The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-02-02

must be full of expedients," said one of
party of duck hunters who were gath
cred in the office of little Minnesota
hotel this fall. 81 think article and in
vention are the main qualifications of the
scientific nimrod."
''And courage"
''And coolness."
''Well, yes" the first speaker admitted,
they are very good things, and in some
cases necessary, of course. But the ex-
perienced hunter relies more on his skill
| than he does on his bravery. The greatest
results at the least personal risk should
be the motto of every wise sportsman
who is dealing with dangerous foes.''
"Ceme now, Captain, it's all well
enough to go off into generalities, but
let's get down to definite point. I'M
derstand you have killed few panthers
in your time; tell us how you would get
one of those fierce and wary beasts with
out running any personal risk ?"
Il was just thinking of panther" the
Captain laughingly responded. 81 hap
pened to have been at the death of one in
a verv wild country and under the most
peculiar circumstances, and yet there was
not a particle of danger. The panther
lutely helpless"
Hear Heart The Captain has got the
materials for story. Silence around the
campfire"
about ten years ago." began the Cap
tain, 81 was hunting in Southwestern
Missouri, in fancy County, near the
Arkansas line. | was in the very heart
OF the Ozafks. The country was mount
| ainous and sparsely settled, and abounded
in big gaiue-bears, PARTNERS, lynXes,
wildcats and some of the fiercest mount
ain wolves TO be found this side of Siberia.
''Aly guide and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES was
a native mountaineer and an ardent
sportsman. He was young man, small
and spare, with keen gray eyes that
shifted restlessly and searched so mi
nutely that nothing seemed to escape his
observation. He was, 1 should say,
natural-born strategist, full OF schemes
and devices-a regular Napoleon of
the great value of eXpediency.
zone day L made running shot at a
half=grown deer and was fortunate
enough to break both its forelegs with
| rifle ball. We captured the wounded
animal without difficulty, and instead of
killing it at once viii tied it with a rope
he had with him. He was like a boy.
always able to produce from his person
anything he happened to need.
Now, Cap'n," says he, would Won
be willin' to resk the chance o. losin' this
deer fer the chance o gittin' a painter?'
THAT | would 1 responded. 1 am
tired of venison, anyway, and Just thirst
ing for the blood of a panther But how
| in the world would you manage it,
WHIP
'''Sot snare,' said he; set a snare, am
use the deer Ter bait
".All right | answered, pm with
you, though 1 don't know what you
mean.'
THE DELUSIvE SNARE.
"EIe found place near by where two
sides of a cliff formed a triangle, and fast
ened the deer back next to the rocks, so
it was accessible from only one side.
With a Ratchet, which he always carried
in his belt, hecut some small stakes and
drove them firmly in the ground. Then
! he trimmed the branches from a strong
but slender hickory sappling, climbing
upward as he cut the limbs Oft. When he
reached the top his weight bent the sap
pling TO the ground. He took piece of
rope and secured one end of it to the top
OF the tree, and with the other end formed
a moose, which he fastened over the
stakes, so that anything attempting to
get to the deer would have to go through
the moose. Then, by an ingenious pivotal
trigger he arranged it so that any animal
in passing through would throw the trig-
ger and release the moose. so the tree
would instantly fly up to its natural posi-
ton. The contrivanee was, on larger
scale. similar to the snares we used 10 set
for rabbits in our boyhood days.
Now said Will, surveying his com
pleted work with satisfaction. shafts rs
purity trap as any painter ever walked
into, an eff don't miss my guess there'll
be one there in the morning.
Il confess l didn't have much faith in
the arrangement. 1t seems TO me that
everything in the surroundings would
tend to put suspicious panther on guard,
and told him so.
ooh, well, maybe, hit won't work he
replied, but L have caught 'em that way.
We've got the best bait in the world, fer
faint often you can git live deer for