Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1867-06-26
Ghildren's Column
TOSSED BY A DEER.
BY VIM. WRIT SKIES.

:, you may talk about being hoisted
p over stone fence by n mad bull said
q old Dave, as | sat by his cabin fireside
: one night; 'but if it comes to a choice
! between being hoistcd by deer and
, BULL INV 'N0
;, 'But deer will not run at you "a q
mad bull will, l should Think was NV
reply. Il thought the deer was the
most timid of animals
80 he is, generally, said the veteran
hunter, replenishing the cavity in his
f cheek with a huge quid of tobacco;
but I'll tell you how deer hoisted
me once, up in the Red River country.
Perhaps you never saw an elk as bio
as horse. That's the size those Red
River fellows often get to be. was
out on a hunt in the fall of AS, along
with two of my old companions, good
men and true; and we suddenly came
upon q herd Of elk feeding on a hill
side as quiet as so many cows. They
had no notion of our presence, as we
came upon them from the woods. and
saw them before we had left the trees.
We squatted in a clump of under
growth as quick as we caught sight of
them, without making any noise. They
would have smelt us, of course, if the
wind had been blowing towards them,
Tor the keenness of their smell is won
dcrful. Let a man get within a mile
mile OF a herd that is feeding to
leeward of him, and the way thev'u
scatter will be caution. You NAV
talk about the scent of dog, but it is
nothing to that of an elk. The head
fellow OF them is always on the watch;
and when he feels that smell of a hu-
man being touching his dewy nose,
away he goes like shot, and the rest
after him. Well, we three, crouchinp
there under the bush, whispered with
each other what to do, and a minute
after, Joe Belker started back into the
woods as still as he could 90. Where
was he going? He was going around
a long stretch TO come towards the
herd from the other side of the hill,
and drive them down upon US. We
were to keep as still as we could till
we heard them coming, and then up
and fire. 1t seems as if Joe never
would get around, he was gone so long,
and we were thinking something had
happened to him; but Just then we
heard roaring noise, and we knew
the herd were coming. We did not
lie there quiet, of course; if we had.
we would have been trampled to death
in no time. Each of us jumped to his
feet, and popped behind big tree just
in time. The herd came crashing
through the woods, tearing away the
limbs with their huge spreading horns
with mighty racket We each took
aim at one Of the herd Nv compan-
ions ball went right through the heart
of noble fellow, who leaped up into
the air and fell dead on the spot. The
elk L had shot at was huge one. |
knew | had hit him; but as it was. he
had strength enough to run on a piece
with the herd. But as the rest of the
bounding fellows disappeared in the
distance, | saw my victim drop upon
the ground in little opening of the
wood just beyond, and close his eyes
in death. While Belker and Smith
were attending to their prizes,I start
ed off after mine. My knife was out,
and had taken him by the head to
finish the work,-as | saw by his quiv-
ering that life still fingered, when the
huge animal staggered to his feet, and
| felt myself spinning through the air.
Even as | flew L felt my death had
come; for soon as / touched ground
again, the elk would be upon me and
would gore me through and through
The chance of my getting caught BE-
tween his horns, the way / did when
le threw me, was one out ofa thousand,
md the second time would be death.
If course. But Belker had seen me
as | went up, and before | came down
le had put ball through the animals
leart. Well, now, Pve knocked around
n the world a great deal, as you know;
but in all my life l never took any
thing that shook me up as bad as that
deer hoist did. l believe I'd rather be
blown up on steamer, run over By
herd of buffalo, or hugged by bear
a head taller than myself all of which
| hare been, in my time-than to be
sent spinning through the air in that
way, with wounded deer waiting for
me to come down - Olicer Optics BoYs
and Girls Magazine.