Arizona republican., 1897-11-07

hunt for quail. He rented a gun f-r me, procured my shells and gave ma little sound talk on hunting lore. We started in, clearing the town all right, and crossing the raging waters of the Salt river without harm. No doubt our buggy was glad of the wash. My friend insisted on driving and evidently he was used to fast driving. That was all right until we reached those natural ditches and the unnat- ural ones, too. To reach a flock of quail we had to cover the ground, he said, and we did cover it, I can assure you A drive over the corduroy roads of my own state cannot com pare. On we went at John Gilpin gait and if we had had wings on we should have lost them. Once the poor dog we had brought along was thrown over the dash board and came out from behind. He returnlad, however, and looked nome the worse for the mishap. He had been there before. Butt I hadn't and my friend didn't seem to know it or else didn't care. Perhaps he had forgotten me, so bent was he on reaching that flock of quail. hadn't seen any yet and was afraid I never should if things kept on as they were. But I said nothing, determined to show my sporting blood, if I had any. But an end came and I tell you it was an end and | certainly thought it reached into the depths Of eternity. We stopped never ito start again, thought. Out jump ed my pari,neu', but I fel lout. Our dog followed him and all I heard was ''hiere they are,' and reports of his gum aWoke my senses. I was rot hurt, but he didn't know it and I am sure he didn't care. That is way sportsmen have, I guess. Any one who can kill an innocent quail is lia ble to forget the troubles of his own fellow mem. I must come to it somia day myself, I suppose, if I follow the sportsman life
 We'll, 1 was deputed to drive the horse and keep somewhere near my partner, while he walked from place to place like a wild man and knocked down the birds who were foolish enough to fly up. My friend was a good shot, by tlhe way, and he insist ed cm shooting the birds ''om khe wing" as he expressed it. I had thought of aiming at the head or the heart, but he always killed the bird all right, wing or no wing. The whole thing was a little monotonous Eb me- for he walked and walked, faster than any one I had ever seem before and I had ito sit in the buggy and drive. To walk the horse, couldn't keep up with the man and to run him was dangerous, for I feared getting shot myself and then I rather preferred to go slow over the ditches as long as I was doing ths driving.
 Things went on like this for sev- eral hours and I was getting hungry. I consulted my watch again and again, but my friend told me afas = wards that he told the time by the sun. Evidently he hadn't seen the sun for good many hours or else had eaten a big dinner, when I had only breakfasted. But my sporting friend finally succumbed to the inner cravings of his physical being and wel sat down to our Ettle repast beneath the spreading branches of a mighty bush. It was large, considering the size of surrounding bushes. The lunch correspOnded very nicely with the extent of our shade. It had been meant for two, small eaters at that, 1 guess, but one other had made his appearance with longing look and that was the dog which always con stltlted a conspicuous member of the party. My frtiend could kill a quail but he couldn't see dog go hungry and consequently the hungry part fell upon others. But I ought not to complain for the dog produced more quail than I did.
 But remember, up to this time. I hadn't used my gun. With flock of quail in sight there was no time for the instruction of beginners. But my friend with a good lunch in his makeup and while the dog lay down we'll filled, became somewhat consid- crate and offered to show me the use of gun. He acted as a good many teachers do, taking for granted a great many things to be the common knwledge of all mankind and he told me to do jus,b the things that I could not do. He was like so many preach CTS, who tell you to avoid evil, but never tell the way to do it. The word how means a good deal to some p6pple. It certainly did to me on tlhis occasion I didn't know how to tell quail from any other bird,
  especially whem they were flying; how to hold the gun as he did or how to aim; or when to shoot ahead or be- hind me, on the left or right of me- He did all four and there always seemed to be a quail in the same di- rectiom that he shot. Quails were un- certain birds to me, but evidently not so much so to him. We'll, he left me to my own glory and my own dis homor. I shot twenty-five shells but Init nothing that I know of. Of course l didn't have the dog to hunt my quail. He seemed to think his mas ter could keep him busier
 Nothing remains to relate except a number of foolish breaks that I made and which would grow tfresome to the average Arizonan, and the closing incident of my eWentful day. Last but not least was my getting lost