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RECREA TION. 



SOME LUCKY SHOTS. 



New York. 



Editor Recreation: One day, when I 

 was about 14 years of age, I borrowed ray 

 brother's .32 calibre revolver. It kicked like 

 a steer, and as I had never hit anything 

 with it, and did not expect to that day, I 

 took but few cartridges. My chum, who 

 was also my partner in crime, went with 

 me. We boarded a car and rode about 18 

 miles to his father's country cottage. There 

 we loitered a while, and then went to the 

 woods. 



We were going along an oak ridge when 

 Clare, who was behind, called my attention 

 to something in one of the trees. It was 

 some time before I could make out what 

 he saw, but I finally discovered the head of 

 a bird which was lying flat on a large limb, 

 about 60 feet away. We decided it must be 

 either a night-hawk or a whippoorwill ; and 

 to determine its identity I was to shoot and 

 frighten the bird into flight. 



I aimed carelessly, about 3 feet under it, 

 and fired. We were amazed to see it come 

 whirling down, shot through the head. It 

 was a hawk. 



Soon after, we discovered a mourning 

 dove's nest in a tangle of grape vine. The 

 bird was on the nest, and I said to Clare, 

 " I hate to kill her, but I must.'" . As I 

 fired, down she came, and 2 young ones flew 

 out, one alighting on a dead limb and the 

 other on the ground. I killed both in 2 

 shots and .we were both wildly enthusiastic 

 over my " dumb luck," as Clare called it. 

 This ruffled me as I was firmly convinced 

 it was the result of skill alone. 



On the way back to the house I also killed 

 a catbird. We cooked our doves, and after 

 dinner went down to the old swimming 

 hole. There I fired my last 3 cartridges at 

 a water snake and cut his throat with the 

 last. We had our swim and while dressing 

 heard the " chip-churr-r-r " of a scarlet tan- 

 ager, and soon saw that most beautiful of 

 our songsters. As we were amateur tax- 

 idermists as well as oologists, we hastened 

 to the village and bought 50 more cart- 

 ridges. Returning to the woods we soon 

 found the tanager, and I proceeded to shoot 

 at it until it lefj for parts unknown. 



My chum looked at me in surprise, not 

 understanding my misses. I said not a 

 word, but marched to a fence and shot at 

 a mark on a board. I could not even hit 

 the board. Since then I have never killed 

 a thing with a .32, although I have tried 

 many times. F. M. King. 



en route. At Elma, 25 miles away, they 

 were joined by the Indian, the Patriarch, 

 Crazy Tim and the Infant. At St. Pam 

 they met Johnny-jump-up, the last member 

 of the party. An uneventful day's ride 

 brought them to Park Rapids. The dun- 

 nage was packed in 2 boats and one wagon 

 box, and, with the dog barking his delight to 

 the universe, the procession started into the 

 woods. 



The last house was left about 10 miles 

 from town, and from there on there was 

 nothing but a camper's track through pine 

 woods and tangled underbrush. 



Arriving at the Mantrap, the boats were 

 put in the water. The Cook and the Judge 

 went over with the first load of baggage, 

 put up the tent, and got things in shape; 

 while the Indian went back after the rest 

 of the outfit. By night everything was set- 

 tled to their satisfaction except the beds. 

 They slept on the ground that night ; but 

 the next day took 3 hours off, and built a 

 bed. 



Balsam boughs,, shingled over with small 

 and smaller twigs, until over a foot thick, 

 make a bed as elastic as a hair mattress. 

 In the morning the Judge tried a bath in 

 the lake, but found the water too cold to 

 encourage the practice. 



The camp was on a narrow ridge between 

 2 beautiful pools of water, each a mile wide, 

 and clear and cold. Along their edges grew 

 the pine wood, making a dark background 

 for the mirror like lakes. 



The ridge on which the camp stood was 

 high and exposed, and almost constant 

 breezes kept mosquitoes away. 



The nights were cool and just right for 

 sleeping. There was nothing to disturb 

 slumber but the howling of wolves, hooting 

 of owls, and the wail of the loon. 



In the lakes lurked monster fish waiting 

 to match their strength and wiles against 

 the skill of the angler. The suggestive 

 beauty of the wilderness was a standing in- 

 vitation to long tramps through the shady 

 woods. 



After 12 days of outdoor life, plenty of 

 hard work, and good food, the crowd re- 

 turned to civilization, fat, dirty and bearded, 

 but healthy and strong. 



The Judge, Portage, Wis. 



CAMPING AT MANTRAP. 



Said the Judge to the Cook, " How would 

 you like to camp for 2 weeks on the ' Man- 

 trap?'" "First rate," said the Cook; 

 " when can we start? " 



The next Monday morning saw them en- 

 cumbered with impedimenta and the Dago, 



MY BIG DAY. 



I put up at a deserted lumber camp on 

 November 10, '07. Got a start at daylight, 

 the following morning, and after 15 min- 

 utes' walk saw, at a little distance, some- 

 thing that looked like an overturned stump. 

 Looking at it sharply I fancied I could 

 distinguish part of a deer's hind leg and 

 a curved neck. 



I mentally debated the matter awhile and 

 was about turning away when it occurred 

 to me that I could afford to risk one cart- 

 ridge on the chance. I fired, and, to my 

 astonishment, the stump fell and changed 



