The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-04-04
boy had In the woods

ence rs ever any
boy had in the woods.
In those days the southern part Of
Allegany County was pretty much all
wilderness. Bear and deer We're still
numerous in the woods, and the pan
ther 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.
ering 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.
that at last inspired me with the am
billion to bag game of more pretenslon.
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. | seized this opportunity to do
little deer huntiDg. So sneaked the
old pigeon gun and took IL along with
me-
There had been fresh fall of snow
over night. The sugar bush was only
mile from home, and | got through
my task there in an hour or two.
Then | started on the hunt for n deer.
l travelled mile or more through the
thick growth, and then bore Off to my
right in the direction, as | supposed, of
a small laurel swamp that | knew.
had gone half mile when suddenly
out of 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
l suppose 1t was the great fright that
my sudden coming upon them gave
them that ratified one of the deer so
that It spranC 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 ii could go no further,
the deer, which was yearling doe,
made frantic effort that she broke
her neck. which killed her instantly.
The sudden ana 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
uation there was no need of my hav-
ing a gun, for two of the deer were
mile away by that time, and the
third one was dead between the two
pine trees.
After | got over my excitement
pulled the dead deer from between the
trees and, started to drag it home.
I had dragged the deer along for half
an hour or more. when | was sur.
prised TO come upon the trail of some
one who was travelling through those
woods, either dragging Il doe. too. or
something else over the snow.
"And he's got his dog with him." said
/, noticing the tracks in the snow fol.
lowing the trail.
l made up my mind that | was bear.
Ing a little too much to the west tC
make home the shortest way. and
took a straight course away from TN,
trail of the man and the dog.
travelled and Travelled. and began e
think | must he pretty near home
when came 10 another trail of n man
dragging something on the snow. ant
the tracks of dog, as | thought. ac
companylng It.
This was getting to be so odd ant
so spooky that ! stopped and besal
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 onl!
like mine but they We're mine.
Then It struck me with startlin;
force that | had been simply walk.n
in a circle and was doubling on N.
course. was lost In the woods. Bu
that didn't account for the dog
For the first time turned and locke
back. There. not two rods behind m,
a great gaunt. tawny beast. its eye
glaring. was crouching In the snow
needed no one TO tell me what IL wa
was not only lost in the woods. bu
a hungry panther attracted by I'll
scent Of the dead deer. was on my trai
For a moment ! stood staring at th
panther. unable to move. Then IN
first impulse was to abandon the de,
and fee. The panther crept slowly 70
ward. I ncryed myself and resolve