There are differences between the draw and the draw. Needless to say, for cowboys this entertainment comes first, although it is not distinguished by great delicacy. On the contrary, it is often quite rude.
Here, for example, is a joke that was played on a cowboy named Pastor, a cheerful and quite decent guy who quickly took root in the motley company of tireless cowboys. The guys called him short - Paz.
Paz was simply obsessed with science. The greatest delight could be caused in him by some rare insect or unfamiliar bird, or even a snake, if, of course, he came across a particularly successful specimen.
And it was necessary to organize the famous prank on him - the “snipe hunt.”
One fine day, one of the cowboys asked Paz if he had ever participated in a “snipe hunt”?
— Did I shoot snipe? - Paz responded, - Yes, hundreds of times!
“No, no,” objected the cowboy named Tramp, “I’m not talking about shooting.” And catch them with a bag or bag. Even a foolish child knows what “snipe hunting” is.
“I’ve never heard of it,” Paz admitted. - How to catch it with a bag? Is it possible to catch a snipe alive?
- Yes, it’s easier than steamed turnips! — another cowboy interrupted the conversation. - If, of course, you know how to get down to business. Therefore, a company of six to eight people gathers, and by the end of the day, after sunset, everyone goes to the swamp, to a place that is closer to the river, where snipes like to settle down for the night. It is best to take with you an old jute bag and a few candles. First you need to choose a convenient place and, when it gets completely dark, one of the hunting company will stand there with an open bag. You need to place a lit candle right in front of him on the ground. The rest of the hunters will run around first in large circles, then gradually narrow them until they get closer to the one standing with the bag. They are supposed to hold rattles in their hands and rattle them, sparing no effort to scare away as many snipes as possible. Their task is to make the snipe run towards the candle light. From the bright light, the birds seem to go blind for a moment and fall straight into the open bag. It's very simple. Not hunting, but entertainment! I know one such place, about three miles from here. There are as many snipes there as there are locusts in the field!
- So let's get some company together and go hunting tomorrow evening? - suggested the Tramp.
Paz was delighted with this offer. And then there were nine snipe hunters. Oddly enough, everyone except Paz had already taken part in this entertainment more than once and knew well what was what.
We set off just after sunset straight to the river. The tramp volunteered to take everyone to a good place. They walked along side paths, made their way through the bushes, zigzag back and forth until they came to a swamp, in which they got stuck up to their ankles at every step.
Mosquitoes flew in clouds over the swamp.
Having reached the desired place, everyone stopped and began to animatedly discuss who should hold the bag. Everyone pretended that everyone wanted it, because catching snipe in a bag was supposedly much more fun than running through the bushes with a rattle and picking up a bird.
In the end, someone noticed that picking up snipe is a lot more responsible than holding a bag. And, since Paz was new to snipe hunting, it was wiser to entrust this pleasant task to him. Everyone agreed that it would be fair.
They lit two candles and stuck them into the soft swamp soil. Paz sat down in front of them with an open bag in his hands. He had to hold the bag with both hands, and the mosquitoes kept hovering and buzzing around him.
And so everyone left, leaving him alone. Where? - you ask. Scare snipes? Oh no! The shortest road
quickly from this mosquito hell straight to your cowboy camp.
That's it!
We got back quickly and all went to bed, not hiding our stupid delight from each other, clearly imagining the picture of poor Pas frantically holding on to the edges of the bag, while clouds of mosquitoes from all over the swamp flocked into the light of the lit candles.
Paz did not return to the cowboy camp until midnight. On the way, he got lost and was afraid that he would have to spend the night somewhere under a bush. He brought a jute bag with him and went with it straight to the place where the Tramp and the other cowboy who had so beautifully described to him the “snipe hunt” were sleeping. He pushed them aside with a war cry.
- Hello, Paz! - responded the overly cheerful cowboy. - Well, did you catch a lot of snipe?
- I swear by your grandmother, a lot! - Paz answered and shook out the entire contents of the bag onto him and those who were sleeping nearby. - Look at the little darlings!
The merry joker howled in horror and jumped to his feet.
It turns out that Paz shook out at least a pound of giant black ants from the bag. It was well known to anyone, including Paz, that black Texas ants bite worse than snakes. While looking for the way to the corral, Paz accidentally came across such an anthill and collected all the ants in a bag to settle accounts with his partners in the “snipe hunt.”
The success was beyond all expectations. The ants crawled in all directions, and no one had to sleep that night.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru