The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1873-06-25
The Fairfield Herald.
PyBiistED g..
ET'ERT WEDNESDAY,
A Coon Hunting Adventure.

nothing whatever Of hunsimg-thon,
indtcd'it is time that take up nv
quill to give you little light on the
subject.
II 4 Il Il X
The time is August, 1870 place,
Central Ohio. During tho afternoon
there had bocn u slight shower, which
served to lay tho dust aud cool the
heated air. I had been proui'iseJ 4
coon hhht, and ON this day ask my
host the owner, Vf the log cabin y there
l was sojourning during my summer
vocation, whether to night would not
be good time try our luck.
"Wcll yes. Coons been. aS the
corn for scv'ral weeks. Tonight
we'll teach 'cm the mcanin' of the
eight command ment, or my name's
not Bill Black. Artcr supper put
on your old duds, au' we'll 60 out VII
tho dog"
The night was moonlight, so Bill
said VIC would need neither torch nor:
lanterns. We waited till halfras
eight and then whistling to Rover,
my friends trusty dog, we made our
way across the fields into Il thickly
wooded belt of country.
Rover was the best coon log with
in the circuit of many miles. His
owner had been offered large sam
for him. The dog was leaf, lonk
specimen of the canine tribe, and was
equally as trusty and valuable as q
hunter and, as a watch. dog. His
specially was hunting coons, and his
sagacity had won him reputation
worth having.
As we left the cabin and struck
out i'll the directions Of the woods,
Rover exhibited his pleasure in his
own dumb, but expressive manner.
He leaFod up, placing his forepaws
upon our breasts, and repeatedly
kissed us. Not as daintily as you
would kiss charming maiden, per-
haps, but with every bit as kindly a
feeling. His caresses wero not as
agree bio to us as yours would be to
tho aforementioned maiden, and his
breath had a fishy odor, so wo were
. not lnconsolable when he discoutio-
ucd his embraces.
Bill kindly pattod his dogs head,
and pointed to the woods, saying
s"llunt 'cm out, old Rove
Rover soon disappeared from view,
his nose close to tho ground, as if he
had struck tho trail of some animal.
Bill and kept on tho outskirts of
the forest waiting till Rovor's bark
should toll us that he had treed
game.
Bill said that the most of coon dogs
barkod as soon as they scented the
trail and kept barking till thoy trcod
their game but that Rover was an
silent as tho grave till the game was
saFc up some tree. 1t is easily seen
that the latter is the better plan, as n
dogs bark gives warming to the
coon, and enables him to find a bet
ter hiding place than he otherwise
could. Thus it could conceal itself in
some gigantic tree from Which it
would be very difficult. to dislodgo
his coonship, and which it would not
pay to cut down. Tho coon upon
finding itself pursued, will take
refuge in the top of some tree, and it
4 is policy to foroe it up small sap
ling, whnro it stands no chance of
escape. If the coon hides in a hol-
low troe he can be driven out by
smoking or by cutting the tree down
Both methods arc used ; and it
depends upon circumstances whether
tho hunter trios the one Or the other.
by other method it often reHuires
lohg time to dislodge tho coon, and
even then it sometimes escapes into
an adjoining tree, from which it must
again bo dislodged. a ..r. .'5t'
While Bill was talking, we were
soated ON fallen tree near
a clearing which had been turned into
cornfeld.
We heard a slight rustic in the
leaves few feet off; and , the next
instant Rover appeared, but paying
no attention to US, followed the trail
up the ra il fence, which shut out the
corn field. The dog jumped ovor
the f,nee and snuGed for tho contin.
uatlon Of the trail. He was non.
plusscd he conld not find it.
In this extromity the sagacious dog
proved equal to tho task. He sprung
up on tho rail fenoo where the trail
ended. Eureka !! II, had it! The
game had ron along the, top rail for
several rods and then gone into the
corn field. Rover followed,1 running
along the fonce top, and tracking the
coon through the fold and back into
the forest again. "
An interval Of about ton minutes
ensued, then the quiet was broken by
q succession of long hoarse barks.
"Ihat's Rove He trced coon
sure ~ .,..t:.r
We hostened in the direction from
which the sounds came, and found
tho dog at tho foot Of q young chest.
nut trco. Rover gave a whine of vel.
como as We came up, and Bill pattcd