Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-05-22

them were even perched ON the backs
of others for lack of other quarters.
shot fired at one of these turtle flo-
tillas would cause quick and awk-
ward scramble of the animals over and
under one another, as they fastened to
slide off into the water. Several shots
fired at them failed to kill single
turtle. although they were such big fell
lows that almost any amateur marks
man would have little difficulty in hit
ting them. The captain of the boat
laughed at the attempt to kill one, and
told in an odd, drawling way an anec-
dote regarding the invulnerability of u
Ouachita river turtle. On one of his
trips he was accompanied by an Eng
lish gentleman who boarded the boat at
New Orleans. This sportsman carried
rifle of large caliber. which he brought
ON deck for the express purpose of shoot
ing a huge turtle, after having failed
to even frighten it with shots from his
breech- loading rifle.
" 'Twan't no use, though" said the
steamboat man. "You kyant xii
Washita futile wild gun. The bullet
het the futile on the shell and bounded
up into pawpaw tree overhangin' the
bank and killed sandhill crane. II
one of those Washita tuttles should get
struck by lightnin' he'd just run out
his neck and say, Come in.' Ike as if
he thought somebody was a-knockin."
Another inhabitant of the Ouaohita
is the monster catfish, which has the
reputation of attaining length of
eighteen feet, according to the captain.
who says that his boat once ran into
one where the Tensas river empties into
the Ouachita. Judging from personal
observations of several huge catfish.
fifteen feet may be chopped off the cap
tain's fish without interference with
the rear fins Of his tail
On account of the disoomforts and
hardships to be met with the region
has been Stunned by sportsmen and it
is only on rare occasions that any one
has had sufficient curiosity to tempt
him to take the trip ON one Of the three
boats which are engaged in the Qua
chita river tarde. There is compara-
lively little large game along the bot
toms of the rivers of southern Arkan.
sas. Nevertheless in the woods which
here and there are scattered along the
northern part of the Ouachita wildcats,
raccoons and possums are found in
great numbers and are surprisingly
tame ON account of having been so
little hunted. When the waters re-
ceded after the spring floods large
quantities of fish are left in the pools
and marshes and these are tempting
food for the wildcats, which flock to
the river from the Dallas and Waldron
country, near the Rich mountains, and
from Polk and Scott counties.
Near the extreme western border of
the state and close upon the Indian ter
ritory the Arkansas resembles the
heroes of other frontier regions and is
at home in the saddle. tracking wild
cats and other game as indefatigably as
the Wyoming cow-puncher rounds
up the cattle which bear his brand.
in other parts of the state and especial
ly near the Louisiana border natural
conditions have combined to make the
man from Arkansas a rather shiftless
and unambitious individual The
northerner will find plenty of fishing
and hunting hereabouts to compensate
him even for the discomforts of three
days and three nights on Ouachita
river freight boat.