The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1899-02-25
oA Happy Honov
Bear Hunt
BY Rufus SMcLain fields.
HIJAPpY HOLLOW" was our home.

tennessee, ana surTouHueu Dy splen-
did mountain ranges. The name
was most appropriately given TO
that hollow, which was happy in
fact as in name, where, in COM
pany with my boyhood's boon COM
panion, Plato-a great ugly brin-
die cur dog, as true and faithful as
dumb brute ever was-l have had many
an exciting boyish romp anu ramble
in the days long gone.
One morning in the early fall of 1851,
while Plato and | were out for Il rab-
bit hunt in the upper end of the Ilol-
low, had an experience, which | am
in no danger Of forgetting. until life
Itself is forgotten. 1t was my four
teenth birthday, and my father had
presented me that morning with 4 long
coveted treasure in the form of shot
gun. II was single barrel. muzzle-
loader concern. and would doubtless be
considered quite antiquated by boy
friends Of this advanced age of the
breech-loader and the hammerless. At
all events, it was entirely up To date
thea. and | am able 20 recall few
prouder. happier moments OF my life
than when that gum hayc ii yet
first came into my possession. On the
morning in question | had il on my
Shoulder. feeling like a veritable Ma
poleon Bonaparte going forth to con-
quer the world.
The rabbits must have heard the
news, however, for hunt "a he would.
old Plato could not start a single one
Of them. They were ordinarily plenti-
full enough.
At length, weary with walking. sat
down AT the very foot of the mountain.
which formed an almost perpendicular
wall above my. head. just to the right
of me was the dreaded Danger Line"
of the mountain range--a rocky, bar
ren. desolate stretch or belt across the
mountain. with here and there q cave
sunk in or a huge rock jutting out.
When all the rest of the mountain-sides
were clad in the green garments of
spring time or the russell robes of au-
tumn, this stretch of sterile, untim-
bered land showed. naked ard glaring.
like an ugly frown on natures face.
Ii was some unpleasant freak III the
construction of the mountains that /
never knew the reason for. but ] know
that Danger Line" was universally
avoided. by white and black alike
the latter declaring that it was liant
ed" and the former that there were
rattlesnakes and even worse things. to
be encountered there. My mother had
positively forbidden me ever to go into
that part OF the mountain. and hitherto
! had seen il only from a distance, Curl
ously
| had sat there under the shadow of
the mountain in the sweet autumn still
ness for perhaps ten minutes. tired,
half dreaming, half wishing myself al
home. when was suddenly aroused TO
life and interest by a furious, excited
barking far up the cliff above me and
slightly to my right. At first doubted
my ears. ! had never known Plato 10
cross into Danger Line" by so much
a. one step before, and so ! was at
loss to account for it. And yet that was
plato's well-known voice heard; there
could be no installing it. There was
something strange. romantic. about it
all. and | was burning with desire to
see what manner of game he could have
freed up there. | remembered my
mothers warning--and faltered. 1t
has been my experience that when
boy falters in the face OF duty dis
obedience has scored point and trou-
bic is near AT hand.
There was my new gun. as yet I'M
tried. except at 81 lifeless target, and,
after ALL perhaps it was only squir-
rel. In short my thirst for adventure
got the better of me. and my deter
mination to follow Plato was fixed.
The next thing to be decided upon was
how 10 get there | could tell from
his bark that Plato was a considerable
distance above me. and the height was
well-nigh inaccessible. But | was
young. strong and active. as mountain
boys are apt to be; and | have some
times thought that if 14-year-old boy
determined 10 climb sunbeam he
could almost accomplish the task. The
mountain-side was covered with small
underground and with the aid of this
| determined to make the ascent. Hold
ing the gun with one hand, slowly
and laboriously | pulled myself up
from bush to bush with the other,
guiding my course by the ceaseless
barking of Plato up above me. At the
end Of about an hour of such toil<I
reached the top of the first b+HffTwhere
for "A width of something more than
q hundred yards was a level ground,
reaching to the foot of the next bluff
aud. with no climbing now to do, it was
the work of but few moments to reach
Plato.
Coming up to him l found him sta
toned at the end of huge hollow log,
ard baying with more animation than
/ had ever known him to do before. /
don't know why il was, but as | reached
his side something stopped me, as
though a strong hand had been laid
upon my shoulder, and my mothers
warning came into my mind. turned
my face toward home, and for one
moment my conscience twitted me and
my resolution was weakened. But |
shook off the spell and stopped to look
into the hollow log. 1t was as dark as