The Young Trail Hunters

dro, with wood, water, and grass in abundance; in fact, using the words of Hal: "Everything to make us comfortable, but fresh

rry, shall we try

pect I may as well go and show you how ter hunt 'em; 'cause y

et if you do go along," re

elf set out in pursuit of antelope, whose tra

kind, when Jerry, who was a short distance in advance of us, s

ed Ned, "Jerry's

up to him

here's game,

, Jerry?" i

il; and 'tain't no war party, neither,

know that?"

ne just ez well ez you know t'other. Can't you see whar the ends of the pol

e trail, Jerry

ore eight o'clock this

omanches passed this spot at precisely seventeen minutes past six

how you know when the

. Wall, now, if you'll look you'll see, that where the grass was pressed down by the horses' feet into the earth, a little of the sand stuck to it, (coz it waz

actory explana

just foller the trail, and we'll strike something

et into troub

uaws and pappooses, I reckon, coz yer see

a mile, a fine large herd of antelope appeared, quietly grazing upon a knoll at a little distance,

'em, and we might chase 'em all day without gittin' a shot. So we'll just tie ou

ifle, and tied to one end of it an old-fashioned, red bandana handkerchief. This done, h

in the tall grass, so thet the critt

ourselves in the tall grass, and lying s

s critters in the world, 'ceptin' women. Jist ez soon ez they see thet red flag, the

en came a pause and a nibble of grass, and again, as though they could not resist the desire to ascertain what this singular thing fluttering in the breeze was, the

lers fetch 'em with a red hankercher, and gin'rally by jist layin' down on yer back, and holdin' up yer feet. They're awful curious c

at all!" exclaimed Ned. "I ne

er' my boy. I might a knowed you wouldn't a fired; no

re twice, tho

" said Jerry; after examining it,

all about firin'. You thought yer did, I s'pose; but don't be too sartin next time,

erry's shrewdness, that I attempted to comfort him by promising to relate my own misfortunes upon experiencing m

ng to my young readers, as it did to Hal and Ned, who

mento range of mountains in New Mexico, in compa

ompanion; and, in truth one

s with which that range abounds, we saw at a little di

d deer, and this was the first time I had eve

Shoot away!" and I took

bounded away unharmed, "it's as clear

d too high; that wa

"a man with the 'fever

the next one," said I,

e to get another shot to-night, so we'll wait until to-morrow even

is rest the next evening, I borro

'call'?" i

at perfectly resembles that made by a young one in calling its mother. So perfect is the imitation of the bleating of a f

ay with their litt

wolves and panthers won't be attracted by her scent to the fawn. This she continues doing until the fawn is able to protect itself by running. In the fall of the year, therefore, if you select a spot near the

arted out. After walking a mile or two, I came to a beautiful stretch

ed crawling towards a grove of young

with my elbows, was of itself no small job, especially when obliged t

der why I did not see any deer, when all at once it occurred to me, that I hadn't soun

his was easy enough to do, but to resume my former position without betraying my presence-ah! that was another thing. I eventually succeeded in doing it however, a

e about me, but the snake. He didn't seem to care a particle, but retained his position near the rifle, looking as angry as if he

hin six inches of my rifle; his long, slender body partially coiled so that he could easily strike any object approaching; with form erect, and

camp, and the country was full of Mescalero Apaches, and

with all the force I could muster. It struck him fairly on the body an

order of my going, but go at once to camp, and go I did; but, before I was a hundred yards away I remembered that I had left my powder-flask behind. Nor coul

or it that night; besides, there was a snake loos

I made up my mind to endure that, without getting angry;

the mishaps of the afternoon. He laughed heartily, and promised to go

We also found the 'call,' just where I dropped it when I made my jump, which Nat pronounced, equal to any ever made by a first-class circus-man: in fact, I felt rathe

move over the ground much easier than the night before. Still, it was pretty hard work. But I persevered; and upon reaching the proper place, sounded my call- once, twice, thrice; and in a short time, sa

he 'call,' endeavoring to give it the quick

bound towards me until she stood within easy rifle range, when sh

ed my eyes in the direction of the sound, and saw, to my horror and amazement, not the snake, but a large panther, not twenty yards away, and creeping stealthily towards me, with g

air, and dropped to the ground-dead; and I-we

tulate me, on being able to so perfectly imitate a fawn as to lure a panther from its la

e 'buck-fever' did for me. W

killed the pan

k that might not happen again in a do

and as for old Jerry, he laughed most heartily at my experience,

elate it then, but Jerry declined; promising them

more started on the road; and for two da

bordering on the Rio Pecos, one of the most b

urse being marked by the growth of no living green thing: in fact

is both salt and bitter. The banks are very steep and there are but few

, and neither man nor beast ca

e had been travelling for the last two days, we came in sight o

nd the boys and myself volunteered to ride fo

he encampment, which sure enough, proved to be Mago

ore; for, aside from the company their presence furnished, we fel

onsultation was held; and it was decided to g

swift current, that almost filled its banks; "and the mischief is, that when she once gits up

imed I, why we'd b

t float our wagons over and swim the mul

e can do," said Hal;

the things over in one of the

laimed I: "we can at l

nt across the stream with a small cord, by which he drew over a rope, to which was attached a common block, after which the wagon-body was l

s as fast as ferried over, were reloaded; and at the end of the second day we were ready to swim our mule

had no reply to make, save that "Ned was a most 'stonishin' boy. He'd killed a Inj

, to relate for his especial benefit, the story of his first experience in be

stways, I lived thar till I was nigh onter sevent

ke fannin' much, and used ter tease the old folks ter let me go down ter Knoxville and go into a store, or enter inter s

cut, up on the mountain-lot, that wants piling up. Yer'd better take yer dinner and an axe along,

that, if I didn't do it right, I'd git a gaddi

bread and meat, and I shouldered my axe and started

ork to get it piled. 'Twarn't much of a job, and I got it done afore noon and then sot down on a log and waited for the old man ter come. Wal, I sot and waited, and begun ter get migh

eatin'. I never smelt anything so good as that dinner smelt, less

ose within a foot of mine. I've seen bars sence that time, and big ones too, but that bar looked bigger'n a ox ter me. I didn't stop for nothin', but jist lited ou

a foot on ther critter. My heart riz rite inter my throte, and my bar riz up so I lost my cap,-leastways I've allus 'spected that was the reason I lost it. I didn't know what ter do. I kep' on runnin', but my

s, ef he couldn't giv me three pints in the game of climbin', and then beat me. It didn't seem ter me he was more'n a second, gittin' up. I kep' climbin' higher a

y legs onct more. So I clim' a little higher, and when the tree begun ter bend, that bar sot thar and just

ht side er me. Wal I started agin, but hadn't run more'n fifty yards, afore I tripped and down I went. I knowed 'twas all up with me then, so I jist laid still

'spected every minute to feel his teeth a

corner of my eye, and see the bar was gone. At first I couldn't believe it, and 'spected he was playin' 'possum-waitin' ter see ef I moved, afore he went for me. Well, I kep' putty still for a while,

a feller rite ahead of me, a-leadin' that ide

r thet. I mustered up spunk enuff ter speak to the feller, and he told me 'twas a tame

felt so ashamed of m

no one 'bout it afore, and

nced it decidedly the best they had yet heard, and as the hour