfulness by the most strenuous efforts to come
to our assistance. Their boat is manned, and pulls
lustily toward us. And now the ebb-tide has ex-
pended itself, and the first swell of the flood is
lending its force in aid of the wind, in taking us
toward the desired point, when we observe a speck
upon the water, which, enlarging by degrees, pre-
sents us with the wished-for boat and welcome faces
of our friends from shore. Having cheered us,
they row round to take a view of our prize — then
pass a rope roimd the stem of our boat, and, pulling
ahead, relieve us of a portion of our toil. In less
than five hours from, the time he was struck, we'
had him landed on Bay Point; and a party of
ladies, then on a visit there, were gratified in hav-
ing an opportunity of observing this singular
animal, which, from size as well as peculiarity of
structure, may well be accounted as one of the
wonders of the deep. He measured seventeen feet
across the back, and was so heavy, that the force
of fifteen men was insufiicient to draw him to high
water mark, though sliders were placed beneath
to assist his progress.

PiSCATOK.

DEVIL FISHING. 65

Early in the summer of 1844, I suffered from an
attack of fever, which induced me to visit Bay-
Point, during the month of June. When convales-
cent, I found excursions after devil-fish, protected
from the heat by a sun-awning, a most agreeable
restorative. I transfer, from my note-book, a jour-
nal of my proceedings for several days, which,
though minutely detailed, I trust may not prove
tedious.

JOUENAL.

Bay Point, June 20^A, 1844.

Came down this afternoon {Thursday)^ after a
rough passage, having been detained at Beaufort
until the tide was two-thirds spent, by a very heavy
rain

Friday^ ^Ist — ^Went across to Hilton Head to
look for devil-fish. Thunder clouds formed while
crossing the river at high water; wind southwardly ;
had just time to land and reach the house, when it
poured. At an hour's ebb, partially cleared off;
on reaching the landing, saw numbers of devil-fish
close into the shore. Put off, but found them shy,
showing themselves but a few seconds at a time
above water, then disappearing. Could not get a
chance to strike, and, after half an hour's trial, put
ashore to avoid another thunder-cloud, whicli was
following exactly in the track of the former. It

66 DEVHi FISHING.

rained in torrents. After it ceased, returned to
Bay Point without seeing any more fish, though I
traversed the ground on which they were usually
found. It seems to me that I have this day seen
twenty different fish ; but their stay at the surface
is very short — shorter, I think, than when observed
later in the season.

Saturday^ 22^7 June. — Eeached Hilton Head
beach at high water. Two devil-fish were playing
off the landing, not thirty yards from shore. Put
off after them ; the noise of the oars (the water being
shallow) seemed to alarm them, and they disap-
peared. In a short time, some others made their
appearance, coming down with the tide from Skull
Creek. Did not succeed in calculating their visits
to the surface so accurately as to get a throw of the
harpoon. After seVen or eight fish had passed
down with the first ebb, none others appearing,
concluded to anticipate them by rowing up to the
flats under Pinckney Island. Did not find them
there — ^returned to the beach in front of the avenue
at Hilton Head — remained there beyond the time
of tide at which they rose the day before — they did
not appear. Coasted down to Pope's, and seeing
nothing, returned to Bay Point at half ebb, sorely
disappointed in my cruise.

Doubtless it is the state of the weather which has

DEVIL FISHING. 6T

produced so great a change in tlie run of tlie fisli,
in so small an interval of time. It was raining on
the first day — the wind was off shore ; and from
both wind and rain, the shrimps and small fish,
which are the food of the de^il-fish, would congre-
gate near the shore, and hence their appearance in
such numbers. On the night of this day, it blew
violently from the west, in such a way as to sweep
the shores which had been protected the day
before ; hence, the small fish were driven off", and
the devil-fish were not there, hecause their food was
not there. To find siibsistence easily and aiun-
dantly^ is an invpulse that pervades all animal life.
It is the great law which governs the inferior animals,
as well as man. Hunters and fishermen must not
lose sight of this rule, but seek their game by seek-
ing their feeding-places.

Some years back, the devil-fish were sought for
only in August. Last year, for the first time, in
July, and now, it appears, they may be taken in
June. I am now convinced, from what I have
myself observed, that they visit our inlets not occa-
sionally only, and in limited numbers, but annually
and in considerable shoals ; and it indicates a very
extraordinary want of observation or enterprise in
our predecessors, that they have not noticed these
fish, and converted them into objects of sport or

68 DEVIL FISHING.

profit. Thsre is danger enough in the pastime to
give it the highest relish (it is, in fact, whale-fish-
ing in miniature) ; nor is it objectionable on the
score of cruelty : it is not killing in mere wanton-
ness, for the liver yields an oil useful for many
agricultural purposes, and the body cut into por-
tions convenient for transportation, and carted out
upon the fields, proves an excellent fertilizer of the
soil.

Sunday^ 2Sd June, — Weather moderate and
winds easterly.

Monday,, 24:th June.—Wmdi very fresh at north-
east. Mr. W. Cuthbert came on board, and we
sailed for Hilton Head, and reached the avenue an
hour before high water. Saw a devil-fish at the
landing and gave chase, but to no purpose — he w^as
apparently feeding, and would show his wings only
at long intervals, and for a few seconds at a time ;
so that before the boat could reach the spot he was
gone. He sometimes came very close to the beach
(I should say in five feet water), but would sheer
off at the approach of the boat. After a fruit-
less pursuit of an hour, we gave him up, and
cruised up to the mouth of Skull Creek. Saw
nothing — returned to the landing, and visited the
cotton-field. It was now four o'clock, p.m., and
full quarter ebb. In a last hope to see them, loi-

DEVIL FISHING. 69

tered a while on the beach, when, just as we were
making ready to get on board, a shoal of devil-fish
came sweeping along the beach, travelling rapidly
downward with the tide, and showing themselves
more freely than any I had seen this year. I
pushed at one that showed his back fairly above
water, as he swam ; but he sank just before I
reached him, and I drove down the harpoon at a
venture. He had a narrow escape, for the staff
struck him. At this moment, three showed them-
selves below and one above. I pushed for the
latter, and when I approached the spot, I saw the
water boiling up like a caldron — from which sign
I knew that the fish was throwing his somersets
below the surface (in the way which is so very
peculiar to them). Making the oarsmen check the
headway with their oars, I looked anxiously for a
view, when, unexpectedly, I saw the white of his
belly far beneath the water, and quite away to-
ward the stern. He was thus behind me, but
wheeling suddenly to the right, I pitched the har-
poon at him, across the oars, and felt a sensation
of surprise, as well as pleasure, in finding that I
had struck him. The fish dashed out violently for
the channel, and we payed him out thirty fathoms
of rope, until, headway being given to the boat,
we brought him to a dead pull : and now his mo-

70 DEVIL FISHIKG.

tions were very erratic ; unlike some that I liad
before struck, lie did not take a direct course for
the sea, but sometimes drew the boat against the
tide — then suddenly turned and ran directly to-
ward us, so as to give slack line. I inferred from
these signs, that he was mortally hurt. As often
as he approached the Middle Bank and shoaled the
water, he drew off in alarm, and would not cross
it until he had got to its tail ; his course was then
for Paris Bank, which suiting well with our inten-
tion to land him, if we could, at Bay Point, we
did not interrupt. About this time he came to the
surface without being pulled, and showed great
distress — and we resolved, then, to draw upon him
and get a second harpoon planted. It was after
various fruitless efforts, and by shortening the i^ope
as far as we prudently could, that we at length
drew him so far up, that the dark shadow of his
body was indistinctly seen beneath. The second
harpoon was now driven, and the gush of blood to
the surface, showed that it had done its work. "We
now drew mainly on this second, leaving only a
moderate strain upon the first — and after a few
convulsive runs, brought him up helplessly to the
surface, and with a spear dispatched him outright.
With a hatchet we now cut a hole in one of his
feelers, and inserting a rope, passed it to the stern,

DEVIL FISHING. 71

drawing solely on this, so that the resistance of the
fish through the water should be as small as practi-
cable. The wind was now due east, and mode
rately fresh ; we raised both sails, and, helped at
the same time by the oars, made some way in our
tedious progress of towing our prize to land. At
this time, espied a boat beating down from Beau-
fort, and on signalizing her, she proved to be that
of Col. De Treville, then on his way to Bay Point.
His offer of assistance was accepted, and a tow line
being passed to his boat, we landed our fish at the
Point exactly at sunset. This fish measured six-
teen feet across, which I suppose to be the medium
size of those that visit our waters. The first har-
poon had struck it near the centre of the belly —
had pierced the liver, and passed nearly through to
the back. Tlie second had passed from the back
into his lungs or gills — so that the full power of so
large a fish was never fairly exerted against us.
Had the same fish been struck in the wings, or
other parts not vital, his capture would have been
uncertain, and would at any rate have cost us the
work of many hours.

I suppose the shoal of devil-fish was a large one ;
the third which appeared we struck at — ^the fourth
we harpooned — and as we were rapidly drawing
off from the shore, a fifth was seen. How many

72 DEVIL FISHING.

were still behind, we had not leisure to observe ;
but conjecture this was but the advance guard of
the column.

I made no further notes of my excursions at the
time, but will add that prior to my departure for
the ISTorth, in July of this year, I had. struck seven
of these fish, and captured four.

In 1845, these sports were renewed ; but under
aspects that offer but little novelty to the reader.
The devil-fish were reported to be in force in Broad
Eiver, during the month of June ; but no expedi-
tions were planned against them during that
month. Early in July, E. B. M., already known
to the reader of these " Sports," made a cruise
after them, and, on the second day's search, suc-
ceeded in capturing one. On Wednesday, the
16th, I made my first venture — saw five and cap-
tured one. On the next day, being joined by Mr.
M., we sallied out in our respective boats, and
found them in force. I think we could not have
seen fewer than fifteen. But the weather was un-
propitious, and though we struck five, and proba-
bly killed the greater part of them, we could not
aflSrm with certainty that we had captured one.
Once, during the day, 1 enjoyed a solitary run, and
twice a run in company — both boats being en-

DEVIL FISHmG. 73

gaged at the same time, and the fish running in the
same parallel. Two hours before nightfall, each
boat then having a fish in tow, we were overtaken
by a perfect tempest. A black and fearful looking
thunder-cloud lay brooding over the bay, and
seemed to descend to the very waters, and be com-
mingled with them. It was extreme rashness, in
our undecked boats, to brave the anger of the
storm ; and, by a simultaneous movement, we re-
solved to force up our fish, so as either to lose or
capture them before it should burst upon us. The
harpoon of my consort tore out when the fish was
drawn to the surface, and almost ''in articulo
mortis." In my own case, the fish, struck through
the branchial processes, and evidently at his last
gasp^ snapt asunder the harpoon and escaped,
leaving the barb in his body. Thus released from
our fish (for in all my service, I have never severed
a rope or voluntarily disengaged myself from a
devil-fish), we lifted a hand's breadth of canvas to
the gust which was now upon us, and made our
escape to the shore. We had capital and very ex-
citing sport ; but considered our victory somewhat
incomplete, because we had not carried off the
bodies of the slain.

The next day, strengthened by an accession of
new adventurers, we tried our luck again ; but

74 DEVIL FISHING.

the fisli were gone — all tlieir sporting grounds
were visited, but in vain ; and we came reluctantly
to the conclusion, that these were not of that
description of game which increased the faster
for being destroyed — a paradox seriously main-
tained by more than one sportsman who could
be named.

After a week's pause, we tried them again ; but
very few were seen, and they uncommonly shy.
One was taken from Mr. Heyward's boat, being
harpooned by Mr. Cuthbert ; and, on the day fol-
lowing, another, seemingly the sole survivor of the
iield, was captured by myself. This closes, thus
far, the adventures of the season. "Whether they
have been alarmed by the touch of the harpoon,
or the loss of their companions, and are prompted
by their instinct to avoid the grounds on which
they have suffered persecution — or whether, during
the prevailing unexampled drought, they have
ascended the rivers in search of subsistence — are
questions which we have no data satisfactorily to
answer.

The chase of the devil-fish may now be said to
be an established diversion of the plantei-s in the
vicim'ty of Port Eoyal Sound. They make Bay

DEVIL FISHING. 75

Point their place of rendezvous, and, well-provided
with lances and harpoons, sally forth in search of
them, at or about high water — when they enter the
inlet to feed upon the shrimps, and small fish that
abound along the shores. On the ebb tide they
retire again to sea — so that the time for seeking
them is confined to a few hours in the day. They
feed mostly upon the windward shores of the inlet,
where the small fish chiefly congregate ; and their
presence upon the feeding ground is indicated by
a slight projection above the water of one of their
wings. The motion is so rapid and bird-like, that
none who have once seen it will mistake, or ascribe
it to any other fish. Sometimes, though not often,
you may approach him while feeding in shallow
water, near enough to strike ; but the best oppor-
tunity is ofi'ered by waiting quietly near the spot
where he has disappeared, until, having ceased to
feed, he strikes out for the deep water, and having
reached it, begins a series of somersets that give
the sportsman an excellent chance to strike him.
It is a very curious exhibition. You first see the
feelers thrown out of the water ; then the white
stomach, marked with five gills, or branchial aper-
tures, on each side (for the fish is on his back) —
then his tail emerges. After a disappearance for a
few seconds, the revolution is repeated — sometimes

76 • DEVIL FISHINa.

as often as six times. It happens, occasionally
that in making these somersets, the fish does not
rise quite to the surface, but is several feet below ;
so that his revolutions are detected by the appear-
ance-and disappearance of the white or under part
of his body, dimly seen through the turbid water
in which. he delights. Sometimes, indeed, he is
unseen; but his presence is shown to the ob-
servant sportsman by the boiling of the water
from below, as from a great caldron. With no
better guide than this, the harpoon has been darted
down, and reached him when twelve feet below the
surface.

What purpose the fish effects by these strange
motions, I leave to naturalists to determine. Per-
haps, while in this supine posture, he rejects the
water from his complicated strainers and retains
the small fish to be swallowed, for I have remarked
the gills alternately expanded and collapsed, while
he executed the manoeuvre. But this is mere con-
jecture, and I may come nearer to the mark in
another suggestion, which I intend to offer in a
subsequent chapter.

When one of these fish is struck, he commonly
darts off with great rapidity, running out the forty
fathoms of rope, and then dragging along the boat
with quite as much speed as is agreeable. If several

DEVIL FlSHma. 'i i

boats are in company, tliey usually attacli themselves
to the first, and the little fleet is dragged merrily
along.

The prudent sportsman will not draAV too vio-
lently on him at first, but will sufi'er him to ex-
haust himself by his eflSorts ; when he is as quietly
as possible drawn to the surface, by putting three
or four hands to the rope. When seen, a second
harpoon is driven into his body. Then commences
the serious confiict. He is forced up by the line —
he flounders and lashes the waves with his im-
mense wings, or plunges desperately for the bot-
tom, to which he sometimes clings for hours, till,
exhausted at last, he yields to the force which draws
him to the siuface^ and is dispatched with many
wounds.

Occasionally, after having three harpoons fast-
ened in him, and as many lances plunged into his
body, he strikes out indomitably for the ocean, and
escapes — ^leaving the sportsmen to make their way
as best they may, to the distant land. I have been
carried twenty-flve miles, in the course of a few
hours by two of these fish (having struck a relay
when my first sea-horse escaped, and losing both),
with three boats in train !

The reader must not suppose that there is no risk
in the pursuit and capture of such formidable gamo.

78 DEVIL FISHINa.

The spice of danger mingling with this sport,
serves to increase its relish. He who wields the
harpoon, should have a quick eye, a steady arm,
and a cool head; for if he loses his presence of
mind, and suffers himself to be entangled in the
rope, during the first furious runs of the fish, he
may lose his life. But no precautions can abso-
lutely secure the sportsman against danger ; a
truth which had nearly been brought home to me
in a manner peculiarly painful — as the incident I
am about to relate will serve to illustrate.

I had left the cruising ground but a few days,
when a party was formed, in July 1844, to engage
jn this sport. Nath. Hey ward, Jun., J. G. Barn-
well, E. B. Means, and my son, Thos. E. S. Elliott,
were respectively in command of a boat each, ac-
companied by several of their friends. While
these boats were lying on their oars, expecting
the approach of fish, one showed himself far
ahead, and they all started in pursuit. It was my
son's fortune to reach him first. His harpooi;i had
scarcely pierced him, when the fish made a demi-
vault in the air, and, in his descent, struck the boat
violently with one of his wings. Had he fallen
perpendicularly on the boat, it must have been
crushed, to the imminent peril of all on board. As
it happened, the blow fell aslant upon the bow —

DEVIL FISHING. 70

and the effect was to drive lier astern witli sucli
force, that James Cuthbert, Esq., of Pocotaligo,
who was at the helm, was pitched forward at full
length on the platform. Each oarsman was thrown
forward beyond the seat he occupied ; and my son,
who was standing on the forecastle, was projected
far beyond the bow of the boat. He fell, not into
the sea, but directly upon the back of the devil-
fish, who lay in full sprawl on the surface. For
some seconds Tom lay out of the water, on the
back of this veritable Kraken, but happily made
his escape without being entangled in the cordage,
or receiving a parting salute from his formidable
wings. He was an expert swimmer, and struck
off for the boat. The fish, meantime, had darted
beneath, and was drawing her astern. My hench-
man, Dick, who was the first to recover his wits,
tossed overboard a coil of rope, and extended an
an oar, the blade of which was seized by my son,
who thus secured his retreat to the boat. He had
no sooner gained footing in it, than, standing on
the forecastle, he gave three hearty cheers, and
thus assured his companions of his safety. They,
meantime, from their several boats, had seen his
perilous situation, without the chance of assisting
him ; their oarsmen, when ordered to pull ahead,
stood amazed or stupefied, and dropping their oars

80 DEVIL FISHING.

and jaws, cried out, "Great king ! Mass Tom over
"board !" So intense was their curiosity to see how
the affair would end, that they entirely forgot how
much might depend on their own efforts. Could
they have rowed and looked at the same time, it
would have been all very well ; but to turn their
backs on such a pageant, every incident of which
they were so keenly bent on observing, w^as ex-
pecting ,too much from African forethought and
self-possession !

In a few minutes my son found himself sur-
rounded by his companions, whose boats were
closely grouped around. They threw themselves
into action with a vivacity which showed that they
w^ere disposed to punish the fish for the insolence
of his attack. Tliey allowed him but short time
for shrift, and forcing him to the surface, filled his
body with their resentful weapons ; then, joining
their forces, drew him rapidly to the shore, and
landed him, amidst shouts and cheerings, at Mrs.
Elliott's, Hilton Head. He measured sixteen feet
across !

The love of human flesh, ascribed by Oppian to
a fish (conjectured to be the devil-fish) which was
said to destroy the mariner, by sinking him to the
bottom and smothering him beneath his enormous
wiugs, must be considered as fabulous ; for the fish,

DEVIL FISHINQ. 81

in tliis case, was as ready to fly from the mariner,
as the mariner from him — ^unless it be said (as, in
truth, it might be) that, being transfixed by a
harpoon, the fish was just then not in condition to
indulge his propensity. But, apart from this, his
whole structure forbids the supposition of his mak-
ing man his prey! The other characteristic of
Oppian is just. He is " Eurotatos pantessin met
ichthusin " — the Iroadest among fish.

A singular incident occurred as they were tow-
ing their prize against the current towards the shore.
A devil-fish appeared above, directly in their course,
and bearing down swiftly for them. One of our
sportsmen (knowing his modesty, I purposely with-
hold his name, " since he might blush to find it
fame ;" whom, nevertheless, we will call — since he
must have a name — simply, " John "), uncoiling his
legs, which had been stowed away under him in
the stern-seat, now started up in excitement, and
striding over the heads of his crew, planted himself
in the forecastle ; then stretched his long right arm
aloft, and hurled his harpoon into the advancing
monster with the force of a catapult. To cut loose
from the convoy, and dash away on his own hook,
was the work of a moment; and the manoeuvre
was happily executed, without loss of limb or other
material accident or entanglement. This was a

82 DEVIL FISHING.

pleasant episode in the main action ; but tlie rule
which I have prescribed for myself in these narra-
tives, will not allow me to say that our sportsmen
added tJiis to the number of their trophies, for the
fish escaped after a run of several miles ; through
no want of force in the hand that wielded the
harpoon certainly, for John has brought down from
his ancestors a strong right arm, that would have
done no discredit to county Galway.

This strength was not unattended by generosity,
for, on one occasion, when John was cruising for
devil-fish, he forgot "to give point," and came
down " whack " on the head of his adversary with
the flat of his harpoon, and with such amazing
emphasis, that the diabolic was completely stunned
and thrown off " his fence." Instead of diving, as
a discreet fish was bound to do, he rose to the sur-
face, lolling out his great eyes at John, as much as
to ask, " what the deuce he meant, by dealing him
such a confounded blow ?" For some minutes, the
fish kept skimming about the boat — his wide flaps
fluttering, bird-like, over the surface — ^while John,
in turn, opened his eyes in astonishment at the sin-
gular exhibition. "Whether he thought that his
adversary came to ask an explanation, and " be

resolved whether that so unkindly

knocked or no," or whether he looked upon it as

DEVII FISHING. 83

a sort of compliment, paid after the aquatic fashion
of his Galwegian force, I don't pretend to say ; but
certain it is, that while he had him down^ as it
were^ and off his guards John did not repeat the
How ! In a few minutes, the fish, flourishing his
tail aloft by way of salute, plunged downwards for
his depths, and doubtless reported to his compatriots
the hard usage he had received from a denizen of
the thinner element above. In another minute the
sea closed over him — his wake was no more seen —
not a ripple was left on the surface, and the inci-
dents just told, living only in the memory of the
sportsman, seemed vague and shadowy as a dream.

Subsequently to the publication of the first edi-
tion of " Caroling Sj)orts," I made frequent expedi-
tions in pursuit of devil-fish ; but I shall not tax the
patience of my reader by more than an occasional
allusion to them. So similar in general were the
incidents attending them, that the narrative of one,
might almost serve for all. Instead of detailed
statements of these excursions, therefore, the reader
may expect to find in the pages now appended, only
such incidents as are new, or such suggestions as
may serve to throw light on what is obscure or
unexplained in the habits of the fish.

84: DEYIL FISHING.

What is liere said may at least afford matter of
speculation to the students of natural history,
should any such honor these pages with a perusal.

But it will be interesting to the sportsman, as
well as to the naturalist, to know w^hat is the
ordinary food of the devil-fish. I have frequently
examined the contents of their stomachs, and found
little else in them than portions of shell-fish, highly
triturated, resembling the shells of shrimps. Once
a small crab was found entire ; but I sought in vain
for the scales of small fish, which I supposed to be
their food, partly because the devil-fish make their
appearance in our waters in May^ before the
shrimps are' found on our shores, and would thus
be anticipating their food — a mistake which fish
are not apt to make — and partly because I wit-
nessed a performance on the part of a devil-fish,
which could scarcely be referred to anything else
but to an occasional indulgence in a fish diet.

I was watching a devil-fish, who was playing
close to the shore. But in' shallow water he is
often alarmed by the noise of the oars, and he
would not suffer my approach within striking dis-
^ tance. While thus engaged, I observed a shoal of
small mullets swimming near the surface, and
showing signs of extraordinaiy agitation, when
suddenly the open mouth of the devil-fish was pro-

DEVIL FISHING. 85

traded fi'om "below, and tlie small fry disappeared
from view, and were received into it, as into the
mouth of an enormous funnel. I do not think it
was mere wantonness on the part of the fish, but
that he was, on that occasion, indulging a caprice
of appetite, and substituting a diet of scale-fish for
his ordhaarj mess of shrimps.

On the first of July, 1846, 1 launched my boat at
Bay Point, and crossed over to the Hilton Head
shore in search of devil-fish. I was accompanied
by Henry M. Stuart, Esq.

It was high water about four o'clock, p.m., and
on reaching the landing at Mrs. Elliott's, just as the
tide Avas turning, we saw three or more. They did
not show themselves somersetting for some time,
but after a while, began to sport, and throw somer-
sets under the water, but so near to the surface as
to show their bellies in the evolution. We saw, I
do not doubt, as many as twenty fish. We counted
eleven that leaped entirely out of the water. They
were in the channel, and were further from shore
than where we had usually met with them ; and,
on approaching near to them in our boat, we
remarked that those which leaped entirely out of
the water, did not again show themselves on the
surface, until they had silently gone a mile or so
toward the sea, when they reappeared, gambolled

86 DEVIL FISHING.

awliile, threw new somersets, and again disappear-
ed for a new seaward movement. The fish which
were behind, came along sporting, nntil they had
reached the spot where the first had thrown their
somersets. They, too, then threw their somer-
sets, and disappeared like the first. Usnally they
leaped twice — ^leaping from their backs, and falling
likewise on their backs ; leaping, I should say, at
least ten feet above the water.

After some delay (for early in the season they do
not stand the point), I struck a fish, which resisted
very moderately for a good half hour, when it
made some furious runs, giving me to think that
the sharks had gotten the scent of his blood, and
were in fierce pursuit. The winds had been hard
from the south for several days, and the weather
was now so squally and threatening, that I became
anxious to complete the capture of the fish before
night ; so I planted a second harpoon, and then, as
occasion ofi'ered, gave him the spear. When drawn
up alongside, he began to make short, circular runs,
and twisted the two ropes together, so that they
could not be separated. The thunder muttered,
and the dark cloud still approached us from the
southwest, spreading its wings beyond us on every
side, so as to leave no chance of escape ; so we
had to force on the lines, and draw the fish

DEVIL FISHING. 87

close up to the boat. When the lurching from the
high sea snapped off, first one, and then the other
of the stout ropes, leaving both harpoons fixed in
the fish, which was thus uselessly killed. Soon
as we were released, we pushed for the shore at
Bay Point, which we scarcely reached before the
storm was down upon us.

Thursday^ 2d July. — Set out on another cruise
to-day. The weather threatening ; wind blowing
fresh from the south. H. M. S. and E. M. promis-
ing to man a boat and come to my assistance, if
they observed me succeed in harpooning a fish.
Saw but few leap to-day; did not find them so
numerous under the Hilton Head shore. Struck at
one while somersettiug below the surface ; the
harpoon bounded oif without entering ; probably it
encountered the fore part of the head, in which
point they are invulnerable. Soon after, found
myself in a group where four were sporting.
Pushed at one on the right ; he disappeared, when
a very large fish unexpectedly rose to my left, and
showed himself so fairly that I unadvisedly pitched
the harpoon into him. The first draw of the rope
— was across my neck! Not so pleasant that.
Spinning myself out of the coil, I leaped clear of it,
and he ran out the whole line before we checked
him with the weight of the boat. Like the fish

88 DEVIL FISHING.

struck the day before, he made some violent runs,
and left us this time no doubt as to the cause ; for,
when drawn up, he thrust out one of his fins, still
bleeding, from which the tip had been just cut by
a shark ; his enemy, in all likelihood, being yet in
pursuit. I plunged the spear so deeply into his
body that it passed through him, and the cord
attached to it was drawn through my hand as he
ran and carried it off along with the spear. "When
next drawn up, I gave him a desperate wound on
the back with my remaining spear. He was now
'much exhausted, and we brought him up to the
stern with a short rope, and attempted to draw him
to the land. The wind was very high from south,
and the fish had taken us down the centre channel,
abreast of Joyner's Bank, and, by setting the fore-
sail, and bearing him down toward the Bay Point
shore, I was getting the leeway for my reckoning,
when the rising of the squall obliged me again to
look for safety. The clouds seemed highly charged
with electricity, and came sweeping onward with
fearful rapidity. While there was any chance of
killing the fish in time for reaching the shore in
advance of the storm, I held on to my play, which
w^ould eventually have succeeded, but night and
the tempest were both upon me, and I drew him
closer to the stern, that I might kill him at once,

DEVIL FISHING. 80

or, if that were impracticable, might, at least, dis*
engage my liarpoon. At this moment, the rope
parted. But what was my surprise at beholding
the fish, though now released, still keeping com-
pany with us, swimming close to the boat and follow-
ing US with his Horns projected on each side of the
stern, moving exactly with our speed, and in oui
direction ! I caught at my spear ; but one glance
at the lowering sky served to show the futility of
making further onslaught on him. To reach the
shore before the storm should burst on us, was
the imperious demand now made on us by con-
trolling circumstances, and we spread our main-sail,
and flew away from the gale and from the devil-
fish, not without casting some anxious looks behind,
to see if he still pursued. But our speed was too
great ; he fell behind, and we saw him no more !

Shall I say that no touch of superstitious feeling
took momentary possession of my mind, in witness-
ing an act so startling, on a scene so wild ? What
if he pursued us, impelled by the instinct of ven-
geance ? What if he leaped upon us in that vindic-
tive mood? In that retributory leap, our boat
would be crushed like a cockle-shelL Shall I say,
that fancies such as these did not flit across our
minds, while the night deepened, and the lightnings
flashed around us, and the whitening waves were

90 DEVIL FISHING.

dashed aside from our prow, as we sped over the
waste of waters ?

But in sober earnest, what could have been the
purpose of the fish in following us after his release ?
Can the naturalist tell ? Perhaps the sharks were
still pursuing him, and he found the presence of
the boat a protection ; or perhaps he followed the
boat because the slime from his own body, having
been rubbed off against its sides, he was misled
by the pungency of the smell into the belief that he
was following one of his own tribe, whose com-
panionship he sought in the extremity of his mis-
ery. Some motive there must have been for a
proceeding so strange.

To solve the problem by a reference to the sense
of smell, will not appear unreasonable to those who
have remarked how accurately these fish follow each
other, though miles apart, and in cases wherein, from
the turbid state of the water, sight could have been
of no avail for their direction. May not this high
leaping from the water, and consequent fall, be de-
signed to diffuse this slime and the scent that belongs
to it, so as to assure the rest of the tribe of the course
taken by their predecessors ? Is it not in truth the
means provided by nature by which they signal each
other, and contrive to pursue the same track though
the expanse of ocean? May not, in short, their

DEVIL FISHING. 91

gamboUings on the surface, and their somersets
beneath, have the self-same purpose, and be ex-
plained by this hypothesis ?

The squall struck us before we gained the shore,
and the rain fell upon us with a stunning and
bewildering effect; but all was unheeded in the
satisfaction of finding ourselves once more on firm
land, safe from the tempest and the startling and
unwelcome pursuit to which we have just referred !

The storms of these two successive evenings which
had twice prevented me from landing my fish, were
extensive and exceedingly violent, destroying fences,
uprooting trees, and falling on some devoted spots
with the force of a tornado. Fortunately for me,
though within their range, I was not in their vortex.
Had it been otherwise, these narratives had not
been written !

Besides the risks from storms, there is undoubtedly
some risk in the encounter with these devil-fish.
Whoever contends with superior force must do so at
some peril ; but by prudence and forecast these
dangers can be greatly abated, and T remember but
one occasion on which I found myself decidedly
imperilled by the fish itself. A fish had been struck
and drawn repeatedly to the boat's side, but we
could not hold him there ; he floundered and plunged
60 violently that we were forced to give him line,

i

92 DEVIL FISHING.

wliieli lie dreAv out until lie reached the bottom ;
leaving lis the toil of drawing him again to the sur-
face. We had on board a large iron hook and
tiller made expressly for such service (the hook,
however, being without a barb), and on his next
appearance I plunged it into the fish, and passed it
over to one of the boatmen, directing him to hold
on. Then arming myself with a large knife (for he
still struggled vigorously), I passed my arm over
the gunwale of the boat, and began to strike him
with this new weapon, as he lay a foot or so
beneath the w^ater. Suddenly, my hand was para-
lyzed, and the reader will understand my feelings
when looking into the water, I found that the devil-
fish had seized my arm with one of his feelers, and
pressed it powerless against his body ! " He stays
my arm — ^pleads for mercy — appeals like an intelli-
gent creature to my humanity," was my first
thought. " He has bound me to his fate," was the
startling conviction that dispelled that first thought,
and revealed to me the imminent peril in which I
stood. A fate w^orse than Mazeppa's will be mine
if he breaks loose again ! "For God's sake, boys,
hold on ! He has clutched my arm, and if he runs
again for bottom, my life goes with him !" How
long then seemed to me those few brief moments
of uncertainty ; but they are past, his force is

DEVIL FISHING. 03

exhausted, liis hold on me relaxes, and in his very
death struggle, my arm again is free ! I took my
seat with sobered feelings, thinking by how narrow
a chance the pursuer had escaped the fate of his
victim!

On another occasion there occurred something
worth relating, which, that I might not offend the
delicacy of the fastidious, I have turned into Latin,
trusting that, thus forewarned, they will not go out
of their way to read it.

I had observed a fish in Skull Creek channel
taking his course toward the sea. Shortly after, I
saw another, taking precisely the same track. The
first then turned toward the Hilton Head shore,
so did the second. I silently pursued them, until
they approached within one hundred yards of the
beach, in the hope of striking one or the other
of them. Then checking the speed of the boat,
while the boatmen lay on their oars, prepared to
turn the boat in any direction that might be
required, and while in eager expectation, I stood
prepared to dart my harpoon

Subito, Iseva — sed longiore spatio, quam, si jacu-

latus essem, speraverim transfigere ictu — duos

pisces cephalopteras aspexi, amplexu conjunctos.

A^entribus juxtapositis — capitibus erectis, et supra

undam oblatis — antennis lascive intersertis — coitum
6-2

9i DEYIL FISflma.

salacem, ut solet genus squalus, ipso contactu
corporis, tunc sine dubio exercuere. Ferire, ob
distantiam non licitum, aut duos cejDlielopteras,
solo ictu transfixisse, gloria inopinata mihi con-
tegisset. Cymbam appropinquantem, liastamque
minantem, circumspecte evitant — et, in profundo
paulisper latentes, iterum, dextra emergunt, ludos-
que lascivos repetunt. Tune, quasi deliciis satiati,
saltatione in aere, utrinque facta — apertum mare
petivere. Hoc concursu tarn raro notato — antennis
albiSj cum nigris admixis utsi lacertis — ^imago foedi
et immundi coitus, nudi Africani cum Cauca-
siana, plane prsefigurabatur.

The devil-fish, as they frequent indifferently the
deep and shallow portions of the coast, do not seem
in their normal state to dread the attack of the
sharks. They probably defend themselves by the
blows of their formidable wings, or protect them-
selves by their superior swiftness from the terrible
jaws of that sea-scourge. But the case is different
when the devil-fish has been harpooned; the sharks,
attracted by the scent of his blood, then surround
him, while striving to disengage himself from the
fatal harpoon, and taking him at disadvantage,
attempt to destroy him. This we know, from the

DEVIL FISHING. Of)

desperate and unexpected runs made by the devil-
fisli — by tlie bleeding fin, wbich as I have elsewhere
described, the fish exhibited when drawn to the
surface — and conclusively, by the actual assault of
the shark, on the surface, as once witnessed by
myself. We had one day struck a fish, which,
resisting longer than usual, had carried us down
the harbor some five or six miles outside of land.
When we had mastered him, we set sail and
attempted to tow him to land. While thus engaged,
the fish, drawn close up under the stern, turned
over upon his back by the action of the boat, and
thus exposed to view his white belly, at the depth
of four or five feet below the surface. I was steer-
ing, but casting my ejes back to observe whether
the fish was so secured as to off*er the minimum of
resistance in our towing process, I was startled to
perceive that a large shark was lying over the fish ;
his size and position being well defined, by the con-
trast of color. I called for another harpoon, but none
other was rigged at the moment ; so striking at him
with a spear, he made his retreat; and when we
landed the devil-fish, I was surprised to find that,
short as the time apparently was, during which
he had occupied the position in which I saw
Mm, he had contrived, nevertheless, to cut out
from the soft and yielding belly of the fish, a piece

00 DEVIL FISHING.

as large as could be compassed by liis outspread
jaws.

What I might have done, in the case just related,
had the harpoon been ready for the attempt, has
actually been done by Mr. Ed. B. Means, already
mentioned in the earlier pages of this book. He
was cruising in his sailboat, along the Hilton-Head
shore, while it was yet flood tide, and seeing a
fish (though they do not usually show themselves
until ebb tide), succeeded in striking it. The
lish ran with the tide, which soon brought him
up wdth the north point of Pinckney Island.
He had plunged his spear into the fish so as
to cause him to bleed freely, when he was
attacked by a large shovel-nosed or hammer-
headed shark.

In his effort to escape from this new enemy, the
devil-fish made a rapid turn, which passed the har-
pooner's rope round the neck of the shark, making
ii very effective noose, from which, by reason of his
hammer-head, he could not escape — the greater the
fright of the devil-fish — ^the faster he fled — the harder
he drew the noose around the neck of his assailant,
so that Mr. Means had time to fling a new harpoon
into the intrusive shark, and enjoyed the singular
satisfaction of landing a devil-fish and a shark by
tjie same line! This landinpc was effected on a

DEVIL FISHING. 97

bank lying to the nortliwest of Pinckney Island: and
onr sportsman towed the shark over to Bay Point,
and landed it on the beach. 1 saw it after it was
landed. It was a formidable-looking creature,
measuring twelve feet in length !

Having ascertained the fact that the sharks
attack the devil-fish when wounded, we frequently
prepare ourselves with chain-hooksj and lines, and
throv/ing our baits overboard, troll for sharks,
while we are being drawn about by devil-fish!
That fish is thus made to act as a decoy for the
sharks, and I have known five sharks taken before
the devil-fish was mastered.

The porpoises do not appear to attack the devil-
fish (though I have known them to attack a gram-
pus whale, and drive him ashore). They seem,
however to avoid each other, and it is a common
remark among our sportsmen, that when the shoals
of porpoises are frequent in our waters, the devil-
fish are scarce !

Since, among the readers of this book ol

" Sports," there may be some who would desii*e to

peruse a scientific description of the devil-fish, I

I have subjoined one, taken from the latest authority,

98 DEVIL FISHINa.

viz., from the " Zoology of l^ew York. By James
E. De Kay. Albany : 1842."

" Family Kaiidae.
'' Genus Cephaloptera. Dumeril.

'' The pectorals produced into long processes at
their anterior extremities, presenting the appear-
ance of two horns. Teeth slender ; dorsal small ;
tail slender, with a serrated spine.
" The Sea-Devil.
" Cephalopetera Vampirus.
" The Yampire of the Ocean. — Mitchell. Cepha-
lopetera giorna. — ^Lesueur.

" Characteristics. — ^Tail longer than the body,
and armed with one or more spines ; dorsal between
the ventrals ; anterior margin of the pectorals con-
vex; posterior concave; width, 16-18 feet.

" Description. — Body large; the transverse much
exceeding its logitudinal diameter. Skin rough to
the touch, as in many species of Scjualus, but
without any evident tubercles or spines. Head
not distinct from the body, subtruncate in front,
slightly convex. Mouth subterminal, with very
small teeth, in seven or eight rows, in the lower jaw
distant and in quincunx; those of the upper jaw
scarcely visible. Nostrils small, and placed near
the angles of the mouth, two feet apart. Eyes
prominent, lateral, four feet apart, and placed on an

PEVIL FISHING. 9D

eminence at the base of the frontal appendices.
Branchial apertures narrow, linear, varying from
one to two feet in length, with valvular coverings.
Tail long, slender, sub-compressed, terminating in
a slender extremity.

" The dorsal fin small, triangular, with thirty-six
rays, and placed over the base of the tail between
the ventrals ; a short, serrated spine, just anterior
to it. Pectorals much elongated, pointed, arched
in front, concave behind, the frontal appendices
projected on each side of the mouth, and used as
instruments of prehension ; they are two feet and
a half long, and a foot wide. Yentrals broad,
short, deeply emarginated and rounded behind,
continuous in front with the pectorals.

" Color. — ^Blue-black above ; dusky, varied with
large opaque white clouds, beneath.

" Length to the base of the tail, 10 feet ; to the
end of the tail, 16 feet ; width across the tips of the
pectorals, 17 feet.

" This is one of those large monsters of the deep,
which are occasionally captured along our shores.
It was first noticed by Catesby, on the coast of
Carolina, where it appears to be more frequent than
further north. The next notice is by Dr. Mitchell,
cited above, from a specimen captured at the mouth
of Delaware Bay. Another individual was taken

100 DEVIL Fisnma.

in Savannah, in 1824. Lesueiir, who described it
anew from the specimen examined by Dr. Mit-
chell, considered it as identical with the K. giorna
of Lac^pede. I have carefully compared these
descriptions, and find too many striking dissimi-
larities to enable me to consider them as identical.
In this view I am sustained by Cuvier, in the last
edition of the Kegne Animal. Tlie giorna rarely
exceeds fifty pounds in weight, according to Eisso ;
while our species is so large, that, according to
Mitchell, it required three pair of oxen, aided by a
horse and twenty-two men, to drag it to the dry
land. It was estimated to weigh between four and
five tons. It approaches, in fact, nearer to the
0. Massena, of Eisso.

"The Sea-devil, or Oceanic Yampire, as it has
been not inaptly named, is known to seize the
cables of small vessels at anchor, and draw them for
several miles with great velocity. An instance of
this kind was related to me, by a credible eye-
witness, as having occurred in the harbor of
Charleston. A schooner, lying at anchor, was
suddenly seen moving across the harbor with great
rapidity, impelled by some unknown and mys-
terious pov/er. Upon approaching the opposite
shore, its course was changed so suddenly, as
nearly to capsize the vessel, when it again crossed

DEVIL FISHING. 101

the harbor with its former velocity, and, ^the. same
scene was repeated Avhen it approached the shore.
These mysterious fxlghts across "elie - luirbojL^ ,we/c
repeated several times, in the presence of hundreds
of spectators, and suddenly ceased."

This description, taken from De Kay, and pub-
lished but three years since, shows how very
imperfect is the knowledge of the naturalists, even
of the present day, in regard to this fish. The very
first Gharacteristic^ viz : " Tail longer than the body,
and armed with one or more spines," is incorrect in
both particulars. In the first specification, viz.,
that the tail is longer than the body, the description
is at variance not only v/ith fact, but with itself ;
for we read further on, that the "length to the
base of the tail, is ten feet ; to the end of the tail
sixteen ;" so that the length of the tail is, to that
of the body, as six to ten. This corresponds with
what I have myself observed ; and in all the speci-
mens which I have examined (and they amount to
almost tvf enty),"there was not one which was armed
with a spine, serrated or otherwise. The socket, or
groove, where such a formidable weapon may have
been placed, was found, it is true, in all ; but the
spine in none. It was placed below the caudal fin,
and just where the spine is usually found in the

102 DEVIL FISHING.

sti,ng-ray; ; rbtit I do not believe that it is ever found
in tins flsii-^in which opinion I am confirmed by
"'i^maHdng, ,'that the young devil-fish- calf ^ to be
seen at Yenuchi's exhibition-room. King-street,
Charleston, is without a spine.

The story of their using their feelers as instru-
ments of prehension, and drawing vessels about the
harbor, is very like that given by Catesby (vol. i.
page 32) ; the only difference is, that in one case it
was a sloop, in the other a schooner. They were
probably both true. The same thing happened
about fifteen years ago, in one of the inlets on the
coast of Georgia. A trading vessel lay at anchor,
and, while her crew were on shore, one of these fish
seized the cable and dragged her off, anchor and all,
to the consternation of the sailors, who pursued their
retreating bark for some miles in their boat, and
regained her, when the devil-fish had contrived,
or seen fit, to disengage himself from his prize.

I have often listened, when a boy, to the story of
an old family servant, quite a respectable negro,
whose testimony I have no reason to discredit, and
which would seem to corroborate the instances
already cited. He was fishing near the Hilton
Head beach, for sharks ; and, accompanied by ano-
ther hand, was anchored about fifty yards from
shore, in a four-oared boat, when a devil-fish seized

DEYIL FISHING. 103

hold of tlie shark line. Whether he grasped the
line between his feelers, or accidentally struck the
hook into his body, cannot accurately be known ;
but he darted off with the line, dragging the boat
from her anchorage, and moved seaward with such
fearful velocity, that the fishermen threw themselves
flat on their faces, and gave themselves up for lost.
" After lying a long time in this posture," said the
old man, " in expectation of death, I gained a little
heart, and stealing a look over the gunwale, saw
iron sfwim — ^there was the anchor playing duck and
drake on the top of the water, while the boat was
going stern -foremost for the sea ! At last," said he,
" we cut loose when he had almost got us out to
sea." The earnestness of the old man, and the look
of undissembled terror which he wore in telling the
story, convince me that he spoke the truth.

I have but one observation more to make on the
description of De Kay. "Color — ^Blue-black
above ; dusky ^ varied with large white opaque
clouds^ TjeneathP It would be more correct to say,
'^white^ varied with large dusky opaque clouds
heneath^^^ for, in every case, the white has predomi-
nated, and in a few cases there were no dusky spots
at all!

It will be seen, from the foregoing description,
that, imlike the porpoise or the whale, the devil-

104: DEVIL FISHING.

fish is not obliged to come to tlie surface for breath.
In one, hour and forty minutes, the whale is obliged
to show himself at the top of the water ; not so
the devil-fish, which the sportsman is consequently
obliged to draw up by sheer force — a circum-
stance which greatly increases the risk of losing
him.

In conclusion, I would recommend to the sports-
man who goes in search of devil-fish, to embark in
a four-oared boat, if sport be his object ; for he will
then feel the full force of the fish, and enjoy the
velocity of the movement. But, if success in cap-
turing be uppermost in his thoughts, a six-oared
boat is to be preferred. In either case, it should be
without a keel, and draw but little water forward ;
for a rapid change of front is necessary, as well in
the attack as the pin^suit.

I well know the disposition that prevails, to treat
such sporting incidents as are unusual, or which we
happen not to have witnessed, as exaggerations
involving a material departure from truth. Will-
ing as I may be to amuse others with these narra-
tives, I cannot consent to do so at the cost of any
such imputation on myself, and I therefore deter-
mined, in every instance, to name, or, at least to
indicate the gentlemen, who were my companions
and associates in the sports which I liave described.

THE SEA-SEEPENT.

Who has not heard of the sea-serpent ? There
was no educated man in the United States, at least,
v/ho had not read with wonder, not unmixed with
awe, of the visits of tliis formidable animal to the
coasts of New England. Nothing could be better
authenticated than the existence of this undes-
cribed marine monster — nothing more circumstan-
tial and truth-like than the statements published
in the Boston papers of the visits made by the non-
descript, to the vicinity of Gloucester Point and
Nahant ! We were told how it appeared on a cer-
tain day oif Gloucester and was seen by two skippers
commanding separate vessels — how it approached
one of the sail, as if for the purpose of attack — ^how
its eyes wxre fierce and fiery — how its head, large
as a flour barrel, was raised three feet above the
water — how its length was from 90 to 120 feet —
how its back while it moved along presented the
appearance of bunches which projected above the
surface, and how, after approaching within fifty yards
of the vessel, it dived beneath it and disappeared.

106 THE SEA-SERPENT.

to tlie unspeakable relief of the crew ! It seemed
impossible, from the mass of corroborative testimony,
to question two imjportant facts — first, the exis-
tence of this strange and formidable animal, and
secondly, that it took the form of a serpent ! It
was no myth, but an actual, living, formidable,
unchronicled monster of the deep; and, in fche
excited state of the public mind, expeditions were
planned with a view to capture it, and put to
rest all future incredulity, by exhibiting it to the
gaze of the people.

I remember dining, during this excited state of
the public mind, with Dr. Robbins of Boston, at his
cottage atNahant. I well remember the sumptuous
fare spread before us by our hospitable host — ^the
delicacy of the viands, the lusciousness of the fruits,
the richness of the wines ; but what I recall with
more especial pleasure, is that Prescott the historian
was among the guests, and charmed every stranger
present by his colloquial powers, and by a modesty
of deportment which sat on him too naturally to
have been assumed. By my side, too, sat my early
friend and cherished classmate, Francis C. Gray of
Boston — now, alas ! no more — the refined gentle-
man, the accomplished scholar, the keen, discrim-
inating writer, whose unnumbered kindnesses come
crowding thickly on my memory, as I recall his

THE SEA-SERPENT. 107

uanie — and dim my eyes while 1 write, with
tears !

The cottage of Dr. Eobbins, was seated on the
very clift, and overlooked the sea. The cloth was
hardly removed, when a murmuring noise from
without induced us to look out, and we observed
that the adjoining rocks, were being fast populated
by an anxious crowd, who were looking intently
toward the sea ; our eyes took the same direction —
and there on the smooth surface, lay the sea-ser-
pent! There was the ripple, there were the
bunches — ;]ust as they had been described in print,
there was the long %oake^ leaving it uncertain what
was the actual body, and what represented the dis-
placement of the water caused by the rapid motion
of the animal. An excitement seized upon us all,
and obeying an impulse which my former training
may well explain, I resolved to volunteer with any
party that should attempt his capture. Meantime,
the serpent disappeared, and when he next pre-
sented himself on the surface we brought a tele-
scope to bear on him, and found to our infinite cha-
grin, that the object which magnified by the haze
of the atmosphere, had seemed to us the veritable
sea-serpent, had now shrunk to the dimensions of a
despicable horse-mackerel !

^' But surely sir, you have mistaken your lati

108 THE SEA-SEKPENT.

tilde — ^you are adrift ¥/ithout a compass ! \Vliat
liave you to do witli the §ea-serpent ? He is the
peculiar property of ISTew England, lie never con-
descends to sliow liimself elsewhere, he is of the
Pilgrim States, their very specialty ; as much and
as exclusively theirs, as the gift of witchcraft, the
privilege of detecting, and the divine right of pun-
ishing it. With what propriety, therefore, can you
pretend to introduce him in a book of '' Carolma
Sports?"

Have patience ! most choleric reader ! Patience
is a piscatory as well as an Apostolic virtue ; as
needful (you may find,) to the reader of fish stories,
as to the fisherman himself. Patience, and we shall
see.

The March winds were whistling sharply, as is
their wont, along the southern Atlantic sea-Doa)^d,
when the gallant steamer Wm. Seabrook loosed her
hawser from the wharf at Savannah to which she
had been moored, and pressed forward on her inland
voyage to Charleston. At her wheel stood her
stalwart commander, Blankinsin), long known and
well reputed in all the region roundabout. And
now^ the steamer glides through the yellow waters
of the Savannah River, between fields celebrated
for their production of rice, and enriched by the
deposit from these same turbid yellow waters, until

THE SEA-SERPENT. lOQ

Miey rival Egjpt in fertility. And well tliey may
• — for while only one annual inundation enriches
the Egyptian soil, here, twice in the short life of
every moon, are these iields refreshed and renewed
by fertilizing inundations ; and now the steamer
approaches the sea, whose salt tides contend for
mastery with the fresh waters from the high lands,
that having long held undisputed possession of the
channel, are now urging boisterously their exclusive
and prescriptive right, against the encroachments
of the ocean. And now she winds along the cork-
screw channel — worn by the contending tides in the
soft oozy bottom — and weathers the black-oyster
rocks, and rounds the tail of Grenadier bank with
its flankers of snovz-white breakers, and then she
bears up for Callibogne Sound, and passes the mouth
of the river of " May "' — Laudonnieres' river of
that name, or else wrongfully baptized in it, by
some bungling geographer ; and then with rapid
strokes, she dashes through Skull Creek — Hilton
Head on the starboard, Pinckney Island on the lar-
board bow — till all at once she emerges on the broad,
deep estuary of Port Poyal, already familiar to
the reader as the sporting ground and the battle
ground of the devil-fish! And now the steamer
was merrily dashing the foam from her prow —
weathering the tail of Paris bank, and pointing up

.110 THE SEA-SERPENT.

Jjeaiifort Eiver toward the town of that name,
when lo and behold ! what startling spectacle then
met the gaze ot the astonished commander ! "Wliat
l>iit the veritable sea serpent ! that tired, we may
siip])ose5 of the monotony of his eastern hamits, was
amusing himself with an excursion to the Sontn,
and had looked in {en passant) on the pleasant har-
bor of Port Eoyal ! Mars and Bellona ! what did
the captain do ? There lay alongside of him this
leviathan of sea monsters, " long as his steamboat,
stout as liis yawl." There he lay in his intermina-
ble length, his bunches all visible (as may be
seen on the frontispiece of many a veracious pamph-
let of the day), each several bunch of the series
set down by autlioritj^, and verified by a Gloucester
affidavit ! What did the captain do ? Why, like a
prudent and considerate commander, he did not do
what you or I, in a dare-devil spirit might have
done — he did not attack the monster ! He would
not risk owner's property, you see ! If he attacked
the strange craft, and came to damage thereby, he
might forfeit insurance, for this risk was Jiot put
down in the policy, you know ! So, giving the
monster a wide berth, he turned tail, blew off three
terrific blasts at him from his steam whistle, and
drove away for the town of Beaufort, as i£ the devil
himself was in his rear !

THE SEA-SEEPENT. Ill

Tlie captain Lad no sooner reached the wharf,
and disclosed his startling intelligence, than the
whole town was aflame with excitement !

"What is this?" said a fine looking burly gen
tleman, who came bustling down with an air of
official authority about him. " What hoax are you
playing off on us ? The sea-serpent in Broad Eiver !
Tell that to the marines !"

" As sure as you live," said the captain, " I saw
him two hours ago."

"The hell you did! Why did you not hawser
him, and bring him up to town?"

" He was as large round as my yawl boat, and as
long as the steamer," said the captain, explanatorily.

" The Old one of course,'' said the stout gentle-
man. " But what should the devil or any of his vice-
gerents find to do in these waters ? I should be glad
to know ! Didn't the Saints make such a clean
sweep of us some years back, that devil a subject
can now be found among us, fit for his majesty's
service ?"

" I don't know that," said a keen looking, ascetic
man, in a quiet tone, " he might get some, fix)m
what I hear, by voluntary enlistment !"

" The captain took an afternoon obs-ervation,"
hinted one.

'• Twilight magnifies," said another. But in q)ito

ft

112 THE SEA-SERPENT.

of jeers and doubts, the captain's testimony was
positive, earnest and unvarying, and tlie conviction
soon became general that the monster was really in
Port Eoyal ! Then came the unanimous determi-
nation to capture him at all hazards !

" We'll teach this Yankee craft to cruise in our
waters," said one.

" Doubtless, he has his belly stuffed with aboli-
tion tracts," said a hungry looking secessionist,
leading oft" on the grateful scent.

'' Gentlemen," said a third, " the sea-serpent is
here — that's a fact. We must capture him, that's
another fact, or soon will be. Who'll volunteer ? He
shall not insult us by his presence in these waters
— us, who have encountered and beaten the devil-
fish, who are his betters for aught we know — us, who
have trailed behind them all night in our undecked
skiffs, on the open sea, and mastered them with the
rising sun. We'll kill him, gentlemen ; we're the
boys to do it." And it was resolved !

The steamer whose intelligence had caused such
unwonted commotion in this ordinarily tranquil
town, now steamed off for her destination, imcon
scions of, and indift*erent to, the ferment she had
excited. Oh, Beaufort ! thou mother of beautiful
women and illustrious men, who devotest thy daugh-
ters to Heaven, in this world and the next ; but

THE SEA-SERPENT. 113

dismissest tliy sons in an opposite direction ! Tliou
iinmatcliable town, that, devouring the oyster, still
deliglitest in the shell ! Whose mansions, streets,
and roads, are all of shell-work ; that blindest the
eyes of thy people with concrete dust, and with
concrete walls defendest thyself against the ap-
proach of thy enemies ! Thou- mathematical para-
dox, whose angles become right lines by " order of
comicil," and whose right lines are as tortuous as
angles! Thou financial wonder! whose taxes in-
crease as thy means diminish, and whose inhabit-
ants grow rich by boiTOwing from each other !
Oh, Beaufort! lovely always, but like a freckled
beauty, loveliest at a distance! what a storm of
excitemxcnt burst over you on this eventful night,
and startled you from your accustomed somnolency !
There was many a lovely eye that did not close a
lid, for fear of the encroachment of the serpent !
There was many a manly heart that waked as well,
but throbbed with impatience to grapple with, and
subdue him ! They did not deep ; long before
midnight the lieges of Beaufort were afloat, intent
on mischief. Prominent among them was Capt.
J. G. B., once the honored captain of the Beaufort
Yolunteer Guards — now the commander of the con-
solidated corps of artillery and guards. He was to
command the artillery of the expedition. A man

114 THE SEA-SERPENT.

of honor and worth was he ; a high-toned man,
whose only quarrel with life was, that his military
aspirations had never been gratified : that his
misgoverned country had never indulged in the
luxury of war, nor afforded him the opportunity for
that distinction, for which his soul pined ! " Here
is a chance after all," said the captain, rubbing his
hands. "It is not war, but something almost as
good !" Then there was Captain G. P. E., whilom
captain of this same artillery. He was to com-
mand the squadron. Confident was he of making
minced-meat of the sea-m.onster ! " Had he not
driven bayonets and pikes and harpoons innumer-
able into devil-fish ? Was he to be daunted now ?
"No, not he ! He would draw the serpent's teeth,
and leave them in pawn with his friend who swore
so terribly ! He would give his flesh to the sharks

— ^liis skeleton to Dr. , in exchange for a

unicorn, or to his' friend the colonel, in exchange for
his. favorite mermaid! His skin he would present
to the museum at Salem, to be exhibited gratis to the
enterprising people of Gloucester, and in exchange,
if they could find one, for the skin of a witch."

They launched a flat, which, in consideration,
doubtless, of his known antipathy to serpents, they
dubbed " Saint Patrick," and in it embarked Cap-
tain B. with his six-pounder, well supplied with

THE SEA-SERPENT* 115

ammunition, and with a select squad of artillerists
to serve it. ISText came Captain G. P. E. in his
sailboat, "The Eagle," with a lighter armament, but
indorsed by an apparatus fitted for devil-fishing, sucli
as harpoons, ropes, and buoys. Lastly, came a skiff,
to ply between the heavier boats, and pick up
stragglers should any be tossed overboard in the
expected fray. Here was good strategy — an anchor
to windward, a loop-hole for retreat, were it neces-
sary, and security for some at least of the assail-
ants, for it would be difficult for his highness, with
all his imputed fierceness and voracity, to take down
three boats at a gulp !

Full of spirit, and of high hope and expectation,
the party now embarked, and went merrily on their
way with wind and tide in their favor, until at dawn
of day they found themselves on the waters of
Broad Eiver, by the way of Archer's Creek. They
cast their eyes wistfully east, south and west, over
the wide expanse, but no serpent was to be seen.
They agreed to divide, and signal each other should
either party come in sight of the enemy. " St.
Patrick, " with the skiff in company, passed up the
river with the tide (you are too fond of that, my
dear St. Patrick !) The Eagle spreads her wings
and sails away to seaward, against the tide. After
sailing on that tack for some time without seeing

116 THE SEA-SERPENT.

ally tiling iiuiisual, slie turns to rejoin lier consort,
who liad now made , an interval of several miles
between tlie boats ; when the look-out boy stationed
in the bow of the Eagle calls out, " I see. something
ahead !" " AVhere ? — where ?" and all hands rush to
the head of the boat to see, and beheld close aboard
of them an object like a boat turned bottom up.
" Gentlemen," said Captain George, " look out, the
object is right ahead — ^but a hundred yards off — we
shall be in the jaws of the serpent before we can
stop! Helm down." The boat would not answer
the helm, there was too much live weight at the
bows. '^ To your places, gentlemen ! Let go sheet
ropes!" She fell off from the wind, and the boat
losses, just without touching, the object which had
called forth this sudden commotion. " Yery like a
whale," cried Captain George, as he gazed at the
unknow-ii. " Look there ! another ; we're in a shoal
of whales ! There's five of them, as I live ; three
full grown and tvv o young ones ! No sea-serpent,
after all ; but game, nevertheless, and royal- game
too; a perfect god send to us — ^let us signal our
consort, and bring them to action."

" Ah, Saint Patrick ! that habit of yours, of taking
it aisy, and going with wind and tide, has brought
you into trouble ! These four miles of head wind
and tide, and hard tugging at the oars, before you

THE SEA-SEKPENT. 117

can face the enemy, all come of this obliging dis-
position of yours!" The whales, too, were going
against the tide, so that the match after all was not
so very unequal, and St. Patrick, after a hard tng,
with a swaggering air, that seemed to say, " arrah
now, won't I take the consait ont of you V^ ranged
up alongside the enemy, and when he had got
within a hundred yards, let go a six-poujid ball at
the first whale that showed himself above the water.
"They take no notice of us !" said the baffled artil-
leryman. " Try another shot." They tried another
and another, but the balls went dancing and ricochet-
ing over the waves innocent of blood ! No wonder !
the wind blew high, the sea w^as rough, and Saint
Patrick (shame on him) was a leetle unsteady !
" Now, Slowman," said Captain B., " try your hand ;
your father wa.s our crack shot, and yoio boast that
you can bring down a sparroAV on the -wing with
your six-pounder ; show us your skill, now !" " Well,
captain, but a sparrow on the wing is easier than a
' whale imder water ; but here goes !" And he rams
down a canister of grape, and when the next whale
rises, a shower of balls is flying about his head.
'* Ha, ha ! lie feels us now !" The whale flings his
fiuke aloft, and brings it down on the water with a
report that rivalled our cannon, then plunges down*
ward, and when he next shows himself on the sur-

118 THE SEA-SERPENT.

face, there are some keen-sighted sportsmen aboard^
who .aver that they spy a hole in his jacket, and a
piece of blubber fat sticking out of the orifice !

Meanwhile, the whales began to move at increased
speed toward the sea, and it became doubtful
whether St. Patrick could retain his position so as
to continue the action.

" Come," said Captain George, " they must not
escape us. I'll go in the skiff, and tackle them
with my devil-fish harpoon. Who'll steer the
skiff? I'll take two boys to row."

"But, maussa," said Pompey (who was one of the
skiff hands), ''I can't go close dat ting in maussa
new boat anyhow. He tail strong as steam engine,
and he knock the boat all to shivers."

" Don't want you, Pompey ; another hand will
do as well, or better."

So off they start ; Captain George, stafi' in hand,
at the bow, while two hands pulled vigorously at
the oars. The ripple caused by the motion of the
fish against the current, showed their direction,
even while they were submerged. So, rowing
parallel to the shoal, the whale had no sooner
emerged, than the boatmen were ordered to pull
right in for his head. The boat actually touched
him, when Captain George struck the harpoon into
his head, and as he seemed stunned or insensible,

THE SEA-SEEPENT. 1J9

drove it in with botli hands, till the skifi' recoiled
with the force of the blow. Thirty fathoms of rope,
attached to the harpoon, had been wound round a
cask, which was now thrown overboard, and the
cask began to spin around in a marvellous manner,
until the whole line was unwound, when it went
bobbing under and reappearing, with the rapid or
slower movement of the fish.

Three cheers went up from the assembled sports-
men at the execution of this daring feat ; and high
hopes were entertained that they would succeed in
capturing the whale. The fish, meanwhile, floun-
dered and plunged, and lashed the water with his
powerful fluke, whirling over while on the surface,
until the rope was observed to be twisted several
times round his body, while the staff was seen
sticking from his throat. The sportsmen, in their
three boats, followed closely in his wake, w^aiting
for him to exhau&t himself, and in the interim,
betook themselves to breakfast. Suddenly, the
cask became motionless. They approach, pull
upon the line, and, to their deep mortification,
discover that the harpoon had drawn out.

"Now is my turn,'' said Captain John; and,
taking his place in the skifi*, he repeated the
exploit of Captain George — struck a fish with
great force, which, like his predecessor, contrived,

120 THE SEA-SERPENT.

af'tor a short strr2:gle5 to rid himself of the hnr-
poon.

'' Mj turn is come again," said Captain George:
and, planting himself a second time in the bow of
the skiff, he struck his harpoon deeply, this time,
in the body of the fish. Again wei^e witnessed the
furious plunges and contortions of the wiiale :
again the harpoon tore out, and the baffled sports-
men, on the failure of this, their third cast, had to
confess to themselves, that their tackle was inade-
quate to the capture of a whale. The wind now
yeered to the east, and a rain-storm set in, so that
it was necessary to draw off from the enemy,
and make a harbor for the security of the boats,
and especially of that which was burdened
with a piece of artillery, which was accordingly
done.

The next day was Sunday, and our sportsmen
did not follow the example of the commanders of
modern Christian armies, who apparently select
that day for an engagement. They staid at home,
and retook their positions on Monday, with better
knowledge, better equipments, and in every way
better prepared for success. But all too late — the
enemy had fled ! The captain of a coaster met
them on their retreat, as they left the harbor ; and
nothing more was heard of them, except that rumor

THE SKI -SERPENT. 121

reported one of them as having been stranded on
the island of Kiawah !

When, during the pursuit of these whales, the
fish occasionally threw themselves in line, following
in each other's wakes near the surface, with their
fins projecting above the water, the close resem-
blance to an immense serpent was brought strik-
ingly to the minds of Qur sportsmen ; and it was
easy to perceive, how, in a hazy atmosphere, or
during an agitated sea, the sporting of a shoal of
whales might represent (to the mind of an excited
mariner), and be honestly mistaken for the redoubt-
able sea-serpent !

When the expedition returned to Beaufort, there
were some to taunt it with its want of success.

" Well, Captain George, where is your prize 2
You have not caught the whale, after all."

'^ No," says Captain George, " but we have done
DeHer ; we havf^ killed the sea-serpent !"

DEUM FISHING.

[POGONIA.S CHROMIS,]

Beaufoht, S, C»
Mb. Editor : I complj witli your request^ tliat
I would furnish you witli some account of our favor-
ite sport of '' drum fisliing," though I am aware
that the detail will interest but a small portion of
your readers.

These fish are so called, from the noise thay
make, resembling the tap of a drum, and so loud,
that in calm weather and in the afternoon (which
is their favorite time for dTU7nming\ it may bo
heard at the distance of several hundred yards
from the river. They are known to frequent our
waters during every month of the year except two,
(December and January), yet it is only during the
spawning season that they drum — at all other sea-
sons they are mute — it is the universal passion alone
that gives them utterance ! It is only at this
season, too, that they take the hook: at other

DEUM FISHING. 123

times, tliey subsist on barnacles and oysters, sus-
taining tliemselves by a process called grubling.

They are a numerous family, and make annual
excursions along our coast from Florida as far
north as the harbor of New York, where I have
heard of a few having been taken. In the month
of April, they aboimd on the sea-coast of South
Carolina, and great numbers penetrate our inlets
for the purpose of depositing their spawn. The
large bay or sound, known on the maps as Port
Eoyal harbor, but locally, as Broad Hiver^ is their
chosen place of resort, and constitutes the best fish-
ing station. If you ask me why they give the pre-
ference to this particular spot, I answer you con-
jecturally — ^because, while it is the deepest and
most capacious bay along our whole southern coast,
it is at the same time the saltest, there being no
important streams from the interior, emptying them-
selves into it and neutralizing the properties of the
sea-water.

But many of your readers, Mr. Editor, have never
seen a drum-fish. It may be proper, therefore, for
me to state, that it is the largest scale fish in Ame-
rica. It measures ordinarily three feet in length,
and weighs from thirty to forty pounds. It is
beautifully marked on the sides, by broad dark
transverse stripes, alternating with silver — or else

124 DRUM FISHING.

exhibits a uniform bright gold color, which fades,
soon after it is taken, into the hues ah-eady
described. I give you the mediuTn weight and
size of the fish, not the extreme. I have taken one
which measured four feet six inches in length and
w^eighed eighty-five pounds. Out of twenty taken
by me on a particular day, during the present sea-
son (April), there w^ere three weighing from sixty-
five to seventy pounds each. The smaller-sized
fish are excellent for table use — their roes, es-
pecially, are a great delicacy ; the larger are only
valuable when salted and cured like cod-fish, from
which when dressed they are scarcely distinguish-
able in flavor. The planters of this vicinity
are skillful fishermen and much devoted to the
sport. They succeeded in taking, during the last
season, at least twelve thousand of these fish; and
when I add, that except the small number consumed
in their families, the remainder were salted and
distributed among their slaves^ not in lieu of, but in
addition to their ordinary subsistence, you will per-
ceive that this is a case wherein the love of spoi't,
and the practice of charity, are singularly coinci-
dent.

And now^ for the manner of taking them. The
sportsman must provide himself with a substantial
boat impelled both by oars and sail, and with at

DKUM FISHING. 125

least fifteen fathoms of rope to his grapnel. His
line must be thirty fathoms, and furnished with two
pounds of lead, distributed in movable sinkers, which
draw up or let down, according to the strength
of the tide. He must lay in a good stock of crabs,
clams, and prawns, for bait ; and having launched
his boat on the bosom of this beautiful bay, and
come to anchor in about five or six fathoms water,
on gravelly or rocky bottom, he has now done
everything which can be considered as prere-
quisite to a successful fishing. Having baited his
hook with either or with a mixture of these differ-
ent baits (the prawn, though thirty years ago
unknown as a bait for drum, are decidedly the
best), let out your line until it keeps the bottom,
and stand prepared for a bite ! The unpractised
sportsman, who supposes that their bite will be in
proportion to their size and strength, will draw up
many a naked hook, before he draws a fish. They
approach cautiously, and almost as if they expected
a snare. As soon as you feel him certainly at your
hook, jerk with your utmost strength, and draw
quickly upon him, until you have fixed the hook
in his jaws. The instant lie feels the smart he
dashes off with all his force : and this is the critical
mom out — for if you resist him too forcibly, he
breaks your tackle, or tears out your hook ! and if

8—2

t26 DRUM FISHING.

you give Inm slack line, he darts toward joiu and
shakes the hook out of his mouth. " A just me-
dium," as Sterne says, " prevents all conclusions."
In medio^ tuUssmus ibis. Tou must give him play,
keeping your line tight, yet not overstrained ; pre-
serving an equable pressure ; managing your line
with one hand, and keeping the other in reserve,
either to draw in rapidly when the run is toward
you, or to regulate the velocity when the run is
against you, and severe. By degrees, the efforts of
the fish relax, and he is drawn to the surface. At
the sight of the sun, he makes a final effort to es-
cape, and plunges till he has reached the bottom.
The fatal hook still adheres to his jaws, and when he
reappears exhausted, on the surface of the water,
it is only to turn on his back, and resign himself to
his fate. A barbed iron, fastened to a wooden staff,
is then struck into him, and you lift your prize into
the boat. Generally speaking, you are occupied
five minutes in taking a fish ; but if the tide be
strong, and the fish large, your sport may last fif-
teen.

There is great uncertainty attending this s^jort ;
the patience of the fisherman may be severely
tested; sometimes you have the mortification to
hoar them drumming beneath your boat, while they
f^tubbornly refuse to be taken — rejecting untasted

DRUM FISHING. 127

the most tempting baits you can offer; at other
times they are in better humor. As a general rule,
with five lines in your boat, you may count on fif-
teen or twenty fish as the result of a day's sport.
Occasionally, you have memorable luck — sixty-
three were taken during the present season, by a
boat with seven lines, and I once knew a boat
with ten lines to take as many as ninety-six ; the
best success 1 have met with, personally, was to
take forty, to three lines — eighteen fish fell to my
share of the sport; my two oarsmen took the re-
mainder. Thirty fish were all that the boat could
conveniently contain ; her gunwale was but a few
inches above the water, and we slung the ten^
(which were de trop) alongside, by a rope. In this
situation we were attacked by sharks. These
" grim companions," would range up alongside,
and make a rush at them to cut them off; and we
were compelled to beat them off with boat-hooks.
A little more boldness in their attack, and we must
have fallen victims ; for a single blow from their
tails would have filled our overloaded boat. As it
happened we were unattended by any other boat
which could have rendered assistance, and were
full three miles from shore. In the sport of this
day, my gloves were torn into shreds by the fric-
tion of the line, and my fingers so blistered by

128 DRUM FISHING.

tb.0 severity of the play that I was incapable o?
renewing my sport for several days.

I love all sports, whether " by flood or field," and
have engaged in many an animating scene of syl-
van and aquatic amusement ; but I have found
none, devil-fishing alone excepted, possessed of so
absorbing an interest as suGoessful drum-fishing.
Imagine yourself afloat on our beautiful bay, the
ocean before you, the islands encircling you, and a
fleet of forty .or fifty fishing boats (their white awn-
ings glistening in the sun) riding sociably around.
Suddenly, a scJiool of fish strike at some particu-
lar boat ; a second is engaged — the direction of the
school is indicated — the boats out of the run of the
fish, draw up their anchors and place themselves
rapidly alongside, or in the rear of the successful
boats, and soon they participate in the sport ; and
now two, three, a dozen, nay, twenty boats, are en-
i^aged ; in some boats, three at a time are drawn
alongside — the fish dart across each other — ^the
lines are entangled — the water foams with the
lashing of their tails, and the fisherman scarce
knows, while they fiounder on the surface, which
fish belongs to his own hook, which to his neigh-
bors ; the barb is dashed hurriedly and at random
Mto the yet struggling fish — and each one is mirn-
iug with anxiety to secure his nsh and return to the

DRUM FISHING. 129

sport, before tlie favorable moment lias passed.
The interest is intense. Isaac Walton knew nothing
like this — ^if lie had, he must have disdained all
smaller fry — and have abandoned the impaling of
minnows, and thD enticement of troiits, to indulge
ill the superior pleasure of drum-fishing.

PkcatoFv.

13 ASS FISBLi:Na.

Not less certaiu in its periodical risit to our
coast, than the drum, is that beautiful sea-fish, tho
bass — though the time of its advent is October,
instead of April. Yet, as they give no warning of
their visit by sounds the fact of their presence is not
so well known, and they are, therefore, less perse-
cuted by the fishermen. I do not mean the sea-bass
of New York (our black-fish) — Centropristes Nig-
ricans— nor yet the striped bass, taken among the
rocks at Newport (our rock-fish) — ^Labrax lineatus
—this fish, in very fine condition, is taken at the
South in the fresh water rivers ; but the bass par
excellence — Corvina oscellata — ^weighing thirty or
forty pounds, three feet and upward in length,
elegantly shaped, brilliant with silvery and golden
hues, and distinguished by one or more dark blacJc
spots upon the tail.

The tackle and equipments required for taking
them are much the same as those used for drum
fishing — ^but your range of bait is greater ; for while
the drum refuses all excej)t the shrimp and the shell-

BASS FISHING. 131

ffsli tribes, tlie bass will take, in addition, and with
even more readiness, the sldp-jack and the mullet.
They are bold biters, and give the sportsman fair
notice of their presence. Their mouths are hard
and bony, and they sometimes escape by crushing
the hook. They run with such vivacity, that
though weighing less than the drum, they give
you nearly as much resistance in the capture. An
iron gaff is used to lift them on board. They are
taken in the greatest number from the 10th to the
20th October. They ascend the branches of Port
Eoyal Sound for fifteen or twenty miles, but are
found most numerous immediately about the mouth.
They either feed along the shallows in the surf, or
frequent the deep rocky channels of the river. In
Daws' Channel, there is frequently good fishing.
But greater sport has been had on what are termed
the Bay Point rocks, than on any other spot within
the inlet. The headlands, which, a few miles above,
are separated by an expanse of eight or ten miles of
water, approach each other at this point within four
miles ; and the tide water consequently rushes with
great force through this gorge. The sand has been
swept away, and the rocky bed of the river exposed
by this action of the water ; but the rock being of
unequal hardness, is unequally worn; and the
more enduring portions jut out from below, in

132 BAS3 FISHING.

irregular masse?, amidst whose crags and crannies
tlie seaweeds grow, and sliell-iisli congregate. To
tliese spots, therefore, the larger fish repair for sub-
sistence. The skill of the sportsman is exerted in
hitting one of these detached masses, which are
separated many yards apart; and his sport depends
upon the accuracy with which he takes his droD.
Let him row over from Bay Point toward the Hil-
ton Head shore — ^putting the last hammock,* on the
southwestern end of Edings' Island, in line with the
most northwardly point of the same island ; and
extend the chord of this arc, until he opens the first
woods of Chaplin's Island, beyond the Bay Point
beach. Dropping his anchor at the precise inter-
section of these two lines, he has the best ground
probably in the whole southern coimtry ; where he
may, in their proper season, take black-fish, sheeps-
head, bass and drum in abundance, and, occasion-
ally, all of them on the same day,

A third line was formerly drawn in confirmation
of the above ; it was by placing the last pines on
the Hilton Head beach in range with the mansion-
house of Gen. C. C. Pinckney, on Pinckney Island.
But this mansion no longer exists : it was swept
away in one of the fearful hurricanes that vex our

* An umbi'clla-sliaped cedr.r novr marks the spot.

BJLS3 FISHING. 133

coast ! To this spot, that sterling patriot and lion-
liearted soldier retired from the arena of political
strife, to spend the evening of his days in social
enjoyment and literary relaxation. On a small
island, attached to the larger one, which bears his
name, and which, jnttiiig ont into the bay, afforded
a delightful view of the ocean, he fixed his resi-
dence ! There^ in the midst of forests of oak, lau-
rel and palmetto, the growth of centuries, his man-
sion-house was erected. There stood the laboratory,
with its api^aratus for chemical 'experiments — the
library, stored with works of science in various
tongues: there bloomed the nursery for exotics;
and there was found each other appliance with
which taste and intelligence surround the abodes
of wealth. It is melancholy to reflect on th e utter
destruction that followed ; even before the venera-
ble proprietor had been gathered to his fathers!
The ocean swallowed up everything; and it is
literally true, that the sea monster now flaps his
wings over the very spot where his hearth-stone
was placed— where the rites of an elegant hospi-
tality were so unstintedly dispensed — and where the
delighted guest listened to many an instructive
anecdote, and unrecorded yet significant incident of
the revolutionary period, as they flowed from the
cheerful lips of the patriot. It argues no defect of

134: BASS FISHING.

judgment in Gen. Finckney, that lie lavished such
expense on a situation thus exposed. In strong
practical sense he was surpassed by no man. It
was, in truth, his characteristic. He built where
trees of a century's growth gave promise of stabi-
lity ; but in our southern Atlantic borders, he who
builds strongest does not build on rocTi — for among
the shifting sands of our coast, old channels are
closed, and new ones worn, by the prevailing winds
and currents, through which the waters are poured,
during the storms of the equinox, with a force that
nothing can resist.

We will suppose that the sportsman has hit the
precise spot, and is riding quietly at anchor in
six fathoms water, above one of these populous
thoroughfares of the scaly nations. His success
soon excites the attention of the surrounding sports-
men. They approach, modestly at first, and drop
alongside at thirty yards' distance — then gradually
nearer, till ten yards' space does not separate the
boats — still without success ; while the more fortu-
nate fisherman is satiated with sport ! Some drop
behind, and some, perhaps, with an awkward
apology for violating the courtesy of the river,
drop directly ahead. It makes no difierence — one
boat has all the play. ''What bait have you?
Very strange ! — ours is just the same ! Never saw

BASS FISHING. 135

auytliing so provoking in my life. You liav^ tlie
devil's luck, and that's the truth.'' And some,
more touchy and petulant than the rest, move off
to more distant grounds, where they escape, at least,
the pain of witnessing a success that they cannot
share. More than once have I found myself in this
envied, but unenviable position. I like my full
share, I confess, but not the monopoly of the sport ;
and, on one occasion, I remember to have invited
alongside, one of my neighbors, who looked parti-
cularly chagrined at his comparative want of suc-
cess. " Come alongside," said I, '' and I will
explain this matter to you. You are aware that
much depends on the drojp. You have no success ;
you are only taking the stragglers, as it were, who
are traversing the bye-lanes below — while I am
over the banqueting house ! ISTow, observe, my
anchor is fast to a crag below. I have a buoy to
the end of the rope ; at still-tide it rises to the sur-
face, when I attach my boat to it, and thus secure
my drop. Now, I have taken as many fish as I
wish, and am about to cast off my rope — receive it
in your boat, and you will succeed to my good-
fortune." With this slight change of position, came
a change of luck ; and I had the satisfaction, while
I sailed away from the ground, to see him meiTily
engaged in the sport.

136 BASS FISHING.

Tlie accuracy witli which, in an inlet so wide
and deep (and with no other guides than trees and
landmarks, distant from four to eight miles), the
drop is taken, is matter of frequent surprise. For
example, my rope parted in a hard blow, and my
anchor remained at the bottom. I fished it up five
years afterward, drawing up the old anchor on the
fluke of the new — and identified it by the covering
of sheet lead which I had wrapped round the shank
to increase its weight. Still more remarkable is the
fact I am about to record. It is one of those cases,
sometimes occurring, in which fact seems stranger
than fiction !

I was fishing in October, 1841, on Bay Point
rocks, for bass. Nathl. Heyward, Jun., and my
young son, nine years of age, were in the boat with
me. My son sat on my left, and fastened his line
to a rock, as he thought, below. " But see," said
he, " I can draw it up some feet from bottom." I
felt it, and it swayed a few feet, but w^ould come
no further ; and I concluded he had struck his hook
into a fragment of rope attached to some lost
anchor. ISTothing remained but to pull upon it;
w^hen the line came up, minus the hook, which
remained, with the strap attached, fixed in the
object below. We drew up anchor^ and returned
to the shore on the ebb tide to dinner^ but having

BASS FISHING. 187

had very good sport, determined to resume our
drop on the afternoon tide. 'Now, it almost ex-
ceeds belief to state — what is nevertheless abso-
lutely true — that the drop was resumed with such
extreme accuracy, that my son, sitting again on my
left hand, fastened his line a second time to the
same obstruction below ; and drew up on his hook,
the self-same hook which he had lost in the morn-
ing— ^identified beyond all question, 5y the strap
attached to it ! ! Tlie chances were a million to
one against such precision in taking the drop ; yet,
as there are three living witnesses to these facts, I
shall not hesitate to record them, however impro-
bable they may appear.

Three or four miles to the soutli and east of these
rocks lies Joyner's Bank; separated from the Gaskin
by a swash of five fathoms water. Not more than a
fathom and a half is found on tlie crown of the
ridge, which subsides raj)idly on the north into the
deep channel. The ebb-tide rushes over this bank
w^ith great force, and makes a very distinct ripple,
which marks its location. The shrimps and smaller
fry are pursued, when passing this ridge, by the
skip-jacks ; and they, in turn, by the bass and
sharks ; while the sea-gulls hover screaming above,
and dip into the water, whenever their prey, driven
from below by hosts of enemies, approaches near

138 BASS FISHING.

enougli to the surface to be seized in their beaks !
You anchor your boat on the tideward side of the
ridge, so as to let your line lead into the ripple ;
and there you may enjoy memorable sport.
Nothing, indeed, can exceed it, when the bass are
assembled in force. Once or twice, I have found
them in such numbers that the bottom seemed paved
with them. It was thus at my first visit to Joyner's
Bank. It was sufficient to get your line overboard
to insure a bite ; but, in fifteen minutes, the boat was
in a state of " most admired disorder "—the bottom
covered with these fish, all alive, and fioundering
about with an energy now quite misplaced — the
boatmen leaping up on the thwarts, to escape a lick
upon their sensitive shins — the bait-basket knocked
overboard — ^the hooks snapped off and lost — and
the lines of all the sportsmen tangled and knotted
together in one web of inextricable confusion !

We retired from the ground, after having taken
five sharks and thirty-five bass ; and we reproached
ourselves for not having doubled our success ! — ^but
the truth was, we did not use our opportunities to
the best advantage — the sj)ort was so exciting, that
we forgot our skill in our enjoyment. The best
fishing I have known on this ground, comprised
one hundred and twenty bass, taken in one day, by
three boats fishing in company.

BASS FISHING. 139

To improve the day to tlie uttermost in this sport,
the fisherman must drop, on the morning high
water, at the Bay Point rocks (for the fish bite best
on these rocks at slack tide). "When the ebb runs
too hard to allow of his fishing longer on that
ground, he must drop down to Joyner's Bank (the
bass bite best there on the high ebb). On the early
flood, he may take a few more by crossing the bank
and dropping on the seaward side of the ridge;
and then, on his way back, by anchoring on the
flats of Egg Bank, as near to the breakers as he
safely can, and tossing his line into the surf, he may
complete the round of his success.

The mention of Egg Bank reminds me that there
is another mode of taking bass, which, to say the
truth, I have not pursued much of late. Tliis bank
lies, or, more properly speaking, did lie, south of
the public lot at Bay Point — distant half a mile.
Covering several acres in extent, and lifting its
head a few feet above high-water mark, it served
as the secure roosting-place of the curlews, sea-
gulls, and other aquatic birds ; and here, too, in
the spring, they deposited their eggs. But the hurri-
canes which periodically sweep along our coasts
have so obliterated it, that its existence as an egg
bank will become, in a few years, a matter of tradi-
tion. It is now covered at half flood — and its site

9

140 BASS FISHING.

is marked in stormy weather by tlie waves, tliat,
rushing together from opposite quarters, meet at its
summit, and, jutting upward into the air, fall in a
sheet of foam. "When the bank stood above water,
it formed a barrier against the sea ; and while the
surf beat on the outer side, the inner was protected,
so that a boat could land in security. I used to
push over from Bay Point at early flood, land on
the inner side of the bank, and, leaving a few oars-
men to take charge of the boat, walk over to the
sea-side of the bank, with a servant or two to carry
bait and lines ; and, wading out into the surf waist-
deep, toss my line into the breakers in quest of
bass. I was usually armed with a light spear ; for,
as the clear, transparent wave came rolling in from
the deep, and as the pearly fragments of sea-shell
passed glittering by you with the flux and reflux of
the tide, objects were occasionally encountered, as
brilliant, perhaps, but by no means as pleasant to
look upon : the eyes and jagged spines of immense
sting-rays, buried in the sand, all to these, and
lying in wait for their prey ! One incautious step,
and your leg may be transfixed by the venomed
weapon! Sometimes, indeed, the bass would
approach close to your feet, in couples, and gaze
upon you, seemingly, with curiosity and alarm!
Ton might perceive their pectoral fins in rapid

BASS FISHING. 141

play, as if tliey panted; while, at the lightest
movement of yom* arm to hmi yom* spear, they
vanished in an instant, and left your weapon buried
innocently in the sand. On one delightful day, I
was tempted to wade deeper than usual into the
sea, which was beautifully clear. I passed along
the narrow ridge of a reef, which extended east-
wardly to a considerable distance from the main
bank, while a swash of some depth lay close within.
I had unconsciously remained, UDtil the advancing
tide had covered the highest parts of the ridge full
waist-deep. Behind me stood my servant " Cain,"
with my spear and a wicker-basket of bait. An
exclamation of terror from him made me turn,
when I beheld, but a few yards distant, between us
and the shore, and intercepting our retreat, a large
shark, close on the side of the ridge, head on for us,
and waving his tail backward and forward with a
deliberate sculling motion! "My spear," said I;
"keep close to me, and shout when I do." " Great
God," said Cain (his eyes almost starting from their
sockets), " another one !" I looked, and saw, not
one, hut two other sharhs^ Ij^^^S behind the first, all
in a line, and in the same attitude ! Doubtless
the bait in the wicker-basket had attracted them ;
the advancing tide had carried them the scent, and

these grim pointers had paused to reconnoitre.

9-2

142 BASS FISHING.

"before they rushed on their prey. If they attacked
us^ we were gone ! IS^ot a moment was to be lost.
It was one of those frequent eases, in which we find
safety in audacity. Kepeating my order to Cain,
and grasping my spear in both hands, I rushed
upon the leading shark, and struck it down vio-
lently across his nose — shouting, at the same time,
at the top of my voice — while Cain, in a perfect
agony of fear, gave a loud yell, and fell at full
length in the water? The manoeuvre succeeded;
the sharks ran off for deep water, and wc took the
crown of the ridge, nor looked back, until we had
accomplished the one hundred and fifty yards over
which we had to wade before we regained the
bank!

To be devoured by sharks, is one of the last deaths
that I should choose. At this distance of time, I
do not think of the adventure without a shudder.
The sea is still as transparent as on that day, the
sea-shells still as bright, the graceful bass still pants
as he glides doubtingly by ; but these things tempt
me not to renew my sport. My mind reverts to
other objects: the jagged barb of the sting-ray,
lying in wait for his prey, and the outstretched jaws
of the all-devouring shark, in which I had so nar-
rowly escaped being ingulfed! Who can endure
the thought of being sepulchred in the " maw and

BASS risniNG. 143

gulf of the rav'ning salt-sea shark?" Not I! — 1
speak it in all sincerity. This was my last essay —
and I henceforth leave to younger and more adven-
turous sportsmen — the pleasures and perils of iass-
jishing in flic swrf :

SHEEPSHEAD ElSHllNe,

Ox the subject of slieepsliead, I sliall be bilef,
since there are few whose curiosity shall lead them
to peruse these pages, who have not, either as
fishermen or gastronomes, a familiar acquaintance
with them. They are spread along our coast, from
Florida to New York ; but they who taste them at
our great marts of business, after they have^been
captured at some distant point, and shut up, during
a sea voyage, in the well of a smack, can have lit-
tle understanding of their true culinary value.
They should be eaten fresh ; and, when boiled or
broiled, are surpassed in flavor only by the caval-
ley — which holds the same rank among sea-fish,
that the salmon does among those which inhabit
the rivers. The drum and bass, on the contrary,
are to be dressed in steaks, cut crosswise, and fried ;
and I may be forgiven, perhaps, for adding, that a
grating of nutmeg sprinkled over them, before they
are laid in the pan, has been deemed, by discrimi-
nating palates, to add richness to the flavor. But
we anticipate : the old and approved formula

SHEEPSUEAD FISHING. 145

says, "first catcli your fish before you cook it," —
and we shall proceed, in due order, to do as it
directs.

They are exceedingly choice in their feeding —
taking no bait but shell-fish. Their favorite food is
the young oyster, which, under the form of barnacle,
they crush with their strong teeth. Of course, they
frequent those shores that abound with fallen trees.
On the Florida coast, they are taken in great quanti-
ties among the mangrove-trees, whose roots, grow-
ing in the salt water, are covered with barnacles.
Formerly, they were taken in considerable numbers
among our various inlets. Wherever there were
steep bluffs, from which large trees had fallen in
the water, there they might confidently be sought.
But as these lands have been cleared for the culture
of sea-island cotton, the trees have disappeared, and
with them the fish ; and it has been found necessary
to renew their feeding-grounds by artificial means.
Logs of pine or oak are cut, and framed into a sort
of hut, without a roof. It is floored, and built up
five or six feet high ; then floated to the place
desired and sunk in eight feet of water, by casting
stones or live-oak timber within. As soon as the
barnacles are formed, which will happen in a few
weeks, the fish will begin to resort to the groimd.
It is sometimes requisite to do more, before you caa

I'lG siiEEPsriEAD nsriiNG.

succeed in your wishes. The greatest enemies of
this fish are the sharks and porpoises — which pursue
them incessantly, and destroy them, unless they can
find secure hiding-places to w^hich to retreat. Two
of these pens, near each other, will furnish this pro-
tection ; and when that course is not adopted, piles
driven near each other, quite surrounding the pen,
will have the same effect. Your work complete,
build a light staging, by driving down four upright
posts, at a distance of fifteen feet from the pen ; and
then take your station on it, provided with a light,
flexible and strong cane reed, of twenty feet length,
with fourteen feet of line attached — a strong hook,
and a light lead. Instead of dropping your line
directly down, and poising it occasionally from bot-
tom, I prefer to throw the line out beyond the per-
pendicular, and let the lead lie on the bottom. The
sheepshead is a shy fish, and takes the bait more
confidently if it lies on the bottom. When he bites,
you perceive your rod dipping for the water — ^give
a short, quick jerk, and then play him at your
leisure. K the fish is large, and your jerk too vio-
lent, the rod will snap at the fulcrum — the grasp of
your left hand. It has happened that, at one of
these artificial grounds, I have taken sixteen sheeps-
head at one fishing. What was unusual, was, that
they were taken in February, when no one thinks

SHEEP6HEAD FISlimG. 117

of fishing for tliese or any other sea-fish within the
inlets! 1 ascertained, from the continued experi-
ments of several years, that they could always be
taken at this season, and frequently in January
also. The difficulty is to find bait, for neither
shrimps nor crabs are then in season. In the case
referred to, the difficulty was thus removed — ^the
lines were rigged with two hooks ; upon one was
placed an oyster, taken fresh from the shell — on the
other, an oyster boiled. The scent of the first
attracted the fish ; but so little tenacity was found
in it, that before the fish had taken hold of the hook,
the oyster was detached ; but when, encouraged by
the taste of the first, the fish advanced to the second,
that having acquired toughness from boiling, would
adhere until the hook was fairly taken into the
fish's mouth. They clearly prefer the uncooked to
the cooked oyster ; but the latter was more to the
fisherman's purpose. Their fondness for this food
suggested the expedient of breaking up the live
oysters in the shell, and scattering them in the
vicinity of the ground ; also that of letting down
the broken oysters in a wicker basket. Each plan
is found effectual in attracting the fish.

The bluffs, in their priiliitive state, in which trees
enough are found fallen, to give the fish both food
and protection against their enemies, are only to be

148 SHEEPSHEAD FISHING.

met witlij now, among the liunting islands, where
the barrenness of the land had secm-ed them against
cultivation. On two occasions, I have enjoyed
excellent sport at such places. On one I took
twenty-three to my own rod ; on another, twenty-
four — and desisted from fiitigue and satiety. They
are never taken in such numbers, when fishing from
a boat with a drop line, on the rocks. It is very
rare, that as many as twenty are taken in one boat.
About two hundred yards west by south from the
" Bay Point rocks," as already laid down under the
head of " Bass fishing," the rocky bed of the river
seems to be traversed by deep fissures, in Avhich not
only the hooks of the fishermen are fixed, but the
anchors likewise. Though these have their ropes
fixed with a trip in view of such contingencies, they
are frequently, nevertheless, so fastened, that they
cannot be extricated. In these crannies are shel-
tered, besides the black-fish and sheepshead, the
overgrown toad-fish (the sculpin of the South),
eels of an immense size, and another fish, which
I shall describe, and whose name I would will-
ingly add, were I able. I was fishing for bass,
in 1840, on this drop. My oarsman, next the bow,
was furnished with a shark line, with a chain hook,
for the accommodation of such large-sized sharks, as
it was not pleasant to have attached to a bass line.

SHEEPSHEAD FISHING. 149

lie liooked, as lie supposed, a shark, and after play-
ing it some minutes, called to me that it was coming
up. I hurriedly caught up the spear, and trans-
fixed, not a shark — ^but an enormous scale-iish, of a
description I had never seen before. With the aid
of the gaff and a loop, we hoisted him on board,
and I shortly after made for Bay Point with my
prize. Its shape was nearly that of the fresh-water
perch — ^known by the name of "wide-mouthed
perch " — ^which, by the way, my friend. Professor
Holbrook, says, is no perch at all, but a '^ pomotis."
Its hue was a greenish black on the back, subsid-
ing into a faint yellow on the belly ; its mouth was
unfurnished with teeth, but had slender spikes
instead, with which it could hold its prey ; its eyes
were large and prominent ; its tail was large at its
insertion, and the paddle (caudal rays) small in pro-
portion to the size of the fish. It resembled, in fine,
an inhabitant of the fresh water, rather than the
sea ; was manifestly a heavy and dull swimmer ;
and it struck me as matter of surprise, that a fish
thus formed, could escape for a day being destroyed
by the sharks. I could only solve the difficulty, by
supposing that he was born and bred among these
rocks — ^the crevices of which had sheltered him from
their attacks.

Desirino: to show so uncommon a fish to the good

150 SIIEEPSHEAD FISHING.

people of Beaufort, I dispatelied it tliither in my
boat, with a letter to a friend, requesting that he
would have it accurately weighed and measured,
and obtain from the savans of the place a scientific
description ; to facilitate w^hich, I referred him to
the books on natural history in the public library !
My boat returned with a letter, l)ut without the fish.
It stated, in substance, "that the fish measured four
feet eight inches in length ; four feet eight inches
in girth, and weighed one hundred and forty pounds •
that the oldest sea-captain in the town had seen
nothing like it ; and that the scientific gentlemen
who had examined it, could make nothing of it,
except when brought on table — when they had
enjoyed it exceedingly." So that the account of
the fish might stand thus : " Length, 4 feet, 8
inches ; girth, 4: feet, 8 inches ; weight, 140 lbs.
Scientific description. — ' Devilish fine eating ; sorry
we could not spare you a slice.' "

" Well, my lad," said I to long Jeofirey, who had
taken the fish, and was not a little proud of it,
" what has become of your fish ?"

" Great massy, dey eat him up, and neber gee
me a taste ! — so berry fat too !"

I had no Ariel at command to enter the con-
clave, where these sons of science sat in inquest on
this extraordinary fish. I am obliged to sketch

SHEEPSIIEAD FISHING. 151

from fancy. The nondescript lies before them ; his
weight and measurement have been taken ; and
ejaculations of wonderment duly exchanged. Dr.
Pogonias presides ; and a few leaves of the books
of reference, that are spread upon the table, have
been turned — when the first incision, to test the
internal structure, was made. The knife glides
without effort through the tender fibre — ^the coats
are lined with luscious-looking fat, and, on further
investigation, two fresh sheepsheads — (Ha ! ha !
gentle reader ! — you thought you caught me napping
hut it is a sheepshead story ^ after all — ^though you
could not guess how I was to get at it) — two sheeps-
heads, fresh and brig] it and intact, are disclosed, on
which he had made his morning lunch ? A momen-
tary frown passes over the brow of one of the^pannel,
as if he rebuked, in spirit, the extravagant epicurism
of the defunct. The books are closed — a new direc-
tion has evidently been given to their thoughts. " I
wonder," says Dr. P., " whether the copper banks
are anywhere nigh ? Eeally, if I wasn't afraid of
being poisoned, by eating an unknown fish, I should
indeed venture to try a little of it." Whereupon,
he ordered Jeoffrey (my quasi- Ariel) to cut off a
little slice of twenty pounds, and transfer it to his
kitchen. The contagion spread — ^the steel gleamed
on every side — and, in the twinkling of an eye, the

152 SnEEPSHEAD FISHING.

fisli was dismen.bered and divided, like anotlier
Poland!

It was devonred with a gusto so absorbing, as to
overwhelm all thoughts of science ; and not even
the skeleton of this mammoth perch remains, to be
transferred to the shelves of a museum, in token
of the truth of my story !

I might add to these sketches and descriptions,
some account of the fishing in our fresh water lakes
and rivers, but the readers of "Walton and Cotton
can, on this head, need no instruction from me. To
say the truth, I am far less skilled in such fishing,
having never resorted to it, except when the more
exciting sport of sea-fishing could not be had —
neither should I be insensible to the ridicule of
beginning with a devil-fish, and ending with a
minnow !

Note. — ^If a still better reason were wanted, why
I should refrain from entering on this field, I should
find it in the fact, that I should, in so doing, be
forestalling public attention — ^be poaching, as it
were, in a neighbor's preserve ! — for the fish of our
southern: country, whether in lake, river, or sea, are
already in the hands of Professor Holbrook; in
whose elaborate work, shortly to be published, the
man of science will find them classified and ar-

SHEErSHEAD FISHING. 153

ranged in their families^ genera^ and speciesy while
the general reader will be interested in their habits,
and look with gratification on their living images,
from the pencil of the skillful artist now engaged
in their delineation.

SPORTS OF THE FIELD.

35&

A WILD-CAT HUNT IN CAKOLINA.

It is a pleasant thing to dash, along with the
throng, in an animated hunt ; and it is pleasant,
when the hunt is at an end, to fight the battle over
with the companions of our sport ; while the inci-
dents, yet fresh, come pictured back to us, through
tlie medium of the sparkling glass. But it is a
cold thing, to tell over the same incidents to an
unexcited third party ; and a difficult thing, where
a word too little makes you vague, and a word too
much makes you tedious — so to tell them as to
make your story please. Yet, if these scruples
were to govern us, no sportsman would write — and
none through our wide-spread country would know
Avliat his brother sportsman was about. For my
reader's sake, I would desire to introduce him to
some more exciting chase — but I trace no fancy
sketch : and as a panther is not at my command, I
must take him, without further preface, on a wild-
cat hunt in South Carolina.

At eight o'clock, on a fine morning in February,

we mounted our hunters, and pushed off for a
10-2 3,7

158 A WILD-CAT HUNT IN CAROLINA.

cover, tliree miles distant from the town of Beau-
fort, where we expected to put up a cat. The field
consisted of three veterans — Judge P., Doctor E.,
and myself, and two neophites. Splash and Dash.
Two drivers, one mounted, and one on foot,
managed the dogs and beat the thickets. Four
couple of staunch hounds skirted the cover, while
three pointers and a setter penetrated the thicket,
and gave variety to the sport, by springing occa-
sionally a woodcock, snipe or partridge, which we
shot — if they came in our way. Our guns,
charged, the one barrel with buck or duck and
the other with bird shot, kept us prepared for
whatever game might present itself.

The hounds had not long entered the thicket, in
which (from finding at its edge the remains of a
half-devoured rabbit) we concluded that the cat
still lurked, when they struck off on an animated
drag ; and soon, a burst from the pack assured us
that the cat was roused. In a minute, the thicket
is surrounded — each hunter, as the cry approached
him, poising his gun and peering into the- tangled
copse to catch a glimpse of the fugitive. But he
keeps the cover, which is so thick as to defy the
keenest sight ; and circles it securely, leaving the
dogs to tear their way through the briers. " Ha !
what is that ? a shot ! — another !" It is Splash, who

A WILD-CAT HUNT IN CAROLINA. 159

caught him peeping out of the thicket, and cracked
off his double barrel ! " What news ?" " Habet,"
says Splash. " Aye ! we shall see," thought I, as
the dogs came sweeping by the spot, and made no
check in their career. " Another ! what is that ?"
It is the judge. " A sentence, is it not ?" No !
the hounds yet fly with renovated speed, and more
animated cry. But what trampling noise is that ?
It is the j udge's steed, that, alarmed by this unwonted
extra-judicial proceeding, has left his bridle dangling
from the haw-tree, and pushed off might and main
for the quiet of his stable at home. Let him go —
^- the hunt will not pause !" The driver is dis-
mounted— the jvidge bestrides a new steed, and
sits again prepared for mischief. Another shot !
It is the doctor. That jprescrijytion must tell !
No ! not dead yet ! — sure " he bears a charmed
life!" Again, the hounds lead off; fiercer and
shriller is their yell. Another shot ! ah, now they
pause — one savage growl — one stifled cry — and
all is hushed. It is Dash, who, pouring his
charge full in his throat, has given him his " coup
de grace."

It was a tall, gaunt he-cat, of twenty-five pounds
weight ; and while the hunters gathered round
him, and drew him from the gripe of the dogs —

*' How now?" says the judge, ''what hocus po-

160 A WlLD-OAT HUNT IN CAKOLIKA,

ciis is here ? This is a tawny, leopard-like animal,
while I pronounce the cat I fired at to be bigger
and blacker ; I saw it clearly as it rolled over in
tlie swamp at the flash of my gmi."

"My opinion, iu this case, is precisely the
game," said the doctor. " I fired at a black cat ;
the dogs must have changed cats dm-ing the
chase !"

" So much the better, gentlemen," said I ; "we
shall then have two cats, instead of one. Put on
the hounds, boys !"

They were taken to the point from which the
doctor fired ; but the stupid animals could find no
trail, but that which led them again to the spot on
which the tawny cat lay dead !

" A new trial !" said the judge.

It was granted. The dogs are now led to the
spot from which the judge fired. The issue is
fairly made; but the canine jury return the same
verdict.

" Confusion !" says the judge; "must I doubt my
own eyes ?"

The sequel shows, that it is safer to doubt our
own senses, than the instinct of a hound ; and that
his inferences from the nose, are less fallible than
those from human sight ; for the cat, being duly
subjected to a vpost-mortem examination, was found

A WILD-CAT HUNT IN CAKOLIN A. 161

to have been struck by four out of the six shots
fired at him — and the doctor's shot, of peculiar
sizCj being lodged in his body, left no doubt of
the fact, that the black cat of the doctor and
judge was no other than the tawny cat of the
rest of the field. Wlietlicr the change of color
was in the skin of the cat, or the eye of the sports-
man, or the distribution of light, we leave phi-
losophers to determine — and proceed with our
hunt.

Having admired, a while, tlic sharp claws and
formidable fangs of our victim, his flat head, and
ample development of the organ of destructive-
ness ; and listened, with becoming interest, to the
rapid sketch which each sportsman successively
gave of his own share in the death, we slung our
cat upon the fork of an oak, to wait our return,
and pushed on to beat another thicket. But here,
either there was no cat ; or, if there was, he had
ensconced himself behind an intrenchment of briers,
Avhich hounds, unless their blood was heated by
pursuit, would not willingly enter — so that he re-
mained undetected.

And now the hunt, like our story, was in danger
of flagging for want of incident: for there was
little to rouse us, except when, at long intervals,
a ^hot was fired at a partridge, that^went whirring

162 A WILD-CAT HUNT IN CAROLINA.

along before ns, or a rabbit that imprudently broke
cover, till at last we reached a gall, the thickest
and most impenetrable to be found in all that region,
and which, it was easy to perceive, must furnish a
favorite lurking place for a cat. We struck it at
the head, where it branched out into woody and
briery ponds ; and thence curved away, till, at the
distance of three-quarters of a mile, it made its
outlet into Port Koyal Biver. The dogs had not
long crept into its penetralia, before they gave
forth their inspiring notes, and we were soon on
the alert, lifting ourselves in our stirrups, to spy
out, if it were possible, the object of pursuit. But
the thicket spread around them with the density of
a wall, and nothing could be seen ! Again and
again, they went circling round, close to where we
stood ; but it was as impracticable to approach as
to see. Quicksand underneath, quagmire at the
surface, briers above (wherever their places were
not preoccupied by bay-trees, that, for want of
elbow room, had grown up as straight as canes, and
almost as close), this ground would have foiled the
boldest moss trooper that ever pricked his steed
across the moors of Cumberland. At last the
dogs came to a halt ! — and we knew by their quick,
open note, that they had the chase at bay. It was
at this moment that Dash, espying something in

A WILD-CAT HUNT IN CAROLINA. 103

motion in the leafy top of a bay-tree, cracked off
his Joe Manton with such good effect, that pre-
sently we heard a heavy body come tumbling
through the limbs until it splashed into the water.
Then came a stunning burst from the hounds — a
clash from the whole orchestra in full chorus! — a
growl from the assailed, with an occasional squeak
on the part of the assailants, which showed that
the game was not all on one side. We were com-
pelled, all the while, to be deliglited ear-witnesses
only of the strife, which resulted in the victory of
the hounds ; and one of oiu* drivers having suc-
ceeded, by dint of creeping, dodging, clambering
and wading, in worming his way to the scene of
conflict, came forth with a fat, over-grown raccoon ;
who thus paid forfeit with his life, for having im-
prudently crossed the hounds, when intent on
higher game.

Strapping his prize across his shoulders, and
smacking his lips in advance, at the thought of the
high-flavored hams, into which he meant to con-
vert his haunches, our driver pushed again into the
thicket with his dogs, while the horsemen kept the
open ground on the flank. And now we had
nearly reached the extremity of the gall, and began
to fear that we should start no other cat, when
Eouser suddenly burst out into a fierce cry, as.

161- A WILD-CAT IIUKT IN CAROLINA.

emerging from the cover, lie toiiclied the open field.
The hounds rush to the spot, second his alarm, and
strike oft' at once for the margin near by. Hurra !
they have struck a trail. Gather, huntsmen !
ITow we shall see sport ! The ground was favor-
able for the sportsmen, for a road ran parallel with
the direction of the cry, and thus the whole field
got placed, and took a fair start with the dogs.
" There they go ! Look ! for the hedge ! Eowser
leads — ^lie leaps the hedge — ha ! he has overrun the
track. Black has caught it up — ^it is all right!
There they go — ^look at them! — listen to them!
Huntsmen, is it not charming ? Does it not make
your pulse quicken ? Is there not a thrill of pleasure
shooting through your frame ? Can you tell your
name ? Have you a wife ? a child ? Ha/oe you a
neckV^ If you can, at such a moment, answer
questions such as these, you do not feel your posi- ,
tion and are but half a sportsman !

The run was an uncommon one for a cat, as it
lay for a mile on end, through an open field. Fore-
warned of his danger, by the din which the dogs
had made in pursuit of the raccoon, he had made
this push, in order to get out of their reach. Yain
effort ! — the scent lies too strong — ^the nose of his
pursuers is too keen! And now, the sight was
exhilarating in the extreme. The pack ran in a

A WILD-CAT HUNT IN CAROLINA. 165

cluster; tlie scent breast liigh ; the whole field
keeping close in their rear, and animating them by
their shouts. " Have a care ! ride not too close ! cross
n ^t the track! fair play for the hounds, and they
will work it out. Now, rein in your horse along
with me. Do you note the tone of the cry ? It is
not with such a tone they pursue a deer. I have
blown off my hounds from a chase, on no better
authority than the key on which they pitched their
cry. This cry is not prompted by the instinct of
hunger — it breathes hatred, antipathy ! Look at
"Wormwood there, the rascal ! — how his hair bris-
tles on his back — what venom in his tones ! and,
let me tell you (take care of that stump), I have
observed some packs, that run but upon two legs,
eager, like this, to rend and destroy, who betrayed,
by the tone of their crj^ that their motive and their
cue to action, was just as hound-like ! But see,
they push for the wood. lie has tried a turn
among the saw palmettoes to perplex the scent. It
v/on't do; they trail him out through the open
field to the river-skirt! There we must have
him !"

The ground on which the cat had sheltered him-
self, was a narrow thicket on the margin of the
marsh. Briers and saw palmettoes covering the
surface, made it very uncomfortable for the hounds

166 A WILD-CAT HUNT IN CAROLINA.

to pursue ; while an almost unbroken line of pine,
oak, and bay-trees, intertwined with vines, made it
impracticable for horsemen. There were narrow
gaps, however, through which we expected to get
an occasional glimpse of him — ^perhaps a shot.
The hounds pressed eagerly on, through all this
tangle, to the extremity of the skirt ; and when we
momently exj)ected they would drive him out into
the open land, behold ! they had lost the track !
"We looked up at the trees, to see whether he had
secreted himself among their dense branches. "We
tried, first this path, and then that ; we beat the
back track : all in vain — ^Iiunter and hound stood
at complete fault. It was hard to say whose disap-
pointment was the greater. But what is Eowser
after ? See, he is running down the old field to the
extreme end of the thicket, where a fence crosses
from the wood. What does he there ? Shade of
Watts, Duncan and Hedge ! can he syllogize ?
Hark ! hark ! he has struck the trail — ^listen to his
joyous cry, "£i;p?/«;a!" He sounds the alarm; how
uproariously the whole pack second him. Saga-
gious animal, he has unmasked the stratagem of
the cat — fairly countermined him !

While the hounds were running down the thicket,
the cat, it would appear, unseen by hunter or
hound, had executed a double, above their heads.

A WILD-CAT HUNT IN CAROLINA. 167

by leaping from tree to tree, until, having threaded
out the thicket, he had again ventured on terra
firma, to gain the shelter in the wood. We had
hardly plunged into the wood, to follow the direc-
tion taken by the hounds, when a shot from the old
field in the rear told us that the cat had again
doubled, to regain the thicket. A neighboring
planter, who had been called out by the unusual
din of our sport, had stumbled on him while exe-
cuting his retreat, and saluted him with a load of
bird shot. Two terriers, which had followed him
into the field, now fifed in, to the louder clamor of
the hounds ; the pointers, obedient to evil example,
were no longer content to leave the sport to the
regular practitioners, but chimed in likewise with
their sharp and shrill notes; and the uproar was
delicious !

Look at Dash ! he is pushing for the margin as
fast as spur can drive him — ^lie reins in liis horse,
and cracks away Avith duck-shot — " your distance
is too great, that shot won't tell!" There is the cat,
leaping from tree to tree, repeating the manoeuvre
by which he has already foiled us ; but not unseen,
as then. What ! young cousin to a tiger, would
you play the same game twice — on practised sports-
men, too ? Dash starts to gain a nearer position.

168 A WILD-CAT HUNT IN CAROLINA.

I reined up my horse, and took a hasty glance at
the lield. The movement of the cat was generally
seen, and some were riding to get near, and some
dismounting to get nearer; and many a gun was
cocked, and many an eye fixed, and many a
finger feeling for the trigger. This, then, is my
chance, thought I; and off went one barrel,
charged with duck-shot, apparently without effect ;
for the cat, with huge leaps, clambered up a tree ;
and now he had reached the very pinnacle, and as
he gathered himself up to take a flying leap for a
neighboring tree, I caught up my gun, and let slip
at him in mid-flight. The arrowy posture in which
he made his pitch, was suddenly changed, as the
shot struck him to the heart ; and doubling himself
up, after one or two wild gyrations, into a heap, he
fell dead, from a height of full fifty feet, into the
very jaws of the dogs! It j)roved to be a female,
smaller than the first cat, but beautifully spotted.

We stopped not long to admire, for the sun had
now passed his meridian full two hours, and we
had more than five miles to ride to our dinner.
.Behold us, then, in full gallop on our return. At
three miles' distance from the town, we took up our
first cat ; and part of tlie field exchanged the sad-
dle for a barouche, which here awaited us. And

A WILD-CAT HUNT IN CAROLINA. 169

now, in high spirits, we dashed into town, our horns
sounding a flourish as we aj)proach — and our wild-
cats, flanked by the raccoon, showing forth,
somewhat ostentatiously, from the front of the

barouche.

Venatob.

A DAY AT CHEE-HA.

The traveller in South Carolina^ who passes
along the road between the Ashepoo and Combahee
rivers will be struck by the appearance of two lofty-
white columns^ rising among the pines that skirt the
road. They are the only survivors of eight_, which
supported^ in times anterior to our revolutionary
war, a sylvan temple^ erected by a gentleman^^ who
to the higher qualities of a devoted patriot^ united
the taste and liberality of the sportsman. The spot
was admirably chosen, being on the brow of a piney
ridge^ which slopes away at a long gun-shot^s length
into a thick swamp ; and many a deer has, we doubt
not^ in times past^ been shot from the temple when
it stood in its pride — as we ourselves have struck
them from its ruins. From this ruin^ stretching-
east wardly some twelve or fourteen miles^ is a neck
of land^ known from the Indian name of the small
river that waters and almost bisects it^ as Chee-ha —
or^ as it is incorrectly written^ Chy-haw ! It is now

* Col. Barnard Elliott.
170

A DAY AT CHEE-HA. 171

the best hunting-ground in Carolina — for which the
following reasons may be given. The lands are
distributed in large tracts ; there are therefore few
proprietors. The rich land is confined to the belt of
the rivers^ and there remains a wide expanse of bar-
rens^ traversed by deep swamps^, always difficult and
sometimes impassable^ in which the deer find a
secure retreat.

At a small hunting-lodge located in this region, it
has often been my good fortune to meet a select
body of hunting friends, and enjoy in their company
the pleasures of the chase.

I give you one of my " days "^ — ^not that the suc-
cess was unusual, it was by no means so ; but that it
was somewhat more marked by incident than most
of its fellows. We turned out, after hreakfast, on a
fine day in February, with a pack of twelve hounds,
and two whippers in, or drivers, as we call them.
The field consisted of one old shot besides myself,
and two sportsmen who had not yet ^^ fleshed their
maiden swords.''^ When we reached the ground,
we had to experience the fate which all tardy
sportsmen deserve, and must often undergo : the
fresh print of dogs' feet, and the deep impression
of horses' hoofs, showed us that another party had
anticipated us in the drive, and that the game had
been started and was off. Two expedients suggested

11

172 A DAY AT CHEE-HA.

themselves — we must either leave our ground, and
in that case incur the risk of sharing the same fate
in our next drive ; or, we must beat up the ground
now before us in a way which our predecessors in
the field had probably neglected to do. We chose
the latter part : and finding that the drive embraced
two descriptions of ground — ^first, the main wood,
which we inferred had already been taken, and next,
the briery thickets that skirted a contiguous old
field — ^into these thickets we pushed. Nor had we
entered far, before the long, deep, querulous note
of " Euler," as he challenged on a trail, told us to
expect the game. A few minutes later, and the
whole pack announced the still more exciting fact —
'^ the game is up." The first move of the deer was
into a back-water, which he crossed, while the pack,
half swimming, half wading, came yelping at his
heels. He next dashed across an old field and made
for a thicket, which he entered ; it was a piece of
briery and tangled ground, which the dogs could
not traverse without infinite toil. By these two
moves, he gained a great start of the hounds : if he
kept on, we were thrown out, and our dogs lost for
the day — if he doubled, and the nature of the ground
favored that supposition, there were two points
whereat he would be most likely to be intercepted.
I consulted the wind, and made my choice. I was

A DAY AT CHEE-HA. 173

wrong. It proved to be a young deer, wlio did not

need tlie wind, and lie made for the pass I had not

selected. The pack now turned ; we found from their

cry, that the deer had doubled, and our hearts beat

high with expectation, as mounted on our respective

hunters, we stretched ourselves across the old field

which he must necessarily traverse, before he could

regain the shelter of the wood. And now I saw my

veteran comrade stretch his neck as if he spied

something in the thicket ; then with a sudden fling

he brouglit his double barrel to his shoulder and

fired. His horse, admonished by the spur, then

fetched a caracole ; from the new position, a new

glimpse of the deer is gained — and crack ! goes the

second barrel. In a few moments, I saw one of our

recruits dismount and fire. Soon after, the deer

made his appearance and approached the second,

Avho descended from his horse and fired. The deer

kept on seemingly untouched, and had gained the

crown of the hill when his second barrel brought

him to the ground in sight of the whole field. We

all rode to the spot, to congratulate our novice on

his first exploit in sylvan warfare — when, as he

stooped to examine the direction of his shot, our

friend Loveleap slipped his knife into the throat of

the deer, and before his purpose could be guessed at,

bathed his face with the blood of his victim. (This,
11—2

174: A DAY AT CIIEE-HA.

you must know, is hunter's law with us, on the kill-
ing a first deer). As our young sportsman started
up from the ablution — ^his face glaring like an Indian
chief's in all the splendor of war-paint — Eobin the
hunter touched his cap and thus accosted him :

" Maussa Tickle, if you wash off dat blood dis day
— ^you neber hab luck again so long as you hunt."

"Wash it off!" cried we all, with one accord;
" who ever heard of such a folly. He can be no true
sportsman, who is ashamed of such a livery."

Thus beset, and moved thereunto, by other sage
advices showered upon him by his companions in
sport, he wore his bloody mask to the close of that
long day's sport, and sooth to say, returned to
receive the congratulations of his young and lovely
wife, his face still adorned with the stains of victory.
Whether he was received, as victors are wont to
be, returning from other fields of blood, is a point
whereon I shall refuse to satisfy the impertinent
curiosity of my reader ; but I am bound, in defer-
ence to historic truth, to add — ^that the claims of
our novice, to the merit and penalties of this day's
hunt, were equally incomplete, for it appeared on
after inspection, that Loveleap had given the mor-
tal wound, and that Tickle had merely given the
"coup de grace" to a deer, that, if unfired on,
would have fallen of itself, in a run of a hundred

A DAY AT CHEE-HA. 175

yards. It must be believed, however, that we were
quite too generous to divulge this unpleasant dis-
covery to our novice, in the first pride of his tri-
umph!

And now we tried other grounds, which our pre-
cursors in the field had already beaten ; so that the
prime of the day was wasted before we made another
start. At last, in the afternoon, a splendid burst
from the whole pack made us aware that a second
deer had suddenly been roused. I was riding to
reach a pass (or stand as we term it), when I saw
a buck dashing along before the hounds at the top
of his speed ; the distance was seventy-five yards —
but I reined in my horse and let slip at him. To
my surprise, he fell ; but before I could reach the
spot, from which I was separated by a thick under-
wood, he had shufiled ofi" and disappeared. The
hounds came roaring on, and showed me by their
course that he had made for a marsh that lay hard
by. For that we all pushed in hopes of anticipating
him. He was before us, we saw him plunge into
the canal, and mount the opposite bank, though evi-
dently in distress and crippled in one of his hind
legs. The dogs rush furiously on (the scent of
blood in their nostrils), plunge into the canal, sweep
over the bank, and soon pursuers and pursued are
shut out from sight, as they wind among the thick

1T6 A DAY AT CHEE-HA.

covers that lie scattered over tlie face of the
marsh.

" What use of horse now !" said Eobin, as (sliding
from his saddle where his horse instinctively made
a dead halt at the edge of the impracticable Ser-
bonian bog that lay before him) he began to climb
a tree that overlooked the field of action — " what
use of horse now ?"

From this " vantage ground," however, he looked
in vain to catch a glimpse of the deer. The eye of
a lynx could not penetrate the thick mass of grass,
that stretched upward six feet from the surface of
the marsh. The cry of the hounds now grew faint
from distance, and now again came swelling on the
breeze ; when suddenly our ears were saluted by a
full burst from the whole pack, in that loud, open
note, which tells a practised ear that the cry comes
from the water.

"Zounds, Eobin!" cried I, in the excitement of
the moment, " they have him at bay there — there
in the canal. Down from your perch, my lad, or
they'll eat him, horns and all, before you reach
him." *-

Kobin apparently did not partake of this enthu-
siasm, for he maintained his perch on the tree, and
coolly observed — "What use, maussa? fore I git
dere, dem dog polish ebery bone."

A DAT AT GHEE-HA. 177

''You are afraid, you rascal! you have only to
swim tlie canal and then " — •

" Got maussa," said Eobin, as lie looked ruefully
over the field of his proposed missionary labors;
" if he be water, I swim 'um — ^if he be bog, I bog
'um — ^if he be brier, I kratch tru um — but who
de debble, but otter, no so alligator, go tru all tree
one time !"

The thought was just stealing its way into my
mind, that under the excitement of my feelings, I
was giving an order that I might have hesitated
personally to execute, when the cry of the hounds,
lately so clamorous, totally ceased. "There," cried
I, in the disappointed tone of a sportsman who had
lost a fine buck, "save your skin, you loitering
rascal ! You may sleep where you sit, for by this
time they have eaten him sure enough." This con-
clusion was soon overset by the solitary cry of
Euler, which was now heard, half a mile to the left
of the scene of the late uproar.

" Again ! What is this ? It is the cry of Euler !
ho ! I understand it — the deer is not eaten, but has
taken the canal — and the nose of that prince of
hounds, has scented him down the running stream.
— ^Aye, aye, he makes for the wood — and now to
cut him off." No sooner said than done. I gave
the spur to my horse, and shot off accordingly ; but

178 A DAT AT CHEE-HA.

not in time to prevent the success of the masterly
manoeuvre by which the buck, baffling his pursuers,
was now seen straining every nerve to regain the
shelter of the wood. I made a desperate effort to cut
him off, but reached the wood only in time to note
the direction he had taken. It was now sunset, and
the white, oustpread tail of the deer was my only
guide in the pursuit, as he glided among the trees.
" Now for it, Boxer — show your speed, my gallant
nag." The horse, as if he entered fully into the pur-
pose of his rider, stretched himself to the utmost,
obedient to the slightest touch of the reins, as he
threaded the intricacies of the forest ; and was gain-
ing rapidly on the deer, when plash ! he came to a
dead halt — ^his fore legs plunged in a quagmire,
over which the buck with his split hoofs had
bounded in security. "What a baulk ! " but here
goes " — and the gun was brought instantly to the
shoulder, and the left-hand barrel fired. The dis-
tance was eighty yards, and the shot ineffectual.
Making a slight circuit to avoid the bog, I again
push at the deer and again approach. " Ah, if I
had but reserved the charge, I had so idly wasted !"
But no matter, I must run him down — and gaining
a position on his flank, I spurred my horse full upon
his broad-side, to bear him to the ground. The
noble animal (he was a noble animal, for he traced.

A DAY AT CHEE-HA. 179

with some baser admixture indeed, througli Boxer,
Medley, Gimcrack, to the Godolphin Arabian)
refused to trample on his fellow quadruped ; and, in
in spite of the goading spur, ranged up close along
side of the buck, as if his only pride lay in surpass-
ing him in speed. This brought me in close con-
tact with the buck. Detaching my right foot from
the stirrup, I struck the armed heel of my boot
full against his head ; he reeled from the blow and
plunged into a neighboring thicket — too close for
horse to enter. I fling myself from my horse, and
pursue on foot — he gains on me : I dash down my
now useless gun, and, freed from all encumbrance,
press after the panting animal. A large, fallen oak
lies across his path ; he gathers himself up for the
leap, and falls exhausted directly across it. Before he
could recover his legs, and while he lay thus poised
on the tree, I fling myself at full length upon the
body of the struggling deer — my left hand clasps
his neck, while my right detaches the knife ; whose
fatal blade, in another moment, is buried in his
throat. There he lay in his blood, and I remained
sole occupant of the field. I seize my horn, but am
utterly breathless, and incapable of soimding it : I
strive to shout, but my voice is extinct from fatigue
and exhaustion. I retrace my steps, while the
waning light yet sufliced to show me the track of

180 A DAY AT CHEE-HA.

tlie deer — recover my liorse and gun, and return to
the tree where my victim lay. But how apprise
my comrades of my position ? My last shot, hoAV-
ever, had not been unnoted — and soon their voices
are heard cheering on "Ruler," while far in
advance of the yet baffled pack, he follows unerr-
ingly on the tracks of the deer. They came at
last : but found me still so exhausted from fatigue,
that to wave my bloody knife, and point to the vic-
tim where he lay at my feet, were all the history I
could then give of the spirit-stirring incidents I
have just recorded. Other hunting matches have I
been engaged in, wherein double the number of
deer have been killed ; but never have I engaged
in one of deeper and more absorbing interest, than
that which marked this " day at Chee-ha."

Venatok.

ANOTHER DAY AT CHEE-HA.

The sportsman, who gives a true description of
liis sports, must he an egotist. It is his necessity.
The things which he has seen or done are precisely
those which make the liveliest impression ; and with
none other, but such as are thus brightly enshrined
in his memory, should he attempt the diflElcult task
of interesting the careless or preoccupied. Let this
be my apology for speaking of myself; and if in
my narrations there is (as some friendly critic may
suggest) a want of rejpose^ it is as well for me
candidly to confess that the want is intentional. I
sin through design — and say, as Gilfert said, when
notified of a drop stitch in the flesh-colored unmen-
tionables of a celebrated danseuse pirouetting at
the Bowery : " Hush, my friend, dat is for effect^
Could I rouse you an elephant, gentlemen critics,
you should have a grave and stately march ; I'd
give you repose with a vengeance. But, for your
lighter game, dash splash on, with whip and spur !
Celerity of onovement is the play — whether in the
field or in the narrative !

181

182 ANOTHER DAY AT GHEE- HA.

It was a glorious winter's day — sharp but
bracing. The sun looked forth with dazzling
brightness, as he careered through a cloudless sky ;
and his rays came glancing back from many an
ice-covered lagoon that lay scattered over the face
of the ground. Tlie moan of an expiring north-
wester was faintly heard from the tops of the magni-
ficent forest pines. Three sportsmen, while it was
yet early, met at their trysting-place, to perpetrate
2^rmd against the deer! They were no novices,
those huntmen — they had won trophies in many a
sylvan war; and they now took the field "of malice
prepense," with all the appliances of destruction at
their beck; practised drivers and a pack, often
proved, and now refreshed by three days' rest.
Brief was their interchange of compliment ; they
felt that such a day was not to be trifled away in
talk ; and they hallooed their hounds impatiently
into the drive — ^yet not as greenhorns would have
done. " Keep clear of the swamps," was the order
to the drivers — " leave the close covers — ride not
where the ice crackles under the horse's hoof — ^but
look closely into the sheltered knolls, where you
will find the deer sunning themselves after the last
night's frost." The eflFect of this order was soon
evident; for in the second knoll entered by the
hounds, a herd of deer were found thawing them-

Alfl-OTHEK DAY AT CHEE-HA. 183

selves in the first beams of tlie ascending sun. Ho !
what a burst ! — ^with what fury the hounds dash in
among them ! Now they sweep along the thickets
that skirt the drive, and climb the summit of that
elevated piney ridge — destined one day to become a

summer settlement, and to bear the name of .

!But not unforeseen or unprovided for was the run
which the deer had taken. Frisky Geordy was in
their path, and crack went the sound of his gun, and
loud and vaunting was the twang of his horn, that
followed the explosion! And now the frozen earth
reechoed to the tramp of horses' hoofs, as the hunts-
men hurried to the call, that proclaims that a deer
has fallen. There was Geordy, his gun against a
pine, his knee upon the still heaving flank of a
pricket huck^ his right hand clenched upon his
dripping knife, his left flourishing a horn, which
ever and anon was given to his mouth, and filled
the air with its boastful notes.

" Holla, Geordy ! you have got him fast, I see.
Where are the dogs ?"

" Gone," said Geordy.

'^ There's Euler in the east — what's he after ?"

" A deer," says Geordy.

^' And Eouser to the south — ^what's he after ?"

" Another deer," says Geordy.

" And Nimrod to the southwest — I need not ask

184 ANOTHER DAY AT CHEE-HA.

what he's after, for he follows nothing but deer
Your second barrel snapt, of course ?"

"I don't say that," says Geordy ; "I had
wounded the six last deer I'd fired at, so I thought
I'd kill one to-day, and while I looked to see if
that was really dead, the others slipt by me."

" Done like a sportsman, Geordy ; one dead deer
is worth a dozen crippled ones. I ren).ember, once,
your powder was too weak ; and next, your shot
were too small ; and next, your aim was somewhat
wild ; and one went off bored of an ear, and another
nicked of a tail. You are bound to set up an
infirmary across the river, for the dismembered
deer you have dispatched there ! You have done
well to Mil — ^let it grow into a habit. Nimrod to
the southwest, said you ? That rascal is a born
economist ; and not a foot will he budge in pursuit
of a living deer^ after your horn has told him there
is venison in the rear ! Euler will drive his deer
across the river. Eouser to the marshes. Mmrod's
quarry is the only one likely to halt and give us
another chance."

And sure enough, there came Nimrod trotting
back on his track— his nose cocked up in air, as if
to indorse and verify the inferences of his ear — ^his
tail curled and standing out from his body, at an
angle of 45°

ANOTHER DAY AT CHEE-HA. 185

" This is the safe play — ^hang up the deer — sound
your horn till the hounds come in from their several
chases — and then for Nimrod's lead ! to Chapman's
bays, I think ! — there are some sheltered nooks in
which they will stop and bask, when they find
themselves unpursued."

" I'll go in with the boys," says Loveleaj), with
an unconcerned air, but a sly twinkle of the eye,
which did not escape his comrades.

"As you like — Geordy and I will mind the stands."

Some time was lost before the hounds could be
drawn from their several chases, yet as emulation
did not " prick them on," they came the sooner for
being scattered. Loveleap heads the drivers — and
it was just what we had anticipated, when, before a
single dog had given tongue, we heard him fire,
then came a burst, then a second barrel ; but to our
great surprise no horn announced the expected suc-
cess. The report of that gun went unquestioned, in
our sporting circle ; it was in a manner axiomatic,
in wood-craft mysteries, and passed current with all
who heard it for thus much — " a deer is killed."
Loveleap did an extraordiary thing that day — he
missed ! but the drivers could not understand, and
the hounds would not believe it: so they rushed
madly away in pursuit, as if it was not possible for
the quarry long to escape.

186 ANOTHER DAY AT CHEE-HA.

"Pusli on/' says Geordy, "they make for the
river !" and away we went. We reined in for a
minute at the ford ; and finding that they had
already outstripped us and were bearing down for
Chapman's fort- — a mile to the west of our position
— we struck across for the marshes south of us,
where we might, if he was a young deer, intercept
him on his return to his accustomed haunts. If an
old buck, we had no chance ; he is sure to set a
proper value on his life, and seldom stops until he
has put a river between his pursuer and himself.

Taking advantage of a road that lay in our way,
we soon cleared the woods, and entered an old field
that skirted the marsh. It was a large waving plain
of rank broom-grass, chequered here and there by
strips of myrtle and marsh mallows.

"So far, Geordy," said I, "we have kept one
track — ^now let us separate. The hounds are out of
hearing, and we have little chance of any game but
such as we may rouse without their help. How
delightfully sheltered is this spot ! — ^how completely
is it shut in by that semi-circle of woods, from the
sweep of the northwest winds ! How genially the
sun pours down upon it ! Depend upon it, we shall
find some luxurious rogues basking in this warm
nook — ^for next to your Englishman, a deer is the
greatest epicure alive! Now, then, by separate

ANOTHER DAY AT CHEE-HA. 187

tracks, let us make across the old field — a blast of
the horn will bring us together when we reach the
marsh.

By separate tracks then we moved, and had not
advanced two hundred yards, when crack! went
Geordy's gun. I looked in the direction of the
report — and his head only was visible above the sea
of marsh mallows. Tlie direction of his face I
could see, and that was pointed toward me.
Toward me then, thought 1, runs the deer. I
reined in my horse, and turned his head in that
direction. It was such a thickly woven mass of
mallows and myrtle — ^Iiigh as my shoulders as I sat
in the saddle— that there was little hope of being
able to see the game. I trusted to my ear to warn
me of his approach, and soon heard the rustling of
the leaves and the sharp quick leap, which mark
the movement of a deer at speed. I saw him not,
until he appeared directly under my horse's nose, in
act to leap ; he vaulted, and would have dropped
upon my saddle, had he not seen the horse while
yet poised in air, and (by an eifort like that of the
tumbler who throws a somerset) twisted himself
suddenly to my right. He grazed my knee in his
descent ; and as he touched the earth I brought my
gun down, pistol-fashion, with a rapid twitch, and
sent the whole charge through his backbone. It

i2i

188 AJ^OTHER DAY AT CHEE-IIA.

was SO instantaneous — so like a flash of lightning — ■
that I could scarcely credit it, when I saw the deer
twirling and turning over at my horse's heels. Dis-
mounting to secure him, it was some time before his
muscular action was sufficiently overcome to allow
me to use my knife. He struggled and kicked — I
set down my gun, the better to master him. In the
midst of my employment, crack went Geordy's
second barrel, nearer than the first — and mind!
mind ! followed the discharge. Before I could drop
my knife and gain my feet, another deer was upon
me ! He followed directly in the track of the for-
mer, and passed between my horse and me, so
near that I might have bayoneted him ? Where
was my gun ? lost in the broom-grass ! What a
trial I I looked all around in an instant, and spying
it where it lay, caught it eagerly up : the deer had
disappeared ! It flashed across me, that underneath
these myrtles, the limbs excluded from the sun had
decayed ; and that in the vistas thus formed, a
glimpse of the deer might yet be gained. In an
instant I am on my knees, darting the most anxious
glances along the vista : the flash of a tail is seen —
I fire— a struggle is heard — ^I press forward through
the interlacing branches — and to my joy and sur-
prise, another deer is mine ! Taking him by the
legs, I drag him to the spot where the other lay

ANOTHER DAY AT CHEE-HA. 189

Then was it my turn to sound a " vaunty " peal !
Geordy pealed in answer, and soon appeared, drag-
ging a deer of his own (having missed one of those
that I had killed). Three deer were started — they
were all at our feet — and that without the aid of a
dog ! It was the work of five minutes ! We piled
them in a heap, covered them with branches and
myrtle, and tasked our horns to the uttermost to
recall the field. One by one the hounds came in —
smelt at the myrtle bushes — seemed satisfied, though
puzzled- — wagged their tails — and coiling themselves
each in his proper bed, lay down to sleep. Yet had
any stranger approached that myrtle-covered heap,
every back would have bristled, and a fierce cry of
defiance would have broken forth from every tongue,
then so mute.

At last came Loveleap, fagged, and somewhat
fretted by his ill-success.

" I have been blowing till I've split my wind, and
not a dog has come to my horn. How came you
thrown out? and why have you kept such an inces-
sant braying of horns?" Why, how is this? the
dogs are here ?" .

"Yes! — ^tliey have shown their sense in coming
to us ; there's been butchery hereabouts !"

" One of P 's cattle killed by the runaways^

I suppose."

12—2

190 ANOTHER DAY AT CHEE-IIA.

"Will yoii lend us your boy to bring a cart?''
said I.

" Certainly," says Loveleap ; " it will make such
a feast for the dogs ; but where is the cow ?"

" Here /" says Geordy, kicking off the myrtle
screen, and revealing to the sight of his astonished
comrade, out three layers of venison ! Oh, you
should have seen Loveleap's face !

The cart is brought, and our four deer are soon
on their way home. Do you think we accompanied
them ? ISTo ! We were so merciless as to meditate
still further havoc. The day was so little spent —
and as our hands were in, and there was just in the
next drive, an overgrown old buck, who had often
had the insolence to baffle us. — no ! we must take a
drive for him ! Again the hounds are thrown into
cover, headed by our remaining driver ; but in the
special object of our move we failed — the buck had
decamped. Still, the fortune of the day attended
us ; and an inquisitive old turkey gobbler, having
ventured to peep at Geordy where he lay in ambush,
was sprawled by a shot from his gun, and was soon
seen dangling from his saddle-bow.

This closed our hunt. And now that we have a
moment's breathing time, tell me, brother sports-
men ! who may chance to read this veritable history
— ^has it ever been your fortune, in a single day's

ANOTHER DAY AT CIIEE-HA. 191

hunt, and as the sjpoils of two gunners only, to bring
home four deer and a wild turkey? Ye gastron-
oraes ! who relish the proceeds of a hunt better than
its toils and perils — a glance at that larder, if you
please ! Look at that fine bird — so carefully hnn<2:
up by the neck ; his spurs are an inch and a half m
length, his beard eight inches ; what an ample
chest! what glossy plumage ! — ^his weight is twenty-
five pounds ! And see that brave array of haunches I
— that is of a buck of two years — -juicy, tender, but
not fat — capital for steaks ! But your eye finds
something yet more attractive — the saddle of a four-
year old doe, kidney covered, as you sec ; a morsel
more savoury smokes not upon a monarch's board.
How pleasant to eat ! . Shall I say it? — ^liow much
pleasanter to give away ! Ah, how such things d(i
win their way to hearts — men's, and roomerCs too !
My young sporting friends, a word in your ear : the
vv'orst use you can make of your game, is to eat it
yourselves.

Ye city sportsmen ! (we mean, par excellence,
the sportsmen of the Commercial Emporium^ who,
with abundant pains and trouble, and with note of
fearful preparation, marshal your forces for a week's
campaign among the plains of Long Island, or tl:o
barrens of Jersey — and in reward of your toil, bag
one brace of grouse, or enjoy a glorious snap at

:19^ ' ANOTHER DAY AT CIIEE-IIA.

Bome straggling deer, that escapes, of course^ to
tempt another party to your hopes and disappoint-
ments I — ^ye city sportsmen ! who go so far, and get
so little for your pains — what think ye of the exe-
cution done on this day, in a chase which cost us
no extraordinary trouble, and never took us five
miles from our winter homes ? Or, ye enthusiasts
m sport! who import from our shores the game,
your own inhospitable winters deny to your wishes
— who^Q purchased partridges leave their travelling
coops, to hibernate in the warm attic of a Broad-
way palace — thence to be transferred in the spring
to the protected covers of Long Island — there to
pair and rear broods, to be bagged in September,
by the same paternal hand that imported and
domesticated the parent stock ! what think ye of
sport like this? Ours was no preserve shooting!
We were not popping over our own nurselings?
They were wild deer, of the wild woods, that we
slew, this day at Chee-Ha ! Ye are of the right
metal, we know, and it would please us to see you
some day among us — and mark the throb of a new
delight springing in your bosoms, as you sweep
along with the rush of the hounds, and fling the
cares of life far, far behind you.

Vx:natok*

I

A BUSmESS DAY AT CHEE-HA.

A FIG for the sportsman, who will only converse
with you in the " King Cambyses vein !" — who is
dumb, unless he boast of some magnificent sport, or
some unequalled exploit ! I have already told you,
gentle reader, somewhat of my successes ; shall I
miisjudge you, if I suppose that the recital of an
occasional failure may prove almost as grateful ?

It was the end of October. The first light frosts
had fallen. The demons of pestilence, that for six
months had rioted undisturbed in the dank vapors of
our campagna ; nipped by the northern blasts, now
flapped their wings in dismay, and boomed off for
the congenial fens of the remoter South. The
planters who had intrenched themselves, all the
while, in towns and villages against the assaults of
their invisible but deadly foe, now rushed joyfully
forth (like men from a beleaguered city on the
withdrawal of the enemy) to revisit their forsaken
plantations. I, among the rest, was preparing for
my first visit to Chee-Ha. It was a visit of inspec-
tion— of lusiness — to see how my interest had fared

193

194 A BUSINESS DAY AT CHEE-HA.

during tlie long summer's absence. Yet, someliow
or other, Eobin tlie huntsman was the servant chosen
to attend me, and my hunting j)ony was the horse
he was to mount ; and my gun and horn were
tlirown into the gig, as if a necessary part of my
travelling equipment; and Kowser, Elack and
Nimrod, with an instinctive perception that their
day of importance was come, crouched whimpering
at my feet, then trotted off in company as if they
had been regularly summoned; so that it was appa-
rent that if a hunt was not exactly the direct object
of my visit, it might readily become a collateral
one.

Tlie journey is made, and the night passed in
that venerable and hospitable mansion, to which
Loveleap, from a different quarter, but with pur-
poses similar to my own, had but just repaired.
The morning dawned, and the first beams of the
sun found us dressed, walking the piazza and rejoic-
ing in the promise of a glorious day. The air was
cold; the vapors that hovered about the river, con-
denced by the night's cold, and lifted by the rays of
the ascending sun, were looped up in the horizon
like a broad curtain, which left the roots and tops
of the trees distinctly visible, while the intermedi-
ate parts were still shrouded in its dense folds.

" A charming day," said Loveleap, stretching his

A BUSINESS DAY AT CIIEE-HA. 195

neck impatiently beyond the railing to observe the
course of some thin strata of clouds that moved
slowly in the higher region of the atmosphere.
" There will be no wind — so moist, too ; the scent
will lie famously."

" Too true," said I, " but you know I come on
business; 'business before pleasure,' that's my
motto."

"But will your business hold you all day?
Could you not dispatch it, and after, take a hunt?"

"Possibly," said I.

" Then I will call my boy," said Loveleap, and
seizing his horn, gave a loud blast which brought
not his boy only, but the whole eager pack of
expecting hounds upon us in a moment, wagging
their tails, whining with anticipated pleasure and
casting their noses up into the air, as if they already
caught the scent of the out-lying deer ! The appeal
was irresistible.

" Tempt me no more, Loveleap ; I will swallow a
hasty breakfast, and gallop over to my plantation.
Give me three hours for business — the rest of the
day shall be yours !"

The breakfast is ended, the horse mounted. — "In
three hours I shall expect you," said I at parting,
and away I go at a hand gallop. The road lay
through my corn fields; but the grain had been

VJG A BUSINESS DAY AT CIIEE-HA.

gathered. " Why should I pause to observe it iiar»
rowly ? Some better di^amage is wanted, I can sec
at a glance ; bnt that is past and incurable ; before
another crop all that shall be remedied ; and there
are my peas ungathered — ^their bearing is truly
abundant ; but what is this ? a deer's track ! two of
them, by Jove! — not two nights since have they
cropped these leaves, as I know by the freshness of
the tooth-print ! My dainty, sleek-skinned marau-
ders, you shall account to me for this ! And there
is my cotton-field on the hill to the right : it lies
out of my way, a distant coup d'oeil must serve me
now, some other time I shall examine it closely."
Oh ! it is wonderful how we stride over the field of
business, when we have hitched to the fence beyond,
some favorite hobby which we are impatient to-
mount and ride !

And now the noisy chirping of a thousand black-
birds, clustered on a neighboring tree ; and the
merry clatter of the flail rebounding from the barn-
yard floor, announced the approach to the settle-
ment. The overseer crawled forth to greet me, pale
and still feeble from the inflictions of the autumnal
scourge; and yet this man had done no bodily
labor — ^he had not toiled under our burning skies ;
but rode habitually to the fields to superintend the
T/ork of the blacks, and was sheltered from sun and

A BUSINESS DAY AT CHEE-HA. 197

rain by an umbrella !— and is it this region "wMcii
the philanthropic abolitionist would people witli
white laborers ? The Asiatic cholera would not bo
more sv/eeping in its desolation, more unsparing oi
more fatal than this pestilent malaria. Is not the
scheme of superseding slave labor in such a region
by free white labor, as insane and atrocious as that
of Lequinio, who proposed to perpetuate republican
principles by exterminating all of the human family
who were old enough to have imbibed the taint of
monarchy ? His benevolence would reach but one
generation of men, the wider philanthropy of the
abolitionist would reach even to extermination.

I enter the barn-yard ; the driver doffs his hat
and draws a long scrape of the right foot by way of
welcome ; and the glossy-backed operatives hedge
me about v,ith a circle of flail sticks, by way of
salute. What greasy-looking rogues! What a
contrast to the bloodless, fever-stricken being who
was placed there to superintend their labors ! The
dank vapors of the swamps, so baneful to him —
had they served to nourish their grosser bodies ?
Had they fattened on the mere aroma of the rice, like
the poor Parisian on the fumes of the pastrycook
shop ? It was not that they had fed on it, surely,
for there stood their own ricks unthreshed. Could
they have stolen it? "The theft of a slave is no

198 A BUSINESS DAY AT CHEE-HA.

offence against society ;" says a high legal author-
ity ; and these slaves had possibly acted on the
principle, and had not been looked to over closely
in so doing ; for there is a precept better known to
the southern planter than to tlie j)hilanthropist who
condemns him : " Muzzle not the ox that treadeth
out the corn."

I mount the steps of the winnowing house ; it had
a twofold advantage ; it enabled me to glance at
once over the whole extent of the rice-fields, and to
count the ricks of rice in the barn-yard. I will not
detain you, gentle reader, by describing the ricli
appearance of the rice-fields as viewed from that
eminence; the deep, golden hues of the newly-
reaped stubble, relieved by the fresh green of the
leaves shooting out from the roots to bourgeon
forth (if the season allowed it) into a second har-
vest. ISTor will I fatigue you by recalling the pleas-
ant thoughts that possess the planter's mind, when,
looking down on those capacious ricks, he dwells on
the amount of sustenance to man and other animals
which they 23rovide, or calculates the ample profits
to himself. You, like myself, may be anxious for
a hunt, and I shall not long detain you.

'*' Have you threshed out a rick ?"

" Yes, sir," says the driver.

*' What was the yield to the acre ?"

A BUSINESS DAY AT CHEE-HA. 199

" Sixty biisLiels, sir."

" Was it your best rick?'*

"J^— 0, sir."

^^ Mixed yoii any of the straw rice with this
rick?"

" Y — es, sir, a lettle ; but you kin see, maussa !"
and the driver brought me a sheaf from a rick hard
by — thick, full-grained, heavy ; a magnificent sam-
ple (if true sample it was) of the crop which was
to reward my expectation. Alas, Yenator ! thou
knewest not that the rick was plated^ or rather
gilt; and that while the outward and tangible
sheaf was of such satisfactory quality, the light,
and the mow-burnt, and the bird-pecked was
safely bestowed, far from the reach of inquisitive
eyes, in the very centre of those proud looking
ricks ! How like a honeymoon in the planter's
life are the first brief visits of the fall, to the long
deserted plantations ! All then is bright and full
of glorious promise ; but winter comes, and at its
close — ^the hour of disenchantment !

On descending from the winnowing house a long,
slab-sided fellow stalks up to me —

'' Maussa, cum tell you, sir, me clote an't nuff."

" Did you not get your six yards ?"

" Ees, sir."

" That was enough."

200 A BUSINESS DAY AT CHEE-IIA.

" EeSj sir ; but Anty Phillis cut me long tail blue
so long, ee only lef wunleg to me britches."

" Can't help it."

" Ki, maussa ! me guine stan een ban-yard vrld-
out no britches !"

"Maussa !" said a strapping young jade, advanc-
ing with a shoe in her hand, " me shoo no fit."

" Can't help that ; take it to the overseer."

" Enty I carry um ready, an' I say obshaa, maussa
no low dis ; an he cuss at you !"

"Curse?"

" Ees, maussa, obshaa, him say, cause me gon cut
me medjure haf inch too short : — ^liim no care a
dam ! Enty dat de cuss ?"

" Maussa ! maussa !" said several voices at once,
offering, to my unwilling ear, petitions equally
important and edifying with the foregoing ; but
at that moment a shrill whistle, rather than a blast
from the horn of Loveleap (this was his private
signal), warned me of his approach, and I hastily
dismissed this high court of appeals, with the
remark : " Another time ; when you have found
out your grievances, I will find time to attend to
them. I must now go to visit the sick ;" and off I
galloped for the negro quarters. Their houses were
arranged in a double row ; and in the midst sat a
grey haired mauma, surrounded by a trooj) of little

A BUSINESS DAY AT CHEE-HA. 201

negroes, over whom she exercised plenary authority.
The sick were then visited, examined and prescribed
for. Fortunately, there were no serious cases, and I
was preparing to depart, when the plantation nurse,
who had been whiling away the tedium of her unoc-
cupied hours in a sound day sleep, hobbled forth to
meet me.

" Huddee, maussa ! — ^hovir you do ?"

"Well."

" How missis do ?"

"Well."

"An'alldefambly?"

"Well— all well."

" Bress de Lord ! An' young missis, too P

" I've told you she was well."

" An' me leetle young missis, too, and young mass
Pincher ?" continued the interminable interrogator,
who, in spite of all impediment, was determined to
fire off her whole volley of questions.

" Have you no sick but those I have visited in
yonder house ?"

" Ees, sir ; Cudjo got a bad toot."

" Out with it."

" And Diana, too ; him got twins !"

" Nurse them !"

'^ Only him not got baby clothes for two /"

'202 A BUSINESS DAY AT CHEE-HA.

"Tha.t's her fault; why did she not give me
notice?"

" Eh ! eh ! maussa too komldl ! How now 'bout
wood? — cause Hacklus back so stiflE, him no sarbis
to me — can't stoop for pick up stick, for warm de
hous ; so please let Uncle Jupter help, or de little
niggers will ketch a j)erish !"

"That you might sleep all day!"

" E, ole maussa I "When young Mass Pincher
cummin een place ? I yerre ee ride hoss fur kill !
ole maussa !"

" ISTot a word more ?" cried I, flinging myself
into the saddle with rather more eifort than was
needful ; and twisting round my gun between
my finger and thumb, as if it was as light as
a riding-whip. " ' Old Maussa P you shall not
say that, No," said I, as some unpleasant memo-
ries flashed across my mind ; " not for two years
to come !"

"Tink of dat now!" said the disappointed nurse,
as she hobbled back to her bed, to sleep out tlie
remnant of her nap ; " he hair 'gin to turn grey,
and he bex caus I call um ole !"

" Well, Loveleap," said I as he now advanced,
followed by drivers and hounds, " I am at your ser-
vice. Have my three hours expired?"

" Only two," said Loveleap ; "but knowing your

A BUSINESS DAY AT CHEE-HA. 203

tiilent for dispatch of business, 1 borrowed one, and
am here."

"We struck for the woods across a back-water dam.
The horse-path cut the preceding year was over-
hung with twigs of the summer growth ; and every
thing looked as still and unfrequented, as the lover
of nature or the lover of sport could desire. The
trout sprang from beneath the willow, as the little
insects, scared by our approach, or shaken from
the interlacing branches, fell into the smooth lake
below. The summer duck rose with a shrill cry,
from his woody screen ; and the teal, that with bills
beneath their wings, were quietly reposing and
digesting their last night's gleanings from the
rice-fields, shot off on whistling wing to seek some
less disturbed retreat. The woods now broke upon
us in all their autumnal glory. The sweet gum, the
maple, and the hickory spread tlieir branches as a
canopy above our heads; and the bright hues of
their red or yellow foliage, contrasted pleasingly
with the sombre verdure of the pine. Some lin-
gering flowers, too were there; and the vanilla,
touched by the frosts, filled the forest with a frag-
rance exceeding even the perfumes of spring. And
then those coverts; so solitary, so undisturbed!
whose repose had not been startled for months, by

the baying of a hound, or the echoes of the hunts-

13

20i A BUSINESS DAY AT CHEE-HA.

man's horn ! My heart bounded within me, as we
cast off the pack, and rode rapidly forward to
guard the passes of the drive.

It was WongMs Bay^ and the dogs had scarcely
entered, when they roused a deer, and went roaring
on in pursuit through the centre of the drive ; while
we dashed on at full speed along a foot-path that in-
circled it. We were too late ; the deer had escaped
by green pond !

" Push on, Tippoo," said Loveleap to his roan,
" we'll catch him yet at GhapmoLn^s Bay .^"

Too late again! away went the deer for the river,
and when our panting steeds drew up at the brink,
the deer had already crossed, and the leading dogs
were howling along the bank, and asking, as far
as their brute action could ask it — our leave to
follow.

" Too fast for us this time," said Loveleap, " we'll
try it again."

At slower pace than we had come, we retraced
our steps, and cast off the dogs a second time into
the same drive. The same ill-success attended us :
again we started — again the deer got ahead of us,
and again we toiled in an unprofitable chase, until
we again found ourselves pell mellwith the hounds
at Chapman's fort, the deer having again crossed
tlie river !

A BUSINESS DAY AT CHEE-HA. 205

" I'll tell you what, Loveleap," said I, " tMs is
sorry sport to me! I have little of tlie Osbald-
istone in me, and relisli not these hard rides against
time ; the deer, it seems, are grown so timid from
the ' corruptions of a long peace,' that they trust
neither to their legs nor wind; but push, on the first
alarm from the dogs, directly for the river. Eide
back, if it pleases yon ; for myself I decline a third
heat, and shall rub down and cool off here."

The indefatigable Loveleap turned back to renew
the hunt, while I remained to intercept the deer, if,
on another start, he should repeat the same run.
The period of his absence seemed long. I dis-
mounted ; and throwing the reins over my horse's
head, left him to graze at will, while I seated my-
self on the small mound of earth which dignifies
this spot with the name of Fort : and as the dark
waters of the Ashepoo glided noiselessly by, fiing-
ing here and there a bubble to the surface, which
broke or disappeared to give place to other bub-
bles ; and as the leaves, fanned by a gentle south-
ern air, fell rustling from the surrounding trees to
mingle with and be lost in the earth that received
them, 1 mused, and bethought me that they were
but too apt emblems of human fortunes, and human
life ! "Where were the original lords of this soil,

whose dark forms glided, in by-gone days, through
13—2

206 A BUSINESS DAY AT CHEE-HA.

tliese forests; intent, like ourselves, on tlie plea-
sures of tlie cliase? Gone like those bubbles!
scattered like the leaves of a former season by the
blast of the whirlwind, or buried (as those now
falling about me were soon to be) undistinguished
beneath the soil ! their musical dialect every day
upon our tongues, and they — ^forgotten as though
they had never been ! And where were they who
dispossessed them ? the early white colonists ? —
gone like themselves ! The spreading oaks hard
'by, marked their traditionary graves ; but their
histories, their very names, already indistinct from
time, arc fading day by day from human memory !
Shall we, too, pass away and be forgotten ? must
the like oblivion rest on us, and on the race to
which we belong? What unthought-of page, in
the unsearchable book of futurity, might yet be
ours ! I was roused from these reveries by a sound
like that of a distant gun; it was very indistinct;
it might be the stroke of the woodman's axe — or
the crash of a falling tree ; it roused me, however,
and, mounting my horse, I rode a short distance to
the east of my late position, and stood in the gorge
of a small ravine, open in front, whence 1 com-
manded the bluff on the left and the marsh on my
right. I might have relapsed into my former
musing, but for a restless motion of my horse's

A BUSINESS DAY AT CIIEE-HA. 207

ears, which riveted my attention. Could he hear
what was inaudible to me ? I listened — and it did
seem to me that I heard the cry of hounds. Was
it fancy ? No ! — it is too distinct for that ! — and
liark ! they approach. The distinguishing notes of
the leading hounds could now be lieard ; but they
dropped in at intervals, as if they were running at
wide distances in a weary chase. Aye, they near
me ! — and, by the sound, are bearing down directly
for this spot ! and my pulse beat high with expec-
tation, as settling myself in my saddle, 1 glanced
my eye over lock and barrel to see that all was right.
Tlie pack were still nearly a mile distant, when a
deer sprang suddenly from the thicket into the
ravine before me and stood. It was a peg-horned-
buck; he turned his head back, and pricked his
delicate ears in the direction of the cry ; then,
after a moment's pause, as if to determine his
course, he leaped forward to gain the river. There
was an air of security about him, amounting almost
to playfulness, and he threw up his hind legs with
a sort of gambolling motion, as much as to say to
his pursuers : " That for you, you wide-mouth'd
curs ! your throats are good, but as for your legs
— that for you ; and when you get thus far — a cool
swim to you across the Ashepoo !"

I sat motionless on my horse until lie had ap-

208 A BUSINESS DAY AT CHEE-HA.

proachedwitliiii fifty yards, when, snatching u]: my
gun, I fired and lie fell. Dismounting and laying
down my gun, I advanced to secure Mm, when, sud-
denly regaining his legs, he slipped through my
fingers, and scrambling under the limbs of a low-
spreading oak, floundered off into a thicket and was
lost to view. Aware that his aim would be the
river, I rode quickly back to the bluff, and shouted
at the top of my voice. The noise of my gun and
my shouts now reached the pack, reviving their fail-
ing strength, and they bore down toward me w^ith
renewed speed — still I rode and shouted, in order to
turn back the deer, and hoping that they might
intercept him on their advance. The leading dogs
now reached the spot where the deer had fallen ;
there was his blood sprinkled over leaf and sod —
but where was the deer? The laggards of the pack,
the cold of nose but slow of foot, now dropped in ;
but they all stood at complete fault ! Nimrod
alone (he was from a cross with the West India
bloodhound), traced him out on his back track, as
making a circuit to my left, he was working his way
to the river. I heard his cry of alarm, and galloping
in the direction, saw him seize the deer and hold
him fast, when he was but thirty yards distant from
the river. The other hounds were not up ; and a
second time I dismounted to lay hold of him.

A BUSINESS DAY AT CIIEE-HA. 209

Before I touclied the ground, he broke away from
the dog and pushed for the river. I raised my gun,
but the dog was so close at his heels that I could
not fire without killing both. As he mounted the
parapet, an interval of a few feet was gained; I
fired, and the deer rolled over the mound into the
river ! At this moment a horseman arrived. It was
Eobin.

" Lay hold of his horns, Eobin — they are within
reach of the shore." Kobin stooped, but the deer,
not quite dead, gave a kick which propelled him a
yard from the shore. " Here is a rail, pass it over
him and draw him to you." The rail broke short
in his hand, and the dogs, now drawn to the spot by
the uproar, plimged in, seized the deer by the ears,
and instead of landing him, dragged him further
and further into the river.

"In with you, Kobin," said I, "or he's lost.
There's not an instant to spare ; in with you !"

" My Got, Maussa ! dem dog tek me for deer and
drown me."

" Drown you^ you prince of fools ! — they know an
ass from a deer."

" Anty de ribber deej), maussa ?"

" Deep ! — was ever man cursed with so cowardly
a driver ? I'll in myself, and bring him ashore ;''
and I kicked off my boots, unbuckled my stock.

210 A BUSINESS DAY AT CHEE-IIA.

Btripped off my coat, and was preparing for the last
sacrifice ^ to the Graces, when Loveleap, who had
ridden nj) during the turmoil, casting a queerish look
at me, asked : '^ Do you mean to swim after it ?"

"I do," said I.

" You arc hot," said Loveleap.

^* Hot ! — would it not fever a saint, to have that
fellow fail at this pinch, who never failed before? —
ask if the river's deep, as if it mattered a sixpence
whether it was one fathom or a hundred! Have I
not trained him imtil he is amphibious, and does
not know the difference between land and water?"

"I mean you are heated — too much so to go in
until you are cooler. I have not ridden hard, nor
scuffled with the deer, as you seem to have done ; 1
am a better swimmer too, and see — that eddy has
swept the deer furtlier into the stream."

With this, he began to undress ; and I, thinking
it idle that two should .take the plunge, wdien one
would suffice to land the prize, began to replace my
clothes as he divested himself of his ; and indeed,
the exposure of my person, heated by the struggle,
to the cold air from the river, already made me
shiver ! When I was completely dressed, Loveleap

* I differ from Coleman, who uses the expression : "Sacrificing
to the Graces by putting on his clothes," etc.

A BUSINESS DAY AT CIIEE-IIA. 211

still applied himself to the task of undressing, but
more deliberately, it seemed to me, than before. At
last the work was ended, and his manly form,
untrammelled by dress, stood prominently forth on
the river's brink, like the statue of one of the
Athletse of ancient Greece ! The Xaiads of the
Ashepoo blushed deep, and hid their faces within
her sedgy banks, as the unwonted image stood mir-
rored in her dark stream ! Thus stood Leander in
act to leap, when the love lamp in the distant tower,
taught him to contemn the cold waters of the Helles-
pont : and thus stood Loveleap ; but no Hero
beckoned liim^ from beyond the cold Hood ! He
stood, but leaped not ; and casting a rueful look at
the deer, now receding in the distance :

" That cursed eddy," said he, " has twirled him
into the middle of the stream ; and see — he has been
sucked into the strength of the tide. Do you thinlc
there is no danger ?"

" If you think there is," said I, after a pause, " it
is enough : there is no more to be said — dress your-
self— the deer is lost." Then turning toward the
unconscious deer, whose head and peg horns were
alone visible, as it floated rapidly up the stream, I
vented my disappointment in this apostrophe :
*' Go, thou fool ! no better than Napoleon, hast thou
known the fitting time to die ! The devil take theo

212 A BUSINESS DAY AT CIIEE-HA.

for thou liast needlessly Ivickecl and thrust thyself
beyond the reach of a Messing /" and with this gro-
tesque comparison and forced pun, which, strange to
say, seemed to blunt the edge of my vexation, I set
spurs to my horse, and soon left behind me the
scene of so many unpleasant memories.

Loveleap overtook me, when, my disappointment
having expended itself a little, my pace had propor-
tionably slackened.

" I had two chances to have blown off his head,"
said I, " before he gained the river, and I stupidly
let them slip : and why ? because I have a foolish
pride in letting each barrel tell for a deer ! I am
vexed that he is lost ; I had sooner have lost the
finest bullock in my herd.''

"Console yourself," said Loveleap, "we'll talk
about it over a venison steak ! Did you hear a gun V '

''I think I did," said I.

" A fine doe is waiting for us a mile ahead," said
Loveleap.

" And that made you so confoundedly cool at the
river side," said L

" There were two started," said he, " the doe I
shot, and the^^^ horned buck " •

" Is now floating up Ashepoo River," interrupted
I, " his horn in the throat of tlie ravenous alligator
that makes his supper of him !

A BUSINESS DAY AT CIIEE-HA. 2l3^

As I have occasionally consoled a brother sports-
man for disappointments in the field, by reciting the
mischance of this day, I have sometimes caught
Loveleap slily tipping the wink to his neighbor, as
much as to Bay : '' I hummed him ; my stripping
was all a feint ; meant to prevent his swimming
Ashepoo Eiver after a buck." It may be so ; but if
true, it shows that Loveleap has mistaken his voca-
tion, and done wrong to devote his talents to wood-
craft. He must equal old Perigord himself in
diplomacy, for never man seemed more in earnest,
or had more credit for be ng so.

Venatok.

THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-HA.

The day was fine, and many a familiar face wab

noted- at the gathering place. There was G ,

of Port Eoyal, with his huntsman Dick, and his
famous pack, that, sweeping like a whirlwind over
the land, dashed across an ordinary river as if they
scarcely counted it an impediment; nor checked
their career, when tlieir mettle was fairly roused,
for anything short of an arm of the sea. lie was
mounted on his gallant roan; his person, youthful
and erect, though the frosts had prematurely settled
on his head — possibly from reflecting too bitterly on
the perverseness of man — ^possibly from the toil of
circumventing and sacrificing whole hecatombs of

deer! Then came E. R , of Beaufort. He

had not laid aside his spectacles; but they no
longer poured over the decisions of the Courts, nor
glanced at the fees of clients, but rested unprofit-
ably upon two polished barrels, which, yet, were
pointed at nothing. He had his labor for his pains ;
yet he counted all labor as productive, and was
content! Then came C , of Bray's Island

214

THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-IIA. 215

with '• Big Thunder " sleeping on his thigh. It was
anomalons thunder : it uttered no sound that day.

Then came G. P. E , of Smilie's. He made

no puns, but wore a serious visage ; meditating,
perhaps, how he might provide new subjects for his

infirmary ! Then came T. E. S , of the

" Bkiif," (the Loveleap of our former histories)
a sportsman accomplished in all the mysteries of
wood-craft — ^yet not so resolved in sport as to swim

a river after a buck. Then came T. K. S. E ,

of " Balls " — at that time a stripling, yet willing,
like i)avid, to encounter Goliah himself, it he came
in the shape of a buck or devil-fish ! And, lastly,
came myself — sometime " Piscator," but now
"Yenator," if your courtesy will allow him the
designation. Three drivers, and upward of twenty
hounds, completed the equipment for the hunt.

We assembled at " Social Hall ;" and sending the
drivers and hounds to enter the wood from the
direction of " Smilie's," proceeded to occupy all the
prominent passes of the " White Oak," stretching
along, at intervals, from the fiood-gate dam to
"Sandy Eun." My own stand was taken at the
head of a long pond, or chain of ponds, which,
approaching closely to the " White Oak," stretched
away toward the southeast, until it found its out-
let in Wright's Bay. I stood at the head of this

216 THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-IIA.

pond on a knoll, that, piercing tlie swamp to the
•distance of one hundred and fifty yards, was flanked
on either side by deep morasses, affording very
thick cover. Standing among some dwarf trees
that crowned the summit of this knoll, and which
served as a partial screen, with my bridle reins
thrown carelessly over my arm, I was listening to
the cry of the hounds, ks, at great distance, and at
slow intervals, they challenged on a trail, when I
caught a glimpse of a large dark object moving on
my right ; a second object was perceived, but still
indistinct, and covered by the thicket. Presently a
third and fourth were seen, and as they emerged
from the dense cover, I perceived, to my great sur-
prise, that they were hears. They were crossing
the foot of the knoll on which I stood, from the
right to the left. I leaped into the saddle, and as
the ground in front was favorable to a horse, dashed
at them to cut them off, if possible, before they had
gained the cover on the left. I had not run more
than half my career, when I reined in my horse ;
for I perceived that two of the bears had changed
their course, and were coming toward me. Their
object, I presume, was not attack ^ but escape from
the hounds, whose distant baying they had heard.
They ran straight for me, however, until they had
approached within twenty yards ; when tlic leading

THE LAST DAY AT CIIEE-IIA. 217

bear, a large one, stopped and looked me full in the
face. A yearling bear followed, and, as if prompted
by curiosity, reared himself on his hind legs and
looked inquisitively over the shoulder of the leader.
I seized the moment when their heads were thus
brought in line, and almost in contact, and drew
aim directly between the eyes of the larger bear.
It occurred to me, at the instant, that my left-hand
barrel was charged with shot of unusually largo
size, and I accordingly touched the left-hand trig-
ger. Instantly the foremost bear disappeared, and
the second, uttering a cry of distress, rolled over
among the bushes, so as to assure me of its being
seriously hurt ; but the glimpse I had of him was
so imperfect, that I did not fire my second barrel.
Eiding to the spot, imagine my surprise at seeing
the large bear motionless, and in the same upright
posture which he maintained before I fired ; his
head, only, had sunk upon his knees ! He ^om
stone dead ! — two shot had pierced his brain. His
death, apparently, had been instantaneous — and the
slight support of a fallen tree, had enabled him to
retain a posture by which he yet simulated life!
In searching for his wounded companion, I was
guided to the edge of the morass by the torn earth
and trampled grass ; but there lost all trace of him
in the tangled underwood. Diverging a little to

218 THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-IIA.

the right, and following a faintly traced path that
penetrated the thicket, I again came upon a trail.
Evidently there were several that had taken this
direction : here was the foot-print, freshly stamped
in the muddy soil — here were the logs which they
had leaped, on their retreat, yet dripping with the
water splashed on them ; but the bears had passed
onward, and the ground became more and more
diJSicult, until it prevented all further advance.

I was now in the heart of the swamp, and I
sounded my horn to call around me the hunters and
hounds, the first for consultation, the second for pur-
suit. No horn replied ! I shouted — ^no answer ! 1
listened — and began to understand why my signals
were umioticed. The hounds liad roused a deer, and
were bearing down toward my left ; and none of
the field were wdlling^ by leaving their stands, or
answering a blast whose import they could not
understand, to forfeit their own chance of S2">ort.
Nearer and nearer comes the cry — they are skirting
the thicket, and are driving directly for my stand !

" "Well ! let them come ! I have one barrel yet in
reserve," and with this reflection, I make the best
of my way back to the position I had just occupied !
The chase turned to the left ; presently a shot is
fired in that direction, but no horn sounds the signal
of success ! " Ha ! the dogs are gaining the pine

THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-HA. 219

ridge in the rear, and may soon be lost — that must
not be " — and I dasli away at full speed to intercept
them. It was no easy task to beat them off, heated
as they were in the chase, and stimulated by the
report of the gun. I rode across their track, and
shouted, and blew my horn ; but all in vain — when
the drivers came up opportunely to my assistance !
By dint of chiding, and smacking of whips, they at
last succeeded in drawing off the hounds, that were
almost frantic with eagerness to pursue the deer !
The horns then sound a call, and the hunters come
dropping in.

" Why have you stopped the dogs ? said the
Laird, with something of brusquerie in his man-
ner.

" Because they are out of the drive ; and, if not
stopped, may be lost for the day."

" But I have shot a buck," said he.

"Where is he?"

" Gone on," said he ; " but I'm sure they'll catch
him in short order."

" So very sure ! — ^found blood then ?"

''No."

" How far off was he when you fired ?"

" Oh, for that matter, he was jumping over

me!"

"Then he carries shot bravely," said I; "but
U

220 THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-HA.

before we follow tliis buck — av^Iio, by your showing,
cannot possibly go far — there is other business for
the hounds : a nobler quarry is before us ! — ^I have
shot a bear !"

"A bear!" cried the hunters in astonishment.
" You joke! — we never saw one in these woods !"

" True, nevertheless ! Kide up -with the hounds,
and it will be hard but I will show you blood !"

And away we went at a rattling pace for the
scene of action : some faces expressing confidence,
and some mistrust ! As we neared the spot :

"No joke, by gracious !" cried G (his piety

forbidding any stronger exclamation). "Look at
the dogs! — how the hair is bristling upon their
backs ; they smell the bear at this moment !"

And so, indeed, they did; for there he stood
before them. ! — ^not fallen, but crouching, as if pre-
pared to spring — ^yet, as we have said, stone
dead!

It was pleasant to witness the surprise, and to
receive the congratulations of my sporting friends,
as they crowded around the bear — ^the horses show-
ing uneasiness, however, and the dogs mistrust,
amounting almost to terror !

"While the drivers were encouraging the hounds
to approach and familiarize themselves with the
scent of the bear — which they were baying at a dis-

THE LAST DAY AT CIIEE-HA. 221

tance, as if they feared his quietude might be coun-
terfeit— I dismounted and reloaded my left hand
barrel.

" And now, my friends," said I, on remounting,
" we have glorious sport ahead ! — a wounded bear
is within fifty yards of us."

" Now we know you joke," said they in a breath ;
" you fired but one barrel !"

" But that," said I, " had bullets for two. I have
shot another, as sure as a gun ! — ^but that (glancing
at him of the buck) is not always the highest assur-
rance ! look here, at these bushes, torn up by his
struggles — and this blood ! He made his way into
that thicket, and there we'll find him ! Let us sur-
round it — set on the dogs, and then hurra ! for the
qidckest shot and the surest marksman ! — only take
care, as we stand so close, that we do not shoot each
other !"

The hounds were now brought to the trail, while
we shout and clap our hands in encouragement.
But they were panic stricken, and would not budge
a foot in advance of the drivers.

" Let us ride in," said Loveleap !

" Done," said I ; and we placed ourselves, with

G and C , in the first line, while the other

hunters, moving on the fianks, v/ere in position to

s:ive their fire if he broke out.
li-2 •

"21'!:^ THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-HA.

''• Here lie is !" said C^ , before we had advanced

twenty yards into the thicket.

"Where?"

" Before me. I cannot see him, but my horse
does, for he snorts and refuses to advance !"

"We close our ranks, with finger on trigger, and
hearts beating with expectation ; but there was no
room for chase, or fight — the hear lay dead hefore
us ! A grand hurra burst from us ! — a grand
flourish of horns ! — and my hunting-cap was whirled
aloft on the muzzle of my gun ! — while the drivers
tore their way into the thicket on foot, and dragged
out the second bear to keep company with the first.
1 was delighted — exalted — overmuch, perhaps ! —
])ut my pride was soon to have its rebuke.

" Well," said Splash, slapping his thigh with
emphasis, and looking from the bears, which for
some moments he had been eyeing, to the piece of
ordnance which he had been carrying by way of
gun, as if to that alone should have belonged the
credit of such a shot — " you are the luckiest onan I
ever saw in my life P^

What a damper ! — to tell a man who was priding
himself on having made a magnificent shot, that it
-was nothing but luck.

" I'll tell you what. Splash," said I, " to have met
tlic bears was my good luck, I grant you ; but to

THE LAST DAY AT ClIEE-HA. 223

have disposed of them, thus artistically, excuse me!"
— and my wounded self-love led me to a recital of
incidents perfectly true, yet so nearly akin to vain-
glorious boasting, that even now I redden beneath
my yisor at the recollection! "It was by good
luck, then, that I once killed two bucks with one
barrel ! Loveleap you saw this ! By good luck,
that, at another time, I killed two does with one
barrel! — then, too, you were present. By good
luck that I killed, in two days' hunt, five deer in five
shots — ^not missing a shot! By good luck that I
killed thirty wild ducks at a fire ! (but why speak
/of that ; any one can shoot in a fiock !) It is by
good luck, I suppose, that I throw up a piece of
silver coin, and batter it while in the air, into the
shape of a pewter mug ! — or, laying my gun upon a
table before me, fling up two oranges successively
before I touch the gun, then snatch it up, and strike
them both before they reach the earth, one with
each barrel ! Luck — luck — nothing but luck ! Be it
so ; but when you have beaten this shot, ^nd killed
three bears with one barrel, let me know it, I pray
you, and I will try my luck again ! But while we
waste time in talk, the scent gets cold. There are two
other bears which took that foot-path there ; let us
pursue them — and good luck to the expertest sports-
man in the field. I shall not fire another shot to-day !"

224 THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-IIAi

We clieered on tlie hounds, but they would not
respond. In vain the drivers brought them to the
trail — they would follow the horsemen, but would
not advance a step before them — such was the
instinctive dread they entertained of the bears,
which none of them had seen before that day. Oh,
for a bull terrier, or some other dog of bolder
nature ! — even a cur of low degree, would have
yelped in pursuit, and enabled us to add two more
bears, perhaps, to the list of slain ! But it was use-
less, and w^e gave it up when we had tracked them
to " Sandy Eun," feeling assured that, by this time,
they had crossed the Ashepoo, and gained their
fastnesses in the hammocks beyond.

We reassembled at the spot, where we had left
the bears (henceforward known as "The Bear
Stand ") ; and sending one of the drivers to the
plantation for a cart to take them home, betook
ourselves to tracking up the wounded buck, in
whose favor the bears had unwittingly made so
effectual a diversion. The Laird did not seem alto-
gether so confident now, as he had been a few hours
before ; some slight misgivings as to the success of
his shot appeared to be hanging about him, and
his companions began to jeer !

" Show us the very spot," said one.

*^ There," said he ; " I was standing behind this

THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-HA. 225

log, and as the deer leaped over both at once, I
fired!"

" Singed him, no doubt," said one.

"Shot off one leg, at least!" said he, reassuring
himself.

" Made capital use of the remainder, however !"
bantered a third. " But come — we burn day-light ;
look for blood, and put the dogs on the trail of the
legless buck."

And away went the Laird, hunting for the hoof-
print, and turning over the leaves to try and coax a
show of blood.

" Here it is !" cried he, as he held up a leaf. " I
told you so I"

"Blood?" inquired G .

" No," said he, " the marrow of his leg !"

"Poh! poh!" said G ; "marrow without

blood ! — ^how would you get at it ?" -

" Marrow !" said he.

" Fudge !" said G ; " but put on the hounds,

and they will soon tell who is right."

"We brought them to the trail, and it was curious
to observe how instantaneously they regained their
confidence, when it was no longer a bear to be
encountered, but a buck to be pulled down. Away
they go for Green Pond — and all the hunters are
riding pell mell with the dogs, expecting to see the

10*

226 THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-IIA

wounded buck leap from every biisli that lay in tlieir
way. At Green Pond they turned and pushed into
"Wright's Bay. How the cry redoubled when they
passed over the swampy soil, that had retained the
scent more freshly than the high pine land.

" On for Washington's," said Loveleap ; " he
makes for the river — take up the passes or we lose
him !"

And Ave dash along at full speed, until we occupy
the intended stands. We are far ahead of the
hounds ; but the deer was ahead of us ; and when
the dogs came roaring by the place where we
stood, they swept on in full career for the Chee-ha.
There was small chance of their turning, and we
ordered our drivers to ride down to the marshes and
recover the dogs, if possible, before they reached
the river. They were too late. When they
reached the bank, some dogs wore swimming, some
howling on the margin. The deer evidently had
crossed, and the drivers sounded their horns in vain
to reassemble the pack.

We waited in the road until our j)atience was
exhausted ; when, after a weary interval, the driv-
ers reappeared, with but a scanty following of
hounds. Dick, in particular, with a subdued tone,
reporting the entire Port Eoyal pack as missing.

"They crossed," he said, " to ' May's Folly,' and

THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-HA. 227

having put the river between themselves and him,
would not mind his horn !"

" Any blood on the trail ?"

" None, sir."

" Any marrow f " said another.

The drivers, smothering a laugh, wheel off to
the rear without reply ; and, to this day, the spot
where this remarkable shot was made (and the log
is still there to mark it) is called, the Marrow
Stand! ' ^

The high tone of excitement, that had thus far
buoyed us up, w^as now gone. We could not
descend from the chorus of the full band, to the
piping of the thin straggling cry ; nor stoop
from bears, and bloodless bucks, to chase, per-
haps, a raccoon or a fox ! — so we adjourned to din-
ner ! — when, though we eat not, nor drank, like
Homer's heroes, we doubtless played our parts
without reproach ; until at length (to use the strong
antique expression), "the rage of hunger being
satisfied," we set ourselves to muse, to speculate,
and to jest, over the events of the day.

" Apropos of marrow," said C. ; " that buck
must have been well supplied, or it would have
leaked off in so long a run !"

" '^0 more of that, Hal, if thou lovest me," said
the Laird.

228 THE LAST DAY AT CIIEE-HA.

" His bones are marrowless !" said li.

" And Ills eyes lack speculation !" I rejoiiied ;
*'' and when I put this and that together, and reflect
on these anomalous events, and these seemingly
contradictory statements, I confess, gentlemen,"
said I, with a face composed to seriousness, " that I
have strange misgivings about tl*; same buck !
His seeming to be shot, yet moving as if unhurt ! —
his losing a leg, yet running off without it! — ^liis
bloodlessness ! — Ms disappem^ance at ' May^s Folly P
— the confusion of the hounds — and the unaccount-
able dispersion of the pack ! — impress upon my
mind the possibility of this being no deer of flesh
and blood — but the ' Spectre Buck,' of which we
have heard traditionally, but which I never sup-
posed had been met by daylight !"

" The tradition ! — the tradition !" cried several
voices, impatiently.

" It is simple enough," I rejoined, " and brief.
•Some forty or fifty years ago, there lived in this
region, then thinly settled, a German, or man of
German extraction, named May. He constructed,
we are told (just at the place where we so mys-
teriously lost our dogs to-day), those embankments,
of which the remains are yet visible ; and which
were intended to reclaim these extensive marshes
from waste. Tliey failed of their purpose — involv-

THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-HA. 229

ing liim in pecuniary difficulty ; and hence the
name of ' May's Folly,' which the spot yet bears.
He became, from this moment, a soured and dis-
contented man ; sometimes hunting the deer on
these grounds that we have traversed to-day, with
desperate energy, as if he would exterminate the
very race — and then relapsing into a state of moody
listlessness. He grew still more unsocial and
secluded as he advanced in life, and men began to
whisper strange stories of him. Some hinted that
the poisonous influence of French revolutionary
atheism had tainted him even in these remote soli-
tudes ; that he had mocked at sacred things — •
respected not the consecrated ground — and even
denied the authority and sanctity of the holy book !
Others said, that in his moody fits, he had treated
his slaves with barbarity; and had shrunk back
from the public scorn, which such cowardice is sure
to provoke, into the seclusion we have noticed. Be
the cause what it may, he withdrew himself more
and more from the public observation — until, at
last, he died. Then, it is said, that a few of his con-
fi^dential slaves, to whom he had imparted his desire,
complied with his dying injunctions ; which were
— ' to bury his body secretly, in the midst of these
wild and melancholy barrens ; to level the grave,
and strew it over with leaves, so that no man might

280 THE LAST DAY AT CIIEE-HA.

discover the place of liis burial !' "Whether he did
this, to mark his scorn of consecrated ground, and
of religious services over the departed ; or whether
he feared that the slaves whom he had maltreated,
would ofter indignities to his remains ; it is useless
to inquire. All that we know is — that he died, and
was buried as he had desired. No headstone mark-
ed the spot of his grave ; no prayer was breathed
above it — ^no requiem sung. At midnight —
stealthily, and by the glimmer of a torch — was he
returned to earth ; and all w^as silent, but the sigh-
ing of the night-wind among the towering pines —
as if ]!!^ature moaned over the desolation of her per-
verse and misguided child !

"The negro looks on this as haunted ground ; and
hurries over it, after nightfall, with quickened step
and palpitating heart ! Sometimes a gush of air,
warm as from a furnace, passes fitfully across his
face — while a cold shivering seizes on his frame !
What surer token than this, that a Spirit is passing
near ! Sometimes a milk-white buck is seen, by
glimpses of the moon, taking gigantic leaps — ^then
shrouded in a mist wreath, and changed, in a twink-
ling, into the likeness of a pale old man, swathed in
his grave clothes — ^then melting away slowly into
air ! At other times, the ' Spectre Buck ' starts up
before his eyes, pursued by phantom hounds, which

THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-IIA. 231

riisli maddening through the glades — yet titter no
sound, nor sliake the leaves, while they flit by like
meteors ! It is the ghost of May, doing penance for
the sins done in the flesh, under the form of the ani-
mal which he most persecuted when living."

" You sjDealv as earnestly as if you gave credit to
the legend," said E. "Is it possible that you can
believe in ghosts ?"

" Doctor Johnson did^^ said I.

" Aye ; but he was eminently superstitious, and
strained himself into the opinion, because the Scrip-
tures recognized spirits; and he would not be
thought to gainsay them."

" Yet," said I, " it is clearly within the compe-
tency of God to create ghosts as well as men ; be-
ings of vapor, as well as of flesh and blood — sensible
to sight, yet impalpable to touch — ^beings bearing
the same relation to man, as the thin vapory comet
to the more solid planetary bodies of our sys-
tem !"

" Yet, to what end," said E., " should they be
created ? God creates nothing in vain ; and what
authentic story is on record to show that ghosts,
even if they exist, have ever exerted any agency,
either for good or evil, on human afiairs ? Show
me that they have served for warning, or for in-
struction— and I yield the point ; but, until then^

232 THE LAST DAY AT CIIF.E-IIA.

' IsTec Deiis intersit nisi nodus vindice dignns,' is
tlie safer maxim."

" There is great force in wliat yon say," I re-
joined; ''but how can we reason against the evi-
dence of our senses. I have not seen ghosts, but I
have had visions P^

The hunters, who were seated loungingly about
the table, playing with their glasses, started at this
avowal, as if a ghost had taken a seat among them.

" Explain ! — tell us what yon mean ! — can you be
in earnest ?"

But, before a word could be uttered —

" Ho ! ho ! ho ! ho !" interrupted the Laird, who
had waked up at this moment, from a sort of
"brown study" to w^hich he was subject — and
caught up the thread that we had dropped — " will
you suffer him to gull you at this rate ? ' Mark
you how a plain tale shall set him down.' This ro-
mantic story IS woven out of mere cob-web. This
old May, whom he would invest with the dignity of
a poetical personage, was nothing more than a sod-
den-headed sot, who loved his bottle better than
anything in life ; and this is the clue to lead us to the
understanding of a conduct not otherwise easy to be
explained. How do I know this? you wdll say.
Don't bother me, and you shall hear. It happened
that I was galloping after the hounds which were

THE LAST DAY AT CIIEE-IIA. 233

in pursuit of a deer, in an unfrequented part of
these woods, when, slap I went my horse's legs into
a hole, in which he sunk to his shoulder ! Avhile I
took measure of a good slip of land beyond. Hav-
ing shaken off the dust, I went to help the horse,
who kept floundering about in the hole ; and I then
perceived that he had fallen into a grojve^ which
had caved in under his weight.

" ' A treasure or old May !' said I, and soon began
to dig; when I came to — what do you think? At
the bottom of the grave, among fragments of a de-
cayed coffin, was stretched out a skeleton complete
— and, at its head and feet, by way of head-stone
and foot-board, lay — a bottle of Irandy^ and another
of rum — corked, sealed, and deposited for con-
venient use, in another world — if, haply, in that
world, drinldng ^QYQ a permitted enjoyment ! And
here we have the solution of the incident so ingeni-
ously mystified. The heathenish old reprobate pre-
ferred his bottle to his salvation — and looked more
to one than to the other, in his last moments !"

" The spell is broken," cried I ; " you have disen-
chanted ' old May ' with a vengeance ! You have
a knack of your own, of getting at the Qnarrow of a
thing, you know ?"

" Confound your marrow!'' said the Laird ; and
bounding from the table, ho retired to bed ; to

2S4r THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-HA.

dream of hounds that fled, while bears in packs pur-
sued them — of bucks that melted into air, while the
death-dealing charge passed through them harmless
— of smoke-wreaths, bodying forth the forms of men
long dead and moldering — and such like " peril-
ous stuff as dreams are made of."

"And now, that the Laird has gone to rest (if his
marrow will let him), tell us of those visions which
you spoke of as having been seen by you," said G.;
" I have myself been under spiritual influences !"

" Here it is — all written out," said Yenator, with
a solemn face, and drawing a paper from his side-
pocket ; " shall I read ?"

" Yes," said G., " especially if it contains your
personal experience."

" It is headed Phantasmagoria,'^^ said Yenator —
and he read what follows :

" There again ! It flits along the wall, a shadowy
procession — and now, it seems to pause ! Who and
what are these bloodless, filmy beings, that move
about, yet not like things of life ? The human out-
line, without the finish ! dwarfish, unfashioned — a
race of pigmy goblins, sans head and legs ! Ho !
now they vault and leap ! leap legless ! to what in-
fernal music, too — all on one sharp key-note. Whiz,

whiz — ^fie ! I have it ! they are little devilets,

dancing at a carnival ! No ! not that either ! for

THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-flA. 235

they are white, transparent, vapor-like — unlike tlio
imps of darkness ! What are they % What do they ?
"What do they want of me^ that they thus stop and
gibber at me ? Avaunt there ! Wliy, that's strange !
that's my own voice ! I'm not asleep ! I'm not
dreaming ! And yet, there stand those ^phantoms —
scared by my voice— huddled into a knot— and writh-
ing in every posture of conceivable distortion !
And see ! they dance and leap yet higher than be-
fore— while their infernal music splits my ear-drum !
Now, they waver, as they would fly — then stoj) —
and mock at me! Avaunt, there! My voice!
yet not my sight ! Am I awake ? Am I an entity,
or something less ? a quiddity — or what am I? Am
I myself, or somebody else ? Perhaps I'm dead !
Perhaps I'm translated ! and, my sins being none
of the heaviest, I am sent to this Goblin Purgatory
by way of expurgation, and the malicious urchins
are dancing me a welcome to their diabolical fra-
ternity ! Begone ! I'll not consort with ye ! Be-
gone, ye miscreated implets, or I'll sweep away an
army of ye ! Begone, thou fragmentary legion !
Begone, I say !"

" Good gracious !" said G., with solemnity, " your
mind must have been deeply exercised. Did they
go?"

" A ray of light," continued Venator, reading,
15

236 THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-IIA.

" enters tiie cliamber, and tlie phantoms vanish !
But strange ! their infernal music is still ringing

in my ears! — ^fiz, fiz, fie A broader raj,

and then an image, gigantic in comparison with the
spectral effigies that had been hovering about me,
enters the room. A lamp is in one hand and a
watch in the other, from which, with spectacles on
nose, he spells tlie figures on the dial-plate. The
image approaches, touches my hand, which lay ner-
vously on the bedside, and uttered these cabalistic
words — ^that dissolved the spell in an instant — and
brought me back from the world of shadows to the
world of reality : ' What are you bellowing for 2
You'll wate up the house. It's now two o'clock.
You have swallowed fifteen grains of quinine ; your
fever hour is past, and you are a saved man!'
' Whew ! why. Doctor Snorter, is that you f I'm
glad to see you — very ! You'i-e better company
than that batch of devils that have been jeering at
me all night !' ' They are my devils,' said he, tap-
ping a phial of quinine which he held in his hand,
' I conjured them up with this bottle !' ' But, doctor,
these devils were not black, like those we read of —
they were white, very fantastic, and fantastically
dressed, too, if I may speak my mind.' ^You
might have found them black enough, if you had
fallen into their clutches,' said the doctor, rather

THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-IIA. 237

piqued that the costume of his devils had been cri-
ticised ! ^ Then, prithee, doctor, cork them up once
more in your bottle, nor suffer them to wander up
and down the earth either in black or white ! "Who
knows, when they shall next visit me, whether they
shall be white, like these — or like these, be quelled
by a word V "

" Would you have us believe in these visions ?"
said K., with impatience.

'' By no means. Yet I had the testimony of two
of my senses to prove their existence ; which is
more than we have for much that we believe."

" But where does this point ? I see neither head
nor tail to it."

" How should you ? seeing that it nas neither."

'' What is it, then ?"

" A picture fro7n nature ! I will explain. I was

suffering from inflammatory fever — ^the physician,

fearing it was remittent, poured down the quinine —

this was adding fuel to the fire. The result was,

that the excitement of the brain increased to the

point of hallueination ! I began to see visions, and

to converse with unreal personages; yet with a

lurking consciousness, all the while, that what I

saw was itm'^eal^ and that the persons presented to

my senses were phantoms !

" As the paroxysm abated, I awoke to a state of
15-2

23 S THE LAST DAY AT CIIEE-HA.

composure, and immediately set myself to write
down — before it faded away irrecoverably from my
memory — the strange medley, of the real and the
unreal, of fact and fiction, of logical deduction
and palpable inconsequence, which is here pre-
sented you ; and which resulted from that condition
of the brain to which disease and the doctor had
jointly contributed.

"These are the 'insomnia segri' of which the
Latin poet speaks. I have given you a life-like
picture."

" Humph !" said the lawyer, with a yawn, " I am
sleejDy !"

" And now that you provoke me to it, I will say
a7i oviginalP

" An ' extravaganza,' I grant."

"Yes, after Fuseli."

But what has become of our missing hounds all
the while ? We have run ofi*, as tliey have done ;
and must now recover the track of our narrative.
The night passed, and nothing was heard of them ;
the next day, and they did not come ; on the second
day, a mounted huntsman was sent across the river,
to search for them on the opposite side. We have
seen, that starting from the Ashepoo, they had
crossed the Chee-ha ; taking up the search at this
point, he traced them from plantation to plantation.

THE LAST DAY AT CIIEE-HA. 2olf

until he readied Tar Bluff on the Combahee. At
this spot (moistened by the last blood spilt in the
revolutionary contest — that of the gallant John
Laurens, of South Carolina), he lost all trace of the
deer. Whether he swam the Combahee, as he had
before swam the Chee-ha ; whether he here escaped
from the hounds, or was devoured by them ; whe-
ther he was a deer of flesh and blood, or the phan-
tom buck of the legend — we cannot decide. The
data are before our readers ; and each one can set-
tle these questions for himself, according to his
peculiar taste. As for the hounds, they were found
(like veterans, as they were) quartered in couples,
on the plantations that bordered on their line of
march. They were recovered, and returned to their
anxious master, who, we fancy, will think twice,
before he halloos them off a second time, in chase
of a phantom buck, or any buck — whose blood is

marrow 1

Venatok.

Come, now, before we part — ^for we confess to
liaving a kindly feeling for you after keeping com-
pany with you so long — come, now, Venator, and
tell whether or no you were accounted a successful
shot ? We are curious to know what you could do

210 THE LAST DAY AT CHEE- llA.

with the gun, and how far your companions giivo
you credit for skill, with the weapon which you
seem to have used so freely.

Most readily will Venator answer you — with only
this condition — that if he speaks the truth (and in
fact he knows not how to lie), you will not accuse
him of playing the braggart when he answers your
inquiry by a truthful statement of facts.

It seems to him that he has already incidentally
answered the question propounded to him ; but, if
the reader of these sporting anecdotes still desires
to know whether the writer of them was esteemed
a good shot among liis sporting companions — and
to have a categorical reply — ^then the answer must
he in the affirmative : for none of them can remem-
ber ever liaving beaten him ! He has frequently
made even or proportional scores with them — ^but,
since the age of fifteen, he never has been beaten !
His forte lay in quick firing ; and it resulted from
this, that in deei'-hunting^ he was eminently success-
ful ; when the chance was fair, he seldom had occa-
sion to fire his second barrel.

In shooting birds on the wing — say snipes or
partridges — his average scale of shooting was, to bag
eighty-four to the hundred ! He seldom killed
more than nine birds without a miss. His best
shooting was made when he was sixty-five years of

THE LAST DAY AT CIIEE-HA. 241

age. This sliooting took place at Flat Eock, North
Carolina, before witnesses invited to mark his
score. Partridges, with a few pheasants and wood-
cock, were the game hunted — and he succeeded, on
uvfa^orable ground^ in bagging thirty-three birds
successively, without a miss! The series was
broken by a clear miss at a cock pheasant, which
sprung up unexpectedly before him on Glassy Moun-
tain. Mr. William Johnstone, who was in com-
pany, will remember it as closing the series. I
don't know that he remembers indorsing that miss
with one of his own !

In early life, the writer of these sports was rather
indifferent as to the gun he used. Provided that
the lock was reliable, and the barrel straight, it did
its work to his satisfaction. At a later period, he
indulged himself in a Westly-Richards — 14 gauge.

The shooting of which I have here given the re-
cord, may be deemed good, or otherwise, according
to the skill or oj)portunities of the reader. The
writer is not aware that it has been beaten in this
part of the country. But what, after all, is the ex-
cellence and precision which the most accom-
plished gentleman sportsman may attain, compared
with the expertness of the sleight-of-hand man, dis-
played in his daily feats of legerdemain ? I remem-

242 THE LAST DAY AT CITEE-IIA.

ber seeing one of these men plying his trade in the
open streets of Paris, in front of the Madeleine, in
1856, the year of the Great Exhibition. He had
bought from the authorities, the right to use a little
recess of the public court for the exhibition of his
sleights. His compensation was the few coppers
tossed him by the passers-by, as they stopped to
witness his exhibition. He began by spinning a
pewter x^latter on the top of a round stick, and toss-
ing it in the air, then catching it again on the to])
of his stick ; then he spun and tossed a second, and
a third, and kept them all three spinning ; then
passed the stick under one leg, then behind his
back ; then poised it on his chin, and still kept
catching and spinning them at pleasure, without
baulk or accident. Then he spun a copper, and
tossed it up ; then caught that on his round, short
staff; and so on with another, until he seemed to
exert the same mastery over these small bodies as
he had already done over the larger; and con-
cluded, after keeping them playing a long time in
the air, by m.aking them descend and lodge in his
waistcoat pocket, without the assistance of his
hands ! In witnessing these ^.nd other feats of this
expert professor of legerdemain, I became ashamed
that I had ever prided myself on my accuracy of a
shot ; since the highest precision which an amateur

THE LAST DAY AT CHEE-HA. 243

sportsman can reach, must fall immeasurably short
of the exquisite skill acquired by these men in the
daily practice of their art. " Xon equidem in video

THE FIEE HUNTEE.

It was on a fine evening in October, when the
coolness of the air gave promise of an approaching
frost, that a man in the common country* garl)
might be observed pacing with hurried step the
piazza of his humble dwelling, in lower Carolina.
He was short, of sinewy frame, with high shoulders,
lank whitish hair, sallow skin, and vulgar features ;
redeemed from their common-place expression, only
by a squint in one eye, and a mouth extending from
ear to ear. A crumpled letter was in his hand, and
he cast looks of indignation, from time to time,
toward a negro boy, who had posted himself without
the paling that inclosed the house — as if he feared a
nearer approach might expose him to proofs of his
displeasure, yet more decisive. The man in home-
spun garb was an overseer ; the letter was from his
employer ; and the boy was the plantation messen-
ger, who had just delivered him the letter which
provoked his spleen.

"How dared you, sir, tell your master about
them bucks that lie in the pea-field ?" said the man

244

THE riKE IIUNTEK. 245

while a scowl settled on Ins weather-beaten
face.

"Ei, obsliaa! you tink I tell? — I know better
dan dat ; manssa can't tek off de lick, ater yon stick
nm on me ! I got more sense^ I tell yon !"

"How, then, could he know anything about
them ? Who could have told him, if you didn't —
tell me that ?"

" No me ! by gosh ! somebody must be see the
track where he feed in de pea-patch, and gone tell
maussa — if he know about um as you say."

-"Clear yourself, you young yillain; I'll find it
out, if you did tell, and pay you for it, too ! Off
with you, and send Pompey to me."

The messenger quickly disappeared; and pre-
sently the field-minder made his appearance, and
touched his cap to the overseer.

'' Where are them bucks that live in the pea-
field?"

" Enty dey come dere ebery night ?" said Pom-
pey.

"Go to the pine barren, get me some of the
fattest pine knots, prepare the pan — ^I mean to go
fire hunting to-night."

"But, obshaa!" rejoined Pompey — "maussa
count 'pun dem buck for heself. 1 rost cum, you
see, maussa ; den cum de question, ' Pompey, whey

24:6 THE FIRE HUNTER.

<lem buck V "What Pompey guine to say ? dey fat
for tru."

" Fat or no fat, I liave one of tliem to night — I'll
do it, by jingo, if I have to walk for it. Here he's
been writing to me, as if I was a nigger ; telling
me to keep them bucks till he comes over with his
friends to hunt them. Dang me, if I do. Who
gave them to him ? were they boin in his cattle-
pen? have they got his mark and brand upon
them ? all that have white tails are in my mark,
and I'll shoot them as I please, and ask no odds."

"Dey fatten on maussa peas, anyhow," said
Pompey.

" How do you know they're fat ?" said the inde-
pendent overseer.

" Case I see dair tracks, and do print deep in de
eart, where dey walk."

" I've seen them, too," said Slouch, " and more
besides than you think for. "Who was it, pray, that
took off the rider from the fence, and slipped away
one rail, that they might jump that panel? and
who set the stakes, to snag them, when they were
used to the path ? And no thanks to you, that you
did not kill them, for I found the hair on the point
of your stake where it just grazed them in their
leap."

Pompey cast down his eyes, convicted of having

THE PIKE HUNTER. 247

been poaching, on his own hook ; and finding
further remonstrance vain, said, with a shrug,
" Well, den, I s'pose I must git the lightwood."

" Certainly ; and when the buck is shot, you get
a fore-quarter; but mum! it needn't be known —
tho' Fd do it anyhow !"

In three hours' time, Pompey reappeared at the
house, with tinder-box, lightwood and frying-pan ;
while Slouch had caparisoned his raw-boned steed,
and stood ready for service. A sheep-skin, spread
upon his back, was surmounted by a large saddle,
from the croup of which dangled a small rope, with
pulley and tackle attached — so that, sitting on his
horse, he might draw up his deer, when once fas-
tened to the cord, without the trouble of dismount-
ing.

Stealthily they took their way toward the field ;
making a circuit to avoid the watch, whose notice
they were not anxious to attract. The night was
still and clear ; the winds hushed ; and the dews
lay thick and heavy on the foliage. They passed
onward silently, until they approached the spot in
which the deer were accustomed to feed.

"The moon is down," said Slouch; "in a half
hour they will begin to feed. I'll hitch my horse
to this hickory, and we'll raise a fire and go into
the field. Let me see ! — which way is the

248 THE FIRE HUNTER.

wind ! D'rat me if it blows at all ! That's bad ;
for if lie noses me, he'll snort and be off in a

" Eh ! eh !" said Pompey, " how he guine to nose
youj when you mout and you jacket smell so strong
of'bacca?"

" Damme ! if you ain't spelling for a chew !"
said Slouch, handing him over -a quid. " l^ow,
strike fire, and let's be off."

It was soon done ; the blazing chips of lightwood
were placed in the frying-pan, and the handle passed
over the shoulder of the negro, who swayed it back-
ward and forward, horizontally, with a knowing
look, illuminating all objects far and near, except
the space kept in shadow by the intervention of the
head. It is in this shaded space, that the eyes of
the deer become visible to the fire-hunter, appear-
ing like globes of greenish flame.

" Got, Mass Slouch, dat 'ill do!" said Pompey —
his love of sport overcoming his hitherto reluctant
acquiescence. '^ S'pose you gee me de gun — ^I'U
slam um ober, I tell you !"

" "When did you larn, pray ?" said Slouch, eyeing
him keenly and not over kindly. " How do you know
the distance ? — ^you'd fire before you had got close
enough, or scare him by getting too near !"

Pompey looked as if he knew more on the sub-

THE FIRE HUNTEK. 2l^9

ject tlian lie would readily confess to — wliile Slouch
continued :

" I'll hardly let you scare off this one, I tell you !
I know the distance by the size of the eyes ; and it
took me fifty shots to know that, as I know it now.
You'd be for sneaking up till you could see their
horns ; but an old buck ain't a-going to let you get
that close, I tell you. He's the almightiest cunning
creature to get round. But, quiet now ; for we are
getting near. Don't speak a word, but follow me ;
for I'll keep in the shade made by your body — so
throw the shadow right on me."

They now entered the pea-field, nightly visited
by the deer ; and had advanced but fifty yards,
when, at a sudden turn,they came imexpectedly upon
a find antlered buck, feeding upon the tempting
vines. He saw — the men^ as well as the jm'e — and
stamping with his feet, and snuffing the air, which
seemed to him fraught with danger, bounded off so
suddenly, that Slouch lost the chance to fire. In
truth, he was only prepared for a standing shot ;
and the suddenness of the movement disconcerted
him.

" Confound the fellow," said the fire-hunter ; " he
has cleared himself; but there's two of 'em — and
we must keep a better lookout for the second !"

They now moved through the field more warily

250 THE FIRE HUNTER.

than before — Sloucli in the lead, andPompey follow-
ing him close, with a sort of lock-step, so that they
cast but one shadow. Presently, by a sign from
Slouch, they slackened their pace. He had caught
glimpses of a deer's eyes, though yet at a distance ;
and they continued advancing, but with increased
circumspection.

" He's a whacker, I know," said Slouch, " by the
distance between his eyes. Don't let's scare him !"

They had now approached within fifty yards,
when the deer suddenly lifted his head, and stared
directly at the light. Slouch stopped at the instant,
drew his gun to his shoulder, and fired. The sound
of the gun — the louder, as it seined, from the still-
ness of the air — came echoing back from the thick
woodland, that inclosed the field like a wall ; and
the owls, frighted by the reverberation, flapped
their wings about the unwelcome light, and hooted
to each other in solemn concert.

" He's done for," said Slouch, after a moment's
pause. " I don't hear him break."

And the hunters moved to the spot, where a
noble buck lay weltering in his blood. They soon
turned him over on his back, dragged him by the
horns to the fence — which stood at no great distance
— and proceeded to clean and divide him. They
showed great expertness ; and the process did not

THE FIRE HUNTER. 251

last long. When they had separated the d eer into
two divisions, it was bestowed in a long valise-like
bag ; and, bound with the cord before mentioned,
was slung up in a most business-like way behind
the saddle of the hunter. And now they were
moving from the ground, when a noise attracted the
quick ear of Slouch.

" I hear a deer," said he. " He'll stop to look at
the light. I'll take the fire, and try if he will stand.
You Pompey, stand by my horse till I fire."

Onward with noiseless step, on tiptoe. Slouch
advanced in the direction of the sound : the ground
(as they were now outside of the field) was not so
open as before — some shrubs occasionally interven-
ing to obstruct the view ; but he looked eagerly for-
ward— and catching sight of an eye that glared
from the midst of the shrubbery, fired the barrel
which he had in reserve. Pompey moved quickly
up, to give his help ; and came just in time to find
Slouch in great confusion, standing over a fine colt^
that he had shot down by mistake !

"The devil!" said the- fire hunter, in dismay;
'^ had it been clear ground, I should never have
done that. Pompey, man — see where he's shot."

" "Wha use ! — ^he dead as a door-nail," said Pom-

pey.

<^^ What's to be done?" said Slouch, in a tone of
16

252 THE FIEE HUNTER.

despondency. " I shouldn't like to pay for it out
of my wages, that's a fact. E"one but a fool would
inform against himself!"

"You far from fool. Mass Slouch?" said Pom-
pey, slily.

" I reckon I am," said Slouch ; and flinging off
the top rail from the fence, he drove the sharp point
of it into the side of the colt, e'er it had well ceased
to breathe; and, tickled at the idea of so inge-
niously covering his trail, thus continued aloud, —
" He'll be a smart chap, now, that'll find out you
aint died of a snag ! — ^the pea-field is so inviting —
and it's so nat'ral for a young colt to leap the fence
after the green fodder ! Pompey ! keep this close,
and ril make it up to you ! You needn't know
anything about it, nor miss the colt, till day after
to-morrow ; and, by then, I reckon, my shot-holes
will tell no tales !" And he chuckled, as he thought,
how the harpies (his allies) would, long before that
time, whet their beaks in the carcase of his victim,
and obliterate by their loathsome orgies, all traces
by which his participation in the death might be
detected:

" Contactuque orania foedant-
Immundo."

In a few minutes, the worthies are on their way

THE FIKE HUNTER. 263

home ; and Pompey was preparing for an expedi-
tion, better suited to the darkness that encompassed
them, than to the too searching glance of the mid-
day sun. They approached the settlement unper-
ceived ; for the watch, as in duty bound, was, by
this time, fast asleep ! — and the haunches and loin
of the buck were carefully bestowed in a sack,
while the fore-quarters were reserved for the fire
hunter and his associate.

"JS'ow, Pompey ! start off with this venison, and
carry it to the stage-house, and give it to Snug the
driver ; and tell him to take it to town, and leave
it, he knows where. Tell him to keep back his
part of the money, and send me the things I spoke
for, out of the balance."

" Leetle 'bacca for me, Mass Slouch?"

" Certainly, Pompey."

'' An' mus' I tek your boss?"

" No ! day-light may catch you on the road ; and

I don't wish my horse seen there. Take the old

mare ; that will keep her from whickering after her

colt. And, do you hear, Pompey — when you're

coming back, just turn into Softhead's field and

let the creetur go inside. If they knock her

brains out, I don't care ; and she'll be out of sight

for one day, any how ! So oft", Pompey, and make

no stay."

^ 16-2

254 THE FIRE HUNTER.

We sliall now leave tlie faithful Sloueli, after
having acquitted himself thus honorably of his
trusts, to retire to his rest ; which, we may assure
the reader, was disturbed by no qualms of con-
science— ^while we follow Pompey on his mission
to the stage-house.

Everything went according to his wish — the
mare was lashed into a brisk gallop ; Snug received
the venison ; and Pompey, rewarded by a dram
and a slice of cavendish, set out on his return.
"When he had now got near his home, he turned
off the mare within the fence of Softhead, as he
had been directed; and took a cut-off path
through the woods, to save himself the trouble
of a longer Avalk by the road. And now, when
he had Avell-nigh completed his journey, he was
brought to a pause by observing the remains of a
fire near the path, of which the embers were yet
burning.

" What's dis ?" says Pompey ; " here's been some-
body fire hunting to-night, besides we. Ah ! ha !
here 'tis ! dey tro out de lightwood down here !
wonder what dey kill!" and he kindled the fire
with the splintered pine, which blazed like gun-
powder. "Here's de frying-pan, by jing!" said
Pompey, as the rising flame illuminated everything
around; "dey must liab kill someting, or dey

THE FIBE HUNTER. 255

wouldn't throw away de pan ! — ^liog mabe ! — mabe
calf — for calf eye, when meat scarce, shine so like
deer, ee tek a bery honest man to know de differ-
ence ! Ecod, I look out ; mabe I ketch someting
wot while !" — and flinging the blazing fagots into
the pan, he proceeded on his way, examining the
road for some signs, by which to guide him to what
he sought. " Ho ! ho ! I on the right course now ;
for here de horse track — and here de blood ! — ee
point for home! Mass Slouch may be, double
behind my back, and gone out gen ; one buck ! one
colt ! he want more meat — dese buckra man greedy
for tru ! "Well, I on the trail now, and I find um
'fore long !"

The negro's attention was soon arrested by
the distinct sounds of a horse's tread, which
seemed to proceed from the ]3ath directly ahead,
and which, indicating at first but a slow pace —
came suddenly to mark the movement of a horse
at speed.

" He run from de light," said Pompey ; you at
some debiltry, is you ?" and he hastened forward to
reconnoitre the spot, from which the horseman had
so hurriedly sped.

The spectacle that met his eye was anything but
what he expected ! Lying across the path, and
turned over upon his face, was the body of a man.

256 THE FIRE HUNTEK.

whose suppressed groans, and writhing limbs, gave
token of the agony that tortured him. Pompey set
down the light, and turning over the fallen m.an,
had no sooner looked into his ghastly face, than he
screamed out, "My God! my brother! — oh, who
has done dis ting ? Tell me, Toney ; as God is me
judge, I'll kill um ! Dat dam Slouch done it, aint
he ?"

Toney shook his head.

" "Who den ?"

The wounded man made signs to Pompey, to
raise him up to a sitting posture. His shirt and
jacket were soaked in blood, and his hand was
pressed upon his breast, which had been pierced by
shot. The lung had been wounded, for the blood
flowed from his mouth as he essayed to speak, and
threatened immediate suffocation.

"Tell me," said Pompey, as he supported his
head on his shoulder, and bathed his face with his
tears, that fell like rain ; " how dis cum ? — who done
this ? — who kill my brudder ?"

Toney pointed to the neighboring plantation.
" He done it, but not on purpose !" — and witlimany
interruptions, the dying man communicated to his
brother, the particulars of his misfortune, which
were briefly these: His wife was sick, and he
wanted to buy some sugar for her, but the distance

THE FIEE HUNTER. 25 T

to the store was great, and lie thought it would be
HO harm to take the mule from the stable, and ride
there to make his j)urchase. Having placed his
sack of corn on the mule, and exchanged it for the
sugar, he was, on his return home, attracted by
a light in a field which lay on the route, and sup-
posing no danger, and led by curiosity alone, he
rode up to the fence, and w^as looking toward the
light, when he received the shot in his breast, which
struck him to the ground. On recovering, he found

standing over him, and lamenting himself for

having killed him. He begged his forgiveness : and
told him he had mistaken the eyes of the mule for
those of a deer ! Toney had begged to be taken
home to die, but the fire hunter, selfish to the last,
and fearing that his agency in the matter would
thus be exposed, had refused to do so, until he had
exacted a solemn pledge from him that he would
not divulge who had done it. The pledge given, he
placed him on the back of the mule, and was thus
leading him home, when, startled by the approach
of the torch, he suffered the wounded man to fall
from the mule, and mounting himself, rode off to
escape detection.

The story of the poor fellow's misfortune was
rather gathered from hints and broken sentences,
uttered in the intervals of pain, than from any con-

258 THE FIRE HUNTEE.

nected narrative, which, from his failing strength,
he was incapable of giving.

" Bless God, me brudder, dat you find me here !
Tis berry hard to die alone, in these dark woods !
Life is sweet, me brudder. Oh ! dat God would let
me stay here longer ! But, I see how 'tis ! — I must
go — I feel it at my heart ! Maussa mustn't say I
die like a tief ! — tell um all 'bout it ! If he bin here,
de fire hunter neber bin shoot me! Feel in me
pocket, brudder — take out de paper wid de sugar.
Oh ! me blood upon it ! ISTeber mind ! — gib it to
me poor wife : tell um to 'member me ! — tell um,
for him sake I get me death ! I'm cold — draw me
to the fire."

And the poor fellow stretched himself out — ^his
head sunk upon his brother's breast — and he was a
corpse.

Note. — ^The practice of fire hunting, forbidden by
the laws, is nevertheless but too much pursued in
certain parts of the country. It is the author's aim,
in this narrative, to expose the dangers to property
and to life, attendant on this illicit practice. It is
nearer akin to poaching than to legitimate hunting ;
and he professes no personal acquaintance with it.
The sketch here given, unlike those that precede it,
must be considered as illustrative of life — ^rather

i

THE FIEE HUNTEE. 259

than as '' a sketch from life." The melancholy inci-
dent with which the narrative concludes, is neverthe-
less true ; and came within the range of his personal
observation.

OF THE ANIMALS OF CHASE IN SOUTH
OAEOLINA.

The title of our little book suggests the propriety
of saying something of those animals which are the
objects of chase with our sportsmen. These are the
black bear, the deer, the wild cat and the fox. To
these might have been added, some years back, the
panther, the wolf, now nearly extinct ; and, upward
of a century ago, the buffalo ; which, as Catesby
informs us, was, about the year 1712, found in herds
within thirty miles of Charleston.

The maritime portions of Carolina and Georgia
were well calculated, when in a state of nature, to
give shelter and protection to these denizens of the
forest ; being intersected by frequent streams, and
covered, especially among the swamj)s, by a dense
undergrowth of shrubs and creeping j)lants, that
made pursuit impracticable. But, in the progress
of events, these things are much changed; the
impervious swamps have been subdued to tlie cul-
ture of rice ; the high lands have exchanged their

2C0

OF THE ANIMALS OF CHASE. 261

i^'orest honors for maize and the cotton plant ; and
these wild animals have been destroyed, or driven
from their fastnesses, to seek more sequestered
haunts. Accordingly, no living man has seen a
wild buffalo in our confines. It is a rare thing to
encounter a panther (the skin of one, killed by the
late Col. Blanding, is preserved in Charleston). The
wolf is almost extinct ; the bears are fast diminish-
ing in number ; the deer, though still numerous in
given sections, are visibly thinned ; and it is only
the smaller animals, such as the foxes and wild-cats,
which are still numerous-, or whose diminished
numbers have not been made the subject of re-
mark.

The Beaks — ^Are not often made the objects of a
hunt. They frequent the deep swamps, into which,
in ordinary seasons, the sportsman would scarcely
be willing to penetrate. If pursued in their fast-
nesses by dogs, they would either beat them off, or
escape by clambering trees. There is little chance
of killing them, except when caught on their
marauding expeditions. To these they are often
tempted by their fondness for the ripening corn, on
which they commit nocturnal depredations ; and in
default of this, their favorite food, being omnivo-
rous, they sometimes attack the droves of hogs, as

•262 OF THE ANIMALS OF CHASE.

tliey feed, in the wooded swamps. The young ones
fall easy yietims : but the older sometimes escape,
after suffering terrible lacerations from the claws
of their formidable foe. The stag or fox hound, is
not readily induced to pursue the bear. On two
occasions, only, have I seen them put to the proof;
on one, they actually skulked^ bristling up their
hair, and showing insuperable repugnance to pro-
ceed. On the other they did manage to screw their
courage to the stioking place; but soon left the
chase, with alacrity, to pursue a deer that crossed
their trail. In such a chase, the cur is superior to
the hound. The largest bear I have seen in the low
country, was shot by my friend. Col. Ashe, of St.
Paul's. He has had him well preserved ; and the
visitor is startled, on entering his country mansion,
to find his effigy, erect and life-like, keeping sentry,
as it were, in the hall. From these particulars, the
reader will infer, that the bear, though sometimes
encountered by accident, is too seldom to be found,
and too hard to be approached, to be made an ordi-
nary and regular object of sport !

The Wild-Cat — ^Abounds in the lower country of
Oarolina. He frequents the deep swamps, covered
by almost impenetrable thickets. He seeks his prey
chiefly, but not exclusively, by night. He is very

OF THE ANIMALS OF CHASE. 263-

destructive to partridges and wild-turkeys, to rab-
bits, and sometimes fawns. When these fail him,
he invades the poultry-yard, the pig-stye, and the
sheep-fold. Lambs of six months old are killed,
and carried off. Such is their strength, that they
have been known to kill one nearly full grown, drag
it over a fence four or five feet in height, and
remove it to a neighboring thicket. A planter re-
siding within five miles of Beaufort, found, on visit-
ing his sheep-fold one morning, that a sheep was
missing, and on examination, discovered the trail
by which it had been dragged off. Setting on his
hounds, they soon discovered the sheep, half
devoured, in the thicket — and near by, the felon, in
shape of a wild-cat, so gorged with his meal that
he could make no run, and was quickly dispatched
by the dogs. If they do not frequently destroy the
full-grown sheep, it proceeds from caution, rather
than from want of strength to do so. Here is an
incident in point. A tame doe, two years old, had
been so severely bitten by dogs, that it died of its
hurts. As I was riding one evening along a ridge
of wooded land, I perceived it where it lay dead —
and, on the following morning, directed my servant
to bring it home, as food for my hounds. He sur-
prised me on his return, by telling me that the deer
was not to be found where I had directed him ta

264 OF THE ANIMALS OF CHASE.

searcli for it. Whereupon, I rode myself to the
spot, and found that the deer had been dragged off*;
and following the trail, which was plainly to be
traced, by the leaves and earth, I discovered it
covered by leaves, and half consumed, on the mar-
gin of a pond full fifty yards distant from the place
where it had lain. Neither was there any doubt as
to the manner in which the removal of the deer
had been effected, for the footprints of the cat were
plainly and deeply impressed in the soil, along the
entire line of the trail — the only doubt which could
arise, was whether the removal had been effected
by one, or by more ?

In hunting the wild-cat, we do not scruple to use
the gun: first, because he sometimes climbs the
trees, and thus defies the dogs — and, secondly,
because, if brought to bay and suffered to fight it
out with the pack, he seldom fails to cripple the
boldest and finest hounds. His fangs are long and
sharp, and his jaws have strength enough to crush
the bones of a dog's leg.

The wild-cat, when pursued by hounds, endeavors,
like the fox, to baffle them by frequent doubling ;
but unlike the fox, he keeps to the thickets, and
makes his run among the most tangled and imper-
vious covers : so that it is difiicult for the sports-
man to get a glimpse of him. Where it could not

OF THE ANIMALS OF CHASE. 2C5

be rode into, I Lave adopted tlie plan of leaving my
horse on the edge, and making my way on foot,
into the heart of the thicket. If, pursuing the
same plan, you should remark the hounds running
upon one of the fallen logs (in which these grounds
usually abound), the probability is that the cat, in
his next double, will take precisely the same run.
By placing yourself so as to command a view of
the log, the chances are that you will shoot him. I
have often adopted this expedient with suc-
cess.

A full grown wild-cat will sometimes succeed in
beating off a half dozen dogs ; though I once owned
a noble hound who would kill a cat single handed.
I was witness to such an exciting contest. I was
hunting cats, with my two well trained cat-hounds,
Eowser and Black, and had given the cat a chase
of a couple of hours, when Black, having been
thrown out, Rowser brought the chase to bay in
a hedge. Seeing but one dog in pursuit, he deter-
mined to give battle, and after a growl of defiance,
left the cover of the hedge, and leaped out into an
open field. Eowser sprang after him, and the cat,
instead of flying, threw himself upon his back,
raised his head, and extended his fore-paws in the
a,ttitude of a pugilist on guard. The dog ap-
proached, (his hair bristling upon his back), and

266 OF THE ANIMALS OF CHASE.

stood almost over his recumbent foe. There was a
pause of several seconds, during which they glared
upon each other with inconceivable fury, before they
closed in the death struggle. The dog seized the
cat on the breast, between the foreJegs ; the cat, at
the same time, burying his fangs in the shoulder of
the dog. Though bitten through and through, he
uttered no cry of pain, but pressed down upon the
cat — ^nor relaxed his hold until his foe was dead.
He killed him hy dint of ^essure; for his tooth
had never entered the skin of the cat — (nor have I
ever witnessed an instance in which, when killed by
dogs, their skins have been torn by their teeth.)
Tlie instinct which taught the dog to destroy his
enemy, iy jpressure^ must be deemed not a little
remarkable. When the cat was dead, his fangs
still remained clinched in the shoulder of the dog :
his jaws had to be separated by force, and the vic-
tor, released from his gripe, was unable to move,
and was taken home on the back of a horse. I
need hardly add, that I never suffered this gallant
hound a second time to engage single-handed, in so
serious a conflict.

If, in the combat just described, the cat did not
aim at the throat or other vital part of his adver-
sary, we must ascribe it to accident — ^not to any
defective organization ; for I believe this animal to

OF THE ANIMALS OF CHASE. 267

be endowed with the instinct of destructiveness, in
the highest possible degree. On w^hat grounds, I
shall presently explain.

When yet a boy, I witnessed an incident in point,
which made an impression on me that can never be
effaced. An nncle, resident in Beaufort, received
from his overseer in the country, a present of a
young wild-cat. It was very young indeed — was
evidently but a few days old — and scarcely
exceeded in size the common domestic kitten. It
was treated with care, and when able to run about
the yard, a small box was fitted up for its recep-
tion ; from which it sallied forth at pleasure to take
the liberty of the grounds. It was now observed,
while yet a tiny thing, creeping after the poultry,
and endeavouring to spring upon them. To check
this disposition, a cord was fastened round his
neck, and a clog attached to the end, so that when
he made his spring, the weight would draw him
back, and prevent his doing mischief.

My uncle one day invited several of his friends,

to witness this development of natural propensity in

his savage pet. The kitten, with his clog attached,

was let out of the box ; and it was curious to observe

with what stealthy pace he approached the spot

where the poultry were feeding. They scarcely

seemed to notice the diminutive thing that was
17

^6S OF THE ANIMALS OF CHASE.

creeping toward them ; when, crouching low, and
measuring exactly the distance which separated
them, he sprang upon the back of the old rooster,
and hung on by claw and teeth to the feathers,
while the frightened bird dragged him, clog and
all, over the yard. After several revolutions had
been made, the cat let go his hold on the back of the
fowl, and, with the quickness of lightning, caught
the head in his mouth, clinched his teeth, shut his
eyes, stiffened his legs, and hung on with the most
desperate resolution, while the fowl, rolling over in
agony, buffeted him with his wings. All in vain !
In a few seconds more he was dead, and we looked
with abhorrence on the savage animal, that had just
taken his first degree in blood. In this case, there
could have been no teaching — no imitation. It was
the undoubted instinct of a cruel nature ! We
wondered that this young beast of prey, should
have known, from this instinct, the vital jpart of its
victim !' — and we wondered still more, that in the
providence of God, he had seen fit to create an ani-
mal with an instinct so murderous. Philosophy is
ready with her explanation, and our abhorrence
may be misplaced, since from his very organiza-
tion, he is compelled to destroy life in order to live I
Yet, knowing this, our abhorrence still continues ;
whence we may draw the consolatory conclusion —

OF THE ANIMALS OF CHASE. 269

that the instincts of a man naturally diifer from
those of a wild-cat.

The Fox. — ^The red-fox is not found in Carolina ;
the grey abounds ; and, if the country be favorable,
may be taken by a good pack, in a run of a few
hours. Fox-hunting, as pursued in England, is but
little practised in the section of country with
which I am most familiar — viz., the belt bordering
on the sea-coast. The country is too much inter-
sected by swamps, and covered by a growth of
tangled underwood, to admit of rapid riding ; most
of it, indeed, is impracticable for a horse. But in
the middle country, where the ground, compara-
tively open, is more favorable to equestrian exer-
cise, the sport is followed with great spirit by the
Hamptons, Taylors, Singletons, Mannings, and
other familiar names. Intimately connected with
an indulgence in this manly sport, comes the rear-
ing of a superior race of horses, and the practice of
feats of dashing horsemanship. It is from this
section of country, in the event of war or civil com-
motion, that our cavalry will be supplied with offi-
cers as efficient and accomplished as ever graced
the service of a state.

17-2

OF THE

BIRDS WHICH ARE THE OBJECTS OF SPORT.

Of tlie birds which are tlie objects of pursuit
with the sportsmen of Carolina, the principal are —
the wild-turkey, the partridge (perdrix marylandica),
the dove, the golden plover, the woodcock and
snipe. Of the aquatic birds, we shall name two
varieties of wild geese — a great variety of ducks,
including some of exquisite flavor — and numerous
sea-plovers and curlews, which, though sometimes
shot, are, from the nature of their food, seldom
admitted to the table.

The Wild-Tuekey — Is found in considerable num-
bers ; but everything connected with the modes of
shooting them, or capturing them, has been so often
noticed by others, that to refer to these topics here,
would seem to be but a useless repetition. They
breed in the country, a.nd are not very sensibly
diminished in numbers.

The Pahteidge — Is the same bird which is mis-
called in the Middle States, the quail. It is a

270

IHE OBJECTS OF SPOKT. 271

veritable partridge— though smaller than the Eng-
lish partridge, or the red-legged partridge of Spain.
Eaten in October or November, when just full
fledged, and fresh from the gleanings of the j)ea-
field, they are a great dainty, though I am not
prepared to bestow on them the same extravagant
commendation as was given by an enthusiast to
the red-legged bird of Spain — ^viz. : " that it should
be eaten with none but champagne sauce, and in no
posture but on one's knees — through thankful-
ness." This bird, delicate as it is undoubtedly is,
is not more valued by the epicure, on the table,
than by tlie sportsman in the field. Tlie coveys
leave the thick covers during the afternoon, and
feed in the open land, preferring the pea-fields to
all other range. They stand the point in these open
grounds, until the hunter approaches as near as he
pleases, and yield him capital sport. They breed
in May, making their nests on the ground, and lay-
ing as many as twenty-one eggs. If my observa-
tion serves me faithfully, I should say, that unlike
all or neai;ly all other game, they have increased
instead of diminishing with the clearing of the coun-
try. The extensive grain fields furnish them with
ample subsistence ; and it may be, that while man
has increased his means of annoyance, that from
birds and beasts of prey has, in greater proportion,

272 OF THE BIRDS WHICH AKE

decreased. They are particularly numerous along
the sea-coast, and among the cultivated islands. The
saw palmetto plant, which abounds among these
islands, furnishes them an admirable protection
against hawks, which are their most destructive
enemy. I once received, from a Spanish merchant,
a present of a pair of red-legged partridges. I
built for them a latticed house, apart from the
homestead, and hoped to have proi)agated the race
among us ; but some beast of prey broke through th(i
lattice by night, and destroyed them. I see no reason
why they should not be propagated in this region
and latitude. Tlie experiment could advantageously
be made, by some gentleman who is sole proprietor
of an island ; for he would have ample means of
security against poachers, and might thus prevent
the premature destruction of the coveys. Let me
hope that my hint will not be lost, and that some
gentleman will succeed in naturalizing them.

The Dove — ^Is strikingly like the wild pigeon in
plumage and form. It differs from it in being
smaller, and again, in being far superior in richness
of flavor and tenderness of fibre. Though it breeds
in the country, it is far more numerous in winter
than in summer. The pointer notices them; but
they will not stand the point, so that the most

THE OBJECTS OF SPORT. 273

approved method of shooting them is for several
gunners to take the field at once and fire as the
birds cross to their feeding or resting-places. I
think there is no falling off in the numbers of this
bird. They feed on the grain left in the fields by
the reapers, and on the seeds of grasses (crab grass)
growing in the cotton-fields.

The Wild Pigeon. — ^Makes us but occasional
visits, only I suppose when it has devoured the
mast and other food, which in ordinary seasons it
finds in more northern latitudes.

The Plovee. — This is none of the aquatic variety.
It visits Carolina in April, for a few weeks, on its
way north. It is then thin, and of little culinary
value. It returns in August, in such capital condi-
tion, that being shot at an elevation of twenty feet,
it bursts open from the fall. It is remarkable, that
in one and the same day, you will find them spread
along the line of the Atlantic sea-board — over a
distance of .one thousand miles ! We will take the
20th of August for example ; and we shall find,
that from Newport, Ehode Island, to Savannah,
Georgia, plover shall be seen ! They frequent the
high, open pastures ; and I have never found them
on any grounds but such as were browsed by cattle

274 OF THE BIKD3 WHICH ARE

— whence, I conclude, tliat in some way, they pro-
vide them with their food. They are a shy bird,
and are best approached from a carriage.

The Woodcock and Snipe — ^Are birds of passage.
The first are rarely fonnd in numbers, except where
the hard frosts of the north have driven them hither
for subsistence. The snipes are more numerous,
arriving in October and remaining until May.
Their numbers appear to me to have decreased
greatly of late. I cannot ascribe this altogether to
the improved condition of our agriculture, as espe-
cially shown in the superior drainage of our
swamps; since morass enough remains to furnish
subsistence to millions ; nor can the havoc made
among them, by sportsmen, account . for it. It
occurs to me that they must be disturbed at their
breeding-places, or destroyed in the egg.

Of "Wild-Geese — ^The smaller variety is much
esteemed, while the larger is in little request ; its
flesh being hard, and often fishy.

Of Wild-Ducks — ^We have, in winter, a great
abundance ; though these, in the opinion of obser-
vant sportsmen, have likewise sensibly decreased.
One, only, is native — ^the summer duck, or duck of

THE OBJECTS OF SPOKT. 275

the woods; the others retire on the approach of
summer. The cluck and mallard, the black-duck,
the blue and green-winged teal, the raft duck, the
switch-tailed widgeon, and the summer duck, are
greatly esteemed for their flavor. This depends on
the quality and abundance of their food, which con-
sists, besides various living water grasses, of the
acorn of the quercus virens ; the kernel of the lotus ;
the seeds of several species of reeds and aquatic
plants ; above all, of the rice^ which has shelled in
the field during harvest. There is a constant ten-
dency in this grain to degenerate into the volunteer
rice — a variety, in which the pearly white color, so
valued in commerce, is changed into the red ; and
which has the further peculiarity of shedding the
grains before the fields are ripe enough for the
sickle. Thus, an unfailing supply of the choicest
food is provided for these winter visitors, who show
great adroitness in billing up the fallen grains from
the fields, when overflowed. When shot, their
craws are found loaded with rice. It may be he-
resy to dispute the supremacy of the canvas-back
duck of the Susquehannah, but I must say, that such
as venture as far south as 32*^ and 33°, are not equal
in flavor to the rice-fed duck of this region. It may
be said, that the canvas-back is " off of his feed "
— and it may be true ! — but I doubt his superiority,

276 THE OBJECTS OF SPOKT.

taken at his best. What the old English divine
said of the strawberry — " doubtless God might have
created a better berry, if he had chosen — ^but, doubt-
less, God never did" — ^may be ajDplied ''nomine
mutato," and, I trust, without irreverence, to the
rice-fatted wild-duck of Carolina ; " doubtless God
never did create a better duck !" Besides those
already enumerated, v/e have varieties of widgeon,
some equivocal, some fishy ; not to speak of the salt
water kinds, with serrated bills, which, formed to
feed upon fish, obey their calling — and, for culinary
purposes, are neither fish, flesh, nor fowl. These,
with curlews, sea-plover, and the like, are shot, but
seldom eaten — since all the condiments of a Spanish
cuisine would fail in overcoming the disagreeable
flavor that gross feeding has communicated to
them!

EAIs^DOM THOUGHTS ON HUNTING.

They take, it seems to me, a false as well as a.-
narrow view of human life, wlio denounce all
amusement and recreation, as unworthy of account-
able and immortal beings. The transition froni:
exercise to relaxation seem.s to be a requirement of
our mental as well as our physical constitution:,
and (to adopt an illustration, which, however trite,.
is exceedingly pertinent to our matter), as the bow
which is never unstrung, however excellent the
material of which it is composed, soon loses its
elasticity, and comes to be utterly worthless — so
fares it with the individual, who, forgetful of tliis law
of his nature, would keep either mind or body in a
state of constant tension ! The history of man, in
every phase of his existence—in every stage of his
progress, from the grossest barbarism to the highest
pitch of refinement — shows that amusement^ under
some shape or other, is indispensable to him. And
if this be so, it is a point of wisdom, and it is even
promotive of virtue, to provide him such as are

278 RANDOM THOUGHTS ON HUNTING.

innocent. Field sports are both innocent and
manly.

In these remarks I am far from pretending to the
discovery of new truths ; I am simply desirous to
recall public attention to such, as, sufficiently well
known, are at times strangely overlooked — espe-
cially by our ascetic innovators, who would make life
as nnjoyous as their own natures ; who would reform
society, by denouncing dancing as a sin — the thea-
tre as an abomination — and all amusements, however
innocent, as a waste of time unworthy of immortal
beings ! These are the men of a single idea, who,
placed in a valley, bring everything to the standard
of their own limited horizon — who refuse to look
beyond, unless superciliously, through the medium
of a prejudice so inveterate, as to discolor or distort
whatever is graceful or beautiful in nature or art.
And their error, it seems to me, springs from this
intense self-esteem — and their utter inability to get
beyond themselves, so as to understand the relations
and wants of others. They look at life from one
position only — and refer everything to their own
standard. Students — ^philosophers, it may be — Shav-
ing their time at their own disposal, to labor or
relax, just as it suits their humor, they cannot
realize the fact, that their relaxation would be none
to the grosser and less refined masses of society ; and

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON HUNTING. 279

that amusements that employ the senses, are need-
ful to restore tlieir worn bodies, and revive their
wasted spirits — ^that they are happier and better for
the relaxation that follows the day of labor. It is
with the same persons, and from the same mistaken
views, that w^e find the severities of the Jewish
sabbath ingrafted, without warrant from the Scrip-
tures, on the Christian polity.

Instead of proceeding on these false assump-
tions : 1st, that society can dispense with amuse
ments; 2d, that all amusements are a sin, how
much wiser, how much worthier of those whose
lives are exemplary, that they should encourage
by their countenance such amusements as are
innocent and elegant — dancing^ for example — and
by this countenance, preserve it as it should be, the
handmaid of modesty and grace.

Instead of purchasing up theatres, to convert
them into churches (which only causes new theatres
to be built), it would be wiser, it seems to me
(since every civilized Christian community has
indulged, and will doubtless continue to indulge,
in theatrical representations), to reform these exhibi-
tions^ until they should present nothing to the
public, but what the most scrupulous delicacy
would approve ! How far this may be done, will
be evident to those who will be at the trouble of

:280 BANDOM THOUGHTS ON HUNTING.

examining the plays of tlie elder dramatists — of
Ford and "Webster, for example — and comparing
them with such as are now exhibited. Few of
these but would be liissed from the modern thea-
tres, if represented as originally played. iJ^ay, even
those of Shakspeare and Jonson, if played from the
original copies, would share the same fate, along
with many masterly eiforts of Beaumont and
Fletcher, and Otway and Dryden, which their
indecency has banished from the stage. And,
indeed, to such an extent has this reform j)roceeded,
that you may chance to hear fewer things offensive
to delicacy, in our theatres now-a-days, than in
some pulpits that could be named — ^wherein vice is
stripped with so determined a hand, that decency
revolts at the exhibition — (as if modesty were
nnscriptural, and the maxim, "pudorem ilium
superandum esse," were now, as formerly, the rule
of the church) — and those passages of Scri]3ture,
which men scruple to read aloud in the presence
of their families, you may hear so paraded and dal-
lied with before the congregation of the young and
pure in heart, that the indignant blush of shame is
seen mantling their innocent cheeks ! Compre-
hensive as the Decalogue assuredly is, there is yet
nothing in it akin to indecency ; and it seems quite
possible to exhort man to the performance of his

EANDOM THOUGHTS ON HUNTING. 281

duty toward God and toward his neighbor — and to
chastise his vices, too — ^without lapsing into indeli-
cacy ! Yet, since such things do happen, who but
a madman would apply himself to j)ull down the
pulpits thus desecrated, instead of purifying them
of their gross offences ? This is true wisdom ; this
is the true rule ! Let it be applied to the theatres ;
and while their immoralities are frowned upon and
repressed, let not the world lose the instruction and
delight which they are calculated to impart !

As to country amusements, it seems to me, that
they who denounce them should withhold their
censures, until they can substitute a recreation
more commendable than hunting. So far as physi-
cal education is concerned, it stands preeminent.
Its manliness none will deny; neither is there
wanting ground for supposing (startling as the pro-
position may seem) that its tendency is actually
promotive of good morals. For, whether it has
happened by accident, or whether it stands in some
unexplained relation of cause and effect, I know
not ; iut the fact is so, that of all the associates
who have acted with me in field sports, and were
interested enough to excel in them, not one has
been touched with the vice of gaming! Men
of fortune, men of leisure, peculiarly exposed,
from their social position, to this most demoralizing

282 KANDOM THOUGHTS ON HUNTING.

vice, have been completely exempt from it. May
thiSv not be ascribed, in a good measure, to their
devotion to this pursuit ; and to the indirect influ-
ence of some of those habits of thought and action
that it calls into exercise? Here is the forecast^
that provides, at a distance, for what may be
wanted at a given day — the jpunctuality^ that
observes the hour and day appointed — the observa-
tion^ that familiarizes itself with the nature and
habits of the quarry — ^the sagacity^ that anticipates
its projects of escape — and the promptitude that
defeats tliem! — ^the rapid glance, the steady aim,
the quick perception, the ready execution; these
are among the faculties and qualities continually
called into pleasing exercise; and the man who
habitually applies himself to this sport will become
more considerate^ as well as more prompt, more full
of resource, more resolute, than if he never had
engaged in it ! Assuredly, there is no such prepa-
ratory school for war ; and the expert hunter will,
I doubt not, show himself the superior in the field to
another, every other way his equal, yet wanting this
experience! Neither should I forget to mention,
among its recommendations, the direct tendency
of this amusement to promote social intercourse,
and the interchange of friendly offices between
neighbors.

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON HUNTIJ^G. 283

Thus thinking of the value of amusement in
general, and of hunting in particular, I cannot but
perceive with regret, that there are causes in opera-
tion which have destroyed, and are yet destroying,
the game to that extent, that, in another genera-
tion, this manly pastime will no longer be within
our reach. Sportsman as I am, I am not one of
those who regret the destruction of the forests,
wlien the subsistence of onan is the purjpose. It is
in the order of events, that the hunter should give
place to the husbandman ; and I do not complain
of it. It is the wanton, the uncalled-for destruc-
tion of forests and of game, that I reprehend.

Undoubtedly, the most obvious cause of the

disappearance of the deer and other game, is the

destruction of the forests, that of the river swamps,

especially; which being, in their original state,

impracticable to horsemen, secured them against

pursuit; for, if pressed by the hounds, they could

escape by swimming the rivers. These lands being

cleared and cultivated, no longer aiford them

refuge. The same applies, though with less force,

to the thickly wooded high lands cleared for the

culture of cotton. Their feeding and hiding-places

being more contracted, they can more easily be

hemmed in and destroyed. The uncleared lands,

too, bordering on the cultivated portions of tlie

18

284 RANDOM THOUGHTS ON HUNTING.

countrv, are much less densely covered with under-
growth than formerly. The contrast is so striking,
the change undergone within the last twenty years
so very apparent, that I have been induced to
inquire into the causes which have produced it. It
is mainly to be ascribed to the rearing of increased
numbers of cattle, for agricultural purposes; to
the trampling and cropping of the shrubs and
undergrowth by these extensive herds ; but, above
all, by the practice of burning the woods in sj)ring,
to give these cattle more luxuriant pasturage. By
these causes combined, so great a change has been
wrought on the surface of the land, that the sports-
man may now dash along at half speed over a
country, which, but a few years back, he could not
traverse on horseback. While in this way, his
power of intercepting the deer in their flight has
been greatly enlarged, it will not be denied that,
in the modern improvements in gunnery, his
means of annoyance have been immeasurably
increased.

The demand which has grown up in our cities,
for the supply of hotels and of the private tables
of luxurious citizens, with venison, has called into
being, a race of professional hunters, who, settling
themselves wherever the game is abundant, and
cultivating merely corn enough to maintain them-

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON HUNTING. 285

selves, their horse and a couple of hounds, devote
their days and nights to hunting. Their profits are
greater than accrue from the cultivation of the soil ;
and the freedom from restraint enjoyed in this kind
of life, is more congenial to their tempers. It is
too much to expect of this class of men to refrain
from "fire hunting," though forbidden by law.
Who can detect the ofiender? or who would
become informer, if the trespass was not com-
mitted by entering his own inclosure ? In a few
years, the game is destroyed, or driven off. Our
hunter follows them to their new retreats, pitches
his tent, or builds his cabin in another quarter ; and
re-commences his career of destruction.

Tlie incessant hunting of their grounds by pro-
prietors, may lead to the same result ; but the sportj
in their hands, is not apt to be pursued so reck-
lessly, or carried to the extent of extermination — ex-
cept when the overseer takes it up for the six months
during which the proprietor is absent. In this case,
the landholder soon finds that his grounds provide
him neither with amusement nor supplies.

The right to hunt wild animals is held by the

great body of the people, whether landholders or

otherwise, as one of their franchises, which they

will indulge in at discretion ; and to all limitations

on which, they submit with the worst possible
18~2

286 RANDOM THOUGHTS ON HUNTING.

grace ! The " ferse naturae " are, in their code, the
property of him who can take them — irrespective
of any conflicting right in the owner of the soil.
In the sections of country well stoclvccl witli game
— where, consequently, the temptation to hold such
opinions is the strongest — the feeling on this head
is 60 decided, that some overseers refuse to accept a
place (otherwise desirable) if they are restricted in
the right to hunt. The writer of these pages, find-
ing that during his absence from his property, his
game had been destroyed, and his interests, in
other respects, sacrificed to this propensity of his
overseer — insisted, at some cost to his popularity,
on inserting a clause to his annual contract, absolute-
ly restricting him in this respect. And what was
the result ? — that having made his own grounds, by
this restriction, a preserve, they were only the
more harassed, on this account, by the unrestricted
in the neighborhood — who took a malicious plea-
sure in destroying the game which a proprietor had
presumed to keep for himself.

Though it is the broad common law maxim, " that
everything upon a man's land is liis own — ^usque
adcoslum" — and he can thus shut it out from his
neighbor without wrong to him — ^yet custom, with
us, fortified by certain decisions of our courts, has
gone far to qualify and set limitations to llie maxim.

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON HUNTING. 287

The laud which he has purchased with the pro-
ceeds of his industry — and for which he pays tax
to the State — is no longer his (except in a qualified
sense) unless he incloses it. In other respects, it is
his neighbors', or anybody's. It is true, that he
may proceed against another who cuts his timber,
though it lies beyond his inclosure, as a trespasser
• — ^yet the same man may turn a drove of cattle on
these lands, and browse on, and trample them, to
the destruction of a hundred times the value — with-
out risk to himself, or leaving any chance of redress
to the proprietor and tax-payer. Li like manner
may a man's land be "harried/' — and ]iot only his
game, but sheep and other stock, be worried by
the dogs of hunters, traversing his uninclosed
grounds at discretion, without his being able to
protect himself, as matters now stand, or obtaining
any legal redress for the injury. It seems a ques-
tionable policy — in a country peculiarly situated as
ours is — thus, by construction of la^v, to diminish
the value of land, and the inducement to hold it, by
limiting and narrowing the rights of proprietors.
Yet the poor man, who owns no land, is slow to
perceive the beauty or fitness of the common law
maxim ; and the demagogue is not the man to point
it out. ITe has but one purpose — to gcdn thefavoi'
of the ])eojple ! — ^his means, not the elevation of

288 RANDOM TKOUGHTS ON HUNTING.

their nature, by instilling liigh and generous feel-
ings, but the flattery of their prejudices — a flat-
tery as obsequious and as abject, I grieve to say,
as that which, in monarchical governments, is
lavished by courtiers on a monarch, or on his
minion! They have but one policy— they steer
but one course — and that is, with the stream. If
you catch them departing from this course, it is
because their tact has been at fault, and they have
unwittingly mistaken an eddy for the main current.
The right to hunt uninclosed lands, thus secured by
usage, or in other words, by our common law — there
are some who desire to extend it to inclosed lands,
unconditionally — or, at least, maintain their right
to pursue the game thereon, when started without
the inclosure. It is to be apprehended, that this
spirit of encroachment is but too much fostered by
such of our public men as, setting popularity above
everything, fear to hazard it by publishing truths
nnpleasing to the majority ! We admit, without
hesitation, that there are in Congress, ^:>(^^W^^5 who
see the right in the expedient — and the expedient in
the wishes of their constituents. ]S"or is there any
sufficient reason for thinking that Congress enjoys a
monopoly of this sort of virtue. Eestrictions on
this unchecked right of hunting, in communities
circumstanced like ours, will, therefore, I presume,

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON HUNTING. 289

"be slow in coming by the legislative enactment of
laws conservative of game ; and if the laws were
stringent, the juries would be indulgent and slow
of giving damages, except in cases of flagrant
injury.

During the session of the court, held in the
southeastern circuit of this State, I was present at
a trial which will serve to illustrate the state of
public opinion in reference to this subject. It was
an action for trespass, growing out of the conflict-
ing rights of the hunter and the landholder. One
of the hunters was on the stand. He was himself
a landholder, and a man of some property, and the
question was put by the counsel :

" Would you pursue a deer if he entered your
neighbor's inclosure?"

Witness — " Certainly."

Counsel—'' What if his fields were planted, and
his cotton growing, or his grain ripe?"

Witness — " It would make no difference ; I should
follow my dogs, go where they might !"

Judge — "And pull down your neighbor's fence,
and trample on his fields ?"

Witness — " I should do it — though I might regret
to injure him !"

Judge — "You would commit a trespass; you

290 JKANDOM THOUGHTS ON HUJS^TING.

would be mulcted in damages. There is no law for
sucli an act!"

Witness — ''It is hunter's law, however!"
And hunter's law, is likely somewhat longer to
be the governing law of the case in this section of
country ; for the prejudices of the people are strong
against any exclusive property in game, as every
one feels who attempts to keep it to himself. Seve-
ral gentlemen of my acquaintance have been pro-
prietors of islands ; which were a source of per-
petual annoyance to them. ITo sooner were they
stocked with game, than the amateurs, if not the
professed poachers, would find their way to them ;
and if a bailiff was employed to keep them off, he
often proved, as in other countries, the principal
poacher. And, if actions of trespass were brought
against intruders, the results were generally unsatis-
factory. Juries are exceedingly benevolent in such
cases ; and even should conviction ensue, the fine
or imprisonment of a freeman for so trifling and
venial an offence, as shooting a wild animal, would
be deemed a measure of odious severity !

J^or does the proprietor fare better in his attempts
to fence out depredators, if liis possessions are situ-
ated on the main land. Admitting that he cam,
impose a light fine on the trespasser, found hunt-
ing within his inclosure, the proof is very difficult,

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON HUNTING. 201

and the penalty insufficient to deter from a repeti-
tion of tlie offence. Besides, tlie poacher may injure
you scarcely the less, while he keeps himself free
of the legal toil. He whistles a dog into your pre-
serve, at night, or at early dawn, and lurks in the
neighborhood, until the deer, startled from their
fancied security, leap the inclosure and become his
prey. Or, should your fence be so strong and high
as to prevent the escape of the deer, a torch thrown
into the dry brush-wood, during the high winds of
March, envelops it in flames, and your labor and
expense are made unavailing by a casualty (so
called) which, nevertheless, you feel to have been a
design — though you cannot legally prove it! In
this instance alone, the principle of the anti-rent
excitement is at work with us !

"With this single exception, the rights of property
are as religiously respected in our community, as in
any other that can be cited ; and I am of opinion
that the unwholesome condition of public sentiment
in this particular instance, is mostly an affair of
inoculation. It is derived from the laboring emi-
grants'from England, who, mixing with the opera-
tive classes of our own white population, inspire
them with their own deep disgust at the tyranny of
the English game laws. When they descant upon
the oppressions Avhicli have driven them from

293 KAKDOM THOUGHTS O:^ HUN^TING.

home, to better tlieir fortunes in tins land, this
seems to be the sorest and best remembered of then*
griefs — transportation, for killing a hare or a par-
tridge ! The preservation of game is thus associ-
ated, in the popular mind, with ideas of aristocracy
— ^peculiar privileges to the rich, and oppression
toward the poor ! What wonder, then, that men,
forgetful of the future, surrendering themselves to
the present, mingle with the throng of destructives
who seem bent on the extermination of the game ;
rather than attempt the difficult, and unpopular,
and thankless office of conservators !

I think there will be a reform in this matter —
not that I shall witness it. It must be the work of
time. "When the game shall have been so killed
off, that the mass of the people shall have no interest
in hunting their neighbors' grounds — ^the law will
be reformed ; and when that same time arrives, the
juries will have no interest in construing away the
law. So that we may yet hope to see the time when
men may, under the sanction of the law, and with-
out offence, or imputation of aristocracy, preserve
the game from extermination — and perpetuate, in
so doing, the healthful, generous, and noble divei-
sion of huntinfi!;.

THE El^'D.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY
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