hunting the grisly and other sketches-第6章

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flashes　the　gloom　of　the　forest　round　about。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　CHAPTER　II。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　BLACK　BEAR。

Next　to　the　whitetail　deer　the　black　bear　is　the　commonest　and　most
widely　distributed　of　American　big　game。　It　is　still　found　quite
plentifully　in　northern　New　England；　in　the　Adirondacks；　Catskills；
and　along　the　entire　length　of　the　Alleghanies；　as　well　as　in　the
swamps　and　canebrakes　of　the　southern　States。　It　is　also　common　in　the
great　forests　of　northern　Michigan；　Wisconsin；　and　Minnesota；　and
throughout　the　Rocky　Mountains　and　the　timbered　ranges　of　the　Pacific
coast。　In　the　East　it　has　always　ranked　second　only　to　the　deer　among
the　beasts　of　chase。　The　bear　and　the　buck　were　the　staple　objects　of
pursuit　of　all　the　old　hunters。　They　were　more　plentiful　than　the
bison　and　elk　even　in　the　long　vanished　days　when　these　two　great
monarchs　of　the　forest　still　ranged　eastward　to　Virginia　and
Pennsylvania。　The　wolf　and　the　cougar　were　always　too　scarce　and　too
shy　to　yield　much　profit　to　the　hunters。　The　black　bear　is　a　timid；
cowardly　animal；　and　usually　a　vegetarian；　though　it　sometimes　preys
on　the　sheep；　hogs；　and　even　cattle　of　the　settler；　and　is　very　fond
of　raiding　his　corn　and　melons。　Its　meat　is　good　and　its　fur　often
valuable；　and　in　its　chase　there　is　much　excitement；　and　occasionally
a　slight　spice　of　danger；　just　enough　to　render　it　attractive；　so　it
has　always　been　eagerly　followed。　Yet　it　still　holds　its　own；　though
in　greatly　diminished　numbers；　in　the　more　thinly　settled　portions　of
the　country。　One　of　the　standing　riddles　of　American　zoology　is　the
fact　that　the　black　bear；　which　is　easier　killed　and　less　prolific
than　the　wolf；　should　hold　its　own　in　the　land　better　than　the　latter；
this　being　directly　the　reverse　of　what　occurs　in　Europe；　where　the
brown　bear　is　generally　exterminated　before　the　wolf。

In　a　few　wild　spots　in　the　East；　in　northern　Maine　for　instance；　here
and　there　in　the　neighborhood　of　the　upper　Great　Lakes；　in　the　east
Tennessee　and　Kentucky　mountains　and　the　swamps　of　Florida　and
Mississippi；　there　still　lingers　an　occasional　representative　of　the
old　wilderness　hunters。　These　men　live　in　log…cabins　in　the
wilderness。　They　do　their　hunting　on　foot；　occasionally　with　the　help
of　a　single　trailing　dog。　In　Maine　they　are　as　apt　to　kill　moose　and
caribou　as　bear　and　deer；　but　elsewhere　the　two　last；　with　an
occasional　cougar　or　wolf；　are　the　beasts　of　chase　which　they　follow。
Nowadays　as　these　old　hunters　die　there　is　no　one　to　take　their
places；　though　there　are　still　plenty　of　backwoods　settlers　in　all　of
the　regions　named　who　do　a　great　deal　of　hunting　and　trapping。　Such　an
old　hunter　rarely　makes　his　appearance　at　the　settlements　except　to
dispose　of　his　peltry　and　hides　in　exchange　for　cartridges　and
provisions；　and　he　leads　a　life　of　such　lonely　isolation　as　to　insure
his　individual　characteristics　developing　into　peculiarities。　Most　of
the　wilder　districts　in　the　eastern　States　still　preserve　memories　of
some　such　old　hunter　who　lived　his　long　life　alone；　waging　ceaseless
warfare　on　the　vanishing　game；　whose　oddities；　as　well　as　his　courage；
hardihood；　and　woodcraft；　are　laughingly　remembered　by　the　older
settlers；　and　who　is　usually　best　known　as　having　killed　the　last　wolf
or　bear　or　cougar　ever　seen　in　the　locality。

Generally　the　weapon　mainly　relied　on　by　these　old　hunters　is　the
rifle；　and　occasionally　some　old　hunter　will　be　found　even　to　this　day
who　uses　a　muzzle　loader；　such　as　Kit　Carson　carried　in　the　middle　of
the　century。　There　are　exceptions　to　this　rule　of　the　rifle　however。
In　the　years　after　the　Civil　War　one　of　the　many　noted　hunters　of
southwest　Virginia　and　east　Tennessee　was　Wilber　Waters；　sometimes
called　The　Hunter　of　White　Top。　He　often　killed　black　bear　with　a
knife　and　dogs。　He　spent　all　his　life　in　hunting　and　was　very
successful；　killing　the　last　gang　of　wolves　to　be　found　in　his
neighborhood；　and　he　slew　innumerable　bears；　with　no　worse　results　to
himself　than　an　occasional　bite　or　scratch。

In　the　southern　States　the　planters　living　in　the　wilder　regions　have
always　been　in　the　habit　of　following　the　black　bear　with　horse　and
hound；　many　of　them　keeping　regular　packs　of　bear　hounds。　Such　a　pack
includes　not　only　pure…bred　hounds；　but　also　cross…bred　animals；　and
some　sharp；　agile；　hard…biting　fierce　dogs　and　terriers。　They　follow
the　bear　and　bring　him　to　bay　but　do　not　try　to　kill　him；　although
there　are　dogs　of　the　big　fighting　breeds　which　can　readily　master　a
black　bear　if　loosed　at　him　three　or　four　at　a　time；　but　the　dogs　of
these　southern　bear…hound　packs　are　not　fitted　for　such　work；　and　if
they　try　to　close　with　the　bear　he　is　certain　to　play　havoc　with　them；
disemboweling　them　with　blows　of　his　paws　or　seizing　them　in　his　arms
and　biting　through　their　spines　or　legs。　The　riders　follow　the　hounds
through　the　canebrakes；　and　also　try　to　make　cutoffs　and　station
themselves　at　open　points　where　they　think　the　bear　will　pass；　so　that
they　may　get　a　shot　at　him。　The　weapons　used　are　rifles；　shotguns；　and
occasionally　revolvers。

Sometimes；　however；　the　hunter　uses　the　knife。　General　Wade　Hampton；
who　has　probably　killed　more　black　bears　than　any　other　man　living　in
the　United　States；　frequently　used　the　knife；　slaying　thirty　or　forty
with　this　weapon。　His　plan　was；　when　he　found　that　the　dogs　had　the
bear　at　bay；　to　walk　up　close　and　cheer　them　on。　They　would　instantly
seize　the　bear　in　a　body；　and　he　would　then　rush　in　and　stab　it　behind
the　shoulder；　reaching　over　so　as　to　inflict　the　wound　on　the　opposite
side　from　that　where　he　stood。　He　escaped　scathless　from　all　these
encounters　save　one；　in　which　he　was　rather　severely　torn　in　the
forearm。　Many　other　hunters　have　used　the　knife；　but　perhaps　none　so
frequently　as　he；　for　he　was　always　fond　of　steel；　as　witness　his
feats　with　the　〃white　arm〃　during　the　Civil　War。

General　Hampton　always　hunted　with　large　packs　of　hounds；　managed
sometimes　by　himself　and　sometimes　by　his　negro　hunters。　He
occasionally　took　out　forty　dogs　at　a　time。　He　found　that　all　his　dogs
together　could　not　kill　a　big　fat　bear；　but　they　occasionally　killed
three…year…olds；　or　lean　and　poor　bears。　During　the　course　of　his　life
he　has　himself　killed；　or　been　in　at　the　death　of；　five　hundred　bears；
at　least　two　thirds　of　them　falling　by　his　own　hand。　In　the　year　just
before　the　war　he　had　on　one　occasion；　in　Mississippi；　killed　sixty…
eight　bears　in　five　months。　Once　he　killed　four　bears　in　a　day；　at
another　time　three；　and　frequently　two。　The　two　largest　bears　he
himself　killed　weighed；　respectively；　408　and　410　pounds。　They　were
both　shot　in　Mississippi。　But　he　saw　at　least　one　bear　killed　which
was　much　larger　than　either　of　these。　These　figures　were　taken　down　at
the　time；　when　the　animals　were　actually　weighed　on　the　scales。　Most
of　his　hunting　for　bear　was　done　in　northern　Mississippi；　where　one　of
his　plantations　was　situated；　near　Greenville。　During　the　half　century
that　he　hunted；　on　and　off；　in　this　neighborhood；　he　knew　of　two
instances　where　hunters　were　fatally　wounded　in　the　chase　of　the　black
bear。　Both　of　the　men　were　inexperienced；　one　being　a　raftsman　who
came　down　the　river；　and　the　other　a　man　from　Vicksburg。　He　was　not
able　to　learn　the　particulars　in　the　last　case；　but　the　raftsman　came
too　close　to　a　bear　that　was　at　bay；　and　it　broke　through　the　dogs；
rushed　at　and　overthrew　him；　then　lying　on　him；　it　bit　him　deeply　in
the　thigh；　through　the　femoral　artery；　so　that　he　speedily　bled　to
death。

But　a　black　bear　is　not　usually　a　formidable　opponent；　and　though　he
will　sometimes　charge　home　he　is　much　more　apt　to　bluster　and　bully
than　actually　to　come　to　close　quarters。　I　myself　have　but　once　seen　a
man　who　had　been　hurt　by　one　of　these　bears。　This　was　an　Indian。　He
had　come　on　the　beast　close　up　in　a　thick　wood；　and　had　mortally
wounded　it　with　his　gun；　it　had　then　closed　with　him；　knocking　the　gun
out　of　his　hand；　so　that　he　was　forced　to　use　his　knife。　It　charged
him　on　all　fours；　but　in　the　grapple；　when　it　had　failed　to　throw　him
down；　it　raised