Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-04-25
WHAT 1 CAUGHT.
A Rare Spot for Game.

beautiful and fertile stretches of land
that man ever saw. The region was a
series OF rolling prairies, InIerspersed
with heavy forests. The st. Francis
river and its twin sister, Little river,
wound through the prairies and around
the edges of the woods, which cast
their shadows on the waters from high
and solid banks. When those old-time
residents looked out upon tine prospect
presented the morning after the men,
orable December night, they must have
been surprised. The rivers were there
vet, but in place of one rolling prairie
vast lakes spread out. In places above
the surface of the largest of these sheets
of water so suddenly brought into eX-
istence the tops Of trees could be seen,
but in others the woods had been entire
ly submerged.
The lakes formed parts of the rivers
still, and they do to-day, but on st.
Francis river they have no distinctive
names, the whole chain being called
the river On Little river the large
lakes have been named. The Land for
10 miles up and down the river, and
for q width of probably sixty miles, had
sunk below the surface, and the water
had filed the great cavities thus FORM
Ell.
lands is a chain of great cypress and
gum 5wamps, with here and there an
extent Of old prairie and a remnant OF
ancient forest diyersifying the land
scape. The cypress grows luNuriantly
IN the Lakes, while the gum trees and
species of sycamore occupy the swamps.
The trees are teStOOned with massive
growth Of parasitic vines and MOSES.
The valley IS probably the most pictUr-
esque stretch of lowland and aquatic
scenery in the entire south. Steam
boats make their way ut a favorable
season Of the year in the tOrtuOuS course
through the long and narrow vistas be-
meath the overhanging and moSS-hung
trees, the 1T. Francis being navigabls
from ITS mouth near Helena and the
Mississippi for nearly > % miles.
ITO the CanOeist tie weird lakes Of
the Arkansas sunk lands offer pIr;l-
disc, especially if he IS a lover of sport
with the rod ana gun. Those moSSy
tTee-grOwu lakes TEEN with the best of
game fish and swarm with wild fowl of
the choicest species. In the gum and
sycamore swamps the beaver, otter,
mink, racCoOu and 'possum are Is
abundant to-day rs they ever were any
where. Black bass, southern bass, a
rare and gamey sprgcklcd trout of un-
eXcelled flavor, which grows 10 seven
pounds in weight; sun perch, gar, the
most enormous catfish, and a fish known
down there as the silver-sided perch,
give the angler who seeks the Sunk
lands lakes such sport rs lie Will never
forget. The silver-sided perch l never
saw anywhere else. 1t is the handsOm- |
est fish ever looked at, and is rs gamey |
as a black bass.
1.-The last time l handled a canoe on !
the water of the Sunk lands WAS in Oc- |
tober, 1879. l had been enjoying great |
sport with the bass and trout both |
take the fly readily in that month |
when the darkey who was handling the |
boat for me, old June Green, q Guinea |
relic of very far-away slavedays, said TO !
me:
"'NIass' Ben, put oan hunk o. dat |
leetle bike baas am try yO' luck fo' ket-
feesh.'
"'Oh, l said, June, nobody wants
to spoil nice black bass by cutting
bait out of it for 4 nO-ac' cunt catfish
"'Hupy' dOan call G.. ur Sonk lam |
ketfish no. count, Mas Benp eNclaim- |
ed June, with a show of Indignation. |
Il weesh " jeS' geet hol' % one, deem, |
leck one l geet laas' monf, une of yo' |
doan' teenk yo' no count yo'sef, den |
OF June hup possum famine comIn'.' |
81 knew that when old June hoped L |
'possum famine would come if catfish !
ing wasn't worth while, he was i'll dead
earnest, for June was 'poSSum epicure. |
SO l let him rig me up a line for catfish,
and from the size of the line and hook |
thought he was afraid | might fasten To
a shark. | insinuated rs much to June.
lie gave his head a sole mn shake and
said:
'''Yo' jees' suag oan = beeg Sonk
lam ketfeesh- IN meh' yu' Wnln' teenk
yo' kotch shark, dat's all!'
"June baitei the hook with some
thing like pound of flesh cut from my
smallest bass, and threw the bait over
board. II wasn't more than on the
bottom, in twelve feet of water, before
something seized it and gave 4 jerk
that almost pulled me out of the boat
'''Gee' I'm time, Mas Benp eX-
claimed June with some show of excite
ment. Gee i'm timeu
"Tug! tugl tugl 1t was all l could
10 TO hold the line Presently the fish,
OF whatever IL was, started up the lake,
and the boat started with il.
'''He yo' meat!'' exclaimed June.
'Ydnk i'm eenV'
II began TO pull, but it was not an
easy matter to yank him in. Finally,
however, the fish turned and followed
the line towards the surface. He was
evidently big one, but hadn't much
game. In few seconds head the size
of prize pumpkin and eyes like an
owls showed on the surface. At sight
of us in the boat the owner of the head
turned and dIved down again, pulling
the line through my hands until my
fingers burned.
''Whewr said cid June. lie 4
WAT an o de deep, sho's yo' bo'nl We
dassent hist i'm cen de boat, Maas'
Benl He Swump il, Sartin'
Il began to think he was Il leviathln
OF the deep, sure enough, for it was on
" after several sharp tugs at the line,
with it wrapped around my hands, that
L turned the monster again, and he
started up towards the surface once
more.
"'We dassent hist i'm. cen de boat,
Mas Benz said June, quivering with
excitement. lie swump it. sho's yo'
bon! l JUS paddle to de ISLAM yender,
I'm we tug Jim up ON lIn."
"Iune padded toward small island
that lay off to our right few rods, and
L towed the big fish. When the boat
was run up ON shore we got out and
both tugged at the line. The fish offer
ed but feeble resistance, but If he had
only known it he could have pulled us
both in the water and ran away with
US. We drew him high and dry on the
island, and he lay there and fixed
big yellow eyes on US and lashed his
tail for = few minutes, and then was
quiet.
The trophy was Sunk lands catfish.
When we got him home two hours later
and weighed him he tipped the scales
at ninety-iive pounds.
81 new see de lecks dat said old
June. He 'yiat'an % de deep, sho's
yo' bo'nr
''That wouldn't have been n very
good catfish TO bob for, but that's the
kind they have In the Sunk lands of
Arkansas. If any one should ask me
where to 20 fishing, l should send him
down there and no mistake. Those