The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-11-11
DANGEROUS JOKES
PLAYED BY HUNTERS.
Deer Shooters Tried to show Up n
Visiting EnEIishman.
From the Detroit Free PICS.

ETOul the Detroit 4 Ict GI6SS.
Some twenty years ago there was {
party of deer hunters, made up large.
~ of politicians, doctors, lawyers and
bankers, with a couple Of railroad mer
thrown in. that made its record in the
upper part of the lower peninsula. The
rallying point was at Detroit and the
camping ground was reached after q
ten-mile ride from a little station or
the Mackinac division, then as new and
rough as the proverbial Jordan road
There was one big cabin for the par
ty. built after the manner of pioneer
residences, nearly one entire side being
taken up with a fireplace into which
great logs could be rolled as a supply
of heat as well as the most cheerful
light that ever frightened scenes OF
festlvity. There were guides, cooks,
guns and dogs. for the abundance of
game prevented any legislative effort
to conserve it.
There was great slaughter of deer,
for money gets game as it gets pretty
nearly everything but insured happi-
ness and salvation. Because of the
tipping Of guides they led their en-
ployers to the best runways and
brought down many a doe or buck for
which some tenderfoot in professional
or financial life was given credit.
never knew one of them that did not
afterward swell ike a pouter pigeon
rs he related with a Nimrod had
forced fame upon him. The long even
ings were given over to story, song,
smoking irrigation" on a temperate
scale-and jackpots. Some of the lat
ter were equal to the lifting of an
croc nf hat,
diminutive enough to justify the piker
in taking more than one hand an
evening.
On Thursday of the first week out
1t was showing and blowing in a way
to make the glow of good cheer the
more enjoyable by contrast About 10
that night there was a great pounding
at the door. and with the cold blast
that entered uson throwing open the
hospitable portal. there also entered
big, young man dressed in rich brown
corduroy which was palpably new. pol
ished knee boots and a Scotch cap and
tassel to match the clothes. He did
not at first appreciate that he had en-
tered company of gentlemen instead
of backwoods inn or the gathering
place of loggers. He shouted out or
ders for drinks. something to eat,
some one to clean his wet gun and
a bed.
1t added to the impression made nv
this conduct that he had the English
drawl, then far less common than now.
and displayed a languor of movement
entirely out of keeping with the evident
health and vigor with which he was
blessed. After blinking his eyes until
they were accustomed to the light, and
hearing the mock expressions of anx-
1ety to do his very bidding, he said:
Aw! gentlemen, pawdon. Extremely
sorry. Had no thought, don't you see.
OF running into so noble a herd of stays.
Can | crave your, ali, entertainment
after so annoying blunder?"
OF course he was taken in, refreshed
and invited into the game that had
waxed the warmer because of the cold
outside. He was successful enough to
win considerably beyond his ,losings
and nothing in his manner suggested
that he understood what was meant by
the repeated F. and L." for which
two or three of the party were respons-
ible In expressing their opinion of the
way in which fortune was treating him.
The abbreviation of fool for luck
never seemed to touch him and he
played to the worth of his cards until
there was a breaking up for the night
by mutual agreement
There we're some crack shots In the
party, notably two. One may be cali
ed Jones' who was from FIT. Wayne,
Ind and the other from GAINESVILLE. o.
They dubbed the strapping young fell
low dude" and when he proposed
moving on the next morning they were
the loudest in opposition. / suspected
them, but awaited Developments. I
heard Brown tell the big youth not to
shoot until he knew what he was
shooting at and then Jones gave the
advice to wear that tassel on his cap
high, as it would lessen the chances of
his being taken for a deer.
In that days hunting the staiwart
stranger-let hEn be Smith.had the
tassel shot off his cap, his pipe shot
out Of his mouth and a cigar cut in
two by bullet after the pipe was
useless. He never called for HELM
came in saying that he had a grand
day, doncher know" and dismissed
his losses by saying he fancied that
some novice must have taken him for
deer. Jones and Brown were clearly
disconnected.
That night Smith cleaned up half
a-peck in checks and currency, either
because of luck or superior plaving
Tor there was no question of manipu-
lating the cards. He had brought down
three deer, proved one of the best en-
tertainers in the crowd and taken the
money. The next morning he had on a
stalking cap of the same brown cor
duroy lit a pipe exactly like that
which had been destroyed. had his
IMAM fill every canteen with some
prime whisky and started out through
the snow with as confident a stride
as any man in the party.
There was an imp in the woods that
day. As Jones went sneaking through
the brush a tuft of hair was deity
shot from his chin whiskers. An hour
later a bullet flecked the ashes from
his cigar Brown suffered a puncture
of one coat tail and saw his tobacco
pouch cut half in two when he was
drawing the pickering string. He had
bead on a fine buck when it was
brought down by some other hunter,
and when he came to the finish
Smith was there doing the blood let