ADVICE FROM A VETERAN. 235 



This made me rather angry, so I sold it and got another .44 Win- 

 chester, which I used for a long time, but I disposed of it very 

 unexpectedly. 



I was coming out from camp after a new stock of provisions. 

 My partner, Amersley Ball, was with me. We had not gone far 

 after getting in the wagon road when we met a man by the name 

 of Lyman who was on his way to the Cross Fork of Kettle Creek, 

 for the purpose of inspecting the timber lands and wanted a gun 

 to carry with him. Before Mr. Lyman was hardly in speaking 

 distance he yelled at me and asked what I would take for my 

 gun. Thinking that he was only joking I said $40.00. 



Mr. Lyman came up to me, took my gun from my shoulders, 

 looked at it and asked me if it was alright. I replied that if it 

 was not I would not be carrying it. 



. Mr. Lyman replied, "I guess that is right," and taking a check 

 from his pocket dropped down on one knee, filled it out for forty 

 dollars and handed it to me, so I was without a gun right in the 

 midst of the hunting season. 



My protest was of no use, as Mr. Lyman took the gun and 

 went his way, laughing at me. I received a little more for the 

 gun than the usual price at the time, but there was no dealer at 

 our place who kept the Winchester in stock. The dealers were 

 always obliging and would take your order and get you a gun for 

 a small profit of about sixteen dollars. I had no time to wait for 

 a gun to be ordered, so I began to look about to find some one who 

 had a gun for sale. Mr. Wm. Thompson, the publisher of a local 

 newspaper in our place had bought a new .38 caliber Winchester 

 to use in his annual outing and said that he would have no fur- 

 ther- use for a gun until another season that if I would give him 

 $35.00, I could have his gun. I gave Mr. Thompson the money 

 and the next morning we went back to camp. 



After we had arrived at camp, I crossed the divide from the 

 Sinnemahoning side of the Pine Creek side to hunt. I had not 

 gone far after reaching Pine Creek before I struck the trail of five 

 or six deer. After following the trail a ways I concluded that 

 the deer would pass around the point of the ridge and pass through 

 a hardwood balsam on the other side of the ridge. 



