Morning journal and courier., 1886-08-30
Jack Huntfnetn Maine.

A correspondent of the Boston Herald, writing from Kennebago lake, in Maine, says: ''There is one point about this region, how ever, which Is certainly calculated to repay observation, particularly if one is interest ed in curious phases of human nature That point is supplied by the captain of the little boat which runs up and down the lake. The vessel is not large one and was hauled in here over the snow during the winter months. It is now owned and operated by 8 young man named Thomas, who can see more game of every variety, and can catch more fish in given space of time, than any other liv ing being in the United States-when you let him tell it.
 Jack hunting is not unimpressive. While in the boat the hunter must maintain the most absolute silence. single motion, the scraping of a foot upon the bottom of the boat, the knocking of the gun against the side, or the cracking of the seat, may drive out a deer that is almost within shot, The guide does not take his paddle out of the water at all, and the skill which some of these men attain in steering and pTopelling boat under these disadvantageous circum- stances is really remarkable. All around everything is dark and silent. There is only
 
 that is the spot at the waters edge where the jack-lamp casts it's reflection. Every sound that creeps in from the forest is exaggerated by the great stiffness close at hand and the slightest rustic in the bushes disturbance of the water, sends the circulation flying, in the thought that the looked for game has at last appeared. This night we went slowly and stealthily along the shore for nearly half an hour. Then there came from the bushes a long, low, subdued whistle. The guide checked the boat and threw the light further back. The whistle was repeated a little low CT down. The light was again cast back and the whistle once more moved down the bank. The animal, whatever it was, had apparently made up it's mind not to come within the ra- dius of that bright light on the shore The | guide finally gave up all efforts to reach it 1 and leaning forward whispered: That's not I deer; it is black cat.' A black eat in the Maine vernacular means fisher, which is a large black animal with a beautiful skin of ebon hue and very rare. This creature, | however. was not 8 specimen of that species. Not exactly. It simply a hedgehog. And that was about as near as Captain Thomas got to anything during the whole night Up to this time he had heard more or less deer coming into the water in all di- rectious. but had seen visible signs of anything of the sort. Wherever he heard a deer he paddled towards it; but the animal was never there and there were no indica- tions that he ever had been. Finally away at the upper end of Flatiron pond, when we were at least quarter of mile away, an old whistler sprung into the bushes and re- garded us for some time with his music. That animal and the hedgehog were the only two living beings which came to our cogni- zance this night. But when we got ashore 1 heard Thomas muttering, "By jingo, that's too bad" I asked him what was too bad, and he replied that it was pretty tough to drive out seven deer and not get a shot at any one of them"