Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1902-04-05

boy had In the woods.
In those days the southern part of
Allegany County was pretty much all
wilderness. Bear and deer were still
numerous In the woods, and the pan
Their and wolf had yet some foothold.
My fathers farm wasn't far from the
Pennsylvania line. The maple sugar
crop was quite an important one with
us, and following close on, the gath.
erlng Of that crop the wild pigeons
came into the region by the million,
and during the nesting time we didn t
do much else but kill pigeons and col.
lect squads. the marketing Of which
brought more income to the farm than
any other one crop the farm could
raise. ........
1t was the killing of wild pigeons
that at last inspired me with the am
bition to bag game of more pretension.
l wanted particularly to kill deer.
One day, along toward the middle
Of March, my father sent me to our
sugar bush to clean out the sap
troughs and get the buckets together
preparatory to the seasons sugar max
ing. I seized this opportunity to do
little deer hunting. So sneaked the
old pigeon gun and took it along with
me.
There had been a fresh fall of snow
over night. The sugar bush was only
q mile from home, and I got through
my task there In an hour or two.
Then l started on the hunt for deer.
l travelled mile or more through the
thick growth, and then bore off to my
right in the direction, as supposed, of
small laurel swamp that l knew. 1
had gone half 2 mile when suddenly
out of a clump of bushes, not twenty
feet ahead Of me, jumped three deer.
Just on the other side Of the clump of
bushes stood two second growth pine
trees, their stems not more than a
foot apart.
suppose 1t was the great fright that
my sudden coming upon them gave
them that ratified one Of the deer so
that It sprang forward directly toward
those two trees and attempted to pass
between them. The space was too
small, and only the deer's head and
neck entered it.
Finding that 1t could go no further,
the deer, which was yearling doe,
made frantic effort that she broke
her neck, which killed her instantly.
The sudden and unexpected jump
ing up of the deer in front of me
frightened me SO that forgot all about
my gun, and when awoke to the sit
uatlOn there was no need Of my hav-
ing gun, for two of the deer were
mile AWAY by that time. and the
third one was dead between the two
pine trees.
After I got over my excitement I
pulled the dead deer from between the
trees and. started to drag 1t home.
I had dragged the deer along for half
an hour or more, when l was sur
prised to come upon the trail Of some
one who was travelling through those
woods, either dragging doe, too, or
something else over the snow.
And he's got his dog with him." said
I. noticing the tracks in the snow fol-
lowing the trail.
made up. my mind that I was bear
ing little too much to the west ia
make home the shortest way, and l
took straight course away from the
trail Of the man and the dog.
travelled and Travelled. and began to
think I must be pretty near home,
when came to another trail of man
dragging something on the snow, and
the tracks Of a dog, as l thought, nc.
companying 1t.
This was getting to be so odd and
so spOoky that stopped and began
to wonder what 1t all meant. Then
saw that the mans tracks were exact.
ly like mine. Further investigation
satisfied me that they were not only
like mine. but they were mine.
Then It struck ME with startling
force that had been simply walking
in circle and was doubling on my
course. was lost in the woods. But
that didn't account for the dog.
For the frst time turned and looked
back. There, not two rods behind me-
great gaunt, tawny beast. Its eyes
glarng, was crOuching in the snow
needed no one to tell me what 1t was
I was not only lost In the woods, but
hungry panther. attracted by the
scent of the dead deer, was on my trail
For moment I stood staring at the
panther, unable to move. Then my
first impulse was to abandon the deer
and fee. The panther crept slowly for
ward. nerved myself and resolved
not to surrender the deer unless had
to.
My gun had charge OF pigeon shot
In II. The folly Of trying to kill q
panther with pigeon shot never Oc
CURED to me. aimed at the panther
and fired.
The panther yelled, sprang for tree
near by. and climbed nearly to the top
Without delay. started on with my
deer rs fast as could 60. On one
side of me there was a good growth
OF timber and i sklrted that, had
gone but hundred yards when the