That night there fell a heavy rain, and it turned to a sleet. In the
morning all hands turned out hunting. My young man, and a brother-in-law
who had lately settled close by me, went down the river to hunt for
turkeys; but I was for larger game. I told them, I had dreamed the night
before of having a hard fight with a big black nigger, and I knowed it
was a sign that I was to have a battle with a bear; for in a bear
country, I never know'd such a dream to fail. So I started to go up
above the harricane, determined to have a bear. I had two pretty good
dogs, and an old hound, all of which I took along. I had gone about six
miles up the river, and it was then about four miles across to the main
Obion; so I determined to strike across to that, as I had found nothing
yet to kill. I got on to the river, and turned down it; but the sleet
was still getting worse and worse. The bushes were all bent down, and
locked together with ice, so that it was almost impossible to get
along. In a little time my dogs started a large gang of old turkey
goblers, and I killed two of them, of the biggest sort. I shouldered
them up, and moved on, until I got through the harricane, when I was so
tired that I laid my goblers down to rest, as they were confounded
heavy, and I was mighty tired. While I was resting, my old hound went to
a log, and smelt it awhile, and then raised his eyes toward the sky, and
cried out. Away he went, and my other dogs with him, and I shouldered up
my turkeys again, and followed on as hard as I could drive. They were
soon out of sight, and in a very little time I heard them begin to bark.
When I got to them, they were barking up a tree, but there was no game
there. I concluded it had been a turkey, and that it had flew away.
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 parara, and looking on before my dogs, I saw in and about the
biggest 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 stop'd so often, that I might
overtake them. They were now almost up with him, and I took my goblers
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 till I got within about eighty yards of him. He was setting
with his breast to 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 altogether 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 began to think about getting him home, but I didn't know how far
it was. So I left him and started; and in order to find him again, I
would blaze a sapling every little distance, which would show me the way
back. I continued this till I got within about a mile of home, for there
I know'd very well where I was, and that I could easily find the way
back to my blazes. When I got home, I took 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 commenced butchering my bear. It was
some time in the night before we finished it; and I can assert, on my
honour, 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. I now felt fully compensated
for my sufferings in going after my powder; and well satisfied that a
dog might sometimes be doing a good business, even when he seemed to be
_barking up the wrong tree_. 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.