The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-24

/ bear and his habits he knows 70 perfec-
] ton Just who "Old Pete in and whore
ne came from no one seems 10 know. but
| there is a suspicion that he is Weii-5red
man from the east with a history he has
| tried 10 forget in the White river bottoms
ing refinement under "Oid Pete's" rough
/ covering, and his daughter, with whom
| he lives, seems possessed Of a knowledge
| OF the world that could only be taught
Dy man OF education However, "Old
feteS gal, as she is called by the ma
| ives KNOWS as little OF her rather his
Tory as the neighbOrs themselves. But
mans past In that country counts for
| little. and the fact that the old bear hunt
~ siIls thoroughly ADJUSTED 70 the condi-
II one asks odd Pete" how many cattle
| ne has roaming through the rich bottom
land he cannot tell. He knows he has
a great many, and he knows when the
| butcher comes along for small drove
| ne can supply him. That will furnish
| him with more money than he and his
| gar will need for the year More money
than that he does not care for. His cattle
| give MIN little concern, and he wastes
| but little time thinking or talking about
| them. But the bear About bear he is
willing and anxious 10 talk at all times,
ana ne VIII come pretty near telling all
about the movements of the bear within
twenty miles of his home. He knows
their feeding grounds and loafng grounds
and when anything arises TO change their
habitat he knows IL at once.
To hunt bear with "Old Pete is great
| sport, for he is sure to do the right
! thing looking to the capture of a bear.
A small party left Memphis one day last
| fall for Pete's ranch on the bottoms. 1t
Is a long distance from any civilized
point to the old hunters cabin, but If
one gets within mile Of the place there
| Is no trouble to locate IL finally, for
| Pete's dogs roam at large, and they are
continually barking at some point with
| in mile of the place.
The party started for the heavy tim
| Der, well back of the lower bottom land,
| for the old bear man was certain that
find "a hon n
\ he had selected, and in order TO make
/ his capture more swift and sure the old
| hunter worked his miscellaneous pack.
/ from the bottom out into the higher
| ground. The cane in that vicinity is very
/ thick, and when the bear is pressed by
| the pack he makes for this cane thicket.
! There he has the dogs at a disadvan-
| tage, for in the very narrow paths they
| cannot crowd around him and give him
must face him in small numbers in the
/ thicket from one direction, and to fight
/ a pack OF dogs in the thick cane is moth
! ing but fun for bear. He can make
! one or two to death, and cut a few more
/ to pieces with his ugly paws before the
| reason the bear makes for the bottoms
/ when the dogs get after him. The old
/ hunter proposed to forestan such a plan
/ by getting between the bottom land and
| the higher ground, so that when a bear
| was jumped he would be forced to run
| the other way.
]
| ucular time, the old hunter counted on
! giving one of them "A sharp run out into
| the woods. Then, when the bear turned
and made for the canebrake the dogs
/ would have him so badly blown that he
would be brought to bay on the high
| ground.
The old hunters calculations were
right. for we had scarcely got out of the
| bottom when the strike" dogs of the
! pack began to give tongue on good
trail. A little further on the whole pack
| went away yelping with all their might
! There were four in the party of hunters,
| and, of course all were mounted.
Following the old hunters instructions
| we spread out so as to turn the bear back
! into the high ground should he attempt
| to make for the canebrake. For mile or
/ more the bear led the dogs a merry gal
! loD straightway then he turned and
made short circuit in yhe big woods. al
/ ways wen IN advance of the dogs. After
/ a run of more than an hour the yelping
/ of the pack gave evidence that they were
I closer to their game and that the bear
/ was firing. Soon he turned and made
/ straight for the bottoms. where he knew
the cane was thick. But the pack was
get out of the high ground the leaders
| had nipped his heels as he went along
Whenever the dogs get so close to a
| bear that they can bite him as he runs
| the bear stops to fight and Immediately
4 rears upon his launches in defiance of his
| tormentors. The dogs surround him. TAX
| ing care to keep a safe distance away.
| When the bear charges at one portion of
| the pack the rest of the dogs are yelping
and biting at his heels. This causes him
| to turn.
Now. the dogs that are attacking him so
! fiercely from behind turn tail and run,
! followed by the bear Meanwhile the
! other dogs turn upon the bear and pro-
! coed to nip him until he turns again
| Bear and dogs by this time are thoroughly
/ excited, and, turn whichever way he will
! the bear finds snarling cur nipping his
heels: Finally, he rears upon his legs,
and, by keeping up a constant turning he
manages to keep. his tormentors at a safe
/ distance. Occasionally he will vary the
monotony of turning by dashing sudden
! ~ upon some dog not as alert to danger
/ as he should be. He will grab this dog in
his arms, and while he rears up again
and whirls about he will squeeze the life
/ out of the dog and cast him away Deco
! sionaly he will dart at a bunch of dogs
t INA nave Ventured too near, and before
the group scatter and get away some
! luckless cur will have felt the weight of
| bruins paw. When he does strike, the
| bear usually scores a Knockout Then
! he sits up and grins with intense salts
/ other victim.
When we came upon our bear he had
/ three victims on the ground and another
/ in his arms. Before we could get near
enough to shoot him his huge paw had
! fallen with deadly force upon two more
unfortunate dogs.
A bear at bay seems to look over the
/ yelplng pack around him as though he
/ were selecting the dogs he intended to kill
! ana as rule he marks for slaughter the
larger ones. Little, quick, wiry dogs fun
OF natural cunning, and some experience,
| VIII eVade bear and yet worry him more.
| than the larger dogs. These little fellows
| are ever on the alert, and they are able
| TO diVine the bears intentions before he
| begins to put them into execution. They
| jump away with a bound, and they do not
| stop running until they are certain of be-
| ing out OF harms way. Then they return
| to the attack with great vigor, jumping
| in behind the bear, nipping him and iump9
| ing away. These are the dogs that sur
| wye IN the bear pack. The bold fighters
/ all get killed
| One bear that has made good run and
/ gallant tight for his life will take the hunt
/ out of pack for that day. so when we
! had killed one bear we took him to the
/ old hunters cabin and spent the rest OF
| the day listening to a dissertation on bear
| character by one one who knew his sub
/ ject well.
The Exaggerative Agent-Now as to
| the salary
Fifty per cent. is what / shall expect.