Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1888-01-28

E CAtTAINS VARIOUS W..
OF MAKIuG MONEY.
ShoveiinS Oysters and Fishing fci
pclicans.-NiGht Hunts AftcI
NIligatorS.-Th SiauTians' Teeth.

,
ent of the New lo.k Nr,:
81 used 20 shovel oy,t-:, ..sa ct
eight months in the year ,n ,hr Over f,
Bayou La Forchc, barrel the" aru +
them around 10 New Og!c.ns u ia g." ,Ary
brought me from i to |: lat, q 3.l,y..
The Gulf oyster, as a rilc, Is s"...., nut /
they are almost as plenty rs l,J'.c'. .
For fifteen miles from the coast '.cry .
little bayou in Lou.saral> an oy t"t Ell. I
Where the stream is moro thin icUr .cet
iecp the oysters are taken with dlci%es
in the usual way; but that l. such '!ow
pros cSs that the shallow bets are more
favored. licre one has but to wade out
into the water with a scoop or Ink
and shovel his dugout full in no time.
Of course when they only bring 4" cents
to $3.50 a barrel in the New Orleans
market there is not much money in the
business; but little money goes long
way to the bayou dwcller.
"While working the Oyster beds was
80 near the coast that used to pat III
day or two each week pelican fishing.
You take long linc-a sea grass line;
rig it ont with about thiIty hooks Sc. IN
punches of thrccs, laSlicd back to back;
keep the line ON the WAGER by melHs oi
floats. and bait yUur uoohs with fry.
The pelican sails over the water, sees -
fish, swoops down and pouches fish and
hook He thinks he has got sting ray
iii h.s pouch aud tries to spit II out; hui
it won't go. Then lie makes up hi
mind to take it away with him; but sud,
denly the line brings him mp short and
he fills in,O the water with Il splash.
when he founders around until paddle
out an take him aboard with me.
.''Therc is bunch Of fine, hair Ike
feathers in each wing of the pclicaL
which bring in their rough state - GEMS
a bunch, or 20 cents for each bird.
When | had time | used to skin the
whole bird. stuff Inn, mount him, and
get from s. to 81 for him.
'In the simmer of 1888 reached the
coast one morning at seven O'Clock.
There was a high wind and heavy swc !
on the water, and hundreds of the birds
were following the waves. They fly NJ
a distance Of aboGt a yard from the
waite. rising and falling with the waves
rs regularly as though they were floating
upon them. When fish shows himself
tie bird viii drop, scoop up the victim,
sling it into its pouch end so on until IL
HIS a load of ten pounds or more OF
fish.
"Wcll, s'r there were 50 many OF them
that | did not trouble to set the line,
but padded out among them, and before
the dag was done | had settled thirty
eight Of them, killing them with a blue
whistler. 1t took me all night -"
What is a blue whistlcr@'
"You put heavy charge of powder
into vour cylinder bore shotgun, cover II
with wad; on top Of that you ram III
five bucksh0t, another light wad, five
more buckshot, and still five; another
tight wad, and you have blue whist
lcr.'
as not buck hot big dose for
birde" -.
| Not for pelican. You have to take
| the n breast on in order not to injurc thu
| wings: and, Ike ducks breast, tht
pelican's front will turn light load oI
| lead. We, as was saying, 1T took mC
ali n icht and most Of next day to STRIP
and ptck the feathers; but as | got 81
for the lot did not beGrudge the work.
But that was big day. Sometimes
when the oysters were out of season, u
seemed as tLoagh everything went wrong
| might paddle around all night anc
never find Il gator, AID keep my line
set all day without catching a hird
Often and Of en- have been 50 poor thai
had to paddle out into rice fed
rather a peek or so of the g:ecn rice anc
eat it boiled without any other seasoning
than pint Of salt water thrown into th'
pot. Sometimes could get nothing bu
pelican meat 1t tastes to me hk'
spoiled fish. .,.
"Thercis is money in 'gat II hunting, but,
taken altogether. it is hlrd work. Have
YOU ever padded n prOgue! The ilrs'
time a man steps into progue II duck'
ayay from under him and leaves hin
roundcring in the water so smoothl.
that he can't help remembering tn
thing 1t is canoe followed out OF
sInglc cypress log, and is so light that tn
: wcirht Of man hardly forces it below
the surface at all. IT practically slide
2 over the water, and hence is the best bCa
made for shadows.
.As soon as il grew du k would tax
| nv rifle and little dar.; lantern, wh,cl
I bouoht in New Orleans for - cents
and. alter seating myself on. the bottom
r OF the pircgu,, paddle up the bayou
| flashing the eye Of my lantern upO
either shore a3 passed. When tn; lISA
G would strike z tor it was only rcccs
5 sary to keep the fash in his eyes and h
was blind as a at. Not knowing WI G
= way t. more To escape the danger, n
! vouid not move at all uatll ] sent a buI
LEFT into his eve. when he would thT&s
p oround with. tail for a few seconds G
| sometimes make an ugly rush toward mI
| snappin@ his Jaws, and then suddenl
| drop mOt;onlrs'.
As soon As he was dead wOald har
HIN well ashore and keep on up t.
bayou. The gators are plenty enough
oaisiana swampS, about as plenty &
chickens in. flaming country; so thi
il was seldom that ! padded more TIN
mile or two without killing half dozc
. of them. As rule Id not wait m0'
{ than six in night, as II IS g,S p &c
!, of work to skin an alligator, to sa
down his hide and bury his head
!. "Bury his head"
eyes, his jaw bone, in order to reno
the flesh and 10 sen tie teeth. A!''
being taken of, the hi les aE coVere
with coarse salt. folded up and thro"
I iato barrel. They bring from hi'cl
4 to sixty cents each in the markets, AN an
t the teeth are worth about asfRacn NO.
y'he larger teeth ave
G. handlcs-someti
:; 81 for single
ores are tur
r
r izzid