The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-01-25
Mink Steals Old Toms Fish.

1vllllh OlCdlS Olu Olll , ElSll.
Surprise for Woodsman Who Thought He
Knew tine Ways Of all Wild Creatures.
From Maine Woods
creek, resting and taking smoke. The
carry creel, had his nice lot of trout
strung on a double willow switch, the
tips of which he held in one hand, with
the trout immersed in the water to keep
them bright and fresh. Presently a
small animal appeared for an instant on
the opposite side of the creek, hundred
feet or so down stream, and then disap-
peared almost as suddenly.
That's mink" said Tom. eff his
pelt wouldn't be worth a few dollars
about three months from now, and l
wasn't goin to have that pelt stretched
over board when the time comes, I'd go
shake him out and kill him now, for what
he's up to now is lookin' for chance to
get at family o pa 'tridges or the track
OF rabbit, or maybe a feast on some
unsuspecting wood duck.
Il know EN-, dodblast 'em. They
can t fool me. I'd like to perfect them
pa tridges, or put that rabbit on it's
guard, OF Shoe that wood duck away and
| would if was only as cunnin' as the
mink and knowed where to find 'em.
But | can't afford to perfect 'em by
KILN that mink now.
wood ducks amt goin' to be no good
to me no time, cause the law won't let
me fetch EN-. There's rabbits plenty and
to spare, and that family O. pa 'tridges
would be all scattered to the four corners
O. the universe, anyhow, by the time the
season come in for shootin' 'em, and |
wouldn't be likely to have a whack at
none Of 'em. And the mink's goin' to
be worth about Sc to me-.
The old fisherman gazed at the spot
where the mink had last been again, and
he had some more to say about that mink
and minks in general.
cts on the rampage for blood all
right" said he. Warm blood is what
minks want most of anything. 1t ain t
flesh they banker after. A mink'll kill
ducks and chickens and rabbits and
pa tridges jest for the fun of it even af-
ter it has sucked all the blood it wanted.
'Some folks says that mink can roll
itself up in ball and does do it, too, so
it can drift down under water and ketch
fish fore the fish has any idee that
there's setch thing as mink around,
but that's all bosh. Maybe mink might
go for fish in the winter when they was
handler to git than warm blooded critters
is, but it hain't got no use for setch fod-
der when there's pa tridges or rabbits or
wood ducks to stalk and steal up onto
and tap.
"You don't s'pose a prowlin' beast
that kin pitch in and kill goose as easy
as cat can kill mouse and can chaw
its way out of a tin-lined box with wire
cloth front on it besides is goin' to fool
away much time chasin' after fish in the
water and maybe runnin' up agin' a
muskrat, do you? Well. that's what a
mink can do, and don't think it much of
a trick neither, as | know from havin'
seen it do both of 'em.
"Why should a mink be afraid to run
up ag'in muskrat? He amt afraid un-
less he runs ag'in one in the water.
ga mink hain't got no show at all
with muskrat in the water, as there
the muskrat is more to home than the
mink is and can handle itself so much
quicker than the mink that if the mink
can't break away and git to land it III be
all up with him less'n no time. On land
a muskrat'll put in it's best ticks to git
to the water if it sees mink, and its
eyes'll about bulge out of its head from
scare, but in the water it will jump onto
a mink on sight
''There amt nothin' you can bait your
mink traps with that'll fetch that little
critter to 'em so quick and sartin as
muskrat. Yonder comes muskrat, now
by hockey! l guess I'll have to manage
to keep track of him, for I'll want t.
make use of him by and by, baitin' him
on trap to gather in that mink when he
gifts his pelt in proper shape"
Sure enough muskrat came swim.
ming leisurely upstream, and when op-
posite the spot where the anglers hac
seen the mink it climbed out on the
shore and moved among the water
weeds.
"Geewhillikins!" exclaimed old Tom
Il hope that mink won't git scent Z
that muskrat, for he'd come back {
mile to koch him squattin' there on land
and I'd lose that rat for bait. It's
lucky for you, Mr.. Muskrat, that yor
come along little late and crawled uE
there, for you know there hain't nothin
could "a turned that mink away from
goblin you up on sight,"
just then there came sharp Jerk or
the willow switch that held old Toms
trout in the water, and the switch was
pulled out of his hand and disappeared
Diagonally across the creek, toward the
spot where the muskrat sat on the shore
a movement of something beneath the
water was traceable by a slight break or
the surface.
When the break reached the other side
out of the water crept mink, the will
l.