Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-08-25
Bears I'm a Melon Patch.


l once worked on watermelon plantation
| where we had 100 acres under vines at one time.
The curious thing about the business was that
| our hardest fight wasn't agin weeds. 1t was
agin bears-black bears. We'd got the vines
| all shooting along, some of them with melons
| on 'em as big as pumpkin, and the old man
was getting the road to the river cleared out so
| as to be ready for shipping, when one morning
| in came one of the boys, and says he:
"SOmethinR has broke down the worm fence
and battered up about an acre OF the vines in the
clearin'."
We'd Just cleared about ten acres of woodland
| the past winter. and melons were doing amaz-
| ingy well In that field So you may know the
Old man ~as mad when he heard this. Him
| and ! went down to see what was up and we
| saw in minute that it was bears
There were tracks. just as they were made by
men walking on their hands, IN the soft earth
| all over the field, and the vines was torn up and
ripe and green melons mashed to flinders in
way that nothing but bear could do
They'll be back tonight" said the old man.
"You and Josh and Ii nry clean out your rifles
| and be ready for EN-"
There was a full moon that night, and tell
you things looked purity. Josh and Henry and
settin' behind stulnps with our rifles across orr
| laps. waiting The fence was still tore down at
the point nearest the woods and the moonlight
| shining on the dark forest. where we expected
| the bears to come from aud then on the field of
watermelon vines. whose white tendrils glist-
! ened like silver, looked mighty purity.
Now and then we heard screect-Owl Yelling
down in the woods. but We didn't pay no atten-
ton to that; and presently saw bear come
out and walk slowly into the field. He was
big fellow, as black as coal in the moonlight,
| and he wasn't in any hurry, either. He saunt-
cred along rs slow as you please over to q big
striped Georgia melon, and settfn' down on his
| hams. he just picked that melon up in his two
fOre-paws and smashed it between 'em like
paper. In half minute his whole head was
dripping with juice and Icould hear him smack
| ing his lips like hog.
We let him alone. according to the old mans
instruction, waiting until there should be bear
apiece for u.s. for the tracks showed that at least
six of EN- had been around the night before.
In few minutes along came another one and
then there walked in an old she with two little
! ones at her heels. We had three bears now.
but nary one of us fired. Watching them bears
was the biggest picnic ever saw. Sometimes
they'd catch up melon just as you'd take I'D q
baby. and, holding 1t close to 'en travel across
the field on their hind legs until they'd see
bigger one, and then smash would 60 the rind,
and juice would drip of 'em like they had just
come out Of q bath.
l was watching the old she teaching her
young ones how to break into the juicy part,
when crack went JOsh's rife and the whole gang
started on = run. The vines tripped 'em up so
that they couldn't 90 very fast and we each
bagged one of 'em, mine being one Of the young
ones. We watched every night after that till
the season was over. butthey were kind of wary
now, and we never shot more than one in q
night. While we'd be sitting in one field wait
Ing for them. they'd be rip-snorting away at
the fruit on the other side Of the plantation.
Bears are keener after watermelons than
negro ana can say no more than that.