The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1884-10-08
Two Rat Stories.

ITO be sure, rat-catching is not AZ
fashionable sport as trout-lishing,' .
said the rat-catcher, ''but it requires q
great deal of skill to catch a rat. Come
with me.''
The reporter. the rat-catcher, and
his dog, climbed hill and entered a
kitchen from which all the furniture
had been removed but the stove. On
the bare floor in the middle of the
room straw was laid an inch deep.
The rat-catcher united string from
the neck of bag and out came large
rat, who ran rapidly around the four
sides of the room, and, finding no out
let. sought refuge beneath the straw.
The rat-catcher then put his hand into
another bag and drew out a ferret,
which he placed upon the floor. The
ferret moved slowly around until he
struck the rats trail, which he follow
ed in all its winGings. When the fer
ret reached the straw the rat bounded
out and took another circuit around
the room, but, finding no way of es-
cape, in seeming desperation he ran up
the cane and seated himself on top.
The ferret meanwhile had followed
the trail with the tenacity of blood
hound. When he arrived at tho foot
of the cane he stopped. Ferrets can
not climb. He sat at the foot of the
cane ahd waited. The rat began to
chatter with rage and fear. His cry
gradually rose from whimper to a
shrill squeak. Then a gliding bundle
of fur, cleaning teeth. ami shining
eyes came down the cane. The sinis-
ter ferret was on the wa;ch, and as the
rat reached the floor llc darted like
flash, and his ncedle-like teeth were
fastened in the rats neck. The mo-
mentum of the rats body carried the
two animals along the floor for two
feet. There was short struggle, a
dead rat, and the ferret was restored
to the bag.
'Rats never bite in the dark. have
been bitten many times, but always af-
ter have brought the animal to the
light, continued the rat-catcher. You
can put your hand into bag full of
rats with impunity, but you must keep
the light away from them. A farmer
who lives near this place came here
carly one morning. He said that in
crossing one of his fields he met q drove
of rats. He estimated there were 250
in the drove. He succeeded in killing
some of them. The rest got in his barn
and outbuildings. We went over to the
barn and hunted it over carefully, but
we could not find sign Of a rat. We
were about leaving the place when l
noticed Gin here (patting the bright
eyed terrier fondly upon the head) ly-
ing beside brick wall She refused
to leave when called her. The wall |
was double, with an open space eight |
inches wide between. With a cold |
chisel l cut brick out of the wall, and,
my hand in the hole. l felt
solid body of rats, piled one upon the
other, as far as could reach. COW
cred my hands with pair of buckskin
gloves and felt around among the rats
until I secured six tails. The farmer
was holding the bag, but when swung
those six rats out of the hole he turned
pale, dropped the bag, and ran.
Il took 145 rats out of that wall.
We took them to the farmers kitchen
and liberated them. When they found
here was no escape they ranged them.
selves In corner on their hind quar-
;ers, like soldiers awaiting q charge.
md began making the peculiar noise
which rats always make when corner
ID. had been holding the young dog
Who was struggling to get away. Whom
let him 90 he charged the phalanx
,ravely. A momont later he ran un-
Ter the table carrying a load of living
ats hanging from every part of his
,ody. Then let the old dog go. Al
er she had laid them all out she went
round among them. and if there was
ne who showed any signs of life she
ave him an extra nip. ."-NeW York
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