li ^3 5 B O D I N E S: OR, Camping on the Lycoming. A COMPLETE PRACTICAL GUIDE TO "CAMPING OUT." BY V THAD S. UP DE GRAFF, M.D., EDITOR OF "the BISTOURY." -^^^ ' WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. PHILADELPHIA J. B. LIPPIIS^COTT 187 9. ^\<^^ Copyright, 1879, by Thad S. Up de Graff. S. S. HAMLIN^, Esq., MY CONSTANT COMPANION IN THE SCENES HEREIN DESCRIBED, IN MEMORY OF THE 51 ANY HAPPY DAYS IN CAMP AND STREAM, THIS VOLUME IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED BY HIS FRIEND, THE AUTHOR. Elmira, Juno, 1879. <^ I YIELD to no man in his admiration for the wild and grand scenery of the almost inaccessible regions of the Adirondacks, or the roaring, rapid salmon rivers of the Canadian frontier. I delight in the long voyages by canoe, and the laborious " carries" that are encountered in the Maine and North woods, when making excursions into the deep and quiet recesses of those grand old for- ests. I can enjoy " roughing it," with frying- pan, tin cup, coffee-pot, and blanket strapped in a pack upon my back, and follow my guide cheerily through the tangled underbrush, and slide down the steep declivities into the stream 1* 5 6 INTRODUCTION. below, rupturing cuticle upon hands and knees, and count it fun ; yea, most glorious sport, when trout are there to Avelcome my trailing flies, and the sun to lend his golden beams, illuminating and revealing the many and varied beauties with which our mountain regions abound. Such ex- cursions are delightful, beyond my ability to por- tray, even were I so disposed. But this is not the field I propose to enter : the charming witch- ery of such a life has been most fascinatingly told by Mr. Hallock, in his " Fishing Tourist," and by Mr. Murray, in his " Adirondack Tales," two books that are unsurpassed in the literature upon out-door life and sports. The mission of this book is widely different, — intended to teach all who would enjoy a so- journ in the woods, that it can be accomplished nearer at home, at points accessible by rail, and upon mountain streams Avhose cascades, glens, majestic forests, singing birds, and lovely ferns and flowers are not surpassed anywhere in the regions to which these books refer ; and whose trout are as sprightly and of sufficient size and number to satisfy the reasonable demands of any follower of Izaak Walton. K in these unpretending sketches I can quicken INTRODUCTION. 7 the desire of any of my readers to experience many of the pleasures herein narrated, and have clearly pointed out how it may be accomplished inexpensively yet comfortably, if not luxuriously, I shall have achieved a work not wholly valueless, while to the more pretentious angler I hope to give some hints that may aid him in future ex- cursions. What follows is a truthful record and the ac- tual experience of two ardent fishermen, who, for eight years, during the month of June, have camped upon the banks of the beautiful and pic- turesque Lycoming Creek. What we did and how we lived I now propose to tell you. Is the theme one likely to enlist your atten- tion ? If yes, read on ; our trip commences. CHAPTER I. — Bodines . II. — The Preparation III. — Paraphernalia IV. — On the Stream v.— Shorty . VI.— The Loyalsock VII. — Other Streams VIII.— Fly-Casting . IX. — Visitors . X. — A Chat with Charles XI. — Rainy Days . X 1 1.— Ralston . XIII. — Sunday in Camp . XIV. — Around the Camp-Fire XV. — Cuisine . XVI.— Idle Hours . PAGE 13 27 44 68 83 ]00 116 131 145 161 178 191 208 226 244 265 DESIGNED BY FRED. E. MURRAY. FULL-PAGE. View of the Camp .... The Slope AV all— Landing a Trout . Shorty and Boy . The Tea-Party . Hamlin catching a Deer George announcing Dinner Dixey in the Thunder-Storm The Vine Stub Fireplace "Wading Shoes Fly-Book . Shorty's Hat Rustic Dining-Table TAIL-PIECES. PAGE Frontisjjiece. 76 86 106 134 147 185 26 43 67 82 99 115 11 12 ILLUSTRATIONS. Frogs scrutinizing a Fly Camp-Stool and Trout Jim Crow .... A Chat with Charles . Charles with String of Suckers Dutchman Falls, at Ralston Hounds giving Tongue Creel and Lunch-box . Turning a Flapjack . Homeward Bound PAGE 1:^0 144 160 177 193 207 225 243 264 279 B O D I N E S. CHAPTER I. BODINES. A Description of our Camping-Grounds. "'BoDiNEs! BoDiNES !' What a queer name for a book! Where under the sun did you run across such a title as that?" methinks I hear you exclaim upon picking- up this modest little volume and reading the gilt inscription that ornaments its face. Well, I'll tell you; then perhaps you will not think it so strange, after all. Just fifteen years ago my piscatorial friend prevailed upon me to "go a-fishing." At that time I had never thrown a fly nor caught a trout, — a circumstance that has been and ever will be a lasting regret. When, in my leisure moments, I chance to think how many of my days were passed without having been familiar with this delightful recreation, and how I sought sport and rest at the seaside resorts with com- 2 13 14 BODINES. panions no wiser than myself, I can but deplore the fate that did not bring me in contact with my good friend earlier in life. But the invita- tion finally came, and I at once acceded to the proposition, when a-fishing we went, — to Ralston, in the State of Pennsylvania and on the IsTorth- ern Central Railway, distant from Elmira just fifty-one miles, and then, as now, a famous re- sort for those skilled in the gentle art. fj At this delightful spot I obtained my first glimpse of the Lycoming Creek, and captured my first trout in its crystal waters. As the circumstance is recalled, I well remember the delights of that day, — how Hamlin and I fished through the " Sugar Bottom" side by side, he stopping momentarily to teach me how to mal^e a cast, to rescue my leader from an overhanging tree-top, or to cut a fly from some inaccessible region of my clothing; how he would raise a beauty at almost every cast, and land him too, while I would do just the reverse continually. I remember how vexed I became at having the trout jump to my flies, while I was utterly un- able to hook them, or, if I did, how they would be tossed into the highest tree-top, or sent spin- ning half-way up the mountain, through the vigorous jerk of my inexperienced arm. " Don't jerk so hard ; you will certainly take their heads ofi'!" was Hamlin's constant warning note ; but it required all the day to learn that it BODINES. 15 was not the quick and strong strike that hooked the wary fish. At noon we returned to Mr. Myer's hotel, Hamlin with his creel full of trout, and mine — well, never mind; would rather compare catches later on in the season. But one thing I remem- ber both of us to have had in equal degree at least, and that was a splendid appetite. And rioiit here let me declare that Mrs. Mver did satisfy that craving for a trout-dinner perfectly. It was many years ago : since then I have eaten trout at various and sundry places ; but yearly have I found myself returning to Mrs. Myer's table to enjoy the trout that she knows so well how to prepare. Many were the days that my friend and I passed upon the creek in this neighborhood he- fore I became proficient as a fisherman ; but when that time did come I believe I lacked not enthusiasm for the sport, whatever may have been my shortcomings in skill at casting the fly. In the numerous excursions made in following years with those two famous fly-fishermen, Ham- lin and Sanders, they never succeeded in entitling me farther than Astenville, a little deserted min- ing-village two miles below Ralston. A trip through the " Sugar Bottom" and the deep pool back of Astenville always filled my creel, when I would wade ashore and foot it up the railroad to lialston, leaving my two friends to fish on down 16 BODINES. as far as the " Slope Wall," which mystic spot seemed to he the one hright Mecca in travelling toward which their feet would never tire. But enough was quite a plenty for me, and, notwith- standing their frequent solicitations, their glow- ing accounts of the stream, of the scenery, flow- ers, rocks, and ferns they encountered upon the route, I could not he inveigled from my favorite haunts about Ralston. Finally, one day, more to satisfy my friends than to gratify any curiosity or anticipation of pleasure upon my part, I skipped the Sugar Bottom and waded on down the stream with them to the famous Slope Wall. The creek was open, wide, and free from overhanging trees or bushes, — which so much interfere with fly-cast- ing ; — ^the banks were sloping, grassy and bounti- fully studded with wild-flowers, while the forests on either hand were alive wdth merry singing- birds. Many delightful pools aftbrded us abun- dance of sport upon our way, and numerous were the fine fish taken at the mouth of Pleasant Stream, three miles below, and at " Powell's Pond," a little farther on. After leaving Pow- ell's the creek turns abruptly to the left, into a narrow channel, through which the water tumbles swiftly down, forming quite a cascade, that soon becomes lost in a shady, placid pool nearly half a mile in length. Going ashore, — it being too deep to wade, — we took the right bank and jogged on down until we arrived at another rapid, that BODINES. 17 carried tlie water directly against a stone wall that seemed to be about nine feet high and per- haps eight hundred long, built as a protection to the railway running along its top. The strong wall received the water and turned it to the right, sending it along its entire length, a bub- bling, swirling, foaming mass. From between the huge stones of which the wall was built all manner of ferns, grasses, and mosses grew, with here and there a more pretentious bush, its green boughs drooping gracefully into the seething water below. Across the railway an immense mountain lifted its hoary head, whose sides were covered with stubs of massive hemlocks that were noble trees before the iire passed through, leaving desolation in its path. Considerable time had elapsed since the conflagration, so that where all had been dark and gloomy, Na- ture now wrought brightness and beauty. Young underbrush springing up covered the blackened surface with a green carpet that contrasted finely with the dead trunks that rose majestically from among them. To our right could be seen, through the straggling limbs of some grand old buttonwoods, a cultivated field, in which a number of native boys and girls, who seemed to be merry with their work, w^ere planting corn. Beyond was a high mountain, covered with balsams, hemlocks, spruces, pines, beeches and maples, whose varying foliage was arrayed right 2* 18 BOD I NFS. royally in the morning sunlight. In front of us the stream went dancing on until deflected against a high bank, in which the kingfishers had constructed their habitations, the owners thereof chattering, from the stubby limbs of a dead tree, their displeasure at our visitation ; and here was the Slope Wall, Avith all its delight- ful surroundings. Over this rapid we cast our ilies, and a right merry time we had in landing one another's fish. The deep pool above, the water in front of the wall itself, and the ripple by the high bank have afforded us capital sport from that day to this. A mile below this point the creek again turned to Jhe right, forming an- other delightful cascade that dashed against some huge moss-covered rocks that ages ago lost their balance and slid from the steep mountain-top above to the stream below. To the right was a long deep bayou, into which flowed a branch of the creek that had taken a short cut and followed the foot of the mountain, so forming an island that extended to a point just where the two streams met. Upon this narrow high point of ground were growing two splendid pines, and a little farther up the slope, on still higher ground, two immense beeches and an elm, the great, long, crooked limbs of the first two reaching to the water's edge on cither side, while the elm threw its gracefully-drooping branches between, castino: a shadow so dense that we could not BODINES. 19 resist the silent invitation to come ashore and rest. ^'What a delightful place to lunch!" Hamlin said. " Capital !" Sanders replied ; then, examining his watch, hanging his creel upon a limb, and leaning his rod against the trunk of a tree, added, " It's about noon ; let us have our luncheon here : this is the coolest spot I've found to-day." So, we spread our eatables upon the bright green grass, under the beech, and laid ourselves out in comfortable but grotesque positions about them. Just before us, lool^ing toward the point of the island and between the trunks of the two pines, was a long, deep, and quiet pool. The right bank was formed by an almost perpendicular mountain, densely covered with hemlock, spruce, pine, and tulip-trees, under the green branches of which were seen laurels, rhododendrons, and ferns in one interminable jungle. Overhanging the pond were hemlock boughs, the ends tipped with bright new shoots that contrasted effect- ively with the darker branches beyond. Upon the water, not a ripple disturbing its glassy sur- face, reflections of the trees and mossy rocks, as well as of the old mill and railroad bridge, which crossed the stream farther down, produced a most charming effect. Farther to our left were other mountains, cleft to allow the passage of a 20 BODINES. smaller stream to swell the waters of our quiet pond. Immediately across tlie creek and to our left, among a clump of willows, loomed up, high into the air, an old stub, limbless, weather-beaten, and densely covered with a clematis-vine that shot out its curling tendrils in every direction to the very peak. From the spot where we were re- clining, it was sharply defined against the clear blue sky that was opened to view from the cleft in the mountain, giving us a picture that required no Claude Lorraine mirror to intensify. Our dinner despatched, Ave lighted our cigars, seated ourselves upon the grassy knoll under the great beech, and took in the lovely surroundings. Sanders (always in search of a cool spring from which to slake his thirst) wandered up the bayou a short distance, when we soon heard him exclaim, from somew^here among the tangle of willows which covered the bank : — " I've found a spring ; come have a drink !" We rose, followed the direction of his voice, and soon came to a delightfully cool spring, bub- blino^ from amons: the roots of an old leanino" beech that stood by the edge of the water. "We all stooped down upon our hands and knees, and partook freely of its inviting waters ; then, stand- ing erect and gazing about upon the beauty of the scene, exclaimed, almost in chorus ; — "Oh, what a place to camp I" BODINES. 21 Returning to the grand old beech, we seated ourselves again until our cigars were linished, then waded across the creek and through the willows, to find ourselves in a meadow through which was meandering a clear and crystal brook : and there, in the centre of a sloping grassy plat, with the railway and quaint old cabin that served for a depot in front, the sombre mountain, that had lost its bright hues in the evening shadows, for a background, and at the foot of which lay the quiet pond ; below, the roaring dam, near which tottered the old saw-mill, that seemed un- certain which way to fall, — there, in a little grove of cherry, apple, and locust trees, stood an old- fashioned dwelling, that spoke to us plainly, by its weather-beaten sides and moss-covered roof, of the days of long ago. The chimney was of heroic size, built of stone, half in-doors and half out, while great rents ex- hibited themselves in its broad top, which ap- peared above the ancient roof. At the gable-end, on one side of the chimney, a small window peeped out, with diminutive lights of glass, half concealed by a woodbine that clambered over its face to the roof above. To the front a little porch projected a few feet beyond the battened door, and over it climbed a wild rose, that shut in and adorned its sides. To the right of this porch was another small window, like its mate on the end, above each still more contracted ones, 22 BODINES. that lighted the second story. Roses, hollyhocks, and peonies dotted the green lawn here and there, and among them stood a tall wooden pump with a long, curled, iron handle, that terminated in a large, many-angled ball. In the trough that con- ducted the surplus water into the grass was lying a venerable and toothless dog, who cast his blear- eyes toward us and made an effort at barking, failing in which, dropped his head and lazily lapped his drink. Entering upon the lawn by the garden gate, I inquired of my companions, who now came within speaking distance, — " Whose house is this ?" " Bodine's !" was the prompt response, as all three drew near its entrance. Upon a short bench nailed between one of the posts of the porch and the side of the house, we espied reclining a tall, elderly, smooth-faced man, with his coat and hat off, quietly smoking his pipe. As we approached, he rose, with a merry twinkle in his gray eye, and extended his great bronzed hand to my companions, bidding them welcome. After their salutations they turned to me, when Sanders, with a flourish of his hand toward the man, simply said, — "Squire Bodine, doctor;" at which he gave me his hand also, and the memory of that grasp causes me to squirm even now. " Walk in, gentlemen, glad to see you all. Good day's fishing, I hope ?" BODINES. 23 The last remark with a rising inflection, to in- dicate the interrogative. We severally assured him of fi.ne success, and then, while my eye rested upon the mill-pond and the foam rising from the dam below, I re- marked, — " You catch fine trout there, doubtless ?" " Yes, sir ; in the evening, or early in the morning, we have splendid fishing, both above and below the dam. I have taken many a two-pounder on a black gnat just in the edge of the evening," the squire replied ; and then immediately added, " We had lively times here with big trout when I first moved to these parts." '^ How long ago was that ?" " Just forty years, — long before we had any railroad; the stage used to run along that moun- tain road yonder, across the pond" (rising, and pointing out its direction). " It made regular trips then between William sport and Elmira, and people would sometimes stop here to eat a meal of trout. Why, I could run down below the dam there, any time, and catch fifty trout — nice ones, too — in about half an hour's time." After much pleasant conversation with the squire, from which we learned that he was at once justice of the peace, postmaster, station- agent, and school-commissioner, supper was an- 24 BODINES. nounced, when we entered the cosy old house and partook of a hearty meal prepared by his good wife and daughter Kate. All this fifteen years ago ! Many changes have occurred in and about " Bodines" since then. The old house has given place to a new one. A new station and store-house has been erected opposite the mansion, in which Harry Green keeps a neat little store that has become a great convenience not only to fishermen, but to the farming and lumbering community round about. The steam whistle on Robert Innes's large tannery now echoes from hill to hill and reminds us that the old valley has taken upon herself new enterprises. Several comfortable dwelling-houses are dotting the green sward in front of the squire's premises, giving the place quite the air of a little village. The creek has cut new channels for itself through the meadow. The hio-h bank — the abode of our kino^fisher friends — has been washed away, until the creek is ready to break through into its old channel, now occupied by the bayou next the mountain. "• Slack's Run," that comes murmuring down through the cleft in the mountains, empties itself into the pond lower down, and has changed its name to "Bloody Run," by reason of two mur- ders that have been committed upon its wild banks, since the peaceful days of yore. The old Slope Wall is greener and more lovely, while its BODINES. 25 swirls and pools still afford the skilful angler abundance of sport. The picturesque point where we first stopped to lunch has become more beautiful, by reason of the improvements originating there during every June that finds us promptly upon its cher- ished banks. The bayou is larger, deeper, and filled with monstrous suckers, that go solemnly nosing about upon its pebbly bottom. The pond, with its rocks and overhanging trees, is grander. The stream, with its rapids near at hand, wider and more musical. The willows across the way, taller, shutting in our delightful little retreat from the observation of passers-by. The old stub with its beautiful vine, alas ! has fallen, but the vine itself has been trained to another tree, while graceful ferns are growing from the miouldering ruins of the fallen monarch. The stately beech has a mound about its trunk, covered with maiden-hair ferns, violets, and exquisite mosses. A pathway leads down from between it and a fine elm, to its left, either side of which is flanked with a row of immense ferns and Solomon-seals. Docks are built* upon the bayou side, in the shade of the mountain where we land the boats in our excursions to and from the farm-house. The two pines on the extreme end of the point are more stately, and lean gracefully to either side, giving a better view of the pond. Indeed, our island has become a little paradise, in which I have 26 BODINES. written what follows; while wife and friends have spent many happy days in its cool shade and peaceful quietness. My children have played and romped among its wild-flowers, and hathed in its refreshing waters, renewed health and vigor keeping pace with their happy play. Pis- catorial friends, who figure so largely in these pages, have kept me company here, and joined, most heartily, in making our camp-life a time of perfect enjoyment and rest. In this immediate neighborhood have transpired most of the scenes which are herein portrayed. Under the branches of its lovely trees, surrounded with flowers, birds, and the melody of its rippling waters, have I spent many enchanting hours. What better name, therefore, can I give my sketches, dear reader, than the one nearest my heart, charming, lovely, dear old " BODINES" ? CHAPTER 11. THE PREPARATION. How to make your Tents and other Camp-Fixtures — Supplies. Our camp-ground could not be more conveni- ently located. We are high enough to escape any inundation from a sudden rise in the stream; a spring near at hand, and a large body of drift- wood lodged within easy reach. Good water and plenty of firewood are two essentials for com- fortable camp-life. The farm-house chimney is visible from our abode, whither we can paddle our canoe and secure fresh milk, eggs, butter, bread, or almost any article of food required. Such a location is indispensable, if you mean to take wife and children with you. But if gen- tlemen alone go, then it is not so important ; for one can live in the woods upon bacon, coffee, and biscuit, provided the fishing is good enough to warrant such a deprivation. But, as for me, I must confess to a liking for good, nutritious food, a comfortable bed, and pleasant surroundings, even if I do not capture quite so many fish. My friend Bev. Thomas K. Beecher, who has spent some time with me in camp, and who is a skilful 27 28 BODINES. flj-caster and a line shot witli the rifle, says I do not " rough it" enough, that my bill of fare is too good, my equipments too numerous, and my grounds too near civilization, to make the change from home-life sufficiently marked. Therein we differ. I cannot eat bacon, — I don't like it. I can't lie on the damp ground, — it gives me rheumatism. I don't want to go into the wilderness, where a letter or a telegram cannot reach me in a month, — I have a wife and children, and must know that they are well. I must not go far from home, to be gone two or three months, — my business engagements will not permit it, neither can I afford the expense. I must have good food, a comfortable bed, and dry quarters, because I am a dyspeptic ! Kow, there exist thousands of men, precisely in my predicament, who will be glad to know how I overcome all the objections enumerated. For such, uiore particularly, are these pages written. So much, then, by way of introduction to Avhat follows. The first thing, naturally, to be sought for is a good tent. I have tried a variety of kinds and sizes, and give my preference to a large and roomy one to sleep in. An ordinary wall-tent, eight by nine feet, is too contracted in which to live for a month. Of course, it can be done, but a larger one is much more preferable and not very expen- sive. I use a tent twelve by eighteen feet, five THE PREPARATION. 29 feet high at the eaves, and nine feet to the ridge- pole. Such a one gives room upon one side for two large beds (holding four persons), and a writing and reading table on the other side, with plenty of space for sitting and lounging purposes. Do not buy your tents : the manufacturers ask far too much for them ; make them yourself. I will tell you how. Mark out a diagram on your barn floor like this, DIAGRAM OP TENT. and I will show you how to construct a tent, twelve by eighteen feet, that shall be water-tight and cost you less than thirteen dollars. From the diagram, it will be seen that you will require six strips of yard wide " duck," twice seven feet and six inches long (or fifteen feet), making in all thirty yards. These must be sewed in a double seam, overlapping each breadth one inch. Make a hem one inch wide upon the two 3* 80 BODINES. ends that form the eaves. TJirou2:h this run a rope the size of an ordinary bed-cord ; at every breadth work an eyelet to receive the cords that hold the tent to the pegs. The cord running through the hem prevents the material from tear- ing. The price of the duck should not be more than sixteen cents per yard, making the roof to the tent cost four dollars and eighty cents. You will now require for the two ends twenty-one and one-third yards of hea\^ unbleached mus- lin, worth eight cents a yard, costing one dollar and seventy-one cents. Cut this into four strips seven feet long, and four more nine feet in length. Lay the two long ones in the centre, and the two short ones on each side of them, over your dia- gram on the floor, and cut off the corners so as to have them fit into the gable of the roof. Sew them together, except in the centre, where they may be joined for about four feet from the peak, and there " stayed" well with an extra piece of cloth, to prevent ripping or tearing. This open- ing in the centre pieces forms the entrance to the tent, and may be made still more secure by sew- ing an extra piece of muslin, five feet long, over this slit, fastening it only at the top. (This is optional.) This done, one end of your tent is now formed. Serve the remaining four pieces in like manner for the opposite end, then sew them to the roof. You will next need twelve strips of the same THE PREPARATION. 31 material, five feet long, for the sides. Sew six of them together for each side, overlapping the seams one inch, as in the top, and when done, hem it one inch wide at the bottom. Pass a rope throngh this hem, and work eyelets at every seam. Sew the sides thus formed to the top, so as to allow it to project three inches, as seen at A in our diagram. This requires twenty yards of goods, costing one dollar and sixty cents, i^ow sew your cor- ners together, and work large button-holes upon one of the centre end pieces, from the ground to the eaves ; on the opposite one sew large wooden buttons, so that the ends can be buttoned together in case of a storm. I^ext, you will need a fly. For this you will require six pieces of muslin eighteen feet long, which, when sewed together and hemmed in the same manner as the top, with rope and eyelets in same localities, will form a shelter over the entire tent, projecting fifteen inches beyond, to carry the water free from the sides. This fly should not touch the tent's roof by a foot, except where it rests upon the ridge- pole; it catches the first shock of the rain, and prevents its falling through the real roof in a fine spray. It also keeps your tent cooler when the sun falls upon it. For this, thirty-six yards of muslin are necessary, costing two dollars and eighty-eight cents. You now have 32 BODINES. 30 yards of duck @ 16c. . . . |4.80 77^ yards of muslin @, 8c. . . . 6.19 Necessary rope, say .... 2.00 $12.99 your tent complete thus costing you less than thirteen dollars, not estimating your labor at any- thing. Indeed, so much pleasure will be found in constructing your own tent that thirteen dol- lars should be credited to it for the fun you have had. In that case, it has cost nothing, but, upon the contrary, you are at least one cent ahead on the transaction. I must further add that all these seams can be sewed upon a sewing-machine, with Clark's No. 40 spool cotton. The seams being double, are sufficiently strong to resist any strain to which they may be subjected. When searching for a tent of this capacity, we were asked eighty dollars for it by a manufac- turer, and of no better material t^an the one we made ourselves. Seven cords, ten feet long, will be required, with one end tied in the eyelet made at every seam along the eaves. Marline or tarred rope, about a foot long, must be tied in the eye- lets at the bottom of the tent, to hold it to pegs which will be driven in the ground to hold the sides perpendicular. Your fly will also need four ropes on each side, about fifteen feet long. Now, make a strong brine, using all the salt the water will dissolve, and plunge your tent and THE PREPARATION. 33 fl}^ into the pickle, where it may remain two or three days. At the end of that time remove it, and spread it on a line to dry. Then go over it with a very thin whitewash, made from fresh lime, putting the solution on wdth a whitewash- brush. When dry, your tent is ready for use, — will never mildew or rot, and will he ready for service during your natural life. When you take it to the woods, a ridge-pole eighteen feet long can he cut, together with two upright poles nine feet high, with a fork upon the small ends to re- ceive and hold it in place. The pins and stakes are to be had in the woods in like manner, so saving trouble of transportation. Three per- sons can pitch such a tent in twenty minutes, or less. • Place the ridge-pole under the centre of the roof so that each end of it rests in the peak in a crotch of a pole. Then one person at each end can do the raising, holding the pole in place, while the third drives the pins and fastens the ropes. But it seems superfluous to teach any one how to pitch a tent. I will guarantee you will be able to do it in some shape, so go ahead and try. If you need a tent for your servant, sew three pieces of ducking together, fifteen feet long. Ilem and work eyelets across the ends. Mark out your diagram on the floor as for the large tent, only making this one in shape of the letter A. Estimating your ridge-pole to be six and a 34 BODINES. half feet high, and the sides of your tent reach- ing the ground, you will require two strips for each end six and a half feet long, with corners cut to fit the gables. These, when sewed in the ends, and left open in the middle, at one end of the tent, will give you an A tent six by nine feet on the ground, and costing less than three dollars and fifty cents. As it is certain to rain more in the woods than when you are at home, you would better prepare another " fly," made of striped awning-cloth, of about the size of the fly to your tent, and made in the same manner. This will serve you as a dining-room, when stretched over a ridge-pole, supported by two forked poles planted in the ground to hold them firmly. These poles should be ten feet high, and the eaves of your roof should be at least five feet from the ground. Your table (made of drift-wood, always to be found on a stream, or of branches of trees of about an inch in diameter, laid close together, and nailed upon suitable cleats, supported by four legs driven into the ground) should be placed in the centre of this canopy. If you do not take camp-stools, make them, by boring four holes in pieces of slabs, or blocks of wood that are always at hand on all habitable streams of this day, and drive legs into them. For this and other camp purposes you will need a saw, one and a half inch auger, hatchet, a four-pound axe, and a THE PREPARATION. 35 quantity of nails. "With these implements you can construct a home and furnish it comfortably, and even elegantly, in two or three days, and enjoy every moment of the time you are so em- ployed. ^N'ow, who's going ? If you take your wife and children, — which w(? recommend, as they can be perfectly comfortable in such a tent, and will grow strong and happy in the open air, — Ave ad- vise you to locate on the bank of some stream, in a shady wood, near a farm-house that can supply you with bread, butter, milk, and eggs. If a party of four gentlemen are going to spend four weeks in trout or other iishing, select a dry spot under some large trees, near the best fishing- pools, and take with you the following necessary utensils : 2 long-handled frying-pans. A coffee-pot. A tea-pot. A long-handled 8-quart boiler (in which to boil your potatoes and to heat your dish-water). A dish-pan. A small tea-kettle. A wire broiler. 6 common knives and forks. 1 butcher knife. 1 long-handled iron spoon. 1 long-handled iron fork. 1 dozen tin teaspoons. 36 BODINES. J dozen tin table spoons. 12 tin plates. 12 tin cups. 1 2-quart pail (for milk). 1 4-quart pail (for water). 2 bars soap. 4 dish-towels. 6 toilet-towels. Combs and tooth-brushes. These are all that are absolutely needed, but other useful articles can be added. My own kit consists, in addition to what I have here given, of— Another frying-pan. A Dutch oven. 3 covered, tin, 2-quart pans (for serving stewed tomatoes, potatoes, etc.). 1 dozen small " puif-pans" (used as sauce- dishes). A jack-lantern. A shovel. The extra number of plates are necessary to place your potatoes, fish, bread, and other articles upon at table, while the cups are used for sugar, salt, syrup, etc., as well as for drinking your coffee and tea. Place your tin cups in your coffee-pot and tea-pot, and these inside your dish-pan ; putting knives, forks, and spoons in the unoccupied spaces about them. Your tea-kettle should go THE PREPARATION. 37 inside your four-quart pail, and your dozen plates on top. Your own ingenuity will teacli you how to pack tlieni all snugly. Make a strong box of inch pine boards, four feet long, two feet wide, and two feet deep. Bind the ends, all the way around, with iron, and strengthen the top in same manner. Attach the lid to the box by means of long strap-hinges, and two strong hasps in front to hold it down. Eight inches from the top, at each end, bore two one-inch holes, through which put a piece of inch rope, wrapping the ends to- gether on the inside, so as to form handles by which to lift it. In the bottom of this l)ox, pack the following provisions, which will keep four hungry persons four weeks, as well as any visi- tors that are likely to call upon you to enjoy your hospitality : 12 lbs. wheat flour. 20 lbs. corn-meal. 4 quarts beans. 2 bushels potatoes. 1 peck Bermuda onions., 5 lbs. rice. 10 lbs. dried fruit (peaches are best). 10 lbs. ground cofiee. 5 lbs. black tea. 25 lbs. granulated sugar. 10 lbs. salt pork (in which to fry fish). 10 lbs. dried beef. 16 lbs. butter (in crock). 4 b-^ 38 BODINES J lb. black pepper. 1 lb. red pepper. 2 lbs. candles. 5 lbs. soda crackers. 2 quarts pickles. 1 sack salt. 1 package matches (tightly corked in bottle). 1 box baking powder. 1 box saleratus. To this add a quantity of bread and bis- cuit, and rely upon some farm-house for a fresh supply. Your sugar should be placed in a Avooden sugar-bucket with cover, to be found at all gro- ceries. Your coffee and tea may go into tin cans, as well as your flour and corn-meal. The tin cans used for fancy crackers, to be had of your grocer, will be very convenient for packing such articles, and will fit nicely in your camp-chest. After your provisions'are in the box, throw your potatoes and onions in among them, to fill up the vacant spaces, then pack your cooking utensils, with axe, saw, hatchet, auger, and nails, on top, together with two bars of iron half an inch thick, an inch and a half wide, and as long as th^ box. Your box will contain them all and your large tent also. You can add to this list canned fruits, toma- toes, corn, etc., with some jellies and jam, that taste very well in the woods. We have only THE PREPARATION. 39 given a list of what seems to be necessary. If you smoke, do not forget your pipes and Yanity Fair tobacco. Do not take cigars. They soon become damp and do not burn well. Erect upon one side of your tent two bedsteads, constructed in the following manner : Drive six green stakes into the ground, forming two rec- tangles, end to end, four by six feet. Cut tAvo straight saplings twelve feet long, and nail them to the three stakes on a side, about eighteen inches from the ground. Across these nail " slats," formed of round poles, of as near the same size as possible, and across the ends other poles, to serve as "head-boards." This gives you two bedsteads, foot to foot, upon which you can place two ticks of suitable size, tilled with straw from the nearest farm-house. If you are away from civilization, where straw or hay can- not be obtained, gather a quantity of hemlock or spruce boughs, pile them up a foot or more deep, over which spread a blanket or comfort- able; or, better still, cut off the larger stems and fill the tick with the small, delicate boughs, and you will have a bed fit for a king to rest upon. In a large trunk or box you can pack six com- fortables, four sheets, and four pillows, — all the bedclothing required, even should the weather be cold. A comfortable placed over a straw" or hemlock -bough tick makes a luxurious bed. Once in two or three days at least the beds and 40 BODINES. bedding should be spread in the sun, else are they apt to grow musty. !N"ear your dining-room, pile up a lot of stones about a foot high and four feet long. Build a wing on each end two feet long, cover the stones with sod and earth (here comes in the shovel), so that when it is finished vou will have a fire- place shaped like this | |. ]N'ow place your four-feet bars of iron across the top of this, upon which to set your frying- pans, your coffee- and tea-pots, and your boiler, making one of the most convenient arrange- ments for out-door cooking that can be devised. Under these bars of iron, protected by the banks of stone and sods to the rear and on either side, hot, glowing coals are always kept, over which fish, flapjacks, potatoes, cofiee, and other food can be conveniently cooked ; beside, the bars are great economizers of wood, enabling you to cook without burning your face or scorching your utensils and food. If your neighboring farm-house has ice, sink a flour-barrel in the ground to its top, — boring a few holes in the bottom for drainage, — and place a large chunk of ice in the bottom, covering the top with a board or blanket. It will keep a ^Veek in this manner. If a barrel is not to be had, dig a hole two or three feet deep and stone it up, where you can keep your milk, butter, and fish cool and fresh, even without ice. THE PREPARATION. 41 ITear the fireplace should be constructed a sort of kitchen-table, with rack for hanging pans, pots, and other cooking utensils. This can be quickly done by driving four stakes into the ground, nailing cleats across them, and covering the tops with saplings of equal size. On one edge drive nails, to be used as hooks upon which to hang the frying-pans, etc. This will be very convenient in all your cooking and dishwashing work. Take a piece of ticking about four feet square and cover its surface with pockets. Hang this upon the side of your tent. You will find it an excellent place in which to deposit articles of various kinds, — pipes, tobacco, letters, maga- zines, needles, thread, twine, buttons. Suspend a pole lengthwise of your tent by means of twine tied around the ridge-pole. Let it hang down a foot or two below the top of the tent. Over this hang your extra clothing or other articles that need to be put out of the way. Under one corner of the dining-room canopy place your camp-chest, and in the bottom ar- range cans of fiour, coffee, tea, sugar, etc. Roll the bread up in an old table-cloth that should be taken along for the purpose, and lay it also in the chest. Construct a shelf near the top of the chest, upon which place other articles needed for the table. By this arrangement they are kept dry. You can never tell when it will rain in the woods, and it is better always to be ready for it. 4X 42 BODINES. Under your table, which stands in the centre of the canopy, make a shelf, upon which place plates, knives, forks, spoons, pepper, salt, table- cloth, and napkins. Below this, on the ground, make a bin for potatoes and onions. Everything now but pans and kettles (and the wet will not injure them) is housed and out of the way. Ao'ainst a tree — one as straio'ht as vou can find — make a rack in which to stand your rods, so that they may not be blown down and broken. This saves the necessity, also, of taking them apart after each day's fishing. Many other little conveniences will suggest themselves and keep you employed when feeling so inclined. Benches can be made about the fireplace, upon which to rest when enjoying the camp-fire at night. Ornamental brackets, manu- factured out of laurel-roots, Avill serve as adorn- ments for the tent-poles. Wild-flower gardens can be arranged to beautify the " door-yard." In short, there is no end to the things you can do for the amusement of yourself and friends. You are now ready for housekeeping, when, I'm sure, you will be able to entertain and amuse yourselves in various ways aside from the de- lights of fly-fishing. Fortunately, our fancies and inclinations are not the same, else would this be a stupid world in which to live. While Hamlin, Thad Jr., and I did the fishing for camp, Robert, the book- THE PREPARATION. 43 dealer, and Charles, the ex-banker from Brook- lyn, Avorked like Turks in and about the camp, constructing comfortable rustic settees, chairs, and other articles of furniture. But Avhat we all did, and how, and when, and where, must be learned from what follows. CHAPTEE III. PAKAPHERNALIA. Kods, Boats, Dress, Fly, Books, and a Baby. " It is really funny to read the advice of sun- dry scribblers upon the selection of fishing appa- ratus and camp equipments, when it is clearly evident that it emanates from persons Avho have had little or no experience in camp-life, or with the articles they recommend," Charles remarked, upon throwing down a book in which he had been endeavoring to interest himself for an hour or more. " Why, confound them !" he further added, " they are a lot of stupid ninnies who try ito guess what is needed for camp-life, and then, forthwith, parade their supposed information in print, while they exhibit their wares for sale, without having the most remote knowledge of what they're writ- ing about, or the practicability of the abominable contrivances they seek to place upon the market." Delivering himself of this righteous opinion, he turned out of his hammock, took a large sponge from its peg upon a tree, and proceeded to souse his face, neck, and head with the cool water of the creek. 44 PARAPHERNALIA. 45 " Palmer is right," interposed Hamlin ; " and one of the articles that should be interdicted in camp is a split bamboo rod. I wouldn't give a cent for one for our use. They will do very well for a day or two of fishing in fair weather ; but just stand them up against a tree, where they take the rain, dew, and dampness, for a month, and they will be found soon to lose their elasticity and springing qualities." " Well, they don't stand dampness very well, that's a fact, Hamlin," I respond. " Just look at mine, for instance." And I held my best bam- boo for inspection. " Yes, crooked as a ram's horn, and quite as useless. I tell you, they are good for nothing for a long trip in the woods. They are not reli- able.* A pretty fix j'ou would be in, if off in the wilderness, somewhere, with a rod that would curl up like a watch-spring every time it was rained upon !" "Well, how do you like that 'whip-rod' of mine?" " What, the one woven all over, from tip to butt, like a whip ?" " Yes." * Since this was written, I have had an opportunity of test- ing a split bamboo that has withstood the camp test. It has been resting against a tree for four weeks, — in all sorts of weather, and retains its elasticity perfectly. It is the octagon fly-rod made by W. L. Hoskins, of Owego, N. Y. 46 BODINES. " Not a whit better than your bamboo. There's no use talking ; these fancy rods, gotten up to be strikingly new and novel, will not stand actual service. Now, your whip-rod, as you call it, was elegant when you first brought it down here, but the dampness has swollen it, stretching its woven jacket, until now that it is dry it fits like a shirt on a bean-pole ; rendering it good for nothing, like all the rest of them." " I think any rod loses its elasticity if not properly protected with varnish," I suggested. " True enough; but how much varnish does it require, pray, for ' proper protection' ? To my certain knowledge you placed three good coats of copal varnish upon every one of your rods before we left home, and it does seem to me that would be enough to render any sort of rod im- pervious to water — except a split bamboo." " I'm afraid you are prejudiced against bamboo rods, Hamlin. You must admit they are very strong and light ?" " When dry, you should have added; but you can't always rely upon clear weather when lying out in the woods ; therefore, I say, they are un- safe." ^'Toot! toot!" '' Halloo ! There comes Chandler, the Phila- delphian. That is his signal ; he'll be here in a few moments. I guess he's at the big pool around the turn, and notifies us of his approach. We'll PARAPHERNALIA. 47 just take his opinion on the rod question ; for the sorts and kinds that have not passed through his hands are not worth considering." "Here he comes now. Halloo, Chandler! How are you, old boy V "Nimble as a cat-bird; how are all the campers ?" " Well, and glad to see you. Come ashore, and join in in this discussion on the rod question." "What is the point of difference?" " Why, Hamlin here, who is always suspicious of anything new in guns or rods, you know, is inclined to place a poor valuation upon the split bamboo rod ; thinks it won't stand moisture, and is therefore untrustworthy as a rod for daily and constant use." "Well stated, doctor. I'll stick to that declara- tion until I find better bamboos than you have yet wielded !" " Hamlin, your proposition is not without force. I must confess that I never feel perfectly safe to be out with a split bamboo and not within reach- ing distance of my bundle of iron woods. But then, I know good fishermen who could not be persuaded to use any other sort. I^ow, here's a bamboo that I have fished with all the morning, from Ralston to this camp, and I must say that a lighter and more elastic rod I never had in hand. But I rarely get it wet, and whe.n I do, am careful to wipe it dry before laying it away. 48 BOD I NFS. Then I give it two good coats of the best copal varnish as soon as the fishing season is over, and another one in tlie spring, before I use it. These rods need to be protected from moisture. If water gets into the glued seams they are ruined." " ^N^ot only that," interjects Hamlin, "but if you should break a tip, you can't sit down and mend it on the stream, as you do your lance- wood." To this Chandler only partly assented, and gave his opinion : " The best rod, I think, I ever owned is one made by myself, of ironwood, cut right here upon this stream. It has a curled maple handle, twelve inches long and an inch and a quarter in diameter, at the grasp. This grasp is five inches long, and behind it, at the end of the handle, slopes down to seven-eighths of an inch, to receive rings of that size that hold the reel. The pecu- liarity of this rod is, that it has a short first joint and a very long middle one : tbis arrangement brings the elasticity where it belongs, on the middle joint. The first joint, from the handle to the end of the ferrule, is twenty-one inches : it is made of ironwood ; and, where it joins the handle, is half an inch in diameter, tapering to twelve thirty-seconds of an inch at the opposite end. The second joint is forty-six inches long, tapering from twelve to eight thirty-seconds of an inch, and is also of ironwood. The tip is of split bam- PARAPHERNALIA. 40 boo, forty-seven inches long, tapering from eight to two thirty-seconds of an inch. This makes a rod of about ten and a half feet in length, weighs eight ounces (the maple butt being the heaviest part), is delightfully elastic, of an even spring from butt to tip, will cast a fly as far as you desire it to go, and is capable of landing a four-pound trout — when you hook him." " That's what might be termed getting a rod ' down to dots,' " observed Charles, who all this while had been an attentive listener, and who at once inquired, — " What are the dimensions of that rod you made, doctor ? I like the hang of that pretty well." " I use a very limber rod, you know^, Charles; one that is called ' logy.' I think you can cast a fly with much more ease with a ' slow' or very limber rod than you can with a ' quick' one. My favorite rod, therefore, is made much like Chand- ler's: with the same heavy grasp, short first joint twenty-four inches long, half inch in diameter at handle, and tapering to ten thirty-seconds. The second joint is forty-three inches long, tapering from ten to six thirty-seconds of an inch. Both these joints are of ironwood, while the tip is of lancewood, and is forty inches long, tapering from six thirty-seconds of an inch to a point. This is a much more limber rod than Chandler's, and would not suit many fly-casters; but, as c 5 50 BODINES. before remarked, it is adapted to me and my style of casting, exactly. I find that almost all fishermen have their own ideas as to how a rod should hang, and how stifi:' or limber it should be. 1^0 rule, therefore, can be given by which a rod can be constructed to suit all hands. I think, however. Chandler's and this rod of mine are fair representatives of the two classes of rods that might be styled ' quick' and ' slow.' " " Do these measurements include the ferrules ? and where do you amateur rod-makers procure them ?" he again inquired. " Yes, the measurements include the ferrules, which can be obtained, in sets, of all dealers in fishing apparatus. The handles are turned out of curled maple at any wood-turning establish- ment, while the ironwood joints are worked out Avith a plane until the dimensions are nearly right; then a rasp and sand-paper are employed to comjDlete the work. The ferrules are fitted tightly and put on with any good cement. The rings or guides for the line are best when sta- tionary ; that is, the stays and rings should be in one piece, so that the ring always stands out from the rod, giving a freer delivery to the line. They are easily made, with round-nosed pliers, out of German-silver wire." ^'That's a good arrangement, too," observed, Hamlin ; " the line never sticks, necessitating a strong jerk to free it, as occurs in the loose ring." PARAPHERNALIA. 51 ^' Greeiiheart makes a very good rod. I notice manufjieturers are using it now quite extensively. They claim that it is more elastic than ironwood, hickory, ash, or any of the woods usually em- ployed, save perhaps lancewood. The trouble with lancewood is, it is so very brittle that it will not always stand a sudden or severe strike." " I am not so sure of that. Chandler. I prefer a lancewood tip to any other, and I very rarely break one. When I do, it usually occurs from carelessness. It is more apt to be broken by thrusting its point against the trunk of a tree as you are winding your way through the woods, but I cannot recall an instance where one was broken while landing a trout." " You have been more fortunate than I, then. I now use split bamboo tips to all my rods." " Chandler and I made ourselves each two rods of ironwood this season, Hamlin, without any ferrules, and I like tliem very much. You get the full spring of the rod by splicing the joints, instead of putting ferrules over them ; and then they are much lighter, and never stick when you want to take them apart. Wait a moment ; I'll run up to the tent and bring you one. ^tTow, there is a little rod, ten feet and six inches long, without a ferrule upon it, and weighs only four ounces! The handle and first joint are in one piece, of ironwood, just five feet and six inches long, while the tip is of lancewood, five feet long. 52 BODINES. It is not an inconvenient length to carry, you see, and I wonder that rod-makers do not supply them. Where the tip fits to the second joint the ends are bevelled accurately, and wound with thread. It is done almost as quickly as you can put a ferruled rod together, and is always in order. I have still another that goes together Avith one ferrule, where this one is spliced. It works very nicely, hut has not the elasticity of the spliced one." " I should think it inconvenient to hold the two pieces in place while you are wrapping them." " Not at all, for, see, I have wrapped a small piece of brass at the butt end of each splice, so that the sharp points of each end slip under this fastening, holding it quite securely, without any wrapping. It is a short job to secure it now, with a waxed thread, and how beautifully it bends ! Try it." " That is a little daisy, and springs splendidly. I should like to fish with it some day." " All right, Ilamlin ; take it along ; you will enjoy it, I'm sure." At this point Charles approached the group from the direction of the tent, holding a copy of Forest and Stream in his hand, and glancing over the advertisements, delivered himself as follows : "I don't know much about your rods, but here is a matter that I am interested in, and that is, boats. I have examined all manner of folding PARAPHERNALIA. 53 and other portable boats, and I do think they are in the main an abomination. Now, look at that canvas folding-boat of the doctor's there ! What a looking thing it is ! Awkward, bulky, leaky, and weighs over eighty-iive pounds. The frame- work is heavy, weak, and exceedingly trouble- some to adjust, while as to real portability, it has no advanta«'e over a full-leno;th canoe. What will you take for it, doctor ?" "Will sell it cheap, Charles; take it at your own price. But I warn you beforehand that it is the most useless thing in the shape of a boat I ever encountered. I have owned another sort beside that one, have examined others, and must give it as my unprejudiced opinion that all folding and portable boats are complete and utter failures, certain to disappoint the expecta- tions of the purchaser. After devoting consid- erable time and money to the selection of a portable boat, I know of nothing that will an- swer all the requirements better than a light cedar canoe of about thirteen feet in length. Such a boat can be carried in the bao'o-aiJ^e-car of a train, or any reasonable distance in the woods by two persons, and will carry them in return when the water affords a passage. A canoe of this kind is to be had for about twenty-five dol- lars of the various makers, whose advertisements can be found in the sportsmen's papers. " I have made quite a convenient boat, to carry 54 BODINES. in a wagon, for fishing npon mountain-ponds, where there are no boats, or to carry down the river several miles when fishing for bass. m\ " It is made of galvanized sheet-iron, in two pieces, one piece fitting inside the other, occu- pying a space when so packed of twenty inches by six and one-half feet, and weighing about forty-five pounds. You can construct one your- self in less than half a day, at a cost of not more than seven dollars. Procure two pieces of light, galvanized sheet-iron, six and a half feet long and three feet w^ide. Cut a V-shaped piece out of one end of each of them, so that the apex of the triangular piece will be eighteen inches from the square end. Give me a sheet of paper and pencil ; I Avill mark out a diagram for you. " There. Cut in from A and D to B just eigh- teen inches ; serve the other piece in the same manner. Then place their ends together, as at C, and you will know how long the boat will be when finished. Take your pieces so cut to a tinner, and have him turn over the edges (A to E and D to F), so as to receive a N'o. galvan- ized iron wire (keeping the two pieces separate). This stiffens the edges and makes the boat firm, PA RAPHERNALIA. 55 so that no ribs are required. ITow fold A on to D, and punch holes through the lapped edges, and rivet them securely together with iron rivets (don't use copper ones : the galvanic action will rust the iron), first having smeared the edges with thick red lead. Bring the two corners at C within twenty inches of each other, and rivet an end of the same iron into it, shaping it to a half-round, and turning up a flange of an inch all around, through which to drive the rivets. Smear this with lead as before. One-half your boat is now completed. Treat the remaining piece in the same manner, only cutting oif an inch from the square end, so that one part will be an inch shorter than its mate, enabling it to set in it " spoon fashion." When completed, place both square ends together, and make a pine seat, with two prongs screwed to its under surface, so as to slide over both ends of the two parts, holding them securely together. Your boat is now fin- ished, and will look like this ; 56 BODINES. It will be thirteen feet long, will carry two or three persons readily, and will float like a duck. The points are sharp, and the centre flares to twenty inches, giving it great buoyancy." " What becomes of it if leaky or in any man- ner it is filled with water ?" "It will go to the bottom, of course; but there is no necessity for filling it with water. It will not tip over easily, and is as safe as any canoe, if properly handled. I do not recommend it as a plaything for children, but it can be made per- fectly safe for them even, by putting air-tight bulkheads in each end, which would serve also for seats, at the same time rendering it impossi- ble to sink the craft." " How do you propel it ?" " With paddle, as you do other canoes. Oar- locks can be riveted on the sides and oars used if you desire." " Where are the materials to be had, and what do they cost ?" " Of any hardware dealer. The iron, thirty- six inches wide, should not cost more than twelve cents a pound, and weighs about one pound to the square foot. Galvanized iron rivets cost about thirty cents a pound, and the large wire about three and one-quarter cents a pound. If the wire cannot be obtained, galvanized, have it tinned. This can be done in a few minutes at any tin-shop, and prevents rusting. The boat PARAPHERNALIA. 57 should be painted some shade of green inside and out, which will render it less conspicuous upon the water. " A light frame- work of wood^a sort of trellis — can be placed in the bottom of the boat, to step upon and protect the iron from injury." " While we are on this subject of equipments, do tell me how you came to devise that uniform of yours, and what are its advantages ?" " What, my fishing suit, Charles ?" " Yes. You look like an overgrown school- boy just let out for recess, in that roundabout." "It is a very comfortable rig, nevertheless, Charles. This jacket I had constructed out of one of my cast-ofi:' Scotch tweed coats. I had the tails cut ofi:', and fashioned like a regular school-boy's roundabout, as you say. These pockets (three rows on each side) are convenient for carrying various fishing appliances. This little pocket, even with my shoulder, on the left side, is where I carry my watch, so that it need not get wet in deep wadings. I learned that lesson several years ago in wading through the deep hole back of Astenville. It was in the even- ing; I saw large trout rising in the deep water next the mountain. To get at them it was neces- sary to wade to my armpits. I was so interested in casting for, and occasionally capturing one of them, that my watch was entirely forgotten and completely swamped. It cost me seven dollars 58 BODINES. for repairs ; and this pocket, high and dry on my shoulder, is the result of that experience. This large pocket, in the skirt, over the hip, is where I carry my gossamer waterproof cape, which I use in a rain-storm, to keep my shoulders dry. The one on the inside of the left breast contains my fly-book, and the one on the opposite breast, my tea and sugar pouches. The trousers are made to button tight about my ankles, so oflering less resistance to the water when wading. But I pride myself most upon my shoes. Just look at them !" " Yes, I see ; much like a gunboat, and as heavy in proportion. What under the sun have you so many hobnails in them for ?" "For two reasons : to prevent slipping upon the slimy stones, and to give them weight, so as to aiford a firm footing in swift water." " But I should think they would tire you in carrying them about." " Not at all. Their weight is not felt in the water, and I even prefer them as a walking shoe on land. In having your wading shoes made, be sure to get them large enough, with great, broad soles, and very low and broad heels. If your heels are high, 3^our shoe when wet will surely run over. Kever employ shoestrings. Have a wide lap coming over the front of your shoe, to fasten on the outer side with three buckles. Have the shoe run up the ankle at least twelve inches PARA PHER NA LI A . 59 from the bottom of the heeL See that there is plenty of room to admit your trousers, so as to buckle snugly about your ankles. This makes the perfection of a comfortable wading shoe." " Why are those nails driven in the heel in the shape of the letter U ?" " Examine Hamlin's. You will find an II on his, and Thad Jr.'s are marked with a T. I will tell you why : " Once Hamlin and I concluded to fish Pleas- ant Stream from its source to its mouth. We employed Mr. Stull, a liveryman of Canton, Pa., to drive us from that village, over the moun- tains, to the head-waters of the stream. A man by the name of Chase, who kept a hotel in the village, volunteered, with a chum of his, to go as guides and shov/ us where cabins could be found in which to lie at niHit. " After a delightful ride over those picturesque mountains, during which many beautiful hills and valleys were traversed, we finally struck the stream, at its very head, late in the afteriioon. Our self-appointed guides, fishing-rods in hand, struck boldly out to lead the way. In twenty minutes they had disappeared down the stream, and we saw nothing more of them until next day, about lunching time, when they hove in sight to inform us that they had found the cabin, had slept in it all night, and were surprised not to find us there in the morning. In the mean time. • ^. -LijL 1.11^:5 iiii,