Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-15

printed in the New York Evening Post
Il under date line of Keno, Ore, signed
"Senor X" is such gem that Los An
geles anglers should be given cnance
to read It, 1t is believed "Senor x, is
a Southern Californian, as his writings
on Santa Catalina, which nave attracted
much attention, have a distinct flavor VI
the Golden State.
"No one kicking, boss, but you can, if
you wanter.'
The speaker was the good-natureo
driver of the Siskiyou range coach tnat
hauled passengers over the Siskiyou ana
Cascade ranges every day from Poke
aema to klamath Falls, that Is, II you
| went that way. A load of anglers on
this identical day had selected TINS noun. :.
tain route-a road of delightful vistas, OF
big mountains, steep canyons, ana uep..s
into which the eye sought vainly for the
bottom and found only a blue haze, q
haze made up of sapphire dust, II sucn
thing is possible.
II was a case of lover the mountains
and far away" The anglers were pounu
for Upper klamath Lake, and everything
had gone off we'll. They had WORKED ol
ali their big yarns successfully on the
natives, and were resting on their lauIeis
| when a driver dropped bomp INTO 'ie
camp on wheels by announcing tnat tne
| stage did not HleeL tuC pOdt, "N-
| two or three days in troutless country
..The steamer is advertised to leave To-
morrow" said man who would KICK.
| ..Is she busted or run aground, OF
smashed up? Where is she at, anyhow!
"Well YOU see, my FRIEND" said the
Keno citizen. "the duck and snipe sea-
sons Jest sot in, and Bill-BiAs the cap
tain of the boat-hes jest naturally gone
duckin'."
do you mean to say that the captain
| of line of steamers supposed TO run
| on certain dates has the nerve to take
| his ship and go off ducking?
| sI do" replied the Keno man, nrlns
up. This is a free country, amt it?'
| The trout man was speechless; he could
| not do 1t Justice, and he did not Try, IL
was too hot; then the railroad was about
| arriving into this new country nalI
| mile up into the heavens, and the cap
| tain and the steamboat would De KnocKeo
j higher than Gi.roy's kite next year. But
| it is the unexpected that happens. The
| steamboat did turn. up, and the next
morning the anglers found the skipper
| a man after their own hearts. He ran
| into every creek on the lake that looked
inviting told stories, went ashore to al
low a friend to pick up duck and prom
| ised all hands to take them on trip
across the lake to the Modoc country; IN
fact, made good,' as some one said, for
the shock they had had the day peiore.
The steamboat was paradox.
"She's what they call combine" said
| one of the men. Her engine used to be
a. stationary down at the Lower lake
and they say the woodwork was built up
| from an old hotel; but she gets there all
| the same
| The boat was really diminutive model
of the old Red river stearn-wheeler-iour
decks above water and drawing a foot'
ready to sail in a light dew If neces-
sary. and rated at about two and half
miles an hour, which she could do II the
| wind was fair. If 1t blew hard dead
ahead she anchored to stop sternway.
But she generally arrived after re-
markable cruise, and if the vessel mad
been any better there would not nave
been half the sport.
what do you think of that? asked a
boat hand, who had been sizing up the
strangers, pointing ahead. y
"Suckeps?' asked a newcomer.
-"Trout," replied the man briefly And
trout they were; rainbows, two and nair
to three feet long, which swan along
ahead of the steamer in sort OF tantal-
izing drove; their large yet beautiful pro-
portions magnified by the water making
them truly colossal.
The little steamboat suddenly turned.
plunged into creek just about wide
enough for her, rammed her way In,
finally reaching a wharf to hand out
| jug of something to somebody, packed
out with much difficulty, and, once more
| on the lake, steamed on TO klamath. Inc
upper lake looks as though 1T might be
a big volcano, as it fills deep depression
half a mile high, is surrounded by noun
tains and is thirty or more miles long py
eight or ten miles wide, and from SIX 10
fifteen feet deep.
The Rainbow's Home
On some sides the mountains are high;
again. the forests of green pine reach
away. rising gradually to unknown alti-
| tudes: but everywhere the splendid for-
! ests come down to the waters edge ana
| form a wonderful reflection for the DIG
rainbows Out from the western shore
extends a forest, through which, winding
here and there, are several little creeks
| or streams which bubble up in fascinat-
ing way. One is Deep creek, another
Crystal creek, and still another Pelican
| creek. These are, lined with willows
which droop over them. Now they are
near the forest; again, they seem to
wander aside, where ducks, geese and
snipe live; but wherever these nttle
| streams are they are radiant and Deauti-
| full: full of the silent charm of the great
| Oregon forests and mountains over Whlch
| you must pass to reach tnem
1t was up one of these little rivers that
the good-natured captain ran his ship.
He was after snipe, and he ran the nose
of the big craft close to the bank. Then
he, the engineer and the rest OF the
crew took their guns and went ashore
for snipe or ducks, while l dropped into
a cross between punt and dory, and
with an amiable rover struck out for the
upper river, the latter rowing silently
while / put my split bamboo9 together.
The man backed up the little river, that
he might see how poor a caster l was
and the play of the trout at the same
time.
1t was eyeing a gorgeous fiy-a coach
man--as it was dark and gloomy just
where the tulles fell over the water. and
was about to put it on when my compan-
| ion said:
''Fish Just the way you don't in the
east. Put on March brown"
So I rugged a March brown-a dismal
effgy at best-and getting out some line
from a musical reel l made a cast of forty
feet and put the fly just in the shadow OF
a log which projected over the water.
Mister" said the boatman, you're