The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1894-02-28
A BEAR BEE HUNTER.
MONTGOMERY FOLSOM VISITS OKE-
FENOKEE SWAMP

And w rites interestingly W w nav go ~~NN-
and Saw There--Bear in "a Bee Tree.
That vast morass, still sort of terra
incognita despite the recent improve
ments. the Okefenokee swamp, has been
a resort for galne of all kinds since the
discovery of the country.
Lying on the line of Georgia and Flor
ida. with the bold st. Mary's emerging
from the eastward to wind its sluggish
way to the Atlantic; and the dark and
legendary Suwannee flowing from it's
western edge to tread it's tortuous route
through the pine barrens to the Gulf OF
Mexico, is one of the greatest natural
phenomena of the south.
1t was the last stronghold of the stray
Cling bands of the Creek Indians along in
the thirties, and long time was required
to disl0dge them from the hammock
islands, in the interior, which are sur
rounded by grimy boys and gloomy
thickets.
Bear, dear, turkeys, panthers, wildcats,
alligators and wild hogs, and with all
sorts of smaller game were plentiful
there, and even since it has been partially
explored there is enough game to attract
the sportsman at all times.
One of it's characteristics has always
been the immense number of bee trees to
be found in and around its branches
Old hunters used to say that ''every
tenth tree is bee tree, anywheres nigh
the swamp and it was almost literally
true. Even now when the swamp
is dryest hunting parties FRI
quently 90 out and spend several days
gathering the wild honey and wax from
these bee trees.
There is no finer sport than hunting
wild turkeys in the swamp when there is
not too much wat er nor too many mos
qllitos and yellow flies
One morning in November, sort of
close, foggy morning, when the hunter
is able to creep about in the thickets and
approach this wary bird unawares, set
out for turkey hunt in ''the pocket" a
sort of peninsula extending consider
able distance between an arm of the
swamp and the SuwaLnee river.
The mists hung so heavily that objects
were only observable few yards ahead.
/ had walked couple of miles and
was on the alert for the ''cluck, cluck' of
a gang of turkeys, as they do not go0ble
at this season of the year, when suddenly
/ heard low, indistinct rumbling, like
the roar of distant cataract or the
rush of an approaching train.
| walked on few hundred yards, the
noise increasing as l approached, until
I came to the edge of a cypress pond
which was now dry. The tall trees
arose like giant sentinels on every side
and their bare crests were hidden in the
mists that still hung heavily over that
desolate spot.
[ could now hear the roaring quite
plainly, interspersed with an occasiona
snarl, and l stopped to think over the
matter and try to get at solution of
the mystery. @
Finally decided to make closer in
vestigation, keeping sharp lookout
ahead and holding my double barrel in
hand ready for any emergency.
Ny steps were muf1ed by the soft car
pet of moss that covered the ground,
and as l crept eau ioasly forward light
wind sprang up and set the mists in
motion.
AS [ approached the mysterious noise
it soon became apparent that it was lOca-
ted uewhere up in the tree tops, and I
e., most like retreating from the I'M
canny spot.
Suddenly, however, the fog cleared and
the first rays of the sun tipped the rag
ged cypress tops, and peering carefully
through a screen of brambles, l deserted
the object of my search.
Perched upon a stout limb, about f rty
ct from the ground, was huge black
bear gnawing and gnawing at knot
hole in the trunk of the tall cypress.
Around his shaggy head the enraged
bees were swarming, and every now and
then, as their stings would become I'M
bearable, he would pause in his work
and with snarl slap himself right and
left to drive them off.
SpelI-bound by the strange sight l
crouched down among the branches to
await developments.
Bruin had discovered the natural bee