BANCROFT 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 

 V 
 
 
VTO^U G 
 
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 HUNTING THE COUGAR See Page 241. 
 
HUNTING SPORTS 
 
 IV THK 
 
 WEST, 
 
 COMPRISING 
 
 ADVENTURES OF THE MOST CELEBRATED 
 
 HUNTERS AND TRAPPERS. 
 
 BT 
 
 CECIL B. HARTLEY. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY BRADLEY & CO., 
 
 No. 66 NORTH FOURTH STREET. 
 1865. 
 
Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1859, bj 
 G. G. EVANS, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 STEREOTYPED BY JESPKR HARDING ft SOX, PHILADELPHIA. 
 T. BINEX, PRINTER. 
 
Bancroft 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THIS collection of stories is designed to exhibit the 
 western hunters and trappers in their true character. 
 The narratives are all matters of fact and not of fancy, 
 and they have been selected from a great mass of a 
 similar character, on a principle of choice, which the 
 compiler believes will be approved by his readers ; the 
 principle, namely, of displaying all the different phases 
 of the western hunter's perilous and adventurous life, 
 as far as was practicable in so small a space. 
 
 The reader, it is believed, will find in the volume a 
 sufficient amount of novelty and variety, to repay him 
 for the time spent in perusing its pages ; and he will, 
 probably, on closing it, come to the same conclusion 
 which the compiler arrived at long since, namely, that 
 hunting adventures with bears, panthers, wild cats, and 
 other animals of a similar description, are, on the whole, 
 
 enjoyed much better as one reads them in a book, 
 
 - ' (7) 
 
8 PREFACE. 
 
 by a quiet fireside, than as one who goes through them 
 in the forest or field. Tastes, however, differ on this 
 point. 
 
 Books of this class are peculiarly fascinating to a large 
 class of readers, especially young persons, who are al- 
 ways delighted with the narratives which ahound in wild 
 adventures, thrilling incidents, and hairbreadth escapes. 
 Such narratives, besides being very entertaining, are 
 not without a certain share of positive utility. They 
 display to advantage certain characteristics which are 
 not unworthy of study and imitation, such as patience 
 and perseverance under great difficulties ; coolness, and 
 presence of mind in the midst of threatening dangers, 
 endurance of fatigue, hunger, thirst, and cold, with- 
 out murmuring; and that hardy spirit of enterprise, 
 which has led to some of the noblest undertakings re- 
 corded in the history of our country. 
 
 The early pioneers of the West were all hunters. They 
 acquired in^the pursuit of the bear, the panther, and the bi- 
 son, those habits of courage, coolness, presence of mind, and 
 indifference to danger, which made them such formidable 
 enemies to the Indians, and such efficient defenders of the 
 infant settlements, which are now large towns and cities. 
 
 Boone, the Wetzels, Kenton, Hughs, Clarke, and a 
 thousand other heroes of the West, all commenced their 
 career of victory and glory in the character of hunters ; 
 
PREFACE. 9 
 
 and they showed themselves worthy of the hardy school 
 in which they were educated. Hunting is useful, not 
 only for the taking of game and the killing of animals 
 of prey, but for the excellent physical education which it 
 confers, and the useful, moral, and intellectual traits 
 which it developes. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAW 
 
 Grand Circular Hunt 13 
 
 Forest Life Play 21 
 
 Forest Life Peril M 34 
 
 The Prairie 39 
 
 Great Pine Swamp 47 
 
 Hunting on the Arkansaw 59 
 
 Hunting in Arkansas 82 
 
 Hunting Bears and Panthers 103 
 
 A Kentuckian's Account of a Panther Fight 118 
 
 Angling for Bass 119 
 
 Hunting on the Ozark Mountains 124 
 
 Bear and Panther Hunting 152 
 
 Drives 194 
 
 Hunting Adventures of Ichabod Merritt 200 
 
 Perilous Adventures of Mr. Ross Cox 205 
 
 Hunting on the Columbia River 223 
 
 Shooting Wild Turkeys 230 
 
 Hunting the Cougar 235 
 
 The Traveler and the Pole-Cat 245 
 
 Deer Hunting..., 251 
 
 (ID 
 
12 CONTENTS. 
 
 mm 
 Scipio and the Bear 251) 
 
 Hunting the Grizzly Bear 266 
 
 Hunting the Grizzly Bear in his Den 273 
 
 Curious Method of Hunting the Deer 281 
 
 Bear Hunting Adventure of Ichabod Merritt 282 
 
 Ugly Adventure with a Bear 284 
 
 Adventures in the Backwoods 285 
 
 Hunting a Black Bear in his Den ., 295 
 
 Adventures of an English Sportsman on the Prairies 298 
 
 Bear Hunting in Arkansas 309 
 
 Colonel David Crockett's Encounter with a Bear 319 
 
HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 GRAND CIRCULAR HUNT. 
 
 THE spirit of the Hunters of Kentucky, says the Hes- 
 perian, is not not yet extinct. 
 
 Rapid as has been the advance of population in the 
 West, and the progress of, what is called refined life, 
 during the last quarter of a century evident as is the 
 aversion or indifference to manly sports, among the great 
 body of the descendants and successors of the Pioneers 
 much as silks and broadcloths have superseded " fac- 
 tory" and "home-made," and delicate canes and cush- 
 ioned curricles have taken the place of rifles and the 
 good old horseback exercises ; yet one's eyes are now 
 and then gladdened with the sight of a real hunting-shirt 
 upon the back of a true Anakim of the ancient stock, 
 and one's ears occasionally delighted with accounts of 
 attempts to revive and keep up the manly old sports of 
 our fathers. 
 
 The following is an account of a regular old fashioned 
 Circular Hunt, which took place in Kentucky, several 
 years since. The readers of Dr. Livingstone's travels, 
 will recognize in it a resemblance to certain hunting 
 sports which he mentions : 
 
 We rose in the morning at an early hour, to make 
 
 (13) 
 
14 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 preparation for the sports of the day. The major, who 
 was to be the Grand Master of the Hunt, selected his best 
 rifles, and we went to work moulding bullets. The notes 
 of preparation were sounded in every direction, the ne- 
 groes laughed, the dogs barked, the horses neighed, and all 
 was bustle and confusion. All the arrangements had 
 been made the previous night, and every man must be at 
 his post by sunrise. The circle was to be three miles iu 
 diameter ; and all the neighbors within a half-day's ride, 
 were to assist at the ceremony. The centre of the cir- 
 cle was within sight of the major's farm. Here was a 
 large pond or lake, which, being frozen over, had been 
 chosen by universal consent, for the place of meeting. 
 As our starting point was at a considerable distance, the 
 major gave directions for the house to be closed, the 
 windows to be barred and protected from any danger 
 from the infuriated animals ; then bidding the females 
 keep close in their asylum, and leaving one of the ne- 
 groes with a rifle to guard it, we started off. Little 
 Willie, the major's eldest son, a boy of about twelve 
 years of age, after hard entreaty, was permitted to ac- 
 company us, under the care of one of the negroes. A 
 small rifle, suitable to his age and strength, was fur- 
 nished, and he marched before us, proud of his permis- 
 sion, and boasting of his intended glorious warfare on 
 the smaller game. 
 
 We reached the appointed place, and exactly at the 
 hour commenced our advance. The hunters were placed 
 at a distance of about fifty yards apart, in order that 
 nothing of consequence might escape. Little Willie 
 kept close to his father at first, but getting bolder as we 
 
GRAND CIRCULAR HUNT. 15 
 
 proceeded, he wandered off ahead, keeping his guardian 
 negro, who was rather old, puffing, and blowing, and 
 ecolding at his temerity: " You young rascal," said the 
 privileged old man, " why you no keep along wid me 
 and de rest of the gemmen ? Shouldn't wonder if a big 
 'coon or somethin' or 'noder cocht hole ob you drucly." 
 The young gentleman turned up his nose at his monitor, 
 and shouldering his rifle proudly, shot off into a thicket, 
 while the old man started in full chase, venting his spleen 
 on the branches that impeded him. As the forest in 
 which we were stationed was very thickly covered with 
 brush and elm timber, our progress was very slow. Ma- 
 jor Wiley and myself kept as much together as possible. 
 From all parts of the forest we could hear the sharp 
 crack of the rifles, or. the louder reports of the shot- 
 guns, which were carried by the younger portions of the 
 community, to the great terror of squirrels and turkeys, 
 and other small game. 
 
 Occasionally a deer, wounded by the shot of some of 
 the hunters, would appear flying swiftly among the trees, 
 and over logs, disregarding everything in its flight, and, 
 as it met the formidable line, would speed swiftly back 
 again towards the open place, until it fell from the loss of 
 blood. The howling of the dogs was heard continually 
 from every quarter, as, far in advance of their masters, in 
 the language of the country, they "treed " some animal, 
 and were giving notice of their success. Game was 
 plenty ; foxes and wolves were started from their caves 
 in every direction. The major, who was an excellent 
 shot, was very successful, frequently bringing clown hia 
 mark on the full run. For my part, I generally squat- 
 
16 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 ted behind a log, being a novice, and took aim "when 
 anything was at bay. 
 
 Old Pompey and little Willie had been absent from 
 the company for more than an hour, but the major, who 
 was well acquainted with the daring spirit of the boy, 
 was perfectly unconcerned. The only danger he feared 
 was, that he might be injured by some straggling shot 
 from some of the hunters. 
 
 We had stopped near some fallen timber, to examine a 
 hollow in a large oak, in which the major supposed a 
 bear might have retreated, when a startling shriek from 
 a thicket, about three hundred yards in advance, arrested 
 our attention. A crack of a rifle was then heard, and 
 another scream, accompanied with a fierce growling. 
 We started off at a run in the direction of the sounds, 
 which seemed to increase as we came near. The major, 
 who was a tall, powerful man, made his way through the 
 brush, as if there were only so many corn-stalks to im- 
 pede him. There was an open space in the thicket, with 
 a large tree in the centre. The first thing we saw on 
 entering it, was little Willie loading his rifle, and trem- 
 bling and screaming at the same time. A little beyond 
 him was a terrible scene. Old Pompey was lying pros- 
 trate on "the ground, bleeding profusely, and an immense 
 panther crouching upon his body, the claws of one of his 
 paws firmly fastened in his side, while with the other, 
 he was keeping a dog at bay, growling furiously, and 
 shaking his immense tail, as I have seen a cat when in- 
 terrupted in his sport with an unfortunate mouse. 
 
 Poor Pompey lay perfectly still, and was only saved 
 by the well-timed exertions of his dog, from being in- 
 
GRAND CIRCULAR HUNT. 17 
 
 stantly torn to pieces. At our approach the panther 
 crouched still closer to the body of his victim, seemingly 
 meditating another leap. The major's rifle was in- 
 stantly leveled, but he was fearful that he might strike 
 the negro, and hesitated. Fortunately, at that instant, 
 a fierce attack of the dog behind, incommoded the pan- 
 ther so much that he thought it best to retreat. With 
 one bound he reached the foot of the tree, and was soon 
 high up among the branches. As he sat crouching in 
 the fork, showing his white teeth, and snapping his eyes 
 until they seemed to emit sparks of fire, the major again 
 raised his piece there was a sharp, quick report, and the 
 animal sprang from the tree with convulsive energy, and 
 fell dead upon the ground. The ball had struck imme- 
 diately between his eyes. 
 
 We ran and raised Pompey from the ground, and ex- 
 amined his wounds. u Oh, massa Wiley, me dead for 
 sartain," sobbed the poor fellow; "pooh-hoo-hoo." But 
 he was much more frightened than hurt. Though con- 
 siderably torn in his thigh and side, none of his wounds 
 were dangerous. It seemed that Willie, who as usual 
 was ahead of his keeper, had got into the thicket, and 
 seeing the panther among the branches of the tree, was 
 taking aim for a sure shot, when Pompey broke through 
 the bushes, and seeing the panther, uttered a terrific 
 scream that disconcerted the hunter and caused him to 
 miss his aim. Simultaneously with the report, the pan- 
 ther leaped upon the negro, and bore him to the ground. 
 Little Willie^ frightened almost to death, commenced re- 
 loading his gun and screaming for assistance. It hap- 
 pened very fortunately for both, that we were so near. 
 
18 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 Some others of the company now came up, to whom the 
 major consigned Pompey and his young charge to con- 
 duct home, while we again pursued our course. 
 
 It had been settled that, when the line of the hunt 
 had reached a certain point, for fear of danger, all firing 
 should cease. We were now within sight of the lake. 
 Its surface, which was white with snow, was crowded 
 with the frightened animals, huddled together in a 
 group, or rushing backward and forward, endeavoring 
 to find a point in the line through which to make their 
 escape. But the hunters were so numerous that there 
 was not, at this time, an opening of a yard wide to be 
 discovered. It was now about 11 o'clock, the sun was 
 shining very brightly ; and as the animals flew about the 
 surface of the ice, the snow, tossed up by their feet, 
 sparkled like diamonds. It was a glorious sight to see 
 the line gradually forming upon the edge of the lake 
 the barrels of their rifles reflecting the sunbeams, and 
 almost all arrayed in hunting-shirts, with knives fast- 
 ened to their belts. There were at least two hun- 
 dred and fifty animals, of all kinds, assembled within 
 the enclosure wolves, foxes, deer, bears, and wild cats 
 in abundance. A few of the best hunters were selected 
 to destroy the game. The dogs were called in and fast- 
 ened, and they proceeded to the work of death. Taking 
 stations as near as possible to the group in the centre, 
 the firing commenced. Every shot told, and as the ani- 
 mals fell, the hills around reverberated with the shouts 
 of the joyous hunters. At length the frightened beasts 
 grew furious ; they flew around m all directions, but the 
 line was too formidable for them to break through it, 
 
GRAND CIRCULAR HUNT. 19 
 
 and, wherever they attempted to escape, they were met 
 by the shouts and more terrible knives of the party. 
 
 Among the deer was one particularly large and pow- 
 erful. - His antlers appeared at their points, to be at 
 least nine feet apart. His color was a dark red, with 
 only a single white star on his forehead. He made 
 several attempts to escape, but for a while was unsuc- 
 cessful. His eyes flashed with rage. He pawed the ice, 
 until the spot where he stood was entirely free from 
 snow. He shook his antlered head at the hunters, and 
 appeared several times on the point of attempting to 
 break through the thickest portion of the line. Finally, 
 after coursing around the circle several times, at the top 
 of his speed, he made directly towards the line. Their 
 cries were unavailing; nothing seemed now to have 
 power to drive him back. With a tremendous leap, he 
 passed over the heads of the hunters cleared every ob- 
 stacle and was, in an instant, lost to sight in the depths 
 of the forest. This gallant exploit was received with a 
 tremendous cheer ; and I firmly believe that not a hun- 
 ter in the crowd would willingly have harmed him, had 
 he presented the fairest mark for his rifle. Had it been 
 a man, he would have been sent to Congress. 
 
 Now came the most exciting part of the hunt. The 
 unerring guns of the marksmen had thinned the group 
 considerably ; and those that remained no longer con- 
 tinued in the centre, but kept running about the ice, at 
 a loss how to act. The heat of the sun and the weight 
 of the -animals had considerably weakened the ice. Sud- 
 denly, as a volley was poured into the crowd, they all 
 gathered again in the centre of the lake. There was a 
 
20 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 sharp report of the yielding ice a, crash followed and 
 the whole body of frightened beasts were soused promis- 
 cuously together into the water. Such a struggling, and 
 fighting, and screaming, and fluttering, I could never 
 have conceived of. The deer made desperate efforts 
 to escape : throwing their breasts against the edges of 
 the ice, and endeavoring to obtain a hold upon the 
 slippery surface for their feet. The wolves howled, the 
 foxes barked, and the wild cats fastened their claws into 
 the backs of the deer, and leaped from thence upon 
 the firm ice. I was highly amused at the efforts of a 
 bear the only one that remained. Blowing and snort- 
 ing furiously, he floundered about, and threw his paws 
 in every direction ; now trying to mount, like the more 
 active cats, upon the backs of the deer, then throwing 
 his huge paws lovingly round the neck of the smaller 
 animals, with his whole weight, and popping them un- 
 der. He finally succeeded in mounting upon the ice, 
 and, stopping an instant, uttered a tremendous growl, 
 shook the water from his shaggy sides, and started off at 
 a dog-trot. But danger was in poor bruin's front as 
 well as . his rear. A shot entered his brain before he 
 had advanced ten paces, and he rolled over on his back, 
 
 moaned a few times, then breathed his last. 
 
 / 
 
 When the last of the terrified victims was despatched, 
 the hunters began the work of skinning and scalping. 
 The shore was lined with the bodies of the slain. Par- 
 ties went out and collected those that fell during the pro- 
 gress of the hunt ; and when all were in, they, were 
 counted ; seven bears, eleven panthers, and foxes, deer, 
 and wolves, innumerable, were the result of the day's 
 
FOREST LIFE PLAY. 21 
 
 Sport. Major Wiley, as master of the ceremonies, di- 
 vided the spoils among the hunters, and all retired to 
 their homes satisfied and contented with their opera- 
 tions. 
 
 FOREST LIFE-PLAY* 
 
 BETWEEN the St. Lawrence and Lake Champlain, lies 
 a broad tract of country, covered with dense forests 
 abounding with deer, and pierced by lakes and streams, 
 which, beautiful in themselves, are still more attractive 
 to many from their store of trout. Hills, dales, wood, 
 water, leafy trees, herbage, are enough for some people ; 
 others cannot be happy amid them, without their rod 
 and gun. 
 
 It was to this latter class that the party belonged, who, 
 one fine morning, found themselves in this lovely district, 
 bent on having a holiday ; guns, dogs, fishing-rods, tents, 
 all were there for a month's scramble in the forest. Part 
 of their equipment consisted of two boats, one for them- 
 selves, the other for their baggage, which was to be sent 
 forward in advance, in order that tents might be pitched 
 for the night, wherever the little company might choose 
 to rest, or linger for a shot. The boats used for this 
 purpose, are small and very light ; for " rapids," that is, 
 cataracts in miniature, interrupt many of the American 
 rivers ; and when the voyagers come to one of these, the 
 
 * " Wild Scenes in North America.'' HAMMOND. 
 
22 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 
 
 boatman pops his craft on his back, and trots off with it 
 to smooth water. 
 
 Sailing quietly up the river, the tents were pitched, 
 the first night, on the shores of Round Lake, a fine sheet 
 of water about twelve miles in circumference, and sur- 
 rounded by hills ; tall over-hanging trees shading their 
 encampment, which looked westward over the lake. The 
 accommodation within was primitive enough ; their beds 
 being made of green spruce, and fir boughs, while a bun 
 die of the same, bound into a fagot, served for a pillow. 
 
 While enjoying the evening breeze, in front of their 
 tents, a long wake in the water, evidently caused by 
 some moving body, attracted their notice. Two of the 
 party set off to make out what it was ; and finding it was 
 a deer swimming across, they turned it in the direction 
 of the camp. It bounded ashore close to the tent, 
 sprang right through the group assembled there, and 
 dashed into the thicket behind. A shout greeted his 
 advent among the hunters ; given with such hearty good- 
 will, that in his fright, he leaped, bleating, a dozen feet 
 into the air, and plunged wildly on, crossed the little 
 isle with great jumps, the last being into the water at 
 the other side. 
 
 Next morning the boatmen were sent onward with the 
 tents and baggage, while their masters made the tour of 
 this lovely little lake. Near its upper part is a deep 
 indentation, bordered by a luxuriant meadow of Nature's 
 own making, where the wild herbage, and water-lilies 
 that skirt its margin, afford a plentiful pasture for the 
 deer.^ They were enjoying it to their heart's content : 
 browsing away at grass and flowers ; (that must be some- 
 
TUE DEER 8 LEAP. 
 
FOREST LIFE PLAY. 25 
 
 thing like bread and butter ; tho urass, plain bread, the 
 flowers, ornamental and savory butter ;) in utter ignor- 
 ance, poor animals ! of the evil designs entertained against 
 them by those two-legged visitors who were so placidly 
 watching them round the corner. The light skiff's were 
 noiselessly paddled to within a short distance of them, and 
 then, coming full into sight, away bounded four-legs in 
 a fright. 
 
 These boats may always be paddled very close to the 
 deer, by a clever fellow, who will take care to place him- 
 self so that the wind shall not blow from him to the ani- 
 mal, otherwise the keen scent of the deer would instantly 
 make him aware of his dangerous neighbor, to whom he 
 would forthwith say good-bye, with more haste than 
 ceremony. 
 
 Camping again, on an island in the Upper E 
 as the sun went down, the fish were jumping about so 
 temptingly, in the quiet lake, that the boat was r- 
 out to troll for the large dark trout. Those lake trout 
 are not nearly so handsome as their cousins of the 
 stream and river; but what is wanting in beauty, tlioy 
 make up in size, and in the sport which they conse- 
 quently afford the angler, who needs be a skilful hand, 
 to land his fish after having hooked him. 
 
 One of these large gentlemen was soon struck, and 
 then began an exciting struggle. Fish, finding he was 
 caught, made off in a hurry to the middle of the lake, 
 bending the rod like a bow in his hasty flight. But 
 Angler was thoroughly up to him. Holding hard on by 
 the butt, he gave him a hundred and fifty feet of line, 
 and by the time he had used that up, Fish began to feel 
 
26 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 tired, though not so much so as to prevent him holding 
 back with all the dogged determination of a mule, when 
 an insinuating effort was made to draw him to the boat. 
 The intimation that he was wanted, was, however, one 
 that he found it impossible to resist. Then he tried a 
 furious rush forwards, and leaping fairly out of the 
 water, seemed to try to shake his jaw free from the 
 hook, dashing as fiercely down towards the bottom, when 
 he found it of no use. The reel sang again, as it whirled 
 round with his efforts to release himself; but it was of 
 no use, the skilful hand at the other end of the line, con- 
 stantly and irresistibly urging him towards the boat. 
 At last he rose gasping to the surface, and was drawn 
 within twenty feet of his persecutors ; when catching a 
 sight of them, gave strength to his previously passive 
 terrors, and away he darted through the water, a hun- 
 dred and fifty feet out. But fish against man has small 
 chance, spite of all his twistings and windings, and the 
 end of it was, that he was handed by means of the land- 
 ing net, into the boat, a splendid ten pound trout ! 
 Beautiful and tempting looked he in the clear water ; 
 but oh, ten times more beautiful and tempting looked he 
 on the breakfast table next morning ! A pleased and 
 happy, nay, conceited man, was his captor. 
 
 Pursuing their course, hunting, fishing, story-telling, 
 up Bog River, the lower chain of ponds, surrounded by 
 well wooded hills, was approached ; the river here be- 
 coming broad and shallow, with meadows stretching 
 away on either side. Here the oars were shipped, and 
 the boatmen paddled along, sitting in the stern of the 
 boats, in each of whose bows stood a marksman, with 
 
FOREST LIFE PLAY. 27 
 
 rifle in hand, for deer, who fed quietly on the borders 
 of the winding stream, were now their game. Each one 
 who failed to bring down his game, was to give place to 
 some one else to try his hand, and so on throughout 
 their number, till they had secured a deer. 
 
 As they stole noiselessly along the ins and outs of the 
 crooked river, a deer was suddenly seen to start from 
 among the reeds, and go dashing and snorting across the 
 shallow water, almost close to the head of the boat. 
 Bang, went one gun after him, sending him at rather a 
 brisker pace up hill among the brushwood. Crack went 
 number two : the only effect being to make him take ra- 
 ther longer jumps as he bounded, snorting with terror, 
 into the woods, leaving his pursuers gaping and staring 
 after him : he had evidently the best of it. 
 
 The first boat being discomfitted, now gave way to the 
 second, which speedily came in sight of another deer, 
 daintily cropping lilies on the river side. Paddling 
 noiselessly to within a few rods of him, long and anx- 
 iously did the sportsman take aim, but before he could 
 draw the trigger, the deer looked up nervously, lowered 
 his long ears, and after one second's disgusted gaze at 
 his enemy, made for the shore at the top of his speed. 
 Ping, went a rifle bullet after him, but at random, and 
 the usual result of a random shot snsued ; the deer was 
 none the worse, only stimulated by the report into a 
 more railway pace up the bank, where he disappeared 
 among the brushwood. All this was very bad. Two 
 deer, three shots, and venison as far off as ever. 
 
 It was now the third sportsman's turn. Gliding 
 quietly along till the boat was within fifteen rods of a 
 
28 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 deer, tranquilly browsing his pasture, up went the rifle, 
 one moment's pause, and then the sharp report rang out, 
 and wakened the echoes of the shore and surrounding 
 hills. This time mischief was done ; the animal sprang 
 into the air, and bounded up the steep as though unhurt, 
 instantly disappearing among the brushwood. There he 
 was speedily found, a noble fellow with branching ant- 
 lers, but stone dead, the ball having passed clean through 
 him. 
 
 Enough for one day ; and beside, not loving killing 
 for mere killing's sake, they had determined to shoot no 
 more deer than were needful to keep the spit turning 
 during their forest life. 
 
 They were right glad to rest on their rustic beds that 
 night, after the hot fatiguing day. Their van-guard, 
 too, had not been without his share of fatigue ; having, 
 in addition to the same long journey, some parts of 
 which he had had to traverse three times over, killed 
 two deer, whose flesh he had cut up into thin slips, and 
 was drying it for future provender, in the smoke of a 
 wood fire, kindled in a bark hut for the purpose. This 
 mode of preparing meat, is called "jerking " it. In 
 very hot countries, it is dried in the sun, the long thin 
 slips, from three to six yards long, being hung in fes- 
 toons on the branches of some neighboring tree. 
 
 On the riyer, just above the traveller's camp, was a 
 dam constructed of large logs, and slenderer ones laid 
 cross-wise, on which brushwood and earth were placed, 
 so as to make all tight. Entangled in this, a fine young 
 deer was found dead. The poor creature's foot had 
 slipped between the logs ; struggling to free himself the 
 
FOREST LIFE PLAY. 29 
 
 leg was broken, and then he must have perished of pain 
 and hunger, a worse death than that from the hunter's 
 rifle. 
 
 Going down stream in the morning, the trout were 
 abundant but shy. Hooks and baits were dangled be- 
 fore them in the most tempting manner, but not a single 
 mouthful would any trout among them take. Tired of 
 this, a line, with a weight attached, was let down quietly 
 among them, with a number of bare hooks tied to it. A 
 sudden jerk, and one of the largest was hooked by the 
 tail, and, together wkh some half dozen more, actually 
 dragged out of the water in this way, tail foremost ! A 
 novel mode of catching fish, undoubtedly. 
 
 Hitherto the hunters had made no use of their dogs. 
 Game was so abundant that they were not needed. One 
 coursing match, howe\ had with them that ended 
 
 pleasantly enough for the deer. The dogs, doubtless, 
 thought differently of it. 
 
 The deer was upon a small island in the lake by which 
 the hunters were camped ; and having stationed their 
 boats so as to prevent his reaching the shore, if he took 
 to the water, the dogs were sent to the island. In less 
 than five minutes the stillness was broken by the sudden 
 and fierce cry of the dogs, who had just started their 
 game. Away they went in full cry after him, making 
 the hills and woods ring again as he swept along, doub- 
 ling and winding, with them still at his heels. Presently 
 he made his appearance close to the hunters; who, car- 
 ing more for the excitement of the chase than the capture 
 of the deer, received him with such a volley of shouts 
 and halloos, as fairly frightened him back again into the 
 
SO HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 woods, whence he had broken cover. From that shelter, 
 however, the dogs soon chased him into the water ; only 
 to be driven back again to dry land. A second attempt 
 to take water was again frustrated, and he retreated, 
 baffled, to the thickets. Thrice was he coursed round 
 the island, the hunters facing him wherever he attempted 
 to escape. At last he plunged desperately into the lake, 
 and swam towards the shore three-quarters of a mile off, 
 his tormentors contriving again to disappoint his design, 
 and compel him to land on a little shrub-covered island, 
 not more than half an acre in size, and that stood at 
 about the distance of half a mile down the lake. When 
 he neared this he sprang on the shore, frantically looking 
 on all sides for some hiding-place, or means of escape. 
 None was to be had ; whichever way- he turned, there 
 was one of the hunters ahead of him, shouting and driv- 
 ing him nearly mad. This way and that rushed the poor 
 beast in vain, till in despair he took up his post among 
 the bushes, that covered a knoll in the middle of the 
 island ; and there, after tossing his head up and down, as 
 he looked from one to another of his enemies, he waited 
 for what might come. He at length quietly lay down. 
 Fortunately for him the hunters had had all they wanted, 
 a coursing match ; and, satisfied with his performance, 
 they rowed away, leaving him to recover at leisure from 
 his exertions. Once rid of them, he swam to the main 
 land, and speedily disappeared among his own forests. 
 
 Let us see the hunters going to dinner, before we leave 
 them. There are pieces of moose, (a very clumsy kind 
 of deer peculiar to northern countries, and in northern 
 Europe called the elk,) and bear's meat, spitted on long 
 
FOREST LIFE PLAY. 31 
 
 sticks before a roasting fire. Further, there are fresh 
 trout from the lake, whether caught by the head or tail 
 does not matter; the jerked venison that we have heard 
 of, and savoury salt pork ; all of which, when ready for 
 dishing, are placed on slices of birch-bark fresh peeled 
 from the trees. While for drinkables, there are tea, and 
 excellent spring water, into which people with whom cold 
 water disagrees, (there are such queer folks in the world,) 
 may pop the least possible dose of brandy. Those who, 
 for once and away, cannot contrive to make a dinner on 
 such materials, are recommended to keep out of the 
 woods ! 
 
 In this lake country, deer are sometimes hunted by 
 candlelight. A box open in front, and large enough to 
 hold several candles, is placed on a posf about four feet 
 high in the bows- of the boat. The marksman sits on a 
 low seat close behind this ; and then, rowing noiselessly 
 in the dark to where the deer are feeding by the edges 
 of the stream, a full blaze is thrown upon the animal, 
 while the hunter, who is quiet in the shadow, takes aim 
 quietly, and "does" for him. 
 
 But deer, and moose, and bears, are not the only 
 "game "to be found in American forests. In some of 
 them, that comical little pig, the peccary, may be met 
 with ; and a fierce little beast he is too. His teeth are 
 as sharp as knives ; and woe be to man or beast who 
 comes within their reach ; for it is " no surrender " with 
 the peccary. The creatures go about in droves of from 
 ten to fifty ; will attack anything, or anybody that comes 
 in their way, no matter how well armed ; and, as they 
 make a point of fighting it out to the last, till there is not 
 
32 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 one piggy of their number left, people who are acquainted 
 with their manners and habits generally prefer letting 
 them alone. 
 
 Their mode of "camping" at night is particularly 
 droll. Selecting a large hollow tree, overthrown by some 
 storm of wind, the whole drove will get into it, one after 
 the other, backwards, so that the last stands guard, with 
 his snout to the entrance. And it is when they have be- 
 taken themselves to their lodgings for the night, that the 
 settler, (to whose crops they are terribly destructive,) has 
 his almost sole chance of destroying them. 
 
 When he finds one of these hollow trees, he soon as- 
 certains whether or not the peccaries have chosen it for 
 their sleeping-place. If they have, he waits with as 
 much patience as he can, for a regular dull, dark, driz- 
 zling day ; for in such weather the peccaries, disliking 
 either a wet jacket, or wet feet, or both, do not stir 
 abroad, but remain in the retirement of their hollow tree 
 trunk. On such a day, therefore, the settler, armed with 
 his rifle, takes his stand at day-dawn, directly opposite 
 to what we may call the peccary's front door ; concealing 
 himself cautiously among the neighboring bushes. Pre- 
 sently there is light enough to see the nose and sharp 
 eyes of the sentinel peccary. Covering him with his 
 rifle, the trigger is pulled ; and with the ball in his brain, 
 over head and heels tumbles poor piggy-wiggy, and there 
 is an end of him. Wakened by the explosion, another 
 pops himself into the opening to see what is the matter ; 
 but a second bullet finishes him in like manner. A third, 
 fourth, even more, it is said, may be shot in this way, if 
 the man is only careful enough not to stir the bushes 
 
FOREST LIFE PLAY. 33 
 
 among which he is hidden. If he do, there is an end of 
 the game ; out jumps the heast in the door-way, with all 
 the rest at his heels, and together they make a grand 
 charge at the sportsman, who finds a tree, or % a light pair 
 of heels, his best defence against these fierce and fearless 
 animals. 
 
 A bear hunt in Texas, which is one of the places where 
 peccaries are found, was one day brought to a very amus- 
 ing termination by these small pests. The bear, trying 
 to climb a tree, as the hunters came up to him, was sur- 
 rounded .by the dogs, who held him on every side in such 
 a manner as to render it difficult to get a shot at him, for 
 fear of wounding them. Bruin was accordingly pitching 
 them right and left, when all at once a drove of peccaries 
 dashed, grunting, upon the whole group. The dogs, cut 
 and slashed by their villanous sharp teeth, slank off 
 howling to their masters. The poor t^ar found himself 
 in worse hands even than before ; and, roaring with pain, 
 rolled about, striking out at random in all directions with 
 his huge paws, at these new assailants : while from the 
 hunters themselves, half angry, half laughing, rose a 
 general cry of " Peccaries ! run, run !" And sticking 
 spurs into their horses, they bounded off through the cane 
 brake, only too glad to leave the peccaries and the bear 
 to fight it out between themselves. 
 3 
 
34 HUHTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 FOREST LIFE-PERIL. 
 
 THE huge forests of America and Canada are slowly 
 yielding to the axe of the backwoodsman. From morn- 
 ing to night, his broad keen blade glitters in its relent- 
 less descent, and the bright flashing chips fly, till down 
 thunders one monarch of the woods after another, whose 
 only revenge on his destroyer, is the leaving of a tor- 
 menting stump. Those stumps, dotted here and there 
 among his cleared land, are dreadfully in the 4vay of the 
 plowman, till time or gunpowder, completes their de- 
 struction, and enables him to achieve that pride of his 
 heart, a straight furrow. 
 
 But if the axe were the only means of turning the 
 woodlands into cornfields and pastures, or into what may 
 some day become so, the process would go on much more 
 slowly than it does. Fire plays no unimportant part 
 in the destruction of the woods ; and its fierceness, and 
 the extent of its ravages, are such as none can conceive, 
 save those who have witnessed them. Lightning strikes 
 a dry tree, and kindles up a blaze ; or, perhaps, the 
 heaped-up cuttings and brushwood, left by the " lum- 
 berer" or backwoodsman, are set on fire, either acci- 
 dentally, (possibly by a spark from the odious tobacco- 
 pipe, which we can scarcely forgive, even in that com- 
 fortless place,) or purposely, to get rid of the rubbish ; 
 and the conflagration runs on for miles, consuming, not 
 trees only, and the frightened wild inhabitants of the 
 forest, but, in its unchecked fury, licking up the tender 
 
FOREST LIFE PERIL. 35 
 
 crops, and the homestead itself, of the struggling emi- 
 grant, who is too happy if he and his little ones can only 
 escape with their lives. Fire is the best remedy for 
 fires of this kind. That sounds odd enough. In the city, 
 if we catch fire, we run post haste -for the " engine," and 
 should think any one mad who prescribed fire instead of 
 water. But the meaning of it is, tliat the most effectual 
 way of checking the flames in these forest and bush 
 fires is, to set fire to the grass and brushwood, sufficiently 
 in advance of the great fire that is to be extinguished, 
 to allow them to be burnt out, before the wave of flame 
 comes up to the place. If this can be managed, it re- 
 quires much care and adroitness, the original fire, of 
 course, goes out for want of fuel, and there is an end of 
 it. But too frequently the intensity of the conflagra- 
 tion baffles all attempts to stop it. In the hot season, 
 dead trees, broken branches, and decaying underwood, 
 are dry as tinder ; the resin and pitch, in such trees as 
 the fir, give unconquerable fury to the flames, while the 
 violent wind, which is the natural result of a vast body 
 of intense heat, fans the whole into still stronger com- 
 bustion. A fire of this kind that took place in one of 
 the English possessions in North America, in 1825, 
 burnt on for the astounding distance of a hundred and 
 forty miles, and on both sides of a large river. On one 
 bank alone, a breadth of more than sixty miles was ra- 
 vnircd by it. 
 
 It appears that for several days previously the woods 
 had been on fire ; but this being no infrequent thing, 
 did not produce any alarm. Suddenly, however, a 
 storm of wind arose, accompanied by so extraordinary a 
 
36 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 sound, like distant thunder, proceeding from the depths 
 of the forests, as made the inhabitants of the district fear 
 that there was something worse than the mere ordinary 
 burning of the woods. The sky also became obscured 
 with the rolling smoke, and speedily the surrounding 
 woods flashed out into flames, whose long forky tongues 
 licked and twined in all directions, around the tall bolea 
 of the forest trees, and even leaped high into air, thirty 
 or forty yards above their tops. Two towns were almost 
 immediately involved in the fire, many of whose inhabi- 
 tants were suffocated or burnt to death, and others 
 dreadfully injured. 'Those who escaped death, had no 
 time to save any of their property ; but, hurrying to the 
 banks of the river, sought in canoes, on rafts, logs of 
 timber, or indeed anything that could float, to make 
 their escape from the horrid death that threatened them 
 on shore. Nor, stripped of everything, were they safe 
 even there ; since the violence of the tempest whirled 
 aloft burning logs, fragments of houses, and even trees, 
 and dashed them, flaming, into the water. Of how 
 many of the backwoodsmen perished in the forest, where 
 they had made their homes, no account could be taken ; 
 but it is supposed that, altogether, at least five hundred 
 human beings lost their lives in this dreadful fire. 
 
 One poor lumberer, (a backwoodsman is so named 
 from his occupation of felling timber or lumber, as it is 
 called,) had just built his " shanty " or log-hut, and was 
 beginning to cut timber when the fire, broke out. He 
 was told of it by some of his men who had passed 
 through the wood to bring provisions to the little camp, 
 but thought nothing of it, till one of them, leaving the 
 
FOREST LIFE PERIL. 37 
 
 snanty for a minute, came back hastily with news that 
 the fire was a bad one, and within a mile of the hut. 
 They instantly looked out, and as far as they could see, 
 there was nothing but fire, waving high above the forest, 
 and whose roar, like that of a gigantic furnace, was 
 broken in upon, from time to time, by the crash of fall- 
 ing trees. 
 
 Not a moment was to be lost. Without staying to save 
 an article, they ran to a small stream a little way off. 
 Some of them thought this would be a sufficient check to 
 the flames, and so contented themselves with crossing it, 
 and going a short distance down its opposite bank, to a 
 spot which they had formerly cleared. The lumberer, 
 however, felt sure, that such a fire as that now raging 
 behind them, would soon leap the comparatively narrow 
 thread of water, and, as safety was on neither bank, he 
 adopted the bold plan of taking refuge in the stream 
 itself. Wading into it, therefore, shoulder high, he took 
 up kis post underneath a hanging bank, and awaited his 
 fate. 
 
 The flames advanced, consuming all before them, and 
 filling the sky with a lurid glare. Their hot breath was 
 almost stifling to the poor trembling wretch in the river. 
 Another minute, and the trees overhead were a-light, 
 and he, forced for safety, to plung3 his head under the 
 water, holding it there as long as he could for suffoca- 
 tion, and then taking breath for a moment. When he was 
 able once more to stand erect, the flame was still raging 
 onward before him. Behind, where it had passed, black- 
 ened boles were still blazing ; mere stumps, with all their 
 branches burnt off, and soon to die out for want of fresh 
 
38 HUNTING SPOR'TS OP THE WEST. 
 
 fuel. The poor man dared not, for some hours, leave 
 his watery fortress, but at last made good his escape 
 from the ruined neighborhood. His log-hut and every- 
 thing in it was of course destroyed ; but happily for him, 
 some of the provisions lying in a cellar, escaped injury ; 
 otherwise, after escaping fire, he might hav<* died of 
 starvation, before he could get away. His companions 
 were lost in the burning forest. 
 
 The lumberer himself told the story of his wonderful 
 escape to Major Strickland, who relates it in the man's 
 own words in his account of his own life as a settler in 
 Canada. 
 
 Mr. Charles Murray, in his travels in North America, 
 describes this setting fire to the woods as being done on 
 purpose by Indians, in order to drive himself and his 
 companions from their hunting grounds. In whatever 
 direction they turned for sport, a light was certain to be 
 applied to the dry grass, and then all was in a blaze. 
 On more than one . occasion, not only was his sport 
 spoiled, but his life endangered by this practice. One 
 day he had to take to the water, to escape from the flames, 
 which they had kindled in the wood for his particular 
 accommodation. Another time, seeing him cross the 
 prairie to a wood where it was supposed deer might be 
 found, they fired the grass in several places, and in such 
 a direction that the wind, which was rather high, might 
 carry the flames his way. Mr. Murray soon perceived 
 that he could not outrun the fire, and therefore adopted 
 the plan of which we have spoken, curing fire by means 
 of fire. He set the grass near him alight, and then, when 
 it was burnt out, took up his post in the centre of the 
 
THE PRAIRIE. 39 
 
 bare space thus created. He had the satisfaction of see- 
 ing that the Indians' fire could not pass its circumference 
 for want of fuel, but skirting it, seized grass, and brush- 
 wood, and timber, and so carried the conflagration on- 
 wards, leaving him safe, though half suffocated. 
 
 The next day he went out in a different direction, 
 where there had not been any fire. But his Indian 
 friends were ready fcrt him. As evening drew on, slight 
 columns of smoke were seen spiring out of the Wood ; and 
 presently the flames burst forth, the old dry timber crash- 
 ing down, and sending up a shower of sparks. The 
 flames crept here, along the brushwood, and leaped up 
 there, as they folded themselves round some resinous 
 tree ; while huge clouds of smoke, black and lurid, as they 
 shifted about, canopied the magnificent scene. 
 
 The Indians had the best of it, for they fairly burnt 
 out Mr. Murray and his sporting friends. 
 
 THE PRAIRIE. 
 
 THE ponderous buffalo is the " game " of the north 
 American plains or prairies ; in some of which it still 
 abounds, notwithstanding the incredible destruction which 
 necessity, or mere wantonness, has wrought among these 
 beasts. Some idea of the killing that goes on among 
 lierds of buffalo may be formed from a knowledge of the 
 circumstance of a hundred thousand prepared skins buf- 
 falo robes they are called being every year brought into 
 
40 HUNTING SPOKTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 Canada and the United States, where they are much used 
 as a defence from the extreme winter cold of those coun- 
 tries. This is, in addition to any number that may be 
 kilfed to provide the same covering for the Indians them- 
 selves, who are as fond of it as their white neighbors are. 
 The buffalo is to them great gain; they eat him, wear 
 him, and trade him away for the various articles of use 
 and luxury which their uncivilized wandering life fails to 
 provide for them, but the taste for which it by no means 
 extinguishes. 
 
 A traveller camping out in the prairies, heard one 
 night a noise like distant thunder, but so prolonged that 
 he was certain it could not be that. Puzzled to account 
 for it, as it came nearer and nearer, he listened with his 
 ear close to the ground, and at length became aware that 
 it was the heavy tread of a herd of buffaloes on one of 
 their usual migrations on the plains ; and a momentary 
 gleam of moonlight showed him the prairie, black over 
 with thousands upon thousands of these huge beasts. 
 How to escape their headlong rush became a subject of 
 no little anxiety, as camp and all, placed in their imme- 
 diate track, was in danger of being borne away by the 
 torrent. Hastening to his comrades, he roused them up ; 
 and by dint of repeated volleys from their muskets, aided 
 by the united screeches and yells of the whole party, 
 they succeeded in frightening the monsters into a different 
 path to that which led directly over their encampment, 
 and thus escaped the chance of being crushed to death. 
 The herd, under this double salute, divided into two; 
 one-half thundering off to the plains, while the other 
 tramped through the adjacent river, where their splash- 
 
THE PRAIRIE. 41 
 
 ing and dashing, as they crossed the water, was heard 
 for hours. Such are the numbers in which these great 
 creatures roam about their native prairies. 
 
 It is said that the buffalo is not naturally a fierce ani- 
 mal ; but its looks are against it. Its huge head, and 
 rough beard and mane, are not unlike those of a lion, 
 only much larger in proportion to the size of its body. 
 When urged to its speed these are tossed about in what 
 appears to be a most threatening manner ; but the poor 
 beast does not mean mischief, unless his pursuers drive 
 him to it; and then, woe betide all that come in his 
 way ! 
 
 The Indians sometimes manage to slaughter even the 
 largest herds of buffaloes, in what may be called a whole- 
 sale way. In order to make it intelligible, some descrip- 
 tion of the nature of these prairies is needful. They are, 
 as has been said, vast undulating plains, studded hero 
 and there with clumps of park-like timber; but these 
 plains are occasionally broken up by great clefts or 
 canons, which go suddenly, and almost sheer down for 
 many hundred feet. Mr. Kendall, in his account of the 
 Santa Fd expedition, relates that he and his party were 
 traversing one of these plains, in which no break of the 
 surface could be perceived far as the eye could reach, 
 when all at once they found themselves on the brink of 
 one of these tremendous chasms. Its almost perpendi- 
 cular depth beneath their feet was near three hundred 
 yards, and it was from three to five hundred yards wide. 
 A slender stream, now hidden by some huge rock, now 
 bubbling again into view, coursed along the bottom, 
 wearing its channel into fantastic shapes. The depth, 
 
42 HUNTING SPOKTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 and dark abrupt character of this rent in the earth, made 
 them almost sick as they looked down into it; the more 
 so, perhaps, that there was no way of continuing their 
 journey but by crossing it. Had they been made of 
 india-rubber, they might have rolled themselves up into 
 balls and bowled down to the bottom, with the utmost 
 ease ; but even that would have left them with the dif- 
 ficulty of getting up the other side, as apparently insu- 
 perable as ever. However, cross it they must ; and as, 
 the day previous, they had seen numerous foot-marks of 
 Indians, horses, and buffaloes leading in this direction, it 
 was evident that they had managed to pass it, and if 
 they could, so might others. It was dangerous, but that 
 could not be helped ; so the steadiest and best behaved 
 horses and mules were first induced to begin the perilous 
 descent, those who were less, to be trusted bringing up 
 the rear. There was one advantage attending their steep 
 downward course, and that was, that, once in for it, and 
 there was no turning back. Onward they were obliged 
 to go ; and amid clattering stones, loosened by their 
 tread, and that leaped and bounded down before them, 
 they at last reached in safety the very bottom of this 
 dreary ravine. 
 
 Here they rested for a while, as was evident their pre- 
 decessors the Indians had done ; various traces of whose 
 camp were scattered about. The track upwards and out 
 of the cleft was presently discovered ; and winding along 
 the ravine till it was reached, afforded ample opportunity 
 for noticing the remarkable and fantastic effects of the 
 rushing waters that coursed throughout it. Pillars, forts, 
 battlements, turrets, by turns presented themselves, till 
 

 
THE PRAIRIE. 45 
 
 the traveler might have imagined himself wandering 
 among the ruins of some deserted city. 
 
 Getting down was bad ; getting up again was worse. 
 Guns, baggage, and horse furniture had to be carried in 
 the hand, while the animals scrambled up as they could. 
 One of them struck against a piece of rock that stuck 
 out upon the path, and was hurled down by the shock a 
 distance of near twenty feet, fulling right upon his back. 
 Of course he was given up for lost ; but, thank you, 
 Dobbin had ao idea of that. He just got up again, 
 himself a shake, and then trying it a second time, 
 marched up as steadily as any of them. The passage of 
 this ravine took them five or six hours ; by the middle of 
 the afternoon i accomplished it, and were restored 
 
 to the upper world. Continuing their route on the plain, 
 they found that bj MB they had left the c-h; 
 
 few hundred yards behind them, not the slightest trace 
 of its 'existence was to be .- 
 
 It is into chasms such M that the mounted In- 
 
 dians, spurring their half-wild horses to their u: 
 speed, drive the immense herds of buffaloes, when they 
 come upon them in a situation suitable for this purpose. 
 Urged onward by the yells and rapid hoof-trampling be- 
 hind them, headlong, and tumbling over each other go 
 the huge terror-stricken brutes, p, dark avalanche of 
 -life, bounding from crag to crag in the rugged de- 
 scent, till, at the very bottom of the canon, lies a writh- 
 ing, swelling heap of carcases, a rich spoil for their sa- 
 vage pursuers to gloat over. 
 
 The bow and arrow is a formidable weapon for the 
 destruction of buffalo, in the hands of an Indian. Some 
 
46 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 of the Pawnees will launch their arrows with such force 
 as to drive them almost up to the feathered end in the 
 animal's body. Nay, it is said that they are sometimes 
 shot clean through him, and left quivering in the ground 
 beyond. 
 
 The ordinary way of shooting the buffalo by civilized 
 sportsmen, is either by hunting him or by stalking. The 
 former is accomplished on horseback, bringing him down 
 at a long shot. The latter is done on foot, creeping along 
 from bush to bush, hiding here, and dodging there, keep- 
 ing in such a direction that the wind may not blow the 
 scent of the hunter to his game, in stealing upon him un- 
 awares. But there is no object of the chase that takes 
 so much killing as the poor buffalo. His enormous frame 
 offers so wide a range of others than fatal marks for a 
 bullet, that the chances are, save in skillful hands, that 
 the wretched animal may be riddled before he falls. A 
 well-placed shot behind the shoulder, will soon bring 
 down even his vast bulk ; and it should not be forgotten 
 that though we may, and must kill these creatures, it is 
 our duty to do so with as little suffering to. them as pos- 
 sible. A bungling sportsman deserves to rank with a 
 butcher ; and not even with him, if he is expert at his 
 business. 
 
 Hunting buffalo is not the only business of the Indians 
 of the prairie. The wild horse that scours those bound- 
 less plains forms a still more exciting chase. No pop- 
 ping at him with rifles, or twanging bow-strings at him ; 
 he must be taken alive and uninjured. And my lord is 
 not always so easily caught as his pursuers would wish. 
 Jf a troop of horses is seen, the mode employed is that 
 
RE AT PINE SWAMP. 47 
 
 of forming a wide circle round them by mounted Indians, 
 who gradually draw nearer and nearer to each other, 
 driving the horses before them, till their prey is within 
 reach of the lasso. The lasso is a long cord with a noose 
 at one end, which the Indians throw with wonderful pre- 
 cision. This is skillfully thrown round the necks of those 
 who are thought best worth taking; and the Indians, 
 riding off with their struggling, prancing captives, soon 
 succeed in making them understand the value of obedi- 
 ence. They may kick, and plunge, and rear, and caper, 
 as they think proper ; but it is all of no use. Between 
 a powerful bit, tremendous spurs, and a rider who sticks 
 to his steed like wax, the noble animal is effectually sub- 
 dued, and henceforth must follow the bidding of another, 
 instead of his own. 
 
 If there be but a solitary horse, or the hunters are 
 few, of course there is just a race for it, generally ending 
 in favor of the hunter; who, it must be said, occasionally 
 receives a handsome kick or two from his captive. 
 
 GREAT PINE SWAMP.* 
 
 I LEFT Philadelphia, at four in the morning, by the 
 coach, with no other accoutrements than I knew to be 
 
 * Of all hunters, Audubon is the most interesting. He hunted with a 
 noble purpose; he saw with the eye, and described with the pen of an ar- 
 tist. This account of the Swamp is extracted from his Ornithological Bi- 
 ography. 
 
48 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 absolutely necessary for the jaunt which I intended to 
 make. These consisted of a wooden box, containing a 
 small stock of linen, drawing paper, my journal, colors, 
 and pencils, together with twenty-five pounds of shot, 
 some flints, the due quantum of cash, my gun, Tear- 
 jacket, and a heart as true to nature as ever. 
 
 Our coaches are none of the best, nor do they move 
 with the velocity of those of some other countries. It 
 was eight, and a dark night, when I reached Mauch 
 Chunk, now so celebrated in the Union, for its rich coal 
 mines, and eighty-eight miles distant. from Philadelphia. 
 I had passed through a very diversified country, part of 
 which was highly cultivated, while the rest was yet in a 
 state of nature, and consequently much more agreeable 
 to me. On alighting, I was shown to the travelers' 
 room, and, on asking for the landlord, saw, coming to- 
 wards me, a fine-looking young man, to whom I made 
 known my wishes. He spoke kindly, and offered to 
 lodge and board me at a much lower rate than travelers 
 who go there for the very simple pleasure of being 
 dragged on the railway. In a word, I was fixed in four 
 minutes, and that most comfortably. 
 
 No sooner had the approach of day been announced by 
 the cocks of the little village, than I marched out with my 
 gun and note-book, to judge for myself of the wealth of 
 the country. After traversing much ground, and crossing 
 many steep hills, I returned, if not wearied, at least much 
 disappointed at the extraordinary scarcity of birds. So I 
 bargained to be carried in a cart, to the central parts of 
 Great Pine Swamp, and, although a heavy storm was 
 rising, ordered my conductor to proceed. 
 
GREAT PINE SWAMP. 49 
 
 We winded round many a mountain, and at last crossed 
 the highest. The weather had become tremendous, and 
 we were thoroughly drenched, but my resolution being 
 fixed, the boy was obliged to continue his driving. 
 Having already traveled about fifteen miles or so, wo 
 left the turnpike, and struck up a narrow and bad road, 
 that seemed merely cut out to enable the people of the 
 Swamp to receive the necessary supplies from the vil- 
 lage which I had left. Some mistakes were made, and 
 and it was almost dark, when a post directed us to the 
 habitation of a Mr. Jediah Irish, to whom I had been 
 recommended. We now rattled down a steep declivity, 
 edged on one side by almost perpendicular rocks, and 
 on the other, by a noisy stream, which seemed grum- 
 bling at the approach of strangers. The ground was so 
 overgrown by laurels, and tall pines of different kinds, 
 that the whole presented only a mass of darkness. 
 
 At length we got to the house, the door of which was 
 already opened, the sight of strangers being nothing un- 
 common in our woods, even in the most remote parts. 
 On entering, I was presented with a chair, while my 
 conductor was shown the way to the stable, and on ex- 
 pressing a wish that I should be permitted to remain in 
 the house for some weeks, I was gratified by receiving 
 the sanction of the good woman to ii,y proposal, although 
 her husband was then from home. As I immediately 
 fell a-talking about the nature of the country, and in- 
 quired if the birds were numerous in the neighborhood, 
 Mrs. Irish, more au fait to household affairs than orni- 
 thology, sent for a nephew of her husband's, who soon 
 made his appearance, and in whose favor I became at 
 
50 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 once prepossessed. He conversed like an educated per- 
 son, saw that I was comfortably disposed of, and finally 
 bade me good-night, in such a tone as made me quite 
 happy. 
 
 The storm had rolled away before the first beams of 
 the morning sun shone brightly on the wet foliage, dis- 
 playing all its richness and beauty. My ears were 
 greeted by the notes, always sweet and mellow, of the 
 Wood Thrush and other songsters. Before I had gone 
 many steps, the woods echoed to the report of my gun, 
 and I picked from among the leaves a lovely Sylvia, 
 long sought for, but until then, sought for in vain. I 
 needed no more, and standing still for awhile, I was 
 soon convinced that the Great Pine Swamp harbored 
 \many other objects as valuable to me. 
 
 The young man joined me, bearing his rifle, and offered 
 to accompany me through the woods, all of which he 
 well knew. But I was anxious to transfer to paper the 
 form and beauty of the little bird I had in my hand; 
 and requesting him to break a twig of blooming laurel, 
 we returned to the house, speaking of nothing else than 
 the picturesque beauty of the country around. 
 
 A few days passed, during which I became acquainted 
 with my hostess and her sweet children, and made occa- 
 sional rambles, but spent the greater portion of my time in 
 drawing. One morning, as I stood near the window of 
 my room, I remarked a tall and powerful man alight from 
 his horse, loose the girth of the saddje, raise the latter 
 with one hand, pass the bridle over the head of the ani- 
 mal with the other, and move towards the house, while 
 the horse betook himself to the little brook to drink. I 
 
\ GREAT PINE SWAMP. 51 
 
 heard some movements in the room below, and again the 
 same tall person walked towards the mills and stores, a 
 few hundred yards o.ff from the house. In America, busi- 
 ness is the first object in view at all times, and right it 
 is that it should be so. Soon after, my hostess entered 
 my room, accompanied by a fine-looking woodsman, to 
 whom, as Mr. Jediah Irish, I was introduced. Reader, 
 to describe to you the qualities of that excellent man 
 were vain ; you should know him as I do, to estimate the 
 value of such men in our sequestered forests. He not 
 only made me welcome, but promised all his assistance 
 in forwarding my views. 
 
 The long walks and long talks we have had together, 
 I never can forget, or the many beautiful birds which 
 we pursued, shot, and admired. The juicy venison, ex- 
 cellent bear flesh, and delightful trout, that daily formed 
 my food, methinks I can still enjoy. And then, what 
 pleasure I had in listening to him as he read his favorite 
 poems of Burns, while my pencil was occupied in smooth- 
 ing and softening the drawing of the bird before me ! 
 Was not this enough to recall to my mind the early im- 
 pressions that had been made upon it, by the description 
 of the golden age, which I here found realized ? 
 
 The Lehigh about this place, forms numerous short 
 turns between the mountains, and affords frequent falls, 
 as well as below the falls deep pools, which render this 
 stream a most valuable one for mills of any kind.. Not 
 many years before this date, my host was chosen by the 
 agent of the Lehigh Coal Company, as their mill-wright, 
 and manager for cutting down the fine trees which co- 
 vered the mountains around. He was young, robust, 
 
52 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 active, industrious, and persevering. He marched to 
 the spot where his abode now is, with some workmen, 
 and by dint of hard labor, first cleared the road men- 
 tioned above, and reached the river at the centre of a 
 bend, where he fixed on erecting various mills. The 
 pass here is so narrow, that it looks as if formed by the 
 bursting asunder of the mountain, both sides ascending 
 abruptly, so that the place where the settlement was 
 made, is in many parts difficult of access, and the road, 
 when newly cut, was only sufficient to permit men and 
 horses to come to the spot where JecHah and his men were 
 at work. So great, in fact, were the difficulties of access, 
 that, as he told me, pointing to a spot about 150 feet above 
 us, they, for many months slipped from it their barrelled 
 provisions, assisted by ropes, to their camp below. But 
 no sqoner was the first saw-mill erected, than the axe- 
 men began their devastations. Trees, one after another 
 were, and are yet constantly heard falling during the 
 days j and in calm nights, the greedy mills told the sad 
 tale, that in a century the noble forests around should 
 exist no more. Many mills were erected, many dams 
 raised, in defiance of the impetuous Lehigh. One full 
 third of the trees have already been culled, turned into 
 boards, and floated as far as Philadelphia. 
 
 In such an undertaking, the cutting of the trees is not 
 all. They have afterwards to be hauled to the edge of 
 the mountains bordering the river, launched into the 
 stream, and led to the mills over many shallows and dif- 
 ficult places. Whilst I was in the Great Pine Swamp, I 
 frequently visited one of the principal places for the 
 launching of logs. To see them tumbling from such a 
 
GREAT PINE SWAMP. 53 
 
 height, touching here and there the rough angle of a pro- 
 jecting rock, bouncing from it with the elasticity of a 
 foot-ball, and at last falling with awful crash into the 
 river, forms a sight interesting in the highest degree, but 
 impossible 'for me to describe. Shall I tell you that I 
 have seen masses of these logs heaped above each other 
 to the number of five thousand, ? I may so tell you, for 
 such I have seen. My friend Irish assured me that at 
 some seasons, these piles consisted of a much greater 
 number, the river becoming in those places completely 
 choked up. 
 
 When freshets (or floods) take place, then is the time 
 chosen for forwarding the logs to the different mills. 
 This is called a frolic. Jediah Irish, who is generally 
 the leader, proceeds to the upper leap with his men, each 
 provided with a strong wooden handspike, and a short- 
 handled axe. They all take to the water, be it summer 
 or winter, like so many Newfoundland spaniels. The 
 logs are gradually detached, and, after a time, are seen 
 floating down the dancing stream, here striking against 
 a rock and whirling many times round, there suddenly 
 checked in dozens by a shallow, over which they have to 
 be forced with the handspikes. Now they arrive at the 
 edge of a dam, and are again pushed over. Certain 
 numbers are left in each dam, and when the party has 
 arrived at the last, which lies just where my friend Irish's 
 camp was first formed, the drenched leader and his men, 
 about sixty in number, make their way home, find there 
 a healthful repast, and spend the evening and a portion 
 of the night in dancing and frolicking, in their own sim- 
 ple manner, in the most perfect amity, seldom troubling 
 
54 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 themselves with the idea of the labor prepared for them 
 on the morrow. 
 
 /That morrow now come, one sounds a horn from the ; 
 door of the store-house, at the call of which each returns 
 to his work. The sawyers, the millers, the rafters, and 
 raftsmen are all immediately busy. The mills are all 
 going, and the logs, which a few months before were the 
 supporters of broad and leafy tops, are now in the act of 
 being split asunder. The boards are then launched into 
 the stream, and rafts are formed of them for market. 
 
 During the summer and autumnal months, the Lehigh, 
 a small river of itself, soon becomes extremely shallow, 
 and to float the rafts would prove impossible, had not 
 art managed to provide a supply of water for this ex- 
 press purpose. At the breast of the lower dam is a 
 curiously constructed lock, which is opened at the ap- 
 proach of the rafts. They pass through this lock with 
 the rapidity of lightning, propelled by the water that had 
 been accumulated in the dam, and which is of itself 
 generally sufficient to float them to Mauch Chunk, after 
 which, entering regular canals, they find no other impedi- 
 ments, but are conveyed to their ultimate destination. 
 
 Before population had greatly advanced in this part 
 of Pennsylvania, game of all descriptions found within 
 that range was extremely abundant. The Elk itself did 
 not disdain to browse on the shoulders of the mountains, 
 near the Lehigh. Bears and the Common Deer must 
 have been plentiful, as, at the moment when I write, 
 many of both kinds are seen and killed by the resident 
 hunters. The Wild Turkey, the Pheasant, and the 
 Grouse, are also tolerably abundant ; and as to Trout in 
 
GREAT PINE SWAMP. 57 
 
 the streams Ah, reader, if you are an angler, go there, 
 and try for yourself. For my part, I can only say, that 
 I have been made weary with pulling up from the rivulets 
 the sparkling fish, allured by the struggles of the com- 
 mon grasshopper. 
 
 A comical affair happened with the bears, which I will 
 relate. A party of my friend Irish's raftsmen, returning 
 from Mauch Chunk, one afternoon, through sundry short 
 cuts over the mountains, at the season when the huckle- 
 berries are ripe and plentiful, were suddenly apprised of 
 the proximity of some of these animals, by their snuffing 
 the air. No sooner was this perceived than, to the as- 
 tonishment of the party, not fewer than eight bears, I 
 was told, made their appearance. Each man, being pro- 
 vided with his short-handled axe, faced about and wil- 
 lingly came to the scratch ; but the assailed soon proved 
 the assailants, and with claw and tooth drove off the men 
 in a twinkling. Down they all rushed from the moun- 
 tain ; the noise spread quickly ; rifles were soon procured 
 and shouldered ; but when the spot was reached, no bears 
 were to be found ; night forced the hunters back to their 
 homes, and a laugh concluded the affair. 
 
 I spent six weeks in the Great Pine Forest Swamp 
 it cannot be called where I made many a Hrawing. 
 Wishing to leave Pennsylvania, and to follow the migra 
 tory flocks of our birds to the south, I bade adieu to the 
 excellent wife and rosy children of my friend, and to his 
 kind nephew. Jediah Irish, shouldering his heavy rifle, 
 accompanied me, and trudging directly across the moun- 
 tains, we arrived ut Mauch Chunk, in good time for 
 
58 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 dinner. Shall I ever have the pleasure of seeing that 
 good, that generous man again ? 
 
 At Mauch Chunk, where we both spent the night, Mr. 
 White, the civil engineer, visited me, and looked at the 
 drawings which I had made in the Great Pine Eorest. 
 The news he gave me of my sons, then in Kentucky, 
 made me still more anxious to move in their direction, 
 and, long before day-break, I shook hands with the 
 good man of the forest, and found myself moving towards 
 the capital of Pennsylvania, having, as my sole compa- 
 nion, a sharp frosty breeze. Left to my thoughts, I felt 
 amazed that such a place as the Great Pine Forest 
 should be so little known to the Philadelphians, scarcely 
 any of whom could direct me towards it. How much is 
 it to be regretted, thought I, that the many young gen- 
 tlemen who are there, so much at a loss how to employ 
 their leisure days, should not visit these wild retreats, 
 valuable as they are to the student of nature ! How 
 differently would they feel, if, instead of spending weeks 
 in smoothing a useless bow, and walking out in full 
 dress, intent on displaying the make of their legs, to 
 some rendezvous where they may enjoy their wines, 
 they were to occupy themselves in contemplating the 
 rich profusion which nature has poured around them, or 
 even in procuring some desired specimen for their Peales 
 Museum, once so valuable and so finely arrranged ! But 
 alas ! no : they are -none of them aware of the richness 
 of the Great Pine Swamp, nor are they likely to share 
 the hospitality to be found there. 
 
 Night came on, as I was thinking of such things, and I 
 was turned out of the coach into the streets of the fair city, 
 
HUNTING ON THE ARKANSAW. 59 
 
 just as the clock struck ten. I cannot say that my bones 
 were much rested, but not a moment was to be lost. So I 
 desired a porter to take up my little luggage, and lead- 
 ing him towards the nearest wharf, I found myself, soon 
 after, gliding across the Delaware, towards my former 
 lodgings in the Jerseys. The lights were shining from 
 the parallel streets as I crossed them, all was tranquil 
 and serene, until there came the increasing sound of the 
 Baltimore steamer, which, for some reason unknown to 
 me, was that evening later than usual in its arrival. My 
 luggage was landed and carried home by means of a 
 bribe. The people had all retired to rest, but my voice 
 was instantly recognized, and an entrance was afforded 
 to me. 
 
 HUNTING ON THE ARKANSAW. 
 
 ONE of the most entertaining narrators of hunting 
 adventures, is Frederick Gerstaecker, a German tra- 
 veler, who cam* to this country several years since, ap- 
 parently for the sole purpose of hunting in the far west. 
 He worked at various employments to raise money, and 
 when he had obtained a supply, would shoulder his rifle, 
 go into the woods and hunt. His book, " Wild Sports 
 in the Far West," is exceedingly entertaining. We 
 make some extracts from it ; commencing at a point 
 
60 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 where, having been employed on a steamboat, he had 
 quarreled with the captain and got set on shore, on the 
 banks of the Arkansaw river. His narrative proceeds 
 thus : 
 
 All around me was a solitary wilderness ; the river 
 behind me, the ground frozen hard, and covered with a 
 thin sheet of snow, a cold north wind blowing through 
 the leafless branches. I felt in my pocket for my fire 
 apparatus, it was all wet ; not a single grain of powder in 
 my powder-horn, and only one barrel loaded. I thought 
 it would never do to discharge my gun for the sake of 
 lighting a fire, and remain unarmed in the wilderness. 
 I cleared away the snow from under a tree, lay down, 
 and tried to sleep ; but the wind was too sharp, the cold 
 insupportable, and I was afraid of being frozen. Driven to 
 extremity, I discharged my gun against the root of a tree 
 lighted a match by the burning wadding, collected dry 
 grass and wood, and in a minute or two had a glorious 
 fire. 
 
 Although I heard the howls of several wolves, I did 
 not mind them, but enjoyed a sound sleep. Certainly, 
 on the following morning, I trudged on, rather out of 
 spirits, with no powder, and a very hungry stomach. 
 
 I followed the direction of the river downwards, in 
 hopes of finding a house. After I had gone some dis- 
 tance, I saw an old half-sunken canoe. I baled out the 
 water with my cap, and found that she was still service- 
 able. My former intentions of visiting Texas, returned 
 in full force ; I decided on crossing to the other side, to 
 look for a house, and procure food and powder, and re- 
 
HUNTING ON THE ARKANSAW. 61 
 
 solved then to strike off in a south-west direction in 
 search of the route to Texas. 
 
 I had hardly gained the opposite bank when I disco- 
 vered a large flock of wild turkeys. I took aim, and 
 pulled the trigger, forgetting that I had not loaded ; 
 they took to the trees on my approach, and I suffered 
 the tortures of Tantalus at the sight ; but there was no 
 help for it, and I was obliged to pass on. As it always 
 happens in such cases, I saw quantities of game this 
 day. 
 
 Cold and cloudy descended the night, bringing with it 
 the dreaded north wind ; I was obliged to lie down with- 
 out a fire. In order to avoid the bears and panthers, I- 
 had climbed up a tree, but the wind was too sharp to 
 make such an airy perch endurable. At length I found 
 a hollow tree, crept in, covered my feet with my game- 
 bag, placed my gun on my left side, and, with my knife 
 in my right hand, I passed one of the most uncomforta- 
 ble Rights of my life. I heard the howling of the 
 wolves, and once the roar of a panther in the distance ; 
 but nothing came to disturb me, and the bright morning 
 sun saw me early on the inarch, for my couch was not 
 inviting enough to detain me. At length, what music 
 to my ears ! the crow of a cock and the bark of a dog 
 announced the neighborhood of a farm. I soon per- 
 ceived the thin, blue smoke of a chimney ascending into 
 the beautiful clear sky, and, with a quickened pace, 
 made towards it, hoping soon to refresh both body and 
 soul. 
 
 The good people gave me such a hospitable recep- 
 tion, and placed so much on the table, that, notwith- 
 
62 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 standing my fearful appetite, there was a great deal 
 more than I could eat. Fortunately, the farmer had a 
 stock of gunpowder, and filled my powder-horn for a 
 quarter of a dollar. 
 
 As I was about to depart, he asked if I would not 
 like to join a shooting party ; several of his neighbors 
 were coming this morning to search a thicket not far 
 from his house, where they expected to find a bear which 
 had robbed him of many of his pigs. I did not long 
 hesitate, cleaned my gun, loaded the left hand barrel 
 with ball, and the right with buck-shot, and so was ready 
 for anything. We had not long to wait, and all mounted 
 on horseback. We soon arrived at the spot, and rode 
 round and round it ; it was the thickly overgrown bed of 
 a former spring. Suddenly the dogs gave tongue, and 
 immediately afterwards the bear started out of his 
 hiding-place. Eager as we were, we could only follow 
 him slowly, on account of the thick underwood ; so we 
 hobbled the horses' fore-legs*, and pressed forward on 
 foot. 
 
 One of the party soon proclaimed that, judging by 
 the bark of the dogs, the bear must have climbed up a 
 tree. Such proved to be the case, and we had hardly 
 discovered him, when I and one of the farmers fired ; 
 both balls had taken effect, but a dull cry was the only 
 consequence ; two others of the party coming up, fired. 
 He was mortally wounded, drew himself together, and 
 hung by one paw from the tree ; as I hit him on the paw 
 with my buck-shot, he fell, and died under the bites of 
 the dogs, who threw themselves furiously on him. His 
 Hesh was savory and tender, but he yas not so fat as 
 
HUNTING ON THE ARKANSAW. 63 
 
 was expected. I remained the night with these kind 
 people, and set off again on the following morning. 
 
 "Without anything further worth noticing, Lcame, on 
 the 15th of March, to the bank of the Great Red river, 
 the boundary between the United States and Texas. A 
 farmer who had a canoe, set me over the river, and fol- 
 lowing a well-trodden path on the other side, I came to 
 a large slave plantation. The overseer, who directed 
 the labors of the negroes, said, at first, that he had no 
 room for me to sleep in ; but as there was no other house 
 far and wide where I could find shelter, he* at last 
 agreed, and I found a sumptuous supper and comforta- 
 ble bed. 
 
 The land near the river was very swampy, and over- 
 grown with thick canes, but the wood became more open 
 and the ground dryer as I left the river. On the even- 
 ing of the third day, I again slept at a plantation, and 
 this was the last night I passed in a house for some time 
 to come. The overseer lived in a block-house, and all 
 around stood the smaller huts of the slaves, one for each 
 family. During the hours of labor, he carried a heavy 
 whip to keep the blacks in order ; yet he did not seem to 
 feel quite safe amongst these poor, ill-treated people, for 
 lie had a pair of pistols in his saddle holsters. 
 
 From these quarters I marched along fresh anJ. in 
 good spirits into the forest, which already began to look 
 green. The birds sang so sweetly on the branches, that' 
 my heart was joyful and mournful at the same time ; I 
 longed in vain for a companion, with whom I could ex- 
 change thoughts. A shot echoed from the plantation, 
 and innumerable wild geese rose from the cotton-fields 
 
64 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 behind me; with a deafening noise they formed then 
 usual triangle, and flew all in the same direction. 
 
 Luckily for me, I had in my bag a couple of wild ducks 
 that I had killed and roasted the day before. The forest 
 was mortally dull, and the march began to grow rather 
 tedious, for my rambles in the north were still fresh in 
 my memory. I passed the night very pleasantly by a 
 fire, while my hunger took the second duck into con- 
 sideration. 
 
 Towards noon I came to the little river Sulphur-fork, 
 which I was obliged to wade through, after many vain 
 attempts to find a shallow place, the water corning up to 
 my chest. I began to despair of getting any thing to 
 eat, and, being thoroughly wet, I resolved to come soon 
 to a halt, and dry myself by a fire, when all at once I 
 saw about fifty deer, within shot, all quietly feeding, and 
 taking no notice of me. For an instant I stood petrified ; 
 then every fibre in my body beat and trembled with de- 
 light. The suddenness of the sight had so excited me 
 that I could not take aim, and I was obliged to wait to 
 collect myself. It was a glorious sight, such a number 
 of those noble animals together ; I counted fifty-seven, 
 and derived particular pleasure from the antics of two 
 fawns, which made the most comical bounds, and came 
 very near me without any suspicion. Regret to kill such 
 a beautiful innocent creature withheld my hand for some 
 time, but hunger was not to be cajoled, I fired, and one 
 of them fell without a cry. The effect of the report upon 
 the herd was quite ludicrous, each of the hitherto un- 
 suspicious animals became an image of attention, then 
 fled with immense bounds towards the thicket. As I did 
 
OERSTAECKER SHOOTING A PANTHER. 
 
HUNTING ON THE ARKANSAW. 67 
 
 not move they stopped again, and began to feed, but not 
 without frequently raising their heads to listen. The 
 impression which the fall of his playfellow had produced 
 on the other fawn was very different. Far from flying, 
 he came nearer, smelt the poor animal as if he thought 
 it was play, setting his fore-foot several times on the 
 body of his comrade as if to induce him to get up. I had 
 the other barrel still loaded, but thought it would be like 
 murder to injure a hair of the little creature. 
 
 As I stepped out from the bushes, the fawn stared at 
 me with astonishment in his large clear eyes ; probably 
 he had never seen a man before. He then flew like the 
 wind towards his dam, but stopping now and then as if 
 he expected his comrade. I quickly made a fire on the 
 spot to roast my game, putting the greater part of the 
 back and the brisket on sticks before the fire with hollow 
 bark underneath to catch the dripping for basting; and 
 a delicious meal was very soon the result of this simple 
 proceeding. 
 
 Next day, as I was going quietly along through forest 
 and prairie, looking out right and left for game or amuse- 
 ment, I caught sight of. something in a large oak. Fix- 
 ing my eyes steadily on it, and coming closer, I recog- 
 nized the glowing eyes of a panther crouched on a bxmgh, 
 and seemingly ready to spring. I gave him both barrels, 
 one after the other, when he fell from the tree, and died 
 with a fearful howl. He was a large handsome beast, 
 of an ashy gray color, and measuring from seven to eight 
 feet from the nose to the end of the tail. 
 
 It was well that I had venison in my game-bag, for 
 the panther would have been a tough morsel. I dragged 
 
68 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 the rather heavy skin with me till the evening, and slept 
 soundly on it for my trouble. A damp fog came on to- 
 wards morning, which soon turned to fine penetrating 
 rain, seeming to foretell a disagreeable day ; but as I 
 had enjoyed beautiful weather in general, I could not 
 complain. The sky became quite dark, the rain fell 
 heavier, and I was soon wet "through. I left the panther 
 skin where I had slept, so that I had no heavy burden 
 to carry. I found my stomach beginning to loathe the 
 quantity of animal food that was put into it, and to long 
 for bread, but I was obliged to divert my thoughts from 
 the subject, and the last remains of the venison were dis- 
 creetly devoured. Meantime I had killed a turkey, so 
 that at all events I had something in store. 
 
 My plan hitherto had been to push on to the nearest 
 eastern settlement ; but the road was too long and tedi- 
 ous, so I turned southwards, in order afterwards to pro- 
 ceed eastward towards Louisiana and the Red river. 
 The constant rain made it impossible to light a fire this 
 evening, and I passed a miserable night, for though I 
 tried to make a shelter of pieces of bark, I could not 
 manage it ; however, the night came at last to an end, 
 and cold, cross, and hungry as a lion, I went along with 
 only a plucked turkey in my bag. 
 
 About noon my day's journey was brought to an un- 
 expected end by a river that had overflowed its banks. 
 The rain had ceased, so that, with better fortune than 
 yesterday, I succeeded in making a fire, and my turkey, 
 divided into four quarters, was soon in front of it. Now, 
 comfortably stretched before my fire, I considered 
 whether I should cross the river ; I had no sort of busi- 
 
BEAR SHOOTJNG. 69 
 
 ness on the other side, and it seemed absurd to swim 
 across for nothing so I settled on quitting Texas, and 
 returning to the United States. If I had a friend with 
 me I could have gone on to the shores of the Pacific, but 
 I had no mind to do it alone. When I had finished my 
 repast, I got up and made my way in an E. S. E. 
 direction. 
 
 As the rain had left off, I made up to-night for the 
 wakefulness of the last ; when I awoke, the fire had 
 burnt out, and the sun was shining through the bursting 
 buds of the trees. I had a good wash in a neighboring 
 spring, and felt like a giant refreshed. 
 
 After taking my frugal breakfast, the remains of yes- 
 terday's meal, I drew more towards the east, in order 
 the -sooner to fall in with human beings, to eat bread, 
 and taste salt. I had occasionally used gunpowder in- 
 stead of salt, but my store of powder was not sufficient 
 for such a luxury, and it was better to be without salt 
 than without powder. 
 
 Gun on shoulder, I trudged slowly and surely on, over 
 hill and dale, through prairies and forest streams, to- 
 wards the sun-rising, taking sharp notice of all around. 
 While thus proceeding, wrapped in my thoughts sud- 
 denly something rustled in a bush in front of me, and a 
 bear started out and took to flight. My ball was soon 
 in his interior ; on being hit, he stopped and looked 
 round at me in a fury. Expecting nothing less than an 
 attack, I quietly cocked the other barrel ; but his inten- 
 tions of attacking me, seemed to pass off, and he crept 
 into a thicket instead. I quickly loaded with ball, and 
 followed him ; as I approached, he retreated slowly, pro- 
 
70 HUNTING S^)RTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 l>abl y suffering from his wound ; as soon as I got a clear 
 view of his head, I fired again, but only grazed his skull. 
 As I ran towards him, his fury increased, and he turned 
 to meet me ; on taking aim with my second barrel, at 
 about thirty paces, it missed fire. With open jaws, and 
 ears laid back, he rushed towards me ; in this mortal 
 danger I preserved my presence of mind. Dropping my 
 gun, and drawing my knife, I sprang back a couple of 
 paces, behind a small tree ; at this moment, the bear was 
 only a few feet from me. As he rose on his hind legs to 
 embrace me, he was almost as tall as I, and his fiery 
 eyes and long teeth had nothing very attractive ; but he 
 was not destined to know the taste of my flesh. 
 
 I was quite collected, feeling sure that one or the 
 other must die. The moment he tried to grasp me, I 
 thrust my long double-edged hunting knife into the 
 yawning abyss of his jaws, and boring it into his brain, 
 I brought him to the ground. I did not then know bet- 
 ter, but I ought to have sprung back after wounding 
 him, and then I should have escaped unhurt. As it was, 
 he dragged away my coat in falling, and tore my arm 
 slightly. I thanked God that it was MO worse. There 
 I sat on the sweet smelling heath, with my coat all in 
 rags, and no other to put on. To assuage my sorrow, I 
 cut a large steak from the bear, which tasted particu- 
 larly good after my severe exertions. I carried away 
 the skin. Iii the evening, I fell in with a herd of deer, 
 but did not fire at them, as I was well provided with 
 meat. 
 
 On the following evening, I heard a shot. The sound 
 ran through me like an electric shock. There were, 
 
LIFE AMONQ THE INDIANS. 71 
 
 then, other people in this wilderness, and not very far 
 off, for the shooter must be on the other side of the near- 
 est hill. I turned rapidly in the direction whence the 
 sound came, and had hardly gained the crest of the hill, 
 when a romantic and variegated scene spread itself be- 
 fore my eyes. 
 
 It was an Indian camp, and all were occupied in 
 pitching their tents, and preparing for the night. Here, 
 were some cutting tent-poles with their tomahawks ; 
 there, women collecting firewood for cooking ; men se- 
 curing the horses by hobbling their forelegs ; another 
 skinning a deer. In short, it was life in the wilds in 
 highest force. I should never have tired of looking at 
 these noble muscular figures, their faces marked with 
 various ochres, their heads adorned with feathers, and 
 their bright-colored dresses. 
 
 I was not long allowed to remain a spectator, for the 
 dogs barked and ran at me. Breaking off a green 
 bough, I went with it to the camp. The Indians called 
 off the dogs, and all eyes were now directed towards the 
 stranger. Going up to a group of young men, who were 
 stretching a deer-skin, I asked -if any of them spoke 
 English, and was directed to an elderly man, who was 
 sitting smoking under a tree, and watching me. I told 
 him that I was a traveler, that I wished to return to the 
 banks of the Red river, and asked if I could pass the 
 ni>ht in his camp. A considerable group of young men 
 had, in the meantime, assembled round us. At length 
 the old man asked, " Aje white men so scarce that you 
 come alone into the wilderness?" I replied that I liad 
 only conic for the sake of shooting, and now wished to 
 
72 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 return. Instead of an answer, he silently gave me his 
 pipe, out of which I took a few whiffs, and then handed 
 it to one of the Indians standing near me. He did the 
 same, and returned it to the chief. I now sat down be- 
 side him. He asked a great many questions, amongst 
 others, how I had torn my coat so badly ? Whereupon 
 I related my affair with the bear. He smiled, and 
 translated my account to the others, who also showed 
 interest in my adventure. 
 
 The chief then told me that it was highly dangerous 
 for any one unused to these encounters, to risk such a 
 fight, and that it was necessary to spring quickly back 
 after the thrust, the dying bear having sometimes suc- 
 ceeded in killing his enemy. He took particular notice 
 of my double-barrelled gun and hunting-knife, and said 
 that he had never before seen two barrels joined toge- 
 ther. He spoke English better than I did, and, what 
 was very agreeable, he spoke slowly. 
 
 The Indians belonged to the Choctaw tribe, and were 
 come out of Arkansas in search of game. As night 
 came on, fires were burning all around us, and the wo- 
 men, among whom were some beautiful figures, cooked 
 the suppers, while the men quietly smoked their pipes. 
 Finding the Indian fashion of staring at the fire, rather 
 tedious, I made several attempts to engage the chief in 
 conversation, but only received short answers, so that at 
 last there was nothing left for it but to play the Indian, 
 and maintain a dignified silence. 
 
 At length we retired to rest. I slept on a bear-skin 
 beside the fire, in front of the chief's tent. Before sun- 
 rise, I was awakened by the noise and songs of the In- 
 
AN INDIAN SHOOTING PARTY. 73 
 
 dians who were preparing for a shooting excursion. I 
 jumped up, and was getting ready to join them, but soon 
 remem-bered that, with my ragged coat, I could not ven- 
 ture among the thorns ; I should have been caught every 
 moment. I showed it to one of the young men, he im- 
 mediately ran off, and soon returned with a sort of coat, 
 or rather hunting-shirt made out of a blanket. He 
 made signs that he would sell it to me, and was delighted 
 to receive a dollar for it, with the rags of my green coat 
 into the bargain. For a second dollar, I obtained his 
 embroidered belt, and was now quite set up again. Re- 
 solving to be quite an Indian for the time, I left my 
 game bag in the camp. 
 
 We set off, sixteen in number, all on foot, some of the 
 Indians with firearms, others with bows and arrows, with 
 which they can hit their mark at a great distance. I 
 attached myself to one of the young men with a bow 
 and arrows, and, as we could not understand each other's 
 language, we proceeded in silence. Each of us had pro- 
 visions, which we ate as we went along. It may have 
 been about noon when we saw a herd of deer. My com- 
 panion went round to gain the wind of them, and shot a 
 couple with his unerring arrows. Away flew the others 
 in headlong fright, coming directly towards me, in such 
 blind haste, that the leader of the herd, a fat buck of 
 eleven, was little more than ten paces off, when he dis- 
 covered me. My ball pierced his heart, and he fell 
 without a cry. The rest flew in all directions. 
 
 We were obliged to return to the camp for horses to 
 carry our booty. My companion started off in a straight 
 line for the camp, which I should never have been able 
 
74 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 to find again. It was only a few miles distant, although 
 I- thought it must he at least half a day's journey hehind 
 us. On arriving at the camp, we each mounted on 'horse- 
 hack, and rode off at a quick trot to the place where our 
 game lay, which we found without difficulty, the Indian 
 having marked several trees with his tomahawk as we 
 returned. The last prize we came to was my huck, and 
 on him we saw a wild-cat preparing to enjoy itself. The 
 Indian rushed forward, and the cat, which did not per- 
 ceive him till too late, flew up a tree, whence an arrow 
 from the sure hand of my companion soon hrought it to 
 the ground. It was of a gray color, and larger than the 
 domestic cat. "When these animals are irritated they 
 will attack men : my comrade carried off the skin. 
 
 We rode back with our booty to the camp, and were 
 received with cheers. The party all returned one after 
 the other, most of them with game, one with an immense 
 bear that he had killed, the largest I had yet seen. 
 
 While cooking was going on, the young men danced 
 and sang, the women taking no part in their amuse- 
 ments, but quietly continuing their occupations. 
 
 On the following morning the chief said that he had 
 set a wolf-trap, and we went to see if anything had been 
 caught. As there was plenty of food in the camp, we 
 all went together, except three, who, having killed no- 
 thing yesterday, set off to try their luck again to-day. 
 We took four large strong dogs with us, and followed the 
 chief. With a triumphant smile, he showed me where 
 he had set the trap, and near it a trace of blood ; it was 
 shown to the dogs, and they followed it up in full cry. 
 
 After running about a mile, they barked louder and 
 
WOLF-TRAPS. 77 
 
 louder. We hurried on as fast as we could, and found 
 the wolf at his last gasp under the furious attack of the 
 dogs. They were immediately called off, and appeared 
 to have suffered considerably, particularly one, whose 
 ear the wolf, a great black beast, had bitten quite away. 
 
 These traps are set with a bait, but not fastened, for 
 if the wolf is caught, and the trap should be immovable, 
 he would bite off his own leg sooner than let himself be 
 taken. So the trap is only fastened by a chain to an 
 iron clog with four hooks ; as soon as the wolf finds him- 
 self caught, he attempts to hurry away with the trap, but 
 is detained every moment by the hooks catching in the 
 roots and bushes ; yet he manages to get clear again, and 
 has been known to take the iron clog in his mouth but 
 the trap . still remains a hinderance, and he is easily 
 traced. 
 
 By this time I had enjoyed Indian life long enough, 
 and wished myself back again in more civilized society ; 
 yet I remained another day with them, during which we 
 shot at a mark with bows and arrows, and I caused many 
 a smile among the Indians, as I shot a foot wide of the 
 mark, which they seldom missed. We next threw toma- 
 hawks at a tree, and in this practice I was rather more 
 successful. 
 
 On the following morning I resumed my journey to the 
 east, provided with venison and coarse salt, and as I saw 
 the last Indians disappear behind the trees, it seemed as 
 if I was now for the first time alone in the forest ; but I 
 soon became reaccustomed to my former life, and slept 
 again this night, as well as a man can sleep, on grass and 
 fragrant moss. 
 
78 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 Kext day I came to the Sabine, seeking in vain for a 
 ford ; and as the river was considerably swelled, and 
 seemed wider and deeper further south, there was nothing 
 for it but a swim. I made a small raft, which I bound 
 together with creepers, and securing my gun, game-bag, 
 knife, tomahawk, and powder-horn on the top of it, I 
 pushed it before me to the opposite bank. 
 
 On the 30th of January, as I arrived at the Great Red 
 river', I saw a farm-house, and the crow of a cock broke 
 on my ear as the music of the spheres. But the house 
 was on the other side of the broad and swollen stream, 
 which rolled along its dirty red waves at a fearful rate. 
 In vain I shouted and roared myself hoarse ; a shot had 
 no better effect. I had made up my mind to hide my 
 gun and other things in the bush, and swim over, when a 
 second shot roused the farmer's attention. He came to 
 the bank, and seeing some one calling and beckoning on 
 the opposite side, he cast off his canoe, and coming cross, 
 was not a little astonishing at finding me alone. 
 
 I received a hearty welcome from his family, who were 
 exceedingly amused at the appetite with which I made 
 the bread disappear, and at my enjoyment of the coffee. 
 
 As I did not wish to remain here long, I soon came to 
 an agreement with the farmer about the sale of his canoe ; 
 he let me have it for four dollars, throwing a smoked- leg 
 of venison, a roast turkey, and some loaves of maize 
 bread into the bargain. 
 
 I was soon afloat in this hollowed trunk, drifting ra- 
 pidly down the stream, which carried gigantic trees 
 along with it. The light craft dashed forward like an 
 arrow under the strokes of my paddle, so that, according 
 
NARROW ESCAPE FOR MY CANOE. 79 
 
 to a reckoning made afterwards, I must have gone about 
 400 miles in five days. It was not till late in the night 
 that I ran in among the reeds, and slept quietly in my 
 own property. 
 
 On the day after my departure, I fell in with a num- 
 ber of planks ; they had probably been washed away 
 from some village on the banks. They had floated 
 against a tree, that was stuck fast in the bed of the 
 river. Intending to take them with me, in the hope of 
 making something by their sale, I paddled to the tree, 
 and, in attempting to secure the planks, I over-reached 
 myself; the current carried away the canoe from under 
 me, and in an instant I was in the water, holding on to 
 the bough of the tree, and close to an alligator. Luckily, 
 the beast was as much afraid of me as I of him, and he 
 disappeared under the water. I quickly swung myself 
 on the bough to reach my canoe, but too late, it was 
 already in the full strength of the current, leaving me 
 hanging on the waving bough, with canoe, gun, powder, 
 and all that I possessed, a prey to the waves. I saw 
 perfectly well, at once, that I must either regain my 
 canoe, or perish miserably of starvation, so I let go the 
 bough, and swam with all my might towards the fugitive. 
 It cost a quarter of an hour's desperate exertion before 
 I reached it, and then I had to push her to the bank, in 
 order to get onboard, for any attempt to do so in the 
 middle of the stream, would have upset her. In regain- 
 ing the canoe I had saved my life. 
 
 When my store of provisions was exhausted, I shot 
 wild fowl, and got them cooked at the nearest planta- 
 
80 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 tion ; for now, as I approached Louisiana, the land was 
 more occupied. 
 
 Several hundred miles above its junction with the Mis- 
 sissippi, the Great Red river is blocked up by numbers 
 of trees that have been carried down and become fixed, 
 and although the United States government has caused 
 a passage for steamers to be cut through them, yet I 
 was advised not to attempt it with my canoe, because the 
 current ran through it with such force, that the least ob- 
 stacle I might encounter, would infallibly overset the 
 canoe. I was therefore obliged to traverse two lakes, 
 called Clear Lake, and Soda Lake, which are connected 
 with the river above and below the Raft, as the collec- 
 tion of matted trees is called. 
 
 I saw a great number of alligators sunning themselves 
 on the warm sands. I shot ten or twelve of them, 
 but could never prevail on myself to touch them. 
 They were from three to twelve feet long, and sometimes 
 even eighteen feet. Not far from the mouth of the river, 
 on the fifth day, just about dusk, seeing something white 
 in the water ahead of me, I paddled to it, and laid hold 
 of it, but drew my hand back with a shudder, and the 
 blood ran cold in my veins; it was a corpse; the naked 
 white back alone floated above the surface, head, arms, 
 and legs hanging down ; a wound several inches -long, 
 was visible on the left side, just under the ribs. I pad- 
 dled hastily away in sickening disgust, and left the hor- 
 rid object behind me. 
 
 On the following morning I entered the Mississippi, 
 the excessively dirty " Father of Waters." The scenery 
 assumed a more tropical character, and the long waving 
 
BY STEAMER TO NEW ORLEANS. 81 
 
 moss hanging from the gigantic trees, gave it a pecu- 
 liarly strange aspect. After entering this magnificent 
 river, I took on board fresh provender, not far from the 
 junction, and directed my course towards that " New 
 Orleans," now some 240 miles distant, about which I 
 had heard so much. But on the second day, when I 
 was still some hundred miles from it, a little above Ba- 
 ton Rouge, it came on to blow fresh, and the wind 
 caused such a swell in the river, that I could no longer 
 keep my little craft free of water, indeed it was not with- 
 out great effort and difficulty that I was able to reach 
 
 the shore. 
 
 
 
 There was a farm near the place where I landed, 
 whose owner had a quantity of wood for sale, ready cut, 
 and piled up for the use of steamers. A steamer bound 
 for New Orleans, was in the act of wooding at the time. 
 It would have been folly to have attempted to continue 
 the voyage in such a swell in so frail a craft as mine, and 
 as I found the farmer willing to buy her, we soon agreed 
 as to terms. I transferred my effects to the steamer, 
 and late on the same evening, arrived at New Orleans. 
 
 For the night I slept on board, but early the next 
 morning went to a German tavern to refresh myself 
 after all the hardships I had undergone, and to sleep in 
 a regular bed. Oh, how comfortably I stretched myself 
 on the soft mattress ! I got up very early to have a 
 look at the place, having no wish to show myself in the 
 costume of a savage, when the streets were thronged. 
 For nine months my hair had been uncut, and during 
 five, no razor had approached my chin ; then what, with 
 my old woollen hunting-shirt, my embroidered belt, and 
 6 
 
82 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 4fe 
 
 the high waterproof boots, which had faithfully held out 
 to the last, people would have thought me more like a 
 scarecrow than a human being ; my first visit was to a 
 barber. 
 
 I had heard too much boasting and bragging about 
 New Orleans, not to be disappointed in my expecta- 
 tions. I found it by no means so splendidly or so taste- 
 fully built as was asserted, and as I walked along the 
 narrow streets my thoughts wandered to the far more 
 agreeable Cincinnati. The only handsome building in 
 New Orleans, and one without parallel, is the St. 
 Charles' Hotel, which certainly is very magnificent. 
 
 It is no wonder that the air of New Orleans should be 
 generally so unhealthy, and in autumn, quite pestilen- 
 tial ; for the town is built in a complete swamp, and re- 
 quired to be protected by a dam, from being submerged 
 by the river. It certainly was never intended by nature 
 for the abode of man ; at most, it is fitted for alligators, 
 frogs and mosquitoes. It is the churchyard of the Uni- 
 ted States. 
 
 HUNTING IN ARKANSAS. 
 
 Mr. Gerstaecker, in the course of his wanderings, 
 made the acquaintance of another man, as fond of hunt- 
 ing as himself, to whom he gives the name of Slowtrap. 
 We suspect that this, as well as all the other names he 
 gives to real personages, is invented for the occasion. 
 
HABITUAL RESERVE OF THE AMERICANS. 83 
 
 The following is an account of his visit to Slowtrap's 
 dwelling in Arkansas ; and some of his hunting adven- 
 tures in company with his hospitable friend : 
 
 At length the swamps were behind us. We crossed 
 a small prairie, passed an old buffalo salt-lick, and ar- 
 rived at Slowtrap's dwelling, planted on a spur of the 
 hills which ran out into the plains. It was in no way 
 different from the usual log-houses, sixteen feet square, 
 from nine to ten high, with an enormous fireplace, no 
 window, and weighted roof; close by was afield of about 
 seven acres, planted with maize. His wife and children 
 stood at the door as we arrived, and although I knew 
 that they were much attached to each other, and lived 
 happily together, and he had been about three weeks 
 absent, not the least word' was exchanged that could be 
 construed into a greeting. " Take my saddle in," said 
 S. to his eldest son, a boy of eight years old, who was 
 leaning on the fence, looking at us as if we were perfect 
 strangers, in whom he had no concern. At last, when 
 the horse was cared for, and all things in their places, 
 S. went into the house, took a seat, and lifted his young- 
 est child into his lap ; and then he said, " How do you 
 do, all of you?" This distant reserve of the Ame- 
 ricans, so prevalent even in their own families, often 
 struck cold on my heart, and made me regret my native 
 land. Man and wife are often as reserved towards each 
 other as two strangers .who meet for the first time, and 
 care not about meeting again. I have seen Americans 
 leave home, to be absent for months, without shaking 
 hands with their wives, or saying " good-bye," and it is 
 the same on their return. I must believe, for the honor 
 
84 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 of the Americans, that this reserve is mere custom, and 
 does not proceed from any real want of affection, as I 
 have seen proofs of deep feeling amongst them, but it 
 always made a disagreeable impression on me. But still 
 worse was it to see Germans aping this fashion, as often 
 happened to be my lot. 
 
 When quietly seated, I took a survey of the dwelling. 
 In two corners stood two large beds, covered with good 
 stout quilts of many colors ; between the beds, about 
 four feet from the ground, was a shelf holding a few 
 more quilts, and the linen of the family, which was not 
 over-abundant, comprising three or four articles for each 
 person. Under this shelf were two "gums," trunks of 
 a hollow tree, about a foot in diameter, and two and a 
 half or three feet high, with a piece of board nailed on 
 the bottom. They are applied to all sorts of purposes : 
 I have seen them used as beehives ; these, I subsequently 
 found, were one for flour, and the other for salt. Two 
 wooden hooks over the door, supported my host's long 
 rifle, with his powder-horn and shot-pouch. A shelf held 
 some shoemaker's tools, leather, &c., Gun's Domestic 
 Medicine, a family Bible, the Life of Washington, the 
 Life of Marion, Franklin's Maxims, an almanac, and a 
 well-worn map of the United States. Various files, 
 awls, broken knives, and a bullet-mould, were stuck into 
 the crevices of logs near the fireplace. On the left of 
 it were two short shelves, with four plates, two cups, 
 three saucers, some tin pots, and a large coffee-pot, 'all 
 as bright and clean as possible. In the corner of the 
 fireplace, was an iron pan with a cover, for baking, 
 bread, and two saucepans, one broken. Several joints 
 
MECHANICAL INGENUITY OF BACKWOODSMEN. 85 
 
 of smoked meat hung from the roof, surrounded by 
 strips of dried pumpkin, suspended on poles. 
 
 The above-named boy, a girl of ten, a blue-eyed, flaxen- 
 haired, rosy-cheeked girl of four, diligently munching a 
 bunch of wild grapes, and the little one on my friend's 
 lap, formed the family; they all looked shyly at me, 
 tkough they had seen me six months before, so that I 
 was not quite a stranger to them. 
 
 We had agreed to set off for the mountains at 'once 
 but Slowtrap found some business to detain him at home, 
 so it was put off till the next week, and I amused myself 
 in the mean time as well as I could ; and as I was ac- 
 quainted with the country, I took my rifle, and paid a 
 few visits to old acquaintances, returning to Slowtrap's 
 on the 12th December, partly on account of the cold wet 
 weather, and partly to mend my moccasins, which had 
 suffered severely from the sharp stones of these moun- 
 tains. Slowtrap happened to be mending a pair of shoes 
 at the same time. It is a general practice with the back- 
 woodsmen to make their own shoes, and a regular shoe- 
 maker is a scarce article in this part of the world. As 
 they are thrown on their own resources from their youth, 
 these Americans are very skillful in providing for their 
 necessary wants, and are particularly expert with the 
 axe, which they begin to wield as soon as their arms are 
 strong enough to lift it. They use it for a variety of 
 purposes building houses, laying roofs and floors, form- 
 ing the chimneys and doors, the only other tool used be- 
 ing an auger ; and nothing amuses them more than to see 
 the awkwardness of a new comer, when first he handles 
 an axe. Besides making their own shoes, they under 
 
86 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 stand enough of tanning to prepare the leather ; they 
 make their own ploughs, dig wells, &c. ; for all which 
 operations Europeans require so many different work- 
 men. 
 
 As we sat together before the fire, there was no dif- 
 ficulty in getting Slowtrap to relate some of his adven- 
 tures with the Indians in his early days. In the evening 
 we brought in some pumpkins, and as we cut them into 
 thin rings to hang on the poles to dry he began to speak 
 in the following words of the perils he had been exposed 
 to in Kentucky, and his narrow escapes from the Indians : 
 " Kentucky was at that time a wilderness, when my father, 
 my uncle, and myself, arrived near the dwelling of Daniel 
 Boone, to look about for a spot that would suit us; for 
 North Carolina, where we then lived, began to be too 
 populous, and a man who wanted to shoot a turkey or 
 partridge was tired before he had walked half an hour, 
 from the number of fences he was obliged to climb over. 
 I was then just eighteen, as strong as a four-year-old bear, 
 and was delighted at the thought of meeting the Indians. 
 It was about this time of the year, and the game we saw 
 made our hearts bound : numbers of bears, deer, and buf- 
 faloes ; while the turkeys would hardly get out of our 
 way. It would tire you to tell you of all the sport we 
 had, for no country in the world could boast of more game 
 than Kentucky thirty years ago ; but now it is no better 
 there than it was then in North Carolina, and five years 
 hence, a man who wants to shoot a bear in Arkansas, 
 will have many a weary mile to tramp. One evening we 
 arrived at the edge of a cane-brake, and as there was 
 good feeding for the horses, we resolved to pass the night 
 
AN INDIAN ADVENTURE. 87 
 
 there. We hobbled the forelegs of the horses with some 
 bark of the papao tree, and hung a bell round the neck of 
 niy uncle's mare. Yet, not being sure of escaping the 
 vigilance of the Indians, we kept watch by turns. Noth- 
 ing suspicious occurred till about midnight, when the 
 sound of the bell ceased, which I, having the watch at 
 the time, thought rather extraordinary, as the horses 
 were not in the-habit of lying down till morning. The 
 dogs also were restless, particularly a greyheaded bear- 
 hound, who gave a howl when the wind came from the 
 quarter where the horses had been left. I did not awake 
 the two seniors, but I passed an anxious night. Towards 
 morning I heard the bell again, but further off, and more 
 to the right. My father woke about daybreak, and I 
 told him what had disquieted me. It seemed rather sus- 
 picious to him also, but he thought the horses might per- 
 haps have strayed a little in search of fresh reeds. As 
 soon as it was broad daylight, he took his bridle and rifle, 
 and went with 'Watch,' the old dog, towards the sound 
 of the bell, to bring back the horses. My uncle woke in 
 the mean time. We had set a delicate morsel to broil. 
 I was catching the dripping from some roasting bear's 
 meat, in a piece of hollow bark, to baste the turkey, when 
 my father came back without the horses, and said he had 
 found infallible traces of Indians near our camp. My 
 uncle wished to examine the marks ; so we shouldered 
 our rifles, and proceeded to the place where the horses 
 had been feeding the evening before. In one rather 
 moist place there was a very clear impression of a moc- 
 casin, and one of the savages had inconsiderately stepped 
 on the trunk of a fallen tree, which being rotten, had 
 
 , 
 
88 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 yielded to his weight, leaving the mark of a foot. While 
 examining it, we heard a noise in the canes. In an in- 
 stant our rifles were all directed to the spot ; but it was 
 only my horse sticking his head out of the canes, and 
 neighing at sight of us. My uncle now settled that, as 
 he was best acquainted with the cunning and tricks of 
 the Indians, he would seek the horses alone, and nothing 
 we urged could dissuade him from his purpose. IJe took 
 my father's bridle, and my horse, and was soon mounted, 
 slowly and cautiously following up the trail. Losing 
 sight of him, we went back to the camp to look after our 
 breakfast, which we had forgotten in the first excitement. 
 We remained constantly listening for the sound of the 
 bell, when we heard a shot, and directly afterwards three 
 more in quick succession. We were up in an instant, 
 started towards the sound, and soon heard the gallop of 
 a horse, and saw my uncle advancing a"t full speed. 
 When he reached us he pulled up short, so that the horse 
 reared. His eyes were glazed ; he was very pale, reeled 
 in his saddle, and fell into my arms, which I extended to 
 receive Jiim. It was well for us that the Indians had not 
 followed him, or we should have fallen an easy prey. 
 My uncle recovered after a short time, and told us, with 
 failing voice, that as he was following up the trail, he dis- 
 tinctly heard the bell again at a little distance, and rid- 
 ing cautiously forward, rather distrustful of the deep 
 silence, he saw my father's horse standing by a fallen* 
 tree. He rode up to him, keeping a sharp look-out all 
 round ; and just as he leaned over to take hold of the 
 bell-strap which was round his neck, an Indian appeared 
 not fifteen paces off, took aim, and fired ; feeling himself 
 
INDIAN ADVENTURE RACCOON SHOOTING. 89 
 
 hit, he let go the horse, brought forward his rifle, and 
 fired, when more dark figures appeared right and left. 
 He turned his horse, and gave him the spurs. He sank 
 fainting to the ground, and the dark blood flowed out as 
 we opened his clothes. He was hit in three places, and 
 two of the wounds were mortal. After a few minutes 
 he raised himself again, gave us each a hand, which we 
 pressed in silence, drew a deep breath, and fell back a 
 corpse. We buried him on the spot, and vowed a deep 
 revenge, which we faithfully consummated : a few nights 
 afterwards, the wolves were tearing the flesh from three 
 corpses over the fresh grave." 
 
 Having finished his tale, my host sat for some time 
 with his head leaning on his hand, thinking of times long 
 past. His wife had fallen asleep : she had, probably, 
 heard the tale many times before, and as it was rather 
 late, we were all glad to retire. 
 
 The dogs barked several times during the night, and 
 about an hour and a half before daylight, they were 
 quite furious ; supposing their excitement to be caused 
 by raccoons, or opossums, we started up, and took our 
 guns, called the dogs, and went into the piercing cold 
 morning air, though it was too dark to see one's hand ; 
 my thin deer-skin moccasins were soon frozen, which by 
 no means added to my agreeable sensations. The bark 
 of the dogs soon showed that they had chased something 
 to a tree. As our feet were dreadfully cold, and it was 
 still too dark to shoot, we lighted a fire, and though the 
 dogs enjoyed its warmth, they never forgot the object of 
 our being there, keeping their eyes fixed on the tree, and 
 giving, from time to time, a short impatient howl. At 
 
90 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 length a gleam appeared in the east ; gradually the forms 
 of the nearest objects became visible ; as the light in- 
 creased, we could make out, on one of the upper branches 
 of a tree, a dark spot, which afterwards was distinctly 
 seen to be a raccoon. S raised his rifle slowly, and 
 took aim; the dogs jumped up, and looked to and fro 
 from the muzzle of the gun to the dark spot on the tree, 
 giving a slight whine the piece became steady a flash 
 a sharp report and the creature fell dead from the top 
 of the tree. The dogs seized it instantly, and it cost 
 some trouble to rescue it from their fangs, before the skin 
 was quite spoiled. 
 
 We returned to the house, and rested again till break- 
 fast. After breakfast I went out to shoot turkeys, which 
 were very numerous ; but when I descended to the lower 
 valley of the river, I found such an abundance of winter 
 grapes, that I thought no more of my shooting, but 
 gathering a good quantity, I lay down under a tree to 
 enjoy them. After lying there about a couple of hours, 
 I was rousecl by hearing the turkeys calling ; so, hiding 
 myself behind a fallen tree, I "used my decoy pipe, and 
 ten or a dozen stout fellows came strutting along. When 
 they arrived within about twenty paces I gave a whistle, 
 which brought them to a stand, and I shot the largest 
 through the head. Satisfied with my prize, I returned 
 to the house, and found that the grapes had quite spoiled 
 my dinner. 
 
 As the weather turned out fine and warm in the after- 
 noon, determined to hunt in the wood for a swarm of 
 wild bees, which we had sought for in vain about six 
 
BEE-HUNTING IN THE BACKWOODS. 91 
 
 months before. We took some bait with us, and went 
 to a spot about half a mile off. 
 
 To induce bees to take bait in the fall of the year, 
 the hunter looks out for a small open space in their 
 neighborhood, and if he cannot find one, he must make 
 a clearance with his knife and tomahawk, stick a branch 
 upright in the ground, and lay some leaves on it, spread 
 with a little thinned honey. The bees soon discover it, 
 and when they have got as much of the honey as they 
 can carry, they rise in circles, which become larger and 
 larger, till they attain a certain height, then they dash 
 off direct for their own tree, to deposit their store in the 
 general warehouse. The bee-hunter must take particu- 
 lar notice of the line of their flight, which requires a 
 good eye, and then carry his bait some two hundred 
 yards further in that direction, when the bees . will soon 
 flock round it again. If, when loaded, they keep the 
 same course, it is a sign that ther tree is still in that di- 
 rection, and the bait must be carried further, until they 
 fly the other way. Then the bee-hunter will know that 
 he has passed the tree, and that it must be between his 
 present and his last station, and he is not long in find- 
 ing it. When he comes near the tree, and the bees are 
 at work, their unsteady. zigzag flight will betray its prox- 
 imity. 
 
 The first time we moved our bait, the bees flew back- 
 ward, so we knew that we could not be more than a hun- 
 dred yards from their tree ; but the approaching night 
 prevented our discovering it. Next morning, about ten 
 o'clock, as it began to get warm, we returned to our 
 hunt, and in less than half an hour, found the hole where 
 
92 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 the little laborers were passing in and out. It was in a 
 nearly decayed, not very large post-oak, a tree that pre- 
 fers moist soils, though it also grows on hills. It bears 
 small and rather sweet acorns ; its wood is very durable, 
 and will remain long in the ground without rotting. 
 I rode hastily back to the house, for we had taken a 
 horse with us for the chase, and returned with a pail, an 
 axe, a knife, and a spoon. The tree soon fell u^der our 
 blows smoke was made, the bees stupefied, an opening 
 cut, and a most beautiful sight for a bee-hunter pre- 
 sented itself, in a number of well-filled cells. We filled 
 the pail with the best, ate as much as our stomachs 
 would bear, set the tree on fire, that the bees might not 
 lead us astray in our next hunt, and returned to the 
 house. 
 
 As there were several things to be done about the 
 house, we remained at home, cut down firewood, and 
 carried it to the house, ground flour in Slowtrap's excel- 
 lent steel mill, and when the .evening shadows began to 
 lengthen fast, we sat by the fire, and the old fellow, ren- 
 dered good-humored fry the successful bee-hunt, began 
 again with his stories. In the course of the day, we had 
 seen a man pass by with a smooth-bored gun, and as 
 such a thing was a rarity in the backwoods, the conver- 
 sation turned on this circumstance. He said : "I once 
 had a smooth-bored gun, called a musket, and not far 
 from the house where we then lived, was a small lake, 
 generally covered with wild fowl. One morning I took 
 the old thumper, for it kicked tremendously, and lounged 
 towards the lake to have a shot. I had not gone far 
 along the bank, when I saw through a gap, a number of 
 
DUCK-SHOOTING CURLY THE SETTLER. 93 
 
 ducks swimming quietly on the other side of a thick 
 bush ; a fallen tree stretching out into the lake, seemed 
 to offer a good bridge to approach them by. When I 
 got to the end of it, and was about sixty yards from the 
 birds, I raised the heavy old musket to take aim, but 
 knowing how old kill-devil kicked, I leant as far for- 
 ward as possible, with the firm conviction that the recoil 
 would drive me back on the tree. Three ducks were 
 swimming in a line, and thinking this a good chance, I 
 pulled the trigger, leaning, if possible, still further for- 
 ward in the act; but it only snapped, the expected recoil 
 failed, and I fell head over heels into the lake. I had 
 some trouble in getting back again to the shore, and 
 never saw ducks or musket again." 
 
 The sky seemed to promise a continuance of fine 
 weather, and as there was no prospect at present of 
 Slowtrap's visit to the mountains, I resolved to take a 
 little shooting excursion alone. The shooting on the 
 north of the river was not so good as on the south, as 
 there were fewer settlements ; so I determined to cross 
 over, and try my luck. A young man of the name of 
 Curly, lived close to the south bank ; he was certainly 
 strongly suspected of horse-stealing, but in other respects 
 was a good fellow, and a capital sportsman ; his little 
 weakness respecting horse-flesh was a matter of indiffer- 
 ence to me, he could not steal any of mine, so I went to 
 the river and hailed, when he soon brought his canoe 
 and carried me across. 
 
 He was easily persuaded to accompany me for a few 
 days, first requesting time to prepare some provisions. 
 He lived in a small block-house, close to the river, sur- 
 
94 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 rounded by trees, and without an inch of cultivated land ; 
 he subsisted mostly by shooting. He had only lately 
 arrived ; his mother, wife, and sister lived in the house 
 with him. As he had no flour in store, it was necessary 
 to grind some, but his mill was more like a mortar than 
 anything else. Such mills are frequent in Arkansas. 
 A sound tree is cut off about three feet from the ground, 
 and hollowed by fire, knife, and chisel, till it will hold 
 about as much as a pail ; it is made as smooth as possi- 
 ble, and a logger-head, or pestle of hard wood, is sus- 
 pended to a balanced pole, such as is frequently fitted to 
 wells. It may be imagined that pounding corn in this 
 way is hard work, and as only a small quantity at a time 
 can be prepared, it has to be done before every meal ; but 
 this is the only resource of all those who are too poor to 
 buy a steel mill. At last Curly had as much as would 
 serve for two days, in case we shot nothing. He rolled 
 up in his blanket all the things he^ meant to take, hung 
 his tin pot and tomahawk to his belt, and off we set into 
 the glorious freedom of the forest. 
 
 We might have gone about three miles, when we came 
 on the trail of several deer, though we had seen nothing 
 of the precious creatures themselves ; and as it began to 
 grow dark, and we found ourselves near a bubbling 
 spring, and a black hawberry bush looked very attrac- 
 tive, we resolved 'to camp there, and to begin our sport 
 as early as possible in the morning. We cast off our 
 blankets, laid down our rifles, and collected wood for a 
 fire, the night promising to be rather cold. We soon 
 had a fire, of which a volcano need not have been 
 ashamed, and lay down to repose. Our supper consisted 
 
A PRIZE CURLY'S MISHAP. 95 
 
 of dried venison, slices of bacon, maize bread, and cof- 
 fee ; a princely repast for the forest ; but we hoped to 
 have fresh meat on the morrow. 
 
 We breakfasted with the first gleam of light, fed the 
 dogs, and related stories until it was light enough to see 
 the sights on the muzzles of the rifles ; then taking our 
 preconcerted directions, we trod lightly and cautiously 
 over the dried leaves. A little before sunrise I heard 
 the crack of Curly's rifle ; a few minutes later a second 
 report, then a third. I stood still for about a quarter 
 of an hour, in case a frightened deer should bound past. 
 Nothing moved ; I continued my march. I had not 
 gone far when I saw a majestic buck at a walk. I crept 
 lightly to a right angle with ,hkcourse ; when about 
 eighty yards off, I gave a hail : he stopped, and my ball 
 pierced his shoulder ; after a few bounds, he lay strug- 
 gling in the yellow leaves. Bearsgrease rushed after him, 
 but finding him already dead, he only licked the wound, 
 and lay quietly beside him, waiting for his share of the 
 prize. I took the skin and the two legs, hanging the 
 latter on a tree with the skin over them, cut a few bits 
 of the rest for Bearsgrease, leaving the remainder for the 
 wolves and vultures, and continued my march. Soon 
 after I heard a shot, about a hundred yards off on the 
 other side of a thick jungle, and proceeded towards the 
 sound. It turned out to be Curly, who had killed a tur- 
 key ; he* was lying under a tree, and told me, with a 
 mournful visage, that, having wounded a buck, he was 
 following him over some loose stones, when he sprained 
 his ankle, and could hardly move, being obliged to leave 
 the wounded deer to its fate. 
 
96 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 As we had traversed the country in a circle, we were 
 not far from our last night's camp. I helped him to it 
 as well as I could, and both heing hungry, we roasted the 
 turkey. But Curly had lost all heart for shooting, and, 
 with the help of a big stick, limped slowly homewards, 
 where he could lay up his leg to nurse. I could not tear 
 myself away so soon, and continued my sport alone. 
 
 As the sky grew cloudy and threatening, I made a 
 tent of my blanket, and collected wood enough to defy 
 any quantity of rain that might fall. When all this was 
 arranged, I went to the tree where I had left my venison 
 and skin, and to give Bearsgrease another feed from the 
 carcase. But I was too late ; the vultures had left noth- 
 ing but the bones, and had torn the skin on the tree, 
 which, however, I was in time to rescue, and hanging it 
 over my shoulders, with the legs safe in my arms, I re- 
 turned to my camp. Having made a good fire, and 
 roasted a slice of meat, the coffee being all gone, and the 
 bread reduced to one small piece, I fed my dog, and lay 
 down to repose. About midnight I was awakened by a 
 formidable thunderstorm. Bearsgrease began to howl 
 dreadfully, and close behind me an oak burst into flames. 
 Flash followed flash, while the thunder was incessant; 
 the whole forest seemed to swim in a lake of fiery brim- 
 stone, the rain poured in torrents, and the little stream 
 swelled to a foaming river. When the storm ceased, 
 silence and darkness took its place, only disturbed by the 
 rustling of the rain falling perpendicularly on the leaves. 
 My blanket protected me well ; I was perfectly dry, and 
 soon fast asleep again. Towards morning it cleared up, 
 and the weather was the most glorious for shooting that 
 
AN UNPLEASANT NOCTURNAL VISITOR. 97 
 
 could possibly be imagined. I was on foot by daybreak, 
 and by ten o'clock I had three deer hanging to the trees. 
 My last night's repose having been broken by the storm, 
 and yesterday's and to-day's exertions having fatigued 
 me very much, I threw myself under a tree, and enjoyed 
 a delightful nap. The sun was near the horizon when I 
 awoke, and there was hardly time for me to return to 
 camp and collect wood before dark, for the night threat- 
 ened to be very cold : but it was bright starlight, and my 
 blanket was dry, so I rolled myself comfortably in its 
 folds. 
 
 I lay awake till past midnight, giving the reins to my 
 imagination ; and when I fell asleep I dreamed of stretched 
 deerskins, and that Bearsgrease was chasing an immense 
 buck, when his loud barking and howling awoke me. I 
 patted him to keep him quiet, and found his hair all brist- 
 ling up. I thought wolves must be near us ; and listen- 
 ing attentively, I heard the cautious tread of some heavy 
 beast over the dry frosty leaves. 
 
 I laid some dry fir branches, which were near me, on 
 the fire, to make it burn up bright, and placed myself 
 between it and the noise of the footsteps, in order to dis- 
 tinguish the eyes of my untimely visitor, and shoot him. 
 Three times I caught sight of two glowing balls, and from 
 their rapid disappearance I was convinced that I had to 
 do with a panther. He went round and round the fire 
 several times, but never close enough for me to distin- 
 guish his form ; and I passed half an hour with my rifle 
 at my cheek, in the greatest anxiety, the dog pressing 
 close to my side, with all his nerves on the stretch, fol- 
 7 
 
98 HUNTING SPOUTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 lowing the tread of the panther, and giving a fearftd 
 howl every time he passed across the wind. 
 
 The brute, not possessing courage enough to attack, 
 at length withdrew ; but I remained a good quarter of 
 an hour longer on the watch, till the dog, persuaded that 
 all was safe, had lain down again, when I followed his 
 example, wrapped myself in my blanket, and was soon 
 fast asleep. 
 
 The morning was bitterly cold ; and as I had nothing 
 on my feet but a pair of thin deer-skin moccasins, not 
 even stockings, I thought of a plan I had learned from 
 an old sportsman, and bathed my feet in the icy cold 
 water of the stream, dried them well, and put on my 
 moccasins. My feet were soon in a glow, and remained 
 warm all the morning. 
 
 I started at daylight, and followed the course of the 
 stream downwards; but the bushes grew thicker and 
 thicker, and I was about returning to cross the hill to 
 another brook, when I caught sight of a noble stag in 
 the thicket on my right. I crept quickly and silently 
 round the bush to cut him off, when suddenly I heard a 
 most heart-rending cry from a deer. My first impulse 
 was to rush towards the sound, and on the first move- 
 ment I made for this purpose, Bearsgrease bounded for- 
 wards ; but I thought better of it, and a sharp whistle 
 stopped the dog in his career. A second fainter whistle 
 brought him to my side ; then, hiding behind a tree, I 
 reflected on what was best to be done. 
 
 The shriek certainly came from a deer, and nothing 
 but a panther could have caused it; for if it had been a 
 
SHOOTING A PANTHER. 99 
 
 wolf, all would not have been silent again so soon, as a 
 wolf could not have overpowered a deer so quickly. 
 
 Now, I had often heard from Americans how the pan- 
 ther darts on his prey, kills it in an instant, and, after 
 eating his fill, buries or covers up the rest for a future 
 meal. I resolved to try and make sure of the panther, 
 and, if possible, to creep up to him unperceived. I did 
 not then know how difficult it was to outwit a panther ; 
 but this time fortune favored me. 
 
 After waiting about half an hour, I thought I might 
 make the attempt, and crept lightly and cautiously to- 
 wards the thicket; the dog, well knowing my object, 
 crept as silently after me. Just as I gained the edge of 
 the thicket, and was looking out for the best place to en- 
 ter it with the least noise, I heard a light rustling. My 
 heart began to beat violently, the bush opened, and my 
 eyes encountered the fierce orbs of the panther. Doubt- 
 less, in the first moment of surprise, he did not know 
 exactly what to do ; but his surprise did not last long : 
 a panther has a bad conscience, and justly supposes a 
 foe in every living being not belonging to his own race ; 
 and, crouching down about twenty paces from me in the 
 yellow grass, he was preparing either to make a spring, 
 or to hide himself, I could not tell which. But I was 
 not idle ; during the time he stooped, my arm had re- 
 covered its steadiness, the rifle cracked, the animal made 
 one spring upwards, and fell dead to the earth. Bears- 
 grease seized him on the instant, and seemed to take 
 exquisite pleasure in shaking the skin of his deadliest 
 foe, and he cast many a longing look behind, when, at 
 my command he followed up the panther's trail. We 
 
100 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 soon came to the place where he had killed the buck, 
 and covered it with leaves ; the skin had been so mauled 
 that it was useless., but I stripped off the panther's, and 
 set out on my return to my camp, deciding to go back to 
 old Slowtrap's, and to commence my march on the 
 Ozark mountains as soon as possible. 
 
 On arriving at the camp, I tied up the skin with strips 
 of bark, and although I took very little of the venison 
 with me, I had a heavy load. I reached Curly 's in 
 the evening. As it was nearly dark, I had no fancy 
 for crossing the river at night, and creeping for half an 
 hour through a cane-brake, with the chance of getting 
 my eyes poked out ; so I remained with Curly. The 
 house was small, but it contained two large bedsteads, 
 one table, three chairs, two plates, and one cup ; a hole 
 in the wall did duty for the absent window. 
 
 We passed a very pleasant evening. Curly sang well, 
 and gave us a number of Irish comic songs, till, tired 
 with laughing and the severe exertions of the day, I 
 rolled myself in my blanket, and laid myself by the fire. 
 I was up at daybreak, and the river being low, waded 
 through, hastened to Slowtrap's, and spread out my 
 skin. Slowtrap was out shooting wild fowl, which 
 had collected in such numbers on a little river, running 
 into the Fourche le Fave, that I never saw anything 
 like it ; they positively covered the water, and a good 
 double-barrelled gun might have done immense havoc, 
 particularly as the steep banks favored the approach to 
 within thirty yards of the ducks. 
 
 Supposing the old fellow not to be far off, I took my 
 rifle, and lounged down to the brink, of the river ; not 
 
HUNTING BEARS AND PANTHERS. 103 
 
 with any intention of shooting, as my rifle had too large 
 a bore ; but I came upon a string of ducks, not more 
 than fifteen yards off. This was too enticing ; I raised 
 the gun, and off went the golden green head of the 
 largest of them. I reloaded, fished out my bird, and 
 was turning up the stream, when I heard Slowtrap's gun 
 above a mile off, and as I had no intention of walking 
 so far, I took my duck by the neck, and walked home. 
 Where wad my home? Wherever I happened to be 
 whore I had erected a bark shed, or spread my blanket, 
 or lighted a fire, or where the hospitable roof of a farmer 
 or backwoodsman received me ; though the next morning 
 mi<jht find me with all my goods on my back no heavy 
 burden seeking new shooting ground, and new home. 
 What then ? I went home and commenced mending my 
 old moccasins once more, though they were almost worn 
 out ; and as I had some tanned deer-skin, I cut out a 
 ju-w pair, for the others would have never survived a 
 long march. 
 
 HUNTING BEARS AND PANTHERS. 
 
 MKAXTIME it grew dusk, continues Gerstaecker, and 
 Slowtrap returned with seven ducks, three of which had 
 had their heads shot off. Meat was now plentiful. 
 After S. had made himself comfortable, that is to saj, 
 had taken off his hat, laid aside his rifle and pouch, 
 pulled off his wet shoes and stockings, taken unto him- 
 
104 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 self a slice of cold turkey, with its appropriate maize 
 bread and boiled pumpkin, seated himself with his feet 
 to the fire, cut off a piece of his chair to make a tooth- 
 pick, and begun complacently to pick his teeth, a sure 
 sign that he felt comfortable, all which operations took 
 about three quarters of an hour, he asked, " Well, what's 
 the news ?" As the answer was not encouraging, ano- 
 ther long pause ensued. When it was quite dark, and a 
 good fire was burning, his wife brought us some bread and 
 milk, of which he partook largely, and then began to 
 thaw, and speak of his exploits ; he had fired eleven times, 
 and his piece had missed fire twenty-seven times, a habit 
 the old flint gun had ; but he had nevertheless brought 
 home seven ducks, and he had seen afresh panther trail, 
 the panther had probably seen him from a tree, and 
 jumped down and escaped. 
 
 He took particular notice of my panther skin, and 
 thought that there must be a number of them about, but 
 that formerly there were more than twice as many in 
 Kentucky. "Ah, at that time," said he, a man might 
 shoot five or six deer before breakfast, and once I had 
 got up at daylight, and shot two noble bucks, and 
 stalked a third for half a mile, when he got scent of me 
 and escaped. I was tired with my exertions, ar;d had 
 scarcely any sleep all night, for a rascally panther had been 
 howling near me, and several times came so close to the 
 fire that I could make out his form, though he never 
 gave me time to put a ball into him with certainty. So 
 I threw myself under a tree, to rest a little, meaning 
 then to continue my sport ; but somehow my eyes closed 
 unconsciously, and I can't say how long I may have 
 
SURPRISED BY A PANTHER. 105 
 
 lain there, when, still half asleep, I heard a strong rustl- 
 ing among the dry leaves which surrounded me, and felt 
 that they were being thrown over me, so that I was quite 
 covered in a few minutes. Surprise at first, and then 
 an instinct of danger, which I did not quite understand, 
 kept me motionless, awaiting the result : before I had 
 formed any resolution, I heard something moving stealth- 
 ily away, and cautiously raising my head, saw a panther 
 disappear in the thicket. My first act was to jump up 
 and look to my priming, and as I saw nothing more of the 
 beast, though I was sure that it would return, I resolved 
 to oppose cunning to cunning. A piece of a broken 
 bough lay near ; I dragged it to the spot, and covered it 
 carefully with dried leaves, then slinging my rifle on my 
 back, I mounted a neighboring oak, to await in patience, 
 but with a beating heart, the conclusion of the adven- 
 ture, as the panther might return at any moment. I 
 may have sat for rather more than half an hour, my 
 eyes steadfastly fixed on the place where the panther 
 had vanished, when the bough began to move, and the 
 female panther (for a female it turned out to be) reap- 
 peared with two cubs, intending, no doubt, that I should 
 serve as supper for the family. This time she had reck- 
 oned without her host. I remained silent and motion- 
 less in the tree, watching every movement and keeping 
 the rifle in readiness. She crept stealthily to within 
 fifteen paces of the spot where she had left me covered 
 up with leaves, and crouched down with her green eyes 
 glaring upon the log ; the next instant she made a spring, 
 struck the claws of both her fore-feet into it, and buried 
 her sharp fangs deep into the rotten wood. When she 
 
106 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 found herself deceived, she remained for a moment or 
 two in the same attitude, quite confounded. I did not 
 leave her much time for consideration ; my ball crashed 
 through her brain, and she fell dead on her supposed 
 prey without a moan. I killed the two young ones easily 
 enough." 
 
 He had hardly finished the anecdote, when the dogs 
 began to bark, and, by-and-by, we jumped up to see 
 what was the matter. It was a neighbor named Coil- 
 mar, from the other side of the hill. I took the saddle 
 off his horse, and laid it under one of the beds, tied up 
 the horse to a young tree, shoved a roughly-hewn trough 
 before him, which I filled with maize, and his eager 
 munching proved how well he was satisfied with all the 
 proceedings. Collmar had come over the hill to invite 
 us to assist in erecting a new house. He had collected 
 all the logs on the spot, and now, according to American 
 custom,' was calling on his neighbors to come and assist 
 in raising them. S. was his nearest neighbor but one, 
 and lived nine miles distant ; -the next dwelt eight miles 
 further. 
 
 I promised to come at all events, but it was against 
 Slowtrap's habit to promise anything two days in ad- 
 vance. Besides, his wife and his youngest child were 
 both unwell. We shortened the evening with stories and 
 anecdotes. Collmar was off with the dawn, to prepare 
 for the following day. I took my rifle and lounged into 
 the forest with Bearsgrease, to look for a turkey. He 
 drove a gang into the trees, at less than half a mile 
 from the house ; but the wood was so thick and over- 
 grown, that before I could come up to see which trees 
 
A NEW HUNTING EXCURSION. 107 
 
 they had perched in, they had so hidden amongst the 
 branches that there was not a trace of them to be seen. 
 I therefore whistled for my dog, and hid behind a tree, 
 to await the time when they would think themselves 
 safe, and begin to call. I had not long to wait ; ere long 
 they began to cry, and about a hundred yards in front 
 of me, a large cock raised himself on a branch, where 
 he had nestled without my perceiving him. Without 
 trying to get nearer, I took aim at once, and hit the tur- 
 key, which fell flapping from the tree ; but the bushes 
 were so thick that I should have last him, had not 
 Bearsgrease dashed in with the greatest intrepidity, in 
 spite of thorns and creepers. The turkey, whose fall 
 had been broken by the wild vines, had no sooner 
 touched the ground, than he made a quick rim for a 
 cane-break, and disappeared, with Bearsgrease bounding 
 and barking on his trail. On forcing my way through 
 the canes, I witnessed an interesting struggle between 
 the two. The dog was still young, and the turkey a 
 fellow of twenty or twenty-two pounds, and Bearsgrease, 
 knowing that he must not injure him, tried to hold him 
 with his fore paws, whilst the turkey, which was only 
 wounded in the left wing, constantly succeeded in es- 
 caping, and running a yard or two before the dog could 
 pin him again. After watching them for some time, I 
 put an end to the struggle by cutting off the turkey's 
 head with my knife, and carried him home. I then sad- 
 dled Slowtrap's old pony, and set off over the mountain, 
 to gain Collmar's house before night, leaving Bears- 
 grease behind me. 
 
 The hills and rivers south of the Arkansas, almost all 
 
108 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 run like that river, from west to east, and the hills have 
 a peculiar formation. The middle row, or backbone 
 ridge is the highest, and generally on either side are 
 two or three lower ranges of hills, running parallel to 
 the main range, and sloping more and more towards the 
 plain. All the smaller rivers which run into the Arkan- 
 sas from this side, have such hills between them. I rode 
 slowly up and down these hills looking out for game. I 
 had left my hunting-shirt behind, and a sharp north 
 wind began to chill me a little ; but I did not like cover- 
 ing myself with the blanket which lay across my saddle. 
 Suddenly I saw a fox watching me, from the side of a 
 hill beyond a little brook. I raised myself slowly in the 
 saddle, and fired ; but my hand shook so with the cold 
 that I missed him. After the report, when the smoke 
 cleared away, the fox had disappeared ; I jumped off and 
 ran to the place where he had been standing, to see if I 
 could find traces of the ball, finding none, I reloaded, 
 and returned to the horse, which was quietly grazing. 
 With my left foot in the stirrup, and in the act of throw- 
 ing my right leg over the saddle, what was my astonish- 
 ment to see the fox in the same place as before, looking 
 as unconcerned as if nothing had happened ! I had to 
 turn my horse before I could take aim, and the fox 
 turned at the same time. A loud whistle made him stop 
 for a moment to see what it was ; he was off again be- 
 fore I could fire, but not quick enough to escape my 
 ball. The jump he gave showed he was hit ; so, throw- 
 ing myself off the horse, I hastened after him. When 
 he heard the bushes rustling, he stood still to listen. 
 This allowed me to approach him : the shot had broken 
 
THE FOX "STOLE AWAY." 109 
 
 his left hind leg ; and throwing away everything that 
 hindered me in running, I darted after him. Dragging 
 his wounded leg, he limped along the side of the hill ; 
 but, finding that I gained on him, he turned towards the 
 summit. I had run for a good half mile, and too much 
 out of breath to breast the hill, I soon lost sight of 
 him. Heated and tired, I returned to the horse, pick- 
 ing up my rifle, powder-horn, pouch, and cap, by the 
 way, enveloped myself in my blanket, and mounted my 
 patient steed. 
 
 I soon crossed the highest summit of the range, and 
 running down by the side of a small stream southwards 
 from the hills, in about an hour and a half arrived at the 
 place where Collmar's house was to be built, and where 
 some of those who had arrived before me were occupied 
 in cutting the logs. 
 
 The ground was already prepared and planks cut ; 
 other neighbors arrived from time to time with their dogs 
 and guns, and the clearing was filled with laughing, talka- 
 tive groups. 
 
 The horses were hobbled near some reeds, with plenty 
 of maize shaken down in a dry place. In the evening, 
 we all assembled at Collmar's hut, or rather shed, formed 
 of boards fastened together, supported by poles, and con- 
 taining three roughly-hewn bedsteads, a weaver's loom, 
 and two spinning-wheels. It may have been about fifty 
 feet long and twenty wide, with the floor as nature sup- 
 plied it. Rifles and saddles lay about ; three pairs of 
 deer hams adorned one corner, and dried pumpkins hang- 
 ing to poles, formed the sky to this paradise. 
 
 Immense blazing logs were heaped up in one blackened 
 
110 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 corner, and from time to time it was necessary to throw 
 a pail of water over the fire to prevent the planks from 
 burning ; and then clouds of ashes threatened us with 
 the fate of Herculaneum and Pompeii. 
 
 All sorts of cooking utensils were crowded round the 
 fire a turkey was stuck upon a stick to roast by the side 
 of an opossum, dangling on a string from the roof. Not- 
 withstanding my long abode amongst people who were 
 passionately fond of this article of food, I could never 
 bring myself to eat a thing with a rat's head and tail, and 
 hand-like claws. The prospect of a good supper was a 
 delight to my hungry stomach. Meantime, I was much 
 diverted by a bargain about cows going on between two old 
 backwoodsmen : but, before discussing this subject, it will 
 be as well to say something of the inmates of the shed. 
 Collmar's wife, a stout, strong-built woman of about 
 thirty-four, with two daughters of fourteen and ten, were 
 all that belonged to the fair sex. They were busily em- 
 ployed about the fire with long-handled spoons, turning 
 the meat in the frying-pans, and basting the turkey and 
 opossum ; five smaller figures, with a tin pot of milk in 
 one hand and a lump of maize bread in the other, huddled 
 near the fire, stared at the strangers with all their eyes. 
 The hostess soon made room for the company by sending 
 the children to bed. But to return to the bargainers 
 about the cows. Instead of each praising his own cow, 
 they found so much fault with them, that their own 
 calves, if they had heard it, must have felt ashamed of 
 them. After above an hour's discussion on the faults 
 and failings of their horned property, they observed that 
 they could not part with them without giving something 
 
BEAR-HUNTING EXTRAORDINARY. Ill 
 
 into the bargain, as even their hides were worth nothing. 
 These calumnies were put an end to by the announce- 
 ment, " Supper is ready." Boxes, chairs, and logs, were 
 placed round the table for seats. Turkey, venison, pork, 
 opossum, maize bread, and the favorite beverage of the 
 backwoodsman, coffee, disappeared so rapidly that soon 
 nothing was left but the bones of the animals, the remem- 
 brance of the bread, and the grounds of the coffee. One 
 after another rose when he had had enough, and then the 
 women-folk, who had wisely kept something for them- 
 selves, took their places. This is one of the customs of the 
 West which always displeased me. The hostess seldom 
 sits down to table with the men, except now and then at 
 tea or coffee. The other custom, that of rising when they 
 had had enough, without regard to those who remained 
 at table, was not so bad. 
 
 After supper the company formed various groups, and 
 the conversation turned on shooting, pasture grounds, 
 the survey of the land that had recently been accom- 
 plished, and then on religion. Words soon ran high ; 
 for among the company were Methodists, Baptists, Pres- 
 byterians, and unbelievers but all disputes were put an 
 end to by the arrival of two large jugs of whiskey, each 
 containing about four bottles, which Collmar had sent his 
 eldest son, a lad of fifteen, to fetch from a distant store. 
 The boy had been obliged to ride slowly for fear of break- 
 ing the jugs. 
 
 The old bear-shooters were highly amused at the fol- 
 lowing account one of the party gave of a bear-hunt that 
 had occurred in North Carolina, and which gave a sad 
 picture of the low state to which field sports had 
 
112 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 fallen there. " In order to have a bear-hunt several far- 
 mers met, and let loose a tame two-year-old bear, giving 
 him half an hour's law, and then following with horse and 
 hound. The bear made straight for some hills, and in 
 about an hour and a half's time was chased into a tree. 
 Not wishing to kill him, no one had brought a rifle ; so I 
 went to a house about half a mile off, and borrowed an 
 axe to cut down the tree. The bear looked with inquisi- 
 tive eyes on the proceedings below, and did not appear to 
 suspect danger, till the tree fell with a tremendous crash ; 
 men and dogs threw themselves on the half-stunned bear, 
 to secure him and take him home ; but the majority voted 
 for another hunt, so the dogs were held in and the bear 
 let loose. After a time, we all went after him again ; 
 this time the chase lasted longer, as the bear "swam a 
 river, and to avoid a wetting we turned off to a bridge, 
 giving the bear a great advantage. At length, when we 
 got close to him, he took to an enormous fir-tree, and we 
 all assembled under it ; none of us knew how to get him 
 down again. We were several miles from any house, and 
 had left the axe behind us, and he seemed to set us at 
 defiance in his lofty position. Nevertheless he did not 
 seem quite at his ease, and kept looking anxiously first 
 on one side, and then on the other, at the dogs who were 
 jumping and barking round the trunk of the tree. This 
 inspired an old Virginian of the party with a new idea. 
 There were several pine branches lying about ; so, taking 
 up one of the heaviest and longest, he commenced strik- 
 ing the tree with all his force. At the first blow, the 
 bear gave a start as if electrified, and at the second or 
 third he darted down like lightning among the dogs, when 
 
ADVENTURE WITH A WILD-CAT. 113 
 
 he was soon secured and taken home. He was once more 
 allowed to run about for a couple of years, when he grew 
 very fat, and in good condition for killing, and he was 
 slaughtered accordingly." When the story was ended, 
 we wrapped ourselves in our blankets, and slept soundly, 
 though occasionally disturbed by some thirsty souls who 
 rose to get a drink. It was lucky for those who were 
 lying in the outer rows that most of the water seekers 
 wore moccasins. 
 
 We were up at daybreak, and prepared to build the 
 house by first making a large fire to warm our hands and 
 feet. A man with an axe stood in each corner of the 
 rising house, to cut the mortices and fit them into each 
 other, while the rest of the party raised the logs ; no 
 trifling labor, as the house was to have two stories. By 
 the evening, it was all up except the roof, when rain 
 began to fall, and the logs became too slippery to admit 
 of our standing on them ; so the completion was left till 
 dry weather. 
 
 We remained the night at Collmar's, and departed 
 next day on our various ways, after a very frugal break- 
 fast, for we had devoured all his store. 
 
 It was cold and foggy, and I was glad to get to 
 Hogarth's, where I passed the night, returning next day 
 to Slowtrap's. On relating the extraordinary behavior 
 of the fox, he gave one of his smiles, and told many droll 
 stories of the tricks of foxes, and one of a wild-cat, which 
 attacked a man in the marshes of the Cash. The man 
 had gone out early in the morning to shoot a turkey, and 
 hearing a cock gobbling away with all his might, he 
 
 placed himself behind a fallen tree, and began to use his 
 
 8 
 
114 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 call, when a wild-cat, probably deceived by the sound, 
 sprang upon him like a fury, and attempted to bite 
 through the veins of his neck. He found it impossible 
 to pull the beast off, and was obliged to kill it behind his 
 back with his scalping-knife ; he was confined to his bed 
 for several weeks, before he recovered from the ugly 
 wounds caused by the cat's teeth and claws. 
 
 The weather cleared up next morning, and as old 
 Slowtrap was still unprepared for his journey, I resolved 
 to cross the river to shoot, and went to Curly 's on the 
 same day. As the deer kept themselves close hid in the 
 daytime, we determined to have a shot in the night. An 
 iron pan was soon prepared, and with my old German 
 game-bag, which had accompanied me in all my wander- 
 ings, full of kindlers, our rolled-up blankets on our 
 shoulders, we set off as soon as it was dark. A sharp 
 wind had made the leaves so dry in the course of a few 
 hours, that our footsteps might be heard at three hun- 
 dred yards off; consequently we saw no deer, and after 
 carrying the pan to and fro for about three hours, we 
 got tired of such useless trouble. On arriving at a small 
 stream, we made a good fire, and after a frugal supper 
 had set our chins for a very short time in motion, we 
 rolled ourselves in our blankets, and lay down each with 
 his dog pressed close to his side. 
 
 We rose at daybreak, and following different routes, 
 appointed a rendezvous at Curly's, as we did not mean 
 to make a long affair of it. Bad luck seemed to stick 
 to us, for though we found plenty of trails, we saw no 
 game. At length Bearsgrease found a fresh trail, aiic! 
 followed it up, often looking round to see if I was near 
 
DEER-STALKING BY NIGHT. 117 
 
 him ; so I kept as close as possible. Suddenly lie stood 
 still, and pointed, and an old buck got up about fifty 
 yards from us, and made a half circle round us. When 
 I gave a hail, he stood still as if to ask what I wanted. 
 It happened that I was to windward of him; and snuff- 
 ing the air he gave a bound, which caused my ball to 
 strike too far backwards under his spine, bringing him 
 on his haunches. Bearsgrease had been observing it all 
 with remarkable patience, only turning his head from 
 one to the other ; but now giving vent to his eagerness, 
 he darted on the deer, seized him by the jaw, and spring- 
 ing over his back, brought him to the ground. I had 
 now a good opportunity of cutting the deer's throat, but 
 I wished to give the dog a little practice, and I watched 
 the struggle with the greatest interest. The buck was 
 one of twelve branches, and had the full use of the fore- 
 part of his body. He strove to hit the dog with his 
 sharp hoof, and to run his horns into him, but the dog 
 cleverly eluded all his attempts, and at last seizing him 
 by the throat, held him fast, while I ended his torments 
 with my knife. 
 
 As Slowtrap had assured me that he would be ready 
 to make the long expected journey, in a few days, I 
 would not delay. I skinned the deer, packed the two 
 haunches in the skin, fed the dog, and trudged away hea- 
 vily laden, up and down hill to Curly 's house. 
 
118 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 A KENTUCKY'S ACCOUNT OF A PANTHER FIGHT, 
 
 I NEVER was down-hearted but once in my life, and 
 that was on seeing the death of a faithful friend, who 
 lost his life in trying to save mine. The fact is, I was 
 one day making tracks homeward, after a long tramp 
 through one of our forests my rifle carelessly resting 
 on my shoulder* when my favorite dog, Sport, who 
 was trotting quietly ahead of me, suddenly stopped 
 stock still, gazed into a big oak tree, bristled up his 
 back, and fetched a loud growl. I looked up and saw, 
 upon a quivering limb, a half-grown panther, crouching 
 down close, and in the very act of springing upon him. 
 With a motion quicker than chain-lightning, I levelled 
 my rifle, blazed away, and shot him clean through and 
 through the heart. The varmint, with teeth all set and 
 claws spread, pitched sprawling head foremost to the 
 ground, as dead as Jufyus Caesar ! That was all fair 
 enough ; but mark ! afore I had hardly dropped my rifle, 
 I found myself thrown down flat on my profile, by the 
 old she panther, who, that minute, sprung from an oppo- 
 site tree, and lit upon my shoulders, heavier than all 
 creation ! I feel the print of her devilish teeth and 
 nails there now ! My dog grew mighty loving ; he 
 jumped a-top and seized her by the neck ; so we all 
 rolled and clawed, and a pretty considerable tight scratch 
 we had of it. I began to think my right arm was about 
 chawed up ; when the varmint, finding the dog's teeth 
 rayther hurt her feelings, let me go altogether, and 
 
ANGLING FOR BASS. 119 
 
 clenched him. Seeing at once that the dog was under- 
 most, and there was no two ways ahout a chance of 
 choking off, or let up about her, I just out jack-knife, 
 and with one slash, prehaps I didn't cut the panther's 
 throat deep enough for her to breathe the rest of her 
 life without nostrils ! I did feel mighty savagerous, and 
 big as she was, I laid hold of her hide by the back, with 
 an alligator grip, and slung her against the nearest tree 
 hard enough to make every bone in her flash fire. 
 "There," says I, "you infernal varmint, root and 
 branch, you are what I call used up." 
 
 But I turned around to look for my dog, and and 
 tears gushed smack into my eyes, as I see the poor affec- 
 tionate cretur, all of a gore of blood, half raised on his 
 fore-legs, trying to drag his mangled body towards me ; 
 down he dropped. I ran up to him, whistled loud, and 
 gave him a friendly shake of the paws (for I loved my 
 dog !) But he was too far gone ; he had just strength 
 enough to wag his tail feebly, fixed his closing eyes upon 
 me wishfully, then gave a gasp or two, and all was 
 over. James H. Hackett. 
 
 ANGLING FOR BASS.* 
 
 THE best, and one of the most universal fish of the 
 Mississippi, is the black bass. They vary from one to 
 seven pounds in weight, are taken with a fly, the min 
 
 * From Lanman'a "Adventures in the Wilda of the United States." 
 
120 HUNTING SPOKTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 now and the frog, and in my opinion, as a game fish, are 
 only second to the trout. They are found in great abun- 
 dance at all the rapids in the river, but afforded me the 
 finest sport at the Falls of Saint Anthony. When I was 
 there the water was uncommonly low, so that pool fishing 
 was in its prime, and I enjoyed it to perfection. I cap- 
 tured no less than thirty-five superb bass in the space of 
 two hours, and that too, without once moving the anchor 
 of my boat. I took them with a hand-line, baiting with 
 a minnow, and the majority of them weighed over two 
 pounds apiece. 
 
 The only respectable trout of the region of the Missis- 
 sippi extends from Prairie du Chien to Lake St. Croix. 
 An expert angler may here capture an occasional pounder, 
 out of the river itself ; but the rarest of sport is afforded 
 by all the neighboring brooks, which run through a hilly 
 country, and are rapid, rocky, and clear. The trout of 
 these streams average about eight ounces in weight. As 
 I sailed up the Alpine portion of the river in a steam- 
 boat, my opportunities for wetting the line were not fre- 
 quent or particularly successful, as the following illustra- 
 tion will testify. 
 
 I had just arisen from the breakfast table, when the 
 pilot of the boat informed me that he was about to be de- 
 layed for two hours, and that there was a fine trout 
 stream a little farther on, which I might investigate. I 
 immediately hailed a couple of my traveling companions, 
 and with our rods in prime order, we all started for the 
 unknown stream. Owing to a huge rock that lay on the 
 margin of the river, we were compelled to make an ex- 
 tensive circuit over a number of briar-covered hills, and 
 
ANGLING FOR BASS.' 
 
ANGLING FOR BASS. 123 
 
 we found the bed of our pilot's trout brook without a 
 particle of water. What aggravated our condition was 
 the intense heat of the sun. In about an hour, however, 
 we succeeded in reaching the Mississippi once more, and 
 there, comfortably seated in the shadow of % a bluff, we 
 threw out our lines and awaited the arrival of the boat. 
 "We happened to be in the vicinity of a deep hole, out of 
 which we brought five black bass, weighing three or four 
 pounds apiece. We did not capture a single trout, but 
 the sight of one immense fellow that I lost, agitated my 
 , nerves. Something very heavy had seized my hook, and 
 after playing it for some minutes I was about to land it, 
 when I saw that it was a trout, (it must have weighed 
 some three pounds,) but making a sudden leap, it snap- 
 ped my line, and was, like a great many objects in this 
 world, entirely out of my reach ; and then I was the vic- 
 tim of a loud and long laugh. The only thing that kept 
 me from falling into a settled melancholy was the inci- 
 dent which immediately followed. When the boat came 
 along, a Frenchman who was a passenger, and happened 
 to have a canoe floating at the stern, volunteered his ser- 
 vices to take us on board the steamer. Knowing that 
 my friends had never been in a canoe before, I would not 
 embark with them, and in about two minutes I had the 
 pleasure of seeing them capsized, and after they had be- 
 come completely soaked, of seeing them rescued from all 
 danger minus the three fine bass which they had taken. 
 This feat was performed in the presence of quite a num- 
 ber of ladies, and to the tune of a hearty peal of laughter. 
 
 
124 HUNTING SPOKTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 HUNTING ON THE OZARK MOUNTAINS. 
 
 IT was Christmas eve, and growing dark, says Mr. 
 Gerstsecker.* My heart sunk as I remembered former 
 joys of this season, and thought of my present loneli- 
 ness. Strange ! that recollections should be so sweet 
 and yet so bitter. 
 
 In good time we arrived at old Conwell's, Slowtrap's 
 father-in-law. He lived in a block-house, surrounded 
 by mountains covered with trees, close to the bank of the 
 White river, which was narrow enough to be bridged by 
 a tree. The family were assembled round the fire; Con- 
 well himself was absent. A matron of pleasing appear- 
 ance rose from her seat on the entrance of her son-in- 
 law, and cordially shook his hand, while two fine boys 
 of eleven and eight jumped up to welcome him ; another 
 person in the room, a young graceful girl, who at first 
 kept modestly in the background, then came forward to 
 greet her brother-in-law, who addressed her as Sophy ; 
 neither was the stranger overlooked, but received a hear- 
 ty welcome from all. I, who, a few minutes before, had 
 felt so deserted and miserable, now experienced a silent 
 joy, as I looked upon the amiable, honorable counte- 
 nance of the mother, the mild expression of the daugh- 
 ter, and the open, happy faces of the two boys. It was 
 as if I had found new relations, and was once again at 
 home. Never in my life had I felt, from the first mo- 
 ment, so completely domesticated as with these people. 
 
 * Wild Sports in the Far West. 
 
CONWELL AND HIS FAMILY. , 125 
 
 In about half an hour old Conwell came in : if ever 
 uprightness was stamped upon any countenance, it was 
 upon his ; his hair was white as snow, but his step was 
 as springy as he moved about in his hunting-shirt, leg- 
 gins, moccasins, and bare neck, as if he had seen but 
 twenty years. After we had been seated' about an hour, 
 it seemed as if I had known him from childhood, and the 
 evening flew past with incredible swiftness. 
 
 The cold was very sharp on Christmas-day, and we 
 were delighting in a glorious fire, when John, the young- 
 est boy, ran in, and said there was a large gang of tur- 
 keys in the corn. I seized my rifle, called Bearsgrease, 
 and was soon in the field. No sooner had the dog found 
 the scent, than he was amongst them, and they flew to 
 the neighboring trees. I knocked over one, loaded, and 
 tried for another, leaving Bearsgrease to watch the prize, 
 as several pigs were near us. Not being able to get 
 another shot, I returned to the dog, and found him with 
 his paws full of business. Another larger dog had come 
 to have a smell at the turkey ; Bearsgrease, mistaking 
 his intentions and my instructions, attacked the stranger, 
 threw him over, and held him fast, with the fiercest coun- 
 tenance in the world ; but when he saw me coming he 
 began to wag his tail, being thus, like Janus, severe in 
 front and amicable behind. I released the stranger from 
 his disagreeable position, and patted and soothed Bears- 
 grease to express my approbation and satisfaction at his 
 good behavior ; but he continued to give an occasional 
 growl and scowl at the other dog. 
 
 I amused myself for a couple of days with turkey 
 shooting, leaving Slowtrap time to arrange his affairs, 
 
126 , HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 when he informed me that he had concluded his business 
 quicker than he had expected, and now meant to return 
 home. This was disagreeable to me for two reasons 
 first, because he was a very pleasant companion ; and, 
 secondly, because he was so well acquainted with the 
 mountains. However, there was no persuading him to 
 remain, and he fixed on the following morning for his 
 departure. 
 
 In N the afternoon, as the sun was bright and warm, 
 we formed a merry party in front of the house ; but S., 
 who never could bear lying or sitting on the cold ground, 
 sat himself on the fence, which was about five feet high, 
 and told us some of his humorous stories with his usual 
 gravity. Meantime, several cows had assembled on the 
 other side of the fence. It has already been said that 
 S. wore a shabby old coat, whereof the tails hung low 
 outside the fence. In the morning he had been walking 
 about the hills, and had been very hot ; and his pocket-, 
 handkerchief, moist with perspiration, was in one of his 
 pockets. It is well known that cows are fond of salt 
 and saline substances, and they had probably divined 
 that something of the sort was in one of those pockets. 
 One, rather bolder than the rest, had quietly approached, 
 taken the flap in her mouth, and was contentedly chew- 
 ing it. I had observed the whole proceeding with great 
 amusement ; but fearing that his coat was in danger of 
 being reduced to a state of pulp, I called out to him to 
 look behind. He looked round, beheld the cow chew- 
 ing his coat-tails with the greatest placidity, and raised 
 one of his long arms to drive her away. The cow, 
 frightened at the long arm, made a retreat ; but unluck- 
 
SLOWTRAP'S ADVENTURE T7ITH THE COW. 127 
 
 ily one of the buttons caught between her teeth, and she 
 gave a sudden wrench to poor Slowtrap, who was nicely 
 balanced at the top of the fence ; in a moment his legs 
 rose in the air, like the two chimneys of a steamer, and 
 then his body tumbled to the ground. What happened 
 afterwards, no one could tell, as we all followed his ex- 
 ample, in a convulsion of laughter. 
 
 On the 28th December my old companion mounted 
 his steed, and shaking hands with his relations and me, 
 was soon out of sight in the forest. I prepared for the - 
 mountains, and Conwell said he would willingly go with 
 me, but that he had business for some days ; I answered, 
 that I would go first, not to be a burden to him, at which 
 he was much vexed, and requested me not to go with- 
 out him, concluding his kind invitation to remain in 
 his house, by saying that I was "as welcome as the 
 flowers in May." I could not withstand this, and re- 
 mained with much pleasure. He rode away the same 
 day, and returned on the following evening. In the 
 afternoon it carne on to snow, and continued till late at 
 night, so that we expected glorious weather for shooting ; 
 but our joy did not last long, for it soon became warm 
 again. Nevertheless we got every thing in readiness, 
 mended moccasins, cast balls, sharpened knives, and, on 
 the 30th, we proceeded to the Pilot rock, at the source 
 of the Hurricane. After crossing the Boston divide, we 
 stopped on the slope, where we found a spring of deli- 
 cious water, and "struck camp." The night was clear 
 and cold, but the heat of the day had spoiled all the 
 beautiful snow. Stretched before the fire, we rested oui 
 
128 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 weary limbs after the exertions of the day, and were soon 
 sound asleep, with our dogs beside us. 
 
 As we were not yet on our intended ground, we rose 
 early, descended the mountain, crossed the Hurricane, 
 and fixed upon a spot for a night's camp, where we left 
 Conwell's horse, with our blankets and provisions. Here 
 we separated to mount the hill on different routes. The 
 Hurricane is a mountain stream, taking its name from a 
 hurricane which raged near its mouth some time ago, 
 leaving traces that are still visible. It runs into the 
 Mulberry, and flows with it into the Arkansas. 
 
 Conwell went to the left, I to the right ; the hill was 
 in places so steep, that I was obliged to lift the dog up 
 before me. At length I gained a flat terrace. The 
 terrace formation is characteristic of these mountains; 
 seen from below they do not appear very high, because 
 only the top of the next division is visible ; but when one 
 is surmounted, another and another arises, and people 
 maintain that when you come to the highest there is al- 
 ways one more. 
 
 The terrace on which I found myself was about one 
 hundred and eighty paces wide. Advancing cautiously 
 towards the middle, keeping a sharp look-out, I perceived 
 a" doe quietly grazing, and coming towards me. I whist- 
 led, she stopped, bounded upwards with the shot, ran 
 about fifty paces towards me, and fell dead. She was in 
 excellent condition I hung her up, and went on. At 
 the end of the terrace, where a spring dashed down the 
 rock, I observed signs of a bear; he had turned over 
 several stones to find worms, and had bitten off some of 
 the bushes to make a bed ; seeing nothing more, I re- 
 
NEW YEAR'S EVE. 129 
 
 turned to the camp, to have the help of my companion to 
 follow up the trail next day, taking half the doe on my 
 shoulders as I went along. I found Conwell occupied 
 with a very fat turkey. 
 
 Tired with all the climbing, we wrapped ourselves in 
 our blankets, arid threw ourselves down for a nap ; but 
 the sun setting, and wind getting colder and sharper, did 
 not allow us much repose, but warned us to make a fire, 
 and a good fire too, for the night. Wood was abundant, 
 and we had only to move a few steps for as much as we 
 wanted. The sun had hardly disappeared behind the 
 trees on the western mountains, when it became dark in 
 our ravine ; the twilight did not last more than ten min- 
 utes. It was the last day of the year. In my native 
 land, many a happy pair were forgetting past pains and 
 sorrows in the tumult of the dance in lighted halls ; while 
 I was stretched under the starry skies beside a crackling 
 fire in the forest, my trusty rifle and faithful dog by my 
 side. I had no mind for dancing or music ; for seven 
 months I had not heard from home, and seemed to have 
 got wedged in among the mountains, with the world closed 
 behind me, all retreat cut off, and nothing left but to ad- 
 vance : and yet the future offered no inviting picture ; 
 alone, in the endless wilderness, I stood, with hair turn- 
 ing gray a solitary hunter, leaning on my rifle, separated 
 from all I loved. 
 
 Old Hawkeye must have . had many a sorrowful hour. 
 
 Meantime, my companion, leaning on his elbow, was 
 
 gazing on the fire, and lost in recollections of the past ; 
 
 but his past must have been a happy one, for he often 
 
 smiled to himself. He had lived an active life, and 
 
 9 
 
130 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 looked forward to a happy old age, in the circle of at 
 amiable family in the vicinity of his married children, in 
 the enjoyment of health and strength. Wherefore should 
 he be unhappy ? 
 
 I stood up to change the current of my thoughts, poked 
 at the fire, laid the logs together, which were burnt through 
 the middle, and reposed again on my blanket. Conwell 
 told rae he was sixty-two years old to-day, 31st of De- 
 cember, 1841 ; and yet he was so strong and active that 
 I had to exert myself to keep up with him. He spoke 
 of his past life ; how he had continually preceded civiliza- 
 tion, first in Carolina, then in Kentucky, Tennessee, 
 Missouri, and now in the Ozark mountains, and he com- 
 plained that people were gathering too thick about him, 
 and said he felt a strong inclination to make another 
 move. He mentioned how fortunate and happy he was 
 in his family. He spoke of his children, and as I listened 
 to him my troubled thoughts were soothed ; it was as if 
 one of my own family was speaking. Thus passed our 
 evening till sleep weighed down our eyelids, and wrapped 
 in our blankets past and future were forgotten. 
 
 Next morning, as the tips of the western mountains 
 were lighted up with the first rays of the rising sun, we 
 woke from our lairs, shook off the wreaths of frost, and 
 joyfully inhaled the fresh morning air ; it was bitter 
 cold, the water in our tin cups was all frozen, as was the 
 meat ; but a breakfast fit for a prince was soon smoking 
 before us juicy venison, fat turkey, good strong coffee, 
 and maize bread. Where was the hotel that could afford 
 fare as good ? but man is'fated never to be satisfied 
 iny companion sighed for bear. 
 
A SUMPTUOUS BREAKFAST. ' 131 
 
 Before breakfast was quite ready, I went to the creek 
 which flowed at a few paces from our camp, to have a 
 good wash, and finding a hole with deep water as clear 
 as crystal, I threw off my clothes, and plunged under 
 the cool element. It was a delicious treat, and I did 
 not feel the cold till I got out ; but I was soon by the 
 fire, and by the time I had my clothes on, I felt such an 
 animating glow, and such strength, that I could almost 
 have torn an oak up by the roots. Old C. looked on 
 smiling, but thought it too cold to plunge in, and con- 
 tented himself with washing face, breast, hands, and 
 feet. Thus refreshed we sat down to breakfast ; turkey, 
 venison, coffee, and bread disappeared with terrific ra- 
 pidity ; even Bearsgrease appeared surprised, sitting 
 with his mouth wide open, though Conwell maintained 
 that he held it open more conveniently to catch the 
 morsels I threw to him, from time to time ; perhaps he 
 was right. 
 
 After these trifles, half a turkey, and the greater part 
 of a haunch of venison had been safely disposed of to 
 the general satisfaction, we set off to look for the bear, 
 tokens of whose whereabout I had seen the day before. 
 On arriving at the place, the dogs showed signs of ex- 
 citement, and running down the s^eep they soon began 
 to give tongue. We followed as fast as we could, and 
 came to a large detached rock, behind which a cave ran 
 into the mountain. Several marks showed that the bear 
 was at home ; the dogs barked furiously, and I laid aside 
 my rifle and pouch, and was about to enter the cave 
 with my drawn knife, when bruin began to suspect mis- 
 chief. He was right opposite the entrance, but a slight 
 
182 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 bend in the cave, which was only eight feet deep, pre- 
 , vented our seeing him. He would not have cared much 
 for the dogs, but as I approached, the wind was behind 
 me ; the moment he discovered me, he began snorting 
 and growling, and made a rush which nearly upset me, 
 although I sprang on one side. Conwell, who had seen 
 many such affairs, cooly stood at the entrance with his 
 rifle cocked, watching my proceedings. The report of 
 the rifle was heard before I and the dogs had recovered 
 ou* Composure after the rush ; the bear seemed to be de 
 termined that nothing should stop him, and disappeared in 
 a gorge; but the dogs roused by the shot, were soon on 
 his traces. The old man laughed heartily as he saw me 
 standing, knife in hand, quite disconcerted at the mouth 
 of the cave, and regretted that he had not been able to 
 give all his attention to my admirable jump, as he was 
 obliged to look after the beast. 
 
 We followed the dogs, and on examining a rock which 
 the bear had crossed, we found drops of dark blood, and 
 "* were tolerably sure of him. Weakened with loss of 
 blood, he had not run far before the dogs came up with 
 him. As they ware both young and untrained to bears, 
 he had not nuich trouble in keeping them off. but they 
 answered our purpose in stopping him. I came up just 
 as he had shaken off the dogs, and was climbing a steep 
 bluff. I fired and struck his right paw, and as he fell, 
 the dogs seized him again ; my companion now arrived, 
 and coolly taking aim, sent a ball through his heart. 
 He was a fat two-year-old, and promised a delicate re- 
 past ; we decided oiv taking him home. So, while C. 
 skinned and cut him up, I returned to the camp, to fetch 
 
TURKEY SHOOTING. 133 
 
 the horse with our blankets and game, and as I rode 
 past, I brought away the other half of the doe, which 
 was too good to leave behind. As the day was now far 
 advanced, and the horse had about 200 Ibs. to carry, 
 we resolved to camp for the night near the first spring 
 we came to. 
 
 As we crossed a flat on the top of a mountain, we 
 heard a horrible noise from a large gang of turkeys, a 
 sure sign of bad weather. Conwell^ sprang from his 
 horse, and we ran towards the sound. When near 
 enough, I cheered on the dog, and in an instant the whole 
 forest was alive with turkeys. A great big fellow flapped 
 into a tree about sixty yards in front of me, and fell to 
 the ground with a ball from my rifle. While loading, I 
 observed Conwell going about with his rifle at his cheek, 
 carefully watching all the long necks ; then he stopped, 
 took aim, and fired. But the turkey only reeled on the 
 bough, and recovered himself. As soon as I was loaded 
 I knocked over a second, and by this time the greater 
 part of the gang had made off; but the one Conwell had 
 hit, sat still, badly wounded, with the blood dropping 
 fast. Conwell had now loaded again, and shot him 
 through the head. On my asking why he had not se- 
 lected another, as he was sure of this one, he answered 
 that this was the fattest and heaviest of the whole gang, 
 and he was right. Mine -were both large birds, but his 
 weighed more by three pounds. He laughed, and said 
 he had not looked out for the best in vain, and told me 
 " when the turkeys are all sitting on the trees, fright- 
 ened at the dogs, there is no occasion to be in a hurry 
 to shoot the first that comes a good sportsman should 
 
134 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 choose the best, which is easily done ; a short thick neck 
 is the infallible sign. The leaner the turkey, the longer 
 and thinner his neck. The bird seems larger, but take 
 care to shoot the thick-necks, and I'll wager that they 
 ain't so bad to eat." Long experience has since taught 
 me that ho was right, but it required some time before I 
 was cool enough to look at the turkeys on their perch, 
 and make a choice amongst them. We opened them on 
 the spot, for it is extraordinary how soon they spoil, even 
 in cold weather, if this is not done. We threw two of 
 them over the horse, while I shouldered the- third, and, 
 in a very short time we came to a spring of good water, 
 and made a camp for the night. 
 
 One of the results of our camping out, with supper 
 and breakfast, was the disappearance of one of the tur- 
 keys, and half the bear's ribs. With strength well 
 recruited, we set off for the dwelling of my old friend, 
 and reached it about two in the afternoon. It was dark 
 by the time when the skins were stretched and the meat 
 salted, when we sat round the fire and talked over old 
 times. 
 
 We were tired and went betimes to bed, intending to 
 sally forth early next morning; but the rain poured 
 down the whole night, and we had forgotten to take our 
 blankets in from the fence, so that, it may be supposed, 
 they were rather damp ; however, we were not vexed. 
 We had plenty of provisions ; a little repose would not 
 hurt us, especially as we were looking forward to fresh 
 adventures. 
 
 We made ourselves comfortable, provided wood, and 
 had placed ourselves in a half circle round the fire, when 
 
A COMFORTABLE EVENING. 135 
 
 little John ran in and told us that he was just come from 
 a neighbor's, who had sent out his negro to count the 
 little pigs, which a sow was bringing with her out of the 
 forest. After a little while he came in, and said gravely, 
 that he counted nineteen, but that one had run about so, 
 that he could not count him. Conwell now commenced 
 a story of his early days, in the following words : 
 "About forty years ago my parents moved into the 
 Cumberland mountains ; and as the land was good and 
 fertile, and game plentiful, a little settlement was soon 
 made. We were very comfortable, grew as much Indian 
 corn as we wanted, had plenty of venison, bear, and wild- 
 honey, and -we could always procure powder, coffee, and 
 whatever else we wanted in exchange for our bear's fat, 
 skins, &c. : so that every one would have allowed that 
 we ccXild not be better off, but for one circumstance that 
 embittered our existence and exposed us to numberless 
 dangers. There was a tribe of Tuskarora Indians in our 
 vicinity, who had been driven out of the north, probably 
 by the French, and who plundered and murdered when- 
 ever they found an opportunity. Amongst other things, 
 they had stolen a number of horses, and that so cun- 
 ningly, that for a long time they eluded all our efforts to 
 trace them. The mountains ended in a bluff several 
 miles long, and from twenty to thirty feet high, so steep 
 that no bear, let alone a horse, could have descended it. 
 As soon as a horse was missed, those who went to seek 
 him examined each end of the cliff, without ever finding 
 any traces of the animal. I was then about twenty-two 
 years old, and one day I was out with my dog, and 
 such a dog I have never seen since. Old Beef here is a 
 
136 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 good fellow, but that one had a cross of a bull in him ; 
 well, we came on the trail of a fat bear for fat he was 
 of that I had infallible signs ; in the first place, because 
 he had crossed a sandy bed of a small stream where his 
 footsteps were deeply impressed^showmg the balls round 
 and full ; secondly, I found that he had not eaten the 
 acorns with their cups, but had taken the trouble to se- 
 parate them. I fancied he could not be far off, and fol- 
 lowed up the trail, which led towards the bluff; at about 
 two hundred yards from it, he had entered the stony 
 bed of a brook. I kept close up with the dog, making 
 as little noise as possible, and only taking my eye off the 
 trail when a turn or higher ground gave me a chance of 
 seeing the beast. As I proceeded I was astonished to 
 find traces of horses leading towards the bluff. Two 
 capital horses had been stolen from us a few nights be- 
 fore, and we had looked everywhere for traces of them, 
 without success ; of course, no one thought of looking on 
 the edge of the cliff. 
 
 " My previous astonishment was nothing to what I ex- 
 perienced, when I came to the place, where, after heavy 
 rain, the brook falls over the cliff, but which in dry 
 weather does not contain a drop of water, and found, 
 where the depth might be about twenty feet, two fir-trees, 
 rounded, and placed standing against the rock, just so 
 far apart that a horse might slide down them, but could 
 not fall through; that this was the use- they had been 
 put to was evident from the marks of the struggles of the 
 horses, before they were launched, and from patches of 
 horsehair sticking to the poles. That the bear had de- 
 
INDIAN STRATAGEM. 137 
 
 cended by these means was clear from the marks of his 
 claws in the wood. 
 
 " It would not have done for the dog ; besides the 
 discovery was too important for delay, and I hastened 
 home to give information. We had not long to wait to 
 turn it to account. The Indians, who had stolen a couple 
 of horses a few nights before, returned for some more 
 the same evening. Luckily, our watchmen gave the 
 alarm in time, and they had hardly made off with their 
 booty, when we started by a nearer road, as they were 
 obliged to choose the mos-t stony paths, in order to 
 leave as few traces as possible, and thus made a long 
 circuit. 
 
 " About nine in the morning we arrived opposite the 
 fir-trees, and hid ourselves in the trees and behind rocks 
 to await the redskins. About noon we began to think 
 that they must have discovered our trail, and would not 
 appear; but we resolved to wait till dark. We were 
 fifteen in all, and decided not to fire till every man was 
 sure of his mark ; and, with beating hearts, we listened 
 for the slightest sounds. We had almost given up the 
 hopes of seeing them, when a single warrior appeared, in 
 blanket dress, and descended the cliff. He was sent to 
 reconnoitre, and had not the slightest suspicion of danger ; 
 for he passed close before my uncle Ben, who, not able to 
 resist the temptation, or fancying that he was discovered, 
 I know not which, contrary to his usual caution, fired. 
 The savage leaped high in the air, and fell on his face 
 without a groan. 
 
 "Now, whether the Indians thought that their spy had 
 shot something, or whether they thought themselves 
 
138 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 strong enough to disregard a single man, whom chance 
 might have brought to the spot, in less than five minutes 
 the whole troop were on the edge of the bluff, about 
 eighty paces from our hiding-place. They had with them 
 only the four horses which they had lately stolen, and as 
 we well knew that it would be vain to seek them if once 
 their suspicions were roused, we took aim in silence. The 
 party consisted of nine men, four of them on horseback ; 
 we might easily have killed them all, but were too eager to 
 recover the horses ; so it happened that all aimed at the 
 riders. I had not been in quite such a hurry, and when 
 the others turned to fly I aimed at one just as he was 
 entering the thicket ; he gave a spring and threw off his 
 blanket ; I saw the blood spurt out, but he was soon out 
 of sight, and as I could not find his body, I think he 
 must have escaped. 
 
 " We took the arms and dresses of the slain, bound 
 them on the horses, left the corpses to the wolves and 
 vultures, and entered the settlement in triumph the same 
 evening. It was long before we saw anything more of 
 the Tuskaroras, who withdrew in alarm towards Lake 
 Ontario." 
 
 By this time dinner was ready, and after dinner we 
 took a siesta ; then, what, with reading and conversation, 
 it was evening before we were aware. I was now asked 
 to give information about the old world, and to tell them 
 whether kings would take off people's heads when they 
 chose and how houses were built when there was so 
 little wood and what people did in the winter. They 
 were much astonished when I mentioned that we did not 
 grow Indian corn, nor let the cattle run wild ; but when 
 
SIMPLICITY OF THE BACKWOODSMEN. 139 
 
 X" 
 
 I said that we sometimes planted trees, the children 
 shook their heads, and even the old ones thought that I 
 was practicing on their credulity ; they also wanted to 
 know if kings and queens" always wore their crowns, and 
 if they walked about with their sceptres, and what the 
 nobility looked like. 
 
 Next morning, starting with the rising sun, we took a 
 direction towards the Richland and War-eagle, two 
 streams which flow into the White river. We took no 
 provisions with us, but rode out with only the blankets 
 on the horses, as Conwell supposed we should find plenty 
 of game. On arriving on our ground, we turned the 
 horses loose, who bent their steps homewards, grazing 
 as they went. We took different courses, agreeing to 
 return in the evening to the place where our blankets 
 were hanging up. I walked cautiously and slowly, but 
 8awnothing of either deer or turkey ; once I heard the 
 report of C.'s rifle. When I returned to the camp I 
 made a good fire, spread my blanket, placed my rifle in 
 readiness, and laid me down to rest. About sunset I 
 heard a light step ; at first I thought it was a deer it 
 was Conwell, without game or dog. He sat down by 
 my side on the blanket, and observing that he supposed 
 I must be very hungry, he gave a faint Smile, and said 
 that he could fast until to-morrow evening. He might 
 well laugh. He said his dog was after a deer which he 
 had shot, and, judging from the marks, he must have 
 been hit in the fleshy part of the haunch ; the dog, be- 
 ing young, could not be called off after once catching the 
 scent, and dog and deer were soon out of sight. 
 
 While he was talking, Bearsgrease rose up and snuffed 
 
 mf 
 
140 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 the air ; Conwell thought it must be his dog who had 
 found his trail. As I supposed so too, I took no no- 
 tice, until I thought I heard a short bark, and Bears- 
 grease, growling lightly, gave me a significant look. I 
 jumped up with my rifle, and in a minute a noble buck, 
 with horns laid back, rushed by at full speed, at about 
 twenty paces from the camp. I sent a ball into him, 
 and my dog was instantly close on his heels. He did 
 not run far ; my ball had broken the left leg, and passed 
 through the right. After running about 200 paces, he 
 sprang into the Richland, on whose banks we were en- 
 camped, and seemed resolved to sell his life as dearly as 
 possible. The dogs were upon him, but, as they were 
 forced to swim, while he touched the bottom, he had not 
 much difficulty in shaking them off again. Conwell re- 
 mained lying as if it were no concern of his, so I seized 
 his rifle, ran to the bank, ended the poor animal's tor- 
 ments with a ball through his brain, and plunged into 
 the water to pull him out. *Now we had meat in plenty ; 
 the skin and haunches were hung up, the ribs roasted, 
 and the dogs fed before dark. 
 
 "VVe slept well all night, and were up early, but the 
 leaves were so dry that we found nothing but one turkey, 
 which Conwell knocked over. However, the sky began 
 to get cloudy, and as we had meat for the present, our 
 hopes rose. It came on to blow from the north, but we 
 were protected by a bank of about ten feet high, and 
 thcrtigh we could not sit close to it on account of sharp 
 stones, yet it kept off <some of the cold wind, and a glo- 
 rious fire soon made us forget it. 
 
 Supper was over, and Conwell had taken off one of 
 
BIVOUAC STORY OF THE MOCCASINS. 141 
 
 his moccasins to take a stone out, when he said that it 
 reminded him of something that had happened to him a 
 long time ago when he was a child. I was already- 
 covered up in my blanket, but finding that he had a 
 mind to talk, I roused up, gave the fire a poke that made 
 the sparks fly, and leaning back, with Bearsgrease for a 
 pillow, who seemed well pleased with the arrangement, 
 I waited the commencement of his narrative. 
 
 When I got up, Conwell stopped ; but now passing his 
 hand over his face, he began : 
 
 " I was between five and six years old when my father 
 made my first pair of moccasins, for he was a very good 
 shoemaker, and had always made strong shoes for chil- 
 dren, though he himself always wore moccasins ; but, at 
 my earnest, repeated request, he made a pair for me, 
 and warned me particularly not to lose them. On this 
 same day a peddler had been in the house, and had per- 
 suaded my fathe/to buy a pair of large boots, as very ser- 
 viceable for bad weather ; and as it had rained a great 
 deal lately, he put them on, took his rifle, and sallied forth 
 to the forest. He was hardly gone when I wished to wear 
 my new moccasins ; and, to my horror, found that one 
 was missing. In vain I searched the house from top to 
 bottom ; it was gone, and the other seemed to be there 
 only to remind me of my loss, and the punishment await- 
 ing me. With a beating heart I saw my father return 
 earlier than I had expected, out of humor with the bad 
 weather and bad sport ; and he asked roughly why I 
 was running about barefoot. With tears in my eyes I told 
 him that I could not find one of the moccasins, and that 
 I thought the cat must have run off with it. He said he 
 
142 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE -WEST. 
 
 would cat me, and that if I did not find the other before 
 night I should suffer for it. With a sorrowful heart I 
 recommenced my search, and all my brothers helped me. 
 Meantime my father had sat himself by the fire, and 
 complained that something in his boot had plagued him 
 the whole day ; so, pulling it off, and feeling inside, what 
 should he find but my much-bemoaned moccasin ? It is 
 easier to imagine my delight than to express it." 
 
 Conwell rolled himself in his blanket and fell asleep, 
 still smiling at the recollection. I could not sleep ; his 
 stor.y had recalled events of my own childhood, and I 
 kept gazing at the strange and changing figures in the 
 fire. Bearsgrease was lying close to me, with his head 
 on my shoulder; he had raised it several times, and 
 snuffed the air, and again lain down. At length he 
 roused up and gave a slight growl. I thought I heard 
 something, and looking up to the bank behind me, I was 
 astonished to find two glowing eyeballs steadily fixed 
 upon me. My head being between the fire and the ani- 
 mal, I could see them plainly just above the bank. It 
 must be a panther, and judging from the position, ready 
 to spring. My rifle, as usual, lay ready; so, half rais- 
 ing myself, that I might have the fire in a line with the 
 two sights, I aimed between the two fiery balls, and the 
 rocks reechoed the report. 
 
 Old Conwell was up like lightning with his rifle ready, 
 and the dogs hunted about while I reloaded, but all was 
 as silent as the grave. The old fellow shook his head, 
 and asked what on earth I had been firing at. I finished 
 loading without a word, then taking a brand from the 
 fire and going about twenty paces to a slope in the bank, 
 
ALMOST SURPRISED BY A PANTHER. 143 
 
 I mounted, and found an immense panther, quite dead. 
 I threw him over, and Conwell dragged him to the fire ; 
 the ball had pierced his brain through the right eye. He 
 was a very powerful beast, had enormous fangs, and when 
 we cut him open, his stomach was found quite empty. 
 He must have been attracted to the fire by hunger, and 
 Comvell thought he might have smelt the venison ; he 
 would probably have ventured a spring as soon as the 
 fire burnt low ; the dogs could not scent him, as he was 
 so much above us. After skinning him we threw the 
 carcass into the river below the camp, as the dogs would 
 not touch it. We slept the rest of the night undisturbed. 
 
 A light rain fell next morning, which, in about an 
 hour, moistened the (lead leaves sufficiently for us to 
 w;ilk without making a noise ; so I made haste to stretch 
 the panther's skin, and we set off, each as before taking 
 a separate path. Before I had gone half a mile I saw 
 two deer grazing ; just at this moment Conwell's gun 
 was heard at some distance, and they both raised their 
 heads and listened attentively, but perceiving nothing 
 suspicious, they began to feed again. They were a doe 
 and a year-old fawn, and when they were in a line I fired; 
 the doe, which was nearest, fell at once, and the fawn 
 after running about fifty yards. They were very fat, 
 and I hung them up. 
 
 In hanging up deer it is necessary to take precautions 
 against the vultures, which are a great annoyance to 
 sportsmen. The best way of securing the deer, whose 
 skin they would ruin with their beaks, is to hang them 
 up by their heads, so that their vultures may have no 
 point of support, and must content themselves with peck- 
 
144 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 ing at the skull. There is also a large crow, which tries 
 to steal the fat ; but they may be kept off by placing two 
 peeled sticks crosswise on the deer for the crows will 
 not venture their heads between two such suspicious- 
 looking objects. 
 
 Continuing my march, I came to the bank of a stream 
 running into the Richland, when I saw a wolf spring out 
 of a thicket on the opposite side, about eighty paces off; 
 he ran about fifty yards and then stopped, but not long 
 enough for me to take aim ; finally he disappeared among 
 some rocks. I crossed over to the thicket to see how 
 Bearsgrease would take the scent of a wolf; all his hairs 
 bristled up the moment he came to the yet warm lair. 
 
 Late in the afternoon, on my way to the camp, I struck 
 a fresh bear's trail, and followed it up, though it led me 
 out of my way. Meantime it began to rain harder, and 
 coming to a broad stream, which the bear had crossed, 
 my dog lost the trail. As it was too late to return to 
 the camp, I considered myself lucky in finding a cave, 
 two feet deep in leaves driven in by the wind. Without 
 making a fire, which would have been dangerous, I crept 
 in, taking Bearsgrease for a pillow, who was much pleased 
 thereby, and, spite of wet clothes, I slept well till morn- 
 ing, covered up with the leaves. 
 
 The morning was cold and wet, my clothes were still 
 damp from yesterday's rain, and I was as hungry as a 
 lion ; so altogether I did not feel quite so comfortable as 
 I could wish. But walking quick to warm myself, in 
 about an hour's time I reached the place where I had 
 left the two deer, hung the fawn over my shoulders, and 
 not long after gained the camp. 
 
DEER-KILLING EXTRAORDINARY. 145 
 
 The fire was burning bright which Conwell had only 
 lately left, and it was no small quantity of venison that 
 I put down to roast. Having appeased my appetite, and 
 fed Bearsgrease, I laid down again to rest. After an 
 hour's time, as Conwell did not return, I set off again ; 
 it was still very cold. As I was passing a small ravine 
 I saw a young buck feeding, without the slightest suspi- 
 cion of danger. As I was within distance, I aimed and 
 fired ; he fell as if shot through the brain, but my ball 
 had struck too high, so that at the moment when I came 
 up to seize him he recovered himself, and rose on his 
 forelegs. I saw on the instant that there was no time to 
 lose, and threw myself upon him. The dog had also 
 seized him, and I was in the act of drawing my knife to 
 plunge in his throat, wheft he made a sudden effort, and 
 we all three tumbled down a declivity of nine or ten feet. 
 In falling I had dropped my knife, which fell among the 
 stones, and I felt much pain in my head and left side ; 
 but neither I nor Bearsgrease had let go our hold. The 
 poor animal made most desperate efforts to escape, and 
 with our greatest exertions it was hardly possible for us 
 to hold him. Without a knife there was but one method t 
 of securing him ; a cruel one, indeed, but if I had to bite 
 his neck through with my teeth I would not let him go. 
 I threw him over on his side, and smashed his forelegs with 
 a sharp stone. Thus crippled, Bearsgrease could hold 
 him ; I jumped up, found my knife, and ended the poor 
 creature's torments. 
 
 I succeeded in slinging it with a great deal of trouble, 
 my left side paining me exceedingly ; however I managed 
 
 to climb up the steep, recovered and loaded my rifle, and 
 10 
 
146 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 Lobbied towards the camp, intending to remain quiet the 
 rest of the day. 
 
 I found my old friend awaiting me. He had killed 
 four bucks, and brought away their haunches, the rest 
 not being good eating at this season. We settled to 
 shoot towards the house next day, and then to take 
 horses to carry home the game we had shot. 
 
 On our way homewards we only killed three turkeys. 
 We caught the horses the same evening, and once more 
 reposed our weary limbs among my old friend's family 
 circle. 
 
 At midnight it began to rain, and towards morning it 
 poured in torrents. The game was not to be thought of, 
 and we sat round the fire amusing ourselves with old 
 stories and anecdotes. As we. were talking of the prai- 
 ries, Conwell told us one of his adventures after buffaloes. 
 
 " Not many years ago, when I lived in the Kickapoo 
 prairie, in Missouri, four of us set out one morning to 
 shoot buffaloes. It was bitter cold* and we rode rapidly 
 over the frozen ground. On gaining an elevation, we 
 descried a herd in the distance, and made towards them. 
 When about half a mile from them they discovered us, 
 and ran off, we after them helter-skelter. The hindmost 
 was a cow, too fat to keep up with the others, so we all 
 singled her out for our mark. After galloping for about 
 a mile, she received all our balls, and fell, when we se- 
 cured her. The wind was now blowing from the north- 
 west, almost cold enough to freeze the marrow in our 
 bones, and the dry buffalo dung, the only fuel in the 
 prairies, made but a poor fire. The nearest wood was 
 about a mile from the place where the cow fell, and a 
 
STORY OF A BUFFALO HUNT. 147 
 
 debate arose whether we should fetch the wood to the 
 buffalo, or carry the buffalo to the wood. We thought 
 the latter easier. One of the party, named Turner, be- 
 gan to strip off the skin ; we offered to help him, but he 
 would not permit it; so, willingly leaving the cold work 
 to him, we made as good a, fire as we could for him to 
 warm his hands by. When the skin was off, we cut off 
 the prime pieces, took the marrow-bones, packed them in 
 the skin, threw them over a horse, and brought them to 
 the nearest wood, where we luckily found water. Our 
 four tomahawks soon cut wood enough, and we made a 
 roaring fire ; when it was burnt to charcoal we stuck in 
 the marrow-bones, first one end, then the other ; and 
 certainly there is no more delicate eating for the back- 
 woodsman than buffalo marrow, except bear's ribs, and 
 wild honey. The meat was rather tough, and nothing 
 particular. 
 
 " It was now getting dark, and we began to prepare 
 our camp. One of the party proposed, instead of each 
 rolling himself separately in his blanket, that we should 
 spread the skin, which was large enough to hold us all, 
 and then lay all the blankets over us. But Turner ob- 
 jected, and maintained that as he had skinned the cow 
 alone, he alone would sleep in it. It was all the same 
 to us; we all had good blankets, and could make our- 
 selves comfortable by the fire, which we closely sur- 
 rounded, while Turner wrapped himself in his heavy skin, 
 wiih the hairy side inwards; and we were all soon 
 asleep. 
 
 u The weather was extremely cold, and we were 
 obliged to get'up several times in the course of the 
 
148 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 night, to lay on fresh wood though Turner never 
 moved out of his warm skin. Towards morning the 
 wind changed to the north-east, and the sky threatening 
 a snow storm, we decided on returning home as soon as 
 possible, to avoid the approaching storm, or at any rate 
 to get better shelter than the open prairie afforded. So 
 we swallowed our breakfast quickly, and saddled the 
 horses, which had been feeding on the dry grass, and 
 now approached as close as they could to the fire. We 
 called Turner several times to make him get up, but a 
 slight motion of the hide was the only answer. At 
 length, a half smothered cry for help issued from the 
 skin. We rushed to Turner in alarm, fearing something 
 serious, but burst into a roar of laughter, on finding that 
 he was frozen in, and could not move a limb. We 
 rolled him to the fire, to thaw the skin, and set him 
 free ; the rolling and the heat made him feel rather 
 giddy, but a hot marrow-bone restored him ; and then 
 loading the horses with the softened skin, and the re- 
 mainder of the meat, we reached home before the storm, 
 which came on that evening with a tremendous force." 
 
 The weather continued gloomy enough, the clouds 
 hanging abou^; the trees, as if they were seeking shelter 
 from the wind, which was driving them from the rocky 
 mountains. All the cattle collected near the house, 
 with their tails to the wind, and pendant ears, looking 
 very wretched. Luckily I found a few books, such as 
 "A Dialogue of Devils," " The Life of Marion," "The 
 Life of Washington," " The Pilgrim's Progress," "The 
 United States' Reader," &c., and killed some of the 
 time by turning over their leaves. 
 
HUNTING WOLVES. 149 
 
 The rain lasted till the 12th January. The various 
 streams had become cataracts and rivers, so we were 
 obliged to remain at home two days longer. Meantime 
 our store of meat had fallen very low, and there appeared 
 little hope of being able to use that which we had left 
 hanging in the forest. However we hastened away to 
 save the skins, if there was yet time. The streams were 
 still so swelled that we could only pass them on horse- 
 back. We reached our last camp about noon, and found, 
 as we had expected, that the meat was tainted, and the 
 greater part of it devoured by vultures. We stretched 
 the skins, in the hope that the wind, with the help of a 
 faint sun, which was peering bashfully through the 
 clouds, might dry them. 
 
 As it grew late, and we had no other provisions than 
 bread and salt, we set off* with the dogs to look for tur- 
 keys, and came upon a gang just as they Were making 
 themselves comfortable for the night. We killed two, 
 and might have shot more, but did not wish to increase 
 the quantity of decaying meat in the neighborhood. On 
 this account we removed our camp about half a mile off, 
 stretched our blankets to keep off a light drizzling rain, 
 hobbled the horses, and fed them with maize. The 
 wolves made a dreadful noise all night at our old quar- 
 ters. In* the morning the rain held up, and the clouds 
 separated a little; so I set off to try and steal a march 
 on them, and spoil their howling. The leaves were wet, 
 and going round to gain the wind, I crept for about two 
 hundred yards on my knees up to a large tree, ami 
 counted eight of them. Although they were to wind- 
 ward of me, one of them raised his head and began snuff- 
 
150 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 ing th'e air, then turned sharp round, and they all made 
 off with their peculiar long gallop for the bush. NOAV 
 was my time or never ; I aimed at one of the largest, 
 which covered another with its body. When the smoke 
 cleared away not a wolf was to be seen ; they had van- 
 ished like magic- but following up the trail, I found one 
 dead, and signs of another being wounded ; but I found 
 nothing more of the latter, he was probably torn to 
 pieces by his comrades. I scalped my prize, and re- 
 turned to the camp; the scalp is valued, as before stated, 
 at three dollars. 
 
 Meantime Conwell had employed himself in roasting 
 turkeys, and we made an excellent breakfast. We then 
 started off again. When I came to the place where I 
 had hung up the buck, whose capture nearly cost me my 
 neck, I found that the wolves bad succeeded in dragging 
 it down, and eaten nearly all but the bones. I knocked 
 over another, and also killed a wild-cat ; returning to 
 camp in the afternoon, where Conwell had arrived before 
 me. He had killed a couple of deer, and we decided on 
 bringing them, to the camp, as there were so many wolves 
 about. 
 
 Finding no traces of boars, we determined to leave the 
 Kichland and try the Mulberry again ; so next morning 
 we loaded our horses, and set off on our return: As we 
 were descending a hill, Conwell stopped suddenly at the 
 foot of a large oak, and after examining the bark atten- 
 tively, he said that a bear was either in the tree, or had 
 very lately left it. The weather had improved, and it 
 was again rather cold. We had nothing better than our 
 tomahawks for cutting down the tree, and they were not 
 
* ' 
 IN me 
 
 B1UJIN IN HIS NEST. ,"> 
 
 > 
 
 very sharp ; a few strokes proved the fact. Luckily for 
 us it was hollow, and we set-to with a will. 
 
 After hacking at it for three hours, the tree began to 
 crack. We seized our rifles, called the dogs, and has- 
 tened towards the direction in which the tree must fall, 
 to be ready to receive him. A couple of small splinters 
 broke first ; then a large one ; then the top began to 
 bend slowly down the hill; then with a loud crash, and 
 smashing its branches in the fall, the tree measured its 
 .length on the ground. No bear appeared; the nest was 
 empty, though there could be no doubt it had lately been 
 tenanted, for the sides were beautifully smooth and ck-au. 
 There was a bough about five feet below the hole, where 
 the bear went in and out, on which an Indian must for- 
 merly haye stood, and tried to make an opening with his 
 tomahawk, but without success ; probably the bear, dis- 
 turbed by the blows, had made his way out in time. 
 Judging by the bark, this must have occurred about four 
 or five years ago. 
 
 While we were looking at it, Conwell asked what the 
 dogs were about ; they appeared to be very eagerly lick- 
 ing up something from the ground, and we found that, 
 accidentally, we had cut down a tree with honey in it. 
 The bees were all torpid with the cold) and the dogs were 
 enjoying the honey, which the breaking boughs had 
 brought to light. Our plans were soon arranged ; Con- 
 well went to look for a deer ; I took my tomahawk t 
 cut a trough, and was soon busy about the upper part of 
 the trunk, which was sound enough. As it was freezing, 
 and the honey would not run, there was no occasion to 
 make the trough very deep ; so it was soon finished, and 
 
152 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 I loaded it with great lumps of the frozen delicacy. 
 This done, I collected wood and made a fire, expecting 
 we should pass the night here ; but just then I heard the 
 report of Conwell's gun quite near, followed by his hail : 
 I answered, and was soon by his side. He had killed a 
 large fat doe, which we hung up by the hind legs, made 
 a cut above the haunch, and drew off the skin without 
 another touch of the knife, except at the knees, hocks, 
 and head ; stopping the holes, we turned it with the hair 
 outwards, and so made a bag to carry the honey. When 
 it was all in, I mounted, Conwell handed it to me, and 
 away we went homewards, leaving the greater part of the 
 last deer behind. 
 
 BEAR AND PANTHER HUNTING. 
 
 WE had no trifle to carry, and were very glad to reach 
 home ; but our feet were hardly out of the stirfups when 
 we heard that some Indians had looked in. They had 
 discovered a cave which certainly contained a bear, but 
 the Cherokees, who had first found it, had not ventured 
 to penetrate far, as it was deep and narrow. This was 
 grist to our mill. The skins and meat were stowed away, 
 the rifles discharged and cleaned, horses fed, and all pre- 
 pared for a regular hunt. We passed the evening in 
 telling stories about bears ; among others Conwell re- 
 lated the following anecdote respecting their winter sleep : 
 "In this southern climate, the bear generally lays up 
 
BEARS IN THEIR WINTER-QUARTERS. 155 
 
 about Christmas, 'or the beginning of the year, and re- 
 mains till the end of February ; if the weather is then 
 mild he comes out occasionally, and sometimes he does rot 
 return to his winter-quarters, but prepares a new lair by 
 biting down branches, and making a bed for himself in 
 the most secluded and thickest jungle, as far removed as 
 possible from the haunts of man. If they go into a cave, 
 they do not take any provisions with them, but keep 
 sucking their paws, whining all the time ; when they be- 
 come torpid, they lie with their head doubled under them, 
 and their fore-paws above it. I myself have crawled into 
 a cave, and poked bears with the end of my rifle, to make 
 them raise their heads, so that I might conveniently fire 
 into their brains ; and the bears were always cowardly 
 in the cave, except they had young, when they fight 
 furiously but even then, only when they have no other 
 choice. When the weather is warm and they come out 
 to drink, it is extraordinary how exactly they always step 
 in the same place; but as the marks are thereby made so 
 much deeper, these ' stepping paths,' as they are called, 
 are easily discovered." 
 
 The night was bitter cold ; the day broke as fine as a 
 sportsman could wish. One of Conwell's married sons, 
 who lived in the neighborhood, joined our party, and 
 another young man named Smith, and as we rode by 
 the school, the master dismissed all the boys and girls, 
 as the temptation to accompany us was too strong to be 
 resisted. We took plenty of fir splinters for torches, 
 and our guide was young Smith, who was one of the 
 party who had tracked the bear, but not ventured very 
 far into the cave. 
 
156 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 We reached the entrance about two o'clock in the 
 afternoon, and prepared a good dinner to strengthen us 
 for the exertions in prospect. While the meat was roast- 
 ing, I took a survey of the outside, which presented a 
 wall of limestone roek, about thirty feet high, and about 
 three hundred feet long, with four openings. After hav- 
 ing well fortified the inner man, we prepared to enter the 
 cave. We took only one rifle with us, but each had his 
 large hunting-knife, and I buckled my powder-horn close 
 to my side ; then with my rifle in my right hand, and a 
 torch of at least twenty inches in my left, we entered a 
 dark passage about four feet high and two feet wide ; 
 young Conwell came next to me with another torch, fol- 
 lowed by his father with a bundle of splinters to replace 
 the torches as they burnt out. For about eighty yards 
 it was all hard rock, and we advanced easily enough. 
 But now came a sudden turn to the right, and the cave 
 was so low that we were obliged to crawl on our hands 
 and knees; the bottom was stiff clay, with numerous 
 marks of bears, some quite fresh. As we advanced the 
 passage beeame still smaller, and we were obliged to 
 crawl on our stomachs. Thus far the Indians had pene- 
 trated, as we found by splinters of fir, and marks of their 
 elbows and knees in the clay. The passage was now so 
 small that I was obliged to lie quite flat, and push myself 
 along by my feet assisted by my left elbow, holding the 
 torch in my left hand, and the rifle in front with the 
 right. The aperture was quite round, and rubbed 
 smooth by the passing in and out of wild animals, who 
 may. perhaps have made this their winter-quarters for 
 hundreds of years. Here and there we found stalactites, 
 
BRUIN'S CAVE. 157 
 
 which were a great hindrance, and we often had con- 
 siderable difficulty in pushing ourselves through., 
 
 Apparently, we were the first whites, indeed the first 
 men, who had ever ventured into the place, for the 
 ground retained every impression that had heen made in 
 it. In some places the marks of the bears were pet- 
 rified, having perhaps been left centuries ago. Once the 
 thought occurred to me : should we ever get out again, 
 or perish here from hunger ? I went on however, all my 
 senses on the stretch, to discover the sleeping bear. 
 
 We disturbed immense numbers of bats with our 
 torches, and found also several crickets and a few blue- 
 bottle flies. When my torch was nearly burnt out ; I 
 stopped for a supply from young Conwell ; the moment 
 I remained quite still, I thought I heard a low whining 
 not far off; and listening attentively, I distinctly heard 
 the sound bear cubs make in sucking, and a low deep 
 growling ; so there was no longer a,ny doubt but that we 
 were near a she-bear with cubs. 
 
 The place where I had stopped was rather more 
 roomy, so that I could sit up, and I turned to the two 
 Conwells and asked if they heard the sound, which they 
 answered, with a whispered "Yes;" and we held a 
 short council as to further proceedings. In the first 
 place, the cave was smaller further on secondly we had 
 only expected a sleeping bear, instead of a she-bear 
 awake and with cubs, for which it was rather early in 
 the season ; though C. told me afterwards, that in Ar- 
 kansas he had occasionally met with bear cubs as early 
 as January. Whoever has seen a she-bear defend her 
 young, with ears laid back and open jaws, may form 
 
158 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 some idea of our feelings. We were all bear-killers, 
 and knew well enough the clanger we were encountering 
 in a space almost too narrow to admit of any movement. 
 But at all events there we were, and there was the bear 
 and no one even hinted at a retreat. 
 
 I examined my rifle closely to see that all was right, 
 and as we slowly worked our way forwards, the elder 
 Conwell warned me to make sure of my shot, adding 
 drily, by way of comfort, that it would be all the better 
 for me ; for if I missed I should be the first to suffer 
 from the animal's fury. 
 
 We came nearer and nearer to the growling bear, who 
 certainly must long since have heard us, and was now 
 listening with all her might. At length the mingled 
 whining and growling appeared to be quite close, arid 
 holding the torch behind my head, I plainly saw fiery 
 eyeballs. I now halted, cleared the sight of the rifle, 
 which had got clogged with the clay, refreshed my 
 torch, and crept as silently as possible towards the dark 
 mass. 
 
 The decisive moment was come ; and as I could now 
 distinguish the animal's head through the surrounding 
 darkness, I put myself in an attitude to take aim. The 
 bear had risen on her hind legs, and sat with their usual 
 swinging motion ; as I was trying to fix one of her eyes 
 with the rifle, she suddenly disappeared through the al- 
 most palpable darkness. 
 
 Following her up, we came upon three cubs, nice little 
 things, which roared lustily when for the first time they 
 saw a light. These sounds were by no means agreeable 
 to us, for we had reason to fear that the cries of the cubs 
 
OUR ADVENTURE IN THE CAVE. 159 
 
 might still more enrage the dam. We wished to save 
 them alive, and asked old Conwell to stay with them 
 and quiet them and to make a fire, while we went after 
 the old one. Conwell sat down, and soon quieted them 
 by giving them a finger to suck. 
 
 About ten feet from the -lair the cave divided into two 
 passages of equal size. The fresh marks showed that 
 the bear had taken the one to the right. Presently the 
 cubs began to cry again with renewed force, which ra- 
 ther alarmed us, for we should have been in an awkward 
 predicament if the bear had endeavored to hasten to 
 their help, and found the way blocked up by our bodies ; 
 for, with the best will in the world, she could neither 
 pass over us, nor by our sides, and there was no other 
 way left than to kill us, and eat her way through. While 
 we were consulting together about this matter, in a low 
 voice, the cry suddenly ceased, and we pushed on silently 
 in better spirits ; for, from all that we had seen, this 
 bear was rather more cowardly than usual. 
 
 We went on and on, to the great annoyance of our 
 ribs and elbows, and there seemed to be no end to the 
 cave. There was a peculiarity about it, which I never 
 found in any other, namely, several flat stones about 
 one and two inches thick, which rang like steel when 
 slightly struck with the finger. One place was very re- 
 markable. It was about fifty or sixty feet long, with 
 similar flat stones on each side, approaching to within 
 six inches of each other in the middle, so that one could 
 have passed through in a sitting posture, with the neck 
 in the narrow part, and the head in the upper compart- 
 ment; but to say the least, this would have been a rather 
 
160 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 inconvenient position for receiving the attack of an en- 
 raged bear. 
 
 After clearing this double passage, we arrived at a 
 spring, which had worn itself a channel of about eigh- 
 teen inches deep, and eight or nine wide. After work- 
 ing our way through another difficult pass, as I was in 
 the act of drawing a long breath, I heard a deep growl 
 very near me. Although I had been listening for this 
 sound every foot of the way for several hours, yet, on 
 heaving it so suddenly and so close, I was rather star- 
 tled, and nearly let fall the torch ; but quickly recover- 
 ing, and raising the torch as high as possible, to the dis- 
 comfort and horror of several innocent bats, I could 
 make out Mrs. Bruin, about ten yards off, sitting up- 
 right, gnashing her teeth, digging into the ground with 
 her sharp claws, and apparently in the worst possible 
 humor. 
 
 Young Conwell, who. was close behind me, laid his 
 hand lightly on my foot, and whispered that he heard 
 the bear. As I had obtained this intelligence for myself, 
 I whispered to him to be quiet, and creeping forward a 
 couple of paces, I came to a place from whence I thought I 
 could fire with effect. I placed my right foot in the 
 channel of the stream, raised myself as well as I could 
 on my left knee, and brought up the rifle. Young Con- 
 well, who was anxiously watching all my motions, whis- 
 pered me for God's sake to aim carefully, for if I made 
 a bad shot we were both done for. Although I was 
 nearer the danger than he was, I would not have changed 
 places with him, as he could not see what was going on, 
 and must naturally fear the worst j and in such cases, it 
 
ATTACK AND RETREAT. 161 
 
 is preferable to be in the post of danger, than to remain 
 in a state of suspense. 
 
 The bear, by no means pleased with our intrusion, laid 
 back her ears, snapped her teeth, and kept constantly 
 swinging to and fro ; as she did not sit quite upright I 
 had no other choice than to aim at the head, in the hope 
 that if I missed my aim, the ball might pierce the breast. 
 As I was taking aim, the thought crossed my brain for a 
 moment (why should I deny it ?) how helpless I was if 
 the shot failed ; but it lasted only a moment, and, in the 
 excitement of the present, I forgot both past and fu- 
 ture. 
 
 I took a long aim, and yet, as the bear was not still for 
 one second, I pulled the trigger too soon. The cave was 
 filled with thick smoke ; a fearful groan announced that 
 the beast was wounded ; we did not wait to examine the 
 state of affairs, but crept back as fast as the narrow 
 space would allow, to a spot where there was more room 
 to move, in order to reload and return to the attack. 
 
 We had retreated, backwards, for about a hundred 
 yards, and had halted in a more convenient part of the 
 cave, when we heard the bear coming towards us snort- 
 ing and snapping her teeth, till the cave echoed with 
 the sound. My first thought was " Good-bye to the 
 light of the sun." But I had not much time for consi- 
 deration, and called to young Conwell to make haste if 
 he valued our lives, for the old one was coming. He 
 did not require much pressing, and I never saw crabs 
 crawl backwards quicker than we tried to do ; yet, how- 
 ever great our hurry, and imminent our danger, it was 
 11 
 
162 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 very slow work, and the snorting came nearer and 
 nearer. 
 
 I had dropped my rifle, as it very much hindered my 
 retreat, and keeping a sharp look-out in front, where I 
 constantly expected to see the bear, I suddenly disco- 
 vered the glowing eyes, only a few paces off. Just at 
 this moment, my left elbow struck against a projecting 
 bit of rock ; the torch fell out of my hand, and all was 
 dark as pitch ; for although young Conwell had a second 
 torch, my body filled up the space so completely that 
 not a ray of light could pass. I took up the glimmer- 
 ing splinter, ^,nd threw it at the bear, which checked her, 
 but only for a moment. Suddenly young Conwell 
 stopped, and said he could not find the passage, and 
 making a slip with his right hand, which held the torch, 
 he dropped it in the water. I could not answer for the 
 bear, who had followed us slowly, as if she knew that we 
 were doing our best to get out of her way ; she must 
 have been so near, that I felt sure that if I stretched 
 out my arm to its full extent, I should touch her, for I 
 could feel her hot breath on my face. With my left 
 arm a little in advance, the right with the hunting-knife 
 drawn back, I awaited, with every stroke of the pulse, 
 the beast's attack, thinking of nothing else than selling 
 my life as dearly as possible ; for I had no hopes of get- 
 ting out alive. 
 
 Meantime, young Conwell had not been idle. Aware 
 that we could do nothing without a light, he had felt for 
 his tinder-box, and the noise of his flint and steel was 
 the only sound that broke a silence like that of the 
 
PURSUED BY A WOUNDED BEAR. 168 
 
 grave, for at the first blow, the bear had ceased growling 
 to listen to the strange sounds. 
 
 After a painful and anxious pause, he called out, " I 
 have got a light, give me the powder-horn and a rag." 
 I cut away the first from its sling, then tore off a piece 
 of my hunting-shirt, and passed them behind me. In 
 a few minutes he recovered his splinter ; this gave us, 
 or rather me, new hopes, for he had no fear firstly, 
 because he could not know how near the bear was ; and, 
 secondly, because, as he assured me afterwards, he was 
 so intent on striking a light, that he could think of no- 
 thing else. He had also succeeded in turning himself 
 round, and his voice sounded to me like an angel's song 
 when he called out that he had found the passage. He 
 had now the advantage of creeping forwards, while I 
 was still obliged to show front to the bear ; but he gave 
 me a few more splinters of fir, and a light, and we again 
 began our slow retreat towards the entrance. 
 
 As I held the torch forwards, the bear gave a deep 
 growl, gnashed her teeth, and retreated a pace or two, 
 but followed again as soon as she saw that I was retir- 
 ing. Necessity sharpens invention, I laid a couple of 
 burning sticks crosswise on the ground, and saw, to my 
 inexpressible delight, that she did not venture to pass 
 them. Shuffling back as fast as I could, I heard Jim 
 (young C.) call out to his father to go back, as the bear 
 was coming. No other words were spoken, and indeed 
 the growling came nearer ; the fire had probably gone 
 out on the moist ground, and then she followed us 
 again. 
 
 I now crawled over the place where we had first dis- 
 
164 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 covered her, and found out the reason why the cubs had 
 so suddenly ceased their cry. When we stopped, uncer- 
 tain what to do, old C. had dashed their heads against 
 the rock, and thus, most likely, saved our lives ; for a 
 cry from the cubs when our torches had gone out, would 
 have enraged the wounded animal so much, that she 
 would certainly have attacked us, and we should have 
 been either killed, or so dreadfully crippled, that we 
 must have perished miserably in the cave. 
 
 At about a hundred paces from the lair, I stopped to 
 listen again, but could hear nothing. I now called to 
 the others to wait for me, and when we came to a more 
 roomy place, which had also been the retreat of a bear, 
 we held a consultation. Old C. thought that the bear 
 had lain down by her dead cubs, and that one of us had 
 better return to the mouth of the cave, and fetch ano- 
 ther rifle, as it was out of the question trying to pass 
 the furious animal to get at mine. However, before at- 
 tempting the long and difficult way back to the entrance, 
 I resolved to creep again to the lair, and see if she was 
 not dead, for I could not but think that my ball must 
 have had some effect.' When I got there I could see 
 nothing of her. My shout brought the others to the 
 spot ; so, advancing a little, and examining closely, we 
 saw thick dark blood, and found, that instead of return- 
 ing to her lair, she had taken the left-hand passage. I 
 instantly proceeded to regain my rifle, which I found 
 covered with blood and slime, about three hundred 
 yards off. I returned as fast as I possibly could, cleaned 
 it, and reloaded, when we all started again for a fresh 
 attack. 
 
VICTORY AT LAST. 165 
 
 The left-hand passage was as bad as he right, but 
 luckily the bear had not gone far. We soon reached 
 the place where, grinding her teeth, she awaited our ap- 
 proach. I halted about eight or nine feet from her, 
 raised myself as high as the space would allow, laid the 
 rifle over my left arm, in which I held the torch, and 
 seizing the time when her head was quiet for an instant, 
 I fired. Again the cave echoed the crack of the rifle, 
 and all was enveloped in thick smoke. I heard the bear 
 groan and move, but stood my ground, as this time I 
 knew that my ball had struck the right place : as the 
 smoke cleared away, she lay dead before me. 
 
 Young Conwell and I were half dead from our exer- 
 tions, and it would have been impossible for us to get 
 the bear out ; for the time "we had been crawling in the 
 close air of the cave and smoke of the torches, and the 
 long-continued excitement of constant danger, were al- 
 most too much for the constitution of any man ; so we 
 decided on returning to the fresh air as fast as we could. 
 It took us about half an hour to do* so, and I shall never 
 forget the effect of the delightfully cool night air, as I 
 drew it in long inspirations, and gazed on the bright- 
 blue starry skies. 
 
 Young Smith and the schoolmaster were fast asleep, 
 but as the dogs barked they both jumped up, and almost 
 fell down again from fright, for they swore that they had 
 never seen such horrible figures as we looked in the red 
 light of the torches, covered with blood and slime, and 
 blackened with smoke. Judging by the stars, it must 
 have been about two o'clock in the morning. Although 
 as hungry as lions, we were too exhausted to touch any 
 
106 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 thing; so we lay down and slept till daybreak. We 
 made a good breakfast, and then, leaving old Conwell be- 
 hind, who had done rather too much for his time of life, 
 we Tour again entered the cave to bring out our prizes. 
 We fastened a cord round the old 'bear's neck; I squeezed 
 past, and shoved from behind, while Smith and the school- 
 master pulled, and young Jim Conwell held the light. 
 We gained ground inch by inch, and about noon, amid a 
 general hurrah, we cast down the carcase by the camp 
 fire, where it was instantly taken possession of by Bears- 
 grease, who laid himself growling by its side. 
 
 As we had some way to go home, we only opened 
 and cleaned her, and broke the spine, so that the carcase 
 might lay better across a horse. We reached home by 
 the evening ; I took a plunge in the river, and then set- 
 tled down to sleep. 
 
 We rose refreshed the next morning ready for further 
 efforts, and concluded to try some caves that old Conwell 
 knew of. We provided ourselves with cords and food, 
 and made two large wax candles, which are less disagree- 
 able in a close cave than pine torches, give a better light, 
 and are not so liable to go out. We arrived at the place 
 in the afternoon, and found eight or nine caves, from forty 
 to eighty feet deep, but all empty. We now separated to 
 try different paths, and agreed that as soon as any one 
 found a trail, he was to make a signal so that all might 
 join in the chase. 
 
 I found a small cave with fresh marks, but no bear. 
 On returning to the mouth, I heard the dogs, and listen- 
 ing attentively for a minute or two, I felt sure they were 
 coming towards me. Presently the noise of rushing 
 
SHOOTING THE BEAR. 
 
ANOTHER BRUIN IN HIS LAIR. 169 
 
 through breaking branches was very distinct, and at last 
 a bear broke cover. Throwing himself without hesitation 
 down a precipice of about ten feet, he came towards me 
 as fast as his legs would carry him. I stood still to see 
 how near he would come. At about fifty paces distance 
 he winded me, stopped short in his career, snuffed the air 
 for an instant, and then made off in a different direction. 
 I seized the opportunity offered, and sent him a ball ; 
 but I was not quite cool enough, and only wounded him in 
 the hip. Meantime, the dogs having been stopped by the 
 bluff which Bruin had so unceremoniously disposed of, he 
 gained a good space in advance ; but the wound checked 
 his speed, and I could soon distinguish by the dogs' bark 
 that they had come up with him again, but they were 
 keeping out of reach of his paws. A young man named 
 Erskine, who was shooting near us, attracted by the re- 
 port of my gun and the barking of the dogs, came up 
 and gave the mortal wound. The two Conwells joined 
 soon after, and we broke him up together. 
 
 Erskine told us that he had found a cave, which he 
 was sure contained a bear,' and asked one of us to go 
 with him and try it, as he had neither torches or wax 
 candles. I was ready at once, took one of the candles, 
 and explaining to the others where they might find us, 
 we set off, and reached the place about sunset. We first 
 made a large fire before the entrance of the cave, and 
 then crept into it, Erskine preceding. Further on, the 
 passage grew larger, so that we could walk upright, side 
 by side. After going some distance, we heard the regu- 
 lar low whine of the bear, who was sucking his paws, and 
 Erskine, also a regular bear-hunter, asserted that he was 
 
170 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 fast asleep. Passing a sharp turn in the cave, we dis- 
 covered him at our feet, and, as my comrade had stated, 
 fast asleep, his head between his paws, uttering a low 
 monotonous whine. Erskine set the muzzle of the rifle 
 to the back of his head, and fired ; he gave a convulsive 
 start, and lay dead. I probed the wound with my fore 
 finger to see how far the ball had penetrated ; the rifle 
 threw a ball of twenty- two to the pound ; the skull was 
 completely shattered. 
 
 We now decided on getting out of the cave for a little 
 repose and refreshment, and to await the Conwells. We 
 found them sitting by the fire, and young Conwell offered 
 at once to take the cord and fasten it round the bear's 
 neck, and try and pull him out alone. Lighting one of 
 the candles, he soon disappeared in the cave. They had 
 examined several other caves, but had not found any 
 more signs. Extraordinary to relate, we had not seen a 
 single deer during the course of our hunt ; x the forest 
 seemed deserted, excepting by a bear or two in the caves, 
 and a very few turkeys. 
 
 We had rested and talked ftfr about half an hour, when 
 young Conwell reappeared without the bear, having found 
 it too heavy, and requiring help. We went, one and all, 
 taking fresh torches with us, to the scene of action, and 
 dragged him out, though with considerable difficulty, as 
 many parts of the route were ill-adapted for the trans- 
 port of such a mass of flesh. Lying down by the fire, 
 we slept comfortably till late next morning. It was near 
 noon ere we could tear ourselves away from our couches 
 of soft leaves, but as we all agreed that we must move 
 sooner or later, we got up, loaded the horses with our 
 
BACKWOODS DEBATING SOCIETY. 171 
 
 prizes, and moved off towards Conwell's dwelling in as 
 direct a line as the nature of the country would allow. 
 We kept no look-out for game on our way home, having 
 meat enough, and being almost tired to death. 
 
 We received a hearty welcome from Conwell's family, 
 and we resolved to enjoy a little repose after all our hard 
 work. IE. spite of the bears and bats that I encountered 
 in my dreams, I awoke quite refreshed, and did full jus- 
 tice to the beautiful breakfast of bear-collops, milk, and 
 maize bread. Perhaps the wild out door life which we 
 had been leading may have lent more charms to the quiet 
 life of this happy home, than under other circumstances 
 I should have been sensible of; but, be that as it may, I 
 shall never forget this amiable family. Old Conwell and 
 I sat the whole day by the fireside, mending our leggings 
 and moccasins. He was certainly the last man in the 
 world to neglect spinning a yarn when he had a good op- 
 portunity, and he told me so many anecdotes, and related 
 so many adventures, that the day passed away only too 
 soon. 
 
 About an hour before sunset, a neighbor came in to 
 inquire whether we would go with him to the debates. 
 " Debates ! " I asked, quite astonished, "what does that 
 mean?" He seemed still more astonished at my ig- 
 norance, and explained that, on every Friday, it was the 
 custom to hold a meeting at the school-house, about two 
 miles off, to debate on any subject which might be pro- 
 posed, and in which the scholars took part. The account 
 excited my curiosity still more, and I decided on no ac- 
 count to miss such an opportunity. Old Conwell had 
 frequented these meetings too often to be induced to 
 
172 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 leave his comfortable fireside ; but I saddled a horse aS 
 once, and was soon at the school. 
 
 Imagine a large smoky building in the midst of a forest, 
 with dark, dusty windows; a broad, well-worn door- 
 stone ; a heavy iron-bound door ; and rules and regula- 
 tions pasted here and there in the room. A number of 
 horses, fastened to the surrounding trees, showed that 
 several of the debaters were already assembled. A 
 bright fire burned in the chimney, and the room was 
 nearly full, and almost everybody was talking. At 
 length order was established, and the company proceeded 
 to the business of the evening. Two judges and two 
 leaders were selected. The judges took their places in 
 the centre, while the leaders stationed themselves on op- 
 posite sides, each taking it in turns to choose a follower 
 from the persons present. The question to be decided 
 was this : " In a thickly inhabited district, where much 
 cattle was reared, there was only one parish bull. The 
 district was on the bank of a broad river, and the inhabi- 
 tants were obliged to cross it very often, as all the mills 
 and tanneries were on the other side but there was only 
 one ferry-boat, passed to and fro by a single rope. The 
 bull got down to the ferry, and on board the boat, and 
 gnawed the rope in two ; the boat floated down the river 
 with the bull, and boat and bull were never seen again." 
 These were the facts, now comes the question, ^ Who is 
 to pay the damage for the loss ? The owner of the boat 
 for carrying off the bull, or the owner of the bull, because, 
 from some malicious though undiscovered intention, he 
 stole the boat?" 
 
 It, was highly amusing to see one after another stand 
 
KNOTTY POINTS OP DEBATE. 173 
 
 yp, and seriously defend the cause of the bull, or the 
 boat; others again talked all sorts of nonsense for a 
 quarter of an hour, and then sat down with the remark 
 that it was unnecessary to say more, as the case was so 
 clear that the judges could not do otherwise than give a 
 decision in their favor. After all had been heard, my- 
 self included, the judges consulted together, and the 
 owner of the bull was condemned to pay the expenses. 
 The next question was : " Which is better, a single or a 
 married life?" The judges were not quite impartially 
 chosen. The wife of one had run off with a young man 
 to Texas, three years ago ; the wife of the other had 
 three times borne twins. I was chosen on the married 
 side with the schoolmaster, three or four other young 
 men, and six or seven of the scholars. We defended our 
 cause with glowing animation but one judge thought of 
 Texas, and the other of the twins, and our scale kicked 
 the beam. Several other questions were discussed ; 
 among them, " Which is worse, a smoky chimney or a 
 scolding wife ? " Left undecided. At last I was invited 
 to propose a subject, but I would not consent until I re- 
 ceived assurance that it should be discussed : "Which 
 enjoys life most, has fewer cares, and lighter sorrows a 
 short or a long-tailed dog?" But by this time it was 
 late, and time to adjourn ; so the house was soon left to 
 its solitude in the forest, and the party dispersed in all 
 directions to their dwellings. 
 
 On the morning of the 22nd. January, old Conwell 
 and I shouldered our rifles, and each provided with 
 meat and bread, we wandered towards the waters of the 
 Richland. Lucky was it that we took provisions, for 
 
174 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 not a shot did we fire. Next day was almost as bad, 
 and if Conwell had not knocked over a turkey, we should 
 have been reduced to chew sassafras. At length on the 
 third day, he shot a deer, and I a turkey, which put a 
 little life into the dogs. Disgusted with our bad luck, 
 we decided on returning home next day, besides, the 
 weather was bad, and threatened to be worse. To our 
 inexpressible joy, snow fell during the night, and all 
 thoughts of return vanished. We took different direc- 
 tions, with the agreement to return to camp in the 
 evening. I had not gone far. when I saw footsteps of a 
 young buck in the four-inch deep snow, followed him up 
 and shot him. I heard the report of Conwell's rifle 
 about the same time. Hanging up the deer, I walked 
 on. After lounging along slowly for above - an hour, 
 without seeing anything, I came across the track of 
 Conwell, who, with his dog, had been following up the 
 bloody trail of a panther ; I gathered from the signs 
 that he had broken his left hind leg. I followed it up 
 on the instant, as fast as my legs could carry nre; 
 in rather more than an hour, I arrived at the mouth of 
 a cave, where Conwell was awaiting me, knowing that I 
 should cross his trail, and follow it up as soon as I saw 
 the marks of the panther. 
 
 The wounded brute had taken refuge in the cave, 
 leaving us to act as we pleased, probably thinking him- 
 self quite safe. We held a short consultation Conwell 
 said that he had hidden a bundle of kindlers in a hole, 
 and that if I would keep watch here, he would go and 
 fetch them. I consented, of course, and laid myself 
 down before the cave, with bare knife and cocked rifle. 
 
 
A PANTHER IN A CAVE. 175 
 
 Lying in the snow, however, was anything but agreeable ; 
 at first, when I was warm with running, I thought no- 
 thing of it, but by degrees I became colder and colder, 
 till my teeth chattered. I could not venture to lay 
 aside the rifle to make a fire, for fear the panther 
 should escape. I managed to keep up a little warmth, 
 by running and jumping, but was very glad when my 
 old friend returned and made a good fire. 
 
 As soon as we were well warmed, we made torches, 
 and entered the cave as cautiously as possible, each with 
 a burning torch in his left hand, and a rifle in the right. 
 I went first, but the cave was soon roomy enough to 
 admit c^f our walking upright, beside each other. Some 
 distance in, it took a turn to the left, and about two 
 hundred paces in advance, wo saw the fiery eyeballs of 
 the beast, who kept shutting them from time to time. 
 Conwell, taking my torch, stepped behind me, while I 
 took aim and fired. We heard a noise after the shot, 
 but could not make out the result ; I reloaded as fast as 
 possible, while Conwell went in advance, but we could 
 see nothing more of the animal's eyes. We went on 
 with cocked rifles on our left arm. Moving silently and 
 cautiously forward, we suddenly discovered the panther 
 in a little hollow close to our feet, a beautiful but alarm- 
 ing sight, his ears laid back, his teeth gnashing in wild 
 rage, and his glowing eyes so wide open, that they 
 seemed half out of their sockets. Inspired by one im- 
 pulse, we both fired so exactly together, that neither 
 knew that the other had done so. Our eneiry was hit, 
 but whether mortally or not was more than we could 
 tell. Dropping our rifles like lightning, we drew cur 
 
176 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 knives ; a sore need we had of them, for before the sound 
 of the rifles expired, we felt the weight of the panther 
 upon us. I drove my knife into him, and sprang back ; 
 our torches were extinguished ; it all passed so quickly, 
 that I did not recover full possession of my senses, till I 
 stood beside my old friend, in the fresh air, at the mouth 
 of the cave. I can only remember that, in the impene- 
 trable darkness and thick smoke, I did not know which 
 way to turn, and that Conwell dragged me out. When 
 we came into the light of day, we found ourselves co- 
 vered with sweat and blood, and our clothes all torn. 
 
 Conwell complained of pain in the breast. Tearing 
 open his shirt, we found two deep gashes from the left 
 shoulder to the pit of the stomach ; I had escaped with 
 only a few scratches. We had neither of us felt when 
 we were wounded; but before we troubled ourselves 
 about it, we made a fire in the mouth of the cave to pre- 
 vent the panther from coming out; then washed and 
 bound up our wounds, and sat by the fire to consider 
 what was next to be done. There was the panther in 
 the cave, whether alive or dead we knew not. At any 
 rate he was badly wounded, for both our knives, with 
 blades nine inches long, were bloody to the hilt. But 
 indeed we had no choice ; our rifles, and Conwell's ball- 
 pouch, which the brute had torn away, were still in the 
 cave. 
 
 It might, perhaps, have been possible to suffocate the 
 panther with smoke, but there might have been another 
 opening, and then we should have had our . trouble for 
 nothing. We soon made up our minds, and entered the 
 3ave again with fresh torches and bare knives, but not 
 
WATCHFIRE AND WOUNDS. 177 
 
 without beating hearts. We moved silently and cau- 
 tiously on, holding the torches well before us, so as not 
 to be so agreeably surprised a second tune. We reco- 
 vered our rifles without seeing the enemy. I held both 
 the torches while Conwell loaded his rifle, and then gave 
 them to him while I loaded mine, and having our faith- 
 ful weapons once more in our hands, we stepped forward 
 again still slowly and silently, but with lighter hearts. 
 " There !" suddenly called out C., holding his torch 
 aloft, and staring before him. It was the first word 
 spoken since we re-entered the cave. The panther lay 
 stretched on the ground, no longer dangerous, for the 
 last convulsions were over. We skinned him and cut 
 him up ; all the balls had taken effect, and both our 
 knives had pierced his body, so that it was only in his 
 death-struggle that he sprang upon us. We took the 
 skin, although it almost looked like a sieve, and returned 
 to our fire. 
 
 It was night by the time we came out of the cave, 
 and, with hungry stomachs, lay all four by the fire ; for 
 neither we nor the dogs had any fancy to eat the panther. 
 Conwell suffered very much from his wound, but towards 
 morning he fell into a tolerably quiet sleop. We moved 
 off with the first gleam of day to the 'place where I had 
 hung up the buck, breakfasted there, and started for 
 fresh game. 
 
 Meantime it had become warmer. The snow had dis- 
 appeared, but all the game seemed to have gone on their 
 travels ; for although we saw signs enough, not a shot 
 could we get. In the night we were awakened by a thin 
 cold rain, and having no mind to get wet through, we 
 
178 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 jumped up, cut poles with our heavy knives, and spread- 
 ing my blanket, which was the largest, over them, and 
 laying ourselves on the other, underneath it, after making 
 up the fire afresh, that the rain might not put it out, we 
 were soon fast asleep. 
 
 Next morning brought fresh troubles, but no reward. 
 Dispirited, we wandered the whole day through the wet 
 forest, . without seeing a turkey. The meat we had 
 brought with us was getting low, as we had- not been very 
 saving of it, and had given the larger share to the dogs ; 
 after breakfast there was one small piece left for each to 
 share with his dog at night ; still hoping, we walked on 
 cautiously and attentively till late at night, without see- 
 ing even so much as a vulture. 
 
 On the morning of the 29th of January, we sat by the 
 fire with empty stomachs, and stared sorrowfully at the 
 crackling flames. At length. Conwell burst out with a 
 loud laugh, and asked whether we were forced to remain 
 in this deserted spot, and why we should not go home. 
 But I would not give it up yet ; to go home with noth- 
 ing but a panther's skin full of holes was too bad,, and 
 I begged for one more day ; at any rate, if we found no- 
 thing before twelve o'clock, we could then meet at the 
 camp and return home. In silence, and on the watch 
 for the merest trifles, I wandered with Bearsgrease 
 through all the places where hitherto I had almost al- 
 ways found game, without meeting a sign ; and my hun- 
 ger was quite painful. How I thought of shooting parties 
 at home, where one was sure of finding some sort of a 
 house every half hour ; here, was only thick forest, where 
 one wet dripping tree looked exactly like another.. And 
 
OFF AGAIN AFTER GAME. 179 
 
 yet it was not without its charms. For instance, every 
 now and then you were entangled by the thorns of the 
 black locust, or if your slippery moccasins caused you 
 to fall, you might be sure of finding some of them con- 
 veniently placed to receive you. 
 
 I returned to the camp about noon, exhausted and dis- 
 pirited, and found my old comrade stretched quietly by 
 the fire. He said he had been waiting for me about a 
 couple of hours ; that it was very clear there was no 
 game to shoot ; and I was now of the same opinion. 
 Heartily sick of the useless fatigue, we shouldered the 
 skin and our blankets, and left the place with heavy 
 hearts and weary limbs. 
 
 It was long after dark when we arrived at Conwell's 
 home, and received the usual kind welcome, and we were 
 heartily laughed at, when, instead of bringing provisions, 
 we fell, like famished wolves, upon every thing eatable 
 that came in our way. A long draught of fresh milk 
 did me, above every thing else, an immensity of good. 
 
 I would willingly have enjoyed a day's rest ; but Con- 
 well who, in spite of his deep gashes, which were not 
 yet healed, was as fresh arid strong as ever a^ter his first 
 meal, and could not remain quiet under the circum- 
 stances impressed on me the necessity of trying again, 
 otherwise people would believe that we had lost the power 
 of shooting a deer. So we were off again before noon, 
 gained the source of the Hurricane, rode across the 
 " Devil's Stepping Path," a narrow rock with a precipice 
 on each side, left the Pilot-rock on our left, and came 
 towards evening into the pine forests, where we were sure 
 of finding kindlers. Descending the steep side of a 
 
180 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 mountain, we observed a column of thin blue smoke by 
 the side of a stream, showing that some hunters were en- 
 camped there. We went straight towards it, and found 
 it to be an Indian camp, and our former acquaintance, 
 young Erskine, among them. They were Cherokees 
 with three young Choctaws, these two tribes being on 
 good terms. Like ourselves, they were out bear-hunting, 
 but had had better luck. A quantity 'of bear meat was 
 hanging about the camp, and even the dogs could eat no 
 more. Casting ourselves down by the fire, one of the 
 squaws for there were several women in the camp im- 
 mediately cooked some bear for us, with which we duly 
 regaled ourselves. 
 
 Night came on, and soon all were sunk in deep repose. 
 [ was not inclined to sleep, and Bearsgrease, who had 
 tired himself with chasing a gang of turkeys, which 
 escaped at last by flying across a ravine, lay close to 
 me, with his head on my left arm. Soon he began to 
 dream, scrambling with his feet as if running, and bark- 
 ing in a low voice. Watching him brought to my mind 
 a story which was told me by an old bear-killer, to the 
 effect, that if a man lays his pocket-handkerchief over 
 the head of a dreaming dog, letting it stay till the dream 
 is out, then lays it under his own head, and falls asleep, 
 he will have the same dream that the dog had. A poc- 
 ket-handkerchief was a luxury I had dispensed with, but 
 I laid my Scotch cap on my clog's head, under which he 
 went on dreaming, and when he awoke I laid it under my 
 own head, and was soon asleep. It was perhaps owing to 
 the idea under which I fell asleep, although in general I 
 can never dream what I wish, but, be that as it may, I 
 
HUNTING WITH THE INDIANS SKELETONS. 181 
 
 soon found myself running desperately after turkeys, and 
 never stopped, till I had chased them into a tree, when I 
 stood looking up at them without thinking of shooting. 
 Just then my dog gave & loud bark, and I jumped up. 
 One of the Indians had risen to look to the fire, and 
 Bearsgrease thought it rather suspicious. My beautiful 
 dream was gone, and I could no longer recollect whether 
 I barked or not. I fell asleep again, but the dream never 
 returned. 
 
 Early in the morning we began to move, dividing into 
 two parties, for the better chance of finding game. 
 Conwell went with some of the Indians, amongst whom 
 he had found an old acquaintance, to make a circuit 
 round the Pilot-rock, while Erskine and I, with three 
 Cherokees proceeded to the sources of the Frog bayou. 
 
 About ten o'clock we came to a cave, which seemed 
 worth examining. We made torches, there being plenty 
 of strips of pine lying about ; it was settled that I should 
 try my luck, with one of the Indians. Erskine re- 
 mained with the two others by the fire, saying he had 
 searched so many caves within the last four days with- 
 out finding anything, that he was tired of it. The en- 
 trance was ra.ther small, but it became gradually larger, 
 and we went a long way in. There were evidences of 
 its having been tried before, as we found moccasin 
 marks, and pieces of burnt wood. An unexpected 
 sight suddenly arrested our progress the skeletons of a 
 man and of a bear, lying peaceably within three feet of 
 each other. A rifle thickly covered with rust, and a 
 corroded knife, lay by the side of the first, and some 
 glass beads convinced us that it was the skeleton of an 
 
182 HUNTING SPOUTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 Indian, who had bravely attacked the bear single 
 handed, and had fallen in the struggle, the skeleton of 
 the bear proving that he had sold his life dearly. 
 
 The skeleton was perfect, except some of the small 
 bones which rats or snakes might have carried off, 
 The Indian pointed in silence to the upper bone of the 
 right arm, which was broken, and the knife was lying 
 on the left side. 
 
 The sight of these remains of a human being, which 
 may have lain there for years, while his footsteps were 
 still so fresh in the moist earth, was deeply affecting. 
 As I was about to pass on, the Indian laid his hand on 
 my arm, and shook his head, saying, in broken English, 
 " The spirit of the red man is in the cave, and Wachiga 
 goes no further." Nothing could induce him to go on, 
 all my persuasions were fruitless ; pointing to the bones, 
 he said, " The bones of the red man belonged to a great 
 chief; the bear seeks no bed where the hunter sleeps." 
 As this last remark seems well founded, and as the sight 
 had shaken me too much for me to go alone, we turned 
 back without touching the remains. 
 
 We found Erskine alone, and told him what we had 
 seen, but he did not seem at all inclined to visit the re- 
 mains. We found three other caves, but no bear : Ers 
 kine and the Indians tried the two first, Erskine and I 
 the last. The cave separated into two passages ; Ers- 
 kine took the right, I the left, and as I proceeded I 
 found plenty of marks. The cave was so small that I 
 was obliged to leave everything but a torch and my 
 knife ; I could not even turn myself from one side to 
 the other, to change my attitude. I had taken off my 
 
NARROW QUARTERS WACHIGA. 183 
 
 hunting-shirt, and had on nothing hut a cotton shirt and 
 leggings, and was working on inch by inch, with tolera- 
 ble certainty of finding a hear. The passage was quite 
 round, and in many places as smooth as glass, from 
 being rubbed by wild beasts. In one place I found the 
 skin of a rattlesnake. 
 
 At length I got so completely jammed in, that I could 
 neither move backwards nor forwards. The perspira- 
 tion burst from every pore, and for a minute or two I 
 lay motionless. Then I again exerted all my efforts to 
 force myself backwards, and to my indescribable satis- 
 faction, at length succeeded, leaving, however, the 
 greater part of my shirt behind me, and my delight may 
 be imagined when I again inhaled the fresh air. .My 
 hair stood on end at the fearful thought of sticking fast 
 in such a hole, buried alive, and dying of hunger. 
 
 Night found us far from our camp, so we made one 
 for ourselves where we were. Wachiga, who had become 
 very pensive, sat smoking his tomahawk and staring at 
 the fire. Notwithstanding that he had been converted 
 to Christianity, he had still some remains of the old su- 
 perstition. Erskine was in high good humor, and told 
 one droll story after another. 
 
 On the next morning, February 1st, we had hardly 
 started ere we heard the dogs. Wachiga declared in- 
 stantly that they were his brother's, and disappeared be- 
 hind the rocks without another word. As we stood 
 listening, the sound seemed to take a different direction ; 
 we ascended the mountain as fast as we could, to cut 
 off' the chase, but found that we must have been mis- 
 taken, for in a few minutes all was silent as the grave ; 
 
184 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 once we thought we heard a shot, but could not be cer- 
 tain. We ascended to the highest terrace and walked 
 slowly on, looking out for fresh signs, and listening to 
 catch the sound of the dogs ; below, amongst the broken 
 masses of rock, they might be near without being heard, 
 while on the mountain tops, they are audible at a great 
 distance. 
 
 It may have been about two in the afternoon, and we 
 had hitherto seen nothing, when Bearsgrease raised his 
 nose in the air, remained for an instant or two in a fixed 
 position, then giving a short smothered howl, dashed 
 down the mountain side. Listening attentively, we 
 heard the chase coming down the Hurricane river. 
 Erskine called out triumphantly, " We shall have plenty 
 of bear this evening/' and dashed after the dog. I was 
 soon by his side. I must observe by the way, that we 
 were both very hungry. Presently a bear broke through 
 the bushes ; a projecting rock stopped him for an in- 
 stant, when Erskine saluted him with a ball : he received 
 mine as he rushed past, and disappeared. The dogs, 
 encouraged to greater efforts by our shots and the stronger 
 scent, followed him out ; Bearsgrease, who was quite fresh, 
 leading. the van. They soon came up with him and stopped 
 him. We rushed to the spot without waiting to reload, 
 and arrived in time to see the beast, excited to the greatest 
 fury, kill four of our best dogs with as many blows of 
 his paws ; but the others only -threw themselves on him 
 with the greater animosity, and if our rifles had been 
 loaded, we could not haye used them. Just as a large 
 powerful brown dog, which had furiously attacked the 
 bear, was knocked over bleeding and howling, Erskine 
 
CfcUR FATAL TEMERITY ERSKINE'S DEATH. 187 
 
 called out, "Oh, save the dogs," threw down his rifle, 
 and rushed on with his knife among the furious group ; 
 I followed on the instant. When the bear saw us com- 
 ing, he exerted still more force to beat off the dogs, and 
 meet us. Seizing his opportunity, my comrade ran his 
 steel into his side. The bear turned on him like light- 
 ning, and seized him ; he uttered a shrill piercing shriek. 
 Driven to desperation by the sight, I plunged my knife 
 three times into the monster's body with all my force, 
 without thinking of jumping back ; at the third thrust, 
 the bear turned upon me. Seeing his paw coming, I 
 attempted to evade the blow, felt a sharp pang, and 
 sunk senseless to the ground. 
 
 When I recovered my senses, Bearsgrease was licking 
 the blood from my face. On attempting to rise, I felt a 
 severe pain in my left side, and was unable to move my 
 left arm. On making a fresh effort to rise, I succeeded 
 in sitting up. The bear was close to me, and less than 
 three feet from him lay Erskine, stiff and cold. I sprang 
 up with a cry of horror, and rushed towards him. It was 
 too true ; he was bathed in blood, his face torn to pieces, 
 his right shoulder almost wrenched away from his body, 
 and five of the best dogs ripped up and with broken limbs 
 lying beside him. The bear was so covered with blood 
 that his color was hardly discernible. My left arm ap- 
 peared to be out of the socket, but I could feel that no 
 bones were broken. 
 
 The sun had gone down, and I had hoped that the 
 other hunters might have heard our shots and the bark- 
 ing and howling of the dogs. It grew dark. No one 
 came. I roared and shouted like mad ; no one heard 
 
188 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 me. I tried to light a fire, but my left arm was so 
 swelled that I gave up the attempt. But as it would have 
 been certain death to pass the night under these circum- 
 stances without a fire, I tore away part of the back of 
 my hunting shirt, the fore part being saturated with 
 blood, sprinkled some powder on it, rubbed it well in, all 
 with my right hand, shook a little powder into my rifle, 
 and placing the muzzle on the rag, I fired, when it began 
 to burn immediately. Blowing it up to a flame, I piled 
 on dry leaves, twigs, &c., and succeeded in making a 
 good fire, though with great pain and trouble. It was 
 now dark. I went to my dead comrade, who was lying 
 about five yards from the fire. He was already stiff, and 
 it was with great difficulty that I could pull down his 
 arms and lay him straight ; nor could I keep his eyes 
 closed, though I laid small stones on him. 
 
 The dogs were very hungry, but as it was impossible 
 for me to break up the bear, I only ripped him up, and 
 fed them with his entrails. Bearsgrease laid himself 
 down by the corpse, looking steadfastly in its face, and 
 went no more near the bear. In the hope of obtaining 
 help, I loaded and fired twice, but nothing moved : the 
 forest appeared one enormous grave. 
 
 I felt very ill, vomited several times, and my shoulder 
 was excessively painful. Winding my blanket round me 
 as well as I could, I laid myself down beside the fire, and 
 lost all consciousness of my wretched situation ; whether 
 I slept or fainted is more than I can tell, but I know that 
 I dreamed I was at home, in bed, and my mother brought 
 me some tea and laid her hand on my breast ; I heard 
 the children in the street making a noise, and saw the 
 
A TERRIBLE NIGHT. 189 
 
 snow on the roofs of the houses, and thought it must be 
 very cold out of doors. 
 
 Such an awakening as I had was worse than I could 
 wish to my bitterest enemy. Bearsgrease had pressed 
 close to my side, laying his head on my breast ; the fire 
 was almost out, I was shivering with cold, and the wolves 
 were howling fearfully around the dead, keeping at a dis- 
 tance for fear of the living, but by no means disposed to 
 lose theii prey. I rose with difficulty, and laid more 
 wood on the fire. As it burnt up, the face of the corpse 
 seemed to brighten. I started, but found it was only an 
 optical delusion. Louder and fiercer howled the wolves, 
 and the dogs, of whom five were alive besides Bears- 
 grease, answered them ; but the answer was by no means 
 one of defiance rather a lament for the dead. Partly 
 to scare away the wolves, partly in the hope of finding 
 help, I loaded and fired three times ; my delight was in- 
 expressible as I heard three shots in return. I loaded and 
 fired till all my powder was expended. As morning 
 broke, I shot two shots not far off, and soon after, a 
 third. A shipwrecked mariner, hanging on to a single 
 plank, could not raise his voice more lustily to hail a 
 passing ship, than I did then and, jo}- upon joy, I heard 
 a human voice in answer. The bark of the dogs an- 
 nounced a stranger, and Wachiga advanced out of the 
 bush. " Wah ! " he exclaimed, starting at the shocking 
 spectacle. He felt poor Erskine, and shook his head 
 mournfully. He then turned to me. I showed him my 
 swollen arm, which he examined attentively, without 
 speaking. Forming a hollow with his two hands, and 
 placing them to his lips, he gave a loud piercing shout. 
 
190 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 The answer came from no great distance, and in a few 
 minutes my dear old Conwell, and most of the Indians, 
 were at my side. I grasped Conwell's hand sorrowfully, 
 and told him in few words how it had all happened. The 
 old man scolded, and said it served us right ; there was 
 no grqat danger in sticking a. knife into a bear's paunch, 
 when he is falling, with the dogs upon him, but if he has 
 been thrown, and then catches sight of his greatest enemy, 
 man, he exerts all his force to attack him^-and woe to him 
 who comes within reach of his paws. It was all very 
 well talking ; he had not been present, and seen one dog 
 after another knocked over never to rise again; five 
 minutes more, and not one would have been saved, and 
 who knows whether the enraged beast would not have 
 attacked us, then. 
 
 Meantime, the Indians had been digging a grave with 
 their tomahawks. Wrapping the body in a blanket, they 
 laid him in it, and covered him with earth and heavy 
 stones. Conwell cut down some young stems, and made 
 a fence round the solitary grave. I could not avoid a 
 shudder at the quiet coolness of the whole proceeding, as 
 the thought struck me, that the same persons, under the 
 same circumstances, would have treated me in the same 
 cool way, had I fallen instead of Erskine. Like me, he 
 was a lonely stranger in a foreign land, having left Eng- 
 land some years before, and his friends and relations 
 will probably never know what has become of him. 
 Thousands perish in this way in America, of whom no- 
 thing more is heard, and perhaps in a few months the 
 remembrance of them has entirely passed away. 
 
 After the dead was quietly laid in the grave, Wachiga 
 
A PRIMITIVE OPERATION. 191 
 
 came with an elderly Indian to look at my arm. Wachiga 
 moved it, while the other looked steadfastly in my face : 
 the pain was enough to drive me mad, but I would not 
 utter a sound. Next the old Indian took hold of my 
 arm, laying his left hand on my shoulder, and while 
 Wachiga suddenly seized me round the body from behind, 
 the other pulled with all his force. The pain at first was 
 so great that I almost fainted ; but it gradually dimi- 
 nished ; in spite of my resolve to show no signs of it, I 
 could not suppress a shriek. Conwell soon after asked 
 if I could ride. On my answering " Yes," he helped me 
 on a horse ; then throwing the bear's skin and some of 
 the meat on his own, we moved slowly homewards. My 
 sufferings on the way were very great, but I uttered no 
 murmur. I only longed for repose. At nightfall we had 
 still four miles to go. He asked me if I could support 
 the pain and fatigue, or if we should camp where we 
 were, as there was plenty of wood and water. I would 
 rather have ridden forty miles, let alone four, with the 
 hope of rest at the end of them. We arrived in about an 
 hour. I was 'so stiff that I could hardly get off the horse. 
 On entering the room I threw myself on a bed, and had 
 a violent fever during the night, and talked wildly for- 
 tunately in German. Towards morning I began to feel 
 better, had a quiet sleep, and woke up about noon much 
 refreshed. Meantime, old Conwell had related all that 
 had occurred, and they attended me like a son. It took 
 two more days before I could move out of bed and was 
 able to stand. 
 
 I was hardly so far recovered as to be able to crawl 
 about, when Conwell proposed another hunt, and although 
 
192 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 I had suffered so much, I could not say "No." On the 
 6th of February we rode out again, but there was no 
 longer any life in the thing ; we found the same Indians, 
 hunted with them a few days, shot a few deer, some tur- 
 keys, and a young bear, returning on the 12th, Conwell 
 with two deer-skins and some haunches, I with a turkey. 
 By this time my arm was quite healed. Nevertheless, 
 I had made up my mind to leave the mountains and go 
 southwards, partly from a returning fit of my old love of 
 change, partly because I longed for news from home, not 
 having received any letters for several months, and partly 
 also because game had become so scarce through the 
 number of hunters, that there was hardly enough to sub- 
 sist on. We heard that a party of twelve men had been 
 along the Richland and killed or driven away everything, 
 and that during the last three days not a turkey was to 
 be seen. The news of game from other quarters was no 
 better ; in short there was nothing for it but off ! off ! 
 When I was once more surrounded by my old friend's 
 amiable family, and passed another evening amongst 
 them, my resolution was indeed shaken ; however, during 
 the night I gave it mature consideration, and in the 
 morning I told them that I should that day take my de- 
 parture. Attempts were immediately made to dissuade 
 me from it, and old Conwell asked in downright earnest 
 if I could not stay with them always, and take the school. 
 The present schoolmaster was ignorant and a drunkard, 
 and they would have been glad to be rid of him. For 
 a moment, indeed, but only for a moment, my fancy de- 
 picted the delights of a home amongst the mountains, 
 then the image of my old village schoolmaster flashed 
 
I DECLINE TAKING A FARM. 193 
 
 across my mind, with his threadbare black coat, false 
 collars, and shirt-front, and his frame as thin as a skele- 
 ton. I shook my head ' mournfully. He changed his 
 plan, and proposed that I should take a farm. But that 
 I had also reflected on : I was too poor, and although 
 the kind people would have done every thing in their 
 power to help me, I should have been too dependent ; 
 for although much is not required to set up farming in 
 America, still there must be something, and it does not 
 look well for the beginner to be always borrowing horse 
 or plow, axe, spade, saw in short, every farming and 
 household utensil, until at last the most patient man 
 would be worn out, and everybody would be alarmed the 
 moment they saw the borrower coming. I was once 
 witness of such a beginning : a family that came to the 
 forest without any means, were at first most liberally as- 
 sisted by their neighbors ; they helped them with their 
 fences, in building their house, in clearing and ploughing 
 the land, and lent them every thing, even to flour and 
 pork ; but how could people who began thus ever become 
 independent? It took years before they could procure 
 the most necessary articles for themselves. 
 
 My old friend acknowledged the truth of the picture, 
 
 and my journey was settled for the morrow. 
 13 
 
194 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 DRIVES. 
 
 THE following graphic and very interesting account 
 of the drives, common in newly settled countries, is ex- 
 tracted from " A Sketch of the Settlement of the Town- 
 ship of Tallmage, in Summit county, Ohio," by Charles- 
 "Whittlesey. 
 
 This region was originally very well stocked with 
 bear, wolves, deer, and turkeys. The flesh of the two 
 last was not only a luxury, but a necessary article of 
 food. Deer skin breeches, and deer skin facings to 
 woolen pantaloons, (after one season's service,) were the 
 height of fashion. Red foxes were not common. The 
 wolf made great havoc with the few sheep introduced 
 here ; committing depredations at the same time upon 
 the wild deer. He has been known to attack cows. 
 The bear confined himself to hogs, and many instances 
 are given of his boldness in capturing and carrying 
 away provisions of this kind. He springs suddenly 
 upon his victim, gifcsps him in his arms or forelegs, with 
 a force which is irresistible, erects himself upon his hind 
 logs like a man, and makes off in an instant with his 
 load. The piercing' squeal of the hog is the first warn- 
 ing of his presence to the owner. A large bear, who 
 meets with no obstruction, will make his way through a 
 thick wood in- this manner, with a hog of good size, faster 
 than a man on foot can follow. The groans and strug- 
 gles of the animal in his embrace, become weaker and 
 weaker, and soon cease entirely. One of these creatures 
 
DRIVES. 195 
 
 took a slioat from a drove belonging to captain J. Hart, 
 of Middlebury, in his presence. The captain followed 
 him closely, but the bear evidently gained in the race, 
 till he came to a brush fence, and not being able to 
 climb it with sufficient expedition, dropped the dying 
 pig in order to secure himself. Mr. Edmund Strong was 
 chopping on his land, when one of his hogs was taken 
 near by. After a severe contest with clubs, Mr. Strong 
 recovered the body of his hog ; and, using it as a bait, 
 afterwards caught the offender in a trap. Another 
 seized a full grown hog belonging to A. Whittlesey, near 
 the centre, and, notwithstanding men were near by, and 
 made close pursuit, he carried it off without difficulty. 
 
 When Mr. Ephraim Clark lived in a log-house, a few 
 rods north of the parsonage, on the same side, his hogs 
 were fed across the road at a trough in the field. One 
 morning, as he returned from feeding them, a large bear 
 fell upon the hogs before he had reached the house. By 
 the time he had seized his rifle, and re-crossed the road, 
 the bear had secured one, and as he rose preparatory to 
 a retreat, received a, bullet in the chest. He then let 
 the hog fall, and made fiercely toward Mr. Clark, but 
 in making an effort to scale the bars, fell backward and 
 died. 
 
 Mr. John Caruthers and his dogs fell in with one of a 
 moderate size, while traversing the woods near the east 
 line of the township, in search of horses. An engage- 
 ment followed, in which the bear had apparently the 
 advantage. To an early settler, the loss of a dog, his 
 companion and faithful sentinel, was a misfortune that 
 affected, not only his interest, but the best feelings of 
 
196 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 his heart. Mr. Caruthers had nothing in his hand hut 
 a bridle, and could therefore bring no weapon to the as- 
 sistance of his friends, but such dry clubs as lay about 
 him. The animal paid very little attention . to these if 
 but at length finding a young sappling, he broke it into 
 a good stick, and managed to give several hard knocks, 
 repeatedly on the same spot, just behind the ear. By 
 this means he was killed, and the dog released. 
 
 By the assistance of a large and valuable wolf dog, 
 Mr. D. Preston and Mr. Drake Fellows killed one with 
 clubs and stones, at the south end of " Stony Hill." 
 
 If the body of a hog was recovered partly eaten, the 
 same bear could generally be taken in a trap, within 
 the next twenty-four hours. He invariably returned, 
 for the remainder, and showed little or no sagacity in 
 avoiding his fate. For this purpose, a heavy steel trap 
 was used, with smooth jaws and a long drag chain, with 
 iron claws at the extremity. It was not fastened to the 
 spot, because the great strength of the animal would 
 enable him to free himself, but as he ran, after being 
 caught, the claws would catch upon the brush, retarding 
 his flight, and leaving a distinct trail. He was gene- 
 rally overtaken within two miles, exhausted of strength. 
 Here the dogs were first allowed an opportunity to ex- 
 hibit their courage and natural animosity, before the 
 rifle put an end to his degradation and sufferings. In 
 these conflicts if the shackles were upon his hind legs, 
 leaving the fore paws free, there were but few dogs de- 
 sirous of a close combat the second time. 
 
 In the winter of 1824-5, the inhabitants of this and 
 the adjoining townships, determined to make an effort to 
 
DBIVES. 19T 
 
 clear the country of the bear, and of the wolf at the 
 same time. There were four drives, or large hunts, or- 
 ganized during the winter; two in Brimfield, one in 
 Springfield, and one in Portage. They were frequently 
 got up in the new country by those who were not pro- 
 fessed hunters, for the purpose of taking a few deer and 
 turkeys, then so common. A large tract of wild land, 
 the half or fourth of a township, was surrounded by 
 lines of men, with such intervals that each person could 
 see or hear those next to him, right and left. The whole 
 acted under the command of a captain and at least four 
 subordinates, who were generally mounted. At a signal 
 of tin horns, or trumpets, every man advanced in line 
 towards the centre, preserving an equal distance from 
 those on either hand, and making as much noise as 
 practicable. From the middle of each side of the exte- 
 rior line, a blazed line of trees was previously marked 
 to the centre as a guide, and one of the sub-officers pro- 
 ceeded along each as the march progressed. About 
 a half or three-fourths of a mile from the central point, 
 a ring of blazed trees was made, and a similar one at the 
 ground of meeting, with a diameter at least equal to the 
 greatest rifle range. On arriving at the first ring, the 
 advancing Imes halted till the commandant made a cir- 
 cuit, and saw the men equally distributed and all gaps 
 closed. By this time a herd of deer might be occasion- 
 ally seen driving in affright from one line to another. 
 At the signal, the ranks move forward to the second 
 ring, which is drawn around the foot of a eminence, or 
 the margin of an open swamp or lake. Here, if the 
 drive has been a successful one, great numbers of tur- 
 
198 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 keys may be seen flying among the trees away from the 
 spot ; deer in flocks, sweeping round the ring, under an 
 incessant fire, panting and exhausted. When thus 
 pressed, it is difficult to detain them long within the 
 ring. They become desperate, and make for the line at 
 full speed. If the men are too numerous and resolute 
 to give way, they leap over their heads, and all the 
 sticks, pitchforks, and guns, raised to oppose them. By 
 a concert of the regular hunters, gaps are sometimes 
 made purposely to allow them to escape. The wolf is 
 now seen skulking through the bushes, hoping to escape 
 observation by concealment. If bear are driven in, they 
 dash through the brush in a rage, from one part to an- 
 other, regardless of the shower of bullets playing upon 
 them. After the game appears to be mostly killed, a 
 few good marksmen and dogs scour the ground within 
 the circle, to stir up what may be concealed or wounded. 
 This over, they advance again to the centre, with a 
 shout, dragging along the carcasses which have fallen, 
 for the purpose of making a count. 
 
 It was at the hunt in Portage, that the bear were either 
 exterminated or driven away from this vicinity. It em- 
 braced the "Perkins' Swamp," and several smaller ones, 
 rendered passable by ice. At the close of this " drive" 
 twenty-six were brought to the centre ground and others 
 reported. 
 
 "Wolves were taken with difficulty in steel traps, but 
 more readily in log pens, prepared like the roof of a 
 house, shelving inwards on all sides, and containing the 
 half devoured carcass of a sheep, upon which they had 
 made a previous meal. The wolf easily clambered up 
 
DRIVES. 199 
 
 the exterior side of the cabin, and entered at the top, 
 which was left open ; but once fairly within it, he could 
 neither escape or throw it down. 
 
 Turkeys were taken in square pens, made of lighter 
 timber, and covered at the top. They entered at an 
 open door in the side, which was suspended by a string 
 that led to a catch within. This string and catch were 
 covered with chaff, which induced them to enter, and 
 while engaged in scratching about the chaff to get at the 
 grain mingled with it, some unlucky companion would 
 strike the catch, and let the door down behind them 
 all. 
 
 This town was much infested with rattlesnakes, 
 during the first ten years of its settlement, though but 
 one instance is known of a bite among the inhabitants. 
 There were two kinds, the large yellow, (crotalus duris- 
 sus of naturalists,) and the small venomous black rattle- 
 snake, (crotalus miliarius^ or massassauga. The mas- 
 sassauga frequented the low grounds, to the terror of 
 all cranberry hunters. The yellow rattlesnake, which 
 was very large and more numerous, kept the open dry 
 ground, particularly fields of standing grown wheat. It 
 is said that eleven were killed in one day in a wheat 
 field, one mile north of the centre. They resorted in 
 the winter to a den in the rocks, at the southwest part 
 of Stony hill. On the approach of spring, attracted by 
 the warmth of the atmosphere, they would come out in 
 a half torpid state, and were killed by the inhabitants 
 by scores. At this day, a rattlesnake, a bear, or a wolf, 
 would be equally an object of curiosity. 
 
200 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 HUNTING ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD MERRITT. 
 
 ICHABOD MERRITT was born in Massachusetts, in 
 June, 1796. In 1804 his parents removed to the dis- 
 trict of Three-Rivers, in Lower Canada. At that time 
 there was an abundance of game in that part of Canada, 
 and also in the adjoining parts of Vermont. For many 
 months during the fall and winter, hunting and trapping 
 was a regular, and also a profitable business. It was 
 here, and in his youthful days, that Mr. Merritt inured 
 himself to hardship, and self-possession in case of diffi- 
 culty. He usually spent his winters in the woods, either 
 trapping the martin and sable for their fur, or hunting 
 the bear, moose, or deer, with which those woods 
 abounded. In the fall of 1815, he, with a brother, 
 killed ten bears, the skins of which they sold for one 
 hundred dollars. I give his account of his killing one 
 of them, as something of a specimen of the rest. " The 
 dogs," (for a hunter in those days could not hunt with- 
 out two, and sometimes with more dogs) he remarked, 
 " had started a bear, and it appeared to be coming 
 partly towards me. I moved in a direction to head it. 
 Soon it came in sight, and when about twelve rods from 
 me it jumped upon a log, and turned to look and listen 
 for the dogs. At this time I fired at it. The ball 
 struck the jawbone, and glancing, lodged in the skin in 
 its neck. The bear was hurt but little, and continued 
 in her course, coming near where I was loading. The 
 dogs overtook and seized it. In my haste to load, I had 
 
HUNTING ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD MERRITT. 201 
 
 not watched them ; but the moment I had finished load- 
 ing I looked up, and the bear had got clear of the dogs 
 and was pitching at me. She w.as not eight feet off. 
 I sprang and ran a short distance, every step of which 
 I could not help cringing, for I almost felt the embrace 
 of the bear, and expected every instant to see her huge 
 paws coming around me. As soon as I dared to look 
 behind me, I found my faithful dogs had seized the bear, 
 and she had turned to fight them. This gave me the 
 very chance I wanted, and I let drive at her head, and 
 shot her square through. She died instantly." 
 
 In that climate (Canada) the bears usually den up in 
 the winter, and lie in something of a torpid state. 
 During a thaw, they sometimes venture out, but that is 
 seldom. In warmer climates, they ramble more while 
 the snow is upon the ground. 
 
 During those winter hunts, to find and kill the moose, 
 was quite an object with the hunters. The moose is an 
 animal similar to the deer or elk, except vastly larger. 
 Their color is dark gray. The horns of the male are 
 pronged, and very large in proportion to the size of 
 their bodies. The body is thick-set, tail short, and they 
 have a very large upper lip. Their usual gait is a trot, 
 swinging their legs out so as to form a half circle in the 
 snow when it was three or four feet deep. . " I have 
 often," says Merritt, " measured their steps in the snow, 
 and found them seven feet apart." A man, five and a 
 half feet high, could walk under the belly of a full 
 grown one. They usually bring two young at a time. 
 In winter, they herd together, and as the snow increases, 
 they form yards, living upon browse, the twigs and bark 
 
202 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 of trees. Sometimes they will take a strip, following 
 some ridge or swamp, feeding upon the brush until they 
 fill themselves, and then lie down, the next day pro- 
 gressing on further. 
 
 " The last moose which I killed," said Merritt, " was 
 out back of Brompton lake, in Canada. I was hunting 
 with J. Bonney. It was near night, when we came upon 
 a moose-yard. We had taken provisions but for one 
 day. We were not expecting then to chase them, but 
 merely to find their place of yarding, and then wait 
 until the snow became deeper before we disturbed them. 
 When the snow was deep, and particularly whea there 
 was an icy crust, we could soon run them down arid 
 shoot them. Bonney was for giving immediate chase. 
 I persuaded him to camp that night, and in the morning 
 to ascertain where we could get some provisions before 
 we started them, as the chase might last, as it frequently 
 did when there was but little snow, five or six days. 
 The next day, it took us until about noon before we 
 could find anything to eat. We then obtained three 
 quarts of Indian-mealj and about four pounds of bull- 
 beef. We had with us a small kettle, with the aid of 
 which we made our meal into porridge. , Our dogs 
 shared our provisions with us. We did but little this 
 day, the second of our trip, except to get back upon the 
 trail. The third day we gave chase ; but, before night, 
 Bonney was for giving up the pursuit. I persuaded 
 him to continue, told him that he had been fierce to 
 begin the pursuit when we had nothing to eat, and now 
 when we had beef and porridge, I was for going ahead. 
 Near night the dogs came up with them, but too late for 
 
HUNTING ADVENTURES OP ICHABOD MERRITT. 203 
 
 us to get a shot at them. We again encamped. The 
 next day, after following five miles further, we overtook 
 them back of a hill, which by the sound, they appeared 
 to be going around. I immediately ran to the opposite 
 side of the hill to meet them. They came around as I 
 expected, and I partly met them. As they turned, a 
 large one ran upon the ice of a creek and broke in. As 
 he rose upon the ice, I was ready, and cut loose upon 
 him, and shot him square through. This stopped his 
 running. After securing our prize, and getting a hearty 
 meal of fresh meat, we returned." 
 
 When Merritt came to the State of Ohio, in 1815, 
 there were numerous elk in the forests of this State. 
 The elk is of the deer species, although much larger, 
 the male, like that of the deer, only having horns. They 
 usually go in droves. "In 1823," says Merritt, "I 
 started three in the northwest corner of this township ; 
 after following them around awhile, one separated from 
 the others. I followed that one, and at night came 
 within two miles of home. I went home and slept, and 
 the next morning I took my brother with me, and a 
 rope, determining to catch and bring it in alive. We 
 took its track, there being a little snow, and often came 
 in sight of it. Many times we might have shot it, but 
 we were determined to halter it. The next night found 
 us about fifteen miles from home. The third day the 
 elk became worried and hungry, as we had not allowed 
 it to eat. During the day it ran into a cleared field, 
 and the dogs there stopped and held it. It was a cow 
 elk. I came up and caught my right 'arm over its neck, 
 and with my left hand I took it by the nose. She soon 
 
204 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 cleared herself from the dogs, and I found that I had a 
 wild colt to handle. She carried me with ease fre- 
 quently striking at me with her fore-feet. I managed 
 so that her feet usually went one upon each side of me, 
 when she reared and struck, so that I was but little 
 hurt. I would then have been glad to be out of that 
 scrape ; but the difficulty was in letting go. We soon 
 arrived at the opposite side of the field, where was 
 a high and strong fence. With my weight, the elk 
 could not jump the fence, and I here, with my left hand, 
 caught around a rail, and I found I was able to hold the 
 creature down, until my brother came up with the rope. 
 When this was fastened to her, both of us could hold 
 her. With the aid of a crotched stick, to keep her off, 
 we led her to a log stable, and there confined her. Af- 
 ter getting help so as to have one with a halter upon each 
 side, and one behind to whip up, we succeeded to lead her 
 home, a distance of twenty-eight miles." Merritt says, 
 that he has killed or caught with ropes, over thirty elk, 
 in and near this place. They have now, for more than 
 eighteen years, all disappeared from these parts, und it 
 will soon only be known by tradition, or from history, 
 that such animals ever roamed our forests. 
 
PERILOUS ADVENTURES OF ROSS COX. 205 
 
 PERILOUS ADVENTURES OF MR, ROSS COX. 
 
 MR. Cox's book is entitled " Adventures on the Col- 
 umbia river, including the narrative of a residence of six 
 years on the west side of the Rocky Mountains among 
 varkws tribes of Indians ; together with a journey across 
 the Rocky Mountains." It is exceedingly entertaining ; 
 and as it abounds with curious hunting adventures, we 
 shall make some extracts from it. Mr. Cox left Astoria 
 with a trading party, (June 29th, 1812,) and went up the 
 Columbia river to visit and trade with the Indians. The 
 following extract gives an account of his most perilous 
 adventure. 
 
 On the 17th of August we left our encampment a little 
 after four A. M. During the forenoon the sun was in- 
 tensely hot. Occasional bright green patches, inter- 
 mixed with wild flowers, and gently rising eminences, 
 partially covered with clumps of small trees, gave an 
 agreeable variety to the face of the country ; which we 
 enjoyed the more, from the scorched and sterile uniformity 
 of the plains through which we had passed on the two 
 preceding days. We got no water, however, until twelve 
 o'clock, when we arrived in a small valley of the most 
 delightful verdure, through which ran a clear stream 
 from the northward, over a pebbly bottom. The horses 
 were immediately turned loose to regale themselves in 
 the rich pasture ; and as it was full of red and white 
 clover, orders were given not to catch them until two 
 o'clock, by which time we thought they would be suf- 
 ficently refreshed for the evening's journey. 
 
206 HUNTING SPOUTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 After walking and riding eight hours, I need not say 
 we made a hearty breakfast ; after which I wandered 
 some distance along the banks of the rivulet in search of 
 cherries, and came to a sweet little arbor formed by 
 sumach and cherry trees. I pulled a quantity of the 
 fruit, and sat down in the retreat to enjoy its refreshing 
 coolness. It was a charming spot, and on the opposite 
 bank was a delightful wilderness of crimson haw, honey- 
 suckles, wild roses, and currants ; its resemblance to a 
 friend's summer-house, in which I had spent many happy 
 days, brought back home, with all its endearing recollec- 
 tions ; and my scattered thoughts were successively oc- 
 cupied with the past, the present, and the future. In 
 this state I fell into a kind of pleasing, soothing revery, 
 which, joined to the morning's fatigue, gradually sealed 
 my eyelids; and unconscious of my situation, I resigned 
 myself to the influence of the , drowsy god. Imagine my 
 feelings when I awoke in the evening, I think it was 
 about five o'clock from the declining appearance of the 
 sun ! All was calm and silent as the grave. I hastened 
 to the spot where we had breakfasted : I ran to the place 
 where the men had made their fire : all, all were gone, 
 and not a vestige of man or horse appeared in the valley. 
 My senses almost failed me. I called out, in vain, in 
 every direction, until I became hoarse ; and I could no 
 longer conceal from myself the dreadful truth that I was 
 alone in a wild, uninhabited country, without horse or 
 arms, and destitute of covering. 
 
 Having now no resource but to ascertain the direction 
 which the party had taken, I set about examining the 
 ground, and at the northeast point of the valley discov- 
 
AUTHOR LOSES THE PARTY. 207 
 
 ered the tracks of horses' feet, which I followed for some 
 time, and which led to a chain of small hills, with a rocky 
 gravelly bottom, on which the hoofs made no impression. 
 Having thus lost the tracks, I ascended the highest of 
 the hills, from which I had an extended view of many 
 miles around ; but saw no sign of the party, or the lea.st 
 indication of human habitations. The evening was now 
 closing fast, and with the approach of night a heavy dew 
 commenced falling. The whole of my clothes consisted 
 merely of a gingham shirt, nankeen trousers, and a pair 
 of light leather moccasins, much worn. About an hour 
 before breakfast, in consequence of the heat, I had taken 
 oft* my coat, and placed it on one of the loaded horses, 
 intending to put it on towards the cool of the evening ; 
 and one of the men had charge of my fowling-piece. I 
 was even without my hat ; for in the agitated state of 
 my mind on awaking, I had left it behind, and had ad- 
 vanced too far to think of returning for it. At some 
 distance on my left, I observed a field of high, strong 
 grass, to which I proceeded, and after pulling enough to 
 place under and over me, I recommended myself to the 
 Almighty, and fell asleep. During the night confused 
 dreams of warm houses, feather-beds, poisoned arrows, 
 prickly-pears, and rattlesnakes, haunted my disturbed 
 imagination. 
 
 On the 18th I arose with the sun, quite wet and chilly, 
 the heavy dew having completely saturated my flimsy 
 covering, and proceeded in an easterly direction, nearly 
 parallel with the chain of hills. In the course of the 
 day I passed several small lakes full of wild-fowl. The 
 general appearance of the country was flat, the soil 'light 
 
208 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 and gravelly, and covered with the same loose grass al- 
 ready mentioned ; great quantities of it had been recently 
 burned by the Indians in hunting the deer, the stubble 
 of which annoyed my feet very much. I had turned into 
 a northerly course, where, late in the evening, I observed, 
 about a mile distant, two horsemen galloping in an easterly 
 direction. From their dresses I knew they belonged to 
 our party. I instantly ran to a hillock, and called out 
 in a voice, to which hunger had imparted a supernatural 
 shrillness ; but they galloped on. I then took off my 
 shirt, which I waved in a conspicuous manner over my 
 head, accompanied by the most frantic cries ; still they 
 continued on. I ran towards the direction they were 
 galloping, despair adding wings to my flight. Rocks, 
 'stubble, and brushwood were passed with the speed of a 
 hunted antelope ; but to no purpose ; for arriving at the 
 place where I imagined a pathway would have brought me 
 into their track, I was completely at fault. It was now 
 nearly dark. I had eaten nothing since the noon of the 
 preceding day : and, faint with hunger and fatigue, threw 
 myself on the grass, when I heard a small rustling noise 
 behind me. I turned round, and, with horror, beheld a 
 large rattlesnake cooling himself in the evening shade. 
 I instantly retreated, on observing which he coiled him- 
 self. Having obtained a large stone, I advanced slowly 
 on him, and taking a proper aim, dashed it with all my 
 force on the reptile's head, which I buried in the ground 
 beneath the stone. 
 
 The late race had completely worn out the thin soles 
 of my moccasins, and my feet in consequence became 
 much swollen. As night advanced, I was obliged to look 
 
DESTITUTE SITUATION. 209 
 
 out for a place to sleep, and after some time, selected 
 nearly as good a bed as the one I had the first night. 
 My exertions in pulling the long coarse grass nearly ren- 
 dered my hands useless, by severely cutting all the joints 
 of the fingers. 
 
 I rose before the sun on the morning of the 19th, and 
 pursued an easterly course all the day. I at first felt 
 very hungry, but after walking a few miles, and taking 
 a drink of water, I got a little refreshed. The general 
 appearance of the country was still flat, with burned grass, 
 and sandy soil, which blistered my feet. The scorching 
 influence of the sun obliged me to stop for some hours in 
 the day; during which I made several ineffectual attempts 
 to construct a covering for my head. At times I thought 
 my brain was on fire from the dreadful effects of the heat. 
 I got no fruit those two days, and towards evening felt 
 very weak for the want of nourishment, having been 
 forty-eight hours without food ; and to make my situation 
 more annoying, I slept that evening on the banks of a 
 pretty lake, the inhabitants of which* would have done 
 honor to a royal table. With what an evil eye, and a 
 murderous heart, did I regard the stately goose, and the 
 plump waddling duck, as they sported on the water, un- 
 conscious of my presence ! Even with a pocket-pistol I 
 could have done execution among them. The state of 
 my fingers prevented me from obtaining the covering of 
 grass which I had the two preceding nights ; and on this 
 evening I had no shelter whatever to protect me from 
 the heavy dew. 
 
 On the following day, the 20th, my course was nearly 
 
 northeast, and lay through a country more diversified by 
 14 
 
210 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 wood and water. I saw plenty of wild geese, ducks, 
 cvanes, curlews, and sparrows, also some hawks and cor- 
 morants, and at a distance about fifteen or twenty small 
 deer. The wood consisted of pine, birch, cedar, wild- 
 cherries, hawthorn, sweet-willow, honey-suckle, and 
 sumach. The rattlesnakes were very numerous this day, 
 with horned lizards, and grasshoppers : the latter kept 
 me in a constant state of feverish alarm, from the similarity 
 of the noise made by their wings to the sound of the 
 rattles of the snake, when preparing to dart on its prey. 
 I suffered severely during the day from hunger, and was 
 obliged to chew grass occasionally, which allayed it a 
 little. Late in the evening I arrived at a lake upwards 
 of two miles long, and a mile broad, the shores of which 
 were high, and well-wooded with large pine, spruce, and 
 birch. It was fed by two rivulets, from the north and 
 northeast, in which I observed a quantity of small fish ; 
 but had no means of catching any, or I should have made 
 a Sandwich Island meal. There was, however, an abun- 
 dant supply of wild cherries, on which I made a hearty 
 supper. I slept on the bank of the nearest stream, just 
 where it entered the lake, but during the night the how- 
 ling of the wolves, and growling of bears, broke in terri- 
 bly on my slumbers, and "balmy sleep" was almost 
 banished from my eyelids. On rising the next morning, 
 the 21st, I observed on the opposite bank, at the mouth 
 of the river, the entrance of a large and apparently deep 
 cavern, from which I judged some of the preceding night's 
 music had issued. I now determined to make short jour- 
 neys, for two or three days, in different directions, in the 
 hope of falling on some fresh horse tracks ; and in the 
 
ATTACK ON A WOLF. 211 
 
 event of being unsuccessful, to return each night to 
 the lake, where I was at least certain of procuring cherries 
 and water sufficient to sustain nature. In pursuance of 
 this resolution I set out early, in a southerly direction, 
 from the head of the lake, through a wild barren country, 
 without any water or vegetation, save loose tufts of grass, 
 like those already described. I had armed myself with 
 a long stick, with which, during the day, I killed several 
 rattlesnakes. Having discovered no fresh tracks, I re- 
 turned late in the evening hungry and thirsty, and took 
 possession of my berth of the preceding night. I col- 
 lected a heap of stones from the water-side ; and just 
 as I was lying down observed a wolf emerge from the 
 opposite cavern, and thinking it safer to act on the of- 
 fensive, lest he should imagine I was afraid, I threw some 
 stones at him, one of which struck him on the leg : he 
 retired yelling into his den ; and after waiting some time 
 in fearful suspense, to see if he w r ould reappear, I threw 
 myself on the ground, and fell asleep ; but, like the night 
 before, it was broken by the same unmusical noise, and for 
 upwards of two hours I sat up waiting in anxious expec- 
 tation the return of daylight. The vapors from the lake, 
 joined to the heavy dew, had penetrated my frail rover- 
 ing of gingham ; but as the sun ros, I took it off, and 
 stretched it on a rock, where it quickly dried. My ex- 
 cursion to the southward having proved abortive, 1 now 
 resolved to try the east, and after eating my simple 
 breakfast, proceeded in that direction : and on crossing 
 the two small streams, had to penetrate a country full 
 of "dark woods and rankling wilds," through which, 
 owing to the immense quantities of underwood, my pro- 
 
212 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 gress was slow. My feet too were uncovered, and, from 
 the thorns of the various prickly plants, were much lace- 
 rated ; in consequence of which, on returning to my late 
 bivouack, I was obliged to shorten the legs of my trousers 
 to procure bandages for them. The wolf did not make 
 his appearance ; but during the night I got occasional 
 starts from several of his brethren of the forest. 
 
 I anticipated the rising of the sun on the morning of 
 the 23d, and having been unsuccessful the two preceding 
 days, determined to shape my course due north, and if 
 possible not return again to the lake. During the day I 
 skirted the wood, and fell on some old tracks, which re- 
 vived my hopes a little. The country to the westward 
 was chiefly plains, covered with parched grass, and occa- 
 sionally enlivened by savannas of refreshing green, full 
 of wild flowers and aromatic herbs, among which the bee 
 and humming-bird banqueted. I slept this evening by a 
 small brook, where I collected cherries and haws enough 
 to make a hearty supper. I was obliged to make farther 
 encroachments on the legs of my trowsers for fresh band- 
 ages for my feet. During the night I was serenaded by 
 music which did not resemble " a concord of most sweet 
 sounds;" in which the grumbling. bass of the bears was 
 at times drowned by the less pleasing sharps of the wolves. 
 I partially covered my body this night with some pieces 
 of pine bark which I stripped off a sapless tree. 
 
 The country through which I dragged my tired limbs 
 on the 24th was thinly wooded. My course was north 
 and northeast. I suffered much from want of water, 
 having got, during the day, only two tepid and nause- 
 ous draughts from stagnant pools which the long drought 
 
MIDNIGHT WATCHJNGS. 213 
 
 had nearly dried up. About sunset I arrived at a small 
 stream, by the side of which I took up my quarters fW 
 the night. The dew fell heavily ; but I was too much 
 fatigued to go in quest of bark to cover me ; and even 
 had I been so inclined, the howling of the wolves would 
 have deterred me from making the dangerous attempt. 
 There must have been an extraordinary nursery of these 
 animals close to the spot ; for between the weak, shrill 
 cries of the young, and the more loud and dreadful 
 howling of the old, I never expected to leave the place 
 alive. I could not sleep. My only weapons of defence 
 were a heap of stones and a stick. Ever and anon, 
 some more daring than others approached me. I pre- 
 sented the stick at them, as if in the act of levelling a 
 gun, upon which they retired, vented a few yells, ad- 
 vanced a little farther, and after surveying me for some 
 time with their sharp, fiery eyes, to which the partial 
 glimpses of the moon had imparted additional ferocity, 
 retreated into the wood. In this state of fearful agita- 
 tion I passed the night ; but as daylight began to break, 
 Nature asserted her supremacy, and I fell into a deep 
 sleep, from which, to judge by the sun, I did not awake 
 until between eight and nine o'clock on the morning of 
 the 25th. My second bandages having been worn out, 
 I was now oblfged to bare my knees for fresh ones ; and 
 after tying them round my feet, and taking a copious 
 draught from the adjoining brook for breakfast, I re- 
 commenced my joyless journey. My course was nearly 
 north-northeast. I got no water during the day, nor 
 any of the wild cherries. Some slight traces of men's 
 feet, and a few old horse tracks occasionally crossed my 
 
214 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 path: they proved that human beings sometimes, at 
 least, visited that part of the country, and for a moment 
 served to cheer my drooping spirits. 
 
 About dusk, an immense sized wolf rushed out of a 
 thick copse, a short distance' from the pathway, planted 
 himself directly before me, in a threatening position, 
 and appeared determined to dispute my passage. He 
 was not more than twenty feet from me. My situation 
 was desperate, and as I knew that the least symptom of 
 fear would be the signal for attack, I presented my 
 stick, and shouted as loud as my weak voice would per- 
 mit. He appeared somewhat startled, and retreated a 
 few steps, still keeping his piercing eyes firmly fixed on 
 me. I advanced a little, when he commenced howling 
 in a most appalling manner ; and supposing his inten- 
 tion was to collect a few of his comrades to assist in 
 making an afternoon repast on my half-famished carcass, 
 I redoubled my cries, until I had almost lost the power 
 of utterance, at the same time calling out various names, 
 thinking I might make it appear I was not alone. An 
 old and a young lynx ran close past me, but did not stop. 
 The wolf remained about fifteen minutes in the same 
 position ; but whether my wild and fearful exclamations 
 deterred any others from joining him, I cannot say. 
 Finding at length my determination not to flinch, and 
 that no assistance was likely to come he retreated into 
 the wood, and disappeared in the surrounding gloom. 
 
 The shades of night were now descending fast, when 
 I came to a verdant spot, surrounded by small trees, 
 and full of rushes, which induced me to hope for water ; 
 but after searching for some time, I was still doomed to 
 
APPALLING SITUATION. 215 
 
 brtter disappointment. A shallow lake or pond had 
 been, there, which the long drought and heat had dried 
 up. I then pulled a quantity of the rushes and spread 
 them at the foot of a large stone, which I intended for 
 my pillow, but as I was about throwing myself down, a 
 rattlesnake coiled, with the head erect, and the forked 
 tongue extended in a state of frightful oscillation, caught 
 my eye immediately under the stone. I instantly re- 
 treated a short distance ; but assuming fresh courage, 
 soon despatched it with my stick. On examining the 
 spot more minutely, a large cluster of them appeared 
 under the stone, the whole of which I rooted out and 
 destroyed. This was hardly accomplished, when up- 
 wards of a dozen snakes of different descriptions, chiefly 
 dark brown, blue, and green, made their appearance ; 
 they were much quicker in their movements than their 
 rattletailed brethren, and I could only kill a few of 
 them. 
 
 This was a peculiarly soul-trying moment. I had 
 tasted no fruit since the morning before, and after a 
 painful day's march, under a burning sun, could not 
 procure a drop of water to allay my feverish thirst. I 
 was surrounded by a murderous brood of serpents, and 
 ferocious beasts of prey, and without even the consola- 
 tion of knowing when such misery might have a proba- 
 ble termination. I might truly say, with the royal 
 psalmist, that " the snares of death compassed me round 
 about." 
 
 Having collected a fresh supply of rushes, which I 
 spread some distance from the spot where I massacred 
 the reptiles, I threw myself on them, and was permitted, 
 

 216 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 through Divine goodness, to enjoy a night of undisturbed 
 repose. 
 
 I arose on the morning of the 26th considerably re- 
 freshed, and took a northerly course, occasionally di- 
 verging a little to the east. Several times during the 
 day, I was induced to leave the path, by the appearance 
 of rushes, which I imagined grew in the vicinity of 
 lakes, but on reaching them, my faint hopes vanished . 
 there was no water, and I in vain essayed to extract a 
 little moisture from them. Prickly thorns and small 
 sharp stones added greatly to the pain of my tortured 
 feet, and obliged me to make farther encroachments on 
 my nether garments for fresh bandages. The want of 
 water now rendered me extremely weak and feverish, 
 and I had nearly abandoned all hopes of relief, when, 
 about half-past four or five o'clock, the old pathway 
 turned from the prairie grounds into a thickly wooded 
 country, in an easterly direction ; through which I had 
 not advanced half a mile, when I heard a noise resem- 
 bling a waterfall, to which I hastened my tottering steps, 
 and in a few minutes was delighted at arriving on the 
 banks of a deep and narrow rivulet, which forced its 
 way with great rapidity over some large stones that ob- 
 structed the channel. 
 
 After offering up a short prayer of thanksgiving for 
 this providential supply, I threw myself into the water, 
 forgetful of the extreme state of exhaustion to which I 
 was reduced : it had nearly proved fatal, for my weak 
 frame could not withstand the strength of the current, e 
 which forced me down a short distance, until I caught 
 the bough of an overhanging tree, by means of which I 
 
AWKWARD RENCOUNTER. 217 
 
 regained the shore. Here were plenty of hips and 
 cherries; on which, witk the water, I made a most de- 
 licious repast. On looking about for a place to sleep, I 
 observed lying on the ground the hollow trunk of a large 
 pine, which had been destroyed by lightning. I re- 
 treated into the cavity; and having covered myself 
 completely with large pieces of loose bark, quickly 
 fell asleep. My repose was not of long duration ; for 
 at the end of about two hours I was awakened by the 
 growling of a bear, which had removed part of the bark 
 covering, and was leaning over me with his snout, hesi- 
 tating as to the means he should adopt to dislodge me ; 
 the narrow limits of the trunk which confined my body 
 preventing him from making the attack with advantage. 
 I instantly sprung up, seized my stick, and uttered a 
 loud cry, which startled him, and caused him to recede 
 a few steps, when he stopped and turned about, appa- 
 rently doubtful whether he would commence an attack. 
 He determined on an assault; but feeling I had not 
 sufiicient strength to meet such an unequal enemy, I 
 thought it prudent to retreat, and accordingly scrambled 
 up an adjoining tree. My flight gave fresh impulse to 
 his courage, and he commenced ascending after me. I 
 succeeded, however, in gaining a branch, which gave me 
 a decided advantage over him ; and from which I was 
 enabled to annoy his muzzle, and claws in such a manner 
 with my stick, as effectually to check his progress. 
 After scraping the bark some time with rage and disap- 
 pointment, he gave up the task and retired to my late 
 dormitory, of which he took possession. The fear of 
 falling off, in case I was overcome by sleep, induced me 
 
218 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 to make several attempts to descend: but each attempt, 
 aroused my ursine sentinel; and after many ineffectual 
 efforts, I was obliged to remain there during the rest of 
 the night. I fixed myself in that part of the trunk 
 from which the principal grand branches forked, and 
 which prevented me from falling during my fitful slum- 
 bers. 
 
 On the morning of the 27th, a little after sunrise, the 
 bear quitted the trunk, shook himself, "cast a longing, 
 lingering look" towards me, and slowly disappeared in 
 search of his morning repast. After waiting some time, 
 apprehensive of his return, I descended and resumed 
 my journey through the woods, in a north-northeast 
 direction. In a few hours, all my anxiety of the pre- 
 ceding night was more than compensated, by falling in 
 with a well-beaten horse-path, with fresh traces on it, 
 both of hoofs and human feet; it lay through a clear 
 open wood, in a northeast course, in which I observed 
 numbers of small deer. About six in the evening, I 
 arrived at a spot where a party must have slept the pre- 
 ceding night. Round the remains of a large fire which 
 was still burning, were scattered several half-picked 
 bones of grouse, partridges, and ducks, all of which I 
 collected with economical industry. After devouring 
 the flesh, I broiled the bones. The whole scarcely 
 sufficed to give me a moderate meal, but yet afforded a 
 most seasonable relief to my famished body. I enjoyed 
 a comfortable sleep this night, close to the fire, uninter- 
 rupted by any nocturnal visiter ; On the morning of the 
 28th, I set off with cheerful spirits, fully impressed with 
 the hope of a speedy termination to my sufferings. My 
 
HOPE RENEWED. 219 
 
 course was northerly, and lay through a thick wood. 
 Late in the evening, I arrived at a stagnant pool, from 
 which I merely moistened my lips ; and having covered 
 myself with some birch bark, slept by its side. The 
 bears and wolves occasionally serenaded me during the 
 night, but I did not see any of them. I rose early on 
 the morning of the 29th, and followed the fresh traces 
 all day, through the wood, nearly northeast by north. 
 I observed several deer, some of which came quite close 
 to me ; and in the evening I threw a stone at a small 
 animal resembling a hare, the leg of which I broke. It 
 ran away limping, but my feet were too sore to permit 
 me to follow it. I passed the night by the side of a 
 small stream, where I got a sufficient supply of hips and 
 cherries. A few distant growls awoke me at intervals, 
 but no animal appeared. On the 30th, the path took a 
 more easterly turn, and the woods became thicker and 
 more gloomy. I had now nearly consumed the remnant 
 of my trousers, in bandages for my wretched feet; and, 
 with the exception of my shirt, was almost naked. The 
 horse-tracks every moment appeared more fresh, and fed 
 my hopes. Late in the evening, I arrived at a spot 
 where the path branched off in different directions ; one 
 led up rather a steep hill, the other descended into a 
 valley, and the tracks on both were equally recent. I 
 took the higher; but after proceeding a few hundred 
 paces through a deep wood, which appeared more dark 
 from the thick foliage which shut out the rays of the 
 sun, I returned, apprehensive of not procuring water 
 for my supper, and descended the lower path. I had 
 not advanced far, when I imagined I heard the neighing 
 
220 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 of a horse. I listened with breathless attention, and 
 became convinced it was no illusion. A few paces farther 
 brought me in sight of several of those noble animals, 
 sporting in a handsome meadow, from which I was sepa- 
 rated by a rapid stream. With some difficulty I crossed 
 over, and ascended the opposite bank. One of the 
 horses approached me: I thought him the "prince of 
 palfreys ; his neigh was like the bidding of a monarch, 
 and his countenance enforced homage." 
 
 On advancing a short distance into the meadow, the 
 cheering sight of a small column of gracefully curling 
 smoke, announced my vicinity to human beings, and in 
 a moment after, -two Indian women perceived me: they 
 instantly fled to a hut which appeared at the farther end 
 of the meadow. This movement made me doubt whether 
 I had arrived among friends or enemies ; but my appre- 
 hensions were quickly dissipated by the approach of two 
 men, who came running to me in the most friendly man- 
 ner. On seeing the lacerated state of my feet, they 
 carried me in their arms to a comfortable dwelling, cov- 
 ered with deer skins. To wash and dress my torn limbs, 
 roast some roots, and boil a small salmon, seemed but 
 the business of a moment. After returning thanks to 
 that great and good Being in whose hands are the issues 
 of life and death, and who had watched over my wan- 
 dering steps, and rescued me from the many perilous 
 dangers I encountered, I sat down to my salmon, of 
 which it is needless to say I made a hearty supper. 
 
 The family consisted of an elderly man, and his son, 
 with their wives and children. I collected from their 
 signs that they were aware of my being lost, and that 
 
PLEASURES OF SOCIETY. 221 
 
 they, with other Indians and white men, had been out 
 several days scouring the woods and plains in search of 
 me. I also understood from them that our party had 
 arrived at their destination, which was only a few hours' 
 march from their habitation. They behaved to ine with 
 affectionate solicitude; and while the old wom'an was 
 carefully dressing my feet, the men were endeavoring to 
 make me comprehend their meaning. I had been four- 
 teen days in a wilderness without holding " communion 
 kind" with any human being; and I need not say I 
 listened with a thousand times more real delight to the 
 harsh and guttural voices of those poor Indians, than 
 was ever experienced by the most enthusiastic admirer 
 of melody from the thrilling tones of a Catalani, or the 
 melting sweetness of a Stephens. As it was too late, 
 after finishing my supper, to proceed farther that night, 
 I retired to rest on a comfortable couch of buffalo and 
 deer skins. I slept soundly : and the morning of the 
 31st was far advanced before I awoke. After break- 
 fasting on the remainder of the salmon, I prepared to 
 join my white friends. A considerable stream, about 
 ninety yards broad, called Coeur d' Alene river, flowed 
 close to the hut. The old man and his son accompanied 
 me. We crossed the river in a canoe ; after which they 
 brought over three horses, and having enveloped my 
 body in an Indian mantle of deer skin, we mounted, and 
 set off at a smart trot in an easterly direction. We had 
 not proceeded more than seven miles, when I felt the 
 bad effects of having eaten so much salmon after so long 
 a fast. I had a severe attack of indigestion, and for 
 two hours suffered extreme agony ; and, but for the great 
 
222 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 attention of the kind Indians, I think it would have 
 proved fatal. About an hour after recommencing our 
 journey we arrived in a clear wood, in which, with joy 
 unutterable, I observed our Canadians at work hewing 
 timber. I rode between the two natives. One of our 
 men, named Fra^ois Gardepie, who had been on a 
 trading excursion, joined us on horseback. My deer 
 skin robe and sunburnt features completely set his 
 powers of recognition at defiance, and he addressed me 
 as an Indian. I replied in French, by asking him how 
 all our people were. Poor Francois appeared electrified, 
 exclaimed "Sainte Vierge!" and galloped into the wood, 
 vociferating, " mes amis! mes amis! ilesttrouv! 
 Oui, oui, il est trouve!" " Qui? qui?" asked his com- 
 rades. " Monsieur Qox ! Monsieur Cox !" replied Fran- 
 cois. " Le voild! le voild!" pointing towards me. 
 Away went saws, hatchets, and axes, and each man 
 rushed forward to the tents, where we had by this time 
 arrived. It is needless to say that our astonishment 
 and delight at my miraculous escape were mutual. The 
 friendly Indians were liberally rewarded ; the men were 
 allowed a holiday, and every countenance bore the smile 
 of joy and happiness. 
 
HUNTING ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER. 223 
 
 HUNTING ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER. 
 
 IN the great plains on the east side of the Columbia, 
 says Mr. Ross Cox, between Oakinagan and the Spokan 
 lands, there are, during the autumnal months, plenty of 
 deer, grouse, wild ducks, and geese. 
 
 I spent a great portion of this period with a few of my 
 men and some Indians, on shooting excursions, and had 
 excellent sport. 
 
 We stopped one very sultry day about noon to rest our 
 horses, and enjoy the cooling shade afforded by a clump 
 of sycamore-trees with a refreshing draught from an ad- 
 joining spring. Several large hawks were flying about 
 the spot, two of which we brought down. From their 
 great size, immense claws, and large hooked beaks, they 
 could have easily carried off a common-sized duck or 
 goose. Close to our resting-place was a small hill, round 
 the top of which I observed the hawks assemble, and 
 judging that a nest was there, without communicating 
 my intention to any of the party, I determined to find it 
 out. 
 
 I therefore cautiously ascended the eminence, on the 
 summit of which I perceived a nest larger than a com- 
 mon-sized market-basket, formed of branches of trees, 
 one laid regularly over the other, and the least of which 
 an inch in circumference. Around it were scattered 
 bones, skeletons, and half-mangled bodies of pigeons, 
 sparrows, humming-birds, &c. Next to a rattlesnake 
 and shark, my greatest aversion is a hawk ; and on this 
 occasion it was not diminished by observing the remains 
 
224 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 of the feathered tribe, which had, from to time, fallen a 
 prey to their voracious appetite. I therefore determined 
 to destroy the nest, and disperse its inhabitants ; but I 
 had scarcely commenced the work of demolition with my 
 dagger, when old and young flew out and attacked me 
 in every direction, but particularly about my face and 
 eyes ; the latter of which, as a punishment for my teme- 
 rity, they seemed determined to separate from their 
 sockets. 
 
 In the mean time I roared out lustily for assistance, 
 and laid about ine with the dagger. Three men promptly 
 ran up the hill, and called out to me to shut my eyes, 
 and throw myself on the ground, otherwise I should be 
 shortly blinded, promising in the mean time to assist me. 
 I obeyed their directions ; and just as I began to kiss the 
 earth, a bullet from one of their rifles brought down a 
 large hawk, apparently the father of the gang. He fell 
 close to my neck, and in his expiring agonies made a 
 desperate bite at my left ear, which I escaped, and in 
 return gave him the coup de grace, by thrusting about 
 four inches of my dagger down his throat. The death 
 of their chieftain was followed by that of two others, 
 which completely dispersed them ; and we retired after 
 breaking up their den. 
 
 Red foxes and wolves are also in great numbers about 
 the plains ; but their skins are not now purchased by the 
 Company, as the price giveto for them would not defray 
 the expense of their carriage. 
 
 The prairie wolves are much smaller than those which 
 inhabit the woods. They generally travel together in 
 numbers, and a solitary one is seldom met with. Two or 
 
WOLVES. 225 
 
 three of us have often pursued from fifty to one hundred, 
 driving them before us as quickly as our horses could 
 charge. 
 
 Their skins are of no value, and we do not therefore 
 waste much powder and ball in shooting them. The In- 
 dians, who are obliged to pay dear for their ammunition, 
 are equally careful not to throw it away on objects that 
 bring no remunerating value. The natural consequence 
 is, that the wolves are allowed to multiply ; and some 
 parts of the country are completely overrun by them. 
 The Indians catch numbers of them in traps, which they 
 set in the vicinity of those places where their tame horses 
 are sent to graze. The traps are merely excavations 
 covered over with slight switches and hay, and baited 
 with meat, &c., into which the wolves fall, and being un- 
 able to extricate themselves, they perish by famine, or 
 the knife of the Indian. These destructive animals an- 
 nually destroy numbers of horses ; particularly during 
 the winter season, when the latter get entangled in the 
 snow ; in which situation they become an easy prey to 
 their light-footed pursuers, ten or fifteen of which will 
 often fasten on one animal, and with their long fangs in 
 a few minutes separate the head from the body. If, 
 however, the horses are not prevented from using their 
 legs, they sometimes punish the enemy severely; as an 
 instance of this, I saw one morning the bodies of two of 
 our horses which had been killed the night before, and 
 around were lying eight dead and maimed wolves ; some 
 with their brains scattered about, and others with their 
 
 limbs and ribs broken by the hoofs of the furious animals 
 15 
 
226 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 in their vain attempts to escape from their sanguinary 
 assailants. 
 
 While I was at Spokan I went occasionally to the 
 horse prairie, which is nearly surrounded by partially- 
 wooded hills, for the purpose of watching the manoeuvres 
 of the wolves in their combined attacks. The first an- 
 nouncement of iheir approach was a few shrill currish 
 barks at intervals, like the outpost firing of skirmishing 
 parties. These were answered by similar barking from 
 an opposite direction, until the sounds gradually approxi- 
 mated, and at length ceased on the junction of the dif- 
 ferent parties. We prepared our guns, and concealed 
 ourselves behind a thick cover. In the mean time, the 
 horses, sensible of the approaching danger, began to paw 
 the ground, snort, toss up their heads, look wildly about 
 them, and exhibit all the symptoms of fear. One or two 
 stallions took the lead, and appeared to wait with a de- 
 gree of comparative composure for the appearance of the 
 enemy. 
 
 The allies at length entered the field in a semicircular 
 form, with their flanks extended for the evident purpose 
 of surrounding their prey. They were between two and 
 three hundred strong. The horses, on observing their 
 movement, knew from experience its object, and dreading 
 to encounter so numerous a force, instantly turned round, 
 and galloped off in a contrary direction. Their flight 
 was the signal for the wolves to advance ; and immedi- 
 ately uttered a simultaneous yell, they charged after the 
 fugitives, still preserving their crescent form. Two or 
 three of the horses, which were not in the best condition, 
 were quickly overtaken by the advanced guard of the 
 
HORSES ATTACKED. 227 
 
 enemy. The former, finding themselves unable to keep 
 up with the band, commenced kicking at their pursuers, 
 several of which received some severe blows ; but these 
 being reinforced by others, they would have shortly des- 
 patched the horses had not we, just in time, emerged 
 from our place of concealment, and discharged a volley 
 at the enemy's centre, by which a few were brought down. 
 The whole battalion instantly wheeled about, and fled to- 
 wards the hills in the utmost disorder ; while the horses, 
 on hearing the fire, changed their course and galloped up 
 to us. Our appearance saved several of them from the 
 fangs of their foes ; and by their neighing they seemed 
 to express their joy and gratitude at our timely inter- 
 ference. 
 
 Although the wolves of North America are the most 
 daring of all the beasts of prey on that continent, they 
 are by no means so courageous or ferocious as those of 
 Europe, particularly in Spain or the south of France, 
 in which countries they commit dreadful ravages, both 
 on man and beast :* whereas, an American wolf, except 
 forced by desperation, will seldom or never attack a hu- 
 
 * During the late Peninsular war, the Duke of Wellington had oc- 
 casion to send despatches by a mounted dragoon, to a general of di- 
 vision not quite a day's march distant from headquarters. The 
 answer not having arrived at the period it was expected, his Grace 
 despatched three others to ascertain the cause. They found the 
 mangled remains of their unfortunate comrade lying beside those of 
 his horse, and the greater portion of the flesh eaten off their bodies. 
 His sword was firmly grasped in his mutilated hand, and the dead 
 carcasses of seven or eight wolves which lay about him, exhibited 
 strong marks of the sabre, and of the desperation with which he 
 fought before he was overpowered by numbers. 
 
228 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 man being ; a remarkable instance of which is men- 
 tioned in the detail of my wanderings in the previous 
 article. The lynxes are by no means so numerous as 
 the wolves, but they are equally destructive, and indi- 
 vidually more daring. They generally travel alone, or 
 in couples, and seldom fly as the wolves do on the first 
 approach of man. The largest American lynx, does not 
 exceed in size, an English mastiff. 
 
 Bears are scarce about the plains, but they are found 
 in considerable numbers in the vicinity of the woods and 
 lakes. Their flesh is excellent, particularly in the sum- 
 mer and autumnal months, when roots and wild fruit are 
 had in abundance. They are most dangerous animals 
 to encounter, especially if they are slightly wounded, or 
 that any of their cubs are in danger, in which case, they 
 will rush on a man, though he were armed at all points ; 
 and wo to him if Bruin should once enfold him in his 
 dreadful grasp. 
 
 I have seen several of our hunters, as well as many 
 Indians, who had been dreadfully lacerated in their en- 
 counters with bears ; some have been deprived of their 
 ears, others had their noses nearly torn off, and a few 
 have been completely blinded. 
 
 From the scarcity of food in the spring months, they 
 are then more savage than at any other season, and 
 during that period it is a highly dangerous experiment 
 to approach them. 
 
 The following anecdote will prove this, and, were not 
 the fact confirmed by the concurrent testimony of ten 
 more, I would not have given it a place among my me- 
 morabilia. 
 
KIDNAPPING. 229 
 
 Jli the spring of this year, (1816) Mr. M'Millan had 
 despatched ten Canadians in a canoe, down the Flat- 
 head river, on a trading excursion. The third evening 
 after quitting the fort, while they were quietly sitting 
 round a blazing fire, eating a hearty dinner of deer, a 
 large half-famished bear cautiously approached the group, 
 from behind an adjacent tree ; and before they were 
 aware of his presence, he sprang across the fire, seized 
 one of the men (who had a well-furnished bone in his 
 hand) round his waist, with the two fore paws, and ran 
 about fifty yards with him on his hind legs, before he 
 stopped. His comrades were so thunderstruck, at the 
 unexpected appearance of such a visitor, and his sudden 
 retreat with pauvre Louisson, that they for some time 
 lost all presence of mind ; and, in a state of fear and 
 confusion, were running to and fro, each expecting in 
 his turn to be kidnapped in a similar manner ; when at 
 length, Baptiste Le Blanc, a half-breed hunter, seized 
 his gun, and was in the act of firing at the bear, but 
 was stopped by some of the others, who told him he 
 would inevitably kill their friend, in the position in 
 which he was then placed. During this parley bruin re- 
 laxed his grip of the captive, whom he kept securely 
 under him, and very leisurely began picking the bone 
 "which the latter had dropped. Once or twice Louisson 
 attempted to escape, which only caused the bear to watch 
 him more closely ; but on his making another attempt, he 
 again seized Louisson round the waist, and commenced 
 giving him one of those infernal embraces which gene- 
 rally end in death. The poor fellow was now in great 
 agony, and vented the most frightful screams ; and ob- 
 
230 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 serving Baptiste with his gun ready, anxiously watching 
 a safe opportunity 'to fire, lie cried out, Tire ! tire ! mon 
 cher frere, si tu m'aimes. Tire, pour I' amour du bon 
 Dieu ! A la tete ! a la tete ! This was enough for Le 
 Blanc, who instantly let fly, and hit the bear over the 
 right temple. He fell, and at the same moment dropped 
 Louisson ; but he gave him an ugly scratch with his 
 claws across the face, which for some time afterwards 
 spoiled his beauty. After the shot, Le Blanc darted to 
 his comrade's assistance, and with his couteau de chasse, 
 quickly finished the sufferings of the man-stealer, and 
 rescued his friend from impending death; for, with the 
 exception of the above-mentioned scratch, he escaped 
 uninjured. They commenced the work of dissection with 
 right good will ; but on skinning the bear, they found 
 scarcely any meat on his bones ; in fact the animal had 
 been famishing, and in a fit of hungry desperation, made 
 one of the boldest attempts at kidnapping ever heard 
 of in the legends of ursine courage. 
 
 SHOOTING WILD TURKEYS. 
 
 WHILST speaking of the shooting of turkeys, says Mr. 
 Audubon, I feel no hesitation in relating the following 
 occurrence, which happened to myself. While in search 
 of game, one afternoon late in autumn, when the males 
 go together, and the females are by themselves also, 1 
 heard the clucking of one of the latter, and immediately 
 
SHOOTING WILD TURKEYS. 231 
 
 finding her perched on a fence, made towards her. Ad- 
 vancing slowly and cautiously, I heard the yelping notes 
 of some gobblers, when I stopped and listened in order 
 to ascertain the direction in which they came. I then 
 ran to meet the birds, hid myself by the side of a largo 
 fallen tree, cocked my gun, and waited with impatience for 
 a good opportunity.* The gobblers continued yelping 
 in answer to the female, which all this while remained 
 on the fence. I looked over the log, and saw about 
 thirty fine cocks advancing rather cautiously towards 
 the very spot where I lay concealed. They came so 
 near, that the light in their eyes could easily be per- 
 ceived, when I fired one barrel, and killed three. The 
 rest, instead of flying off, fell a strutting around their 
 dead companions ; and had I not looked on shooting 
 again as murder without necessity, I might have secured 
 at least another. So I showed myself, and marching to 
 the place where the dead birds were, drove away the 
 survivors. I may also mention, that a friend of mine 
 shot a fine hen, from his horse, with a pistol, as the poor 
 thing was probably returning to her nest to lay. 
 
 Should you, good uatured reader, be a sportsman, 
 and now and then have been fortunate in the exercise 
 of your craft, the following incident, which I shall relate 
 to you as I had it from the mouth of an honest farmer, 
 may prove interesting. Turkeys were very abundant in 
 his neighborhood, and, resorting to his cornfields, at the 
 period when the maize had just shot up from the ground, 
 destroyed great quantities of it. This induced him to 
 e wear vengeance against the species. He cut a long 
 * See vignette on the title page. 
 
232 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 trench in a favorable situation, put a great quantity of 
 corn in it, and having heavily loaded a famous duck gun 
 of his, placed it so as that he could pull the trigger by 
 means of a string, when quite concealed from the birds. 
 
 The turkeys soon discovered the corn in the trench, 
 and quickly disposed of it, at the same time continuing 
 their ravages in the fields. He filled the trench again, 
 and one day seeing it quite black with the turkeys, 
 whistled loudly, on which all the birds raised their 
 heads, when he pulled the trigger by the long string 
 fastened to it. The explosion followed of course, and 
 the turkeys were seen scampering off in all directions, in % 
 utter discomfiture and dismay. On running to the 
 trench, he found nine of them extended in it. The rest 
 did not consider it expedient to visit his corn again for 
 that season. 
 
 During spring, turkeys are called, as it is termed, by 
 drawing the air in a peculiar way, through one of the se- 
 cond joint bones of a wing of that bird, which produces a 
 sound resembling the voice of the female, on hearing 
 which, the male comes up, and is shot. In managing 
 this, however, no fault must be committed, for turkeys 
 are quick in distinguishing counterfeit sounds, and when 
 half civilized, are very wary and cunning. I have 
 known many to answer to this kind of call, without 
 moving a step, and thus entirely defeat the scheme of 
 the hunter, who dared not move from his hiding-place, 
 lest a single glance of the gobbler's eye should frustrate 
 all further attempts to decoy them. Many are shot 
 when at roost, in this season, by answering with a roll 
 
HUNTING WILD TURKEYS. 238 
 
 ing gobble to a sound in imitation of the cry of the 
 Barred Owl. 
 
 But the most common method of procuring wild tur- 
 keys is by means of pens. These are placed in parts of 
 the woods where turkeys have been frequently observed 
 to roost, and are constructed in the following manner. 
 Young trees of four or five inches diameter are cut down, 
 and divided into pieces of the length of twelve or four- 
 teen feet. Two of these are laid on the ground parallel 
 to each other, at a distance of ten or twelve feet. Two 
 other pieces are laid across the ends of these, at right 
 angles to them, and in this manner, successive layers 
 are added, until the fabric is raised to the height of 
 about four feet. It is then covered with similar pieces 
 of wood, placed three or four inches apart, and loaded 
 with one or two heavy logs to render the whole firm. 
 This done, a trench about eighteen inches in depth and 
 width, is cut under one side of the cage, into which it 
 opens slantingly and rather abruptly. It is continued 
 on its outside to some distance, so as gradually to attain 
 the level of the surrounding ground. Over the part of 
 this trench within the pen, and close to the wall, some 
 sticks are placed so as to form a kind of bridge about a 
 foot in breadth. The trap being now finished, the 
 owner places a quantity of Indian corn, in its centre, as 
 well as in the trench, and as he walks off, drops here 
 and there a few grains in the woods, sometimes to the 
 distance of a mile. This is repeated at every visit to 
 the trap, after the turkeys have found it. Sometimes 
 two trenches are cut, in which case the trenches enter on 
 opposite sides of the trap, and are both strewn with 
 
234 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 corn. No sooner has a turkey discovered the train of 
 corn, than it communicates the circumstance to the flock 
 by a cluck, when all of them come up, and searching for 
 the grains scattered about, at length come upon the 
 trench, which they follow, squeezing themselves one af- 
 ter another through the passage under the bridge. In 
 this manner the whole flock sometimes enters, but more 
 commonly six or seven only, as they are alarmed by the 
 least noise, even the cracking of a tree in frosty weather. 
 Those within, having gorged themselves, raise their 
 heads and try to force their way through the top or 
 sides of the pen, passing and reptssing on the bridge, 
 but never for a moment looking down, or attempting to 
 escape through the passage by which they entered. 
 Thus they remain until the owner of the trap arriving, 
 closes the trench, and secures his captives. I have 
 heard of eighteen turkeys having been caught, in this 
 manner, at a single visit to the trap. I have had many 
 of these pens myself, but never found more than seven 
 in them at a time. One winter I kept an account of the 
 produce of a pen which I visited daily, and found that 
 seventy-six had been caught in it, in about two months. 
 When these birds are abundant, the owners of the pens 
 sometimes become satiated with their flesh, and neglect 
 to visit the pens for several days, in some cases for 
 weeks. The poor captives thus perish for want of food ; 
 for, strange as it may seem, they scarcely ever regain 
 their liberty, by descending into the trench and re- 
 tracing their steps. I have more than once found four 
 or five, and even teh dead in a pen,. through inattention. 
 Where wolves or lynxes are numerous, they are apt to 
 
HUNTING THE COUGAR. 235 
 
 secure the prize before the owner of. the trap arrives. 
 One morning, I had the pleasure of securing in one of 
 my pens, a fine black wolf, which, on seeing me, squat- 
 ted, supposing me to be passing in another direction. 
 
 HUNTING THE COUGAR* 
 
 THERE is an extensive Swamp in the section of the 
 State of Mississippi which lies partly in the Choctaw 
 territory. It commences at the borders of the Missis- 
 sippi, at no great distance from a Chickasaw village, 
 situated near the mouth of a creek known by the name 
 of Vanconnah, and partly inundated by the swellings of 
 several large bayous, the principal of which, crossing 
 the swamp in its whole extent, discharges its waters not 
 far from the mouth of the Yazoo river. This famous 
 bayou is called False river. The swamp of which I am 
 speaking, follows the windings of the Yazoo, until the 
 latter branches off to the northeast, and at this point 
 forms the stream named Gold Water river, below which 
 the Yazoo receives the draining of another bayou in- 
 clining towards the northwest, and intersecting that 
 known by the name of False river, at a short distance 
 from the place where the latter receives the waters of 
 the Mississippi. This tedious account of the situation 
 of the Swamp, is given with the view of pointing it out 
 to all students of nature who may chance to go that way, 
 
 * Audubon's Ornithological Biography. 
 
236 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 and whom I would earnestly urge to visit its interior, as 
 it abounds in rare and interesting productions : birds, 
 quadrupeds, and reptiles, as well as molluscous animals, 
 many of which, I am persuaded, have never been de- 
 scribed. 
 
 In the course of one of my rambles, I chanced to 
 meet with a squatter's cabin on the banks of the Cold 
 Water river. In the owner of this hut, like most of 
 those adventurous settlers in the uncultivated tracts of 
 our frontier districts, I found a person well versed in the 
 chase, and acquainted with the habits of some of the 
 larger species of quadrupeds and birds. As h j who is 
 desirous of instruction ought not to disdain listening to 
 any one who has knowledge to communicate, however 
 humble may be his lot, or however limited his talents, 
 I entered the squatter's cabin, and immediately opened 
 a conversation with him respecting the situation of the 
 swamp, and its natural productions. He told me he 
 thought it the very place I ought to visit, spoke of the 
 game which it contained, and pointed to some bear and 
 deer skins, adding that the individuals to which they had 
 belonged formed but a small portion of the number of 
 those animals which he had shot within it. My heart 
 swelled with delight, and on asking if he would accom- 
 pany me through the great morass, and allow me to be- 
 come an inmate of his humble but hospitable mansion, I 
 was gratified to find that he cordially assented to all my 
 proposals. So I immediately unstrapped my drawing 
 materials, laid up my gun, and sat down to partake of 
 the homely but wholesome fare intended for the supper 
 of the squatter, his wife, and his two sons. 
 
HUNTING THE COUGAR. 237 
 
 The quietness of the evening seemed in perfect ac- 
 cordance with the gentle demeanor of the family. The 
 wife and children, I more than once thought, seemed to 
 look upon me as a strange sort of person, going about, 
 as I toid them I was, in search of birds and plants ; and 
 were I here to relate the many questions which they put 
 to me in return for those which I addressed to them, the 
 catalogue would occupy several pages. The husband, a 
 native of Connecticut, had heard of the existence of 
 such men as myself, both in our own country and abroad, 
 and seemed greatly pleased to have me under his roof. 
 Supper over, I asked my kind host what had induced 
 him to remove to this wild and solitary spot. "The 
 people are growing too numerous now to thrive in New 
 England," was his answer. I thought of the state of 
 some parts of Europe, and calculating the denseness of 
 their population compared with that of New England, 
 exclaimed to myself, "How much more difficult must it 
 be for men to thrive in those populous countries!" The 
 conversation then changed, and the squatter, his sons 
 and myself, spoke of hunting and fishing, until at length 
 tired, we laid ourselves down on pallets of bear skins, 
 and reposed in peace on the floor of the only apartment 
 of which the hut consisted. 
 
 Day dawned, and the squatter's call to his hogs, 
 which, being almost in a wild state, were suffered to 
 seek the greater portion of their food in the woods, 
 awakened me. Being ready dressed, I was not long in 
 joining him. The hogs and their young came grunting 
 at tho well known call of their owner, who threw them 
 a few ears of corn, and counted them, but told me that 
 
238 HUNTING SPOKTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 for some weeks their number had been greatly diminished 
 b j the ravages committed upon them by a large Panther, 
 by which name the Cougar is designated in America, 
 and that the ravenous animal did not content himself 
 with the flesh of his pigs, but now and then carried off 
 one of his calves, notwithstanding the many attempts 
 he had made to shoot it. The Painter, as he "sometimes 
 called it, had on several occasions robbed him of a dead 
 deer; and to these exploits the squatter added several 
 remarkable feats of audacity which it had performed, to 
 give me an idea of the formidable character of the beast. 
 Delighted by his description, I offered to assist him in 
 destroying the enemy, at which he was highly pleased, 
 but assured me that unless some of his neighbors should 
 join us with their dogs and his own, the attempt would 
 prove fruitless. Soon after, mounting a horse, he went 
 off to his neighbors, several of whom lived at a distance 
 of some miles, and appointed a day of meeting. 
 
 The hunters, accordingly, made their appearance, one 
 fine morning, at the door of the cabin, just as the sun 
 was emerging from beneath the horizon. They were five 
 in number, and fully equipped for the chase, being 
 mounted on horses, which in some parts of Europe might 
 appear sorry nags, but which in strength, speed, and bot- 
 tom, are better fitted for pursuing a cougar or a bear 
 through woods and morasses than any in that country. 
 A pack of large ugly curs were already engaged in mak- 
 ing acquaintance with those of the squatter. He and 
 myself mounted his two best horses, whilst his sons were 
 bestriding others of inferior quality. 
 
 Pew words were uttered by the party until: we had 
 
HUNTING THE COUGAR. 239 
 
 reached the edge of the Swamp, where it was agreed that 
 all should disperse and seek for the fresh track of the 
 Painter, it being previously settled that the discoverer 
 should blow his horn, and remain on the spot until the 
 rest should join him. In less than an hour, the sound 
 of the horn was clearly heard, and, sticking close to the 
 squatter, off we went through the thick woods, guided 
 only by the now and then repeated call of the distant 
 huntsman. We soon reached the spot, and in a short 
 time the rest of the party came up. The best dog was 
 sent forward to track the Cougar, and in a few moments 
 the whole pack were observed diligently trailing, and 
 bearing in their course for the interior of the Swamp. 
 The rifles were immediately put in trim, and the party 
 followed the dogs, at separate distances, but in sight of 
 each other, determined to shoot at no other game than 
 the Panther. 
 
 The dogs soon began to mouth, and suddenly quick- 
 ened their pace. My companion concluded that the beast 
 was on the ground, and putting our horses to a gentle 
 gallop, we followed the curs, guided by their voices. 
 The noise of the dogs increased, when all of a sudden 
 their mode of barking became altered, and the squatter, 
 urging me to push on, told me that the beast was treed, 
 by which he meant that it had got upon some low branch 
 of a large tree to rest for a few moments, and that should 
 we not succeed in shooting him when thus situated, we 
 might expect a long chase of it. As we approached the 
 spot, we all by degrees united into a body, but on seeing 
 the dogs at the foot of a large tree, separated again and 
 galloped off to surround it. 
 
240 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 Each hunter now moved with caution, holding his gun 
 ready, and allowing the bridle to dangle on the neck of 
 his horse, as it advanced slowly towards the dogs. A 
 shot from one of the party was heard, on which the 
 Cougar was seen to leap to the ground, and bound off 
 with such velocity as to show that he was very unwilling 
 to stand our fire longer. The dogs set off in pursuit with 
 great eagerness and a deafening cry. The hunter who 
 had fired came up and said that his ball had hit the mon- 
 ster, and had probably broken one of his fore-legs near 
 the shoulder, the only place at which he could aim. A 
 slight trail of blood was discovered on the ground, but 
 the curs proceeded at such a rate that we merely noticed 
 this, and put spurs to our horses, which galloped on to- 
 wards the centre of the Swamp. One bayou was crossed, 
 then another still larger and more muddy ; but the dogs 
 were brushing forward, and as the horses began to pant 
 at a furious rate, we judged it expedient to leave them 
 and advance on foot. These determined hunters knew 
 th^t the Cougar being wounded, would shortly ascend 
 another tree, where in all probability he would remain 
 for a considerable time, and that it would be easy to fol- 
 low the track of the dogs. We dismounted, took off the 
 saddles and bridles, set the bells attached to the horses' 
 necks at liberty to jingle, hoppled the animals, and left 
 them to shift for themselves. 
 
 Now, reader, follow the group marching through the 
 swamp, crossing muddy pools, and making the best of 
 their way over fallen trees and amongst the tangled rushes 
 that now and then covered acres of ground. If you are 
 a hunter yourself, all this will appear nothing to you; but 
 
HUNTING THE COUGAR. 241 
 
 if crowded assemblies of "beauty and fashion," or the 
 quiet enjoyment of your "pleasure-grounds," alone de- 
 light you, I must mend my pen before I attempt to give 
 you an idea of the pleasure felt on such an expedition. 
 
 After marching for a couple of hours, we again heard 
 the dogs. Each of us pressed forward, elated at the 
 thought of terminating the career of the Cougar. Some 
 of the dogs were heard whining, although the greater 
 number barked vehemently. We felt assured that the 
 Cougar was treed, and that he would rest for some time 
 to recover from his fatigue. As we came up to the dogs, 
 we discovered the ferocious animal lying across a large 
 branch, close to the trunk of a cotton-wood tree. His- 
 broad breast lay towards us ; his eyes were at one time 
 bent on us and again on the dogs beneath and around 
 him ; one of his fore legs hung loosely by his side, and 
 h<5 lay crouched, with his ears lowered close to his, head, as 
 if he thought he might remain undiscovered. Three balls 
 were fired at him, at a given signal, on which he sprang 
 a few feet from the branch, and tumbled headlong to the 
 ground. Attacked on all sides by the enraged curs, the 
 infuriated Cougar fought with desperate valor; (See 
 Frontispiece;} but the squatter advancing in front of the 
 party, and almost in the midst of the dogs, shot him im- 
 mediately behind and beneath the left shoulder. The 
 Cougar writhed for a moment in agony, and in another 
 lay dead. 
 
 The sun was now sinking in the west. Two of the 
 hunters separated from the rest, to procure venison, 
 whilst the squatter's sons were ordered to make the best 
 
 of their way home, to be ready to feed the hogs in the 
 ' 16 
 
242 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 morning. The rest of the party agreed to camp on the 
 spot. The Cougar was despoiled of its skin, and its car- 
 cass left to the hungry dogs. Whilst engaged in preparing 
 our camp, we heard the report of a gun, and soon after 
 one of our hunters returned with a small deer. A fire 
 was lighted, and each hunter displayed his pone of bread, 
 along with a flask of whisky. The deer was skinned in 
 a trice, and slices placed on sticks before the fire. These 
 materials afforded us an excellent meal, and as the night 
 grew darker, stories and songs went round, until my com- 
 panions, fatigued, laid themselves down, close under the 
 smoke of the fire, and soon fell asleep. 
 
 I walked for some minutes round the camp, to contem- 
 plate the beauties of that nature, from which I have cer- 
 tainly derived my greatest pleasures. I thought of the 
 occurrences of the day, and glancing my eye around, re- 
 marked the singular effects produced by the phosphores- 
 cent qualities of the large decayed trunks which lay in 
 all directions around me. How easy, I thought, would 
 it be for the confused and agitated mind of a person be- 
 wildered in a swamp like this, to image in each of these 
 luminous masses some wondrous and fearful being, the 
 very sight of which might make their hair stand erect on 
 his head! The thought'of being myself placed in such a 
 predicament burst over my mind, and I hastened to join 
 my companions, beside whom I laid me down and slept, 
 assured that no enemy could approach us without first 
 rousing the dogs, which were growling in fierce dispute 
 over the remains of the Cougar. 
 
 At daybreak we left our camp, the squatter bearing 
 on his shoulder the skin of the late destroyer of his stock, 
 
THE TRAVELER AND THE POLE-CAT. 245 
 
 and retraced our step until we found our horses, which 
 had not strayed far from the place where we had left 
 them. These we soon saddled, and jogging along, in a 
 direct course, guided by the sun, congratulating each 
 other on the destruction of so formidable a neighbor as 
 the Panther had been, we soon arrived at my host's cabin. 
 The five neighbors partook of such refreshment as the 
 house could afford, and dispersing, returned to their homes, 
 leaving me to follow my favorite pursuits. 
 
 THE TRAVELER AND THE POLE-CAT. 
 
 Ox a journey from Louisville to Henderson, in Ken- 
 tucky, says Mr. Audubon,* performed during very 
 severe winter weather, in company with a foreigner, the 
 initials of whose name are D. T., my companion spying 
 a beautiful animal, marked with black and pale yellow, 
 and having a long and bushy tail, exclaimed, "Mr. Au- 
 dubon, is not that a beautiful squirrel?" " Yes," I an- 
 swered, " and of a kind that will suffer you to approach it, 
 and lay hold of it, if you are well gloved." Mr. D. T. dis- 
 mounting, took up a dry stick, and advanced toward the 
 pretty animal, with his large cloak floating in the breeze. I 
 think I see him approach, and laying the stick gently 
 across the body of the animal, try to secure it; and I 
 can yet laugh almost as heartily as I then did, when I 
 plainly saw the discomfiture of the traveler. The Pole- 
 
 * Ornithological Biography. 
 
246 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 cat,* (for a true Pole-cat it was, the Mephitis Americana 
 of zoologists,) raised its fine bushy tail, and showered 
 such a discharge of the fluid given him by nature as a 
 defence, that my friend, dismayed and infuriated, began 
 to belabour the poor animal. The swiftness and good 
 management of the Pole-cat, however, saved its bones, 
 and as it made its retreat towards its hole, it kept up at 
 every step a continued ejectment, which fully convinced 
 the gentleman that the pursuit of such squirrels as these 
 was at the best an unprofitable employment. 
 
 This was not all, however. I could not suffer his ap- 
 proach, nor could my horse ; it was with difficulty he 
 mounted his own; and we were forced to continue our 
 journey far asunder, and he much to leeward. Nor did 
 the matter end here. We could not proceed much 
 farther that night; as, in the first place, it was nearly 
 dark when we saw the Pole-cat, and as, in the second 
 place, a heavy snow-storm began, and almost impeded 
 our progress. We were forced to make for the first 
 cabin we saw. Having asked and obtained permission 
 to rest for the night, we dismounted and found ourselves 
 amongst a crowd of men and women who had met for 
 the purpose of corn-shucking. 
 
 To a European who has not visited the western part 
 of the United States, an explanation of this corn-shuck- 
 ing may not be unacceptable. Corn (or you may prefer 
 calling it maize) is gathered in the husk, that is, by 
 breaking each large ear from the stem. These ears are 
 first thrown into heaps in the field, and afterwards car- 
 ried in carts to the barn, or, as in this instance, and in 
 * In most parts of the country, this animal is called Skunk. 
 
THE TRAVELER AND THE POLE-CAT. 247 
 
 such portions of Kentucky, to a shed made of the blades 
 or long leaves that hang in graceful curves from the 
 stalk, and which, when plucked and dried, are used in- 
 stead of hay, as food for horses and cattle. The husk 
 consists of several thick leaves rather longer than the 
 corn-ear itself, and which secure it from the weather. 
 It is quite a labor to detach these leaves from the ear, 
 when thousands of bushels of the corn are gathered and 
 heaped together. For this purpose, however, and in the 
 western country more especially, several neighboring 
 families join alternately at each other's plantations, and 
 assist in clearing away the husks, thus preparing the 
 maize for the market or for domestic use. 
 
 The good people whom we met with at this hospitable 
 house, were on the point of going to the barn, (the 
 farmer here being in rather good condition,) to work 
 until towards the middle of the night. When we had 
 stood the few stares to which strangers must accustom 
 themselves, no matter where, even in a drawing-room, 
 we approached the fire. What a shock for the whole 
 party ! The scent of the Pole-cat, that had been almost 
 stifled on my companion's vestments by the cold of the 
 evening air, now recovered its primitive strength. The 
 cloak was put out of the house, but its owner could not 
 be well used in the same way. The company, however, 
 took to their heels, and there only remained a single 
 black servant, who waited on us until suppdr was 
 served. 
 
 I felt vexed at myself, as I saw the traveler displeased. 
 But he had so much good breeding as to treat this im- 
 portant affair with great forbearance, and merely said 
 
248 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 he was sorry for his want of knowledge in zoology. 
 The good gentleman, however, was not only deficient in 
 zoological lore, but, fresh as he was from Europe, felt 
 more than uneasy in this out-of-the-way dwelling, and 
 would have proceeded towards my own house that nightj 
 had I not at length succeeded in persuading him that he 
 was in perfect security. 
 
 We were shown to bed. As I was almost a stranger 
 to him, and he to me, he thought it a very awkward thing 
 to be obliged to lie in the same bed with me, but after- 
 wards spoke of it as a happy circumstance, and requested 
 that I should suffer him to be placed next the logs, 
 thinking, no doubt, that there he should run no risk. 
 
 We started by break of day, taking with us the frozen 
 cloak, and after passing a pleasant night in my own 
 house, we parted. Some years after, I met my Ken- 
 tucky companion in a far distant land, when he assured 
 me, that whenever the sun shone on his cloak, or it was 
 brought near a fire, the scent of the Pole-cat became 
 so perceptible, that he at last gave it to a poor monk in 
 Italy. 
 
 The animal commonly known in America by the name 
 of Pole-cat, is about a foot and a half in length, with a 
 large bushy tail, nearly as long as the body. The color 
 is generally brownish-black, with a large white patch on 
 the back of the head ; 'but there are many varieties of 
 coloring, in some of which the broad white bands of the 
 back are very conspicuous. The Pole-cat burrows, or 
 forms a subterranean habitation among the roots of 
 trees, or in rocky places. It feeds on birds, young 
 hares, rats, mice, and other animals, and commits great 
 
MR. AUDUBON HUNTINQ, 
 
DEER HUNTING. 251 
 
 depredations on poultry. The most remarkable pecu- 
 liarity of this animal is the power, alluded, to above, of 
 squirting for its defence a most nauseously scented fluid 
 contained in a receptacle situated under the tail, which 
 it can do to the distance of several yards. It' does not, 
 however, for this purpose, sprinkle its tail with the fluid, as 
 some allege, unless when extremely harassed by its enemies. 
 The Pole-cat is frequently domesticated. The removal 
 of the glands prevents the secretion of the nauseous 
 fluid, and when thus improved, the animal becomes a 
 great favorite, and performs the offices of the common 
 cat with great dexterity. 
 
 DEER HUNTING, 
 
 V 
 
 THE different modes of destroying Deer, says Mr. Au- 
 dubon,* are probably too well understood, and too suc- 
 cessfully practiced in the United States ; for, notwith- 
 standing the almost incredible abundance of these beau- 
 tiful animals in our forests and prairies, such havoc is 
 carried on amongst them, that in a few centuries, they 
 will probably be as scarce in America, as the Great 
 Bustard now is in Britain. 
 
 We have three modes of hunting deer, each varying in 
 some slight degree, in the different States and Districts. 
 The first is termed Still Hunting, and is by far the most 
 destructive. The second is called Fire-light Hunting, 
 
 * Ornithological Biography. 
 
f 
 252 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 and is next in its exterminating effects. The third, 
 which may be looked upon as a mere amusement, is 
 named Driving. Although many deer are destroyed by 
 this latter method, it is not by any means so pernicious 
 as the others. These methods I shall describe sepa- 
 rately. 
 
 Still Hunting is followed as a kind of trade, by most 
 of our frontier men. To be practiced with success, it 
 requires great activity, an expert management of the 
 rifle, and a thorough knowledge of the forest, together 
 with an intimate acquaintance with the habits of the 
 deer, not only at different seasons of the year, but also 
 at every hour of the day, as the hunter must be aware 
 of the situations which the game prefers, and in which 
 it is most likely to be found, at any particular time. I 
 might here present you with a full account of the habits 
 of our deer, were it not my intention to lay before you, 
 at some future period, in the form of a distinct work, 
 the observations which I have made on the various 
 quadrupeds of our extensive territories. 
 
 Illustrations of any kind require to be presented in 
 the best possible light. We will therefore suppose that 
 we are about .to follow the true hunter, as the Still Hun- 
 ter is also called, through the interior of the tangled 
 woods, across morasses, ravines, and such places where 
 the game may prove more or less plentiful, even should 
 none be found there in the first instance. We will allow 
 our hunter all the agility, patience, and care, which his 
 occupation requires, and will march in his rear, as if we 
 were spies, watching all his motions. 
 
 His dress, you observe, consists of a leather hunting- 
 
DEER HUNTING. 253 
 
 shirt, and a pair of trowsers of the same material. His 
 feet are well moccasoned : he wears a belt round his 
 waist, his heavy rifle is resting on his brawny shoulder; 
 on one side hangs his ball-pouch, surmounted by the 
 horn of an ancient buffalo, once the terror of the herd, 
 but now containing a pound of the best gunpowder ; his 
 butcher-knife is scabbarded in the same strap, and be- 
 hind is a tomahawk, the handle of which has been thrust 
 through his girdle. He walks with so rapid a step, that 
 probably few men could follow him, unless for a short 
 distance, in their anxiety to witness his ruthless deeds. 
 He stops, looks at the flint of his gun, its priming, and 
 the leather cover of the lock, then glances his eye to- 
 wards the sky, to judge of the course most likely to lead 
 him to the game. 
 
 The heavens are clear, the red glare of the morning 
 sun gleams through the lower branches of the lofty 
 trees, the dew hangs in pearly drops at the top of every 
 leaf. Already has the emerald hue of the foliage been 
 converted into the more glowing tints of our autumnal 
 months. A slight frost appears on the fence-rails of his 
 little cornfield. As he proceeds, he looks to the dead 
 foliage under his feet, in search of the well known traces 
 of a buck's hoof. Now he bends toward the ground, on 
 which something has attracted his attention. See ! he 
 alters his course, increases his speed, and will soon reach 
 the opposite hill. Now he moves with caution, stops at 
 almost every tree, and peeps forward as if already within 
 shooting distance of the game. He advances again, but 
 how very slowly ! He has reached the declivity, upon 
 which the sun shines in all its growing splendor ; but 
 
254 HUNTINflk SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 mark him ! he takes the gun from his shoulder, has 
 already thrown aside the leathered cover of the lock, and 
 is wiping the edge of his flint with his tongue. Now he 
 stands like a monumental figure, perhaps measuring the 
 distance that lies between him and the game which he 
 has in view. His rifle is slowly raised, the report fol- 
 lows, and he runs. Let us run also. Shall I speak to 
 him, and ask him the result of his first essay ? Assur- 
 edly, reader, for I know him well. 
 
 " Pray, friend, what have you killed ?" for to say, 
 "What have you shot at?" might imply the possibility 
 of his having missed, and so might hurt his feelings. 
 " Nothing but a buck." " And where is it ?" " Oh, it 
 has taken a jump or so, but I settled it, and will soon be 
 with it. My ball struck, and must have gone through 
 his heart." We arrive at the spot where the animal 
 had laid itself down among the grass, in a thicket 
 of grape vines, sumachs, and spruce bushes, where it in- 
 tended to repose during the middle of the day. The 
 place is covered with blood, the hoofs of the deer have 
 left deep prints in the ground, as it bounced in the ago- 
 nies produced by its wound ; but the blood that has 
 gushed from its side, discloses the course which it has 
 taken. We soon reach the spot. There lies the buck, 
 its tongue out, its eye dim, its breath exhausted : it is 
 dead. The hunter draws his knife, cuts the buck's 
 throat almost asunder, and prepares to skin it. For 
 this purpose he hangs it upon the branch of a tr.ee. 
 When the skin is removed, he cuts off the hams, and 
 abandoning the rest of the carcass to the wolves and 
 vultures, reloads his gun, flings the venison, enclosed by 
 
DEER HUNTING. 255 
 
 the skin, upon his back, secures it ,with a strap, and 
 walks off in search of more game, well knowing that in 
 the immediate neighborhood, another at least is to be 
 found. 
 
 Had the weather been warmer, the hunter would have 
 sought for the buck along the shadowy side of the hills. 
 Had it been the spring season, he would have led us 
 through some thick cane-brake, to the margin of some 
 remote lake, where you would have seen the deer 'im- 
 mersed to his head in the water, to save his body from the 
 tormenting attacks of moschettoes. Had winter over- 
 spread the earth with a covering of snow, he would have 
 searched the low damp woods, where the mosses and 
 lichens, on which at that period the deer feeds, abound, 
 the trees being generally crusted with them for several 
 feet from the ground, ^.t one time, he might have 
 marked the places where the deer clears the velvet from 
 his horns by rubbing them against the low stems of busKes, 
 and where he frequently scrapes the earth with his fore- 
 hoofs ; at another, he would have betaken himself to 
 places where persimons and crab-apples abound, as be- 
 neath these trees the deer frequently stops to munch their 
 fruits. During early spring, our hunter would imitate 
 the bleating of the doe, and thus frequently obtain both 
 her and the fawn ; or, like some tribes of Indians, he 
 would prepare a deer's head, placed on a stick, and 
 creeping with it amongst the tall grass of the prairies, 
 would decoy the deer within reach of his rifle. But we 
 have seen enough of the still hunter. Let it suffice for 
 me to add, that by the mode pursued by him, thousands 
 of deer are annually killed, many individuals shooting 
 
256 HUNTING gPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 these animals merely for the skin, not caring for even 
 the most valuable portions of the flesh, unless hunger, or 
 a near market, induces them to carry off the hams. 
 
 The mode of destroying deer by fire-light, or, as it is 
 named in some parts of the country, forest-light, nevei 
 fails to produce a very singular feeling in him who wit- 
 nesses it for the first time. There is something in it 
 which at times appears awfully grand. At other times, a 
 certain degree of fear creeps over the mind, and even 
 affects the physical powers, of him who follows the hun- 
 ter through the thick undergrowth of our woods, having 
 to leap his horse over hundreds of huge fallen trunks, at 
 one time impeded by a straggling grape-vine crossing his 
 path, at another squeezed between two stubborn saplings, 
 whilst their twigs come smack in his face, as his compa- 
 nion has forced his way through them. Again, he every 
 now and then runs the risk of breaking his neck, by be- 
 ing suddenly pitched headlong on the ground, as his 
 horse sinks into a hole covered over with moss. But I 
 must proceed in a more regular manner* and leave my 
 reader to judge whether such a mode of hunting would 
 suit his taste or not. 
 
 The hunter has returned to his camp or his house, has 
 rested and eaten of his game. He waits impatiently for 
 the return of night. He has procured a quantity of pine- 
 knots filled with resinous matter, and has an old frying- 
 pan, that, for aught I know to the country, may have 
 been used by his great-grandmother, in which the pine- 
 knots are to be placed when lighted. The horses stand 
 saddled at the door. The hunter comes forth, his rifle 
 slung on his shoulder, and springs upon one of them, 
 
DEER HUNTING. 257 
 
 while his son, or a servant, mounts the other, with the 
 frying-pan and the pine-knots. Thus accoutred, they 
 proceed towards the interior of the forest. When they 
 have arrived at the spot where the hunt is to begin, they 
 strike fire with a flint and steel, and kindle the resinous 
 wood. The person who carries the fire moves in the 
 direction judged to be the best. The blaze illuminates 
 the near objects, but the distant parts seem involved in 
 deepest obscurity. The hunter who bears the gun keeps 
 immediately in front, and after a while discovers before 
 him two feeble lights, which are procured by the reflec- 
 tion of the pine fire from the eyes of an animal of the 
 deer or wolf kind. The animal stands quite still. To 
 one unacquainted with this strange mode of hunting, the 
 glare from its eyes might bring to his imagination some 
 lost hobgoblin that had strayed from its usual haunts. 
 The hunter, however, nowise intimidated, approaches the 
 object, sometimes so near as to discern its form, when 
 raising the rifle to his shoulder, he fires and kills it on 
 the spot. He then dismounts, secures the skin and such 
 portions of the flesh as he may want, in the manner al- 
 ready described, and continues his search through the 
 greater part of the night, sometimes until the dawn of 
 day, shooting from five to ten deer, should these animals 
 be plentiful. This kind of hunting proves fatal, not to 
 the deer alone, but also sometimes to wolves, and now 
 and then to a horse or a cow, which may have straggled 
 far into the woods. 
 
 Now, reader, prepare to mount a generous, full blood 
 Virginian Hunter. See that your gun is in complete 
 order, for, hark to the sound of the bugle and horn, and 
 
258 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 the mingled clamor of a pack of harriers ! Your frienda 
 are waiting you, under the shade of the wood, and we 
 must together go driving the light-footed deer. The dis- 
 tance over which one has to travel is seldom felt, when 
 pleasure is anticipated as the result : so, galloping we 
 go pell-mell through the woods, to some well-known place, 
 where many a fine buck has drooped its antlers under 
 the ball of the hunter's rifle. The servants, who are 
 called the drivers, have already begun their search. Their 
 voices are heard exciting the hounds, and unless we put 
 spurs to our steeds, we may be too late at our stand, and 
 thus lose the first opportunity of shooting the fleeting 
 game as it passes by. Hark again ! the dogs are in 
 chase, the horn sounds louder and more clearly. Hurry, 
 hurry on, or we shall be sadly behind ! 
 
 Here we are at last ! Dismount, fasten your horse to 
 this tree, place yourself by the side of that large yellow 
 poplar, and mind you do not shoot me ! The deer is 
 fast approaching ; I will to my own stand, and he who 
 shoots him dead wins the prize. 
 
 The deer is heard coming. It has inadvertently 
 cracked a dead stick with its hoof, and the dogs are now 
 so near it that it will pass in a moment. There it comes . 
 How beautifully it bounds over the ground ! What a 
 splendid head of horns ! How easy its attitudes, depend- 
 ing, as it seems to do, on its own swiftness for safety ! 
 All is in vain, however : a gun is fired, the animal 
 plunges and doubles with incomparable speed. There 
 he goes ! He passes another stand, from which a second 
 shot, better directed than the first, brings him to the 
 ground. The dogs, the servants, the sportsmen are now 
 
DEER HUNTING. 259 
 
 
 
 rushing forward to the spot. The hunter who has shot 
 it is congratulated on his skill or good luck, and the chase 
 begins again in some other part of the woods. 
 
 A few lines of explanation may be required to convey 
 a clear idea of this mode of hunting. Deer are fond of 
 following and retracing the paths which they have for- 
 merly pursued, and continue to do so even after they 
 have been shot at more than once. These tracks are 
 discovered by persons on horseback in the woods, or a 
 deer is observed crossing a road, a field, or a small stream. 
 When this has been noticed twice, the deer may be shot 
 from the places called stands by the sportsman, who is 
 stationed there, and waits for it, a line of stands being 
 generally formed so as to cross the path which the game 
 will follow. The person who ascertains the usual pass of 
 the game, or discovers the parts where the animal feeds 
 or lies down during the day, gives intimation to his 
 friends, who then, prepare for the chase. The servants 
 start the deer with the hounds, and by good management, 
 generally succeed in making it run the course that will 
 soonest bring it to its death. But, should the deer be 
 cautious, and take another course, the hunters, mounted 
 on swift horses, gallop through the woods to intercept it, 
 guided by the sound of the horns and the cry of the dogs, 
 and frequently succeed in shooting it. This is ex- 
 tremely agreeable, and proves successful on almost every 
 occasion. 
 
 Hoping that this account will be sufficient to induce 
 you, kind reader, to go driving in our western and 
 southern woods, I now conclude my chapter on Deer 
 Hunting by informing you, that the species referred to 
 
260 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 above is the Virginian Deer, Oervus Virginianus ; and 
 that, until I be able to present you with a full account 
 of its habits and history, you may consult for information 
 respecting it the excellent Fauna Americana of my es- 
 teemed friend Dr. Harlan, of Philadelphia. 
 
 SCIPIO AND THE BEAR, 
 
 THE Black Bear, (Ursus Americanus,) says Mr. 
 Audubon,* however clumsy in appearance, is active, 
 vigilant, and persevering; possesses great strength, 
 courage, and address ; and undergoes with little injury 
 the greatest fatigues and hardships in avoiding the pur- 
 suit of the hunter. Like the deer, it changes its haunts 
 with the seasons, and for the same reason, namely, the 
 desire of obtaining suitable food, or of retiring to the 
 more inaccessible parts, where it can pass the time in 
 security, unobserved by man, the most dangerous of its 
 enemies. During the spring months, it searches for food 
 in the low, rich, alluvial lands that border the rivers, or 
 by the margins of such inland lakes as, on account of 
 their small size, are called by us ponds. There it pro- 
 cures abundance of succulent roots, and of the tender 
 juicy stems of plants, upon which it chiefly feeds at that 
 season. During the summer heat, it enters the gloomy 
 swamps, passes much of its time in wallowing in the 
 
 * Ornithological Biography. 
 
SCIPIO AND THE BEAR. 261 
 
 mud, like a hog, and contents itself with crayfish, roots, 
 and nettles, now and then, when hard pressed by hunger, 
 seizing on a young pig, or perhaps a sow, or even a calf. 
 As soon as the different kinds of berries which grow on 
 the mountains begin to ripen, the Bears betake themselves 
 to the high grounds, followed by their cubs. In such 
 retired parts of the country where there are no hilly 
 grounds, it pays visits to the make fields, which it rav- 
 ages for awhile. After this, the various species of nuts, 
 acorns, grapes, and other forest fruits, that form what in 
 the western country is called mast, attract its attention. 
 The Bear is then seen rambling singly through the woods 
 to gather this harvest, not forgetting meanwhile to rob 
 every bee-tree it meets with, Bears being, as you well 
 know, expert at this operation. You also know that they 
 are good climbers, and may have been told, or at least 
 may now be told, that the Black Bear now and then 
 houses itself in the hollow trunks of the larger trees for 
 weeks together, when it is said to suck its paws. You 
 are probably not aware of a habit in which it indulges, 
 and which, being curious, must be interesting to you. 
 
 At one season, the Black Bear may be seen examining 
 the lower part of the trunk of a tree for several minutes 
 with much attention, at the same time looking around, 
 and snuffing the air, to assure itself that no enemy is 
 near. It then raises itself on its hind legs, approaches 
 the trunk, embraces it with its fore legs, and scratches 
 the bark with its teeth and claws for several minutes in 
 continuance. Its jaws c^ish against each other, until a 
 mass of foam runs down on both sides of the mouth. 
 After this it continues its rambles. 
 
I 
 
 262 HUNTING SPOKTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 In various portions of our country, many of our 
 woodsmen and hunters who have seen the Bear perform- 
 ing this singular operation just described, imagine that 
 it does so for the purpose of leaving behind it an indica- 
 tion of its size and power. They measure the height at 
 which the scratches are made, and in this manner can, 
 in fact, form an estimate of the magnitude of the indi- 
 vidual. My own opinion, however, is different. It 
 seems to me that the Bear scratches the trees, not for 
 the purpose of showing its size or its strength, but merely 
 for that of sharpening its teeth and claws, to enable it 
 better to encounter a rival of its own species during the 
 amatory season. The Wild Boar of Europe clashes its 
 tusks and scrapes the earth with its feet, and the Deer 
 rubs its antlers against the lower part of the stems of 
 young trees or bushes, for the same purpose. 
 
 Being one night sleeping in the house of a friend, I 
 was awakened by a negro servant bearing a light, who 
 gave me a note, which he said his master had just re- 
 ceived. I ran my eye over the paper, and found it to 
 *b& a communication from a neighbor, requesting my 
 friend and myself to join him as soon as possible, and 
 assist in killing some bears, at that moment engaged in 
 destroying his corn. I was not long in dressing, you 
 may be assured, and on entering the parlor, found my 
 friend equipped, and only waiting for some bullets, which 
 a negro was employed in casting. The overseer's horn 
 was heard calling up the negroes from their different 
 cabins. Some were already engaged in saddling pur 
 horses, whilst others were gathering all the cur-dogs of 
 the plantation. All was bustle. Before half an hour 
 
SCIPIO AND THE BEAR. 263 
 
 had elapsed, four stout negro men, armed with axes and 
 knives, and mounted on strong nags of their own, (for 
 you must know, kind reader, that many of our slaves 
 rear horses, cattle, pigs, and poultry, which are exclu- 
 sively their own property,) were following us at a round 
 gallop through the woods, as we made directly for the 
 neighbor's plantation, a little more than five miles off. 
 
 The night was none of the most favorable, a drizzling 
 rain rendering the atmosphere thick and rather sultry ; 
 but as we were well acquainted with the course, we soon 
 reached the house, where the owner was awaiting our 
 arrival. There were now three of us armed with guns, 
 half a dozen servants, and a good pack of dogs of all 
 kinds. We jogged on towards the detached field in which 
 the bears were at work. The owner told us that for 
 some days several of these animals had visited his corn, 
 and that a negro who was sent every afternoon to see 
 at what part of the enclosure they entered, had assured 
 him there were at least five in the field that night. A 
 plan of attack was formed: the bars at the usual gap 
 of the fence were to be put down without noise ; the men 
 and dogs were to divide, and afterwards proceed so as 
 to surround the bears, when, at the sounding of our 
 hjorns, every one was to charge towards the centre of the 
 field, and shout as loudly as possible, which it was judged 
 would so intimidate the animals, as to induce them to 
 seek refuge upon the dead trees with which the field was 
 still partially covered. 
 
 The plan succeeded. The horns sounded, the horses 
 galloped forward, the men shouted, the dogs barked and 
 howled. The shrieks of the negroes were enough to 
 
264 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 frighten a legion of bears, and those in the field took to 
 flight, so that by the time we reached the centre, they 
 were heard hurrying towards the tops of the trees. 
 Fires were immediately lighted by the negroes. The 
 drizzling rain had ceased, the sky cleared, and the glare 
 of the crackling fires proved of great assistance to us. 
 The bears had been so terrified, that we now saw several 
 of them crouched at the junction of the larger boughs 
 with the trunks. Two were immediately shot down. 
 They were cubs of no great size, and being already half 
 dead, we left them to the dogs, which quickly despatched 
 them. 
 
 We were anxious to procure as much sport as possible, 
 and having observed one of the bears, which, from its 
 size, we conjectured to be the mother, ordered the ne- 
 groes to cut down the tree on which it was perched, 
 when it was intended the dogs should have a tug with it, 
 while we should support them, and assist in preventing 
 the bear from escaping, by wounding it in one of the hind 
 legs. The surrounding woods now echoed to the blows of 
 the axemen. The tree was large and tough, having been 
 girded more than two years, and the operation of felling it 
 seemed extremely tedious. However, it began to vibrato 
 at each stroke ; a few inches alone now supported it ; 
 and in a short time it came crashing to the ground, in 
 so awful a manner, that bruin must doubtless have felt 
 the shock as severely as if we should feel a shake of the 
 globe, produced by the sudden collision of a comet. 
 
 The dogs rushed to the charge, and harassed the 
 bear on all sides. We had remounted, and now sur- 
 rounded the poor animal. As its life depended upon its 
 
SCIPIO AND THE BEAR. 265 
 
 courage and strength, it exercised both in the most en- 
 ergetic manner. Now and then it seized a dog, and 
 killed him by a single stroke. At another time, a well 
 administered blow of one of its fore-legs, sent an assail- 
 ant off yelping so piteously, that he might be looked 
 upon as hors de combat. A cur had daringly ventured 
 to seize the bear by the snout, and was seen hanging to 
 it, covered with blood, whilst a dozen or more scrambled 
 over its back. Now and then the infuriated animal was 
 seen to cast a revengeful glance at some of the party, 
 and we had already determined to despatch it, when, to 
 our astonishment, it suddenly shook off all the dogs, and 
 before we could fire, charged upon one of the negroes, 
 who was mounted on a pied horse. The bear seized the 
 steed with teeth and claws, and clung to its breast. The 
 terrified horse snorted and plunged. The rider, an 
 athletic young man, and a capital horseman, kept his 
 seat, although only saddled on a sheep's skin tightly 
 girthed, and requested his master not to fire at the bear. 
 Notwithstanding his coolness and courage, our anxiety 
 for his safety was raised to the highest pitch, especially 
 when in a moment we saw rider and horse come to the 
 ground together ; but we were instantly relieved, on wit- 
 nessing the masterly manner in which Scipio despatched 
 his adversary, by laying open his skull with a single well- 
 directed blow of his axe, when a deep growl announced 
 the death of the bear, and the valorous negro sprung to 
 his feet unhurt. 
 
 Day dawned, and we renewed our search. Two of 
 the remaining bears were soon discovered, lodged in a 
 tree about a hundred yards from the spot where the last 
 
266 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 one had been overpowered. On approaching them in a 
 circle, we found that they manifested no desire to come 
 down, and we resolved to try smoking. We surrounded 
 the tree with a pile of brushwood and large branches. 
 The flames ascended and caught hold of the dry bark. 
 At length the tree assumed the appearance of a pillar 
 of flame. The bears mounted to the top branches. 
 When they had reached the uppermost, they were seen 
 to totter, and soon after, the branch cracking and snap- 
 ping across, they came to the ground, bringing with 
 them a mass of broken twigs. They were cubs, and the 
 dogs soon worried them to death. 
 
 The party returned to the house in triumph. Scipio's 
 horse being severely wounded, was let loose in the field, 
 to repair his strength by eating the corn. A cart was 
 afterwards sent for the game. But before we had left 
 the field, the horses, dogs, and bears, together with the 
 fires, had destroyed more corn within a few hours, than 
 the poor bear and her cubs had, during the whole of 
 their visits. 
 
 HUNTING THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 
 
 THE following is an account of two grizzly bears taken 
 by General Pike, in the Rocky Mountains, and after- 
 wards exhibited at the Philadelphia Museum : 
 
 These bears were taken in rather a southern latitude, 
 among the Rocky Mountains ; and they are said to have 
 
HUNTING THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 267 
 
 been littered about the 1st of March, 1807, which, by the 
 way, shows that this species produces later in the year 
 than the Brown Bear. They were so young that they 
 could take only milk, and in that state they were car- 
 ried a lohg distance. Pike's account of their conduct 
 on the march, shows both how they might have been 
 tamed, and how they were not: "I had a cage," says 
 he, " prepared for both, which was carried on a mule, 
 lashed between two packs ; but I always ordered them 
 to be let out the moment we halted, and not shut up 
 again till we were prepared to march. By this treat- 
 ment, they became exceedingly docile when at liberty, 
 following my men like dogs through our camps, and 
 the small villages and forts where we halted. When 
 well supplied with sustenance, they would play like 
 young puppies with each other and the soldiers ; but the 
 instant they were shut up, and placed on the mule, they 
 became cross, as the jolting of the animal knocked them 
 against each other, and they were sometimes left ex- 
 posed to the scorching heat of a vertical sun for a day, 
 without food or a drop of water, in which case, they 
 would worry and tear each other, till nature was ex- 
 hausted, and they could neither ght nor bawl any 
 longer." 
 
 The following is the account of their conduct in the 
 museum : " When first received, they were quite small, 
 but speedily gave indications of that ferocity for which 
 this species is so remarkable. As they increased in 
 size, they became exceedingly dangerous, seizing and 
 tearing to pieces every animal they could lay hold of, 
 and expressing extreme eagerness to get at those acci- 
 
268 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 dentally brought within sight of their cage, by grasping 
 the iron bars with their paws, and shaking them vio- 
 lently, to the great terror of spectators, who felt insecure 
 while witnessing such displays of their strength. In 
 instance, an unfo'rtunate monkey was walking over the 
 top of the cage, when the end of the chain which hung 
 from his waist, dropped through within reach of the 
 bears ; they immediately seized it, dragged the scream- 
 ing animal through the narrow aperture, tore Mm limb 
 from limb, and devoured his mangled carcass almost in- 
 stantaneously. At another time, a small monkey thrust 
 his arm through an opening in the bear cage, to reach 
 after some object, one of them immediately seized him, 
 and, with a sudden jerk, tore the whole arm and shoulder 
 blade from the body, and devoured it before any one 
 could interfere. They were still cubs, and -very little 
 more than half grown, when their ferocity became so 
 alarming as to excite continual apprehension lest they 
 should escape, and they were killed in order to prevent 
 such an event." 
 
 Upon comparing the account of the soldier, who had 
 no "story" to tell, but simply the truth, with that of 
 the museum describer, in regard to these, the same ani- 
 mals, it cannot fail to strike the reader that there is a 
 wonderful coincidence between these and the accounts 
 of similar parties respecting the common hyaena. Every 
 one who knows anything about domestic economy in the 
 Dukhun, must be aware that the domestication of the 
 hyaena as a substitute for the dog, is a very common oc- 
 currence there ; and the memory which the hyaena at the 
 Zoological Gardens retained of the kindness of colonel 
 
HUNTING THE GRIZZLY BEAR. 269 
 
 Sykes, after the lapse of two years, and the apparent 
 joy with which it welcomed him, though he gave it no- 
 thing, are interesting traits in the animal economy. Yet 
 this same hyaena has, "time out of mind," been the 
 " ferocious and untameahle " the very ultimate exam- 
 ple of unrelenting cruelty. 
 
 Some of the habits of the bears and the -hyaena are 
 similar : for instance, they both consume dead carcasses ; 
 but otherwise, the hyaena is by much the more carnivo- 
 rous animal of the two, especially in the structure of its 
 teeth, and therefore the accounts of the untameable dis- 
 position of the one animal are no more deserving of ra- 
 tional credence, than those of the other. 
 
 We have no intentions of pleading specially for the 
 grizzly bear, or for any animal whatever ; but, though it 
 is nearly exploded among all who study natural history, 
 there is a great deal of the ridiculous exaggeration intro- 
 duced by the showmen, still current in the country, and 
 in so far perpetuated by compilers ; and this remaining 
 delusion, it becomes our duty, writing as we do for the 
 public, by every means in our power to dispel. It is 
 also our duty to mention, for the sake of those who have 
 not the opportunity of seeing animals in a state .of na- 
 ture, or in that semi-freedom which they enjoy in zoolo- 
 gical gardens, that, in the pigeon-holes of a traveling 
 caravan, they see only the dwarfed or emaciated forms 
 of the animals, and nothing whatever of their natural 
 dispositions. Indeed, if the gentlest mouthpiece of the 
 menagerie that ever told the terrors of a tiger to the 
 wondering rustics at a fair, were to get only twelve 
 months of the tenement and treatment of his beast, he 
 
270 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 would be the more ferocious animal, and therefore the 
 better spectacle of the two. 
 
 But while we must not judge of the character of the 
 powerful bear, under notice from the museum account, as 
 little can we do it from the accounts of the hunters ; for if 
 the one shows us an animal soured and irritated by cap- 
 tivity, the other displays it with all its formidable ener- 
 gies aroused in defence of its life. Of these accounts 
 by the hunters, ~we shall, however, give the substance of 
 one instance from the expedition of Lewis and Clark, on 
 the Missouri. One evening, the men in one of the hind- 
 most of the canoes, perceived a grizzly bear lying on the 
 open ground, about three hundred paces from the river ; 
 and six of them, good hunters, went to attack it. They 
 got within forty paces unperceived, when four fired, all 
 hitting, and two balls passing directly through the lungs. 
 The bear sprang up and ran furiously at them with open 
 mouth, upon which the two hunters who had reserved 
 their fire, gave it, both hitting, and one breaking his 
 shoulder blade, which somewhat retarded his motions. 
 But before they could reload, he came so close upon 
 them, that they were obliged to make directly for the 
 river, and before they reached it, the bear was almost 
 within paw's length. Two jumped into the canoe*, and 
 the other four concealing themselves among the willows, 
 fired as fast as they co-uld load. They struck him seve- 
 ral times, but that only made him proceed more furiously 
 in the direction whence the wound came. At last they 
 were obliged to throw down their guns and pouches, and 
 jump from a bank twenty feet high, into the river. But 
 bruin is more expert both at jumping and swimming, 
 
HUNTING THE GRIZZLY BEAR, 
 
HUNTING THE GRIZZLY BEAR IN HIS DEN. 273 
 
 than even a backwoods' rifleman, so he plunged in after 
 them, and was almost in the act of seizing the hindmost 
 man, when one of those on shore shot him through the 
 head, and he expired. When they dragged him on 
 shore, they found that eight balls had passed through 
 his body in different directions. 
 
 HUNTING THE GRIZZLY BEAR IN HIS DEN. 
 
 THE every-day sports of the wild woods include many 
 feats of daring that never find a pen of record. Con- 
 stantly in the haunts of the savage, are enacting scenes 
 of thrilling interest, the very details of which would 
 make the denizen of enlightened life turn away with in- 
 stinctive dread. Every Indian tribe has its heroes, cele- 
 brated respectively for their courage in different ways 
 exhibited. Some for their acuteness in pursuing the 
 enemy on the war-path, and others for the destruction 
 they have accomplished among the wild beasts of the 
 forest. A great hunter among the Indians is a marked 
 personage. It is a title that distinguishes its possessor 
 among his people as a prince; while the exploits in 
 which he has been engaged hang about his person as 
 brilliantly as the decorations of so many orders. The 
 country in which the Osage finds a home, possesses 
 abundantly the Grizzly Bear, an animal formidable be- 
 yond any other inhabitant of the North American forests: 
 
 an animal seemingly insensible to pain, uncertain in ita 
 18 
 
274 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 habits, and by its mighty strength able to overcome any 
 living obstacle that comes within its reach, as an enemy. 
 The Indian warrior, of any tribe, among the haunts of 
 the Grizzly Bear, finds no necklace so honorable to be 
 worn as the claws of this gigantic animal, if he fell by 
 his own prowess ; and if he can add an eagle's plume to 
 his scalp-lock, plucked from a bird shot while on the 
 wing, he is honorable indeed. The Indian's " smoke," 
 like the fire-side of the white man, is often the place 
 where groups of people assemble to relate whatever may 
 most pleasantly while away the hours of a long evening, 
 or destroy the monotony of a dull and idle day. On 
 such occasions, the old "brave" will sometimes relax 
 from his natural gravity, and grow loquacious over his 
 chequered life. But no recital commands such undivided 
 attention as the adventures with the Grizzly Bear; and 
 the death of an enemy on the war-path hardly vies with, 
 it in interest. 
 
 We have listened to these soul-stirring adventures 
 over the urn, or while lounging on the sofa; and the 
 recital of the risks run, the hardships endured, have 
 made us think them almost impossible, when compared 
 with the conventional self-indulgence of enlightened life. 
 But they were the tales of a truthful man; a hunter, 
 who had strayed away from the scenes once necessary 
 for his life, and who loved, like the worn-out soldier, to 
 "fight his battles over," in which he was once engaged. 
 It may be, and is the province of the sportsman to 
 exaggerate; but the "hunter," surrounded by the mag- 
 nificence and sublimity of an American forest, earning 
 his bread by the hardy adventures of the chase, meets 
 
HUNTING THE GRIZZLY BEAR IN HIS DEN. 275 
 
 with too much reality to find room for coloring too 
 much of the sublime and terrible in the scenes with which 
 he is associated, to be boastful of himself. Apart from 
 the favorable effects of civilization, he is also separated 
 from its contaminations ; and boasting and exaggeration 
 are "settlements" weaknesses, and not the products of 
 the wild woods. 
 
 The hunter, whether Indian or white, presents one of 
 the most extraordinary exhibitions of the singular ca- 
 pacity of the human senses to be improved by cultiva- 
 tion. The unfortunate deaf, dumb, and blind girl, in 
 one of our public institutions,* selects her food, her 
 clothing, and her friends, by the touch alone so deli- 
 cate has it become from the mind's being directed to 
 that sense alone. The forest hunter uses the sight most 
 extraordinarily well, and experience at last renders it so 
 keen, that the slightest touch of a passing object on the 
 leaves, trees, or earth, seems to leave deep and visible 
 impressions, that to the common eye are unseen as the 
 path of the bird thraugh the air. This knowledge gov- 
 erns the chase and the war-path; this knowledge is 
 what, when excelled in, makes the master-spirit among 
 the rude inhabitants of the woods ; and that man is the 
 greatest chief who follows the coldest trail, and leaves 
 none behind by his own footsteps. The hunter in pur- 
 suit of the Grizzly Bear is governed by this instinct of 
 sight. It directs him with more certainty than the 
 hound is directed by his nose. The impressions of the 
 bear's footsteps upon the leaves, its marks on the trees, 
 its resting-places, are all known long before the bear is 
 . * Hartford Asylum for the Deaf aud Dumb. 
 
276 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 really seen; and the hunter, while thus following "the 
 trail," calculates the very sex, weight, and age with 
 certainty. Thus it is that he will neglect or choose a 
 trail ; one because it is poor, and another because it is 
 small, another because it is with cubs, and another be- 
 cause it is fat, identifying the very trail as the bear 
 itself; and herein, perhaps, lies the distinction between 
 the sportsman and the huntsman. The hunter follows 
 his object by his own knowledge and instinct, while the 
 sportsman employs the instinct of domesticated animals 
 to assist his pursuits. 
 
 The different methods to destroy the Grizzly Bear, by 
 those who hunt them, are as numerous as the bears that 
 are killed. They are not animals which permit of a 
 system in hunting them; and it is for this reason they 
 are so dangerous and difficult to destroy. The experi- 
 ence of one hunt may cost a limb or a life in the next 
 one, if used as a criterion ; and fatal, indeed, is the 
 mistake, if it comes to grappling with an animal whose 
 gigantic strength enables him to lift a horse in his huge 
 arms, and bear it away as a prize. There is one terrible 
 exception to this rule ; one habit of the animal may be 
 certainly calculated on, but a daring heart only can take 
 advantage of it. 
 
 The Grizzly Bear, like the tiger and lion, have their 
 caves in which they live ; but they use them principally 
 as a safe lodging-plaee when the cold of winter renders 
 them torpid and disposed to sleep. To these caves they 
 retire late in the fall, and they seldom venture out until 
 the warmth of spring. Sometimes two occupy one cave, 
 but this is not often the case, as the unsociability df the 
 
HUNTING THE GRIZZLY BEAR IN HIS DEN. 277 
 
 animal is proverbial, they preferring to be solitary and 
 alone. A knowledge of the forests, and an occasional 
 trailing for bear, inform the hunter of these caves, and 
 the only habit of the Grizzly Bear that can with certainty 
 be taken advantage of, is that of his being in his cave 
 alive, if at a proper season. And the hunter has the 
 terrible liberty of entering his cave single-handed, and 
 there destroying him. Of this only method of hunting 
 the Grizzly Bear we would attempt a description. 
 
 The thought of entering a cave, inhabited by one of 
 the most powerful beasts of prey, is calculated to try 
 the strength of the best nerves ; and when it is consid- 
 ered that the least trepidation, the slightest mistake, 
 may cause, and probably will result in the instant death 
 of the hunter, it certainly exhibits the highest demon- 
 stration of physical courage to pursue such a method of 
 hunting. Yet there are many persons in the forests of 
 North America who engage in such perilous adventures 
 with no other object in view than the "sport" or hearty 
 meal. The hunter's preparations to " beard the lion in 
 his den," commence with examining the mouth of the 
 cave he is about to enter. Upon the signs there exhi- 
 bited he decides whether the bear is alone ; for if there 
 are two, the cave is never entered. The size of the bear 
 is also thus known, and the time since he was last in 
 search of food. The way this knowledge is obtained, 
 from indications so slight, or unseen to an ordinary eye, 
 is one of the greatest mysteries of the woods. Placing 
 ourselves at the mouth of a cave containing a Grizzly 
 Bear, to our untutored senses there would be nothing to 
 distinguish it from one that was empty; but if some 
 
278 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 Diana of the forest would touch our eyes, and give us 
 the instinct of sight possessed by the hunter, we would 
 argue thus: "From all the marks about the mouth of 
 the cave, the occupant has not been out for a great 
 length of time, for the grass and the earth have not been 
 lately disturbed. The bear is in the cave, for the last 
 tracks made are with the toe marks towards the cave. 
 There is but one bear, because the tracks are regular 
 and of the same size. He is a large bear; the length 
 of the step and the size of the paw indicate this ; and he 
 is a fat one, because his hind feet do not step in the im- 
 pressions made by the fore ones, as is always the case 
 with a lean bear." Such are the signs and arguments 
 that present themselves to the hunter; and mysterious 
 as they seem, when not understood, when explained they 
 strike the imagination at once as being founded on the 
 unerring simplicity and the certainty of nature. It may 
 be asked, How is it that the Grizzly Bear is so formida- 
 ble to numbers, when met in the forest, and when in a 
 cave can be assailed successfully by a single man ? In 
 answer to this, we must recollect that the bear is only 
 attacked in his cave when he is in total darkness, and 
 suffering from surprise and the torpidity of the season. 
 These three things are in this method of hunting taken 
 advantage of; and but for these advantages, no quick- 
 ness of eye, no steadiness of nerve or forest experience, 
 would protect for an instant the intruder to the cave of 
 the Jrizzly Bear. The hunter, having satisfied himself 
 about the cave, prepares a candle, which he makes out 
 of the wax taken from the comb of wild bees, softened 
 by the grease of the bear. This candle has a large wick, 
 
HUNTING THE GRIZZLY BEAR IN HIS DEN. 279 
 
 and emits a^brilliant flame. Nothing else is needed but 
 the rifle. The knife and the belt are useless ; for if a 
 struggle should ensue that would make it available, the 
 foe is too powerful to mind its thrusts before the hand 
 using it would be dead. Bearing the candle before him, 
 with the rifle in a convenient position, the hunter fear- 
 lessly enters the cave. He is soon surrounded by dark- 
 ness, and is totally unconscious where his enemy will 
 reveal himself. Having fixed the candle in the ground 
 in firm position, with an apparatus provided, he lights it, 
 and its brilliant flame soon penetrates into the recesses 
 of the cavern its size of course rendering the illumina- 
 tion more or less complete. The hunter now places him- 
 self on his belly, having the candle between the back 
 part of the cave where the bear is, and himself; in this 
 position-, with the muzzle of the rifle protruding out in 
 front of him, he patiently waits for his victim. A short 
 time only elapses before Bruin is aroused by the light. 
 The noise made by his starting from sleep attracts the 
 hunter, and he soon distinguishes the black mass, mov- 
 ing, stretching, and yawning, like a person awaked from 
 a deep sleep. The hunter moves not, but prepares his 
 rifle; the bear, finally roused, turns his head towards 
 the candle, and, with slow and wading steps, ap- 
 proaches it. 
 
 Now is the time that tries the nerves of the hunter. 
 Too late to retreat, his life hangs upon his certain aim 
 and the goodness of his powder. The slightest varia- 
 tion in the bullet, or a flashing pan, and he is a doomed 
 man. So tenacious of life is the common black bear, 
 that it is frequently wounded in its most vital parts, and 
 
280 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 will still escape or give terrible battle. But the Grizzly 
 Eear seems to possess an infinitely greater tenacity of 
 life. His skin, covered by matted hair, and the huge 
 bones of his body, protect the heart, as if incased in a 
 wall; while the brain is buried in a skull, compared to 
 which adamant is not harder. A bullet, striking the 
 bear's forehead, would flatten, if it struck squarely on 
 the solid bone, as if fired against a rock ; and dangerous 
 indeed would it bfc to take the chance of reaching the 
 animal's heart. With these fearful odds against -the 
 hunter, the bear approaches the candle, growing every 
 moment more sensible of some uncommon intrusion. 
 He reaches the blaze, and either raises his paw to strike 
 it, or lifts his nose to scent it, either of which will ex- 
 tinguish it, and leave the hunter and the bear in total 
 darkness. This dreadful moment is taken advantage of. 
 The loud report of the rifle fills the cave with stunning 
 noise, and as the light disappears, the ball, if success- 
 fully fired, penetrates the eye of the huge animal the 
 only place where it would find a passage to the brain 
 and this not only gives the wound, but instantly par- 
 alyzes, that no temporary resistance may be made. On 
 such chances the American hunter perils his life, and 
 often thoughtlessly courts the danger. 
 
CURIOUS METHOD OP HUNTING THE DEER. 281 
 
 CURIOUS METHOD OF HUNTING THE DEER. 
 
 IN the great plains between Oakinagan and Spokan, 
 says Mr. Ross Cox, there are at particular seasons num- 
 bers of small deer. The editor of Lewis and Clarke 
 classes them as antelopes ; but how much soever they 
 may resemble those animals in swiftness and shape, their 
 horns, as described by naturalists, are totally different. 
 Their flesh is sweet and delicate, and they generally go 
 in small herds. Towards the latter end of the summer 
 they are in prime condition, and at that season we had 
 some excellent sport in hunting them. The Indians, 
 however, are not satisfied with our method of taking them 
 in detail. On ascertaining the direction the deer have 
 chosen, part of their hunters take a circuit in order to 
 arrive in front of the herd, while those behind set fire 
 to the long grass, the flames of which spread with great 
 rapidity. In their flight from the devouring element 
 they are intercepted by the hunters, and, while they 
 hesitate between these dangers, great numbers fall by the 
 arrows of the Indians. 
 
 The wolves almost rival the Indians in their manner 
 of attacking the deer. When impelled by hunger, they 
 proceed in a band to the plains in quest of food. Hav- 
 ing traced the direction which a herd have taken, they 
 form themselves into a horse-shoe line, the extreme 
 points of which they keep open on the grand ravine. 
 After some cautious manosuvring they succeed in turning 
 the progress of the deer in that direction. This object 
 effected, they begin to concentrate their ranks, and ulti- 
 
282 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 mately hem in their victims in such a manner as to leave 
 them no choice but that of being dashed to pieces down 
 the steep and rocky sides of the ravine, or falling a prey- 
 to the fangs of their merciless pursuers. 
 
 BEAR HUNTING ADVENTURE OF ICHABOD MERRITT. 
 
 IN December, 1820, there being a light snow, Merritt, 
 with two other companions, (one of whom had been a 
 sailor,} while upon a hunting excursion, came upon the 
 track of a full grown bear, which, after following for a 
 time, they found had ascended a huge white-wood (or 
 poplar) tree. This had been broken off some seventy feet 
 from the ground, and it was supposed that the bear must 
 have secreted itself within its hollow at the top. Un- 
 willing to lose their game, and ready for any daring en- 
 terprise, they looked about for ways and means to accom- 
 plish their object. They first proposed cutting the tree 
 down. But this at the root was sound and not less than 
 eighteen feet in circumference. This with only one axe, 
 and that a dull one, they could not accomplish that day, 
 and if left over night the bear would escape. The sailor 
 proposed that if a smaller tree could be felled and lodged 
 against the large one, he would climb it to the top and 
 shoot the bear. A beech tree was then cut and lodged 
 agreeable to their wishes. The sailor, who had often 
 ascended the waving mast, had now a chance to show his 
 intrepidity upon a forest tree. He prepared himself for 
 
BEAR HUNTIN.G. 283 
 
 the enterprise, and now he began to think should he suc- 
 ceed in gaining the top and miss his first shot, his situa- 
 tion would be dangerous in the extreme. The enraged 
 bear would undoubtedly claim the premises, especially 
 should it be a she-one with her cubs, she would doubtless 
 claim her right and title to that elevated position, and a 
 battle would ensue. In this case all would agree that 
 the bear would have its choice of location and the advan- 
 tage of position. In the struggle, too, the beech might 
 be dislodged from the white-wood, and he would either 
 fall with it to the ground or be left at the top of the tree. 
 The first woul(J be certain death, and the other would be 
 no enviable situation. These were solemn thoughts for 
 the sailor, and they probably weakened his nerves so 
 much that it was found when he attempted to climb, that 
 he could not ascend, after repeatedly trying, one inch 
 beyond the assistance of his companions. 
 
 This so vexed Merritt that he told him to come down 
 and he would try what he could do towards climbing the 
 tree. He then slung his rifle to his hunting belt with the 
 muzzle downwards and began to ascend the tree. This 
 he succeeded in doing, and of getting from the topmost 
 branches of the beech upon the limbs of the white-wood 
 just high enough to look over in the hollow. It was 
 dark, and all Jie could see was a pair of eyes several feet 
 below him. After informing his companions and charg- 
 ing them to shoot the bear the moment it came out of 
 the tree, and that he should depend upon them for pro- 
 tection if he missed, he fired into the tree, and then re- 
 treated back into the top of the beech and immediately 
 reloaded. While doing this the bear with two cubs came 
 
284 , HUNTING SPOKTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 out of the hollow of the tree. At this moment one of 
 those below fired, but being so much agitated, he missed. 
 The cubs took to a limb while the old bear made towards 
 Merritt. She was in a menacing attitude and but a few 
 feet above him when he made a second fire. This proved 
 fatal and the bear fell. In falling she just brushed 
 against him. Another hunter now coming up shot one 
 of the cubs, and Merritt at his leisure reloaded and shot 
 the ather. He then succeeded in getting safely to the 
 ground. 
 
 UGLY ADVENTURE WITH A BEAR. 
 
 About the middle of May, 1803, a man living seven or 
 eight miles east of Youngstown, had business that called 
 him to that place. He started in the morning on foot, 
 and, having accomplished his business, was on his return 
 home. When within a mile and a half of his home, he 
 was attacked by a large bear. Being unarmed and un- 
 able to outrun the bear, he sprang to. climb a small tree. 
 Before he got out of reach the bear caught him by the 
 foot ; but having got hold of a limb sufficiently strong, 
 he held on until he drew his foot from her jaws and got 
 out of reach. But the bear still kept at the root of the 
 tree. This was about two o'clock, P. M. The man hal- 
 looed for help, and was heard by two men who were 
 splitting rails about half a mile distant. They thought 
 it was the noise of some wild animal and paid no further 
 attention to it, until they returned to their cabin in the 
 
ADVENTURES IN THE BACKWOODS. 285 
 
 evening; but, as the noise continued, and attending to it 
 more particularly they, concluding it was the voice of a 
 person it distress, took each one his axe and ran in the 
 direction of the voice, and answered the call. As soon 
 as they got near enough to understand him, he told them 
 he was badly wounded by a bear then at the root of the 
 tree, and not to venture up unless they were armed ; but 
 they rushed on, and the bear ran off. They carried the 
 man to his home, where he was confined the most of the 
 summer. 
 
 ADVENTURES IN THE BACKWOODS. 
 
 IN the autumn of the year, says an old traveler, I was 
 on a journey to the frontier portion of the States, but had 
 a vast track of the " Backwoods " to travel through. I was 
 in company with a gentleman, a friend of mine, his wife and 
 sister; also a maid-servant, who was in the capacity of 
 nurse, formed one of the party. My friend, who was city 
 bred, had foolishly enough brought a close carriage with 
 him, to the back settlements, when he first located himself 
 there. At the time of our journey, he had resided about 
 five years in the woods, during which his city-built cha- 
 riot had never been used. The roads, in fact, rendered 
 it quite unsafe to use a carriage of that description ; but 
 now that they were about to visit their city friends, he 
 was anxious to do so in the style they knew he had for- 
 merly been accustomed to. I, also, had a carnage; 
 
286 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 but mine was a true backwoods' affair, a regular yankee 
 Dearborn wagon, with wooden springs, and a variety of 
 flaming daubs of paint, laid on with true backwoods' 
 taste, that is, with no taste at all. There was one thing 
 about it which amused me exceedingly, and that was, a 
 flaring device, or coat of arms, on the most conspicuous 
 panel of the machine. The artist had undoubtedly in- 
 tended it for the British lion and unicorn, but for what 
 purpose I could not devise, as the wagon was not built 
 " to order," but for whoever might wish to purchase it ; 
 and as all kings, princes, and potentates are considerably 
 below par in Yankee land, I was puzzled to account for this 
 strange whim of the wagon-maker. He had attempted no 
 motto ; but over the cipher were two "bending plumes," but 
 the third of the prince of Wales' feathers was omitted, for 
 there was, in fact, no room for it. The unicorn looked 
 more like an enormous ram, with a single horn stuck on 
 the top of his head, than the beast it was intended to 
 represent ; while the lion was in a recumbent position, 
 looking over his right shoulder at his neighbor, with a 
 look which seemed to say, " What strange company bro- 
 ther Jonathan has introduced me to !" But although 
 the wagon had been somewhat disfigured with this paint- 
 ing, yet it had been made of the best white oak and 
 hickory, and was really a tough and useful conveyance. 
 With my friend's close carriage, and my own open 
 wagon, we set forward on our journey ; but the roads 
 were so exceedingly deep, that the chariot stuck fast in 
 the mud just as night came on ; and although I took the 
 whole party into my vehicle, in order to lighten it, my 
 friend's horses were unable to draw it out. A consider- 
 
ADVENTURES IN THE BACKWOODS. 287 
 
 ble delay took place in our vain endeavors ; but finding 
 it could not be moved, we at last proceeded to the next 
 house, about four miles, leaving the baggage in the cha- 
 riot. We had now to get assistance, that is, we pre- 
 vailed upon the person, at whose house we had arrived, 
 to send off two pair of oxen, (horses he had none,) and 
 two of his sons, to bring forward the deserted carriage, 
 and about midnight they returned, "all safe and 
 clever." 
 
 The following morning we set out pretty early, and in 
 about two hours reached the place where we proposed 
 taking breakfast. When we drove up to the house we 
 had no obsequious landlord running out to welcome us ; 
 for on alighting and inquiring for him, Mrs. Le Barre 
 (the landlady) told us he was not at home. " Who," I 
 inquired, " will take care of our horses ?" 
 
 To which, she very tartly replied, "Yourselves, I 
 guess; for," continued she, "I shall likely have enough 
 to do indoors." 
 
 Having acted my part of ostler, I repaired "indoors " 
 \o give directions about breakfast, as it had been ar- 
 ranged that I was to manage such matters. " Mrs. Le 
 Barre," said I, "we shall want breakfast; what could 
 you let us have?" 
 
 " I guess you can have tea if you wish ; but I must 
 first get baby quieted." 
 
 Now it so happened that my friend, who had been in- 
 disposed, was obliged to breakfast on tea, while the 
 young lady breakfasted on coffee ; and to sum up the 
 matter, my friend's wife never drank either tea or coffee, 
 but always chocolate ! After baby was quieted, and tea 
 
288 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 fairly under way, I ventured to hint, that we should 
 also require a little coffee, although I announced it with 
 fear and trembling. But the greatest difficulty yet re- 
 mained ; and it was not until after many attempts that I 
 got Mrs. Le B. informed, " that we should also want a 
 little chocolate." 
 
 " Tea, coffee, and chocolate !" exclaimed the aston- 
 ished woman; and lest some disagreeable salutation 
 should be offered me, I hastened to the other room, 
 taking shelter amongst my friends. I never shall for- 
 get the look mine hostess gave me, when I had an- 
 nounced chocolate in addition to tea and coffee ; nor do 
 I suspect that she will ever forget the party that had 
 the unreasonableness to ask for such an unheard of va- 
 riety. Since that time I have found it necessary to call 
 on Mrs. Le B., but never dared to hint that we were old 
 acquaintances. 
 
 The North American wolf is naturally shy, and if we 
 may place confidence in those stories we hear, of the 
 ravages committed by the wolves inhabiting some of the 
 mountainous regions of Europe, he is, by comparison with 
 his brethren of the Old World, a very harmless sort of 
 creature. This great mildness of disposition is not, how- 
 ever, owing to any physical deficiency; for, although 
 certainly less voracious than the European wolf, he is 
 somewhat larger and stronger. In America they are 
 rarely known to attack human beings ; for, during a 
 long residence in a district where they were rather nu- 
 merous, I never was able to make out a clear case where 
 a person had been attacked by them. I have indeed 
 
ADVENTURES IN THE BACKWOODS. 289 
 
 lieard of persons being pursued, or hunted, as the Ame- 
 ricans call it, by a number of wolve*s, but in all such 
 cases the individuals were on horseback ; and therefore 
 the probability is, that the wolves pursued the horses, 
 and not the men. However, from the facts I am about 
 to relate, it would seem otherwise. 
 
 A medical gentleman, residing not far from the Che- 
 mung river, a tributary of the noble Susquehanna, had, 
 one night in the middle of winter, been visiting a sick 
 person at a distance of eight or ten miles from his own 
 house. The country in that vicinity was then quite new, 
 and but very few settlers had encroached on the abori- 
 nal forests. The doctor had been accustomed for some 
 years, to travel through those wild regions at all seasons, 
 and at all hours, by day and by night, but never had 
 been in any way molested ; nor had he ever had the 
 slightest apprehension of danger from the wolves that 
 were known occasionally to inhabit the surrounding 
 woods. On the night in question, he set off homeward 
 at a late hour, as he frequently had been wont to do ; 
 but before he had proceeded far, he became aware of his 
 being pursued by a gang of wolves. The night was ex- 
 ceedingly frosty, but clear and star-light. For awhile 
 they were only heard at a distance, but by-and-by the 
 doctor could clearly distinguish five or six of them, in 
 full chase within less than twenty rods of him. The 
 snow being pretty deep at the time, he found it was im- 
 possible to leave them, so he made up his mind to quit 
 his horse, and ascend the first tree which appeared fa- 
 vorable for such a purpose. It was not long before 
 
 such a one offered, and, permitting his horse to go at 
 19 
 
290 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 large, he was amongst the branches in a few seconds, 
 and quite out of the reach of his hungry pursuers. He 
 never doubted but they would continue in pursuit of his 
 horse, which he flattered himself, would be able, now 
 that he was relieved from his load, to make his escape. 
 But to his surprise, he beheld no fewer than eight large 
 wolves come round the tree on which he had taken shel- 
 ter, and, instead of pursuing his horse, quietly awaited 
 his coming down. Although he had no wish to descend 
 under such circumstances, he was fully aware of the 
 fate that awaited him should he -find it expedient to remain 
 until morning in his present situation. To escape from 
 the effects of the keen frost he knew was impossible, and 
 therefore he determined to maintain his position, in spite 
 of "the occasional serenading of the party below. What 
 his feelings were during the night, or how the wolves 
 contrived to amuse themselves for so many hours, I can- 
 not precisely state ; but about day-dawn they united in 
 a farewell howl, and left the poor benumbed doctor at 
 liberty to descend. With great difficulty he succeeded 
 in reaching the ground, and with still more, he managed 
 to reach the nearest dwelling, distant about three miles, 
 from whence he was conveyed to his own house in 
 a sleigh. Had his family been aware that the horse 
 ha4 returned without his rider, they undoubtedly would 
 have gone in search of the doctor, and most probably 
 have relieved him from his imprisonment at a much 
 earlier hour. But although the horse had no doubt 
 galloped straight to its stable door, the family knew no- 
 thing of its arrival until daylight returned. 
 
 The doctor did not escape without experiencing the 
 
ADVENTURES IN THE BACKWOODS. 291 
 
 ill effects of roosting for half a dozen hours in a leaf- 
 less tree, in a severe North American January's frost; 
 for a mortification ensuing in both his feet, the only 
 chance of saving his life, was by amputating both his 
 legs. However, the doctor yet lives to narrate his ad- 
 venture, or as he terms it, "his wolf scrape;" and is one 
 of the few instances on record in his part of the world 
 of having been in real danger of becoming a supper for 
 a few of those hungry animals. 
 
 The winter was more than usually severe among the 
 mountains on the north waters of the Susquehanna. The 
 snow fell pretty early in the month of December, so that 
 winter might be said to have set in pretty decidedly some 
 time before Christmas. I had been on a visit for a few 
 
 weeks in the vicinity of S L ; but had accepted 
 
 of an invitation to meet a party of my own country- 
 people, at the residence of my kind friends, Mr. and 
 Mrs. T , on the last day in December, with an under- 
 standing that we were "to dance in the new year;" for 
 even in the back settlements of America, we could at 
 times meet and dance, and enjoy whatever the country 
 afforded, forgetting for a time the gayer and more splen- 
 did scenes we had once been familiar with in our dear 
 native country. The distance I had to travel was but 
 six miles; yet the road if a dim track through the 
 woods might be so called was at all seasons bad, now 
 the snow was so deep that it was rendered still worse, so 
 that it took a considerable time to get through it. At 
 that season of the year, the wolves occasionally infest the 
 neighborhood; and although at all seasons depredations 
 are liable to be committed upon the small flocks of sheep 
 
292 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 in the vicinity, yet it is in winter, when they pack and 
 hunt together, that the greatest danger is to be appre- 
 hended. The day previous to my proposed visit, a party 
 of thirteen (for their numbers were easily ascertained 
 by their tracks in the snow) had issued from their haunts 
 in the adjoining forest, and destroyed nearly fifty sheep 
 belonging to the gentleman with whom I was sojourning. 
 Although they had probably sucked the blood of the 
 chief part of the sheep they had killed, they of course 
 had not been able to devour the carcasses of more than 
 a fourth part ; it looked as if they had slaughtered them 
 through sheer wantonness. My invitation to my friends 
 was to dine, at two o'clock ; for it is not customary to 
 keep to the extremes of fashion in the backwoods, I, 
 however, for some reason or other, saw fit to defer going 
 until evening, when, as my road lay close along the edge 
 of the swamp the wolves were known to inhabit, I stood 
 a good chance of being serenaded by their wild and 
 melancholy howlings, and probably might arouse some 
 of them from their lairs. My friends pressed me to 
 travel by daylight, but I kept my determination; and 
 just as the shades of evening were closing in, I desired 
 my horse to be got ready; and when the boy brought 
 him saddled to the door, he called my attention to the 
 howling of the wolves, which could be distinctly heard 
 in the exact direction of the road I had to travel, 
 although the noise seemed to proceed from a swamp at a 
 couple of miles distance. Being prepared with a stout 
 cudgel in lieu of a riding- whip, I mounted my horse, and 
 set forward, already beginning to repent of having de- 
 layed my journey until so late an hour. By the time I 
 
ADVENTURES IN THE BACKWOODS. 293 
 
 had passed the scene of carnage of the preceding day, 
 and was about to enter the dark and almost trackless 
 woods, daylight had totally disappeared, and nothing 
 remained for me but to pursue my way, and make the 
 best of it. 
 
 I had not proceeded far, ere I came to a steep descent, 
 where the water, from an adjoining spring, had over- 
 flowed the snow, which was consequently formed into a 
 continued sheet of ice, all the way down the declivity. 
 My horse being smooth-shod, I deemed it safer to walk ; 
 therefore, dismounting and taking the bridle in my hand, 
 I endeavored to lead the way down the slippery path. 
 Before, however, I had got half way to the bottom, away 
 slid both my feet, and down I came. My horse was so 
 started at the suddenness of my fall, that he made a 
 spring to one side of the track, lost his footing, and came 
 down close beside me. But in the spring he made when 
 I fell, from my hand being fast in the bridle, I was 
 jerked back some distance up the hill with such force, 
 that, when I recovered a little from the shock, I felt fully 
 persuaded that my shoulder was dislocated. We both, 
 however, gathered ourselves up as well as we were able ; 
 and there we stood, in no condition to protect ourselves 
 from the wolves, should they see fit to attack us ; for 
 from the way in which my horse stood, I was afraid that 
 he had suffered still more damage than myself. When 
 the pain of my shoulder had somewhat subsided, I 
 examined it more minutely, and convinced myself that it 
 was not dislocated; but the severe wrench had injured 
 it so much, that I had no hope of making use of that arm 
 during the remainder of my ride. And as regarded my 
 
294 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 horse, I was pleased to find that he still possessed the 
 use of his four legs, although one of them moved with less 
 ease than it had done before. Having contrived to get 
 to the bottom of the descent, I again mounted, with 
 extreme difficulty for I could only use my left hand 
 in which I had to grasp both the bridle and my war-club. 
 Had the wolves attacked us we should have been in con- 
 siderable danger ; for I found, on proceeding, that one 
 of my horse's fore-legs was severely sprained : but either 
 they were not aware of our condition, or they were in no 
 need of a supper; for on getting beyond the confines of 
 the swamp, I aroused several of them from their quiet 
 hiding-places; and instead of stopping to scrutinise me 
 and my horse, away they ran through the thick under- 
 wood, while I hallooed with all my might, giving every 
 tree within the reach of my club, a good left-handed blow 
 or two. In this manner, I continued ajong the dim and 
 unbroken track, feigning to be a very hero, although I 
 candidly confess that I only recollect one or two instances 
 in my whole life when I felt so thoroughly intimidated. 
 Afterwards, I could not help thinking that I had only 
 received the reward of my folly, for I had sprained my 
 own shoulder severely, injured my horse's leg, disap- 
 pointed myself of the pleasant society of my friends for 
 a few hours, and all this for the credit of being able to 
 boast of having dared to ride past the "wolf swamp" 
 after night-fall, when it was known that thirteen ravenous 
 wolves were inhabiting it. 
 
HUNTING A BLACK BEAE IN HIS DEN. 295 
 
 HUNTING A BLACK BEAR IN HIS DEN. 
 
 ON a cold and cloudy day in January, 1804, I sur- 
 veyed a tract of one thousand acres of land on the Little 
 Miami, which included the Old Chillicothe town, about 
 three miles north of this place, assisted by William and 
 John Stevenson, or Stinson, as they were commonly 
 called, as Chainmen, both of whom were old hunters. 
 
 In running the back line of the survey, which was 
 mostly through a large thicket, I was about one hundred 
 yards in advance of the chainmen and marker. Having 
 halted to set the compass, my attention was attracted by 
 a pile of fresh earth at the root of a large white-oak 
 about twenty yards distant, which had fallen several 
 years before ; the trunk of which gradually rose from the 
 root till about twenty-five feet back, it was elevated 
 several feet from the ground. A small dog which ac- 
 companied us ran to the place and commenced barking 
 quite fiercely. I hastened to see what the dog had dis- 
 covered, and, springing upon the fallen tree, and looking 
 over it, I discovered a large bear snugly ensconsed in his 
 den within six feet of where I stood, staring at me with 
 no very pleasant countenance, which induced me to ~e- 
 treat in double-quick time ; but finding I was not pur- 
 sued, I halted when I reached the compass that I had 
 left standing. 
 
 The chainmen and marker hastened up, and inquired 
 what was the cause of my running so fast ? Upon in- 
 forming that I had found a bear, they accompanied me 
 back to the log, which we all mounted and had a fair 
 
296 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 view of him in his den, while he calmly returned our 
 gaze, without showing any sign of either fear or hostility ; 
 supposing, no doubt, that his den was impregnable, as the 
 tree in falling had raised several cart-loads of earth on its 
 roots, which time had settled in the shape of a regular 
 mound ; under which he had excavated a cavern several 
 feet in depth, sufficiently large to turn round in and to 
 lodge comfortably. 
 
 A council of war was held forthwith to devise a plan 
 for attacking Bruin. One, proposed by John Stinson, 
 was with the marker's tomahawk and my steel-pointed 
 Jacob staff; but William Stinson, the oldest and most ex- 
 perienced hunter of the party, objected, saying, that from 
 his great size and strength, if the bear was insulted with 
 such puny weapons, he would certainly be the death of 
 Borne of us ; and this plan was abandoned by comYnon 
 consent. What then was to be done ? To leave him 
 undisturbed in his nest was not to be thought of by old 
 hunters. After further hurried consultation, it was 
 agreed that John should go home for his gun and dogs, 
 while the rest remained to keep watch over Bruin's 
 movements. 
 
 Accordingly, John set off at a long trot, while we who 
 remained kindled a fire and patiently waited for his re- 
 turn. In about an hour he gave notice of his approach 
 by a shout, which we promptly answered. He was ac- 
 companied by William McFarland, a neaj neighbor, both 
 on horseback, armed with their trusty rifles, and followed 
 by some half dozen of dogs of known pluck and eager 
 for a row. Our armed heroes, on joining us, hastily dis- 
 mounted and were rejoiced to hear that Cuffey still re- 
 
HUNTING A BLACK BEAR IN HIS DEN. 
 
 m aiiied in his den. John claimed as his right the honoi 
 of leading the attack and giving the first shot, and in- 
 stantly mounted the log, while I at the same moment fol- 
 lowed his example and stood close behind him. Unfor- 
 tunately, his nerves had become so much disturbed by hia 
 long race and the excitement of the moment, that when 
 he raised "Betty," as he called his rifle, to his shoulder, 
 he could not hold her steady, but shook and wabbled so 
 much that he hesitated for some seconds to shoot. See- 
 ing the tremor which had seized him, I entreated him to 
 give me the gun ; but this he refused. I then told him 
 to make a sure shot, and "give it to him" above the 
 eyes ; he instantly fired, and the ball only glanced the 
 side of his mouth, although the muzzle of his gun was not 
 more than three feet from the bear's head. " Quick as 
 wink" he gave a "tremendous" snort and sprang at 
 John, who at the same moment jumped off the log and 
 fell at full length on the ground. We all thought his 
 hour was come, as the bear, with open mouth, flew on 
 him, but fortunately, McFarland, on seeing John's trepi- 
 dation before .he fired, had cocked his gun and, before 
 Bruin could seize his prostrate foe, put the muzzle 
 against his side and shot him through the lungs, while 
 the dogs seized him at the same instant and saved John's 
 life. After a brief scuffle with the dogs, whom he 
 knocked about as if they had been mere puppies, while 
 the blood flew in streams from his side, mouth, and nose, 
 he entered his cavern and soon breathed his last. On 
 dressing him, he was found to be in prime order, and 
 weighed near four hundred pounds. 
 
 
298 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 ADVENTURES OF AN ENGLISH SPORTSMAN ON THE PRAIRIES, 
 
 WE found tolerable accommodations in the Charleston 
 Tavern, and the landlord was civil after a manner which 
 means no manners at all. Our advent created some little 
 sensation, no little questioning, and a monstrous deal of 
 incredulity as to our motives of travel. Strange, that in 
 this new world, they won't allow a poor idle Briton to go 
 gaping about, doing gole mouclie, as he does in the old ! 
 We found the little western hamlet not entirely destitute 
 of amusement on the evening of our arrival ; for in the 
 next house to our inn, on one side, a most absurd legal 
 cause was in process of trial before a justice, a case of 
 " Fiddlers " versus "Dancers," wherein the former 
 claimed compensation from the latter for professional la- 
 bors at a certain house-warming; and wherein, after 
 much noisy and nasal balderdash from a couple of rival 
 attorneys, the steward of the ball was compelled to pay 
 the piper. And, on the other hand, the neighboring 
 house was brilliantly lighted up for a phrenological lec- 
 ture, which was numerously attended. It is somewhat 
 singular that a practical people like the Americans should 
 affect so intangible a science, yet they certainly do so in 
 an extraordinary degree. Most things are good in their 
 way, and in their place ; and I will confess that the in- 
 genious theories of Gall .and Spurzheim have had their 
 charms for me ; but to be followed up, and pelted with 
 skulls and crossbones, is the height of boredom ; and 
 euch was the craniological uproar from morn till night in 
 the Charleston Tavern, as to be perfectly "assommant." 
 
AN ENGLISH SPORTSMAN ON THE PRAIRIES. 299 
 
 The enthusiastic lecturer, followed by a train of disciples, 
 carried about with him, whether in bar, bed-room, or 
 reading-room, a couple of thick skulls besides his own ; 
 and had each been furnished with a tongue, a more un- 
 ceasing gabble of "organs," "developments," "propen- 
 sities," could not have been sustained. If we entered his 
 presence, a dead silence ensued a score of eyes perused 
 our craniums and I verily believe, the singularly ample 
 "brow of one of our party would hardly have escaped for* 
 cible manipulation, had we not ordered our wagon, and 
 changed the scene and subject for a most refreshing 
 drive. 
 
 Most beautiful was the course we took down the river, 
 and through the small village of Geneva, nowise like 
 its ancient namesake, unless in its republicanism ! Hav- 
 ing feasted our eyes upon all the scenic perfections pos- 
 sessed by a slow silver stream, gliding between high and 
 woody banks, ruddy with Autumn's tints, and dotted 
 with lovely islands, we again returned to Charleston, 
 having during our drive marked our shooting-ground for 
 the morrow. 
 
 The following day, keeping to the woods, we had some 
 tolerable sport,' quail-shooting not heightened by a tho 
 rough wetting, bagging about seventy head of game, 
 chiefly those birds ; but finding, on inquiry, that there 
 was no farmer on the neighboring prairie whose dwelling 
 could accommodate three strangers, and further, the 
 weather changing for the worse, and thereby warning us 
 to change our front to the eastward, we resolved to re- 
 turn with our friend Barns to Elk Grove, and thus secure 
 a mode of retreat to -Chicago at a moment's notice. On 
 
300 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 regaining our hotel, after a long and wet day's work, I 
 looked forward with some complacency to a good night's 
 rest. Vain hope ! our ruthless* man of skulls had con- 
 verted the bar-room, separated hy a thin deal floor from 
 my chamber, into his Golgotha, and harangued a half- 
 drunken audience till long after midnight, to the utter 
 expulsion of the balmy god. I did not pray for him that 
 night ! Even the hardy Barns never closed an eye. Had 
 a dozen whooping "Redskins " of the prairie rushed upon 
 the nocturnal orgies of the Professor, and. commenced their 
 own peculiar experiments upon his cranium, I would not 
 have pulled a trigger in his defence ! 
 
 On the 8th of October, we left Fox River, and, by a 
 fresh route across the plains, commenced our retreat. 
 Crossing the "Nine-mile Prairie," there was scarcely a 
 stick of timber, a hut, or other object, within the range 
 of vision. Now and then our driver would draw our at- 
 tention to an almost invisible atom on the " billowy 
 plain," which proved to be a single horseman hunting for 
 his cattle, turned out to graze on the fenceless pastures. 
 Anon, we descried afar off, a heavy canvass-topped 
 wagon, crawling slowly westward, like a huge white mag- 
 got its interior filled with the personnel and materiel 
 of a migrating family. On approaching us, eager faces 
 were protruded from the rude vehicle ; and earnest in- 
 quiries regarding distances, the "chills and fever" 
 (ague,) or other equally urgent matters, were shouted 
 out. Many a weary mile had these adventurous people 
 traveled from their late home towards the setting sun ; 
 and they were now, perhaps, drawing nigh the bourne 
 of their pilgrimage I 
 
AN ENGLISH SPORTSMAN ON THE PRAIRIES. 801 
 
 The next object on the "boundless waste that attracted 
 our gaze was a group of tall cranes, or herons prairie 
 turkeys, the squatters call them looming gigantic in 
 their solitude, and at intervals dancing, with absurd 
 gravity, a kind of minuet no ! mazourka is the word. 
 The bowing and pirouetting of these solemn-looking bi- 
 peds made us all laugh heartily. I fancied them so many 
 Principals of Colleges, unbending after their academic 
 labors. Our borderer assured us that the prairie turkeys 
 seldom meet on the green without getting up a dance. 
 My attempt to treat them to a ball of another description 
 proved a failure, for before I arrived within range, 
 they broke up their party, and swooped heavily away. 
 How I longed at that moment for my fleet Arab and my 
 long-winged Bheiree ! * Never saw I a country so per- 
 fectly adapted to Falconry, and there flew the quarry 
 famed for the finest of flights ! The ardent sportsman 
 might spur his steed for miles over these plains without 
 once removing his eyes from their serial chase ; and it 
 must be his fault if he lose his hawk for want of riding, 
 unless, indeed, it should chance to get spitted by its 
 sharp-billed foe, no uncommon incident in heron-flights. 
 But "hold hard " Pen ! or I shall soon be in the thick 
 of a hawking digression. Besides, in a few days I shall 
 have enough of this ever-prevailing pastime 'on board a 
 Yankee steamboat ! 
 
 Our second approach to Elk Grove was greeted 
 warmly by the ladies of that sylvan retreat; for we 
 brought back the Padrone with us. During the two fol- 
 
 * The bird used in India for long flights. 
 
302 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 lowing days we enjoyed a very good grouse-snooting 
 beating fresh ground on the rolling prairie, about three 
 miles from our temporary home, and sacking fifty-six 
 brace of prairie hens, and a few quail. The weather was 
 cool and breezy the birds plentiful, though wild and 
 the undulating form of the ground proved much more 
 favourable to marking than the uniform flat prairie was 
 found to be. 
 
 A great drawback to prairie grouse shooting, is 
 the unavoidable waste of game. Four or five brace 
 of these heavy birds are quite load enough for the 
 shooter to carry, and will fill to the throat any ordinary 
 game-bag. Nor do these distant plains afford the vigi- 
 lant " cad " of the English country village, or the " slip 
 of a b'y " of the Irish hut, in aid of the sportsman's 
 shoulders. Not to us was the pleasing importance of 
 the British grouse shooter, as he packs, directs, and 
 despatches his valued hamper to some expecting friend ! 
 We had no southron patron, no parliamentary voter, to 
 propitiate through the palate ! no cormorant tradesman 
 to whose monetary impatience a sop might be thrown 
 from a distant moor ! Occasionally, therefore, when 
 we were not fortunate enough to fall in with the cottage 
 of some settler, who was willing to exchange a draught 
 of milk for a brace or two of birds, we found ourselves 
 obliged to abandon part of our game to the kite and the 
 prairie wolf. What else was to be done ? Humanity 
 and the member for Gal way would exclaim, " Kill no 
 more than you and your friends can eat !" Not more 
 fruitless is the usual injunction of the careful mamma to 
 the Indian cadet, to "wear flannel, and save money!" 
 
AN ENGLISH SPORTSMAN ON THE PRAIRIES. 303 
 
 yet both are most right, most reasonable, most impossi- 
 ble to obey ! Our only consolation lay in the delight 
 shown by the farmers at the havoc we made among the 
 enemies of their grain crops. 
 
 In more than one lonely log hut, when driven thereto 
 for food or shelter, we found young and strikingly 
 pretty women, spinning or cooking, whilst the good man 
 worked in the fields ; and although they seemed some- 
 times a little startled by the unwonted appearance of a 
 "gentleman sportsman," their cheese, milk, and buck- 
 wheat bread, were always most liberally offered; nor 
 could they be persuaded to receive payment. Marryat, 
 in awarding to the American fair the title of the "pret- 
 tiest women in the world," (the epithet guardedly chosen, 
 no doubt) does not, so far as I have had occasion of 
 judging, give them more than their due. On these 
 savage prairies, even, I noted more than one " western 
 flower," that, transplanted to more civilized regions, 
 would not have disgraced. the choicest parterre. 
 
 I have named the waste of game as a serious draw- 
 back to the prairie shooter ; but in the opposite scale, I 
 must throw the delightful sense of independence and 
 freedom with which he treads the springy sod of the 
 prairie, and inhales its healthful breezes. He shoots 
 without leave or " license." He feels himself lord of 
 Nature's manor, the sporting inheritance of the "younger 
 son." He flatters no muir-owning laird, he fees no 
 peculative keeper, and should he see a couple of strap- 
 ping young fellows, marching straight upon his position, 
 he expects no rough warning to quit the property ; on 
 the contrary, one of them (so it happened to me) per- 
 
304 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 haps civilly asks to be allowed to look on at the sport, 
 as he had never seen "shooting on the wing:" whilst 
 the other, with a bow that would have been creditable 
 to a Stanhope, a Cavendish, or a Paget, invites you to 
 beat the coverts round his domicile on the morrow, and 
 to dine at "his poor cottage," at two o'clock, an invita- 
 tion which the former urges you to accept, with the whis- 
 pered hint that his friend's " sisters are the finest gurls 
 in the section, and his pork first rate !" 
 
 It was with no little regret, that on the llth of Octo- 
 ber, forced away by bad weather, we bade adieu to Elk 
 Grove ; and, turning our backs upon the Far West, were 
 driven by our faithful friend Barns, through a perfect 
 hurricane of wet to Chicago. Under such meteorologi- 
 cal auspices, I cannot say that the prairie wore a pleas- 
 ing aspect. Our horses could hardly be brought to face 
 the pitiless storm a mouse could not have found shel- 
 ter in a dozen miles, and the poor prairie hens, battered 
 by the storm, and flying about in despair, had no leisure 
 to rejoice over the retreat of their worst enemies, our- 
 selves. What must be a mid- winter journey on these 
 plains? the sleigh-borne traveler steering by com- 
 pass across a trackless sea of snow, and through a fog 
 of sleet ! 
 
 In our return down the lakes, we were most fortunate 
 in our vessel the Illinois being a splendid, well-formed, 
 and extremely fast boat, and the captain precisely the 
 character fitted to rule the crowds of wild customers who 
 frequent his decks. Huge in person, and rough and 
 resolute in manner, though attentive in all essentials to 
 his passengers ; I don't know that anything could be 
 
AN ENGLISH SPORTSMAN ON THE PRAIRIES. 305 
 
 more characteristic of his style, than the significant sim- 
 plicity of the single word " Blake," in gold letters over his 
 cabin door, instead of the invariable u Captain's Cabin." 
 It reminded us of all the awful notices, " Spring-guns 
 set here," or "Beware the dog," of the old country. I 
 thought of our own old Blake, too, and of his famous 
 apophthegm, " Sailors must not mind politics, but only 
 keep foreigners from fooling us." 
 
 At Mackinaw, that gem of the Lakes, so warmly and 
 deservedly lauded by Mrs. Jamieson, we enjoyed a stroll 
 of two hours on shore, visiting the fort, now held by a 
 small garrison of United States' Artillery, and the 
 ruined redoubt of the British, on the very pinnacle of 
 the island, from which a most striking prospect, embracing 
 an extensive archipelago of wooded isles, lies spread be- 
 neath the spectator. The beauty of this island is more 
 remarkable from its possessing so happy a foil in the 
 hideous and dismal shores of neighboring Michigan. 
 
 Running at the rate of twelve knots down Lake Hu- 
 ron, and darting like a kingfisher along the rapid stream 
 of Detroit river, our swift vessel reached the city of that 
 name, on the evening of the 15th ; a passage of about 
 sixty-seven hours from Chicago. From Detroit, I was 
 tempted to accompany my brother-sportsman of the 34th, 
 to Amherstburgh, the present station of that regiment ; 
 whilst my regimental friend, whose home was more at- 
 tractive than mine, pursued his course to the Falls. The 
 annual races were going on at Amherstburg, on my arri- 
 val,* and the quail shooting was at its height, so that I 
 
 * I had, by my arrival at this place, the great satisfaction of ac- 
 complishing an object which 1 had long set my heart upon, namely, the 
 20 
 
306 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 was fortunate as to season, and passed some very pleas- 
 ant days there. The races took place on an excellent 
 course, formed by the 34th, on the glacis of Fort Mai- 
 den ; and on the very ground rendered famous by bloody 
 conflicts, maintained during the last and former wars by 
 the British, French, Canadians, Americans, and Indians, 
 a vast concourse of these several people were now met 
 in amity to enjoy the sports. The Indians stood some- 
 what aloof from the crowd, and did not seem much in- 
 spired by the equestrian exploits ; but the French and 
 Yankees joined zealously in the amusements. Among 
 the "Red skins," I noted not a few erect and actively- 
 made fellows, painted, feathered, and tinselled, and look- 
 ing as proud as peacocks. In the evening I met one of 
 the objects of my admiration staggering homeward from 
 the race-course, uproariously drunk ! Where was now 
 the proud gait and dignified reserve of the descendant 
 of Tecumseh ? Where, indeed ! A drunken Indian is, 
 in my eyes, almost as loathsome a sight as a drunken 
 woman ; and of the disgust with which the spectacle im- 
 presses me, not a little may be placed to the account of 
 the civilized Briton who first taught the "noble savage" 
 the brutalizing use of the fire-water. I will hereupon 
 give the United States government, in two words, a hint 
 for their conduct of the Florida war. Let them lay 
 whiskey on the " war-path "of their Indian foes a more 
 potent agent than less " villainous saltpetre," or the 
 West Indian bloodhound, proposed to be employed 
 
 visiting of this Ultima Thule of Her Majesty's Western dominions, as 
 1 had done, eleven years before, that of her Eastern, the passes of the 
 Himalaya Mountains. 
 
AN ENGLISH SPORTSMAN ON THE PRAIRIES. 307 
 
 against them. Poisoning wells would, to be sure, be 
 hardly a more unrighteous mode of warfare ; but what 
 feature of this most unwarantable, and hitherto unsuc- 
 cessful conflict, is otherwise than unrighteous ? 
 
 The sport most novel to me, at the Maiden races, was 
 a trotting match on horseback, & la Yankee three 
 horses, and heats of three miles merciless work, ridicu- 
 lous and ungraceful as a spectacle, and destructive of 
 all the romance, if there be any, of horsemanship. The 
 English regulation of backing the wheels in harness, and 
 turning the horse in riding, should the trot be broken, 
 is not observed, nor indeed, necessary in this country ; 
 for an American trotter loses speed by galloping. 
 
 Amherstburg is an excellent shooting quarter ; snipe 
 and wild fowl are in swarms, woodcock and quail abund- 
 ant, the latter, the finest of the species I have ever seen ; 
 and wild turkeys and deer are to be had by a little la- 
 bor. Among the officers of the 34th, there are many 
 keen sportsmen, and good shots, and the destruction of 
 game must be considerable. My best day's sport at 
 this place, amounted to fourteen brace and a half of quails, 
 a couple of ducks, a woodcock, and, though last not least, as 
 my shoulders can testify, a wild turkey. On the follow- 
 ing day, I got another of this noble kind of feathered 
 game ; and on each occasion was much favored by luck, 
 for I shot them both in fields of Indian corn my charge 
 an ounce of quail-shot instead of hunting for them in 
 the woods, to the abandonment of smaller game, and 
 using ball or slugs, as is' usually necessary. A very 
 uncommon opportunity of killing, right and left, wild 
 turkeys on the wing, was given to me on the second 
 
308 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 day, and had my second barrel been loaded with an Ely's 
 cartridge, some of which I had with me, it is probable 
 that, giving myself credit for ability to hit a haystack at 
 thirty yards, the gigantic gobbler (the cock bird^is so 
 called by the natives) would, as in life, so in death, have 
 been united with his feathered, and I may add, fat and 
 fair partner. The addition to my shooting-book of the 
 wild turkey, is so far satisfactory, that I believe I may 
 now boast of having bagged, in their natural state, and 
 in their native clime and covert, each kind of the " fea- 
 thered tribes Domestic," that strut or flutter in the 
 English farm-yard, from the royal peacock, now seldom 
 seen on festive board, to the diminutive and pie-frequent- 
 ing pigeon. 
 
 The country and soil around Amherstburg, are such 
 as would please the eye of the tourist, the sportsman, 
 and the settler. The banks of the river are picturesque, 
 game is most abundant, the land extremely rich, the 
 crops plentiful, and the timber, among which, I must 
 beg to include the mahogany of the 34th mess ! unex- 
 ceptionable. 
 
 On the 24th of October, at eight P. M. precisely, with- 
 drawing my legs from under the above-named hospitable 
 board, I drained a glass of Pickwick's favorite liquor, 
 (need I particularize " cold punch ?") to the health of 
 that gallant regiment, at whose mess I was not suffered 
 to feel, like the worthy philosopher above mentioned, 
 when in the pound, that I "hadn't got no friends," and 
 was rowed, in the dark, by th^ garrison crew, alongside 
 the Buffalo steamer, up whose lofty side I was hauled, 
 hand over hand, by the passengers, as she backed her 
 
BEAR HUNTING IN ARKANSAS.. 309 
 
 
 
 paddles, though still going six or eight knots, to pick 
 me up. 
 
 BEAR HUNTING IN ARKANSAS. 
 
 The following incidents occurred to Mr. Grerstaecher, 
 (whose narrative we have already quoted,J while he was 
 hunting and traveling in Arkansas. 
 
 Arkansas was overrun at this time with a numher of 
 bad characters, gamblers, drunkards, thieves, murderers, 
 who all thought that the simple-minded backwoodsmen 
 were easier to be cheated than the wary settlers in the 
 older states. This circumstance had given so bad a name 
 to Arkansas, that many thought all its inhabitants went 
 about armed to the teeth with pistols and bowie-knives ; 
 but I have traversed the State in all directions, and met 
 with as honest and upright people as are to be found in 
 any other part of the Union. 
 
 On the 24th of October, two heavily laden carts ar- 
 rived, each drawn by one horse : they contained all sorts 
 of things useful for settlers. Their owners are called 
 peddlers, and they ask high prices for their goods, and 
 are said to make a good thing of it. S. bought only a 
 few trifles. 
 
 S., having sold most of his cattle, decided on parting 
 with this farm, and removing to Oil trove bottom. Our 
 contract having been dissolved by Uhl's departure and 
 my frequent sickness, was no longer to be thought of. 
 
310 HUNTING SPORTS OP THE WEST. 
 
 I 
 
 Preparations were made for moving ; S. had been already 
 to White river and made his purchase. When about to 
 start, we found that two more oxen were necessary : we 
 had four, but the load was too heavy with such soft boggy 
 roads. So we rode into the woods, and drove a couple of 
 wild bulls into the inclosure, threw nooses over their horns, 
 and fastened them to trees. They made tremendous ef- 
 forts to free themselves, jerking the leather thongs with 
 all their force ; and when they found all their struggles 
 were in vain, they threw themselves on the ground and 
 bellowed with rage. Thus they remained all the day and 
 night, during which we gave them nothing but a little 
 water to quench their thirst. About nine o'clock next 
 morning they were yoked each with a steady old hand ; 
 the whips cracked, voices shouted, and partly from the 
 shower of blows that fell on them, partly dragged along 
 by their stout companions, after four or five hours' use- 
 less opposition, they went as well as if they had done no- 
 thing all their lives but draw a cart. 
 
 The heavy wagon made slow progress along the muddy 
 tracts, softened by the autumnal rains. We arrived at 
 White river on the morning of the 4th of November, and 
 had to wait on the bank till evening, as it was blowing a 
 storm, and it would have been dangerous to trust the 
 heavy wagon to the ferry-boat in such weather. 
 
 White river is beyond all dispute the most beautiful 
 river of Arkansas. Its clear waves form a striking con- 
 trast to those of the Mississippi and Red rivers ; only to- 
 wards its mouth the banks are low, and the land swampy ; 
 higher up it is enclosed by picturesque hills. It rises in 
 the Ozark mountains, in the northwest angle of the State, 
 
WHITE RIVER AND ITS NEIGHBORHOOD. 311 
 
 where there is game in abundance ; it divides into two 
 arms, one of which falls into the Mississippi, and the 
 other into the Arkansas. 
 
 As the wind fell, the dry cold air changed into a damp 
 fog, which soon turned to rain, and we were glad to find 
 shelter under the roof of a free negro, who kept a sort of 
 tavern. Merry peals of laughter resounded from the well- 
 lighted room, where a bright fire was blazing, and very 
 comfortable did its warmth appear to us after our expo- 
 sure to the weather. Three jovial looking fellows were 
 sitting round it, telling stories, and roaring with laughter. 
 Three long American rifles, with their shot-belts hanging 
 on them, leaning in a corner, showed that the party, if 
 not regular woodsmen, were at least out on a shooting 
 excursion. A half empty whiskey-bottle stood on the 
 table, and after a short conversation, I learnt that the 
 little fat man, with sparkling eyes and ruby nose, sitting 
 enjoying himself in the corner, and making constant love 
 to the whiskey-bottle, was Magnus the distiller, who, 
 with a couple of friends, was on his way to the swamps, 
 from whence we came, for the sake of buffalo hunting. 
 The little man drank my health, and amused me very 
 much with his drolleries* He could think of nothing but 
 buffaloes, swore only by buffaloes, made bets in buffalo- 
 skins, estimated every thing by their value, and tor- 
 mented the small modicum of understanding which the 
 whiskey had left in his brains, to devise how he should 
 be able to transport at the greatest advantage the skins 
 of all the buffaloes he meant to kill. 
 
 It was all in vain that I attempted to give him an idea 
 of the almost impenetrable swamps, of the difficulty of 
 
312 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 finding the few buffaloes which were there, and of the al- 
 most impossibility when found of bringing their skins or 
 any other part away ; his countenance bore the same 
 joyous, amicable expression as before. When I had 
 finished my remarks, he handed me the bottle, which 1 
 put to my- lips without drinking. In a voice trembling 
 with emotion, he assured me that he was prepared to ven- 
 ture every thing, even life itself, for the sake of killing a 
 buffalo, and when life was at stake, who could take into 
 consideration a few insignificant swamp-holes or thorns ! 
 And then, as it struck him that he was a father of a fa- 
 mily, his voice became weaker and more tremulous, his 
 emotion increased, a flood of tears gushed from his eyes, 
 and before I was aware, the little round figure was hang- 
 ing to my neck. The heavy weight forced from me a 
 sigh, which he took for sympathy, and he began to squeeze 
 so hard that I was afraid I should be suffocated, when 
 his two friends, who had been more moderate with the 
 bottle, sprang to my rescue. But this was no easy matter, 
 and as he clung to me he cried out, " Let me alone ! he's 
 my friend he, he will save me ! " I escaped from him 
 by a sudden wrench, and his companions carried him off 
 to bed, he all the while throwing about his little fat arms 
 and legs, and called them good-for-nothing buffalo dogs. 
 Then he again began to whine and cry, the sounds 
 changing gradually, first into a groan and then into a 
 snore. 
 
 We arrived at the new farm about noon next day, 
 and found the former proprietors loading their wagon. 
 They took their leave in the afternoon, and left as a 
 memorial, an incredible quantity of dirt. As soon as 
 
MAGNUS, THE GREAT BUFFALO HUNTER. 313 
 
 our wagon was cleared, and the things under cover, S. 
 returned with the two drivers for another load, leaving 
 me in the house alone. It was in the midst of a thick 
 forest, with a field of about seven acres, surrounded by 
 the largest trees. But I had not much time to contem- 
 plate the beauties of nature, for, in unloading and stow- 
 ing away, the hours had flown on the wings of the wind. 
 The sun had set before I had collected wood from the 
 forest to keep up a fire for the night, or had had time to 
 prepare my supper ; the latter duty did not take long, 
 for my whole store of provisions consisted of maize flour, 
 dried venison, and wild honey. Bancroft Lft* 
 
 Darkness, thick darkness, lay upon the slumbering 
 earth : yielding up my imagination to the memorials of 
 old times, I drew the solitary chair to the blazing fire, 
 took out my zither, and with soft mournful tones, soothed 
 the home-sickness which in loneliness forces itself on the 
 heart. After a time, overcome by fatigue, I extended 
 myself on my buffalo skin before the fire, and soon a 
 succession of fantastic dreams flitted across my brain. 
 The little fat distiller sat with me and mine in a garden 
 at Leipzig, relating all the hardships and dangers which 
 he had undergone at the buffalo hunt, while my dear 
 mother listened to him with astonishment ; many other 
 loved forms were sitting round a large table, each with 
 their coffee before them, when we were all disturbed by 
 a loud knocking at the gate, and started up to see what 
 was the matter, except the little distiller, who laugh- 
 ingly told us it was only a tame buffalo that he had tied 
 up at the gate. The knocking growing louder and louder, 
 I jumped up in alarm :* the fire was burnt out, thick 
 
314 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 darkness surrounded me, but the repeated loud knocking 
 shook off the remains of sleep, and I hastened to the 
 door. 
 
 One of the drivers who had left the day before, 
 stepped into the room, his teeth chattering with ague. 
 I made haste to light the fire, which soon burnt up 
 brightly, and then looked to my patient, who had sunk 
 down on a chair, telling me with a weak voice that 
 his last hour was come. Luckily, I had some coffee at 
 hand, and made him drink a couple of cups, a hot as 
 possible, sweetened with honey. He then threw himself 
 on the skin and was soon asleep. Next day he was 
 somewhat better, and we passed the time as well as we 
 could, till S. should come with his second load. I 
 employed myself in collecting wood for the fire, and 
 in shooting turkeys, to make our provisions last. 
 After a week, during the last days of which, we had 
 lived on turkeys and pumpkins, taking the latter which 
 were very sweet and delicate, from the field of a neigh- 
 bor at no great distance, S. arrived with the rest 
 of his property, cows, horses, pigs, geese, cats, chickens, 
 and dogs. Then there was all the bustle of arranging 
 and settling, and then another attack of ague, which 
 seemed regularly to have fixed itself on me in this un- 
 healthy country. I bore up against it, but was not well 
 enough to mount a horse till the 20th of November, 
 when I took a ride of four or five miles with my rifle, 
 for a breath of fresh air. 
 
 These swamps and morasses partly realize the idea 
 which Europeans entertain of the primitive forest, but 
 in which they are frequently deceived, for the simple 
 
SWAMPS. 315 
 
 reason, that on the higher dry grounds, which are co- 
 vered with dry leaves and wood, fires are often made, 
 not only by shooting parties, but by the settlers, for the 
 Bake of the grass, which comes up all the sooner, when 
 all these enormous quantities of leaves, &c., have been 
 burnt ; and the fire does not consume the young plants 
 only, but considerably checks the growth of the older 
 trees, excepting in the marshes, where the ground even 
 in summer is moist ; and there the trees grow to a colos- 
 sal grandeur, I have seen some measuring seven, eight, 
 and even nine feet in diameter. 
 
 Towards evening I saw a young buck, walking quietly 
 and circumspectively through the wood ; I dismounted 
 and left the horse to graze at leisure, while I crept 
 nearer. He stopped when he saw the horse pawing the 
 ground, raised his handsome head, and snuffed the air ; 
 my ball whistled through his ribs, and he fell lifeless to 
 to the ground. Weak as I was, it was some time before 
 I could lift the not very large animal on to the horse, 
 when I rode slowly homewards. Just before dark, I 
 shot a turkey with the other barrel, and did not load 
 again, not expecting to get another shot so late in the 
 evening. The full moon set its soft silvery light among 
 the dark shadows of the trees, to point out my path. I 
 might have ridden for about an hour and a half through 
 the thick forest, on my heavily laden horse, and had 
 gained a cattle track, -which led to the house ; the still- 
 ness of the night was broken by the cow-bells, the bay- 
 ing of the dogs, and the neigh of my horse, in expectation 
 of a good supper, when there was a sudden rustling 
 among the bushes on my right. I pulled up, and a herd 
 
316 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 of swine rushed in wild haste across the path, just in 
 front of me. I was about to ride on when I heard fur- 
 ther rustling amongst the dry leaves, and then one of 
 largest bears of the swamps stood in the path, not above 
 six paces from my horse's nose. He did not seem to 
 to know what to make of the figure looming through the 
 glade of the forest, by the light of the moon, and began 
 to snuff the air. My rifle was not loaded, and the 
 thought flashed upon me that I should have to fight it 
 out with my knife ; but I resolved first to try and send 
 him a bit of lead. I placed the butt of my gun on my' 
 left toe, and succeeded in loading ; but as I was about 
 to place the copper cap, the horse, who had hitherto 
 stood quite still, seemed inclined to examine the object 
 before him a little closer, and giving a snort made a step 
 forward. Master bruin, however, did not seem to like 
 this, and with one bound he was in the jungle. Having 
 finished my loading, I slipped off my horse, and crept 
 into the bushes to get a shot if possible. I may have 
 gone about twenty paces over the dry leaves, when I 
 stood still to listen. Not the slightest sound was to be 
 heard ; though I was firmly convinced that the bear 
 could not be above ten paces off, for the leaves were so 
 dry that if he had gone further I must have heard it. 
 I raised my foot gently to make another step forward, 
 when the bear who had been standing so motionless be- 
 fore me, that I took him for the* root of a fallen tree, 
 almost brushed my face, and took himself off with a 
 growl ; before I could recover from my surprise, he had 
 disappeared. 
 
 I returned, quite disappointed, to my horse, who re- 
 
HUNTING WITH AN UNLOADED GUN. 817 
 
 mained quietly grazing, and rode away with two good 
 resolutions in my head, first, never to go a step with 
 my gun unloaded ; secondly, to seek a nearer acquain- 
 tance with Bruin on the morrow, if possible. 
 
 On the 22nd of November, I was early afoot, and al- 
 though the weather was cold and disagreeable, I set off 
 with a neighbor and eleven dogs, full of joyous hopes. 
 
 Bear-shooting in America differs according to the time 
 of the year, and the habits of the animal. It was now 
 late in the autumn, almost winter, so that they could be 
 hunted with dogs. Well mounted, with not less than 
 from four to about eight or ten dogs, the hunters seek in 
 the thickest and most unfrequented parts of the forest 
 the favorite haunts of the bear. The men ride slowly 
 through the thorns and creepers, the dogs seeking in all 
 directions till they find a fresh trail, or a bear breaks 
 cover, when they follow up in full cry. If the bear is 
 fat he seldom runs far, but takes to a tree, or shows 
 fight ; if there are not dogs enough to master him, he 
 knocks them over and continues his flight. If he takes 
 to a tree, his fate i m s soon sealed by the rifle. 
 
 We had ridden along quietly for about an hour, when 
 the dogs gave tongue, and started off, we after them as 
 well as we could. My horse was an old hand at it, and 
 I had nothing to do but to sit fast as he leaped the fallen 
 trees, and try to avoid the creepers, which however often 
 checked, and sometimes threw us. 
 
 Keeping up with the dogs was out of the question. I 
 had long lost sight of my companion ; I listened, and it 
 appeared that the bear had turned to the left, towards 
 the river ; could he reach it, he was safe, it was too 
 
318 HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 cold for the dogs besides, they would hardly venture 
 to swim, and we also must have remained on the hank. 
 
 I changed my course to cut him off, and luckily hit 
 upon one of the cattle tracks that cross the wood in all 
 directions. Once clear of the thorns, we went at a good 
 pace, and soon heard the pack approaching. Suddenly 
 the horse swerved to one side with a snort, and the hear 
 hurst out of the thicket. The moment he saw the horse, 
 he stopped short and gave a deep growl. I had sprung 
 off, and the bear had hardly stopped, when my ball was in 
 his shoulder. The pack was close upon him, and he sum- 
 moned all his strength to escape from the dogs ; but the 
 wounded shoulder checked his pace, the dogs attacked 
 him, and he rose on his hind legs to oppose them. I 
 could not venture a second shot for fear of injuring some 
 of them, so charged him with my knife, and plunged it 
 from behind the shoulder into his heart ; this, with the 
 furious bites of the dogs, soon ended his life. 
 
 My companion arrived at this moment, tired to death, 
 all torn with the thorns, and his horse covered with foam. 
 He was not a little vexed at coming too late ; however, 
 he helped to break up the bear, and strip off his skin, 
 and as each of us had a bag under the saddle, we divided 
 the prize, and rode slowly home. The carcase is always 
 equally divided amongst the hunters ; the skin belongs 
 to the first shot. 
 
COL. CROCKETT'S ENCOUNTER WITH A BEAR. S19 
 
 COLONEL DAVID CROCKETT'S ENCOUNTER WITH A BEAR, 
 
 IN his autobiography * the Colonel gives the following 
 story. His dogs had once attracted his attention to a 
 tree where there was no game. He thus proceeds : 
 
 When they saw me coming, away they went again ; 
 and, after a little time, began to bark as before. When I 
 got near them, I found they were barking up the wrong tree 
 again, as there was no game there. They served me in 
 this way three or four times, until I was so infernal mad, 
 that I determined, if I could get near enough, to shoot 
 the old hound at least. With this intention I pushed on 
 the harder, till I came to the edge of an open prairie, and 
 looking on before my dogs, I saw in and about the big- 
 gest bear that ever was seen in America. He looked, at 
 the distance he was from me, like a large black bull. My 
 dogs were afraid to attack him, and that was the reason 
 they had stopped so often, that I might overtake them. 
 They were now almost up with him, and I took my gob- 
 blers from my back and hung them up in a sapling, and 
 broke like a quarter horse after my bear, for the sight 
 of him had put new springs in me. I soon got near to 
 them, but they were just, getting into a roaring thicket, 
 and so I couldn't run through it, but had to pick my way 
 along, and had close work even at that. 
 
 In a little time I saw the bear climbing up a large 
 black oak tree, and I crawled on until I got within about 
 eighty yards of him. He was sitting with his breast to 
 
 * Life of Colonel David Crockett, published by G. G. Evans, 
 Philadelphia, 1859. 
 
HUNTING SPORTS OF THE WEST. 
 
 me ; and so I put fresh priming in my gun, and fired at 
 him. At this he raised one of his paws and snorted 
 loudly. I loaded again as quick as I could, and fired as 
 near the same place in his breast, as possible. At the 
 crack of my gun here he came, tumbling down ; and the 
 moment he touched the ground, I heard one of my best 
 dogs cry out. I took my tomahawk in one hand, and 
 my big butcher-knife in the other, and run up within 
 four or five paces of him, at which he let my dog go, and 
 fixed his eyes on me. I got back in all sorts of a hurry, 
 for I know'd if he got hold of me, he would hug me al- 
 together too close for comfort. I went to my gun and 
 hastily loaded her again, and shot him the third time, 
 which killed him good. 
 
 I now started for home, and got my brother-in-law, and 
 my young man, and four horses, and went back. We got 
 there just before dark, and struck up a fire, and com- 
 menced butchering my bear. It was some time in the 
 night before we finished it ; and I can assert, on my honor, 
 that I believe he would have weighed six hundred pounds. 
 It was the second largest I ever saw. I killed one, a few 
 years after, that weighed six hundred and seventeen 
 pounds. We got our meat home, and I had the pleasure 
 to know that we now had plenty, and that of the best ; 
 and I continued through the winter to supply my family 
 abundantly with bear-meat and venison from the woods.