The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1870-10-01
Hunting Prairie Chickens.
BY BEEMCS.

BY BEEMCS.
We knew how it would be We never had
any luck a. hunter. Spoiled our clothes lost
aborrowed dog; fell into the river; got "whaled"
by an irate farmer, who said "hed low none
of them city fellers for to be trampin onto his
primises." We never could hunt anything with
much success We remember. when boy, we
shot 81 times at a squirrel. The first few shots
made him little nervous, and we were ditto ;
and his evident perturbation encouraged US
with the belief that the shots were going some
where in his neighborhood. But, finally, he got
independent. He put on the don't-care-a-cent
style, and proceeded to eat his hickory nuts with
perfect ease and evident satisfaction, paying no
more attention to our shooting than if we were
miles away. At last he became impudent, and
would throw nut shells ut as and flourish his
tail over his head, and chatter at us the most
provoking manner.
We remember, too, OF our attempts to hunt
our ancient enemy, the turkey gobbler, and how
we lost our bow 'arrer, and how he few onto
our head and pecked us, and Topped US with his
wings, and how We yelled the childish cry of
"murder !" 1. g., {" motherv s.@tI-1L}
But we were induced to 90 out hunting chick.
ems lately. Everybody said there were millions
and millions Of prairie chickens the ground
was just covered with them; they would come
up in clouds around the hunter, and almost eat
him up; they would roost upon his gun all
along. and even huddle up to his face and peck
his eyes; they would watch the dog, aud the
moment he undertook to "pant game" they
would ay upon him and sit in row--as ma ny
as could occupy every available inch from the
top of his nose to the extreme end of his tail
you see; that they would fight to see whose
turn it would be next to be shot. .
Then, too, they said the farmers were just
more than glad to have men from the city 20
out into the fields aud hunt: that they didn't
care anything about having people tramp down
their grain-they had too much, and didn't have
time to thin 1t out that when fellows from the
city were hunting, the farmers for miles around
would come and implore the hunter TO come to
dinner; Z" to make their houses his home" or TO
marry their daughter y or offer to lend money
TO the hunter; or anything, il he would only
come and see them-yes, indeed! Under all
these fattering circumstances, how could we re.
sist We didn't Adam fell-so did we-Into
the canal, when an enrsgsd farmer and his lie.
rocious bull dogs were in pursuit Of US.
The moment we entered his field, we saw that
ne wasn't acquainted with US, that he had sort
Of coolnes towards Us, because he seized pitch.
ferk and yelled 20 his daughter: Sail, here,
fetch the shot gun-here's one of them Internal
city loafers in she wheat field :" and then veil.
ing to his dogs Here, Tiger, Watch, Lion,
sick him" We went away from there.
We have figured up our accoun. as correctly
as our scattered senses enabled US, and find it
somewhat in this shape
To Cash, for double barre.ed shot gun lost
in the canal... .......... $50 90
Coat tail spoiled-"Tiger tore i. off, Gee 25 90
Powder, &c. lost while Watch had hold
of the seat Of our pants. / 90
Pants hurt as above Observation-Disclosures. 10 90
Doctors bill. for fixing up our head, where
the farmer run the pi,chfork into it,. . 90
10 ditto, for repair. on our nose. where
the farmers daughter caved il in with
mop handle ........ .............. 10 90
$50 90
To balance the account about two heurs of