Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-07-03

the beasts or the forest so to tear man tnat
when I look them in the face they always
quail" I know the man who once found a
cub in the woods and seized,it. He was a
brave hunter, who well knew the habits of
wild beasts. No sooner did the cub utter
its cries, than mother Bruin came rushing
towards him with fury: The hunter had no
weapon, but turned upon the beast fierce
eye, with great self possession, at the same
time smothering the cries of the cub. He
then began to retreat backwards, occasional
ly removing his hand from the cubs mouth
to give it breath. Then the cub would cry
out and the old bear would again rush at
him, and he would confront her with his
eyes, maintaining his self-possession as none
but an old hunter could, till he emerged
from the wood with his prize, and then the
old bear went sorrowfully back to her lair
The name of the man who performed this
feat is Starbuck, and he lived at that time
not far from Equinunk, where it joins the
Delaware. He judged, and that correctly,
that while old Bruin was not wounded, she
would not venture upon an attack so long
as he boldly met her gaze.
More than eighty sheep had been destroy
ed by wolves in the neighborhood of George
McMullen's and many had been the attempt
to discover where these wolves had their
den. All had signally failed, but George
determined in his own mind that these
wolves should die. A wolf is very shy
animal, is never seen IN the day time, and
can only be killed by following on its track
till it is tired out, or finding its den.
A venerable friend of mine, now eighty
years of age, of stalwart frame, and with
white flowing beard, when young man,
followed the track of wolf for two days,
till he was enabled to shoot the tired animal
The wolf could not rest, and could neith-
er eat nor drink while thus pursued; but the
man had well filled kanpsack, and could
refresh himself by the way. 1t is not un-
frequently the case that the wolf is thus
walked down and made to yield up his life.
George McMullen having filled his KNAPP
sack with provisions for several days, took
his rifle aud hunting belt, and started alone
one morning while snow of few inches
deep was on the ground. He travelled till
he struck the track of wolves, and then pur-
sued it for many weary mile, till it crossed
the creek of the Moosic mountain, and be-
gan to descend on the other side. Here
scene of solitary grandeur metthe eye. There
was no human habitation visible so far as
The could rcach--none for many miles from
that spot. The mountain on this side over
looks deep vale, studded with thick hem
locks and with an undergrowth of the Rho
dodendron, whose tangled web of boughs Of
ten renders the roads impossible. On the
rounded SUBMITS of distant hills the beech
and maple rose as from bed of hemlocks
in the vale; and nothing but dense forest
was there visible. Up the mountain sides
lay huge boulders of rocks that had tumbled
from the cliff ages ago, and these were cov-
cred with moss and embedded in bushes
The mountain descends beautifully towards
the east; but its western slope is more rug
ged and steep. The naked rock lifts up in
numberless towering cliffs, which have pre-
cipitous descent almost to the Lackawana
river, which washes the base.
Far-down on this side there was level
spot where grew some tall trees, and in the
thicket close by, and under ledge of rocks,
there was cave. To this spot the fearless
hunter had tracked his game. But now,
what was to be done 7-he was alone, and
far from all human aid, and the number of
his enemies he did not know. Should he
turn back for help? What! George Nc
Mullen call for help before he had seen the
faces of his foes He would not do it-as
we'll might We expect the Lackawana to run
back to its fountain. And so he struck his
into tree, as caution to the
wolves if they should come upon him from
behind, and into the den he crawled, rely
ing on his sheath-knife and rifle. 1t is a
curious fact that wolf is so suspicious an
animal as to shun every mark of human kind.
If hunter should have his cap upon deer
that had been slain, or an old coat, the
wolves would not touch it. Our hero, there
fore, to let the wolves know what they might
expect if they ventured into the cave after
him, left his hatchet in tree at the mouth.
After crawling upon his hands and knees
for some distance he discovered eight young
wolves; their mothers having gone out after
food. He took out one. of the whelps
and killed it, and then proceeded to take
another. No sooner had he introduced
it into the open air than it made the air re-
sound with its cries; and instantly two of
the old wolves came rushing upon him
He placed his foot upon the neck of the
whelp and held it down, while he seized his
rifle and prepared himself for battle Not
how many foes were likely to be
upon him, he reserved his fire to await the
development of events. The wolves proved
to be of the large black kind ;-the largest
and fercest known in the American forests;
and they were frantic with rage. They both
rushed upon him, while he placed his body
against tree and prepared for the worst
AS they came upon him, he eyed them
iercely, aud this had the effect to awe them
in measure, so that they only snapped at
him as they rushed by; snarling most saw
agely, This they did a number of times,
ill presently they separated, and one ap-
preached his front, another the rear. Then