The San Francisco call., 1906-10-14
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and, strange as 1t may seem, found a
friend who was willing to trust him
self both to the boat and the padding
of the amateur
1 took my first cruise alone on the
morning of a sultry August day. across
the lake, down to the famous south
cove. I was delighted with the be-
havior Of my new craft She was easy
under the light oars and responsive
under the paddle-an ideal hunting
boat, I vowed, and my hunters heart
leaped as I found the first signs of the
deer Yes, they had been coming out to
drink and to feed in the shadows on
the lily pads. There We're their hoof
tracks and their trail back into the
woods-very recently made, only last
night evidently-and. being undis-
turbed. they were sure TO come again
after this sultry day. My friend was
instantly on the qui vive when / gave
my report. It was his first deer hunt.
and all the submerged boy in him came
to the top in unabashed eagerness.
AS the shadows of the evening
heightened there were ominous mutter-
ings in the west. 4 thunderstorm was
brewing. What sort of a night is this
for our hunt?" I asked the old trapper.
It'll be a derned sight better than a
moonlight night. There's no jacklight
I ever saw thatll beat the moon. and If
the deer gifts a sight OF you and the
boa4 a,vav l,a eroas r2,,t +ta-, +ho,o..
no certainty Of gittin' any deer in
thunderstorm. It'll be darker'n pitch
and ye can't see no deer with your jack
light. All you can see will be some
eyes like little fireballs dancing around
in the darkness. as if they was stuck
onto nothin.' How're you goin' to tell
where to shoot when you can see only
them dancin' ireballs? Moren likely
just as you're ready to blaze away, hit
or miss. therell come big flash of
lightning and show you all up to Mr..
Deer, and away he'll go. Boys, don't
want to discourage you. but these ere
thunderstorms on this lake pour down
a mighty lot of water, and that air
contraption you call a boat won't hold
more'n washtub full before it'll go to
the bottom and you along with it. Bet
ter wait till tomorrow night"
But what boy ever was willing to
wait when he wanted to do a thing
with all his heart? And so the wisdom
Of the sage was discarded, and we pre-
pared to go.
Ny new jacklamp, made on the prin-
ciple OF a headlight, was filled and
trimmed and, mounted on staff in the
Prov of the boat, sent out its strong
flare of light into the darkness. AS
we pushed off from the landing the
old trapper sent his parting warning
after US You mind, boys, if you git
caught in the rain, just pull for the
shore We don't want to so hshin' for
no corpses tomorrow"
Out into the darkness under the
steady pull OF the oars for a mile and
then, as the eastern shore loomed up
under the light, I changed to the pad
die, warned my companion to load and,
in position directly behind the jack
light, to brace himself for absolute
quiet for the next hour. Not a word
TO me but in whisper, not a movement
OF foot or gun against the boat and
not to fire until I gave the word. The
two secrets of successful padding for
deer are, first, absolute noiselessness,
save the slight ripple as the paddle is
1SdLHtIco IN TIC water without DelnR
lifted out of it. A splash, a click of
the paddle against the side of the boat,
are at once fatal. And second, steadi-
ness, SO that the light moves only in
a straight line. A wavering light is
sure to alarm the game. The deer evil
IDENTIFY regard the light as the moon,
but as they are not accustomed to a
tipsy moon. they fee from it like sensi-
bic beasts.
As we moved down the shore T sau
that my friend was under tremendous
tension. And 1 did not wonder. The
sensations Of the novice on his first
hunt by jacklight are nerve-racking in
the extreme. Hearing and sight are
both taxed to their utmost, and this,
with absolute immobility of body.
make an exhausting combination. The
Imagination becomes unduly active and
conJures UP all sorts of resemblances