Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1903-11-20

live IN safety ana DesoughC MIN 10
embrace this opportunity to save
his life. The probabilities are that
the old philosopher would have
skipped, not to save his life, but to
avoid the dose.
In those days nothing was accept.
ed as medicine unless it were
offensive to the taste and disagree
able to the stomach; and the more
offensive and nauseating, the greater
its medicinal virtue was supposed
to be. Therefore, there was no
discount on "Injun fzic" as a
medicine. The opinion also seems
to have been general that the esurest
way to cure a man of disease was
to reduce him almost to the point
of death; that the less life there
was left in man, the less disease
there would be. Where the disease
was said to be in the blood, the
blood was to be drawn off, leaving
only enough in the body to keep
the spark Of life burning until new
blood could be supplied. In those
days, I think it would have been
difficult to find a man or woman
without scars from the lance.
Wild turkeys were plentiful in
the woods, and we often heard them
calling and gobbling near the
house. They were highly priced
as a game bird, and a hunter could
usually bag all he wanted in few
hours. I often trapped for quails
and other small game. The trap
was a small box made of boards,
set up on triggers in such a way
that pulling at the bait, which was
attached to one end of the trigger,
would allow the box to fall and
enclose the game. One morning l
found that a rabbit had been in
the box, but had gnawed out and
made its escape. What surprised
me most was the great size of the
hole he had cut in one side of the
trap to crawl out at. 1t was large
enough for a coyote. He doubtless
considered himself larger than he
was. l knew it was a rabbit by
the tracks in the snow. At another
time I visited my trap, and, look
ing through the cracks from the
top of the box, discovered that l
had caught a redbird, (about the
size of jaybird). I was delighted
when 1 saw what l had caught. for
it was a very pretty bird, and I
had often wished that l might have
one. So l raised one side of the
trap just enough to allow me to
put my hand under and sieze the
bird. The bird, however, was
quicker than I was, for he siezed
me first with both his feet, and
made swipe at my thumb with
his beak, taking out quite a slice.
His claws were like crooked thorns,
his bill was as sharp as tack, and
cut like pair of scissors. | took
hold of the bird with my left hand,
but could not get him to let go Of
my right. While he dug his claws
into my hand, he worked with his
bill on my thumb and fingers, but
I soon stayed the havoc he was
making with his beak by securing
his head with my left hand, grasp
ing it very lightly so as to not
him. This much ac-
complished, l could do no more.
The situation had become des |
perate, and 1 would have gladly |
and given the bird his
freedom, but the fight was on and
I could not get the enemy off my
hands. Realizing that I must have
help, 1 ran to the house, which was
not over one hundred and fifty |
yards away, holding the bird up as
if for exhibition. As soon as got
into the house, the folks, seeing my |
bloody hands and agonized pose of
countenance, came promptly to my
assistance, and, by carefully with
drawing the talon, as if it had been
a thorn in the flesh, succeeded in
me and my prize. l
was told afterWard that they man
aged to give the bird its freedom
without further bloodshed. That