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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