The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-04
The Sportsmen Were Early in
the Field.
EMBARRASSING MISTAKE
Wasted His Ammunition on
a Flock OF Helldivers-shanders Sold
Them FOR Mallards and the Joke
Was on DR.. Rockman.

on punches Of ducks in the sloughs in
the valley for three months. They did
not wait on the morning of the 1st Of
the month. when the season began. 1t
was stormy. but that made no differ
ence. Everybody who had a gun went
10 bed early the night before and was
up early in the morning. BY the time
the sun made his appearance the region
around Grass valley sounded as II a
Spanish bombardment was in progress.
Along the river the sportsmen were sta
toned. and whenever a feather showed
itself there was a dead duck. Some Of
the parties were remarkably successful,
Most Of them were back in town at
breakfast time. and all OF them had
birds to show for their trip. Harry
Thompson, Tom Mcleod, J.. X. Wood
and Bob Rutherford left town before >
clock and came back for breakfast
with q ducks. Ed Dowell and Do
Francis did not get as early a starr
as the others on account Of the post
masters failure to wind up his alarm
clock, but they had good luck when
they finally reached the river. Ihe
early shooters had started the ducks
up the stream. and these two ran into
them with results that were disastrous
to the ducks. They came back TO town
with q. In the evening Tom Mcleod
and Bob Rutherford made another
trip down the valley and brought back
n good lot of mallards. other parties
during the week have been equally
successful. and the duck market has
! been well supplied. The birds are in
rood shape and the sport has been
satisfactory from all accounts.
-.F.y-,r q
ing mistake Friday morning. lie espicd
a flock Of birds i'm the fog on the river
below the bridge. He turned loose his
pump gun upon them. and ducks fell
! like hall for a few minutes. Then he
gathered them W and found that his
eycsiEht had been So poor that he had
wasted shells on a flock Of "helldivers."
lie folded his tent and stole away with
cut a word. 1t was a natural enough
mistake at that time in the morning.
and no one paid much attention to il
until the sequel to the mistake became
known. Little Pete ISLANDERS had
witnessed the affair. and he At nee
saw an opportunity to make ar honest
dollar. He therefore collected the hell
divers and arranged them in a string
so that they looked much like mallards.
Then he took them into n restaurant
and offered them for sale. Dir. Rock
man was eating his breakfast I'm the
restaurant when Pete came in, and he
~targainad with him for some of the
mallards, as Pete described them. He
secured them for n nominal cOnsidera-
ton. Pete being rather anxious to get
ria Of them before they were closely ex-
amined. The good doctor looked the
bunch over carefully and selected the
finest Of the lot. Poor Pete trembled
lest the doctor should discover the real
nature OF the mallards. but he was safe
I md received HE nFfan Than fh. do
tor gave elaborate Instructions to the
cook as 10 how 10 prepare the birds,
lie had a fine menu arranged. and went
out 10 invite his friends 10 a duck din
ner last night. They all accepted, and
at the appointed hour arrived. The
birds were served. They looked fine.
They smelled fine. But they tasted No
more Ike mallards than they did lfk,
turkey-and that was not much. After
several vain attempts to eat the birds
the doctor took the cook to task for his
poor work I'm the preparation Of tho
feast. He roasted him soundly and
a~pologizcd gracefully to his guests
They took It an in good part and did
not realize what was the matter IN
they learned later Of the adventur. O
Mr.. Thompson. Then they heap say,
wed.
: Parson NcAn'ster has a a success
ful week up the Bitter Root. as thos,
Of his friends can testify who received
| some Of the splendid trout that he cap
? tured I'm the river. He sent one box 4
the STANDARD Office that contained som,
OF the finest trout n a have ever beer
= seen here. They were Ali OF good size
3 ranging from half a pound up to twO
70 pounds. and were I'm first class cnndi
ton. They We're distributed among tn
-, friends Of the parsou. ana several fam
: lilies lived high that day.
o +. L. Darbcc had a catch II trou
r from the Bitter Root on exhibition a
\ his store Thursday evening that al
"a tractcd the attention of many fisher
q men. The catch was made by NJ
Darbee in the Bitter Root and was per
haps Ven finer than any other lot G
fish ever shown here. Thcv were q
a large and were firm and hard None d
= them Were bun trout, but an were On
fGvorlte mountain variety. Nj. pal
bee claims the blue ribbon on his catcl
5, J. 4. Weed received a lO-pound bu
r trout this week from sam street Z
Fish creek that was one of tho hand
soonest fish that has been caught tn
summer 1t was ? dandy. and whe
- MIR. Weed left II at the STANDARD ofic
y e. was an the more admired.
Ia Jerry Johnson saws that he has gui,
cd a parties through the huntir
and fishing regions across the Bit
- Root range. bg. shat Bishop Gi'ho
p and his friends We're the queerest tsI
~ ermen that ne has ever seen. Tn,
" were we'll equipped for sport aud We
10 skillful anglers. That was perha'
queer. but that was not What surpris,
ne Jerry. He says that they would wa
IN into the stream and hook a couple
big trout. Then they would work wi
ly tho struggling FISH tin they had land
- them I'm a net. Each Of the hshcrm
had a pocket scale. and as soon as {
ms fish were unlocked they would
nd weighed The We,Shl H'i'rmln'
y the trout would be thrown ha
into the stream and the anglers woU
re Proceed with their sport. Not until
ward dinner time would any fish be !
NJ tanned. Then only enough for the ms
would be brought iu. This was do
3, day after day. and Jerry says that {