, 1892-03-04
A PEDAGOGUE::
WHO WAS A MIGHTY NIMROD In
THE STATE or NEW YORK.

How He Hunted During and After
school Hours--An Interesting
Incident with wounded Buck
--Hoys he stopped Whispering.
New York Tribune Nicholas Church,
one Of the oldest hunters in the Pocono
mountains, said to the writer the other
day: sSixty-six years ago I went to school
to Alexander Dunbar in little log school
house down in the Pocono valley, near
where TannersYille now is. An odd char
aeter Dunbar was. He stood over six feet
in his socks, he was lean as crane, and he
could run like deer. He always kept a
loaded rife standing by his chair in the
school house. A few yards up the road
there was runway where deer crossed the
creek. During school hours Dunbar
always seemed to have one eye on the rum
way. He was crazy for hunting, and
whenever he saw a deer dash across the
road, or heard hound baying in the
woods, be appeared to forget all about his
school for the time being. Without say
ing word to any of the scholars he
would grab his rifle, rush out of the house,
bare-headed, and away he'd go after
the deer like an Indian. Sometimes we
would see him coming back in less than an
hour with buck or a doe slung over his
shoulder, and then may be we wouldn't
see anything of him until the next morn
ing. Dunbar always got a deer if he had
to stay on the trail till dark. While he was
off on one of his exciting hunts the chill
dren generally stayedin in the house and had
a great play spell. When it was time to
IN.,,,l 49,, 4
pearance, we dismissed ourselves. After
q while some of the parents found out how
Dunbar was negIecting his school, and
they hauled him over the GOALS for it. But
they couldn't break Dunbar of his mania
for chasing der Nothing could and after
that Dunbar told one of the big boys to
take charge of the school when he dashed
out with his gun.
Zone day Dunbar had a terrible fight
with a wounded buck on Pocono creek.
He came within an ace of losing his life.
but he was Just as crazy to chase deer af-
ter that as he was before. TN show you
what kept Dunbar from being killed !" con-
tinued Mr.. Church, and he brought out an
old bent and rusty rifle barrel that had
once sent bullets flying after game from
a hlntlock. "Dunbar's gun was out of
kilter, resumed the old hunter, land
took this rifle to the school house for him
to use. Tt belonged to my father and
That afternoon he saw buck trotdown
the runway and he seized the rifle and
gave chase. The buck was taking it easy,
and the long-legged schoolmaster banged
away at him near the creek. The buck
plunged forward and ploWed in the snow.
and Dunbar ran up to cut histhroat. Just
as Dunbar got to him the buck reused 4p
and pitched at him savagely. He had
been shot through the nose, and he was as
full Of fight as wounded panther. There
was no charge in the rifle, and Dunbar
dropped his knife and went to beating the
angry buck Oft with the gun. He soon
broke the stock and then he fought the
buck with the barrel, bending it in the
fight as you see it now. Every time the
buck pitched at him Dunbar knocked a
spike from his antlers, and when it was all
over Dunbar had trimmed every spike from
his horns. He finally stunned the buck
long enough to cut his throat, and when
he lugged the buck to the schoolhouse he
was the raggedest sehoolmaster [ ever
saw, for the game animal had torn
his homespun suit into strips with his
sharp hoofs. Dunbar declared that he en-
joyed the fight and was ready for another
of, the same sort.
Every other Saturday there was no
school. and Dunbar took the whole day for
hunting. He got in the habit of coaxing a
tame buck that belonged to my folks to
follow him into the woods when he went
after deer. Inc DUCK soon got so that he
was tiGkled to go with the schoolmaster
and before long he formed the habit Of
wandering away from Dunbar, making
friends with wild deer and leading them
around where Dunbar could get shots at
them. Dunbar thought the trick was very
cunning, and SO did we boys, but my faith
er didn't think SO. When he found out
what Dunbar was doing with the buck he
put a stop to the fun by fastening the
buck i'll a pen whenever Dunbar had hol-
iday. While [ think about it I will tell
you what an ingenious way Dunbar had to
stop whispering in the school. He had
yarn ball, and every time he caught one of
us whispering he threw the ball at the
whisperer, hitting him or her. The sehol-
ar that was hit had to stand in the middle
of the room with the ball and throw it at
the first one he caught whispering, and SO
on all day. We liked the way Dunbar
tried to keep still school.