OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - The Ohio Hunter [Chapter 15] ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgenwebarchives.org ************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Sara Grimes McBeth saramcb@socket.net June 22, 2005 ************************************************************************** 156 THE OHIO HUNTER CHAPTER XV. ANOTHER CRUISE FOR BEARS-- TAKE A YOUNG GERMAN FOR COMPANY-- PURSUE A BEAR--- STOP FOR THE NIGHT WITH A STRANGE FAMILY~- DREADFUL FIGHT WITH A LARGE SHE-BEAR-- CAPTURE HER AND THREE LITTLE CUBS--TAKE THE CUBS HOME ALIVE--ANOTHER BEAR CHASE-- ACCIDENT TO MY COMRADE--AN AWFUL NIGHT IN TIlE SWAMP-- VEXED AND WEARY, RETURN HOME AGAIN. IN February, 1848, I went again to my old hunting grounds for a bear hunt. About nine miles from there, I stopped and stayed all night with a Gcrman family; they were very clever and hospitable people. There was one young man in the family, and he proposed that I should take him with me on my hunting expedition. As it was rather dull camping in the woods alone, and he seenled like a brave, honest fellow, I saw no good reasons for objecting; accordingly it was agreed that he should go along for "axman." lie was entirely inexperienced in the art of hunting, but very willing to do anything when told. Soon after our arrival in the marsh, we came upon the track of a very large bear. We followed the track until we got him started on the chase, and then sent our dogs in rapid pursuit. The BAREF00TED CHILDREN. 157 chase was continued until late in the afternoon, when it commenced snowing very fast. We knew there was an old hunter living somewhere in the swamp, and so we determined to find him and obtain, if possible, lodgings for the night. There was no road and no trail whereby our course might be directed, but we had some idea of the locality, and started as nearly in the direction as our senses could guide us. We wandered on for some distance without observing any signs of human habitation, and were about giving up the idea of discovering the hunter's house that night, when we came upon the tracks of two barefooted children. The snow was about eight inches deep, and the tracks fresh. We concluded to follow their tracks, thinking they would lead us to the shanty, or if perchance it should be traces of some unfortunate children that had strayed from their homes, and were now wandering in the stormy woods, not knowing whither they were going, and perhaps starving and perishing from hunger and cold, possibly we might be of service to them in their hour of distress. So we followed on their track, now much more intent upon discovering the actual condition of what seemed our suffering victims, than anxious about obtaining shelter for ourselves. We followed their tracks about half a milo, when we came in sight of the little adventurers, and their father's shanty, at the same time. When 158 THE OHIO HUNTER we.first saw them, we were nearing a small clearing, and Upon discovering that they were pursued, Inever saw more nimble feet and elastic limbs set in motion. They were within a few yards of the fence that enclosed their premises, and this they scaled without touching either hand or foot, and ran with the fleetness of deer until they reached thc hut; there they were met by their parents, who immediately inquired the cause of their fright. They only replied by pointing to us, and escaped entirely beyond the reach of further observation. When we reached the house, the old gentleman invited us in, and treated us very civilly, ttis wife inquired if we were hungry; we replied that we had taken supper from our knapsacks prcvious to our arrival there. So we all gathered around the large fire- place and were soon earnestly engaged in conversation. The subject, of course, being the most approved system of hunting. There was some strife, as is usual on such occasions, when two experienced hunters come together, --which should tell the largest stories! I kept my credit quite good for some time, until he commenced telling about killing bears as large as elephants, then I was obliged to give up beat,--not having anything larger to compare mine to. It was now quite a mystery to me where the nimble-footed children had disappeared to; for there was not a child to be seen about the house,--the only visible occupants being the old A STRANGE FAMILY 159 gentleman and his wife and daughter -- a girl of about eighteen. This girl sat in the corner with a piece of blanket about her,-- her only covering, --except a small close jacket and short skirt. There did not appear to be any chamber-room to their house, and no bedrooms, closets, or other hiding-places where the timid children could find an asylum, so that it was rather a mystery to me what had become of them. But as it did not belong to me to look after them, I refrained from inquiries, until I saw little timid heads peering from under thc bed-rail! At length one crept cautiously from his hiding-place, close along the side of' the wall, until he came to the fire-place, the cold, I presume, being the propelling cause. Then another, a little smaller, followed along the same circuitous rout, their eyes being closely riveted upon me. I still continued my conversation with the old gentleman, and did not appear to notice their movements at all. Soon another followed on the same track, and then another, until the entire group, five in number, had taken their places around the fire. If I chanced to glance my eyes upon them, they would immediately hide their faces, either with their hands or their scanty garments. The old lady had observed the entire pantomime, and knew that I could not help noticing their singular conduct, and at length she spoke and said that their "children had always lived in the woods," where 160 THE OHIO HUNTER they never saw any one, until they were much more afraid of a person than they were of a bear. She admonished them for their awkwardness, and told them to hold up their heads and act like somebody, or she should get down "that stick in the corner;" but such threats as that did not terrify them in the least, and as my attention was thus directed to them, they only hung down their heads the more sheepishly, and shrank further from observation. At length the hour for retiring arrived, and the old gentleman told us we were welcome to lie by his fire, but beds he had none to give us. We told him a place by his warm, comfortable fire, was much better than a bed in the snow on such a night, and if he could let us lie there it was all we asked. The family, one by one, began to retire. The old lady and gentleman and oldest daughter slept in the bed, and a few tattered blankets and some furs were spread on the floor for the five young hopefuls that had so secretly emerged from under the bed. After all the rest were quiet, we drew off our boots, placed them un- der our heads for pillows and stretched ourselves before the capacious fire-place for the night. As we lay there all quietly sleeping, except myself, I was forced to think of the homely old adage; "One half of the world don't know how the other half lives ;" though I do hope not quite so large a portion as one-half live in the manner they did. STAY TO BREAKFAST. 161 The next morning they invited us to stay to breakfast, which we did, and they furnished us a repast that would have been creditable to a better establishment. They lived in the woods, or so near it, that they could enrich their store with all the choice berries, nuts, and other luxuries of the forest. The old man had cleared land enough to raise his corn and vegetables. The corn he carried to Fort Defiance on horseback to have it ground, the distance being sixteen miles; and they fattened their own pork. Thus, besides the wild meat they caught in the forest, they were able to keep themselves in plenty of eatables; but they had lived so far from the influences of civilization so long, that they seemed to care but little in what manner food was cooked, or set upon the table; and paid no regard whatever to personal appearance, or as I might say--decency! After breakfast, the old gentleman told us it we only had that big bull dog of his, we would have no further trouble in the capture of the bear we had pursued to no purpose the day before. I told him we would take him along with us if he thought it best. He did not seem entirely willing to trust such valuable property in the hands of strangers, and particularly in the claws of the bear so we did not take him that day. There had been a heavy fall of snow during the night, and the next morning the bushes were loaded with damp snow, and in traveling, Nimrod 11 162 THE OHIO HUNTER and I were soon as wet as if drenched in a shower. We were obliged to retreat to where we could get some wood to make a fire, and dry our clothes. About noon the weather changed, becoming very cold, and so froze the snow to the bushes. We then started again for the thicket. The old bear tracks were now entirely lost in the deep snow, and we had to commence anew. I told Nimrod, my Dutch comrade, that I would start Madge and Bill, and perhaps they would find where the bear was lodged. It never required a great deal of time for Madge to find a bear, if there were any in the woods; and as they were quite numerous at that time, he was not long in discovering their secret retreats. Whenever Madge or Bill barked, if sent on a chase, it meant something. Soon we heard loud barking, and I knew that a bear was either cornered or treed. Nimrod had a very large dog that we put great dependence upon for a bear fight; but he soon convinced us that it was misplaced confidence, for as soon as he approached the spot where the dogs were keeping the bear at bay and saw its angry looks, and heard the low, deep growl, he returned much more rapidly than he went. We could not persuade him to return with us, but he went as fast as possible in the opposite, direction. We hastened to the scene of contest, and there found one of the largest she-bears I ever saw] The thicket was so close that I had to go within FIGHT WITH A BEAR. 163 five paces to see her. She stood looking at me invincible coolness, until I drew up my gun shot her. The ball entered her eye, but did other harm than to enrage her. When I shot, Madge was standing on one side and Bill on the other, with Nimrod in the rear. The moment the gun cracked, the dogs jumped upon her, and thus she found herself assailed on every side. She soon knocked the dogs right and left, and made for the bed from whence she had first been started. After vanquishing the dogs, she made at us. Nimrod was sorely frightened, and commenced running at a very rapid rate. I knew where she wanted to go, and thought to head her. We ran in the direction from whence she came, until we came upon her bed, and there we found three young cubs. I now saw that we had run in the wrong direction, and made an unfortunate selection of victims, if indeed the bear should prove the victim, which was a little doubtful; for the female bear, when driven from her nest, and her young disturbed, is a powerful enemy to contend with. I saw that her rage was at me, and I ran for a short distance as rapidly as possible, until I could obtain some means of defense. I called upon Nimrod for the ax, which he handed me while running at the top of his speed. I determined then, if I died, to die fighting. I turned about and met the bear face to face, -- and most fortunately 164 THE OHIO HUNTER. for me, poor Madge, whom we had left for mortally wounded, appeared just at this crisis for my deliverance, and attracted the bear's attention just as she was springing with open paws upon me, and gave her such a violent jerk by the hind leg as to disappoint her cxpectations of making game of me. She then left me to pursue her new assailant, but did not follow him far before she found she had another enemy near by. Bill, by this time, was impeding her progress by catching at her legs. She was so enraged by this, that she forsook Madge and started after Bill. While she was pursuing him, I hunted up my gun which had been lost in the engagement, loaded it, and followed thc dog and bear. By the time I came to them, I found the bear pretty well whipped, and about ready to abandon thc defense she had so tenaciously kept over her nest, and seek only her own personal safety. I tried to get a shot at her, but could not find her still, not for one second. She was either running after one dog or the other, or else she was running for her own freedom; and finding that the best alternative, I drew my gun and shot her While running. That shot was more effectuM than the previous, for entering below the shoulder, it disabled one leg so that she could not put it to the ground. But a bear, especially the female bear with cubs, will sell her life as dearly as possible, and will yield to nothing short of the actual extinction of life. NARROW ESCAPE. 165 She now ran after me, and I saw that my only safety was in immediate flight. I ran with as great velocity as my long legs could maintain, for some rods, but saw that I must soon be overtaken, for my strength and endurance were not at all equal to that of the bear. She was just in reach of me once more, when the timely presence of old Madge again purchased my deliverance. Tile dogs both held her firmly, and I said to Nimrod, "Now use the ax." He commenced with nerveless arm to peck at her head, all to but little pur- pose. He called to me to take the ax, for he could not hurt her! Fear and revenge had nerved my arm to more than usual strength, and I clinched the ax and struck at her. She met the blow with her paw. This unexpected resistance forced it from my hand, and we were again obliged to run, leaving our gun and ax on the ground. She did not follow us this time; but we had to wait until she left the spot before we could return for our ax and gun. We then returned for our weapons, and I loaded my gun and pursued her. By this time, she had got some distance in the advance. I followed, until I came close upon her; then I shot again, this time wounding her slightly in the shoulder. With the strength gained through suffering, she offered one more bohl fight, and I was again obliged to run. I found old Madge on the way almost dead; but when he saw me, he got up and 166 THE OHIO HUNTER. followed as best he could. The bear did not want to follow far, and then I stopped and loaded my gun and told Nimrod that I was going to try and make the bear turn upon me again; then I could shoot her while my gun was loaded. I ran up close behind her, and she again laid back her ears and came with increased vengeance upon me. I levelled my gun at her, and shot her in the throat her head not being three feet from the muzzle of the gun at the time. The ball went into the mouth and down the throat; still she never relaxed the muscles of her ears, or paused a moment in her course; and my only safety lay in dodging her motions. We were now in rather open ground. She wheeled and ran into the thicket. I then for the first, commenced encouraging the dogs, for I saw that the last shot had disabled her from biting, and they could attack her with less danger to themselves. During all this time, we had had obtained a single glimpse of that stout, heavy mastiff, we had so much relied upon at the outset; but now, as if taught by some secret instinct that the bear could no longer bite, he came up very bravely, and grabbed the poor bear by the head and brought her down with the power of a lion. I then drew out my fifteen-inch knife, and stabbed her in the breast, which made a finish of her. When all was over, Darrick, the big mastiff who had officiated so powerfully in the closing scene, looked up with CARRY HOME THREE CUBS 167 much importance, as if to say, "I and Peggy killed the bear!" We now left the bear and dogs lying side by side, while we returned for the cubs. One which had been knocked out of its nest in the fight, had crawled back, and we found them all three lying together as quietly and contentedly as so many kittens. When we commenced handling them, they snarled and snapped at us, and showed the bear propensity for fight. I told Nimrod we must take them home alive, "if they did bite." He replied, if they fought him, he would kill every "tarnal varmint of them." I turned them over with my foot, but they did not bite it, so we took a bag that we had carried our "grub" in, and put them in it. After cutting a few air holes, I threw it over my shoulder, and we went back to where the dogs and bear were. We then cut poles and forks and hung up our game, and started for the old hunter's cabin, where we had stayed the night before. We only stopped a few minutes, and then started for the Dutchman's house, where we could procure some nourishment for the cub-bears. It was nearly night, and there was ten miles to be traveled right through the woods. Just as soon as we entered the woods the cubs commenced squalling, and might have been easily heard half-a-mile. I did not know how soon some bear would 168 THE OHIO HUNTER hear them and attack us; but still we did not get at all disconcerted by the danger, but pursued our way until the entire distance had been traveled. The only one that probably understood their peculiar dialect was beyond the reach of hearing. The next day we brought the bear home with a horse. When we came to the hut of the old hunter, the big bull dog which he had recommended so hugely at the outset of our hunt, was so frightened at the sight of the bear, that he ran as soon as he saw us approaching, and did not return until we were gone. We took this bear home, and went back to try our skill at bear-fighting again. This time we went into the marsh, and very soon started another bear. While we were running the bear with all the speed possible, Nimrod unluckily struck his foot against a snag that lay in his way, and seriously wounded himself in the knee with the ax he carried in his hand. Nothing short of a human life could attract much attention with me, when the capture of a bear was at stake. I saw him fall, and noticed that he did not get up again. I paused in the chase and found that my friend Nimrod was quite seriously injured, though by no means fatally. The indispensable cotton pocket-handkerchief which I always carried in my vest pocket, was of excellent service, and I bound up his leg as best I could, and proceeded on my chase, --Nimrod following NIMROD BADLY HURT. 169 at such a distance as he thought most becoming in true deference to his late affliction. I did not leave him far behind, until I felt impelled to return and ascertain what assistance he might possibly be needing. I found it was only with the utmost difficulty that he could walk at all. We did not pursue the bear further, but started immediately for home. We were now many miles distant, and from his inability to travel at our usual rates, night overtook us while buried deeply in the wilderness. I then cut down a dry tree, and stripped it of its bark, and formed as comfortable a bed as possible. Poor Nimrod sufibred dreadfully during the night, and when morning came, his limb was swollen badly, and very much inflamed. I made him some crutches and helped him what I could, until at last we reached his home, where I left him and returned for the bear. The next day it commenced raining, --the snow leaving very fast. The water and ice was about six inches deep all over the ground. Late in the evening I started to cross the marsh, but night came suddenly upon me while but yet in the midst of it. The sky was overspread with dark, dense clouds, and the gloom soon became impenetrable. I was obliged to stop; but could find no wood for fire, and so far was I from thinking of shelter, that my attention was entirely absorbed in finding a place to spend the night above 170 THE OHIO HUNTER water. A pole was at length discovered that lay a little out of the water. I undertook to lay on this, and by holding tightly around some shrubs or bushes that grew near by, I could make out to balance myself on the narrow bed. At length I went to sleep, when my fingers relaxed their hold about the bushes, and I went into the water about as easy as "rolling off a log." My poor dogs, too, had to spend the night in the water. It was a long and dreary one, and that was a welcome ray of light that first gleamed.; and when gray morning dawned in the east, the vexed and weary hunter, with his famishing dogs, wended his way homeward, to live no more in the wilderness that year.