Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-10-13
Our Great Fright.

Down East, whore used to live, the boys
had way Of earning iittle pocket-money
every fall. by gathering and selling hazel.
nuts. The hazel-nuts which grew there, like
those on the st. Johns and the st. Francis.
were much like " flberts, and fully rs large.
Our way of gathering nuts, however, was
peculiar one. We did not pick them up
one by one from the ground, nor gather
them in the burr from the bushes We
had what we considered much better way.
We used 10 wait till about the Goth of De.
tober. and then rob the squirrels nests
Not the gray squirrels, for there were very
few gray squirrels in that Northern country
nor yet the red squirrels, for these latter
never lay by large hordes of food for winter:
but the thrifty little striped squirrels, or
"chippers," as we called them.
The region around was unsettled, and for
the most part covered with forest While
trapping one autumn, three of us-boys of
twelve or thirtecn-had discovered ia
NOUS place for hazel-nuts 1t was on small
river called Lurycy Stream, in an unsettled
township to the northwest, which the poo
pie designated as No. H. Seventeen was
the number it bore on the Survey Map.
From the farms where we lived, zap
y
distance was about five miles. The place
where the hazels grew was IN valley, be-
tween two mountains, in sort of natural
meadow or intervale, with grass aud BUSH
clumps The hazel-bushes grew along the
stream, oyerhanging the banks.
1t was a lovely wild spot, a quiet nook of
natures own making walled in on each side
by high spruceclad 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 at the foot of the knolls
above high-water mark, the squirrels used 90
dig their holes aud locate their storehouscs
Rough boys as we were, we had q keen
sense Of the beauty of the secluded 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,
partrdges and nuts, for this natural 10.
teryae, half open aud sunny, swarmed
with splendid partridge. On a bright au-
tuinn day the tall grass would he alive with
them. Trout and partridges were worthless
to us, save to eat but the hazel nuts sold
for four and FIVE cents a quart. Naturally
enough. we'valucd the UNITS highest
Al through August and September the
busy chpmmks worked In October we
dug them ont. The striped squirrel digs a
hole in the earth-geuerally in a bank-side
aud on dry grouud-irum two to ten feet in
length, and at the end Of this tunnel it hol-
lows out its capacious grauary.
Usually the squirrels dig deep enough to
yet below the FROST and in here, comforta-
Die and cosy, they pass the winter, when
snow is deep on the earth above. Some
times, when there comes a thaw," with
warm weather and rain for a number of
days, few OF them will venture ont, but not
often till the first of April.
We used to set off Tor lurvey's Stream ai-
ter nuts armed with shovel, hoe crowbar, a
twoquart measure, and one or more meal
bags There was no trouble in finding the
squirrel-hoes. We could see the squirrels
running back and forth. or our dog would
fund the entrance to nest
The nests contained from four quarts TO
half bushe of the nuts each ordinarily,
from seven to ten quarts. recollect that
in one nest we found eleven two-quart meas
urefuls-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. lie 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 gem
erously. 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 rather disagree
able adventure while We were ON our annual
nut-gathering, and by it the whole neigh
borhood learned of our hazel-nut plantation.
On the morning of the 9th of October, we
bad gone to dig out squirrels, and took with
rs Toms gun to shoot cartridges.
We arrived at the stream about ten o'clock
in the forenoon, dug out three squirrels, and
then began to shoot partrdges, So as to have
stew for supper that night
Neds dog Rover" would scour through
the grass, among the hazel-clumps, and start
up the partridges Tom could then shoot
them almost as fast as he could load. do
not think we We're more than an hour shoot
ing thirteen. And we should have shot
more, but Toms powder gave out. In the
excitement, he had shot his powder-hom
empty before he knew it.
Then we turned our attention to fishing.
The stream abounded in crooks and bends,
with deep holes under the banks, which
were well stocked with speckled trout
Grasshoppers served for bait, and we were
not long pulling out as many as we thought
we should use that night. Ned caught one
that would have weighed nearly two pounds.
That was certainly Just one Of the best
places for hunting and fishing that ever was
found.
The locality we chose for our camp was
well up the valley. A great rock of many
tons weight had some time rolled down the
mountain, and stopped few yards from the
bank Here we built an open shed-camp.
between this big stone and the stream. First
we put up some poles ON crotched stakes.
then covered them with fiat hszel.boughs
and long, dry grass.
Our fire was placed in front of this "sbed."
between two stones and close TO the water.
We began to get our supper bv four in the
afternoon, for we had had no dinner. and
were hungry as bears.
1t takes some time to dress and cook mart.
ridges and fry trout NIGHT too. comes ON
early the last of October. So if was dusk
before we had our stew half done The
campfire frightened, and the LIGHT cleaned
in a ruddy streak across the stream. Crick.
cts sang and chirruped in the dry grass
and the many wild sounds of the forest came
to our ears from the mountains ON either
side. Here AN owl was hooting. and there
a raccoon gave its ouayering alto cry
Presently Rover growled, and dashed off
down the bank among the hazels. Then we
heard him barking cxcitedly.
There's something around here % said
Tom. setting tbe spider of front oiT tbo Gro
and getting up TO look about.
Ned was splitting wood few stem, AWAY
lie stopped and came MP to the fire.
It's a bear" said he and we haven't n