Wichita eagle., 1889-08-08
A WILD GOOSE CHASE.

Mr.. IL G. Kiser, solemn after the man
her of amen brethren, and scrupulous in
statement as the wary witness who testified
that his name was Abraham Jones, or words
to that effect" has yet this tale to tell
He says it was told him many years ago by
a gentleman Of character and reputation for
veracity.
''Old man LundSford was out hunting one
day when he saw eleven turkeys sitting in a
line on rail fence. he had loaded bis shot
gun with turkey shot and forgotten to pull
out the rannrod. When he shot at thu near
est gobbler the rod enfladed the turkeys and
cut OFF all their heads, SO that they dropped
forward and fell on the ground, where they
lay in straight row.
Just at then he heard a noise in the bushes
on the other side Of the creek, and going over
to Investigate the cause, he saw blood on the
leaves. Following this sanguinary trail for
a couple of hundred yards be came upon a
wounded stag. The brute was unable to 60
farther and had sunk TO the ground. Stick
ing through his body and protruding in the
other side was the ramrod Weak as he was
the stag allowed Lundsford topull out the rod.
After it the life blood gushed, and in mo-
ment the animal was dead.
'Wiping the blood carefully from the RAM
rod be reloaded and returned it to its place
under the gun barrel.
Then be shouldered the buck and staggered
across the creek to the place where the tur-
keys lay.
LAS he sat down to get his breath and rest
from the unusual exertion, he heard the IA
miliar 'cronkl cronkr of wild geese away up
In the sky Their keen eyes discovered the
nd 10 md
deep pool made by widening of the channel
hundred yards above.
Afraid to go within glnshot for fear of
frightening them of, Lundsford sat still and
thought the matter over As he did SO his
eye fell upon a stout piece of very large cord,
the end Of which hung out of his hunting bag.
a happy thought struck him and he pulled
out the cord to see if it was long enough. 1t
was fifteen fest; that was enough and to spare.
Cooling the cord carefully around his left
arm, he crept cautiously to a bend of the
creek where he was out of sight of the geese.
Quickly divesing himself of his clothing, he
waded slowly up the creek, keeping well
under the bank to avoid frightening the geese
The bend concealed him from them until he
was within about thirty yards.
Through the overhanging foliage he could
just see them sailing, diving and cavorting
about the pool They were in high apirits,
and appeared TO be totally unconsciol8 that
they were watched. There were fourteen
geese and one big gander, who kept aloof and
looked on at the sport as if it was a little too
undignifed for him.
"Lundsford had been a wonderful diver in
his boy days, and now he prepared for a long
swim under the surface. Dipping noiselessly
in the water, he half swan, half crawled,
tarrapin fashion, along the bottom of the pool
till he got under the geese. They were dis
porting themselves about in circle, and
Lundsford slowly rose In the center till the
top of bis head appeared like moss covered
rock above the surface. The geese took no
notice of this, and he managed to get his nos
trilS above the surface and take long breath.
Then he sank without making ripple and
deity looped his cord around the feet Of one
goose after another. The other geese could
not understand the queer capers Of their
neighbors, who seemed suddenly to be at
tackled with fit of the st. Vitus dance, until,
one by one, they found themselves in the
same predicament. Then they all knew they
were tied, and their demeanor became sud-
Genly frantic.
But it was too late. Lundsford had tied
the feet OF all fourteen of them and fastened
the ends of the cord together. Then he threw
caution TO the winds and rose suddenly in the
middle of circle with his hands stretched
out grasping the cord on opposite sides
"Alas, for his t.. cYityl The old Eander
who was free set up a terrible 'cronkl cronkr
The geese answered in notes of despair, but
the old fellow seemed not to have lost the
courage of leadership, for he lowered within
a safe distance, and by a series of energetic
cronks inspired them with a sudden and des-
perate resolution
"An at once the gander, with an unearthly
cronk that sounded 10 LundSford like the
vail OF the damned, lifted his clumsy body
and led the flight With a tremendous flop
ping and a succession of cronks that strangely
resembled the 'He2ye, HOP of the negroes,
they rose from the water and sailed away
toward the sky, carrying Lundsford with
them Before he knew what was going to
happen be was fifty feet from the ground,
and when he realized his perilous position he
was too high to drop. He was in for the
flight. BE must migrate whether or no, and
up under the edges of the clouds, as the cool
winds of the upper sir famed the perspira-
ton from his brow, he had time to think
over the situation. Where would be land,
and how far from homei Would these fool
birds drop him in the ocean or the gulf In
the meantime his position was exceedingly
;rlsome. He had managed 10 draw the two