The Raccoon 55 



definite except the date and place of meeting. These 

 being settled, the hunters begin to collect about nine 

 o'clock in the evening, the boys of course a little 

 earlier. "With each is a dog, but as for guns, there 

 will be four or five old ones in the party, ordinarily 

 of the Springfield type, and warranted to kill a 'coon 

 from either end! You need not possess a wonderful 

 imagination to picture vividly the scene before start- 

 ing. The boys, always the forerunners of the gather- 

 ing pandemonium, have early in the evening located 

 the harvest apple trees, and by the time the men 

 assemble, bringing more dogs, things are in a state of 

 wild excitement. The men are quiet enough, smok- 

 ing their pipes, telling stories, and talking over the 

 possibilities of the hunt, but the dogs, away from 

 home once a year perhaps, are like so many boys 

 until they find out "who is who." There are in 

 consequence several promiscuous contests. There 

 may be two or three dogs out of the number that can 

 follow a trail fairly well, and the rest will keep with 

 these. 



By midnight, the raccoons being at their feast, the 

 hunting party proceeds in none too quiet a manner 

 to the cornfield. .Soon, joined by the other dogs, the 

 trailers are in hot pursuit, the enthusiasm of the 

 younger hunters breaking forth in shouts, as they follow 



