Kansas City journal., 1898-02-27

welcome to use, though. he added. it might
be that we would find it in too bad repair
to be available. Sigsbee said he could utilize
anything in the shooting-iron line that had
barrels, but l must confess that l had my
doubts as to the outcome when examined
the piece.
I'm some way the little tubes, called
nipples, on which the caps were placed
on the old-fashioned shotguns, had been
broken off in this case, and for the life of
me l couldn't see how Sigsbee proposed 10
get over that difficulty. 1t turned out to
be simple enough-for Sigsbee.
- can shoot with that all right he
said, by using it as matchbox piece, If
you will help me-.
so each time after loading It we filleo
the holes where the nipples tubes had been
with few grains of powder an operation
that in the days before percussion caps
and cartridges was always necessary.
Whenever the captain succeeded in
drawing a bead on piece or game 1t was
my part to advance and set fire to the
priming of the powder in the tube, rather
delicate operation, by the way, and one
that would have spoiled the aim of about
every sportsman have ever seen, except
ing Sgsbee.
slightest degree, and although he did not
always kill his hits of the day were more
numerous than the misses by big ma
5orltyy ,,
steadiness of hand in holding his aim long
enough for me to touch off thc priming was
sight for gods and men, but in the nature
of things, rapid firing was out of the ques-
tion and there were no wing shots.
Between the exaggerated stories that
were told of his skill n matchbox marks
man and his. pet parrot, Captain Sigshee
came to be a famous man in Tampa and its
vicinity before he left the place.
"Curously enough. in the light of recent
developments the captain then had many
friends among the officers Of the Spanish
navy and the parrot had been n gift from
one of them. 1t was an unusually clever
ornithological individual and possessed the
power of profaning and conversing in at
sing parodes on several hymns and psalms
and spiritual songs. it's favorite selection
being the one of which the first lines are:
Go tell Aunt Abbey
Go tell Aunt Abbey
Go tell Aunt Abbey
Her old gray goose is dead.
'I have no idea, of course, that the
creature had any notion of pitch or key.
but it had learned through experience. that
its range was limited and that If it began
either too high or too low its voice would
be unable to compass the fluctuations of the
melody.
"Reing unversed in the use of tuning
fork. in spite of its cleverness in other
ways. 1T was unable to get started right in
anv other method than by trial and its
repeated beginnings on different keys in the
harshest of tones were always highly
amusing to one TO whom they We're un-
familiar.
after you had heard It over and over
again. for an hour or two at n stretch.
it got to he n decided bore and there We're
half dozen among the boarders at the
table who ached to take the birds life
No doubt someone would have done this,
had not the captain been so universally
popular.
'.The only objectionable trait ever no.
ticed N Captain Sigsbee was his delight in
the torment that parrot used TO infict on
persons with good ears and sensitive nerves.
His devotion to and enthusiasm for his
scientific work Mt that time caused general
and favorable comment and he was so
good taiker that he used to succeed in
details. ~
His wife. who was. and Is most charm
Ing woman, was sister of that lieutenant
Lockwood who as member of the GreeIv
polar. expedition lost his life in the far
North" " ~ t"'