THE VIGILANT IN Sound. She floats again this winter, as she did last, at anchor off New Rochelle, Conn., near the home of her owner, C. Oliver Iselin. Her underwater body being of bronze, is not harmed by its winter immersion. In a small cove of the island Naushon, between Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay, the famous old cup-defender Puritan lies at anchor in her regular winter quarters, just below the stately home of her owner, J. Malcolm Forbes. The Puritan is hauled out once every two years, and as quickly as possible her bottom is overhauled and she is put back into the water again. While she is laid up for winter, she receives constant care and attention. Ice is not allowed to press against her hull, and her decks are kept clean of snow. She is kept dry inside, and well-aired; the result is that, though launched in 1885, she is still in excellent condition to-day. Small wooden boats may be hauled out of the water for the winter without receiving any serious injury, though it is doubtless better to keep them in the water, if a suitable place be selected. But it is more or less injurious at any time to haul out a large wooden boat - decidedly so, if she is kept out all winter. Her HER WINTER BERTH. seams will open and have to be re- friends tried to persuade him to have In the basins about New York, there are two systems of laying up yachts. At Bay Ridge the yacht is entirely turned over to the custody and care of the owner of the basin, who has her stripped, and all her light spars and fittings are numbered and put into lockers in a house ashore. A small rental is charged for the use of the lockers, but the owner of the basin is responsible for the things taken ashore and also for the condition of the yacht the next spring. At South Brooklyn and at Erie Basin, the owners have ship keepers of their own on board to look after the welfare of the vessels through the months of ice and cold. For a big steam yacht, a sailing master, chief engin THE SOVEREIGN STRIPPED AND OUT OF COMMISSION. eer and at least two men are generally retained through the winter. The cost of putting a yacht into proper condition for the winter is about two weeks' wages of the crew; for a big steam yacht this would amount to about $500. While she is laid up, a dockage of about fifteen cents a foot is usually charged by the owner of the basin. Un Before a boat of iron or steel is laid up for the winter, she should be hauled out and her bottom thoroughly cleaned. A steel or iron yacht ought to be hauled out once every three months anyway, and always before she is laid up for the winter. fortunately for both owner and yacht, this is not always done. In a year the "bloom," that is, the smooth polished surface, given by the rollers at the foundry, - comes off the metal plates; then the bottom should be treated with cement paint before the boat goes into winter quarters. This prevents "pitting" and forms smooth surface. In preparing the deck for the winter, it used to be the custom to give it a coat of varnish, but white paint has been found to answer fully as well. a Sails and light spars should be removed from all boats to a safe place on shore; the standing rigging should be tightened up; the decks varnished or painted, the bilges cleaned, the masts "slushed" down, the brass work covered with some suitable compound, and the inside of the vessel thoroughly scoured. If it is a steam yacht, the machinery should be disconnected, cleaned and treated with some preparation to protect it from the corrosive action of the atmosphere. The proper cleaning of the bilges is one of the most important things to be considered in keeping a yacht in good condition. Before she is laid up, the bilges should be scoured as clean as the cabin. While a boat is in winter quarters, its decks should be kept free from snow, and on dry and pleasant days the hatches removed and the doors opened for a good airing. Above all things, the yacht should be kept clean while she is laid up. Ten days should be devoted to preparing a yacht for the winter, and a month to putting a boat of any size into commission in the spring. The sleep of all these yachts is not without dreams to soothe them, however, and there can be no sweeter lullaby to the tired boat than that which tells of her former exploits. A ROW OF MILLIONAIRES' STEAM YACHTS IN WINTER QUARTERS. of the Puritan, as the good boat strains at her anchor, you can almost hear the faint echo of the shouts of victory which greeted her great triumph over the Genesta, the best boat of her time that England ever sent for the unattainable America's Cup. To the Defender, looking like an abandoned hulk in the cove near New Rochelle, every breeze that sweeps by and every wave that rolls The wintry storms blow by and the icy waves surge past, and as the big yachts creak and groan at their moorings, like racing horses chafing at the bit that holds them back, one can almost see how anxious they are to hear the starting gun once more; but the wind and the waves whisper soothingly: "Softly, softly! The spring will come again. Your winter rest is well earned." HUNTING DEER IN THE GAULEY MOUNTAINS "H By Frank S. Farquhar. I. THERE! You alls come on. By cracky! It'll be high noon afore yere city folks er ready. to go to Camp Gauley!" was the impatient exclamation of old Herman Sharp, one frosty morning last November. We were on our way for a few days' hunting in the wilds of the Gauley Mountains, Pocahontas county, West Virginia, and had tarried for a short breathing spell at the mountain home of the best-known guide and hunter of the Elk River country. We wanted to secure his valuable services, for without a guide we should have no hope for success. Old Herman, as he was called by every one about his home, was a born hunter. He had been a hunter from infancy almost, and had hunted all his life, and he declared that he would die a-hunting. As we started, there were four in the party my companion and I, and old Herman and Sam, a friend of his. Each carried a pack on his back that would have done credit to a Rocky Mountain burro. The guide took the lead, and in single file the trip of three miles commenced. Through gloomy ravines, overhung by the black branches of great pines and gaunt limbs of silvery birches; up a steep and narrow path for a mile, to a maze of fallen timber; winding in and out among briar patches; stumbling and falling, and occasionally receiving an ungentle slap from a limb, until weary and with aching shoulders we made camp after four hours of hard drudgery. "Well, b'ys, I smell deer in th' air 'round here,' said old Herman, knowingly, as we dumped our baggage down at the cabin door. "Nd b'ys," said Sam, with a slight twang of baby English that is peculiar to these mountains; "I seed two deer tracks across the path as I cum down; I believe 'em woods is fool of 'em." Picking up a handful of leaves and letting them fall to indicate the direction of the wind, old Herman jumped with glee, as he said: "Everything's in our favor, 'nd we'll go round the p'int of yon' ridge fer a drive this er afternoon; so put yer clothes in er cabin, make dinner and we'll be off, so's we can er get back to-night." Every one was in a bustle of excitement. A roaring fire was made. and dinner cooked, and while we sat around a table of cedar boughs in Indian fashion, another hunter, Hugh Sharp, approached. He had heard of our departure, and loading himself with provisions, had followed at once. "By golly, b'ys, thar er a powerful lot o' deer in these 'ere woods, if 'm tracks I seed foretells anything," he said, by way of introducing himself. On, Our party filed out of camp shortly after noon, through briars and brambles to a thread-like path that led to the edge of the forest. Herman took the lead while I brought up the rear. Not a word was spoken above a whisper, for this had been agreed upon before starting. on, tramped the guide, through the dark shadows to- nobody but himself knew where. Down, up, across, around, dodging this and that, but with a watchful eye on either side to detect any animal life the woods might contain. The wind had ceased to roar on the mountain-tops, and the stillness was intense and oppressive. The limbs of leafless trees looked grim and gaunt, and the green of the laurel, the ferns and the mosses as dark and gloomy. Even the blue jay, usually the harbinger of man's presence in the woods, was absent, or perhaps struck dumb with curiosity at the sight of such a brave array of hunters. Up, up we climbed, through bog and morass made here and there by a spring. Finally, we were made ment of good nature. His face beamed with smiles as he went along with the elasticity of youth in every motion. Sam was as grave and alert as an Indian, and it was only after bringing down a buck, we learned later, that he would give way to his feelings. Hugh, our uninvited guest, had an individuality of his own, and. he knew the woods and could travel as easily without a trail or compass as the wild denizens thereof. He carried the hind-quarter of a sheep on |