Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-22
Game May Be a Little Short,
But Not the Stories.
BOSS TELLER OF TALES
HOW THE SNAKES SAVED HIS
LIFE ONCE.
When He Goes Hunting With His Old
Gun Something Hap
pens.
Written for The Evening Star.

There has peen nc lack Of sportsmanlike
activity among the mountains Of West
Virginia this season. but as yet the slaught-
cred game have not been taken out in very
large quantities. Years ago, say the old
timers, things were different. Then every
man with a gun could boast of ten
pronged buck slung over his saddle-bow
and a string of turkeys at his belt. But
now: "Theys dozen men ter evey deer.
an hits the men as mos genully gifts shot
Nevertheless, for the unterrified sportsman
who ventures into this primitive wilder
ness there are rewards enough in store.
There may be a dearth of game: but there
is no dearth Of venerable Nimrods, with
yarns that smack of the days Of "Dannle''
Boone. whose mighty gun. according to
tradition, once rang through every square
mile of Kentucky and Virginia forest land.
There are some pretty blue game laws In
West Virginia, but as yet no restrictions
have been put on the hunting stories a man
can tell, and the contest as to who can
bring down the biggest yarn goes merrily
on, without fear Of spy or warden.
So far this year the palm for this partic
ular kind Of woodcraft has been awarded
to Jim Oxley Of Shaver's mountain, Poca-
hontas. In Randolph county. Jim is an old
hunter, but at present he is running a mill
amid the scenes of his former shooting ex-
ploits. 1t would be more veracious, per-
haps to say that the mill runs itself. while
Jim sits in the doorway, with his old
rebel gun across his knee, relating his
experiences to the huntsmen who drop in
on their way to the valley beyond.
This ain,t much OF a MILL says Jim;
but HIT II turn out .ao,n. right ;its smart SIN TO-
bushels day, reckin'.. More'n I kin use
blame sight. Well, sir. queer thing
happened to that mill tother day. you'd
| better believe. I fixed her up all right.
nSI1al. in the mOrQtn ,-chuCked
two bushel O. corn in that thar hopper
an let her went. Well, come night. I
moseyed round fer tn meal an thar warnt
a grain Of hit en- tn trough. nor no corn
en- tn hopper neither. I'd ben settin' en-
this blessed doorway all day, so I knowd
no sneak had stole hit off'n me, and hit
become O. all that thar feed. allowed
thar must be suthin wrong en- tn ole mill
that time, an l made out I'd come perry
near ter diskiverin' of his befo' ve'y long
So, mex mornin' l started her up as eff thar
warnt thing the matter, an then, Std o
settin' hyah wastin' my time yarnin', l
spied about a bit. Well, sir hit were
Gurus thing, jest about tn mos curu
thing ever see, I reckn, an hit shows tn
powerful idees some O tn animals o these
hyah mountings kin hey. Jest as soon as
them two millstuns commenced ter rub one
agin t'other 1 seed a big Woodpecker fly
inter that thar winder and stand watchin'
tn perceedins. An when tn fust grain
come tumblin' out O. them stuns what did
ole woodpecker do but scoot In an grab
hit fore hit could reach tn floor, an out o.
tn winder an back agin en- time ter grab
tn mex grain. Well, sir, fer near an hour l
stood watchin' that thar animal snaktn' on
that feed jest as fast as TIL ole mill could
grind, an befo' any o hit could reach tn
trough. Then I got kinder veXed an tired
an. 7 TUX an follered tn thieyin' cuss an
ira cked him ter that tree yander Well, sir,
that tree l found. was boiler; an jest SO
sure as I'm a settin hyah, ole Mister
Woodpecker had filled her up with my FEED
FUN tn roots clar ter tn top, an no bills
paid ter this day neither.
'Speakin o. birds" continued Jim, with
out so much as a wink, that thar turkey
tied up yander are jest about tn cutest
animal O. any O. them. Caught him en- a
trap one day when he We're young, right on
top O. that mounting thar. l liked tn
Teller. an ne kinder TUX ter me- so made
out not ter send him fun this vale O. tears.
Perty soon he got used ter my way o
Twin, an 1 let him went jest about whar
he was a mind ter. One day he'd been
havin' a regular cracker jack time wi tn
beechnuts yander. Guess he must hev eat
moren a bushel o beechnuts by tn way
he acted; kinder choked an tried ter COB
BILE, but found hit warnt no use-same as
preacher WI a tough tex or a sassy mourn
ers' bench. I paid no 'tention ter ole tur-
key Fact Is, amt got no use fer no one
what makes hawg o hisself. So 1 went
tn ole mill. TIL stuns were wore out bit,
and I'd fetched UP two O. tn pertiest mill
stuns fun town you ever see. The new
ones was settin' on tn floor near tn door,
an I was pullin' at tn ole stuns tryin' ter
git them out. Ole turkey were a-skrawkin'
an a coughin' en- turrible way right back
o. me; but, as I were sayin', I paid no
'tention ter him. Perty soon I didn't hear
no more Of his racket, an then all O.
sudden he begin ter gobble an gobble, Jest
as eff he were too proud O hisself ter keep
quiet any longer. I turned round Jest en-
time ter see him stroll out o. tn door too
ha eva'v feather a StqOdin'
up, an his neck red enough ter scare a
bull inter fits. Well, sir, after he'd gone
found that warn't no mill stuns on tn
floor whar I'd left them, though 1 mos
upset tn mill trying ter find them. And
perhaps you won't believe me, though I
never lied fer no mani found out alter
wards that that thar turkey had swallered
them mill stuns jest SOS ter grind up them
measly beechnuts at were wearin out his
insides.
Eyes Stree" he went on without a pause.
animals is powerful clever. They know a
heap more'n what you 'spect they do I've
snakes once-reg'lar rattlers fun rattlers-
vile. Some folks don't believe this hyah
hist'ry bekaze they think they know NOR
bout hit then what I do That's a fool
way o. iggerin', an you kin lay all this
down fer gospel bekaze hit are my own
experience. Well sir, them were perty
rattlers. an hit warn't long befo' they jest
about ownded this hyah ranch an eve'y-
thing in hit. They'd set round watchin'
me doin chores mos all day, an thar never
We're no spitefulness nor racket FUN EN-.
They was reel clever. genteel snakes an
TUX powerful shine ter me. Used ter hev
their own pertik1er chair at table, an when
tn feed warnt jest accordin' ter their fancy
they'd jest hist up them tails o theirn an
rattle, an look at me s much as ter say
they was gettin' tired O. tn hull shootirI'
match. never let on ter notice. fer fear
I might spile 'em an encourage their bad
manners. But they was smart, you bet!
Say RATHER don't know nothin'! Why,
them critters was that wise they could n
KEEP tn counts O. this hyah mill ef III let
EN-. Well. sir, one night everything was
slowed away comftable an quiet an Ia
went ter bed usual. leavin' tn rattlers
ter amuse themselves outside. They was
always great hands ter make a night of hit,
an sometimes wouldn't git back fun gheir
carryin's on tell late On tn mornin': but /
never used ter make no 'jecrions, as spree
in didn't seem ter hurt 'em any. But this
pertickler night I'd no sooner went ter
bed then I was riz up by tn mos Internal
est racket at tn door you ever hear. Them
snakes was a rattlin' of their tails as Of
tn judgment was come. You could hev
heerd 'em cfar ter town, Easy. So l made
out suthin must be wrong au' went an un-
done that thar door. Thar <ot them snakes
outside dancin' aroun, shakin' their tails
an lookfn' at me tn peertest way, jest as
ef they'd seed ha'nt, But hit warn't that.