March 11, 1886.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



12 6 



creature sat motionless and gazed at the party about the lave. 



"Look! get your gun" said Jack, "a jackass- rabbit makes 

 a first-rate stew." A shotgun lying by was seize J, and a 

 cartridge hastily inserted, and although the darkness pre- 

 vented accurate aim, it was evident when the report broke 

 the silence of the night, that the animal was wounded, as it 

 made hut a few jumps before it stopped. The dogs, all un- 

 conscious of the vicinity of the rabbit, had lain quiet until 

 the report of the gun aroused them, when catching sight of 

 the creature as it bounded into the air. they gave chase and 

 soon compelled pussy to exert herself to the utmost to effect 

 her escape. Round and round the plain they went in ever 

 increasing speed, the rabbit doubling at critical moments 

 and usiDg all her stragedy to throw off her pursuers, but the 

 wound prevented the creature from availing itself of its ac- 

 customed fieetness, aud soon she was overtaken and seized 

 by one of the collies, who, in spite of the plaintive cry 

 which all rabbits utter when iu immediate danger, soon dis- 

 patched her. She was carried in triumph to the camp by 

 Jack, and prepared foT diuner of the following day. The 

 evening meal having been dispatched, and the pipe of peace 

 smoked, the party bade the world good night, as they knew 

 a hard ride was before them on the morrow. The sun was 

 not; nu hour high the next morning when our party were 

 mounted and on their way to the prairie. At this time of 

 the year the antelope seldom entered the Bad Lands, but 

 staid out on the open prairie, and as it was the rutting sea- 

 son, the bucks were engaged in collecting their harems, and 

 fighting away any other buck that approached too near their 

 little troupe of wives. 



Leaving the Bad Lands which generally lie below the 

 prairie, ouly the summits and hog-backs of the buttes rising 

 above its level, the party commenced a search for sigu. 

 Tommy was by mutual consent placed in the lead, as the 

 most skillful of the hunters, but although tracks and beds 

 were frequently seen, the animals who made them did not 

 come into view. We' rode for hours over the rolling land- 

 scape, expecting at the summit of every rise to certainly see 

 our game. At length, when almost despairing, we caught 

 sight of a small band in the far distance, but almost immed- 

 iately they saw us, and started off at that swift run that has 

 made these animals famous. We watched them until they 

 disappeared over a roll of the prairie, and then prepared to 

 follow them, hoping that they would stop when out of sight 

 of our party. We had gone but a short distance when 

 Tommy, who was in the lead, suddenly reined in his horse 

 aud turned about saying in a low tone, "Goats." Although 

 we had seen nothing we followed his example, and he then 

 explained how there was a small band of antelope lying 

 down around a knoll to our left, but he was afraid he would 

 not get near them. However, we decided to try, and dis- 

 mounting we left the horses in Jack's care, and prepared to 

 stalk the goats. Plat upon our bellies we crawled to the 

 summit of a knoll, when the animals came in view. They 

 were in a swale, a long way off from any of the ridges of 

 the. prairie, the band of about a dozen individuals lying 

 down except two, which were standing on either side on the 

 watch. We saw it was impossible to approach them from 

 the position we were in, and decided to retiace our steps aud 

 endeavor to get nearer from the other side. We made a 

 long detour and then crawled to the top of another ridge, 

 and came upon the baud in the rear, but we were no closer 

 than before. 



"You must shoot from here," said Tommy, "can't get any 

 nearer." 



"It will not be of any use," I said, "can't hit them at this 

 distance unless by accident, it's over two hundred yards, 

 but we'll try." 



it was agreed that my friend and myself should shoot to- 

 gether at the word. Neither of our guides carried guns, as 

 we were hunting for sport, not for count. The antelope 

 that were lying down did not look larger than rabbits, half 

 hidden as they were in the long grass, but on either side of 

 the baud, the two were still standing as sentinels, looking 

 away from us over the prairie. "Ready, oue, two, three, 

 fire," said Tommy, and both rifles cracked, the object selec- 

 ted being the two animals on guard. At the report the 

 Avhole band started like one creature, on the full run. It 

 was marvelous to see how quickly they could rise to their 

 feet and get under full headway. Alas, the individuals shot 

 at also joined tbe fleeing throng, and all were soon hidden 

 behind a rise in the prairie. Though disappointed we were 

 not surprised, as we did not expect to make a sure shot at 

 the distance under the circumstances, 



We rode on throughout the afternoon, but although we 

 saw several bands of antelope they were too wary to per- 

 mit us to come near them, and we returned to camp as 

 many a hunter had done before, minus our game. My friend 

 decided that the next day he would go after mule deer with 

 Jack, and I determined under Tommy's guidance to try the 

 antelope again. So, soon after sunrise, we were en route for 

 the prairie, but this time decided to go north of the grounds 

 hunted over the day before. We rode on for about two 

 hours without seeing any antelope, although signs were 

 plenty, until suddenly we came in sight of two feeding in a 

 little swale about half a mile in front of us. Instantly dis- 

 mounting, we made a long detour, leading our horses, until 

 having reached a favorable spot for a stalk, we dropped the 

 reins over the horses' heads and left them, knowing they 

 would not go away from the spot, and crawled to the top of 

 a neighboring ridge overlooking the place where we had seen 

 the antelope, No animal was in sight however, although 

 we searched the ground carefully with a strong glass I 

 carried. We then continued across the low-lying piece of 

 ground, through which the bed of a creek now dry was 

 seen, and ascended a roll of the prairie on the opposite side. 

 Gaining the top we caught sight of several antelope on an 

 opposite ridge, which appeared to see us also, for after 

 gazing a moment they disappeared on the other side. 



"Well Tommy, what now," I said, "shall we follow 

 them?" 



"Don't think it any use," he replied, "they saw us." 



"Well, it is not far and I am going over to see if I can 

 find where they went to," I answered, "you go and bring on 

 the horses." 



So I started for the other ridge. As I drew near the top, 

 I laid fiat upon the ground and pushed myself along, shov- 

 ing my rifle ahead of me. Peeping over the top, I found the 

 ground sloped away for a long distance, giving me an ex- 

 tended view, and about one hundred and fifty yards from 

 me were a band of antelope consisting of thirteen does and 

 one splendid buck. They were scattered about feeding, but 

 the buck seemed very restless, and kept a sharp eye over his 

 wives, aud also the surrounding landscape. I crept back 

 u nder cover of the ridge, and signalled to Tommy, who was 

 coming on with the horses, to leave them and join me , and 

 >hen returned to my post of observation. Soon I heard a 



rustling in the grass, and my guide shoved himself along 

 side of me. The antelope had fed away from us, and we 

 decided they were too far away to give any chance for a 

 successful shot, so I determined to watch them and see what 

 they would do. The buck had a fine pair of horns and was 

 handsomely marked, the tan colored stripes on his neck 

 showing clearly against the white portion. I determined to 

 have him if I followed him all day, which as the sequel will 

 show I was obliged to do. He kept his does in excellent 

 subjection, never allowing any of them to stray away, but 

 herding them very much as a collie does a band of sheep, 

 or a stallion a number of mares, driving them all the time 

 dead to windward. After awhile, as they kept getting fur- 

 ther away from us, Tommy said that he would go a little 

 distance away and try to flag the buck, so he went off and 

 lay down, and tying a red handkerchief to my shotgun 

 which he carried held it aloft. Here we made a mistake, as 

 we found out, for Tommy should have remained with me 

 and done his flagging close by. I lay flat on the ground 

 and consequently could not see the buck, but presently 

 Tommy called out, "Get ready, he is coming." Expecting to 

 see the" animal rise above the ridge I held my rifle in position, 

 but instead of coming my way he headed straight for 

 Tommy naturally, and then before reaching the ridge turned 

 off and passed in front of me without coming in sight. He 

 kept on, however, and made a wide circuit around us and 

 returned to the does, without discovering us, as we lay quite 

 motionless while he was on his voyage of observation. He 

 now headed his wives away from us, all feeding as they 

 went. As we watched them another buck appeared over a 

 distant ridge, and was immediately challenged by the one in 

 front of us, who started off on a swift canter toward his 

 would-be rival. The latter watched him approach and then 

 turned and fled over a roll of the prairie followed by our 

 friend. The latter was gone some little time, his does feed- 

 ing on in the meanwhile as though they understood pre- 

 cisely why their lord was absent. Pretty soon, however, he 

 returned, not alone though, for he drove before him, prob- 

 ably in triumph, (for we could not see what had happened 

 beyond the other ridge), two more does, which he was evi- 

 dently desirous of adding to his harem. They did not seem 

 particulary anxious to accede to his wishes, for they ran off 

 in every direction sometimes together, sometimes separately. 

 The buck, however, was very swift and very determined, aud 

 every time he would head them off and turn them in the 

 direction of his herd. After many and vain attempts to 

 escape, the buck at last succeeded in making them join the 

 other does, and then getting them all close together he drove 

 them to the opposite side of the level prairie. 



The band had now gotten at least a mile away from us, 

 and Tommy and I held a council what was best to do. At 

 first he seemed inclined to let them go and look for others, 

 but I was determined to have that buck if it was possible, 

 so we concluded to follow. As they disappeared behind 

 the ridge, we mounted our horses, and rode across the 

 ground our game had just traversed. Dismounting we 

 crawled to the top of the ridge in front and saw the band 

 moving on in a kind of valley between two rolls of the 

 prairie, keeping carfully in the center and upwind, the buck 

 in the rear holding his harem well in hand, so to speak. We 

 dared not follow, for the moment we crossed the ridge, be- 

 hind which we were concealed, the animals would see us 

 and be off at once. We therefore decided to make a detour 

 to the right, and see if we could not find more favorable 

 ground in front where we could make a successful stalk. 

 After riding about half a mile, being careful not to let the 

 antelope get our wind, we crawled to a spot overlooking the 

 ground the band was traversing and saw that they had se- 

 lected a spot on the further side and had lain down. We 

 carefully scrutinized the ridge beyond them, but there was 

 no place we could reach near enough for a shot. However, 

 we decided to cross over to that side or get as near as we 

 could. So retracing our steps, we rode back to the plain 

 where I first saw the band, and then passed up the side the 

 antelope were lying, keeping carefully concealed behind the 

 higher ground that lay between us. When we had pro- 

 ceeded as far as we deemed safe with the horses, we left them 

 and advanced toward the spot we thought nearest to our 

 game. Crawling flat on the ground we looked over the rise 

 and saw in front of us, but a very long rifle shot away, the 

 antelope still resting. They all lay with their noses to the 

 leeward, the buck in the rear, gazing intently down the 

 glade through which they had come. 



"You will never get nearer," said Tommy, "try the buck." 

 I took aim, but lowered the rifle, and replied, "It would be 

 of no use, I could only hit that buck by the merest scratch 

 shot. He don't look as big as a rabbit over my sight. Try 

 the flag again, but stay close by me." Tommy raised the red 

 handkerchief upon my shotgun, and we watched the effect. 

 None of the animals appeared to see it, but all kept their 

 gaze steadily down the valley. At last one of the does rose 

 and stretched herself. The buck thinking possibly she was 

 about to stray away, also got up and turned, when his eye 

 caught our fluttering signal. Immediately he started for it, 

 galloping up the slope, and increasing his speed every mo- 

 ment. I crouched lower and brought my rifle to bear on 

 the spot where I expected him to come. As he drew near 

 Tommy lowered his flag so it could not be seen so clearly. 

 When the antelope had approached within forty yards he 

 turned to make a circle and get our wind, passing directly in 

 front of me. I had brought my sight to bear on him and as 

 he was going by at full speed, pressed the trigger. 1 heard 

 the bullet strike with a strong, dull thud, and immediately 

 the animal turned and began to descend the slope toward the 

 does. But he was destined never to reach his band, for the 

 bullet was well placed and he had received his death stroke, 

 for after running about fifty yards he rolled over on his 

 side. The does had huddled together while the above 

 scene was being enacted, but when the buck fell, they 

 started off on a swift run and were in a moment hidden be- 

 hind a rise of the prairie. I did not want them and let 

 them go, but walked down to where the buck was lying. 

 He'was indeed a fine specimen of his race, with wide branch- 

 ing horns, the hooks being of unusual length. The light 

 had not entirely left his eyes, which still shone with the 

 bright hues of life, but as I gazed at him their colors rapidly 

 changed aud faded away before the glaze of death. Any 

 regrets that one might naturally experience at the destruc- 

 tion of so beautiful a creature, were mastered by the exultant 

 feeling that the craft of the hunter had overcome the cun- 

 ning and wariness of the game, and now as the sun was rap- 

 idly approaching the horizon, we cleaned the antelope and 

 swung him behind my saddle, entering our camp in triumph 

 a short time afterward. As in life, when he first caught 

 sight of our alluring flag, the head of this noble buck looks 

 down upon me from the wall, a lasting memento of an ex- 

 citing day's chase. Sagamore. 



A HUNTER'S PARADISE, 



HAVING had our fill of the mast-fed white meat of the 

 wild turkey, near Desputanta Station, Va., the judicial- 

 minded Miller and J. M. S. concluded we would again test 

 and enjoy the boundless hospitality of Richard D. Sharp, 

 Esq., who lives the life of an elegant aud hospitable planter 

 and farmer on his thousand-acre plantation, Laurel Spring 

 Parm, in old Surry county, Virginia. Mi-. Sharp's farm 

 takes its name from a clear and gushing water, as clear as 

 Helicon and as cold as the St. Lawrence in mid-winter. The 

 home of our genei'ous and courtly host, who is, in fact, one 

 of Nature's noblemen, is a large, ante-bellum, Virginia man- 

 sion, with an ample hall at least fifteen feet wide, with open 

 fire-places in each room, where the blazing logs give out a 

 seductive flame and heat which in the cool November even- 

 ings make one forget the existence of such "necessary evils" 

 as lawyers and creditors. Mr. Sharp is a single man, who, 

 with the help of old Uncle Joe, a seventy-five-year old Scipio 

 Africanus, who for good horse sense and a keen sense of 

 humor lays over the deck and ranks as a domestic institution, 

 dispenses here a truly princely hospitality. Joe is as straight 

 as an arrow, as lithe as a middle-aged Apollo, and loves ihe 

 sound of a gun and even the sight of a firearm as well as the 

 sleuth hound loves, by sure tracing, to overtake the bound- 

 ing stag. Old Joe is the happy possessor of an old Queen 

 Anne or Harper's Perry musket," and there is no finer sight 

 upon an Easter day than to see old Uncle Joe, with his 

 frosty prow white as the driven snow, adorn himself with an 

 antique hunting costume older than Light Horse Harry, 

 shoulder his musket tenderly, and prepare for the slaughter 

 of the innocents. When the Judicial Mind praised the bur- 

 nished barrel of Joe's gun, the latter smiled a smile like the 

 poor man's lease, from (y)ear to (y)ear, and said, "Yes, 

 Jedge, when dat ar' old musquit goes off, meat is sure to 

 drap!" Old Joe is a much-married African, and thinks the 

 sacred rites of matrimony not needful to bind him to his 

 dusky and voluminous wives. "Don't bodder like white 

 folds wid preacher," said Joe to Mr. Miller; "don't bodder 

 like odder coons. We done gone and git married just when 

 we wants to." 



_ In the morning we breakfast on delicious coffee (no matu- 

 tinal cocktail needed), corn bread, roast shoat, broiled veni- 

 son (killed by ourselves) and currant jelly, the product of our 

 host's garden currants. 



As we smoke our "Lone Jack" on Sharp's ample piazza, 

 old black Joe shambles up, deferentially doffs his battered 

 tile (hat), and says: "Boss, got no toddy for ole man dis yer 

 mornin'?" "A ducat to the beggarly denier," to the man 

 who could refuse the warm-hearted old African one single 

 nip! 



Directly fronting the piazza the gray squirrels frisk 

 around the oak trees within fifty yards, unsuspicious of dan- 

 ger; and Bob White wistles a welcome to the rising sun. 



"You can't knock the head off that squirrel," said J. M. S. 

 to the Judicial Mind. 



The squirrel was one hundred yards off in the top. of a big 

 oak. 



"The d— 1 1 can't. You think I am only good for drum- 

 fish," said the festive Miller, as he drew bead with Sharp's 

 rifle on the inoffending rodent. Eo imtanti, down came the 

 squirrel with its nose shot off, and before the "gray" knew 

 what hurt him, old Joe battered its brains out on the side of 

 the big oak. 



Then the huntsman's horn sounded, and the dogs began to 

 caper about the house, snuffing fun and frolic in the westerly 

 wind. 



The inevitable Harper's Perry musket gleamed on the old 

 negro's off shoulder, and the party was made up : Our host, 

 Amos Cole, a jolly good man and a boniface, from Har- 

 rington, Del.; Edward L. Rice, Jr., Geo. Ellison, Austin 

 Ellison, Judge R. T. Miller, J. Sharp (our host's brother), a 

 good man and true, Chas. Ellison, Chas. Crafford, of wild 

 turkey fame, and last, your scribe, J. M. S. 



We had three dogs: One half hound and half terrier, old 

 Joe's Cap'n, as he called hitn, Sharp's hound Fox, and Dave 

 Harrison's hound Hike. 



One might naturally think himself in South Jersey, be- 

 tweeen Dennisville and Tuckahoe, Cape May county, for 

 the scrub oak abounds and the roads are so numerous that 

 six men can strike and cover all the deer stands within two 

 miles of the Sharp plantation, and we kill all our deer within 

 this distance of home. We go on the old Petersburg road, 

 leaving the Sharp farm where cotton and "peas" are raised 

 in abundance, for the latter name is given to the fragrant 

 peanut or "goober," as it is called in North Carolina. It was 

 a glorious day, only a little too warm for comfort, and the 

 heat made old Joe puff like a Cape May porpoise in one of 

 Oapt. Cook's nets. I asked old Joe if he didn't want a horse 

 to ride to the hunt. He gave me a half indignant look as he 

 said: "Dis yer nigga' don't want no boss. Wat he want 

 hoss for? Deer 'fraid of old Joe when he make track frou' 

 dem woods yonder. Joe whoop 'em up, de deer in de bush," 

 and off he ambled ahead of the party, the happiest hunter 

 in the crowd. Joe Sharp, one of the big Injuns of the hunt, 

 who knew every stick of timber within twenty miles of the 

 plantation, rode Charley Crafford's horse called Doc Tanner, 

 because he looked as if he had fasted forty days. But Doc 

 Tanner, albeit he looked like Don Quixote's Rosinaute, was 

 more like the Chinaman's idea of "Hell in Harness," a loco- 

 motive, which Ling Poo said, "He no pushee, no pullee, but 

 he go like hellee !" 



It was about half past nine in the morning when Old Joe's 

 half terrier gave tongue, followed by the other hounds, and 

 no sweeter sound ever greeted the huntsman's ear or glad- 

 dened Old Joe's bounding pulses— for the dogs had started 

 a ponderous buck. I stood near the Judicial Mind and we 

 held our breath with our guns in our hands at full cock 

 ready for venison, on foot. Our nerves were strung like 

 steel. The dogs bay louder and louder, and a little to our 

 left Ned Rice, dubbed the "mighty nimrod of Dela- 

 ware," let go both barrels at once. I outran the Judicial 

 Miller and soon reached Rice, who said; "Hist! I hit him 

 bad; I've got him down. He ran in that thicket, but I 

 heard him bleat." 



Old Joe began to laugh, and first removing his hat, defer- 

 entially said : "Boss Rice, no meat drapped dat time, for de 

 deer may blate down in Del'war' in November, but dey don't 

 do dat, not down yer in Ole Virgiuny!" 



The laugh was on Rice and a solemn conclave met to de- 

 termine whether in consonance with the old Surry county 

 custom, the luckless missing hunter's shirt tail should be 

 amputated. On account of Rice's extreme youth this usual 

 formality — when a man missed a deer — was omitted, only in 

 this single instance. 



Rice looked lugubrious and did not use the word "blate" 

 any more that day. 



By order of Generalissimo Joe Sharp, we all sought new 



