Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-01-20

guide continued more emphatically.
| 81 tell We more'n one hunter has
brought a niger daown here an left
him. The InjIns would give plenty Of
skins and feathers fur one an say moth
in bout it. It's all risk, fur they amt
good fur nothin' else. I've done 1t my
self an my conscience h'aint pricked
me yet. No. Sir, an I'm somewhat ten
der bout doin' such things"
After explaining his views further on
this subject, we finally brought the man
back to the subject under discussion.
"Ye think that none but niger can
call the gobblers? Humph! a niger
amt nowhere in that respect. He has
to find corn lot an make an old-fangled
instrument TO do anything. l take only
those things that nature gives to man.
Listen herer
He placed his hands to his mouth in
such a way as if opening and shutting
| the stops Of an organ, he began to tml-
: tate the cry Of a distant gObbes. So
perfect was the imitation that we no
longer distrusted our gnide as to his
ability TO lead US to the hunting ground
and to attract game for US.
II was in the Autumn Of the year,
and we knew that the birds would be
moving around in search Of fallen ber-
ries and nuts. During this period they
travel around in big flock, the old COB
blers by themselves, and the old hens
with their troop of young ones in an
other company. Whole lOcks can be
attracted at such time by a solitary cry
of gobbler in the woods, and it is by
/ taking advantage OF this knowl-
edge that hundreds OF them
are often killed in one season.
We tramped through the woods and
hammock uplands by the hour, stop
ping every few minutes to give old Ben
q chance to get the clay Of the land"
He examined the sandy ground and the
clumps of cypress trees carefully. We
passed gradually from this upland soil
/ TO the low, dense flatlands, and 1t was
! here that we caught the first signs OF
any game. Under q clump OF trees
were the unmistakable marks OF tur-
KEY roOst There must have been scores
of them, and our hearts beat with antic-
ipation as Ben pointed dramatically to
the signs around without utterng a
word. Limbs of the trees were broken
to the ground, showing that heavy birds
! had collected together in such large
groups as to snap the thick branches In
twain.
"Now then, we mus git to work."
Ben whispered, concealing himself be-
hind clump OF bushes. We followed
suit, and in few minutes we were all
ready for developments.
! Suddenly there was wild, unearthly
! gotble close 10 our right, and IL was
some time before we could be convinced
that it was only Ben's imitation cry OF
| the male bird. 1t was so perfect that
any gobbler would take it for the genu-
inc article. 1t echoed through the
clear, warm, hazy atmosphere for
mile, ana returned To US from all quar-
tiers in faint whispers. The lazy song
| of a few Northern birds In their Sou tn
ern home triled from the trees over our
heads, but no other response was made
TO the cry. Ben repeated 1t at intervals
of several minutes, varying the tune to
make the cry more penetrating and i'm
! Fortunate.
We were growing tired OF the scene,
and longed for change. The turkeys
seemed to have wandered long dis
lance of, and there was no disputing
the fact that our positions were any
thing but comfortable. | proposed
brief walk around the woods to hunt
the birds up, but Ben would not listen
to such proposition.
They'll be here before long," he
/ said. They amt SIGH long ways OF,
| but they won't answer till they're sure
that everything is all right"
With this assurance we waited pa
tiently another half hour. Ben con-
tinued his gObblng until there seemed
to be a faint response. AT first 1t
sounded like the echo OF Ben's voice.
but it was soon repeated so distinctly
that there could be no mistake.
Lay low, now, he's a COMM" our
guide whispered between his cries.
The old turkey gobbler answered
louder and shriller, utterinR defiant
cries that were intended TO be blood
curdling. Ben changed his tune once
more to suit the exigencies Of the case.
Short, sharp. shrill, defiant cries issued
from his lips, and they were responded
to in the same manner by the indignant
turkey cock. Nearer and nearer the
! bird approached, and In few minutes
we could hear him rushing through the
close underbrush, defiantly bent upon
meeting his adversary in pitched bat
tle The old fellow was evidently &C.
companied bp flock Of females for we
could hear soft purring sounds and &C.
casionaI clucks of the mother hens.
We waited eagerly for our guides
sign. Suddenly be gave loud, shrill
cry, and then leaped up from his hiding
place. We were all up in an instant.
and such sight as we saw made our
hearts bound
The old gobbler was within easy
shooting range, and the bushes seemed
to be full Of hen turkeys, running
around In all directions. There were so
many that one felt bewildered, and 1t
was hard work to single out any partic-
ular one. But we had to act in hurry,
for we soon discovered that the birds
could disappear almost as rapidly as
they appeared. Ben selected the old
Qobbler, and the rest Of us singled out
the largest and plumpest birds for tar
gets.
There was q simultaneous bang Of our
breechloaders, followed by wild squesks
and cries Of alarm. The blaze OF IRE
and smoke startled the whole flock for
an instant, but before we could clear
our eyes for a second shot every turkey
had mysteriously disappeared. Ben
was the only one who got in the second
shot. and be brought down fine hen In
addition TO the big leader.
We heard the scurrying noise 10 the
bushes all around US, but do our best
we could not get sight OF another tur-