The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-11-03
OUR FRIGHT.

Down East, where used to live, the
boys had way of earning little pocket
money every fall, ty gathering and sell
ing hazelnuts. The hazelnuts which
grew there, like those OH the st. Johns
and the st. Francis, were much Like
" tilberts, " and fully as large.
Our way of gathering nuts, however,
was peculiar one, and as I think now,
very cruel one. We did not pick them
up, one by one from the ground, nor
gather them in the burr from the bush
es. We had what we considereda much
better way.
We used to wait till about the twenti-
eth of October, and then rob the squir-
rels' nests Not the gray squirrels, for
there We're very few gray squirrels in
that Northern country nor yet the red
squirrels, for these latter never lay by
large boards of food for winter but the
thrifty little striped squirrels, or "chip-
pers," as we called them.
The region around was unsettled, and
for the most part covered with forest.
While trapping one autumn, three O us
boys of twelve or thirteen-had dis
covered famous place for hazelnuts. It
was on a small river, called Lurvey's
stream, in m unsettled township to the
northwest, which the people designate
as No. II. Seventeen was the number
it bore on the survey map.
From the farms where we lived, ND
through the woods to Eurvey's stream,
the distance was about five miles. The
place where the hazels grew was in
valley, between two mountains, in a sort
OF natural meadow or interval, with grass
and bush clumps. The hazel bushes
grew along the stream, overhanging the
banks.
It was a lovely wild spot, quiet nook
OF natures own making, walled in on
each side by high, spruce-clad ridges.
The valley was narrow. From the bank
of the stream back to the foot of the
ridges, it was nowhere more than seven
or eight rods-often not more than four.
just ut the foot of the knolls, above
high-water mark, the squirrels used to
dig their holes and locate their store
houses.
Rough boys as we were, we had
keen sense of the beauty of this seclud.
ed valley. 1t was place to which we
delighted to come. For more than four
years we kept the locality secret, so as
to enjoy monopoly of the trout, par
tridges and nuts for this natural inter
val, half open aud sunny, swarmed with
partridges On bright autumn day,
the grass would be alive with them.
Trout and partridges were worthless to
us, save to eat but the hazelnuts sold
for four and five cents quart. Natur-
ally enough, we valued the nuts highest.
All through August and September, the
busy ohipmunks worked. In October
we dug them out. The striped squirrel
digs hole in the earth-generally in q
bank and on dry ground from two to
ten feet in length, and at the end of this
tunnel it hollows out its capacious
granary.
Usually, the squirrels 60 deep enough
to get below the frost; and in here, COM
Portable and cozy, they pass the winter,
when snow is deep on the earth above.
Sometimes. when there comes "thaw,"
with warm weather and rain for a num-
Der of days, few OF them will venture
out, but not very often until the first
of April.
We used to set off for Lurvey's stream
after nuts, armed with shovel, hoe,
crowbar, a two quart measure, and one
or more meal bags There was no
trouble in finding the squirrel holes.
We could see the squirrels running back
and forth, or our dog would find the
entrance to nest.
The nests contained from four quarts
to half q bushel of the nuts each-or-
dinarily, from seven to ten quarts. I
recollect that in one nest we found
eleven two-quart measurefuls-all the
work OF one little creature, of not more
than two ounces weight. Ned said it
was too bad to take them all away from
him. He was right, and am sorry to
record the fact that we took any Of his
store but we left about two quarts, and
thought then that we were acting very
generously. Two quarts of nuts were
worth ten cents; and ten cents was quite
an item with us in those days.
The fourth fall we had q rather dis
agreeable adventure while we were on
our annual nut gathering, and by it the
whole neighborhood learned of our
hazelnut plantation. On the morning
of the twenty-fourth of October, we had
gone to dig ont squirrels, and took with