'COON-HUNTING ix SOUTHERN ILLIXOIS. 513 



Drummer and Bhicher, and called to me to get my rifle and 

 hounds, and come with him, for it was going to be a 

 "boss" night for 'Coons. Having put his horse in the 

 stable, I got my old Remington rifle and hunting-horn. 

 On the latter I gave three blasts, to enthuse the hounds 

 and make them keen for the sport, and we started for the 

 woods. 



" Where shall we hunt to-night, Henry ?" I asked. 



"Well, as the moon don't rise till late, and the fore part 

 of the night will be dark, so that we can't see so well to 

 shoot, we'd better strike for the Funk woods. Funk has 

 reserved this tract for the special benefit of us ' Coon-hunt 

 ers. Here we are allowed to cut and carve. If the moon 

 was up, we'd hunt along the edges of the timber, where they 

 don't allow chopping, for there we could shoot." 



Funk's woods was a tract of some six or seven hundred 

 acres of the heaviest and best timber in the State, and 

 owned by an old land speculator by the name of Funk. On 

 it no chopping was allowed, save the cutting of "bee-trees" 

 and "'Coon-trees.'' Funk lived in a remote part of the 

 county, therefore it would have been a huge undertaking 

 to find out and prosecute trespassers, even had he wished 

 to do so. 



Soon after entering the woods, old Drummer opened 

 up on a fresh trail, some two hundred yards ahead of us. 

 Soon every hound responded to the deep, musical bell-tones 

 of the old " strike-dog," and joined him in hot haste, mak- 

 ing "the welkin ring." To all was given an encouraging 

 "whoop-ee" by the hunters. 



The hounds for a few moments appeared to be at fault, 

 which generally is the case on first striking a trail, no mat- 

 ter how fresh it may be. This is due, perhaps, to the zig- 

 zag course that the Raccoon generally travels in, especially 

 if he be feeding under beech or burr-oaks, or in a corn-field. 

 Now, however, they have straightened out on the trail, and 

 are taking it up fast and furious. The voice of each is 

 easily distinguished from that of another. Tenor, soft and 

 deep bass are blended in melodious harmony, making the 



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