194 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



at each other, the three heads striking together almost at 

 the same moment. The shock was tremendous, and the 

 crash of the horns could have heen heard fully a mile. All 

 three came to their knees, and one rolled quite over; for, 

 the colliding forces not being exactly in equilibrium either 

 as regards degree or direction, the effect was necessarily di- 

 verse. The two which struck most squarely were brought 

 to their knees, while the third, who. struck at an angle, 

 caught one of his horns, came'to his knees, and fell quite 

 over. Instantaneously springing to their feet (it is won- 

 derful how quick these creatures are,) they interlocked 

 horns, and straining and panting, swaying this way and 

 that, struggled over the sand, pressing hither and thither 

 as advantage offered. After quite a while, by common 

 content, they ceased and withdrew a space, and though 

 still quite close together, commenced pawing the sand and 

 roaring. After this defiance, which lasted perhaps five 

 minutes, they backed off a little distance, and once more, 

 as if at a given signal, rushed toward each other, renewing 

 the battle. About the same result ensued, although there 

 was there was no fall — the same mighty struggling and 

 roaring and straining. It seemed to strike them some- 

 how that the triangular business was inconvenient, for 

 suddenly the largest two appeared to unite their forces and 

 attack the smaller. He was soon made to give ground, 

 and as he did so in an unfortunate moment he exposed his 

 side. Instantaneously the others rushed on him and bore 

 him. to the earth, goring him terrifically. He was soon 

 placed hors du combat, and lay moaning on his side, his 

 head flat on the ground, and his limbs limp and effortless, 

 the laxitude of sudden and total prostration. The others 

 stood looking at him, pawing up the sand and roaring, and 

 every now and then rushing upon their prostrate enemy 

 and goring him furiously while he lay passive and unre- 

 sisting, oniy moaning piteous] y at each savage thrust. 



At length they seemed satisfied he could be no further 

 In their way, and, as if by mutual agreement, thev ceased 

 their roaring, and walking off about a hundred yards, ar- 

 ranged themselves near the water's edge, where "the sand 

 was hard, face to face and some twenty yards apart. -Then 

 commenced the most magnificent duel I ever witnessed. 

 The roaring, pawing, and throwing up of sand with the 

 horns was renewed, and we could perceive by the manner 

 in which the combatants shifted their positions that they 

 were generals maneuvering, and that seemingly careless 

 exposures were mere feints. At length, satisfied that each 

 was too wary and skillful for any advantage to be gained, 

 they rushed at each other, their foreheads meeting with a 

 resounding crash. The shock was so tremendous that it 

 brought both to their knees. With horns still locked they 

 sprang to their feet, roaring and pushing, each striving to 

 gain some decided advantage. Then, after a pause, they 

 withdrew a lew yards, and the whole was repeated. This 

 was continued for nearly an hour, until finally one of them, 

 being rather quicker than the other, thrust his horn deep 

 in the breast of his antagonist, who uttered a loud beilow 

 of pain, The effect was decidedly evident, for the beast 

 immediately gave way. Quickly retreating, they again 

 rushed at each other; but it was very apparent that our 

 wounded friend was growing weaker. He seemed to give 

 way more easily, and suddenly he turned tail and galloped 

 off, the other rushing after him. He soon overtook him, 

 when again they rushed at each other. The wounded brute 

 was evidently maneuvering to get away, for, after a mo 

 mentary resistance, he again lushed off. This time the 

 victor pursued but a short distance when he stopped and 

 commenced a triumphal roar, at the same time throwing 

 up the sand. This he continued until his antagonist had 

 reached a considerable distance, when he turned and walked 

 slowly back toward the one first vanquished, roaring as he 

 went. When he came near the prostrate foe he stopped, 

 and as the other seemed to make some feeble efforts to rise, 

 he rushed upon him, goring him again and again. Then 

 he waited, but there was no symptom of resistance, so 

 presently he walked around him two or three times, utter- 

 ing a low, deep roar, almost a threatening growl. Appar^ 

 ently he was satisfied, for he then turned toward the bluff, 

 and with loud roars of victory galloped to it, and dashing 

 up the steep bank, rushed off across the prairie to his ex- 

 pectant admirers. 



We approached the prostrate animal, which was uttering 

 low groans, and found the ground stained with blood on 

 every side, while the sand was plowed up in every direc- 

 tion.. The poor fellow seemed utterly exhausted and ap- 

 parently dying, and we discussed the propriety of putting 

 him out of his misery. My friend was wiser than I, and 

 advised me to do nothing of the kind, else the law would 

 make me pay its value, and, moreover, he thought he might 

 not be injured beyond recovery, though he had evidently 

 lost much blood. Sure enough, when we arose in the morn- 

 ing he was gone. The sentry stated that about an hour be- 

 fore daylight he had, after many efforts, struggled to his 

 feet and slowly slaggered up the bluff and across the 

 prairie away. We never saw any Of them again. The 

 three had evidently come some miles to have their duel on 

 the beach, for they did not belong to any of the herds in 

 the neighborhood. It was a magnificent display of prowess 

 all through the fight, and it was the only bull fight at which 

 1 "assisted," as our bpanish iriends say, while 1 was in 

 Texas-. Monmouth. 



ttrpj-p ff 



For Fwest and Stream. 



come 

 "But 



OW I would like to see your broad, savage, good-na- 

 tured, intelligent face. You hid a great many ad- 

 mirable points, Old Tip, and some you hadn't. Tip was a 

 bread chested, large-headed, half pointer, half coach dog, 

 with tail turned up in about a three-foot curve. I first 

 made his acquaintance in this wise: Lauren Hinsdale, a 

 young farmer,- who lived a mile out of the village, came to 

 me one evening in the latter part of June and said, "There 

 are two or three broods of woodcock up in my thorn lot; 

 up early on the Fourth and I will show them to you." 

 _ at I haven't any dog." 



"I've got a dog, and what is more, I will give him to 

 you if you will take him. He is about a year old; can't 

 get him to do anything but chase the chickens and suck 

 eggs; he ought to make a good hunter." 



Just at daylight upon the Fourth I drove up to Lauren's 

 house; found him in the back yard washing out his gun, 

 losing every other rag in the bottom of the barrel, and then 

 twisting and twisting with -an old rusty wormer to extract 

 it. He had made about two quarts of ink and wasted half 

 of it over his clothes, hut it didn't hurt them any. Tip 

 was chained up near by, anxious for freedom. We walked 

 ©ver to the thorn '■ lot— high ground covered with thorn 



bushes running down to a brake at the outer edge. This 

 was a favorite place for Fall birds, and also for a breeding 

 ground. Tip didn't know a woodcock from a grasshopper 

 — wouldn't even chase one. He enjoyed the shooting, but 

 he did not help us or interfere with us at all. We found 

 the birds without much trouble, and in the course of an 

 hour and a half I killed twenty-two. Lauren fired twice. 

 He said he "didn't know how it was, but he could hit them 

 better when he was alone." We then went to the house 

 and took breakfast, and then Tip and I drove home. I 

 found that Jatnes Seymour, a friend of mine, had given 

 the dog to Hinsdale. The reason he gave him away was 

 because he was such an awful thief; would steal anything 

 and everything he wanted, or rather take it whether any- 

 body was about or not. His mother was one day broiling 

 some steak: as she stepped out a moment Tip stepped in, 

 and when she returned she found Master Tip had pawed 

 the steak off the gridiron on to the floor, and was sitting 

 calmly by waiting for it to cool. Cooked meat or raw 

 meat, milk or pie, or eggs, everything eatable suited him, 

 and a great deal of it. Tip stood by while Seymour was 

 telling me this, looking up in our faces with an air which 

 made me think that perhaps he could explain if he only 

 had a chance. He certainly behaved well with us. I 

 chained him to the bannister of the front stairs the first 

 night and he gnawed off two of the uprights! After that I 

 did not chain him there any more. He wouldn't steal any- 

 thing if he couldn't get at it, and so we got along together 

 nicely. (My wie says "he would steal off the fourth 

 pantry shelf.-") I didn't know she kept anything up there 

 except soap and salt. 



Tip enjoyed accompany Tng me upon what the old ladies 

 called my "docterin' " excursions.- He was perfectly fear- 

 less; was not, afraid Of* an} Uiing or any dog, or any number 

 of dogs. One, two, or three would come out of a farm 

 yard to dispute his passage, and he would pitch straight 

 into them all, and whip them out before they comprehended 

 that hostilities had commenced, and come out gaily with 

 head and tail up, perfectly unconcerned and unruffled. One 

 day a big dog twice .his size, with a small dog to do the 

 barking, came up to the further side of a ditch— ten feet of 

 water between. One growl from the big dog, and Tip 

 pounced plump into them. They were so astonished that 

 they went off iu a prolonged yelp in directions various. A 

 few weeks this went on and there was a change. .Tip was 

 a thoughtful dog. I have no doubt but that he looked at 

 the matter in this way: "It is all very nice to whip out a 

 dozen or two of these miseraWe curs every day, but nearly 

 every one gives me a taste of his teeth, and with them all I 

 notice that the next, morniugl am very stiff and sore. Now, 

 a sensible dog will consider whether it pays, and I have 

 made up my mind that it does not. I won't fight any more 

 for fun; I will run away when I can, and when I can't, 

 look out." He acted upon this principle ever after, and 

 Tip was much thought of by all the dogs round about, ex- 

 cept two or three whom he was compelled to chaw up to 

 their heart's content. 



Tip learned to hunt pretty well. He would find and 

 point snipe and woodcock very nicely, seldom flushing a 

 bird, for he was very deliberate in his' movements. He was 

 as strong as a horse; would have made a capital dog on 

 prairie chickens. He would dash into the creek for a duck, 

 and when he reached the deepest part would invariably 

 thrash and kick and nearly drown himself, but he never did 

 quite. I kept him for a year and then handed him over to 

 Seymour, his original owner. James kept him a few 

 months, and one day when S-. E. J. was in the store he told 

 him that he might have Tip if he wauted him. He had 

 such a habit of jumping through the front windows that 

 he couldn't afford to keep him. S. E. J. said he would take 

 him. Tip, standing by, heard it ail, and what did he do 

 but march straight off all alone a quarter of a mile to S. E. 

 J.'s house, jump over the gate, w^alk into the sitting room, 

 and lie down quietly at Madam's feet. There S. E. J. 

 found him upon his return home. That night he was put 

 in the barn, where he amused himself by gnawing off a 

 second growth hickory spoke in the wheel of the new 

 buggy. But they fed him well, and talked to him, and 

 made much of him in every way, and he never stole any 

 more. Uncounted beefsteaks might have been piled up 

 under his nose and he wouldn't have touched a mouthful. 

 His great failing was a propensity for chasing geese and tur- 

 keys and calves. He would take after two or three calves, 

 run them judt about off their legs, and then swing to. one 

 side with head and tail up with an air that said as plain as 

 could be that he "hadn't seen a calf anywhere in these 

 parts." A flock of geese-he would drive ahead as fast as 

 tney could waddle and then dash through the flock, look- 

 ing neither to the right nor left— "hadn't seen a gjose." 

 Turkeys would rise and fly; on he would go under them, 

 taking no note of the commotion overhead. Think he liked 

 calves the best. One day S. E. J. and myself were out 

 after spring snipe with him, driving from one piece of 

 ground to another. Tip had been worse than usual among 

 the calves and geese. 1 told 8. E.J. that, if there was not 

 a stop put to it soon every farmer would be after us. Said 

 he, "I don't like to have him do so, but how can I help it? 

 if you can, go ahead." Tip soon ran into a flock of geese, 

 scattering them in ail directions. S. E. J. called to him 

 but he did not heed until the dispersion was concluded; 

 then he turned to wait for us; we had stopped, and I gave 

 him a charge of No. 8. He came straight in, and never 

 after did he disturb the flat-footed bird; and furthermore, 

 he never forgave me for shooting him. For months after, 

 whenever we met he would growl in a way that would have 

 led any one not well acquainted with him to the conclusion 

 that he would certainly bite the next second. He visited 

 me every day as usual; came up to me to be patted, growl- 

 ing savagely all the time. I understood him, and respected 

 him the more. S. E. J. was his master; "if he thought 

 proper to shoot me, well and good; but it was not for you 

 to doit." When S. E. J. and family left for Minnesota 

 Tip accompanied them to the depot, sat down in the wait- 

 ing room, bid them a solemn farewell, and when the train 

 had gone he walked straight. up to the store of James Sey- 

 mour, his old master, and took possession. Since then he 

 has taken H. G.'s advice and "gone West," where, I trust, 

 he is happy and makes some one else happy among the 

 prairie chickens. ALiquii. 



—"My young colored friend," said an army- chaplain to 

 a young negro, "can you read?" "Yes, sah!" "Glad to 

 hear it," said the chaplain. "Shall I give you a paper?" 

 "Sart-in, massa, if you please." "Very "good," continued 

 the chaplain. "What paper would you choose, now?" 

 "Well, massa," said the meditating negro, "if you chews, 

 I'll ta&© a paper o' terbacker," 



• For Fomt ami nt mm 

 THE "WHITE TAILS." 



mid 



'gin 



HEN the leaves are falling, the nights cool 

 the October moon is full, the lordly bucks W- 

 their nocturnal rambles over their favorite runways ^'U 

 scraping grounds in search of the timid does that r i 

 away from them in the thickest "popples" and will 

 swamps. A little later in the season the deer will be foi i 

 running in pairs, and then the still-hunter has but to wat i 

 the scraping grounds in openings in the. forest and n 

 "jack" oak ridges which are so common in Minnesota a \ 

 other States. Early in the Autumn the deer brows." 

 poplar thickets on the outskirts of the .prairie or nearth 8 

 settler's clearings, and at such times they lie very close 

 often jumping from their beds within a few rods of \]\ 

 hunter. As the season advances and the snow falls tl 

 cold North winds drive them into the heavy timber whers 

 they browse on hazel bushes and red willow, (kinnikinin \ 

 the inner barks of which the Chippewa, Sioux, Dakota 

 Ariekaree, and other northern Indians smoke clear and 

 mixed with tobacco. I have often detected the smoke of 

 the red willow in the cabins of many of the settlers on the 

 frontier, whose limited means necessarily make them use 

 economy in everything. 



When the twigs of the trees become toughened hy the 

 cold, the deer browse on species of the white pines, and 

 visit lumbering camps regularly at night to feed on -the 

 twigs of the fallen trees. There are several species of 

 fungi that the "white tails" are very fond of, which grow 

 on the white birch and sugar or rock maple. I h ave 

 trailed them from swamp to swamp and finally shot them 

 when feeding on fungus, their stomachs being full of the' 

 same. 



Deer have their desserts, which consist of young wheat 

 and "bagas," Swedish turnips, which a re taken from the 

 settler's patch. The acorns of the white oak is the natural 

 dessert of the deer, yet there are many epicureans anion.'? 

 them that show a decided > preference for the rutabagas! 

 Now for a -word to sportsmen. Donot all go to Minneso- 

 ta. The State is over run with hunters, and has heen for 

 three years. Last Winter Todc and Otter-tail counties 

 were overrun with hunters, both red and white. The 

 Chippewas and half-breeds shoot deer for lumbering camps, 

 and for shipping. • The settlers lie with guns loaded with 

 buckshot all night in "baga" patches and on "jack" oak 

 ridges, and woe to the unfortunate cervus that" leaps the 

 garden 'fence, or steps out from the shade of the thickly 

 leaved oaks into the moonlight to munch a few acorns, 



The Western, or "timber Avolves," ran into Minnesota 

 last Winter in large numbers, and I often heard their pro- 

 longed howls when going the rounds to my traps, and lor 

 several weeks I saw but a few trails of deer near camp, no 

 thoroughly had they been routed by the hunters and wolves. 

 In vain I tramped many miles to lay bait for the wolves, 

 but they would never touch the titbits I left for them in 

 the^timber, though on the prairie, fifteen miles from camp, 

 many wolves were poisoned by- hunters. Small packs of 

 six or eight would come within twenty feet of my cabin 

 door, where deer, grouse, hares, and small birds were 

 hanging in easy reach, yet they never gained courage to 

 steal the game; but appeased their hunger by eating the 

 bloody snow where game had been dressed. 



Minnesota was once the best hunting ground of the Sioux 

 and Chippewa Indians, and when they moved away from 

 certain districts, there were deer enough left for the whiles 

 around the beautiful lakes and in the unlimited hardwood 

 timber of the "Gopher" State, yet the hunters have flocked 

 from all quarters until the deer are "cleaned out" from 

 many localities. In the Fall of '73 the country from Avon 

 to the Little Elk River was alive with hunters. Ruffed 

 grouse were killed in thousands early in the season, and. 

 The crack-crack — crack-crack of Winchester rifles was 

 heard from all sides at the break of day, as numerous deer 

 were running the gauntlet between lakes and tamarack 

 swamps hotly pursued by dogs. It was no uncommon oc- 

 currence to hear the full fifteen shots of the "Winchester," 

 and the seven louder reports of the "Spencer," and after a 

 pause, two or three scattering shots as the hunter had 

 found time to shove a few more cartridges into the empty 

 magazine of his rifle, before the game w T as out of sight. 

 During moonlight nights the occasional sound— bang of 

 the shot gun, told a sad story for many an old buck taken 

 unawares on his nocturnal parade. 



I crossed many bloody trails of deer after .the 15th of 

 December, showing plainly that the settlers hunt long after 

 the deer law is up. A few gentlemen in Sauk Centre and 

 vicinity offered a reward for the apprehension of any 

 person found killing deer after December 15th, and pat 

 posters in many places, preventing the killing of deer in *i 

 great measure, as the settlers were afraid to smuggle them 

 to hotel keepers and butchers after a certain date. 



There are deer in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Colorado, 

 Michigan, the Canadas, and many nearer our homes, ana 

 there is no necessity for us ail to crowd into Minnesota as 

 we did last Autumn. In the "Gopher State," deer, and a 

 straggling elk, moose, or black bear, is all the game to W 

 had. ' In Colorado there are antelope, white tailed and mute 

 deer— "black tail deer"— elk, mountain sheep, bears, tffti 

 which can be found within a few day's ride from Denver, 

 and in close vicinage to Fairplay," Oro City, HamuU?% 

 Granite, and many mining towns "in the Autumn t lie, ' e !" 

 plenty of game in the liocky Mountains west of # en? -aa 

 and in Winter good shooting can be had in the foot mj 

 where game collects from the mountains for winter qu' 

 ter3. 



In some localities where deer were numerous four yWg 

 ago, it is now a rare sight to see a deer's tail going 

 the bushes, or hear the thud thud-thud, of their hoor \* 

 they strike the ground when retreating. Never visit 

 particular locality year after year until the game fc- 

 hausted. It is an easy matter to' build a winter camp, 

 by scouring the country game can be found a0 ". n ? UC est j D (r 

 ritory pleasantly surveyed and many new and inter _$ 

 places be discovered. There are plenty of good am - j 

 grounds to be found if live hunters will strike out anu ^ 

 them, so let us not kill too much game in one locality 

 in so doing "kill the goose that lays the S ohlel ir e ^\ nr . 



— The weather has been so anomalous in Great & i jj 

 this year that in the middle of April sunstrokes oct ^ 

 in the north of Scotland, while in the.south of IW au 

 weather was still wintry. 



—The fish-hawk's motto— "I fights mit sea-guii. 



