The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-10-10

man, desiring TO De illSG dt lilo udiHty pei-
Torrance, dashes up, and not seeing or
thinking of any thing else, bangs away at
the bear, when the complaint of good dog
or somebody else on the opposite side of
the grand exciting fracas awakens him
from his frantic, unsportsman-like action
to recollection of the fact that there are
others in the hunt besides the bear, and
that he has shot, not the bear, bnt the
leader dog or his friend. In this kind of
super excitable character lies the danger in
the bear hunt-it is great-and when find
one of that sort in the company, always,
if the company refuse to leave their guns
at home, make my days business in some
other direction. Not many casualties &C.
cur when the company carries knives only.
We had many dogs crippled and some
killed. A few cases Of fights with large
old experienced he bears, who had expert
ence in fighting with the little red-mouthed
native dog, with yellow eyes and bushy
tail-a distinct race of Indigenous dogs.
The big old fellow knew what to do with
his own country, silent, little yellow dog.
But when the great big, uproarious, many
colored, crOp-eared, bob tailed American
dog undertook the chase, old bruin looked
upon the new trait in the manner of invad-
ing his domain as having some belligerent
amusement in it, and he would not lead
the chase far before he would stop and seat
himself for the noisy conflict. And then
came the danger to the sportsmen if they
had carried their guns into the chase.
All parties dash up to the roaring dogs
to find them ranting and raving at very
respectful distance from his forest majesty,
who, seated in the center of the surround
ing circle of his wide mouthed enemies,
sullenly erect, rolls his gorgon eyes in their
lie hn &c IN
slightly agap, his red tongue lolled a little
to one side, among his long, formidable
white teeth; his big, strong arms, tipped
with iron, down by his side-he lOokes as
large as three year old COW beast, but not
quite so amiable.
The yelling sportsmen drawing near
encourages the dogs, who pitch in. and
quick as thought the foremost dog is
smashed by single stroke of his iron clad
paw; whilst another is being doubled up in
the monsters arms, two or three joints of
his back bone torn out and he is thrown
aside a ruined dog. The balance of the
pack become more mannerly, bay at the
proper distance, and not many more of
them get hurt. The sportsmen, i'll the
meantime watching their opportunity, run
in give a stab with the knife, not on the
near side, but the opposite, for he is sure
to strike where the knife enters, and so
first one and then another stab him until
the old fellow weakens down and with a
low muttering prayer gives up the ghost.
Towards August the cane brake became
too hot for us and we prepared ourselves
for cooler sport. About mile above town
is the rapids This little fall gave the
place the name it was then known by
Falls of the Warrior. 1t consists of solid
flat rock, reaching perhaps, fifty yards up
and down the river and under lying both
banks with a dip of about twenty feet over
this nclining smooth floor. The water at
ordinary tide is about eight inches deep
and glides swiftly. We did not always
keep our feet when wading and fishing
with gig and torch Of nights. When one
slipped and fell the swift water was strong
enough to preclude the possibility of recov-
cry until it rolled you and your traps into
the foaming eddy below. We were very
successful with our gigs, both day and
night, killing fish on these rapids. They
were mostly what the Tennesseeans called
"drum fish," l had never seen any of
them before nor have l since, though l
have often heard of them in the Tombec-
bee river.
There were, also, some very large blue
catfish, some trout, and very plenty of all
kinds of the perch family. We very rarely
spent an idle day. When not fishing we
were out in the woods running and shoot
ing the deer before some of the numerous
packs of hounds that filled the country,
and soon run all the deer off and me too
My father came up one day and remarked
to me that these Tennesseeans and their
dogs are getting too thick; | shall have to
leave this country. "What do you think
of doing?" l replied. " l am like you, ex-
press yourself to be-tired of these greasy
people and their noisy dogs; and to tell you
the truth, father, l have never felt like this
is the country to stop in"
-FOUR sentiment pleases me-" said he:
81 have just returned from an exploring trip
over on the Tombecbee, a very pretty river
and country, about seventy Live miles west
Of this place. l think it a very desirable
country. Anyhow no people have got in
| there yet, and that's worth something"
was pleased with his description of the
wild uninhabited district of heavy forests,
extensive cane brakes, cypress swamps and
pretty river full of fish, and beaver and
otter. No marks of civilized destructive
ness nor Gathering bell nor yelping hound,
disturbed the maiden quietude of that dark
| forest.
We agreed to go as soon as a little pre-
| paration could be made. So on the night
of November the first, we all got together,
and camped on a little river called Sippee
in the Choctaw language, meaning tulip
tree (Lir,odendron tulipiera.) The names
| of all the water courses from here onward
are in the Choctaw language. We had a
pretty good working force along. There
was no sign of a road, and three or four
axe-men went in advance, and picking their
way did not find much chopping to do.
Indeed they got along too fast to please
me. 1t was my duty to go ahead and steer
the course for the choppers to follow, and
the deer, bears, wolves, turkeys, were
bouncing up in front of me, every few
hundred yards. The country between the
| Black warrior and Tombecbee rivers-over
which we were then traveling-had been a
long time disputed territory between the
Muscogees and Choctaws. Neither party
dare be found hunting on that forbidden
region, which accounts for the great num-
Der of wild beasts seen on our route.
1t was delightful autumn-not drop
of rain during our entire passage through
that dense wilderness, where the carriage
wheel had never before stamped its i'm
press on the face of that virgin soil.
1t was pleasant to observe how delightful
the women and children were as their scat
tered ranks strolled along gathering nuts,
which the slow moving wagons allowed them
plenty of time for. There was much fall
fruit, grapes, black haws Viburnum pru-
nifolium), shell bark, hackberry (Carga SUI
cata) and all kinds CT hickory nuts. But
the chestnuts (Castanea americana and C..
pamild) attracted the greatest attention.
With these the ground was literally strew-
ed, and they were dropping with every lit
tie shake of the wind in all directions. A
great number of the large forest trees
through that region are chestnut trees.
They were remarkably fruitful the year we
were moving and they added greatly to the
pleasures of our dry, autumnal journey in
the wilderness. They were Pumping down
every moment, and when we pitched our
camp of an evening We had to look out
that we did not locate it under a chestnut
tree. We had no use for our tents and did
not set one up during the route.
TO BE CONTINUED.
THE COURIERS OF THE CAR.
The Russian couriers, or pony express
| men, Or mail carriers, as you may choose