Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1908-12-11
Dr. Rdward's lester

many wonderful and peculiar ten
PIES. and for its variety of tea
houses and singing glrls. there
IS little or no opposition to the
presence of foreigners here as
this is an open port and does
much trading with the outside
world. i have just returned from
a hunting expedition up the riv-
er IN our house boat, and find
SO much of interest that | shall
not devote space to the city.
We left early in the morning, jas
ing through the filthy canals to
the clear waters of the river, ,Ev-
erywhere are evidences of the
coming of the reform movdment,
which has for its object the
awakening of China to the advan.
tages of modern civilization but
the country through which we
are passing soon changed and we
found nothing but the ancient
people and the ancient ways.
Pa ssing along we came upon
an individual fairly out of anti
guilty, and as he like ourselves,
was a hunter, we invited him
aboard in order to get closer
acquainted with him. lie offer
ed to sell us a duck, a hare and
a hen pheasant. One Of our par
ty asked him if there was plen-
ty of duck about and he replied
that the market was full Of
them in SoOchOw. He wanted
to exchange his game for pow
der. We did not want his game
but by giving him a little pow
der We induced him to show us
his gun, and to explain the use
of it, and also how he worked
his different plans of catching
ducks. He came alongside in
.1antan, about tie size of an or
binary row boat, the central pOr-
ton being rooted oven with
straw mating. In this limited
space he dwelt with a wife, two
children, a dog and a cat.
He produced the most primitive
fowling piece l have ever seen. l
tried hard to purchase it from
him, but although | offered him
enough to buy a fine breach load
er, he. would not sell. 1t was
home made, the barrel being fOrg-
ed out of wrought iron, and was
about four feet long. A pistol
grip shaped piece Of pine served
for the stock, and the firing ap-
paratus was like those on the
old musketS used in the time OF
Oliver Cromwell. The hammer a.
pan were evidently the work
of some village blacksmith, and
both were covered with rust and
were uncouth in the extreme. We
asked him TO show us how he
used the gun. He did so by hold
ing the gun against the right ell
bow, inserting the lighted end Of
a small rope which he carried
coiled about his right arm, in the
groove in the hammer, and TAX
ing aim, not from the shoulder,
but from the elbow, he pressed
the. trigger. The sound was
like that of ripping cloth, but
the gun carried well and the
shot punched in the water well
together.
The contents of the powder flas
and shot pouch were even more
surprising. The shot had been
made by the most primitive meth
cd. He had poured molten iron
ranging in size from double B
to dust shot. His powder was
also home made, it being as black
as fine. The powder was good,
as was shown by the sending OF
the shot some distance at the dis
charge.
He explained to us the method
of taking duck and other aquat-
lc birds, which although fraught
with exposure and great hard
ship are sure of success. One
means it to cover the head with
rushes and enter the water near
where a flock is feeding. The
rest is easy, provided one does no
mind a cold bath with the mer-
curry well down. The hunter ap-
proaches the birds, which do
not become alarmed at the float
ing rushes, for there are many an
such punches in the river. The
hunter selects the latest and
plumpest bird and grasps its feet
under the water, draws it under,
and fastens it to his belt. There
is no eommotion and the other
ducks do not suspect trouble but
continue feeding until the whole
flock is taken, provided the hum
ter can carry them all. Anoth-