The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-01-25
HUNTING BIRDS ON HORSEBACK
How The Great Roumanian Bustartl
is Captured.


bustard. says Rook Carnegie In the
February Wide World Magazine,
| must go back To a few winters since
when 1 had the pleasure Of passing
some days with one of Roumania's
great land proprietors. descendant
Of the Bayards Of Spain.
The weather had broken, and our
are-driving on the frozen snow had
been put a stop to by a thaw. / had
almost decided to pack up traps and
HE me back to town, when 1 was sur
prised one morning, on getting up to
look at the state Of the weather.
that most important matter to the
sportsman, whether with horse, rod,
or gun--to find 1 could not see out,
the window being heavily covered
with rime, though only few hours
before, on waking Ia the night, I had
heard. with extreme disgust, the pat
ter Of rain.
AS / buttoned my second logging
my friend dashed into my room boot
ed and breeched. -.
Now you shall see something you
never saw-nay, nor read of in any
sporting book, I'll lay a sovereign!"
he cried. you must know that IL
In winter II thaws, rains, and
finally freezes, the bustards, sleeping
as they do lying In the open plain,
get their feathers damp; these freeze,
and the birds are unable to fly. AS
you know. however, they can run like
the wind. and we must hunt them
then on horseback-drive them, in
fact So come along, and bring your
hunting crop, IL you have one with
YOU"
-, Twenty minutes without a halt
brought us to the undulating ground
where the tops of brushwood and
bramble showed above the patchy
snow. Our guide pulled up. "They
are here" he said, and pointed to
some thicker vegetation a hundred
yards of.
Crunch, crunch, went the hoofs on
the hard snow. TIL now, for me, 1t
had been uncertainty beyond" but as
we neared the corner veritable forest
Of brown necks were raised before
us and waved affrightedly in the air
For a moment only, however. Thep
away went the whole flock, some fifty
strong. their wiry legs carrying them
over the ground at a pace that must
be seen to be believed.
Cauk! cauk Their harsh cry was
raised as the riders now turned into
a gang of yelling demons, raced up
after them. Crack. crack. went the
whips, sounding like pistol shots in
the frosty air. A chorus of shouts
and cries broke out.
Presently the birds spread, going
in all directions, lodging in a manner
that made it exceedingly difficult to
get fair whack at them. Those with
the sticks did best, as the bird was
Immediately killed or stunned on re-
ceivinG a blow. Those with whips
endeavored to get the lash round the
necks and legs Of their victims. sim
ply to throw them over; but in doing
this they often enough brought them
selves and pony down also. 1t was
astonishing to see how the little beasts
seemed To save themselves in falling,
and they were on their feet again i'm
mediately. Once down, the peasant =
knife was out and the birds neck slit
instantaneously. We. on our bigger
mounts. were afraid to get at too hard
a pace. and had to be content with
"fielding" for the others.
1t was an exciting scene, even to
a mere onlooker, and one / would not
have missed for much. In about half
an hour the last bird was run down,
and all Of us pulled up for a breath
ing space.