WHAT TWO OLD GUNNERS DID THAT REVOLUTIONIZED THE OLD GUNNING CUSTOMS OF THE ISLAND: YOUNG COOPER AND BOWDEN

In the course of time, say, seventy years ago or thereabouts, the two old gunners, Wilson Cooper and Timothy Bowden, took it into their heads, in order to perpetuate their names and occupation, each to beget a boy to receive his father's name, Wilson Cooper and Timothy Bowden, both juniors, and it so came to pass. These two boys filled the bill that parents allotted for them; they were found, even when boys, over abundantly endowed with hereditary leanings, and each now bears the appellation of his ancestor "Old man Wilson Cooper"and "Old man Timothy Bowden." The inherited ducking knowledge and instinct of these two boys expanded amazingly from the first, and soon improved the ducking language and the practices handed down to them by their ancestors; the way they did honk and quack fowl into their snares was surprising; but it must be seen that these commenced where parents left off, thence the evolution was a rapid progression.

Young Cooper when only a tot, and, being too small to steady with his arms his old heavy musket, carried with him a crotch, this he stuck into the ground, upon it rested his gun, and banged away; he thus did good work from the first. It was not long, however, before this youngster had a small, new percussion gun, for he was the first to take hold of any new invention.

It was amazing to see the crowds of the careless ones throwing up hats to see what Cooper could do with his new gun. His quick and dexterous aim did such execution that had it not been speedily stopped the neighborhood would have soon been hatless. Then the old-time copper cents were introduced; he shot them away as readily as he ragged and demolished old hats; therefore the coppers began to grow wonderfully scarcer around Cabe Beasley's store, and the crowds congregated there to be thus amused, grew poorer each day from their loss.

So this youngster, after bankrupting the young sports of the neighborhood, had to betake himself to shooting ducks on the wing, and even at first trial he took them down easily enough.

This was a great innovation on duck killing of that day; indeed there were protests against this radical departure from the old method, mainly on account of waste of ammunition, for this chap Cooper would shoot a single duck on the wing as readily as a flock. Furthermore, the protectors asserted that shooting ducks in the air above would cause them to go elsewhere. These protests came from the old gunners who would not shoot until several ducks were together or in range. This opposition did not amount to much, for others of the progressive youngsters--Bowden, the Simpsons, and some others, fell in line and revolutionized the old methods; and this before their parents had passed over the river.

YOUNG BOWDEN AND COOPER IN COPARTNERSHIP; WHAT THEY DID IN THE GUNNING INDUSTRY

The old modes being now in a great measure revolutionized, it was not strange that these two progressive young men should enter into a partnership for fowling purposes. That is just what they did. After this, such a slaughtering of the feathered tribe had never before been seen. They grew rapidly in fowl and weather knowledge. They soon became astronomical prognosticators and weather-wisers.

The writer has seen Cooper, before retiring at night, go out, sniff the air, view the stars and seldom or never erred in predicting from what point the wind would blow the next day.

Before closing his eyes he would plan the next day's work. In this respect Bowden was not much, if any, behind Cooper.

When off the next day they would compare notes and as a usual thing were found together. There never could be a partnership that sailed through smoother waters; if one were sick though a week, he got his share of the net proceeds. Indeed they were captains of the gunning industry. At first they used live decoys and stooled them near points of marsh or by marshy Islands; after being deprived of many such places by owners, they resorted to wooden decoys and bush blinds placed in deeper water. Wing shooting with them had long since become the order of the day. They procured larger guns than others and woe to the wing that fluttered within one hundred yards of them--likely it would flutter no more; with these guns to kill at one hundred yards was not unusual. At the present time there are scores of expert wing shooters--indeed now it is the only mode, practiced from batteries and blinds--yet as I have said before, Cooper and Bowden followed it for years, before adopted by others. They still stick to the bush blind, and taking their lives, throughout, I doubt if others have done better or even as well as these two old gunners.

Taking these Islanders as a whole, there are but few that can compete with them.

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