The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1922-08-03

from NulCH the OHeUulDB sti Chill WIS
coming. This was done in such
way that the water was guided little
further over, onto my neighbor. He
was a sound sleeper and little more
used to woods life than |. | went
to sleep, and as | recall heard no
thing of the matter until morning
On his awaking he observed the de-
vice, and figured out just what had
happened, but took the matter all in
good part.
| had the tooihache one morning.
and did not start out with the other
three members OF the party who went
that day to fish through the ice. My
brother and the elder Henderson.
walked over to Big Benson, but Sam
uel went fishing in cove on the
back side of the point where our lean
to was located. Feeling better about
10 o'clock | got up. put on my SNOW
shoes and walked across through the
woods to where / could see young
Henderson moving about from hole
to hole tending his lines. | do not
know Just when | conceived the idea,
but the thought came to me to see if
| could initiate the yell of that pan
Their we had heard the first night in
the camp at Lake Onawa. We young
sters were quite skillful in initiating
animal and bird calls, and this time
the attempt was successful beyond
my fondest hopes. At the very first
howl Henderson stopped in his tracks
gazing with fright toward the shore
where | was concealed. On my sec
ond call he started on the run back
on the trail around the point. |
knew he was too frightened to come
into the woods; if he went around
the point on the ice he would have
four or five times as far to go as
had | snowshoed back lesurely,
and was nursing my tooth by the fire
when he came up. He rushed in
almost too excited and out of breath
to talk. Grabbing rife he said:
did y'e hear that panther | re-
piled in the negative, and he set out
again without waiting for more con-
versation. This time he started
through the woods, and somewhere he
ran across my snowshoe tracks. He
was skillful enough in hunters lore
to observe that they had been made
within the past Is minutes. and, of
course, determined easy enough that
| had been over to the cove and
back again. This gave the whole
thing away. and he was very mad and
indignant about it,.
The next morning my tooth was
again giving me trouble. This time
all three members of the party had
gone over to Big Benson. | started
out to join them about noon. 1t
was a beautiful clear cool but sun
shiny winters day. We had been
over that way so much that there
WAS a we'll beaten path around the
point and across the cove above men
toned toward the Big Benson Trail =.
was whstling along carrying a
shot gun when all of sudden the
snow yielded beneath me. and found
myself plunged in the icy waters of
the lake. | was able to throw my
gun back from the edge and eventual
" climb out, although | had very
frigid bath, and a good scare. or
course. | had to go back to camp and
change under conditions. which might
as we'll have been completely out
al doors. However | fixed up the
fire, and hung out my wet clothes to
dry. After this | started again for
BE BENSON. 1t seems that my boy
companion seeking to get back at me
for the scare | had given him the
day before, had spent an hour or two
working with an ice chisel cutting
ii big hole through the ice two or
three feet thick, This he had ar
ranged directly in the path over
which he knew | would go. He
had finished his work by packing it
with snow so that it gave no trace
Of what had been going on. | did
not take it as much of joke, al
though perhaps it served me right
for the prank | had played on him.
As | approached Big Benson |
could see my three comrades fishing,
tending perhaps dozen holes scat
mile of the shore. Way out beyond
them | could see one lone caribou.
never had much immediate know
ledge of these animals, but he look
ed like a big one, and guess he was.
My shot gun was loaded with a ball.
but. of course, was a very poor wea
pom to attempt to shoot caribou
with. My comrades had two or
three rifles. and could see them
leaning against the moose sled they
had taken over with them that morn
ing None of them were nearer than
100 feet to the sled, however. The
sensible thing for me would have
been to quietly attract their atten-
ton. and let them get a shot at the
caribou but boylike | was too thought
less or too selfish for that. | ran
down the trail as rapidly as | could
eager to get a shot myself My
comrades saw me coming and my
manner led them to look out at the
lake. Seeing the caribou they ran
toward their rifles. but just before
they reached them | dropped on my
knee and fired. The bullet struck
the ice almost under the animal. This
and the report gave him a great scare.
He wheeled about and was off very
promptly. My comrades by this
time opened on him with their re-
peaters and the three of them emp
tied their magazines in his direction.
He WAS going so fast however that