The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1873-12-05
M eIIaneOus.
For THE AEgis Dc Intelligencer.
Wilburn Waters, the White Top Hunter,
Among the Wolves and Bears.


Among the Wolves and Bears.
MIR. BAKER: trust it will not be as un.
pleasant to you as the application of wet
blanket in winter, to get another letter
from me in reference to that remarkable
man, Wilbur Waters, the great hermit
hunter of White Top Mountain, so many
of whose daring exploits have given you
in former letters.
1t affords me pleasure to be able to send
you, after many Intellectual efforts to get
him to sit for his likeness, an accurate pho
tograph of the old hunter. He is now on
visit to me, and for several evenings has
been relating to me a series of thrilling adj
ventures with bears and wolves and other
"varmints," since we had last met. This
he does in peculiar manner, looking the
animal he is describing, initiating its ac-
tons and its growl, howl or scream, as the
case may be.
This is his first visit to me since 1861,
though l have several times seen him at
his own wigwam in the recesses and seclu-
sion of the great mountains, where his dis
trust and dislike of the outside world have
led him to make his habitation. If you
think it will at all interest any of your
readers, will give you, as near as can,
the account he gave me last night of an
incident in one of his late wolf hunts, and
fearful fight with big bear
tried to tell you in a former letter of
one of his wolf hunts in the Black Noun
tain of North Carolina, in which he cap
tured eleven. During thehunt in which oc-
Cured the incident l am about to relate, he
killed and captured .f0rty-taoO. He was en-
tirely alone, without even dog, high up
one of the tall peaks Of the Roam Mountain
range, and several miles away from the near
est human habtation. He was in search of
gang of five wolyes-two old ones, and
three about half grown-that had been
very destructive Of stock in the adjacent
valleys, running out dogs that had been
put upon their trail, and even evincing a
disposition to attack men when alone.
Wilburn had found "sign," and had fol-
lowed it up to a tall cliff near the summit
of one of the highest and most inaccessible
peaks in the range. 1t was warm, driz-
Fly day, and the "sign appearing to be sew
eral days old, and having greatly tatigued
himself working his way up through tang
led vines and laurel, and climbing over and
around beetling precipices, he lay down to
rest under shelving rock, and fell asleep.
In about an hour he arose refreshed, and
crawling out of his resting place he found
that the old leader Of the gang had been
accommodating while he slept, and had
passed along on ledge few feet below
him. Picking up his gun and tomahawk,
he took the track, and on approaching a
precipice, he saw the old male wolf at its
base, quietly licking his chops and appar-
emily winding prey in the distance. Steal
thily advancing to within convenient range,
Wilburn drew bead and fired, and the
most formidable wolf of the gang fell dead
in his tracks. Securing the skin, which
was an exceedingly large one, he made his
way with great difficulty to the top of the
precipice, and there just over the turn of
the summit. he saw the four Others gambol-
ing like so many puppies, they having
failed to hear the report of his gu4 under
the cliff. Crawling to within forty yards
of them, he pulled down" and killed two
at one fire, the Others retreating to their
den near by.
Having started out with the determine
ton of capturing the whole family, he
went to digging with sharpened stick,
and soon reached one, which he drew out
NY luC llbi lSSo, uull lICll blSU llS lCCb
together. He had to widen the passage for
a distance of 10 or 10 feet before he could
reach the other. The hole being barely
large enough to admit his body, there was
no way for the wolf to escape, and he had
to meet him face to face All that he could
see fthe animal was his eyes, which shone
like two balls of fire in the darkness of the
cavern, and having no room operate with
gun or tomahawk, he cautiously slipped
his hand above the VOLTS head, grasped
him by the nape of the neck, then brought
him out and tied him as he had the other.
He then marched out into the settlements
with two live wolves and three skins, with
without having received a scratch or vast
ing load of ammunition. The days work
brought him $175, made up by the settlers,
whose stock had been destroyed and whose
lives had been menaced by the gang.
l have scarcely left myself room for an
intelligent narration of the
BEAR FIGHT,
but ify you will indulge me / will make it
as short us can.
On the 1st day of January last, Wilburn,
feeling hungry for little fresh bear meat,
started out with his gun, tomahawk ard
dogs for u hunt in Pine Mountain, one of
the highest, toughest and most inaccessible
in all this mountain region. Its surface is
broken by towering precipices of rock and
deep, dark chasms, and densely covered
with dwarf pines and matted wild vines.
Ascending this as well as he could at an
angle of As degrees, and the earth covered
with solid sheet of ice, when but short
distance from the top lie heard his dogs
with some kind of game at bay. Knowing
that no "varmint" but bear would seek
refuge in spot so high and rugged, he hast
ened on as fast as he could, zigzagging
along narrow lodges, and at one place
crossing deep and dangerous chasm on a
tree that had fallen across ii, and which
was nauarnd with ino hn nnanrnnd into ar