Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1859-11-02
ARKINsAw WONDERS.

Arkinsaw beats the world Tor black bars,
pooty wimmen, and big timber. Stranger, I've
seen trees there that would take man week
to walk round 'em. a fellow started once to
walk through one that was hollow. He didn't
take any vittels with him, and he starved on
his way.
l was goin' up the Mississippi once in one
of them country boats, when we met big Ar
kinsaw cypress floating down. l tell you,
stranger, it was whopper. The Capsn run in
his boat 'longsde, and fastened the rope to It..
Off she started, snortn' and pu1in', bat didn't
bulge peg. The Capeu ripped around, and
followed out 'sfire up, below there, you lub-
berly rascals.'' The wheel clattered away
the log was actually carryin' US down stream.
Directly mp comes feller in a red Shirt and
says, ssCapen, you are strainin' the engine mi
tily.' 'sCut loose and let her go, Them" says
the Capen. They cut the ropes, and dod burn
me stranger, ii the boat didn't jump clean outer
the water. We run little ways, but the en-
gine was rally so exhausted, that we just had
to stop. Nearly day, there comes along a fine
steamer. We hailed her, got aboard, and there
was that same log hitched alongside. We wood
ed off that cypress all the way TO Memphis.
Black bars are bigger, plentier, and more
cunnin' in Arkinsaw, than any where else.
The he's have way OF standiE' on their hind
legs, and maxim mark with their paws on the
bark of some certain trees, generally sassafras.
It's kind record they keep, and i auppose
it's a great satisfaction TO an old he bar to
have the highest mark on the tree. / war
layin' hid one day close to a tree where the
bars wur in the habit of maxim their mark wait
in for one of 'em to come along, for tell you,
| was nifty hungry for bar meat. Directly
heard noise close to me-dod burn me, stran-
ger, eff thar wasn't small bar, ,walkin' straight
on his hind legs, with big chunk in his arms
| could o. shot him first, but was mighty Gu
rious to see what he goin' to do with that
thar chunk. He carried it right to the tree
where the marks were, stood it on the end a.
gainst it, and then gitten' on the top of it,
reached away up the tree, and made a big
mark of foot above the highest. He then
got down, moved the chunk away off from tho
tree, and you never seen such capern' as he
cut up. He looked up at his mark. and then
he wonld lay down and roll over in the leaves
laughing outright just like person; no doubt
tickled at the way somebody would be fooled.
There was somethin' so human about it, that I
actually hadn't the heart to shoot him.
Just to show how cunnin' bars are, I'll tell s.
circumstance what happened to me in Arkin-
saw. You see, one Fall, before / gathered nv
corn, L kept miSsin' 1t onter the field. and I
knew the bars were takn' it, for could see
their tracks. But what seemed mighty curi-
Gus, never could find where they eat it-na-
ry cob nowhar about. One mornin' aiTly |
happened around the field, and there saw an
old she bar and two cubs inst come outer the
patch, and walkin' off with their arms full o.
corn. was determined TO find out what they
did with so much corn, and follered along af-
ter 'em without maxim any noise. Well after
gon' nearly mile saw 'em stop, and-stran-
ger, what do you thiuk-there were full pen
o hogs, and the bars wur feedin' 'em. You
see, that Fall the hogs were so poor, on ac-
count OF having no corn, that the bars had ac-
tually built rail pen, put hogs in il, and were
fattenin' 'em with my corn. Dcd burn my has
if that amt a fact.