Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-17

ing close to the edge, and in some places,
where the stream was narrow, closing over
it and hiding it from view. There were
many narrow openings in this thicket where
deer sought the creek to drink and stamp,
and among the alders many hemlocks and
other trees grew along the stream. In some
places the dead waters were so feet wide,
but most of the stretch was narrow.
SIN those days enjoyed nothing so much
as trout fishing. I had found excellent
sport in the many wild streams in that To-
cality, but felt that could never 90 away
from those woods entirely satisfied without
trying what the dead waters of Alder run
were capable Of and as the season grew my
determination to get into those waters grew
with iC. At last had one of my men make
me small, f1at-bottom boat out of hemlock
boards, had 1t carried to the head of the
dead waters, two miles distant, and one
humid, overcast June day I started, in the
rather unsteady and not entirely water
tight craft, to fish through the virgin trout
ground. The capacity of the dead waters
and before 1 had finished quarter of the
way through the dark stretch of stream I
had landed score OF more of the biggest
trout had ever seen come from any brock
all of them of dark color, with the GRIM
son spots almost as brilliant as sparks of
fire.
He Hooked Dangerous Game.
"My boat had drifted, aided by an occa-
sional movement of the paddle, into part
of the creek where the alders were at least
80 feet apart. This big pool grew very mar
row at its lower end, q hundred feet from
its head, and there the thick alders inter-
locked their branches over and in the
water, and the creek disappeared from view
as completely as if it had been swallowed up
bv the earth On the right side of this
broad extent of water was one of the deer
openings in the thicket, and the soft dirt
on the edge of the creek showed by the
myriad tracks that the deer we're frequent
visitors there. Just above that opening a
hemlock tree reared its big stem. Some Of
the lower branches on the upper side ex-
tended several feet out over the water.
ST drifted along beneath these branches,
and 20 feet below the tree. There / stood
up to make cast at the edge of bunch of
alders, some Of whose limbs were stretched |
out upon the surface of the water. As I |
threw my rod forward. my hook stopped |
suddenly in the air behind me, and my reel |
hummed at the resistance. simultaneously |
with the stopping of the hook blood curd- |
ling screech rent the air. / turned quickly |
about. was Just in time to see to see big |
wildcat leap from the lower limb of the |
hemlock, and he was pointed straight for |
me, although there was a watery space be-
tween us, and woodsmen have always held
that an intervening stretch Of water is
sure barrier against the attacks Of all fierce
animals of the cat kind. My hook had
caught somewhere in tender spot on the
wildcat, which had been crouching on the
limb unknown to me, and the pain of the
puncture had worked him instantly into an
fury
Duel Begun In a Boat.
sT was standing near the bow of the boat.
but moved quickly to the other end, and
none too quickly, for the wild cat pounced
into the boat on the spot where had stood
before I'd time to steady myself in my new
position. Then saw that the hook was fast
in one of the animals ears, and cats ears
are the most sensitive part of it's body. The
hook had gone clear through the tender
and the blood was trickling
down In quite stream. Fortunately the
paddle was in the stern of the boat. AS the
big cat struck the boat it almost upset the
clumsy craft, The enraged beast came for
me again without an instant's delay. met
him with blow from the paddle. The
paddle few into dozen pieces. The dis
turbance in the boat was too much for the
boats s equilibrium, and over it went, tumb-
ling the wildcat and me into the water We
there close together, aud instead
of the bath cooling down the wildcats tenn
per it seemed to make it hotter, and the
ugly beast renewed the fight in the water.
'@The boat when 1t upset was within a
few feet of the foot of the pool, where the
water disappeared behind the tangle of al
ders l had nothing to defend myself with
against the wildcat but my fists, and
pounded it with them with very little eff
fec, except to their own damage. The
wildcat could swim like q duck, kept its
head we'll out Of water, and struck at me