Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-05-21
A Good Deal of
a Bear Hunt ~
The Man From the Knob Country
Tells What Happened.
TWAS considerable of a bear hunt,
said the man from the Kno

creek when Joe met Pete comm down
along it like a hurricane. He hadn't
no hat on, and he was lookin wild.
We had all we could do to head him
off and stop him, so as we could find
out what was the matter.
"'The woods is full and runnin' over
with en- Pete hollers, as soon as he
could git some wind. Il stood and
counted IL old seekers passin' given
pint, and then natur' give way. L
couldn't stand it no longer. / broke
and run. How many more than IL
there was I couldn't stop to git the
figgers on!' he hoIers.
"Pete was Teller that tarried con-
side'ble at the applejack, and he had
been tarryin' consid'bler than usual
at it O. late, and Uncle 81 knowed it.
So when Pete got through hollerin'
about the sight he had seen in the woods
Uncle 81 fishes his pint bottle out O.
his pocket and hands it over to Pete,
and Pete takes a swig that was amaz-
in.
"'Now, Peter says Uncle 81, do you
see 'em nowP' Cause Uncle 81 had his
idee about the state O. Peters nerves.
"'See 'em now?' says Pete, and there
was water runnin' out O. his eyes yit
from the bite O. Uncle Si'srecuperator.
NO he says. 1T was a mile up the
creek, yonder, that see 'em,' he says
"'Did they seem like they was rat
tiers says Uncle 81, 'or did they look
like only jest ordinary everyday sar-
pents?' says he.
'Sarpentsl' says Pete. Great Hick-
CRY Jackson he says, Il hain't been
SEEM sarpents. It's bear I been see
in! Eleven old seekers passin' given
pint, and I don't know how many
more follerin' 'em,' he says.
"'Worse and worse!' says Uncle 81.
when a Teller gifts to seem bears run
MIN in droves, Peter, it's gettin' along
to'rd time that he took an all-peryadin'
swear-off, and
"Uncle s, didn't say no more, cause
Jest then there come snort from up
the bank on one side o the creek, and
a snort from up the bank on t'other
side O. the creek, and the snorts came
from two slammin' big bears that was
sticllin' their heads through the laurels,
where they had been listenin' to the
hull confab betwixt Uncle 81 and Pete.
"Pete he give one yell and tore on
down the creek jest like he was tearin'
when we headed him off, and before
me or Uncle 81 or any of us could
whang away at either O. the bears they
was gone. I looked at Uncle 81, and
Uncle 81 looked at me.
"'Pears like as if 1 mowt "a been
iedgin' Peter leetle hasty,' saysh he.
eyes I says. TT looks that way.
guess he seen 'em,' says.
"Then Simon's Abe got afeared that
his Amy was goin' to give him spell,
and he started back toler'ble fast, so
as to git there before the spell ketched
him. That left only me and Uncle 81
and Joe and Sam and Eli and young
Nose and Evander and Patsy's Bob, and
we marched on.
'Uncle 81 sent young Nose and Eli
up in the laurels, one on one side O. the
creek and one on t'other, while the rest
of us follered along below. We hadn't
marched fur before young Nose heerd
a rustlin' in the thick brush, and he
whangs away at it. Kerthumpy-te-
thump down the bank, out O the brush,
rolls Els bear dog Socky, that Eli
wouldn't "a took no fifty dollars fur,
and he lands in the creek, deader than
if he'd been pizened a week.
"Mose,' says Eli most a-cryin',
'there'll be mournin' to my house to-
night. worse'n when the daughters o.
Bab'lon hung their harps on the will
lers!' says he.
"Cause the dog Socky was as good
at runnin' the churnin' machine as he
was at runnin' bear, and Ellis OF wom-
an was always peppery when Eli took
him huntin'.
'I don't know what young Nose was
goin' to answer back, for before he had
a chance to answer anything, two bears
came tearin' out O. the brush jest be-
vond Eli and pitched and rolled down
the bank. Eli banged away after 'em,
but the bears got away in the laurels
at the bottom. A bunch O. fur and a
few spatterin's O. blood showed that
Eli had hit one of 'em.
"Then Sam he remembered that he
was goin' to have company for dinner,
and he had to hurry back home. We all
sot in to sort O. console Eli for the
iosin' O. his dog Socky, and while we
was dom of it Uncle 81 suddenly hauled
up and banged away up the creek at
sOmethin'
1--WE heard a howl, and then some
thin went smashin' and dashin' on up
the creek, though we couldn't what
it was for the thick laurels. Uncle 81
had just begun to tell us that it was
bear, and that he only see one of its
eyes as the bear was peepin' out O. the
brush, when some one from up that
way hollered:
eli, down there! What in Sam Hill
you dom? That was my bear, and I've
been followin' it more'n ten miles!
What you jumpin' in and skeerin' ii
away for?
"Close onto that holerin' the man
that made it came breakin' out O. the
laurels. 1t was Old Jake, and he was
madden than wildcats. 1 guess mebbe
there'd a been quite some hot SQUAD
bin betwixt him and Uncle 81 if jest
then we hadn't heerd two shots beyend
the laurels, and we all hurried on to see
what was up; all but Joe, who diskiv'
cred that he had gone lame, and so he
had to turn and go back home.
Beyond the laurels who should we
come out on to but Gabe and Josh
holdin' their guns in their hands and