Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-08-23
A Wild GOOSE Chase.

Mr.. VI. &. klSer, solemn AFTER tue
manner OF amen brethren, aud
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 1t was told him many
years ago by a gentleman of char
acter aud reputation for veracity.
"Old man Lunsford was out
/ hunting one day when he saw
eleven turkeys sitting in a line on
a rall fence. He had loaded his shot
gun with turkey shot aud had for
gotten 70 pull out the ramrod.-
When ne shot at the near.
est gobbler the rod enfladed the
turkeys aud cut of all their heads,
so that they dropped forward and
fell on the ground, where they lay
in a straight row.
"Just then he heard noise
in the bushes on the other side of
the creek, aud going over to inves-
tigate the cause, he saw blood on
the leaves. Following this san
culinary trail for a couple of hun
dred yards he came upon a wound
ed stag. The brute was unable to
90 farther and had sunk TO the
ground. Sticking through his body
and protruding rom the other
side was the ramrOd. Weak as be
was, the stag allowed LunsfOrd to
pull out the rod. After it the life
blood gushed, and in moment |
the animal was dead.
"WipIng the blood carefully |
from the ramrod he reloaded and /
returned it to its place under the
gun barrel.
"Then he shouldered the buck
and staggered across the creek to
the place where the turkeys lay.
GAS he sat down to get his breath
and rest from the unusual ex.
ertIOn, he heard the familiar
'cronk crOnk ! Of wild geese away
up in the sky. Their keen eyes
discovered the creek, and down
they came to a broad and deep
pool made by a widening of the
channel a hundred yards above.
"Atrald TO 90 within gunshot tor
fear Of frightening them of, LuDs.
ford sat still aud thought the mat
ter over. AS he did so his eye fell
upon a stout piece of very large
cord, the ehd of which hung out of
his hunting bag. A happy thought
struck him aud he pulled out the
cord TO see fit was long enough.
II was fifteen feet that was enough
and to spare.
"COillug the cord carefully
around his left arm, he crept eau.
tiOusly to bend of the creek where
he was out of sight of the geese
Qnlckly divesting himself of his
clothing, he waded slowly up the
creek, keeping we'll under tine bank |
TO avoid frightening the gesse.
The bend concealed him from them /
until he was within about thirty |
yards.
Through the overn angling foil
age he could Just see them sailing
diving and cavOrtlng about the
pool. They we're in high spirits
and appeared to be totally uucOn.
scious that they were watched
There we're fourteen geese
and one big gander, who kept !
aloOf and looked on at the sport as
if il was little too undignlfied for
him.
"LunstOrd had been a wonder
tul diver in his bOv days, and now
be prepared for long swim under
the surface. Dipping nolselessly |
in the water, he half swan, half
crawled, terrapin fashion, along |
the bottom of the pool till /
be got under the geese. They |
we're dlsporting themselves about |
in a circle, AID LunsfOrd slowly /
rose in the center till the top of
his head appeared like moss COW
cred rock above the surface. The
geese took no notice of this, and .
he managed TO get his nostrils
above the surface and take a long
breath.
"Then he sank without making /
ripple aud deity looped his cord
around the feet of one goose after
another. The other geese could
not understand the queer capers of !