THREE DAYS IN THE HOT COUNTRY. 



F. S. ONDERDONK. 



On the nth of April last, in company 

 with Rev. N. E. Joyner and Ernest Brunt, 

 I left San Luis Potosi, Mexico, on the 

 6:30 train for Micas, a small station on 

 the Mexican Central railway, between this 

 place and Tampico. For days before our 

 hearts had been fluttering with the pros- 

 pect of fine sport. 



After 8 hours' ride through some of the 

 grandest mountain scenery in the world, 

 we reached our destination. The Pullman 

 porter told us that only about 2 miles back 

 he had seen 3 deer standing within rifle 

 shot of the train, and that they did not 

 move when we passed. We left our lug- 

 gage in the station house, and started to 

 explore the country. High palm trees 

 abounded, and some of the thickets were 

 impenetrable, though there were many 

 open places. The mountains towered far 

 above us, and the trees thereon were alive 

 with various kinds of parrots and other 

 birds of rare plumage. 



We had not gone far when we heard 

 turkeys gobbling in the mountains. They 

 were out of our reach, however, and we 

 were out for deer. When we reached the 

 point indicated by the porter we left the 

 track, and had gone only a short distance 

 when we saw 3 white tails go flapping 

 over the bushes ahead of us. The inex- 

 perienced hunters did not get a shot. We 

 only expected to get the lay of the country 

 that afternoon, and night was fast ap- 

 proaching. We decided to return, and on 

 our way a rustle in the bushes ahead at- 

 tracted our attention. In an instant a doe 

 sprang out and stopped in a small open- 

 ing about 60 yards away. My heart 

 jumped. The darkness was approaching, 

 the sky was clouded, and the deer's rump 

 was toward me, with a partial view of the 

 left side. I raised my .38-55 and fired. I 

 did not see the deer after pulling the trig- 

 ger. I went to the spot, searched in vain 

 for blood and deer, and on account of 

 dense thickets gave it up, concluding I 

 could not hit anything anyway. While 

 hunting over the same ground later I 

 found my deer. The ball entered the left 

 side, near the flank, and came out at the 

 right side of the neck. If I had been 

 using a steel bullet with lead point the ani- 

 mal would probably never have left the 

 spot. 



The next morning breakfast was over 



and we were on the hunting ground by 

 daylight.. Joyner and I stayed close to- 

 gether, and Brunt took his own course. 

 We saw a number of deer, but got no 

 shots. We called a large turkey up close 

 and I fired, missing. I had forgotten to 

 lower my sights, which I had previously 

 raised for long distance. We returned to 

 camp at noon, leaving Brunt in the field. 



After dinner we went down the river for 

 turkeys. Within an hour 2 large gobblers 

 had fallen to Joyner's Winchester shot 

 gun. Having about as much game as we 

 could carry up the mountain, we returned 

 to camp. Brunt had been successful. 



A deer, which he had killed at sun- 

 rise, hung on the station house gallery. 

 He had been between the deer and the 

 sun and the animal could not see him. 

 The young doe came bounding toward 

 him, and he let her have a .25 calibre steel 

 bullet, lead pointed. At the crack of the 

 gun another deer appeared. Brunt pumped 

 in another shell and laid it out. Seeing it 

 bleeding and kicking, he left it and went 

 to search for the first one shot. It was 

 soon found, and he returned to the place 

 where he left the other one, but it was not 

 there, nor was it found until the next day. 



The day following we were early in the 

 field. Joyner fired at a buck, but failed to 

 stop him. I saw 2 together and fired at 

 long range, missing. I had gone but a 

 short distance when another young buck 

 came out before me. At the crack of my 

 rifle he dropped, and I soon had his jug- 

 ular severed. 



Thursday was our last day. We walked 

 up the railroad track and had not gone 

 20 yards away from it when 5 deer sprang 

 from their cover. Joyner followed them. 

 At a distance of 65 yards one of the bucks 

 stepped into an opening. A shell from 

 Joyner's gun brought him down. The re- 

 port of the rifle excited the curiosity of 

 the remaining 4, and one of their num- 

 ber, an immense buck, stepped into the 

 same place where the other had fallen. A 

 second shot from Joyner's rifle laid him 

 out also. The 2 shots were only a few 

 seconds apart. 



That ended our hunt. We had killed 6 

 deer and 2 turkeys, beside small game, 

 such as blue pigeons, squirrels and quails. 

 That country abounds in pheasants, tur- 

 keys and other game. 



Jaggs (reading) : "Here is a weather 

 prediction in which it is spelled w-e-t-h- 

 e-r. 



Naggs: 'Then that's a sign of a bad 

 spell of weather, isn't it?" 

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