The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1872-10-10

VI oeF IpWvuo0,nuio oCo, oo w ""
,aa5 then ,brokSinto asgentleosca !; the
.edsrsihg-; Of thedogg who ffesffoms leash,
rdamed rthronghsthe woods at:willa stirring
upthe smaller game; and making the neigh
bgfhood musical with their glad dInotes the
ioIlF ordinations of the old time servants,
whe, not ,forgctfhl ot the homage they owed
tlisirr master, still enjoyed a. freedom from
re&raint and an equality With him that
rvqusd shave made anrsAbolitionist'look in
wonderment. on tho spectacle " These and a
,t,sssand other details COME back to me with
a power that sends gush Of young blood TO
esef5 miscrocopic extremely Of :hy san-
aaIaeous system;" We feachedoarthdnting
grahnd abodtf2 p,cIock inothebday, Aunched;
loaded our rifles and inTanahauf ihore We
we've readyt6SHtake to the bdshi i"e'ib5 &,
!FHow, ,".said the Colonel,aifl YOU afe NOT
:thaSnsilIar with thej behrJ JbeT datsfulisDon t
'taks him into close quartsissPati ibalithtough
hiS; heart before he can,reach yoan#fth his
ipaE, but ifypu fail to do|this. ttahn not on
thu \ eader aof. yonrj goings@ieateFe? e?Apdd,
bE the way" he added, "whassveryod do,
,safe the dogs;2 4L II .aa3, ~ i9.i 80 -,
. :aLiklew asi much about htbear.haHsing as I
'didtabout elephantsyhad seenthe' beast tams
,insaenagerics; and .once or twicd ehe6anter,
;edA live one ;but no. rile-sltot of mineieVeG
.peaetrsted the shaggy coat of braiR,' and
nlyg ambition was on edge to be grati6ed.
,Basiaesi 4 hadjuat come from. 'sthe blans,n
and felt big with the reputation which all
Hedglings innatcly ebjoyiwfio have knocked
DOM dozen pr twenty bafalo:d' Well, we
separated; and ..gotEto fHerkyL taking the
stafd which the Colonel had assigned 10 me,
to wait his judgements and those ofthe dogs,
wii6s we're TO drive up The game. While he
made afcirouit. Nhithsr wehstbf what
he did, have no knowledge .I.enlya re;
mepbcp, tbat for nearly two hours 1 waited
patiently, listening to every sound, trembling
WITH expectation, and brave down to the
pub.ofmsEddex fageslIssRast sassed on the
trigger Of my trusty rifle IN fact, l had
begun q gf5w dreamy al and y my NY thoughts
we're wandering among the scenes Of home
life far Eastward : Suddenly, thers:was a
.lone hallooMal shot, and then .alothet,;, The
dogs we're baying, and evidently din fra ipur
sui 5f game. What it wass W6etbsr deer
or bear, oscoprse, / had no means, of know
ips& butdnstine netiTely I ,fdb il was, coming
toWSfd tie liftlS branch Mhereon.I ! haYd been
sssSoned Il WIS a qiussttien Of les, than,
Sy iii iiss bnt ii ths / iis .spiayed
thS'keen zcst Of sportman's cxpectatipps I
had. it settled in my mind where Yas to
send my iriHe.bsll, where I would bleed MY
trophy when down, and what I would do. in
various triumphant contingencies that were
pictured in my mind. But, alas tho
schemes of meii taft gang agles.72 2ai
..i4Bruin--for it iwas,a -fdlp sized beast 'of
that nsnlenolatufcaniade hSf appearance
witHia rushgtcaring through the ca1ebrake,
q hound hanging toE one eedf, and the pack
close ieni listhecls. II raised my rife md
fred,1 and Dhapes Ae1glbeeh4 4satisfed that hy
bullet spedIFas7 hustd fiftgeSr feet above its
inalkat Att any qhtssBsafh'e hit him, while
the; sound Of thcd tdissia4ge eseEred to draw
HIS attention stota iewiaaBab unexpected
adversary. and. Chat was 'yoas lliinBle SET
want. Despite thc,fhct''tHat sRe "'csfFied
the weight of dog and bullet from the
CUR of Gsu.Hsnptarfhe habsdshs blood
red eyes on me, and with an ugly expressionl
around his mouth, wniohI L Regarded at thc|
time as physimomically Aaegeuus, made di-i
reeay for, the position I 4ees occupied. ,,Ate tho
saHSie time, brace of hounds, God bless ;ep!
daslines' through the cahh9e with a glad yelp
md u bound; ss::z7di ,.rhs Bear; one By the
haunphssi and aSother by -tkoHAk. Mhc
dierSsion saycdImei - Iohadn1 oSkef rel
source than to taksto aireeonthsbdslr, Fhti
yer was good at climbing, and chosssselKtef;
plunging pell wc!l into the! caEpe, qEp with apim-
peus Ike unto that Of . IdemorallzGadf!, leeG
motive; Fortppthately ], sRpSsk zgatlToa
Of those narrow opcnipgsss. which ire sone'
times worn on the Mississippi bottoms by
,fsTSTsIs making Their hiis way to water. But
horror of horSsF hSa mt proceeded fifty
wards before l heard, close behind the sound
6fI the pursuing bear. Frantic with the
pains Of the ohawing bites every instant,
penetrating his flesh, and unable to shake off
the faithful dogs,TBrnin had doubtless ta.'
ken one Of his old routes, and doubtless:
hoped to brush or shake his tormcntcrs off
in the. thick underground. On he came
closer and closer-ths brittle reeds icrackliRg
under his feet; the hounds giving their short,
sharp, ugkyelps, and dlAiqs aaTash as
bcstT c6ald through the almost iniipehetra-
Bile mass.It seemed, as if could feei the hot
breath of the brute upon my back, and |
realized, as only man ihr such. an emersep,
cy can do, that if he once laid his clawS,tfpi
.onme, I was dead man Ny knife waa al
ready drawn. Life seemed to- hang but by a
thread, and was prepared to do battle over
that thin tie while thcrcwas a muscle left to
put forth its strength.
Yet stay !-SuddenlS-in lsss time than
T can describe .itHtlftfc Vas & crashing Of
reeds in front of mic. tn an Instant more,
Gen. Hampton, hot and flushed with pursuit,
his clothes torn, and his fine face ighted:up
with that keen, bold expression, which Team
fancy illuminated it on'many. another occa-
sion i in the hour of danger afterwards, stoUd
face to face with ME. 1t was but a second.
He took in the. situation Ataglanees Like
myself, he Tcodld almost feel the. presence of
the bear, now twenty stops behind. Selling