The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-05
GUIDES ODD ADVENTURES
HOW A BEAR SWAN TO SRORE
WITH A WCODSMAN.

rary headquarters. For the information of
those unacquainted with Adirondack
geography. Mud Lake is in the western
section, near the head waters of the cele-
| brated Bog river, familiar to all sportsmen
who visit this country.
Eventually, lumbermen will doubtless
! clear off the forests which cover the shores
and surrounding hills-elevations hardly
worthy to be dignifed as mountains-thus
running the locality for the disciples of
| Nimrod or Izaak Walton. Our camp is
pitched near the outlet. upon slightly rising
ground, presenting view OF the other end
of the lake, perhaps two miles distant. Its
shores are everywhere lined with a pro-
| fusion of lily pads, rendering il a favorite
browsing ground for deer. During the past
week some rare sport has fallen to our lot,
| the variations in which have been largely
contributed by changeable weather, favor
| ing both hunting and fishing.
Early in the week our larder ran low,
while the weather was 50 outrageously fine
that fish stuDbornly refused to assist in the
process of replenishing. No supplies could
be had nearer than Upper Lake, and nearly
| two days would be Consumed by the round
| trip, so that we were reduced to the neces-
| sity of killing a deer. The suTeSt method
! of procedure is hunting by night, when
deer come from the woods for the double
avoiding the insects which annoy them. An
autocratic sportsman rather disfavors this
| method, which he regards as violation Of
| the canons of truest sportsmanship. But
our hungry party had neither time nor in
clination to discuss the ethical features OF
| that question; venisOn we must have and
venison we got. Improvising Jack" Ia
| lantern with screen to throw all It's rays for
| ward at the bow of the boat, l started out
| with 'Gena IurDie about IL o'clock.
DEER HUNTING AT NIGHT.
No one could be more expert with the
paddle than Gene; he showed our light craft
| along noiseIessly, at fair pace, until we
reached the upper end Of the lake. He then
| slackened the speed, for there we conf
IDENTIFY expected to find deer feeding, and
both gave attention to any noises which
might indicate their presence.
In less than ten minutes there was loud
| splashing about fifty yards in front, but
| before he could get within range the game
had escaped to the woods, snorting loudly
as he crashed through the underbrush. This
| was probably an experienced old buck, for
| the younger deer, never having been shot
/ at yield TO their natural curiosity, and
stand where they are feeding among the
pads, watching an approaching light, until
/ they fall easy victims to the rifle.
| After padding around a half hour l no
ticed slight noise among the pads, and
motioned Gene to head the boat in that di-
| rection. Straining our eyes to the utmost
| we shortly caught sight Of deer, some
! twenty yards off, standing motiUnless and
staring at the light. We were now among
the pads, which, grazing the boats sides,
created some noise, but insufficient to
brighten our game. With Winchester
leveled, waited until hardly eight yards
distant, when, aiming for his shoulder.
fired. There was a brief plunging and
laundering, but the aim had been taken &C.
curately and all was soon over.
Without much difficulty we lifted into
the boat a fine spike-horn buck-the very
best of eating-and sped along to camp,
| which was reached in time to secure a few
hours of needed rest. Cloudy and drilling
weather greeted us the following morning,
affordiug the four PASTORAL experts OF our
party favorable opportunity to try their
skill,
To a social naturalist the indigenous
Northwoodsman presents field for re-
search, than which none better exists His
hard struggle with an inhospltable country
and niggardly soil, to make both ends meet,
has left him matter-of-fact, absolutely de-
void of sentiment, and with limited cir
conference to his ideas. By all means
kindly treat him in this spirit. for his den
sity to joke surpasses that Of an average
Britisher. And yet, for certain estimsble
traits of character, one might scrape the
earth with fine-tooth comb to discover his
superior.
UNCLE MART's BEAR STORY.
Doubtless these qualities insure the
veracity of the greater number Of guides
tales of adventure, for, as class, they are
phlegmatic unimaginative, given neither
to hypothesis nor soaring IN the realms of
fiction.
These congratulations are merely prefa-
tory to batch of stories we heard a few
| evenings since.
A party of gentlemen, with their guides,
from Upper Lake, hadaioined US in the
afternoon, and deciding to camp for the
night had augmented our number to a
dozen or more. That evening, before our
campfire, the air redolent with tobacco
from a sprinkling of pipes, and With ample
beer to stimulate the guides to loquacious-
ness, we imbibed some choice bits of Adj
rondack prowess and adventure. We were
fortunate in having among US "Unclen
Mart Moody, one of the older and more ex-
perienced guides of this region, and quite a
celebrity in his particular line. After one
or two Indifferent stories up spoke "Uncle'
Mart, who could no longer resist the tempta-
ton.
"Boys," said he, "you remember that big
snow storm we had In October, four years
backY
They all remembered.
"Well, | was comm back from takin' a
man to the Prospect house, up to Upper
Saranac. the day that storm struck here.
Jus as | come into the 'Narrers' the snow
began to come down like old fury. The
wind was from the west, and colder n step
mothers breath. To git out of the swell
Rugged the west shore, an went in back OF
Eagle Island, purposin' TO keep under the
shore all the way to the Carry When |
was couple of rod from Watch Island |
peered roun' to git nv bearins. The snow
was thick and smacked me so hard |
couldn't see very far ahead; but on the left
I see what | guessed was Little Watch
Island. So | yanked on my right oar, a
plannin' to git between it an the shore.
After pullin' about twenty strokes thought
I'd take another squirt at it, so 8 not to git
too near an stove my back on tho ledge
well, sir, instid of Little Watch Island, |
found | was a headin' for the biggest black
bear 1 ever see swim. | was so close to him
I'M goin' so fast didn't have time to turn
the boat, an struck him plump on the back
The boat stopped SO sudden it chucked me
down in a heap, an as | was pickin my
self up Pll be blamed if didn't see the old
cuss' black nozzle comm up over the edge
of the boat.
"For l could grab an oar an let him
have it, the boat went over ker-hops
dumpin' me an my rife an pack into the
lake. The water was SO cold was hummer
n a nigger's skull the minute it touched me.
When | come up I'd just enough sense left
to make wild grab, hoping to catch the
| boat hefOre IL drifked off Wall cir II