Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-06-06
IN THE QUICKSANDS.



fireplace in my friends study, telling
bunting experiences The wind was
blowing outside with just enough force
to give the windows ghostly rattle,
and make the blaze roar up the CHM
<ney in a way that lent an added charm
to stories into which the element OF
danger largely entered
we had all dutifully told some old
time adyenture-with certain additions
that seemed absolutely necessary I'M
der the circumstances-all except our
host, who had been given the last place
on the list, so that the series might close
ro0ed in the richest coloring-
He was a hunter of wide and varied
experience and a man who had given
a great deal of intelligent thought to
the mysteries of woodcraft- Conse-
quently, whatever he said upon the sub
iect was always listened to with defer
ence.
We therefore settled down little
more comfortably in our chairs as he
began:
I'm my younger days I spent more
time in the woods than do now. Not
that I like hunting less. 1t has as great
attraction for me as ever, the odor OF
the woods is as sweet to me as the scent
of powder is to the old war horse; but
many things claim my time now and
keep me from wandering.
1.-THE little adventure I am about to
tell happened in Nova Scotia, 20 years
ago, when 1 was quite young man.
1T is not generally known that GER
tain parts of the province contain some
of the finest hunting grounds imagina-
BILE. Miles and miles of virgin forest.
acres of spruce and pine averaging fully
60 feet in height, crowded together on
l1noss-green groundwork, almost close
enough to shut out daylight. Then
there are parts overrun with high
naples, birch and beech.
MANY a day have L crept through
the deep, shady glades and over the
long, sloping hills. But 1 am rather
wandering from my story.
I'll just show you where my adven-
tire happened"
Raising, he took down an atlas from
a shelf.
~Just here at the north" he con-
tinued- ''See that headland? That's
the place. Twice a day all the water
in the basin seems to rush around that
point, and away up into the mainland.
1T is marsh land along there, and the
point Is called Minudie marsh. It is
very large tract of land, said to con-
tain 900 acres, shut in from the sea by
nine miles Of dyke. 1t is perfectly level,
= dotted all over with barns and hay
stacks; and in the autumn also with
men and horses, busily at work cutting
. broad leaf or marsh hay.
~One not acquainted with the place
could easily become lost, for the barns
and haystacI1s, extending in every di-
rection, are all alike IN size, shape and
color It was near this marsh that 1
had located myself for the hunting sea-
so1, on account of the excellent sport
which it afforded in the shape of almost
every kind of water fowl, and also be-
cause not many miles away were woods
IN which moose and caribou were plen-
tifuI-
"Fhe autumn that year had been very
dry, SO that there were, comparatively
speaking, no birds on the marsh. With
out knowing this, however, l one day
set out for a few hours shooting.
Il tramped the best part of the aft
~erDOon, without success, and, as did
not care to go home without bagging
something, 1 determined to shoot
peep ON the mud flats.
81 rolled up my trousers to the knee
and started. sinking fully six inches in
the soft mud at every step. L walked
about for some time, getting a shot now
and then and wandering far out upon
the fats, until a rushing noise behind
made me turn quickly around.
The bore was coming bank of
stumbling, seething water, quite three
feet high, tearing about as fast as a man
could run. Time to be getting back,
thought L 1T will not take long for the
tide to cover the flats 1 stood and
watched the tidal wave for a moment,
then started quite leisurely for the