290 THE BEAR FAMILY 



rough, the trail leading through dense canebrakes and 

 across swamps and bayous, where the trees are fes- 

 tooned with many vines. The cover is so dense that 

 the noise of even a large pack can be heard only a 

 short distance, and the dogs are frequently lost for a 

 time. Shotguns are often used in the South instead 

 of the rifle, and they are, no doubt, very service- 

 able weapons, but seem out of place in the big-game 

 field. 



Many dogs are often killed by the bear, but there is 

 comparatively little danger to the hunter, and fatal 

 accidents are uncommon. General Wade Hampton is 

 said to have killed more black bears than any other 

 sportsman. One of his bears weighed 410 pounds. 



President Roosevelt not long ago was invited to a 

 bear hunt in Mississippi, and Mr. Denison, one of the 

 special correspondents accompanying the President's 

 party, wrote a long and amusing account of the hunt. 

 Although the President returned withouthavingburned 

 a grain of powder, " He got three bears, they will tell 

 you in Sharkey County," the reporter says, "so that 

 at the outset it is necessary to appreciate fully that the 

 Mississippi bear hunt proper is a communal and not an 

 individual sport, and that the man for whom the hunt 

 is organized is credited with all the killing done by his 

 company and the pack. It was something of a blow to 

 the sense of Southern hospitality — which is no stronger 

 anywhere than in Sharkey County — to find that the 

 President had a vigorous desire to kill a bear himself. 

 It was even more of a blow to find, after this prejudice 

 of the distinguished guest had been discovered, and a 

 bear had been captured, at least half alive, to await his 



