Various

“ Startled by the crash, he stood staring at the splintering cars until one of them brought up almost against his garden fence, and a dozen screeching hogs were trying to squeeze through the gate together. Then he struck out valiantly with his sharp hoe, and thought he drove all back, and locked the gate. But when he turned about, three hungry hogs were feasting on his early potatoes, and they led him such a chase that he heartily wished that every hog in the world had been in that herd which in ancient times ran violently down a steep place into the sea and were choked. ”

“ By this time we had left the sea of sunflowers and crept over the wrinkle at the western edge of the valley, and were off across the rolling prairie itself. Still Snoozer never stirred.
"I wonder when he'll wake up?" said Ollie.
"You'll see him awake enough at dinner-time," said Jack.
"Well, you'll see me awake enough then, too," answered Ollie. "I'm hungry."
"We hardy pioneers plunging into the trackless waste of a new and unexplored country never eat but one meal a day," said Jack. "And that's always raw meat—b'ar-meat, generally." ”

“ The birds are to be found almost anywhere where water and sedge-grass abound, though the best shooting-grounds are the salt-meadow-bordered bays on the coast. When a bird is shot there is small danger of losing it as compared to that in upland or thicket shooting, and a dog is not a necessity, as all wing-shots are generally made over water or short grass, where the bird can easily be recovered. Most boys are not so fortunate as to possess a good dog, and as very fine snipe-shooting can be had without one, it is especially fitted for them. ”

“ The beginner should not go to a stream where there is a current, or in sea-water where there might be an undertow. He should choose a lake or a pond or, if at the sea-side, a bay; and he should stick at first pretty closely to shallow water. Salt water being so much more buoyant than fresh water, it is much easier to learn how to swim in the sea; in fact, if a man who has absolutely no knowledge of swimming will only keep control of his head, and retain his hands under water, he need never fear of drowning should he fall overboard into salt water. ”

“ So eager was he that Laurence, in the goodness of his heart, had ordered, at his own expense, George's uniforms to be made in Alexandria, and he was given his side-arms from the stores on board the Bellona. George in fancy already saw himself Midshipman Washington. Admiral Vernon, on parting, had said some kind words to him which sank deep in his heart. "I shall look forward with pleasure to your joining, Mr. Washington," he said. "It is just such youngsters as you that we want in the navy." ”

“ If one has had no previous experience in taking pictures, and simply wishes to make pictorial reminders of his summer outings, the tiny snap-shot-camera, which makes pictures about the size of a silver dollar, is a most satisfactory investment. This camera carries a spool of film long enough for twelve pictures, which is easily and quickly changed for fresh film. The lens has what is called a universal focus, so that there is no focussing. All that one has to do to make a picture is to point the camera at the object and press the shutter spring. ”

“ Ten long minutes the boys waited and shouted and fought the obstinate hogs. Then Norris was seen coming far up Main Street. He drove down to the hogs and turned his cart around. In the wagon was a box, and out of it Norris shovelled some yellow stuff into the road. The hogs nearest to him saw, smelled, hustled, and gobbled. In an instant others followed, pushing and upsetting each other. Norris drove on and cast out more meal, and in a minute the whole rushing, squirming, squealing herd glided away like the mill-pond when the dam broke. ”

“ But above and beyond this lamentable endeavor to reduce all things to pounds, shillings, and pence there is an excess of enthusiasm in sport equally to be decried by all.... The fact is that many devotees of sport make far too much of it by having allowed themselves to be taught that ordinary success in any branch thereof is not worth having. They do so in the spirit of the old saying that whatever you do you should do well, which, like many other old sayings, is very untrue, and very dangerous in its lack of truth. ”

“ Sometimes on the day after a storm pretty good shooting can be had on the meadows that have been overflowed. The soil is usually of a clayey character, and the water does not drain off in the lower places very rapidly, forming puddles and patches of slimy mud around which the birds like to feed. They are usually found on the sea-beach just before or after a storm.
The favorite haunts of snipe in fine weather, at low water, are the little sand or mud beaches bordering the sedge islands and meadows, and in the inlets along the water-front. ”

“ Tramping the beach or following up on land requires the smallest outfit of any, all that is necessary being the gun and your equipments. It is best to wear rubber boots, unless you intend to shoot along hard beaches or dry meadows. This tramping of the meadows will afford rather good sport when they are flooded, and although you may not get as many birds as by decoying, the action it necessitates adds much to the pleasure. However, if the birds are plentiful and inclined to move about, I should advise the use of a blind and decoys. ”

“ If alone, it is best to sit pretty well aft, as you are less liable to be bothered by the sail, but if there are two in the boat, one shooting and the other sailing, the man with the gun should sit as far forward as convenient, and on the side next to the shore. If the sail happens to be on the shore side, if possible sit on the forward deck so as to be able to shoot ahead of the mast; if not, you will have to shoot under the sail or in whatever manner a shot offers. ”

“ The floating grass affords a refuge for all the washed-out bug inhabitants of the meadow, and the snipe make the most of the rare treat offered. This kind of meadow-shooting is very pleasant, as the birds will not fly far when "flushed," and it is possible to follow a flock all around the meadow, securing several shots before it takes flight for good. The sedge islands at the mouths of rivers and bays are great feeding-grounds when the wind is not so high, and tide not sufficient to flood the fields. ”

“ If you live on the Jersey coast, or any of the neighboring ones, and wake up one September morning with a good southeaster, which has been blowing since the previous evening, rattling around your windows, accompanied by drizzle, get up and put on your shooting "togs," oil your gun well, and prepare for a good day's sport. The birds do not like to fly in a high wind, and will almost always come up into the coast bays and rivers to feed on the overflowed meadows that such storms produce. ”

“ Crouch down in the grass and make a study of the lay of the beach where the snipe are, noting with care the positions of any high tufts of grass, bushes, or anything by which you can locate the place without seeing the beach, and it is best to select two between which the game is. Now strike inland some fifty feet, more if level meadow, and move up parallel to the beach until opposite the marks noticed. When directly in back of where you think the birds ought to be, work up to the beach, cocking your gun, and holding it in a position for instant use. ”

“ The fastest and easiest way of swimming on the back is called the double over-arm, and the method is well illustrated in Fig. 8. In order to practise this the swimmer must, of course, first come to the floating position, and then he should bring his feet together and keep them moving up and down, so as to hold them near the surface of the water. The movement of the arms is a sort of windmill motion, and as they pass through the water the palms and forearms propel the body onward. This is an easy stroke to learn when one knows how to float. ”

“ There are no particularly new problems in sailing presented, but there are several points that must be borne in mind. Above all, the boat must not race alongshore, but should only drift along about thirty or forty feet off, because, when going at only a fair speed, objects on shore pass so rapidly as to make all accurate shooting impossible; and, also, a boat travelling [Pg 1018] even slowly in shallow water will kick up such large waves, that these, breaking on the beach, will frighten all the birds within hearing. ”

“ You have most likely bagged some birds, but do not attempt to recover them now, for a flock will often return if any birds are lost. If there are any dead birds on the water, you had better keep an eye on them, as the crabs are fond of dead snipe.
A few words here about the gun. The dangers of mishandling have been gone over so often that it is unnecessary to repeat them. A boy is perfectly safe with a gun if he will bear in mind the old and perhaps rather ambiguous saying, "A gun is always loaded." ”

“ The bird that will be especially referred to in this paper will be the ordinary little beach snipe that is so common everywhere, though what remarks apply to him will, with very slight exceptions, apply to all of the snipe family.
The sand-piper always flies on a dead level, about a foot above the water, unless the flock is flying high to escape some obstruction. He propels himself with a jerky motion of the wings, a stroke, and then an instant's soaring, at a pretty fair rate of speed. ”

“ She snorted and stamped the ground angrily with her forward feet; but at last she ventured to taste of the oats, and finding more in the feed-box on the rear of the wagon, she began eating them and forgot her fright.
"I guess we'd better not tie her, but let her follow," said Jack, "As soon as we have gone a little ways she'll come to think the wagon is home and stick to it."
"Yes," I said. "I think she is really as great a tramp as Snoozer, and just the pony for us."
"Are we all tramps?" asked Ollie.
"Well," said Jack, "I'm afraid Grandpa Oldberry thinks we don't lack much of it. ”

“ You should always respect them. They were made for your and all sportsmen's benefit, and not as a means of annoyance. If you kill the birds whilst breeding, or destroy the young, there will soon be little left in the country to shoot.
There are three times to find the snipe at rest: in the early morning, shortly after sunrise; at low tide, when the ground usually under water is exposed, so they can pick up the sand insects and feed on the sea-grasses that the high-water has brought up; and in the evening, when the flocks are coming to rest for the night. ”

“ We had fairly good sport on our way, bagging more or less game, with many a long and weary chase on a deer trail. When we struck the river it was too late to make for a large camp that lay some eleven miles below on the lake, so we put up a lean-to, and went into quarters for the night. Bill got out the lines, and in a short while he had some fine trout broiling, so that though all our provisions were exhausted, we had made a fine supper of the trout. ”

“ Perhaps it should be mentioned here that if the wind is at all heavy you will never find the birds on a lee shore; always look for them on the windward. If the snipe is "flushed" on the meadow, or any other place where he has the choice of direction, he will always rise against the wind; so if you approach up wind you will get mostly driving shots, but if down wind good shots will be presented.
SHOOTING FROM A SNEAK-BOAT.
Following the birds by boat is sometimes very effective. Perhaps before coming to the shooting proper we should consider the boat. ”

“ There is also a slight variation in the length and shape of the bill, though the character is about the same in all. The legs of the snipe are long and a greenish-yellow in color; those of the "yellow leg" being almost a bright yellow. The sand-piper is a very rapid walker, or perhaps, more properly, runner, and this remarkable facility should always be borne in mind when a bird is only "winged." When not frightened they usually travel in a very irregular course along a beach, but when frightened they will make as straight a line as the best sprinter. ”

“ In approaching this way, the birds will usually fly directly off-shore and away from you for a distance, thus affording the best kind of a shot. Taking the birds by surprise, you can afford to let them get steadied in flight before shooting. Do not shoot as the bird first starts off, as his twisting will destroy the aim; but let him get settled, cover him with the muzzle of your gun, following him with it for an instant until your hand is steady, and then pull the trigger. ”

“ The difficulty encountered by Congress in equipping, officering, and manning the little American fleet in the absence of arsenals and dock-yards, and when men trained to the service were not obtainable, finds only one parallel in history, when Alfred the Sailor King fitted out and conducted a fleet against the Danes one thousand years and more ago. But if system and order were at first lacking, patriotism compensated, and the old guns were served by men whose love of liberty breathed in the shot they hurled against their foes. ”

“ Eugene B. Benton, who says he hopes one day to enter the navy, asks what became of the old vessels of the Revolutionary navy. There were about forty of them, and they had different fates. Two, the America and the Ariel, were presented to France. The famous Bonhomme Richard was sunk in 1779, and the Washington, Independence, and Montgomery in 1778. The Saratoga was lost at sea, and the Lexington was captured by the British in the English Channel, in 1778. You are in error in thinking the Constitution was in the war of the Revolution. ”

“ There is one indispensable article in shooting snipe from a boat—a crab-net. By this, the dead and wounded birds can easily be picked up.
DECOYING SNIPE.
Decoying, though requiring quite an extensive outfit, under proper conditions, will yield fine results. The blind is of first consideration, much depending on its location. Before building it you should try to determine where the birds are flying the day in question, though the following general locations may be of help in the selection: a neck of land separating two streams or arms of a river; a sedge island; or a flooded meadow. ”

“ In the meadow-blind, if you have been able to find a convenient clump of weeds, cut down the extra ones so as you will have a thin circle around you, or as near so as possible, and line the inside with hay or anything procurable, filling up the thin places in the barrier of live weeds with those you cut down. If no clump can be found, look over the meadow until you find some stiff-stemmed weeds, and cut them quite near the roots. ”