Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-11-04
Hunting Wildcats AT %tgI,t.

Hunting Wildcats at Night.
l was sitting on a log at the foot ofa
hill in clump Of woods in upper South
Carolina, waiting for my companions,
with whom l had arranged II wildcat
hunt. They said it was not the right
season, but,a cats frequently destroyed
young lambs and pigs, we agreed to try
nights hunt any way. Suddenly my
horse pricked his ears and listened at
tentively, and soon heard the clatter
of horses hoofs coming up the road. II
proved TO be my companions, who were
very tardy. We now lost no time, and
were soon mounted and cantering brisk
ly toward the mountains.
Arriving at the foot Of the mountains
we dismounted, and leading our horses
to a sheltered spot some distance from
the road, fettered them securely and
set out. A loud blast from The horn re-
sounded through the mountain solitude,
the hounds dashed away and the hunt
began.
After about an hour OF waiting tha
deep baying of hound about half Il
mile away told us that cat had been
scented. The other dogs hurried to
the spot, and soon all were going at full
tilt on the trail. We had some pretty
brisk running and walking to keep
within hearing distance OF the pack.
After about three hours of running,
walking, crawling, climbing and falling
over mountain, crag, gorge, and en-
we heard all the hounds barking furi
ously, apparently in one spot, and our
leader, a gigantic mountaiuecr of SIX
feet two, decided that they had bayed
him. But there was mile OF the
toughest land imaginable between us
and our game. We stumbled over
rocks, logs, brush and gullies until we
came to the tree up which his catship
had climbed.
Oue of the party bad brought along
some torch pine for the purpose oi
shining his eyes" This was soon
lighted and after much walking around
the tree, craning of necks and straining
of eyes, the glare of the torch was re-
ilected by two bright green balls in the
top Of The tree, ani which rolled around
very delinntly.
"Herc she air, boys just look at 'er
eyes," exclaimed our knight of the
torch.
"jes' lcmme hev half a show nj i'm
with this here old musket an his eyes
won't shine thar much longer" said
our narksman. Placing the gun bar
rel on the torchman's shoulder, he took
careful aim by the torchlight and fired.
The shining eyes disappeared, but the
cat did not fall. Soon, however, we
heard something falling on the leaves
which our hunters declared 10 be blood,
and so it proved to be, for in about five
minutes our game came tumbling down
and struck the ground heavily. All
rushed up to see what sort OF game we
had.
1t proved to be only medium-sized
cat. 1t was the first one | had ever
seen. Its long, agile body was covcre !
with thick coat of yellow and white
fur, with now and then black spot.
The legs were short and heavy, with
large feet armed with long and power
full claws The head was large and
round like that of an ordinary house
cat. His bristling "moustache" aGded u
great deal to the look of ferocity which
pervaded his capship's features. The
greatest dissmilarity | observed be-
tween n wildcat and an ordinary house
cat or "tabby cat,n as our hunters call
ed them, except in size, was the eX-
trcme brevity of the formers tail. AZ
ter laying our cur cat, the skin being
al that is worth preserving, the horn
was blown and off we started again.
@@rhe next trail struck was after about
half an hours travel, and the hound :;
dashed away again. We followed "a
fast Us we could, keeping up on the
highest peaks as much as possible, so as
10 keep within hearing of the hounds.
Perhaps an hour passed before they
treed again. This time it proved to be
an immense catamount, which is issimply
"A large species of the wildcat. He was
as large as an ordinary dog, and had a
very thick coat of yellow fur, which
was pied here and there with glossy
brown spots and stripes. He had dis
dained to climb more than 90 feet.
where he sat defiantly growing and
glaring at his pursuers. Our gunner
again raised his piece and with the re-
port of the gun his catship fell lifeless
to the ground. As all ofus were weary
we stopped aud built fire of some
brushwood, for at that altitude the air
becomes crisp toward morning, even at
this season of the year, As the fire
cracked and sputtered many were the
tales of former hunts aud remipiscense:
OF how good hunting was "befo' the
war;" and "befo' the railroad come
thro' this try.n-4tlaata ConstiI"
ton