The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1894-05-19
A Sioux Indians Boyhood.

Perhaps the most enjoyable of all
was the chipmunk hunt We killed
these animals at any time Of the year,
but the special time to hunt them was
in March. After the first thaw, the
chipmunks burrow a hole through the
snow-crust, and make their first up.
pearance for the season. Sometimes
as many as fifty will come together,
and chase one another all about tn
scene. These gatherings occur only
early in the morning-from daybreak
to about o'clock.
We boys learned this among other
secrets of nature, and got our blunt
headed arrows together in good season
for the chipmunlS expedition. We
generally went in groups of six to a
dozen or fifteen, to see which would
get the most. On the evening before
we selected several boys who could
initiate the chipmunk call with Wild
oat straws, and each of these pro-
vided himself with a supply of straws.
The crust viii hold the boys nic,ly at
this time of the year Bright and ear
ly they all come together ut certain
appointed place, from which each
group starts out in n different direc-
ton, agreeing to meet somewhere at
certain position of the sun.
My first experience of this kind is
still well remembered 1t vas fine
crisp March morning, and the sun had
not yet shown itself among the dis
tant tree tops, as we hurried along
through the woods until we arrived at
place where there were many signs
of the animal. Then each of us select
ed tree, and took up his position be-
hind it. The chipmunlS caller sat upon
log as motionless as he could and
began to call. Soon we heard the pat
ter of little feet upon the hard snow;
then we saw the chipmunlls approach
ing from all directions. Some stopped
and ran up n tree or log, as if unccr-
tain of the direction of the call others
chased one another about.
In few minutes the chipmunlS
caller was besieged by them. Some
ran all over his person, others under
him, and still others ran up the tree
against which he was sitting. Each
boy remained immovable until their
leader gave the signal, then shout
arose, and the chipmunl<s in their
fight all ran up different trees.
Now the shooting match began.
The little creatures seemed to re-
alize their hopeless position; they
would endeavor to come down the
trees and flee away from the deadly
aim of the youthful hunters. But
they were shot down very fast; and
whenever several of them rushed to-
ward the ground, the little redskin
Rugged the tree and yelled frantic
ally so as to scare them up again.
Each boy shoots always against the
trunk of the tree, so that the arrow
may bound back to him every time;
otherwise when he had shot away all
of them, he would be helpless, and
another, who had cleared tree,
would come and take away his game.
So there was warm competition.
Sometimes desperate chipmunk
would jump from the top of the tree
in order to escape, which was consid-
cred joke on the boy from whose
tree it had escaped, and u triumph for
the brave little animal. At last all
were killed or gone, and then we went
on to another place, keeping up the
sport until the sun came out, and the
chipmunks refused to answer the call.
Charles Alexander Eastman in st.
Nicholas,