The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-05-30
COON SHOOTING ON THE WING.

Last week half dozen disciples of Izaak
Walton took passage at the head of Harveys
Canal, on the swift little craft Chilly B. for
a days sport on Bsyou Barataria. But before
proceeding with my narrative. it might not
prove uninteresting to your readers to give
you some idea of the personnel of our little
party Seated in the stern of the boat, flank
ed by innumerable demijohns, bottles, bas-
kets and fishing poles, his face half hidden
within the collar of his shooting jacket, is
seen the portly huntsman of the party,
Col. -; on the adjoining seat, and facing
the colonel, reclines the doctor, "a fellow of
infinite jest" and withal the best fisherman
of the party; the front seat is occupied by
those jolly princes p and P, and the
center is held by our Virginian ''friend and
brother attendant and oarsman Black
George.
In few minutes the little shell skins the
placid waters of Destrehans, and, as "Ole
Virginny nebber tires" we soon reached the
mouth of the canal, and the lonely shadows
of the tall cypress, reflected upon the dark
bosom of the ripping waters, conveys to us
the pleasing intelligence that we are on Bayou
Barataria, the home of the historic LATTE,
and at the sensible suggestion of DR.. W
we drink bumper to the memory of the de-
parted outlaw and pirate chief. The stars,
like lamps, whose wasting oil spent, wax
dim" and we now "scent the morning air. >
Nearing the shore, the little boat is made fast,
lines adjusted and thrown out
After the lapse of few minutes our atten-
ton is attracted by the falling of cluster of
moss, and we see above us, crawling upon
the almost leafless branches of tall cypress,
as fine specimen Of the genus procyon lotor
as ever greeted the eye of Virginia darkey.
moment more and the echoipg woods
resound with the loud report of the Colonel's
breech-loader; but his gun having beef
charged with bird shot the effect was not at
all satisfactory. His coonship, true to the
instincts Of his race, beats hasty retreat in q
neighboring hollow, and is lost to view.
After waiting some time for his temperance,
our valet breaks the silence by assuring Ms
that ''that ar coon amt coming out or dat
hollow less you pull him out And ct the
suggestion of the Doctor, George Is promised
q .'hog driver" in the shape of big drink of
whisky if he will climb the tree and throw
the coon in the bayou.
Nothing daunted the ambitious darkey
divests himself of coat and shoes. After mo-
mentary expression of doubt had crossed his
face, he advanced rapidly with defiant as
surance in his manner, and reaches without
much exertion the first limb. Then he stopped
abruptly to brush away the tangled vines that
grew and twined themselves around the tree.
Encouraged by the warning words spoken to
him from below, and as if sudden frenzy of
recklessness had seized him, he makes one
more desperate effort, and gains foothold
upon the highest branch. Advancing noise
lessly and cautiously, as If incapable of sus-
tanning the prolonged effort of clinging to the
trailing vines, he glances distrustfully at the
situation.
Mystic apprehensions of hidden dangers
lowered over him in the atmosphere of that
secluded spot. In silence he thrusts his
hands into the hollow, and trembling under
the rapture of his touch. he dashes quickly
from its hiding place the object of his search,
and with giant swing whirls the animal
from the tree above US, and before it reaches
the water below the quick aim of the Colonel's
fowling piece deprives it of life and it falls in
the bayou before us bloody and lifeless
mass. Amid the plaudits Of the boys the dar-
key descends safely to terra trina and
fuidizes Here's to the coon that was shot
on the wing. RAMRop.