A PERILOUS BEAR-HUNT--A DEBATING SOCIETY--PANTHER HUNT--DISASTROUS
EVENTS--DEATH OF ERSKINE--DEPARTURE.
The winter sleep of bears--The she-bear and cubs in the cave--Our
perilous hunt--Erskine--Debating society in the woods--Questions
discussed--My proposition--Adventure with a panther--Our
wounds--Bad sport--Hunting with the Indians--The skeletons in the
cave--Erskine’s fatal encounter with the bear--My wounded
shoulder--Indian surgery--I decline settling in the
woods--sorrowful leave-taking.
We had no trifle to carry, and were very glad to reach home; but our
feet were hardly out of the stirrups 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 prepared for a regular hunt. We passed the evening in
telling stories about bears; among others Conwell related the following
anecdote respecting their winter sleep: “In this southern climate, the
bear generally lays up about Christmas, or the beginning of the year,
and remains till the end of February; if the weather is then mild he
comes out occasionally, and sometimes he does not 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 become 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 a 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.
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 roasting, I took a survey of the outside, which presented a
wall of limestone rock, about thirty feet high, and about 300 feet long,
with four openings. After having 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,
followed 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 became still smaller, and we were
obliged to crawl on our stomachs. Thus far the Indians had penetrated,
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, which were a great hinderance, and we often had
considerable 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 been made in it. In some places the marks of the bears were
petrified, 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 bluebottle 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 any 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 Arkansas 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
some idea of our feelings. We were all bear-killers, and knew well
enough the danger 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, and 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 almost 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 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
rather 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 remarkable. 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 compartment; but to say the least, this would have
been a rather inconvenient position for receiving the attack of an
enraged bear.
After clearing this double passage, we arrived at a spring, which had
worn itself a channel of about eighteen inches deep, and eight or nine
wide. After working 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 hearing it so suddenly and so close, I was rather
startled, and nearly let fall the torch; but quickly recovering, and
raising the torch as high as possible, to the discomfort and horror of
several innocent bats, I could make out Mrs. Bruin, about ten yards off,
sitting upright, 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 Conwell, who was anxiously watching all my motions,
whispered 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; and in such cases, it 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
future.
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, snorting and snapping her teeth, till the cave echoed with
the sound. My first thought was “Good-by to the light of the sun.” But I
had not much time for consideration, 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, however great our hurry, and imminent our
danger, it was 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 discovered 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 glimmering splinter,
and 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 getting 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 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 nothing
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 retiring. 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 discovered her, and
found out the reason why the cubs had so suddenly ceased their cry. When
we stopped, uncertain 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 another rifle, as it was out of the question trying
to pass the furious animal to get at mine. However, before attempting
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 returning 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.
The left-hand passage was as bad as the right; but luckily the bear had
not gone far. We soon reached the place, where, grinding her teeth, she
awaited our approach. 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 exertions, 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 almost 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 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 thing; so we lay down and slept till daybreak. We
made a good breakfast, and then, leaving old Conwell behind, who had
done rather too much for his time of life, we four 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
schoolmaster 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 Bearsgrease, 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
settled 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 disagreeable 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 listening attentively for a minute or two,
I felt sure they were coming towards me. Presently the noise of rushing
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,
[Illustration: CLOSE QUARTERS WITH BRUIN.]
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 were keeping out of reach of
his paws. A young man named Erskine, who was shooting near us, attracted
by the report 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 nor 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, E. preceding. Further on,
the passage grew larger, so that we could walk upright, side by side.
After going some distance, we heard the regular low whine of the bear,
who was sucking his paws, and Erskine, also a regular bear-hunter,
asserted that he was fast asleep. Passing a sharp turn in the cave, we
discovered 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 C. 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; the forest
seemed deserted, excepting by a bear or two in the caves, and a very few
turkeys.
We had rested and talked for about half an hour, when young C.
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 transport 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 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. In spite of the bears
and bats that I encountered in my dreams, I awoke quite refreshed, and
did full justice to the beautiful breakfast of bear-collops, milk, and
maize bread. Perhaps the wild outdoor 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 C. 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 opportunity, 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 ignorance,
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 proposed, and in which the scholars took part. The account
excited my curiosity still more, and I decided on no account to miss
such an opportunity. Old C. had frequented these meetings too often to
be induced to leave his comfortable fireside; but I saddled a horse at
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 regulations pasted up 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, 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 opposite 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
inhabitants 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 up, 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, myself 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
received 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 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 directions, 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 any thing, 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 me; 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 himself 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. Lying in the snow, however, was any thing but
agreeable; at first, when I was warm with running, I thought nothing 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 of our walking upright beside each other. Some distance in, it
took a turn to the left, and about two hundred paces in advance we 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 alarming 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 impulse, we both fired so exactly
together, that neither knew that the other had done so. Our enemy was
hit, but whether mortally or not was more than we could tell. Dropping
our rifles like lightning, we drew our 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 only remember that, in the
impenetrable 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 covered 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 prevent 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 cave
again with fresh torches and bare knives, but not without beating
hearts. We moved silently and cautiously on, holding the torches well
before us, so as not to be so agreeably surprised a second time. We
recovered our rifles without seeing the enemy. I held both the torches
while Conwell loaded his rifle, then gave them to him while I loaded
mine; and having our faithful 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 sleep. 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 disappeared, 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 jumped up, cut
poles with our heavy knives, and spreading 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 seeing 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 nothing but a panther’s skin full of
holes was too bad, and I begged for one more day; at any rate, if we
found nothing 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 always found game, without meeting a sign; and my hunger 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 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 conveniently placed to receive you.
I returned to the camp about noon, exhausted and dispirited, 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 Conwell--who, in spite
of his deep gashes, which were not yet healed, was as fresh and strong
as ever after his first meal, and could not remain quiet under the
circumstances--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 mountain, we observed a column of thin
blue smoke by the side of a stream, showing that some hunters were
encamped 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--immediately
cooked some bear for us, with which we duly regaled ourselves.
Night came on, and soon all were sunk in deep repose. I 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 barking 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 pocket-handkerchief was a luxury I had dispensed with,
but I laid my Scotch cap on my dog’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 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 a 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
remained with the two others by the fire, saying he had searched so many
caves within the last four days without finding any thing, that he was
tired of it. The entrance was rather 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 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 seemed 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 remains. We found three other caves,
but no bear: Erskine and the Indians tried the two first, Erskine and I
the last. The cave separated into two passages; Erskine 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 every thing 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 hunting shirt, and had on nothing but a
cotton shirt and leggings, and was working on, inch by inch, with
tolerable certainty of finding a bear. 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 rattle-snake.
At length I got so completely jammed in that I could neither move
backwards nor forwards. The perspiration 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 satisfaction, 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 superstition. 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 instantly that they were his brother’s, and
disappeared behind 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 mistaken, for in a few minutes all was silent as the
grave; once we thought we heard a shot, but could not be certain. 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 instant, 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 have used them. Just as a large
powerful brown dog which had furiously attacked the bear was knocked
over bleeding and howling, Erskine 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 coming, he
exerted still more force to beat
[Illustration: THE FATAL BEAR HUNT.]
off the dogs, and meet us. Seizing his opportunity, my comrade ran his
steel into his side. The bear turned on him like lightning, 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 appeared 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 barking and howling of the dogs. It grew dark.
No one came. I roared and shouted like mad; no one heard 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,
circumstances 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 them.
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 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 distance for
fear of the living, but by no means disposed to lose their 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 Bearsgrease, 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 inexpressible as I heard
three shots in return. I loaded and fired till all my powder was
expended. As morning broke, I heard 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, joy upon joy, I heard a human voice in answer. The bark
of the dogs announced 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. 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 great 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 England 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 nothing
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 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
diminished; 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--fortunately 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 I had suffered so much, I could not
say “No.” On the 6th 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 turkeys, 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 subsist on. We heard that a party of
twelve men had been along the Richland and killed or driven away every
thing, 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 departure. 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 depicted the delights of
a home amongst the mountains, then the image of my old village
schoolmaster flashed across my mind, with his threadbare black coat,
false collars, and shirt-front, and his frame as thin as a skeleton. 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 assisted 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.
My store of bears’ fat and skins was not so large but that I could pack
it on one horse, for the greater part of the skins, which had been
exposed to the wet weather, were spoiled. The skins were made up into
two bundles, one on each side of the horse, while a deer-skin sack,
containing about eight gallons of bears’ fat, lay across the pommel. One
of Conwell’s sons, who had his father’s booty to dispose of,
accompanied me, and thus on the following morning we set off for the
little town of Ozark on the Arkansas.
I was very sorrowful on leaving this place, where the kind treatment of
these good people had so completely gained my affections, and I was
obliged to cut short my leave-taking to hide my emotions.
Another grief that weighed heavily on my heart was parting with my
faithful dog. Intending to give up shooting, and to proceed to New
Orleans, and uncertain under what circumstances I might arrive there, I
would not willingly expose the noble creature, who promised to turn out
remarkably well, to become a mere mud-scraper in the streets. Moreover,
my old comrade had become attached to him, and requested to have him,
while my fair friends promised to take good care of him. So they tied
him up, and as I was about to ride off, and he found he was not to go
with me, he looked so entreating and affectionate with his intelligent
eyes, that I was obliged to turn away to hide my tears.
My companion exerted himself to chase away my mournful thoughts, telling
all sorts of droll stories as we rode through the forest; and at length
I made an attempt at least to appear cheerful.
In the afternoon we reached a tavern, which was also a store, not far
from the town. Here we disposed of our goods, though to no great
advantage, and, according to the custom, as whiskey was not sold by the
glass, we ordered a quart, and sat down in a corner to discuss a portion
of it. We found here two other men, dressed as hunters, who were playing
cards before the door, sitting on the trunk of a tree; a third leaning
against the house, was fast asleep; his features seemed familiar to me,
but I could not recollect where I had seen him, till one of the
card-players caught my eye, and held out his hand, asking if I did not
remember Bahren’s wretched steel mill at which we had been grinding
together. This recalled the whole scene to my memory, as well as the
sleeper--I had left him sleeping, and he was still asleep.
As young Conwell had finished his business, and could not remain any
longer, because he wished to stop at a house which stood some miles on
his road home, we took a hearty leave of each other, when he mounted and
soon disappeared in the forest, driving before him my horse and a
pack-horse he had brought with him.
[Illustration]