Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-07-21

my eyes open and my mouth shut !
never CHANGED to light upon Deerioot
in my wanderings Common reports
assigned to the poacher q home in some
mysterioL cave at the far side OF
Blacknock, I'd naturally Blacknock
was a favoa,te rambling ground of
mine. leasSsed / should have no diff
fculty in recognizing the wild man of
the woods. He was of middle height,
very slender, and wore no cap. His
hair was long and dark and fell over
his shoulder. He was black bearded,
His costume consisted of q gray pea
Jacket and corduroy trousers.
One morning | took out a brand new
rife, with which the Government had
Just supplied me. Ihad Colonel Brana-
gan's leave to shoot over his land-as
a kind of encouragement to me to bring
down the bigger gsme-and / was
anxious TO have a little quiet rife prac-
tice at some plover which dwelt at the
far side of Blacknock.
| remember feeling particularly
buoyant as 1 trudged up the hill, my
cleaning weapon slung over my
shoulder. I got to the top of the
Knock, and then, unslinging my rife,
| descended the other side to a favorite
perch of mine-a big rock iutting ont
from the mountain. Here | could re
connoitre. Plover was my mission, but
if l could by any chance bag Deerfoot
l wouldn't mind missing the birds.
When I got to my rocky perch, |
was glad to sit down more from lazi-
ness of mind than of body-and view
the desolate valley at my feet and the
bleak, deserted hills beyond it. There
was a strange, exhilarating pleasure in
sitting here ont of sound and sight Of
anybody and everything save the birds
of the air. And such air
] was quietly admiring the view and
the clean run of my shining rife bar-
rel when I heard cracking sound
which warned me that some one was
moving through the furze underneath
me I strained my ears, q vague hope
Of Deerfoot surging in my breast, then
lowered myself cautiously and silently
from my seat and hid myself as well as
I could under the iutting rock.
In few moments, right out in front
Of me, about two or three hundred
wards down the mountain side. stood
the figure of slender, black haired,
barebeaded man. He wore n faded
gray Jacket and corduroy breeches,
and he carried in his hand an old
fashioned musket
Deerfoot at last
I grasped my shot-loaded file. and
moving quickly ont of my hiding
place l stood bolt upright, displaying
my black uniform to full advantage.
and with my gun pointed straight at
the strange man cried: Stand.
The stranger turned quickly round
took swift survey of me. and then
bounded like deer down the noun
tain side
stop or I'll fire." l shouted. As
he took no notice Of my challenge, I
did fire, with what result 7 could not
tell. l saw the furze fly quite close to
the poacher-I had no doubt what
ever that he was my man-but ]
couldn't say whether any of my shot
had caught him. Hastily ramming
new cartridge into my gun [ started
in pursuit of the fugitive.
My plan of action was arrived at in
s.nntly. I would keep my eyes fixed
on Deerfoot and follow his every
movement He would be TO know
and avail himself of every short cut I
prided myself on my feetness and my
supply of wind and my keenness of
sight. 1t would be irregular hunt with
out hounds, and there wouldn' t be much
fear Of my fox running to earth in any
of his hiding holes while 1 had my
eyes upon him.
The man was certainly a splendid
runner. Try as [ might, / couldn't
gain an inch upon him. He had quite
five hundred yards start of me, for the
discharging and reloading of my gun
had cost some valuable moments. I
felt the game would be up if ] let fly
at hlm again and missed him.
On we flew anyhow, crashing through
furze and brushwood, but never halt
ing or stumbling. ] was confident |
could overtake the poacher, even if
some lucky accident didn't help to de
liver him readily into my hands.
The man seemed possessed of but
one idea--to outstrip me. He never
turned once, or faltered in his head
long race down the slope.
At last we got clear of the brush
wood, and with a bound Deerfoot
started ahead on the level ground at
thc bottom of Blacknock. He gained
bit on me here, but | kept up my
oc,,rao,a h., raAeofino, that there was