The Republican journal., 1898-01-27
81. PauI's Caribou Hunt.

Hunting Trip to katahdin by Waldo
County Boys.
l.. w. Steward of Manchester. n. a.,
writes entertainingly for the Manchester
Mirror of the caribou hunt of j. S. Paul
and his companions, in November last,
which was briefly reported il The Journal
at the time. We make the following ex-
tracts, emitting some paragraphs which
describe the travel to the hunting grounds,
some "reminiscences, etc.
The Moose Moss hunting party was
goodly one, consisting of }. S. Paul of
Waterville, Me, E. l.. Abbott of Reading,
Mass, l.. w. Steward of Manchester, n.
H., Edwin Paul of Plymouth, Mass,
Frank Bartlett of Unity, Me-, and Benia-
min Paul of Providence, r. |.
We stopped here (the East Branch
House, over night, and after crossing the
east branch of the Penobscot We followed
up the Wessattaquoik river ana just be-
fore dark reached Roebars camp, after
hard drive of ten miles. Monday morn
ing, Nov. goth, was frosty and clear, and
after breakfast We started for our camp
site and commenced at once to get things
into shape for the tents. Here let me give
you slight description of our camping
outfit. First, we have two tents made of
the best u or. army duck, one 14X18 feet,
with 4-foot walls, the other 1O414 feet. In
the larger is our bunk, made of spring
poles and small boughs, which occupies
one end; then comes the deacon seat at
the foot of the bunk, and then our Noun
tain Range, which is a model camp stove
made of sheet iron, with frebox 12x14
inches and Is inches long, and double
oven 12xA inches. Over the firebox are
two holes for frying pan and kettle, with
room for coffee pot, stewpan and basins
This stove, when well filled with wood
will keep fire all night The small tent
is butted on to the larger and is used for
a store room, woodshed and wash room.
After our tents were we'll set up and
boughed to make them warm, we made
''bean hole'' and cut our supply of wood
to last at least two weeks. After we had
made roaring fire in the ''bean hole
and the great logs had burned away to
bed of Goals, we lowered our pot of beans
into it and, carefully covering them to
stop all escape of steam. left them until
morning. When taken out. red and full
of pork fat, they were fit for king.
During Monday night there came about
five inches of light snow, making it fine
deer hunting. Tuesday We turned out
bright and early, ate breakfast, finished
up our chores, and after a hasty smoke
the rifles emerged from their cases, car
fridge belts were buckled on, and all was
ready. Ben and Ed went up back OF the
camp full of murderous intent and were
soon out of sight. On account of having
two Eds in our party We have given Ed
Abbott the popular name of choose
Moss" Well, Choose Moss and | cross
ed the little brook and entered the forest,
heading for two little ponds about half
way up the mountain beyond, and almost
smacking our lips in anticipation of fat,
juicy deer steak for supper. | confess to
having been somewhat amused as choose
Moss caressed the stock of his little 44-4O
Winchester and asked who was the best
taxidermist to put up deer heads After
an hours toilsome climbing up the rocky
and almost perpendicular face of the cliff,
we reached the ponds, which were frozen
over and covered with snow. We were
delighted to find some very fresh signs Of
deer. Slowly and cautiously now, with
rifles ''ready," we advanced through the
virgin forest, carefully stepping around or
over every dry twig, and stopping at every
little rise to search carefully in all direc-
tions. Peering cautiously out from behind
a clump of frs, our hearts bound and
hands grip the stock tighter, for there,
about 100 yards away and all unconscious
of our presence, stands fine buck, his
rump to the wind and his full broadside
toward us. He has evidently just finished
a good breakfast and washed it down with
draft of cold water from the little noun
tain brook and is now in blissful ignorance
of the close proximity of his deadly foe,
meditating perhaps on the charms of some
young doe he knows of, and thinking that
he would go and call upon her.
What sight for sportsman, and how
it tends to make the eyes and mouth of a
tenderfoot open wide and his knees shake
under him! A spiteful crack Of a rifle,