The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1893-08-24

of it And when they had dropped
down near enough Nat, hid in the
bushes, would tumble half dozen or
SO before they could get on to the way
they were fooled.
Bobby liked to hunt wild turkeys
best. If there was turkey WITHIN
hearing of him, it couldn't resist that
seductive call of his, and when it came
within gunshot and Nat put ball in it,
Bobby became a very fiend in his gloat-
ing over its death struggles He would
fly around the poor bird and laugh and
yell like demon. But if Nat hap
pened to miss the turkey after Bobby
had called it up, then may be he would
get fits. The parrot would fill the
woods with language that Nat used to
say made him sit down and wait for the
shower of fire and birthstone that he
felt sure must be sent down on them
for that birds wickedness. And he'd
fly at Nat and pull his hair out in
punches, and make vicious grabs at his
eyes and face. At these unfortunate
times, which, luckily. were rare, Nat
used to lie down on his face and let
Bobby peg away and pull at him until
his frenzy passed over. Nat knew
when that was by the bird perching
somewhere near and easing himself up
by simply yelling: Damn foolr Then
Nat would get up and start for home.
Bobby wo uld fly to his usual place on
Mats shoulder, where he would at in
tervals yell in Mats ear: Damn fooll'
Nat never jawed back. He said that he
knew he deserved all that Bobby gave
him at such times. There wasn't any,
thing too bad for a man who missed his
turkey.
Whenever Nat would take his gun
to go out hunting, Bobby would cock
his head on one side and say:
Turkey
eff Nat would say: No, Bobby would
say:
"'Quack, quack?'
eff Nat replied in the negative, Bob
by would make the peculiar bleating
sound of the fawn interrogatively. If
Nat said he wasn't going after deer,
Bobby would say, decisively:
"'B'ar'
Turkey, ducks or geese, deer and
bear were all the game Nat hunted, and
Bobby knew if it wasn't any of the
first three he was going out after it
must of course be bear. But he always
wanted to know what the hunt was to
be before he started. He was of no
particular use in bear hunt.
"'I les take him long to do the swar-
I'M Nat use to say.
"But Bobby always went out for bear
with the greatest enthusiasm, and once
he was of actual service. Nat had started
bear, and 1t went into thick swamp a
short distance, where no man OF dog
could get. Whether Bobby saw the
bear or not, or whether he had stroke
of genius, all at once he flew from Mats
shoulder into the swamp. Such hair
raising collection of yells and exple-
tives as he tumbled around in that
swamp no living thing had ever heard
before. Bobby was evidently directing
them straight at the bear, for the
frightened animal came tearing out of
the swamp with a smash and crash
that hurricane couldn't have made.
Nat said the bears eyes hung out, its
terror was so great Nat downed the
bear with couple of rifle balls, and
out of the swamp came couple of ter
ror-stricken cubs, with Bobby yelling
and cussing right behind them. Nat
captured the two cubs alive and took
them home, against the vehement pro-
tests of Bobby, who yelled his favorite
opinion of Nat in the latter's ear all
the way in. Nat showed great fond
ness for the cubs, but they were per-
petual thorn in Bobby's side. He was
wildly jealous of them, and gave both
them and Nat continual fits. Nat kept
the cubs in the cabin, and one night,
after he'd had them about week, he
was awakened by a noise. He heard
Bobby swearing like a pirate and the
cubs whining. Nat listened, and by
by he heard the cabin door opened.
That was an easy matter to do, for
nothing fastened it, and it swung on a
leather hinge. When the door opened
and let the moonlight in, Nat saw that
it was Bobby who had pulled it open
with his bill. Nat lay still to see what
the parrot would do, and what did he
do but drive both of those cubs out,
nipping them with his bill, and talk
ing to them worse than any canal mule
| driver ever talked to his mules. Bobby
not only drove the cubs out of the
cabin, but he escorted them some dis
tance into the woods, and they under
stood well enough that they were to
keep on going. Bobby came back to
| the cabin chuchling like a little fiend,
| and closed the door and went to sleep.
The whole proceeding had increased
Mats veneration for the parrot SO much
that he said he could no more have in
terfered than he could have inter
rupted preacher in a funeral sermon.
| A few days after that Nat took down
his gun to go out hunting.
"'Turkey?' said Bobby.
mo said Nat. We're goin' after
bar
Bobby bristled up, and yelled at the
| top of his voice:
"'No. no! No, nor
"He remembered the trials and trib-
ulations that had come to him through
his last bear hunt, and he wanted no