The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-11-14

| discovered the cause Of the turkeys dis
taste to that vicinity. 1t was the first
Texas leopard cat | had ever seen. 1t was,
with its legs greatly shortened, creeping
towards me, working its mouth and face
and eyes IN very singular manner 1t
sometimes appeared very amiable and love
ly; and, away back at the very end of his
long tail, the black tip elevated little
higher than any other portion of the ami
NAL, was moving and fitting about like it
belonged to somebody else, appearing to
be twice as far off as it really was.
He was coming fast enough. | did not
resume the yelp, but lay still observing his
very curious but not unpleasant grimaces.
| thought to myself. "come on old fellow,
! know where you are; you can't make me
think you are away out Nonder where the
antic tiutter of the black tip of your tail
looks SO much like butterfly. Come on,
my dear; | am exceedingly glad to see you
this fine morning" He moved with such
extreme cautiousness, that, though he was
on bed of dry leaves three or four inches
thick, could not hear the slightest rustic.
When approached within twenty feet of
my hiding place, l concluded he was near
enough and, as there was no chance to
shoot him but in the face, and it being so
pretty disliked to spoil it; SO l shot him
in his left eye so carefully that did not
misplace hair. l took his hide off very
nicely, and preserved it entire, claws and
all. 1t is the best formed and most beauti-
full Of the cat family. The marking is SO
perfect, tadpole shape, black as jet, and
thickly set ON a dead-white ground. 1t
was three and one-half feet in length,
twelve inches high, and would weigh six
teen or seventeen pounds.
On another occasion, | had left the camp
while the young men would have to spend
a little time repairing pack saddle, and
came to an open clean space in the bottom,
where the river, during recent freshet
had deposited clean white sand over at
least an acre. l had progressed to about
the middle of it, when | heard a gobbler
strut close by. There was not bush nor
anything on the sand, behind which could
hide myself, and | dare not move single
step. There lay at my feet small branch
of tree that had been blown there by the
wind, not more than a yard long, having
three Or four locks of long moss (Titlandsia
usneoidis) hanging on it. This was my
only chance. So l sank down in sitting
posture, balanced the little limb with the
moss on top of my head, trying to look as
much as | could like an old stump upon
which the messy limb had lodged, and with
an elder leaf (iSambucus Rigum) l had in
my hand, uttered one soft yelp. The old
fellow roared out a big gobble, ran up
within ten feet of where | was sitting;
stood listening a moment, and then drop
ping his wings, Jared my very brains with
his heavy strut. My gun lay across my
lap, and he was so near that darent move
finger or even wink my eyes. He paid
no attention to me: but in two or three of
his half turns when strutting, marked the
sand with his Earring wings at least three
feet nearer to me. He stamped and ranted
and boosted of his gobblerbood,-s 81 would
like to see gobbler that could stand before
him. | was getting quite tired of the
awkward posture he was holding me in;
but consoled with the hope that he would
| go hunting the hen that he had heard utter
the low, soft yelp so recently. had to let
him go out of sight before l could change
my position, fix my gun ready aud call him
back. As | expected, ere long he started
OFT into the bushes. | was soon ready. and
two low yelps brought him laundering
back; and, as in returning he came straight
towards me, and wouldn't stop, I had to
shoot him while in motion.
had been married but short time when
| killed and carried home very large
gobbler. After the negro cook had dressed
it she brought 1t in to show how fat it was;
and when l was expecting some f1attering
remark from her, my pretty young wife
wrinkled up her little nose, and curling up
her pretty lips said, "Oh my, what a
CHASTITY wound, "-pointing to the bullet
hole in the turkeys breast. | was mitied
and told the negro to take it away, and
If she ever got another of my killing to
cook she would see no ghastly wound in
its body.
Ever after l shot the gobblers in the
head, and during the fifty-three years we
x-ol ~
or four years | lay sick, l don't think a
single Spring passed that didn't kill more
Or less gobblers. She never saw another,
that killed. with ghlstly ,oound in it's
body. shot the one | yelped up Oh the |
sand in Texas in the head, but he had it
tucked down in his bosom while strutting,
and the ball passing through it, split his |
back open more than half way to the root
of his tail. would never in all my life |
go hunting with poor gun. | carefully |
studied the anatomy of the deer, and he
could hardly stand in a position that
couldn't reach vital part. Standing with
the head from me, presenting the right
side, will cut the cena porte. In the same
position, presenting the left side, l will
place the ball an inch from the root of the
left ear. When standing broadside place
it little forward of the hip, three inches
below the top of the back, and that cuts
the descending branch of the a0rtd, right
behind the kidneys. With my good eyes,
steady nerves and unerring rifle if the
deer was in range and standing perfectly
still, it was very rare thing for me to
miss. If the deer was not STILL and in
range, didn't shoot. Nothing could make
me feel SO much like tacky, or bear so
painfully on my sympathies, as the idea of
going into natures grand park and banging
away at the biggest part of the first deer
that presents itself, and perhaps wounding
it for it to run off and hide itself in some
dense thicket, to lie and sigh and groan
away its joyous, active life, with curses on
the head Of the senseless biped who in
hicted the protitless injury, with its dying
breath. Very few of my deer, or any
other game that | shot, rotted in the woods;
hence, in my day hunting, l had but little
use for dog.
You will excuse this little egotistic
depression, and return with me to our
camp at Bartons Bluff on the south side
of the Colorado. We had found bee
tree, and while the young men We're cutting
out the honey, | went off to get deer,
preparatory to one of our grand venison
and honey suppers. The big kettle and all
our buckets were filled with nice white
honeycomb. | had selected from drove
VI twenty VI thiisy dcci, SplShuiu hcu-
horn buck. We found a nice camping
place, with plenty of good water and wood,
and an abundance of green grass for the
horses. Some cut green wood and made a
good fire, while others sliced up the good,
lean parts of the venison into narrow
strips; others collected some straight little
prairie dogwood (utburnum dentatum) rods
for broiling sticks, and pressed out each
mans tin cup half full of honey. Neither
bread nor salt nor coffee is used at one of
these feasts; and for its easy digestive
qualities and agreeableness in eating, it is
most certainly not surpassed by any dish
ever set before mankind. Nothing can be
more exactly suited to the animal economy
III man.
Everything being in readiness, each man
trimmed and sharpened at both ends two
Of the rods, and then running the small
end three or four times through one of the
slices of venison lengthwise, plants the
nth pr end in rho orou,.6 tba propar die |