Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-10-06
An Ex.Suryeyor fries Shooting
Prairie Chickens.

An Ex.SuryeyOr Tries Shooting
Prairie Chickens.
There were three of them, Oldgun,
Newgun and TotherguD, D. and n. being
veterans, and L. raw recruit. Then
there was Dick, an accomplished pointer,
and there were three double-barrel shoot
ing irons, with equipments and ammuni-
ton.
An ebon nag showed excellent industry
in affording passage over the prairie TO
the cold stamping ground" At q select
point, Dick, Oldgun and Newgun struck
out into field covered with shocks OF
wheat, but Tothergun drove on quarter
of mile, made right angle, proceeded
another quarter, and then disposed of the
ebon and the vehicle.
The recruit, alias Ex-, alias Tother-
gun, powdered, shotted and capped his
tubes in the crankiest style, scaled the
fence with a conscious and manifest sense
of mastership, and began to march across
the stubble with busy, ferreting and ex-
pectant eyes-offering deadly danger 70
the first reckless covey of fowl that should
show itself Not a speckled feather ap-
pearing, be took a new tack, and cOntin-
ued his hunt, but with the same
failure and then another tack was
tried, and yet another. Zsst YVES
slowly whiting, and eager expectation
getting drowsy, when suddenly. clumsily,
scrambliIgly, erszily, up huttered a
chicken TO the height of three or four
yards, and then scratched off laboriou-ly
on a level line about an eighth Of a mile.
The hunter, surprised into a naturalist,
let his gun abide quietly on his shoulder,
and abandoned himself TO a study of the
bird - it being his first opportunity.
Bravo
But here come endorsements, and pro-
ceeding by the left flank, hunting is re-
newed. Dick rouses bird, and Oldgun
shoots IL. Dick starts up another, and
Newgun shoots il. Up seuffies a third,
and Tothergun shoots-but that bird te-
baves differently from the others, appears
to have more longevity in it! On refec-
ton, it occurs to the sportsman that in
The excitement of the occasion, he had
omitted the trif9 of taking aiml
Forward-Marchi The first half of
the afternoon, the veterans used special
pains in searching the grass-coVered says
whittier the chickens take refuge from
the heat and the hunter; but for the most
part, and especially towards evening,
they secured the margins of the wheat
fields, one treading the boundary line,
and the other two making parallel courses
on either side at distance of two, three
or four rods, the one in the grass and the
other in the grain. The chickens haunt
these borders that the wheat may furnish
them food while the grass affords them
shade and concealment.
niolr ia tho i,usiazt am ,e,s pfs ha
With parting TANKS and mouth wide
open, he scurries about INCREASINGLY, scent
ing the air for game. Now he carries bic
nose at its average height, and now be
pitches it lower, and again he rises on his
hind feet and snuffs the air. One can sell
dom see anything more interesting than
the instinct which good pointer dis
plays. As he discovers by the scent that
he is approaching bird, he becomes more
cautious, bis movement grows steadier,
his aim more definite. Drawing nearer
and nearer, he exhibits increasing conf
dence and directness OF pursuit, and when
within springing distance, he pauses. with
nose, body and tail in one straight line,
and pointing TO the place of the bird. 1t
is an celebrating scene. And now, IN
less forbidden, he springs for his prey,
soaring it up within range of gunshot
When the first member of covey rises,
the hunter usually seats the pointer on the
ground by crying Down Dick" lest he
should startle the other members of the
lock and cause them to take wing before
the gun ia ready for them.
As Dick started up member of a certain
brood, Oldgun, according to his custom,
- 81 &
Dick p was the order, and up futtered
second bird, at which two shots were fired
almost simultaneously. "The one that
shot first killed the bird" declared Old
gun. Newgun was two magnanimous TO
lain that his fire was first, and Tother-
run was to polite to claim it for him.
Besides, it wasn't Oldgun that the Ecu
nenical declared Infallible; and who
Knows but that the bird swooped little,
the first fire, TO dodge it, and that it was
the second. shot which, in fact, persuaded
he fugitive to eapitulate. The case
being such, any impartial tribdnal would
adjudge that chicken to
rothergun.
This was a populous coyey, and as one
lfter another scrambled up into the air,
)op! pop pop! went the firearms, and
With every pop life ended. Amidst
hese brisk firings one was attempted by
juvenile interloper; and as the bird fell
hat he happened to be looking At, be
made rush for it. Oldgun howled and
yewaun echoed it. Note.-"Howled" il
My fguratiye hint at the performance;
: the thing itself never before existed, no
name for it was ever invented
View how the doye-like veterans lee
II ~ l.
he infection. Didn't he know better than
0 brighten the rest of the covey: And
hen was dinned into him with an en-
hasis and an iteration which must have
endered it audible to the third or fourth
eneration-"D01lt yOU e0er! The re-
ruit rejoiced extensively that 1t was not
e who was wearing Jimmy Flinders
hoes
Other covies were started, and at the
ext fire, Tother gun-weli, who would
hink of killing more than one or two At a
not with an old, rheumatic. drunken
under -buss And what if next the same
,nowned sportsman sought to vary bis
kploits By firing a blank catridge, the
her barrel having been double-sbotted
ut no trifiing miscarriage could counter
Ill Tother guns predestined success.
hat single afternoon, be captured-with
lie aid of Dick the pointer, and ofe or
% other augiltdries sixteen chickens.
challenge TO Capt. A., or any other
Fad shot.
z. Sex having swung around tie
role and re-entered the sphere out Of
bich he originally eT ed, now rein guish-
the inept title. Any body is welcome
it.-A0rUtisld Nina Standard
NORWICH UNIVERSITY has received
Grao hint