Dec. 34, 1891.1 



FOREST AND STREAM 



449 



AN OUTING IN ARKANSAS. 



WHEN I was a mere boy a hunting party of four boys 

 who were about my size undertook to bag some 

 ducks and geese that were knovs^n to frequent the lakes 

 near Columbus, Ky. But the ducks and geese were of a 

 different mind, and we did'nt get a feather. We were so 

 sure of our success, however, that we declined to take 

 any meat with us when leaving home, for we expected 

 to kill all the meat we could use. But when night came 

 on us we had entirely failed to kill anything— except one 

 little wren. This we dressed, barbecued, and divided be- 

 tween the four hungry boys. It was all we had, and I have 

 thought of that little wren a hundred times or more since 

 then, and have always said it was the sweetest taste of 

 of meat 1 bad ever found. 



1 am older now than I was then. Streaks of gray can 

 be seen by my friends in my hair and beard; yet I am as 

 fond of a hunt to-day as I was when but sixteen. But I 

 have found that even maturer age does not always assure 

 us the things whereon we count when we start oiit to hunt 

 game. There were nine in our recent hunting party, in 

 Arkansas, inclu'ling the cook. We left Cairo, 111.. Nov. 

 17, and left the Cotton Belt train at Green way, Ark., on 

 the morning of Nov. 18. We hired a wagoner and his 

 outfit to haul out our provisions and camp equipage to 

 the banks of the St. Francis Eiver. The distance was 

 about ten miles, and 

 as some of us would be 

 walking and hunting 

 over the entire dis- 

 tance we decided that 

 it would be useless to 

 buy any bac©n in the 

 town, because we 

 would kill plenty of 

 meat on the road . 

 Well, we did the walk- 

 ing and the hunting, 

 but not a feather or a 

 fur did we get. The 

 entire crowd came up 

 blank; and when we 

 assembled at camp 

 about sundown, 

 weary, hungry, cold, 

 the wood and ground 

 wet, and not a taste of 

 meat in camp, you 

 may be sure that we 

 all felt that we had 

 made a "bad begin- 

 ning" and that we had 

 lots of room, and some 

 hopes, of a "better 

 ending." While we 

 were trying to kindle 

 a fire one of our party 

 sought to try his skill 

 with his brand new 

 rifle, and shot off the 

 head of a little grass 

 bird, about the size of 

 the wren that had fed 

 the hungry boys in 

 the former hunt. I at 

 once thought of that 

 experience, and pro- 

 ceeded to prepare the 

 little bird for supper; 

 and as all parties de- 

 clined to spoil their 

 appetites by so small 

 a taste of meat, I was 

 left to eat it all alone. 

 It was good, but no 

 better than the wren. 



We had, a fine camp 

 cook with us, and he 

 soon had some hot bis- 

 cuits, coffee, Irish po- 

 tatoes, and molasses 

 ready, and we were 

 all sufficiently vora- 

 cious to make us ap- 



fireciate supper huge- 

 y. We had good mat- 

 tresses and tents with us, and om- rest at night was fine. 

 The next morning for breakfast, however, we were still 

 meatless, though we consoled ourselves with the fact that 

 the joke was common— taking in the cook and all. So soon 

 as breakfast was over we started in different directions to 

 discover our surroundings and look for signs of game. 

 At noon we all collected in camp, (except one) and each 

 one reported lots of sign, but nobody had any game. 

 So that gave us another meal without the taste of meat 

 in it. The thing was growing monotonous. Each man 

 was growing desperate and swearing vengeance on every 

 living thing. We lunched for dinner, and every man, 

 but the cook, took to the woods determined to kill some- 

 thing. But at night we dropped in one bv one, half mad, 

 really disappointed, and yet full of hearty laughter at 

 our predicament, for not a man of us had anything to show 

 for meat. But after we had laughed at each other most 

 heartily, with an inward wish for some meat for supper, 

 the man who failed to show up for dinner walked into 

 camp with a fine gobbler., a squu-rel, and a Mallard wild 

 duck on his shoulder. W^hat a rally and shout there was 

 in that camp. We had to give him the hand of fellowship. 

 He was our hero. 



That night we fared sumptuously. We slept well, Next 

 morning we decided to see what was to be found in the 

 way of deer. We took our stands for a deer drive. I 

 was put next to the last in distanc from camp. Dr, Hobbs 

 was beyond me. Scarcely had I got well fixed until I 

 heard his rifle. One shot, and all was still. No sound of 

 the dogs, no sign of deer. In a few moments, however. 

 Dr. H. whistled for me. I went to him. Said he, " Do 

 you want some nice turkey shooting?" "Of course I do," 

 was my reply. " Then follow me," he said. I followed. 

 After going a few yards in silence he stopped and asked 

 if I had a turkey caUer. I had none. Then he proposed 

 that I go across a little slough of water, around a certain 

 upturned tree, take my stand on the little island, and he 

 would call them up. I started, and before I had gone 

 thirty steps I walked up on a magnificent three points 

 hxuik lying dead, freah blood aU around^ I turned and 



called to the Doctor. He began to laugh and slap his 

 hands at the joke he had played on me, for it was the 

 fruit of his rifle shot. He had made a capital shot. As 

 he was going to his stand he spied this buck quietly 

 walking toward him, feeding. He also walked toward 

 the buck. When within 80yds. of him, as he was pick- 

 ing some moss from the root of a tree, he pulled the 

 trigger of his rifle, and the bullet broke his neck and 

 pierced to the heart. He fell dead. 



The dog shortly after brought through another deer, but 

 no one got in a shot. We carried this one into camp, 

 assisted by our genial Frank Fomille, and you may be 

 sure we all were a troop of happy campers, for we had 

 plenty of meat. The buck proved to be very fat, and 

 one of the largest for the number of points, that any of 

 us had ever seen. 



That afternoon two or three of us put in our time shoot- 

 ing mallards. They were abundant, feeding on the grass 

 and smart weed in the scatters of the St. Francis. I have 

 never seen a finer chance to bag mallards. It excited 

 me, and, as the boys say, gave me the razzle-dazzle, so 

 that my run on mallards was most unlucky. But others 

 fared better, and we carried in seven fine ones, and 

 several others fell in the weeds and could not be found. 

 I did not kill a duck, but I killed some of the fattest 

 squirrels I ever saw, and altogether we did well. 



The next day we failed to kill either a deer or turkey. 



— >- l«o, 



AMOlsTG THE WILDFOWL.-XV. 



The .Gatheking op the Clans. 



though we saw lots of both. The dog ran a deer within 

 150yds. of our camp, and scared up a fine gang of tur- 

 keyes, one of which sat for half an hour in a tree right 

 over our cook fixe, and the cook sitting right under him. 

 Several others sat in the trees close around. But there 

 was no gun in camp, and the hunters were all out of 

 hearing. After the turkeys had rested in the trees 

 around as long as they seemed to desire, they spread 

 their wings and sailed to the ground. When night came 

 not a man had kUled anything except a few squirrels. 

 Our special savior, the man who killed the first meat for 

 us, John Brent, had walked and hunted heroically, but 

 with no success. 



The next day was Sunday. As most of us wei'e re- 

 spectful to the Sabbath, we passed the day quietly in 

 camp. Our cook got in a boat to explore the river, and 

 taking his troll with him caught two fine pickerel. Mr. 

 B. crossed over the river to inspect the geography and 

 see if there were signs of game. Otherwise all was quiet. 

 We had a copy of Forest and Stream, and Christian 

 Union, and Christian Herald, and some daily papers, 

 and these helped us to pass off the time splendidly. 



On Sunday night it snowed. The snow was about Sin. 

 deep. The very thing for tracking, and we thought sure 

 we would get the game on Monday. We could indeed 

 see that there was plenty of game at hand. Deer 

 tracks and turkey tracks could be seen everywhere. But 

 the game all had' eyes, better eyes than ours. They could 

 see us first. And they didn't stand on the order of going, 

 but just went. They left us. We wondered, but they 

 didn't stop for that. Not a deer or turkey for Monday. 

 But we were now satisfied that we were in fine hunting 

 grounds, and the tracks had given us an idea of the 

 range of the game. This was no inconsiderable item. 

 We rested at night and planned for the chase the next 

 day. One item of Monday, however, I must not omit to 

 mention. Col. McGlothlin, an excellent and genial 

 hunter, was on the stand. His ears are quick to catch a 

 soimd. He had put two or three sticks under his feet to 

 keep him oat of the snow, and while listening intently 



for the noise of an approaching deer, he heard something 

 walking in the water to his left. He turned and saw a 

 magnificent gobbler, within forty steps of him. His gun 

 was standing by a tree at his side. He thought to raise 

 it and shoot without turning his body. He did, but just 

 as he pulled trigger his feet slipped on the sticks, he and 

 his gun measured their full length in the snow, the load 

 of shot went into a tree close beside where the turkey 

 stood, and the turkey flew away in safety. 



But Tuesday morning we began to stir early in camp. 

 We took a hunt before our 9 o'clock breakfast.' John 

 Brent had not gone more than 100yds. from camp until 

 he espied a fine doe making her way out of the scatters 

 of the river. It was hardly more than light, but he drew 

 a bead on his Winchester rifle and pulled trigger. The 

 lithe and beautiful beast fell limp in death. The shot 

 was fatal. Another fine deer ran from some others of 

 the boys who were hunting in the same locality, and 

 made his escape. We all came in for breakfast, dressed ' 

 our venison, and then started out again. Some of the 

 boys crossed the river and had some nice hunting. Brent 

 shot a deer 343 steps and brought blood, but failed to 

 capture the deer, Mr. Witty showed his skill in shoot- 

 ing at turkeys. He was standing by a tree when he dis- 

 covered two turkeys coming toward him. He waited 

 until they were within forty steps of him, when he took 

 deliberate aim and fired at the gobbler. The turkey 



jumped up, turned 

 himself around, and 

 stood stark still in the 

 same spot. Mr. Witty 

 fired the other barrel 

 at him. Again he 

 jumped up, turned 

 around, and dared his 

 enemy to shoot. But 

 the gun was empty. 

 The shootist proceed- 

 ed to put in a new 

 shell, and his turkey- 

 ship moved off at a 

 slow gait, and when 

 about 20yds. away 

 stopped still. Mr. 

 Witty moved up about 

 20yds. , took deliberate 

 aim and again tried 

 his skill. But the 

 turkey trotted oft 

 without the loss of a 

 feather. If anybody 

 can beat that he ought 

 to have a chromo. Dr. 

 Hobbs also took a 

 round at the turkeys 

 the same day. They 

 were in trees and he 

 had a Marlin rifle. He 

 took deliberate aim, 

 and shot about a dozen 

 times, and so far as 

 anybody knows never 

 touched a feather. 

 Somehow, the ducks 

 seemed to be charmed 

 when I shot at them, 

 and the turkeys mys- 

 teriously escaped all 

 danger when the other 

 boys shot at them. 

 But we could very 

 easily kill those fat 

 squirrels that continu- 

 ally tempted us by 

 their chattering, and 

 we made them pay 

 dearly for their ven- 

 tures. 



On Wednesday 

 morning the snow was 

 gone, and the weather 

 was warm. We took 

 our hunt before break- 

 fast, but killed noth- 

 ing. After breakfast 

 we scattered to the 

 woods, it was to be 

 our last day. The dog stirred two or three deer, but they 

 did not come in reach of any of us. Our cook had a gun 

 left him, and he sauntered out about 200yds. from camp. 

 He sat down by a tree. After a little while he heard a 

 noise in the tangled bushes to his right. He watched, 

 and a turkey's head could be seen picking the berries. 

 Soon another, and another, until some eight or ten 

 turkeys were in sight, and only a few yards away. He 

 was about to select the turkey he wanted, when, lo, a 

 nice doe came walking alone: just a little way off, and 

 right toward him. He decided to let the turkeys alone 

 and prepare for the deer. He waited, and when the 

 deer was just about where he wanted her, behold a 

 large buck came galloping up still closer to him. He 

 decided to shoot at the buck. He pulled trigger, but 

 there had been too much game around him. He had a 

 "buck ag'er," and missed the buck clear. Both deer and 

 the turkeys then retreated in safety. But the shot from 

 the rifle of the cook started the other deer from the 

 underbrush , and as they made their way across the scat- 

 ters they encountered Dr. Gardner, who was in waiting 

 with a Scott shotgun. He let the doe have the first load, 

 and the five-point buck the second. The doe ran about . 

 100yds. and fell dead, but the buck would have escaped- 

 had he not run in the direction of Col. McGlothlin, who 

 was also in waiting. As he was rimning at breakneck 

 speed the Colonel came down on him with his Win- 

 chester and broke his neck. He turned a summersault 

 and soon both deer were swinging up in camp. 



Night soon came on. All hands came in. After talk- 

 ing over the scenes and sights, the hits and misses of the 

 day, we retired to sleep. On Thursday we loaded up our 

 equipage and started for the railroad, and thence home. 

 We had been out eight days, had killed four deer, one 

 turkey, a number of ducks and squirrels, one possum, 

 and had seen lots of game. In that locality there is fine 

 hunting. We could have killed much more game, but 

 we were strangers to the woods. When we go again we 

 will succeed better, though all of us were happy over the 



xeaulta of this hont. 



