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110
Written for Burke’s Weekly.
Mamma’s Birthday.
Where aro you going dear liltle maiden,
With your basket with roses and violets laden ?
Where are you going this morning so early,
With the fresh wind blowing your hair soft and curly ?
I have been out so soon to get
Some flowers with the bright dew wet;
Violets sweet and roses gay,
To welcome dear Mamma’s Birthday.
When she comes out I’ll run to meet
Her, with my flowers fresh and sweet.
I'll kiss her then, and softly say :
May you see many a happy day !
Acoa, Habersham Cos., Ga. > E. P. M.
Written for Burke’s Weekly.
MAItOONEB’S ISLAND ;
OH,
Dr. Gordon in Search of His Children.
BY REV. E. R . GOULDING,
Author of “ The Young Marooners .”
CHAPTER XI.
FOG “ GANNET-VENISON ” DESTROYING
RATS —EATING QUEER THINGS —INDIAN
DINNER.
HE next morning (Fri
day, Oct. 29,) dawned an
hour later than usual,
for so heavy a mist had
lisp settled on both sea and
||f\ land, that not a ray of light was
My visible in the sky until it was time
m by the watch to look for the rising
of the sun. Every leaf and twig
around was loaded with a drop of moist
ure—rain it could not be called, since
none had fallen, and neither was it dew,
yet everything was wot. The mist did
not lift itself until the sun was far above
the horizon.
So far as the work of exploration was
concerned, it was worse than useless to
leave shore, because it was not possible
to see more than a few boat-lengths away,
and as for hearing, the sound of passing
oars could be better detected by their
keeping perfectly quiet. About 9 o’clock,
however, the fog began to rise, the sun
shone out, and the day was pleasant as
before. They then weighed anchor, and
sailed in the still water that prevailed be
tween shore and the almost continuous
chain of reefs and shoals, and low sandy
islands and mangrove marshes that lay
at the distance of a mile or more to sea
ward, and that broke or wholly arrested
the waves from the open gulf.
This advantage to them of still water,
which certainly was very great, was,
however, almost counterbalanced by a
corresponding disadvantage, for while
they were exploring the shores of one
side of an island, the boat of which they
were in search might pass unseen by them
on the other side. Another inconveni
ence, of a similar character, began to be
sorely felt this same day—the bays,
BURKE’S WEEKLY.
creeks and inlets occupied so much of
their time that they were able to make
very little progress south-ward —the close
of the day finding them scarcely twenty
miles from their previous night’s encamp
ment.
During their inland excursions large
numbers of gannets flew past them over
head, so low as to be within easy gun
shot. These are a large bird, crane-like
in shape and habits, only more heavily
built, with a white body and wings tip
ped with black. After several gangs had
passed, Wheeler, who had been observed
to eye them with some interest, turned
to Dr. Gordon and inquired :
“ Captain, are you fond of venison
steaks?”
On being answered in the affirmative,
he added :
“ I can obtain a nice supply for you, if
allowed to shoot.”
Dr. Gordon looked to Tomkins, who
replied:
“No objection to his shooting, so far as
I can see, on condition that he brings the
venison.”
“If I do not bring real deer’s meat,”
answered Wheeler, “I will bring some
thing so like it that no one can tell the
difference.”
“Well, shoot away,” Tomkins rejoined.
Wheeler drew the ball from his mus
ket, put in its place a load of large duck
shot, waited until a flock of low-flying
gannets appeared, and until two of them
were in a range, when he brought them
both down, shot through the head and
neck. He laid them upon their backs,
ripped open, with a sharp knife, the skin
upon their breasts, and then, with another
knife, cut large slices from the red fleshy
muscles thus exposed, which slices he im
mersed in strong salt and water, to be
kept there till wanted.
“ I shall be very much disappointed,”
said ho, “if, at dinner time to-day, or
whenever else we have a chance for broil
ing, you do not all declare that you have
been eating venison steak. I have tried
it often. The only difference any one can
perceive, is that of a slightly birdy taste.”
“You have tried it, then?” Tomkins
interrogatively remarked.
“Often enough to know what I am
talking about,” replied Wheeler. “In
deed,” said he in continuance, “the only
secret in making venison steaks of the
gannet consists in avoiding to touch the
flesh with anything (hand or lenife) that
lias touched the skin. You must butcher
j our meat as the market-man prepares
his mutton. In that case, as in the gan
net, the rank taste resides in the skin, and
it is kept from the flesh by the same plan
—rolling the skin so as not to touch the
parts to bo eaten.”
Several of the men testified to the ex
cellence of “ gannet-venison,” and Dr.
Gordon remarked:
“ The fact that the fishy taste of most
sea birds is confined to the skin, is not
new to me; and the plan that Corporal
Wheeler has just practiced is founded in
sound philosophy. It is said that burial
in the ground for several days will also
remove the fishy taste. The Indians have
a mode of freeing the flesh of skunks and
pole-cats, even, from their disagreeable
odor, so that they can be used for food.”
“I have seen them so, alive," said
Jones.
“ Indeed!” said Dr. Gordon ; “ how and
where?”
“In North Carolina,” replied Jones,
“in the house of a wealthy old gentleman
in our neighborhood. His house and
plantation were so overrun w r ith rats,
which bred and multiplied in spite of all
the cats and traps he could command,
that he at last resolved to try snakes and
pole-cats. First of all, he obtained a num
ber of pole-cats when they were young,
and dissected out the little bag under the
tail that holds all the unpleasant stuff;
the pole-cats then had no more of a bad
smell than a common house cat, and were
far better mousers, or, as I should say,
ratters. They were most beautiful crea
tures, too, with their largo bushy tails,
and parti-colored coats.”
“But what about the snakes ?” asked
Thompson. “ Ye’re not going to forget to
remember about them.”
“O, no,” replied Jones, “I hadn’t come
to them yet. The Doctor —I mean the
old gentleman, for he was a doctor —soon
found, that although the polo-cats killed
all the rats to be found aboveground and
in the open places, there were many that
burrowed and bred underground, and in
the waifs, where they were safe from pur
suit. lie then tamed about a dozen
black snakes and chicken snakes, and
kept them about his house and barn.—
These are excellent mousers, too, and
they have this advantage over a cat, that
they can go into every place, whether in
the wall or ground, where a rat can go,
and there devour the young ones in the
nest. The Doctor soon had the pleaeuio
of seeing that his rats had disappeared,
but people say that he had a great dis
pleasure to endure along with it. He was
fond of company, and used to have bis
house full and lively by day and by night
His snakes drove them away. A gentle
man who staid there one night, found the
next morning that one of the Doctoi s
long-bodied mousers had been his bedfol