The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-11-15
SHOOTIN' HAROHE\DS.
4 Sullivan County Bait Fish and NadiVes
odd Way of Taking Him.


Odd Way of Taking Him.
There are more quaint ana curious
things in ways and speech in some
parts of Sullivan county, said veteran
fisherman who had just returned from
his summer hermitage, a log cabin on
a big tract at the headwaterS of the
WillOwemoc, commenting on his eX-
periences the other evening, than in all
New England, and that is saying a
great deal. One of the queerest pur-
suits came upon by accident, as l was
fishing early one morning just below
the store and little settlement of Matt
Decker's. Here the Willowemoc takes
into the big woods, and for the next
two miles it is pretty well shut in by
trees and high rocky banks. The first
bit of open country is when it breaks
from the forest into a meadow and
spreads out into black mill pond be-
side deserted tannery.
Below the decaying dam the stream
breaks over a silvery gravel shallow,
very swift and strong A few scat
tered powders break the current in
places, and just below one of these
rocks l saw, as l emerged upon the
brush above, an old man bending over
and standing knee deep in the brook.
He had no rod and therefore could
hardly be fishing, and while was
wondering what he was about 1
thought he raised bow, and drawing
back as if aiming an arrow, he let go.
Immediately he stopped and picked up
something which he placed in what
seemed to be shining tin pail at his
side. At first thought my eyes were
playing me tricks, but as drew nearer
for forsook the really excellent bit
of saltwater fishing in the pond to in
vestigate the old fellows work. I saw
that he had real bow and real arrow
and that he really shot into the water.
Must be lunatic, or some poor,
simple IDIOT" 1 decided, and walking
up to the bank yelled: Good morn
ing. friend. What are you doing with
that apparatus"
lie took no notice of my repeated in
quiring. not even looking up, so +
waded out to where he stood, and
yelled with all my might. Then he
raised his head, and nodding, grunted:
"Shootin' hardheads. Keep back out
err tibet thar rip fore yer scare 'em all
away"
He was very deaf, but his reply in
famed my curiosity to such a degree
that l screamed again: "What are
hardheads?" He didn't deign to stop
in his critical examination of the
streams bottom to answer, but pointed
to the pail. In it 1 saw twenty or
more little fish, gray backed, with
large squarish heads like catfish, only
without any horns, and none of them
over two inches 10, g.
What are they good for?" bawled,
placing my mouth near his ear.
"Bes' bait for big trout they is" he
said, pausing and rising to stretch the
kinks out of his spine. BEAT young
lamprey cells, en- sinners en- worms, en-
everything. l shoots EN- fur Twin.
Git two cents apiece fur EN- down to
Deckertown," and with that he re-
sumed his labor. He would peer into
the stream till his sharp old eyes fixed
upon the small shadowy fish feeding
among the gravel. Then he would fit
his arrow, draw back, and shoot. There
would be splash, and he would stoop
and pick up the little fish which would
float to the top as if dead. Placed in
the bucket it soon revived and swan
as lively as its fellows. The blow on
the head evidently only stunned them.
The old man had his arrow fast to a
short string tied to his wrist, SO that it
could not float away down stream
bought one of the queer fish, was
fly fishing and had no facilities for
carrying any live bait-and, trying
him in the next good pool, took a
three-quarters of pound trout. Dur
ing the several years I have spent in
that region I never before heard OF
this bait, by this name at least, and
that was the only time l ever saw bow
and arrow used as fishing implements.
N. Y. Sun.