The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1867-03-16

ccSses OF tue cane plahe US possible lnt
stout bamboos yield like grass before hi.
weight, and close in his rear making it very
difficult for the dogs to follow, and impossi
bic for the hunters, who have TO ride the best
way they can, guided by the yelling Of the
hounds. have known bear TO get cleal
away very often owing to the impossible ma.
tnrc Of the jungle. Clumsy as the beast
looks, he is by no means inactive. and can
/ travel very fast.
! Occasionally, when very fat, he trees, -
that Is, climbs, tree, ut once, even when
not particularly pressed by his foes at other
time, he is SO bullicd and pnched by them,
that he is forced to ascend. This is always
Il fatal step, MS the dogs remain under the
tree and bay him until some of the hunters
arrive, when a wcil.paccd BALI generally
finishes him. The shot. the deathnote
sounded on horn, soon bring up the strag
slcrs Of the hunt, when. if the burst has not
been too severe or lasted too long, the game
is left 10 be disembowccd by negro or
two, then placed on mule, and borne in
triumph to the plantation, the sportsmen
starting back TO the field, to see whether
another bear has visited it, | should here
mention that very savage dogs are not the
best for this sport u bulldog who would
seize a-bear and hang ON to him, would
cemc to grief instantly he would be killed,
as they say ont west, 'beiorc he knew what
hurt him Thc best dogs are those with
whom discretion is tIn better part Of valer,
ours vino will watch their opportunity, and
jump in, giving the bear a sharp pinch, and
bound away again, to enjoy their little prac-
teal joke in safety. In wild cattle. hunting,
the reverse is tn case, and have frequently
owed my life to my haring had severe dogs.
Bears are never stailcd in the same way
as deer, although occasionally the !" still hnn-
ter comes across one in the woods; it will
be rs well, then, for him to make II s,ro
shot, for a wounded bear is Ivy TO means
pleasant antagonist.
1t is not at all an uausal occurrence IN the
backwoodS TO hear, towards evening, or
early in the morning. the screams Of II pig
in mortal agony. The planter, oycrsrcr. or
hunter viii" proceeds to the SPOT viii find
probably either p bear, panther. or lcop.
ard cat making free with the pork and if
he cannot then obtain a good shot The best
thing he can DO is to return to tbe p,anta-
ton, Get all the dogs he can cole ct, and re
turGing to the dead perkcr, PIT lis pack on
the trail I'll the murderer. who, unwilln. to
leave lis prey, generally trees AT once and
it very seldom iulppens that the guilty ami
nal escapes.
The first bear ever shot killed in Bra
EOS County, TeXos. | was in search of wild
turkeys: and just as had disengagcd my
self from thicket Of rattan vines, heard
a noise at the top of y large tree. the head
Of which had been blown off. and mp it a
large sour winter grape vino had climbed,
the fruit Of which hang ripe. and in great
protusion. The noise hca ri was made by
bear, who had assembled the tree to feast
upon the grapes, and who, had discovered
my arrival about the same, time that first
saw him. He Immediately began his descent
on the opposite side to that on which I was,
keeping the trunk of the tree very carefully
between himself and any gun; and as he
came down, at about EVERY two feet, he kent
poklng his head ronnd, first on one side
then on the other, 10 see my position a.
well as what was doing ! waited quietly
for him till he had r,arhcd within about six
feet Of the ground, holding tho gun to my
shoulder, ready to iiy on the side where
next expected to see his head appear. Sure
enough, -,s cHpe ctcd, rousd came. hi,
brown mnzz1e, and, at the same letant
twelve large back SHOT from iny right hand
barrel cut han his neck away, scvering the
iusular vein, from which jets OF blood cam,
half as thick as my wrist. My poor pointer
bitch, Rose, who had been away on the scent
of some turkeys, had returned Just about the
time tired, aud threw herself at once upon
what SHE considered an enormous turkey
but L convulsvc blow of-the diving brute
sent her flying some tNl or twelve feet.
shall never torgct the expression on her face
AS she picked herself up, for fortunately she
was not much hurt. As she approached
very cautiously, she windcd the bear, ant
set mp all the hair on her back, uttering shary
barks then she would look up into my face
and, wagging her tail whine, asking, a.
| if she had spoken: What ON earth hav,
we got here? 1t was the first bear she ha,
ever seen, as, indeed, it was the first wilt
! one had seen either.
! Owing to the open aud warm winters, thu
bears do not "housc' themselves in til,
! winter, as they do in Canada and the north
crn States, although they shut thcmselvc
up, when the cold "northers " prevail, 70
4 week or two. 1t is during the winter tina
the honey.storcs of tho wild bees, and tn,
hogs that roam the forest, suffer most, a
there is then very little other food in thu
woods for them. except tho grubs they oc
casionally find in the old ,lecayins rallc,
trees.
AS the planters often make prodigiou
crops of coru, they are sometimes obliged
torw of room, to put it for temporary &C
commodation into pens, made Of rails, ant
roughly matched, in the fields. These corr
cribs are. frequently visited in the night b.
the bears, and many vigil haveI kept 70
them, rendered doubly long, as could no
permit myself the consolation Of my pipe
the smell Of which would have made all IN
trouble useless.