Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-07-24
CHAPTER III.
Nv First Adventure.

were in store for me and they were
to come quickly.
One late afternoon some time after
my arrival at Big Spencer stream. L
returned to the burnt lands to gather
berries. On the way l stood on
slight elevation. looking down into
small gully From somewhere a1ar
came the sound of a rifle shot, which
brought back to me the thought OF
human beings, but l did not dwell
upon it.
worked overtime picking berries
and soon gathered two birch bark
dishes full
The light was beginning to fade so
I made up my mind it was time 10
start for my camp, which was some
distance away. Just as l was step
ping over a charred, fallen trunk
heard a crash in the bushes behlno
me.
Whirling sharply about l saw, down
in the gully below, a deer come tear
ing through the brush with two bears
at her heels. The deer was evidently
wounded, as she would stagger ana
fall. then get to her feet again ana
dash along.
The two bears looked like gallop-
ing balls of fur They would almost
reach the deer when she would tall'
but she always managed to scramble
To her feet i'm time to keep just out OF
their reach.
Instinctively l wanted to go to the
aid of the deer, but better reasoning
held me back. Even in the presence
of death I experienced a bit or 1oy'
for I knew the bears would eventual
ly get the deer.
The battle for life had carried the
deer and her pursuers well out into
the burnt lands. l stood close Dy'
watching every move. could see
that the deer was weakening. Sud
denly one of the black fur bodles
hurled itself on the frail creature. A
bear never seemed so powerful to me
before.
Here i
been so glad that l might be able TO
get a deerskin without breaking the
game laws of the state that l dld not
stop to figure that by waiting mlsh'
also get a bearskin. 1 didn't take into
considers ton that when once the deer
was overcome the two bears Woulu
fight it out between themselves as 10
the possession. / should have reason
ed that they would fight, as they dld.
Scarcely had the deer ceased her
pitiful struggles when one of the bears
flew at the other. Had they been al
lowed to continue one would surely
have killed the other in that miXup.
But | was so excited l ran down into
the gully, across the open space TO-
ward the scene of battle. The bears
saw me at once, for in less than sec
ond they were streaking for the cover
of the woods, leaving their prey be-
hind.
AS I leaned over the deer l FOUND
that the skin had hardly been torn.
High ND on one shoulder blood was
streaming from a wound made by
bullet. probably that gunshot l
heard about half an hour ago." l said
to myself. No doubt some woodsman
in need of food had made an attempt
to get her. even though it was Au-
gust. when deer are protected by law
| knew wouldn't have time to skin
Oh thrnnPh the
slow rock tearing process, so l dragg-
ed the body for some distance into the
woods, where l buried it with earth
branches. leaves and stones.
Then l went back over the ground
where l had just dragged the animal
and covered up the tracks with leaves.
The trail was completely obliterated'
or at least 1 thought it was, so that
the bears would not find it.
1t was quite dark when l started FOR
my lean-to, resolved TO come back
and skin the deer in the morning.
AS soon as the sun was up / made
for the place where ] had hidden my
deer. | had one regret-that l had
not made the most of that situation
the night before and obtained bear
skin as we'll
But soon | had something else to
think about. for upon arriving at the
spot where l had inferred the carcass
I found leaves. branches, rocks, earth
everything scattered about. The
bears had been there before me.
had lost even the deerskin.
| wanted that deer skin badly. |
needed it. However it was gone, and
that's all there was to ii.
| had counted a whole lot on the
deer meat also. for my food thus far
had answered after fashion.
In one of the marshes l had hit a
couple of frogs over the head and tried
eating the hind legs. But | couldn't
go the taste of these luXuries and new
er tried them again.
In the clearings and along the
streams | found plenty of raspberries
and biueberries. Getting tired OF
these | ate some bunchberries. which
grow in scarlet clusters; also checker
berries and berries of the mountain
ash. Almost everywhere in the deep
woods strawberries We're to be found.
! ate Il lot of these, which contain
much nutrimcnt. These berries are
black and fuzzy and probably receive
their name because they resemble the
fur of the skunk. They grow on high
bushes. | chewed Il great deal of
spruce gum.
But as | said before. such food was
not very substantial. 1t was enough
to get along on for awhile, but need
ed something more. While that first
trout had not been particularly pala-
table without salt. | realized that II
had given me strength and made up
my mind that | must get some more.
The loss of that deer meat was a
great loss indeed.
Once again / headed for the Big
Spencer stream country. | knew. or
thOught I knew where | could find