The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-11-09
Hunting the Quail.

III
sportsman's life is the hunting of the
quail-a verdict rendered by all who
have indulged in the sport. A good
breech.l loading shot gun, one or two
good dogs, and congenial com
panion are the three essential olo-
hents to the sport, while pair of
good legs, II steady nerve aud II
quick, sure aim are the requisite ele-
Ihents of success.
Go with inc into the field for II
morning. The grass is white with
frost, and the tender blades crackle
md break under your feet. The air
is biting cold and your ears and
hands sting as if pierced by thous-
and needles. The ears lament for
the covering Of n hand and the hands
complain for the protection of II
glove, but both are out of the ques-
tion--for something is going to hap
pen that will require all hands and
eyesand ears. The dogs are jump
ing and .frolicing over the tall Stub
bles. Now they stop and scent the
frosted ground. Their tails assume
n rapid motion from side TO side
They follow n crooked, winding trail
when suddenly they stop as if root
ed to the ground, the one IL little
in front of the other. The first dog
is on point and tho other is
backing" him. Careful now !" is
the stern command, and the hun
ters move up close to the dogs. You
may be within ten feet of the game,
but it is impossible for the keenest
eye to discover the sign of n bird,
so well is the color of birds adapt
cd tae cover. Another step. and
whitrrrrrrr, out they come like chaff
blown out of basin, and.of' they go
like gum balls with wings. Bang
bang bang bang Not bird even
as much as lost n feather The dogs
look up inquiringly as if to ask
whats the matter with you this
morning - The sportsmen guy
each other The one blamos it on II
fumble-the other on his shells.
The birds fly far and scatter all over
a ten acre field. Now is the time to
make n bag. "You take the right
birds L take the left, Straight aways
both fire. The dogs have already
come to point 1t is Il straight
away and at the simultaneous re-
port of both guns the bird drops
dead as n hammer. The dogs are
commanded to Fetch dead bird, Sc
and the retriever gathers it in his
mouth and delivers it to his master
without the ruflie of feather. Only
n rod further and the dogs stand
again as rigid as steel. The bird
rises to the left and II single report
announces that another bird is ready
for the bag. And so the sport goes
on until half the birds are killed
when a new covey is hunted-for no
one but a pot hunter will kill all the
birds in n covey and thus settle the
matter of reproduction. At twelve
o'clock-(which comes before you
think you had been out an hour
you are called to dinner. 1t then
occurs to you that you are AS hun
cry as bear-a thing you hadn't dis
covered till just that minute-so en-
tirely were you taken up in the sport.
The nearer you come to the table
the more hungry you get, and by
the time you catch the scent of the
smoking dinner your appetite has n
razor edge and you eat-well ask
Squire Kohler Peck and his good
wife at McKees } Falls, how Lank
Kreeger can eat
The afternoon is repetition OF
the fore-noon-only more so-and
when night throws her sable mantle
over the earth you find yourself in
cozy home where another sat
isfying meal awaits you, and then
in the society OF congenial COM
panions you sit smoking and chat
ting, eating apples and drinking
cider-caring little whether school
keeps or not. And, finally, sleep
steals over you like a summer cloud,
and you retire to such a rest as only
awaits a clear conscience and a tired
body.