The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-21
STORIES OF THE FLOOD.
Where the Bears Go When the Water
Floods the Swamps

Where the Bears Go When the Water
Floods the Swamps.
A group OF passengers. on one of the
river steamers day or two ago, was dis
cussing the flood, and the conversation
turned on what the bears do when the
floods come into the swamps. Bears are
plentiful in all the outlying swamps on both
sides of the Savannah river, from near
Stokes bluff to the Charleston b ridge
I'm the high swamps," said one Of the
group, who was native, 1.-THE bears go up
a tree and wait for the flood to go down.
The deer is smart, and he gets upon high
log and there he stays"
THAT reminds me, said one of the party,
show Golden lost his gun. Did you ever
! hear the story!n
"Well, Golden and a companion were
chopping wood in the swamp, and as the
waters began to get uncomfortably high,
they took boat to go to higher ground.
While padding along near the edge of the
swamp they saw bear up little water
oak. Golden had shotgun, and the
| other woodsman had no weapon but
an ak. They halted a little above the
| place where the bear was freed, made fast
| the boat and began to argue about the
| division of the bear meat. They agreed to
| halve it, but Golden wanted the hide. L
| have the gum he said, and am entitled
to it, No. said the other, 'In have to
| finish him with the ak, for the buckShot
| won't kill him. They couldn't agree, and
were about to leave bruin in repose when a
compromise was effected. If the gun killed
| the bear Golden was to have the hide; If it
was killed with the ak it was to be the ak
| mans. Advancing to a safe distance one
| rested en- the ak and the other opened fire
| on the bear. Golden shot all his buckshot
- =
| seemed to take very little interest in
| the proceedings beyond occasionally turn
| ing wicked glance in the direction of the
| woodslnen, as if ne had half way notion
| of coming down to see what they were
| mOnkeying about. 1t occurred to Golden
| that he had some pistol balls In the boat,
and he started back to get them. followed
| by his companion. who preferred helping to
| hunt them instead of hunting the bear
| The gun was loaded with the pistol balls
| and their size restored confidence, so that
| the hunters stood almost under the bear
when Golden let both barrels go at once.
| The bear jumped down between the hunters
and turned hunter himself. Golden
dropped the he gun his companion .
hunters ran a dead heat for the boat
| They got into deep water, and after the ex-
| citement had measurably worn off, Golden
| asked his companion il he were going back
after the ak, and added, You might bring
| the gun along, too oh, no, podner,' said
| the axman, 4 have no use for the ak; you
can have it when you go back for the
| hide"
"Did Golden go back!" queried an inter
| ested listener.
81 never heard, replied the story teller,
''but GoIden'S partner says the water riz
fast after the bar fight and you can form
| your own conclusion"
speak, & bout bahs," broke in another,
"you nevah hearn tell of my Uncle Ike a
tellin' of story that want rock bottom fack.
He wuz in the Har'son fresh, and got out
cypress ovah on Bah crick when the fresh
IL come. What he didl't know about bahs
the bahs didn't know themselves. He could
tell whah the biggest bahs used by the
mawks on the t ees, ana the young bahs by
the little mawks. Lohd wouldn't this
| freshve knocked him all out of lint.
He thought that was big
| flood, and he usend to tell US boys, 'Pshaw,
| you young bucks don't know when thar's a
| big rise in the rivah. You oughen for to
| hav seen the Har'son fresh But that
amt comm to my Uncle IkeS bah story.
| My Uncle Ike, he was a cuttin' of cypress
| ovah on Bah crick, and his shanty was pom
| a high knoll, and the watah had kyered
| everything in two states 'ceptn that knoll.
| One night along about the turn of the night
| thar come knock on the doh and my Uncle
| ike seq Come in and who should step in
but a big black bah A light was blazin'
| from pine knot in the chimley, and Uncle
| Ike rz up in bed to see who mout come in
on him, and thar YVES the bah, and the teahs
was runnin' down his eyes My Uncle Ike
was about to rech for his gun, but when he
seed the teahs streamin' down he hadn't the
heart to shoot, and the 'pealin' look was too
much for Uncle Ike.
"Drownded out, by thundah, said my
Uncle Ike.
"The bah nodded his head.
Hungry as a bah, too said my Uncle
Ike.
1.-THE bah nodded his head.
IAN you'd as soon lunch on me- said my
Uncle Ike; and this time he rech for his
shootin' iron.
THE bah shook his head and began to
cry.
81 won't play low down trick on that
bah, by thundah, said my Uncle Ike, If he
snakes me out. Thar's a pot of hOminy
Cvah by the JAM says my Uncle Ike to tue
bah; help YOURSELF
"lhe bah went over and took the clap
boahds off the pot and went down in itwith
his nose and eat half of the mess.
"'Go the whole hog says my Uncle Ike;
IN have another mess / side of il in the
maunln If | amt inside of you
"Well sal, gentelmeGs, my Uncle Ike says
the all eat the whole mess, and laid down
on the puncheons, by the side of the bunk,
with grunt. The next nawnln' the watah
was lappin' the doh step and was OH a
and, and for fob days the bah and my
Uncle Ike ct outen er same Pot. On the
fifth day the oah left early in the ma wnin',
and that night, little aftah the moon riz,
n, 49, I,.,N