The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1859-11-10
NO.. II.
krkinsIw Wonders.

Arkinsaw beats the world for black bars,
pooty wimmen, and big timber. Stranger,
I've seen trees there that would take "a
man a week to walk round 'em. 4 fel-
low started once to walk through one that
was hollow He didn't take any yittels
with him, and he starved on his way.
was goin' up the Mississippi once in
big Arkinsaw cyprsss floating down.
tell you, stranger, 1t was whopper. The
Capen run in his boat 'longside, and fast
ened the rope to it. OFF she started, snor-
tin and putin, but didn't bulge peg.
The Capen ripped around, and followed
out 'fre up, below there, you lubberly
rascals." The wheel clattered away-the
log was actually carryin' US down stream.
Directly up comes feller in red shirt,
and says, "Capen, you are strainin' the
engine mitily." ''Cut loose and let her
90, them" says the Capen. They cut the
ropes, and dod burn me, stranger, If the
boat didn't jump clean outer the water
We run a little ways, but the engine was
rally 50 exhausted, that we just had to stop.
Nearly day, there comes alonga fine steam
er We hailed her, got aboard, and there
was that same log hitched alongside. We
wooded off that cypress all the way to
Memphis.
Black bears are bigger, plentier, and
more cunnin in Arkinsaw, than anywhere
else The he's have a way of standin' on
their hind legs, and maxim a mark with
their paws on the bark of some certain
trees, generally sassafras. Its a kind of
record they keep, and l suppose 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.
waitin' for one of 'em TO come along, for
| tell you l was mighty hungry for bar
meat Directly l heard noise close to
me-dod burn me, stranger, eff thar WASH
a small bear walkin' straight on his hind
legs, with big chunk in his arms. l
could O. shot him first, but was lightly cur
ious to see what be was going to do with that
chunk. He carried it right to the tree
where the marks were, stoodit on the end
against it, and then gittin 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
from the tree, as you never seen such ca
perrin as he cut up. He looked up at his
mark, and then he would 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 l
actually hadn't the heart to shoot him.
| Just to show how cunnin' bars are, I'll
| tell you a circumstance what happened to
me in Arkansas. You see, one Fall, be
fore | gathered my corn, kept missin' it
outer the field, and [ knew the bars were
taking it, for | could see their tracks
But what seemed mighty curious, l never
could Gnd where they eat it-nary cob
nowhar about One mornin' early L hap
pened around the field, and there | saw
an old she bar and two cubs just cOmin'
outer the patch, and walking off with their,
arms full o corn. | was determined to
find out what they did with SO much corn
and follered along after 'em without max
ing any noise. Well, after going nearly
a mile, | saw 'em stop, and-stranger
what do you think-there were full pen
o hogs, and the bars were feedin' en-
You see, that Fall the hogs We're so poor,
on account of having no corn, that the
bars had actually built rail pen, put
hogs in it, and were fattenin' 'em with my
corn. bod burn my hat if thatain't i
fact.