The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1922-09-14
A Scientific Fox Hunt
(By Roland T. Patten)

a SCleHtillc 4 UA nu1t
(By Roland 7. Patten)
| have been recording some of ms
boyhood adventures from time to time
for the Big Woods page. These have
had chiefly to do with camping, fish
ing and hunting. In all of them |
have tried to tell the story just as il
happened The only variation from
this, | think, was a liberty | took Of
combing the incidents of two camping
trips as if they had all occurred in
one. Notwithstanding that truth is
stranger than fiction it is always pos
sible to tell better story by making
combination of both. want to
give notice right here that in this
story wish to draw somewhat ON my
imagination. | have allowed myself
to be hampered by facts in time past
but for this one time, | am going to
cut loose, wherever | think it Will
add interest Thus forewarned the
reader can cease his perusal of this
narrative at this point if he thinks
best
over in Piscataqus County there is
valley which we used to call Hell
an'-a-IIalf. I'm not to blame for
that name; it was bestowed upon the
region 10 & before | knew anything
about it. 1t was an inaccessible
place; few people ever went there.
There was no fishing, no berrying,
and the hunting was uncertain I'M
less one was after spooks. 1t was
reported that ghosts and such like
we're plentiful if one had the courage
to 20 on the dark of the moon, but
/ never heard of any one who did.
| shall tell only few of the stor-
les associated with this valley. 1t
was stock material for winter even
ing conversations, and in any COM
pany where the weird was brot IN.
One tale was that birds could not fly
within 800 feet of the tree tops when
crossing this area. If they tried TO
mass at a lower level they were seen
to fall. and never rise again. Anoth-
err was that the waters OF a small
stream which rose up that way were
deadly. | think as a matter of TACT
they were heavily charged with sui
pilates tprobably magnesia, silica
iron, etc) and would make any one
i'll if partaken of freely.
| was present at many gatherings
when this region was talked about,
and at one of them young man nam
ed Blake dared an older boy, Towne
by name, to make journey over
there. The result was lhat DOM
these fellows vowed they would go
This was in the spring just too late
for snowshoeing, and just too early
for woods travelling of any other
kind. 50 the project was allowed TO
rest until about the first of the fol
lowing June. The day had been
agreed upon, but Towne backed out
and Blake urged me to go. | glanc-
ed over the landscape to the west
ward everything was bright and sun
NY and | couldn't believe there was
much so dreadful over there, so |
consented. Blake said he would
take his hounds along, and perhaps
we could scare up fox or two.
We set out very early the follow
inE morning, equipped for two days
STAY. We went by team as far as we
could. and then struck into the woods
among some hills and mountains. The
first six or eight hours were familiar
to Blake; he had hunted all over that
region. but beyond that it VAS un-
known and mysterious territory to
both of us. We were following up the
valley of the little stream | have pre-
yiously referred to. We got up cour-
age to taste the water. 1t was pref
~ mean stuff. Certainly man
would have to be very dry to drink
himself to death on it. Finding a
rivulet that came in from another DIR
ection we decided to camp by it, nei-
Their one wishing to get into the re
gion with vile name, and Nller re
putation, just at nightfall. The iol-
lowing day we continued our journey,
and about 10 o'clock came where we
could look into the long discussed val
ley. We sat down and Blake told me
some more stories about it, lie point
ed across over Il region of soft wood
growth, part of which was dead and
moss covered, to peculiar shaped
mountain. It's popularity was in its
perfectly oval and perfectly circular
form. The valley was for the most
part level, although there were
threatening and overhanging peaks all
around it. About in the center was
this hill for all the world like an i'm
mense inverted chopping bowl. Blake
said to me, "If you ever go there don't
go around that hill to the left; no man
ever attempted it and came back
alive" He then told me of one case
within his personal knowledge where
an old hunter in the spirit of bravado
had started around TO the left, and
was found dead the next day on the
mountainside Blake had heard of
other cases where men had tried the
same thing, and no trace was ever
heard of them.
There was tradition to the effect
Z Indian hrnrn and hio drtclrN