Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1853-07-01
From the New York Sun.
Trnpper,m Life I'm the West.

ST. LOUIS Mo.-Among the passengers
on board the James Robb, was fine Young
man who had for some years followed the
hunting and trapping business. He related
to me that mode of life. He said they form
ed companies of ten persons; each person
was provided with twenty traps, one rifle,
two revolvers, two long knives and two peck
ct knives, twenty lbs flour, blanket, and a
few other fixings-two mules, one to ride,
the other to take the luggage. Thus equip
ped, they started for the wild wilderness, sew
eral hundred miles distant, in cold snowy
climate, to be absent about nine MONTHS
Such thing as bad cold, or an ache or pain
or any kind of sickness whatever, was UNI
known to them. Rain, shine, or snow, they
always camped out; they ate but one meal a
day, and that about o'clock in the morn
ing; they had no cooking utensils-they
would unite the bag containing their flour,
make small hole in the top of the meal, put
in little water, work it around little with
the hand to make dough, then wrap the dough
round one end of stick, put the other end
in the ground near enough to the fire to roast
it, occasionally turning the stick; thus they
would make use Of their flour-less and less
each day until it will all be used up. They
then commenced living on game meat alone,
not particle of bread or vegetable of any de-
scri ption. Eating but once day, and then
meat only, and the climate being so cold, their
appetites became so yoracious that each man
would take quarter of large deer or bear,
hand it up before the fire, turn it round, roast
it in about half an inch deep, then eat it off
with their teeth, and so keep to work at the
quarter of venison or bear should be small,
they would take quarter and a half quar-
ter; at night they would take their blankets,
and all except one man who stood guard, laid
down in the snow and slept soundly and
sweetly till o'clock next morning, when they
arose, packed away their blankets, and start
ed each on his separate circuit which is usu-
ally Is or 20 miles each way from the camp
ing ground.
The result of living on wild meat alone
sometimes cooked, sometimes half cooked
sometimes not cooked at all, as might be ex,
pected, the men themselves partook to great
degree, the wild nature of the animals on
which they fed, and by which they were sur
rounded. They become almost as ferocious
as the bears themselves; fear was unknown
to them, and nothing was more pleasing to
their daring disposition than to be attacked
by, or to attack fierce hungry bears.
Ny friend said, on one occasion, he disco
yered bears bed in the thicket or brush, all
covered over with grass, leaves, DC. The
bear was curled up sucking his paws, for the
winter. The hunter carefully stepped up to
him, removed some of his covering, and after
seeing the gentleman in black, aud not being
able to ascertain the precise position of hi.
head, he concluded if he shot at him he
would only wound and make the bear ten
times more savage than usual He therefore
stepped back few rods, measured the dis
lance to a large tree, concluded he would
stand there and fire, then run to the tree
He accordingly leveled his rifle and fired, then
ran for the tree, got behind it, and went to
re-loading as fast as possible, during which
time the bear set up such a terrific howl and
groan as made the woods echo again and
again. When his rifle was reloaded, he slip
ped from behind the tree; the bear stood up
nearly straight on his hind legs, looking a.
round in an opposite direction from the hunt
er, apparently observing every object till ht
caught sight of the trapper. In an instant
he sprang from the thicket like streak o
lightning, came within six feet of the rifle
man. and, as their habit, rose up on his hind
feet to take his prey with fatal loving hug
| The riieman being perfectly cool and at home
in the business, at this instant leveled his ri
file, shot the bear in his breast, took off hi
skin in few minutes and proceeded on hi
way.