Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1901-03-07
AN UNUSUAL ADVENTURE.
Sportsman Stumbles Into an Odd Sort
of a Trap.

astlc local sportsmen toregathered at
the office of the Boss Hunter to swap
yarns about flood and field. In the
course Of the last symposium a rail-
road man, who loves his rod and gun.
told story decidedly out Of the ordi-
nary. 'ESpeaking Of the queer things
fellow sees when he has no artil.
lery," he said, "I'm reminded Of q
very curious experience Of my own IN
the Blue Ridge mountains last spring.
l was spending a couple Of weeks
hunting and fishing, about 40 miles
above Asheville, and was putting up
at the cabin of old man Carr, whom,
dare say, some of you know. He's
the best woodsman in that whole re-
gion, and, while there's very good
mountain hotel no great distance
away, I preferred to rough it at the
shack for the sake of the old fellows
company and stories. One night,
otter I had been there about week,
the dogs around the house started a
'possum, and, just for the fun of tho
thing, | took out behind them. They
led the way across a broken stretch
of country into pretty dense growth
Of timber, and I went founderina
along in the rear, expecting every
minute to see them tree the game. It
was pretty dark travelling in the
woods, and was pushing through .
bit of underbrush at the foot of liz
tie hill, when, all of sudden, I heard
4 sharp, metallic click like the cock
ing Of a gun, and instantly blaze Of
binding white flame seemed to strike
me right between the eyes. The thing
was SO terrifying and so absolutely
unexpected that for a moment was
literally paralyzed. Then I gave
tremendous leap and fell backward
into the bushes. My first dazed idea
was that I had been shot through the
head.
Gas soon as I could pick myself
up" continued the railroad man, ri
turned around and ran like a scared
rabbit. I had only one thought in
my brain and that was to get away,
and 1 suppose I must have covered
half mile before I collected my
senses sufficiently to pull up behind .
big tree and try to recall exactly VIA,
! had happened. As nearly as l could
. figure it out, somebody had fired
..yhotgun directly in front of my face.
sPTobably from one side, as it didn't
appear to have any powder burns
! couldn't remember what the ex.
plosion was like, but, under the cir.
cumstances, there was nothing re.
markable about that, and the chief
mystery of the affair was why in the
world [ should have been the object
Of such diabolical assault. The more
thought about it the more profound.
ly inexplicable it seemed, and at last
l gave up thinking and made my way
back to the cabin. Iforgot to say that
the dogs had abandoned their possum
and followed me in my flight, and
worse cowed animals I never laid eyes
on. They acted as if they had been
frightened half to death, and that
circumstance of itself was something
that puzzled me nota little. The sud.
den report Of a gun, even at night In
Z lonely wood, doesn't usually have
such an effect on dogs accustomed to
hunting. Old man Carr was asleep
1t the house, and when I woke him
up and told aim my story he looked
troubled. You must have run into
. spring gum he said; but ouch
things is dead agin the law, and, be-
sides, there amt no game fer 'em in
these parts. Pears like it was put
up JoD TO XIII somebody. L hadn't
thought Of spring guns before, but the
theory struck me as plausible, and !
determined to probe the affair to the
bottom.
''Next morning, however, I con-
cluded to let the matter drop. I
hadn't received anything worse than
. scare, and I had presentiment
chat an investigation might mix me
up in some mysterious mountain i'm
broglio. At all events I did nothing
/ believe the old man thought had
been lying, but I took his chatting
quietly and kept out Of the section
in which I had encountered my ad-
venture. The day before I left ! was