Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-03-23
A GOPHER DUEL.
A Light Weight Against Heavy Weight,
and the Light Weight Wins.


and the Light Weight Wins.
"Ycr never see er pair gophers fight,
I reckon" said an old Florida native,
as he bent forward meditatively and
shot stream of Juice through the open
door Of the cabin plumb onto the ear Of
an old razor-back SOW that went grunt-
ing by.
After l had answered in the negative
he said:
n reckoned yer never had, but | kin
tell yer fer pure cussedness and obsti-
macy them critters will beat any thing,
not excepting gators"
We were sitting in q little cabin
among the piney woods Of Florida. Our
supper Of bacon and coffee was over,
and my host, an old alligator hunter.
had been moved TO make the above re-
marks by the sight Of gopher, or land
turtle, waddling along on its ungainly
legs.
"Yer may think it funny that er tur-
tie kin fight, and l wouldn't blame yer
II yer did. l wouldn't believe it N.Y.
self II hadn't seen er couple Of 'em
going it hammer and tongs t'other day.
"Yer see, I'd been humping round
arter gators all day and hadn't had no
luck at all-didn't get any skin. To-
ward sundown started for home, Gus
sing my luck and wishing I'd never
been born or gator hunter. Jest as
cum to that air barren over yender |
see couple or gophers er padding
toward each other, and the way they
made tn sand fly WAS or caution.
""0ld friends, l said ter myself.
'Hain't met fur er long time and air,
right glad 10 see each other. Reckon
I'll sit down and see.
$50 1 settled on en- old log and
watched tn proceedin's, TIL gopher
highest ter me was er leetle cuss, ez
nimble ez coon, but the other feller
was big and kind or clumsy
"When them critters he'd got within
five feet of one nuther they stopped
dead short Then they waddled round
in er circle, their heads er way out, er
kinder watching each other. All OF er
suddint tn leetle goph' made er dart
at tn big one. Fur er mint couldn't
see nuthin' the sand flyed so. Ez soon
ez il settled or bit | seed wat thet leetle
onss was up ter. He was er tryin' to
turn tn fat one on to his back.
Twasn't no got that time, howsome-
ever. tn fat un he'd too firm or hold in
tn sand, and the leetle feller couldn't
bulge him on inch.
"'Too bad, leetle feller,' sed to my
self You'd better CIV thet contract up
and put in or bid fer er smaller one.'
''But the leetle goph' was game, and
l could see bv his face that he wouldn't
give up jest then. TIL big feller looked
ez contehted ez er mud turtle on er
log, and arter he see what tn leetlo
cuss was up ter he lay purfectly still
end blinked his eyes. When tn leetle
goph' was kinder rested he tackled the
old idler agin, and I'll be dod rotted ef
he didn't keep the racket up fur nigh
onto an hour. / never sech obstinaoy
in my life. Emily th' fat one thought
he'd take or whaok at 1t hisself, but,
blchs yor auul, n6 cOulun no more
ketch that leetle goph' then he could
fly, end when he begun ter hump
round twas jest what tb' leetle feller
wanted. $3.50
Things went on this way fur about
five minils, tn leetle epss Watching fur
change all tn time ter git tn big one
oyer, At last he see tn big un sorter
stumble inter er holler, an quicker'n
scat his head was under tn big ones
shell and oyer he went. I Jest yelled
right out, l was 40 tiakled' to see thet
leetle fpllep's pluck. IN leetle goph'
didn't seem ter mind the noise at ALI
he jest snuffed round th' big feller
or mint, and then souttled Off ter
aupper,
aArter he was outer sight l turned
tn big one onter his legs agin, fer l
thought twas too bad ter leave him
thar ter die. / reckon thar'll be some
fun when them two meet agin, tho. y
~ y. Sun.