Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-08-14

badly wounded as I had thought,
trusted it would carry me at least close
enough to the shore to enable me to
grasp the stout water flags that bordered
it, and so scramble up to land.
''But, as 1 found afterwards, L had
taken hold of the leg my shot had
broken. and while the tough igaments
of the member held firm, 1 must have
caused the bird excruciating pain. At
any rate my hold seemed to drive him
frantic and he began to beat me with
his great powerful wings until l was
nearly insensible, but still afraid to let
go. for when cautiously tried to touch
bottom with my feet could find none,
and, SO exhausted that I could not even
have padded. 1 held on as the only
sthing 1 was able to do. So when the
crane found I was not to be beaten of.
he hit on another plan, and that was to
drown me by dragging me with my head
under the water.
1--WE had all the time been gradually
approaching the shore, where the water
was shallower, but, as 1 have said, it
was not enough so for me to wade out,
and, all defenseless as / was, gave N.Y.
self up for lost if we did not speedily.
go of the crane, of whose society l had
enough in our different ways, we were,
somehow, not congenial. With tho water
filing my nostrils, ears and eyes, and
my head still ringing and sore with the
buffeting it had received was nearly
dead, when felt something slap me in
the face and rasp me with it's keen edge.
Ruf rnnoh of thinT m
welcome, for 1 knew l had run against
the stalk of water-Hag, one of the
dropping blades of which had given me
the slap. let go of the cranes leg and
caught the stalk, and while. of course,
it would have given with my weight
had it had to support it, it was suffi-
GENTLY strong to enable me to Keep my
footing on the Shiny, sloping bottom
that could now just ;touch. So. grasp
ing one after another, l pulled up near
enough to the shore to lay hold of the
strong roots of water oak growing on
the edge of the lake, by which pulled
myself on to terra frma. Once there,
1 sat down, too exhausted to do any
thing but try to bind up with strips of
my linen the wound in my arm, which
was still bleeding, though but slowly.
presently l saw darby named Pete
Reynaud, whom / knew, driving some
horses down to drink at the lake, a
short distance from me, and bailing
him told him to go and get his gun,
for I had made up my mind to have
that crane yet, for it was still in the
water flags, making futile efforts to
stand on it's broken leg and wade out.
And when Pete brought the gun killed
it without difficulty with another single
shot. and the darby wading in after it
brought it to me, but declare, when
saw the noble creature that had fought
so hard for its life lying dead at my
feet, it seemed to me as if had been
guilty of something very much like
murder.
''The dugont had so unceremonious-
ly borrowed was Pete's, who got it out
next day, together with my gun. But
alas for that tine bag of quail! never
saw it more.s It had been left on the
shore of the lake when I went after the
crane, and a dog or some two-footed
thief had carried it off. But if you will
step over to my shanty at any time,
gentlemen, 1 will take great pleasure
in introducing that crane. handsomely
mounted and we'll preserved, to you, and
if you don't admire him you are not
Judge of nobleY birds. Texas Cor. St.
Louis Globe Democrat.