The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1899-05-05
A Turkey Hunt via Thunderbug Lake

| A few evenings since, two sports
armed with one gun and two pairs of
rubber boots, boarded the East bound
train for a turkey hunt in the st. Fran
els bottom. Arrived at the place.
they found their friend VINO was to en-
terrain them over night. However.
before repairing to his home, as old
Sol had two hours of his journey yet to
run before the somber shades OF even
ing obscured his light. SO the mosqui
toes could get in their bloody work;
they concluded to reconoiter and To-
cate the turkeys for the morning sport
Under direction from the host the.
proceeded about mile and half in the
swamp, through cloud of gnats and
mosquitoes, when to their joy an old
gobbler. from his roost pole shouted his
gobhle of defiance. In an instant the
hunters were on the alert. gum boots
and gun were examined and that
stealthy movement of turkey hunters
began. Moving cautiously through the
woods, stopping, sometimes on hands
and knees, { the turkey was not more
than half mile away. and it was nee
essary to use great caution.l with an
occasional owl boot from one OF the
hunters to which the gobber promptly
responded-they arrived about dark.
as near the turkey as prudence would
permit, when council was called.
There was no question about the game
being bagged, but the scientific man.
ner was the question. 1t was finally
decided To lay low until the moon rose.
which was due about dark, and pick
him off by moonlight. Just think of it
killing turkeys by moonlight.
Then the wait began-that exciting
joy that fills every hunters heart when
the game is sure. From some cause
the moon was behind time about two
hours, ard the time was employed in
locating the exact tree the turkey was
position, to prevent miring in the soft
ground, when at last, about 8 o'clock,
the moon appeared but by this time the
clouds were gathering in the east and
the moon only appeared occasionally be-
tween the cloud riffs. The time had
now arrived to bag the gobbler. but
the best laid schemes o. mice and men
gang af.' aglee the 6 ,bl l,r failed to
materialiZe-he was either too snug Y
ensconced in the umbrageuous boughs
of the lofty oak, or having heard the
noise of the hunters fighting mosquitoes,
had sought taller timber.
By this time the keen edge of antici-
patton had given place to the ragged
edge OF disappointment two miles
from shelter, surrounded with mud and
water, and mosquitoes enough to annoy
a regiment. The younger hunter pro-
posed to strike camp, build a smoke,
and wait Til morning, but the wisdom
of the elder prevailed, and the home
ward march began. Before going far
the trail was lost, but knowing perfect
ly where they were, they proceeded BY
another route, which they had not fol-
lowed far until they struck the over
flow, they waded the water and struck
IA canebrake-and such cane, crossed,
piled and matted together with vines
and briars-but with climbing, crawl
ing, falling and rolling they finally
struggled through to strike the water
again. The young hunter proposed to
hollow, but the elder would not hear to
it-some one would think they were
lost, and that would be absurd, when
tue road was not quarter OF "A mile
away and it remained there. They
struggled on through cane and water
until midnight, and being exhausted,
made a fire and lay down to mediate
on the difference in being lost and not
being able to find their way to the road.
1t lis said that trouble makes more last
ing impressions on the mind than pleas
ure. If such is the case. that night will
remain fresh in their memories when the
pleasures of life are forgotten.
About 4 in the morning rooster was
heard, when the young man leaped to
his feet and yelled like Sioux Indian,
and said," I've been nearly bursting
with holler all night, | never heard
such music in my life as that chicken
is making.
After some hours of hard work they
found the road, and hauled up at their
friends house. lie expressed his un-
easiness of the night and asked if they
had been lost? Lost -" they ex-