hold supplied with
fish. On many a morning he could be seen out on the river in his skiff,
beguiling the toothsome perch, bass or rock-fish. Not infrequently he
would fall asleep and then the impatient cook, who had orders to have
dinner strictly upon the hour, would be compelled to seek the shore and
roar at him. Old Jack would waken and upon rowing to shore would inquire
angrily: "What you all mek such a debbil of a racket for hey? I wa'nt
asleep, only noddin'."

Another colored factotum about the place was known as Tom Davis, whose
duty it was to supply the Mansion House with game. With the aid of his
old British musket and of his Newfoundland dog "Gunner" he secured many
a canvasback and mallard, to say nothing of quails, turkeys and
other game.

After the Revolution Washington formed a deer park below the hill on
which the Mansion House stands. The park contained about one hundred
acres and was surrounded by a high paling about sixteen hundred yards
long. At first he had only Virginia deer, but later acquired some
English fallow deer from the park of Governor Ogle of Maryland. Both
varieties herded together, but never mixed blood. The deer were
continually getting out and in February, 1786, one returned with a
broken leg, "supposed to be by a shot." Seven years later an English
buck that had broken out weeks before was killed by some one. The
paddock fence was neglected and ultimately the deer ran half wild over
the estate, but in general stayed in the wooded region surrounding the
Mansion House. The gardener frequently complained of damage done by them
to shrubs and plants, and Washington said he hardly knew "whether to
give up the Shrubs or the Deer!" The spring before his death we find him
writing to the brothers Chickesters warning them to cease hunting his
deer and he hints that he may come to "the disagreeable necessity of
resorting to other means."

George Washington Custis, being like his father "Jacky" an enthusiastic
hunter, long teased the General to permit him to hunt the deer and at
last won consent to shoot one buck. The lad accordingly loaded an old
British musket with two ounce-balls, sallied forth and wounded one of
the patriarchs of the herd, which was then chased into the Potomac and
there slain. Next day the buck was served up to several guests, and
Custis long afterward treasured the antlers at Arlington House, the
residence he later built across the Potomac from the Federal City.

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