The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-12

If His First Shot Is Intellectual He
Runs the Creature Doyvn-N hen
Thirst Attacks the Animal 1t Be
comes Easy Prey to the Pursuer-
Chase. Never aeIexes His Efforts.
"When an Apache hunter goes out for
a hunt. said Col. Noah Parker, of Gar
dean. Pa., an old-time rIainsman. he dis
penses with even the scant attire he as
sal1 aes in his ordinary daily walk IN lie
He needs no dog, for his quick eye aeSects
the trail of deer as readily as the
hounds does, no matter how keen its
scent On the trail he follows it as ST.
IentIy as q shadow, for he knows that he
will soon come in sight of the game either
feeding or lying at rest among the bushes.
When he sights the deer he steals to
within safe gunshot. If the deer's head
is turned away from the hunter the latter,
first taking aim. snuffies his foot on the
ground If the deer is lying down it
springs to its feet at the sound and wheels
a-ound. facing the direction from which
the sound came. If it is standing it turns
around quickly. The Apache hunter al
,says tries to kill a deer by shooting it
as nearly in the centre Of the forehead
rs re can So, when the deer turns to-
war. him he fires at that spot. His aim
IS rarely at fault, but sometimes the deer
is quicker TO discover the cause Of its
alarm than the hunter is to fire and turns
for safety in fight.
An Apache's gun, also, not infregsse1t-
Iy misses fire, and the deer fees. as 4 on
the wings of the wind. To permit a eser
20 escape after it is once discovered Is
something that no Apache hunter is c.
peeted to do, aad il is against their COO
to fire the second time the hunter. fail
ing TO kill his game at the first attempt,
must run it down, and L is rare that he
fails in this chase. As the deer bounds
away in its flight, ieaping twenty to
thirty feet at j bound. the Indian croI 5
mis- gun. and. with hideous yells, starts
in pursuit The deer at first leaves the
hunter far behind, putting forth its
greatest efforts to that end But lis
trail is as plain to the Indian as tzrn-
pike road is to white man, and he fol-
lows it.
AS is its nature. as soon as the deer
is out OF sight and sound OF threatening
ds niger il stops and waits for develop
rn.nts. The sight OF the pursuing hunter
starts il On its way again Every halt Of
this kind tells against the deer, toE the
bait is not of sufficient length to give 1t
any beneficial rest, and at every new
start it is sitter and less active. TIE
Indian never halts. There are rum rs
among the Apaches VINO can run or
fwenty-four hours without stop, and
can make their i've miles every hour OF
the time
After the deer HIS run for two or three
hours its thirst prompts 1t TO make fer
the nearest water This the relentless
hunter knows TO be inevitable. and when
the deer reaches that stage Of the chase
the Indian considers the victory won
There IS no hope for the dee. after 1t
stops 10 drink. for it takes into its
tarcned stomach all IL can. Hating laden
itself with this weight of water, the deer
is unable TO take icng leaps and cannot
extend its run between halts more than
half the former distance. The Indians
tongue may hang swollen and white frem
his mouth and his mouth be as dust and
his stomach burning up with heat. but he
never stops to drink. He scoops hand
fI!I Of water from the stream as ne dashes
across it and carries it to his mouth,
where he holds il for a moment end elects
il without taking swallow If he is
obliged TO swim he lets the water run in
n. L.
After running an hour or so. after the
deer has dueuched his thirst, the Indian
knows it is tirae that some evidence of
the animals weakening should be be-
traycd This ne IS sure to find along the
trail IN the shape of blood spots on some
rock where the deer has stumbled on its
knees or patch of hair c1iDging to some
sharp projection, showing that the deer s
strength has failed so that it cannot turn
quickly out of the way of obstacles Now
the Indian increases his speed. He knows
that the deer's race is run In time he
oveTtakes the deer. which is now Looping
feebIy along. A yell startles it into a
momentary burst Of speed
Then. as II approaching the fact that
it were useless TO proIong the race. it
stops and turns with all the defiance its
exhausted nature can assume, ard awaits
the approach of the hunter. Sometimes,
however the deer runs until il drops
dead or dying in its tracks. It it turns
upon .he Indian the latter keeps right
en- at full speed. He knows the deer can
do no harm, its inclination to the con-
tFary notwithstanding He seiZes it
boldly, throws It to the ground with casa
and cuts it's throat. without a moment s
delay, whether the deer is dead CT dying
the Indian cuts from behind the fore
shoulder Il large piece of meat He sucks
the warm blood from it and dsyours the
morsel, keeping constantly on the move.
If the carcass of the deer is not too
heavy he throws 1t across his shoulders,
and starts Immediately for home He
does not rest q moment, for fear Of be-
coming too stiff to make the return trip.
II the deer is too heavy for him to carry,
he cuts out the choicest parts, hides fhe
remainder in a secure place, and brings
in the former. In this case another mem
Der of the tribe is selected to take his
back track On the arrival Of the hunter
in camp and bring in the venison LEFT
behind
IF a deer is young an Apache hunter
VIII run II down within distance of
sixty miles, but they have been known 10
prolcag a chase fer hundred miles. The
course taken is always devious and cir
cuitous, and may end within a mile or
so Of the starting place. New York
Press