The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1892-02-05
A HUNTER PEDAGOGUE,
ONE EVE ON THE SCHOLARS, THE
OTHER OUT FOR GAME.


There Was a Runway Where Wild Deer
scampered Near the School House, and
the Teacher Constantly Watched Both
Ie and the 31ischievous Youth.
Nicholas Church, one of the Oldest
hunters in the Poceno mountains, said
to the writer the other day: 'Sixty-six
years ago went to school. to Alexander
Dunbar in a little log school house down
in the Pocono valley, near where Tan
nersville now is. An odd character
Dunbar was. He stood over six feet in
his socks, he was lean as a crane and he
could run like deer. He always kept
a loaded rifle 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 runway. He was crazy for hunt
ing, and whenever he saw deer dash
across the road or heard a hound baying
in the woods he appeared to forget all
about his school for the time being.
Without saying word to any of the
scholars he would grab his rifle, rush
ont of the house bareheaded 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
doe slung over his shoulder, and then
again maybe we wouldn't see anything
of him till the next morning Dunbar
always got deer if he had to stay on
the trail till dark. While he was off on
one of his exciting hunts the children
generally staid in the little house and
had great play SPELL When it was
time to go home, if Dunbar didn't make
his appearance, we dismissed ourselves.
, After-a while some of the parents found
out how Dunbar was neglecting his
school, and they hauled him over the
Goals for it. But they couldn't break
Dunbar of his mania for chasing deer.
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.
'-s A NARROW ESCAPE.
"One day Dunbar had a terrible fight
with a wounded buck ON Pocono creek.
He came within an ace of losing his life,
bnt he was just as crazy to chase deer
after that as he was before. I'll show
you what kept Dunbar from being killed"
continued Mr.. Church, and he brought
out an old bent and rusty rife barrel that
had once sent bullets flying after game
from fiintlock. "Dunbar's gun was out
of kilter," resumed the old hunter, land
] took this rife to the school house for
him to use. It belonged to my father,
and Dunbar got chance to use it before
night. That afternoon he saw buck
trot down the runway, and he seized the
rife and gave chase. The buck was tax
ing it easy. and the longlegged school
master banged away at him near the
creek. The buck plunged forward and
plowed In the snow and Dunbar ran up
to cut his throat. Just as Dumb got to
him the buck reused up and pitched at
him savagely. He had been shot through
the nose, and he Was as full of fight as a
wounded panther There was no charge
in the rifle. and Dunbar dropped his
knife and went to beating the angry
buck off with the gun. He soon broke
stock and then he fought the buck with
the barrel, bending it in the fight as you
see it low. 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 school house he was the
raggedest schoolmaster ever saw, for
the game animal had torn his homespun
suit into strips with his sharp hoofs.
Dunbar declared that he enjoyed the
fight and was ready for another of the
same sort.
--' SCHOLARS LIKED DUNBAR.
"Every other Saturday there was no
school, and Dunbar took tho whole day
for hunting. He got in the habit of
coaxing tame buck that belonged to my
folks to follow him into the woods when
he went after deer. The buck soon got
SO that he was tickled to go with the
schoolmaster, and before long he formed
the habit of wandering away from Dun
bar, 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 father 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 in pen when
ever Dunbar had holiday. While l
think about it Ill tell you what an in
genious way Dunbar had to stop whisper
ing in the school. He had yarn ball,
and every time he caught one of US
whispering he threw the ball at the whis-
perer, hitting him or her. The scholar
that was hit had to stand in the middle
LOT 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 a still school. -
Cor. New York Tribune.