Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-06-12

." "hiSfV Soiiiedt, dS tf1e gray WOiI VIII
do on rare occasions; he attacks only in
packs OF half hundred, and then he
must he tortured by famine and his
victim already half dead. He's a bad
lot.
NOBODY thinks of hunting kiotes
when there's anything else to do-no-
body, that is, with a reputation as a
sportsman at stake. Now and then
mere VIII appear marauding band in
some thickly settled rural neighbor-
mood of the lower prairies, proving by
night and devastating the poultry
yards Then the farmers will saddle
their plough horses, arm themselves
with pitchforks and scythe-blades. and
set off for what they call Il hunt But
At isn't hunt; it's a I shameless
| travesty; they might as wen apply the
name TO the annual butchering day.
All they do is to beat through a patch
of brush where kiotes are known to be
in hiding, driving them out into the
open and slaughtering them out of
hand-a score of burly, corn-fed farm
ers on horseback to one poor, shudder-
ing little cur, paralyzed with fright,
That's TOO much like an English fox
chase TO be good sport; the weak point
| in it is that the beast has no show at
all. from first to last.
Most of the killing of kiotes is pure
ly unitarian in motive ana Grass in
details of execution. They may multi
| ply 50 rapidly in the sheep country as
to become a pest. Then the herders
set prosaically TO work at eXtermina-
I Iii Oh pr - rim
it of its hide and drag the fresh hide.
| flesh side down, over the ground in Il
plentiful series of long lines which
| converge 1t a common point. This is
| making SCENT AT the hub of the
wheel bits of meat are scattered about,
| laden with poison. In the night the
hungry beasts On their travels pick Up
the scented trails Of the raw hide and
are led in al directions 10 feast Of
death. In the morning there will be
perhaps a dozen OF a score of them "
ing around in all sorts of negligee atti-
| tudes. And nobody is sorry, for that
has come to be regarded as Il fitting
end for the sheep stealer, whether man
or beast.
"Eut what's the use" you say, ''of
trying to make literature of such poor
raw material? Is the kiote in any sense
worth while?" Yes. If one goes about
il wisely he may have lovely hour
occasionally even with the maligned
kiote. The secret of enjoyment lies in
accommodating ores self to the game,
playing it on the principle Of art for
arts sake, and taking what comes
without caring continental. There
may be some genuine excitement at
times One of the best ways of getting
| il il to undertake night hunt |
don't know why this practice hasn't
come into great vogue; many good
| Things may be said Of it. Let me tell
YOU of the first time | tried it.
was fratering with the herders III
an Arizona sheep camp. There We're
four thousand MerinOs in one bunch,
driven about from place to place in
search Of new grazing; ana with the
bunch We're two vast sheep wagons
with five men-0Ee cook, the others
plain herders. Incidentally there We're
three dogs-a collie, staghound and a
lank brown nondescript, all trained to
their business, and royal companions.
| 1t is a lonely life. that of the Sheep
flldil, ne ItEtIIIS ~ love IIlS Jug W TN
stout and abiding affection; and the
dog becomes very human and very
Wis.,
There were said to be antelope in
that neighborhood, which accounted for
my presence; hut the antelope were
shy-I had got but one in three days
stalking. OF other game there was
| none. The only Wild life to reveal it
self was the kiote. which may always
| be depended upon to hang around the
edges Of = herd of sheep, trusting to the
lucky chance Of picking up a stray
lamb or a feeble laggard. We saw
nothing Of them in the daytime: but at
night, when we lay in our blankets
| uron the sand. staring UP into the
deeps of the sky and specializing, man.
| fashion in all walks of life, about the
things Of this world and the next, then
not infrequently We would hear far
| away, shrill ''oO-oo-Oo'-a wee thread
| of sound, like The wall OF siX-WeekS
| baby in the fiat above, troubled with a
colicky spell. Presently the sound would
| draw nearer and evolve into a pcSky,
sharp "yip-yip-yip," The sheep would
stir upon their background, and a
sleepy bleat would flicker across the
herd: the DOGS. stretched out beside
the fire, would cock their sasacious
heads and mutter in their Threats.
Then sleep would overpoWer US, and
in the morning we would be likely e
find on the farther side of the bed
ground few freshly gnawed bones and
some wildly scattered tufts Of blood
specked wool, all that remained OF
some hapless eve which had risen IN
the night to take bit Of solitary eXer-
else or to gather an extra mouthful OF
two Of grass. That sort Of thing hap
pens continually, ana there seems n
be no help for Ill: still, it's very eX-
asperating. one night, at the week
end. / told the boys l would sit up for
a while. in the hope that something
would come to pass TO vary the
monotony.
My pony was lariated close at hand
hridled. a blanket cinched into place
for A saddle. in readiness for emergency
service. After my companions were
ashore | squatted by the fire, now
playing with the dogs then falling
silent and opening my ears to the
mighty silence Of the desert. A SLOW