THE BLACK BEAR. 



53 



In December, 1893, I had particularly good sport in Florida, 

 bagging four bears and chasing several others which I did not 

 bag. Bears were unusually numerous in that locality where I was 

 hunting, owing to the great abundance of palmetto berries and to 

 the presence in the vicinity of two or three good water holes. 



The following extracts from my diary will give some idea of bear 

 hunting in Florida under favorable conditions : — 



Dec. 8, 1893 : To-day our shooting party consisted of three 

 guns, — Count A., Mr. C, and myself, — having with us the usual 

 outfit of men, horses, and hounds. To hunt bears luxuriously in 

 Florida the outfit should consist of good saddle horses (used to the 

 woods and not gun-shy), good dogs, and two men, one to follow 

 the hounds and the other to act as general utility man, take mes- 

 sages, and carry the lunch, water, etc., while the " guns " of the 

 party devote their entire attention and energies to heading off the 

 bear or getting to the place where the dogs are baying him, 

 the latter probably in some thick scrub where it is impossible to 

 ride and where the hunter must dismount and push his way in on 

 foot. 



Shortly after turning the hounds loose a chorus of exultant yells 

 told us that they had found a fresh trail and were off. The wild 

 shouts of Gale cheering on the dogs assured us that the bear 

 had been started or "jumped." He ran for about a mile and then 

 bayed in a very thick live-oak hummock. But before any one could 

 get to him he was off again and did not stop until he had run at 

 least two miles or more, when he again stopped in a thick, high 

 scrub, and evidently made up his mind that he had run far enough. 



The bear was in a very thick place where the palmetto and small 

 oak trees were higher than my head in places. I pushed my way 

 up to where the dogs were holding their concert ; a short recitative 

 by the leading hound being invariably followed by a full chorus, a 

 dog called Blue carrying the high tenor part in fine style. When- 

 ever there was a lull in the performance I could hear the bear pant- 

 ing heavily not more than fifteen or twenty feet from me, but 

 perfectly concealed by the thick scrub. Occasionally his bearship 



