The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-14
FIRE HUNTING TN DIXIE.
SHINING EYES THAT TEST THE
ShILL or I'll SPORTSNEN.


Coons and Possuma Afford Delight to the
Negro, but the Deer Is tho Game That
Tries woodcraft-Fish Taken and Wood
cock Butchered by FlRring Torches.
BENTON, La. May 10.-The Southern Stat es
are the only part Of the world in which the
hunting OF game animals at night is habitual
with many OF the population. This form OF
sport was Invented by slaves. who had no
leisure from sunrise to sunset six days In the
week and were too religious to hunt on Sun
days. 1t was the negro who discovered that
the eyes OF certain species OF game will reflect
light for a great distance at night. He dis
covered II after coming TO America. because in
Africa men do not go about pursuing wild
beasts when the shadow Is deepest In the great
forests. In Africa the negro stays close beside
the fire he builds after dark. With a large
lighted torch he will go fifty yards away from
It sometimes. but not often. Game is not
hunted at night by savage tribes. because
their weapons are. too crude. Fire hunt
Ing demands n gun to be effective.
Slaves in the Southern States before the war
did not own many guns. but IL they were
trusty they could always borrow some form OF
powder-and-shot weapon up Mt the big
house, and they often obtained permission to
60 after game in the dark. conditioned upon
their return to quarters ut a certain hour.
These permissions we're always accompanied
by a written note of identification. to be pre-
<ented to the patrol. or %pattero. as the blacks
called it. which used to go from plantation to-
plantation and make sure that the slaves were
all where they should be when 9 O'Clock had
come, To this day in the South "pattero" is
q word used to scare pickaninnies with. One
OF the liveliest Of the dance tunes. a rafting.
roaring hoe-down played wherever dancing is
done. goes to the words: Run. Niger run.
de patteroll ketch yo': run. Niger. run. hits
almos' day"
There are five kinds Of night hunting in the
south-deer hunting. coon and possum hunt
ing. woodcock hunting. fish hunting and fox
hunting. In hunting the fox men dispense
with n light Of any kind. They lay the hounds
upon the trail and go tearing through the
forest. the danger OF II adding n zest. The
baying OF the dogs sounds at no time so musi-
cal. 30 eery and so far. Tho peril and strange
ness OF 1t make its fascination. In all the other
night hunts fire Is used and the hunters are on
foot. Little time is lost in preparing for
an excursion Of this kind. Fat pine knots
are to be had for the cutting, and they
burn for hours. throwing out a faring.
intense light. red colored. spluttering n
good deal and making a thick. black smoke.
which can be smelled a half mile away. but
does not alarm the quarry. The knots are
piled into an iron brazier, made OF cotton bale
hoops. and carried upon n pole eight feet long
and held over the shoulder at n slant. Just as IA
soldier carries n musket. Tho forms of tho
men are plainly visible in the red light and. in
deed. they take no care to hide. Dogs are used
only when the possum or the coon is the game
sought. Generally one dog is deemed s,fl-
cient. 1t is n yellow or brindled beast. with a
sharp nose and cooked ears. strongly of the
jackal type and of nondescript breeding.
Its duty Is merely to find tho trail of
the postum or coon along the bank OF
some water course. pursue it to a tree
and stand at the base and howl. II it is n
good dog it will travel from a quarter to a half
mile ahead OF its owners and range like a highly
bred pointer Quartering n field FOR birds. Once
the game is freed and tho triumphant bark
ing begins. the possum or coon is n doomed
animal. Arrived at the tree. the hunters will
shift the light about. meanwhile gazing up into
the darkness until finally two luminous points
are placed. high up and possibly Just where the
giant limbs fork. The animal will remain sta
tionary and stare down Mt the light in a fasci-
mated way. Its body. of course. will be invisi-
BILE. Sometimes it will be shot with n rife. the
nit. when made. being naturally in the head.
Most often. however. a negro will not waste
powder and shot on a coon or possum that has
been "shined." Instead an axe. or two axes.
will he laid to the tree trunk. and in from a
" W. h'Aii ~ ''oah ~ WI 'SAiS Ehtii
down. As its leafy top strikes the ground the
yellow dog is In among the branches like a
fash. and a death combat follows. II the VIC
tim be a coon and there is but one dog. it must
be an extraordinarily good and strong one to
be victor. There Is no animal which. pound
for pound, will PIT up n longer. more desper-
ate or more vicious fight than a coon. and it
does not care a rap whether there be one
or twenty men looking on. Once brought to
tha Dro,,pI t. upill roeolv attap,~t 10 a,oa-
by flight. Its manner Of fighting is peculiar
to itself. 1t does not rear upon its hind legs
like a bear. nor stand upon its legs. 1t pre-
fers to throw itself on its back. where all four
OF It's sharp paws and its sharper teeth can be
brought into play ut once. It. inficts rapid
slicing wounds. which do not go deep, but let
out n great deal OF blood and give excessive
pain. 1t does not try to hang on, as Is the
fashion OF the dog. but snaps like the wolf.
and each click Of its shining fangs means n
hurt. Only the best of dogs will stand this
f~earfully rapid and continuous punishment IL
alone and uncheered by companions.
The rossum. on the contrary. never fights. It
depends for immunity and subsequent escape
solely upon its stolid ability to sham death.
When. why and how the possum developed this
habit cannot be said. The ruse is always I'M
successful, not only with man but also with any
animal that attacks it. Atimher wolf genuinely
hungry. or a wild hog for instance. will eat the
possum Just as quickly. whether 1t be sham
ming dead or be dead in reality. So. for that
matter. will the packs Of plantation dogs that
occasionally go upon hunting trips on their own
account. When the tree falls and the possum
Rtretches Itself out in seeming coma. the yellow
dogs jump in frenziedly and proceed to chew it
up as ravenously as II it were battling hard and
making its teeth felt three times in a second,
. as would be the action OF the coon. There is