The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1847-10-18
From the ~. o. National.
ENEMY IN FRONT AND REAR.
OR-A Bear and Snake .Soru.


Having been an interloper in the hunt, we did not
know who our companions were until the excite
ment of the day was ended, and we were called into
th9 camping ground" by the repeated firing Of guns
AHA the blasts of the huntsman's horn. For
our own part, we were delighted that the day had
drawn to closes the "sport" had been nothing; and
the STAND where we were posted, seemed to be- in
the entire possession of that ofimmense galnp
pers that make their appearance only in the fall and
in the sunshine Of the day bite through your thick
coat and shoes. Our trouble in this matter that
Of Others, and one young man, recently from New
England, seemed TO have been particularly afflicted
for judging from his face, doctor would have said
he had bad attack of the small pox so full was il
of botches and marks. The cold atmosphere of the
approaching fall chilled these singing pests and left
night, the starlight and generous fire be enjoyed
in peace, We never cared much about the "excite-
ment the chase" and although we never refused
n chance to getn shot" still we never jumped sim
passable rayines," "broke neck" and killed our
horse, to head deer OF get scare from an old che
bar" The camp fire is our delight-thcrc, with an
immense quantity Of vension cold ham, biscuit
claret slowed away under our jacket, and woollen
blanket carefully tucked around the outside of it,
love 10 lieupon the lap of earth, and with eyes
dreamy viewing the armament and with our ears
wide open listen TO the hunters tales, who generally
keep truth on full galop to be any where in sight
of their facts having dstanced her entirely at the
outset cause her 10 abandon them for the eve
ming "
Among the group before us on the occasion we
speak of was wiry looking parsonage with n COM
plexon ola young man Inconsistency dsfgured with
feet marks peculiar to age, while his hair SEEM
ed prematurely gray, and showed that disregard OF
mixing black and white, that would have done
honor TO an amalgamation meeting, assembled under
the most amiable auspices. To learn the cause of
this pheno menon, became matter of interest to us
and after considerable beating round the bush one
of companions told the following story the hero
sitting by, topu in the corrections: ..,.
'You see" said our informant, pointing at the
prematurcly gray hunter, shat Hopgood was
kable all his life, up TO certain day, for his coal
black hair his head rvaed abars back in the fat
| son, for glossiness and Stiffness" -..
''Not Stiffness" said Hopgood, running his fingers
through his long and rather 81 ky head covering.
"Yes stiffness Hopgood, genuine stiffness, real
briste stiffness, but don't interrupt me, Hopgood.
Well you his black, stiff har was his PRIDE nd
when he went counting, he used to bow at the
girls TO bring his shoe brush direct in theil
| faces, TO impress them with its beauty" H..
"Pooh" said Hopgood throwing big log on the
| camp fire, to interrupt the story-,eller. ..
| "You may pooh, as much as you please" said
the story-teller "you know your har was your pride
and that il was sort of mysterious providence, Il.
parson Angle said, that took away its beauty from
you SO that you could set your affections some
| thing better" r., :... ....
| Hopgood, by this time was asleep, and the story
| teller continued. 30.
| Hopgood is young man about four and twenty
and he had the worst scare that n man ever had on
| n first bear hunt. He never lived in woods where
the varmints were to be met with until he opened
his place upon this presumption although he
| good deer hunter and considerable at freeing n cat
Well, you see, Hopgood one day went out, back o
his location, with his double barrel on his shoulder
looking for trees to split rails from He took hi
gun, naturally, for deer is often to be caught nap
ping.-Whe trailing about, he came the decay
ed stump of butternut wood tree, Mt the foot o
which were playing in all the innocence of nine day
childhood, two bear cubs. There they were,
black charcoal biting and hugging each othe
and rolling about among the dead leaves as perfect
unsuspecting of harm Hopgood himself, VIII,
rushed forward and seized one of the cubs in hi
hand Such squalling and squcaling was neve
before heard Hopgood was deightcd-he held o
to the varmint, and rather encouraged its erie.
, when he was suddenly impressed with the idea tina
; an earthquake coming up in his rear. He tut
|
upon him as black as its cub, md to Hopgood look
ing like railroad engine with its furnace door ope,
diopgood dropped his prize, and fairly flew toward
a fallen tree, up which he ran with commcndab
precipitancy. The bear followed-another horrc
met Hopgood's vision--on the highest part of til
trunk Of the fallen tree, sat in bnte array an in
mense rattle snake. 1t raised its head and give Il,
note of alarm Its skin glistened and changed C,
Tor rapidly, showing that the muscles underncai
: were preparing for spring Hopgood stopped on
turned on the bear; she was now within ten feet
: him, her mouth open so wide that Hopgood said i
saw room enough down her throat to be buried il
Taking deliberate aim, he fired his double barrel, or
load after the other. The bear brushed his leg wit
her fore paw and rolled heavily off the tree fair
, shaking the earth when she struck the ground
moment more Hopgood was out of reach of Il
serpent. He had saved his life, but his hair ha
from very fear in the meantime, wited down, an
became motley grey.
"That is very strange" said we, with unaffecte
establishment. ...'
"Not at ALL" said Hopgood with animation 81
parently waking out of sound sleep, "it seems
me that was in that tree one thousand years b,
: tween those two varmints and that is time cnoug
to Written any body's head" There was a gener
assent, that thousand years would whiten any b.
dy's head and story teller after observing tn,
Hopgood one thousand and twenty four ycai
old, fell asleep and left US to speculate ON ii
strange effects Of sudden terror that in an instar
impressed upon youth all the physical signs of ag
Il ..'r. The Bee Hunter.
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