Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-22
a NIGHT IN CAMP.
The Deer Hunting Tn the Adirondack Nss
what Nc waA-


SITTING AROUND TIVE CAN'T TIRE An ON errps
TELLS or rHE OLD TIMES AND HxLarrs upSr-
ING KxrERxxcEs MINED WIFE NATURAL
HISTORY.
rEKniK'.. Oct s. Iss2
ON SUE MoANED IN HER SLEEP on
othe ioor behind the stove. for her feet wers
sore and her bones ached after the hard chase
she had had in the days hunt Billy. whose
pride she Was. and who was proaier than
ever Of her that night-for she had driven two
deer into the lake that day-Asd carefully
rubbed her toes with vasellne before he went TO
bed. but s,iIl old Sue Wa siin and sore and
found no comfort on the rough. barr floor q
the primitive camp. We had all done what We
Considered pretty hard days hunting but =
good supper and nip Of something strong had
made ne feel fresh again; and then the recol-
,ecuon That two nice, fat oarcasses o, vcaisou
hung out under the trees where the cool br.eso.
from the lake could get at them was enough a
Itself 20 expel all feeling Of fatigue aud make 10
eager 10 tax Il all over again and again before
We could entertain thonght Of going 10 bcd.
| SO We sat In the dingy but COY littls camp
sitting room. which was liz b, a singh. cal l.,ur-
whose efforts 20 dispel the darkness we're alme-t
totally defeated bN the clouds uf smoke thai
arose from bali dozen pipes. But there xas .
ratoilng thunder storm going on outside lntc o.
4 NNtAts anu eAl tAAid mountain
| hurting back terrific rcverherations OF IN.
| mighty peals that accompanied the binding
flashes OF lightning. Through the cloudy win
| dow panes tho whole length of the lake w.s
| illuminated ~ distinctly at noon clear awav
down TO Poplar Point and the Hawk'. Nj
The roar OF The wind was drowned IN the crash
Of the thunder. hut the hsshe. Of lightning
showed il was beating the lake into whitscaus
and fringing the beach with ma=so. 81 saf,
White foam. Within when the hashe. came
there was no need OF lamp. for the lightning
/ Il; up the rudcly finished little cabin clearer
than daylight, showing the stack of riaes ana
shoiguns IN the corner. the three Young dogs
cuTled up beside them. the other guns hanging
on the smoky rafters, the Antlers fined a. the
PARTITION and the long. feathcry decrs' tails
nailed 10 the beam over the stove, where Robert
had put them to cure. 30 that he could make
trout flies out OF them on the long winter days
\ that were coming.
Az OLD GUIDE.
Uncle John sat and watched the storm I'm
silence long time, putting automatically away
| at his pipe. Uncle John is one Of the Oldest
guides in this part % the Adirondack in
the woods, a. every one SAYS here He came
IN as boy away back in the early forties. when
the woods were woods, before any wretchei
summer tourists began 10 come in with their
big trunks and when deer by the dozen could
be seen any day. feeding like cattle In the
swamps. all the way from Old Forge % the head
Of Third lake. Those the DAYS when it
was worth while coming into the woods Ther.
were deer enough for all in those timos Of
blessed memory and no hunting parties then
| ever got into wrancle over the game and no
one ever thought OF inquiring whose doc came
In with the buck. In fact, there wAs no need
| OF running dogs In those dayE for when YOU
needed venison in camp there we're daylight
shots 20 be had In plenty in Raccoon bay OF IN
| the big Marsh. And IL soon became apparent
that Uncle Johns memory was busy with recol-
lections Of those days that would come DO more
| Il recklllect the second year came Ia here"
he said, as he laid his pipe aside and with his
big Jack knife cut OF a piece Of plug. I'VE
| camped ON this very Spotlight over there nv
the spring hole where the bark shanty used 20
| be. The rest Of the party went up TO Fourth 90
| fish. and sent me down 10 Ed. Arnold's for sup
| plies. 4 took an old fat-bottomed boat 20 row
down to the foot of the pond Forge hadn't
been built then-Rnd ON the way I remember
counting nine deer feeding along the shores 70
the lakes, right in the middle of the day. too
| They didn't pay no attention 20 me aud
didn't disturb them. for hadn't any gun with
me and we didn wan; meat. any way."
SOME NATURAL HISTORY.
And Uncle John paused 60 finally close the
big blade OF his knife. which he had been OPEN
ing and shutting with a click as he talked. and
gave hitch TO side IN his chair as he
/ slowed il away in his pocket.
lite a curious thing. he continued after Q
pause, his eve having rested meanwhile on the
bleached and broken antler of buck that
| hung nail against the wall about the
way deer grow and she'd their horns. Did Ne
know that the bucks go four months Of the
| year without horns then the horns begin 20
grow and it's four months more before they
are ripe and the velvet peels of the bone. and
| then they wear them perfect for -four months
| more? Wall, that's the fact, and it's n mighty
| curious thing. They shed their horns along about
| Christmas or early In January aud go without
them until about Nav. Then they begin 20
grow again. all covered over with the short
| hair call velvet Along in September,
about the time they begin to change their red
coat for the blue and when they get fat and
| their necks begin 10 swell. tho velvet pecls OF
ana the bony horn il exposed. 1 suppose the
! horns get itchy when the velvet begins ~ peel,
for in the woods you can find places where the
| bucks rub them against trees and rocks 20 get
/ the skin off,"
Here made a suggestion which
seemed TO meet with general approval, and In
CARRYING it out there sound Of climbing
glasses and the comforting glou7glou Of liquid
| flowing through narrow aperture-and even
\ in the dim light IL could be the liquid
of a far richer color than that which dubbed
up in the spring az the back door After Uncle
John had wiped his mouth and carved another
generous HUNK OF the big slab Of plug he cnr-
ried he crossed his right leg over his left and
there was glow Of most promising import on
his good-natured face.
II suppose" be continued. az can say what
no other man in those woods can say. and that
is that I've ssen a buck she'd his horns. Ca. 10
must ha been nigh twenty years ago, and was
working out at White Lake Corners. Wall. d
was Christmas day, and there four foot o.
snow On the ground, cal late. Ii was blisteriu'
cold. but made up my mind I'd take my gun
and 60 out and see IL 1 couldn't Kill a deer.
Wall, Ibundled up and of l went. I didn't
have to tramp very fur before l come .
deer's trail, and it was a big one, too. I STRUCK
| the signs in a little valley and they led up the
side of hill where there was purity steep
climbin'. went along easy like almost mp 20
the top OF the ridge, lookin on. al the time
mighty sharp. / come 10 place where there
was lot of big rocks, and slid down on my
knees in tryin' to get up over them. i vas
moyin' mighty cautious, We know, but ~ slid
down on my knees grabbed holt of a little
saplng, and just then, right beyond the rocks.
/ see the buck. lie had been lynn
there in a little sort Of hollow. and when
shook the snow of the sapling he the mo-
ton Quick a fash he threw HE head back
to get a better view, and he did, by gosh OF
tumbled of his horns into the snow. lie
hadn't catched sight of me yet. but YOU can
cal'late knoxed didn't have no time 10 loo.
i had TO let go that sapling again, and a I did
it up jumped the buck il he on springs
and on went the other horn. And just bout that
identical instant. although 1 was sliding down