Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-03-27

took no coursing expert to tell at a
glance that his present owner, or rather
custodian, was perfectly safe in predict
ing that he could "outfootn anything in
in that section; as Lead, with an easy
graceful bound cleared the nine rail
fence and came up to me wagging his
bob tail, his intelligent face beaming
with good nature, / thought him the
grandest dog | had ever seen, and inn
mediately began negotiations for his
purchase. His custodian thought him
worth about five dollars, but as he ex-
planned that he had already all the dogs
that he needed, he would sell him for
three dollars. My total available cash
only amounted to one half that amount,
but we finally agreed upon two dollars
one dollar and fifty cents cash, and the
balance to be paid in the future on
demand
So it happened that Lead went
that very day to "Old John Scott
slashing." How his new owner ac-
counted on the following day for his
failure to appear at school, or rather to
satisfactorily account for his absence,
is no part of this story.
As we approached the rabbit ground,
Lead, with a seemingly effortless
leap, cleared the ''stake and rider
fence and passing on the leeward side
of several brush heaps, stopped at a
large one, which was somewhat apart
from the rest, and gave one deep bark,
and there he stood at least twenty-five
feet back from the brush pile, as rigid
as bird dog pointing a oovey of prairie
chickens on a Dakota prairie. | urged
him toward the brush pile but he re-
fused to move, but stood there at dis
tance which enabled him to watch
every avenue of escape, making it i'm
possible for rabbit to leave the pile
without his seeing it 60
Now it was to be expected that when
any ordinary rabbit dog had located a
rabbit in a brush pile that he would inn
mediately begin to make holes in the
| pile, first on one side and then on the
other, barking and yelping the while
and permitting the rabbit to leave from
the opposite side to escape to more
secure hiding place This dog did nc
such foolish thing. He gave one warn
ing bark to attract my attention, which
clearly said "Here he is, come and
tramp him out for me, and taking his
stand we'll back. his powerful limbs and
muscles ready for instant action, he
waited for me to do my part. ! mount
ed the heap from the opposite side, and
out went Bunny from her last hiding
place. With four or five tremendous
bounds, Lead picked her up, tossed
her into the air, caught her again with
the same ease that cat could catch q
mouse in an open field; he brought heI
hack and dropped her at my feet, and
went again to repeat the same ma.
noeuyre.
The bags of rabbits which this dog
made in the succeeding two years gave
him reputation which reached beyond
the limits of Pricetown and the sur
rounding country. | always started on
hunt with ferret, and usually took
some one along to carry the game
But under no circumstances would
permit them to take gun. In one day
upon bare ground, we drove seventeen
rabbits ont from undar a uuYnha n.
haystaeks, and seven out from under
one huge rail nile. The entire twenty
four falling victims to this fleet footed
dog. On the level. bare ground, wher
at full speed, he covered from fifteen tc
twenty feet at every leap, bat wher
clearing fence, have measured hi.
leap at twenty-nine feet.
At one side of our barn stood straw
pile, and above this straw pile a door
Lead was in a habit of running up or
this pile and leaping into the open dool
above. In the spring the straw pill,
was low, and one day after il had beer
hauled away, while the men were shear
! ing sheep on the barn floor, they sud
: denly saw the black head. shoulder
and forelegs of Lead appear in thi
door, and thereafter hanging over tn,
! edge an instant, and after some LITTLE