National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-01-03
4 HUNTING ADVENTURE.


Thousand Islands, on the River st
Lawrence, with, tolerah'n s.cs6ss
th,phs ho tNn Experience Of my Kings
~" lShiinan. But the weather becam,
too hot, even in this latitude, for sucl
sport, and the fish refused to bite, so
was fain to wander about the sleepy
little City of Kingston, or watch the
soldiers ut their afternoon drill, on the
alopea ef the fort, their red coats strong.
I, contrasting with the green sward OF
source Of wonder to me how the people
managed to enjoy life in so dull place,
for there was no hustle, no commercial
signs scarcely ever visible.
One evening sat on the hotal'stoor
6niutly siuokin6 n. cisaEr when two OF
my Garrisop friends, Major Pomfret
and Tapt. liardinge, came up from their
HNarters and invited me to join them in
a hunting tramp to the great Pine Belt,
as the lumber district is termed. Both
of these gentlemen had oily been in
Capada . few months, having come
with their regiment straight from India.
They were enthusiastic sportsmen, and
talked necessarily of stalking blue bulls
and antelopes, or shooting tigers and
cheetahs, while their rooms down at the
barracks were full of rare skins and
other trophies of the Indian jungles, so
that I readily fell in with their latest
limiting programme
We were to GO by steamer up the Bay
OF Quiute 10 Belleville, busting little
'oNn, and afterward push on by wagon
for Madoc, village then becoming IA
nous for some gold mines that had Just
been discovered. The best part of that
night was occupied in packing up, so
that when the Belleville steamer cast off
her moo1ings the following morning we
were on board. and bade gOod-hye to
sleepy old Kingston and her odd-look-
ing, old-fashioned Martello towers.
The trip up the bay was pleasant one,
the scenery being charming and per-
feet surprise, and late in the afternoon
we arrived at the queer little Belleville
wharf, as it stood among a colony of
steam saw-mills, huge piles of lumber,
and lcres of rough logs huddled togeth-
or By endless bnolns.
A good nights rest at the hotel re-
freshed us, nnd at daylight the next
morning we started for Madoc in light
wagon, another following with our hunt
three days we found ourselves entering
the confines of The Pine belt Nothing
is more impressive than these vast
forests of pine trees. Over one hundred
miles in width, and extending from
British Columbia to the Bay of Fundy,
the belt of timber affords an almost in
exhaustible supply Of that lumber known
all the world over as Canada piNe. So
4 4 e
trees that scarcely any undergrowth is
met with, while the ground is softly
carpeted with decaying pine needles.
The sun seldom penetrates these forest
solitudes, and the woods are very cool
and pleasant in Summer. Here and
there we come across natural opening,
which abounded with all sorts of small
game.
Long before we reached the Pines the
road had become indistinct and we
We're compelled to trust entirely to our
French Canadian guides, whom we had
engaged with their pack of dogs at Ma
doc. Camp was pitched that evening
Mt the side of beautiful little lake
bearing the Indian name of Satch katch
a-wanna, our appetites being sharp set
for the mess Of fish which Francois had
caught, while Antoine and jerome, the
other guides, were pitching the tent and
preparing the large fire SO necessary IN
hunting expeditions.
As the shades of night darkened Ill
upon us, we could hear the cries of the
wood-fowl and the pleasant gable Of
the wild duck as they noisily fed among
the reeds of the swamp near---sounds
which gave us abundant promise of
sport the next day A couple of pipes
and some startling stories of Indian
iungle-hunting from the Major prepared
us for bed, and we slept dreamlessly in
front of the fire until sunrise. Francois
proved himself a true guide, for. he
reused us as the sun rose, and soon had
us out on the lake in a couple of bark
canoes kept hung up to trees. We made
considerable havoc among the ducks by
the time the morning mists had disap-
peared, for the birds were deliciously .
innocent of danger, so we finally gave
mp the work III sheer pity The after
noon was occupied in fishing, and at
supper We decided to push further on to
the northward in hopes of larger game,
twenty-mile tramp, for 1t was use
less attempting to take the carts along
led us to another lake known as Osh-a-
wa-hala, where We established eur head
quarters, jerome and Antoine being
sent back for more supplies. AT the
end of two days We found ourselves
very comfortably fixed, and enjoyed
hshlng and duck-shooting to our hearts
content, the Major being lucky enough
to bag a fat buck while he was sauntcr-
ing among the openings.
Every night We could hear the mo
notonous coo of the ,d-pigeons, and
rs they promised to be a diversion, it
was finally decided that a day should be
devoted to them. Pigeon-shooting in
the woods Is n peculiar sport, for the
hunter has to trust entirely to his eve
and ear. Moving slowly and silently
through the dense forest, the pigeons
mournful cry is at length heard. You
stop and listen, and when the bird
again utters his note you carefully trace :
him TO his tree, usually finding him sit ,
ting on a bare branch near the top,
wholly unconscious of danger. The
woods resOund with the discharge OF
your fowling-piece, and down tumbles
the game. A rest is then necessary, in
order that the pigeons may recover from
their momentary fright, when off the
party start again. This proceeding
makes pigeon-shooting rather exciting
and IN such wild woods as / have de
scrlhed full bag is generally the result
We started after pigeons the next dav {
directly after breakfast, of course armed [
only with shot-guns. Francois, howev-
or. insisted ON taking his rifle. and he 1
put III hls pocket a handful of old s
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