It was my fortune to spend the first twenty years of my life in a region
where black bears were quite numerous. Our little community was often
thrown into excitement by the discovery that Bruin had been engaged in
some before-unheard-of mischief, and not infrequently were all the men
and boys in the neighborhood mustered to surround a piece of woods, and
capture a bear that was known to be there hidden away. Some of these
occasions were full of excitement and danger, and maybe I shall some
time tell about them; but just now I want to relate an experience with a
bear that happened when I was about twelve years old.
It was a part of my business in summer-time to drive the cows to pasture
every morning, and home every night. Like most boys, however, I loved
play a little too well, and sometimes it would be very late before the
cattle would be safely shut up for the night.
One day I had played about longer than usual after school, and when I
reached home it was almost sunset. I persuaded a playmate of about my
own age to accompany me, and started for the pasture. It was something
more than half a mile away, and in getting to it, we followed down an
old road which was now partially unused. But barefoot boys are nimble
fellows, and before it was dark we were at the bars of the pasture.
There stood the cows, as usual, waiting patiently for some one to come
for them, and a little way out from them were the young cattle in a
group. Down went the bars, and the cows started out, when all at once
there was a great confusion among the young creatures. They ran in every
direction, and appeared terribly frightened at something.
In a moment we saw what it was. A large black bear was coming across the
pasture near them. I don't suppose he meant to trouble the cattle, but
that was his nearest way to pass from the woods to a corn field which he
had in view, and he happened to come along there just as we did.
It required no long council of war for us to decide to retreat as fast
as possible, and taking to the road, we made the best time we could
until we came to the top of a little hill. Here we mustered up courage
to stop and look behind us. But there was the bear coming right up the
road after us. We did not look back a second time, you may be sure, and
in a very few moments we burst into my father's kitchen, and when we
could get breath, exclaimed: "A b--a bear! A great big black bear chased
us, and he's coming right up here!"
All that night we dreamed of bears. The cows did not come home, nor did
the bear come after us, as we expected he would; but when father went
down the next morning, he found the bear's tracks in the road, and
following them up, he found where the old fellow had entered the corn
field and taken his supper. Shortly afterward he was shot near the same
place.