Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1886 — An Excellent Shot. [ARTICLE]

An Excellent Shot.

A prominent merchant of Little Bock went turkey-hunting. In his household he had long boasted of his skill as a hunter, and when he left home his family knew that he would come back loaded down with game. After an unsuccessful search in the woods he returned to a railroad station, where he had got off the train early in the morning, and was greatly pleased to see a negro who had for sale several large turkeys which he had caught in a trap. The turkeys were alive and the merchant, glad of this, mused: “I’ll get a couple of those monsters and shoot them just before I get home.” He asked the price of two large gobblers, und struck him as being excessive, he handed out the money and took the turkeys. He was not very far from home and he decided to walk, knowing that to be seen on the train, carrying live game, would not appear very much like a true sportsman. After trudging about three miles, part of tbe way through a cypress swamp, the merchant decided to stop and slaughter his game. “Now„” said he, “I’ll just tie ’em on this stump, with their heads together, and will kill ’em both at once.” He placed the turkeys on a stump, stepped off about thirty paces and fired. "Wh-r-r-r-r!" the turkeys went, sailing over the cypress trees. The merchant stood aghast. His shot had only cut the string which bound The fowls.—Arkansas# Traveler.