The Mena weekly star., 1898-02-16
QUEER TALES OF HUNTERS S
'SeeeeeseeeseeeeeeeeeessG

BESIDES the killing of many moose
 ID thousands of deer, crates of birds
 and more than a dozen men, the shoot
 ing season in New England has beer
 remarkable in other ways John Mer'
 Till, the fiction-weaving guide of Lake
 Cobbosseecontee in Maine, shot at 3
 mink recently in the stream which runs
 from the lake into the Kennebec. Ice
 had formed, and John was on his way
 down toward Spears Mills, looking out
 for ducks, when he saw a mink dive
 from a rock in the first rifles. Halting,
 lie waited for the reappearance of the
 mink and soon saw him swimming
 toward the spot where he crouched, but
 apparently laboring to overcome some
 kind of a handicap.
 Thinks I to myself" said John, in de- scribing it to some members of the
 Molazigan club, I'll just wait t see
 what that feller's a-goin' t do. Down squats as low as 1 could, an keeps an eye on him. Tn mink, he was a-swim- min right at me, but he seemed to be la- borin' under some difficulty or other. Once there was a terrible churnin un- der his chops, an knew right off that the little devil had fish in his mouth. thought it was bass, but it wasn't, an that wasn't the funniest part of the whole thing, either. The mink kept a. comin', an sez to myself, I see your finish, Mister Minkey.' but l guess l wasn't seein' very straight, for didn't get him.
 How was that? We'll. I'll tell yer. Tn mink he reached shelvin' rock an crawled out with a ten-inch fish in his mouth It looked like a trout, but it wasn't. Tn mink had him fast by the middle of the back, an the way that fish rassled the mink around was a caution. They tumbled over and into l the water, an out they came again. | Once the fish Topped out of the mink's mouth two feet into the air, an that's | where l got fooled. was just drawin' 1 a bead on the mink's head, for 1 didn't | want to riddle his pelt with shot, an | was n-pressin' of the trigger when the 1 fish Topped. That's where 1 got rat l tied. 1 wanted that mink, for his hide | was worth five dollars to me, an it was | close season on the fish; but I'm darned l if didn't up an let go at the fish when he was in the air, an the mink he got | away. Now that comes from shootin' on the wing.
 Hit him? The fish? Well, I should | say so, an femme tell you, boys, that 1 fish was a salmon. kinder expected to l hear fyom Commissioner Carleton on | the killin of the fish out of season, but | ns it was an accident I kinder guess the 1 commissioner thought as how it would cidental killin' an do nothin' to them fellers that drill holes through men up in the woods"
 Out woodworking one day in the Wayne alders, about dozen miles north of Augusta, Will Johnson, the proprietor of hotel in Augusta, killed n woodcock with his hand which had been missed clean with both barrels by old Joe Lewis, the dog trainer. They had pulled up in the road to work q lit tie cover which Joe thought to be like Iy. Johnson remained in the carriage, while Joe put the dog in. The cover was small. The dog made game as soon as he cleared the fence, and before J Joes gun was ready the dog was stiff on a point.
 Come on, MT. Johnson" said Joe. "Don is on."
 Johnson arose from the seat, wound the reins about the whip and was about to jump out when the bird got up. The bird started straight away from the road, but Joe's first barrel turned it, and back it came straight for the car riage. Joe let go again. It was a cross shot and by no means difficult, but the bird was not far enough ahead. The cock was badly rattled. Itfiew straight at Johnson, who struck it with the palm of his left hand, breaking it's neck. It fell to the road and Don picked it up and carried 1t to Lewis, who stood in the road behind the wagon heaping impre- cations on his gun for his i'll luck in missing.
 Tom Mclaughlin, of Hallowell, Me, frightened rabbit to death in cedar swamp near the national soldiers home in Togus, and he was so impressed by the occurrence that he sold a fine new hammerless 12-gauge for half the orig inas cost. Four men and three hounds were in the swamp at the time, and Xiii gore's hound Bugle and the other two dogs were giving the bunnies merry dance over the snow. Tom was new to the business, and several rabbits had crossed with safety the wood road in which he was stationed. Losh Haines had killed fAxn ahead nf his hnnnd Snot