Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1894-11-29
A Big Hunt.

- 80 >~~ss
Last week Rev. DR.. VIM. e. Nelson,
Mr.. E. ]. Lee and Hon. A. S. Dan
bridge, of Shepherdstown, Rev. Henry
Thomas, of Martinsburg. and Mr.. l. 81.
Strider, of Leetown, went to Romney,
this State, to transact the business that
devolved upon them as members of the
standing committee of the Episcopal
Church of this diocese. incidentally
they took with them their guns and a
great quantity of ammunition, for it
was their intention to rid that part OF
the country of few tons of game.
They had an idea that there was
herd of deer under every laurel bush
on those mountains, that wild turkeys
roasted on every tree, and as for part
ridges and other small game-why the
leaves Of Vallambrosa were scarce in
comparison.
After church business had been
finished, the gentlemen named, with
some of their friends in that section,
got after the game. First they drove
about twelve miles into the country,
where they stopped over night SO as to
get an early start next morning. 1t
was hospitable home, but the size OF
the party rendered necessary the doub-
ling up process. NJ Strider and Mr..
cambridge occupied the same bed. Mr.,
cambridge saysit ought to be crimi-
nal offense for a man to snore as Mr.
Strider does, and he proposes to intro
duce a bill in the Legislature on the
subject. On the other hand, Mr.. Stri-
der says that the jail is the proper place
for man who will deliberately sit up
in bed at 2 a. m. and chew tobacco as
Mr.. cambridge did. Space fOrbids a
description of the Nightmares of the
others of the party.
Long, long before daylight, they
started for the hunting grounds. With
reluctance each of the hunters yielded
up a small share of their cartridges to
one who had none. They expected they
would need it all themselves. They
climbed a mountain that Mr. Dand-
ridge declares was vertical and seven
teen miles from bottom to top. Then
they crossed ridges varying IN height
from three to eleven miles-accordlng
to Mr.. Dandridge-and began the as
cent Of What-d -ye-call-it Mountain.
They were so near dead with fatigue
by this time that they only got up to
the top by taking hold of horses tails
and making the beasts pull them up
Arrived at theproper place, the hunt
ers were located at solitary stations
about half mile apart, and received
instructions to slaughter the deer as
they ran by. For seven mortal hours
those dlgnifed clergymen and lay
brothers sat there in breathless silence,
with cooked guns across theirlaps, wait
INC for the deer that never came.
What they thought then is not record
ed, but what they think now, briefly,
is that they have had enough of deer
hunting. Neither buck, doe or tawn
showed sign Of itself, and the opinion
was freely expressed that there was
none this side of the Rocky Mountains.
Along in the afternoon they got to-
gether and gave it up. AS there were
no deer, they concluded to spend the
balance of the day slaughtering wild
turkeys and partridges. But bad luck
still pursued them. All the turkeys
had emigrated to other counties, and
what partridges were gotten up aggra-
vatingly flew into impenetrable thick
cts. Footsore, weary, heavy with am
munition, the party returned to Rom
ney, and from thence took the hrst
train for home. They say that HamP-
shire hospitality is unbounded and that
South Branch scenery is all right, but
so faras game is concerned they would
Just as Ieve go hunting in their own
back yards.
The balance of Mr.. Dandridge's ex,
perience relates chiefly to the remark
able variations of Mr.. Striders snor'
ing.
| naoa,tio, IN COLLAGE Students