The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-04-26
HUNTING IN CHINA
Como OF the pioasu-c. .n.
the Sport g., III. ~" DRRwoacks

thu S,>ns& a., -. ""U drawbacks OF
sport IN tho Celestial Emo,ro.
Foreigners have found much sno.. t.,
aanting in China and much sorro,. -
49,. nose who have brought fine
~ So oa' with them complain that
.aeir dogs die OF the mnno, ROW Sa a
ing 70 wade through dirty stream. ana
ponds. Some die from what j. c,ll.d
worms in tho heart, while otIers no.
i, 49,, .ea' irom grass SCOT that gets
"a .nc': ears, or lame from 3 seed That
w.. mo'Hs us way into the foot and up inso
VIC veg before ii comes out Last. not
"sn II care is not taken, the poor
osast is nearly eaten up with ticks. AZ
'"s tha hunters shcy complain bitterly
OF mosquitoes.
a writer OF authority. Lieut.. Graz
eocN, OF the royal navy, gives this de-
'c''pe'on OF an unfortunate in these
oorthcrn wilds: Ills face is but enc
."oIien mass, his eyes infamed and
"aro9T 10 Co seen beneath the burning
an" tortured eyelids, his swollen M ,1lth
ana Rossriln covered with sores" Theirs
is another trouble in most parts Of
ei.iha' ana that is in q land like this,
"aere armies almost raise from the
ground when one stamps his foot, il is
dangerous 10 shoot, for no one knows
just how many liclylcss Cinnamon may
be IN range OF the gan. though per
maps none at that time may be sccn;
out Tor all that, fine bags Of duck.
geese, snipe, bustarI (China's wild
turkey, wcolcocl., quail and pleas
ants are killed
The Chinese can hardly be called
hunters, although the empcrors and
wealthy men OF leisure have always
shown some taste for the chase. Three
miles south Of Picking there Is a walled
imperial hunting park, which IS some
fifty miles in circumference. It con-
talns large meadows stocked with an
te!opc, deer and rabbits In the PARK
there is one species of deer that is not
known to exist in any other part OF
the globe. Chinese ancient history
tells us os some famous hunters and
fishermen. One Eiany Tszo VA was
not only famous angler. but withal 4
righteous mai 1t is said the fish rec
o2nized his virtues, and though he
fished with a straight bar OF iron tho
fish voluntarily impalcd themselves on
it. 1t is useless TO say there arc few
such men or fist, in those days But
the Chinese are By no means given to
tie chase as a rule perhaps because
the people are too busy, and partly be-
cause the sale and manufacture OF fire
arms is restricted
During the winter season we can
buy all the ducks, phcasants and rab-
bits we want These are caught in
traps, driven into a net, caught with
dogs, or shot with gun. There is
other game--the musk wolf and tho
fox. The first is sought for its fui aad
also Cor the fine hair in it's tail, which
is used in the Chinese writing brushes.
The last named animal, the fox. is u
sacred animal It is believed to be able
to perform many wonderful things.
Among others, to change its body into
human form, to cure disease, and also
to do much evil The shy old fox,
there is no telling what he may do.
The Chinese never write the mans Of
the fox if they can help IT, for they bo-
lieve that it displeases his majesty
vory much This animal is worsh;ped.
have seen Intelligent men in Picking
burn incense and bow down to worship
it. But for all that his sacredness
does not always save his skin, and
after that has gone his divinity has do
Treciated in value more than silver has
during these hard times. I have y
large and beautiful foyskin OvercOat [
purchased from Chinanan for SIG,
which could not DE bought for $40 at
home. TIE wolves are sought for thcir
skins, too They collect in such NUM-
bers around this city sometimes as TO
be dangerous to man and beast.
Speaking OF the wolf reminds mo Of
a picture | purchased some time ago
| bought is bsoawsc I thought it was
The ua!isas picture haa e7or seea. 1
sied to fa4 ont the history or nscn-
ing Of the thing for some time without
anv success, until few days ago while
studying Taoisn, found the ugly man
was ono OF tho Taoist gods. In his
early days his spirit had the power of
leaving his body and roaming over the
universe alone. When Off on one Of
these trips wolves came and ate his
body. So when his spirit returned it
found only a few bones. After hunt
iny around for while the spirit found
the BODY of dead hunchback beggar
who walked with an iron cane in his
lifetime. The spirit crawled in this
BODY and has lived in itevcr since. Till
Kwalei, for that is the gods name, car
ries a gourd on his back, which, if the
breath were blown out of it in the
heavens. would bring back his original
BODY. According to last accounts the
breath has not flown out of the gourd.
Hawking like that Of the middle ages
is practised here by the men of leisure.
Travelling through this country one
often sees man in the villages and
towns with savage-looking hawk on
his arm. These birds are trained for
the chase and become perfectly man.
ageable. They are kept i'll fine condi-
ton and if feather happens to fall
out of the birds tail during the time
he is most used it is replaced, for
the Chinese believe that the fight
of a bird or at least his movements
to right or left or rapid descent
depends much on the tail. Let us inn
avine our party starting out for a day S
sport mounted on horses, men dressed
in long, flowing garments, with dogs
whip in one hand and the hawk upon
tho left arm or shoulder. They do not
leave some feudal castle with gates