Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1857-11-19
lIlSgE NgOUS.
A HUNTER s ADVENTURES,

y correspondent OF the National lntelll-
gencer, writing from the Allegheny Noun
tains in Georgia, describes an old hunter
whom he found in a log cabin, in the cen
tre of small valley completely hemmed
on all sides by wild and abrupt mountains,
and one OF the most romantic hooks imagi-
nable. He has lived there for thirty years,
is about sixty years old, and wears long
white beard-professed to have killed in
his lifetime about four thousand deer, and
amused the correspondent of the Intelligen-
Ger with long stories of his adventures with
the wild beasts of the forests, some of
which the writer has condensed as follows:
On one occasion he came up to large
grey wolf, into whose head he discharged
ball. The animal did not drop, but made
its way into an adjoining cavern and dis
appeared. Vandeyer waited awhile at the
opening, and as he could not see or hear
his game, he concluded that it had ceased
to breathe, whereupon he fell upon his
hands and knees, and entered the cave
On reaching the bottom he found the wolf
alive, when a " clinch fight" ensued and
the hunters knife completely severed the
heart Of the animal. On dragging out the
dead wolf into the sunlight, it was found
that his lower jaw had been broken, which
was probably the reason why he had not
succeeded in destroying the hunter.
At one time when he was out of ammu-
milton, his dogs fell upon large bear, and
it so happened that the latter got one of
the former into his power, and was about
to squeeze it to death. This was a sight
the hunter could not endure, so he un-
sheathed his large hunting knife and as
saulted the black monster The bear tore
off nearly every rag of his clothing, and
in his first plunge with his knife he COM
pletely cut off two Of his fingers instead Of
injuring the bear. lie was now in per-
feet frenzy of pain and rage, and in max
ing another effort succeeded to his satisfac-
ton, and gained the victory. The bear
weighed three hundred and fifty pounds.
On another occasion he had fired at a
large buck near the brow of precipice
some thirty feet high, which hangs over
one of the pools in the Tallulah river. On
seeing the buck drop, he took it for grant
ed that he was about to die. He ap-
preached the animal for the purpose of cut
ting his throat, when he raised to his feet
and made tremendous rush at the hunter
with view of throwing him off the ledge.
But what was more remarkable, the animal
succeeded in his effort, though not until
1 Vandeyer had obtained fair hold Of the
bucks antlers, when the twain performed
a sommerset in the pool below. The buck
made its escape, and Vandever was not
seriously injured in any particular. About
month subsequent to that time he killed
buck, which had bullet wound in the
lower part of its neck, whcreupon he con
cluded that he had finally triumphed ovel
the animal which had given him the un
expected ducking.
But the most remarkable escape which
old Vandever experienced happened IL
this wise. He was encamped upon one o
the lofty mountains in Union county. l
was near the twilight hour, and he hat
heard the howl Of wolf With view o
ascertaining the direction whence it came
| he climbed upon an immense boulder-rock