Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-02-14
FOOD FOR ALLIGATORs.
some Bubbles, Little Blood, ana
Good-By to Your Dog.

'You may say what you please. but
nv hounds would make pretty music
this morning let out after a bear OF
deer"
So spoke John II. Dilworth, OF Cum
berland Island, and a member OF the
last State Senate from that district, TO
reporter of the Atlanta Journal. !,
Mr.. Dilworth is famous hunter and
needs but little encouragement TO tell
OF some of his hunting exploits.
AS he spoke he half closed one OF ms
blue eyes and put his hand up to feel
the nipping breeze from the north.
eyes, sir" he resumed, I'D give
deer fine run if / was at home this
morning"
SCOT some good dogsg''
ssSome tip-top ones. We lose on an
average about fifteen dogs a year,
though"
"Howi"
1.-THE alligators kill them. When the
weather is warm the deer will take to
the water, and in every little pond on
the island there's a score or two OF alll-
gators. As the deer swims out the
hounds follow, yelping as loud as they
can, which attracts the alligators.
"You may then say good by to some
of your dogs. II you'll watch, you IL
see one or two dogs Suddenly disappear,
leaving lot of bubbles on the water,
and maybe some blood, aud that's the
last of that dog. The gators hold him
under the water until he is drowned.
and then swim ashore with him, where
they'll tear him in pieces and devour
him.
"Do they ever catch deerl"
"Yes, / have known them to pull q
deer under, but not often. The yelping
of the hounds attracts them, and then
they love dog meat, believe, better
than anything else.
"What else do you hunt on tue
islandl"
1--WE have thousands OF ducks, but
want bigger game than that, and gener-
ally 60 for either deer or bear, and
there's some fun in hunting coon.
When the tide rises the coons all leave
the marshes and come out on the high
land, where they climb into the tall
trees and wait for the tide 10 go down.
j went ont the other day and killed IF
teen in little while.
"How do you hunt the bsarsl"
"With my dogs and my old muzzle-
loader. I'm afraid to risk a breech-
loader. / also set steel traps for them.
! found one OF my Traps shut the other
day, aud in it were three bears toes.
about week aft that my dogs
freed something up big pine tree. l
rode under the tree, thinking it was a
coon. The bushes were very thick, but
II ,,rsall via saf tho frAa
| saw a large bear Rugged close to the
tree trunk. My gun. was loaded with No.
s shot and | knew if / shot him with
those, he'd make his escape. l put
spurs to my horse and galloped as hard
as | could TO the house half mile dis
tant. loaded my gun with buck shot and
returned as quickly rs | could. The
dogs were still baying the bear, and
among them was shepherd dog that
was great coon dog. fired load
into the bears back and down be came
like two thousand Of brick. The shep-
herd dog thought had killed coon and
rushed forward to shake it. When he
saw the bear struggling. | just thought
he'd break his neck getting out or the
way. He seemed to feel mad at me,
because he evidently thought "a put up
job on him"
care the Cumberland bears very fe-
rocious q
"No, sir. They're the biggest towards
in the worll. Last Sunday was driv-
ing along the road iu little two-wheeled
gig. l saw bear inst ahead of me in
the edge OF q field close to the road. l
whipped up my horse, and as soon as
the bear saw me he broke into q long
swinging trot. He took the road,
and as / gained on him he broke into a
lope. Ny morse backed his ears aud was
soon laundering a.ong behind the beaJ,
which was scared nearly to death. Tbs
old fellow ran about two hundred ya.ds
down the road and then took to the
fields. My horse followed him and ran
him clear into the woods, and I'll bej
that bear viii remember his Sunday
afternoons race all the balance of his
life," aud Mr.. Dilworth ehuckled to
himself as he thcaght about it.
'Tm going back home on the East
Tennessee train that leaves in a few
minutes" concluded tho old hunter. and
l can't talk to you any longer, but if
you'll just come down to Brunswick and
then on across TO Cumberland prom
Use you'll have some Sne sport.