Mexico weekly ledger., 1916-03-02

was disappointed at the size Of
the Rio Grande River. Its name in
dieates a large river, but it is not.
1t is not navigable. It is narrow and
fordable in many places. In places
1t is rocky and swift.
This is strictly a sheep country.
II appears at some prehistoric age
this country was turned inside out
with the rock on the outside. The en-.
tire face Of the earth is covered with
smooth pebble rocks. In many places
the hills and sides thereof have large
bluffs and boulders of rock, but the
general face Of the valleys and hills
are covered with smooth pebble stone,
like a vast ' of smooth macadam.
We have travelled miles ard miles in
an automobile or light wagon over
valleys and hills with no semblance
of q road. Where the road ways have
been Travelled and worn, auto travel
ing is fine.
We had heard SO much about rat
tlesnakes in Texas that we expected
to be bitten by them three or four
times a day. Therefore on our way,
at Kansas City, we provided our-
selves with a quart of Missouri whis-
key to meet this emergency. We
walked and hunted and travelled over
these ranches for two weeks, and
never saw a snake. What wonderful
whiskey that was. 1t seems its pres
ence kept the snakes away. Finally
after we had carried that bottle for
two weeks and returned to town,
Roy discovered a Mexican on a street
corner with a box and sign; "See
ra~ttlesnake for ten cents" Think Of
it, rattlesnakes so rare in Texas to
be exhibited as a curiosity. Well, we
paid the money. Roy was visibly af-
fected at the sight OF the %rattler. He
was neryous and insisted that the
snake had bitten him ana insisted on
me taking him over to our room,
and he sank in a chair and weakly
murmured, 'the bottle, get the bot
tle.Y I had not thought of it. After
a liberal use Of the bottle Roy recov-
cred and / felt like a new man. Hap
py incident. II we had not found
that RATHER we would have been COM
PEELED to carry that bottle unseafed
all the way back to Missouri. We
felt so grateful TO that Mexican that
we went back and paid him an extra
dime and finished the bottle.
The bob-white quail is easily man
aged. You find them gathered under
a bush. They will not fly until they
give you a shot. You call out "atten-
ton or "fall in line" and they run
out from under the bush and trot Out
down an open path, all in line. Yor
fire down the line and if there are
any left you shoot on the wing.
But the mountain or blue quail il
49,
a different proposition. Nothing car
outrun them except a jack rabbit
They are 50 pretty that at first ]
thought it was a pity to kill them
After some experience / found them
to be the most aggravating creatures
/ ever met with, and I longed to xii
them because of their mean tricks
and then / found it was almost i'm,
possible to kill them. You can't creeI
up on them. They can hear yol
breathe a mile away. At a distanc,
beyond gun shot the drove will rui
out in the open and call to you t
come on. They are fond Of a race
Then they scatter and lead you, run
ming from bush to bush, with tn
most aggravating trick Of keeping
a bush between youn and him. The.
have long legs and simply glide from
bush to bush. They never fly unit
J after you empty your gun at them O
the ground. They will run and lea
! you in the run all day without flying
] You see a bunch of these quails an
run to get within gun shot. You ar
weighed down with your guns, am
munition and clothing. You ru'
| through a castus bed and the thorn
spur you on and when you get With
shooting distance you are in no con
dition to shoot. You must train t
! run like a jack rabbit or hunt froI
an auto to be successful with the blu
quail. But it is great sport.
W. W. Fry.