The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-02

posite Vide Poche. As the skiff ap-
preached, the saurian slid into the water
fisherman was in the same neighborhood
and on his voyage across the river had
pulled out of the water long plank. On
approaching the shore there was the same
allgator on the same sandbar. but fortu-
nately few feet further from tho water.
Stealthily approaching the old French
nan drow his plank ashore, and when the
alligator started the expected rush for
the river, made barrier of the plank by
standing It on edge. 1t would not have
ment' but that was enough to prepare q
, slip moose and throw it over his head. Go
was less than three feet long and not so much
OF an alligator after all, and his distinc-
ton arose 1a, mainly from the fact that so
far as known he was the only saurian
caught in the vicinity Of Vide Poche.
The crawfish wherewith the thirsty
satisfy what little hunger they may ex-
perience between evening drinks are caught
with dipnets, 2 or feet in diameter. circular
and at the end of pole. The net is lowered
to the bottom of the water in a locality
where crawfsh abound and over it is sis-
pended. by means Of a stick and string,
a piece OF high pork or any other meat
food. Whether the crawfsh smell the
carrion or taste it in the water nobody
knows, but the news Of it's presence soon
spreads to every crawfish dom icile in the
vicinity and all the crawfish drop everything
When the bait is raised to the surface
they hang on until almost out of the water,
then drop and fit of in every direction;
that Is, they try to fit, Tut the net Is drawn
up as the tait is lifted, and not crawfsh
fishing ever heard Of, said old Jean Batiste
Fourier, "for the pore crawfsh haven't
got ghost Of chance to get away Frogs
are hunted, not f1shed for. The hunters 60
with cat rifle and smokeless cartridges.
The veteran bulls" are easily spotted by
the experienced eye as they squat along
the bank and are shot one at time, They
are picked up by small net at the end
of a pole, The report of the gun ia not
sufficiently loud to disturb other frogs on
the same bank even ten feet away, and
good shot can get ten to twenty dozen
In the course Of a days hunting. The
soughs and small streams on the Illinois
side furnish the best hunting grounds for
the BULLS
Trapping has already been mentioned,
but the operations Of the trapper are now
confined to minks and muskrats, both of
which are to TO found in comparative
abundance in the wilds Of the River des Peres
and the Meramec. and in the wooded dis
tricts Of the Illinois shore The skins
market.
Among the old fishermen Of Vide Poche,
along the flats east Of Bremen and Baden,
and along the mouth Of the Missouri, there
are traditions in abundance Of the good old
times when turtles were two and half feet
across the shell, "floaters" were numerous
and driftwood so thick that all you needed
to do during flood time was to stand on the
bank with boat hook and draw the logs
ashore as fast az you could work.
1t was Aleck lie Fevre who. while fishing
on the Illinois bank when young man,
lost his knife while cleaning fish, and forty
years later found its remains in the hollow
OF tree he was cutting down, where it had
been carried by fish stealing mink. 1t
was one Of the Pigeon family, who while
cleaning a monster cat he had caught,
and after the watch had been tended by a
Vide Poohe jeweler it ran steadily. and kept
good time, too. for twenty years NO trace
OF it's owner was discovered along with tho
watch in the interior of the big cat. so what
steamboat captain or mate was swallowed
when the watch was gulped down is still a
It was Pete Pernod better known as
Driftwood Pete, who found fortune OF gold
and silver in hollow oil log ne had caught ana ana
story, but his neighbors said that his denials
were inspired by the fear that he might be
robbed, a very. reasonable fear along the
river bank. and it was noticed that from
tne Qdte OF CTe dlleReu = C.c
worked very much, but always had little
money.
1t was Amedee Barron who saw the ghost
in the river. He was crossing long before !
day to the Illinois shore to visit his nets
when there came floating toward-him a |
ghostly fantom in the water. 1t had eyes
that shone like fire, and luminous outline
from the eyes to a distance Of or feet,
might be that of a mermaid or a man or un
known animal, but was most probably that
of a ghost. Am4dee shook with fear. OF |
holy water he had none. OF course, his
beads and prayer book had been left at
home, 40 in default Of divine aid he piled his
oars in desperation until the ghostly vision
had been left far in the rear. nor did he fully
recover even after he had seriously de-
pleted the contents of the bottle he carried
for use in such emergencies. A night or two
later other fishermen saw similar ghost in
an eddy on the Missouri side, and after po,ls
ejaculation investigated the mysterious visi-
tor and ascertained it to be large catfish
in a state of phosphorescent decomposi-
ton But Amedae could never be persuaded
to believe the fish theory about his ghost.
-Sacre! What ! see was twice so big and he
shone like blazes. And he did not float
He came right at me like diable, and l had
to row 30 fast as my hands could pull to get
from him away.
Poor Amedee is'now himself in the realm
OF ghosts, but his terrifying vision was not
In the Mississippi, for it is not
reassuring spectacle to see the head of a
drowned man pop out of the water beside
your skf, even if the recovery Of the body
does signify reward of g., so
TWO WOMEN KILLED IN BED.