The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1854-11-15
A Goose Hunt in Michigan.

'Oh, look a,bare-Oh, look a-whar
Look way ober yonder l
Don't you see the ole gray goose
A smilin' at de gander.''
nos Negro Melody.
On very cold winters nieht--I believe
it was in December Of 1884, one of my
neighbours sons, Sim or Simeon) Newton,
stalked unoeremonisusly upon my medi.
tations, as was seated by comfortable
backwoods fire, in my new frame dwelling
on the border of Portage Lake. was
alone, and the company of Sim, an unso-
phisticated Vermonter, was always well
come, and being q sort of half hunter,
halt ,rapper, with q sprinkling of the ag-
riculturist kind of q chap. | not unfrequent-
ly was amused at his drolery, his peculiar
sayings and his originality.
After having smoked his pipe, ana
made red physiognomy that was rather
blue when he entered, he made one Of his
singular propositions.
"Well, wha. do you think Of taking
goose hunt tonight"
IA what :" cried |. "a goose hunt
and on such night as this. What do you
mean, Sim %
81 mean a Dild goose hunt on the lake.
just up, you know, at the outlet of Little
into Large Portage--it is always open
during the winter-and this afternoon a.
bout sun set, Isaw million Of wild geese,
to say the least OF them. settling down. and
they are now roos.ing on the edge Of the
ice and water" e -s
mustered as much astonishment and
surprise at this important intelligence, as
was master OF, and in Sims own peculiar
style of expression, exclaimed, "Do tell
II want to know!"
"Yes-Just step to the door, and you
can hear them sore aiming and gobliDg like
mad, and shouldn't be able to sleep to-
night without having q orack at EN-, and
a bag to put the feathers in -
Sure enough,-I followed him to the
front door, and such olatter never heard
before. should not have doubted him if
he had proclaimed couple Of thousand
but a million! Iresolved at all events
to humor his humor.
The Lake alluded to, portage Lake,
contains an area Of about 2 700 acres, and
is one of the largest inland lakes in the
peninsula State, is about SO miles west Of
Detroit, and whore the Portage river finds
its way through little Portage into big Port
age Lake, it is generally open during the
whole OF the winter, and affords RECALLING
place for aquatic fowl, as well as a suita-
BILE resting place for the night, as the peou-
liarity of the spot alse afforded q sort OF
security to them by man or beast.
"How shall We hunt them, Sim ? Shoot
them -
"Bless your heart, no All we'll have
TO do is to dress ourselves up in white
sheets, and beneath its folds we can each
carry dark lanthern and good club
We'll then, as soon as the moon goes
down, steal up to where they are, and.
when within step or so Of the head Teller
we'll open our lantherns TO them, which
will blind their eyes you know, and then
fall to. cut and slash, right and left, till we
slay every mothers goose Of 'em, and
gander too. They'll not think of flying
when they meet with such q sudden sur
prise" sg...-...
"But. Sim, only think-a million geese
My dear fellow, it would be a weeks job
More than Sampson among the Philisiines
fear before We get through with it, the
sun would rise and discover US. whereupon
part of million would fly away
"Never fear-7just let's get ready by the
time the moon is down. though we've GO
plenty of time before them"
But surely, Sim, we cant get them al
by your plan. That'l not dove mus
contrive a better. If We are to get mil
lion Of geese, we must form some othel
scheme-none Of your retailing when yor
go on wild goose chase, tell you wha
it is, Sim, what q speculation wen have
in feathers, hey ?'' :
And Sim rubbed his hands and looked
important at the bare idea. 1--WE won
have anything else - said Sim. "Wel
60 shares--half for you and half for me- Z
'.Oh, yes! What are feathers worth {
pound II mean lire goose feathers ,
for these will be as good, you know; fo
the geese II die so quick when we get a
mong Them, tha, purchasers will not know
but the feathers are lire ~
Lets see-daddy got, I believe, 81
cents pound down at Dexter village ane
Ann Arbor, for his'n, last summer"
How many pounds did he get off hi
flock, Sim % Hifss.s.ss sas
I swell, guess he got about ten or twelve
pounds" 5ss5 s.ss 1ss.a
"That'll do very we'll; that must be q
bout quarter pound to the goose. Dom
you believe wild geese will yield half I
pound each, for you know we take ALI
the feathers, leaving none for cultivation 2
"Oh; yes, good big gander II give yo,
a pound at least. But tell you, they ar,
sma ashers, some of them chaps saw oom
ing down this afternoon" And Sim be
gan counting over his fingers.
i ..Pshaw, my boy, you needn't count b,
fingers but.by fgures--just reach me tha
slate yonder. So, let me see--half pount
to each goose--multiply 1,0OO. 900 by
ounces. OF half pound, makes half mil
lion pounds. Half million pounds o
feathers, Sim only think Of it -
Sim Strengthened up and looked big
"Now, Sim, half million pounds, q
fifty cents pound, comes to the encrmou
sum Of TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOU
SAND DOLLARS r. ;s
Il Sim reelsd--stared--looked in the fir
with q vacant gaze, as .if he was labor
inr a. tho uAa nS n v,na