Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-06-11
Che family Circle.
From the Freeman.
Rabbit Hunting in Kansas.
A STORY FOR THE BOYS OF VERMONT.
BY NJ. V. B. KNOX.

we put on our mittens, and got ready to go.
You will think Of our taking guns, ammuni-
ton, game bags, and such things, but we
did motive called the dog, got each of us
slender hickory pole about eight feet long,
and thus equipped, out we went. The snow
had been about eight inches deep, and the
night before fresh furry of half an inch
HAD fallen, SO we could easily find fresh
tracks.
We first went down beside stone wall, or
as they call it in Kansas, rock fence,
and there we saw some tracks about stone
pile few feet from the wall. Punching
about it with our sticks we frightened out a
sleek rabbit which lodged away. Snip, our
dog, was after him, and encouraged by our
cries gave him close run. But a stone
wall, thirty rods the other way, gave the
fellow place of retreat, and into hole he
went, where we searched in vain to find him
Snip was only puppy, and we feared from
the result Of that run that we should have
poor luck.
Just then we had reinforcement. Mr..
Weldon who had a grand dog for rabbits
came down that way to cut a hole through
the ice for his cattle, and at our earnest re-
quest, he joined US with his old dog. Now
We knew we we're in for it-and the rabbits
too. Colonel - was tried dog. Of hun
dred hunts, and in fair run could easily
, catch rabbit
We next went up where was a lot of tall
, grass, and after few minutes beating about
in it, rabbit darted almost from under our
feet. Our cries sent both Snip and Colonel
after him, but in the may paths the rabbits
had made through the grass, he eluded both
the dogs and US. After awhile [ found his
tracks and traced him where he ran into;a
creyice in ledge of rocks, and We gave him
up. We began to despond, but Mr.. Weldon
said that g bad beginning makes a good
ending" Going along another wall We
saw great fJck of prairie chickens fly out
of a corn field, and alight on a fence a short
distance away. Then we were sorry we did
not have guns. As We were looking at them
the barking of Colonel at the stone wall
called our attention to rabbits, and we saw one
snugly hid away. A stone removed made an
opening to him, and l put in my hand and
took him out alive. How scared he was
he struggled and jumped in my hands and
could feel his little heart 90 pit-a-plt, bat
for all that we could not let our first rabbit
escape. After looking over the pretty iel-
low awhile. with many keen heart-pang OF
regret knocked him on the head.
A little way off was cornfeld in whict
Mr.. Kbby had a quail trap, made like q
box, of laths. While looking at this, Colone
scented rabbit under shock of corn. ana
as | ratified on one side of it with IN,
pole the rabbit ran out the other side, only
to leap into the jaws of old Colonel, WHIT
made quick work of him.
From there we went to an old cellar hole
of which the men knew. The dogs told u
by their eagerness that there was rabbit il
there. SO ratified into one end Of the hol
with a stick, while they all, men and dogs
= watched at the other Pop came the rab
r bit out and at the first bound leaped owe
the head of the whole pack of watchers, an
cut for a hole in the other bank. His lea
o of ten feet did not save him, though say
2 him going through the air like bird. Co
onel was after him in a jill, and had hin
:, just as he was escaping into the hole.
. of across the cornfeld, to an old deserse
o house. As we were rattling along through
: the standing corn, for they do not cut niue
>, of their corn here, only picking the ears,
q saw Snip spring on bunch of weeds like
o cat, and rabbit leaped from the othe
y side. lie darted this way and that Will
z puppy Snip kept close to him. We a
n ran too, and yelled to scare the rabbit.
It saw him take path made by the rabbit
l. through the soft snow, and run in
+ towards me. So [ kept still, and as he W.
darting past me made strike with my pol
II as boys do with a club at ball the strok
i. took him on the back, and we had anothe
1t Four rabbits We plucked up courage o,
10 Hostess bad required US to bring back 81
| 10.
Then we pushed forward to the deserte
- house. Snip and Colonel bot told US thel
n were rabbits under the floor. Hunters befo
It US had torn up the planks, and on our peel
l. ing under we sawione hidden away. Ra
=. Ting around with our poles, we scared hi
/, out and he made break through the o.
q doorway for the cornfeld. Our cries sci
e the dogs after him. The race..was a fine on,
- While it was through the low grass Colon
}, gained on him, but when he got into I'll
T corn he lodged the dog, and went off anotf
Is er way. l followed his tracks, and 500
= found where his jumps grew shorter, an
: then shorter. looked sharply-had Ga m
l. glasses and little way ahead saw hir
, skulking. He crawled into the soft viii,
snow, leaving his eyes and ears sticking on
h the least bit. A hit on his head with IN
}. pole, and we had the fifth. We saw anothe
q under the floor, but as be would not run on
= we had to give him up.
!; Then we started for home. In some ia
if prairie grass Colonel hunted out aaothel
: The rabbit took a path, and yet Colonel wa
= fast closing on him. When about to gras
the rabbit, he made quick, sharp turn
we SAW little cloud of snow which the
Q threw up in the air in their efforts TO turn
: in this cloud they were hidden momen,
and then we saw the rabbit twenty feet ava