A WILD GOOSE CHASE. 



A. E. McKenzie. 



One day in November, 1893, I 

 packed my grip and started 

 for Western Nebraska to visit 

 a fellow sportsman, whose qualifica- 

 tions in this line are peerless. On 

 arriving at his home I found he had 

 just returned from our prospective 

 shooting ground. He reported no 

 game, especially geese, they being 

 our principal object, and what to do 

 next was the question of greatest 

 importance. Imagine, if you can, 

 the feelings of a man who had trav- 

 eled 150 miles for a few days' goose 

 shooting, only to be advised of the 

 disappearance of the birds which, in 

 the fall of '92, were so abundant. 

 The weather was cold, windy and 

 threatening, but I was determined 

 and undaunted, while to my friend 

 such a trip was simply " a wild goose 

 chase." 



We agreed, however, to pull out 

 the next day and seek a new locality. 

 The day opened clear, but cold and 

 windy. We had driven about 8 

 miles when, to our surprise, we dis- 

 covered a flock of geese feeding in a 

 field. We routed them and followed 

 their flight, which may seem incon- 

 sistent as compared with the general 

 custom in hunting geese. Our plan 

 proved successful. We had driven 

 23 miles, and in scouting saw, in a 

 cornfield near by, something that 

 looked very like a man. 



After holding a consultation, we 

 agreed to investigate. We tied the 

 team to a fence and started to inter- 

 view the man, but were agreeably 

 surprised to find that he was merely 

 a " scare-crow." Neither of us had 

 seen one of them since our boyhood 

 days, neither had we forgotten their 

 purpose. 



It did not take us long to find out 

 that the field had been a favorite 

 feeding-ground for geese. There- 

 was plenty of sign, and no doubt we 

 were now in "goose country." We 

 finally concluded to camp with the 



ranchman, and drove up to tin- house, 



only to find that there was no one .it 

 home. However, alter considering 

 the matter carefully, we unhitched, 

 put up our team, went out and took 

 down the " scare- crow," set out our 

 decoys, prepared our blinds, returned 

 to the house and waited for the re 

 turn of the ranchman. ( )n his arrival 

 we explained the course we hud 

 taken, and he replied : 



MY PARTNER AND HIS PA1 rNI 



" Veil, poys, you should haf bin 

 here last veek. I neber seen so m 

 geeses pefore. Do 

 \ ust plack mid dem. 



He proved a genero 

 German, and asked us to put up with 

 him. We cheerfully accepted his 

 invitation. Thai evening, by 

 fortable fire, we laid out our pi 

 for the morrow,and accordingly w 

 up at daybreak the next morning 



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