The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-05-25
YOUNG. SPORTSNAN'WR
TO PRINCES OF PLESURE.
He Depicts the Delights Of Deer Hunt and the Chase
and Gxows Eloquent on Fishing.
4 PRESCRIPTION FOR THE NERVOUS STRAIN
Richmond College. May II. 1902.


at Murphy's Hotel some weeks ago
However, 1 thought of you many times
during the evening and longed 70 De
there, / am proud to claim you q S men
a fter nv own heart. Next to my nome
folks" and my sweetheart love my
horses and my dogs; next to these
prize my gun and my fishing JACKIE alo
above all associations except those I.'en1
toned above, I prefer your soclety. 1he eaa
Is no music like the music OF the cnese'
there is no excitement equal to 1t. When
the wild deer springs from the SHADY
copse or tangled covert and the eager
pack open in full cry. you take the DUCK
aEer'' and tremble on the stand near the
water brook, where the painting mart IN
his fight is rapidly retreatlng 10 iiee
itself of its bowling pursuers You near
the music rise and fall and rise ana Iall
from hill to hollow and from mono" 70
hin like the cf1lming Of distant bells;
louder and louder 1t rises nearer ana
nearer it comes; you turn pale and trem-
hle from head to foot; your pulse begins
to heat about a hundred and twenty-five
times a minute; you hear the quick rust
ling of the leaves q, hundred yards away;
Won catch a glimpse of something bound
ing by YOU like rubber ball; you jump
around like a cat ''shot in the foot,
your arms take the palsy and you pun
the trigger and shoot the top out OF
a sappling. The hounds go sweeping
by YOU like a whirlwind. You wipe
the beads of sweat from your pro"'
and try to fan down the temperature
with your hat Then before you tnink
of If YOU hear the report of a gun nail
mile below you on the stream, the 1Ilu-
sic suddenly bushes; you rise ana run.
You hear the exultant yell OF your CON-
nanions: YOU at once know that there Is
,,enison in camp The next thing is ran
soaking your brain for explanations o.
excuses: the following night your sleep
is full of dreams and Nightmares ana VS.
ions of vanishing deer.
Eut the deer hunt is not what 1t has
been in many section of America. we
have been no more merciful to the gam
est game of the forest than TO the poor
Indians; they have gone together 10 tne
.happN hunting ground" 1t is PITY
that our lawmakers have so completely
neglected to give us wholesome laws loi
the protection of our game I fear tnat
in their eagerness to protect the cities
and towns, they have forgotten the coun-
try. both man and beast; but thlhR
I see now a tendency towar. the protec-
ton Of game. And 1 trust our statesmen
Wiz give more attention to the protectioli
OF timber and game. and less TO the up
building of privileged classes anu ei,e
cultivation of trusts. so that our people
can have more health. wealth ana nap
pineSS.
Just here I feel like saying WORD IN
regard 10 the sly old individual Of the
forest and field which still lives In spite
of all we can do or say: and ne is tne
unextinguishable fox. which stlll con
times to dress in his red or grey uni
form and still delights to play drum
ma ior for our hounds an. us. Dld you
never rise from your bed at the Dream
of day '.when the frost was on the puhip
kin and me corn was IN the shoch, ne
air crisp and cool: and did you never
mount your pranclns morse anu ooui'
Your hunters horn
"Hark, bark! What souno on 'ie "ittu
is borne?
,T,s the conouering voice of the hunters
The horn! the horn!
The merry sweet mig of the hunter s
horn
And then to listen to your bowling and
whining hounds as they gather arouiiu
anxious to Join in the glorious luoiiee'
and as you rode off you conlo neal .e
sound or OIEeI lloii -
srmmoning you to the meeting piace
d,wn at the cross roads where the NUM-
Vas to begin? OF course you have. ana
YOU galloped on with JOY, and just "nels
tl,e morning was hanging her banners u
s,,1rple and gold on the sky, and the 1or-
es, was nodding a tribute OF welcome 70
he1. lust as the glad world was waxing
with laughter and song. old Leader
and Bell opened on the hl'i halr a Hile
.ICroc1.'' ora two
three quick shrill ,yelps. And win
h,,sh, bark! from the hunters. the MOUNDS
hudGled and struck the tran.
Old "Rock" led off with solo,
..r;ea,,ty" chimed in with the fiat cornet
and YOU thundered an accompanying
hast and all the band began to play.
Then we're flutes, and fiddles. ana tam
bours. and tinkling cymbals, galore,
Then were fluttering hearts and CULVER
;,r leaves and the hills fairly shok with
the chrous.
The willy fox circled and swung arouno
the ridges and the music circled ana
$3.50, close at his heels It was simply
ioy unconfined, as the flying melody NIL
"a the air like the incense of wild flow
ers.
From early dawn till set OF sun
When the red fox dies and the DAY IS
done;
Then comes the sound Of all sounds-us
the hunters horn"
Whether it is hunting the deer or cha Is.
ing the fox shooting the s.: SQUIRE IRE on on
the highest limbs of the tailest tree: OF
c c1u the coveys in the field or flirting
with the fish in the streams the er IRE r Oh
vesls her charms to him and he learns
to love her more and more for her KIND. .
ness and her beauty His memory IS no %
an Old ngy garret full ,1 o5 speen Witb
LANDSCAPES skirted with cooling and
traversed with SPARKLING streams -, He s;n is
stained counting room. but ne is dream m
ing OF the an.lered buck or listening ioI
t,e rustic of the wild turkey wings and
drinking in the melodies Of, the deep tan
gled wildwood.
Poets mirror nature in their songs and 7,
painters make the canvass glow with ITS
reflected lights and shadows. but the
sportman sees, hear and touches the h,
very substance Of the poets song, and
walks among the lights and shadows
which inspire the painters dreams.
..o1., rs1,, <3,,f,N Vyt II