The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1901-01-08
STERLING. KENTUCKY. TUESDAY JANUARY g. 1901
WHY THEY DID NOT SHOOT.
Men Who Were Not Built on Plan of
Good Sportsmen.

Good Spottsmen.
The story ran thus: The assistant
was alone in camp, and saw the noun
lain hon passing near the camp, when
be took q rifle and double barreled
shotgun and ran to a big rock out in
The plain, which the lion would pass.
AS the hon came within gunshot, the
assistant would take up one gun and
sight it over the rock at the animal,
and Their take it down without firing,
to take up the other and 80 through
the same motions, until the lion was
out of reach. Then, turning to his
assistant, Capsaid: eve we're ashamed
to let the rest of the party know
about it, and said nothing; but viii
you tell US now why you did not
shootY
After the laugh was ended, says the
Forest and Stream, the assistant said:
81 never was much of a hunter, nor
very good shot, and took both guns
with me; but when the confounded
lion was coming closer and closer to
me, he kept growing bigger and big
ger, until he seemed to me to be as
big as an elephant, and was afraid
to shoot at him with the shotgun,
for fear that | would only wound him,
and / did not dare shoot at him with
the rife, for fear that could not
kill him with the first shot; and when
| saw how big he was, made up my
mind to let him alone, if he would only
let me alone; and l was most nightly
glad when he passed on by, and did
not try to scrape a closer acquaint-
ance." After we had finished laugh
ing, he turned to Cap and said; "Tell
us now how you shot the lion the
Mexican smoked out for your"
Cap apologizingly said: "When we
first went out on the survey in New
Mexico, ] had just got me a Win
chester, then q new gun, and was
very anxious to get shot at lion,
and, as one frequently came prowling
about our camp, as we could see by
his tracks in the dust, | thought l
could not be contented until / had
killed that lion. ! coaxed one of the
party, our guide, an old half-breed
Mexican hunter, to locate him where
[ could shoot him. In day OF so he
told me he had the lion located in a
den in some rocks, and when the wind
came right, he would smoke him out
for me and give me chance TO shoot
him.
"a few days afterward we had a
high south wind. and the hunter said:
Now we'll get that hon. We went
about a mile to an outjutting rocky
spur of the mountain. where he sta
toned nae to one side Of a hole in
the rocks, and then went around the
end of the spur to start his smoke
When l found myself alone, l began
thinking / was too close to the hole
for safety, and moved off a short dis
lance, and got behind a big rock, over
the top of which | could rest my gun
and get a good aim ] had just got
well settled when ] saw white thread
Of smoke creeping out through the
hole. Carefully aiming my gun at the
hole, | waited the coming Of the lion.
In few minutes out he came, cough
ing, and the maddest thing you ever
saw as he stepped out of the smoke
upon the rock. I was so scared l for
got that I had a gun, and watched
him until he disappeared in a clump
of trees, and then remembered what
/ had come up there for, and was Just
thinking how glad Twas that l had
not shot and wounded him, when
the old hunter came around the rocks
and asked where the lion was. When
l told him, he wanted TO know why
/ had not shot him, and when I tried
to explain, he muttered something
about a coward, and started after the
lion alone, while utterly Disguised
and ashamed Of my cowardice, ! went
back to camp. In about two hours
the old hunter brought in the lions
skin. While l never wanted to hunt
any more lions, yet the old man was
so disgusted with me that he would
never take me with him in any of his
hunts, from which he supplied the
camp with fresh meat during the
and l don't know whether
could bring myself up to the point of
shooting at one now or not if I was
alone"
oil ,~o.... f.. - et,.~ 49,.