The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-03-20
FOX HUNTING.
How it is Done III G orgia by
Moonlight.

! From the Thomasyille Ga. Times.
/ To have your blood leap through your veins
ike a sprng freshet. you want to 20 on a
/ moonlight fo&-hunt and near native Geor-
/ gian yell, and follow in the wake of his rcc'5-
! les hogscma.ls,. i~. 'r''c fsaG e avernCc Tiu.
dence would probably rcenrl anvhod" who
sugg stch snch IN idoa IS lunatic and him
/ self orc If he acc"p.ed il. Having gene his
{ opinion Of himaclf would be u-cha"@'d. but
/ lunatic cr not, he would proh'i ly never let an
] aprorturitv pass of going again.
( The sport seems to h" necuiar to the south
} ern states OF America. Hunting Is done either
/ before daybreak or # night on the theory that
/ the hoN,1s follow the trail best when the
! ground s DAMN. Son hrrn hunters are rock
| less riders hnt even they admit that little
MOONLIGHT il necessary Tor dashng with enf're
/ safety through a forest ol pmes. iiied lth
/ underground, low branching trees. sink-hoies,
! logs and bogs--so a night with moon is
| prefcrable.
Several northerncrs were initiated the other
night into Inc delights OF the sport AS the
| moon rose late, il was O'Clock before tine
musical lins oi a hunter, horn brought hall a
dozen noisoin, II, booted and spuIred, to Tie
portico OF ,ho Mitchell house After Lghton-
| ing gi,tns, settling in saddles and graaplng
| reus. they gdi!oped out into the night, led by
the iudge-keenest OF sportsmen-and his
dappled gray-sinewy, graceful, mettlesome
! Paris, prince Of beauty among horses as his
! famous namesake was among men. At the
| piEnyWOols the hounds were loosed, and with
| an ii.prit.n ing chorus dashed ahead. Way was
mad a. salop to the Jones plantation, four
miles away. Here halt was called to await
| the moon.
Theiarty lad increased as any party led by
| a hunting horn will increase in this country.
! Three mules with riders had crept in noise
| lcssly sonegh here, somehow, and horsemen had
| been gathered from the plantation houses
! passed-al native Georgans. Then there was
| jim, the judges groom, a comcal little darkv,
| on 4 creole pOny--both well matched in mis-
! chief and good nature and IN mutual under
| standing aud sympathy. Jim made the party
thirteen. This was uulucky so he was not
| counted But Jim later proved himself an
active and Indispensable zero.
The wait was made impatently, watches IN
| hand. Horses. dogs and men were restless,
and a half hour passed as though time were
spitefully moving with folded wings. The
lovely goddess was due at 9:43, and glorious
exception to her seX-she was on time. At
the minute luminous yellow disk reeped
over a tar-away hlll and soft, rich radiance
streamed slowly through the pines. No pair
of lovers ever gave her warmer welcome than
those hunters. Everybody spraDg to the sad
die, and led by the dapple-9ray, followed i'll
single file the baylng hounds. 1t was not long
before the deep voice of trusty old RoWdy
came vibrating through the woods and its eff
| fccts on the Georgians were marvellous. The
| origin of the famous rebel yell was as clear
| as day. 1t was as if the same electric current
| had passed through them all, so simultaneously
| did yells spring from their threats as they
| dashed forward through the thickets, under
| branches, over logs, over sink holes, with
| daredevil recklessnesS that was contagious.
| Then Jim's hour came. Howling like the imp
| of darkness that he was, he threw himself
| forward, twined his arms around bis pony'5
| neck dug his heels into her sides, let the reus
90 and swept through the bushes like the
! shadow of buz2ard in swift flight.
| Carried away by excitement the northcrners
| followed course that would strike them with
! terror in retrospect. What a sensation that
would have been for tender dude, a drawing
room dawdler an afternoon tea drinker-those
| deep-mouthed hounds, those eectrifying yells,
| the crashing Of heavy bodies through the
| brush, lodging the sweep OF branches across
the face grazing tree trunks, jumping logs,
the blind trust of neck and limbs to the
sagacty and nimbleness OF a horse Ii he had
| come Ont alive how novel 1t would have been
for him to feel that he was really a man.
In quarter of an hour one Georgian's head
was bare, another had lost his coat another his
spurs The horse of another stumbled swayed
and fell against a tree The Georgian kept his
seat and thrusting ont hand coolly pushed
horse and self away. The horse scrambled to
his feet, fell again, the Georgian still cinging
to his seat, Gt seems point of honor with a
southern rider to stick to his horse) and then
gaining its foothOld, both were away in flash.
Presently the dogs stopped barking Some
thing was wrong, and it was soon evident what
it was. An aroma, subtle, penetrating. SO wide
reaching that even a man with cold could
distinguish from ottar OF roses, made the night
air heavy aud dank.
The dogs came in with dropping tails and
penitent air, rs il they regretted the iDdescre-
non OF attacking an animal that can sit quietly
down in the forest ana keep his enemies "A half
a mile al bay. Wherever dog went the
aroma was heavier. There was no doubt but
that the ent had been AT close quarters. \
bird dog had been known to point a living bird
with "A dead one in his mouth, but no dog has
over been found with ollactory nerves keen
and discriminating enough to discover trail
in an atmosphere 50 heavily perfumed.
They tried TO trail but it was no use so, at
midnight a halt was called.
| A big pine fire was made. The horses were
unSaddled. The dogs still painting and still
odorouS, curled themselves up IN the leaves,
aud tho hunters lay down around the fire.
Jim disappeared, and with mysterious rapidity
a shower OF sweet potatoes and eggs fell before
the fire and were soon roasting in the ashes
Then Planter Jones disappeared, and in 4 few
minutes with the hospitality that is the core
OF every Southerner's heart, returned with Il
big ham, a hCecake, and big jug of scupper-
nong All that jug of scuppernong. 1t was
wonderful how everything changed as it went
around the fire, delivering mute but eloquent
messages from its gurgling throat The moon
which had been chastely yelling its beauty grew
brighter and began to dance through the
tree tops The chill left the air, WEAKNESS
slipped from tired limbs, Threats became
flexible from use, perhapS), and the tired.
hungry and disappointed hunters We're infused
with the blitheSome spirit OF cage fulls of
canarieS. Then Jim brought armfulIs of pine
needles, and everybody lay down with his sad
die for pillow. The desire for sleep WAS in
inverse proportion to the scuppernung alb
sorbed. One man alone was sleepy. The rest
Stampcded the horses over him, set his bed on
ire. gave hin sweet potatoes and scupper-
nong, and Sworo that through it all he slept
anu Suored.
At4 o'clock the frebrands were scattered,
the horses mounted, the hounds started into
the brush, and the hunt was resumed But
the dogs were either weary or not eager to re-
peat their ante midnight experience.
One trail was started. Three Of tho party
had dropped away, and when this trail failed
even tie enthusiasm of the two who rode
mules died away. They looked ut each other
Dave" said one, al reckon we better start.
We won't moron get home in time to so to
work"
Think Of that-a man and n mule hunting
all night and poughing the next day
They started down through the tall grass.
One mule suddenly sank into the earth. His
rider described parabola in the air and dsap-
pcared, and shrek Of laughter came from the
other neorG,an, who pulled his mule up to
avoid "A lAe catastrophe, y moment later, the
mule scrambled into siult with the innocent