The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1897-01-01

/ had the best shooting OF my life.
New Years week was close upon us, and
we were wondering how we could fittingly
celebrate with the temperature at 95 In
the shade end no air stirring, when along
came an invitation to visit Barbuda from
the hospitable proprietors I was then
stopping at Antigua, which is few miles
to the south. About 900 years ago the
former island belonged to a certain Lord
Codrington, a gentleman Of the English
aristocracy, who built n castellated resi-
dence and inclosed few hundred acres
with high stone walls. The Codringtons
lived there for perhaps $50 years, and about
the best thing they ever did, in my opinion,
was to stock the island with choice sheep
and cattle from the old country and with
fallow deer from their English preserves.
When the family finally abandoned Bar
buda some 60 years ago, many of the
sheep, the goats, the horses and cattle, all
their domestic fowls, and even their former
slaves, ran perfectly wild and reverted to
the savagery of their ancient and respec-
tive ancestors
Wild deer, wild turkeys, wild guinea
fowl and wild men-what more could a
hunter desire?
At the time of my New Years visit to
two English gentlemen, who divided the
labor and shared the profits OF this vast
estate with its 700 or 500 tenants. One
was practical farmer who attended to
the purely material working of the estate;
the other was n clergyman of the Anglican
church. who combined In one person the
overseer of spiritual and corporal matters.
He had neat little church and congre-
IF or
all Of them black or colorcd There were
no other whites on the island than the
farmer and the parson. Their sway was
despotic, their rule unquestioned, but hui
name. Like the dumb animals, the black
beings showed tendency to atavism, and
st required all the energy of the parson to
combat the inherent savageism in them.
He labored, as Ii were, with the sword in
one hand and the cross in the other; but
his labors were not altogether unproduc-
tive. This by the way; for / did not go
to Barbuda as a "fisher of men," but as a
hunter of deer and wild guinea birds.
However, the parson and had q compact.
He was to have me shown all the likely
places for the game and was to regularly
attend services on Sunday-a compact
both of us faithfully kept
A sable guide named William Jack was
my first cicerone, and no came for me at 4
O'Clock in the morning, when all was cool
and quiet, and the birds were singing their
notes preparatory to the full chorus at
daylight. If william Jack had come I'M
attended he would have been all right
but he brought along his faithful mongrel
Doctah, who caused no end Of mischief,
though apparently with the best of inten-
tions, for, as William Jack had his
"dawg" hitched by a string, and, further
more, as said William was long of stride
and Doctah was short, there was much
difficulty in the matter of locomotion.
Finally William yanked the Doctah so for
chilly that the. string parted and the dog
hied Himself TO neighGorlng 'neN, wnere
some cattle were grazing, and where the
wretch not only worried the beasts, to his
great delight, but also frightened away
two noble bucks which were quietly feeding
in their company. The recreant came back
eventually, tail between logs, and William
Jack gave him a bastng that did my heart
good, but it did not avail to recover the
lost hour of morning, nor the lost deer.
Going still farther, we had the pleasure of
seeing two does walk leisurely across a
wood path just beyond range, and still
later of jumping three deer in field
where at least twoscore women were work
ing. These deer were feeding within gun
shot of the women, but without any APP
parent fear, and 1t was only when their
enemy, man, appeared that they gave leg
bail and sought tho seclusion of the woods
We walked home in the heat of the day,
having secured no deer, but having gain
ed n cheap of sperienco," as William Jack
said. Experiences, however, was not what
/ was AFTER as / most forcbly impressed
upon my sable friend when l came to pay
him for his assistance In gaining that COM
modify, giving him shilling less than he
would have got il a deer or doe had been
our companion on the return journey
1t was the next and the third day that
ventured forth to hunt the widest and
waryest of Brbuda's denizens, the guinea
fowl. A little negro boy was my guide
and companion, one who said he knew the
feeding places of all the fowl on tho island,
We tramped over several miles of field, but
only succeeded in seeing many flocks at
distance, without gotting within shooting
distance Of any one Of these wild African
birds. Finally, as we were coming up be
hind high stone wall. my little guide eau
toned me TO be on my guard. Peoring
over tho wall, saw group of half a dozen
fowl busily scratching in the corn, and at
once concluded they were all my "Ineat''
as drew up my gun carefully and sighted.
But was not prepared for the hurricane
OF feathers and gust of screeching furies,
propelled with the seeming rapidity of
light, which tore into the air and away be-
fore L could collect my astonished wits. l
sent shot after them, but more from
habit than calculation, and had the pleas
ure of seeing one of them fall to the
ground, where 1t spun round and round on
its head till my black boy retrieved It. We
put up two other hocks after that, out of
which got one each, and spent the rest of
the forenoon In rambling about aimlessly,
upon guinea fowl intent, but without sue
oess "Dey Is so roam," said my guide,
meaning that they were mighty uncertain
about their habitat and wandered all over
creation.
The three we had saved" however,
gave my boy all he wantod to carry, ~