THE AMATEUR TRAPPERS. 



CHARLEY APOPKA. 



The Amateur Trappers live in Florida, and 

 are partly wild. Every year, when the wind 

 comes out of the North, cold and lonesome, 

 and the leaves begin to fall, a spirit of un- 

 rest seizes the Trappers, and they long to 

 get out in the tall timbers, as far from civili- 

 zation as possible. This spirit grows strong- 

 er until the pursuit of the dollar is aban- 

 doned, they pack their traps, camp plunder 

 and "weepons," and seek the haunts of the 

 "varmints." Every fall, since they became 

 old enough to paddle their own canoe, have 

 they done this, with the result that their 

 worldly possessions are few, but they are 

 rich in recollections and experience. The 

 fall of 1902 was no exception to the rule. 

 Promptly with the advent of November, 

 their resignations were tendered, and ac- 

 cepted, their outfit was packed in 2 of 

 Mullins' metal canoes, and bunching the 

 boats at the head of the Hawhatch river, 

 they severed all connection with an effete 

 civilization. Paddling down stream 18 or 

 20 miles, the Amateur Trappers came to 

 Sand lake, and picking out a good olace un- 

 der some big moss-hung liveoaks, they made 

 a comfortable camp, for they were to stop 

 until their outfit was put in shape for a 

 long trip. It was night by the time the 

 camp was completed, and as thev lay in 

 the door of their Abercrombie tent, playing 

 casino by the light of a fat pine fire, they 

 were happier than the common run of kiners. 

 The bark of a fox could be heard off in the 

 woods, and a goggle-eyed old villain of an 

 owl said h-o-o-a-a-w in a manner so lone- 

 some as to cause shivers to run through 

 the frames of the Amateur Trappers. 



"I always disliked those things," said 

 Mose, the senior A. T. "Once, when I w^'s 

 not so old as I am now, Mother sent me 

 to the store, which was over a mile through 

 the woods, for a lamp chimney. It was in 

 the evening, and she told me to hurry back ; 

 but I got to playing with another boy, and 

 the first thing I knew it was dark. I tore 

 out for home in a hurry, looking over my 

 shoulder at every other step, and was near- 

 ly home, when one of those wretches fetched 

 a hoot in a tree right over my head. Gee, 

 how it scared me! I jumped and dropped 

 my lamp chimney, and of course it hit on a 

 root and smashed. Father asked me what 

 I'd do if I heard a panther holler, and I 

 couldn't give him a satisfactory answer." 



"Let him hoot," said Uncle Snap, "he 

 eats a rat every night." 



"That settles it. If he eats rats I'm his 

 friend, for the maddest I ever was in mv 

 life was at a rat. Summer before last I had 

 the prettiest coat I ever saw; silk lined. I 



gave $10 for it. - It hung on the wall all 

 the time we were off on that fishing trip, 

 without being moved. Just after I got back 

 there was a dance at the hotel, and I got 

 all ready to go. I took my coat down to 

 brush it, and it nearly fell to pieces in my 

 hands. A rat had gnawed out the whole 

 back of it and made a nest in one of the 

 pockets. No, I didn't catch the rat. If I 

 had, I reckon I should have been guilty of 

 cruelty to animals." 



The game of casino was finished, and 

 soon nothing could be heard but the barking 

 of the fox, and a low, continuous rumbling, 

 emanating from the tent. Mose was awak- 

 ened at daylight by sandhill cranes cackling. 

 Uncle Snap still snored. His head was un- 

 der the blanket, but one foot was exposed. 

 Carefully, noiselessly, Mose tied a string to 

 a prominent toe, tied the other end to a bro- 

 gan shoe of huge dimensions, and laid the 

 same on the breast of the unconscious Uncle 

 Snap. Sitting in front of the tent, he then 

 began to rattle the dishes loudly, in the 

 preparation of breakfast, and awaited de- 

 velopments. He had not long to wait. 

 Aroused by the noise, Uncle Snap opened 

 his eyes, became aware of the weight op- 

 pressing his chest, and cast his gaze, first 

 on the shoe, then on the back of Mose, 

 busy just outside the tent. A look of vin- 

 dictive revenge spread over his features. 

 Grasping the footwear in his right hand, 

 and sighting carefully with his left, he 

 hurled the offending brogan with unerring 

 precision, but alas ! his toe was the only 

 sufferer ! Shrieks of rage, yells of demo- 

 niac laughter echoed through the camp for 

 a moment, then quiet was restored. 



Breakfast over, the trappers, armed with 

 rifle and gun, went out to look for sign. 

 Opening back from the lake at intervals 

 were lagoons, grown up with flags and lily- 

 pads, and in the open spots fish were break- 

 ing the water. Up arose a flock of blue 

 wing teal, almost at the Trappers' feet in 

 the pads, and shot off with a singing of 

 wings. The old gun exploded twice and 5 

 fat little ducks hit the water with a splash. 

 At the report other flocks arose in various 

 places, and circled around to locate the dis- 

 turbance. Dropping in the grass the A. T's. 

 watched and waited. Soon 2 specks were 

 seen approaching. They increased in size 

 with amazing quickness, and flashed over- 

 head, a splendid pair of mallards, paying 

 no attention to the No. 4's sent after them. 



"Drat it all, those ducks are traveling 

 faster than the shot," said Uncle Snap, re- 

 loading. 



"Oh, gimme the gun," said Mose, "and 



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