WTnM^ 
 
 V 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER 
 SPORT; 
 
 m 
 
 OR, 
 
 TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES 
 
 IN THE 
 
 AMERICAS AND AT HOME. 
 
 BY 
 
 OLIVER NORTH. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 "THE FIELD" OFFICE, 346, STRAND, W. 0. 
 
 1874. 
 
LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED BY HORACE COX, 346, STRAND, W.C. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 I make no apology for reprinting the purely sporting 
 articles in this volume ; they have been tolerably well 
 received by the readers of the Field, and if the re- 
 perusal of them in a collected form affords them only a 
 portion of the pleasure the performance of the adventures 
 therein described has given me, my object will be fully 
 attained. 
 
 Of that portion which touches on travel in South 
 America I wish to say a few words. I had at first wished 
 to extend the articles I wrote to the Field (from 
 which the chapters in this book are condensed) to such 
 a length as should give my readers a pretty fair idea 
 of the capabilities and resources of Chile and Peru. 
 But in commencing my task I found that my three 
 or four years' residence in those countries had been quite 
 insufficient for the purpose. I have, therefore, preferred 
 at present to give merely a sketch of the principal 
 
iv PREFACE. 
 
 towns, such as Valparaiso, Santiago, Lima, Panama, &c. 
 I hope to shortly make another visit to Ecuador, Peru, 
 and Chile, in my humble opinion the most interesting 
 field now open to the traveller. The results of my 
 stay in these countries will form the subject of another 
 book. 
 
 " Oliver North. " 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A Week's Duck Shooting at Poole 1 
 
 That Sheldrake ... 26 
 
 Quail Shooting in California ... ... ... 36 
 
 Bear Hunting in Mexico ... ... ... ... 45 
 
 Bear Shooting in California ... ... ... 58 
 
 My First Elk 73 
 
 My Last Bear 83 
 
 Round Cape Horn — Valparaiso — Santiago ... 95 
 
 Andacollo — Lima — Panama — Jamaica 134 
 
 Country Sports and Life in Chile ... ... 165 
 
 Shooting in Chile 187 
 
 Two Days' Fishing in Chile 209 
 
 u Toling " for Ducks in California 223 
 
 Up the Sacramento 234 
 
 The White Elk of Astoria 245 
 
 Sport in the Coast Eange Mountains 257 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2014 
 
 https://archive.org/details/ramblesaftersporOOmull_0 
 
RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 A WEEK'S DUCK SHOOTING AT 
 POOLE. 
 
 " Onnered Sie the buds ar plenti and the frust gud 
 pleese kum 1 as got the punt an Bill as got the bote awl 
 redy i egspeg you tomor mawnin yours dan." 
 
 The above is an exact facsimile of a letter I received 
 one December afternoon. When interpreted it simply 
 meant that honest Old Dan, the well-known Poole gunner 
 of ten long years ago (eheu fugaces ! he's dead and gone 
 now) had been true to his promise, and had sent me 
 word that there were lots of birds in the bay, and the 
 frost was likely to hold ; that his son Bill had got the 
 fishing smack all " fixed up/' and that he expected me 
 to-morrow morning. As I knew that Dan's morning 
 meant about three or four o'clock in the night, I immedi- 
 ately ordered round the trap, in which I deposited three 
 of the largest horse rugs I could find in the stable, much 
 to the disgust of the groom, who declared, " all on them 
 'ere 'osses wud be as dead as mackrils when I cum back 
 of the influenzee." Better the 'osses than myself I 
 thought. I next made friends with the cook— I always 
 am friends with that important personage if I possibly 
 
 B 
 
2 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 can be — and in a few minutes we had managed to get 
 into a good-sized hamper a Dutch cheese, half a ham, a 
 small bottle of anchovies, (N.B. Brother campaigners, 
 never forget that) three cap-boxes of salt, pepper, and 
 cloves, and a gingerbeer bottle filled with a judiciously 
 mixed compound of the best olive oil, Worcester sauce, 
 and malt vinegar. On each flank was stowed a flat 
 oblong stone jug of u mountain dew" that I am prepared 
 to take my solemn davy had never paid the tax — bad cess 
 to it ! Like the renowned " Colonel," I don't believe in 
 making oneself uncomfortable needlessly, and I certainly 
 believe that " how to cater" is at all events the second 
 qualification for a sportsman. T once made a trip to 
 "Norway without any preparation whatever in the way of 
 eatables, and I had the "roughest old time" possible. 
 Since then I have eaten shark, parrot, monkey, mule, and 
 a variety of other " foreign bills of fare," but (thank 
 Crosse and Blackwell and the Colonel) always "con- 
 dimented." (N.B. Here I beg leave to say to the young 
 sportsman, and, for the matter of that, to the old one too, 
 get Hawker's book on shooting, and study it by the mid- 
 night oil — it's worth the money.) I remember once, in 
 Honduras, making a peculiarly relishing meal off macaw, 
 anchovies, grated yam, and Worcester sauce ; I know 
 two railway- engine drivers declared it was the " highest 
 kind of grub" they had had for a long time. But to 
 return to my Poole journey ; after a ten-mile drive along 
 the level turnpike road, I found myself and effects 
 
 deposited at the door of the Inn, kept by the best of 
 
 hostesses, who, if she is alive now, ought to have made 
 her fortune and retired. Alas ! I suppose she's dead, 
 like all the rest of them — all good people die off, some- 
 how. 
 
A WEEK'S DUCK SHOOTING AT POOLE. 
 
 3 
 
 My next care was to find Dan. I experienced but little 
 difficulty in doing this, as there apparently was only one 
 Dan in tlie place. I came upon that individual in his 
 own house, just as he was taking his last cup of tea with 
 " summut in it/' preparatory to going out punting for the 
 night. As, perhaps, not everyone of my readers has had 
 the opportunity of seeing a Poole gunner attired for work, 
 I will endeavour to give a slight sketch of Dan a as he 
 appeared in ball costume." In the first place, he was a 
 man of at least fifty years of age, short and stout ; his 
 face was the colour of underdone boiled beef, and crossed 
 and recrossed like a railway map ; he had grizzled hair, 
 and an eye like a panther; Dan frequently assured me he 
 could see birds about as well in the night as in the day. 
 But his dress ! If any of the " swell" sporting tailors or 
 their customers could have seen it, they would have 
 fainted ! On his head he mounted a red woollen night- 
 cap, and over that a thick fur Cossack-looking affair, with 
 flaps for the ears, and secured under his chin by a piece 
 of string. Next his body (I had the pleasure of seeing 
 Dan make his toilet) he drew on a thick blue fisherman's 
 guernsey ; over that he donned a kind of sack with no 
 arms, made of a sort of rough, shaggy material a quarter of 
 an inch thick ; and over this a short wadded frock reach- 
 ing to his hips, and which must have weighed at least ten 
 pounds ; the sleeves of this latter garment fitted close to 
 his arms, and were not wadded further than the armpits. 
 How many drawers, flannels, &c, he had under his 
 trousers of thick flushing I can't say, but I know that 
 after he had put on a pretty sizable pair of boots, he drew 
 on over them some thick- woven woollen stockings reach - 
 to his thighs, and over them again a pair of tarpaulin - 
 legged brogues. His "old 'ooman" attended on Dan at 
 
 B 2 
 
4 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPOET. 
 
 his toilette as deftly as any 'lady's maid on her mistress 
 in Belgravia, although she stood about 5ft. lOin. high, 
 and weighed, I should say, a trifle under twenty-one 
 stone. I have almost forgotten to say that his hands 
 were encased in a pair of wadded canvas muffatees, with 
 only a thumb piece, and with a slit in front of the 
 fore-finger of the right hand when he required it to 
 pull the trigger ; and that he had ready for wet weather 
 an oiled canvas coat reaching from his neck to his 
 heels. Altogether, he presented the appearance of, 
 more than anything I can call to mind, an Esqui- 
 maux in his most wintry dress. 
 
 Alas, poor Dan ! what a shot he was ! I used some- 
 times to think he must be a species of u developed " 
 sea-bird himself. I most certainly know that if, after 
 looking up at the sky and sniffing at something in the 
 air, he oracularly declared " Ne'er a flight to-day," you 
 might just as well go to bed at your hotel like a civilised 
 Christian for all the birds you would get. 
 
 I found Dan's two lads, as he called them, fine, manly, 
 sturdy fellows, of twenty-one and eighteen, with whom 
 before the week was over I formed quite a friendship ; 
 they were on their own hook, having recently purchased 
 a smack of about 20 tons burden, in which they went 
 fishing, or it was hired out by the week or so, as in my 
 case; I am afraid to name the moderate sum they 
 charged me — much less than is expected by a " swell " 
 gamekeeper for a warm corner on battue day. They 
 provided their own food, but, as brother sportsmen, we 
 all shared alike the contents of the hamper. May I 
 never eat with a worse pair ! 
 
 Aware by experience, as I said before, of what a 
 gunner's morning is, I determined to sleep in the coffee 
 
A WEEK'S DUCK SHOOTING AT POOLE. 
 
 5 
 
 room, one of the lads, Bill, engaging to wake me by- 
 knocking at the window, so as not to disturb the rest of 
 the house; then, ordering the leg of mutton to be 
 placed on the table, and putting a shovelful of coal on 
 the fire, I drew up the sofa, lit a pipe of golden-leaf, 
 and with my spaniel Fan, the beauty, curled up at my 
 feet, and Tim, her most jealous of husbands, warming 
 his nose on the fender, I was soon in dreamland. 
 
 At some frightful hour of the night Master Bill came 
 hammering away at the shutters outside ; on letting that 
 worthy in, his nose or eyes, or both, instinctively dis- 
 covered the leg of mutton on the table. " The best 
 thing, sir, afore going out of a morning is to get yer 
 bellyful," he said, eyeing the joint meanwhile with a 
 most truculent look. " Well, then, Bill, you had better 
 fill yours." I can assure my readers he needed no 
 further invitation, but, merely observing that he cc didn't 
 mind if he did take a snack," forthwith, while I was 
 dressing, stowed away a good three pounds of meat, 
 leaving uncommonly little else but the bone and the 
 dish. Such a " snack" I certainly have never seen 
 taken since, 
 
 We had to call on his brother on our way to the boat. 
 On arriving at his house, Bill knocked away for ten 
 minutes ; no answer. After a deal more hammering and 
 some little swearing, Ted appeared, looking very sleepy. 
 We found the boat all ready, with two good trusses of 
 hay aft, and one forward, and after stowing away the 
 contents of a hamper in a locker, and making fast the 
 punt astern, we up sail and away. 
 
 And now that we are fairly started, a word or two 
 about our mode of proceedings, armament, &c. For my 
 part I had a double-barrelled 10-bore shoulder gun, 
 
\ 
 
 6 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 and a long 9 single, to which latter Master Bill imme- 
 diately took a violent fancy, and he appropriated it 
 forthwith. I also hired from an ironmonger in the town 
 a short heavy shoulder-gun, about 5-bore I should say, 
 a sort of young cannon, which, carried, more or less, a 
 good handful of Bristol B/s. The ironmonger said it 
 was " a powerful" weapon, and certainly if kicking 
 means power, it was a very powerful piece. Even Bill 
 was a trifle scared at it. Besides these we had a light 
 14 for " cripples/'' Our plan was simply as follows : To 
 sail up to birds on the wind in harbour, and outside 
 when possible; when there was no wind, to go to the 
 creeks or " latches " as they are called, in the punt after 
 small €€ trips " of birds or single ones even. To keep an 
 eye on old Dan in his punt, and have some fun with 
 his "cripples;" and I determined if possible to persuade 
 that worthy by eloquence or coin, or both, to take me 
 out one night gunning in a regular gunning punt. 
 I reckoned that this bill of fare, with an hour or two 
 of " flighting " morning and evening, would satisfy a 
 gourmand. 
 
 The morning was bitterly cold — a clear black frost ; 
 Bill busied himself in spreading out the trusses of straw 
 at the bottom of the " quarter-deck," and I placed one 
 conveniently at the bows ; by Ted's advice also, I 
 wrapped two strawbands round my legs, very much to 
 my comfort. Ted took the helm, while Bill was my 
 factotum for ammunition, loading guns, &c. ; and as we 
 gently dropped down Poole Harbour on the ebb that 
 morning, with just a "wee drappie" to our success, 
 there were not three merrier lads in the three kingdoms. 
 Poor Ted looked rather sleepy still ; but he took anpther 
 " drappie," and soon brightened up again. Ah me, the 
 
A WEEK'S DUCK SHOOTING AT POOLE. 
 
 p? 
 
 days of our youth ! Idbuntur anni ! Make the most of 
 them ! 
 
 We had hardly gone 250 yards and got the guns 
 loaded, when right ahead of us, through the mist, we 
 saw a large flock of coots, apparently pretty tame. 
 " Now, sir, forward you go with the big 'un," and 
 accordingly I went forward with the " nmsquetoon," 
 loaded with a fine dose of Bristol pills. Down we sailed 
 among them, and when about thirty yards off, I 
 delivered the piece over the bows, and fired into the 
 " black of 'em." I forget the exact effect that shot had 
 on the coots, but I have a most vivid recollection of the 
 effect on me ; I found myself, gun, and it appeared to 
 me about half the rigging too, lying in the bottom of the 
 boat, with my right sho alder nearly dislocated. 
 
 u Good gracious, Bill ! don't load that infernal thing 
 like that again. How much did you put in ? " 
 
 " Only a handful and a half, sir ; them coots takes a 
 deal of killing." 
 
 I couldn't find out exactly how much powder he had 
 put in— probably a handful and a half also ; however, I 
 looked after the loading of the instrument myself after- 
 wards. 
 
 After a little amusement with the cripples we went on, 
 having secured seven or eight birds. 
 
 From our first shot we augured well as regards the 
 tameness and come-atableness of the duck, as coots are 
 proverbially shy. 
 
 " Well now, sir, I think we had better go straight to 
 the sandbanks for a late flight before we commence 
 sailing down." 
 
 On arriving there we found all the best places occupied, 
 and the best of the flight over ; however, I knocked over 
 
8 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 a mallard with the single and a green cartridge — almost 
 the very last bird that flew over; we got aboard again, 
 and went " sailing down." I think this sport beats 
 anything I know of for excitement ; as much depends on 
 the helmsman as on the gunner — in fact,, a great deal 
 more, and I must say I believe I had the best lad at this 
 game in all Poole. We beat the harbour for some time, 
 picking up a brace of teal and some more coots, and 
 then stood out to sea with a lovely six-knot breeze on 
 our beam. 
 
 " I think we'll get a shot soon, sir ; if we don't, 'twill 
 be a cruel shame." Indeed, it was a day out of a 
 hundred for sailing down" — the birds tame, and just 
 enough ripple on the water to hide all but their heads. 
 
 " I'll lay a crown the old man had a shot last night," 
 continues Bill; "1 heard him fire twice." (A shot in 
 Poole means the number of birds killed, and not the act 
 of firing.) 
 
 After sailing about some time, Bill, who had the 
 eye of a hawk for birds, spied a big company of wigeon 
 dead to windward about a mile off. I confess I looked 
 for five minutes after, and could see nothing. 
 
 " Now, sir, I think we are going to have one or two of 
 them ; load all the guns, and you go for'ard with Bill. 
 Keep close under the bows, and don't move till I tell 
 you." 
 
 We tacked about, and stood straight down for the 
 flock, keeping them rather on our weather bow ; in my 
 right hand I had the " infant," and all ready by my side 
 the 10 double, with a couple of cartridges, while Master 
 Bill, who was crouched down at my side, and was as 
 excited as I was, had appropriated the long single, loaded 
 with a double charge of powder and a green cartridge 
 
A WEEK'S DUCK SHOOTING AT POOLE. 
 
 9 
 
 I rather fancy he slipped in an ounce or two of " Bristols" 
 just to fill up any chinks. 
 
 Straight down we went, Ted looking as calm as a 
 sentry, just squinting over the weather bow at the 
 birds, as if he was not noticing them in the least. 
 Confound it, he must be near 'em now ! What, nearer 
 still ! 
 
 "Now, Sir, when I luffs her up, you must jump and let 
 *em have it strong ; 33 and sure enough a moment after 
 down went the helm, and up she came shaking. " Now, 
 Sir, their heads are up ; look out ! " Up I started, and 
 right under our bows, about forty yards off, were, I should 
 say, two or three hundred wigeon ! 
 
 Bang ! went the " piece of ordnance," making a 
 lane through them like a charge of grapeshot ; as they 
 flew up they received the contents of the double ; and 
 after that, Bill, who had been aiming away all the while 
 like an artilleryman, let fly the single, and knocked over 
 a couple and a cripple at seventy yards off. 
 
 And now into the punt for the cripples, the best fun 
 of all ; and away we go, firing at them, knocking them 
 over with sculls — poor Fan and Tim at their wit's end 
 what to make of it ! By Jove, this is glorious ! Why, 
 that one shot is worth all I pay for the whole week. 
 
 On getting back to the smack and counting our 
 spoils, we found we had bagged eighteen widgeon, a 
 couple of redheads, and a pair of spoonbills — very 
 handsome birds. These two latter I immediately sent 
 off to Hart at Christchurch, and they serve to this day 
 to remind me of my old Poole days. 
 
 In this running-down sport everything depends on 
 the helmsman, as you yourself are concealed beneath 
 the bows. If he brings you straight up to your birds, 
 
10 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 so that you can fire clean ahead without stopping above 
 a second to look about you, he's up to his work. I have 
 been with men who bring you up anyhow — or rather 
 nohow; birds on the lee, on the weather, ahead and 
 abeam ; and when you are looking about you the birds have 
 some twenty yards start, besides putting you in a flurry. 
 Catch Ted doing any such " botching " as that ! I used 
 to know merely by the way he handled the helm almost 
 the exact spot where the birds were, and could have 
 jumped up and fired almost blindfold. 
 
 We cruised about a bit longer, and got another crack 
 at a knob of redheads, out of which we bagged four 
 and a golden-eye. (I may here mention that among the 
 Poole gunners a large number of duck is called a " band " 
 or " company/' a smaller number a " bunch/' and five 
 or six or so a "knob.") .The sea getting rather too 
 rough both for firing straight and the comfort of my 
 stomach, we put back to harbour ; and, after some little 
 manoeuvring, Ted brought me up to a solitary brace of 
 teal, just at the entrance of a small "latch" or creek. 
 They got up at about thirty yards, and I dropped 
 the pair of them right and left, much to the delight of 
 Bill, who put me down there and then as being " con- 
 siderably on the shoot." 
 
 "Well, now, I'm thinking we had better anchor off 
 that mudbank, and see what that locker contains ; after- 
 wards we can go for the evening c flight/ and try and 
 pick up a coot or two on our way." 
 
 Messrs. Bill and Ted were by no means backward in 
 investigating the arcana of the said locker, and in about 
 one half-hour the ham was reduced to nothing much else 
 than knuckle and bone — mostly bone. What an appetite 
 a fellow gets down there ! Why, I declare, it's worth 
 
A WEEK'S DUCK SHOOTING AT POOLE. 
 
 11 
 
 the money to see what one can eat. And that whisky ! 
 Ted declared emphatically — took his dying davy, in fact, 
 whatever that may mean — that it would be a " downright 
 cruel shame for to go and put water in that grog/' and 
 that Ireland couldn't be such a bad place after all, if 
 they made such stuff as that over there. 
 
 Curling ourselves up under the straw and horse rugs, 
 we lit our pipes, and felt like three boa-constrictors 
 who had swallowed a camel or two apiece. Bill, I can 
 affirm, like the fat boy in "Pickwick," "swelled wisibly 
 out afore my very eyes." Not the least part of our 
 enjoyment, moreover, was the sight of a small knob 
 of seven teal dropping gently down with the tide right 
 abeam, evidently on their way to their feeding ground 
 up the latch. 
 
 " Bless' d if I don't think them teal '11 come within 
 shot of the big gun," said Ted, with his nose just over 
 the gunwale ; " give 'em a try, sir." 
 
 It certainly seemed " hard lines" on the birds as they 
 evidently thought the boat was empty, and anchored for 
 the evening. I rested the " Armstrong " over the rail, 
 and as they passed fifty yards off in straggling order, 
 Ted suddenly showed himself. They threw up their 
 heads and crowded together in a bunch. "Now's your 
 time, sir," and away went the cargo of mould shot into 
 'em, killing three outright, and crippling two, one of 
 whom immediately made for the mud, and the other 
 commenced diving. Overboard went Fan after this 
 latter gentleman, while 1 got into the punt, and, slipping 
 on a pair of mud pattens, went a skooting " after the 
 other; but before I had gone five yards, head over heels I 
 went. "Never mind, sir; up yer are, and come along !" 
 shouted Bill, sliding ahead like a lamplighter. Down I 
 
12 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 went again like a man, sloshing and kicking about, 
 my gun-barrels, nose, mouth, and eyes full of Poole 
 mud. 
 
 Don't laugh. Have you ever been on mud-pattens ? 
 If not, don't go. A "hog on ice" is popularly supposed 
 to be an independent cuss, because if he can't stand — 
 why, he can lie down; but Pm blessed if he could 
 on mud. 
 
 After a long chase Bill shot the teal, and he con- 
 siderately helped me to the punt — in fact, he carried me 
 there. Fan meanwhile was having quite a " high old 
 time of it " with the one in the water. It dived down 
 one way and came up another, till the bitch was perfectly 
 bewildered ; as the water was bitterly cold, I knocked 
 the bird on the head with my scull. 
 
 And now it was make haste for the evening flight, as 
 we had some way to go to the sand-banks. So 
 leaving Ted to take charge of the smack back to 
 anchorage, I set off in the punt with Bill, taking the 
 long single with half a dozen cartridges, and the heavy 
 double, not forgetting another weapon (which of course 
 no sportsman goes without) — a pocket pistol, loaded, 
 not with leaden pills, but Irish dew; not but that 
 bowls over many a pretty lad sometimes. It is not quite 
 so powerful as that peculiar drink in California called a 
 " forty-rodder," so named from the fact of no man being 
 able to walk forty rods after partaking of it without 
 tumbling in the gutter. 
 
 On arriving at the sand-banks, we were lucky enough 
 to find two good stands unoccupied, the only other 
 person near us being " Old Simon," a well-known Poole 
 gunner of fifty years' standing. He had a single-barrelled 
 gun, I should say without exaggeration six feet long ; it 
 
a week's duck SHOOTING AT POOLE. 13 
 
 was a rough-looking affair, bound round the grip with 
 whipcord, and entirely guiltless of browning; but a 
 mallard that flew within seventy yards of that instrument 
 stood as small a chance as a barn-door owl would at the 
 hands of a Hurlingham " dovebutcher." 
 "Well, Simon, what's it to be V 
 
 " May as well go home, sir ; weather too clear, and no 
 wind ; they'll sky like anything to night." 
 
 Posting ourselves behind two bushes, we waited 
 patiently. Presently a trip of wigeon went whistling 
 over our heads a hundred yards up ; then came a bunch 
 of ducks, rushing by like a whirlwind far out of shot. As 
 I am staring vacantly up over head, " Look out, sir, on 
 your right ! " says Bill, at the same time presenting his 
 double. I look and see nothing, and nine-tenths of my 
 readers would have seen nothing also. Bang ! go a 
 couple of wire cartridges somewhere close to my left ear, 
 and a splendid mallard comes down all of a heap forty 
 yards off. 
 
 " Why didn't you fire, sir ? " 
 
 " Fire ! why, I saw nothing." 
 
 " Why, eight or nine ducks flew close over you." In 
 fact, Master William had " wiped my eye " pretty clean. 
 
 The birds kept coming in, but all high. The best time 
 for flight shooting is when the wind is high and against 
 the birds ; then they fly low and keep well together, and 
 if you have a good stand you can keep yourself, dog, and 
 man employed for an hour. (N.B. — Unless he is a good 
 one, leave Ponto chained up at home.) I once killed 
 seventeen fowl at this spot with a single-barrelled gun 
 in one evening, the birds flying so close sometimes as 
 almost to graze the ridge where I was posted. 
 
 We got no more shots that night, and, emptying the 
 
14 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 pocket pistol (not forgetting old Simon) , we went home. 
 If ever I slept in my life, I did that night. 
 
 For the next four or five days the weather continued 
 splendid — clear black frosts and starlight nights; the 
 beginner may think it just the reverse. In thick, hazy 
 weather, especially if there is no wind — in fact, weather 
 that most amateurs would consider perfection for ap- 
 proaching birds — do as all the gunners do, and go to bed. 
 Of course, the gunners will tell you otherwise, and in such 
 weather you can get any number to go out with you for 
 a sovereign a night, but you may have the satisfaction of 
 catching a good " rousing" attack of ague, and hearing 
 the birds getting up all around you — two hundred yards 
 off. You can't grumble ; if you do, all the man says is, 
 " Well, sir, I've brought you up to hundreds of birds ; 
 but they're tur'ble wild, they be, to-night." But catch 
 him going out such nights ! Only try to hire a good, well- 
 known gunner on a clear, frosty, starlight night, with an 
 "ebb flow" at about three in the morning, and a four- 
 knot breeze on, and see what he'll say. The chances are 
 that, if you are a stranger, he would not take you on any 
 terms whatever. 
 
 The weather being so favourable, I verily believe that 
 every biped in Poole who could beg, borrow, or steal a 
 gun went " flighting" every evening ; the fowl in conse- 
 quence got so uncommonly wary that it was not worth 
 while going after them. Happening to be in the shop of 
 a well-known ironmonger (and fowler), one evening, he 
 advised me to go and look at two or three large ponds^ 
 about a couple of miles off. Accordingly, I despatched 
 Bill (who by this time followed me about literally like a 
 large Newfoundland dog) to report on the state of affairs. 
 That individual returned with the news that he had no 
 
A WEEK'S DUCK SHOOTING AT POOLE. 
 
 15 
 
 doubt the largest of the ponds was frequented at night 
 by considerable numbers of birds, as on the leeward side 
 he had found quite a small pile of feathers. I was not 
 surprised at this, as fowl, at all events some of them, if 
 much disturbed at "flight" time, or, in other words, 
 much shot at, will fly to a large pond in preference to the 
 mud. 
 
 Next evening, at dusk, we repaired thither, and on 
 arriving we found the pond frozen over, as, indeed, we 
 expected. This was annoying ; but we broke the ice up 
 in the middle for the space of ten or twelve feet, and 
 hauled the fragments on the banks ; we then cut down 
 some brushwood or furze, and built up a sort of breast- 
 work, took a pull at the et Irishman" (of which Master 
 Bill had grown surprisingly fond), and quietly waited. 
 Goodness, how cold it was ! , It was really dreadful, and 
 we dared not move a peg, as the fowl were whistling over 
 head, evidently as wild as possible. For half an hour it 
 was cavendish and dew, till all of a sudden whi-s-h! came 
 a bunch of four wigeon on to the ice. Out shrills the 
 clear note of the old cock, and a minute after they are in 
 the open water. How tempting they looked ! I could 
 have bagged the lot with one barrel. Wait a bit, how- 
 ever ; here they come like a whirlwind! — at least thirty, 
 with perhaps a duck or two among them. They circle 
 round overhead ; " wh-i-sp !" goes the old cock again 
 below; a flutter, and down go the lot to join him. 
 " Jingo! thirty-five on 'em, if there's one," whispers Bill, 
 fingering his trigger, and eyeing them as a Greek bandit 
 would a treasure train. " Now, when I say ready, give 
 a whistle." "All right, sir." Up go their heads — they 
 crowd together, and are just going — bang ! bang ! bang ! 
 go the three barrels into the brown of 'em, sending fowl, 
 
16 
 
 E AMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 feather, and ice flying about like a small deluge. We got 
 six wigeon and two ducks by our volley, besides two 
 cripples, which we allowed to go off for the present, as 
 we knew we could afterwards find them, and we expected 
 to get another shot at the birds. After waiting half an 
 hour longer, a bunch of redheads settled down, and no 
 wigeon appearing, received their "allowance" like the 
 others, leaving five of their number behind them. We 
 now were so thoroughly chilled through that we could 
 scarcely feel anything ; we therefore strung up our 
 thirteen birds, and turned our steps homeward. A warm 
 bath, a juicy cut from the under side of a saddle, and a 
 glass of A 1 port afterwards, put me in the finest possible 
 humour with the world. I did not get a single goose . 
 we saw plenty, but they were so wary that it was impos- 
 sible to get near them, and Dan himself only shot fifteen 
 all the season. 
 
 The real object of my visifc I had not accomplished yet, 
 which was to get Dan to take me out for a night's punt- 
 shooting with his stanchion gun. I knew I should have 
 a job to manage it; so I said nothing about it to him for 
 the first four or five days, merely hinting to the lads that 
 I would give a trifle to go ; but as Dan was out all night 
 and we were out all day, father and sons did not see too 
 much of each other's society. On the sixth evening, how- 
 ever, about five o'clock, I armed myself with a flat bottle 
 of the very finest old M.D., a wood pipe with a metal 
 stopper, and a plug of the best Virginia golden leaf, with 
 which credentials I hoped to succeed in working the 
 oracle. On arriving at his house I found that worthy 
 just arisen from his slumbers, and taking a cup of tea with 
 a dash of brandy in it. The walls and tables were literally 
 covered with birds : Dan had evidently got a heavy shot. 
 
A WEEK'S DUCK SHOOTING AT POOLE. 
 
 17 
 
 last night. Amongst them were a beautiful pair of shel- 
 drakes. " I thought you might like to 'ave 'em to stuff, 
 and so I kep 'em apart/' said Mrs. Dan. On the whole, 
 things looked healthy. I would buy the sheldrakes for 
 half-a-crown more than she asked — pop in, as it were, the 
 baccy and flat bottle as trump cards, and win the odd trick. 
 I was relieved from all further anxiety on the subject by 
 Dan shutting one of his eyes and observing, in a mysteri- 
 ous and oracular tone (at the same time taking a trifle 
 less than half the contents of the flat bottle) that " he 
 knowed what I was arter ; yes, yes, they all wants to go, 
 bless yer." (Here was the time for producing trump No. 
 2, the baccy), "Thank' e, zur, I likes a good bit of 
 baccer;" (here came the pipe — the odd trick) "Well now, 
 that's what I calls a pipe, I do ; well, well, we'll see what 
 we can do, we'll see." This latter sentence was uttered 
 with a patronising air impossible to describe. Punctu- 
 ally at nine I made my appearance at the pier, and I had 
 not long to wait before Dan hove in sight. I had dressed 
 for the occasion as well as I could; that is, I had put on 
 all the coats, all the trousers, and all the boots that I 
 could find ; over all I pulled an old gunning-smock of 
 Dan's, and "mounted" a catskin cap with ear flaps, 
 belonging to Ted. 
 
 A Poole punt is too well known to need describing 
 here; I need only say that the gun carried a pound 
 of shot. It was a beautiful night for our work — bright, 
 clear, starlight, with a slight breeze blowing in from the 
 harbour right in our faces. Had we picked it, we could 
 not have chosen a better. Dan sniffed up the air, and 
 said " He'd be bound he'd give me a shot to-night, or 
 he'd know why !" After an hour's sculling we pulled up 
 under the shade of a mud-bank up a latch. It was 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 now about half-tide-rising, and we consequently had 
 some three hours to wait for the ebb -flow — the best time 
 to make a good shot. When birds are scarce and wild 
 in mild weather, the best way is to keep going up the 
 latches, and firing at small bunches as often as you have 
 a chance ; but in weather like we were out in, the birds 
 are so hungry and tame that it is not worth while to risk 
 the almost certainty of getting a heavy shot later on for 
 the sake of some half-dozen birds. The only drawback 
 is, that some " popper" may chance to be creeping about 
 up a latch after a duck or two, and fire just as you are 
 setting up to your flock of wigeon, and you have the 
 satisfaction of seeing them get up like an army and fly 
 off to the sea. However, on this occasion we were lucky ; 
 we heard no guns, and Dan knew that old Simon was off 
 Branksea, looking after an immense flock of geese that 
 had been seen there. It gave one a queer feeling to look 
 far away over the mud banks, stretched out like some 
 huge antediluvian monsters, and think if one should 
 get lost on their hideous, slimy banks. I was soon 
 aroused from any mawkish feelings of this kind by 
 Dan knocking the ashes out of his pipe, and telling 
 me to " douse " mine. " They're whistling away over 
 there — a purty good company I allow they be." I 
 listened ; but, beyond the wailing of an owl off Brank- 
 sea, I heard nothing. Dan loaded his gun with about 
 ten ounces of the smallest duckshot. " We'll get 
 close enough to 'em, I'll warrant 'e, without using 
 mould." We now gently pulled out of the latch, and, 
 on getting into the open, I at last heard a sort of 
 confused noise, like the sound of distant rain : it was 
 the noise made by innumerable wigeon floating up with 
 the advancing tide, whistling and "charming" after their 
 
A WEEK'S DUCK SHOOTING AT POOLE. 
 
 19 
 
 feed. We halt again whilst Dan reconnoitres, which 
 consists in his putting his head first on one side and then 
 on the other, and looking all round as I have seen a fox 
 do when hunted in a thick covert. Meanwhile, the noise 
 comes nearer and nearer, but is still an immense way off. 
 4c Well, Fm blessed if I don't think there's every burd in 
 Poole 'Arbour in thick company; blessed if I don't 
 though j now look out and be careful, and if you don't 
 make a lane in 'em taint my fault." 
 
 I went forward, and lay down behind the gun, with my 
 heart jumping into my mouth, and on we went; it 
 seemed hours and hours. I thought we should never 
 arrive, and I was getting cramped by lying in one 
 position so long. By this time we had got so close that 
 we could hear the motion of their bills as they fed. As 
 yet I had not seen a feather, till Dan touched my foot, 
 which was the signal for me to look out, and see my birds 
 before sighting for a shot ; I gently raised my head an 
 inch or two, but only saw in front of me what appeared 
 to be a long low mud bank, about 150 yards off; it 
 seemed odd, too, as the tide had nearly covered the bank 
 we were alongside of. I crouch down and look round at 
 Dan, as if to say " What's up ? where are they ?" He 
 understands, for he scarcely whispers '* Them's the 
 burds." I look again, and sure enough what I had 
 thought was mud was in reality a solid mass of fowl! 
 We were now within 100 yards, and I could see the 
 outside birds paddling about, just lifted off their legs. I 
 trembled so with excitement, that I could scarcely shake 
 off my right mitten, ready for the shot. Another twenty 
 yards nearer — another twenty still — Dan touches my 
 foot, I squint along the tube, aiming at the nearest 
 birds. 
 
 c 2 
 
20 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 As I lay hold of the trigger, a small wavelet comes to- 
 meet us ; just before it reaches us I give a shrill whistle 
 — there is a dead silence instantaneously ; the ripple at 
 the same instant just lifts up the prow of the punt, and 
 away goes the ten ounces of shot into the mass of fowl, 
 literally making a lane clean through them! "Well 
 done, young' un; blessed if I conld have done it much 
 better myselV As for me, I stood up in the punt to 
 the imminent hazard of its occupants, and huzzaed until 
 Dan thought I was gone stark staring mad, and I believe 
 would have knocked me down with an oar in another 
 minute. The cripples afforded us another hour's sport ; 
 there being lots of water by this time, they dived in all 
 directions, and you have to sit uncommonly still in a 
 punt. When we had collected all our spoil, we counted 
 out twenty-nine wigeon, three spoonbills, and threo 
 mallard ; and I have no doubt we left half a dozen lively 
 cripples for the "poppers" on the morrow. As fowl 
 were then selling at three shillings a couple, this shot 
 was worth at least fifty shillings to Dan. We now 
 emptied the flat bottle, lit up, and ran back with the 
 breeze to the pier in no time. 
 
 I have endeavoured to give, as far as I am able, some 
 idea of what duck shooting is like as practised at Poole. 
 Of all kinds of shooting which I am aware of, shooting 
 from a punt is the most difficult. An amateur may go in 
 the very pick of the weather, and, though he is a first- 
 rate shot, he will not touch a fowl with a punt gun. This 
 kind of shooting is generally looked down on as un- 
 sportsmanlike and mere butchery, but I can assure my 
 readers that, like grouse driving, it is only condemned 
 by persons entirely ignorant of the matter. Few gentle- 
 men know anything about it, they being almost invariably 
 
A WEEK'S DUCK SHOOTING AT POOLE. 
 
 21 
 
 binder the orders of a professional chaperon. It is very 
 difficult to get a good one ; the reason is obvious ; a man 
 who can make perhaps three or four pounds in a shot or 
 two is not likely to be bothered about a "gemman/ J 
 who perhaps gives him half a sovereign. Even when 
 you do get a good man, he will not tell you any of their 
 secrets on any consideration, for fear you might set up a 
 ipunt for yourself ; and they will rarely " work you up " 
 to a good company of birds, as they are afraid you will 
 make a mess of it, and only frighten the fowl. They 
 naturally prefer to keep that company for themselves, 
 •after they have got rid of you. 
 
 It is very difficult, as I have said, to shoot well with a 
 punt gun ; a beginner will almost invariably shoot over 
 everything. The best elevation for the gun, for general 
 weathers, is about 9in. over the snout of the punt ; you 
 then are not likely to shoot into the crest of a wave. If 
 your company is a large one, say four or five hundred 
 birds, the best distance to fire at them is about sixty 
 yards, or even more ; the gun then must be pointed 
 slightly over the nearest birds, by which means the whole 
 fiock will be raked. The wilder the birds the farther 
 you have to shoot at them, and, therefore, the larger the 
 shot you must load your gun with; when tame the 
 smallest duck shot does the most execution. Of course 
 the object of sighting the gun slightly over the first 
 birds is also to allow for the rising of the birds at the 
 flash. As regards " cross n shots with a punt gun, I say 
 nothing more than that it requires a finished artist even 
 to attempt it. 
 
 As regards the time for shooting fowl, the best are the 
 ground ebb " and the " ebb-flow." Of these the " ebb 
 flow " is the very best. In this case the right way to 
 
22 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 go to work is not to disturb the birds too soon, but to- 
 keep at a moderate distance off, and wait till the tide 
 gradually rises to within a quarter of a mile of them. 
 As the water closes on them, the fowl will crowd closer 
 and closer together, till eventually there are hundreds in 
 a company. As this is their last chance for a feed — 
 particularly if the weather is frosty — they are more un- 
 suspecting than at any other time. All this time you 
 must be " setting up " to them ; but as the mud begins 
 to disappear you may "work up/' Of course I need 
 hardly say you must keep your punt " end on/' preserve 
 the greatest silence, and lie at the bottom of the punt. 
 By skilfully attending to these instructions, you may 
 frequently get within fifty yards of an immense flock 
 of wigeon — so close, in fact, that you are obliged to 
 whistle to make them put their heads up. Dan has told 
 me that he has frequently manoeuvred round a company 
 at close quarters to get a "rake/' so unsuspecting have 
 they been. With average luck, a pound gun ought ' to 
 kill on these occasions from thirty to sixty fowl. When 
 at this game, look out for straggling shooters ; besides 
 being a great nuisance, and liable to totally spoil a 
 harbour in a week, they are sometimes rather dangerous. 
 Dan was once lying off a large company of wigeon on 
 the edge of a bank, rising with the ebb flow ; he had 
 previously seen a man in a small boat, but lost sight of 
 him. As he was quietly watching the fowl, he saw the 
 boat again gradually approach, and what was his amaze- 
 ment to receive the contents of a long single at about 
 fifty yards' range ! The man luckily made a bad shot, 
 only a pellet or two striking, but not penetrating, 
 Dan's swansdown coat. He had mistaken him for 
 a small bunch of wigeon ! Of course the birds 
 
a week's duck SHOOTING AT POOLE. 23 
 
 flew off, and Dan lost a good shot, besides nearly losing 
 his life. 
 
 At " ground ebb " you must wait at high tide near a 
 bank which the fowl are known to haunt ; as the tide 
 recedes, the shallower the water the whiter it appears, 
 and consequently the more distinct the birds which 
 pitch. You, on the other hand, are less distinct from 
 being in the deep water. By this method you are also 
 enabled to float down gradually to your flock, when, 
 by lying down in the punt, you will be mistaken by 
 them for a log a wood. In nine nights out of ten a 
 quite white or stone-colour dress is the best. I need 
 hardly mention that at " ground ebb " shooting care 
 must be taken, after the shot, that both persons do not 
 leave the punt together, or even one without mud- 
 pattens. Many people have been lost in Poole harbour 
 by wandering away in the eager pursuit of cripples, and 
 either being frozen to death or sinking in the mud. At 
 this time never go too far up a latch, unless you 
 know your way well ; if you don't, and you get among 
 the labyrinth of Poole latches at night, you may make 
 your mind up for u a night on the flats " when you 
 might have been comfortably in your blankets. 
 
 Very good sport may be had by taking a canoe, or 
 any small light-draught boat, and a heavy single shoulder 
 gun, and latching at nights ; it may be called the 
 rabbit shooting of fowling. When out at this sport, 
 of course if you see a gunner approaching, or setting 
 up to your flock, you will give him the first shot, 
 reserving your fire for the cripples or as they pass you 
 on the wing — if they do. After a gunner has made 
 a shot, the big company frequently gets split up into 
 small bunches, and when much disturbed make for the 
 
24 
 
 E AMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 latches; if you have the wind at your back, and a 
 ground ebb, you may gently drop down the creeks, and 
 perhaps have the fortune to have four or five fair shots. 
 Of all weathers, thick hazy nights are the worst. A 
 bright starlight night, with a black frost hard enough 
 to freeze the nose off your face, is the best of all times, 
 and if there is just enough wind to ruffle the water, so 
 much the better. Should, however, there have been a 
 long-continued severe frost, the first thaw that comes 
 affords the cream of the whole. From long-continued 
 hunger the birds become so ravenous that at ebb 
 flow they may be often approached in daylight. The 
 best time to shoot fowl with a punt gun is about four 
 o'clock in the morning, after they have fed. In ap- 
 proaching them, if you hear them feeding, with their 
 bills all going, you may proceed ; but if they are quite 
 quiet and motionless, they are on the watch. I need 
 hardly mention that it is always best to manoeuvre 
 your punt so that, before working up for your shot, 
 you shall have a hill or black water to approach 
 from. 
 
 Supposing you find yourself hungry, some miles from 
 an inn, and only a coot in your boat, go to work as 
 follows, and you shall have a dish Soyer might envy. 
 The recipe was given me by Francis, a Oalifornian 
 hunter ; he used it for curlew. Skin your coot, cut 
 off his head, and take out his inside ; make an incision 
 on each side of his breast, and in each put half a lemon 
 peel, pushing an iron skewer through the incisions and 
 breast bone, to keep all in its place. Inside put an 
 onion, whole ; sew the bird up, and put him in a pot 
 suspended over a fire by two forked sticks ; add a tea- 
 spoonful of salt, and boil for an hour. If you see a 
 
a week's duck SHOOTING AT POOLE. 25 
 
 cottage near, beg a couple of potatoes and put them in ; 
 and if you have a drop of sherry at the bottom of your 
 flask, just before you eat him take out the onion and 
 pour in the sherry ; you may now eat your bird, and all 
 I ask you to do is to say grace after it, and if you enjoy 
 it, to drink the health of 
 
 Oliver North. 
 
THAT SHELDRAKE. 
 
 Somehow or other, I almost think I like those " odd 
 days 99 at the end of the shooting season better than the 
 regular " slaughters ; " there is a freedom and ease about 
 them that one does not get in battues or grouse driving ; 
 one is not eternally thinking of the weight of one's bag^ 
 or fearing lest some one should " wipe your eye." To 
 thoroughly enjoy these odd days, they must be unpre- 
 meditated ; like the meeting of two old friends, " when 
 least expected, enjoyed the most." When My Lord 
 Broadacres sends his compliments to me, and requests 
 the pleasure of my attendance at his battue to-morrow, 
 the first thing of course is to say to my man, " Thompson, 
 put my dress clothes in my bag," and I instinctively 
 wonder whether my shooting suit of last year is decent 
 enough to appear in. After all said and done, that 
 battue shooting is not so bad a recreation. Some one 
 in the Field the other day said that those men who talk 
 about " give me a day of walking up partridges before 
 all your battues," &c, almost invariably manoeuvre for 
 a "hot" corner, and go in for a little indiscriminate 
 slaughter. By the powers they do ; I remember being 
 at a rook-shooting party once ; one of the guns at break- 
 fast told me, quite confidentially, " Well, you know, this 
 is all very well in its way, you understand, but for my 
 part, it lacks the element of sport, sir — quite lacks it." 
 I of course shot with a rifle, as nearly all the others did, 
 as it was not a large rookery ; but merciful heavens ! 
 
THAT SHELDRAKE. 
 
 27 
 
 our " sportsman " had a weapon — 11 -bore — " kills 'em 
 clean you know." That man drank dry sherry and fired 
 away like a mitrailleuse, till hardly a rook remained. 
 
 As for the much-abused grouse driving, I have never, 
 bad luck t,o it! had a turn at that, and I am afraid 
 I never shall. I dare say, however, if I were offered a 
 mantelet some fine day, I should turn "artilleryman" 
 with the rest of them. As for the sport of the thing, 
 that depends entirely, I imagine, on the taste of the 
 individual ; it really is very difficult to define sport. If 
 a man finds extreme pleasure in killing birds flying at a 
 great pace in large quantities, probably the more he 
 kills the better sport he thinks it. Others, again, would 
 consider three couple of woodcock a far better day's 
 sport than any amount of snipe or duck ; yet I imagine 
 these two latter are about as hard to kill as the former. 
 Before Colonel Hawker's time, duck-shooting was con- 
 demned, as he says, t€ as an occupation only fit for 
 rustics." I certainly consider it facile princeps the finest 
 of all sport, except deer-stalking. A celebrated sports- 
 man makes out that buffalo hunting is the finest sport 
 in the universe. There you are again ; I really consider 
 it one of the tamest. You ride up to the herd on a pony 
 trained to the work, single out a straggler, run alongside 
 and fire into him with a heavy pistol, and then run along- 
 side another, and so on, till your horse gives out. There 
 is just the excitement of a good gallop, and no danger 
 in it at all. A stockman on a cattle station in Australia 
 or Chile has twice the excitement and danger, and is far- 
 better mounted into the bargain. I would guarantee, at 
 a week's notice, to give a far better buffalo hunt with 
 two or three wicked Highland bulls on a good large 
 moor than is possible on the " boundless peraries." 
 
.28 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 Well, one morning I was strolling through the stable, 
 when who should come up and ask me to go out for a 
 walk but my spaniel' Tim. Now I am not going to ask my 
 readers to believe that Tim really spoke in words ; he 
 does not quite do that yet, though I have hopes of him. 
 No ; he merely rubbed his nose against my leg, uttered 
 a short bark, and then sat down and looked at me. He 
 said as plain as words could, " Come out for a ramble, 
 and Fll see if I can find that sheldrake for you." Just 
 then Fan came sidling up, and went through the same 
 performance. " Well, I may as well see if I can't get 
 that sheldrake to-day as any other," I soliloquise ; so I 
 call out, " Thompson, bring me my gun and fifteen or 
 twenty cartridges, and my thick boots, Fll put them on 
 here on the steps ; fill my flask with sherry, and tell 
 your mistress I shan't be at home for lunch." I start 
 down the drive with the two dogs barking and smelling 
 at the box by the roadside ; now " bunny" jumps up and 
 scampers away unharmed, pursued by Fan, and now a 
 flock of starlings fly hurriedly up on an elm tree, and 
 look down with curious sidelong eye on Tim as he barks 
 at them from below — rabbit, starlings, Fan, and Tim 
 evidently looking on the whole thing as an excellent 
 piece of romp. I feel inclined to romp too, and take a 
 four-foot style in my path " flying," gun and all. It 
 was indeed one of those glorious mornings when one 
 feels generous to everybody, and wishes that everyone 
 could be out shooting as well. I had a letter from that 
 confounded cousin Jack last night asking for 50Z. (a 
 mere temporary loan, old fellow, you know), and the 
 way I anathematised him was dreadful; yet somehow 
 this morning I think, Well, after all, Jack is not a bad 
 sort of fellow, and really I shouldn't be surprised if it 
 
THAT SHELDRAKE. 
 
 29 
 
 only wanted the sheldrake safe in my coat pocket to 
 settle the business. 
 
 The under-keeper one evening had told me that a 
 " coorious bird " had been seen for some days past in 
 company with a trip of duck that frequented the river ; 
 " a sort of a painted duck he be, zur." I knew it was 
 ten to one it was a sheldrake, or shoveller, as I had 
 frequently shot them in company with other fowl at 
 Poole. I had been after the bird two or three times, 
 but somehow I had always missed him. I didn't care 
 much about the other ducks ; in fact, I rather object to> 
 shooting wildfowl on one's own ground. I have a sort 
 of idea that they are ornamental ; it must be only an 
 idea, as I hardly ever see them by daytime, but somehow 
 it sounds well in an advertisement — " Mansion for sale, 
 &c. ; lake well stocked with wildfowl it has quite a ducal 
 smack about it. No, I only wanted Master Sheldrake, 
 it must be confessed, to ornament with his wings the 
 hat of the future partner of my joys and woes. I had 
 talked a good deal about that sheldrake after dinner. 
 "Of course, my dear, nothing easier. I'll get it you 
 to-morrow ; the wing is lovely, and will exactly suit 
 that sealskin turban." Many to-morrows passed, and 
 no sheldrake; and only yesterday my beloved had 
 mounted, as if in defiance, a great red flaming breast of 
 some exotic bird or other, and " hoped it suited the 
 sealskin turban." Now chaff I never can stand, and 
 when it comes from the love — but mind, she may pos- 
 sibly read this. 
 
 And so I walked briskly forward, mentally resolving 
 that I will have that confounded bird somehow. How- 
 ever, it is no good going after the ducks now, as they 
 are all out at sea for the day and I must wait for the 
 
30 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 evening flight ; so I just take a turn up by Bowman's 
 mere to see if I can get a snipe or two. I find the pond 
 frozen . over, and the flags rustling mournfully in the 
 soughing wind ; it's too cold and still, the birds lie too 
 close, and I am just turning away, when Fan wheels 
 quickly to the right, and commences to crawl cautiously 
 towards the mere again with outstretched nose, and up 
 they spring under her very feet all in a lump. I cut one 
 down handsomely at the rise, and another goes away 
 with a — yes, there he falls in the middle of that stubble. 
 On my way to pick him up a rabbit springs from a 
 tussock and goes hopping merrily over the gorse, till 
 an ounce of No. 6 puts an end to his capers. And so I 
 go on, at times dawdling along a hedge, for the mere 
 pleasure of seeing the dogs beat it, and now and then 
 bowling over a rabbit; and at times just taking a look 
 in at a spinney to see if there is not an old cock 
 pheasant who just wants to learn how much shot he 
 can carry away. By the bye, a pheasant is popularly 
 supposed to present a mark like a flaming Catherine 
 wheel or a haystack ; but to cut down handsomely, not 
 slovenly, an old rocketing cock requires an " artist/' or, 
 all events, something more than a " duffer." 
 
 As I am passing by Durbin the ditcher's cottage, 
 Mrs. D. greets me with a cheery " Well, be that you, 
 zur ? well now, do'e sit down a minute, Maister Oliver, 
 there's a good soul." The fire looks cheery, and my 
 pockets feel rather heavy somehow with a couple of 
 pheasants and a brace of snipe. " Well, Mrs. Durbin, I 
 don't mind if I do have a pipe, and tell Durbin I've left 
 two couple of rabbits hanging up on that fence next 
 Bowman's mere; send a couple up to the house and 
 keep the other yourself. How are the children ? 
 
THAT SHELDRAKE. 
 
 31 
 
 Husband going to strike?" " Thank you kindly, zur, 
 the children be pretty well ; and as for striking, I tells 
 Durbin, I do, if he wants to strike, Til do it for 'un with 
 a mop handle ; " and I am quite sure she could and 
 would. Years ago she was the belle of the village and 
 master of Durbin' s heart; she is still master of her 
 husband, both morally and physically, and as for the 
 belle part of the business — well, she's forty, and not by 
 any means to be " sneezed at." In truth, Durbin would 
 be a fool to strike ; he's one of our best men, and rather 
 a favoured one. My mother says that my father and I 
 favour him because of his wife, but that's all stuff, of 
 course. Yes, I think, as I take out my pipe and settle 
 myself down by the ingle, waiting till the good woman 
 just heats up a basin of some sort of stew, which she 
 insists on my taking — yes, I've seen many an un- 
 fortunate " gentleman emigrant " abroad who would be 
 infinitely better off if he were in Durbin's shoes. The 
 cottage has four rooms, besides an outhouse ; the room 
 I am sitting in is a marvel of cleanness ; the floor neatly 
 sanded against D.'s return, the table and dresser as white 
 as a hound's tooth, and it's array of plates and tins bright 
 enough to shave in almost. Two sturdy boys eye me 
 suspiciously from the corner, one of whom seems en- 
 deavouring to screw the heel of his foot into his left ear, 
 and the other stares at me solemnly over a huge piece of 
 bread and butter. I am really almost commencing to 
 moralise, when up comes the basin of stew steaming hot. 
 Durbin gets 17s. 6d. a week, and an odd rabbit or two 
 now and then; his wife keeps him away from the public, 
 and takes him to church on Sundays, and they both 
 look on the people " up at the house " as their friends, 
 and not their taskmasters. Little more than a rifle shot 
 
32 
 
 E AMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 from where I am sitting is the mansion of the Hon. 
 Mr. — well, we will call him Smith, so that everyone 
 may know whom I mean. This gentleman can draw 
 cheques for thousands ; he does not live with his wife ; 
 a " difficulty " occurred somehow. This gentleman finds 
 he can't get along on 10,000/. a year, his expenses are 
 so enormous ; true, he doesn't live much at his country 
 seat, but town runs away with a heap of money, and 
 as for Mile. Helene, of the King's Theatre, really she 
 does go ahead tremendously. " Those brutes of farmers 
 must pay up," writes the Hon. S. j u I must have some 
 money by the quarter ; you must get it out of some one." 
 Of course the "someone" is poor Hodge. The bailiff 
 squeezes the tenant farmers, and they in their turn 
 squeeze the labourer. The above is no exaggeration. 
 I lived in Dorsetshire many years, near some of the 
 richest landed proprietors in the country ; the condition 
 of some of the labourers was (and is) appalling, and a 
 disgrace to a man, let alone a gentleman. (Vide daily 
 papers passim.) 
 
 As I am reflecting in a highly philosophical frame of 
 mind on these important affairs, I hear a voice outside, 
 " Be Maister Oliver inside ? — oh, I seed, zur, thick 'ere 
 duck this marning, and I allow he'll be round again to 
 evening," says Joyce the under-keeper. "Very well; 
 just take those birds up to the house and we'll go and 
 have a look after him." I finish my pipe, and the two 
 dogs are having just forty winks before the fire, when 
 Joyce returns and off we go. " Any news, Joyce ? " 
 " No, zur, nothing perticler, except as how I seed that 
 danged young poacher, Joe Simmons, prowling about as 
 I came along." t€ Ah, we shall have to ground-ash that 
 young man if we catch him." " He be a tur'ble hard 
 cove to catch, zur." 
 
THAT SHELDBAKE. 
 
 33 
 
 We now approach the river, and walk slowly down 
 its banks, while a slight fog begins to rise from the 
 meadows; at last we arrive at the favourite flighting 
 place, near the bend of the river ; a bed of reeds 
 occupies half the breadth of the stream, while a huge 
 elm, under which we sit down, nearly overshadows the 
 other half. We leash the dogs, and I fix a piece of 
 white paper on the sight of my gun, and we then have 
 nothing to do but smoke and wait. What curious noises 
 one hears during the evening ! One moment it is the 
 rushing sound of many wings, as a bunch of wigeon goes 
 hurtling through the air ; at another, the wailing note of 
 that solitary fisherman, the heron, comes mournfully 
 floating from the mere, or the shrill cackle of the 
 watchful goose, as he feeds in yonder meadow, startles 
 the ear of eve. Presently five duck come flying straight 
 for us; they give one wheel, and down they go into 
 the rushes. Joyce clutches my arm, " Them's them, 
 zur ; that painted chap always flights a little behind the 
 rest." " All right now ; you look after the ducks and 
 Fll take care of the sheldrake/' There is no time to 
 lose, as the light is fading ; Joyce takes Tim fifty yards 
 up the stream, and sends him across to drive the ducks 
 out towards us; now he's across — disappears in the 
 rushes — a moment's silence, and whirr ! — out they come, 
 the "painted customer" behind. In my hurry and 
 anxiety I miss him with my right ; round he wheels. I 
 anathematise the gun and bring my left, with a green cart- 
 ridge in, up to my shoulder, when bang goes a gun, and 
 " procumbit humi sheldrake ! " "Well, dang my buttons 
 if that 'aint that cussed Joe Simmons ! " cries Joyce ; 
 and sure enough that worthy, who had been lying in 
 ambush himself, made his appearance on the opposite 
 
 D 
 
34 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 side of the river, bird in hand. "You scoundrel you, 
 Pll prosecute you." "No really, Capting, you can't 
 mean it now : devilish sorry to have c wiped ' yer, but — 
 good evening, Capting, good evening," and the rascal 
 executed an impromptu double-shuffle on the bank, and 
 walked off with his prize. The shooting on the other 
 side did not belong to us, and what could we do ? 
 
 I went home; to add to my disgust, who should be on 
 the door-step but the before-mentioned young lady, who 
 had just stepped over from the Vicarage. " Oh, 
 Oliver, how late you are ! dinner's quite spoiled ; but 
 the boy told us you had gone after the what-d'ye-call-it 
 duck, and I am sure you have got it this time, haven't 
 you ? " " Oh, confound the duck, I wish " — no I won't 
 repeat what I said, but it must have been something 
 awful, as when I came down to dinner I found my mother 
 and " t'other party " in tears. I forbear to tell how I 
 " went on ; " how I declared that the soup was cold, the 
 pheasant too high, and the mutton overdone ; how I 
 astonished Thompson by calling him an ass because he 
 hadn't warmed the claret enough. " Yes, to call me a 
 hass, me as 'as been in the family now twenty-two year, 
 he aktilly called me a hass," he told Joyce in the kitchen 
 afterwards. I sulked all the evening, escorted a certain 
 young person back to a certain house, and said hardly a 
 word to that young person all the way. I went to bed, 
 and finally slept over it. In the morning a bright idea 
 — a happy thought, or rather, I should say, a suggestion 
 of the Deceiver himself, occurred to me — Why not buy 
 the sheldrake ? I hurry on my things ; " Tell Joyce I 
 want him j " and in five minutes I confide my plan to 
 him. " I must have that bird somehow, Joyce." He 
 says nothing, but stares and smiles; I rather think he 
 
THAT SHELDRAKE. 
 
 35 
 
 "knows something." However, he promises secrecy. 
 In half an hour more I am at Simrnon's cottage. " Sim- 
 mons, you shot a rather curious duck last night ; I want 
 to buy him." " Ho hor ! are you the gem'man as was 
 there last night ? so you be," says the scamp. " Yes, it 
 is a pretty thing, aint it ? I don't like to part with it, 
 *cos I was going to cut off the wings for my young' 
 Roman's 'at." Confound his impudence ! " Well, here's 
 a sovereign and five shillings to shut your mouth." 
 u Done along with you, sir ; that's what I call 'andsome, 
 I does ; let me wrap it up in paper for yer." I hurry 
 back, bolt down my breakfast, rush over to the vicarage, 
 and exhibit my prize. Everything is made up, the seal- 
 skin turban is adorned and looks lovely, and " all went 
 merry as a marriage bell." Ishall be married soon; I 
 may truly say I shall conceal nothing from my wife, but 
 I have never told her the truth of that sheldrake yet, and 
 never shalL 
 
 t> 2 
 
QUAIL SHOOTING IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 The quail is very abundant throughout California ; and, 
 the species being one which is found, if not exclusively, 
 at least principally in this State, it is generally called 
 the Calif ornian quail. It is a very handsome, plump, 
 beautifully-shaped bird, about three-fourths the size of 
 a partridge, very strong on the wing, and swift. The 
 male birds has two crest-like feathers on his head. For 
 shooting them you want a light gun, as they are 
 exceedingly quick the moment they are flushed, though 
 their flight is even and straight, and the best dog for the 
 sport is a good retriever. The general character of 
 the country being brush up to the knee, the greatest 
 difficulty is in recovering birds, and getting to them. 
 The immense quantities render the finding them an easy 
 matter, with a dog that will hunt close and retrieve well. 
 Next to deer shooting, which an old sportsman calls the 
 " poetry of shooting," I think quail shooting in Cali- 
 fornia the most delightful sport in existence. Of course 
 there is not the excitement of the " grooved barrel," 
 laying low the noble stag or ferocious grizzly, where 
 upon eye and nerve depend perhaps one's life. But the 
 loveliness of this favoured land, the surpassing excellence 
 of its balmy air, its exhilarating and delicious climate, its 
 mountains just steep enough to show all the exquisite 
 variety of hill and dale, the abundance of the game, and 
 the sense of unconstrained freedom, all combine to render 
 quail shooting in California a most delightful sport. 
 
QUAIL SHOOTING JN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 37 
 
 It was in September, 186 — , I first had the pleasure 
 of quailing. I was at San Francisco, and had made 
 frequent excursions to Savcelito, San Rafael, and other 
 neighbouring places, with varied success, and I soon 
 made the acquaintance of a professional hunter for the 
 market. He was ab6ut to make the San Jose Valley his 
 head-quarters for the winter, and his glowing account 
 of the quantities of game there made me determine to 
 accompany him for a month. He provided dogs, &c, 
 and I readily agreed to give him all I shot. Our tent 
 was soon packed up ; our blankets, some tobacco, coffee, 
 flour, sugar, one or two tin " billies " rolled up inside, 
 completed our outfit. We placed the lot in an express 
 wagon, with a spare mustang led behind, and, with 
 a boy to mind the things when we were away shooting, 
 off we went towards San Jose. After going about thirty- 
 five miles down the valley, we halted at a small shanty, 
 or hotel as the Yanks call it, for the night. By-the-bye, 
 every tumble- down shebeen with a keg of chain -lightning 
 whiskey in it is an " hotel " in America. While smoking 
 our pipes in the evening a man who heard what we were 
 after told us he was ranching, or farming, about ten 
 miles off the main road through the valley. As he was 
 somewhere in the direction we intended to shoot, we 
 closed with his offer to let us have a berth in his house 
 to spread our blankets on ; by this means we should be 
 saved the trouble of pitching our tent and the fear of 
 having our belongings stolen, while at the same time we 
 could easily get to fresh ground as often as we liked on 
 horseback. 
 
 Next morning we all three started on the express 
 wagon, having sent back the boy. About noon we 
 arrived at our friend's ranch — a wood house or hut, and 
 
38 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 an acre or two of cleared land, in which he grew a few 
 potatoes and other vegetables. A hog, a fowl or two,, 
 with an occasional turkey, prowled promiscuously about. 
 The cattle which these ranch-men possess, few and 
 many, roam about on the hills, and are distinguished by 
 the different brands of the owners ; a heavy penalty 
 being inflicted on those caught effacing them or appro- 
 priating cattle of other brands. His hut was pretty 
 comfortable, so we stowed away our provisions and flour, 
 spread our blankets, and took a look round at things in 
 general. The view was certainly enchanting. The hut 
 lay in a small valley beside a stream perennial. On 
 either side were the grand old hills rising tier above tier,, 
 keeping silent watch, undefiled by man. No sound 
 broke the silence, save the lowing of the kine, or the 
 swoop of the turkey buzzard as he swept down on 
 his prey, or, more cheerful sound to me, the piping of 
 the quail. I felt that, with my rifle, gun, and rod, I 
 could for ever live in this lovely spot. About a quarter 
 of a mile from the house I flushed several bevies of quail, 
 so, calling off the dogs, after I had seen what I might 
 expect, I returned to my friends, whom I found enjoying 
 their pipes, and discussing whiskey "straight;" although 
 the brook ran close by, I did not see that either of them 
 troubled it much. After supper we made our arrange- 
 ments ; every four days we, or rather my companion was 
 to send in the game to San Francisco ; and as we could 
 reach, on our horses, some very fair deer hunting some 
 few miles off, we made up our minds to a good month. 
 My companion was eternally calculating how many dollars 
 he was going to make during the fall ; the idea of my 
 shooting for months together simply for the sake of the 
 sport and the lovely scenery, was a perfect mystery to- 
 
QUAIL SHOOTING IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 39 
 
 him. The rise and fall of the market was as much an 
 object to him as the rise and fall of the birds. On my 
 endeavouring to explain, he said, " Wa-al, I guess quails 
 makes considerable good hash, and I reckon the more 
 you shoot the more dollars Fll make with which sage 
 remark he rolled himself up in his blanket, snd was soon 
 in the land of dreams. 
 
 Next morning very early my companion awakened me. 
 A plunge in the fresh running stream; a flannel shirt, 
 cord breeches, knee boots, and wideawake hat completed 
 our toilette ; and gun in hand we sallied forth to deal 
 destruction among the unsuspecting quail. We directed 
 our steps along a cattle trail, bordered on either side 
 by scrub, with occasional clear spaces, and we could hear 
 the birds hailing the early morn in the patches of brush 
 as we went along. We were nearing a small brook, 
 with a hedge on the near side, beyond which was a clear 
 open space about the eighth of an acre. Our Yankee 
 ranchman was leading the way, as he was going to show 
 us " a holler where he guessed the fe-owls were as 
 thick as peas in a pod." All of a sudden he stopped 
 and crouched down, at the same time holding up his 
 hand to enjoin silence ; we crouched too. " Hold the 
 dogs," he whispered. He then crawled like a cat 
 till he reached the hedge, peered through it for an in- 
 stant, and slowly pitched forward his musketoon, a 
 double, about 7-bore, built, he informed me, at " Bosting," 
 which cost goodness knows how many dollars, and could 
 kill at something over 300 yards. I cocked both my 
 barrels, and was almost putting in a bullet for the 
 express benefit of the expected deer, in case my friend 
 missed his shot. Bang went his blunderbuss, and up 
 got — a lovely bevy of quail ! His quick eye had de- 
 
40 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 tected the unsuspecting darlings feeding in the open, 
 and he had quietly potted them. As they flew round I 
 let the beauties have both barrels, and twain of them 
 were laid low, and my hunting friend also secured one. 
 On returning to our Yankee we found him loading 
 his cannon, and chuckling to himself: " Dang me if I 
 didn't serve them blarmed quail that trick fifty times 
 last fall ; and I guess I've ketched them the very first 
 day I've had a chance at 'em/' I mildly asked him 
 whether he considered that sport. "Wal, I calkilate 
 I've got seven fowls to your two, and that's the way 
 to look at it." 
 
 After this little exhibition of potting, our friend 
 guessed he would make tracks back, having directed 
 us to the aforesaid " holler." When he had gone we 
 separated, my calculating friend taking the low ground, 
 and I the slopes of the hills. These slopes were mostly 
 covered with wild oats, and I never saw anything like 
 the abundance of the birds ; they literally swarmed, so 
 many getting up at once on all sides, that they really 
 puzzled me for the first half-hour. In four hours' time 
 I bagged thirty brace, and lost and missed half as many. 
 I shot also a good many ground squirrel. By the by^ 
 these latter are exquisite eating ; stew them in port or 
 claret, and they are " some pumpkins." Returning I 
 bagged several more, until at last my ammunition gave out, 
 but my game bag showed forty brace as my day's work. 
 My friend had also got about thirty brace. This may 
 seem a pretty good day's work to some; but to one 
 who has seen the incredible quantities of quail in Cali- 
 fornia it will appear nothing remarkable. 
 
 We stayed in this valley about a fortnight, during 
 which our bags averaged fifty brace a day, and as quail 
 
QUAIL SHOOTING IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 41 
 
 were then selling in the San Francisco market at a dollar 
 and a quarter or five shillings a dozen, Jim had a 
 pretty " good thing." He told me he considered a fair 
 day's work about five dollars, and he had made nine. 
 After I got to know him a little more, he told me he 
 had been a gamekeeper in England, but had left his 
 country, whether at his own or its expense he did not 
 say. However, he was a capital shot, and had a fund 
 of stories about his adventures all over America, which 
 he was no way shy of telling over a pipe after our day's 
 work. Our Yankee host likewise always had some ex- 
 traordinary tales, among which one in particular about 
 a bear did duty almost every night ; in fact you had only 
 to mention bears, when he would commence about his 
 " bar." This animal's size and teeth increased at every 
 repetition of the story. Whenever he commenced, I 
 used to quietly roll myself up in my blanket, and when 
 he got to where the "bar " was going to tear his face or 
 his head off, I invariably dropped off to sleep. Deer 
 were by no means plentiful in this neighbourhood ; I 
 only got three during the fortnight I was in the valley, 
 and those only by riding ten miles to the red-woods. I 
 found them exceedingly shy and wary. However, at 
 Santa Cruz, our next camping ground, Jim assured me 
 we shall get plenty. 
 
 After a fortnight's enjoyable sport in this beautiful 
 valley, we took leave of our Yankee with reluctance — 
 for he had made us very comfortable, and seemed glad 
 of our company — packed up our traps, and went on 
 to Santa Cruz. The town is very pretty, and some little 
 trade in hides, lime, and powder goes on, the country 
 round here is very fertile, and the scenery enchanting. 
 There is an abundance of game of almost every descrip- 
 
42 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 tion within a few miles, and the San Lorenzo, and 
 indeed all the streams, abound with trout. The climate 
 is considered the finest in California, which is saying 
 a good deal, and the country is getting rapidly settled in 
 as the beauties of the place are appreciated. If there 
 is one spot where such a rambler as myself could settle 
 for a few years, it would be the lovely Santa Cruz. The 
 temperature is remarkably even, the nights always being 
 deliciously cool; even in the height of summer the 
 heat is never oppressive, the sea breeze tempering it 
 delightfully. The character of the country is here 
 • more suited for large game than the San Jose valley, 
 and during our stay in this part of the country, 
 which lasted about three weeks, we killed fourteen 
 deer. The hunters generally use a shot-gun, loaded 
 with buckshot, but I always used a Westley Richards 
 carbine, the practice and handiness of which rather 
 astonished Jim occasionally, as I frequently brought 
 down deer at from 200 to 300 yards. At short 
 ranges the heavy Yankee rifles are good, but over 250 
 I used to beat them with my carbine, " till they did 
 not know themselves." Bears are nearly extinct here 
 now, but within about 60 miles inland there are still a 
 great number. One evening when we were encamped 
 about ten miles from Santa Cruz, a farmer came in and 
 told us that he had had five cows killed in a fortnight 
 by bears, and wished we could come with him on his 
 return from Santa Cruz (whither he was going for pro- 
 visions) to his ranch, about twenty miles off. As it 
 would not have paid my friend to go too far from his 
 markets — Santa Cruz and San Jose — we were compelled 
 to decline the invitation. Jim, however, consoled me 
 by telling me he could put me in the way of getting 
 
QUAIL SHOOTING IN CALIFORNIA. 43 
 
 much better bear-shooting than any I could get so near 
 at hand, and promised to give me letters to two young 
 friends of his some way down on the road to Los 
 Angeles, in Lower California. After three weeks'' 
 capital sport about Santa Cruz, I bade adieu to friend 
 Jim with great regret, as he was really a most jolly com- 
 panion, though he ivas a trifle rough. I suspect he was 
 rather sorry to part with me too, as I contributed in no 
 small degree to his " calculations." 
 
 Thus ended my trip in this charming valley, and never 
 did I enjoy anything more in my life. It is the delightful 
 feeling of grand unrestraint that is so pleasant; the know- 
 ledge that you can go anywhere for hundreds of miles with- 
 out let or hindrance of any sort, the quantity of game, and 
 deliciousness of the climate of this enchanting country, 
 that make a man who has roved through California such 
 a loyer of it. To the geologist it presents the most 
 interesting as well as profitable field for research; the 
 ornithologist would revel here ; to the lover of nature the 
 geysers, the numerous lakes and valleys, the variety of 
 mountain scenery — above all, that most exquisitely grand 
 combination of waterfall and vale, the Yosemite valley, 
 with its noble trees, which have stood since the world's 
 primeval days — present a picture such as he will find 
 in no other part of the globe of equal extent. Its 
 virgin and unequalled soil render it the most inviting 
 place of emigration by far of any I have seen at present ; 
 its wheat at Liverpool fetches a higher price than the 
 best English, and thousands of acres of land are waiting 
 for occupants. The skilled artisan will get better wages 
 here than in any other part of the world that I am 
 acquainted with ; and with its perfect climate — were it 
 in easy and cheap communication with our shores — it 
 
44 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 would soon teem with population. When I think of 
 the difference between the condition of our poor 
 emigrants in Canada and the happy lot of Califor- 
 nians, it seems sad to think that after all it is only a 
 matter of £15 passage-money between the two countries. 
 
BEAK- HUNTING IN MEXICO. 
 
 An invitation was given me by the two young Mexican 
 stockowners mentioned in the last chapter, who were at 
 San Francisco selling cattle, to go down and visit them 
 at their ranch in Lower California, or, as it is generally 
 called, Upper Mexico. As they were two fine young 
 manly fellows, full of life and spirits, and as they pro- 
 mised me fine fun with the antelopes and bears, and any 
 other sport that they could show me, I of course willingly 
 accepted their proposal. 
 
 It did not take me very long to pack up a few — a 
 very few — necessaries, including my W. R. carbine and 
 gun, and after a journey of a few days we arrived 
 safely at the ranch. I cannot say much for the beauty 
 of the country through which we passed ; it may be 
 expressed in a line as plain and sand, sand and plain. 
 Despite what one sees in encyclopaedias and books 
 about the glorious scenery and country of Mexico, 
 Peru, and Chile, I will yet venture to say that on the 
 coast there are no more desolate places on the earth 
 than these countries, or, I may add, more glorious 
 ones in the interior, out of the beaten track. 
 
 My young friends' house was of somewhat more 
 pretensions than the generality, fc but there was the same 
 astonishing mixture of cheap furniture and extravagant 
 waste, of accommodation such as a groom in England 
 would turn his nose up at, and useless ornaments of 
 immense \alue. They, and indeed many of the neigh - 
 
 1 
 
46 
 
 KAMBLES AFTEK SPORT. 
 
 bouring rancherons, thought nothing of giving a baile 
 or fandango where the wine alone would cost them 150L, 
 or of gambling away 1000L at a single sitting. 
 
 The entire country for miles round may be described 
 as one vast plain, with some low hills in the distance 
 covered with chajparal or scrub bush. Over these plains 
 roamed in unrestricted freedom countless herds of oxen 
 and bands of antelope, while in the chaparal occasion- 
 ally a bear was found, but not often. The grizzly bear 
 is a scarce customer anywhere now; but formerly, 
 when I was first in California, manv of them could be 
 obtained within easy distance of San Francisco, especi- 
 ally near Santa Cruz, about which I shall have something 
 to say in a future chapter. These bears are captured in 
 Lower California in an entirely novel manner, as will 
 be described ; and when caught, the great delight of 
 the vaqueros is to bait the bear with a bull, or a bull 
 with him, as the case may be. The antelopes are some- 
 times hunted by endeavouring to encircle them and 
 lasso them — a plan which rarely succeeds — or by walk- 
 ing slowly alongside of a loose horse, and when their 
 curiosity is sufficiently aroused, potting them with a 
 long-range rifle. No horse can come near them in 
 fair running ; and I never heard of a dog doing so, 
 though I should say a stout greyhound or half-bred 
 deerhound could do so with some trouble. 
 
 After two days spent entirely in introductions, spree- 
 ing, and fandangos, at which Don Miguel and Don 
 Alfonso, my two friends, seemed bent upon spending 
 all their money, I at length prevailed upon them to 
 think a little about " le sport/' in my meaning of the 
 word; and so, after one final terrific "bender" as a 
 wind-up, we all turned in about 5 a.m., having given 
 
BEAR HUNTING IN MEXICO. 
 
 47 
 
 orders that we were not to be called till the evening, 
 when the horses were to be ready for us. Accordingly, 
 in the cool of the day we made a move for the hills, 
 accompanied by half a dozen vaqueros, armed only 
 with their lassos, and a cart with a stout net in it, the 
 use of which I was presently to discover. After several 
 hours' riding we came to a herdsman's hut at the foot 
 of the hills, where we all alighted, and made ourselves 
 comfortable as best we might for the night; and, what 
 with the ride and the previous cc little game" we had 
 kept up, we all were sound asleep in five minutes, 
 although our beds were the bare floor and our ponchos. 
 
 We were awakened very early in the morning by 
 one of the vaqueros, and after a bucket of cold water 
 over my head I felt as right as the mail. My com- 
 panions dispensed with this operation, and as for the 
 vaqueros, they all put me down then and there as 
 clean, stark, staring mad ; except work, there is 
 nothing a Mexican detests more than water. However, 
 they made ample amends for their shortcomings in 
 this respect by the positively awful quantity of meat 
 they ate. By meat I mean beef, and nothing but beef. 
 Some of these men go for months without tasting a 
 piece of bread or a vegetable. 
 
 Don Miguel and Don Alfonso were mounted on two 
 splendid active little Mexican steeds, which gave them 
 every opportunity of showing off their unequalled 
 horsemanship. The demi-pique saddles were composed 
 of richly-stamped Cordovan leather, with the lasso 
 horn in front ornamented with silver plates ; the stirrups 
 were of the extreme Mexican type, quite two feet long, 
 nearly sweeping the ground ; and they had on 
 iotas, or long boots, with spurs of solid silver at least 
 
48 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 six inches in length ; wherever a silver boss could be 
 put, there was one. They certainly were two pretty 
 fellows. I think a Chile huaso, well mounted, is a 
 better horseman, and his horse better trained ; but 
 of course it is a matter of taste. The horses that 
 the vaqueros bestrode were small, wiry animals, that 
 looked as if they would give out every minute ; 
 but, as events proved, they could run fast enough 
 when required. As for myself, I was on a good horse 
 for running, as in case of necessity, as I told my 
 friends, I wanted to keep clear of the whole business, 
 not understanding the affair at all. 
 
 We all made a move for the hills, where, I forgot to 
 mention, the herdsman had placed a dead bullock as a 
 bait some three or four days before ; so we were confident 
 of getting a bear, and perhaps the bear, as not unusually 
 happens, might get one of us. On our way, at my 
 request, the vaqueros amused themselves, and me too, by 
 lassoing a couple of bulls ; I must say that they surpassed 
 anything I ever saw in Chile, where they are supposed 
 to do it best. I should say they made an effective throw 
 — that is, when a fair chance was offered — quite four times 
 out of six. 
 
 On nearing the ravine we found unmistakable signs of 
 bear, and a halt was ordered. A vaquero was sent on ta 
 report as to the carcase of the bullock, and came back in 
 half an hour with the news that it was gone, so we knew 
 that we had master bear now as right and tight as 
 possible. The waggon was hauled to a corner of a field, 
 and four large brownish cur dogs, of a most forbidding 
 appearance, were taken out of it ; they were of no par- 
 ticular breed, and precisely like the dogs one sees under 
 carts at fairs. We all now formed a circle, I in the 
 
BEAK HUNTING IN MEXICO. 
 
 49 
 
 middle, with a vaquero especially detailed to look after 
 me, and approached the chaparal-covered hills. I now 
 saw the danger of the sport ; the ground was exceedingly 
 rough, and the chaparal over the horse's knees ; any 
 little mistake on your horse's part, and " there you are n 
 — not. When we were a little way in, two of the dogs 
 were loosed, and immediately began beating about the 
 bush ; and after five minutes a most terrific series of 
 yelps and growls denoted that his majesty was at home 
 to visitors. It was "look out, and keep your eyes 
 skinned" now with a vengeance. Bruin, however, 
 seemed disinclined to bolt, and another dog was loosed ; 
 at last a vaquero got as near to him as his horse would 
 allow, and fired a trabuco, or Spanish blunderbuss, loaded 
 with buckshot, into his stern. This had the desired effect, 
 and after a deal of rushing about, howling of the dogs, and 
 shouts from the vaqueros, we were gratified by a sight of 
 an enormous male grizzly — so large, that I really thought 
 it was an elephant. 
 
 We managed to get him into the open, and now the 
 sport commenced in earnest. Of course I need hardly 
 mention that the dogs had never once held on to the 
 bear, but had only snapped and let go again ; in fact, 
 their chief use is to distract the attention of the animal 
 from the hunters. Two vaqueros now advanced, and 
 one, galloping around the animal, threw his lasso, but 
 missed him, lassoing one of the dogs instead. The other 
 one, however, was more fortunate, as his lasso got hold 
 of one of the bear's legs, who was immediately tumbled 
 over. It was an unfortunate shot, however, as the bear 
 got hold of one of the dogs as he rolled over, and in ah 
 instant tore him open like a sandwich, and, the lasso 
 getting twisted round his neck somehow, he snapped it 
 
 E 
 
50 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 like whipcord. Don Miguel now tried his hand, and at 
 the second try he made a beautiful cast over his head, and 
 away he spurred his horse, dragging the bear some little 
 distance. No sooner had the animal regained his legs 
 than he was immediately jerked down again, and nearly 
 throttled ; and, after the second tumble, a vaquero 
 approached quite close, and got his lasso over his head. 
 Both horsemen now spurred away at their horses, jerking 
 and dragging the bear, who was perfectly furious in his 
 struggles to regain his legs. A third vaquero now 
 approached, and easily lassoed him round the neck, and 
 they all three formed a triangle round him, the horses all 
 bearing with their full force against the tightened cord. 
 The bear gave a furious struggle now and then; but 
 there he was — "a gone 'coon/' and in a short time 
 ceased his struggles. 
 
 The dogs were now called off, and the net was brought 
 from the waggon ; a vaquero dismounted and threw this 
 over the bear, the ends were secured, and another one 
 thrown over that, and we had him safe ; the whole affair 
 lasted about two hours. What we did with him will be 
 seen further on. We had not done, however, as the 
 female bear was almost sure to be about somewhere; 
 and so it proved, for, after an hour's hot and tiresome 
 hunting, we came up with her in a small ravine, in an 
 uncommonly awkward place to get at. Nothing would 
 induce her to bolt — showing remarkable sense on her 
 part, I thought — till I was asked to fire a shot 
 at her with my carbine. I could have killed her per- 
 haps, but I did not want to, as I particularly 
 wished to see the way in which they killed them, 
 especially as the old vaquero who was detailed off to 
 me had, so Don Miguel informed me, killed several. 
 
BEAR HUNTING TN MEXICO. 
 
 51 
 
 However, I aimed at the middle of the body, and made 
 a splendid shot as I afterwards found, as I struck her 
 just grazing the belly; another inch, and I should have 
 missed her. At this she uttered a short growl, and, 
 laying her ears close to her head, came bang at us. It 
 was sauve qui peut now for all of us : but a vaquero 
 wheeled round, and, getting behind her, let her have 
 3oz. of buckshot from the trabuco, which made her run 
 like a racehorse, keeping us all going at a good gallop. 
 At length, w r ith the dogs, &c, we got her out into a plain, 
 and, after a similar performance to the last, secured her 
 by four lassos. 
 
 And now came a most exciting scene. The old va- 
 quero, who had stuck by my side all through, dis- 
 mounted, and drawing his machete, or long knife, ap- 
 proached the bear. He had no other weapon but this, 
 and his poncho round his arm. At his approach the 
 four lassos, which were in the form of a square, were 
 tightened to their utmost, nearly choking the animal, 
 and causing it to sit up on its haunches. At this 
 moment the vaquero, without the slightest hesitation, 
 like a flash of lightning ran his knife up to the hilt in 
 the heart of the bear, who instantly dropped dead. The 
 whole thing was done in a moment, and the performer 
 merely took off his hat to the assembled company, and 
 said "Seiiores!" with the air of a conqueror. "Well 
 done, by jingo ! " I involuntarily exclaimed, pitching a 
 doubloon to the old gentleman, who instantly pocketed 
 it. a Si, senor, siete son " (there are seven of them), he 
 said, as he cut another small nick in the handle of his 
 knife, in addition to six others. It was a fine female, 
 but not nearly so large as the male. Leaving this one 
 for the benefit of the vultures, we all made tracks back 
 
 E 2 
 
52 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 for the wagon, where we took our dinner, and after a 
 cigar we returned to the ranch, bringing Master Bruin 
 with us. I almost forgot to mention that we had cut off 
 the paws of the dead one, as they are very good eating ; 
 the rest of t€ Bar " is not worth its salt. 
 
 Mrs. Glasse, of immortal memory, said, " first catch 
 your hare well, anyhow we had done that, and now the 
 thing was what to do with him. My doubts on this 
 were soon settled, for the vaqueros, while we were at 
 supper, came in and told us to have a look at him. On 
 going out we found that they had got the net and 
 lassos off him, and there he was as right as ever, only 
 in a small corral. He certainly looked a splendid beast, 
 as he walked round gnashing his teeth and trying the 
 palisades. There was no fear of his getting out, though 
 it was rather uncomfortable to speculate on the chances 
 of war in case he did. However, I slipped a couple 
 of bullets into my gun, and a fresh cartridge into 
 my carbine, in case anything should turn up. My 
 friends despatched a small army of peons with the 
 news to the neighbouring rancheros, and in the even- 
 ing they came trooping in ; by midnight I should say, 
 about fifty had assembled, and a very pretty sight 
 they made, with their mettlesome steeds and splendid 
 caparisons. 
 
 What a night that was ! I never saw anything like 
 the amount of gold that was scattered about; bets of 
 100 dols. were common, and stakes of 1000 dols. or 200k 
 were several times lost and won in the course of the 
 evening. Knives were frequently drawn; but happily 
 no bloodshed took place. I had in my breeches pocket 
 a pair of Derringer £oz. pistols, with which I had made 
 up my mind to shoot anyone instantly who tried his 
 
BEAR HUNTING IN MEXICO. 
 
 53 
 
 hand on me. Indeed, a young Mexican, taking me for a 
 Yankee, asked me when we " were going to annex 
 Mexico." " I don't know when," I replied. "Til tell 
 you when," he said ; when there are no more men, and 
 no more of these left," suddenly drawing out his knife. 
 He wanted to frighten me, I suppose, but I merely put 
 my hand mechanically in my breeches pocket, at which 
 he put up his weapon. Don Miguel, however, who had 
 seen him, without the slightest ceremony took up my 
 carbine and instantly knocked him down with it from 
 behind, and I verily believe would have shot him for a 
 pin's head. " Why, you d — d scamp ! draw a knife on 
 my guest ? Why the devil didn't you pot him ? Why, 
 he'd cut your throat for a rial." These sentiments 
 seemed to be echoed by the whole party, and gave me 
 rather a queer idea of manners and customs in Lower 
 California. On coming to ? he was told to take himse f 
 off, which he did, swearing vengeance. 
 
 In the morning the vaqueros lassoed three or four of 
 the wickedest bulls on the ranch, and brought them in, 
 and about mid-day we all turned out to see the fun. 
 Bruin had quite recovered from the effects of his yester- 
 day's manoeuvres; he appeared as spry as a four-year 
 old colt, and considerably more so when five or six dogs 
 were let loose at him. After some half-hour of this 
 work, and when the animal was supposed to be suffi- 
 ciently excited, a bull was introduced into the inclosure, 
 and, after a look round, caught sight of his natural 
 enemy. Whether the bull was afraid or what, it ended 
 in the bear chasing him round the inclosure, amid shouts 
 from the rancheros and vaqueros. After this had been 
 going on for some time, the bull was lassooed and 
 dragged out, and, with a parting "tickling" from a 
 
54 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 knife, was allowed to escape. Bruin was now in a highly 
 inflammable state, and on the introduction of a second 
 bull made slap at him without any more ado ; the bull 
 did not decline the contest, but, lowering his head, 
 received the charge on his horns. The bear, however, 
 though severely gored, craned himself over the bull's 
 head, and with one terrific blow of its paw behind the 
 ear tore the flesh completely away from the whole side 
 of the head, laying the animal on the ground in an 
 instant. At this the shouts were redoubled, and " Brave 
 bear !" " Good bear \" resounded from all sides. 
 
 After this they dragged out a very small, thin, wicked 
 bull, with horns as sharp as needles, and he turned the 
 tables on the bear in a most unexpected manner* 
 Directly he was inside, he caught sight of the bear on the 
 opposite side, and without the least hesitation rushed 
 straight for him, pinning him completely to the side of 
 the corral. He withdrew his horns, and galloped round the 
 inclosure, shaking his head and tail like a maniac, amid 
 a perfect pandemonium of " Bravo, Toro ! " " Toro, 
 Toro !".and again rushed to the attack, pinning the bear 
 again, never giving him the slightest chance. By this 
 second attack the bear evidently was seriously hurt, as 
 he lay down, bleeding profusely from the shoulder, and 
 as the object was not to kill him, but to keep him lor 
 another fiesta the bull was lassoed and dragged out* 
 A quantity of water was thrown over the bear, but after 
 lingering three or four days he died ; the bull's horns 
 had gone clean through his lungs. 
 
 In these contests the bear nearly always gets the best 
 of it, unless he meets a determined young active bull like 
 the last one. A bear is a very difficult animal to kill ; even 
 a rifle ball through the heart fails sometimes to kill him 
 
"BEAR HUNTING IN MEXICO. 
 
 55 
 
 dead, and his hide is almost impenetrable, being exces- 
 sively tough, loose, and shaggy. 
 
 Our sport having been thus unexpectedly put an end 
 to, we all adjourned to the open country, and spent the 
 afternoon in witnessing horseracing and feats of horse- 
 manship. I do not think much of the former ; the 
 principal object appeared to be to win anyhow, every 
 advantage that the jockeys took of each other being 
 considered the principal attraction of the sport. Some of 
 their feats were worth seeing. To drop a sombrero on 
 the ground, wheel round, and pick it up again when 
 going by at full gallop, was a common performance ; 
 while many of the vaqueros performed the more diffi- 
 cult one of picking up pieces of silver which were 
 thrown to them by the rancheros. The evening was 
 spent in the usual riotous manner, the more so as 
 every senorita for miles round had been hunted up 
 for the fandango which Don Miguel and his brother gave. 
 Several fights took place, and one man was mortally 
 stabbed from behind — an occurrence which appeared to 
 be quite a matter of course, and the senorita who " be- 
 longed " to the man who tickled the ribs of the other 
 seemed rather proud of her admirer's performance. 
 One or two Americans were present, and they told me that 
 there was more talk than anything else in their bragga- 
 docio, and that, unless they had a decided advantage 
 over you, they very seldom did anything more than talk. 
 One of them, who wore the " lone star " of Texas 
 embroidered on the lappet of his coat, informed me that 
 he " guessed that he could clear out half the shanty, and 
 that Judge Tyler over there " (pointing to a lank indi- 
 vidual playing poker with remarkable success) "was 
 good for the balance." 
 
56 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPOET. * 
 
 The Mexican girls are certainly pretty, but they are 
 painfully wax-dolly ; there is nothing in them, and 
 their education is frightfully neglected, to say the least 
 of it. They are capital hands at getting themselves 
 up, and are very kind and all that ; but what on earth 
 could one do with a girl who spends half the day in 
 combing her hair and the other half smoking cigarettes ? 
 
 The sport above described frequently takes place in 
 Lower California, and sometimes the performance is 
 varied by matching a puma or Californian lion, as it is 
 called ; from what I could hear the puma always gets 
 the worst of it. Cock-fighting is quite a national sport, 
 especially among the lower classes ; and, curiously 
 enough, the Padres generally manage to get hold of a 
 good « bit of stuff." 
 
 As far as the antelopes were concerned, I did not do 
 much with them — in fact nothing. 1 had several sitting 
 shots, but never bowled one over; and, as for racing 
 them down, it was quite out of the question. It seems 
 queer to English ears, but it really was a dangerous 
 thing to go on foot any distance from the house, because 
 of the cattle. I had strolled out one evening to try to 
 pick up an antelope, and wandered a good distance away 
 — perhaps three miles. I crossed a large inclosed field, 
 and several cattle intently regarded me from a distance ; 
 two or three advanced slowly, with ears cocked and heads 
 in the air. I really was thinking of anything but them 
 at the time — in fact, I was reading " Tom Jones " as I 
 was strolling along. When I was nearly through the 
 field half a dozen came rushing down, with tails out, 
 and tearing away at the air with their horns. I was 
 fully alive to the case then, and got off luckily without 
 having to fire. On returning, my friends could hardly 
 
BEAR HUNTING IN MEXICO. 
 
 57 
 
 believe me when I said I had crossed the inclosure on 
 foot, and they added that they were certain no vaquero 
 would do it for fifty dollars. I, of course, tried to make 
 all the capital I could out of the fact ; but they settled 
 the matter for me by calling me a " mad Englishman." 
 
 I had another scrape, and nearly got severely hurt, if 
 not killed, by a wild sow in California, whom I un- 
 expectedly roused while quail shooting; but of that 
 hereafter. I left my friends with regret, as far as they 
 were concerned ; but the country was detestable, and, on 
 reflection, I don't think I should care to live in Uppe 
 Mexico. 
 
BEAR SHOOTING IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 The first bear I ever shot, or indeed saw, was near Santa 
 Cruz, in the Coast Range Mountains. I happened (I am 
 speaking of some years ago) to be stopping at Santa 
 Cruz, for the sake of the quail and deer shooting in the 
 vicinity, and capital sport I had with both. I had been 
 there about two months, and was beginning to wish I 
 had something else to try my hand on, when one evening 
 a farmer rode in on his mustang from his ranch, some 
 miles off, to buy flour, coffee, &c, in the village — I beg 
 pardon, city. In America it is not very difficult to get 
 into conversation, especially if you are a new comer ; so> 
 in the course of the evening we got talking together, 
 drinking together, and smoking together, till we were as 
 thick as thieves. Of course, in five minutes he knew 
 why I was at Santa Cruz, how old I was, where I came 
 from — in fact, all my personal history — by the very 
 simple method of asking me outright. Nothing bothers 
 a Yankee more than to refuse to answer his questions. 
 
 " So you air one of them blarmed Britishers that run 
 about a-shooting animals for the fun of the thing and 
 darn the expense; but, sir, I tell you, we've got an 
 animal in this yere country that hates a Britisher wus* 
 nor pisin, and that's a grizzly bar." 
 
 " Just the very animal I want to see ; but I don't 
 know where to find any." 
 
 " Want to see 'em, does you ! Lor bless you ! come 
 along with me for a for-night, and I guess I'll show 
 
BEAR SHOOTING IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 59 
 
 'eni you pretty quick, Want to see 'em ! My eye f 
 May be they'll want to see you." 
 
 .This idea of the bars wanting to see me seemed so 
 exquisitely droll to him, that he continued chuckling to 
 himself for about five minutes, when, seeing I looked 
 rather annoyed, he said, "Waal, streanger, you've no 
 cause to get riled ; only, blarm me, I must rile a 
 Britisher, for I tell you there are precious few men 
 about here that's seen a grizzly once that wants to see 
 him again. I remember two chaps as came down to stay 
 with me once, and wanted to shoot a grizzly; waal, 
 sir, they had not been out half an hour before I reckon 
 they had a couple of grizzles a-hunting them ; and you 
 can bet your boots they did hunt 'em. My ! how them 
 chaps did run and climb ! The bars they sot down at 
 the root of the tree for a whole solid week, and them 
 chaps had to keep .themselves alive by eating their 
 boots, and when they gave out they had to wire in on 
 bark. So you can see, streanger, our bars are no 
 sardines. However, I am making tracks to the ranch 
 to-morrow, and if you like you can come and see for 
 yourself. I guess I must find a few fixings to-night, so 
 I reckon we'll liquor up, and I'll go and get them." 
 
 So we did " liquor-up," and the old beggar went off 
 to get his fixings. I could hear him laughing all the 
 way down the street, " Want to see a grizzly, does he ? 
 Ho ! ho !" I bought a 501b. sack of flour, some coffee, 
 sugar, and one case of Old Bourbon whisky, with a 
 few plugs of tobacco for the old man, rolled up my 
 blankets, had my mustang caught overnight, and got 
 everything in readiness for an early start. In the course 
 of the evening it got noised about that the "Britisher 
 was gwoing to shute Zack's bars " (Zack was the name 
 
60 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 of the farmer), and by eight o'clock I should think 
 every loafer and " bummer " for five miles round had 
 assembled in the bar room of the hotel. Old Zack, who 
 by this time was two or three sheets in the wind, sat by 
 my side, and to every one that came in he would 
 introduce me — " Elihu Budd, sir : the stranger from the 
 other side of the Pond (Anglice, Atlantic) who is 
 a-gwoin to shute my bars. Let's liquor up;" and Mr. 
 Elihu Budd simply observing " Let's" we accordingly 
 did; and so on with about a dozen. They came in 
 troops of threes and sixes, and stood staging at me as 
 if I were some remarkable curiosity catalogued in a 
 museum. 
 
 Then says one of them, " How are you calkilating 
 to fix 'em, stranger? Pizin?" "No, sir/' answered 
 Zack for me, " I don't allow any pizin with my critturs." 
 " Maybe he reckons to trap 'em ?" t " Not much, sirree ; 
 I won't have no traps," quoth Zack ; " fair and square 
 shuting." 
 
 A long silence, during which they all kept picking 
 their teeth with their penknives, and staring at me as 
 though they expected me to undergo some curious trans- 
 formation before their eyes. 
 
 Then says another, " Zack's bars are 'tarnal spiteful I 
 guess; spitefullest here about.'' Chorus, "You bet," in 
 sepulchral tones. Two others engaged in a lively con- 
 versation as to whether bears "eat humans," or could 
 climb ; others volunteered advice as to the best way of 
 " fixing the varmint;" and all did their best to cheer me 
 on by recounting sundry pleasant little anecdotes illus- 
 trative of the grizzly's ferocity, till I began to wish 
 Zack, the bars, and the company all at Jericho. 
 
 There was one coon-faced limp-looking Yank in par- 
 
BEAR SHOOTING IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 Gl 
 
 ticular, whom they addressed indiscriminately as 
 " Judge/ 3 or cc Doc." He was dressed in a rusty suit 
 of black, the legs of his trousers half way up his boots, 
 and his arms thrust about two feet down them. He was 
 the most frantic chewer I ever saw ; he rolled the 
 tobacco over in his mouth, and positively chewed it like 
 a cud. Down each side of his mouth ran two rivulets 
 of 'baccy juice, some of which occasionally distilled on to 
 his trousers or boots. He stood gazing at me with a 
 melancholy, half-idiotic air, like an old superannuated 
 owl. At last the oracle spoke : " One thing, I guess, the 
 Britisher has in his favour." 
 "What's that, Doc ?" 
 
 " If Zack's bars should chaw him, he won't want a 
 coffin." 
 
 Chorus of Yanks, loafers, &c. : u That's so, you 
 bet." 
 
 At last I managed to slip off to bed, and dreamt I was 
 pursued by a huge grizzly. I turned to flee, when I ran 
 into the arms of old Zack, who very carefully was 
 handing me to the bear, when I cried out and woke, and 
 found that venerable gentleman shaking me by the 
 shoulder. Ten minutes for toilet, and in five more we 
 were polishing off ham and eggs ; finished, paid our 
 bill, got on our horses — pack horse in the middle — and 
 started off on as glorious a Californian morning as ever 
 was seen. 
 
 Just as I was turning a bend in the road, I heard 
 " Say \ H (the universal mode of address in America.) I 
 looked back, and who should I see but my limp friend, 
 the Doc. I had half a mind to go on ; however I 
 waited for him to come up. He looked just the same 
 — a trifle dirtier, and the rivulets a trifle larger per- 
 
62 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 haps ; but then he had slept in his clothes, and chawed 
 all night. 
 
 « Well r 
 
 " Ony this ; you air a stranger here, you air. Now/' 
 said he, " in case them bars does chaw yer, why, Fm 
 
 " Oh ! hang you and your bars too !" cried I, and rode 
 on at a sharp trot. After I had gone about one hundred 
 yards, I glanced back. There he was, looking the pic- 
 ture of astonishment, and chawing more deliberately and 
 harder than ever. 
 
 " Well/' I thought, " at all events I have got rid of all 
 the talk about these infernal bears. FU pretty soon see 
 what the beasts themselves are made of." I soon found 
 I was rather mistaken. 
 
 After about half an hour, Zack, in front : " Say !" 
 
 " Well." 
 
 "Ever shot a bar ?" 
 " Can't say I have." 
 " Urn ! that's bad." 
 
 Long silence ; no inclination on my part to resume the 
 subject. 
 
 After a bit, " Say !" " Well ?" " Ever seed a bar ?" 
 Here was a poser ! Never do to say Fd never seen one. 
 
 Oh, yes, lots !" Zack turned sharp round on his horse, 
 looked at me with his swivel eye : " Where ?" Confound 
 him ! this was getting serious. " Oh, all about." Zack 
 said nothing, but I knew, by the way he looked at me, 
 he thought I was an impostor. " Ben's a 'tarnal critter," 
 he went on. " Who's Ben ?" "Ben ? He's one of the 
 bars." u Oh, indeed !" " Yes, you can bet he is ; Ben's 
 killed four men" (pleasant that, anyhow). "Sal's 
 t'other; she's only killed three — as yet" Along silence; 
 no inclination again on my part to resume subject. "Say." 
 
 r 
 
BEAR SHOOTING IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 63 
 
 •"What?" (very savage). "Fve a bet on Sal kills as 
 many as Ben ; like to have twenty dollars on too ?" 
 
 How much longer he might have gone on I don't 
 know, but just at that moment we came in sight of a 
 shanty on the side of a mountain. " There's the ranch." 
 "Thank heaven for that/' said I:*I had not done yet, 
 though. On seeing us one of the farm hands approached : 
 " Here's a Britisher come to shoot Ben and Sally ; think 
 ie'll fix em ?" " Oh ! gwoin' to shute Ben and Sal, is 
 he ? oh !" and he walked round and examined me as if I 
 were some infernal machine, designed expressly to et fix 
 the bars." "You bet he is," said Zack; "say! fancy 
 old Ben fixed by a Britisher !" There was something so 
 wonderfully droll in Ben being in this predicament, that 
 they simultaneously went into fits of laughter. 
 
 I began to get my steam up too a little bit now ; so I 
 said, "I tell you what it is; I'll bet you fifty dollars I kill 
 one of those bears in three days. " Hold hard, stranger," 
 said Zack, sobered in a moment by the mention of dol- 
 lars ; " you'll bet me fifty dollars you'll fix Ben in three 
 days ? Dang me, I don't believe the Britisher is born 
 that can do it. Look'ee here now — give Ben a fair show, 
 fair and square, and I'll bet yer." "All right! done 
 along with you," said I. The hundred dollars were 
 deposited with the farm hand, and this little circum- 
 stance served to divert Zack's attention from the bars 
 for a time. All dinner time it was, " Mind, now, a fair 
 show — no playing off on Ben ; (sotto voce) I don't think 
 the Britisher's born who can fix Ben — four men he's 
 killed; yes, I guess that hundred dollars is as good 
 as mine." 
 
 In the evening, about five, a man came in to tell us 
 that a steer had been killed by bears, about one mile off, 
 
64 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 and half eaten. About eight o'clock I walked with one 
 of the men to the place ; it was a clearing of about an 
 acre and a half in extent, surrounded on all sides by- 
 dense, dark pine forests, and looked as likely a place 
 for a deed of bloodshed as any I ever saw. The dog 
 we had brought with us ran straight to the remains of 
 the steer. Bears always feed very early in the morning ; 
 however, as we were not armed, we did not stay longer 
 than was necessary for me to take a few observations 
 and lay my plan of operations for the morning. I 
 marked two or three trees the easiest to climb in case 
 of any scrimmage, and fixed upon one about twenty 
 yards from the carcase of the steer, as that from which 
 I would fire at the bear. I spent the evening cleaning 
 my Pritchett double 12, and sewed up in thin chamois 
 leather six bullets, with a little tin in them, and soaked 
 them in melted tallow. A glass of grog — " old Bourbon n 
 — a few more stories about Ben from friend Zack, and 
 I was in dreamland. 
 
 Next morning I woke about three, got softly up, put 
 on my clothes, took my Pritchett, unchained the dog, 
 and thought to get away without waking that nuisance 
 Zack. I hadn't got thirty yards when, " Hullo ! say ! 
 fair show for old Ben ; no playing off on him ! fair and 
 square shuting, stranger ; mind yer." I rushed off, and 
 for a quarter of a mile I could hear him shuffling after 
 me, with " fair show for old Ben, mind jer" 
 
 My plan was to get up the tree I had fixed on, 
 wait for the bear to come, and then let him have a 
 couple of bullets from above in his spine, which I felt 
 sure would give a good account of him. Of course I 
 calculated on being there beforehand. On getting within 
 about a hundred and fifty yards of the clearing I tied up 
 
BEAR SHOOTING IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 65 
 
 the dog with my handkerchief to a tree ; and lucky it was 
 I did so. I then poured a half thimbleful of fine diamond- 
 grain powder into the barrels of my Pritchett, and four 
 drachms of Hall's coarse-grained strongest rifle powder 
 on top, rammed down a couple of my sewed-up bullets, 
 put on two central-fire Bley caps — and felt considerably 
 more at ease. I walked quietly up to the spot where the 
 steer had been killed the day before, and to my surprise 
 the carcass had disappeared. Everything was as still as 
 death. What the deuce had become of it ? Could I 
 have mistaken the angle ? Well, anyhow, I could cross 
 over and try the other corner. 
 
 Instead of going round by the trees, as I should have 
 done, I crossed over the open clearing. I had got to 
 within twenty-five yards of the opposite corner — leaving 
 about a hundred yards of the open behind me — when I 
 heard a sound, something between a groan and a growl. 
 I turned towards it, and within thirty yards on my right 
 was a huge bear, alternately fumbling with the car- 
 cass of the steer and staring at me ! To say I " was 
 dumb with astonishment " is to say simply nothing. I 
 was perfectly petrified. I did not " raise my rifle slowly, 
 take a steady aim between his two eyes, and fire, rolling 
 him over, sir, dead as a mackerel ; " but I wanted to go 
 right down into my boots, and did go down behind a 
 piece of scrub furze, which seemed, I know, uncommonly 
 small. I was so taken aback at thus, as it were, meeting 
 death face to face in a duel, away from everybody, that 
 I could not keep my eyes off the bear. He didn't seem 
 to care much whether I was there or not ; he would play 
 with the carcass one minute — he had evidently pretty 
 well gorged on the previous day — and then look in my 
 direction and growl. If I attempted to retreat, the 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 chances were he would come at me, and he would be sure 
 to reach me before I could climb a tree. There was no 
 help for it ; I must take a shot at him, and then run for 
 it. I raised my rifle three times, and three times it came 
 down again. Suddenly I pitched it forward desperately, 
 held my breath, and pulled the trigger instantly. I 
 heard the bullet go smack into something, and then I 
 ran — yes, ignominiously ran ! Safe up a tree I looked 
 for the bear; why, confound it, there he was yet ! Any- 
 how, I can give him another bullet from here ; — wait a 
 bit, he does not seem to move ; he's dead, by jingo ! 
 Perhaps the rascal is only playing coon though. 
 
 I wait another ten minutes, and he does not move ; 
 he must be dead. I slip down the tree, and creep to 
 where the dog is yelling and howling at the sound of the 
 rifle; I loose him; he bays once or twice at a respectful 
 distance from the enemy, then suddenly rushes in, seizes 
 him by the back of the neck, and worries him. No 
 doubt now he's dead; the mighty monarch of the 
 woods would brook no such insult as that; and, after 
 giving one wild unearthly yell of triumph, I proceeded to 
 examine my prize. To my astonishment, I found my 
 bullet had gone clean through both shoulders, breaking 
 the spine in its course, with rather an upward tendency, 
 and I could not have made a better shot if I had aimed 
 for a week. 1 found the bullet embedded in the bark 
 of a large fir tree, and it was marvellous the force that 
 bullet must have had ; yet with four and half drachms of 
 powder, I never felt any unpleasant recoil from the 
 gun. 
 
 I wish I could have weighed this gentleman, as he must 
 have been as heavy as a good-sized ox. One I saw in a 
 cage at Woodward's, San Francisco, weighed, I was told, 
 
BEAR SHOOTING IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 67 
 
 nearly two thousand pounds. I cut off one of his paws, 
 and walked back to the ranch. 
 
 I imagine I can hear Captain Blazeaway of the Onety- 
 oneth, who " bags his tiger, sir, every day," exclaim, " A 
 pretty fellow this to go shooting bears ! funks at the 
 critical moment ! Bad form ; should come to India, see 
 our sportsmen." All very well, my dear sir, with your 
 forty beaters, two or three spare rifles, and an animal 
 that occasionally wants half a dozen rockets to make him 
 bolt. But let me place you face to face with a grizzly ; 
 no escape for one of you but by the death of the other — 
 for a grizzly courts the combat, never refuses it, — and if 
 you can get through the scrape without a quickening of 
 the heart and a certain sensation commonly and vulgarly 
 known as a " blue funk," you can do more than I could. 
 
 On my way back I met Zack, enjoying his matutinal 
 pipe. " Back already, hey ? Guessed you would soon 
 have had enough of old Ben ; thought better of it, hey ? " 
 " Old Ben has had enough of me, 1 expect," said I ; 
 "here's one of his paws, and some of his hair anyhow." 
 "Old Ben's har ! why, dang it, I don't believe it was 
 Ben. Had he one ear longer than t'other, and one of 
 his right hind claws missing ?" " How the deuce should 
 I know ?" " Can't be Ben ; 'tain't natural. Say (to the 
 farm hand) Britisher's fixed old Ben." Farm hand : 
 " Has he ! guess you've got to pungle fifty dollars." 
 Zack: "Guess I have; there's Sal left though; she 
 may fix him; she's 'tarnal." "Farm hand : " Yes! Ben's 
 'tarnaler though ; I guess he can fix Sal." Zack : " Say ! 
 (to me) I've a bet on about Sal; I'll give you twenty- 
 five dollars not to fix her." "I wouldn't take a thousand." 
 Zack: "'Um; reckon I feel kinder sick; Sal's tarnal 
 tho'." 
 
 F 2 
 
68 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 About a month after, I "fixed" Sal also. I got 
 up a tree, and watched from twelve o'clock till morn- 
 ing for four days; at last she came, and I fired both 
 barrels of my rifle almost simultaneously into her 
 back. We found her dead two miles ofi^ next day, 
 by the help of the dog, both balls having gone clean 
 through her. 
 
 On a later occasion I nearly got into a scrape by 
 attacking a bear foolishly. I was hunting in the Sierra 
 Nevada, and was told that three bears had been seen 
 constantly on a particular hillside for the last two weeks. 
 I went and viewed, and saw them every day for a week ; 
 but the place where they were was so exposed and 
 barren of cover that I was afraid to attack them. One 
 evening there was only one of them there. I considered 
 a long time, and at length made up my mind I would 
 have a try at him. I crawled to within eighty yards of 
 him, rested my rifle on a piece of rock, and pulled dead 
 on his shoulder. I heard the bullet strike, and saw the 
 bear drop, but he was up again in a moment, and uttering 
 a sharp whimper, came bang at me, or rather at the 
 smoke. I did not move, but covered him with the 
 second barrel, and shot him in the breast, at about sixty - 
 five yards off. He uttered a growl, and seemed to come 
 nearly as fast as ever. I ran to the belt of forest near 
 which I had taken the precaution to conceal myself, 
 and uncommonly little time I had to spare too. In my 
 hurry I missed the tree I had previously marked as the 
 easiest to climb. I dropped my rifle, and ran for a branch 
 that hung low down almost to the ground, and, thanks 
 to my gymnastics at McLaren's at Oxford, I was up in 
 no time. The bear came and shook the branch, and the 
 tree, too, for the matter of that, and growled most 
 
BEAR SHOOTING IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 69 
 
 hideously; but the two bullets he had got in him were 
 evidently making him feel like knocking under, and 
 in about a quarter of an hour he walked off, considerably 
 slower than he came. Oh for my rifle now ! However, 
 I knew he could not go very far by the quantity of blood 
 he left behind him. We tracked him by dogs next day 
 for over a mile to his den, and at his coming out, very 
 feebly, to attack the dogs, I shot him through the skull 
 with the first barrel of my rifle. 
 
 There are very few, if any, of the professional hunters 
 who will attack a bear, such is his ferocity and agility. 
 A good many of my readers, no doubt, have read stories 
 and seen pictures of hunters, and Indians especially, 
 " waiting for the bear to rise on his hind legs, and then 
 plunging a knife into his bosom. " Tell that to the 
 marines ! Why I have seen a bear rush into a herd of 
 cattle, rise up and knock a bullock down almost before 
 you could wink. When I add that he can go as fast as 
 a horse can canter, and that his cunning is marvellous, 
 you can imagine you have got " to keep your eye well 
 peeled." To hunt him successfully you want a cool head, 
 great nerve, and, above all, Muteness in stalking him. 
 The best weapon is a double-barrel gun, with a couple of 
 hardened bullets ; it shoots harder, quicker, and truer, I 
 think, for eighty yards than a rifle, and you can nearly 
 always get as close as you like to a grizzly — often a good 
 deal closer. 
 
 I found it would be quite impossible for me to go back 
 to Santa Cruz without that infernal nuisance Zack. 
 « Why the boys would as soon miss a dorg-fight as let 
 yer go without interviewing yer, arter fixing up them 
 bars ; my ! the idee \" I suppose the news had gone 
 before me, as there was as varied a collection of scaliwags 
 
70 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 as Santa Cruz could produce. Zack was in fine form. 
 " He's fixed em. Yessir, a Britisher has fixed Ben and 
 Sal. Liquor up, boys, afore we goes into the hash." 
 The Doc. was there of course. He gazed in a cow-like 
 manner on me, expectorated three times in a deliberate 
 manner, put himself outside a cocktail, and left me to 
 pay for it. T kept on paying for cocktails ; I believe I 
 cocktailed every cuss in the town. Then came the 
 dinner. Zack took the head of the table, I being on his 
 left; we eat and cocktailed till things began to look 
 rather " mixed" somehow. The Doc. was very bad, 
 and expectorated thrice on my coat, and called on Zack 
 for a speech. I give that speech as a literary curiosity, 
 as far as I can remember it. t€ Gentlemen," said he, 
 " yer know the occasion of this festive gathering. A 
 great man is amongst us. He has come all the way from 
 his island but played-out home to hunt our great 
 American wild beasts. Boys, incredible as it may 
 appear, he is going to leave our institutions, the land of 
 the free and airy sons of the West, to seek again that 
 pusillanimus sile, — the sile of the traitor. Yessir, you 
 air returning to the land of tyranny and the slave ! you 
 have drunk our cocktails, you have seen our gals ; you 
 have played our poker, you have fixed our bars ; and 
 when they ask you who we air, tell em we air a high- 
 faluting, catawampous, locomotive race, tell em we 
 kalkilate to whip our weight in cats, tell 'em that we live 
 with the 'possum and the 'coon ! " 
 
 After this beautiful peroration, the judge raised a 
 glass of mint-julep to his lips, and, gazing round on 
 the assembled company, exclaimed, " Drink to the 
 stranger, cusses," at the same time draining his glass, 
 an example followed by all the cusses with surprising 
 
BEAR SHOOTING IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 71 
 
 celerity, and all at my expense. What reply I made I 
 am afraid to say, but if one might judge by the frequent 
 exclamations of "You bet/' "Bully for you/' and the 
 like, it must have been highly satisfactory to my audience, 
 especially the concluding sentence, in which I paid a 
 compliment to the American eagle, and begged (?) them 
 to join me in drinking the health of that venerable bird. 
 
 The events that occurred after this are not very clearly 
 fixed in my memory. I have an indistinct recollection 
 of adjourning to a skittle alley and bowling over the 
 setter-up instead of the pins ; of subsequently playing 
 poker with a gentleman with a long black coat, and a 
 very dirty face, who had an extraordinary facility of 
 holding four aces or three kings every hand ; of dancing 
 a quickstep with old Zack, of more cocktails, smashing 
 of glasses, a free fight, ten thousand stars, — and nothing 
 more ; but I have a most vivid recollection, even to this 
 day, of waking up next morning under the billiard table, 
 where it appears I had been deposited by the gentleman 
 who last knocked me down, with a splitting headache, a 
 most disagreeable sensation in my left eye, and a feeling 
 all over my body as if I had been put through a patent 
 mangle of extra power. Some kind friend, with a 
 great regard for my personal comfort, had taken off 
 my boots and hat — and taken them away with him. 
 Zack was comparatively uninjured, not having been 
 "gouged/' to his intense gratification and surprise. 
 " Jest to think that w T e should have our optics all right 
 when Ebenezer Toland was around the shanty. Yessir, 
 he nearly allers gets his pair of eyes in a free fight, and 
 allers goes for a stranger; and to look at him, yer 
 would think he was as, mean a cuss as ever yer seed. 
 You air lucky, sir." The fates had not been propitious 
 
72 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 to the Doc. In the language of the P.R., he had the 
 shutters up in both windows, his smeller was very con- 
 siderably deflected from its original position, and his 
 tater-trap was so swollen as seriously to interfere with 
 his chewing. I will only add that I had the pleasure of 
 paying for the whole entertainment, which cost sixty-five 
 dollars. I didn't go to Santa Cruz any more. 
 
MY FIRST ELK. 
 
 There used to be always hanging about the English 
 bar in Sacramento -street, San Francisco, an extra- 
 ordinary-looking individual, who I daresay will be easily 
 recognised by the following description. He was a tall 
 thin man, with long black greasy ringlets hanging down 
 his back, and an excessively dirty face ; he was always 
 clad in an old suit of fringed buckskin, and wore 
 mocassins, on the strength of which he dubbed himself 
 " Hunter Bill/' though I must confess he was usually 
 known among his immediate circle as " Gassy Bill " or 
 "Bummer Billy." When I first arrived fresh from 
 England, full of Mayne Reid and the lamented Eeni- 
 more, this remarkable-looking fellow appeared the em- 
 bodiment of all the scalp hunters of the former, and the 
 nature's children of the latter novelist. But in him 
 I was deceived; despite all his wonderful tales about 
 "bars," elk, bighorn, and almost every animal from 
 elephants to ground squirrels, I found out that the only 
 bear he had ever interviewed was the one at Wood- 
 ward's Gardens, and all the rest in the same proportion. 
 I positively hired this man for a whole fortnight once. 
 We, or rather I, got as far as San Jose I think, on our 
 way south ; but here the gaseous William struck a 
 new claim in the shape of a saloon keeper he knew, 
 and I left him under the influence of chain lightning 
 whisky and old rye. After that I was much more 
 careful ; but " professional hunters " have had many a 
 
74 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 bright new dollar from ma, and very little I've had in 
 return from them. No, I killed my first elk (Wapiti 
 deer, Oervus canadensis) , and many a one after that, in 
 company with the best fellow in the world — viz., myself; 
 and here let me observe that, unless you know your 
 chums, you are best alone. 
 
 In the year 186 — there was some little excitement in 
 'Frisco over some new placer claims near Humboldt 
 county. The whole affair turned out a "sell" for the 
 time ; but subsequently, I believe, some large pay dirt 
 was taken out on the quiet. However, I went up, to be 
 among the first if anything was to be got for the picking 
 up. Was there ever anything invented so delicious as 
 a good paying placer claim ? None of your quartz 
 mining, with a staff of workpeople to keep in order, &c. 
 There's your claim, and there's your "rocker," and in 
 the evening you clean up, and there's your 201. worth of 
 bright gold dust safe in your breeches' pocket ; aye, and 
 sometimes your 1 00Z. worth. But those good old days 
 seem gone by for ever. Well, if I got no gold from 
 Humboldt, I got an amazing deal of sport there. I 
 suspect I was one of the first there, as any evening I 
 could kill a deer, just as fifteen years ago was the case in 
 Vancouver's Island. It was pretty sport, too, as the 
 twilight came on, to sit by the drinking places and 
 watch the deer come tripping down unsuspectingly, 
 skipping like young sheep. They are not at all unlike 
 large goats, and are capital eating after being hung a 
 day or two. Besides deer, there were black bears, some 
 few " heard of " grizzlies, and hundreds of smaller game 
 in the shape of birds. But what I wanted was an elk — 
 the monarch of the glen. Of course, everyone had seen 
 lots all about, but no one could establish his claim to 
 
MY FIRST ELK. 
 
 75 
 
 having actually killed one. But Yankee miners kill 
 everything under the effect of several gin cocktails, and 
 not unfrequently end up by killing each other. So one 
 fine morning I saddled my old plug, and once more 
 plunged into the woods with only a boy, who, from an 
 unconquerable aversion to hard work in any shape ex- 
 cept walking, and from his extreme taciturnity and 
 fondness for the woods, might have been the youthful 
 u silent hunter " of a novel. We went up the river, 
 as I intended to do a little prospecting on my own 
 account, and with this object in view had a good stock 
 of grub for a fortnight. 
 
 " Rolling stones gather no moss." It may be so, but, 
 like all similar proverbs, this may suit any meaning. I 
 do know, however, that when, surrounded by home 
 comforts, &c, I look back on those happy woodland 
 days, with no lawyers, no doctors, no tea fights, muffin 
 worries, and all the other ills that flesh is heir to, I often 
 long for the rifle and blankets again. 
 
 For the first few days we saw scarcely any game, only 
 a few deer; so I camped and prospected for a couple 
 of days for placers, and also tried some leads with my 
 blowpipe. I got plenty of colour, but not enough to 
 form a company for the next spring, and the rock was 
 not above ten dollars, if I remember rightly. And there, 
 kind reader, and especially young reader, if you have a 
 longing to try your luck out west, let me strongly advise 
 you to acquire all the knowledge of metals and the assay- 
 ing of them that you can, especially with the blowpipe. 
 The benefit is incalculable, as if you are on your own 
 hook, you can always combine business with pleasure, 
 and if you are looking for a job, I can safely affirm that 
 all and any can get profitable and immediate employment, 
 
76 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 at high salaries, as assayers or practical mining engi- 
 neers. " Mining engineer" sounds a big title, and a real 
 good one is a rara avis ; but sufficient can -be learnt in 
 one year in a Cornish mine, with close attention, to 
 enable anyone to command his £400 a year at least in 
 any part of America. 
 
 Well, I have almost forgotten my friends the elk. 
 We struck camp, and went two days due west to the 
 Cascades ; we saw no Indians, at least bad ones, and had 
 the satisfaction of combing out our hair every morning. 
 Still no elk, and I began to think it was a bad job, when 
 one evening we struck sign in abundance. 1 camped 
 immediately, and next morning, having slung up our 
 meat, and cached our things as well as possible, I 
 bestrode Bucephalus and rode off, with the boy behind 
 me, holding on by my waist. I had my W. R. carbine, 
 and the boy was made happy with my Smith and 
 Wesson's revolver. After a while I hobbled my plug, 
 and putting on my moccasins began to look about me. 
 To look at an elk you would think it would be impossible 
 for such an awkward animal to escape notice if within a 
 half-mile, but the fact is that an elk may be within a yard 
 or two of you — yes, and a whole band of them too — and 
 you'll not detect a hair or the flicker of an ear. The 
 way a dozen or more of them will charge through a 
 moderately thick forest is perfectly surprising ; it seems, 
 as I heard an old hunter at Astoria say once, that " they 
 must take off their horns, and put 'em in their coat-tail 
 pockets." We stalked all day without seeing a sign of 
 an elk, till about four o'clock I spied with my bino- 
 cular the herd we were in search of down below us in an 
 open valley. I could make out about ten in sight, and, 
 as luck never comes singly, only about two hundred 
 
MY FIRST ELK. 
 
 77" 
 
 yards from where we were lying an enormous black bear 
 was busy rooting up among the bushes and feeding on 
 berries, getting into condition for his winter's sleep.. 
 However, I let Master Bruin go this time, as my atten- 
 tion was fully taken up by the elk. The lord of the herd 
 was calmly stalking about, occasionally taking a look 
 round to see if any danger threatened his harem . The 
 question was how to get the wind of them, as elk are 
 the wariest of the wary ; besides it would soon be dark,, 
 and we were at least two miles in a direct line from the 
 camp. After a council of war, I determined to go 
 round about a mile, close by a sort of defile, and post 
 myself for a shot, and send the boy to drive them 
 towards me. I dismissed that worthy with a parting 
 injunction that I would hash him up for supper if 
 he messed the affair at all, and got to my post all 
 right. 
 
 After waiting for an interminable time, as it appeared 
 to me, the leader suddenly threw up his head and looked 
 in the direction I knew the boy ought to be in, and in a 
 second or two the whole band were heads up, sterns 
 down, full tilt down the valley, straight as a line for my 
 stand. On they came like a Balaklava charge in minia- 
 ture, and, resting my carbine on a fork of a bush, I 
 potted the leader dead in his tracks at forty yards. On 
 they came still, and as they passed at twenty-five yards 
 distance I disabled another, and a moment after came a 
 crashing of boughs and underbush as they disappeared 
 through the woods. The whole thing was over in 
 about ten minutes or less. My first shot had raked 
 the stag fore and aft, the bullet entering the poin+ 
 of the shoulder, and coming out just forward of his 
 hip joint. A second shot through the head settled 
 
78 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 the other, who was kicking about on the grass. I am 
 not much of a judge of the weight of an animal, but I 
 should say that the stag could not have weighed less 
 than 5001b. The horns were as thick as my wrist at the 
 base, and splendidly tined. We set to work and cut off 
 the loin ribs of the doe, and wrapping the meat up in 
 hide, we reluctantly left the splendid head and antlers of 
 the stag behind us. After a deal of trouble we found 
 our steed, who had strayed half a mile or so, and got 
 back to camp dead tired out. Imagine our disgust to 
 find our cache had been completely gutted, and the 
 contents strewed about in every direction. Our flour 
 was about half gone, and all the sugar ; the coffee, mus- 
 tard, salt, blankets, and every mortal thing else was either 
 smashed to bits or " demoralised ; " in fact, the whole 
 place was wrecked. However, there was no help for it ; 
 we picked up the pieces and lit our fire, and made our- 
 selves as miserable as possible under the circumstances. 
 Luckily it did not rain, as of course it ought to have done 
 to make the thing complete, and we fortunately found 
 our tin billy, though severely dented, still coffee- 
 worthy. A good cup of coffee, with a strong dash of 
 old rye in it in lieu of sugar, is a wonderful enlivener ; 
 and we actually laughed as we curled ourselves up in our 
 blankets, and planned a nice little evening reception 
 for our uninvited guest, Mr. Bruin, who, of course, had 
 given us this festive little surprise supper. " Bet yer 
 boots we'll make it lively for the cuss to-morrer/' quoth 
 the boy — about the only remark he made all the day, and 
 I admired him for it. 
 
 I can't say I passed a night of unalloyed peace, 
 as I was continually waking up with a start, dream- 
 ing that Bruin had hold of me. As for the boy, he slept 
 
MY FIRST ELK. 
 
 79 
 
 as sound as a top. What was TJrsus to him, or he to 
 TJrsus ? 
 
 Next morning we had a good meal off venison stakes, 
 made our bread, hung up everything we had on boughs 
 of trees, and went off again, leaving behind us as sweet 
 a little reminder for any intruder, two legged or 
 four, that might feel inclined to pry into our arrange- 
 ments. I took my double-barrelled gun, and loaded it 
 carefully with half a handful of buckshot and bullet. 
 I then scooped out a narrow sloping trench about 3ft. 
 long, I rove a string from the top strap-ring under- 
 neath the barrels, and carried it down to the one on the 
 butt, passed it through and up again to the triggers. 
 On the end of the string, close to the muzzle of the 
 barrels, we tied a large piece of deer meat smeared over 
 with sugar. The weapon was then laid (uncocked) in 
 the trench, and lightly covered over with brambles, &c, 
 leaving the piece of meat as naturally as possible on the 
 surface of the ground. Nothing remained now but to 
 cock the gun, and there you were. The only objection 
 to such an arrangement is that you are extremely likely 
 to kill yourself during the " fixing " of it. The great 
 advantage of it is that it is bound to kill something. 
 
 We saw no elk all that day, as the whole band had 
 doubtless gone to the Cascades almost by this time, and 
 so we cast about to look after the " little round gentle- 
 man in black " whom I had seen yesterday. We found 
 him with my binocular, which the boy couldn't make out 
 at all, within a few yards of where we had left him 
 yesterday. I stalked within forty yards of him, and 
 shot him clean through the body; he gave a squeak, 
 and set off straight for the valley where I had shot the 
 elk the day previous, and it was surprising the pace at 
 
80 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 which he rolled along like a cricket ball in front of me. 
 I could not gain on him a yard, and so I lay down and 
 took a deliberate aim at his stern, and hit him again. 
 He didn't stop, however, but went a good deal slower, 
 and as he went up the opposite slope he could not get to 
 the top, but rolled down again to within fifty yards of 
 where I was. He sat up on his haunches, rolling his 
 head from side to side, and lolling his tongue out of his 
 mouth ; I approached to within fifteen yards, and put him 
 out of his misery by a shot through the heart. He was 
 in beautiful condition, with a coat like silk, and as fat as 
 butter. We broke him up and took off his skin, and 
 while the boy was operating on him I laid down on the 
 slope and enjoyed " Roderick Random " and honeydew 
 till the sun climbed over the opposite trees. 
 
 The valley below us must have been a sort of happy 
 land for game (I suppose there is a city and fourteen 
 rum-mills there now), for a small band of deer came 
 out of a clump of trees about a mile off, and frisked and 
 gambolled about like kids. I watched them for more 
 than an hour, as they browsed and scampered about. 
 They gradually fed up to within 500 yards of where I 
 was sitting, and I thought I would try my carbine, so 
 fired at a lot of three, who looked about the size of a 
 regulation target, and saw the dust fly up in a cloud at 
 a hundred yards the other side of them. To my surprise 
 they never bolted an inch, but kept looking all round 
 them, and stamping their feet in a ludicrous manner. 
 I fired again, and again I went over. This time they 
 seemed to think something was up, as they all came 
 together in a body, and gravely held a confab, I expect. 
 I aimed just in front of the whole lot and fired again, 
 this time evidently with effect, as the whole band in- 
 
MY FIRST ELK. 
 
 81 
 
 stantly turned tail and flew off like the wind, leaving 
 one of their number struggling and kicking on the 
 ground. It was a fat doe, and the bullet must have 
 ricocheted, as it had entered her belly and apparently 
 broken the spine. As I had shot quite enough for that 
 day, I left off and explored a bit. 
 
 What wonderful valleys there are in America, only 
 waiting for population to develope them ! There was a 
 good-sized stream near by, but I could not get the 
 colour of gold at all, though I am sure the surrounding 
 hills contain large quantities of copper, though whether in 
 paying quantities or not is another question. The boy 
 caught the "2*40 nag," as he called him, and after 
 picking out the tit-bits of the bear, and wrapping them 
 up in the skin, we travelled campwards. On arriving 
 we found, as we expected, that our trap had proved 
 successful, as a fine, large, fat black bear was lying stone 
 dead with half his neck blown to ribbons. " Got him 
 this time," I said. " Bet yer bottom dollar," quoth the 
 boy, and then relapsed into silence again. 
 
 " Bear " is vile eating ; it's more like the coarsest and 
 blackest kind of beef than anything else. Elk is 
 beautiful — superior to our venison. It is a remarkable fact 
 that you can eat a very great deal more venison than you 
 can beef. The reason I know it is that once, when I was 
 out with two Canadians on a trip to Oregon, a fine cow 
 strayed away from a settlement some six miles off, and in 
 the morning the pretty creature was feeding quietly 
 outside our shanty. Such a chance was not to be lost, 
 and we cached and milked that cow for a week. At 
 the end of that time a large, bony man, with a rifle 
 and about half a dozen revolvers, made his appearance 
 one eveningc " Seed air a keow slapping around these 
 
 G 
 
82 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 diggings ?" I was alone at the time. " Well, I think I 
 did hear one some days ago ; the boys thought she was a 
 buffalo." " Buffaler, be d — d ; lookee he-ar, ef I finds 
 the all-fired cuss that's corralled that air keow, call me 
 hoss, call me alligater, call me any tarnal critter under the 
 sky, but he's my meat. Yessir." When my two brave 
 companions returned I told them what had occurred. 
 u My ! that's Judge Smaley, for a dollar. He's on it, 
 you bet ; if he finds out we've had his cow, he'll go for 
 us straight." That week we had fresh cow for dinner 
 every day, and we drank Judge Smaley's health in 
 Cutter whiskey every evening. 
 
MY LAST BEAR. 
 
 It's generally " my First Bear." Now, I can scarcely 
 recollect my first bear, but 1 have a most vivid and 
 painful remembrance of my last, and very good care 
 I'll take that it shall be my last. He may be simply 
 and very briefly described as — Species, Cinnamon; 
 character, Ferox. 
 
 A Cinnamon or " Cimmon " is the savagest animal, I 
 imagine, in all America ; he is smaller than a grizzly 
 but quicker and more active ; he takes quite as much 
 killing, and is more dreaded by the hunters than any 
 other living thing, except perhaps a wild sow with 
 young. 
 
 In the year 186 — , I found myself in Oregon, going 
 up the Columbia river. The bar at the mouth of this 
 river is the most decidedly disagreeable place I know 
 to be on, or rather to be over — it would have been 
 still more disagreeable to have gone on it. I went 
 in the old " Brother Jonathan/' as rotten an old tub 
 as ever leaked. The day we crossed the bar it was 
 very rough, and when the pilot came on board, our 
 captain wanted to lie off till higher tide, but the pilot 
 " guessed it was four o'clock, and reckoned he'd chance 
 it." Pleasant — for us. A very few voyages after he 
 chanced it once too often, as she went aground on the 
 bar, and nearly every soul on board was drowned. Her 
 bottom was so rotten that the mainmast went clean 
 through till it rested on the gunwale by the mainyard ! 
 
 g 2 
 
84 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 Nothing particular occurred on our way up to Port- 
 land ; little quiet games of eucre went on in the saloon, 
 at which fascinating games two ladies from Dead Man's 
 Gully, Calaveras County, particularly distinguished 
 themselves ; indeed one of them confided to me that 
 " she had cleaned out some few ; and if she had three 
 days more she guessed she could clean out the balance." 
 The first evening that I retired to my cabin I was 
 congratulating myself on being alone, there being only 
 two berths, and I accordingly went to bed in a con- 
 tented state of mind. On awaking in the morning, I 
 heard a peculiar sound in the unoccupied berth under 
 me, and on leaning over to see the cause, a strange 
 sight met my eyes. Sitting up in his berth, with his 
 knees close under his chin, was a long yellow-faced 
 Yankee, who appeared to be dividing his attention 
 equally between liquoring-up out of a bottle of spirits, 
 and expectorating on various objects in the cabin. 
 The immediate object of his aim was an unfortunate fly 
 which had pitched near the door handle. " Darn me," 
 said he, without noticing me in the slightest ; " that's 
 the fourth shot I've had at that cussed fly; go yer a 
 dollar I plug him next shoot ; not on it, eh ? Waal, I 
 guess it's lucky for you, 'cos (here he made a terrific 
 shot that killed the unfortunate insect) I reckon he's 
 gone up. Yessir," he continued, settling himself com- 
 fortably, and proceeding to pick his teeth with his 
 penknife, " I guess two rods is about my distance. Go 
 yer a game of poker afore breakfast, dollar a game ; not 
 on it ? Tarnation, what air you on ? I expegs I ain't a 
 going to make a red cent this trip. Never mind, wait 
 till I gets to Walla-Walla ; if I don't go through the 
 boys up there call me a singed alligator." With this 
 
MY LAST BEAE. 
 
 85 
 
 comforting reflection he expectorated fiercely and pro- 
 miscuously for several seconds, took a long drink and 
 went to sleep again, and I believe slept all the way to 
 Portland. 
 
 Portland at that time was a perfect hell upon earth. 
 Every gambler, rowdy, " shootist," and scallywag from 
 all the Americas seemed congregated in this unfortunate 
 place. It was positively quite dangerous to look at a 
 man in a supercilious manner. Being an Englishman, 
 I was advised to keep very quiet, as the war was going 
 on ; in fact, I bought a pair of gum boots and a felt 
 hat with a rim something less than two feet wide, and 
 was a " down-easter from Bosting " all the time I was in 
 Portland. I was told I looked it all over. 
 
 Shooting scrapes were an almost everyday occurrence, 
 a gay and festive cuss named Fred Pattison was the boy 
 of the period when I was there. This playful youth, 
 who was only about twenty-one years of age, had already 
 laid out his fourteen men, and was in Portland owing 
 to a trifling difficulty he had had in Ruby City, where 
 he had just shot two miners in a gambling hell. The 
 sheriff came down after Master Fred, and the latter 
 immediately went for him, and shot him in the back 
 out of a window. He remained master of the situation, 
 no one tried to take him, as they all guessed he was 
 " particler spry on sheriffs." On my return I was ex- 
 tremely glad to find that this amiable youth had been 
 laid out himself, having been shot from the street by a 
 man whom he had threatened as he was being shaved 
 in a barber's shop. However, Portland is a fine city 
 now, and as quiet as any place in the universe. I did 
 not stop long in the town, as there was nothing to see 
 much, and only a very little sport within a reasonable 
 
86 
 
 GAMBLES AFTEK SPOKT. 
 
 distance. There was a good sprinkling of pheasants, 
 which afforded pretty good fun with a rifle which I bor- 
 rowed, carrying a bullet about a hundred to the pound, 
 I should say. I also made several excursions about the 
 neighbourhood among the farmers. By-the-bye, a farmer 
 in Oregon is rather a different kind of man from an 
 English one ; any chap who lives in the country, wears 
 his trousers tucked inside his boots, a wideawake hat, 
 a blue jumper shirt, and who can manage to scrape up an 
 old mule or "hoss," calls himself a rancher right off. 
 However, they were very good fellows in their way ; 
 rather fond of expectorating promiscuously, which on a 
 windy day is rather annoying, but they showed me all 
 the sport they could in the shape of deer, of which any 
 reasonable quantity we could get at any time. 
 
 That still-hunting for deer is pretty sport, too ; 
 someone, I think the Old Forest Eanger, calls it " the 
 poetry of shooting." Poets themselves have not disdained 
 to sing the "rnerrie dun deer 'neath the greenwood 
 tree ; " and wasn't Sweet Will himself locked up for 
 deer-stealing, or, at all events, let off with a caution ? 
 To go rambling along mid glades and primeval groves, 
 brushing aside the dewy brambles, or trampling the up- 
 turned flowrets with mocassined foot — when, hist ! a 
 rustle mid the boughs, and away jumps the pretty 
 thing with white tail flickering thro' the leaves, and 
 a moment after out rings the rifle upon the morning air, 
 and the quarry lies gasping in death ! It seemed like 
 murder almost killing these mild-eyed deer, and I never 
 wantonly slew more than sufficient for food. Well, after 
 a bit I got tired of such small game, and I longed to get 
 hold of a " bar " — a real live grizzly, if possible. I was 
 exceedingly fortunate in getting an invitation from 
 
MY LAST BEAR. 
 
 87 
 
 Colonel P. to go and stay with him for some time ; 
 and of course I went. Colonel P. is now in command of 
 one of the camps in Oregon, and is a gallant soldier and 
 good comrade to boot. I heard from him the other day 
 that the camp was well stocked with game, and I hope I 
 shall be able to see him in his new quarters next winter. 
 I got to my friend's house after a couple of day's travel- 
 ling, which was the roughest I ever did see or hear of, 
 and found my excellent host just sitting down to dinner, 
 and with a fresh imported tap of the very finest 
 whisky I ever tasted. We shot small fry and loafed for 
 two days, cleaning guns, &c, till we were all properly 
 fixed up, and I at length persuaded the Colonel to 
 drop drinking for a little time, and " go for bars/' We 
 got the nags caught overnight, and with a good 
 supply of blankets, coffee, sugar, and matches, we 
 made tracks for the hills next morning at about three 
 o'clock. We took a couple of Indians with us, one as 
 factotum in camp, and the other as hunter. They were 
 Klamath-Lakers, I believe, and whether they were 
 Modocs or not, they were the dirtiest, meanest-looking 
 scamps I ever clapt eyes upon. Anything more unlike 
 the " noble savage " of Cooper, or the " bronzed red 
 man" of Mayne Reid, cannot be imagined. The factotum 
 insisted on taking his squaw with him ; she walked the 
 whole way, and carried a pack on her back rather larger 
 than a coffin, her lord and master never once attempting 
 to assist her or give her a lift. I wanted to interfere, 
 but the Colonel told me that if I did she would get a 
 fearful hiding when we were out of sight. Some Indians 
 of course are fine men ; but I must say I cannot under- 
 stand Viscount Milton's account of their walking powers. 
 When I was in Vancouver and British Columbia I over 
 
88 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 and over again saw the pick of them beaten at all dis- 
 tances by Government clerks and tradesmen not in 
 training, and with no pretensions to running. We 
 camped at night under an enormous fir tree, the Indians 
 rigging up a tent in no time, and strewing leafy boughs 
 on the ground, and with our buffalo rugs on top, we had 
 as comfortable beds as in the Occidental in 'Frisco. 
 Camping out ! What a charm there is in the mere sound ! 
 and what a charming spot was ours ! A rill ran babbling 
 below us, brawling o'er its rocks and gravel, or gliding 
 smooth and peaceful 'twixt fringing ferns and drooping 
 hemlocks ; the fresh green grass gemmed with evening 
 dew, the hazels diamonded with spray from the morning's 
 shower, and the stately pines waving their graceful tops 
 as they wooed the evening breeze, combined to form a 
 scene most congenial to the lover of nature ; and if one 
 had not been a lover of nature, his more mundane senses 
 would doubtless have been tickled by the delicious smell 
 that arose from the venison chops grilling on the embers. 
 " Now, Oliver, my lad, wire in if you want anything, 'cos 
 I'm rather peckish," quoth the Colonel ; and I, knowing 
 his powers of suction and eating, forthwith drew my 
 hunting knife from behind me, and transferred a chop to 
 my tin-plate without a word. Unlike the immortal Pick- 
 wick, we had no tomato sauce, but hunger sauce made a 
 good substitute. But if we eat, eating was not the word 
 for those Injuns. Gracious goodness ! I never in all my 
 life, not even at a children's school feast, saw such gor- 
 mandizers. They must have eaten at least six pounds of 
 solid meat apiece, with no exaggeration. I had fears for 
 their powers of endurance during the day, but after an 
 eight hours' sleep, they woke like Modocs refreshed. 
 What with whiskey and pipes, and pipes and whiskey, we 
 
MY LAST BEAR. 89 
 
 talked and yarned far into the night, long after the 
 evening star had sunk beneath the hill ; and rolling our- 
 selves up in our rugs, we slept the sleep of the free 
 from society and cares. 
 
 Next morning we were up with the lark (heads 
 were none the worse), and bathed in the brooklet. 
 After breakfast we made a start, leaving the old squaw 
 and her boss behind us to take care of camp. First 
 of all we knocked over a few of the pheasants with 
 our rifles for our dinner and left them behind us. The 
 colonel took the bottoms, and I the hills, but I only got 
 three deer and the colonel got two more and a shot at 
 an elk, — as he said. I was armed with a W. R. carbine, 
 and the colonel with a heavy western rifle about 141b. 
 weight, and with a bullet the size of a large pea. At 
 anything over one hundred and fifty yards I could beat 
 him easily, but at forty rods, like California whiskey, his 
 piece meant " dead meat." He frequently took the 
 head off a bird at twenty-five paces, and a half-dollar at 
 thirty yards was struck every time ; but then he was a 
 powerful man and his rifle was furnished with a hair- 
 trigger. We returned to camp rather disgusted, and 
 amused ourselves by shooting at marks, and I took great 
 interest in seeing the old squaw making bread. Perhaps 
 the hint may be useful; anyhow here it is. Over night 
 she hung up a mustard tin half full of flour and water, 
 and let it ferment till next afternoon. About a half tea- 
 cup full of this she poured into a tin pan full of 
 flour, with a little salt in it, and mixed and stirred it up 
 well. Meanwhile her amiable spouse had dug a large 
 hole in the ground, and filled it with lighted sticks which 
 were allowed to burn out ; then more sticks were put on, 
 and so on till the whole was full of embers. The dough 
 
90 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 * 
 
 was now transferred to a large round iron pot with 
 a cover, about the size of a one hundred pound shot. 
 f lhe embers were nearly all scraped out, leaving a thick 
 layer at the bottom, and the pot dropped in ; the cover 
 was put on, and then the hot embers heaped up over the 
 sides and top, and over the whole thing a shovelful 
 of dirt. After a time the lid of the pot was lifted 
 up, and a piece of clean stick was pushed into 
 the bread; when the stick came out with no bread 
 adhering to it the loaf was baked , exhumed, and finally 
 eaten. It is the nearest approach to the Chinaman's 
 recipe of burning down a house to properly roast a pig, 
 and in its way is equally good. If you don't believe 
 it, try it in your own garden. 
 
 Next morning, our Indian hunter turned us out of bed 
 at some unearthly hour with the news that one of the 
 deer which we had shot last day and left behind us as a 
 bait had been carried off by someone or something, and 
 the colonel opined it was " bars/' All was now excite- 
 ment, and many the cautions and grave the advice I 
 received from the colonel in case I got near the critter. 
 In fact, on reflection, I could scarcely see how I could 
 well avoid getting chawed up. However, as I had twelve 
 cartridges in my pocket, and had been well in for the 
 5ft. 2in. at Rugby, I didn't feel much alarmed, and 
 besides I mentally parodied Nelson's saying, who ever 
 heard of an Englishman being killed by a bear in Oregon? 
 
 I took the bottoms this time, and tramped about for 
 an hour or two ; I saw lots of tracks and occasionally 
 lying up places, but no bear. I gradually got further 
 and further away, till at last I got tired. 1 saw lots of 
 deer, but didn't like to fire for fear of disturbing bruin, 
 who, of course, according to my guide, was always close 
 
MY LAST BEAR. 
 
 91 
 
 by. At last I was completely done up, jumping over 
 logs and having my eyes almost cut out of my head 
 every minute by brambles, and came to an anchor under 
 a hazel-bush near a large natural clearing of beautiful 
 grass. I lit my pipe, eat some bread and cheese and 
 drank some cutter, and concluded that bear shooting 
 in Oregon was, as my French master used to say, " not 
 de common error, but de gross deception." All of a 
 sudden I heard a shot not one hundred yards off, and 
 then a howl, and finally a rush as if ten thousand buffalo 
 bulls were on a stampede. A minute after and the 
 Injun came helter-skelter head over heels down the hill, 
 how-howing and wagh-waghing, like an escaped lunatic ! 
 I thought I knew the situation, and my mind was made 
 up in an instant. Did my eagle eye fix the monster, or 
 my lip curb with a haughty smile, as I, &c, &c. ? not 
 much ; I cut it across the clearing at my best sprint pace, 
 as if I was well in at a handicap at Lillie .Bridge. I 
 just took half a look over my shoulder, and could 
 scarcely help laughing. The noble savage was taking 
 logs, bushes, ruts, and all minor obstacles in his stride, 
 like a steeplechaser, and for a very good reason, for 
 barely thirty yards behind him was a huge cinnamon 
 bear, growling like a bassoon and going like a steam 
 engine ! I was about one hundred yards in front, and 
 kneeling down I let fly at him, and hit him somewhere I 
 thought, but it seemed no more than a sort of fleabite 
 to him, as he came on with ears back, and looking to me 
 a trifle smaller than a haystack. I now thought about a 
 tree but found none to let for a single young man, so off 
 I went again, and that brute of a red man close behind 
 me in my tracks. Suddenly without the least warning he 
 darted aside like a pea into the chapparal and Mr. Bruin 
 
92 
 
 E AMBLES AFTEK SPORT. 
 
 turned his kind attentions to me exclusively. I ran 
 across the most open parts, dodging behind trees and 
 looking out for one at all negotiable. I began to get 
 tired out, my knees began to feel weak, and I broke out 
 into a cold sweat ; I holloaed at the top of my voice, but 
 no one replied. The bear did not gain on me, but then 
 I did not gain on the bear, and at this hide-and-seek 
 business I knew I must cave in at last. I fired one 
 or two snap shots at the brute, but I don't believe I hit 
 him once. Pictures of Injuns and hunters rose up before 
 me, killing bears with one thrust of their knives ; but 
 then they were always grizzlies that were killed in that 
 manner, and I could not recollect a single cinnamon 
 being fixed off so. I stripped off my jacket, cartridges 
 and all, and threw it on the ground, and then started 
 once more across the clearing full tilt, to try and get 
 away among the chapparal. I tripped slightly over a 
 bramble, and dropped my carbine ; I never stopped even 
 to think, but flew along. It would have been romantic 
 for the colonel to have turned up now and shot the bear 
 just as he was about to lay hold of me ; but he didn't. 
 Nearly all the firs were big trees, quite denuded of limbs 
 near the ground, but at last I did see one that had a few 
 short stumps, and I made for it. I swung myself up a 
 few feet, swarmed up as far as I could, and then took 
 a look down. There was the bear at the bottom with a 
 wondering look on his face, as if he was wondering what 
 on earth I was at up there. All sorts of dreadful stories 
 about men being kept up in trees for days together 
 crowded through my mind, but I was very soon relieved 
 from all trouble on that score, as after a few minutes he 
 went away at a shuffling trot, and I could see him from 
 my eyrie quietly tearing my jacket to pieces. How I 
 
MY LAST BEAK. 
 
 93 
 
 wished he'd swallow a capped cartridge or two, warranted 
 not to miss fire ! I almost fell out of the tree laughing 
 at the idea. He eventually threw it on one side and 
 waddled off ; I don't believe he had a scratch on him 
 worth mentioning, and he seemed to think the whole 
 affair had been got up for his special amusement. I must 
 have stayed up that blessed tree for more than an hour, 
 holloaing like a costermonger. At length, after an 
 astounding whoop on my part, I heard a sound of 
 voices near the tree, and there was the colonel almost 
 beside himself with laughter. " Treed, by the jumping 
 Jehosaphat — treed by a cinnamon !" and again he went 
 into fits of laughter. " Confound your cinnamons ; what 
 on earth did you leave me for, you dirty rascal !" I 
 shouted from my perch to the noble red man. The brute 
 only smiled demoniacally, and said in his disgusting 
 jargon, " Cap (meaning me), him velly goot hunter," 
 at which the colonel rolled in the grass. " I'll cut your 
 ears off, you beast, you," I yelled as I came sliding down 
 the tree tearing my buckskins and hands all to pieces ; 
 but the savage " put." 
 
 " Never mind, Oliver, we'll kill that cinnamon yet 
 before you are many days older." ce Well, you may 
 if you like, but you don't get me going out after 
 bars again, unless I knew what I'm at, and am properly 
 armed." I didn't hanker after cinnamons after that 
 scrape. 
 
 Shooting bears with small-bore rifles is a one-sided 
 game, as the bear generally takes the whole of the pool. 
 The best weapon is a ten or twelve smooth bore, with 
 hardened (not too hard) bullets. A couple of these pills 
 will stop anything short of an elephant at any distance 
 under forty yards. The regular hunters generally lie in 
 
94 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 wait for them and then pot them behind the shoulder ; 
 they often run for some yards with a bullet through 
 their vitals. They more frequently trap them in regular 
 strong timber traps ; one hunter in 'Frisco used to catch 
 four or five every autumn in the Sierras. 
 
 I didn't hear the last of that blessed bear for many a 
 long day ; in fact the fame of it preceded me to Portland, 
 for when I returned from my visit, it was considered, and 
 in truth was, a safe " draw 99 to ask me, quite casually of 
 course, " Oh ! I say, what's the colour of a cinnamon 
 bear, North V 9 
 
ROUND CAPE HORN — VALPARAISO — 
 SANTIAGO. 
 
 (i Going round Cape Horn in a sailing vessel ! why, you 
 must be mad!" said all my sisters, brothers, mother, 
 and relations. 
 
 " You go ; you'll have a first-rate time of it — splendid 
 air, good digestion. Pick out a jolly captain, and, take 
 my word for it, you'll enjoy yourself/' said Jack Stubbs, 
 who had travelled over half the world, and hadn't 
 finished yet. 
 
 As I saved about 501. by the transaction, I went in a 
 sailing vessel, picked out a very jolly captain, and in 
 four days found myself and effects sailing down Chan- 
 nel, all so gaily oh ! or rather I should say not so gaily 
 oh ! Another thing determined me to take this route. 
 I had an idea — shared in common with many others, I 
 believe — that the life of the " jolly tar " was something 
 nearly perfection ; that all he had to do was to sing songs 
 to lovely Nancy or saucy Nell, and sit on the deck while 
 the breeze blew merrily. A confused notion of splicing 
 the main brace, yarns from the forecastle, the manly 
 tar, the brave sailor lad in a blue tie and tight inexpres- 
 sibles, the warm affectionate heart beating beneath the 
 rough jacket, grog, songs, and all that, had got mixed 
 up in my head. 
 
 I may as well say at once that I never was so deceived 
 in my life. Never shall I forget our first night in 
 Channel ; more than half the crew drunk ; the ship 
 
 I 
 
90 
 
 EAMBLES AFTEE SPOET. 
 
 labouring wearily, there not being enough sober hands 
 to get sail on her ; everything in confusion on deck ; the 
 captain at his wits' end what to do, as both his mates 
 were hopelessly drunk, let alone the pitchy darkness and 
 the half gale that was blowing. The dangers of the 
 deep open sea are as nothing compared with those of 
 beating down Channel in dirty weather with a drunken 
 crew. Well, at all events, I thought, when we get into 
 fine weather we shall be all right, and the brave sailor 
 lad will come out in his truer and better colours. Alas 
 for my fancies ! I never saw such a melancholy, surly 
 lot ; they loafed, shammed, and shirked work like the 
 veriest " cadgers " ashore. Out of the whole crew you 
 might have possibly picked out four men who knew their 
 work and did it — a proportion which the captain subse- 
 quently assured me he was very glad to get in most cases. 
 And the songs ! I went forward once to hear about saucy 
 Nan and winsome Sal; I entered a low square sort of a bin, 
 called a deckhouse, which seemed, like the cages in the 
 Bastille, especially designed to prevent a person either 
 standing up or lying down ; two or three buckets were 
 lying about, half filled with cold greasy pork and half- 
 picked beef bones ; a breaker of water, three or four tin 
 cans, a couple of seamen's chests, and some old suits of 
 waterproof clothing were all the furniture visible to the 
 eye ; and the whole place had a disgusting sickening 
 smell of stale tobacco smoke and dirty clothes. Two of 
 the apprentices were lying huddled up under a pile of 
 old coats and boots, while three of the " merry tars " 
 were sitting on the wet slippery floor, enveloped in 
 tobacco smoke, staring at me vacantly and spitting pro- 
 fusely. After a good deal of pressing on my part, and 
 paying my footing in the shape of a bottle of rum 
 
BOUND CAPE HORN VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 97 
 
 one of them said he only knew one sanguinary song, and 
 he was pretty well d — d if he knew all that ; and after a 
 few more oaths commenced one of the dismalest, most 
 melancholy, and unintelligible melodies (?) I ever heard ; 
 nothing about Nance or Bet, or trim-built wherries, or 
 anything most distantly connected with the sea, but a 
 strange medley, something about be-er and whiskey, 
 randy dandy oh ! he ! oh ! the chorus being joined in by 
 the others in a vacant haphazard sort of way when the 
 idea struck them. 
 
 Thrown thus on my own resources, I soon began to 
 find that the real enjoyments of the voyage must be 
 sought for in Nature herself ; and these were not a few. 
 How shall I describe the glories of a tropical sunset — the 
 balmy breezes, the singing tackle and the snowy sail; 
 the dreamy, indolent, fairy life of a calm in Capricorn, 
 where life " seems always afternoon " — the rattling burst 
 of the fell pampero the white-crested "willy-waw," 
 or the violent west wind raging round Cape Horn, dread 
 of mariners ? And then the tropical nights ! How sweet 
 to watch, prone on the deck, the ever-fading twilight or 
 the flaming glories of the Southern Cross, or warrior 
 Orion burning with lights unknown to colder climes. 
 Pleasant it was to mark the dolphin, merriest and swiftest 
 of his tribe, leap o'er the ripple of the wave in sheer joy 
 of heart at the coming breeze, or follow the course of 
 the gladsome flying-fish, the common prey of all. I re- 
 member one night off the mouth of the Plate we fell in 
 with an enormous school of porpoises ; the sea at the 
 time was peculiarly phosphorescent, and as they darted 
 here and there just beneath the bows, or leapt up dozens 
 at a time, as if by preconcerted signal, they left long 
 trains and flashes of light far behind them ; it was very 
 
 H 
 
98 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 dark, and it looked like the writhing lake of snakes in 
 Dante's " Inferno." And then, too, there is that beauti- 
 ful portent, the fairy cave, or, as the mariners pro- 
 fanely call it, the " sun-dog," which looks like the end 
 of a rainbow which has lost its way in the eastern sky. 
 They say some syren sits there the livelong day, combing 
 out her locks, warbling her deadly strains the while ; for 
 after one is seen, it is " Everything snugged down for 
 the night." 
 
 Ah, well, with all its advantages, a sea voyage of 
 ninety days is a tedious business, especially when one's 
 pay is not going on all the time. I managed to relieve 
 the monotony of the voyage somewhat by catching a 
 shark or two. One night I had a dolphin hook towing 
 overboard, when, feeling a tug at it, I commenced 
 hauling in ; to my astonishment, I found I had a shark 
 about six or seven feet long at the end of the line ! He 
 followed the pull of the line quietly as a mackerel till he 
 was close under the stern, when the mate unbent a sheet, 
 and had a bowline round him in no time. He then 
 seemed to think something was the matter, and com- 
 menced to kick and pull like a demon. The watch soon 
 hove him aboard, however, and the carpenter had his tail 
 off in a crack. Inside his stomach we found an officer's 
 cap recently swallowed — probably dropped overboard 
 from some ship ahead of us — and which was immediately 
 appropriated by the mate. 
 
 The captain was very angry at our hauling the shark 
 aboard on the quarter-deck, as he declared we should 
 smell the stink of the shark's blood for days after. I 
 laughed at him, but most certainly when walking on the 
 leeward side of the poop we distinctly perceived the 
 disgusting, sickening odour which proceeds from a live 
 
ROUND CAPE HORN VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 99 
 
 shark. Some of the sailors had a mess off his flesh, 
 and the cook sent some of his tail in the shape of 
 cutlets to the cabin ; but I can't say I think much of 
 shark. I considerably astonished the skipper by catch- 
 ing nearly every dolphin I saw with a spoon bait, which 
 they took most ravenously, evidently mistaking it for a 
 flying fish, of which they are excessively fond. Off Cape 
 Horn we had a gale which lasted twelve days, and which 
 left us precisely in the same place as we were at first ; it 
 was certainly worthy of* the spot. The skipper concluded 
 he would throw overboard some cargo, as we were too 
 deep to carry sail, so the very first chance we had we 
 threw over some hundred and fifty tons ; after which we 
 made pretty good weather of it, and in seventeen days 
 more made Valparaiso Light. We arrived at midnight, 
 and the city being built on numerous small hills, and 
 being extremely well lighted, presented rather a prepos- 
 sessing effect. We were not allowed to land, however, 
 and so my first impressions of the " Vale of Paradise" 
 were not to be derived from a gaslight view — always 
 very deceptive. 
 
 " There is in America a city which cannot possibly be 
 compared to any other in the whole world. That city is 
 Valparaiso. Valparaiso ! The word resounds in the 
 enchanted ear like the gentle and soft notes of a love 
 song; a coquettish, smiling, and mad city, softly re- 
 clining, like a careless Creole, round a delicious bay at the 
 foot of three majestic mountains, lazily bathing her rosy 
 and dainty feet in the azure waves of the Pacific, and 
 veiling her dreamy brow in the storm laden clouds which 
 escape from Cape Horn and roll with a sinister sound 
 round the peaks of the Cordilleras, to form a splendid 
 glory for them .... a pile of shapeless dens and mag- 
 
 H 2 
 
100 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 nificent palaces jostling each other." So writes one of 
 our popular sensation novelists. Certainly the gram- 
 mar is a little obscure ; as, however, he commences 
 another novel in almost exactly the same words, I am 
 afraid he must have been dreaming, to say the least of 
 it, at the time, or else never was at the town in question. 
 For downright filth, certainly it cannot be compared to 
 any other city I have ever seen ; and as for the " deli- 
 cious bay/'' if an entirely open and excessively dangerous 
 roadstead filled with the filth and offscourings of such a 
 city can be so called, then I can only say that ideas differ 
 on the subject of bays, as well as on other subjects. 
 Valparaiso is simply an extremely dirty and very ugly 
 town, composed of one long straggling street about three 
 and a half miles long, with hardly a single attractive 
 building in it. Five days in the week you are nearly 
 carried off your feet and half blinded by the " southers 99 
 and " northers " that blow with tremendous violence 
 from the sea, and down the quebradas or gulleys 
 that permeate the hills all round the town ; and the 
 other two you are nearly poisoned by the insufferable 
 smells which meet you at every turn and corner. I 
 believe I shared, in common with a good many others, 
 a sort of hazy idea of Venetian blinds, proud and 
 haughty caballeros, dark-eyed senoritas, romantic meet- 
 ings, gay and happy Spanish muleteers smoking and 
 dancing all day long ; a notion that money came some- 
 how very easily, that everyone was very hospitable and 
 kind, and that an Englishman was sure to marry an 
 heiress at the very least. Alas ! my very first expe- 
 rience, before even I touched the magic soil, dispelled all 
 these illusions like a magician's wand. In the morning 
 we saw a boat approaching us ; now then for a chance of 
 
EOUND CAPE HORN VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 101 
 
 airing my Spanish ! As she came alongside, I began, 
 " Tienes usted, amigo mio." " Oh, you can't come the 
 native over us just yet, young man/' replied an 
 immensely tall specimen of the British human race, as 
 he clambered up the side of the vessel. " No, Pm d — d 
 if he can/' exclaimed his companion, as he crossed the 
 bulwarks, with a passing allusion to his eyes in the old 
 matter-of-fact style of swearing. A young custom-house 
 clerk accompanied them, with patent leather boots and a 
 bobtail coat, whose double you can see any day by the score 
 at Liverpool 'change or docks. Nor was the illusion a 
 whit the less dispelled when I landed. I found the Vale 
 of Paradise simply an over-crowded town, inhabited by 
 an intensely money-loving set of people, whose one sole 
 object in life consists in making money ; it is in reality 
 a sort of English colony. You find there the same oaths, 
 the same beer, the same ship chandlers, the same tick- 
 going tailors and tobacconists, old-clothes men, sailors, 
 gin palaces, billiard rooms, narrow dirty streets, and 
 smells, that you do in any seaport in the three kingdoms; 
 and positively there is the " real old original Whitechapel 
 Chicken," professor of the noble art, who keeps a ratting 
 pit and sells boxing gloves. Alas for the proud and 
 haughty caballeros ! — the very dirtiest and smelliest 
 edition of a Barcelona Spaniard. The dark-eyed 
 senoritas ! — I know no living female that can be com- 
 pared with a Chilena in the way of dirt and untidi- 
 ness. The magnificent palaces ! — a few respectable- 
 looking business houses, with respectable commer- 
 cial looking gentlemen inside them busily engaged in 
 solving that wonderful problem of making two dollars 
 into three. In fact, Valparaiso is a sham — a regular 
 swindle ; as it stares at you out of the map all the 
 
102 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 way from England it is a downright shame that it 
 should be so horribly and intensely British. By-the- 
 bye, where on earth can you get out of the sound 
 of Bow bells ? Lima ? Bah ! a colony of Scotch 
 and English Jews. China ? India ? Japan ? All the 
 same — smelling of Cheap. Who does not associate 
 the South Seas, the lovely South Seas — the perlas 
 oceanicas — with soft balmy breezes and dreamy lotus- 
 eating days, eating the luscious grape, and drinking 
 the pure morning dew out of the hollowed fruit rind ? 
 Who has not heard, and dreamt perhaps, of those fair 
 virgins of Typee, the sunny island girls, embodiment of 
 grace and love, who pass their days in dreamy inno- 
 cence ? Oh, Tahiti, how all thy visions fade at the first 
 breath of facts. Thy fair virgins ?— half-naked wenches, 
 remarkable for nothing except inordinate desires and 
 greed for dollars. The balmy breezes ? — a damp, hot 
 clirnabe, that dries you up like a herring in about two 
 years. Thy dreamland, lotus-eating days ? — if anyone 
 can manage to enjoy many of them among a parcel of 
 French officers, slaveowners, drunken sailors, marine- 
 store keepers, American loafers, and a sprinkling of 
 British scamps, he must be honoured with imaginative 
 powers in a most remarkable degree. 
 
 I can't say I was much prepossessed by the first appear- 
 ance of Valparaiso by daylight. It could never be made a 
 handsome city, in any sense of the word, if all the 
 palaces in the world were placed there. I should say 
 that the greatest breadth between the foot of the hills 
 and the beach is under two hundred yards, and in many 
 places is less than sixty ; consequently there is absolutely 
 no room for building in regular squares. A very large 
 portion even of the existing building ground has been 
 
ROUND CAPE HORN VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 103 
 
 stolen from the sea. As it only rains in Chile in certain 
 months of the year, and then with great violence, all the 
 filth of the surrounding hills which has accumulated 
 during the hot dry season is washed down to the town 
 below. Part of this permeates to the springs which 
 supply the town with water, and from this source arise 
 those few cases of peculiarly deadly fever which always 
 more or less hangs about the town. As the town is not 
 drained at all, so to speak, if an epidemic were to visit 
 it, it would decimate the place. Some people of judgment 
 say, however, that an epidemic could not exist long in 
 Valparaiso, on account of the south winds that blow 
 there during eight months of the year. 
 
 I landed at a mole something like a Thames coal wharf, 
 which is periodically washed away by the " northers," or 
 northern gales, which during the Equinoxes set with 
 terrific violence straight into the bay. Facing this mole 
 is a square gravelly place filled with crimps, boatmen, 
 bumboat women, nondescript half-soldier half-custom- 
 house-looking individuals, and British touts. Of course 
 you are immediately pounced upon, your luggage carried 
 in twenty different directions, and you yourself jostled 
 and hurried here and there, like a barrel of herrings, 
 by the boatmen, a set of insolent, extortionate scamps, — 
 a Chileno will tell you they are independent and free- 
 hearted drolls. Supposing you get through the custom- 
 house all right, and supposing you manage to get your 
 luggage deposited in a coach, and supposing you sur- 
 vive the fearful drive in the said coach, you will probably 
 find yourself, somehow or other (remember, everything 
 is " somehow or other" in Chile ; leave all thoughts of 
 order or method behind you in Cockayne) in the Hotel 
 Colon, or Campbell's, or some other hotel in which the 
 
104 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 cochero thinks proper to shoot you, and where, for 
 three dollars or twelve shillings a day, you can have a 
 room, breakfast, dinner, and lunch ; attendance is thrown 
 in for nothing, and quite fair too, for a Chileno waiter 
 is about the very strongest-smelling individual I know. 
 There is a ghastly story current in Valparaiso, that one 
 year, when all the foxes had been drowned by a flood, 
 a well-known waiter named Juan de Dios, or Juan 
 de la Cruz, was periodically hired by the Valparaiso Hunt 
 Club to run a drag; and such was his extraordinary 
 smell when warmed to his work, that the hounds used 
 to go away at a burst on the burning scent, and run 
 clean away from the horses. I believe he never ivas 
 caught ; a <e kill in the open 33 would have been rather 
 a playful termination to Mr. Juan de la Cruz's career. 
 The living at the hotels on the whole is very fair ; you 
 have about twenty different little dishes, all served up 
 at the same time, American fashion, and you cannot for 
 love or money get a plate of good plain boiled or roast 
 mutton or beef. Oh, that plain roast and boiled, boiled 
 and roast ! how we ridicule it at home ! It certainly 
 does get rather monotonous sometimes ; but many a time 
 have I hankered and hungered after a slice of juicy leg 
 of mutton, as I have surveyed the microscopic dab of 
 square brown stuff which Juan sets before me. 
 
 I mentioned a coach just now. A Chile coach or cab 
 is the most extraordinary vehicle ever designed by man, 
 and is drawn by the most surprising horse, I should say, 
 in the universe. A Naples horse and cab is bad enough, 
 but not to be named in the same breath with the Chilian 
 one. Imagine a sort of inverted coffin case, bound and 
 tied up together with odds and ends of rope and hide, 
 supported on four most suspicious -looking wheels, and 
 
ROUND CAPE HORN VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 105 
 
 with a pair of shafts projecting about two feet beyond 
 the horse's nose — a loose ramshackle machine, especially 
 designed to combine the most noise with the most 
 jolting. The quadruped inside the shafts looks some- 
 thing like a cross between a forest pony and a gigantic 
 species of rat ; the harness consists of a complicated 
 arrangement of old bits of hide, string, and scraps of 
 leather ; an extraordinary individual, the cochero, in a 
 dirty white coat, wide straw hat, with a huge whip and 
 a straw cigarette, keeps up a continual yelling or crack- 
 ing of the aforesaid whip. Imagine all this, and you 
 have some faint idea of a Valparaiso cab ; only get inside 
 one, and you will have a much more vivid idea of it. 
 They seem omnipresent ; appear at the door of your 
 hotel, and immediately five or six of them dart at you 
 like pike at a dace. They seem to know intuitively a 
 fresh arrival, especially one from Britain, and follow one 
 all along the pavement like a funeral procession. " Patron ! 
 Patroncito ! here you are! mira ! ten cents only!" and 
 sure enough the wretched half-starved animal no sooner 
 hears the slam of the door behind him than he jumps off 
 like a pea from a shooter, aided by two or three artistic 
 cuts with the whip planted with admirable dexterity over 
 his nose and ears. He darts here and there, down alleys 
 and up lanes, his head on one side, kicking, shying, and 
 tugging away at the machine behind him like a demon ; 
 when you are just about half-killed, and had your break- 
 fast all but shaken out of you, you pull up at your des- 
 tination with a jerk that nearly throws you on the oppo- 
 site seat on your nose ; and for all this amusement you 
 only pay ten cents ! It is the cheapest bit of gymnastics 
 I know of, with just a spice of danger to give a zest to 
 it. When my readers reflect that this animal goes 
 
106 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 through, this performance at least twenty times a day, 
 and keeps at it for about fifteen years, his life can hardly 
 be called one of unalloyed enjoyment. When he has not 
 a single leg to stand on, his ears flicked off or worn down 
 by cuts from the whip, his body so covered with sores 
 that his hide is valueless — then, and not till then, does 
 the wretched beast end his days as food for dogs. Oh 
 for a Humane Society in Chile ! They are the cruellest, 
 as they are the most ignorant people in the whole 
 world. I saw myself, in the streets of Valparaiso, a 
 wretched mule run over by a street car ; one of the 
 wheels cut off one of its fore-feet just at the fetlock • the 
 driver of the poor animal beat it till it got up, and then 
 drove it along a cobble-paved street more than a mile. 
 The street was crowded with passers-by at the time, not 
 one of whom manifested the least sympathy with the 
 poor beast, but one or two expressed their admiration 
 at the cleverness of the muleteer in getting his mule along 
 in that state. 
 
 I delivered my letters of introduction to Mr. Garland, 
 a gentleman well known all through South America, I 
 might almost say, as a sportsman and for his good quali- 
 ties ; and not only he, but his brother and his cousin, 
 the former of whom for years kept the pack of foxhounds 
 at Valparaiso, and the latter is the general promoter of, 
 and authority on sport in the country. I can only state 
 that during the whole of my three years' residence in 
 Chile I received such innumerable acts of kindness at 
 their hands that I look back at that country as my second 
 home. 
 
 Mr. Gr. immediately placed his house, or rather rooms, 
 at my disposal. Putting my baggage on a bullock-cart 
 to be sent out to his villa, we proceeded to the stables, 
 
ROUND CAPE HORN VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 107 
 
 where we found two horses awaiting us, and mounting 
 them we rode out to the " Zorras," distant about three 
 miles, where Mr. G. was living. The road was rather 
 pretty, winding along the sides of hills, and affording a 
 fine view of the city below us. 
 
 " Well, here we are," said my host as we rode into a 
 yard with a pigeon-house in the centre ; " I have to get 
 back to town, and you had better make yourself at home 
 and ride into town afterwards for lunch." It was a 
 pretty little cottage, just big enough for three, all ground 
 floor, and painted white ; the bedrooms were added on 
 to the side of the house, with a verandah in front of 
 them. This verandah was covered with vines, branches 
 of which hung down beneath : under here we break- 
 fasted. There was a garden of some two acres, but such 
 a garden ! Flowers and fruit struggled for the mastery, 
 and around the whole was a ring of poplars, embraced half- 
 way up their height with wild roses. In the yard two or 
 three enormous deerhounds basked lazily in the sun, 
 while in a loose box I observed what I put down as a 
 " bit of blood ; " and I was right, for it was Nimrod, a 
 half-bred horse by an imported English stallion. In fact, 
 the cottage had an uncommon close resemblance to a 
 bachelor's shooting-box at home. 
 
 After seeing my things in order I mounted my steed, 
 and rode into town again — or rather tried to do so. A 
 curious beast was that horse, hight Ohimborongo, rather 
 small, but very stubborn, and he had more tricks than 
 any other Chimborongo I ever clapped eyes on. I indis- 
 creetly mounted him in the yard, and for full five minutes 
 he wouldn't budge an inch. Jose, the servant, suggested 
 a spur might be of some good. The spurs were brought 
 — odd-looking affairs, about 6in. diameter in the rowels. 
 
108 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 At the first dig he certainly moved ; at the second he 
 seemed to think it was time to " get out of that and 
 at the third vigorous application he bolted bang into his 
 stall, knocking my hat off, and commenced calmly to eat 
 hay ! After a good deal of backing, kicking, and sundry 
 curious oaths on the part of Jose, the animal was induced 
 to go out of the yard ; but he was no sooner in the road 
 than he changed his tactics and started off full gallop, 
 ran down several steep inclines, and at last pulled up at 
 the door of a pulqueria so suddenly as nearly to shoot 
 me out of the saddle ; and so, alternately galloping, jib- 
 bing, shying, climbing up embankments, and performing 
 most extraordinary gyrations on his hind legs, he 
 eventually arrived at Campbell's Hotel. 
 
 " How do you like your nag V* said Mr. Gr. ; "I have 
 set him aside for your especial use ; no one else is to ride 
 him." 
 
 " Thank you ; but is he always like he was coming 
 out V> 
 
 " What's that ? Been up to his shying tricks again ? 
 Oh, that's nothing; he used to be the same with me, 
 but I soon cured him. I generally unhook one of the 
 stirrups, and knock him down with it ! He goes all 
 right after that." 
 
 I should think so. I recommend this recipe to brother 
 sportsmen. 
 
 Alas, poor Chimbo ! with all thy faults I loved 
 thee still. One night he was stolen. I was told that 
 twenty-five dollars would get him back ; however, on 
 reflection, I kept my money. 
 
 After lunch I went to see the city, and as the best way 
 to set about it I commenced at one end and walked right 
 to the other. I needed not to have walked, as street 
 
ROUND CAPE HORN VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 109 
 
 railway cars run every few minutes ; these cars are well 
 horsed, &c, and the fare is only 2d. for the whole dis- 
 tance of three miles. It has another great recommenda- 
 tion—it pays twelve per cent, to shareholders. 
 
 The custom house, at the one end, is a large brick and 
 mortar building, having a good many marks of the 
 Spanish bombardment; it is not remarkable in any 
 other way. On the heights above the custom house are 
 some earthworks, armed with heavy Blakeley and Arm- 
 strong guns, in anticipation, I suppose, of another attack 
 by the Spanish fleet. An uncommonly narrow dirty 
 street leads you on to the Plaza Intendencia ; this Plaza 
 is about one hundred and fifty yards square, one side 
 being formed by the landing stages, inspector's rooms, 
 and the Bolsa or commercial reading room ; another 
 by a fire-engine house, a bank, and the post-office ; the 
 third by numerous grog saloons, stores, [and a hotel 
 or two ; and fronting the mole is the Intendencia, or 
 residence of the Intendente of Valparaiso. It is an 
 ordinary -looking building, with a belfry and an enormous 
 flag. By-the-bye, nearly the first thing that strikes a 
 stranger's eye is the immense quantity of flags, as nearly 
 every house displays its bit of bunting on every possible 
 occasion. I might say that a more noticeable feature 
 than this even is the frightful state of the pavements, 
 street cars, &c, from excessive expectoration. Yankees 
 are supposed to be " some on juicing/' as they elegantly 
 express it, but it must be said that they spit in the 
 majority of cases with precision, and a consideration for 
 your dress and boots. A Chileno doesn't; he spits 
 anywhere, and on everything — at the dinner-table, at 
 church ; and the women are nearly as bad as the men. 
 In a church at La Serena I saw a notice posted up 
 
110 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 requesting the faithful not to expectorate too much on 
 the floor, but to put their pocket-handkerchiefs to their 
 natural use. 
 
 Well, after leaving the Plaza Intendencia, still following 
 straight on, I passed through two streets, very narrow 
 and shockingly paved, lined on each side with mercantile 
 houses of the most ordinary description, and still going on, 
 I came to the Calle Cabo, or High-street. This street 
 was certainly superior to the others I had seen, and 
 contained some handsome enough shops ; still I should 
 be inclined to put it down as about equal to an average 
 provincial high street in England. Still following the 
 same interminable street, I came to the Grand Plaza 
 or Plaza Victoria. This certainly commands one's atten- 
 tion for some time, but there is really nothing in it that 
 the greatest enthusiast could go into raptures about. In 
 the centre is a fountain, and round it a pavement 
 bordered by some sickly-looking trees, and provided 
 with benches for the use of the public. This forms 
 the favourite paseo or promenade for the inhabitants 
 on an evening, more especially as the theatre forms one 
 side of the Plaza ; this theatre is much like any other. On 
 the opposite side is the cathedral, not worthy of any men- 
 tion, being merely a plastered square building with a belfry 
 and the usual fixings ornaments ; of these latter more 
 anon. Beyond this square there is a passable street, the 
 Calle Victoria, which leads you on to the railway station. 
 After getting to the end of my journey, very hot and 
 dusty, and rather out of temper, I returned by the way I 
 €arne, paying a visit to a new church they were building 
 in the Calle Nueva, which promised to be something out 
 of the common ; at all events, when I saw it it was a 
 huge unfinished brick building, with a somewhat hand- 
 
ROUND CAPE HORN VALPARAISO SANTIAGO. Ill 
 
 some roof and tower, but nothing to call for any unusual 
 attention. 
 
 Perhaps I may here be allowed to remark on the 
 extraordinary facility some people have of seeing some- 
 thing fine in everything foreign ; I suppose it is on the 
 omne ignotum principle. Given an old tumble-down 
 brick building, with all the windows broken and half the 
 roof off, and they immediately go into raptures over 
 the " fine old ruin or an old archway or a heap of 
 bricks causes them to fall a-thinking as to who was 
 imprisoned there, or some such rubbish. I have seen 
 Valparaiso and other South American cities described 
 variously as fine, picturesque, well laid - out, with 
 splendid churches, &c. Church architecture all through 
 the land is execrable they are all the same — a square 
 plastered building with a few windows, as high up as 
 possible, the only difference being that some are large 
 and some small. In Lima there are a few churches 
 besides the cathedral that are out of the common. All 
 the churches in all South America rolled into one would 
 not produce a building equal to any of our minsters; 
 certainly the styles are different, inasmuch as the 
 former have no style at all. Eowever, when I come 
 to Santiago I shall have occasion to speak more of the 
 churches, &c. 
 
 On getting back I foun4 my worthy steed all ready 
 saddled, and, if he evinced in the morning a disinclination 
 to come from his home, he certainly seemed resolved 
 upon getting back as soon as possible. After two or 
 three attempts at starting by himself — or, as my friend 
 jocularly remarked, with no outside passengers — he put 
 his nose between his knees and went off full tilt through 
 the streets as if he bore a second Mazeppa. How long 
 
112 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 he would have gone on I don't know, but we were 
 eventually charged and stopped by a villanous-looking 
 man on a horse, with a dirty blue uniform, a red cap, and 
 a huge sword, who forthwith proceeded to take us to the 
 police station, distant about two miles, there being a 
 fine of one dollar for galloping through the streets. 
 However, fortunately, on my way I met Mr. G., whom 
 everyone seemed to know. A little talkee-talkee ensued, 
 and the presentation of 20 cents (or one shilling) to the 
 " peeler " settled all difficulties in a moment ; and, after 
 many apologies and adios from that functionary, we went 
 on our way. 
 
 " 1 suppose the best way is to tip them when you are 
 caught V> "Oh yes/' said Mr. G., "that's the best 
 way ; or a good way is to go by full gallop, and when 
 they attempt to stop you cry out 6 Soy doctor.' " It 
 appear that doctors are allowed anywhere and over 
 anything. 
 
 A Chileno paco or policeman is a dreadful scamp ; 
 he is usually about five feet high, dressed in a coat down 
 to his heels, a dirty cap on his head several sizes too big 
 for him, and an immense sword reaching almost to his 
 ears. In a difficulty they lay about them with these 
 instruments pretty freely, especially if they can get a 
 drunken sailor up a back lane; they never miss a chance 
 of taking the change out of Jack. Their pay is miser- 
 able, and their dispositions accordingly vile. Their 
 mode of communicating with each other is by blowing 
 a bone whistle of peculiar shrillness ; I never saw a 
 paco do anything yet but smoke straw cigarritos 
 and blow his whistle ; when about a dozen of them are 
 all blowing away together like steam engines, the effect 
 is horrible. 
 
ROUND CAPE HORN — VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 113 
 
 After dinner, thinking quietly about what I had seen 
 in the Vale of Paradise, I came to the conclusion, as 
 I said before, that it was a regular " take-in." Upon 
 my word I don't believe Murray could make a hand- 
 book on the place. I contend that a place with such 
 a name, 16,000 miles away — and, say what you will, 
 distance has a good deal to do with it, who's going to 
 Timbuctoo if he can't see something fresh ? — I say such 
 a place has no business to be such a swindle. There is 
 positively nothing there. I tried for months to discover 
 something — some old church or library, some old house, 
 some relic or other to go into raptures about; but 
 no, I found nothing ; I might just as well have been in 
 Hammersmith or Houndsditch. However, I have San- 
 tiago, " el ojo de Chile," to fall back on ; that's some 
 consolation. I shall see something there, at any rate, 
 worth seeing. 
 
 Valparaiso has its little scandals and quarrels, like the 
 veriest little out-of-the-way country parish at home. I 
 suppose it may with safety be said that, if there is one 
 storm that is nearly sure to rise in an English village, it 
 is one between the parson, organist, churchwardens, and 
 parishioners ; the last three are unanimous in one respect 
 only — in their hostility to the first. I am extremely glad 
 to say that Valparaiso is, or was, no way behindhand 
 in this respect. It had its parson squabble, and not only 
 that, but kept it up for something like eight years ! 
 Think of that ye curates at home, worried by vestrymen 
 and refractory females ! Nowhere can ye escape your 
 inevitable fate — at all events not in Valparaiso ; for well 
 as the reverend gentleman held his own, in sporting lan- 
 guage, the pace killed him at last, and he was fairly driven 
 out of the place by a clique of " highly respectable " 
 
 i 
 
114 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 people, whipped in by two or three old fogies, who 
 devoted themselves generally on Sundays to rum punch, 
 three-card loo, and anathematising the parson. 
 
 On going abroad the last thing generally inquired 
 about is medical attendance. Of course at home, in 
 dear old England, where one has one's friends to anti- 
 cipate every want, we don't put much value upon it ; but 
 if I were asked what inducements I held out to a young 
 man going to Chile, I should reply that I considered 
 the fact of there being first-rate medical attendance 
 and a first-rate hospital among the highest; it is far 
 superior to any hospital I have seen out of England. 
 The word hospital had always been one of peculiarly 
 unpleasant significance to me. I imagined a square 
 grim-looking building outside, with all the blinds in the 
 windows down ; inside, a number of passages with wards 
 on each side, all lettered like stalls in a stable, in and out 
 of which glide nurses painfully clean and prim ; doors 
 labelled " surgery/' " operating room a medical student 
 or two, and a smell pervading the whole of fresh- 
 scrubbed floors, disinfecting fluid, and senna tea. The 
 very thought of going there made me think I should be 
 experimented upon by some rising young sawbones 
 with a peculiar penchant for fatty tumours or some other 
 disease. I am happy to say the British hospital is the 
 exact opposite of all this. It was originally a private 
 house, and is situated on the top of Cerro Alegre; it com- 
 mands a beautiful view of the bay, and the air is much 
 purer and healthier than in the town below. How many 
 times I thought how the poor wretches at home, in 
 London hospitals, cooped up in small space and doubtful 
 air, would have enjoyed the balmy breeze and nature's 
 glorious panorama. 
 
EOUND CAPE HORN VALPARAISO SANTIAGO. 115 
 
 There is a very good club in Valparaiso, and the 
 directors of it are most exceedingly liberal in extending 
 its privileges to strangers ; in fact, the hospitality of the 
 English merchants generally is very great. Some of the 
 strongest London firms are represented in this city, and, 
 as a body, I am inclined to think that they are entitled to 
 as much respect as any other in the world. A failure is 
 exceedingly rare in Valparaiso among the English ; in 
 fact, I do not remember one during my residence. I 
 am aware that Valparaiso has got rather a bad name as 
 a fast, bad place, but I don't don't know why ; you find 
 good and bad people everywhere. I do know how- 
 ever, that what are called the " good old times " of 
 Valparaiso are gone, and gone for ever, thank God ! 
 Then it was thought quite the correct thing to get 
 drunk — quite the privilege of the upper ten, but all that 
 is changed now. A man who gets drunk or behaves like 
 a blackguard gets marked as soon there as anywhere 
 else, and a person who behaves himself like a gentleman 
 is as well received as he would be in his own home. 
 
 Some of the shops in the streets are fair. If you 
 enter one of them, you will probably be struck with the 
 remarkable fact that nothing seems to be under a dollar 
 — un 'jjgso ; if it is the omnipotent penny in England, 
 surely it is the everlasting dollar here. If you want a 
 pair of gloves, your hair cut, a collar, a pot of pomatum, 
 or anything else from a toothpick to an umbrella, you 
 never can get a decided answer from the young man. 
 He eyes you, turns you inside out as it were, consults 
 with another young man who has been also eyeing you 
 from behind a box or two in the corner, and, if he thinks 
 you will stand it, says with a doubtful air, as if it were 
 of no sort of consequence to him, " Un pesito, senor" — 
 
 i 2 
 
116 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 merely a dollar. You object ; another consultation, and 
 lie thinks lie may venture to let you have it at half a 
 dollar — this with an air of " Well, you can't afford more, 
 and so I give it you and finally you get the article for 
 about one real, or the eighth of a dollar. 
 
 The country near Valparaiso is barren, hilly, and unin- 
 teresting ; the soil, however, is so peculiarly fertile that 
 wherever a little water, cultivation, and care is applied, 
 luxuriant verdure clothes the soil. At the Zorras, 
 only three miles from Valparaiso, are many delightful 
 residences. Mr. Charles Watson, a gentlemen whose 
 well-known hospitality I had the pleasure of enjoying 
 during all my stay in Chile, has a beautiful place there, 
 with gardens, lawns, &c, as well laid out as in a country 
 house at home. The cricket ground is distant about two 
 miles up a steep quebrada ; and an uncommonly cool and 
 airy place it is. The wind blows a perfect hurricane 
 there five days out of the week, almost precluding the 
 idea of playing cricket ; but, nevertheless, the Valparaiso 
 C.C. is a flourishing institution, and the members get up 
 plenty of matches during the season, especially if there 
 happens to be a man-of-war or two in the harbour. I 
 took many a charming ride to the Placilla, where the 
 annual races are held, and where the foxhound kennels 
 are ; yes, sporting readers, you may open your eyes, but 
 there is a pack of foxhounds in far-off Chile, and not such 
 a bad one either. I believe they were originally got 
 out by Mr. Thomas B. Garland, and presented by him to 
 the Valpaiaiso Hunt; after Mr. G/s departure for Eng- 
 land, his cousin, Mr. George Garland, a gentleman known, 
 as I said before, as a most ardent sportsman, took charge 
 of them and hunted them himself for some years. Three 
 years ago, however, the hunt got out from England 
 
ROUND CAPE HOEN VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 117 
 
 huntsman named Holman, who, I believe, gives every 
 satisfaction. When I saw them they were rather out of 
 health, influenza or kennel cough having been pretty 
 busy among them; but they were a good serviceable- 
 looking lot — rather uneven of course, but you must not 
 look too closely into a pack in Chile. I can assure my 
 readers that I had many a good run with them subse- 
 quently. The sport is rather of a "hide and seek" 
 quality, the covert being a short thick scrub mixed up 
 with boulders and masses of rock, which makes it difficult 
 to bolt a fox, and necessitates untiring energy on the 
 part of the huntsman. The animals themselves are some- 
 what peculiar, some being smaller than a good English 
 dog fox, and others attaining to an enormous size. I 
 was assured by Mr. G. that the pack once killed a fox 
 which was over five feet in length, but perhaps this may 
 be a species of jackal. I see in the Zoological Gardens 
 they have two of these large Chile foxes, and they 
 are labelled " Chile jackal." 
 
 At the kennels there is a nice little tavern kept by 
 the huntsman, and there I demolished many a juicy 
 lomo steak and bottle of Bass. The racecourse is 
 near here, in the shape of an oval, about a mile and a 
 half round (of the Chile horses and races more hereafter), 
 and a few miles further there are some deep lagunas 
 or lakes, which contain great numbers of pejerreyes, a 
 small fish resembling a 6in. dace more than anything I 
 can recollect, and most delicious eating. Close by here 
 is a hacienda, or farm, called the Penuelas, and it used to 
 be a favourite amusement of mine to go out fishing to 
 those lakes, taking a gun with me on the odd chance of 
 a partridge. 
 
 Sport in Chile is bad, decidedly bad. Guanacos can 
 
118 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 be got, of course ; but a man must make up his 
 mind to a fortnight in the Cordilleras if he wants sport. 
 There are plenty of partridges away from the towns, but 
 not in any great number. They are a larger and coarser 
 bird than the English partridge; in fact, they are not 
 a true partridge at all, but a — well, upon my word, 
 I forget what they are ; anyhow they are very dry eating. 
 There are tortolas, or doves, in abundance, and a few 
 snipe and golden plover. Down south innumerable flocks 
 of duck and geese congregate, and can be shot by the 
 cartload. There is also good seal shooting to be had for 
 those who like it ; I don't, as nine cases out of ten you 
 lose your seal. There are no rivers and no fishing worth 
 speaking in Chile, and I never heard of a fish rising to 
 a fly. The pejerrey grows in the southern rivers to 
 a foot long, and gives some fair sport, but the travelling 
 is leg-weary work, I can assure you. 
 
 So much then for Valparaiso ; a person would gain 
 just as much knowledge about Chile from visiting that 
 city as he would of North America by seeing Kam- 
 schatka. I will beg my readers to remember that I do 
 not intend these letters to be " an exact and full account 99 
 of the arts, manufactures, &c, of Chile ; anyone can 
 get better insight into them by turning up the last 
 edition of the Encylo. Britan. and Darwin's " Naturalist's- 
 Voyage 99 than I could give him in fifty pages. I 
 merely wish to endeavour to give a general idea of the 
 country by means of a few sketches, not by means of 
 a diary. I am aware that many men write a book of 
 travels while the steamer waits to coal at the several 
 ports ; I can only say I wish I had the recipe. As an 
 instance of what some men can do in the way of book- 
 making, I will relate a true story. A gentleman 
 
ROUND CAPE HORN — VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 119 
 
 came out to Chile in a sailing vessel that touched at 
 Coquimbo ; in the course of his rambles about the city 
 of La Serena, the capital of the province, he saw that the 
 pavements in front of the houses of some of the poorer 
 classes were ornamented with the knuckle bones of 
 sheep, arranged in fantastic order ; some friend who 
 was with him told him as a joke that they were the 
 bones of the Spaniards who had been killed in a battle ! 
 The gentleman subsequently wrote a book on Chile (I am 
 not quite sure, but I think he did go to Valparaiso), and 
 actually introduced this circumstance as " an instance of 
 the extreme ferocity of the inhabitants \" This is a fact. 
 Poor Chile ! she catches it occasionally. Most of my 
 readers will doubtless recollect, two or three years back, 
 an account which appeared in the English daily papers 
 about a bandit, named Largo-baron. Of course it was a 
 hoax, but still it went a long time unrefuted. The 
 papers stated that Mr. Largo-baron, whatever that may 
 mean, was eventually killed in a cave, whither he used 
 to drag his victims, principally women, and feed on their 
 breasts ! Now Chile is bad enough, but I protest 
 against her people being called cannibals. The roars of 
 laughter the account excited in Valparaiso may be 
 imagined. Talca was said to be his head- quarters ; 
 Talca is a large well-governed city of about 20,000 
 inhabitants. 
 
 The oddest thing about Valparaiso is that you are 
 expected to fall down and worship it ; people get really 
 quite annoyed if you do not praise it to the skies. I sup- 
 pose in the first week I was there I must have been asked 
 the question a hundred times, " How do you like Val- 
 paraiso ?" At first I was candid — " I don't think much 
 of it " I think it rather a dull uninteresting place," or 
 
120 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 something of that sort. There was always a shade of 
 anger or disappointment on my questioner's face, and I 
 noticed that almost invariably the conversation ended 
 with i( Oh, you must see Santiago ; something like a 
 city; finest in South America." This continual dinning 
 in my ears about Santiago made me think I had better 
 go as quick as possible, and accordingly, in company 
 with two friends, I left the Valparaiso station by the 
 express train at eight o'clock in the morning for 
 Santiago, distant about 120 miles. The carriages I 
 found about the same as the ordinary run of those at 
 home, and the fare was £1 — a cheap enough ride, I 
 must admit. The line is a Government monopoly 
 entirely, and was built partly by the ubiquitous Mr. 
 Meiggs and partly by Mr. Garland. The country 
 immediately outside Valparaiso is uninteresting; the 
 appearance, however, rapidly improves, and now and 
 then I saw some of the most charming casaquintas or 
 country villas it is possible to conceive. Roses and 
 other flowers loaded the air with their perfume, while 
 the shimmering trees and long rows of vines afforded a 
 harbouring shade for numberless birds. All this is 
 accomplished by the most ordinary care and a little 
 water. From Limache to Quillota the country is per- 
 fection, excepting always the want, to an English eye, of 
 woodland scenery. The general aspect of the land was 
 broad potreros, or fields of knee-deep grass, inter- 
 sected at regular intervals by walnut trees or standard 
 peaches, and divided from each other by mud adobe 
 walls and a row of the everlasting poplars. These poplar 
 groves are scattered everywhere over the country be- 
 tween Valparaiso and Santiago, sometimes extending for 
 a mile in length. Occasionally we passed a vineyard — a 
 
BOUND CAPE HORN — VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 121 
 
 very different affair from one in England. A vineyard 
 in Chile consists of a field sometimes several acres in 
 extent, divided into regular rows by posts and iron wire ; 
 the vines are planted at the foot of the posts, which are 
 about six feet high, and trained along the wire. In the 
 course of time the roof of leaves gets so thick that the 
 space between the rows forms a delightful promenade, 
 impervious to the rays of the sun. All along the line are 
 scattered small ranchos or cottages surrounded by a 
 few paternal acres, the contented owner of which was 
 generally lying at full length in front of his mansion, 
 puffing his everlasting cigarito. 
 
 Limache is rather an important pueblo of some 5000 
 inhabitants ; it boasts a plaza and a superior hotel, kept by 
 a landlord who understands the art of making one com- 
 fortable in a remarkably high degree (when I come to 
 think of it, I believe the landlord was a woman) ; a really 
 first class dinner, excellent claret, and a commodious 
 swimming bath are things by no means to be despised 
 anywhere, much less in distant Chile. A beautiful 
 garden was attached to the house, containing vineyards, 
 pasture land, broad and shady walks, and roses and 
 other flowers without number. The view of the Quillota 
 Sierra was very fine. The town itself is not worthy 
 of any mention ; it is simply like any other pueblo in 
 Chile — one and two storied adobe house, with a patio 
 inside and a quinta or garden at the back, large 
 or small as the case may be. All the windows are 
 strongly barred, and the streets execrably paved with 
 small kidney pebbles, sharp end up. After lunch we 
 determined to walk to the top of a hill — it would be 
 a good-sized mountain in England — three miles off. Our 
 host bustled about to get us horses. " But we are going 
 
122 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 to walk." "What!" cried lie ; "walk up there ?" "Well, 
 yes, we were thinking of it." " Ingleses locos !" (mad 
 Englishmen), he muttered, and went away without 
 another word, After rather a tiresome climb we gained 
 the summit, and were well rewarded for our pains. It 
 was near the hour of sunset, which gilded with its rays 
 the vale of Quillota which lay stretched out at our feet, 
 lighting up its hundred smiling homesteads, and throwing 
 the broad shadow of many a poplar grove athwart its 
 fertile meadows dotted thick with lowing kine. It was a 
 lovely sight, a lovely land, and for full an hour we sat 
 and gazed upon it ; one could not help reflecting what it 
 might become under an improved system of cultivation 
 and emigration. On our return we found our fame had 
 preceded us, for a sort of levee was waiting to look upon 
 the three madmen who had actually walked up a hill. 
 Of course no Chileno who can possibly begj borrow, or 
 steal a mule or animal of some sort, ever thinks of 
 walking. I don't believe there is a man in the country 
 who could walk twenty miles. There is a well-known 
 proverb, " Put a beggar on horseback," &c. ; I think it 
 must be a Spanish one, as it is by no means uncommon 
 to see an old beggar ride comfortably into town from his 
 country mansion, tie up his nag, and commence his 
 vocation as calmly as possible. However, the only 
 effect the work had on us was that we did ample justice 
 to a remarkably good dinner, and enjoyed^ our cigars 
 under the vines with an extra zest; moreover, after 
 partaking of a compound of whiskey, lemon, and hot 
 water, cunninging devised by one of my companions (a 
 Scotchman he), I for my part slept like a top. 
 
 Out of bed at six in the morning — such a morning ! 
 (they have them every day nearly in Chile ; about a 
 
ROUND CAPE HORN — VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 123 
 
 dozen times a year in England) — a glorious swim in the 
 bath, and a cup of coffee with just a " sensation" in it, 
 and I walked down to Mr. Long's farm, about one and a 
 half miles distant, where I intended to examine his fine 
 stock of cattle, horses, &c, among these latter the 
 thoroughbred imported English stallion Fanfaron. Mr. 
 Long deserves more than a passiug allusion. He has 
 resided in the country for upwards of twenty years, and 
 is a thorough sportsman in every sense of the word ; he 
 is married to a most charming Chilena lady, and his boys, 
 from what little I saw of them, seemed very apt to 
 emulate the sporting proclivities of their father. They 
 certainly did credit to the climate, for a sturdier pair 
 I have never seen, in or out of England. The estate 
 which Mr. Long farmed belongs to Don Luis Cousino, 
 a Chileno capitalist, who also takes great interest in 
 racing and the breeding of horses, and under Mr. Long's 
 supervision has imported several brood mares, horned 
 stock, and other animals. I need hardly say they are 
 looked after as well as possible. Fanfaron is a stylish- 
 looking nag, about 15.1, and I believe won a few minor 
 races. Compared with a powerful English racing 
 stallion, he is a mere park hack, but he is very well 
 suited to the small Chile mares, and his stock are 
 middling fast and good-tempered. Among the many 
 brood mares I noticed Empress, who, I was told, was 
 once among the first favourites for the Oaks, and also 
 Annie Laurie, a mare of good substance and shape. 
 
 After dinner I returned to Limache, and took the 
 train for Santiago ; there was nothing much worthy of 
 mention on the road. We passed by Tiltil, where there 
 is a large establishment for washing copper ores. Near 
 to Santiago was rather a curious optical delusion or 
 
EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 mirage, which was pointed out to me by a Chileno 
 gentleman in the train ; about two miles from the track 
 were apparently two or three broad lagunas or sheets 
 of water ; it was in reality the reflection of the sun on 
 the grass, due I suspect to a particular angle of the 
 reflection, and not to the particular quality of the grass, 
 as I was informed, but I had not time to inquire into the 
 phenomenon more minutely. We travelled in the same 
 train with several padres or priests ; on arriving at 
 Santiago these gentry were all accommodated with private 
 carriages and fine horses, and drove off like princes of 
 the land, as indeed they are; a Chileno priest has 
 an uncommonly good idea of taking care of himself. 
 The railway station is a very creditable one, and the 
 cabs outside better than those at Valparaiso, and well 
 they might be. We drove to the Hotel Ingles, where 
 we secured good quarters at the moderate sum of two 
 dollars, or eight shillings, a day. And now for the 
 city. 
 
 It is not a fine city ; I suppose I shall offend some 
 hundreds of foreigners, and of course all Chilenos, by 
 saying so. The thing is, what are you going to compare 
 it with — Paris ? St. Petersburgh ? Oh, of course you 
 can't do that, you are told ; what then ? Santiago is a 
 city of some 150,000 people, laid out in regular squares ; 
 it has an Alameda or public walk three miles long, and 
 I should say something more than 500 churches and 
 convents ; it has a tolerable plaza, one good hotel, and 
 can boast of the finest situation and scenery of any city 
 in the world. It lacks the element of Spanish antiquity 
 which gives the charm to Lima and some few other 
 cities ; it looks more like a modern European town than 
 any I know of — indeed, some of the houses recently 
 
SOUND CAPE HORN VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 125 
 
 constructed might very well pass for those in a Belgravian 
 terrace. I don't intend to "describe" the city as the 
 guide books do ; neither I nor anyone else, I suppose, 
 ever did gain the faintest idea of a place from a guide 
 book only ; thus I will merely mention some of its more- 
 noticeable features. 
 
 The Alameda, about which one hears and reads so 
 much, disappointed me ; indeed, I was a long time in it 
 without knowing so. It is simply a long wide street, 
 with two streams of water running down it ; by the 
 side of these streams are two rows of poplars, and the 
 space between forms the favourite walking place of 
 the Santiaguinos ; there are some fine houses on each 
 side, and some very bad ones ; there is a fountain or two, 
 and a statue of some patriot or other on a horse 
 prancing about with no stirrups. The whole thing re- 
 minds me something of the broad walk in the Kegent's 
 Park. The Campo del Marte, or Champs de Mars, is a 
 large green inclosure or common where reviews and races 
 are held ; there is nothing noticeable in it. Of course I 
 went to see the Mint ; it is an enormous building, cover- 
 ing a whole cuadra or square, but it has no architectural 
 beauty, is whitewashed all over, and every window is 
 strongly barred. By-the-bye, every house in South 
 America has its window barred up like a jail, on account 
 of the revolutions ; on these occasions people get 
 " mixed " in their ideas of meum and tuum. The Museum 
 of Chile I found after some little trouble ; it contains a 
 small collection of birds and animals. Formerly the 
 place was in a state of great dilapidation, but since 
 an Englishman has had charge of it an improvement 
 has taken place, though even now it has a broken- 
 down appearance. The collection of minerals is good, 
 
126 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 and also that of the flowers and plants of Chile ; the 
 Government allows the magnificent sum of three hundred 
 dollars or fifty-five pounds a year to the curator, and I 
 believe it spends something like five hundred thousand 
 dollars a year in keeping up a preposterous army. 
 
 The Plaza is a large square, with a fountain, &c, in 
 the centre ; on two sides are colonnades, with some 
 handsome enough shops, and the other two are occupied 
 by public buildings, among which is the cathedral 
 and the archbishop's palace; underneath the latter are 
 shops, rather an odd mixture it struck me. One might 
 look for a month, and never guess which was the 
 cathedral, as it is a huge square red-brick building, of no 
 beauty or design whatsoever. The same description 
 serves for all the churches and cathedrals throughout 
 the country, the only difference being that some are 
 small, and some large; it is exactly the same with re- 
 gard to the pueblos or towns — you might, so to speak, 
 shake them all up in a bag, and Fd defy anyone to 
 tell which was which. Instead, therefore, of giving a 
 detailed account of everyone of the innumerable churches 
 I visited, I shall simply describe one once for all, and 
 have done with it. 
 
 A Chile church is a square building, with a window or 
 two near the eaves ; sometimes it has one tower, some- 
 times two ; it always has a peal of bells, and the incessant 
 jangling they keep up is a perfect nuisance. Inside 
 there are two rows of pillars down the centre, the ceiling 
 being more or less gilt, according to the wealth of the 
 order. At the far end is the altar, with a figure of the 
 Virgin, which may be either superbly dressed and 
 decorated with jewels, or else, as in the country towns, a 
 mere mass of tinsel and rubbish. Around the walls are 
 
SOUND CAPE HORN — VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 127 
 
 figures of saints, dressed in full costume, with bones and 
 other relics carefully preserved in niches underneath ; a 
 picture or two may be hung on the walls, but, excepting 
 one of Our Saviour that I saw in the cathedral in San- 
 tiago, I don't remember one worthy of mention. There 
 being no pews or benches of any description to interrupt 
 the view, you get an effect not possible in an English 
 place of worship. The cathedral at Santiago is some- 
 where about 150 yards long by forty broad, and looking 
 up the whole length of the aisles in the dim religious 
 light, one is very apt to be misled into pronouncing it 
 grand, especially if one goes, like some travellers, deter- 
 mined to see something wonderful in everything. What 
 I have seen in churches in Chile would rather astonish 
 some of my readers, I think. Some are filled with the 
 most preposterous cheap German prints of saints, the 
 outside cost of which must be reckoned by pence ; some 
 of the figures, too, are decked out in the most wretched 
 scraps of tinsel, bits of lace, and a few dilapidated 
 spangles. Occasionally there may be obtrusively 
 plastered about, as it were, some old silver plates or 
 copper-gilt ornaments, but generally speaking the 
 candlesticks and other accompaniments are of tin. An 
 altar lighted up at night with myriads of lights loses a 
 good deal of its trumpery appearance, but a Chile church 
 in the daytime is about the meanest and most disagree- 
 able place I know. In one church that I entered I 
 came upon two of the most astounding figures I 
 ever saw out of a church, much less in one. One was 
 intended to represent St. Michael defeating Satan; 
 Michael appeared to be, and probably was, the figure- 
 head of a condemned ship, furbished up with an extra 
 coat of paint, and Satan was represented by a large 
 
128 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 stuffed object made out of red cloth, something between 
 a crocodile and a griffin, with two huge glass beads for 
 its eyes, one green and the other red. By the side of 
 these, and apparently contemplating the scene with 
 great contentment, was a large wax figure dressed in full 
 ballet costume, pink silk stockings, boots, &c, all com- 
 plete, and balanced on the extreme tip of her left foot in 
 what I considered rather an indecent posture — rather can- 
 can-y in fact. On inquiring of an attendant who this 
 person might be, he expressed himself highly surprised 
 and explained, with many a cross and " por Dios," that 
 she was the Holy Mother, and furthermore added that 
 a few centavos for her benefit would be highly accept- 
 able. 
 
 I don't know that I have anything more to say about 
 Santiago except its situation and scenery, and this, like 
 the P.S. in a letter, is worth all the rest put together. 
 Out of the midst of the city there rises a hill called the 
 Santa Lucia ; up this I was never weary of going, and 
 oh what a view you get ! I think it is one of the very 
 finest I ever saw. I do not believe in describing scenery, 
 and, for the matter of that, no one ever did describe it 
 or can — that is, to give an idea of it to persons who have 
 never seen it ; but I wish I could describe that view. 
 On one side lay the city, its convent spires, gardens^ 
 walks, and plazas gilded with the mellow rays of the 
 setting sun ; away beyond stretched broad fields waving 
 with the ripening corn, and dotted here and there with 
 a church or farm; the popular groves nodded their 
 quivering heads to the gentle breeze, and away through 
 all ran the river glittering like a sword. To the east the 
 giants of the Cordillera barred the way, covered with 
 snow, blood-red in the setting sun — but I might go on 
 
ROUND CAPE HORN — VALPARAISO SANTIAGO. 129 
 
 for two pages, and then not give a ghost of an idea of it. 
 Santiago looked well, then. 
 
 I could hardly leave the city without visiting the 
 scene of the fearful tragedy of the Campania, or 
 Jesuit Church, which was burnt down with some two 
 thousand souls inside it. Such full details were, however, 
 given in the daily papers at the time of the catastrophe 
 that it is needless to dwell on it here. 
 
 The inhabitants of Santiago have the name of being 
 the most immoral of any in South America ; I fancy it is 
 a mistake. Someone sees the statement in a cyclopedia 
 or somewhere ; he repeats it, and so on — a kind of 
 u give a dog," &c, style of doing business. To descant 
 on the morals of the natives is rather a favourite topic 
 with many writers ; it always seems to me like making 
 oneself out the good boy setting all the other bad boys 
 right. I have no doubt, as far as my experience goes, 
 that the morals of the Chilenos are quite as good as those 
 of our own countrymen and women. 
 
 Santiago is renowned as a city de mas lujo — of the 
 greatest refinement and swelldom ; a sort of Belgravia 
 among the other cities. " I am a Santiaguino" is 
 equivalent to the " Romanus sum" of old. I believe the 
 young men there are supposed to do nothing else but 
 dress. I was once pointed out a tall young gentleman 
 who had thirty-seven pairs of trowsers ; my informant, a 
 native, seemed rather proud of this recommendation. I 
 certainly never remember seeing one doing anything in 
 the way of work, and, as a Santiaguino never reads, it 
 has often puzzled me how he gets through his time. I 
 believe, however, the whole absorbing thought of what 
 little brains he has got consists in dangling after 
 the senoritas, and in this , he is the most persevering 
 
 K 
 
130 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 fellow I know ; lie is at it from morning to night, and 
 this, smoking cigaritos, wearing high-heeled boots, and 
 riding a prancing horse, constitutes his paradise. A 
 Santiaguino will do anything in the world for show ; he'll 
 haggle with a cabman over five cents, and will give a 
 dinner that costs him two hundred dollars — but everyone 
 must know it ; in his own house he will live in the 
 kitchen and eat bread and beans, that he may furnish 
 two reception rooms with Parisian furniture, and keep 
 a carriage ; he delights in high-sounding names, as 
 Senor Don Hermenejildo Celestino somebody or other,, 
 who you find is a cheesemonger or a tailor. He will 
 swear you are the best fellow in the world, and he's your 
 best friend, and sell you a thousand dollars' worth of 
 sham silver-mining stock next minute. Talk about 
 your J ew ! Why, a Chileno would draw his eye teeth 
 for him in a crack. The great and universal failing, the 
 national vice, is an unconquerable dislike to cold water, 
 or water in any shape, for the purpose of washing ; they 
 never wash — no half measures about it. The first thing 
 a Chileno does when he is sick is to stop the cat's-lick 
 he gives himself once a day, and tie his head up in an 
 enormous great linen bandage passed under his jaws. 
 Anyone who has been in Chile a day will remember the 
 numbers of people one sees in the street with their heads 
 tied up. It gives a new comer the idea that a free 
 fight has taken place in the streets the day before. 
 
 As I was passing down the Calle Huerfanos I saw a 
 procession of saints. I am happy to say that a great 
 movement is on foot to put a stop to these monstrous 
 devices of the padres. It is astonishing how any civilised 
 human being can witness one of these processions, much 
 less join in one of them, without feelings of profound 
 
BOUND CAPE HOEN — VALPAEAISO — SANTIAGO. 131 
 
 pity and shame. To see these figures of saints, decked 
 out in tawdry finery, paraded through the streets and 
 followed by thousands, is to me one of the most humi- 
 liating sights in the world. I saw a procession at Coquimbo 
 once, and the santa on that occasion was decorated with 
 a wonderfully fine waterfall, lent for this express purpose 
 by " one of the most religious and beautiful young ladies 
 of the town," so said the paper next day. I was witness, 
 however, to a sight far more debasing and horrible than 
 this; I allude to that godless, wicked thing called an 
 anjelito. I had frequently heard of them, but had 
 never believed such a thing possible ; I have told several 
 people in England of the fact, but I fancy I am rarely 
 believed. I was at Carrizal in company with an estim- 
 able young Chileno gentleman, and, on passing the door 
 of a house from whence issued shouts of drunkenness, 
 we looked in. My companion hurriedly pulled me away, 
 saying " There's an anjelito " I shall never forget the 
 horror of that scene. Imagine a long room with a table 
 in the middle, covered with glasses of wine and mugs of 
 aguardiente; around it some fifteen or twenty of the 
 lowest class of miners in various stages of drunkenness, all 
 drinking, shouting, dancing, and fighting ; a few wretched 
 women were joining in the dance, while two others were 
 strumming with all their might on two guitars. Perched 
 on 'a niche in the wall t was what I thought was a wax 
 image, crowned with flowers ; it was a dead child. The 
 eyes by some device were kept open, its little hands 
 placed decently in front, its cheeks rouged and whitened 
 to resemble life, and in its mouth a flower was placed. 
 As it looked staring down on the scene of drunkenness 
 below, with its dull, lack-lustre eyes, I thought I never 
 saw anything so horrible. I can assure my readers [that 
 
 k 2 
 
132 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 not only is this a fact, but the poor little innocent babe is 
 often lent to a neighbour who wants to attract customers 
 to her house. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Santiago are some lovely 
 haciendas and casaquintas — country residences of the 
 rich — fruits, flowers, and all green things of the earth 
 growing in the greatest profusion. It is such a pity it is 
 not more thickly wooded ! Once upon a time the whole 
 of the south was abundantly wooded, but, there being no 
 forest laws in Chili, all the trees have been cut down* 
 principally for smelting purposes. 
 
 Near the city are the baths of Apoquindo. I went in 
 a coach, and returned the same day; there is a good 
 hotel there, and the scenery is very pretty. These baths, 
 however, are completely thrown in the shade by the cele- 
 brated hot springs of Cauquenes, which are celebrated 
 all through South America for their curative properties. 
 They are situated a short distance from the Cauquenes 
 station; an excellent hotel is attached to the baths. Still 
 more celebrated are the hot baths of Chilian, situated to 
 the south in the Cordillera, which are visited even by 
 people from Europe ; they are exceedingly beneficial in 
 skin diseases. 
 
 I stayed a week in Santiago, and quitted it with great 
 regret. 
 
 There is something I like about the place ; when one 
 gets into some large, rambling old house in the outskirts, 
 with some acres of garden at the back, one can shut the 
 door and fancy oneself at J ericho, or anywhere else, and as 
 a place of residence I prefer it to any other city in South 
 America. It is inferior to Lima in many respects ; but 
 I do not associate it, like that detestable, wicked, blood- 
 stained place, with rapine, violence, savagery, and lust. 
 
EOUND CAPE HORN — VALPARAISO — SANTIAGO. 133 
 
 I am quite sure Lima some day will be swallowed up by 
 an earthquake or burnt like Sodom and Gomorrah for 
 its damnable iniquity. People in Santiago seem to jog 
 along thinking of nothing at all ; a guitar, a bundle of 
 cigaritos, a little wine, and a little spree now and then, 
 and Oarajo! who's going to break one's back with work? 
 "See Naples and die/' Stuff! live in Santiago, and 
 have a good time of it; that's their recipe, and i' faith 
 I think they are right. 
 
ANDACOLLO — LIMA — PANAMA — 
 JAMAICA. 
 
 In company with. Mr. John Hamilton, a gentleman 
 well known in the mining districts of Chile, and a 
 worthy comrade to boot, I determined to visit the 
 establishment of Panulcillo and Pangue, extending my 
 visit to the mining town of Andacollo. Accordingly we 
 took the train from Coquimbo, which in four hours 
 landed us at Panulcillo ; we passed on our way the dis- 
 tricts of Tambillos and Higuerita, where the Gruayacan 
 works have two agencies for the purchase of metals. 
 Tambillos principally produces carbonates, of an average 
 ley of ten or twelve per cent., and the production of the 
 district may be put down at about one hundred and 
 twenty tons monthly. Penon, four miles off, produces 
 principally rich bronces, averaging sixteen per cent; 
 but some ores are very rich, small lots of fifty to sixty 
 per cent being by no means uncommon : monthly pro- 
 duction about one hundred tons. Higuerita, a little 
 farther on, produces poor carbonates of six or seven per 
 cent the production is large, but hardly pays for the 
 working. There is nothing of interest in the general 
 aspect of these places; they are excessively hot and 
 extraordinarily dull, and the life of those condemned to 
 live there must be dreadful. The great point of interest 
 on the line is the cuesta or cutting which the train 
 ascends going from Tambillos to Higuerita. Although 
 the actual distance is not more than a very few miles, yet 
 
ANDACOLLO — LIMA PANAMA — JAMAICA. 135 
 
 the distance travelled over is considerably more than five 
 times the amount; we wound round hills, went through 
 mountains and along precipices, and after twenty 
 minutes we appeared to come out at the same place we 
 started from. However, even the cuesta has an end, and 
 I was rather glad when we got to the top, as the idea of a 
 coupling iron breaking was not a comfortable one to 
 contemplate by any means. The entire road to Panul< 
 cillo was covered with flowers — you could not hav 
 planted your foot without crushing one. 
 
 At Panulcillo we were most hospitably received by 
 Mr. and Mrs. Weir, and T was conducted over the estab- 
 lishment. The mines of Panulcillo can hardly be called 
 mines ; they are more like mountains of poor ore, from 
 four to five per cent. The problem for the company is, 
 of course, how to smelt these poor ores. Since the in- 
 troduction of blast furnaces, however, the affairs of the 
 company have been looking up ; the Guayacan establish- 
 ment takes all the regulus made, and I believe the 
 quantity amounts to something like four hundred tons 
 monthly ; average ley about forty per cent. A beautiful 
 garden fronted the house of Mr. Weir, giving the other- 
 wise barren spot quite a picturesque appearance. 
 
 After a few hours' rest and a stirrup cup, we mounted 
 and rode to Pangue. Part of the road was exceedingly 
 picturesque, and Recoleta, a small pueblo which we passed 
 on our way, seemed a charming spot — for anyone who 
 wished to hide himself entirely from the rest of the 
 world. These interior Chile villages really do seem per- 
 fectly isolated from everything. The padre of the place, 
 when he heard Don Juan was passing through, in- 
 sisted on our dismounting to drink chicha, and it was 
 with the greatest difficulty we could get away from him. 
 
RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 Just before we reached Pangue we passed along a narrow 
 lane, the hedges of which were completely covered with 
 the blue (rare) species of tropseolum. The effect was 
 perfectly lovely. Pangue is an establishment for the 
 washing of ores; the metal, which averages something 
 like seven per cent., is first of all crushed by stamps 
 moved by water-power, and is then run through troughs 
 and sieves, which divide it into different sizes, and con- 
 duct it into large vats, where it is gradually washed and 
 separated from the rock, till it attains a ley of thirty per 
 cent or thereabouts. Pangue itself is rather a pretty 
 place, situated at the head of a charming little valley. 
 Next evening, in company with Mr. K., I started for the 
 mining town of Andacollo. 
 
 After a ride of two hours, my companion pulled up at 
 the door of a farm-house, which he said it would be im- 
 possible for him to pass by without stopping to say how- 
 d'ye-do, as the people would never forgive him. The 
 name of the place was Samo, and the " people" were 
 three of the prettiest girls I had seen for a long time. 
 Of course, we had immediately to dismount, and I very 
 soon saw, by sundry little preparations that went on, 
 that that was the end of the journey for the day. In 
 about half an hour I was talking away with the prettiest 
 of the three — dear me, what eyes that girl had ! — and 
 eating casuela as if I had been an inmate of the house 
 for a year. I think I could eat casuela de polio on my 
 deathbed; it is made of chicken, milk, eggs, potatoes, 
 &c. ; you must get an old woman, about eighty-five years 
 old, who does nothing else but make casuelas, to concoct 
 it ; and then — eat it and be thankful. After discussing 
 some half a dozen platefuls of this, the guitar was 
 brought out, and the serious business of the evening 
 
ANDACOLLO — LIMA PANAMA JAMAICA. 137 
 
 commenced — the word serious being used in a highly 
 ironical sense. One of the three (the one with the eyes) 
 advanced and asked me to dance a cueca with her. I had 
 as much notion what a cueca was as the man in the moon. 
 I told her so. " Never mind ; Til show you/' she said. 
 It was of no use, however. My companion volunteered 
 to show me by dancing with his favorita; he performed, 
 I meanwhile sitting like a fool by the side of my senorita; 
 she suggested that perhaps a leetle drop more of chicha 
 might set me going, — in fact, I wanted more powder in 
 the heels of my boots. The effect in about twenty minutes 
 was that I was hopping about from toe to toe, twist- 
 ing like a whirling dervish round my astonished partner, 
 jumping madly in the air, waving a handkerchief franti- 
 cally round my head, scraping my feet, screeching like 
 a Cherokee, and doing everything but stand on my head, 
 and all the time I was supposed to be dancing a cueca. 
 And do you suppose that charming senorita laughed at 
 me ? Not a bit of it ; she declared with the prettiest 
 grace in the world that I was, without exception, the 
 best cueca dancer she had ever seen ! I think at that 
 time I knew, more or less, twenty words of Spanish. 
 Now that's not a large stock to take to an evening 
 party ; but she was never tired of saying that I spoke 
 excellently — muy Castellano. When I mention that we 
 went through the above performance nine times that 
 evening, and that we were dressed in knee-boots, cordu- 
 roy breeches, and straw hats 2ft. wide, I think I have 
 said enough to prove that we may have appeared rather 
 singular to the lookers-on outside ; however, it was a 
 fiesta, and what matters then ? 
 
 We literally tore ourselves away from this most 
 hospitable family next morning, leaving one heart behind 
 
138 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 us anyhow ; but then one is always doing that in Chile. 
 The road was exceedingly wild and picturesque, winding 
 round the sides of mountains, sometimes passing along 
 the edge of a precipice some thousands of feet deep. 
 The whole of these hills seemingly, from their summits 
 to their base, were covered with red and yellow tropseo- 
 lums ; I leave my readers to imagine the effect. It was 
 here I had my first sight of a condor. Four of these 
 glorious birds were sailing overhead, having doubtless 
 discovered a dead carcass in one of the gorges. Except 
 the frigate bird, I know no feathered creature that can 
 compare, for grace and perfect ease, with a condor on 
 the wing. On the ground he is one of the most disgust- 
 ing objects in creation, but in the air you may watch 
 one for hours, and never see him flap his wings. Their 
 size has been greatly exaggerated ; I believe a condor 
 9ft. across the wings is above the average. Their 
 strength of beak and claw is enormous, two of them 
 mastering a calf or young guanaco with the greatest 
 ease. A celebrated feast was going on when we arrived 
 at Andacollo, the town being gaily decked with flags, 
 &c. It is rather an important pueblo, situated on an 
 elevated plateau; in the winter snow falls on the sur- 
 rounding hills. The principal mines are of copper, the 
 most important belonging to S.S. Videla. The surround- 
 ing hills also abound in gold, that is to say, every 
 bucketful of dirt contains gold, but in minute quantities. 
 If there was a continuous and plentiful supply of water, 
 no doubt large quantities of gold would be extracted. 
 Numbers of the poorer class make their living by wash- 
 ing or "panning out" large wooden bowls of dirt, taken 
 promiscuously from the sides of the hills, their average 
 gainings being about four reals or two shillings daily. 
 
ANDAC0LL0 LIMA PANAMA JAMAICA. 1 39 
 
 The copper ores extracted here are of a very superior 
 quality and ley. As we rode into the town we were 
 literally taken possession of by Don Gabriel Videla, a 
 rich mine owner, who insisted on our taking up our 
 quarters with him during the fiesta, and for two days we 
 enjoyed the hospitality of this estimable gentleman. As 
 the hotel at Andacolla is not quite equal to the Langham, 
 we were not sorry. 
 
 Andacollo is celebrated chiefly for its Virjen, or Virgin. 
 This saint is supposed to possess marvellous powers both 
 for good and evil, and her shrine is visited from all parts 
 of the coast, even from Bolivia. Many of the miners 
 make a vow that if their mines turn out well they will 
 give so much to La Virjen, and these vows are rarely, 
 if ever, broken. Photographs of her are sold all over 
 Chile, principally on board the coasting steamers, as a 
 protection from disease and danger. Iu the olden times, 
 at Christmas, a miner or Indian out of luck could go and 
 borrow a small sum of the Virgin, for which of course 
 she charged him a trifle for interest, merely a hundred 
 times or so the original amount. Such, however, was 
 the terror of her name, that I was informed no one ever 
 failed to pay back, at all events, the original sum. I 
 went to see her of course; I found the church a 
 tumbledown concern, and La Virjen much like other 
 figures; she was completely covered with jewellery — 
 which, by the way, I was told was false, the real things 
 being stowed away by the priests. She is reported to be 
 immensely rich, but where the money goes to is rather 
 hard to discover. In the evening there was a display of 
 fireworks and a theatrical representation; the theatre 
 was a courtyard, and the stage merely a few boards and 
 pieces of red linen; the admission was 2^d.^ and the 
 
140 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 piece was — well, I am sure it would have puzzled all the 
 players and play writers in the world to say what it was. 
 A very pretty girl, whom I had the honour of escorting 
 thither, and by whose side I of course sat, told me that 
 one of the characters was intended to represent an 
 English lord, of all people in the world. He had on 
 an extraordinary coat, reaching to a quarter of an inch 
 of his heels, and perfectly covered with packets, out 
 of which he was continually pulling a long documenb, 
 which I was told (by the same pretty girl) was the bill 
 of sale of his vast estates, which he had squandered 
 through his reckless extravagance, as all lords do — on 
 the stage. 
 
 I don't think I ever laughed or drank so much chicha in 
 my life as I did on those two days. One most astonish- 
 ing circumstance is connected with Andacollo — there 
 are no fleas there ! Those who have not been in South 
 America will hardly consider this an extraordinary fact, 
 but those who have will appreciate it at its full value. 
 I left my Andacollo friends with regret, and rode down 
 to the station by a very good but rather precipitous road. 
 On my way I passed a sort of natural cave or grotto, 
 inside which was another smaller edition of the Virgin ; 
 before her was ostentatiously displayed a tray with a 
 few coppers on it ; however, the glass of water which I 
 had from the adjoining well was so delightfully cool 
 and refreshing, that I presented the saint with 
 twenty centavos, much to the surprise of the woman 
 in charge. These women, like the beggars, are 
 regularly licensed on 'payment of a sum of money to 
 the priests. On my arrival at the Andacollo station I 
 was received by Mr. Manley, the station-master, whose 
 wife declared I should not go till I had tasted their 
 
ANDAC0LL0 LIMA — PANAMA JAMAICA. 141 
 
 cheer in the shape of steaks and Bass's XXX stout — 
 things appreciable, particularly at Andacollo. 
 
 At the invitation of Mr. Bennett, a merchant in Val- 
 paraiso, I went to stay a short time at a hacienda of his 
 near Huasco, named the Hacienda de Bellavista. On 
 my arrival at Huasco, the administrator sent a servant 
 with horses for my luggage, and received me himself 
 most hospitably at the farm, distant about one league, 
 and situated near the mouth of the Huasco river. My 
 object was principally to examine the curious terraces 
 mentioned by Darwin in the " Voyage of the Beagle." 
 
 The port of Huasco itself is a miserable collection of 
 huts and ranchos. I think I never saw such a desolate- 
 looking place. Huge masses of rock were tumbled 
 about in the most fantastic shapes, as though a lot of 
 young giants had been playing with them, while at the 
 back towered the barren, the ever-barren hills. In 
 striking contrast to this was the appearance of the 
 hacienda, showing most forcibly the effect of merely a 
 little — the merest apology for — water. At most parts I 
 could have jumped across the Huasco "river/' and it 
 was nowhere broader than ten yards ; yet this streamlet 
 sufficed to form a green ribbon for ninety miles up the 
 valley, with an average width of half a mile. Nearly 
 all the trees were willows — here taking the place of 
 the poplars in Central Chile; and, standing at the 
 hacienda, and looking straight up the valley, bordered 
 on either side by the utterly barren hills, and shut in 
 at the end by the snow-clad Cordillera, one could 
 almost fancy it had been created by genii, the contrast 
 was so very remarkable. 
 
 The celebrated terraces are similar to those at Herra- 
 dura, but are on a very much larger scale. Their first 
 
142 
 
 E AMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 appearance is, as Darwin says, startling ; indeed, it was 
 difficult to believe that the two lower ones next the sea, 
 were not the work of man, as they presented the appear- 
 ance of two gigantic railway embankments, so perfectly 
 even and smooth had they been worn away by the tidal 
 action. The hacienda ^itself was situated on the very 
 edge of the lower one — at the neck, as it were, of an 
 enormous funnel, of which the valley formed the tube or 
 spout, the funnel itself stretching out on both sides to- 
 wards the sea beach. The width from the summit of the 
 upper terrace on the one side to that of the other on the 
 opposite side (there are only two in the first two leagues 
 from the sea) may be about three miles ; and the hacienda 
 is situated about the same distance from the beach, so 
 that the estuary or funnel forms a space of at least eight 
 or nine square miles, perfectly flat, covered with pasture, 
 and scooped as it were out of the earth. I could have 
 walked along the edge of the terrace and rolled a stone 
 down the declivity into the plain below, so steep were its 
 sides. The height of this terrace was, I should judge, 
 about eighty or ninety feet. Back from this lower terrace 
 stretches a plain, perfectly flat, of a least a mile in width, 
 inclosed by a second embankment, nearly as w r ell defined 
 as the other; the height of this second one is rather 
 greater than that of the lower, and it terminates con- 
 siderably higher up the valley. The valley itself continues 
 perfectly straight for ten or twelve miles, with steep pre- 
 cipitous sides; and looking up it on a summer's day, 
 when the wind moved the shimmering willows, it required 
 no great stretch of the imagination to fancy it a broad 
 glittering river flowing to the sea. That such it was 
 once is the universal belief of the inhabitants. Both 
 terraces are formed entirely of shingle, and abound in 
 
AND ACOLLO — LIMA PANA MA JAMAICA . 143 
 
 sea shells of the ordinary variety still found on the sea 
 beach. Higher up the valley the terraces are usually 
 from four to five in number, owing, of course, to the 
 gradual upheaval of the land. Indeed, it is impossible 
 to have once examined them without being led to the 
 conclusion that they have been formed by the gradual 
 upheaval of the land at intervals during long periods 
 of rest. I accidentally met with a confirmation of 
 Darwin's theory more curious, if possible, than these 
 terraces. Near Reloncavi, in the bay of Ancud, there 
 was discovered, during a recent Chileno exploring com- 
 mission, two rocks, situated some yards from the shore ; 
 these were of considerable extent, of siliceous formation, 
 quite flat at top, and six feet out of high water ; on the top 
 of both of them were found quantities of sea shells of the 
 common varieties still found on the beach. Of course the 
 question was, how did they get there ? The commission 
 naively solved the question by "supposing them to be the 
 shells left there by savages or Indians after eating the fish 
 inside; " they hadn't read their Darwin or Lyall evidently. 
 
 It must be confessed that Chile is not an interesting 
 country to travel in, at least to my idea. Things go on 
 so slowly there — everything appears some centuries be- 
 hind; one is continually thinking what a country it would 
 be if the Yankees had it, the Chicagos that would spring 
 up, the industries that would be developed, the railroads 
 that would be built, the mines that would be opened up. 
 To me it is far more interesting to travel in the United 
 States, and see the progress of a mighty nation evidenced 
 by its waving corn fields and its cities, where a few years 
 ago nothing but sand hills existed, and railroads where 
 the deer gambolled but as yesterday. 
 
 ******* 
 
144 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 I started in the steamer Payta for Lima, the capital 
 of the Republic of Peru. Between Valparaiso and Oallao 
 there is nothing much of interest. Cobija, the only sea- 
 port that Bolivia possesses, is a wretched place ; its 
 church with two steeples is an excellent landmark for 
 vessels making the port; it looks an imposing edifice 
 from the steamer, but on landing I found it only on a 
 par with others. From here pack trains start for La Paz, 
 the capital; the charge is about 100 dollars. Mexillones 
 has a beautiful harbour, as smooth as glass, and big 
 enough for almost all the ships of the world to float in. 
 There are important guano deposits here, the owner- 
 ship of which is likely to cause trouble between Chile 
 and Bolivia. Miserable, thrice miserable, is the only 
 word I have for all these places. Iquique, however, is a 
 trifle better. A few years ago this place was a mere 
 collection of huts; it now contains over 8000 people, 
 several very fair stores, and some important business 
 houses; it owes all this to the nitrate deposits about 
 thirty miles off. A railway connects the works with the 
 port, winding along the mountains by a series of terrific 
 ascents. The very day we arrived the coupling of the 
 engine gave way, and the whole train ran down the line, 
 killing some twenty people. I declined an invitation to 
 go up to the works. There is a company being formed 
 now to lay a series of iron pipes down from the nitrate 
 beds to the coast; the nitrate is to be dissolved in huge 
 vats at the beds, and run down in a liquid state through 
 the pipes, and be re-crystallised on its arrival alongside 
 the vessel, being by this method conveyed to England or 
 elsewhere in a nearly pure state. 
 
 Arica, the port of Tacna, one of the principal cities in 
 Peru, was once one of the most important places on the 
 
ANDACOLLO — LIMA PANAMA JAMAICA. 145 
 
 coast, but is now in a state of complete ruin. It will be 
 remembered that this place was almost completely swept 
 away by the earthquake wave five years ago. At that 
 time an American man-of-war was lying at anchor in 
 the harbour; the wave took the vessel bodily up and 
 deposited it some distance inland. I went to see her, 
 and, sure enough, there she was half a mile from the sea, 
 on her keel, and perfect in every respect ; her engines 
 and guns were taken out of her, and she was sold as she 
 stood. Nothing, however, could be done with her, and 
 she is fast filling up with sand. I had heard an immense 
 deal about the wave, but the sight of this ship gave me 
 abetter idea of the might of a tidal "bore" than any 
 amount of description could have done. I believe not a 
 single man was lost aboard her. 
 
 Callao agreeably disappointed me. It is generally 
 abused in books as a filthy, dirty seaport, and so it 
 may have been once ; now, however, I consider it quite 
 equal, if not superior, to Valparaiso, but then, as I have 
 already described, Valparaiso is not much to brag about. 
 Still, the streets in Callao are in a shocking state, and 
 the hotels are bad and very dear. There are some large 
 and important works being carried on in the harbour, 
 which will render the port one of the finest on the coast. 
 I only stayed in Callao one night, as I was anxious 
 to get on to Lima, distant seven miles, and in the 
 morning I took the train to the capital ; there is nothing 
 of interest on the road, except that it takes about fortv 
 minutes to get to the end of it. 
 
 Lima is really about 500 feet above the level of the 
 sea, but the ascent is so gradual that the fact is not 
 perceptible. I like Lima as a town ; it has the air of 
 Spanish antiquity about it that no other coast city in 
 
 L 
 
146 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 South America possesses. The streets are narrow and 
 dirty in the extreme, and some of the houses are evi- 
 dently of a great age ; some are of an enormous size, 
 covering a whole cuadra or square, and were formerly 
 the residences of the friends and followers of the Con- 
 quistadores. The Plaza is far superior to the one at 
 Santiago, with which it is so often compared, and the 
 cathedral is by far the finest building I have seen in all 
 South America. The front of it is really striking, and 
 when I saw it it had just been repaired with marble. 
 Inside, also, it has a more imposing effect than any other 
 church ; the lofty pillars are draped from capital to base 
 in heavy red velvet, which have a peculiarly gorgeous 
 effect in the dim religious light of eve. Some of the 
 " trophies " or niches dedicated to the saints are of an 
 extraordinary size, composed of pillar upon pillar of 
 carved wood and marble. I visited, of course, the 
 remains of Pizarro, the conqueror of Peru and founder of 
 Lima ; I looked for him all over the cathedral, and was 
 surprised not to find his tomb. As last I asked an 
 attendant where the body was, and he offered for one 
 dollar to show the restos del Conquistador. Taking 
 a key from his pocket, and a tallow candle and a few 
 matches in his hand, he opened a side door and showed 
 me the way into a small vault, blocked up with odds and 
 ends of benches and carpets. Throwing the light of his 
 candle on a kind of niche in the wall, he drew aside a 
 dirty linen curtain, and " Aqui, senor, son los restos del 
 Pizarro/'' I looked forward, and by the flickering light 
 of the candle saw a dried skeleton covered by a few 
 mouldering and musty pieces of silk ; there was no 
 coffin, and the skeleton merely rested on the bare stones. 
 And this was Pizarro ! the man who once ruled the 
 
ANDACOLLO — LIMA — PANAMA — JAMAICA. 147 
 
 whole empire of Peru to be lying stuck away in an 
 obscure vault ! a greater mockery on human greatness 
 I never heard of. Expende Hannibalem ; qiiot libras ? 
 occurred to my mind with singular aptness. Whatever 
 the value of such a fact may be to point a moral, it is 
 nevertheless a disgrace to the Peruvians that they cannot 
 find a suitable monument to their great ancestor, when 
 their churches and plazas are filled with preposterous 
 pictures and statues to all sorts of santos and patriots. 
 There are several other very fine churches in Lima, one — 
 I think that of St. Pedro — being one mass of carving 
 outside. 
 
 The Exhibition was going on at the time I was there ; 
 it was held in a large and very handsome building half a 
 mile out of the town, and contained a very creditable 
 show of productions. Some of the specimens of rice 
 and sugar grown in Peru struck me as being very fine ; 
 and the machinery department was completely filled with 
 exhibits from the principal English firms. The finest 
 thing in the whole Exhibition, however, to my taste, was 
 a really splendid picture, life-size, representing the lying 
 in state of Atahualpa, the last of the Incas. Atahualpa 
 is stretched out in his robes, and occupies the right 
 centre of the picture ; at the door on the left hand two 
 of the Daughters of the Sun are endeavouring to force 
 their way in to where their beloved Inca is lying, while 
 another has fallen down, overcome by grief and terror. 
 A priest, who had been engaged in reading the requiem 
 over the body, looks up from his book to see what 
 the disturbance is, with a surprised and indignant air; 
 the expression in this man's face is marvellous. Pizarro, 
 in his cavalier dress, plumed hat, and his hand on the 
 bilt of his sword, angrily points to the weeping women, 
 
 l 2 
 
148 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 commanding the attendants to remove them. The 
 picture, if I remember rightly, was painted at Florence, 
 and is of recent date, though I forget the painter's name. 
 With the exception of Dore's u Christ leaving the Praeto- 
 rium," I have seen no modern picture that has impressed 
 me so much. 
 
 I should have liked to visit Pachacamac, one of the 
 old Inca towns, as well as other points of interest near 
 Lima, but the revolution that happened put a stop to 
 all this. When it broke out I was standing on the steps 
 of the cathedral, and almost before I had time to look 
 round the plaza was filled with troops, and in an instant 
 every shop was closed and barred ; it really was like 
 magic; the inhabitants are evidently well used to that 
 sort of thing. It is needless to give any description of 
 the horrors that went on in Callao and Lima during that 
 reign of terror; suffice it to say that the revolutionists 
 did everything they could to disgrace themselves, as 
 might be expected from such a set of wretches. The 
 Peruvians are the biggest cowards and the greatest 
 ruffians that ever disgraced humanity; the women are 
 the most vain, the most painted, and the most immoral 
 of any in the universe. " The inhabitants of Lima," 
 said Darwin in his " Voyage," " are of every imaginable 
 shade of colour, and have the most ruffianly faces I ever 
 beheld." The same description holds good to-day. I 
 never saw such a collection of ugly, bloodthirsty scamps 
 in my life; every fourth man might stand for a model 
 for Judas or Ananias. I left Lima with feelings of 
 the liveliest satisfaction, and I hope I shall never see 
 the detestable, blood-stained place again. 
 
 I took passage on board the French steamer for 
 Panama ; I was the only Englishman on board, and my 
 
ANDACOLLO — LIMA — PANAMA — JAMAICA. ] 49 
 
 position was not pleasant — in fact, quite the reverse. 
 We made Payta, a wretched place, and a after fast run 
 we made Guayaquil River early in the morning. The 
 passage up the river was one of the most perfect pieces 
 of tropical scenery I ever viewed. At times we would 
 be almost shut in, as I thought, by myriads of islands 
 completely covered with the vegetation of the tropics. 
 It is useless to attempt to describe scenery in the tropics; 
 it is not like anything I have ever read of. All of a 
 sudden, when it appeared we were running right into 
 one of the islands, the view opened, and before us lay the 
 broad breast of the river, with its level banks stretching 
 leagues and leagues away, and the Cordillera in the 
 distance fronting the morning sun c Ah me ! it was sad 
 to think, as a Frenchman said to me, " Yes, it's a lovely 
 land, and you can't put your nose out of your house 
 without getting the terciano" (fever). 
 
 Guayaquil itself has rather a romantic position, and 
 presents a picturesque appearance from the sea; but, 
 like Constantinople, all this disappears when you land. 
 I think it is the most dilapidated place I ever saw — I say 
 dilapidated, because everything looked just not going to 
 pieces. It seemed as if a good strong shove would knock 
 a whole street down, like a pack of built-up cards. I 
 visited the cathedral, a wooden building, with an immense 
 amount of carving, &c, about it outside. Inside it had 
 the usual lot of wooden figures of saints. In Chile and 
 Peru some of the figures are rather bad, but those in 
 Guayaquil are the worst I ever did see; the images 
 of some of the female saints or santas were naked, with 
 gauze drawers on, precisely the same as a ballet dancer. 
 I may be slightly fastidious, but it struck me as a trifle 
 out of place in a cathedral. There was rather a curious 
 
150 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 picture in a church here, which an attendant showed me 
 as "a work of art from Europe!" The subject, I was 
 told, was the return of the Prodigal Son. The prodigal 
 was represented as a young gentleman in white trousers 
 and a blue jacket, with an amiable expression of counte- 
 nance ; the father was tastefully attired in a black dress 
 coat and high stock, surrounded by three young ladies in 
 dressing gowns. I asked the man just out of curiosity 
 what the value of the picture was. " Oh, senor, I don't 
 know; but algo, senor, algo" — something handsome. 
 It had no frame, and I should say that its full value in 
 Shoreditch might have been 5s. 9d. 
 
 The heat in Guayaquil is really fearful ; people there 
 are quietly boiled to death. A European gets done 
 in about six. years ; if very tough, he may take ten^ 
 Through the lower part of the town runs a small stream, 
 excessively muddy, and not at all inviting, and it was an 
 interesting and instructive sight to see three or four fat 
 women, in long cotton gowns, wallowing in the water. I 
 beg pardon, I should say it was not interesting; but then 
 it seemed so like being in the "Zoo" watching the 
 hippopotamus in his bath. The men in Ecuador are 
 excessively obliging and polite, and the ladies sleep all 
 day and dance all night; a great deal of cocoa is 
 exported ; you can get a splendid pine for 6d. ; the 
 mosquitoes are — well, peculiar; the chocolate the finest in 
 the world ; and that's about all I need say of Guayaquil. 
 
 From here a small steamer starts every other day for 
 Bodegas, on the road to Quito, the capital ; the journey, 
 despite absurd and ridiculous stories to the contrary, 
 is one that I should have not the slightest hesitation 
 in taking any lady, and I am sure she would enjoy it. 
 The price of passage all through to Quito is about 
 
ANDACOLLO LIMA PANAMA JAMAICA. 
 
 151 
 
 fifty dollars (10Z.), and tlie scenery the finest in the 
 world, without any reservation. No revolvers are 
 required, and remember to take Peruvian soles or else 
 American twenty-dollar gold pieces. (Let me here 
 give general advice to all about to travel in South 
 America : take American twenty dollar pieces ; they are 
 current anywhere at a premium.) 
 
 If I had had the time, I should certainly have gone 
 up to Quito, down by the Napo, struck the Amazon, 
 and so to Para — a journey of thirty-five to forty days. 
 A Yankee professor (I forget his name) did the trip a 
 short time ago, and made out in his preface that it was 
 an undertaking " never before attempted," &c. A little 
 dirty (he was dirty) Jew pedlar on board our steamer 
 quite laughed at the idea when I mentioned the fact, 
 " Go there ! why, Pve been all over Ecuador and 
 Bolivia with one servant and with this," he said, 
 pulling a small penknife out of his waistcoat pocket. 
 Pd sooner go rambling about Ecuador all day than 
 visit the Seven Dials at night ; the amount of non- 
 sense one hears about the dangers of travelling in 
 South America is really ridiculous. A mosquito net is 
 by far the most necessary article of one's kit. 
 
 On the 3rd of August I arrived at Panama. It is 
 the fashion on the coast to abuse Panama and its climate, 
 and, above all, its hotel. Well, its climate is not 
 charming, but I have been in far worse ; and they make 
 the very best cocktails, both gin and brandy, I have 
 ever tasted out of 'Frisco. The hotel is a good one, 
 and you get well swindled there ; but, goodness 
 me ! where don't you get swindled when a landlord 
 gets you in a tight place ? Go to Newmarket in a 
 race week; go — well, go anywhere and get in a place 
 
152 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 where you can't help yourself, and you'll get taken 
 in and done for as quickly in England as in Panama. 
 As for the town, I rather liked it, and I spent four or 
 five days rambling about very enjoyably. It must have 
 been a very important city once, and an immensely 
 strong one for those days. Parts of the battlements 
 are standing still, admirably constructed, and of enor- 
 mous thickness ; even some of the watch-towers, with 
 their arrow-slits and harquebuss holes, are still remain- 
 ing almost as perfect as the day they were constructed. 
 I was fond of climbing into one of these, and then 
 I fell to thinking of Morgan and the Buccaneers, and 
 Drake and Nombre de Dios — of the huge galleons 
 that lay riding in the harbour waiting for their precious 
 freight, and the grim English sea-dogs prowling outside 
 like foxes round a hen-roost. They say that formerly 
 there were twenty monasteries in Panama, and I can 
 quite believe it. Some of them must have been 
 enormous; I spent half a day rambling about the 
 ruins of one — I think the Jesuit convent ; it was a 
 very handsome building once, but now it is almost 
 covered with plants and grass, and is a home for 
 countless gallinazos. As I was ferreting about I came 
 upon two underground cellars, the walls of which were, 
 I should say, at least five feet thick. The cells were 
 about ten feet square, and communicated with the 
 council-chamber above by a movable roof. They were 
 the torture-chambers of the Inquisition. As I entered 
 them, three or four enormous bats flitted out from their 
 dank and murky depths • even under that blazing sun I 
 felt a cold shudder run through me, and I fancied I could 
 hear the shrieks of Oxenham and his five companions 
 ringing in my ears as I fled from the guilty place. 
 
ANDAC0LL0 — LIMA PANAMA JAMATCA. 153 
 
 The Cameleon was in the harbour at the time of my 
 visit, and I had the pleasure of enjoying the hospitality 
 of Captain Mainwaring and the wardroom officers on 
 frequent occasions. To the chief surgeon and Dr. 
 Mullen my thanks are especially due. I was slightly 
 unwell, and these gentlemen kindly paid me every 
 attention. I don't know that there is anything more 
 to be said about Panama, except perhaps that the natives 
 are the greatest scoundrels that ever stepped a gaol. 
 
 The Panama railroad I consider a gigantic "do."' 
 The first thing you are invariably asked when you 
 return home is — " Isn't the Panama railroad a wonder V. y 
 I have crossed it five times, and I never saw anything 
 particularly extraordinary in it yet, and I am sure Mr. 
 Meiggs would think it quite a trifle compared to some 
 of his hundred and one undertakings. It is popularly 
 said to have cost an Irishman's life for every sleeper 
 laid down, and I can quite believe it ; besides this not very 
 remarkable fact, it is about thirty-five miles long, passes 
 through a dense tropical forest, and the fare is hi. 5s., and 
 when I have said that, I have said more than I could with 
 pages of description. If I were to describe the country 
 through which the line passes as a mass of trees tangled 
 with hurdles, and mixed up, as it were, with a gigantic 
 pitchfork, I might be laughed at; but, for all that, I 
 should not be so far wrong. Aspinwall, the terminus, 
 is a horrible place. 
 
 I had to stay in Aspinwall three days, unfortunately, 
 waiting for the Californian to sail for Jamaica. I was 
 introduced to a young Englishman here, who had been 
 a clerk in the place for two years. " Yes," he observed to 
 me, " I got through last year's attack of fever very well, 
 and I hope to weather this year's." He spoke as a man 
 
154 
 
 RAMBLES AFTEK SPORT. 
 
 might speak hopefully of being able next year to afford a 
 new carpet in his dining-room. Some men will sell 
 their health for a little extra pay, but I am sure 10,000Z. 
 a year would not induce me to stay at Aspinwall. Santa 
 Martha has a beautiful little land-locked harbour, and 
 the heat is something really dreadful. Santa Martha 
 and La Gruayra are, I was told by an American on board, 
 the two hottest places out of the Yankee for Hades. It 
 is a charming-looking place from the sea, girdled around 
 with trees and flower-bearing shrubs. Of course, I had 
 u Westward Ho " with me, and I peopled the place again 
 with Amyas Leigh, and Frank, and Lucy Passmore. 
 On the sea beach were numerous cannon half buried in 
 the sand, and two extremely well-built forts commanded 
 the entrance. As I rambled about among these relics, 
 I could imagine the Spanish cannoneers at their side, 
 levelling them at the Lutheran dogs. As I was 
 examining one an enormous lizard, at least 2|ft. long, 
 crawled out of the mouth : as it blazed away in the sun 
 like a huge flaming emerald, I thought I never saw so 
 fair a sight. One of the cannons at the Custom-house 
 was a beautiful piece of bronze work in excellent pre- 
 servation ; it was about 6ft. long, and covered with 
 fantastic carving. An inscription merely stated that 
 "Josephus donavit.^ There were some most extra- 
 ordinary woolly-haired goats here of a very large size, 
 but I could gain no information about them. 
 
 Arrived at Jamaica, I put up at an hotel kept by Miss 
 Grant, which possessed the advantage of being very 
 clean as well as cheap. The change from the extortionate 
 demands of Peru and Panama was no less pleasing than 
 remarkable, and for the first time for some weeks, I 
 enjoyed a good dinner and night's rest. I stayed at 
 
ANDAC0LL0 LIMA PANAMA JAMAICA. 155 
 
 Jamaica ten days, and, as I was travelling about the 
 whole time, I saw a considerable portion of the island. 
 I brought a letter of introduction to Mr. Nunez, whose 
 kindness to me during my stay was excessive. I visited 
 several plantations, and saw the processes of making 
 sugar, rum, &c. ; amongst others the Constant Spring 
 and Mona estates, which I was told were two of the 
 best-managed in the island; they each produce some- 
 thing like 300 hogsheads of sugar apiece. I believe 
 from 71. to 81. a hogshead is considered a fair profit to 
 the proprietor when worth 181. a hogshead; both these 
 estates are worked by steam power. I conversed with 
 many gentlemen on the slave question, and from what I 
 gathered from them I found that when sugar is low, free 
 labour is most remunerative — that is, supposing a mode- 
 rate amount can be obtained. In other words, if slavery 
 existed at the present time, with present prices, it would 
 entail a loss to the proprietors, because the expense of 
 keeping a large stock of slaves would exceed the profits 
 from the estate. But on the other hand, if sugar was, 
 say, 25?. a hogshead, as it used to be, in that case a 
 slave estate would be infinitely more profitable than a 
 free one, as the proprietor of the former would be sure of 
 his labour, whereas the latter would not; indeed, the 
 higher price of sugar would militate rather than other- 
 wise against him, as, being compelled by the high price 
 of sugar to pay a higher day's wage, he would get less 
 work done than if he paid less. This will seem astonishing 
 to people who do not know the "nigger but this latter 
 gentleman cannot, by any possible means except com- 
 pulsion, be induced to work after he has made sufficient 
 to supply his immediate wants — no, not even by greed of 
 dollars. Nothing pleases Pompey or Nero better than 
 
EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 putting Massa in a fix. The experiment is being 
 tried of introducing Coolie labour, to see if the nigger 
 can be stimulated to exertion by emulation, but I very 
 much doubt it. The soil of Jamaica is so productive, 
 that an acre or two of ground, the rent of which rarely 
 exceeds 27., is sufficient to support a large family in the 
 necessaries of life. The only reason that induces the 
 nigger to work at all, is his need of clothes and salt fish, 
 large quantities of which latter they consume to correot 
 their excessive vegetable diet; and when they have 
 earned sufficient to find themselves in these two articles, 
 nothing will induce them to work any more. 
 
 In truth, the nigger is a hard nut to crack ; it is 
 difficult to say what to do with him. It is all very well 
 for philanthropists and Exeter Hall enthusiasts at home, 
 who have probably never seen a negro in their lives, 
 except perhaps behind some gentleman's carriage, to 
 inveigh against the terrible evil, the infamous blot, of 
 slavery. No doubt it is a very great evil ; but the 
 thing is, can anything better be devised for the negro ? 
 Most certain it is that he was far better off in every 
 respect when he was a slave. He was far better 
 clothed, fed, and attended to, and, in ninety-nine cases out 
 of a hundred, extremely well treated. As a free member 
 of society he is by far the most objectionable and useless 
 individual I know of. He won't work unless actually 
 compelled to by hunger, and he delights in thwarting 
 you in every way ; and all this is done with an air of 
 mock humility or extreme insolence that is very annoy- 
 ing. The two leading traits in their character struck 
 me as being cruelty to animals and total want of 
 sequence of ideas. In their cruelty to animals and 
 human beings they almost rival the Gauchos, who, it 
 
ANDACOLLO — LIMA PANAMA JAMAICA. 157 
 
 has been remarked, appear not to possess the sense of 
 feeling. For a trivial offence a negro will take a small 
 child, his own, and will get two stout boys to stretch him 
 by his hands and feet round a sugar barrel, while he him- 
 self beats the poor wretch with all his might with a vine 
 stick. As for mules and other animals, they appear to 
 think that they were created expressly to be tortured. 
 The insolence of the negroes in the towns is . such that 
 anyone who has ever visited Jamaica cannot fail to have 
 observed it. In this respect the inhabitants of the 
 interior parts of the country are far better — a fact notice- 
 able all over the West Indies and South America. 
 
 The scenery of Jamaica is lovely ; in fact, I never was 
 in such a beautiful land. It is far superior, in my idea, 
 to purely tropical scenery, such as that at Ecuador and the 
 Amazon, which is of such a rank and luxuriant character 
 that one can rarely get a good idea of the whole ; a 
 few yards limits one's vision ; whereas in Jamaica there is 
 sufficient luxuriance of vegetation, without that excess 
 which only spoils the effect. The general character of 
 the sceuery is much the same, and I shall proceed to 
 describe two excursions which I took, which are 
 generally supposed to be the prettiest and most charac- 
 teristic in the island. On the day after my arrival, I 
 hired a horse from White's livery stables to take me to 
 Newcastle, the quarters of the English troops, about 
 twenty miles off. I don't wish Mr. White any harm, 
 but I am not quite sure, even to this day, whether the 
 animal he gave me was a horse or some species of camel. 
 It resemble,d more than anything else I can compare it 
 to, a large coffin edge upwards, supported on four legs, 
 and with a head and neck fixed on somehow. For the 
 privilege of riding him to Bolton's, where the ascent 
 
158 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 to Newcastle commences, I was charged 12s., which I 
 should imagine to be something more than his utmost 
 value, skin included. The country just outside Jamaica 
 somewhat resembles parts of Dorsetshire, with hedges on 
 either side of the roads, these latter being excellent, and 
 kept in good repair. Now and then a palm tree or stately 
 cocoa nut gave a tropical appearance to the scene, but 
 nothing struck me as being remarkable till I arrived at the 
 Mona estate, where I unfortunately found the proprietor 
 out, but was hospitably received by his wife. The scene 
 from here was very fine, blocks of granite, cropping up 
 from the soil, formed a pleasing contrast to the broad fields 
 of waving cane. After leaving Mona I passed through 
 Mango Walk, which resembled a beautiful English park, 
 herds of sleek cattle feeding beneath the trees, and, as 
 its name implies, hundreds of mango trees were scattered 
 about, loaded with fruit ; it is a noble tree, and it always 
 raised in me feelings of admiration from the fact of its 
 growing with the vigour of an English oak; I rested 
 under one of these giants, and allowed my horse to graze 
 a few moments, as the heat was overpowering. The 
 whole ride from here to Newcastle is perfectly lovely; the 
 road wound along the river, fringed with palms and ferns 
 and cocoa nuts. Every now and then some unknown tree 
 hung its fruit down almost to the ground, or some huge 
 flower blazed by the roadside ; sometimes the river ran 
 slowly down towards the sea, and at other times it 
 lost itself for nigh a mile amid moss-covered rocks and 
 ferns and bamboos, till all of a sudden I came upon 
 it as it bubbled o'er a ledge, cool and sparkling, or 
 caught sight of it far away down the valley, glittering 
 in the noonday sun. The whole only wants breadth to 
 make it unsurpassable anywhere ; as it is, there are por- 
 
ANDACOLLO —LIMA — PANAMA — JAMAICA. 
 
 159 
 
 tions I could have picked out as a home for man before 
 his fall. At Bolton's I got a wretched pony to take me 
 up the ascent to Newcastle, my own Bucephalus show- 
 ing signs of giving out. I think the ascent was even 
 more lovely than the first part of the road ; I can't 
 describe it ; who can describe scenery ? Half-way up 
 I came upon the stream prattling across the path ; the 
 sun even penetrated through the thick shade of the 
 trees, which met overhead, and so I hobbled my pony 
 under a wild fruit tree, and, following the streamlet a 
 few yards up, I came upon a natural basin delved out of 
 the solid granite. I stripped off my clothes and plunged 
 into the water; I do not remember having ever enjoyed 
 a bathe so much in my life. As the road approaches 
 Newcastle the atmosphere undergoes a sensible change; 
 indeed, at Newcastle itself blankets are used on the 
 beds. Dog roses and magnolias lined the road, and ferns 
 took the place of the bamboo and mango. 
 
 From Newcastle I went on to the " Fern Walk." I 
 will not weary the reader with attempting to describe 
 this most exquisite piece of scenery ; suffice it to say, it 
 was perfection. If he can imagine the tropical depart- 
 ment at Kew Gardens lengthened out for some three 
 miles, only many times more beautiful, he may have 
 some faint idea of it. How can I describe in words that 
 exquisite creation, a tree fern ? its symmetrical stem 
 rising sometimes thirty feet, topped with its crown of 
 feathery quivering fronds, gemmed with the morning 
 dew, which now and then a humming bird, like a huge 
 green emerald, stops to sip. Ah, me ! it is indeed a lovely 
 land, and when one sees such riches running to waste, 
 it makes us wonder whether such places are merely God's 
 gardens, meant only for man to rest his eye upon. 
 
160 
 
 E AMBLES AFTEE SPOET. 
 
 From here there are two of the finest views in the 
 island, within five minutes' ride of each other. From 
 one point I looked clear away to Kingston, Port Royal, 
 and the sea, and from the other across a deep valley 
 nearly to the other side of the island ; both were very 
 lovely. After feasting my eyes on these beauties for 
 some time, I returned to Newcastle on my way back. 
 The sun was excessively hot, and I looked forward with 
 the most keen desire to getting a bottle of beer at the 
 barracks. Arrived at the canteen, I found the door on 
 the jar ; I went in, and was informed that the canteen 
 was shut, which it certainly was not ; I eyed the man 
 with feelings of the most unmitigated disgust — indeed, 
 I am afraid I used some strong expressions, but then 
 the thermometer was at 110°, and I had ridden twenty-five 
 miles ! I went out, and was getting on my horse, when 
 my gentleman followed me out, and after examining me 
 a bit, asked if I was looking for someone. " Yes ; I 
 
 want to see mentioning one of the officers, " but 
 
 I find he is gone down to Kingston." " Oh, indeed, sir ; 
 perhaps, sir, what did you want, sir?" It was an awful 
 act of self-denial, but I was so disgusted that I rode off 
 minus beer. My steed nearly gave out going back — at 
 least, I thought so, but on arriving to within half a mile 
 of Kingston he suddenly uttered an extraordinary sound, 
 something between a grunt and a railway whistle, and 
 bolted straight to the stables without any more ado. 
 The cunning beast ! he had been "playing coon" all the 
 time. 
 
 Two days after, I started off for St. Anne's Bay, going 
 by way of Spanish Town, the Bog Walk, Linstead, and 
 the Moneague. I expostulated with Mr. White about 
 the quality of the previous steed he furnished me with, 
 
ANDAC0LL0 — LIMA PANAMA JAMAICA. 
 
 161 
 
 and was assured by that gentleman that he would pro- 
 vide me with a horse that would take me to St. Anne's 
 Bay and back in three days, the price I was to pay 
 being, I think, 21. 10s. I was advised to start early in 
 the morning, as the first part of the road is not much 
 worth seeing. I got up very early and proceeded to the 
 stables, where I found a quadruped (I won't call it a 
 horse) ready saddled for me. I am sorry I can't describe 
 that animal ; I am extremely sorry I forgot to have his 
 photograph taken. All I can say is that it was a species 
 of grass-eating animal, proved by its having a wisp of 
 hay sticking out between its bit and lips, standing on 
 four very groggy legs, minus one eye, and covered all 
 over with some cutaneous eruption which had taken off 
 half its hair ; the black ostler volunteered the observation 
 that he " kicked considerable, and was death on the bite." 
 I had almost forgotten to mention that he had a bridle 
 on several sizes too large for him, and was harnessed 
 with an extraordinary Spanish-looking saddle, which 
 reached nearly to his tail, one girth being buckled in 
 the usual way near the fore legs, and another being 
 placed behind the animal's stomach close to his hind 
 legs, a precaution rendered necessary by the enormous 
 size of the saddle. Never in all my experience did I see 
 such an extraordinary turn-out. 
 
 " Do you really think I am going to ride that beast 
 eighty miles ?" 
 
 " This 'oss, sir ; why, sir, he'll take yer flying, he 
 will." 
 
 " I wouldn't ride him, if I was paid 21. 10s. a mile." 
 
 " What, sir, not ride him ! Look here, sir !" (patting 
 the nose of the quadruped affectionately and confiden- 
 tially), "you don't know him yet" 
 
 M 
 
102 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPOET. 
 
 I certainly did not, and what's mora, I had the most 
 decided aversion to cultivating his acquaintance. I took 
 another look at him as he stood there in his panoply of 
 travel, and then walked out of the yard, much to the 
 ostler's astonishment. I took the train to Spanish Town, 
 and hired a horse there — a pretty fair one. 
 
 Spanish Town is a filthy collection of hovels, the so- 
 called " Government buildings " being of the very 
 commonest description — mere bricks and whitewash, 
 with a pillar or two surmounted by a ram's horn at top, 
 and called Ionic columns. My road to Linstead lay 
 through the famous Bog Walk, a beautiful road of some 
 five or six miles long. If I was pleased with my former 
 excursion, I was doubly so with this. It was so very 
 lovely, that I will not attempt the description of it. 
 
 On arrival at Linstead I found a pretty little inn 
 embowered in roses and cocoanuts. I unsaddled my 
 horse, and rested under one of the trees for an hour, and, 
 after a good lunch, proceeded on my way to the Moneague. 
 After going about six miles I commenced the ascent of 
 Mount Diablo. I reached the summit rather too late for 
 a full enjoyment of the glorious view, but I saw enough 
 to convince me that it must be something magnificent ; 
 so, with full expectations of the morning's treat on my 
 return, I went on my way. After passing the summit I 
 crossed through Unity Valley, a charming spot, where 
 Mr. Roper has a large stock farm or " pen," and finally 
 in the evening reached the Moneague extremely hungry 
 and tired. I found here a very good inn, as far as 
 external appearances went. The landlady asked me what 
 I would like for supper, " Oh, anything you like," as 
 long as you bring it quick ; and please bring some beer." 
 cc Oh yes, sir ; but I really don't know what you would 
 
ANDACOLLO LIMA PANAMA JAMAICA. 
 
 163 
 
 like." " Well, a beefsteak, chop, eggs and bacon — any- 
 thing you like ; but bring beer, and quickly too." She 
 disappeared, and I went and saw my horse fed — a pre- 
 caution never to be forgotten in any part of the world, 
 by the bye. On my return the landlady addressed me 
 in measured accents : " Sir, I wish to speak with you a 
 few words ; we have no steak." " No chops ? " " No." 
 " No eggs ? " " No." " No nothing ? " " W ell, sir, I 
 think there is a small piece of salt meat" Gracious 
 Heaven! salt meat after a long day's ride under a 
 Jamaica sun! " But the beer, good lady, bring the 
 beer." " Sir, there is no beer ! " If ever I used bad 
 French, I did then. However, I got a good bed, and 
 about the best thing you can do in such cases is to 
 drown your cares in the sheets. 
 
 Before going to bed, however, I lit a cigar and strolled 
 down a winding lane through the wood. I hardly know 
 which is more enjoyable, the evenings or the days in the 
 tropics. Tired nature seems to rest, lulled to sleep by 
 the myriad hum of the insect world ; the stately cocoanut 
 and branching palm stand out still and dark against the 
 evening sky ; countless fireflies sparkle in the thickets, 
 or flicker across one's path, some displaying their tiny 
 lamps on the dewy grass, others gemming the topmost 
 frond of a branching fern with a quivering star, and 
 over all reigns a deep and solemn stillness as of death, 
 rendered more intense by that indefinable hum of insects 
 which at times seems only the singing of one's ears. 
 Suddenly, a bull frog from a neighbouring pool pipes 
 up; in an instant, all around you, a thousand answer 
 him, and then again all is silent. 
 
 I was up betimes in the morning, not choosing to trust 
 any more to my landlady, as far as meals were concerned. 
 
 M 2 
 
164 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 Riding back, I took breakfast at Linstead, whose obliging 
 landlady and daughter were a complete contrast to the 
 impudence of the Moneague people. I got back to 
 Kingstown excessively tired, and — oh, happy chance ! — 
 found that good Miss Grant had just got some turtle 
 steaks and soup under way. I really did enjoy my 
 night's rest. The other points of interest in Jamaica are 
 tolerably well known, and need not be recounted here. 
 
COUNTRY SPORTS AND LIFE IN 
 
 CHILE. 
 
 The system of agriculture pursued in Chile is still of the 
 very rudest kind. The plough usually consists of merely 
 a log of wood, sharpened at the end, and shod with iron, 
 and guided by a wooden handle, precisely the same as the 
 indigenes did hundreds of years ago. The method of 
 winnowing is peculiar. A circle is formed of stout 
 stakes, in the centre of which the corn, or part of it, to 
 be thrashed and winnowed is placed ; a number of mares 
 are then driven in and made to gallop round the circle 
 close to the stakes, the ears of corn being from time to 
 time thrown from the heap in the centre on to the track 
 of the mares. This thrashes the corn, and the chaff is 
 afterwards separated by throwing it up in the air 
 on the first suitable day. Two men on horseback are 
 usually in the ring to urge on the mares ; these men are 
 usually very drunk, and are continually shouting out 
 " Yegua ! yegua ! " (mare) in an insane manner. They 
 frequently come " a cropper," when the whole of the 
 mares behind them of course run over them, and fre- 
 quently kill them outright. 
 
 A rodeo, or collecting of cattle on an estate, happens 
 generally once a year. Some of them, such as those on 
 estates like the Compania or the Oauquenes, are affairs 
 that last four weeks, and frequently 10,000 head of 
 cattle and horses are collected together ; the plan is 
 simply to send out all the men that can possibly be 
 
166 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 spared, and by continually narrowing their circle, they 
 eventually collect all the animals into a comparatively 
 small space ; the fresh stock are then branded, the old 
 killed for char qui or sold for meat, and the rest are then 
 let run again. These rodeos are stupid affairs ; numbers 
 of animals get irretrievably ruined or injured by the 
 horns of the maddened beasts, and at every large rodeo 
 three or four men are hurt, if not killed. On these 
 occasions the peons universally use the lasso, the use of 
 the bolas not being understood in Chile. The lasso is a 
 thin line of plaited raw hide, about the thickness of a 
 little finger, and thirty feet long ; it is kept coiled up on 
 the horse's flank, the end being fastened to a stout ring 
 in the saddle. The expertness of the natives with this 
 weapon has been much exaggerated by travellers. I 
 have heard of men who could lasso any leg you like, or 
 either horn, and I was almost going to say any eyelash ; 
 but I am quite sure that any average huaso would not 
 lasso a running bullock three out of five times. I have 
 frequently tried to make them do some of their wonder- 
 ful feats, but I never saw anything very extraordinary 
 and I should say anyone could acquire a very fair know- 
 ledge of its use by practice. 
 
 There are three distinct kinds of horses found in Chile 
 — the Cuyano horse, the pure Chile, and the Peruvian 
 " pacer : " the first of these originally came from the 
 province of Cuyo in the Argentine Republic, but the 
 name has been gradually applied to all Argentine horses. 
 These horses are usually larger than the others ; they 
 almost invariably have large, ugly heads, and coffin 
 shaped bodies, but they make up for these deficiencies 
 by their superior bottom and speed. Nearly all the 
 horses used for racing in Chile are Cuyanos, that is, for 
 
COUNTRY SPORTS AND LIFE IN CHILE. 
 
 167 
 
 races of more than half a mile ; for the Chile race, in 
 vogue among the natives only, only Chile horses are 
 used. Cuyanos are possessed of considerable bottom for 
 long-continued journeys on the commonest of food. 
 Like Artemus Ward's old mare, which made a com- 
 fortable lunch off an empty sardine box or two, they will 
 eat literally anything. All through the country, speaking 
 generally, horses are left to pick up what they can during 
 the day, and in the evening they get a bundle of alfalfa 
 or trefoil ; not one horse in a thousand ever knows the taste 
 of barley. Hardly any horses are stabled in Chile, the 
 climate being so pure that the horses keep in far better 
 health when allowed to run loose than when stalled. 
 The alfalfa mentioned above, I believe, is nearly identical 
 with our trefoil ; in Chile it grows to a height frequently 
 of two feet and more, and as thick as it can stand ; in a 
 well- watered potrero three crops can be cut a year. All 
 animals are excessively fond of it, eagerly leaving barley 
 or corn at the sight of a bundle, and, although exces- 
 sively " wet " food, they do a lot of work on it. A well- 
 watered potrero in the neighbourhood of a pueblo, put 
 down with alfalfa, is a mine of wealth to its owner ; a 
 bundle such as a man could compass in his arms is worth 
 more or less 2d. 
 
 The Chile horse is usually a compactly made, big 
 little animal, thick-necked and big-headed ; nine times 
 out of ten he has a beautiful forehand and shoulder, and 
 detestable hind-quarters. If you see a Chile horse with 
 good quarters, or, indeed, slightly gooserumped, try 
 to buy him, and then keep him. They are very docile 
 and tractable, and are the pleasantest horses to ride a 
 long journey that I know. The usual journey pace is 
 something between a shamble and a quick walk; it is 
 
EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 awkward at first, but one soon gets use to it. A superior 
 journey horse, however, is a " pacer," or, still better, 
 a "marcher. " These marchadores come principally from 
 the province of Coquimbo, and are the dearest horses in 
 Chile ; their gait is rather easier than a pace, but is much 
 slower, never exceeding six or seven miles an hour. A 
 good pacing horse sometimes goes at a tremendous rate, 
 astonishing to people who have never witnessed it. Mr. 
 Charles Watson, of Valparaiso, had a white pacer who was, 
 I believe, nineteen years old ; I have frequently ridden 
 alongside of him, and when extended he could keep a very 
 fair horse at a gallop, and this with 4st. extra on his back. 
 To ride a pacer you must sit back in your saddle, with 
 your heels down and your toes well forward, as these 
 horses are exceedingly liable to stumble. When you 
 wish to extend your horse you haul on the bit as much 
 as possible, at the same time urging him with the spur ; 
 the harder you hold him the faster he goes ; if your arms 
 tire, he immediately breaks into a gallop. A whip must 
 never be used to a pacer, the action of raising the hand 
 inducing the horse to jump and " break." The Peruvian 
 horses are nearly all pacers ; they are pretty little animals, 
 mostly used for ladies' mounts, for which reason they 
 bring long prices, but on other grounds they are not 
 worth mentioning. 
 
 None of these jump ; in fact, I don't suppose there is a 
 horse in the country that could jump an eight-foot ditch* 
 Their great drawback, as might be supposed, is want of 
 pluck on a pinch. Considering the scantiness of his 
 fare, and that he is never groomed, the Chile horse 
 shows great powers of endurance at his own pace, but 
 (and here is the gist of the matter) don't push him ; if 
 you do, he'll give in, and there is no "come again"' 
 
COUNTRY SPORTS AND LIFE IN CHILE. 
 
 169 
 
 in him. Of their extraordinary performances, of which 
 everyone hears before he has been in the country a week, 
 I need only say that they do not bear investigation ; they 
 are on a par with those ideas about the noble savage, 
 nature's nobleman, &c., &c. I am surprised to see so 
 accurate a thinker as Canon Kingsley fall into this error. 
 As was pointed out a short time ago in the Field, most 
 Government clerks could beat the best red man that 
 ever stepped. I was once an actual spectator of the fact 
 of several ordinary Government clerks, with no pre- 
 tensions to running, beating easily the pick of 8000 
 Indians, who were as wild as hawks. I was at Van- 
 couver's Island, some years ago, on the occasion of 
 Her Majesty's birthday ; several thousand Indians from 
 all parts, some from very remote places, attended the 
 pow-wow. Some sports were got up, amongst others 
 flat races from 100 yards to one mile ; for this latter 
 distance two noble savages entered, with awful names 
 and hardly any clothes on ; they were outpaced from the 
 first and easily beaten by three or four clerks in the 
 time, if I remember correctly, of about five and a half 
 minutes; both of the nobles were considerably done 
 up, and spent the rest of the day in the bottom of their 
 canoes, having evidently had quite enough of it. 
 
 A young Chileno once, expiating on the excellences of 
 his horse, assured me that he had gone 150 miles in one 
 day on that same horse. I answered his foolishness by 
 offering to bet him a good sum that he could not ride 
 100 miles in one day, with as many horses as he chose to 
 take, let alone one horse doing it. Of course he did not 
 take the bet ; few people have any idea of what riding 
 100 miles on an average hot day is like; I know I have 
 found from seventy-five to eighty quite enough for me. 
 
170 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 A capataz of an hacienda up north, who had occasion to 
 send several proprios (couriers) a day, told me that ten 
 leagues or twenty-eight miles a day was all that could be 
 got out of an average horse for a continuance, say of one 
 week. The price of a horse varies; in the northern pro- 
 vinces, where there are scarcely any railways, a good horse 
 is frequently worth from 301. to 40Z. ; down south, in the 
 haciendas, a very fair horse may be bought for 10Z. up to 
 201., and at this latter price you ought to get a superior 
 animal. Horses are usually allowed to run loose till they 
 are three to four years old, and, I believe, in fact it must 
 be, that it is owing to this that they keep sound so much 
 longer than they do in England. A horse nine or ten years 
 old is considered young in Chile, and I have repeatedly 
 known instances of horses running races at seventeen 
 and eighteen years old. Guacho, the property of Mr. 
 Garland, won the Valparaiso Cup, for South American- 
 bred horses only, two years in succession, at the age of 
 nineteen and twenty years, with 9st. odd on his back. 
 If a horse is only required for farm work, or is intended 
 to be ridden by peons only, the process of breaking him 
 in is very simple. A man, the domador, mounted on a 
 horse used to the business, rides into a herd of horses, 
 and lassos the one he requires ; he is then dragged to a 
 convenient place for a sharp gallop, a manta is tied 
 round his head, and a manea or strap is passed round his 
 fore legs ; a saddle is then strapped on, and the domador 
 mounts. As often as not, the animal is on the ground 
 all this time, but, however that may be, as soon as the 
 man is in the saddle the manta is torn off his head, the 
 manea removed, and away darts the horse, plunging, 
 kicking, and trying by every means in his power to 
 get rid of his rider. When he is tired of the useless 
 
COUNTRY SPORTS AND LIFE IN CHILE. 
 
 171 
 
 struggle, the turn of the domador comes : he let's 
 into the wretched animal with all his might with 
 whip and spur, and at last brings him back, bleeding, 
 exhausted, and half dead with fright, to the place where 
 he started from ; he is then turned into a corral, and a 
 day or two after the dose is repeated. Two or three 
 lessons are thought sufficient for an ordinary horse. As, 
 however, they are generally very tractable, their buyer 
 reckons on training them himself afterwards. 
 
 A really well-broken Chile horse is a valuable animal, 
 and in his way a wonder ; a huaso, or farmer, will rarely 
 sell his own horse, which, when he is not drunk, he 
 treats with every kindness. It very often takes three or 
 four years constant training to make a good huaso horse, 
 as they are called. The principal points to be attained 
 in this description of animal are, having a good rienda, 
 being able to push another horse over, being able to 
 stop almost instantaneously at the word, and to start 
 equally quickly. A good rienda means being able to 
 turn round in a circle — the smaller the circle and the 
 quicker the turn, the better the horse : it is no uncommon 
 feat for a huaso to ride round a post, touching the 
 post with his forefinger all the time. I have frequently 
 seen a man ride full tilt at a bullock " end on;" 
 when almost touching the horns of the enraged 
 animal, the rienda is given, and the horse turns 
 round like lightning; in rodeos, when pursuing wild 
 bulls, many men would be killed if it were not for 
 their horses having good reins, besides losing a vast deal 
 of time. As it is, it is marvellous to see them dodging 
 and lassoing among the very horns of the cattle. It 
 is dangerous to attempt any of this show riding 
 without being sure of your horse, and many young men 
 
172 GAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 — amateur huasos — get annually killed or injured by 
 endeavouring to show off an inferior horse. A horse 
 is not considered properly trained unless he knows how 
 to pechar or push; some are wonderful at this trick — 
 rushing at another horse sideways, giving him a push 
 with the point of the shoulder, and over you go, horse 
 and all ; in fact a good huaso on a well-trained pushing 
 horse is an exceedingly awkward customer to meet. At 
 all race meetings there are booths where drinking and 
 dancing goes on ; in front of the booth is a strong oaken 
 bar, about three feet high, and just sufficiently distant 
 to allow a glass of liquor to be passed from the 
 counter to the men on horseback outside. The bar may 
 be about ten or twelve feet long, and the object of every 
 well-mounted huaso is to "keep the bar," as it is called. 
 Supposing six or seven are drinking together, with the 
 heads and necks of their horses projecting over the bar, 
 on a sudden a man from the outside rushes his horse in 
 between the middle of them, and endeavours to push and 
 keep away all the others and remain master of the bar - r 
 he then takes his drink, if he can, and goes off to another 
 booth. On one occasion I saw a horse keep off seven 
 others, knocking them over one after the other, till no 
 one dared to go near him. This, however, was a well- 
 known horse. A good horse also must stop almost 
 instantaneously at the gallop ; a common feat is to place 
 a manta on the ground at one hundred yards off; the 
 rider then starts at full gallop and pulls up on the manta, 
 which is about half the size of a woman's shawl. General 
 Eosas used frequently to amuse himself by galloping 
 full tilt up to an esequia, or deep ditch, and pulling up 
 over the brink. There is this point, however, of difference 
 between the riding of the Gauchos and Chilenos : the 
 
COUNTRY SPORTS AND LIFE IN CHILE. 
 
 173 
 
 former practise leaving their saddles, or, in plain words, 
 being thrown, while the latter think it the greatest 
 disgrace ever to quit the saddle under any circumstances. 
 The reason is that on the Pampas there are so many 
 holes made by owls and other burrowing animals, that a 
 horse putting his foot into one of them invariably comes 
 down ; in fact, the Gauchos for pastime select a piece of 
 ground almost covered with these holes ; they then 
 gallop over it at full speed, and he who, when his horse 
 stumbles, alights on his legs is the best rider. Some 
 of their feats of horsemanship are really wonderful. Rosas 
 would frequently make the following wager : that he 
 would sit astride the cross-beam over the door of the 
 corral into which some hundreds of wild horses had been 
 driven after a rodeo and anyone might then point out 
 any horse he liked ; the door of the corral was opened, 
 and the horses allowed to jump out singly; Rosas then 
 dropped on the back of the selected horse as he rushed 
 out, and galloped, without bridle, reins, or anything but 
 spurs, as far as the horse could go, and he would then 
 ride him back to the corral. 
 
 The gear of a Chile horse is one of the most curious- 
 looking arrangements in the world. The bit is composed 
 of a long flat piece of iron, which rests on the horse's 
 tongue and against the roof of his mouth ; at the end of 
 this is a hole, through which is passed a massive iron 
 ring about four inches in diameter, which encircles the 
 lower jaw ; in front of the mouth another flat iron ring 
 is placed, to which the reins are fastened. The whole 
 affair weighs about 51b., and is sufficiently powerful to 
 break a horse's jaw with a sudden jerk. The reins are 
 formed of finely-plaited hide, and are of about the thick- 
 ness of a forefinger; there are only two, and they are 
 
174 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 joined together just above the grip of the hand. They 
 terminate in a long lash (chicotej about four feet long, at 
 the tip of which there is a ball of lead sewn up* in leather. 
 When not required for use, this chicote is curled round 
 the near side of the rider, and hangs down on the off 
 flank of the horse. Of course, as may be readily 
 imagined, it is a formidable weapon in skilful hands ; a 
 man not on the look-out is frequently knocked clean off 
 his saddle by a blow on the head with the ball at the 
 end. The saddle is a queer affair. In the first place 
 about six or seven sheepskins are placed on the horse's 
 back, one on top of another; a leather strap is passed 
 round these, and firmly secured ; a skeleton saddle, or 
 rather piece of wood with a cantle at each end, is then 
 placed on, and on the top of this any number of sheep- 
 skins, finished off, if the owner is rich, by a foxskin, 
 or some other valuable fur. Sometimes as many as 
 seventeen or eighteen skins may go to make up a montura. 
 The four corners are kept down by broad leather straps, 
 ornamented with silver buckles, to enable the rider to 
 wedge himself in. The stirrups are made of two huge 
 pieces of hard wood, with a hole half-way through, and 
 frequently weigh 51b. or 61b. a piece. I once had the 
 curiosity to weigh a montura of a well-to-do huas.o ; it 
 weighed 601b. more or less, and yet this was by no means 
 an uncommonly large one. When the rider is in his 
 saddle, all his legs are concealed by the sheepskins, and 
 viewed from behind, clad in a poncho and an enormous 
 straw hat, he presents one of the most laughable objects 
 in existence. Of course, nearly all their feats of horse- 
 manship are due to their using such powerful bits, 
 the comparative smallness of the horses, and the almost 
 impossibility of getting thrown from such a saddle. 
 
COUNTRY SPORTS AND LIFE IN CHILE. 
 
 175 
 
 When the horse does come down, the rider is almost 
 invariably seriously injured, through getting entangled 
 and mauled in the struggles of the animal. They are 
 good riders, as far as sticking on goes ; but of pace 
 and of nursing a horse they haven't the faintest notion. 
 The best rider in Chile — that is, among the natives — 
 couldn't take the best horse in England two miles over a 
 fair country; he would simply pound him in the first 
 half-mile. 
 
 I should say in three years more that there will be no 
 more native racing horses for any distance over half a 
 mile, the English half-breeds, even of Fanfaron's first 
 cross, having beaten them already at any distance over 
 that. The Cuyanos are the best, but it may be safely 
 asserted that the commonest English selling plater at a 
 provincial meeting could give any number of stones and 
 a beating to the best native horse that was ever foaled 
 in South America, at any distance over half a mile. 
 Seven or eight years ago Melbourne could beat any 
 horse any distance, giving away lumps of weight — in 
 fact, any weight ; and two years ago Chieftain did the 
 same. These were two English geldings of the " honest 
 hunter" class, which you can buy by the bushel at 
 Tattersall's at 60£. apiece — horses generally described 
 as having a turn of speed. The natives are exces- 
 sively fond of racing. As horse-chaunters and blacklegs 
 they are far beyond their brethren in England — in fact, 
 what they won't do to win a race I don't know ; and if 
 you bet with a native, even a well-to-do-one, and don't 
 have your money posted, you will never see it even 
 if you win. This is of course their " human natur'" — 
 they can't help cheating. It is not so much for the 
 money, as they are liberal enough in some things ; but 
 
176 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 to pay a bet merely because they have lost it ! the idea's 
 absurd. Any animal in Chile which stands on four legs, 
 and which can go rather faster than a cab -horse, has 
 a feed of barley given him now and then, and is forth- 
 with designated a racer. Horses being so cheap, 
 of course almost anyone can buy one, and the keep 
 costs next to nothing. Every horse has its own tiro or 
 distance; some being half-milers (six cuadras), others 
 three-cuadra horses, down even to twenty-five yards ; 
 and they are not often matched at other distances. 
 Although there is no stud book in Chile, yet every good 
 racehorse is perfectly well known all through the country, 
 and the distance or tiro that he is best at. Horses are 
 sent from incredible distances, even from St. Fe, in the 
 Argentine Republic, to run races, and more excitement 
 and fuss is caused by a two-cuadra Chile race than would 
 be caused by one between Cremorne and Bcossais, half 
 a mile, weight for age. Everything is fair in a Chile 
 race, the object being to win somehow. Generally 
 speaking, four or five hours are wasted at the start , 
 each jockey trying to knock the other one off, or upset 
 his horse, or something; when they do get off, the 
 one that has the best of the start shoves his horse's 
 head in front of the other, and so prevents his getting 
 in front, or else runs him out of the course altogether. 
 I have frequently seen a horse who is quick on his legs 
 and gets the best of the start, curl as it were his head 
 and neck round the other, and win the race with his 
 head on one side, preventing the other, who may be 
 a good deal faster, from passing him. A real Chile race, 
 however, is one of the prettiest sights I know ; they are 
 not so frequent now as formerly, but still they cause 
 immense excitement, and certainly show a vast amount 
 
COUNTRY SPORTS AND LIFE IN CHILE. 
 
 177 
 
 of intelligence and patience on the part of both man and 
 beast. I have never seen or heard of races being con- 
 ducted in the same way in any other part of the world. 
 The distance for these races is very rarely over three 
 hundred yards, and generally about two hundred or one 
 hundred and fifty. About three months before the race 
 is run, the horse is brought up to be trained, and, as 
 everything depends on this, great attention and patience 
 are required. Supposing the horse has never run such 
 a race before, his forelegs are fastened together by a 
 broad leather strap ; he is then allowed to stand perfectly 
 still, and on his attempting to rest himself by shortening 
 one of his hind legs, a slight tap is given to the leg, 
 which makes him straighten himself again ; after a week 
 or so he learns to stand perfectly straight and true on 
 all four legs, allowing his trainer to take up any leg and 
 place it where he likes ; the hind legs must be perfectly 
 even to a hair. After this first lesson a whip is gently 
 moved over his head, and now and then thrown lightly 
 over his loins — his fore legs being still tied. At first, 
 of course, he jumps about, but must be immediately 
 " gentled," and led back, and the whole affair gone over 
 again. A blow or a rating at this stage of the training 
 would spoil the horse for ever for this kind of racing. 
 By degrees the strap is taken from his legs, and after a 
 few lessons the horse will allow his trainer to cc set " him, 
 and then crack a whip all round him, without his moving 
 a muscle; neither the trainers nor the lookers-on are 
 allowed to speak a word when the horse is being set. 
 The day of the race comes; first of all a long line is 
 scratched across the course, the same as in a foot race ; 
 in the next place, a line of stout sticks is planted at right 
 angles to this, line for about twenty yards down the 
 
 N 
 
178 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 course, the object of these being to prevent the horses 
 from rushing against each other at the start ; the horse 
 that knocks down these sticks is fined so much each 
 time. The two horses are now set by their trainers, 
 their forefeet being placed exactly on the line, not an 
 inch out ; sometimes one of the horses is uneasy, and it 
 takes an hour or two of coaxing to set him. How- 
 ever, when they are both set, the trainers retire and 
 leave them with the starter; he advances and pushes 
 them on the rump and side to see if they are perfectly 
 square and firm on their pins ; if he finds them so, he 
 steps aside rather behind them, raises the stick, and — 
 now's the critical moment. If they are badly trained, 
 one of them, when left thus alone, will either lift his foot 
 or move ; when this occurs all has to be gone over 
 again, and the horse is fined so much, the whole of the 
 stakes not unfrequently being won in this manner. If 
 they are well trained, however, they wait as motionless 
 as statues till he gives the grito, or word ee go ! " and off 
 they do go like a shot from a rifle, with incredible swift- 
 ness. The whole of the proceedings at the starting line 
 are conducted in perfect silence, as sometimes a loud 
 cough by a by-stander is mistaken by the horses for the 
 grito, and sets them off, getting the unlucky cougher a 
 good thrashing. The jockeys in these races are boys 
 about nine or ten years old, and they ride bare-backed. 
 
 A statement, made I believe by Sir Francis Head, 
 regarding the fact of hawks feeding on the sore backs of 
 horses and mules, has been frequently questioned. The 
 sight may be seen any day in the country. I myself, 
 returning one day from hunting, saw a miserable mule 
 whose back was literally a mass of bleeding sores. I 
 saw what I supposed were two of these hawks, tearing 
 
COUNTRY SPOETS AND LIFE IN CHILE. 179 
 
 away at the flesh ; anxious to verify the fact, I rode 
 slowly up to the animal. On my approach the birds 
 hopped lazily to the ground a few yards off. I passed 
 on, and pulled up within twenty yards, when the birds in 
 a minute or two flew back to their feast. The mule paid 
 not the slightest attention to them one way or the other ; 
 indeed, from the fact of her leaving off cropping the 
 grass when the hawks left her, and resuming her feed 
 when they came back, I am inclined to think she liked 
 it. These hawks are about double the size of a sparrow 
 hawk, and abound all over Chile. They are easily tamed, 
 and are frequently seen in the cottages of the country 
 people. Their food principally consists of grubs, which 
 they dig for in the sandy soils ; numbers are also seen 
 on the sea-beach, apparently feeding on seaweed, or, 
 more probably, some parasite growing on the seaweed. 
 I was surprised at the horrible sores one sees every- 
 where in Chile on the backs of the pack mules ; although 
 three-fourths of the carrying trade in the country is done 
 by pack mules, and some thousands of muleteers are at 
 it from morning to night, yet I would back a British 
 Columbian or Californian packer to beat them all to 
 nothing. In the countries just mentioned I have known 
 a packer run a whole troop of fifty or sixty mules for a 
 month, and not have above two galled; a Chilian fletero 
 would do up at least ten in half the time. 
 
 Travelling in South America anywhere — except in 
 the Argentine Kepublic and South Chile — is as safe as 
 travelling in the States, the only danger being near the 
 large towns. No native will attack you unless he is 
 perfectly sure he has the advantage; he has a mortal 
 dread of firearms, and if he only dreams you are armed 
 he will let you alone. Their usual mode of attack is by 
 
 n 2 
 
180 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 charging you suddenly on horseback, knocking you and 
 your horse flying ; at this game you have no chance with 
 them, what with their huge stirrups, saddles, &c. The 
 best way is to run, if you have a good horse ; if not, 
 never let them come near you, which can be most easily 
 effected by showing your revolver, but remember one 
 thing, — if you do fire, kill your man. By all means, don't 
 fire unless actually obliged, but don't wound him — he'll 
 humbug you awfully ; you will be hauled up before this 
 judge and that court, then sent back again to the first ; 
 deposition taken, witnesses sworn, and so on till you 
 either have to cut your stick or else pay (of course, you 
 could shoot the President himself, if you are only pre- 
 pared to pay enough afterwards) a large sum of money. 
 Bandits are looked up to in Chile, like the Macpherson 
 in Bon Gaultier, as quite superior persons — rather 
 "swells " than otherwise. In the thickly-populated north 
 there are merely a few foot-pads, but in the south they 
 go about in bands, and do the thing in style ; they are 
 always well mounted and armed; in fact, if you see a 
 lively-looking, well-mounted individual, got up regard- 
 less, keep a good look out for him. One gentleman, 
 named Ciriaco Oontreras, was for years the terror of the 
 south • he used to send a message to a haciendado that he 
 wanted a few horses and a dollar or two by such and 
 such a day, and he took precious good care that he got 
 them too. The newspapers would now and then have an 
 account of Mr. Ciriaco's little exploits, quite in a jocular 
 manner, as if he was a citizen rather to be proud of than 
 otherwise; as for catching him, of course that was far 
 too great an undertaking. After killing numbers of 
 people, and robbing all he could, he gave himself up one 
 day, " determined to lead a respectable life in future ; " 
 
COUNTRY SPORTS AND LIFE IN CHILE. 
 
 181 
 
 the newspapers congratulated him on his wise deter- 
 mination, and only hoped others would follow his 
 "heroic example." He was, last time I heard of him, 
 living in quite a comfortable manner in Santiago. 
 
 The Chilenos, that is, the upper classes, are an extra- 
 ordinary mixture of opposites. Captivating at first 
 acquaintance, the more you know of them the less you 
 like them. Manifesting the most intense regard for you 
 outwardly, and indulging in the most extravagant pro- 
 testations of affection, they are sly, crafty and insincere. 
 They are full of talk and braggadocio, twaddling in their 
 House of Assembly, swaggering about their glorious 
 independence, freedom from the Spanish yoke, &c, when 
 they are the most priest-beridden people in the world. 
 The Padres are the great obstacle to progress in the land ; 
 they oppose education for the masses with all their power, 
 as they know full well that as soon as the people learn good 
 from evil, the knell of their power is sounded. They are 
 eaten up by law ; everything is reducible to law. Claim a 
 mine, the chances are before you get your mine you will 
 have spent more in settling disputes than the mine is 
 worth. Numbers of mines in Chile are lying idle for this 
 very reason ; somebody's great uncle's cousin worked that 
 mine some hundred years ago, and somebody else's 
 cousin on the brother's side did too, and there you are 
 — no one must have it. Hundreds and thousands of 
 dollars have been spent on disputes concerning mines in 
 Chile, and the mines themselves never been touched yet. 
 Justice is a fiction ; it usually is in inverse ratio to the 
 complicity of the law. Circumstantial evidence in any 
 shape is not admissible in Chile, therefore a man may 
 threaten you, shoot you, cut your throat, or anything 
 else you like, but if not actually caught in the act, 
 
182 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPOET. 
 
 nothing can be done. Quien sabe ! All the satis- 
 faction you get is "Quien sabe? " ("I don't know.") 
 Oh ! that eternal quien sabe ; they live in a state of 
 quien-sabeism. It is their ruin ; they are an example of 
 a nation coming to grief through two words. They 
 spend half their time in smoking cigarettes, and the 
 other in quien-sabeing. The one muddles their brain, 
 and the other affords them an outlet from all their 
 difficulties. 
 
 The advocates and defenders of the law of primogeni- 
 ture would find here a most extraordinary example on 
 their side. By the law of Chile half the husband's 
 money goes to the wife and half to the children. The 
 consequence is that although a man may be possessed of 
 a very respectable estate during his lifetime, yet at his 
 death all his broad acres may be split up into little petty 
 fields ; or else, as is usually the case, the eldest of the family 
 manages the estate in the name and for the benefit of the 
 rest of the family ; consequently all the rest do nothing 
 but loaf about on horseback, smoke cigarettes, and idle 
 away their time, secure at least of their bare livelihood. 
 The ignorance of the lower classes is something appalling. 
 Purposely kept from education and enlightened truth, 
 in them the worthless padres have their surest strong- 
 hold; were I to tell half of what I have actually seen my- 
 self, I should not be believed. The filth they live in is 
 absolutely incredible ; owing to the extreme purity of 
 the air in Chile, dead animals and other offensive matter, 
 that would breed corruption in the air in other countries, 
 are not thought worthy of a moment's consideration or 
 heed. A whole Chile peon's (or labourer's) family live in a 
 sort of rush hut, or half-adobe, half-mud hovel, about 10ft. 
 by 8ft. A dog or two may also generally be found among 
 
COUNTRY SPORTS AND LIFE IN CHILE. 183 
 
 the mass of human bodies ; a fire is usually smouldering 
 in the middle of the hut; a few odds and ends of 
 blankets or ponchos serve for a bed for the respective 
 heads of the establishment, and the rest find the softest 
 place on the ground, and sleep there. When I say that 
 these people never have been known to wash, and that 
 they are positively covered with vermin, the effect of 
 going within even twenty yards of the hut may be 
 imagined — you cannot describe it. I remember seeing, 
 about two years ago, a picture in an illustrated paper 
 of Mr. Somebody's cabin in Ireland, intended, I believe, 
 to illustrate the wretched state of the Irish poor. 
 Why, that cabin was a perfect palace in comparison 
 with the hovels in Chile. Unmarried labourers in 
 farms do not generally have any fixed place to sleep 
 in at all, but lie down in the corridors or in stables, 
 &c, just the same as the animals themselves. 
 And yet I do not know a more contented people in the 
 world ; such a case of where ignorance, &c, it would be 
 difficult to find elsewhere. The mere actual cost of 
 living in Chile is almost nothing, and, as the rent does 
 not trouble them much, their positive wants are perhaps 
 more easily supplied than they could be in any other 
 part of the globe. In fact, with a few cigaritos, Indian 
 corn, rice, and now and then a little mutton or char qui 
 (dried beef) and perhaps a stolen fowl or two, the peon 
 manages to scrape along pretty well. On aguardiente, a 
 villanous compound of sulphuric acid, petroleum, and 
 other inflammable ingredients, he can make himself 
 drunk for five centavos, and kill himself quicker than 
 by any other known method short of actual suicide. 
 Abominably lazy when out of a job or with a few dollars 
 in his pocket, he will work like a very horse when the 
 
134 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 fit is on him ; give him an extra real or two, and he'll 
 do the work of two horses. Easily aroused to a state of 
 fiendish cruelty, he is usually sober, easily managed, and 
 hospitable, sharing his last crust with his comrade, and 
 content with almost anything ; only don't bully him, — 
 he cannot stand that. Smoke a cigarito with him, chat 
 with him for two minutes, and you can do literally what 
 you like with him, without his being at all aware of the 
 fact ; attempt to drive him, and he will turn as stubborn 
 as his mule. He looks upon women as an inferior class, 
 yet is the most polite lady-killer in the world ; this 
 natural ease and grace is inherent in him. A man, 
 wonderful in dirt, who cracks stones or cuts wood all 
 day, in the evening dons his many-coloured poncho, 
 places his straw hat with an easy jaunt over his left eye, 
 sticks a cigarito between his lips, and spends two or 
 three hours dancing and flirting with the senoritas, and 
 to-morrow stones and wood again ; and so on till he gets 
 old and worn out. Then he comes and begs a medio of 
 you in the politest manner in the world, repaid by 
 showers of blessings and thanks ; and away he goes 
 again, to look on at the dancing and flirting. And then 
 he dies, dreaming, I firmly believe, of dancing and the 
 senoritas. He is a firm believer in all sorts of remedios. 
 The amount of medicine he will swallow is something 
 marvellous — the stronger the better ; his faith in the 
 doctor is infallible. I have known peons positively 
 " sham to get five or six grains of calomel or three or 
 four drops of croton oil; and as for their teeth, they 
 have a perfect mania for having them out. A doctor 
 once assured me as a positive fact that a man came to 
 him one day to have a tooth pulled out ; he pulled it 
 out, and the man offered him a two-dollar piece in pay- 
 
COUNTEY SPORTS AND LIFE IN CHILE. 
 
 185 
 
 ment. " I have no change," said the doctor. " How 
 much is it ? " said the man. " One dollar — a dollar a 
 tooth. " " Oh, well then, take out another one, and that 
 will make us square/' replied the patient ; and, needless 
 to say, the doctor readily fell in with such an easy settle- 
 ment of the case, and had out a double-fanged grinder 
 in no time. 
 
 Everything nearly is a remedio. An old woman gets 
 two bits of leather about the size of a shilling, and placed 
 on the temples it is a remedio for the headache. Beans 
 for blindness, particular kinds of stones for toothache, 
 and such like rubbish, they have an undeviating faith in; 
 and I have no doubt, if you were to tell an old woman to 
 swallow a bottle of red ink as a cure for the ear-ache, 
 she would continue to take red ink till she got well — if 
 she ever did. 
 
 How shall I describe that extraordinary phenomenon, 
 a Chile girl ? I don't mean the upper ten, but the 
 average type. Never was such an extraordinary mixture 
 in a human being ; she baffles all attempts at analysation. 
 When you think you have her pretty well focussed for 
 her character, lo and behold, she moves ! She has a queer 
 idea of guitar-twanging, love-making under difficulties, 
 chattering, tea - drinking, prying, intense curiosity, 
 and ferreting out other people's secrets. She has 
 warm affections, and is as changeable as a chameleon ; 
 her little noddle is crammed with confused notions of 
 jovenes or young men, and dulces or sweetmeats. Of the 
 world outside her village she knows absolutely nothing ; 
 her sole idea of happiness is to go to Santiago and dance 
 cuecas there the livelong day. She hardly ever reads — 
 perhaps now and then a cheap French novel — and all her 
 ideas of life are gained from old traditions and stupid old 
 
186 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 women. She is perfectly colossal in her ignorance, and 
 doesn't care to know better. She is utterly devoid of 
 system, has no stated times for meals or household regu- 
 lations, and prowls about half the day enveloped in her 
 manto, a convenient" garment, which serves for bonnet, 
 shawl, and dress ; goes most religiously to mass, yet why 
 she cannot tell. She is eternally plotting, always has 
 some mystery on hand which she is bound to ferret out 
 somehow ; though she is never left alone for one single 
 instant, yet she is the most arrant flirt in the world, 
 and her room is an odd mixture of old ribbons, faded 
 bouquets, photographs, and odds and ends of work. In 
 the evening she plasters herself over with a mixture of 
 chalk, bismuth, and white of eggs, touches up her cheeks 
 with rouge, and sublimely trusts in Providence for drop- 
 ping in for a cueca, which she will keep up till three in 
 the morning. At about twenty -five years old she begins 
 to get haggard and shrewish ; at fifty she is decidedly 
 disagreeable ; and at seventy she is — ah, well ! if any 
 one has never seen a Chilena old woman of seventy, I 
 should say, don't ; she's fearful. 
 
SHOOTING IN CHILE. 
 
 " I say j Doctor, do you know Don Vicente told me to- 
 day that the pacharones have arrived, and there are 
 several bandurrias in the potreros, and he wants us to 
 go out to his farm and have a slap at them? What 
 d'ye say ? " u Fm your man, my boy; I rather guess 
 and prognosticate, as the Yankees say, that I can show 
 any man round these parts the way to shoot pacharones. 
 No time for talking now ; to-morrow evening at four 
 o'clock I'll be at your house, and mind you bring Jose 
 with the ' necessaries/ " " All right, doctor, and Fll 
 ask young Federico also." "Ah, to be sure," replied 
 the doctor, with a twinkle in his eye, "don't forget that." 
 The object of the worthy doctor's anxiety for the presence 
 of Don Federico, a rich young mine-owner, will become 
 apparent in the course of this veracious history. To 
 cut a long story short, I asked Don Federico ; he accepted 
 (misguided individual !) ; Jose, my servant, got our two 
 nags ready, and got himself up in the most regardless 
 fashion — indeed, as he sat there on his horse, embedded 
 in a perfectly monstrous saddle, and with two huge 
 saddle-bags stuffed out with the necessaries, to wit, 
 two bottles of beer, one of whisky (imported direct by, 
 and only to be got from, the doctor, and that as a great 
 favour), a strip or two of charqui and a lomo steak, he 
 looked like an inverted coal scuttle. Jose placed the 
 steak between two of the sheepskins composing his 
 saddle, and rode on it the whole way to make it tender. 
 
188 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 A sportsman at home might be slightly fastidious about 
 eating it afterwards ; but, bless your heart ! when you 
 have travelled about a bit, alligator pie is really a 
 luxury. 
 
 The above conversation was held in the doctor's dis- 
 pensary, and it means that a Chileno farmer, named Don 
 Vicente, had told me there were any amount of golden 
 plover (pacharones) and curlew (handurrias) at his farm 
 after the first rains, and had invited the doctor and my- 
 self to go and shoot them. 
 
 Next morning the doctor appeared, and, saddling up, 
 we started off. To English eyes we should have appeared 
 a queer lot I dare say. The doctor, with his portly 
 form enveloped in a large Scotch plaid, leather gaiters, 
 and ample bonnet, and with his old double, that might 
 have belonged to a remote ancestor, slung behind his 
 back, might have passed for a "chield" on a cattle- 
 lifting expedition, had it not been for the perfectly awful 
 quadruped he bestrode. I wish I could describe that 
 beastie, but all description would fail to give an idea 
 of him; suffice it to say he was some sort of four-footed 
 creature with a mane and tail. But — and all is in the 
 hut — like a singed cat he was better than he looked, 
 as the sequel showed. Don Federico was got up in 
 boots that reached to his thigh, and spurs with five-inch 
 rowels ; he mounted a flaming red-striped -poncho, 
 and a Panama hat with an enormous brim, while his 
 montura or saddle was composed of somewhere about 
 fifteen sheepskins, one on top of the other ; he rode a 
 mettlesome little Chile horse, and every now and then he 
 would show off his paces by rushing madly forward and 
 stopping in an instant, or wheeling hither and thither 
 with the ease and grace of a hawk. As for myself — well, 
 
SHOOTING IN CHILE. 
 
 189 
 
 I was twenty-five years old, and I felt twenty-five years 
 old, and I should like to know what the world and its 
 cares are to a man then, with his health and strength. 
 I had procured the steadiest horse I could, but alas ! in 
 him I was deceived, as in many other things ; and here 
 I may as well tell my readers that a good steady horse is 
 half the battle in getting a good bag in Chile. The 
 ground is fearfully rough, and, there being very little 
 covert, the birds when once disturbed fly such long 
 distances that a man on foot, even the stoutest walker, 
 has no chance with a horseman; another advantage is 
 that you can sometimes stalk a flock of birds with the 
 aid of a horse, as will be seen further on. 
 
 After a ride of four hours we arrived at the farm, 
 where we were received by the mayordomo, who de- 
 lighted us by saying that the pacharones had been flying 
 about all day, and that he had seen seven or eight ban- 
 durrias. We unsaddled our horses, and let them run 
 into the potrero for the night ; and, as it was not nearly 
 dark, and the larder in the house was rather low, I took 
 my gun and strolled out to some willows that lined a 
 ditch and orchard at the back of the house, to see if I 
 could get a tortolita or two. I had a shot at a couple, 
 but the light being bad, I missed one, and it seemed a 
 waste of cartridges to fire two away for one bird the size 
 of a blackbird. The doctor, hearing the report, came up 
 pipe in mouth, " Look here, young man ! Allow me to 
 tell you that I am particularly interested in your bagging 
 at least ten tortolitas this evening, so please take it easy ; 
 there's nothing to eat till Juana gets the casuela ready, 
 and that won't be for three hours yet. Now sit down 
 here under this willow, light your pipe, and just wait." 
 So, following the doctor's advice, I lighted up, and, with 
 
190 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 just a u toothful/' we waited. As the shades of eve came 
 on the tortolitas came in, until the trees seemed alive 
 with them. " Steady, now ! Don't fire till you are 
 certain of potting five. There you are ; just rake that 
 branch of that pear-tree." I fired at, I should say, a 
 dozen birds all in a line. "Not so bad for a beginner/ 7 
 said the doctor, as he wrung the heads off six. u Now 
 another shot like that, and we'll do." We sat down 
 as before, and in ten minutes fresh birds came flying in, 
 and my second allowance bagged five. The number 
 of tortolitas (ring doves) here was incredible; they are 
 very difficult to kill flying, as they fly faster than any 
 bird I know except a quail, and carry off any quantity of 
 shot. We all three employed ourselves in picking the 
 victims, and in a few minutes we had eis^ht or nine of 
 them fizzing over a wood fire, and sending forth a smell 
 almost maddening to our whetted appetites; they are 
 not bad eating, but, after all, were only a mouthful. " The 
 casuela, Juana, the casuela /" shouted the doctor. " Ah, 
 senor, por dios ! you can't hurry a casuela de polio," cried 
 Juana, who had, like all the natives, an undeviating faith 
 in, and awful respect for, " el doctor." However, at last 
 it was done, and then we were happy. Casuela de polio ! 
 I really think, if I were going to be hung next morning, 
 I could eat two or three platefuls of it over night. Have I 
 got the recipe ? No ; I'd give anything for it. You can't 
 get a casuela worthy of the name in any hotel in Chile ; 
 you must get out into the country, pull up at some 
 rancho, and give the old woman carte blanche and four 
 hours to make it in, and then you get it. That brute of 
 a doctor had the recipe, but of course he'd never give it 
 up ; however, if anyone goes to work in the way de- 
 scribed at the end of this chapter, he will not be far out. 
 
SHOOTING IN CHILE. 
 
 191 
 
 In the evening a neighbour dropped in, and the doc- 
 tor, who never let an opportunity pass, proposed a little 
 game of poker, in which Don Federico was induced to 
 join. " I suppose we can't make it four-handed, North?" 
 said the wily villain. " Not much," said I, my forefinger 
 wandering playfully over my nose ; " I'm going to have 
 one pipe and one grog, and then the downie." In my 
 heart of hearts I wished the doctor would keep it up all 
 night to shake his nerves, when I might beat him in the 
 field ; alas ! little did I know the hardness of that head. 
 After being asleep, I should judge, some six hours, I was 
 awakened by a noise, which to my ears sounded like very 
 hard swearing. Shall I ever forget that scene ! There 
 was the doctor with a suit of cards in one hand, and 
 raising a glass of grog to his lips with the other ; on 
 the other side of the table were his two antagonists, or 
 rather one of them, with his head resting on his folded 
 arms, the other having slid off his chair on to the 
 ground ; he had drunk the pair blind drunk. " And to 
 think that I should hold four kings ! " he muttered, as 
 he swept up his winnings, dashed his cards on the table, 
 and rolled himself up in his plaid before the fire. 
 
 I was up at daybreak, and, taking my gun, I visited 
 the old spot again, and knocked over eight more torto- 
 litas. On my return to the house I found the doctor 
 taking his morning dram, and as fresh as a lark ; but 
 the condition of the other two was something fearful to 
 contemplate — they literally had heads on them like 
 " biled turnips." After discussing some more casuela, 
 we saddled up and proceeded to the serious part of our 
 business. 
 
 " Now we will take all different directions, and meet 
 at this rock at two o'clock for lunch," said the doctor. 
 
192 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 "Jose, mind you have the valdiviano (charqui soup) 
 ready by that time. Fll take this direction ; " and off 
 he rode towards some plain country that probably con- 
 tained all the pacharones in the neighbourhood. My 
 object, however, was to get some bandurrias, which I 
 knew would " rile " the doctor pretty considerably ; as 
 for the plover, I knew that with that knowing old Buce- 
 phalus of his I had no chance with him. He had not 
 gone a hundred yards when an immense flock of pacha- 
 rones came circling round, and we marked them down 
 about half a mile off in the middle of a plain. " Fair 
 play, doctor! I think there's room for the pair of us;" 
 and we galloped up to within one hundred and fifty yards 
 of them. We brought our horses to a halt, concealing 
 our guns, and when within forty yards fired into the 
 yellow of 'em, and as they got up we gave them the 
 lefts, cutting a lane through them like a charge of grape- 
 shot ; the flock divided, part flying off, and the smaller 
 half circling round us again. My breech-loader came in 
 well here, as before the doctor could load I had a couple 
 of cartridges in, and gave them a second dose in no time ; 
 but if I had the best of the doctor in this respect, he 
 certainly got to windward of me in a much more important 
 one, for my steed, On my approaching to mount him, 
 uttered an extraordinary sound, and coolly galloped back 
 to the farm, with my magazine and all ! 
 
 " Come along, Oliver ! " shouted the doctor, derisively, 
 as he mounted his charger and went pounding by me 
 like a second Jorrocks after the plover ; " come along, 
 xny boy ! " and I had the intense mortification of seeing 
 him quietly gallop up to the plover, dismount, and have 
 a couple. of shots; and there was I without a cartridge 
 in my pocket, except the two in my gun. There was 
 
SHOOTING IN CHILE. 
 
 193 
 
 no help for it, so I plodded back and captured him again, 
 taking the precaution this time of bringing a manea, or 
 leg-strap, with me. 
 
 By this time the doctor was far out of sight, leaving 
 me to pick up the slain and settle the " cripples." 
 Putting them into a sack which I had brought with me, I 
 left them in a hole in the rocks and went on my way, 
 cursing all doctors, plovers, and horses. However, I 
 did not much care, as I had an idea somehow I should 
 get a bandurria or two, and I struck across for some 
 hilly ground covered with thick brush and broken rocks, 
 where the mayordomo had told me overnight I should 
 be sure to find a partridge. So just before getting 
 there I dismounted, put the manea on my horse and 
 beat the brush. I had hardly trod out three or four 
 tussocks when up got a covey of five, and left two of 
 their number on the ground. These partridges are not 
 a true partridge — in fact are not a partridge at all, I 
 believe ; the plumage is not the same, the breast has no 
 horseshoe, and the taste of the bird is decidedly different ; 
 they fly strong, and carry away a deal of shot. I beat 
 and shot the hill-side for above an hour, and got five 
 brace of birds, a large number for Chile, but they had 
 scarcely been shot at. Another item to my bag may 
 seem rather odd, and that was a fine old dog fox at least 
 four feet long. I caught sight of him sneaking behind 
 a rock, and rolled him over in the open with a duck- 
 shot cartridge which I put in for his especial benefit. It 
 sounds funny, but I had not the slightest compunction in 
 killing him; on the contrary, the greatest possible 
 pleasure. These Chile foxes sometimes grow to an 
 enormous size ; the Valparaiso hounds once killed one 
 five feet long. To give an idea of their size and strength 
 
 o 
 
194 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 I will relate the following : a farmer in the south 
 once applied to the M.F.H. to lend him hounds to kill 
 some foxes that committed a great deal of damage on 
 his estate. The hounds were sent, and found an old 
 well-known fox with no tail, that had been frequently 
 seen to kill young calves ; when the hounds came up, 
 the fox faced round and beat them off for some con- 
 siderable time, till a bitch went in and, after a severe 
 fight, killed him single-handed. 
 
 Leaving the above-mentioned gentleman for the benefit 
 of the buzzards, I mounted, and rode about two miles to 
 some small lagunas, where I had been told some snipe 
 were to be found. On arriving I found a great deal of 
 water and the ground very shaky. I had acquired per- 
 sonal experience of the effect of being bogged in a 
 Chile quagmire with the Valparaiso hounds ; in fact, I 
 believe one man was swallowed up, horse and all, in one 
 of these horrible places. It is always best, however, to 
 trust to your horse, as they have an instinctive dread of 
 them, it being absolutely impossible to distinguish them 
 by the eye. I dismounted again, and on getting to some 
 higher ground, " cheep ! cheep ! " up they got in all 
 directions, the weather being too clear and calm for them 
 to rise well. They confused me so much, especially as I 
 was standing up to my knees in water, that I fired away 
 six cartridges and only got two snipe. It was awful 
 work getting up to them again, as they sat as close as 
 quail, springing up altogether almost under my nose. 
 By-the-bye, the same thing holds good in England ; most 
 tyros think that the best time to shoot snipe is on a cold 
 frosty day when the air is calm and clear ; it is in reality 
 the very worst of all weathers. Let your snipe get a 
 strong haunt during these days, and when the first 
 
SHOOTING IN CHILE. 
 
 195 
 
 open windy day comes, " up and at 'em." The reason 
 is that in frosty weather the snipe congregate in some 
 small brook or other sheltered spot, and get up all to- 
 gether, affording only one or two shots, whereas in 
 boisterous weather they disperse much more, and can get 
 marked down and afford a variety of shots. Any old 
 sportsman will tell you the same. 
 
 By this time I began to think it was about time to 
 look for the whereabouts of Master Jose and the valdi- 
 mano. On my way back I got another brace of part- 
 ridges from the same broken ground as before, though I 
 nearly broke my neck and gun ; for, although my steed 
 stood the first barrel well enough, the report of the 
 second made him twist round like a top, depositing me 
 on the ground and sending my gun flying. I held on to 
 the chicote or lash of the reins, however, which probably 
 saved me another little walk of five miles. I thought I 
 had missed my way, when — ah, welcome sight ! — I 
 observed Jose's fire, as a thin curl of smoke went floating 
 up to the sky. The doctor, as I expected, had not 
 arrived, being most probably miles away, so I and Jose 
 went to work. 
 
 How I remember every detail of that lunch ! how 
 every stick and stone of that scene is photographed in 
 my mind's eye ! The place was thoroughly Chilian — the 
 undulating hills covered with broken rocks of granite, 
 and just beginning to put on their livery of green, the 
 snow-clad Andes at the back, the broad potreros divided 
 by regular mud walls, and carefully irrigated by esequias, 
 combined to form a scene of natural and artificial wild- 
 ness that I have seen in no other land ; while Jose, in 
 his huge hat, many-coloured poncho, extraordinary 
 gaiters and spurs, as he lay watching the pot of valdu 
 
 0 2 
 
196 
 
 E AMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 viano and smoking a cigarette, would have made his 
 fortune on the stage as a brigand. Valdiviano is simply 
 made by pounding a ribbon of dried charqui between 
 two stones and boiling it in water ; the peons on some 
 estates, hunters, carriers, &c, sometimes go for weeks 
 on this food alone, never tasting bread or vegetables ; 
 when made, it is of a deep brick-dust colour, full of the 
 fibres of the charqui. At first it creates nausea, being 
 exceedingly strong food and not endurable by all 
 stomachs ; but after a while people get very fond of it. 
 It tastes to me something like mild horseflesh. 
 
 Meanwhile I busied myself in plucking a couple of 
 plover and roasting the lomo stake, supporting the latter 
 by two sticks slanting over a fire^of embers, spatching 
 the plover and placing them breast upwards on the 
 glowing embers; and then, spreading our ponchos on 
 the ground, we discussed the lot. Gracious, what an 
 appetite that Jose had ! Valdiviano, plover, and steak 
 disappeared down his throat like an alligator's, and 
 truth to say, down mine too. Jose fished out from his 
 alfoljas two bottles of beer, which speedily disappeared 
 also, and then we lay on our backs watching the smoke 
 of our cigars curl up to the clear blue Chile sky, as 
 happy as two kings. Ah ! I sometimes wish myself back 
 again. But there is an old saying about " eating one's 
 cake and having it too/' and also one about "all play and 
 no work,'' and I suppose they are both as veracious as 
 most proverbs. 
 
 We were aroused from our torpor by a voice, " Que 
 hay, senores ; donde estan las bandurris?" (What, 
 sleeping ! where are the curlew ?) and the vnayordomo 
 stood before us. " Look here, sir ; as I was passing 
 along by that ditch there, close by that laguna, I saw 
 
SHOOTING IN CHILE. 
 
 197 
 
 five or six bandurrias, and I think they they are pretty 
 tame. Now, my advice is to take Jose's old horse there, 
 and try and stalk them; recollect, you will only get 
 one shot, and they are very diablos to kill. I need 
 hardly mention the alacrity with which I fixed up my 
 traps. Mounting the other horse, which was about the 
 size of, and not very unlike a large shaggy Newfound- 
 land dog, and putting a couple of duckshot cartridges 
 in my gun, I hurried back to where I had shot the snipe. 
 Not a sign of a bandurria was to be seen ! All of a 
 sudden I caught sight of something right in the middle 
 of a large potrero, which, after watching for some time, 
 I made out as the heads of the rascally birds just peering 
 out of a watercourse; there was not the sign of a 
 covert near, and the only resource I had was to stalk 
 them. I must confess I had considerable misgivings 
 about the success of my undertaking, but anyhow I 
 could but try. Taking off the top skins of my saddle, 
 I placed my poncho curtain-wise on the off side of the 
 horse, and taking the bit out of his mouth, twisted the 
 lasso round his under jaw. Walking on the off side of 
 him, and carrying my gun at the sling, I commenced 
 walking all round the potrero, outside the wall. The 
 bandurrias came out of the ditch where they were 
 feeding, and watched me, or rather the horse, in a 
 manner that showed they were considerably on the qui 
 vive ; however, seeing but an old horse, they gradually 
 began to cry out at the top of their voices — a sure 
 sign that they thought everything was right. I gradually 
 got round to the gate of the potrero, and after stopping 
 a minute walked my horse in ; he seemed to like the 
 job better than being spurred and thrashed by Master 
 Jose. The birds seemed rather uneasy at this second 
 
198 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 move, but after a bit an old cock waggled his tail, 
 and cackled like a brent goose. Now was the time ; I 
 walked slowly on at right angles to the ditch, letting 
 my horse feed for five minutes, and then went on a few 
 yards, till I was within twenty yards of the ditch and 
 sixty of the birds. At last I reached the ditch, and for 
 the first time ventured a peep ; and, sure enough, not 
 five, but full fifteen bandurrias were quietly feeding at 
 the bottom. My old nag behaved admirably, just crop- 
 ping the grass as unconcernedly as possible. Nearer 
 and nearer I got till all of a sudden there was a dead 
 silence ; I knew what that meant, and kept as still as a 
 mouse. I just peered through two hairs, I might say, 
 of the horse's mane, and saw the whole lot looking in 
 my direction like a lot of stuck pigs. It was just on 
 the cards that they would come up to see, as ducks do 
 when I have "toled" them in California; but a duck 
 is nothing to a bandurria in the way of cuteness, 
 so I slipped my barrels under my horse's neck, and, 
 aiming just over the head of the first one, pulled the 
 trigger. What a clatter they made ! As the survivors 
 flew away I brought down one with a broken leg, and 
 then proceeded to count the spoil: three birds dead, two 
 cripples hopping about over the potrero, and the one 
 with a broken leg, were the results of this shot. If I 
 had had two ounces of loose shot, I believe I should 
 have, got ten at least. After a smart chase I captured 
 the stragglers, and, mounting my horse and lighting my 
 pipe, rode slowly back, picking up on my way the bag 
 of plover, very well contented with my day's work. 
 
 I and Jose packed up our traps without waiting for the 
 doctor, who had gone almost to Jericho, and we went 
 back to the farm, where we found Juana concocting 
 
SHOOTING IN CHILE. 
 
 199 
 
 another casuela — whoever saw an old Ohilena doing 
 anything else, except smoke cigarros ? I rejoiced the 
 heart of the old lady by giving her a couple of bundles 
 of cigarettes, whereupon she immediately uttered the 
 invariable exclamation of " Ah, senor, por Dios ! " and 
 fell to on the casuela again. I was just going to anathe- 
 matise the doctor for not showing up in time for dinner, 
 when a series of triumphant whoops outside aroused me, 
 and that worthy made his appearance, horse and all, at 
 the door, looking more like a game-dealer's shop than 
 anything I can think of. On his saddle, round his saddle, 
 round himself, and round his steed hung festoons of 
 plover, while behind him stood a boy, about two feet and 
 a half high, in a poncho about two feet or more long, 
 completely covered with birds. " There, my boy, what 
 do you think of that ? I followed those blessed 
 pacharones all day long; and if they have not had a 
 jacketing, call me a Fenian. Beat that if you can !" 
 cried he, as he tfcrew bunch after bunch on to the 
 ground. " Juana, casuela, my ancient, casuela ! Oliver, 
 my flask's empty these two hours. Goodness ! if I had 
 had a breechloader I might have killed double/' 
 
 We turned out the whole lot and counted eighty 
 plover, of which twenty had fallen to our quadruple 
 discharge in the morning, and the rest the doctor claimed. 
 This completely took the shine out of my bandurrias, at 
 the sight of which the Doctor merely remarked that " for 
 a young man I was quite canny." 
 
 After our exertions it may well be supposed that I, at 
 all events, had speculated on an early couch, but as we 
 were in the middle of our casuela, a neighbouring huaso 
 dropped in, and insisted on our coming over to his 
 house, adding, as an additional inducement, that Senoritas 
 
200 
 
 E AMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 Oarmelita y Mercedita were anxiously expecting us. 
 " Two of the prettiest girls in the province/' said the 
 Doctor. In England a doctor is not thought more of 
 than a lawyer, but in Chile " el Doctor " is by far the 
 most important man in the district, As Don Gabriel 
 had brought his mozo with two saddled horses for us, and 
 declared the girls had not danced a cueca for a month, of 
 course the affair was settled. An additional inducement 
 for us to stay was the promise of the mayordomo that on 
 the morrow we should see some sport with the huitres or 
 condors, as a calf had died in the night, and in the 
 morning there would be sure to be three or four of these 
 birds pretty well gorged ; he also told us that he was 
 going to have a sort of rodeo, or cattle collecting on a 
 small scale, as a haciendado was coming to buy some. 
 So off we started to Don Gabriel's house, with the full 
 intention of going in for a good spree ; and a real good 
 Chile spree is no joke, I can tell you. 
 
 On arriving at the house — which, I was thankful to 
 perceive, was not more than a mile off, as I had serious 
 doubts as to our getting back over a longer distance — 
 we found the two above-mentioned young ladies, and 
 two more besides, and a young haciendado whom T knew 
 very well, named Don Francisco. In less than fifteen 
 minutes I had drunk the healths and conversed with 
 every one of the girls in turn, and finally laid siege to 
 Senorita Mercedita, a charming girl of sixteen summers, 
 and with such eyes ! What jolly girls those Chilenas 
 are ! and all classes are the same. Their natural grace, 
 good breeding, and withal their perfect ease, render them 
 by far the most agreeable people I know at almost any 
 time, and at a tertulia or party — well, I should like to 
 see the man who could tire them out at dancing. How 
 
SHOOTING IN CHILE. 
 
 201 
 
 we did dance ! and how I did dance ! I stamped about; 
 and went at it, as the Doctor said, " like a patent ten- 
 day chronometer ; " but it never does to be shy in Chile, 
 and the girls never laugh at you — not they. I remember 
 after making one terrific pirouette, in the performance 
 of which I knocked Don Gabriel into a coal scuttle, 
 and very nearly went up to the roof myself, they all 
 applauded me to the echo, " Muy bien ! muy bien, 
 senor! " However, I made it all right with Don Gabriel 
 by telling him that that was the way they danced the 
 cueca in the United States, at which explanation he 
 appeared perfectly satisfied. 
 
 I can't say I perfectly remember events after two a.m. 
 Long before this Don Francisco had succumbed to chicha, 
 and was carefully deposited under a bed just as he 
 was, everyone being apparently perfectly aware of his 
 little failings, while the Doctor and Don Gabriel were 
 busily engaged at an interesting game of cribbage. 
 Everything passed off without a hitch, I suppose, as 
 I found myself next morning comfortably wrapped 
 up in two or three ponchos under the table. After 
 about a pint of ice-cold chicha, I felt as right as any- 
 thing. 
 
 On getting back to the farm we found the predictions 
 of the mayordomo verified, as a peon had brought word 
 that there were three condors pegging away at the calf ; 
 so, judging that we had better leave them to get well 
 gorged before bestowing any little extra attention on 
 them, we mounted, and leaving our guns behind us, but 
 not forgetting to take four or five bottles of chicha with 
 us, we sallied out to see a little of the real Chile sport — 
 the rodeo. A short way from the farm we met the 
 haciendado, accompanied by two huasos, and, as the 
 
202 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPOKT. 
 
 Doctor was personally known to everybody, we had to 
 turn back and take the usual amount of chicha, without 
 which nothing can be done in Chile. The haciendado 
 himself was mounted on a splendid Chile horse, of a 
 chesnut colour, or rather of the colour known in the 
 country as alisan de oro. Ee was short on the legs, 
 large-barrelled, and as broad across the loins as a prize 
 ox ; his saddle was composed of twelve snow-white 
 sheepskins, topped with a valuable one of fur, and the 
 tree was richly ornamented with silver. The bridle 
 was composed of netted hide, as fine as linen almost, 
 and covered with silver rings and bosses ; the bit was a 
 massive steel ring, which encircled the horse's lower jaw, 
 while the stirrups were formed out of two solid masses 
 of wood, in size and shape like a cheese' cutter. He 
 himself was habited in a handsome vicuna poncho, which 
 concealed his person down to the hips, and was as fine as 
 silk ; a broad-brimmed sombrero of the finest Panama 
 straw covered his head and on the heels of his long 
 patent leather boots were silver spurs with rowels three 
 inches long, and which perhaps weighed half a pound a 
 piece. Altogether, as he sat there on his horse, he 
 looked one of the most picturesque figures I ever saw. 
 The two huasos were dressed in the same fashion, but of 
 course without the ornaments, and their garments were 
 of a coarser quality. The horse that one bestrode was a 
 small grey animal about 13^ hands high, rather thin, 
 and apparently of no particular use ; indeed, it seemed 
 half asleep. That it could, however, be uncommonly 
 wide awake when required subsequent events proved. 
 The other was mounted on a beautiful little Chile horse, 
 full of courage, and restless as a hawk, which was having 
 the finishing lessons to perfect it a$ a good huaso horse. 
 
SHOOTING IN CHILE. 
 
 203 
 
 Of course all three carried — coiled up behind their saddles 
 — a lasso of twisted hide. 
 
 As I knew that the haciendado was a well-known 
 breeder of good horses, and as they come well mounted 
 to a meeting of this sort, I was of course anxious to see 
 some feats of horsemanship, and whispered my desires 
 to the Doctor. " Nothing easier ; Don Carlos, allow me 
 to introduce to you a friend of mine." We bow, he 
 with the air of a prince, and we exchange cigarettes. 
 "That's a nice horse of yours, Don Carlos." "Pretty 
 good, Senor Doctor, but I have better." "My young 
 friend here would like to see some trifling little feat, 
 and I daresay you will oblige him." "With great 
 pleasure, Sir; Jose, place your poncho out there," 
 pointing across the yard. Jose, who knew what was 
 required, took his poncho off and placed it on the 
 ground about 150 yards distant. Don Carlos, without 
 removing his cigarette from his mouth, clapped spurs to 
 his horse and darted off like the wind at full gallop; 
 when he appeared almost over the garment there was a 
 sudden cloud of dust from the horse's feet, and when it 
 cleared away the animal was standing motionless as a 
 statue on the poncho ! It really was marvellous. Don 
 Carlos shouted out for us to keep still, and immediately 
 galloped back at full tilt straight for the spot where we 
 were watching him. When within a few yards only of 
 me, it appeared that he was going to charge me, but 
 suddenly rushing close by my left-hand side, so close as 
 almost to touch my stirrup, he wheeled round so quickly 
 that he was alongside of my right hand literally before I 
 knew where he was. Although he had passed me at 
 full speed, he had pulled up his horse and turned round 
 in a space of a few yards ! "You see, senor," he said to 
 
204 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 me, "if I were a robber, and wanted to attack you, 
 you would be completely at my mercy. Just place your 
 horse's neck along side of mine." I did so, when his 
 horse, by the merest touch of the spur, immediately 
 pushed mine completely round. It was evident to me 
 that at any moment he could have knocked me half-way 
 across the yard, horse and all. He did not seem to 
 think, however, that all that sort of thing could be 
 easily and effectually stopped by a half-ounce Deringer, 
 and I did not think it worth while to tell him. Not the 
 least curious part of the business, to me at least, was 
 the fact that the horse stood perfectly still and quiet 
 after all this performance. 
 
 But a still more wonderful feat was exhibited. In 
 front of a range of buildings used as the kitchen and 
 other outhouses was a long oak rail, about six feet in 
 length, and perhaps four feet from the ground ; it was 
 firmly fixed in two uprights at each end, " Juan," said 
 Don Carlos, " let us see how that young horse has been 
 getting on ; you ought to have taught him something 
 by this time." "I hope so, senor," said Juan. Don 
 Carlos first of all sent Juan on to " keep the bar," as it 
 is called. Juan placed his horse's chest against the 
 pole, with his head and neck over it, looking into the 
 kitchen. Don Carlos then clapped spurs to his horse, 
 and rushed his horse against the other, trying to push 
 him away from the bar. The young mettlesome horse, 
 however, stood the attack boldly, and urged by the spur 
 and chicote of his rider, actually succeeded in pushing 
 his antagonist away for a moment ; but he was too hot 
 for his work, for Don Carlos's horse adroitly struck him 
 with the point of his shoulder just before the forehand, 
 and as nearly as possible upset him; and despite the 
 
SHOOTING IN CHILE. 
 
 205 
 
 utmost efforts of Juan for full five minutes, he never 
 could regain his place. "Pretty well; in one year 
 more he will make a good horse/' said Don Carlos. 
 
 After this we made a move for the country. We 
 approached a herd of cattle that were feeding, and, after 
 riding about near them for some time, Don Carlos picked 
 out those he wanted, and orders were given to the two 
 men to drive them to the corral. This was effected 
 pretty quietly at first, and the animals, in number about 
 eight or nine, were got together and driven towards the 
 corral. I was beginning to feel disappointed at not 
 seeing any of the lassoing business, but the doctor told 
 me to wait a bit. Presently, on approaching some 
 broken ground, a young bull, without any previous 
 warning, darted off, and almost as quickly Juan and the 
 other were after him like arrows ; the one on the young 
 horse came up with him first, and just as he was 
 disappearing over the brow of a hill he made his shot 
 and missed. Immediately afterwards Juan rushed by 
 him, going down the hillside at full tilt, and just at the 
 bottom he threw his lasso ; the loop gradually settled 
 down over the animal's horns, and the horse, obedient 
 to the bit, made a half turn, presenting his side to the 
 bull and leaning away from him. A jerk came, and over 
 went the bull ; however, he was up in no time, and off 
 again. Juan, instead of holding him, spurred his horse 
 up to him once more, and then suddenly turned 
 him round ; there was another jerk, and over went 
 the bull again. After this second dose he seemed to 
 think better of it, and was driven to the corral where 
 he was released. It was one of the prettiest and 
 neatest done things I ever saw — no fuss or flurry about 
 it. Meanwhile Don Carlos and the other huaso had 
 
206 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 each hold of a bullock who had followed the example of 
 the bull ; and eventually the whole were safely driven 
 into the corral. 
 
 An accident occurred which might have ended fatally. 
 Don Francisco, unable to restrain the excitement of the 
 splendid horse he bestrode, started off in pursuit of a 
 bull, and having no lasso, endeavoured to run along 
 and knock the animal over with his horse. Whether he 
 was too inexperienced, or his horse not up to this 
 business, I don't know; but the bull turned suddenly 
 round as he came alongside, and, lowering his head, 
 tossed him, horse and all, to the ground. Luckily no 
 bones were broken, and after a pull at the chicha Don 
 Francisco appeared to be all right again. No one but 
 an expert horseman, mounted on a good horse, is 
 successful at this game ; and many young men, who go 
 to a rodeo for the fun of the thing, get killed or injured. 
 Nothing surprised me more than the excellence of Juan's 
 horse ; to look at it seemed not worth one dollar, yet 
 as a cattle horse it was invaluable, as it could literally 
 twist round half a dozen times in its own length in as 
 many seconds, and his rider could dismount at any 
 moment and leave him free, and he would not move for 
 hours. 
 
 On arriving at the farm we gave orders for a fresh 
 casuela to be made for all hands, and rode off to the 
 ravine where the calf had been placed. As we ap- 
 proached a whole tribe of galinazos, or turkey buzzards, 
 flew lazily off, and after a deal of hopping and flapping 
 an old male condor just managed to get away, accelerated 
 no doubt by a charge of shot, which only rattled on 
 his feathers like a coat of mail. On the course were 
 three others, gorged so full that they could not raise 
 
SHOOTING IN CHILE. 
 
 207 
 
 a fly between them. After some fun with them, they 
 were adroitly lassoed by Juan, and dragged to the open, 
 where I amused the whole company by my efforts to 
 lasso one with Don Carlos's lasso. However, after a bit 
 I succeeded after a fashion, and eventually we knocked 
 them all on the head. The largest measured eight feet 
 across the wings. These birds are also caught by build- 
 ing a corral or palisade round any dead animal ; when 
 gorged they are unable to raise themselves over the 
 top, and are thus easily killed. 
 
 As it was now getting dark, we all migrated to the 
 farm, and strange to say, or rather not strange to say, 
 we found Senoritas Carinelita y Mercedita and the 
 guitar awaiting us. I will not weary my readers by 
 stating how we danced till past midnight ; how Don 
 Carlos declared he loved me slightly better than his 
 own father ; how I declared to Mercedita that I loved 
 her slightly better than — well, the last one I told so 
 before; how we polished off the casuela, made Juana 
 happy with a dollar and innumerable bundles of cigarros, 
 took just perhaps a trifle, a mere trifle, too much for our 
 crania, and, bidding adieu to the mayordomo, went home 
 by, moonlight, loaded down with plovers. I think we 
 took eight hours in going home, the delay being caused 
 chiefly by the doctor insisting about every mile on 
 pulling up, and, with a solemn air, delivering to myself 
 and Jose a very learned dissertation on the ways and 
 means of shooting pacharones, invariably ending his 
 discourse by remarking " let's take a Scotchman" — and 
 we letted. 
 
 It may be asked what became of Don Federico ? 
 Alas ! the career of that misguided young man is 
 enveloped in mystery. After that bout with the doctor 
 
208 
 
 E AMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 he disappeared in the morning, so Juana told us, and 
 turned up about three days afterwards, looking very seedy. 
 " Why, where have you been V u I don't know," said 
 Federico solemnly, " but never will I go out with that 
 infernal doctor again. This is the third time he has what 
 he calls c taken me out' for a day." "Taken you in you 
 mean. What did you lose to him V* " Fifty-two 
 dollars ; but never again with you, doctor, never again 
 with you." A week or two after I met the doctor, and 
 told him. " Not go out again with me ? Why, Fm going 
 to take him out again on Saturday ! " 
 
TWO DAYS' FISHING IN CHILE. 
 
 * In the last chapter I discoursed of the doings of a 
 certain doctor and a young man hight Don Federico, 
 during a little shooting trip I had with them in Chile. 
 As some of my readers will perhaps remember, between 
 those two individuals there existed an attachment which 
 might be designated as interested on the doctor's part, 
 and involuntary on Federico's. Federico was provided 
 with dollars to a considerable extent; the doctor was 
 not; and on every occasion of their "going out together" 
 dollars somehow migrated from Federico's pocket to the 
 doctor's purse, in a manner worthy of a Wizard of the 
 South, Accordingly I was not very much astonished 
 at my youthful friend suggesting to me that we should 
 go out for a day's fishing next die fiesta, but — without 
 the doctor. "Es muy buen hombre, pero, curajo ! 
 cuesta mucho-mucho ; 33 which, being interpreted, means 
 that the doctor is a very good fellow in his way, but 
 intolerably expensive. 
 
 The next thing was where to go to. Our own 
 charming little bay was too near, Catalina Island was 
 too far ; why not hire a couple of fleteros and a surf 
 boat, and go twenty miles down the coast to the Oon- 
 greos Islands; land in a balsa, and shoot conejos and 
 seals ? Just the thing, of course ; " and if we should 
 happen to stop over a day, what matter V 3 quoth Fede- 
 rico ; and I said nought against it. 
 
 It wasn't a very difficult matter to get a boat and 
 
 p 
 
210 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 a brace of men, and the holiday of nuestra senora Santa 
 Somebody beheld us sailing with a fair breeze out of the 
 harbour to make an offing for the Congreos. A Chile 
 surf boat is shaped exactly like a slice of melon, sharp at 
 both ends ; it is quite impossible to upset them, they go 
 through any sea, and are invariably steered by an oar 
 trailing over the stern. The Chileno fleteros are as fine 
 a body of men as there are in the world, and I always 
 found them exceedingly obliging when treated properly. 
 We carried the breeze all the way down, and by the time 
 the sun got well up out of the sea we were off our destina- 
 tion. We tacked and put into a small bay, with a lovely 
 shelving beach, and hauled up the boat. We had landed 
 in the most romantic little spot conceivable, and we 
 might have been primeval voyageurs. What tremendous 
 convulsions of the whole coast must have taken place to 
 tumble and hurl such enormous masses of rock in confu- 
 sion worse confounded, such as we gazed upon ! Some 
 wild goats were crawling about the sides of the preci- 
 pices, looking from where we were like insects more 
 than animals, and a few large lizards were lying at 
 the mouths of their holes, basking in the morning sun, 
 all aflame like coils of brass. I captured one immense 
 fellow, quite a foot long, by inserting a stick down 
 a crevice; the lizard immediately laid hold of it, and 
 was drawn out, but I let him go again, as I had no means 
 of preserving him. The first rains had just fallen, and 
 the whole surface of the ground — even the beach and 
 rocks — was covered with flowers. A little blue convol- 
 vulus of the most extreme delicacy, aptly termed " sighs," 
 carpeted the earth like a firmament, while out of the 
 enormous masses of gneiss and trap sprang cactus and 
 prickly pears. Here and there the Chile nettle patched 
 
TWO days' fishing in chile. 
 
 211 
 
 the coverlet with its masses of yellow and crimson. This 
 nettle is a very different affair from our English one. 
 Its leaves somewhat resemble those of the Scotch thistle, 
 but the stem and core of the leaves are covered with 
 exceedingly fine and sharp needle-like points ; the flower 
 is of the size of a shilling, of a most vivid yellow with an 
 intense crimson eye, and white-tipped stamens. Alto- 
 gether it forms at once the most beautiful and most 
 common object of these rock-bound shores. 
 
 On some sandy plains near here I found two very 
 curious kinds of beetles; one, called vacita (little cow), 
 springs up from beneath the sand, like a plant, in the 
 summer, and covers the ground in astonishing numbers ; 
 on the first appearance of cold they die and go — no one 
 knows where. You may dig down some feet just before 
 the time they arrive and never see one, and yet in a few 
 days the whole plain will be black with them. They are 
 about an inch long, and striped black and white. The 
 other kind frequents the cactus plants in great numbers ; 
 it is along brown insect, very difficult to see or approach ; 
 on being disturbed it flies off to the next cactus with 
 astonishing rapidity, at the same time when flying emit- 
 ting a very peculiar noise, exactly resembling the sound 
 made by a ratchet. Under the wings, on the side of the 
 body, are four or five ridges, which evidently correspond 
 to the teeth of the wheel, but I never could discover with 
 what the insect scratched them to produce the sound. A 
 remarkable bird, the tapacola, or " cover-your-tail/' was 
 abundant here ; it frequents the rocks on the sea coast, 
 hopping from point to point, emitting its peculiar cry, 
 and bobbing up and down its tail in an extraordinary 
 manner; it sometimes imitates the laugh of a child sa 
 exactly as to deceive the most practised ear. Another 
 
 p 2 
 
212 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 beautiful bird I saw, the name of which I forget ; it is a 
 small bird, about the size of an English sparrow, of a jet 
 black colour, with a square crimson patch between its 
 shoulders. There were many beautiful flowers about, 
 but I could not find the tropaeolum, the most handsome 
 creeper I know ; it grows in the greatest profusion near 
 La Serena, covering whole bushes with its yellow, red 
 and purple tresses. I once saw a girl at a dance, with 
 her raven hair decked with strings of these jewels of 
 nature, and thought I never saw so fair an ornament. 
 The famous copihue, that glorious creeper of the South, 
 will, unfortunately, not grow farther north than Curico. 
 This splendid plant, which sometimes covers a whole 
 tree, has a long, scarlet, bell-shaped flower, and excites 
 the admiration of all beholders. 
 
 There was a very remarkable kind of sea bird in this 
 bay. It is called the " Pajaro nino," or boy-bird. It is 
 a kind of penguin, and attains to the weight sometimes of 
 ten to twelve pounds ; it literally does live in the water, for 
 I never could discover that this bird ever visited the land 
 at all, the only portion of its body that is ever visible 
 being the extreme tip of its bill, and even this but 
 rarely. They may be seen swimming and darting about 
 singly beneath the surface of the water like porpoises. 
 They are of course extremely difficult of capture. 
 
 Jose and Juan, our two fleteros, went off to collect 
 shellfish among the rocks, while Federico went in search 
 of an old fisherman who caught seals and speared fish 
 from his balsa. I meanwhile threw a line over some 
 rocks, and in a very short space of time had half a 
 dozen two-pounders floundering about on the beach. I 
 carried these back to the boat and threw them in, and 
 strolled on over rocks and shelving beaches, enjoying 
 
TWO days' fishing in chile. 
 
 213 
 
 myself perfectly and thoroughly like a schoolboy, quite 
 careless of everything. In a cove, which sea nymphs or 
 syrens might well have made, I took off my clothes and 
 paddled about in the water, tumbling over rocks, catching 
 lisas (mullet) and crabs, till the eye of Phoebus found 
 out my back, and made me beat a retreat to the shelter- 
 ing alcove. The sand, which had been washed so fine 
 by the waves of ages that it resembled dust more than 
 sand, served as a couch at once soft and cool. Stretching 
 myself at full length, I let the sand run lazily through 
 my fingers and listened to the hollow murmur of the 
 wave, as I watched the glistening fixed eye of a huge 
 green lizard, flaming like an emerald, who doubtless 
 wondered who was the mortal that had invaded his 
 domain. I almost began to fancy myself a lotus eater^ 
 and ask, like Amyas Leigh in " Westward Ho ! " why 
 should I not leave all the world and its cares, and buy a 
 
 boat and live here, and fish and hunt goats, and 
 
 But here my reveries were most unromantically dis- 
 turbed. Master Federico — who, I suspect, always 
 thought I was in league with the doctor — had perceived 
 my clothes left carelessly on the rocks outside, and, 
 guessing I was taking a siesta somewhere, quietly 
 walked off with them, and placing them on a balsa, 
 paddled to the entrance of the cove. A shout aroused 
 me, and on looking up I perceived my festive acquaint- 
 ance, with my clothes ironically and defiantly pitch- 
 forked on a fish spear ! Remonstrance was useless ; 
 diplomacy was the only thing to try. " Aha, my 
 youthful wag," I cried, as I held up my wicker flask of 
 real old Islay (the doctor's same " old original " fair 
 play's a jewel; my clothes — this cove, this flask, a 
 cigarro" The enemy struck his colours. The old 
 
214 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 fisherman, a man myriad-seamed, of many winters, 
 hauled his balsa on the beach and joined us. We talk 
 of Crusoe, or rather Selkirk, as a curious human being; 
 but here was a man, like hundreds of others along 
 these shores, who lived in complete and total exile. He 
 told me he never saw anyone at all ; that occasionally 
 he went down to Coquimbo to sell a few fur-seal skins ; 
 but, carajo ! me gusta mucho la tranquillidad — I like 
 the quiet. Well, there are worse places to ruralise in 
 than Chile, and no people love their country more than 
 the Chilenos. When the Peru railway fever broke out, 
 many hundreds of the Chileno peons were deported by 
 Mr. Meiggs to make the lines ; scores of them died from 
 vain longings for their native land. 
 
 Federico and I returned to the boat by the shore, 
 while the old fisherman paddled back to his hut. We 
 found Jose and Juan awaiting our arrival, with their 
 mantos full of jpicos, sea-urchins, and clams. The lot 
 was all tumbled into the boat, and we pulled back to 
 where the old fellow had his hut. Near here were some 
 deserted ranchos, which had been occupied by fishermen 
 who come there periodically to catch and cure codfish. 
 Jose soon had the floor of one of them well cleaned, 
 and, strewing on the ground a layer of broom a foot 
 or so thick, we spread our "ponchos on top, and had 
 as comfortable a billet as if we were at the Hotel 
 Frances at Coquimbo. 
 
 It was now noon, and what a glorious day it was ! 
 The air was so clear that the other islands, some six 
 miles distant, were as distinctly visible as if they were 
 only half a mile off. Above, in the cerulean ether, four 
 or five huitres were sailing round and round in lazy 
 circles, never moving a feather, and all around us the 
 
two days' fishing in chile. 
 
 215 
 
 diamond sea. Ah, well ! life is not all a picnic. As the 
 fishing took place at night, we loafed, bathed, and 
 fished from the rocks all the afternoon. Federico 
 amused himself with smoking cigarettes, while Juan, 
 who was evidently the handy man of the party, set 
 about our dinner. Of course the principal item in this 
 was charquihan, and, moreover, we fortunately had got 
 charqui de guanaco. Before it is cooked it is the most 
 uninviting-looking stuff I ever saw. It looks, more 
 than anything else I know, like long strips of dirty 
 brown leather, with drops of candle grease all over it. 
 The mode of manufacturing the sopa is simple : the 
 smoothest and largest stone is picked out, and a strip of 
 charqui is placed on it ; another oblong pebble is taken, 
 and the strip is pounded into shreds ; it is now put into 
 a pot with water and boiled. When finished, a quantity 
 of aji, or Chile pepper is put in, and the dish is then 
 eaten ; it has a peculiar rank flavour, and is excessively 
 heating. All the Ohileno proprios, or couriers, who 
 sometimes ride incredible distances on horseback, 
 almost entirely live on this charqui, binding the slips 
 between the skins of their saddles. Besides this we 
 had broiled lisas, fried congreo, raw sea-urchins, and 
 roasted picos. These echinos or sea-urchins are eaten 
 sometimes made up into a salad, but more frequently raw 
 — that is, their tongues, of which they have five, of a broad 
 beadlike appearance like the hard roe of a bloater. 
 The picos are the very best shellfish I have ever eaten ; 
 they are called so from their resemblance to a parrot's 
 bill : when roasted they open like clams, and afford the 
 most delicate food— indeed, I know nothing compar- 
 able to them. Our repast we washed down with some 
 capital Chile claret, quite equal to inferior Bordeaux. 
 
216 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 In the afternoon I strolled round the island with my 
 pea rifle and practised on the pelicans, of which there 
 were hundreds on the rocks. It is astonishing how 
 deceitful the distances are in an open sea and a Chile 
 sky. I was shooting with a beautiful little rifle (hollow 
 bullet), which was sent out to me by Tolley, of Birming- 
 ham; with it I constantly used to hit an oyster shell 
 at fifty paces, and I had most accurately sighted it 
 to one hundred and fifty yards. I fired at a pelican, which 
 I thought was at most seventy-five yards off, and to my 
 intense astonishment saw my bullet hit some twenty 
 yards (apparently) this side of him. I then put up the 
 one hundred and fifty yards sight, and fired again. The 
 bullet knocked a cloud of feathers out of master pelican, 
 but he flew off unharmed. I never saw such crowds of 
 seafowl as there were on the rocks, and on a block some 
 hundred yards or so out at sea I saw some dozen huge 
 seals. I stalked these gentry quite easily, and fired at 
 the nearest ; I suppose the bullet was too small, as he 
 only gave a wriggle and plunged in again. I didn't 
 shoot any more, as I evidently could make no impres- 
 sion on them. Crowds of the beautiful fishing gulls 
 were flying hurriedly to and fro, always keeping to 
 their own flock ; they kept at an altitude of some 
 hundred feet above the sea, now circling, now flut- 
 tering, and anon hurrying swiftly forward, evidently 
 keeping pace with the fry on the top of the water. 
 Suddenly, with the swiftness of an arrow, down they 
 would plump into the sea, sending the spray flying 
 high into the air like a fountain of gems. They afforded 
 me so much pleasure, I hadn't the heart to fire at them. 
 Another most perfectly beautiful gull I observed, with 
 an orange head, long jet-black bill, white breast, and 
 
TWO days' fishing in chile. 217 
 
 black and white back, with browa-barred wings. I 
 shot a couple, but the hollow bullets knocked them all 
 to pieces. Subsequently, however, I shot three more 
 with my shot-gun, and have the skins now, but in such 
 a dilapidated condition that I am afraid even Mr. Ward 
 could not make anything out of them. These gulls were 
 so tame that I had abundant opportunity of observing 
 their method of catching fish. With the two kinds of 
 hunting gulls above and below proceeding on two 
 entirely different plans, it was almost compulsory, even 
 to the most unimaginative mind, to reflect on the mysteries 
 of nature ; why — but stop, Pm not Darwin. Well, these 
 birds fly along just above the surface of the water, 
 usually four or five abreast ; suddenly they almost 
 imperceptibly halt, and the lower mandible of their 
 long lance-like bill is depressed, and the fry on which 
 they feed is, as it were, shovelled into their mouth. I 
 watched them so long and so closely that there is no 
 possibility of a mistake, though it may be a well-known 
 fact after all. How many times have I wished I was 
 something of a naturalist and a sketcher. It is the 
 greatest mistake for a man like myself, who is constantly 
 rambling about, not to be able to draw a beautiful view, 
 or describe a new bird or animal with accuracy. 
 
 We waited till the moon rose bright and clear over a 
 snow-capped peak of the Sierras, when we all made a 
 move for the whale boat. The arrangements for catching 
 the congreos were very simple, though I don't know what 
 Mr. Wilcocks would have said to it. A long cord, about 
 two hundred yards in length, was fitted with drop lines 
 at intervals of three feet or so ; each drop line had a 
 hook at the end, and was baited with a clam or pico. 
 One end had a large stone slung to it, and the other a 
 
218 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 couple of inflated skins fastened on to long drop lines. 
 We rowed quietly out for a mile or more, and laid the 
 line, as usual, across the mouth of the small bay at the 
 east end of the island, and after that we had nothing to 
 do but to wait. The night was coldish, and clear almost 
 as noon. However, we were prepared for all contin- 
 tingencies, and hove our anchor overboard close in a 
 small cove ; Jose then rigged up a couple of short poles 
 on each side of the boat, and spread an old sail over the 
 top like an awning; and what with a small cargo of 
 ponchos, horsecloths, &c, in the bottom we made as snug 
 a crib as need be. A. lantern was slung overhead, and 
 one forward, and after an impartial distribution of Islay 
 all round (taking particular care of Master F/s share) a 
 couple of packs of cards were produced, and Juan and 
 Jose took a hand of rocambor against the two patrons, 
 and, by the same token, took the shine out of them also, 
 though Federico said they played a " mean game." 
 Well, they won four pesos, anyhow — a small fortune for 
 them. 
 
 The old fisherman grew quite garrulous under the 
 influence of the "foreign element," and seemed to think 
 us Heaven-sent strangers, for he grasped my hand 
 fervidly, and swore by all the santos and santas in the 
 calendar that he would consider himself my com padre for 
 evermore. He seemed to like fishing in this sort of way; 
 he said it was magnifico for dios ; he committed his 
 own boat, with sundry curious Spanish oaths, to the 
 diablo several times over, and finally rolled himself up in 
 the stern under a heap of mantos, and expressed his 
 intention in figurative terms of having nothing more 
 to do with mundane affairs till the morning. Poor old 
 chap ! he didn't get a " drap " every day like that. For 
 
two days' fishing in chile. 
 
 219 
 
 the last fifty years of his life he had got drunk on 
 aguardiente, an atrocious compound of nitric acid and 
 cayenne pepper, and I really was pleased to see the old 
 fellow go to roost so contented and lamb-like on a 
 gentleman's beverage. 
 
 At about four o'clock a.m. we hauled the line and 
 counted out sixty large congreos, besides some other fish 
 which looked uncommonly like small cod or haddock. We 
 coiled the line away in baskets, lifted in the stone, then 
 up sail and away. The old Chileno had somewhat 
 recovered from his spree, and felt none the worse for it, 
 much to his astonishment; as we were as hungry as 
 several hunters, we set him to work on a casuela de polio 
 with a couple of fowls we had brought with us, and 
 meanwhile satisfied our immediate wants with broiled 
 congreo and canned salmon. After a very cold bath, we 
 all turned in and slept like tops till noon. Unremitting 
 attention was then paid to the casuela, and after a cigarro 
 or two we put off again in the whale boat, followed by 
 the ancient mariner in his balsa, shaping our course 
 for some rock-bound islets which abounded with seals 
 and rabbits, as we had been told. 
 
 Perhaps my readers may like to know what a balsa is 
 It is made of sealskin, and consists of two round sausage- 
 like tubes, pointed off at both ends ; one end is rather 
 larger or blunter than the other, and the tip is rather 
 pointed upwards, in rude imitation of a boat's nose. 
 The two tubes are lashed together, small end and large 
 end together, so as to form a slightly wedged shape; 
 a few boards are lashed across the tubes, and the thing is 
 complete. The tubes are inflated by a piece of reed 
 inserted in the smaller tip. The diameter of each may 
 be about three feet at the thickest part, and its length 
 
220 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 eight feet. The skins are dabbed and made qnite water- 
 proof by a mixture of goat's blood and red ochre which 
 is rubbed into them. It would be impossible to upset 
 such a boat if only the man keeps his seat, and of course 
 it cannot be stove in. I almost forgot to say that the 
 boatman kneels down in the bows, or smaller end of 
 the boat, and propels the machine with a paddle. They 
 don't go very fast obviously, but an adroit movement 
 of the paddle sends them round literally like a top. 
 Many of the surf-beaten islands of the Chile and Peruvian 
 coast would be quite unapproachable if it were not for 
 these balsas, as a wooden boat would be stove imme- 
 diately. 
 
 We anchored some little way off a largeish island 
 round which the sea beat unceasingly, and the old 
 fisherman landed us one by one through the surf. Juan 
 and Jose went fishing off the rocks, and the " ancient *' 
 looked after the commissariat department, while Federico 
 and I went seal shooting. I took a short gun and got 
 a few conejos and duck, while F. took a rifle I lent him and 
 tried his hand at potting seals on the rocks ; I don't 
 think he hit one solitary seal. I was using a poly- 
 groove, spherical, heavy deer-stalker by Purdey, with 
 hair trigger, about 16 - bore ; with three- and- a -half 
 drachms of glazed rifle powder and a hardened bullet 
 it settled the business of anything up to two hundred 
 yards. I only shot and got one seal, which the old 
 fisherman was highly delighted at. Altogether, we did 
 nob have any very good sport at these islands, but^ the 
 wildness of the scene and the beautiful view of the 
 distant Andes amply compensated us for our trouble. 
 After doing full justice to our meal, which was spread 
 underneath a huge frowning rock as big as a small castle, 
 
TWO DA.YS' FISHING IN CHILE. 
 
 221 
 
 we up sail and away towing the balsa behind us. 
 Although the breeze was moderately fair, we decided not 
 to go back to our home till the morning ; and far better 
 had it been for Federico if we had gone at once. 
 
 On arriving home next morning we found that a Chile 
 horserace was coming off close to a small bay a mile 
 or two down. Before we disembarked, said Federico, 
 " let's go;" and we went. One little mare belonged to 
 an English sporting butcher, and was called La Negrita, 
 and the other came from some distance, and was called 
 La Camelia. The odds were two to one on La Oamelia, 
 which was a very fast mare at this particular distance, 
 viz., three hundred yards. Of course it was a race 
 a la Chileno, and an immense crowd of people were 
 present, nearly all on horseback. The two mares were 
 placed side by side, with their forefeet exactly level on a 
 line scratched across the track ; a row of stout sticks 
 extended at right angles to this line some thirty yards 
 down the course, between the two mares, to prevent 
 them rushing against each other at the start, and two 
 boys, the size of large monkeys, bestrode them bare- 
 backed. When the mares had been set and were 
 perfectly motionless, amidst the most breathless silence 
 the grito was given, and off they went like arrows, 
 arms, legs, whips, and spurs all flying about like flails. 
 " La Camelia ! La Camelia \" yelled all the men of Chile : 
 " she's in front ! she win's \" " No she doesn't, Negrita 
 wins !" and win she did by a length; and there was grief 
 in Israel. 
 
 I knew Federico was acquainted with the butcher, 
 and I therefore augured well for his success on the 
 race. I sought for him a long time, and at last I spied 
 him in a booth liquoring up with a dirty-faced man 
 
222 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPOET. 
 
 in a straw hat and poncho. " Ah/' said he, running to 
 meet me, "just the fellow I want to see." "Well, I 
 suppose you are all-right this time ; you got the straight 
 tip of course V 9 " De tip ? blow all tips ! I got de wrong 
 one ; look here, old fellow, just lend me fifty dollars for a 
 
 minute, Fve lost it to this J? I resolved to give him 
 
 up after that, entirely and for ever. 
 
"TOLING" FOR DUCKS IN 
 CALIFORNIA. 
 
 I was sitting one day in the billiard room of the Occi- 
 dental Hotel in San Francisco (about the best one, by- 
 the-bye, that I know in my varied experience) watching 
 a game of pin-pool, and wondering what on earth I was 
 going to do with myself during the bright October 
 weather, when an acquaintance of mine who had " shown 
 me the elephant " on my arrival, came and sat by my 
 side ; after throwing poker dice for the drinks, which of 
 course I lost, he suddenly observed, " Would you like to 
 see old Francois tole ducks ? it's the darndest fun out." 
 " Tole ducks ; what the deuce is that ? 93 " Well, come 
 and see ; he's an old Chesapeake ducker, and you can bet 
 he's on it." " Oh, Fm rather tired of the blanket busi- 
 ness, with coffee and dry bread, and — 19 " Not much, 
 sir ; do the thing in style ; feather bed, bully hotel ; have 
 a free fight if you like ; not thirty miles off." " Oh, if 
 that's the case, why I'm your man." 
 
 Two days after the above conversation I found myself 
 in the cars on the way to San Jose. A great rifle match 
 was coming off next day at San Mateo, so we stopped 
 there over-night on purpose to see it. There were some 
 queer people at San Mateo. At dinner I sat opposite to 
 two ladies, and in course of conversation I remarked that 
 the chicken soup that we were eating did not appear to 
 have much chicken in it. " Chicken ! " said one of them, 
 *' I guess there's nary feowl has flowed within a mile of 
 
224 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 this yere soup ; you can bet your bottom dollar on that, 
 young man." I did not cultivate that lady's acquaintance 
 any more. 
 
 A rifle match at Wimbledon and San Mateo are two 
 very different affairs. The two competitors at the latter 
 place were a doctor and a judge. The doctor shot with 
 a rifle, without any exaggeration, as thick as my forearm ; 
 the bore was about the ordinary Enfield size, and the bullet 
 solid and conical, with the tip cut off square. It had a 
 telescope running the whole length of the barrel, two 
 spirit levels, a pendulum or two, and it altogether re- 
 minded me of Mr. Samuel Weller's description of a 
 " double magnifying patent gas rifle of hextra power." 
 Of course the implement was shot from a large rest. The 
 other young arquebuss was much of the same calibre. 
 The distance, if I remember rightly, was one hundred 
 and seventy yards, and the shots were measured by the 
 carton system, i.e., by taking the average distance from 
 an exact centre. Twenty shots, I think, were fired, and 
 their mean value was two and a half inches or thereabout 
 — a capital performance, but, considering all the pre- 
 cautions taken, I should say a Henry rifle ought to do as 
 good. 
 
 In the evening a good deal of free fighting took place. 
 Among others an Irishman and a long Yankee set to in a 
 regular rough and tumble — chairs and tables flying. As 
 they were under the table rolling over and over like dogs, 
 I suggested that they ought to be parted. "No, sir," 
 said the judge ; " you have now, sir, an excellent oppor- 
 tunity of observing the pertickler customs of the two 
 hemispheres. I lay a dollar on Yank." A terrific howl- 
 ing now arose from the two combatants, and, on getting 
 up, the Irishman had one eye gouged out, and the Yank 
 
TOLING FOR DUCKS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 225 
 
 was minus a portion of his ear. " Lively, bet yer boots," 
 quoth the judge; " let's liquor, boys." 
 
 Next morning we set off for San Jose. The driver of 
 our train was a Mr. Jawkins — a festive cuss. I was 
 introduced to him. He was a mean-looking individual, 
 with a large brooch on his waistcoat, denoting that he 
 belonged to the " Society of B.B/s," which I was 
 informed meant " Bully Boys." A short time previously 
 the papers stated that " Driver Jawkins tries an experi- 
 ment/'' It appears that some miscreant had placed a 
 very large rock on the line, and on Mr. J. perceiving it, 
 he brought his engine to a standstill almost, and then 
 immediately put on full speed; with remarkable fore- 
 thought, he first jumped off the engine and looked on. 
 The result of this little " experiment" of the playful 
 Jawkins was merely six killed and fifteen wounded. His 
 salary was increased next day. 
 
 San Jose in those days was a pretty place, indeed, one 
 of the most enjoyable little towns I was ever in. There 
 was a very good hotel there, and we got everything we 
 required at moderate charges — for California; but it is 
 the very dearest country to travel in I know. 
 
 We hired a horse and waggon for three days at a 
 reasonable price, and, after laying in a good stock of 
 Bourbon and canned fruits, we started for the coast, 
 along a very dusty road. We passed by several beautiful 
 ranches, with sleek cows feeding on them, till we arrived 
 at a sort of half-hotel, half-farmhouse, kept by a decent 
 sort of chap, who was up to all the shooting localities for 
 miles round. Strange to relate, he had actually three 
 beds in the house ! Consequently, it was not particularly 
 early when we turned out next morning. 
 
 Francois, our hunter, was a small man about five feet 
 
 Q 
 
226 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPOBT. 
 
 nothing, and all his armament was two dogs. One, the 
 " toler," looked like, and I believe was, a French poodle ; 
 the other was some sort of a Newfoundland breed, as 1 
 believe any large, black, curly dog is called. 
 
 As it was too late to get to the small bay where we 
 expected to get a shot at the ducks, we devoted the day 
 to quail shooting. I got into a hill of wild oats, and 
 found the birds positively too thick ; they got up in 
 squads. There were a good many rabbits about, and I 
 shot more than a dozen of them. As I was rambling 
 about among the bushes I suddenly came upon an old 
 sow, who, after a grunt or two, made for the open at a 
 very slow pace, occasionally stopping, stern foremost, 
 and glancing back sideways. I thought it rather good 
 fun and had quite a game with her for ten minutes. 
 When I got back, however, I was astonished to hear my 
 comrade declare that I had had a lucky escape of either 
 being maimed, or of having to pay the full value of the 
 pork. C( Pd sooner face a grizzly any day than one of 
 them half-wild sows — ask Francois," who corroborated 
 it. However, where ignorance, &c. 
 
 We were all up early next morning, and drove down 
 to within a mile of the beach, where we left our waggon, 
 and walked down in the grey of the morning. On 
 getting down Francois built up a sort of breastwork of 
 reeds and rushes about ten yards from high tide, and 
 after it was completed we all retired under some sand- 
 hills to await the morning flight. There were some 
 extensive lagoons at our back which must have been 
 alive with fowl, as they kept flying incessantly out to 
 sea. When the morn had well broke Francois proposed 
 that we should descend to our battery, and we accord- 
 ingly did. The day was calm and lowering and the tide 
 
TOLING FOR DUCKS JN CALIFORNIA. 227 
 
 high, which was all in our favour. After an hour or 
 more a slight ripple on the water as it came curling 
 along to the shore, showed us a company of ducks 
 drifted inwards; they gradually floated towards us till 
 within about two hundred yards, when a most extraordinary 
 performance took place. The small poodle or " toler " 
 was released and presently began to gambol up and 
 down the shore for the space of twenty yards or so, close 
 to the edge of the sea-foam, Francois occasionally throwing 
 a stick or a small stone hither or thither near the dog, 
 which caused it to jump about in the most fantastic 
 fashion, but without barking. In a little time the fore- 
 most ducks saw this performance going on, for they 
 began paddling down, heads up, towards the object, in a 
 state of wonder, no doubt. The rest soon followed, and 
 in five minutes or so the whole band of perhaps two 
 hundred were on the move straight to where we were. 
 The nearer they came the less demonstrative the dog's 
 antics were, he occasionally crouching down and rolling 
 over and over, like a puppy playing with a slipper on a 
 hearthrug, till the ducks came within thirty yards of our 
 stand. Francois now told us to look out and fire when 
 he said " go" All of a sudden, at a whistle from 
 Francois, the poodle jumped up two or three times 
 excitedly, when the company immediately stopped, and 
 turned their sides preparatory to going back. "Let 'em 
 have it" whispered Francis, and in an instant four 
 barrels were in amongst them with the usual allowance; 
 and as they got up, an old flint firelock, loaded with 
 about 3oz. of " Bristols," which Francois held in reserve, 
 cut a lane through them like a rocket through a fog- 
 bank. The whole thing was done in about twenty minutes, 
 and was the neatest bit of murder I ever engaged in. I 
 
 Q 2 
 
228 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 couldn't help wondering what Dan of Poole Harbour 
 fame would have said had he seen his old pupil shooting 
 ducks with a poodle ? 
 
 " Hold hard a hit," said Francis, " don't move, let's 
 see where that lot is going ; down they go, boys, in that 
 inlet ; we'll tole those chaps again presently." 
 
 The big, curly black dog now commenced retrieving 
 the dead and wounded, and as the day was not cold and 
 the bottom beautiful soft sand, I off trousers and waded 
 in and helped him. We gathered altogether about 
 twelve ducks, nearly all redheads; more than half a 
 dozen winged and wounded floated out to sea. 
 
 We returned to the waggon, and had a breakfast of 
 broiled quail, toast, and canned salmon ; washed the 
 Whole down with a bottle of Sauterne, and for an hour 
 or so smoked genuine Havanas. On the whole, perhaps 
 this is about as comfortable as slapjacks and cut 
 Cavendish. 
 
 About three hours afterwards we toled the very same 
 band again in a little bayou, and got ten more duck, and 
 if we had had time we might have toled them again I 
 have no doubt. The birds seemed attracted by some 
 irresistible desire to examine the strange object on the 
 beach, and of course suffered for their curiosity. Some 
 of these toler dogs are of a reddish colour, not very 
 unlike a fox. Redheads tole most easily of any duck, 
 and the canvas-backs with some difficulty. So intent 
 are the ducks sometimes on the antics of the toler, that a 
 person may pass between the battery and the shore, and 
 yet they will not take flight. A parallel, to this fascina- 
 tion may be found in the Western States, where it is a 
 common trick for a hunter to hang up a cloth or hand- 
 kerchief on a stick in an open plain, and then stalk the 
 
TOLING FOR DUCKS IN CALIFORNIA. 
 
 229 
 
 antelope, wlio are attracted close up to it. A per- 
 fectly calm day with high tides, is the best for the sport, 
 though why it is difficult to say. 
 
 Francois told me that twenty years before he used to 
 regularly make his living in Chesapeake bay by ducking 
 and killing geese from " batteries." The batteries 
 appear to have been large wooden boxes about seven 
 feet long and two feet deep ; these were sunk near the 
 edge of the shore, so that the top was almost level with 
 the sea. Sufficient water being all round the box, the 
 gunner enters and places a large number of decoys in 
 the vicinity. He then lies down and awaits the approach 
 of the unsuspecting fowl, when the result may be easily 
 imagined. Francois did not consider this at all an 
 unsportsmanlike performance; and yet when I asked 
 him whether he had ever seen ducks shot from a punt, 
 he said with great vehemence, " No, Fve only heard of 
 it ; but I call cannonading ducks unsportsmanlike and 
 humbug if you like." Pauvre Francis ! like mine host, 
 he liked his ease. I should like to have had him out 
 with me and Dan for only one night in Poole Harbour, 
 with a long swivel — the thermometer 10° below zero ! 
 I'll warrant he would not have called that humbug. 
 
 We gathered up the victims and impartially divided 
 them amongst us, and, lighting our cigars, turned home- 
 wards. On our way we might have shot any amount of 
 flighters going into the lagoons for the night, but we 
 had enough to make our backs ache already. I could 
 not resist the temptation, however, of having a bang at a 
 small lot of curlew that I judiciously stalked on the 
 beach, killing two outright and winging another, which 
 fell into the sea and was retrieved by the curly dog 
 instanter. 
 
230 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 We were so hungry and tired that we laid a blanket 
 under the waggon, and watched the moon rise up like 
 a huge lamp out of the sea, and listened to the distant 
 murmur of the waves. It was cheerful to find that our 
 horse had broken his picket rope, and gone goodness 
 knows where ; it looked like a camp out in earnest, 
 but Francois volunteered to go out in search of him 
 while I and " t'other feller " took it easy. After waiting 
 an hour, we heard a faint halloo ! come over the sand- 
 hills, and soon after Francjois made his entry, steed in 
 hand, and swearing sundry strange oaths in French. 
 The night was not cold, and we were almost inclined to 
 camp it out under the waggon ; but a good bed within a 
 mile proved an irresistible magnet, so we harnessed up 
 and returned to our shanty. Of course we found the 
 boss gone to roost, everything locked up, and the fire 
 out, so we had to go to bed with cold grog and no 
 supper. 
 
 We let the ducks alone for the next three days and 
 shot quails — at least I shot them ; Francis netted them 
 by wholesale for the Frisco market, where they sold for 
 never less than a dollar a dozen. As for the third party, 
 he went to work in an old-fashioned way of his own. 
 He merely lay down just outside a field of wild oats, and 
 waited and chewed tobacco till a bevy flew in, when he 
 simply potted them on the ground with an immense 
 single whichj he carried. On my remonstrating with 
 him, he observed that he came out to shoot quail, and 
 the more he got the better he liked it. 
 
 It's like the fellow that made up his mind to pay 
 a visit to New York and see his friends, whom he had 
 not seen for ten years. He arrived at New York and 
 drove straight to his hotel. Next morning he went 
 
TOLING FOR DUCKS IN CALIFORNIA. 231 
 
 down into the saloon, and all his friends who came to see 
 him were immediately " cocktailed." He did this for 
 three consecutive days and nights without stirring a peg, 
 till one of his friends asked him if he was not going out 
 to take a look at the city. " No sirree, I guess I have 
 come to New York for seven days to loaf and see my 
 friends, and I means to do it" At the end of the week 
 he drove straight to the steamboat again and went back 
 to Frisco. When his friends asked him how he liked 
 New York, he replied, "You bet it's a bully place; I 
 had the gayest old time there seeing my friends, bet 
 yer life I" 
 
 The last two days of our week we shot, I really 
 believe, a cartload of ducks. The first day we toled 
 three bands of ducks during the day from three different 
 batteries, and flighted during the night. Another party 
 came down from Frisco and joined us, and so we quite 
 lined the sandbanks and regularly fusilladed all the 
 evening. Our parties joined waggons, and the night was 
 so glorious (oh, those Indian summer nights of Cali- 
 fornia !) that we determined to camp it out. We soon 
 rigged up a first-rate tent under the waggons with 
 blankets and horsecloths, and set the tea-kettle going. 
 Among the party who came down were the Misses S., 
 two charming young ladies from Marysville. They, 
 assisted by their slave, yours truly, set out the supper— 
 none of your slapjack business, but a really good " square 
 meaP of cold venison pasty, turkey aufoie gras, Madame 
 Clicquot and Cutter. After supper Francis went to 
 the shanty and came back with a concertina, and to its 
 strains we kept up the light fantastic under difficulties ; 
 it's difficult waltzing in wild oats. However, we tabooed 
 round dances and got on very well with quadrilles and 
 
232 
 
 KAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 lancers. At a very late hour we saw the young ladies 
 safe back to the shanty, and left them there under the 
 protection of their brother, while we all returned to 
 camp, making night hideous with such simple melodies 
 as Yankee Doodle and Uncle Ned. Our party was large 
 — more than eight I think. Among them, of course, 
 was a Colonel Somebody, a dirty man, with a singular 
 fondness for old rye and poker. There was also of 
 course a doctor, adorned with rings, brooches, badges, 
 chains, and pins enough to stock a small jeweller's shop ; 
 two or three miners from Marysville, and an English 
 captain, as he called himself, but whom I fancy I had 
 seen before at Ascot, made up the party. This latter 
 individual tried to cajole me into a trial of skill at the 
 simple little game of ecarte. Failing in this, he tried 
 his hand at poker with the judge, at which he came out 
 second best. However, he confided to me his intention 
 of " going thro' 'em yet" a little later on. About four 
 o'clock in the morning I was awakened by a gentleman 
 inserting the heels of his boot into my blanket, in a vain 
 attempt to go to bed. I rolled him to another corner 
 of the waggon against the wheel, and took a view of the 
 situation. The captain was at one end of two empty 
 champagne boxes, and around him were seated in easy 
 and picturesque attitudes his dear companions. Ulysses- 
 like, he had made them all greatly and curiously drunk, 
 and had hooked them in for an interesting game at loo. 
 I am afraid he was going thro' 'em ; for, quoth the doc, 
 "Look'ye here, stranger, how about that last tew dollars? 
 
 I don't quite " " All right, my festive bird, your 
 
 head's level on the subject ; tittup all of you — five 
 dollars to come in." And he winked at me in a familiar 
 manner, as he transferred several pieces of gold to his 
 
TOLING FOR DUCKS IN CALIFORNIA. 233 
 
 breeches pocket. Next morning I asked the judge who 
 the captain was. "Waal, sir, I can't egszactly fix him ; 
 but, sir, I tell you, he'll do, he will ; he'll progress, sir, 
 into a prominent citizen, perhaps into a great man. 
 Although he's not a na-tive of 'Murican sile, but 
 comes from yer own pusillannimus country, already he 
 kin bite, he kin kick, he kin gouge, he kin drink like 
 a son of Co-lnmbia. As you have seen, he air some at 
 shoving a card ; he wants but one thing for us to run 
 him for sheriff of Amador county — he's not hilled his 
 man ! " Some time after I met the doc. " I say, how 
 about that friend of yours, that c captain ;' did you ever 
 run him for sheriff?" "Poor feller! he's dead. His 
 end was zad indeed. We runned him for sheriff, and 
 fourteen others runned agin him. He fought six on 'em 
 afore breakfast, and had to fight the balance arter lunch ; 
 so he thought the biz kinder too risky, and throwed the 
 hul affair up. He then took to doctoring and second- 
 sight, but it didn't pan out nohow ; so the old cuss went 
 to Arizony to hunt mines and Apaches, and the Injuns 
 raised his har. Lor yes, he mis-took his sphere; I 
 allers told him he oughter been a bran-new Broadway 
 preacher ; bet yer boots he'd 'a gone thro' 'em on that 
 line V 3 
 
UP THE SACRAMENTO. 
 
 Bakon Somebody, whose's trip round the world was 
 reviewed in the last Quarterly, says — " We were whisked 
 across to San Francisco at the rate of fifty or sixty miles 
 
 an hour Frisco, a city without morals, without 
 
 religion, almost without law." Dear old Frisco ! how 
 she does catch it for her youthful sins. It is certainly 
 the most orderly and most enjoyable city I know; and 
 I lived three years there. As it takes seven days, 
 under favourable conditions, to go from New York to 
 California, a distance of 3300 miles, the trains conse- 
 quently run at twenty miles an hour, or even less. An 
 exaggerated idea prevails of the speed of Yankee trains. 
 A short time ago I travelled from St. John's to New York 
 by the " Great American Lightning Express," which took 
 me exactly twenty-five miles an hour. However, as 
 the bold Baron seems to have gone round the world 
 in sixty-two days, and written two thick volumes into 
 the bargain, he may have made a few trifling errors. 
 
 Now, tremble not, kind reader, Fni not going to 
 inflict an account of Frisco on you ; it's been written to 
 pieces. So, I'll simply say that, a few days after my 
 landing there in 186 — , I saw an advertisement that the 
 " Lightning Express Coach " would leave some place up 
 the Sacramento River for some Springs. I really forget 
 what the Springs were — sulphur, soda, mineral, cold, 
 hot, mud, or sand, for there are all kinds of springs in 
 the land, warranted to cure any disease from toothache 
 
UP THE SACRAMENTO. 
 
 235 
 
 to bunions. I went up in a boat with about five stories 
 on it, and, miraculous to state, we were not " snagged/' 
 or run down, or blown up. However, she blew up two 
 trips afterwards, and killed a few dozen Chinamen. I 
 went to the store where the coach started from. An 
 individual was inside,, picking his teeth with a knife- 
 blade about five inches long. When does the coach 
 start?" "Pretty smart, I reckon. You air fresh, I 
 guess." "Oh, very fresh indeed; it's a beautiful 
 morning/'' I replied. " Um, you air fresh, I say ; you 
 air new; you air not a na-tive of 'Murica." " No, Pm 
 not — in fact, Fm only just from England." " Then you 
 air lucky. The man who drives you to-day is a remark- 
 able man, sir. That man there " (pointing to a lank, 
 limp gentleman, in an enormous black coat down to his 
 ancles, who was seated in an empty flour barrel) " can 
 spit farther, shoot straighter, take more cocktails, and 
 has sent more passengers down the flume than any 
 driver in Plumas county." What " sending a passenger 
 down the flume " might mean, in my freshness I knew 
 not. Suddenly the lank driver jumped up as if a sharp 
 bradawl had been driven into his leg, and, calling out, 
 " All aboard," mounted his perch. Four or five pas- 
 sengers made their appearance, and off we started. Our 
 driver was a reticent man, despite his many accomplish- 
 ments ; in fact, he had only one universal observation 
 for everything. To anything I asked him, he first 
 squirted some 'baccy juice impartially on all the six 
 horses, and said in a reflective tone, "you bet." The 
 coach rocked considerably all the way, and just as we 
 were coming to a really frightful- looking place, the 
 driver suddenly pulled up at a shanty by the side of the 
 road. A nervous passenger inside asked him why he 
 
236 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 stopped there. "Waal, I allers stops here to have a 
 good liquor up afore I goes down that hill, in case we 
 should'nt pan out all right at the bottom, and I'm rayther 
 skeared of one of my wheels this morning ! " The 
 nervous passenger elected to walk the rest of the 
 journey. However, we did "pan out " all right at the 
 bottom, and arrived safe at the Springs. I can't say 
 much for the place. It had a hotel of course, several 
 rum shops, a pistol gallery, shuffle board, two or three 
 quack doctors, and the water — which I drank for some 
 time without knowing it was only meant to bathe in — 
 tasted like flat soda water with a dash of James's powder 
 in it. I wasn't well for some time ; but after taking to 
 rum and milk, beefsteaks, and ordinary soap and water, 
 I felt as fit as several fiddles. 
 
 I looked round the place for a day or two while 
 undergoing this regimen, and saw plenty of game about 
 in the shape of snipe, quail, ground squirrels, &c. I had 
 brought a shooting iron with me, and made up my mind 
 to have a day or two in the woods, or rather hills. The 
 landlord of the hotel, who was a first-rate fellow, had a 
 son, who did nothing particular except loaf and walk 
 round with a large single-barrel gun of a very ancient 
 type indeed. On the strength of this weapon he was the 
 mighty Nimrod of the place, and he did know a good 
 deal about the country, I may say that. More than this, 
 he had the most extraordinary fund of yarns I ever did 
 or shall hear; but of that presently. We hired two very 
 old and sedate horses, which Master Jake observed we 
 might eat in case of necessity, as they were pretty well 
 played out; packed up our coffee, sugar, matches, &c, 
 in our blankets, and, shouldering our muskets, turned 
 our faces hill-wards — I in front, and Jake in the rear. 
 
UP THE SACRAMENTO. 
 
 237 
 
 After a mile or so our oldest and sedatest nag suddenly 
 darted off in quite a surprising manner, considering his 
 looks and age. Instead of going after him, Jake let him 
 run about seventy yards, and then presented his piece 
 and fired at the refractory steed. I never in all my life 
 saw a horse, old or young, kick so high — in fact he 
 almost turned a somersault. I expostulated with him, 
 as he seemed totally to disregard the fact that all my 
 blankets, clothes, &c, were packed on the animal, and in 
 case of " anything happening " to him, I of course 
 would have to pay about five times his full value. How- 
 ever, Jake declared that that was the only argument the 
 " aged cuss " understood, so I suppose he had undergone 
 the operation before. 
 
 Oar first night it rained tremendously, a most unusual 
 occurrence at so early a part of the year, and con- 
 sequently we were completely soaked outside with rain, 
 and inside, I am bound to say, with Cutter whiskey, hot 
 and strong. Even Mr. Cutter could not damp the spirits 
 (that's not a bad pun, really) of my juvenile and festive 
 friend ; and when I at length went to sleep he was still 
 " yer bet-ing" and " yer know-ing " about some chime- 
 rical " bar," whose cruel and sanguinary end at Jake's 
 hand (of course) I am sorry to say I never heard. I put 
 the bottle under my head that night, well out of his 
 reach. 
 
 Next morning broke, as only a morning can break in 
 California — perfect. There must be something in the 
 parallels of Chile and California to account for the extra- 
 ordinary amount of electricity in the air, which seems to 
 make you want to jump up somewhere. We lit our 
 fire, and dried our clothes, blankets, &c, as well as 
 we could, and spread them out on the bushes to dry. 
 
238 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 Jake then set to work, and in a short time rigged up 
 quite a respectable bush -tent of branches and blankets, 
 I meanwhile frying the bacon and slapjacks. 
 
 After oar frugal meal we set off together, and for some 
 time we had as pretty shooting as a man could wish. 
 The covert was a sort of chapparal almost knee-deep, 
 interspersed with thick bushes, just the very place for 
 quail. We had no dog with us, as unless Ponto has been 
 especially trained for this purpose, he is worse than 
 useless. Of all the birds I know of, not one can compare 
 with the California quail in celerity of flight, and in the 
 quickness with which it gets under way ; they are no 
 sooner flushed than they are off at full speed ; luckily for 
 the shooter, they almost invariably fly straight away, 
 with no turning or twisting, or they would be the most 
 difficult bird to kill in the world. They run like hares, 
 and tree like woodpigeons; I frequently lay down, and 
 looking through the stalks of the chapparal saw small 
 coveys of three or four creeping along like rabbits. The 
 best time to shoot them is early in the morning and late 
 at evening when they are feeding, and it is best to drive 
 them gradually to a large clump of trees or any open 
 ground and shoot them in detail, if you can ; but they 
 are most exceedingly shy and cunning, and it is no 
 uncommon thing for a good shot to be surrounded 
 almost by them, and yet only bag half a dozen. When 
 I state that a quail will carry off almost any amount 
 of shot, I have said enough to show that a good bag of 
 them is thought something of in California. When he 
 is shot and broiled, only a woodcock on toast can com- 
 pare with him. Well, we jogged along till the sun got 
 hot, and the birds had evidently gone to the tussocks to 
 digest their morning meal, and as our bags were pretty 
 
UP THE SACRAMENTO. 
 
 239 
 
 heavy and a noonday Calif ornian sun is pretty hot, we 
 concluded we would do a little of the dolce far niente 
 ourselves. 
 
 We sat down by a rill, and, lying on its bank, watched 
 the smoke from our cigars curl upwards straight as a 
 dart. I took off my shoes and stockings and dangled 
 my feet in the water, for the heat was overpowering, 
 while Jake lay on his back, kicking his heels in the air 
 and occasionally remarking that he "felt as spry as a 
 four-year-old singed cat, and as bully as an alligator." 
 What yarns he did tell ! I thought I should have died 
 with laughing. Although I was quite aware that Master 
 Jake was a tough nut, yet I couldn't help being struck 
 with the smartness, goaheadness, and wonderful sense of 
 humour in the man. At last a more than usually loud 
 burst of laughter denoted that he had " struck " a more 
 than usual curious recollection. "What's up, Jake?" 
 "What's up ? Why, Fll be dorgorned if that shanty we 
 passed yesterday don't belong to old Widow Hiram, 
 whose geese Joash Bunker teeto tally chawed up," and 
 again he went into various fits of laughter. " Who's 
 Joash Bunker, and what did he do?" "What did he 
 do ? Waal, it's Pike Fenton's story, as was along with 
 me at the time, but I expegs Pike won't mind me telling 
 it." [A good yarn in California is looked upon as the 
 peculiar property of so-and-so, not to be told by anyone 
 else ; like a song of Sims Reeves or Santley.] We take 
 a fresh cigar, and Jake commences. N.B. — I leave out 
 a variety of strange Californian oaths. 
 
 " It was about this time last year that I and Pike 
 Fenton of Calaveras county took a trip down San 
 Rafael way, to shoot quail and snipe ; after a bit we 
 got peckish, and I says to Pike, Let's go over and see 
 
240 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 what old Widow Hiram has got to grub, and over we 
 went; when we got there we found the old gal clean 
 run out of everything, and we had to pan it out on slap- 
 jack and molasses — tarnation dry food after a feller's 
 been out in the sun all day. Waal, we was cussing our 
 luck, when who should come around but young Joash 
 Bunker, a kicking up an all-fired row. e Anything to 
 eat, widder ? ' says Joash. ' No/ says the widow, e not 
 a sprat there aint.' e That's bad, tew/ says Joash; 
 ' say, why not have one of them geese ? ' — pointing to a 
 flock of geese that were quietly feeding up a siding. 
 ' Cos I guess Fm a-fattening on 'em up for Christmas/ 
 says the widow. e Say/ says Joash again, ' I tell you, 
 I'll give you a dollar a head for one shot at 'em, and I 
 takes all I shutes.' 6 No, young man, nor yet two dollars ; 
 why, with that yere gun of yours, why there, you'd kill 
 four sure-ly, and there's only ten altogether, and them 
 geese air worth 3^ dollars a piece. No, sir, not much.' 
 This yere Joash was a loafing sort of a cuss, that was 
 always a-prowling about after ducks, and picking up a 
 living anyhow. He had a gun ; my ! I guess that 
 was a gun. Joash said as how his great-great- 
 great grandfather had fought with that implement 
 at Bunker's Hill, and he guessed that it had plugged 
 some few Britishers on that occasion, and it was the 
 heftiest, all-firest gun as was. Nothing riled Joash like 
 speaking against his gun ; he couldn't abear to hear the 
 article run down. ' Nonsense/ says Pike, giving me a 
 nudge, c I'll be dorgorned, if I had them geese I'd let 
 yer fire at 'em all day long with that air gun ; darned if 
 I don't go you two dollars you don't touch a feather.' 
 • What ! not with this yere gun ! why I tell yer, sir, 
 there's nary gun out of Bosting can touch her/ says 
 
/ 
 
 UP THE SACRAMENTO. 241 
 
 Joash. € Let him have a shot at ; em ; at a dollar a head 
 all round ; he can't hit a flying hotel/ says Pike to the 
 widow. * Can't he now really ? 3 says she; e well young 
 man, I guess you shall have a shot at 'em for ten dollars 
 in advance.' ' Stop/ says old Pike, ' afore we starts in 
 now, let's have the whole thing properly fixed up, fair 
 and square. In course, in any case, we has a goose for 
 supper, kill or no kill.' The widow assented to this ; the 
 ten dollars were paid down, and they went outside to 
 settle the distance, &c. ; when Pike, just as he's a-going 
 out of the door, says to me, ' Darned if I don't have a 
 game out of this yere lot of geese. There's his gun in 
 the corner ; draw his shot 3 Well, they was some time 
 settling distance, getting the geese together, &c. ; and 
 Joash he wanted a rest, and so on for half an hour, 
 during which time I drawed all the shot from the gun, 
 and went outside also. Waal, at last all war settled, 
 and Joash fetched out his gun, and, arter aiming away 
 like mad for five minutes, he fires. 'Nary feather/ 
 says Pike, coolly ; e I'll just trouble you to hand over 
 tew dollars, my young hothouse tulip.' 'Wa-all, I am 
 tee-to-taciously and completely darned, I am/ says Joash, 
 staring away at the geese, who didn't seem to care a red 
 cent either way. ' Don't give it up/ says Pike ; ( go in 
 again, ray youthful 'possum, with that blunderbus of 
 yourn/ and he laughed in an irritating way like. € Oh, 
 yes/ says Widow Hiram, quite delighted, ■ young man, 
 you may fire at 'em all day long at 50 cents, a piece. 
 Have another go in at 30 cents — that's three dollars — and 
 geese worth 3^ dollars a piece ; my ! 7 Well, yer know, 
 this Widow Hiram was as mean a cuss as ever walked, 
 and all the boys kinder wanted to score one off her, and 
 Pike, I reckon, he did score. ' Go in, Joash, my coon ; 
 
 s 
 
242 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 p'raps yer powder's damp, p'raps yer 9 * 'Taint no 
 
 p'raps about it ; I guess this yere gun ' ' Well wire 
 
 in again ; ' and the gun was carefully loaded with a 
 good charge of shot. Well, Pike gets making new 
 arrangements, &c, and finally gets the widow to allow 
 Joash a rest; and he says to me aside, says he, ' Just 
 cram in all the duchshot you can. 9 I'm darned if I 
 don't think I put a couple of pounds in. { Now, then,' 
 says Pike, ' bring the gun.' I brings out the gun and 
 hands it to Joash, who was kneeling down behind a log 
 of wood. ' Kinder hefty, ain't it?' says he. 'Oh, it's 
 all right,' says Pike ; ' now, when I throws this yere 
 piece of biscuit on the water, you fires, mind.' He 
 throws the biscuit about thirty yards off, and the geese 
 all comes paddling down to it, Joash aiming away like 
 an artilleryman. ' That's too close, says the widow. 
 c Now ! ' says Pike, and bang went the gun. When the 
 smoke cleared away, there was Joash Bunker lying on his 
 back a swearing something awful, Pike a-sitting on a 
 log laughing fit to split his sides, and Widow Hiram 
 a-howling and a-crying and a-cussing away like a good 
 'un. My! howl did laugh!" "And the geese — how 
 many were killed ?" " How many ? Every darned 
 goose was cut to ribbons. When young Joash come to 
 and seed what he'd done, e I knowed that this yere gun 
 was death on geese,' he said, and picks up his birds and 
 walks off, leaving one to Pike and myself ; we crossed 
 over the river to a shanty belonging to an old cuss that 
 Pike knew, and had a good supper of it. Widow Hiram 
 don't keep geese now, I reckon." 
 
 After this diverting history and a small quencher we 
 looked after our friends the quail again, and paid some 
 minute attentions to the ground squirrels. These little 
 
UP THE SACRAMENTO. 
 
 243 
 
 animals sit at the very edge of their holes, and unless 
 they are killed instantaneously, dart in and are lost. 
 They are exceedingly good eating when stewed in port 
 wine, but they always were too rich for me, the fat 
 from them positively floating on the gravy they are 
 stewed in. Near San Jose I used to take a heavjf 
 Yankee rifle, with a bullet the size of a pea, and 
 sighted to a hair, and then they afford pretty target 
 shooting in the evening. 
 
 By this time we had got more than thirty brace of 
 quail between us, though I am bound to say we shot 
 some running, and, worse than all, I completely 
 spoilt a new pair of Bedford cords with that horrible 
 thing, the gum-plant. On our way homewards we could 
 hear the quail piping all around us, going out for their 
 evening meal, and as Jake was in the middle of another 
 true and diverting story he suddenly seized my arm, and 
 crouched down like a panther. " Hish ! " he whispered, 
 and commenced crawling on his belly like one of Mayne 
 Reid's red men. I thought at least it was deer ; visions 
 of a possible " bar " flitted across my mind as Jake 
 gradually pushed forward his young cannon. After a 
 good deal of screwing up of one eye, wiping the cap, 
 fingering the trigger, &c, he fired, and immediately 
 jumped up, like the "elastic potboy" at a sparring 
 match, and, horushing about, held up by the tail an 
 enormous coon ! " What on earth did you shoot that 
 thing for?" "For? why, I guess, coon's the best 
 hash out." Very likely, but I must say I don't care 
 about an animal that looks like something between a 
 tabby tom-cat and an armadillo. Jake skinned him 
 then and there, and afterwards we trudged back to camp, 
 as tired as we well could be. Our noble steeds were all 
 
 e 2 
 
244 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 right, having concluded it was best to stick by their 
 pickets and the carup* Jake cooked the coon; I could 
 eat it, but that reminds me of another yarn, and it's a 
 good one. 
 
 A miner going up to the northern mines stopped at a 
 shanty to have some grub. "I guess I want a square 
 meal, boss." "Waal, I guess you've come to just the 
 right lo-cality for that/' said Bonifacio. " How much ?" 
 " Allers the same, two dollars a square meal." " Bring 
 me chicken," says the miner. 
 
 Now there wasn't a chicken within twenty miles, but 
 a very considerable number of carrion crows. " He'll 
 never know the difference," think's the boss, as he bowls 
 one over with his rifle. He plucks and cooks the crow, 
 and serves it up. The stranger gobbled it all up like 
 an alligator, to the astonishment of the boss, who was 
 reflecting on the easy and advantageous addition to his 
 income so suddenly discovered. As the miner was 
 going away, he said, "Waal, stranger, how did you 
 like that tender young chicken I gave you? kinder 
 niceish picking for a young feller, ain't it?" "Tis, 
 indeed," replied the miner, grasping the boss's hand 
 with fervour ; " 'tis indeed ; I can ea,t carrion crow, mind 
 yer, but I'll be darned if I hanker after it ! " 
 
THE WHITE ELK OE ASTORIA. 
 
 Twelve years ago perhaps the very best elk shoot- 
 ing in America was to be had within thirty miles of 
 the small town of Astoria, at the mouth of the Columbia 
 river, Oregon; I don't suppose that there could be 
 found twenty elk nowadays within fifty miles of it. 
 The country about Astoria is heavily timbered with red, 
 white, and yellow fir, and a little way back from the 
 coast are the coast-range mountains, where I turned up, 
 as far as I can recollect, in the fall of '60. I went up 
 as far as Walla- Walla, and an uncommon lively place I 
 found it. Free fights and shooting scrapes were quite 
 the order of the day. I was shown several men who had 
 " plugged their round half-dozen,'' and one individual, 
 with very curly hair and a most detestable squint, I was 
 informed had " gone through " no less than three 
 sheriffs. The utter disregard of life in these new 
 countries was really a phenomenon. One morning when 
 I was there, a gentleman from Ruby City, I think, got 
 shot and " laid out " by another man. A fellow who 
 was chopping wood some way off, seeing the people 
 running to the saloon where the difficulty occurred, 
 began running thither also, but on hearing what the 
 matter was, said, " Only a man shot ! Thunder ! I 
 thought it was a dawg fight /" and went back to his 
 work again. Over on the other side of the river, which 
 was crossed by a very small and very noisy steam 
 
246 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 ferry boat, which had an awkward habit of blowing up 
 twice a month or so, I had some pretty shooting at the 
 pheasants as they call them. As they almost always 
 treed, I soon discarded my double gun for a heavy 
 Yankee rifle, about twelve pounds in weight, with a ball 
 the size of a pea. It was so beautifully sighted that at 
 thirty paces I could, after a little practice, take the head 
 off a pheasant clean. On one of my excursions I got 
 away some twenty miles or so, and I stayed at a 
 settler's hut for an hour or two; I never met with 
 such a man in my life in hatred to what he called 
 that " darned pusillanimus cuss, the King of the 
 Britishers." I in vain endeavoured to persuade him 
 that there was no king of England, but a queen ; 
 it wasn't the slightest good, he only ce darned " all 
 monarchies, kings, queens, and such like rubbish more 
 and more, till I left him. He certainly was the most 
 remarkable man I met in the country. I found the 
 farmers, generally speaking, a very good set of fellows ; 
 they are rather fond of old rye whisky, and are apt to 
 think Oregon is the United States. I should say about 
 thirty per cent, only of their farms are under cultivation, 
 the crops being principally wheat and oats. I had some 
 of the best deer shooting possible, the time of the year 
 being right and game plentiful. The best fun was 
 to wait on a moonlight night outside a clearing, and pot 
 them with a rifle as they came down to eat the vegetables. 
 Another deadly method was to sit down by the side of 
 one of their runs, close by a drinking place, and put a 
 bullet through their heart as they drank at the stream. 
 There were plenty of bears in the coast-range mountains 
 not very far off, but as I had to be down in San 
 Francisco in a month's time, I determined to spend all 
 
THE WHITE ELK OF ASTORIA. 
 
 247 
 
 the time I could among the elk at Astoria. So I bid 
 adieu to my hospitable ranchers, and took the boat 
 down the river. Astoria at that time was a very- 
 insignificant spot, very woody and very dull ; how- 
 ever, it was about the best place on the west 
 coast for game, and that was what I wanted. The 
 man of the house where I stopped was not a 
 " shootist " himself, but I found no difficulty in hiring a 
 man and a boy for two weeks, and no wonder, as their 
 sole occupation in life was chopping wood. Our greatest 
 difficulty was in hiring horses, but at length I got one 
 pretty good mule, and another lean creature of an un- 
 known species ; anyhow, his owner assured us that he 
 possessed the inestimable advantage of eating and drink- 
 ing anything when he could get it, and nothing when 
 he couldn't, and of being able to live on this fare 
 till his hair turned grey. I had mentally de- 
 termined to go without any whisky, but little did 
 I know those wood choppers ! Go without whiskey ? 
 why they'd as soon think of voting on the Aristocratic 
 ticket ! I said to the old one, "Nonsense, Fve got 
 enough in my flask, and good too — try some." He took 
 down about a wineglass of it. " Don't think much of 
 it, boss; it goes down too iley ; I likes plenty of grit in 
 my liquor ! " So I had to get a couple of bottles of 
 diluted sulphuric acid, which were labelled, " Best 
 Bourbon whiskey, warranted 20 per cent, over proof." 
 I made a forced march the first day of over twenty- 
 five miles, and an extra bittock of five more in the 
 evening. I did this as I knew the odds were the man 
 would go back as soon as the liquor was gone. The 
 man and the boy drank every drop of the stuff the first 
 night, to my great, delight. I hobbled the horse and 
 
248 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 mule, and lit a roaring lire, using a fallen fir as a back- 
 log, and, wrapping myself up in my blankets, was soon 
 dozing away watching the light from the fire gleam 
 fitfully among the trees. I know no more weird or* fear- 
 some situation than watching by a fire in the depths of 
 the forest. A sudden flash lights up the surrounding 
 gloom, and you seem to see an Indian skulking behind 
 every bare and ghastly trunk, or fancy the hungry eyes 
 and cruel teeth of ravening wolves beset you round ; a 
 moment after, and blackness that may be felt enwraps 
 you. I don't think I could stand it if quite alone. How- 
 ever, after a quiet pipe, I insensibly fell asleep. Next 
 morning the heads of my companions were so fearfully 
 swelled that I had to do all the cooking, and I saw 
 plain enough that there was no travelling for that day. 
 So leaving them behind to look after camp and get dinner 
 ready, I mounted what was called the horse, and started 
 for a ramble with my rifle. I saw three or four deer, and 
 I daresay I might have shot half-a-dozen had I gone 
 after them, but we had plenty of beef in the camp, and 
 I don't care much for deer-meat. By-the-bye, why do 
 we always read of " singling out the buck," and settling 
 his hash for him ? The flesh of a buck at the best of 
 times is far inferior to that of a doe, and in the summer 
 it is almost uneatable except by the noble red man. As 
 I was jogging along quietly smoking my matutinal pipe, 
 I came almost on the top of a couple of black bears, 
 both of them as fat and glossy as butter, and evidently 
 laying in a good stock of food before their long 
 winter's sleep. The philosophical animal I bestrode 
 uttered a curious sort of a sound, and broke out into 
 what in a human being would be called a cold sweat, I 
 suppose, but he didn't offer to budge one way or the 
 
THE WHITE ELK OF ASTORIA. 
 
 249 
 
 other. It was uncommonly lucky for me that these were 
 not cinnamon bears, which are worse than grizzlies, or I 
 might have been badly clawed. I up with my rifle and 
 let fly instanter at the smallest and glossiest of the two. 
 The bullet took her right behind her right ear as she 
 was turning to run, laying her dead in a second. The 
 male cut his stick, dodging through the trees in a sur- 
 prising manner, and I gave him a parting shot which 
 seemed to hurry him on a bit, but I knew it was quite 
 useless to follow him up. The one I had shot was a 
 female, and tremendously fat; her skin shone literally 
 like satin ; her claws were not much worn, so I concluded 
 she was a young one. I loaded my rifle, hobbled Rosinante, 
 and skinned my prize leisurely, leaving on the claws, 
 head, &c. ; wrapping up some tit-bits in the inside, I 
 loaded up and returned to camp. I found the boys 
 looking rather ashamed of themselves, but anyhow dinner 
 was ready and I was very hungry, and so I said nothing. 
 I smoked the bear-skin by digging a hole and filling it 
 with damp green wood, and setting fire underneath it ; 
 we then pegged the skin over it, smooth side downwards 
 of course, and let it stay for an hour or so. It kept 
 well enough till I got to San Francisco, where I had it 
 beautifully cured, and then, of course, gave it away. 
 Bear's meat is detestable, except when cooked directly 
 the animal is killed. The evening being delightful 
 we pushed on eastward till nine o'clock, when we 
 camped again; we could hear the deer plunge into 
 the depths of the forest as we startled them from their 
 lair, while now and then a fearful blood-chilling howl of 
 the wolf would make us instinctively close together. 
 Next evening we struck quite a different kind of 
 country ; in place of heavily timbered hills, we found an 
 
250 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 open country relieved occasionally by small prairies and 
 valleys along its water-courses \ it seemed a first-rate 
 place for stock-raising. We were now in the elk region. 
 We camped that night under what seemed to have been 
 a cattle shed, and my man, now he was sober, showed 
 himself a handy individual. He cut down firewood, 
 made up the beds, littered down the nags, got the last 
 of the beef frizzling over hot embers, set the boy to 
 work on some slapjacks and molasses, and made the 
 place as comfortable as a drawing-room in about half-an- 
 hour. About ten o'clock we were disturbed at a game 
 of poker by a most fearful squealing and stamping of 
 our usually sedate steeds who were tied up outside. 
 "Injuns!" said the boy, and we all grasped our rifles 
 and waited for a full minute, with our hearts in our 
 throats. "Wolf, I reckon," says the man, "let's have 
 a try for him." But a wolf is the wariest animal in 
 existence, and though I thought I caught sight of the 
 varmint once through the trees, he troubled us no more 
 that night. We had to make our breakfast on bread 
 and molasses, and in the middle of it we were rather 
 startled at suddenly finding a man standing over us. 
 He came so silently that he might have been dropped from 
 the clouds or anywhere else. He was over six feet high 
 considerably, and was clad from head to foot in beauti- 
 fully fringed deerskin, as soft as a lady's kid glove ; 
 his coal-black hair fell in long raven tresses over his 
 shoulders, while his beard reached halfway down his 
 breast; in the hollow of his right arm he carried a 
 heavy Kentucky rifle, at least five feet long. Altogether 
 a more romantic individual I never saw. I asked him 
 to sit down and have something to eat. I confess I 
 was really rather disappointed when he replied in most 
 
THE WHITE ELK OF ASTOE1A. 
 
 251 
 
 excellent English, " No, thank you, sir." It would have 
 been so romantic for him to have said, a Ugh ! the 
 pale-face eats when the redman, &c." [See Cooper, 
 passim.'] I told him we had eaten all our meat, 
 but were bound after elk. He said it was rather early 
 for them to come down so low yet, as the snow had 
 been very light in the mountains, but that higher up, 
 a day or so, plenty could be found. He added he was 
 on his way himself for some deermeat, and so after our 
 meal he offered to accompany me. After an hour's 
 hunting, up went the hackles of my companion's dog. 
 "Look out, there are deer close at hand/' and sure 
 enough a moment after there was a rustle in the bushes, 
 a flicker of a white tail, a crack of a rifle, and soon after 
 a prolonged yelp came up from the hollow beneath. 
 " That's Joe, — he's got him ;" guided by the sound, we 
 found Joe licking the blood that flowed from the flank 
 of a fine doe. Hanging her up by the heels to a limb 
 of a tree out of the reach of Master Wolf, we continued 
 our hunt, and soon after we got another; we gutted 
 both and packed them home on our backs. The place 
 positively swarmed with deer. My companion, on our 
 return, asked me to come and see him in the evening. 
 " You'll find my shanty over the stream, straight behind 
 that hemlock tree there ; perhaps I may be of some use 
 to you in showing you some elk," and he went away as 
 noiselessly as he came. In the evening I went over 
 to his place alone, and found a comfortable enough log 
 hut, neatly chinked with moss and newly shingled; 
 a huge fire was burning on the hearth, before which was 
 roasting an " Arkansaw fry." This consists of skewering 
 alternate cutlets of deer-meat and thin slices of bacon 
 together, and then roasting the whole over a round of bread. 
 
252 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 A few dog-eared books were kept carefully pressed under 
 a. block of wood, while over an old faded gilt-edged 
 looking-glass were half-a-dozen photos of an ancient date 
 and style. I found my host was one of those extraordinary 
 men who are only to be found in the western and border 
 states. He told me that he was an Englishman, but 
 he did not tell me his name, and I didn't ask him. He 
 had a few cattle and pigs, and grew a few patches of 
 buckwheat and rye ; his rifle furnished him with all the 
 rest. He frequently passed eight or nine months without 
 talking to a living soul except an occasional Indian with 
 whom he was on friendly terms; once a year he went 
 down to Astoria or Portland, and exchanged his elk and 
 deer skins for coffee, sugar, molasses, and tobacco. He 
 never touched spirits, and his appearance bore out his 
 assertion; he talked freely on most subjects, except his 
 own life, which I suspect would have been highly in- 
 teresting. I slept there that night, and next day we 
 all went deer hunting for the skins. We killed nine 
 in all, and it took us all the evening till ten o'clock 
 to skin them ; we gave all our skins to the hunter. I 
 had now only five days to spare, or else I ran the risk of 
 missing the San Francisco steamer. There were evi- 
 dently no elk close by, so I and the hunter started next 
 afternoon for a valley higher up in the range, near the 
 snow-line, where we knew the elk must be, leaving the 
 man and boy to shoot deer and take care of the hut till 
 we came back. My companion made the journey pleasant 
 by his recital of Indian and hunting tales, and in the 
 midst of one of his stories about elk, said, " perhaps you 
 might get a sight of the white elk of Astoria ; some 
 Injuns told me they had seen the ' great medicine ' up 
 here last year." " What is this white elk ? " " Well, 
 
THE WHITE ELK OF ASTORIA. 
 
 253 
 
 he's what the Inguns call f big medicine/ i.e., a charmed 
 or sacred animal. He's supposed to be the spirit of a 
 departed warrior who was drowned near Astoria. They 
 never shoot at him, as they say he can't be killed by 
 a mortal bullet. But I should like to have him within 
 fifty paces of this tube, and I rather guess I should give 
 him some medicine he wouldn't like. I expect his skin 
 would fetch fifty dollars at Portland, and his horns, 
 which are enormous, one hundred more. I've only seen 
 him once and that a long way off, with some others." 
 We camped that night under a clump of vines, protected 
 from the wind, that blew keenly enough, by a bush tent 
 of scrub. Long after my companion has gone to sleep I 
 laid awake listening to the soughing of the wind in the 
 topmast pines, and gazing on the peaks of the Cascade 
 sierra gleaming cold and pure in the moon's pale light ; 
 but listen or gaze as I would, that story of the white elk 
 kept ringing in my ears. What would I not give to shoot 
 him ? why shouldn't I ? he couldn't be harder to kill than 
 an ordinary elk; and so I fretted myself to sleep. Next 
 morning after an icy-cold bath in the streamlet we sallied 
 forth, and after a most fatiguing scramble of over two 
 hours, the first valley opened below us. It might have 
 been about four miles long by one wide ; a stream like a 
 silver thread ran through it, and it was dotted here and 
 there with a clump of pines, or masses of igneous gneiss 
 and trap. It looked about as pretty a spot as there 
 is in the universe. On the opposite side, about three- 
 quarters of a mile off, a band of elk were feeding in perfect 
 peace and security; they must have numbered some 
 fifty or sixty, and among them I made out a stag with 
 splendid horns. On examining the ground with my glass, 
 we found it would be impossible to stalk to windward, as 
 
254 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 there was no cover within one hundred and fifty yards of 
 them ; the only thing to do was to drive them. As 
 I had the longest ranged rifle by far, a Whitworth 
 long carbine, I gave the hunter my glass and I took 
 the dog, going round to windward. My companion 
 meanwhile went to the opposite end of the valley, 
 where the elk would be sure to pass, and concealed 
 himself in a clump of bush. I was quite an hour 
 getting to my station, and waved my handkerchief 
 cautiously above my head to signal my companion. 
 After waiting a quarter of an hour, I leant my rifle 
 over a piece of rock, and mentally vowing any amount 
 of sacrifices to the "Bishop of Bond-street," I aimed 
 at the shoulder of the stag at 200 yards off and pulled 
 the trigger. The bullet struck him rather high, as 
 he was considerably below me, but he dropped before 
 the rest decamped almost. Away they went like the 
 wind, the dog after them ! I watched eagerly where 
 I knew the hunter must be concealed. Will he never 
 shoot ? When puff ! went a cloud of smoke, and the 
 foremost doe leaped up in the air, doubled her forelegs 
 under her and fell dead in her tracks. I stood watching 
 the scene, a scene allowed to but few. I unconsciously 
 sung out " hurrah ! splendid ! " and turned to pick up 
 my rifle, when right before me, not fifty yards off, out 
 stalked from a clump of scrub oak, the white elk of 
 Astoria ! There was no mistake about it, there he was, 
 spotlessly white, and with a head of horns that seemed 
 to my excited eyes at least twice the spread of those 
 of the stag that was lying dead in the valley below. 
 There was no time, however, to waste on sentiment, as 
 he evidently thought something was amiss. I slipped 
 in a cartridge, knelt down on one knee, prayed to 
 
 V 
 
THE WHITE ELK OF ASTORIA. 
 
 255 
 
 all the gods and goddesses of venerie, and pulled the 
 trigger. Fiz-z ! went the cap, and a moment after the 
 rifle exploded, sending the bullet up into the air, half 
 way to the Cascade mountains. The white elk gave one 
 look at the smoke, and then dashed off to leeward 
 behind me, I after him as hard as I could pelt. Three 
 times I loaded and fired in a utterly futile manner, till 
 the noble quarry at length disappeared behind a spur 
 of a mountain, and was lost to view. I still followed on 
 for miles, cursing all breechloaders, all caps, all every- 
 thing, till I gave up, and then found I had lost my way. 
 After four hours of rambling about, I at length found 
 my companion, who was busy skinning the elk that we 
 had shot. " Well, where have you been ? I heard your 
 rifle go off." " Been ! why I fired at the white elk ! " 
 and then I told him all my story. He listened atten- 
 tively, and looked incredulous. " Waal, of course you 
 may have seen him, I don't say not ; but I wouldn't 
 talk about it much to the boys if I was you." For two 
 whole days I hunted steadily for the white elk, but I 
 never saw him again. We killed in all eight doe elk, 
 and three stags, with fine heads of horns. There were 
 reports of a lake near here, which I should have 
 certainly tried to discover, if I could have spared the 
 time ; the Indians say it has never been seen by a 
 white man. They describe it as a gigantic hole, so even 
 and round that it seems as though it had been scooped 
 out of the solid rock by an army of giants ; it appears 
 that the depths of the walls to the water below is over 
 2000 feet, all polished like glass. The Indians say 
 that of an evening a storm-cloud, red with lightning 
 flashes and bickering with thunderbolts, rolls sullenly 
 along from side to side of the lake, while around it 
 
256 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 troops of Indian warriors career along on their flying 
 steeds, shouting their battlecry; then a muttered wailing 
 of departed spirits comes faintly up — a rattling peal of 
 thunder — and all is still again. 
 
 I parted with my host with regret; at leaving 
 he gave me some gloves and a collar of buckskin, 
 most beautifully cured, and as white as snow. When 
 I got to 'Frisco, I sent him a lot of books, and odds 
 and ends, but I never heard if he ever got them. 
 I took home with me two of the elks' heads ; one I gave 
 away, the other (the one I shot in the valley) is over my 
 looking-glass in my snuggery. When I smoke a pipe 
 before bedtime, and look at that head and think over 
 my old Oregon days, however happy and contented I 
 may be, I can never help anathematizing that " white 
 elk of Astoria." 
 
SPORT IN THE COAST RANGE 
 MOUNTAINS. 
 
 Shortly after the events recorded in the last chapter, I 
 went down one fine morning to have my usual morning 
 dip at North Beach. I always patronised an old English- 
 man named Byles, who had added a sort of bathing 
 house to his fishing hut, and earned an extra 'bit' or 
 two in this manner. He used to have a very good 
 amount of custom at one time, till he got played a 
 shamefully smart trick by an opposition Yankee, who 
 built another shanty half a mile off down the beach. 
 The story is worth telling. This Yankee saw an 
 Italian fishing boat coming down the entrance to the 
 harbour, with something very heavy towing over the 
 stern. He rowed out to the boat, and found they had 
 got quite a respectably-sized shark. "Til buy that 'ere 
 shark ; how much V said Yank, struck with a happy 
 thought. Ten dollars was the price, and the Yankee 
 took it up town and exhibited it as " a real vicious worst 
 kind of man-eating shark, caught just opposite Eyles's 
 bathing-place/' Of course no one went to poor Eyles 
 after that. Well, this particular morning he had got 
 such a cartload of ducks all over his hut that it almost 
 took my breath away to look at them. Old Dan at Poole 
 would have stared himself. " Where on earth did you 
 shoot them, Byles V s " Oh, up the river, sir ; there's 
 millions; why if Pd had a barrel (punt-gun), I could 
 
 s 
 
258 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 have killed a thousand. However, I haven't done so 
 bad." I didn't think he had ; thirty couple, at a dollar, 
 isn't bad work for one night. I stuck by Kyles all the 
 time the birds stayed in the estuary ; I have no doubt we 
 killed 500 duck between us, as I had fortunately brought 
 out from England with me a single eight-bore muzzle- 
 loader, the same which has laid low many a mallard and 
 wigeon in Poole Harbour. At last, by being continually 
 banged at, the best part of the ducks took themselves 
 off to safer quarters, and after a comparatively blank 
 night, Eyles observed, "Well, Pm off; there's no ducks 
 nor bathers to brag about, and I expegs I've got to live 
 like the rest of 'em." " Well, where are you going to ?" 
 " Oh, allers the same old place, up the Coast Range 
 way." An arrangement was soon come to between this 
 honest fellow and myself, satisfactory to him and delight- 
 ful to me. I overhauled my boots and guns, bought a 
 few new traps, and laid in a good stock of cake tobacco and 
 relishes, such as anchovies, lemons, a few spices, and 
 nutmegs, &c, which make all the difference as to 
 whether a trip is to be an enjoyment or a nuisance. 
 Flour, &c, we knew we could get in abundance in 
 exchange for our game, but to make sure, I sewed up a 
 roll of half-eagles in my waistbelt. An exceedingly 
 played-out steed of Ryles carried all our traps quite 
 safely, and one fine starlight night we set out, as my 
 companion kept the particular place where he went to a 
 profound secret. " Every dorgorned cuss in the place 
 would be knocking around if they knowed of it." We 
 travelled down the coast two days without stopping, and on 
 our third evening out we camped for the first time in a 
 regular manner, both to rest ourselves and the horse. 
 Our little tent was about big enough for one good-sized 
 
SPORT IN THE COAST RANGE MOUNTAINS. 259 
 
 schoolboy, but somehow we both of us, with, a little 
 management, contrived to sleep in it as sound as tops. 
 As I was tired of bacon at every meal, I strolled out with 
 my gun some little distance towards the beach, and 
 knocked over a brace and a half of quail, and three 
 ground squirrels. The quail, as I was in a hurry, I 
 simply secured by running and shouting as much as I 
 could, and driving them to tree, when I potted them 
 straight off. It sounds rather queer to English ears, but 
 hunger knows no law. While Kyles fixed up the place 
 tidy, I spatched the quails on a gridiron, which I had 
 taken the precaution to bring with me, and roasted a 
 squirrel, catching his fat on a piece of fresh-plucked 
 bark. We had one solitary loaf of soft bread left, which 
 I cut up into slices, and made anchovy toast of, and 
 we finished off with a can of preserved peaches. Now, I 
 ask you candidly, kind reader, could you have fared better 
 at the Blue Posts ? We lit our pipes, and walked leisurely 
 down to the beach about half a mile off. The quail 
 kept whirring all around us, and the squirrels, up on 
 their hind legs, looked at us curiously from the edge of 
 their holes, and at our nearer approach disappeared like 
 a cocktail down a loafer's throat, as Byles observed. 
 " Bear to your right ; I know a mere, about a few rods 
 off, where the ducks used to flight to last year, and I 
 suppose they do now ; if so, we'll have a couple or twd 
 of 'em to-morrow." It was too early for the flight yet, 
 so we strolled on to where a small streamlet ran into 
 the sea, and esconced ourselves behind an old stand, 
 which Byles had made two or three winters ago. We 
 laid down one at each end, and as we watched the 
 dying lines of the western sky fade o'er the rippling 
 waters, a thin dark line gradually approached, every 
 
 s 2 
 
260 
 
 EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 now and then upheaved by a swelling wavelet ; I knew 
 what that was, anyhow, from my Poole experiences. 
 "A tidy company/' quoth Ryles. Closer and closer 
 they come, charming away like a myriad of broody 
 hens. All of a sudden, ten or a dozen of them up and 
 away over our heads, and then another lot, and then 
 another, when whish ! come the body of them like a troop 
 of cavalry, some of them so close to us that I believe I 
 could have knocked them down with a walking-stick. 
 " Ah/' said I, " you've got it all your own way now ; just 
 wait till to-morrow, my beauties, Fll show you a trick." 
 We wandered back in the gloaming, which in California 
 is all too short, and made ourselves comfortable for the 
 night ; for, although a winter in S. California is not 
 exactly cold, still it's quite chilly enough at night. A 
 dead log was rolled up to the door of our tent, and a 
 roaring fire was soon lighting up the red woods around 
 us. Over oar one solitary glass of grog, to which we 
 strictly limited ourselves, we told yarns far into the 
 evening. Poor Ryles ! he had seen a few ups and 
 downs in his time; had been a soldier, a steamboat 
 runner, bootblack, fisherman, and an arrant poacher I'll 
 be bound. He appeared to have been everywhere. 
 Last year he had been down to Nicaragua to shoot 
 parrots and other pretty birds for the sake of their 
 skins ; he had yellow fever twice, and " chucked the 
 consarn up." As for Injuns, he seemed on intimate 
 terms with every tribe from Arizona to the Red River ; 
 but for a real live liar, of clear grit, commend me to a 
 Californian hunter. Generally speaking, however, liars 
 (hunting ones) are more amusing than other common 
 people to while away an evening. In the middle of some 
 interminable yarn of his about a skulking Injun, with a 
 
SPOET IN THiS COAST EANGE MOUNTAINS. 261 
 
 small assortment of scalping knives and tomahawks, I fell 
 into the sleep of the careless. I was awoke next morning 
 by the cold nose of the dog pressed against my cheek as 
 he snuggled his head under my blanket, and remember- 
 ing the ducks, I unrolled myself in a moment. I found 
 Byles up already, with the coffee simmering on the 
 embers and a rasher of bacon frizzling away in an 
 agreeable manner. " Just summut to put in our 
 stomachs afore we go after them ducks/'' quoth Byles. 
 I seemed to think somehow that our bottle of waters had 
 sunk an inch in the night, like a thermometer. I didn't 
 think it worth while to mention it to my companion, but 
 to make sure he hadn't " the dead wood " on me, I 
 took another inch myself. After a slight meal we 
 walked briskly forward through the chill morning air, 
 it being yet so dark that we could scarcely see 
 our way through the wood. A slight mist was rising, 
 or rather, I should say, fading away, which made our 
 " surprise party " all the more sure. We had only my 
 double gun, which I carried, as I was au fait at this 
 sport. We had to make a detour to get to leeward of 
 the fowl, and forced our way through about fifty yards of 
 reeds and Californian mud, till we came almost to 
 the edge of the mere. A lot of them got up all 
 round us, but it was still so misty that the great 
 body of them couldn't see us, and I suppose 
 they had never been shot at before. I made a 
 sort of rest for my gun as silently as T could, and 
 knocked down the reeds in front of the muzzle, and 
 waited, covered with slime and water, for half an hour 
 or more. At last, oh welcome sight ! a faint ray of light 
 comes struggling through the trees and mist and strikes 
 the western sky. Slowly, like a huge white pall, the 
 
262 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 fog melts, dissolves, and rolls sullenly away before the 
 rosy-fingered morn, and there before me, as I take a 
 quiet peep, lies the placid pool like a polished mirror. I 
 hadn't much time to think of the beauties of nature, 
 however, as I was uncommonly cold and wanted my 
 breakfast. First out come a dozen from the reeds, 
 charming away and flapping about in the waters, having 
 their morning wash before going out to sea for their 
 day's picnic ; then another trip, and soon the whole pool 
 is half covered with them. Ah ! if they had known that 
 an old Poole punter was within easy range of them ! 
 There are so many, that I hardly know where to fire, but 
 at last about a dozen redheads got quarrelling over a 
 piece of weed or something just opposite my stand, and 
 in an instant I cut a lane through them with two ounces 
 of No. 5. At the sound of the gun away went the mass 
 of fowl helter-skelter out to sea with a noise like a hail- 
 storm, but not without leaving one of their number in 
 the reeds dead on the spot, besides a couple of winged 
 ones. "Well, I guess you've been at this game afore, 
 mister," says Eyles, as I empty the water out of my 
 boots and scrape all the mud I can off my trowsers. My 
 first discharge had killed four outright and crippled one, 
 and altogether I had got eight duck with my two barrels 
 No. 10-bore. I must, however, say that Ryles's dog was 
 a wonder; he never barked, and never seemed to be 
 around, but he always turned up at meal-times, and was 
 " all thar " when out shooting. We got back as quick 
 as possible, and while my comrade got breakfast ready, I 
 dried my clothes and made myself comfortable. The 
 rest of the day we devoted to shooting quail ; I shot half 
 the time and Ryles the rest. We got twenty brace be- 
 tween us, of which I accounted for fifteen single birds, — 
 
SPORT IN THE COAST RANGE MOUNTAINS. 263 
 
 all shot flying of course. My friend shot all the rest on 
 the ground by simply waiting till a bevy pitched on any 
 open piece of ground, and then calmly raking them. 
 These quail are most bothering birds to get, and take 
 away a deal of shot for their size ; some of them twizzled 
 round like an old blue rock, and flew off with half. an 
 ounce of shot in their skins. When only wounded they 
 run like redlegs, and hVs not worth while bothering after 
 them then, as the dog takes half the day catching one. 
 In the evening we flighted for an hour, and I knocked 
 down three mallards out of seven shots. I should say 
 we might easily have killed thirty duck a day, with two 
 heavy guns and a good retriever ; if I had had a punt 
 and a barrel, I am sure I could have made four or five 
 shots a day, and probably got sixty ducks single-handed 
 or even more. I don't know whether punt and stanchion 
 guns are known there now, but it would be worth while 
 taking out one or two on spec. By-the-bye, to show 
 how different people's ideas are about sport, I'll just 
 mention that some years back a man set up a punt and 
 barrel on the Delaware estuary, and made havoc among 
 the fowl. But several sportsmen and professional duckers 
 were so disgusted at this " unsportsmanlike proceeding/' 
 that they fired at the man frequently with rifle balls till 
 he was obliged to give up. "Well, "sportsmen" in 
 America think nothing of hunting foxes and hares with 
 dogs — and revolvers ! We made tracks next morning 
 early, and Byles parted from me to dispose of his game 
 to a rancher or two a little off the track. He came back 
 with some flour and bacon and a bottle of best Californian 
 brandy, which, however, despite it's gaudy label, I didn't 
 think much of. We now struck in from the coast towards 
 the coast range or foothills. The country was pretty well 
 
264 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 settled up for a new country, and certainly I never saw a 
 finer ; if it isn't now, I should say that in a few years' time 
 this foot-hill region about Santa Cruz and south of it 
 will become the finest in California. We very soon 
 found ourselves in the happy hunting fields ; Byles, 
 however, insisted on keeping on a day more, so as to get 
 free of all loafers, and finally we came to an anchor, 
 much to my delight. We rigged up our tent and shanty 
 in quite a comfortable manner for a two month's stay, 
 and I never spent such a two months in my life. We 
 shot deer, which Byles skinned and sold, or traded the 
 carcases to farmers, &c. The skins he disposed of at 
 San Francisco in a lump. The deer shooting was 
 superb ; I could go out any evening and get a couple, 
 and Byles must have killed an immense number, although 
 he was not a good shot at all ; but then his dog was 
 a perfect caution at deer. He would follow a wounded 
 deer till he either found it, or gave it up as a bad 
 job. We knew directly the dog came back, — and he'd be 
 gone for hours sometimes, — whether he had pulled it down 
 or not ; if he had, he would wag his tail and lie down as 
 happy as possible and get his grub like a Christian, but 
 if he had lost the quarry, he'd come creeping and 
 crawling in as though he was ashamed of himself. Next 
 morning, or any time, all we had to do was to follow the 
 dog who would bring us straight to where the deer was 
 lying dead. One day T had quite a fright ; I had 
 followed the dog for more than a mile over some 
 frightful rough country, when all of a sudden he com- 
 menced growling and his bristles went up like a porcu- 
 pine's back ; he got behind me, still snarling away, and 
 I felt like going back. However, I cocked my gun and 
 clambered up sideways so as to make an ascent and look 
 
SPORT IN THE COAST RANGE MOUNTAINS. 265 
 
 down; I thought I saw something move in the bush, 
 and as the dog still had his tail stiff out I let drive 
 one barrel. There was no mistake, there ivas something, 
 as after a tremendous clatter, an immense bear went 
 away down the side of the hill youghing like a demon. 
 Gracious ! how still I did keep, with only a charge of 
 No. 6 in my remaining barrel ! " Old Ephraim " how- 
 ever, seemed glad to get out of the situation, though the 
 shot could hardly have tickled his side. My friend 
 stared when I told him, and said he didn't want anything 
 to do with the job ; in fact, he'd sell out his interest 
 in that claim cheap. Next evening the carcase was gone 
 entirely, so I knew I should get him as safe as possible 
 if I could manage to get the chances about ninety to one 
 in my favour. Bears are suspicious brutes, and they are 
 uncommonly shy of baits, so I purposely potted a deer 
 through the stomach and let her run ; the dog found 
 her in a sort of valley or watercourse with plenty of 
 trees about, up one of which I took the precaution to 
 climb ebout fifty yards off the deer. A much smaller 
 bear made his appearance, and at seventy-five yards 
 got a hardened bullet driven by four drachms of rifle 
 powder through his left shoulder ; he went down in- 
 stanter, but got up again and sat for a moment on 
 his haunches fronting me, when I let drive another 
 bullet at his chest, which struck him with terrific force, 
 and seemed to knock him backwards. He rolled over 
 however, and scrambled along somehow, and evidently 
 had a deal of go in him yet — at all events too much 
 for me to come down from my vantage ground. After 
 a deal of bother I loaded again and fired at his 
 haunches, which crippled him entirely. He bled to 
 death in about ten minutes. I didn't trouble the 
 
EAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 bears any more ; they are no good when you do get 
 them, and the odds are you come out second best, 
 unless you tree securely ; and even then you have 
 very little sport for your time and trouble. They take 
 a deal of killing, as their heads are continually on the 
 move and uncommonly thick, and they appear to have 
 no heart 1 — at least a vulnerable one. Of course every 
 hunter in California has killed "lots of bars;" and 
 equally of course they all give him a very wide berth, 
 as he is not good eating, and consequently worth 
 nothing. 
 
 I took leave of friend Kyles with regret, as he was 
 a good sort of man altogether. I went back alone, 
 stopping here and there on my way ; at one small place, 
 the name of which I forget, I saw an announcement 
 that in the evening Miss Bethida Ramsbottom would 
 lecture on " Second-sight and Medium Spiritualists, con- 
 sidered in their Moral and Social Relations." I felt an 
 inclination to go, more especially after the boss of the 
 hotel informed me that it would be a " gay old time, and 
 that Elijah Shocum had made up his mind to fix her 
 right away." The meeting was held in a hall which was 
 filled with some two hundred people. After a while 
 Miss Ramsbottom appeared on the stage, and was intro- 
 duced by a limp gentleman in black as the " Great 
 American supernal Wizard of the Spirits of the De- 
 parted," at which Miss R. put on a tragic air, tapped 
 her forehead with her forefinger three times, shut her 
 eyes, opened them again, and then requested the 
 audience to go ahead straight away with any questions 
 they liked. Hereupon some dozen got up, but order was 
 called by the limp man on the stage, and a fluffy -haired 
 youth with weak eyes wanted to know the u exact value 
 
SPORT IN THE COAST RANGE MOUNTAINS. 267 
 
 of the supernatural essence of love." The lady shut her 
 eyes for a moment, blew her nose, and then answered 
 that " the youthful male who had asked her that bright 
 and sunny question had not yet met his collateral 
 affinity of a natural kind, and so it would be useless 
 to tell him of that grand ethereal idea, — supernal love 
 at which there was a laugh, and considerable "you 
 bet," and tobacco-squirting. The fluffy-haired youth 
 looked disgusted, and said Miss R. was " a darned beat," 
 on which he was immediately turned out of the hall, and 
 told that he was extremely lucky not to be shot there 
 and then. All sorts of questions were asked, but the 
 medium held her own, having been, as my neighbour 
 informed me, " born in Illenoy, raised in Kansas, and 
 finished her raising in Colorado terri-tory." 
 
 At last Elijah Shocum rose ; it was evidently expected 
 that he would. He was a very dirty man, with a three- 
 day-old beard on his chin. He expectorated four several 
 times, and then said, " Can the trifold mystery of the 
 elements, as exhibited by fire, water, and air, ever co- 
 lide with the forces of mathematical power as shown in 
 the pheelosophy of the ancients." This was certainly 
 something in questions, but Miss Ramsbottom was fully 
 equal to the occasion. " The pheelosophy of the ancients 
 is a played-out artifice ; the invisible and immense force 
 of the trifold mystery is such as can only be examined 
 by a speeritual temperament, and, lookye here, Elijah 
 Shocum, dern yer old skin, Fm not come all the way 
 from Illenoy to be chowed up by you, old hoss, so jest 
 you git." Amid boisterous applause Elijah sat down with 
 the remark that she was a u hefty cuss." The same thing 
 went on till about eleven o'clock, when a free fight took 
 place, in which Elijah Shocum got into a difficulty with 
 
268 
 
 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT. 
 
 the limp gentleman, and got knocked down and jumped 
 on for about five minutes by that worthy. 
 
 1 got back to 'Frisco all right, having enjoyed my trip 
 immensely. 
 
 There are far better places than California for sport, 
 and especially large game, but after all it is not exactly 
 the amount of game you get, you soon get tired of that. 
 A day or two of buffalo shooting is quite enough for 
 most men ; a herd of Chillingham bulls would be in- 
 finitely more dangerous characters, while as for deer- 
 stalking, why Fd sooner have two days in a Scotch 
 forest than a whole month of buffalo hunting. No, it's 
 the camp out, the glorious climate, the sense of freedom 
 and health. Where is there anything like an American 
 forest in autumn? Just look at those tints and grada- 
 tions of colour, from the brightest and liveliest gold to 
 the deepest shades of scarlet. Yes, scarlet ! I've seen 
 some birches in Dorset that bestrew themselves round 
 with a carpet of almost blood-red colour, but I never 
 saw, save in America, those exquisitely lovely scarlet 
 tints. Dear old California ! I often wish I had never 
 left you. Well, I hope to see you again this summer, 
 and your hospitable population. A " stage " Californian 
 is a gentleman in a red jumper shirt, and very large 
 boots, with half-a-dozen revolvers stuck all over him; 
 a real Californian is — well — just about as good as you 
 find 'em anywhere. 
 
BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 IMPORTANT TO ALL INTERESTED IN MINING PROPERTY, 
 AND TO THOSE GOING ABROAD. 
 
 Crown 8vo, cloth extra, 7s. 6d. 
 
 The Practical Assayer: 
 
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 "OLIVER NORTH." 
 
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 LONDON: CHATTO AND WINDUS, 
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 1874. 
 
LIST OF BOOKS 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
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 LONDON, W.C. 
 
 PHEASANTS for COVERTS and AVIARIES : their Natural 
 
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 FACTS and USEFUL HINTS relating to FISHING and 
 
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 RAMBLES AFTER SPORT; or, Travels and Adventures 
 
 in the Americas and at Home. By "OLIVER NORTH." Large post 8vo., price . 
 6s. ; post free, 6s. 4d. 
 
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WORKS PUBLISHED BY HORACE COX— continued. 
 
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 DOGS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. Edited by 
 
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WORKS PUBLISHED BY HORACE COX— continued. 
 
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WORKS PUBLISHED BY HORACE COX— continued. 
 
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 OUR COMMON INSECTS: First Steps to Entomology. 
 
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 FIGURE SKATING : being the Theory and Practice of 
 
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 THE INTERNAL PARASITES of our DOMESTICATED 
 
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 THE KENNEL CALENDAR and STUD BOOK, from 1859 
 
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GETTY CENTER LIBRARY 
 
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