The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-09-05
ADVENTURE OF A MAINE WooDsMAN.
Ellsworth Brant Came Near Starving Be-
fore His Run of Bad Luck Ended.
IN. Y. sun.)

IN. Y. SUM-
Ellsworth Brant, of Metcaf Stream set
Element, Me-, is hunter, trapper,
woodsman, and whatever else man be-
comes when he lives in the woods. II
this had not been the case 1t Is not un-
likely that some hunter a dozen years
from now would have found his bones
lying beside some log in the great Maine
forest, gnawed by mice and dragged
about by foxes.
Last week Brant was in the woods,
away back, with no particular purpose.
He simply wanted to be tout OF hearin'
of young uns yellin' and folkses CAB
pin'." He has often gone ous In that
way and strayed away for weeks, living
on what his fishhooks and rifle bullets
brought him, and he always lived we'll.
Butlast week things went wrong.
leaving his pack, with his skillet, axe,
and blanket, even his fishline, on a fair
morning be went back from the littls
bark camp he had made by mudhole
of a lake, with his ri fle over his should
or, hunting meat. He didn't care much
what kind Of meat he got. A bear cub,
a moose, deer, or panther would have
made him happy; still, couple OF par
tridges or so would have been killed had
opportunity offered. Everywhere there
were traces Of the recent presence of
game. Deer had nipped the leaveD from
low bushes A cow moose and her calf
had swung around swamp the night
before. Bears had torn rotten logs to
pieces all along one ridge to got at the
ants and grubs in them. He found the
wallowings Of patridges In the sand, but
not living thing could he see, not even
a b:uejay or red squirrel. All day
long the hunter searched. Toward night
he took his bearings and started Tor
camp.
zig-zagglng over hills. around noun
tains, in and out Of swamps, even in
small areas of forest, will confuse one,
especially when no note has been taken
of the twists and turns. When night
came on the woodsman was lost, and he
knew it. But he was not worried, only
hungry. The little bunch Of jerked vent-
son had been eaten long before at mid
day. He sat down with his back against
a tree little fire before him, and his
rife leaning against the tree
alongside. and went to sleep.
Only woodsman could have done that,
and only such a. woodsman as Brant.
When the fire died down the cold woke
him, and he piled on a few sticks Of dead
wood gathered UP from nearby brush
heaps. Then he shifted his position till
. 1t was comfortable, according to his mo-
tion, and won't to sleep again.
The next day was q quiet day. Raw
dog or a martsn would have been " el :
| he
still lost, without food and somewhat
worried. One thing added to his misery.
That day be had crossed brook. In the
brook were trout but he had neither line
nor hooks. After five days the man
found himself at q beaver pond. He re-
membsIed it. 1t was forty miles or more
from the settlements, or camps, whore
) he could get food. Forty miles was q
long distance to man In his condition.
and he sat down to think, NO weak that
he could hardly stand.
While he sat there he began to braid
some Of the swAle grass Into sort OF
string. He added strands to 1t, and after
A safety pin that fastened his suspenders
to his trousers was made to serve as q
, hook. A grasshopper became bait. A
switch of alder served rs rod. Seldom
have men fished SO eagerly as the woods
man did, and seldom has anyone en-
1oyed four-lnoh grout 20 thoroughly
as Brant did. The first fish he caught
was half eaten before it stopped Topping
Several more followed suit, being eater
as they were captured. After a whil'
Brant cut stinger, and with his print
tive tackle got mess Of nsh that would
. last a log while, and that afternoon h.
headed for his pack at the little un
named mudhole. Scarcely was he out q
} sight of the beaver pond when n deer, th'
first he had seen, rose from its bed besil
, along and fell dead when his riff
, cracked. Great slices Of that deer's mea1
were broiled and eaten that night b.
the woodsman, then well on his way
, After he caught his first fish no lived
7 we'll. The run of bad luck had ended,
! but. as Ellsworth's brother Sam said, 18th
experience thinned ELL quite q oonsidera
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