The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, October 17, 1894, Image 10
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BOYK EfiNSEE EEFHil!
Si Waif of Ike Wun fraifa,
BY WELDON J. COBBl
CHAPTER I.
. THE TB A Tv-tmrrTRnt
?Flrel*
"Who is it??
*A spy?one of the vigilantes. Down
Wm, or the frame Is lost!"
These ejaculations, spoken rapidly
and excitedly, broke the silence of a
-weird and tragic scene in one of the
loveliest valleys of the far West
They were directed toward a man
who had suddenly appeared upon a land cape
which for over an hour had held
half a dozen human figures, who had
been lurking in the vicinity of a lonely
stretch of railroad.
The time was night, relieved by the
refulgence of a September moon, its
rays just beginning to illumine mountain
and valley with a rare crystalline
beauty.
Half a mile distant, where the river
stretched a dim silver thread of radiance,
a lonely station showed, from
trhich glimmered the light of a single
lantern.
At the spot where the story opens, the
inffle railwav track curved over a high
trestle work and then descended on a
sharp grade toward the station and the
stream.
" For years this section, especially the
course pursued by the railroad, which
was a recently constructed branch of the
crreat Pacific system, had been known as
the Lone Canyon trail. The station was
called Ten-spot, and the nearest settleinent
was twenty miles over the mountain
at Miner's Gulch.
Beyond that stretched an alternation
of plain and hill and valley, Infested
even at the time of our narrative by
marauding bands of savages.
The region was one in which a rough,
uncultured set of miners and rangers
resided, and outlaw bands found It a favorite
field for their operations.
As has been stated, one hour previous
to the utterance of the words that begin
this chapter half a dozen men rode up
to the scene, dismounted silently, led
their horses to a thicket near by, and
then became massed together near the
railroad.
Here for some moments they were en
faged in some mysterious movements
about the rails. One of their number
vent down the tracks to the station,
returned, muttered an ominous "All
right," and then their dusky figures
8oved hither and thither. Not an audie
word was spoken until a tall, fullbearded
man, evidently the leader of the
party, startled his companions with the
xclamation:
( "Get to cover! Someone Is coming!"
8omeone was coming straight down
the tracks?a man past middle age, stalwart,
rugged, and attired in the garb of
* frontiersman.
His gait was a careless and leisurely
v one, as if he had got tired of waiting for
the train at the depot and was strolling
ftbout to kill time until it arrived.
All unaware of the perilous ambuscade
that lay in wait for him, he was not conscious
of the presence of a foe until he
turned a curve in the rails and fell back
frith a startled cry:
"What's this! An obstruction on the
road! They're at it again! Redskins or
" ' "W hai-Q'a Hn.ncrnr Afloat for the
VUWOTT Of VUVAV w ???
bight train, sure. *
i Ed turned to hasten back to the station.
At that moment six dusky forms
Arose from the bushes that lined the
aide of the tracks.
"Fire!"
? "Who Is he?"
"A spy?one of the vigilantes! Down
film, or the game is lost."
There was a blinding blaze of light,
and six revolvers flashed in the moonlight
.
"Missed him?after him! He most
not escape and give the alarm!" cried
the leader of the coterie.
The stranger had indeed been missed
He must have been magically alert, for
as the bullets whistled past him he dropKd
to the ground and they flew over his
ad. |
"You scoundrels! Come on, whoever
.jon are!"
Bis voice, clear and stentorian, rang
out llKe an lcdlgnant roar of defiance
and courage.
Ho had again sprang to ills reet ana
bad drawn his own revolver.
At that moment his enemies made a
united rush for the spot where he was.
He was forced to retreat a step or two.
A creeping vine entangled his foot, and
be fell violently backward.
"Take that 1"
The words were spoken by the leader,
as he reached the prostrate man.
"Despard?outlaw and renegade! I
know you. Cowardl villain! If I was
at fair odds with you "
The words were silenced suddenly.
The leader of the band?the man he
bad called Despard?had raised a curved
Iron bar he held In his hand. -It descended
with terrific force, cutting a
cruel gash In the forehead of the courageous
stranger, stunning him to insensibility.
Despard'? eyes wore a haunted, frightened
expression, and his faco was deathly
pale as ne surveyed his unconscious foe.
"You've settled him, Despard," spoke
one of the men as ho crowded to his side.
What does It mean?"
Despard spoke in an awed tone.
"What mean?"
"That man."
Too know him "
"Know him! Look again, Jim Danton
Ah! I thought you would recognize
him."
Despard*s companion peered close at
the face of the prostrate man.
"Banger Ralph!" he gasped out.
Yes. Do you remember when last
W0 BftW 111 ill, ttuu wo iciu liiLu w mo ca
prisoner in a cave. In the Utah hills? Hs
lad "crossed our traU, "^eierihinea to
bring u? to Justice for a ntago robbery.
He swore then that he would be avenged.
He escaped. What can his presence
here mean but disaster to our plans?
His object is the same as our own?to
meet the girl who stands botween me
and a royal fortune. It is an ill omen,
Danton. I fear. I tremble."
"For a dead man!" scoffed Danton,
Jeeringly; "for he is certainly dead this
time."
"He may have friends near at hand. "
We can soon find that out But no,
no; he would not walk to his fate that
way if he knew we were here or suspected
our plans."
Danton turned from tho spot
Vancc, * ho called, to ono of the men. '
What Is lt?v asked tho person addressed.
"You visited the station?*
Yes."
There vu no one there?"
No one but the depot agent"
You are sure?"
Positive.?
"Go there again and reconnolter. If
there are any otners arrived sinoe We"
came, return and reDort at once."
All right."
Danton returned to the leader's side,
who had walked away from the plaoe
where Banner Ralph lay. '
*- "Everything is arranged.fo.r the wreck.
I
Captain," ne said to DespardI "As t<5
yonder enemy?ranger, dective and vigilante?the
blow with the iron bar ha9
settled him. You are sure the girl will
be on the tra'n."
"Inez?"
"Yes."
"Of course she wilL I received positive
information. Remember, Danton,
that she is of more value to us tban the
booty."
"That's all right. You and I will
look out for the girl, and the others for
the booty. But if she should be killed?"
"Then I benefit just so much, that's
all," replied Despard, coolly. "What
makes me uneasy is Hanger Ralph's appearance
iiere."
"Why so?"
"Because he was one of her dead
father's companions."
"Well?"
"Inez's father was one of his old-time
rtionds. He probably warned him of hi3
renegade relative."
"Yourself?"
"Exactly. If so, even if the girl were
dead, my claim might be disputed, or
my past record would prevent my appearing
to secure the fortune. No, Danton,
the only way Is to Ret possession of
the girl; and I love her just enough to
wanf to marry her. Your men Insisted
on a wreck to securo what booty the
train had. I take the chances of the
accident killing the girL At all events,
she must be secured by us. Or her death
assured before the night is over."
"You are a relative of Robert Tracey?
her father?"
CA distant one?but the only one after
her."
"And the fortune?"
"Is a mystery, in a way, and was lefl
by Tracey in possession of an old recluse
known as Hermit Ben. The story is too
complicated a one to relate now. Remember,
the girl is our especial care;
when the disaster comes, search for
her."
"All right, Despard. Let ns get with
the boys. The train will be due now
In a short time."
The two men moved some distance
away, to where an obstruction consisting
of logs, rocks and iron had been
piled on the track.
At that moment the man Vance, whom
Danton had sent to the depot, returned.
"Well?" asked the latter.
"No one there but the depot agent.?
And the man we had to settle yonder?"
"I guess he had jnst arrived, for two
horses were standing outside the station.
I cut them looso for fear of accidents.
"Two!" whispered Despard, in an Intense
tone to Danton. "Do you hear?"
"Yes."
"Ranger Ealph expected someone on
the train."
"Evidently."
"And that one was the girl who Is the
object of all our plots?Inez Tracey."
CHAPTER LL
TOO LATE.
""The scoundrels! Dyke Despard, my
score against you?deeper than ever, for
this cowardly act?will be a terrible one
when your day of reckoning comes!"
The words emanated in a pained,
gasping tone of voice from the spot
where a few minutes previous they had,
to all seeming, viewed the dead form of
Ranger Ralph, the border scout and detective.
Ranger Ralph himself spoke, but his
haggard face and pain-stricken eyes told
that the blow Despard had dealt him
was a terrible one in its effects.
Under it he had gone down like a shot.
Utter insensibility had finally given way
to dawning consciousness, but so feeble
and confused tha' he could scarcely raise
himself on one arm.
The blood from a ghastly wound on
the head deluged his face and showed a
deep gash that would leave a scar to his
dying day.
. His head was dizzy, his sight blinded,
his strength seemed leaving him He
essayed to arise, and then, with a
groan, fell back exhausted.
Suddenly every nerve seemed to thrill
to quickened action, and he forget his
wound and his helplessness for the moment.
"The train!" ko gasped, wildly. "I
had forgotten it Oh, these villains!
They have piled an obstruction on the
track. Too plainly I seo Dyke Desnard's
Dlot. The ffirl?Inez. He knew
she was coming here, and with his rene- |
gade associates seeks to prevent her appearing
to claim the fortune her father
left her. I must prevent this awful
crima I must save the life of the child
of my old friend, who intrusted her to
my care. What 'shall I do? Singlehanded,
I cannot cope with these armed
ruffians. There is but one man at tho
depot, but he may be able to telegraph
for aid or stop the train. Ah, it is useless.
That blow has robbed me of my
strength."
Ranger Ralph spoke these last words
in a despairing tone, fo~ a second effort
to rise proved futila
"I'll crawl to the depot, bu* I'll outwit
these scoundrels," he muttered grimly, a
moment later.
He was outside the range of the vision
of the men grouped on the tracks twenty
feet away, and besides they paid no
further attention to the foe they believed
to be dead. Slowly, painfully, Ranger
Ralph began to creep through the underbrush.
It was a terrible task for his
enervated frame, but he Anally saw in
the distance the single signal lamp of the
station.
Precious moments were slipping by;
he realized this, and the thought nerved
him to renewed effort
Ten minutes later the single occupant
of the station, a young, handsome man
of about twenty years, started from
reading a paper as a suspicious sound
PohnoH from the direction of the door.
His hand sought the revolver at hl9
belt, as he remembered the perils of the
times, but dropped it to his side, and he
uttered an amazed cry as his glance fell
apon the strange figure that filled the
doorway a moment later.
"Great heavens, man!" ho cried; "whal
does this moan?"
He st<Jbd staring in blank horror at
the blood-covered form of Hanger Ralph,
who had crept over the threshold.
"Help mc to a chair, quick!" gasped
the almost exhausted scout
\ "You aro injurod?you have ralleul*
I "NoI I havo boon tho victim of
cowardly and brutal assault"
"Where?by whom?"
He had lifted the scout to a chair and
was trembling with oxcitoment as ho
discerned some mystery in tho manner
of his visitor.
Tho latter did not answer his question
directly. Instoad, his eyes, falling on
a clock within a railed inclosuro of tho
depot, ho asked tumultously:
"Tho train?when will it arrive?"
"It is due in ten minutes."
"Stop it!"
"Stop it?" cried the other. "Why, man!
what do you mean?"
"What I say:" cried Range? Ralph,
wildly. "Don't waste time wifci idle
questions. A hundred lives lie on the
turr. of a moment of time. Telegraph
ahead and have tho train stopped!"
"Impossible!"
"Why?"
"Because it has already passed the last
station."
Ranger Ralph uttered a groan of d&*
Bpair.
"Then secure aid and hasten to the
curve!" he cried.
"Explain yourself. Why are you so
Incoherent?so excited? There la dan?
ger?"
"Terrible daager."
"From whom?*
ir
Train wreckers."
The youn? -ian- started violently.
"It cannot bo!" ne cried.
"Ye?, there are six of them, led by
Dyke Despard, a notorious outlaw, ii [
there no one near?"
"Ko one. Bouse yourself, man. Together
we xnay be able to disperse thesa
scoundrels."
"Impossible. I could not walk a step
nnaided."
The other hastened to a window and
looked out toward the south.
"The depot agent will &rrive shortly,"
ho said, in hurried, anxious tones.
"Are you not the agent?" asked Hanger
Ealph, in some surprise.
"No; I was waiting f<jr the train here.
He has a sick family at his home", five
miles from here, and asked mo to take
charge while ho took some medicine
over to them. But he said he would return
before the train arrived."
"And before then It may be too late tc
stop the train. Oh, cannot something
be done!"
With his helplessness, delay and inao
tkm was torture to Ranger Ralph.
"A signall" cried his companion, suddenly:
"I will outwit these scoundrels.
Quick, now, tell me where they ara "
In brief but graphic language the
scout imparted the desired Information.
The other listened with the closest
attention and interest, his eyes gleaming
with latent excitement and "cdurageoua
determination.
When the recital was concluded he
sprang to the projecting window where
the depot lantern was.
Ranger Ralph watched him cautiously
as he saw him extinguish the lantern.
"What are you going to do?" he
asked.
"Signal and stop the train."
How?"
"With this lantern."
"You cannot pass the wreckers."
"I must and will. Odco beyond them,
I will relight the lantern, and hasten on
until I meet the train."
"Hasten, for heaven's sake!* cried the
ecout, in imploring tones. "Seel the
train is almost now due."
Without another w?rd, the young man
sprang through the doorway, tbe unlighted
lantern in one hand, a revolver
in tho other.
, [TO BB C03TTIMTED.J
TEMPERANCE.7
DROP BY DBOP.
Drop by drop! drop by drop I
Filling the glass to the very top,
When will the terrible trafflo stop?
How many glasses drinkers bold? How
many treats for young and old?
How much poison, hot and cold? ,
Ah! you "would know," I hear you say,
How many glasses day by day
Measure the drops in yonder bay.
Gather them up In pints and gills,
All the streamlets and all the rills,
Fresh from the everlasting hills.
;
Count the sand-grains one by one.
The myriad stars with wort begun,
And they'll never compare when au is done!
Oceana and rivers of liquid Are!
Thinking of this no tongue should tire
Teaching the truth to son and sire.
?Mrs. M. A. Kidder, in Youth's Banner.
A PB0BLE3I TO BE SOLVED.
The problem of "hard times" will be solveJ
when the woridng men of fAmerica boycott
the saloon and stop drinking liquor. About
$400,000,000 a year goes into the saloon from
the hard-earned wages of workmen. This
money, turned into the channels of industry
and commerce, would bring oomfort and
happiness and plenty to millions of households.?National
Temperance Advocate.
A FATAL OLASS.
I was much impressed, savs a'writer, with
what is related of the Duke of Bordeaux
He was the hope of France, tha one mac
who might have saved the dynasty which h<
represented from the impending horrors oi
revolution, He was a virtuous princo, but
drank wine. He discovered that a certain
number of potations could not be indulgeJ
in without making him drunk. As a rule,
he did not violate the law of temperance,
but on one memorable occasion he took t
single glass of liquor beyond the limit. Going
to his carriage he stumbled on entering
it, the horse was frightened, ran off, and
killed him.
GREATEST CAUSE OF IXSAVITT.
Intemperanoe in drink heads the list of
physical causes of insanity, and domestlo
trouble and grief the moral causes, but out
it 2000 coses of Insanity we nau miompo.tnoe
In drink the cause of 577 oases, or 27.4
t>er cent., and domestic trouble and grief in
>nly seventy-two cases, or 3.4 per cent.
There can be no doubt that Intemperance In
3rink Induces Insanity In fully twenty-five
percent, of all the insane cases In the Untied
States, either directly or indirectly. It
Is also responsible for very much of the imbecility
and idiocy of the offspring of intemperate
parents. FUty per .cent, of nil our
Idiots and imbeciles are without doubt the
jffspring of drunkards. Where strong liquors
ire increasingly consumed we find a proportionate
amount of alcoholic insanity. Where
ihe consumption of alcohol doubles, thero
?re find the cases of Insanity from iatempertnce
will rise over flfty per cent.
ALWAYS POOB.
Another cause of perpetual poverty Is the
cause alcohollo. The victim does. not last
long. He soon crouches Into the drunkard's
grave. But what about his wife and children?
asks a prominent New York writer
and public speaker. She takes In washing,
;when she oan get it, or goes out working on
small waces. because sorrow and privation |
jbave left~her incapacitated to do a strong
woman's work. The children are thin[blooied
and gaont ana pale and we^k, standling
around in cold rooms, or pitching penties
on the street corner, and munching a;
piice of unbuttered bread when they oan get
Jt, swam "at by passers-by because they do
not get out (A the way; kicked onward toward
manh6od or womanhood, for which
they have no preparation except a depraved
appetite and frail constitution, candidates1
lor almshouse and penitentiary. Whatever
bther causes of poverty may fail, the saloon
boy be depended upon to furnish an everIncreasing
thronar of paupers.
' CIDEB DHINXim
, Y/e irequently hoar that there is "no harm
from drinking sweet cider," and temperance'
organizations frequently have this question
brought before them for discussion. Cider
commences to ferment assoon as it fs out of
the press, and the alcohol in cider is as se-|
ductive and poisonous as in any other drink,;
and in many cases more so. A. P. Foster,'
D. D., of Massachusetts, in a recent letter to*
the Advance, writes as follows:
"A recent dreadful murder in this State,
committed by a man upon his brother, illustratos
the evils of cider drinking. The murderer
was intoxicated on hard cider, and,
hence was in an ugly mood, as is invariably
the case with those under the influence ofj
this dangerous intoxicant. In New England
elder is one of the greatest temptations to
intemperance. Every fall piles of small and
gnarly apples are gathered, which are marketable
only at the cider-mill. There is a'
profit to be mado on them, and the farmers
do not feel that they can lose it. This fact
lists done much to break down the prohibitory
law in Massachusetts. Years ago when
, this law was in force it mat with opposition
from the older-raising farmers. To got their
vote elder was exempted lrom the application
of the law. But this was a fatal inconsistency.
Hard cider is far worse in its ef-i
fects than many other of the milder intoxi-j
cants like ale and beer. But it is easily ob-i
tained on New England farms; the boys)
grow fond of it, beginning with sweet cider,j
but speedily finding their way to the ferj
mented and intoxicating article. The tasta
for alcohol thus formed, it naturally does;
not stop with cider. Thus our New England;
cider operates adversely to temperance in
two ways?it breaks down the strength of
those who, but for this, would promote tem4
perance legislation, and by its dulcet en^
couragement to sweet cider, it tempts ouii
country boys to start out on a path that
leads to a drumkard's grave. Apples In New
England, rye in the Mississippi Valley, and
grapes on the Pacific Coast are, every one,
tempters to break down the temperance re
form."
WILD DUCKS.
EXPERIENCE OF AN OLQ WESTERN
HUNTER.
Nothing in Wild Fowling to Equal
the Charm of Chasing the Teal
and the Mallard ? Various
Ways of HuntingThem.
WHILE the lover of grouse
shooting looks forward
with fondest anticipations
to the open season when
he can pursue his favorite game, the
pleasures he finds are not to be pompared
to those enjoyed by the hardy
duck shooter. The latter is like the
war horse which sniffs the battle from
afar, for the leaden sky, the cool
nights and the north winds are messengers
to him telling him that the
rlneVa Tm'll onnn onmo Thfl
forts and inconveniences he has to endure
are among the sweetest of his
recollections when he recalls the time
he had among wild fowl. There is a
rare charm about duck shooting which
lessens all other shooting in the mind
of the wild fowler. Tell to him the
delights of woodcock shooting and he
will say: "Bosh! who wants to tramp
in the island undrrbrush, where the
mosquitoes are claiming possession of
the land, and are singing the "war cry
of their tribes in your ears, or worse
still, thrusting a bill into your faces
and boring you outrageously?" But
ask him to go duck shooting and his
soul responds to your invitation, and
he will tell you he haa patched his
rubber boots, has hidden his corduroy
suit lest his wife should have the dirt
and stains washed from it, has had
shells loaded weeks before, and is
ready to go on the shortest notice.
The season for duck shooting begins
September 1 in the Northern and
Western States, and when the day
begins to break on that eventful date
the marshes are dieturbed here and
there with splashing oars and creaking
reeds which tell of the presence of
many hunters.
Tho teal are among the first water
fowl to aflord good shooting. They
are distinguished as the blue and green
wing. The former are the larger
and usually the more scarce. They
are dainty little ones and love to bask
in the sunshine of the marshes, or sit
on some round bar, which one often
sees in the winding creeks and sloughs.
They seldom fly in pairs during the
fall, but feed in large flocks, and, as
they swoop past the hunter's blind, a
single discharge of the gun often results
in the killing of from three to a
half dozen birds. They love to drop
into the little open place, which, from
an elevation, gleam like silver inj the
bunches of rushes, and as the birds
swoop along they will suddenly flirt
and dart, dropping into their watery
oases with a gentle splash, or as softly
as feathers drifting into the sea.
Teal shooting can only be enjoyed
when one has a good retriever in the
marsh. Of course if the flight is such
that the birds fly over the open water,
then a boat answers as well or better
than a dog. But generally the birds
dart over the rush tops, and as they
go with great velocity they are frequently
killed so they drop iuto the
rushes and wild rice, where it is utterly
impossible to recover them without
a retriever. "While the teal are
difficult to hit on account of the great
speed with which they fly, they are
not tenacious of life and succumb to
slight blows. The skillful hunter Understands
the necessity of holding his
gun well ahead of the birds, for, while
he knows the velocity of shot is much
greater than the speed of the Ijirds,
he also knows it takes time to decide
to shoot, to pull the trigger, for the
cap to explode, for the shot to issue
from the barrel, and then to reach the
bird : all that time, sliarht thousrh it is.
the swift flying bird has flown from
eight to ten feet, and, unless the
shooter has aimed those distances
ahead of the bird, depending on the
distance the bird is from him, the pellets
of shot will go behind the bird
and the shooter will score a mi-is. Nos.
7 and 8 shot are the favorite s \ze when
shooting teal.
There is another buck, very similar
to the teal, and yet more like the female
mallard, which frequents the marshes
and pays tribute to the hunter's skill.
This is the gray duck, and known
locally throughout the United States
as gadwell, speckle belly and gray
widgeon. It is very similar in appear..
/ ll\) ..fcf _
SHOOTING MALLAI
ance in its flight to the mallard and is
often mistaken for it, for after the
hunter has killed the bird he finds his
mistake when picking the duck up.
The gray ducks decoy splendidly and
the wild fowler who is shooting mallards
over decoys is always sure to
have among his birds a good number
of them. Their call is very similar to
the mallard, but it is shriller and of u
tenor tone, whereas, when a mallard
opens up her throat and utters her loud
quack, quack, quack, noisy at first and
dying away gradually with each succeeding
quack, the cry causes the hunter
to clutch his gun nervously, for
there is a something in it that makes
his blood tingle.
Mallard shooting begins at the opening
of the season, and as these ducks
breed in the marshes of the Northern
States it is not unusual in Northern
Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin to see a
mallard with her brood in many of the
little prairie ponds or sloughs where
the rushes afford protection from
prowling animals. At one time while
hunting pinnated grouse in Eastern
Iowa early in August my dog, which
was an excellent one, came to a 6tand.
point at the edge of a slough. I supcosed
he had found a covey of Din
Hated grouse. On being urged on he j
pounced upon a young mallard duck
and then he successively brought me
six or eight which were two-thirds
grown.
Mallards do not vary much in size;
the males are larger and handsomer
than the females, and are always a
special mark for the wild fowler. The
tyro in duck shooting frequently emphasizes
the mallard he has succeeded
in bagging by calling it "a big fat
mallard." When a boy, the many
mallards I used to kill were always
"big and fat." Nowadays they are
mallards pure and simple. There are
mfttiv wftvs t,n hnnt mallards and. at
this season of the year, the methods
JUMPING BLU
employed are: First by jumping them.
This is done at prairie ponds, where
one can get near the rashes; then the
frightened birds jump out and a?ek
escape. Then, too, the jumping of
mallards is done in marshes, when the
wild flowler sits in the bow of the boat,
and as the pusher propels the boat
around the narrow winding stream the
birds will fly out, presenting the easiest
kind of shots. It is very easy to
hit mallards when they fly up out of a
marsh, for they invariably "climb"?
that is,* they keep rising until they
have reached a height of from fifteen
to thirty feet, when they start off in
a direct line. When the shooter Bhoots
at the bird he should hold a few
inches or a foot over it to allow for its
rise.
The second method which may be
employed in mallard shooting early in
the season is in flight shooting. This
is done by the wild fowler secreting
himself at some point or under the
line of flight when he has noticed the
birds flying back and forth to and
from their feeding grounds. At times
2^3
GREEN WING TEAXj.
one can get excellent shooting in this
manner, and it is rare sport to kill
the birds in their flight. There is no
assnrance of one getting good shoot
ing in this way, for the birds may
change their line of flight, being
frightened by some hunter who in his
desire for birds forgets, if he ever
knew, that there is an etiquette which
established rules hold sacred among
men in the field as well as at other
places.
The third and best way of shooting
mallards is over decoys. These decoys
are made of wood or rubber and
imitate in appearance the kind of
duck the wild fowler is seeking. Care
should be taken in setting out these
decoys, for they must simulate as
nearly as possible the living birds in
their habits and peculiarities. Ducks
always alight against the wind, and
mallards select the still water in pref*An/vl\
HPVi a A&nr\Tra
CICUUC l/U l/UO lUU^Ui AUU uvvvju
should therefore be placed so that the
mallards will approach them coming
up wind, for they fly much lower then
and are less suspicious than when flying
with the wind. If they come down
wind they are harder to decoy, for
they will then make a detour before
alighting, and as they circle around
they are suspicious and their sharp
eyes will observe the slightest movement
of the wild fowler. The more
IDS FROM A BLIND.
decoys used the better, for numbers
seem to dispel all doubt. Mallards
when first alighting rarely ever drop
in a bunch; they alight apart, and after
feeding to their satisfaction they
oftentimes swim together, and if the
day is warm three or four, sometimes
more, will tuck their heads beneath
their wings and doze the time away.
It is such times as this when the pot
hunter gets in his work and kills from
six to a dozen at one shot.
The glories of mallard shooting are
to be had early in the morning and up
to nine o'clock, then from about five
o'clock until dark, and when one finds
the place where they have been accustomed
to come in and feed undisturbed,
it is nothing unusual for one
gunner to bag from thirty to sixty.
The writer has done this frequently,
and, jointly with another, has killed
over fifty in an hour. When decoys
are to set out the experienced wild
fowler takes everything into consideration
which will aid to make him
successful. The spot selected should
be an isolated one if possible, where
the ducks have been accustomed to
alight and feed or rest undisturbed
for days or weeks. A feeding place
should be chosen in preference to any
" i^? ????mmummmtmm
other, for there the birds come in at
times with perfect recklessness, and it
seems impossible to keep Jthem out.
At such a time the hunter appreciates
and enjoys the impossible. As the
mallards fly up and down the marsh,
undecided just where they will alight,
their eyes are constantly watching
for a place where other
ducks have preceded them. They
are companionable and like to
associate with not only their kind
but with other ducks, and when blue
bills ;are bobbing on the rougher
waters of the lakes outside the margin
of the wild rice and rushes their presence
seems to tell the wary mallards
that in the recesses of the marsh and
? *
/j|
E "WING TEAL.
in proximity to the blue bills there
are places where the mallards can find
a feeding place and regale themselves
on seeds and larvae, which may be'
skimmed from the surface of the water,
or the wild rioe, which is as fondly
desired by the mallard as ice cream is
by the budding woman.
As the mallards come within a few
hundred yards of the decoys the wild
fowler calls to them, imitating the cry
of mallards when they are in the
marshes enjoying seclusion and contentment.
This call is made bv usincr
a duck call made especially for the
purpose or by calling with the humanj
voice. The duck-shooter presses his
lips and teeth together, and when the!
birds are within hailing distance he
calls softly,. "Me-amph," "Me-amph."
This cry, if properly given, results in;
turning the birds toward the con-j
oealed hunter, and they fly toward thei
decoys. The mallards frequently an-!
swer these calls; if they do the hunter;
is sure to get a good shot if he remains;
motionless and concealed, and, as he;
watches the birds come to him withi
wings bowed preparatory to alighting!
his heart trobs fast as his eyes rest on!
the russet and mottled female mallard;
and then on the splendid drake, whose!
deep green head and white band around i
his head draw first to him the hunter's}
aim. Just as the birds are over the;
decoys and their red feet are extended!
and ready to alight, and they are|
chuckling their satisfaction at finding
this place, which they have long sought,
the wild fowler selects his bird, a drake
bv all means, and, as one report rapidly
follows another, the stricken birds fall!
limp and dead, while their mates at-)
ter frightened cries and seek escape in
rapid flight. It often happens that
when two hunters are shooting from!
the same blind each will make a doable, i
i. e., each kill his pair of birds.
j The sine qna non in having good
I dnck shooting is as the Irishman said:
"Plenty-of very wet weather." Un-j
less there is plenty of water in the:
marshes one cannot feel assnred of1
getting the best of wild fowl shooting.'
If there are occasional ponds to bei
found throughout some' extensive^
swamp ducks may frequent that;
swamp in great numbers, but the1
hunter will scarcely find them worth'
I the seeking, for the marsh will be one:
vast bed of muck and the hunter will
soon become tired and disgusted with'
the situation. The ducks seem to re-!
1 it- AT A2? J ~ J!
anze ine proiecuuxi mey uuu uuuu;
such surroundings, and, instead of
flying about, they remain in their
secluded places and sip and feed and:
squawk from morning till night. .
A well trained retriever is one of
the greatest blessings the duck shooter
was ever favored with. Such a dog is
l almost worth his weight in gold to the,
wild fowler, for in no other way can.
the hunter get his birds out of thej
thick rushes and wild rice. The dog
must be obedient, have a good nose,'
be powerful and courageous. He must
be of a neutral color. The best breed
of dogs is the Chesapeake. They are:
a dead color of a faded buffalo robe;
are not afraid of mud, rushes or ice,
and will dive if necessary to get their
bird. I have seen them retrieve in
floating ice in a swift current and it
was mere play for them. I have seen
another mark where a goose fell and
retrieve it from a distance of fully onehalf
mile, carrying a weight of twelve
pounds in his mouth as if it was a
stick.
The wild fowler of to-day has
changed his ideas about the firearms
he uses. The large bores, sucn as six
or eight, are bat seldom used, and the
one -who uses them now is decidedly
behind the times. The favorite duck
gun among expert shots is the twelve
gauge hammerless, bored a full choke,
shooting 4} ounces of shot and 3$
drams of nitro-powder. Such a gun,
with the load mentioned, is a far-killiDg
weapon. Black powder is used
but very little by the majority of
sportsmen. The noise, the report
and the smoke inoident to black
powder are mostly done away with
when one uses nitro-powder, and one's
pleasures are consequently enhanced.
Nitro or smokeless powder has gun
cotton for its foundation, and its advantages
are slight recoil, very little
noise and an almost total absence of
smoke, thus enabling the shooter to
use the second barrel quickly without
interference irom smone, wmcu irom
powder made of charcoal and saltpeter
oftentimes prevents a second shot.?
Chicago Herald.
The pedestrian Grandin, who has
walked over 14,000 kilometers it j
America and Europe, is about to em-1
bark for Africa, where ho intends to
endeavor to walk from Oran to Timbuctoo,
crossing the dreaded Sahara
on the way.
The Marquis of Lome has written
the libretto of an opera, which will be
set to music by the Scottish composer,
Hamish McCunn. The first performance
will probably take place before
the Queen at Windsor Castle.
Daniel M. Spraker, of Fonda, N.
Y., is the oldest bank president in the
United States. He has just passed his
ninety-sixth birthday.
I
The Albatross.
The albatross, a bird of the genus
Diomedin?, and of which there are
several known species, is characte^-J
ized by its great size, its powerfully
THE ALBATROSS,
I?:ia v.j? -1 i. ilj.i. i.
UU11V UUUJT, DHUITl, KLLLUIV UCVJAy OJUV4
long and powerful beak, which is compressed
at the sides and curves sud-'
denly downward with a sharp hook at
the point. The feet are short, the
three toes long and completely
webbed; the wings are long and narrow.
The abundant plumage is of a
grave color, which varies somewhat,
according to sex and age, and also,1
perhaps, according to the season of
the year.
The common albatross (Diomedea
exulans), of which we publish an engraving?for
which we are indebted
to Brehm's "Thierleben"?is pure
white, except for the black of the
wings and a sprinkling of more or less
brown over the white ground when itf
reaches a certain age. The eye is
dark brown, the bare eyelid pale.
green, the beak pinkish white, shad-j
ing to yellow toward the point; the
feet are tinged with red. The common
albatross is the largest sea bird1
[mown, weighing from twelve to
twenty-eight pounds. The usual ex-j
tent of its wings is about eleven feet.J
but one was shot off the Cape of Good .
Hope that measured 17| feet. Its'
nnmono r\t flinlif ova aTti><mF/1iniirT nol
pVVTCiO UA UigUV IMW } MM
aaight be presupposed from the ex-!
treme lightness of its hollow wingj
bones, which are said to be as long as
the whole body. Sailors have many)
strange notions abont it, one of which
is that it sleeps on the wing.
Monkey Tricks In Midair.
John William Mayman, known.
throughout the country as "Steeple
Jack," died at Fall River Mass., re J
lently. He had drank heavily. Deathl
was due to exposure.
Some time a?o he finished building an
iddition to a chimney owned by thej
Smith Paper Company's mill, near
Boston. The chimney is 130 fee?
high. Several planks had been drawn1
ap and placed across the top to hold
material, and an iron rod had been'
put through the top of the chimney.!
One Sunday afternoon Mayman had!
seen drinking and went to the topi
5f the chimney to show how steady hi?
nerve was. Taking a stout plank he.
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T to '
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?' 7ill .w cccc;SJ '
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jSuiE?-p P, ;j
TrTc c%-ri'rTi. !
J^ijf .
STEEPLE JACK'S TERBIFTINO FEAT.
inserted one end under the rod, let*
ting the other end project into the ail
about eight feet. He first tried the
plank with his foot; then walked slowly
to the end, stooped, grasped the
plank with both hands and stood on
his head at the extreme end. All the
spectators grew faint at the sight and
most of them turned away, being unable
to look at the terrifying performance.
Peace and War in Korea. I
While the Japs and Chinese are I
warring over their mutual "rights" in
Korea, the hair.ble agriculturist oi M
that country is pursuing his peaceful I
avocation and cultivating his crops.
The picture represents the method
employed by a Korean farmer to guard
his field of pumpkins from thieves and
foragers.