San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-08-20
A WILD GOOSE CHASE.

Mr. NJ. c. Kiser, solemn after the man
ner 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
gentleman of character and reputation for
veracity.
''Old man Lundsford was out hunting one
day when he saw eleven turkeys sitting in n
line on a rail fence He had loaded his shot
gun with turkey shot and forgotten to pull
out the ramrod. When he shot at the near
est gobbler the rod epf!aded the turkeys and
cut off all their heads, so that they dropped
forward and fell on the ground, where they
lay in a straight row.
Just at then he heard 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 he 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 to pull out the rod
After it the life blood gushed, and i'll a mo
ment the animal was dead
"Wiping the blood carefully from the ram
rod he reloaded and returned it to its place
under the gun barrel.
Then he shouldeTed 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 'cronk! cronk' of wild geese away up
in the sky. Their keen eyes discovered the
creek, and down they came to broad and
deep pool made by widening of the channel
Il hundred yards above.
Afraid to go within gunshot for fear of
frightening them off, LuLdSford sat still and
thought the matter over As he did SO his
eye fell upon stout piece OF very large cord
the end of which hung out OF his hunting bag
A happy Thought truck him and he pulled
out the COrl To II it WAS long enough Ii
was fifteen feet. that was enough and to spare
"Coiling 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 diveSting 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 spirits
and appeared to be totally unconscious 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 little too
undignifed for nim.
''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
terrapin fashion, along the bottom of the pool
till he got under the geese. They were dis
porting themselves about in a circle, and
Lundsford slowly rose in the center till the
top of his head appeared like moss covered
rock above the surface. The geese took nc
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. Tie other geese could
not understand the queer caperS of their
neighbors, who seemed suddenly to be at
tackled with a fit of the st. Vitus dance, until,
one by one, they found themselves in the
same predicameut. Then they all knew they
were tied and their demeanor became sud.
denly 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 a circle with his hands stretched
ovt -.r@sP..ls the cord on opposite sides.
A., -. 49, .~--.-.-,y. - Old CANCER