The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1885-06-20
SNIPE IN WYOMING,
The Kind OF Game Found In the Far West
Hunting for Tenderfeet.

III wyoming. ITolnlnenC III Cne llSC are |
antelope, deer, elk, sage hens, bear, in
frequent buffalo, Elusive Indians, cur
sorry cowboys, philanthropic rattle
snakes and con6ding tenderfeet.
The cowboys hunt all the different
varieties of game mentioned with great
success, but the emerald-hued tender
foot is their meat. They would rather
bag one tenderfoot than a dozen griz-
lilies or brace of Indians. The danger
is vastly less, and there is heaps more
of fun.
As for the tenderfoot, he would rather
be chased all day, and even caught and
bitten, by an antelope than be corralled
for an hour by cowboy on the war
path. The danger to the tenderfoot
lies in the fact that while there is some
thing fierce and blood-curdling in the
angry chances of the antelope, the cow
boy is as mild-mannered and sweet
voiced as summers breeze. The ten
derfoot may escape the rattle-snake,
and even by great dexterity elude the
antelope, only to be gathered in by the
cowboy. When the tenderfoot sports
man leaves the train at Cheyenne or
Rawlins, disguised as walking arsenal,
he is at once spotted and marked down
by some friendly cowboy fora "sniping'
expedition.
didn't know you had snipes out
here" says the tenderfoot: I'm going
in for grizzlies, buffalo and that sort Of
thing"
ANY fellow can out-wrestle a griz-
ely, or knock over dozen buffalo," re-
spends the cowboy: "but if you want
sport that is sport, you just want to 60
'sniping' 1t takes a rustler from Rus
tlerville to get snipe out here. Cameo
That's no name for it,
In The end the tenderfoot, who wants
to see "all there is to it," gladly &C
cepts.
Then the cowboy, with party Of his
friends, takes the tenderfoot under his
kindly care. They outfit him with
either q broken-down or bucking
broncho, and astonish him with the in
formation that he must leave all his
artillery behind. They don't capture
snipe with guns they know trick
worth several gross Of that The only
load they allow him to take is whisky,
which they generously insist on help
ing him carry at his expense. After
long, hard trip through sand and sage
brush, they pause at nightfall at the
mouth of gloomy canyon, or possibly
in the edge Of a wood-although timber
in most parts of Wyoming is as hard to
capture:as a grizzly or a paying gold
mine.
They dismount and prepare prim-
tive camp for the night Then they
take weary, devious tramp to the
spot where the snipe are said to be
plenty. 1t is now dark as a pocket.
There is lantern in the outfit, or else
torch is provided. A meal-bag is pro-
duced, and the mouth of it is fastened
open by the insertion of an improvised
hoop.
"What does all this meanp How in
thunder are you going to catch your
snipeP" asks the tenderfoot
"Snipo are just like fish and moths
and sch,' says the cowboy; 1.-THE light
attracts them. It's about time for them
to take q rise, and then they will fly
straight for this ere blaze. Now you
just stand here and hold the torch and
the bag, and when you hear 'em COM
ing you Just clap your bag over 'em,
and there they are. :"
''But who's to stay here with meP
Where are you all goingp" asks the
tenderfoot, as all the others show evil
dent intentions of going ahead
He doesn't want to say he is afraid to
be alone, but he feels that way.
ooh, we only leave one man in a
place. Two would scare off the birds;
SO we Just scatter along, and when our
bags are all full we come back over the
trail. Wen be here before you get
your bag crowded, unless you are spry.
er n most new men,"
Then they 60 on, and soon he can
hear no sound of them, no matter how
hard he strains both his ears. Present
| ly he does hear the wall of coyotes that
he mistakes for wolves drawing nearer
and nearer, till his hair rises and his
| DdCh-UOuc lCGIS Ike I'LL
Like an inspiration 1t suddenly occurs
to him to take good stiff drink to brace
himself up, only to make the agreeable
discovery that the cowboys have evil
IDENTITY forgotten to leave even his own
private flask. The situation is not OF
u character to superinduoe hilarity. He
holds bag and torch until cold or fear
| 20 Il
it. The snipe do not ppear-neither
do his friends He is unarmed. He
knows no more which way to go than
the man in the moon. He shouts, but
receives no answer. There are wild
beasts prowling about He doesn't know
whether terror has caused him to ex-
aggerate the danger, or ignorance to
understand it. At this stage of the game
he fully and comprehensive'y appre-
ciates how many kinds of BANKED fool
a tenderfoot is who goes ''sniping' with
"a cowboy.
Usually he escapes alive. Sometimes
the party returns for him about mid
night More often he is left to find his
own way back to camp by daylight; and
If he gets lost the outfit turns out and
finally rounds him up.
"Sniping" in Wyoming is rare sport
for the cowboys. If you are tender
foot, and think of going there, cut this
out and show it to the first cowboy
that invites you to hunt that sort Of
game in that sort of way Winthrop, IN
Puck.
Cellars in which apples are kept
over winter are fruitful breeding places
for oodlinu moths The worms leave the