July 15, 1893.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



29 



er. They thought perhaps one of the dogs had got shut 

 ip in there, but they slammed that door to a good deal 

 uicker 'n. they opened it, 'cause there was a big black 

 tear in there, and they didn't have no idee of tackhn' 

 dm bare-handed, and their guns wa'n't loaded. They 

 idn't even have no axe handy to swat him with, as you 

 nd your brother did, Sebattis'" Here the old man paused 



0 light his pipe, for, hke any other old sailor or back- 

 woodsman, he could spin a yarn much better with the 

 .elp of the narcotic weed. 



"I dressed myself as soon as I could and we loaded our 

 ifles. I told Sam, the boy, to open the door quick after 

 re were all ready, and Mitch and I took different posi- 

 [ons in the room here, so that one or t'other of us could 

 and a bit of lead where it might do the most good. You 

 36, the butt'ry is a pretty big one, but with Mitch over 

 lere, and I about where I be now, we could cover the 

 i-hole of it. 



"WeU, when we got all ready, Sam he slipped up to 

 le door, yanked it wide open and jumped back. But by 

 lat time the bear had gone. The butfry winder had 

 een left open and he had climbed out the same way as 

 e got in. I guess the things he knocked down fright- 

 aed him, for they made noise enough, 

 nd the butt'ry was a sight to behold. 



"He had knocked down two pans of 

 lilk and a mess of corned beef and 

 ork and had made a dretful muss of 



1 He didn't seem to have eaten much, 

 ) we thought perhaps he might come 

 ack if we kept quiet, a,nd I told Sam 

 nd Mitch that if he did for them to 

 ip out the door and each one go round 

 le house. One was to go round one 

 de and one round t'other. Then if he 

 ot away from me one o' them would 

 s pretty sure to get a shot. 

 "So we sot there, keepin' quiet and 



ot saying a word, and after a while 

 ire enough we heard him cUmbin' in 

 ria. Sam and Mitch went out and I 

 )ened the door jest in time to see him 

 sappear through the winder. 

 "^'I yelled to them to look out for him, 

 ij.t it was an aAvful dark night and 

 ley couldn't see him. As he ran round 

 le corner of the house he went plump 

 ito the Indian, who was going round 

 om the other way. He pretty near 

 Qocked the wind out of Mitch and I 

 jn't know which was the most fright- 

 led. The bear got off with a whole 

 .de that time, however, and disap- 

 iared in the darkness. 

 "Mitch came in puffin' and we sot 

 jwn agin to wait. We didn't much 

 link he would come back but thought 

 e'd wait and see. After a while we 

 Bard him but he was pretty wary, and 

 e could tell that he wasn't climbin' in 

 nt was sniffia' round outside. Then 

 B seemed to move away and Sam got 

 3 to peek out the winder in this 

 iom. The winder was down, but all 

 ! a sudden Sam up with his rifle and 

 azed away right througli the glass. 

 The bear had run right by tlie wood 

 le out there, where the ground was 

 1 white with the chips that were 

 rewn about, and as his black hide 

 lowed up agin 'em Sam drew a bead 

 1 him. We rushed out and when we 

 it there the old feller was kickin' his 

 ,st kick. It was a pretty shot, but I 

 less there was some luck about it too. 

 ioi got the bounty and sold the hide, 

 » the shot was wuth somethin' to him 

 lyway, luck or no luck. The two 

 as wuth $35 to him and tliat, with 

 hat I paid him, he spent for schoolin' 

 )wn to the settlements the next win- 

 r. He was a good boy, Sam was, 

 id was tryin' to save some money to 

 it an eddication, so I was glad he got 

 ebear." 



We spent that night beneath his humble but hospitable 

 iof, and in the morning continued our journey beneath 

 sky as blue and serene as if clouds and storm had never 

 'en. Wm. a. Brooks. 



THE SOUTHERN CAMP HUNT.-I. 



It has often occm-red that, among the horde of hunters 

 id sportsmen inhabiting tliis great country of ours, few 

 low anything of the rhethods of our old time "camp 

 mtiug in the South." 



These hunts were usually conducted by gentlemen well 

 lown to each other; and all disagreeable persons were 

 eluded. None but genial, active and useful men were 

 lowed to go along— except superannuated old "fellows 

 the craft" who were invited and implored to go, e^ry 

 mfort and consideration being at aU times shewn to 

 ., for nothing so adds to the pleasure of a "camp 

 as the presence of one or two of these old hoary- 

 led knighte of the horse, hound and gun; to rest by 

 ■.blazing camp-fire, and relate great stories of their 

 ■ience to the younger lads, and quietly smoke their 



wxe of these hunts has ever lingered in my memory. 

 5^d in the great State of Texas, and a brother had 

 itten me to come at once to Mississippi and join in a 

 r "camp hunt." When I arrived at my brother's house 



cause him trepidation, nor has a lie ever polluted his 

 tongue or given deceit to his master — hence, taken "up 

 one side and down the other," a better negro never was 

 created than Wash. Wash was to go with us, of course, 

 and with his high top boots, red opera overshirt, big 

 home-knit gloves, and with his 1x4 grin, revealing a 

 wealth of ivory only less in display than an octave of 

 piano keys, is'Sis the ideal personification of a camp hunt 

 teamster. 



Sunday, the weather began to show ominous indications 

 of a snowstorm, and by night had turned quite cold. Mon- 

 day morning we were up early ; three inches of snow lay 

 upon the ground. The morning was gloomy, the sky 

 overcast with black, smoky clouds, with a few straggling 

 flakes still falling. My brother paced the floor with both 

 hands stuck in trouser pockets, while his slouched hat 

 hung over his face, and my own pulse beat was less than 

 normal; yet the hour was up and no time for vacillation 

 now. The "word was out" and we must meet the others 

 at the bridge this day, so my brother says, "Charles, are 

 you willing to try it?" "I am," was my quick reply, as I 

 wished to infuse a little enthusiasm into his drooping 

 spirit. "We will go," he said firmly. Then I advised by 



HEAD OF MULE 

 THnoTir Lake County, Idaho. 



DEER. 



Photo by F. F. Frisbie 



my t 



was makmg things Uvely, preparing for the hunt, 

 us was on Saturday in November, and we were to start 

 L the following ilonday morning to join the rest of the 

 •rfcyat old man Purvis's at Strong Elver Bridge, in Smith 

 unty, a distance of 30 miles. Everything was made 

 ady by Saturday night. The two-mule wagon packed 

 ith every conceivable commodity thought conducive to 

 ^ comfort and pleasure of an outing. " Two half-breed 

 :otch terriers— one as black as ebony, the other white as 

 polar bear, and game from the tips of their shaggy coats 

 the marrow of their bones— and three deerhounds. con- 

 tuted om- share of the dogs; and then there was Wash, 

 L6 of my brother's late slaves, whom even the intoxica- 

 m of freedom could not separate from him. He was 

 Pit as Hercules and brave as Geronimo; nothing could 



way of a clincher, I never knew it to snow two days in 

 the South, and I thought the weather would soon moder- 

 ate, as the clouds were already breaking into clumps. In 

 twenty minutes more we were in the saddle, and Wash 

 having harnessed up the mules, all were on the move. 



On these "breasting hunts," as they are termed, there 

 is little use for long range hounds, although we had 

 them along, of the best material, yet their daily use is 

 not essential. The better dog, called a "branch dog," for 

 the purpose, is a mongrel, the best type of which is a 

 cross between a well-bred hound and Scotch terrier. 

 This dog sm-mounts all obstacles, will out-run, out- jump, 

 out-fight anything on earth, and will whip anything of 

 liis weight that wears a hide. He has the bottom of the 

 best foxhovmd, with a speed second only to the grey- 

 hoimds, and makes the best "branch dog" to rout the 

 skulking deer from inaccessible brakes and copses; a deer 

 once wounded had as well hand in his ticket. 



All dogs are kept in the rear untd a deer is shot and 

 wounded, at which time the shooter makes the fact 

 known by three long blasts of liis hunting horn, when all 

 hands proceed at once to the signal. The dogs are then 

 shown the trail, or blood of tlie crippled deer, upon 

 which they dart like arrows, usually in broken tongue, 

 until the quarry is sprung from its hiding, then with in- 

 creased alacrity and incessant "yaf, yaf, yaf " the half- 

 breeds go like the wind, while the hunters follow on 

 horse to see the spring and view the chase, when, be the 

 game a stocky old buck, there wdl be Hvely work, until a 

 hunter ends the straggle by a shot. 



Late in the afternoon brought us to Purvis's, where we 

 found most of the party awaiting us, every man aglow 

 with merry anticipation of the glorious scenes soon to be 

 enacted, of which, having so many foretastes, they knew 

 full well the measure to expect. 



We have seventy long and rugged miles yet to go to 

 reach our central hunting ground. Two good wagons 

 stand before the gate, one with mules and the other with 

 oxen, one to carry the corn and feed for the teams and 

 the other everything else essential to camp-himt life. 



The crowd now has its complement, consisting of eight 

 hmiters, mounted and equipped. There are two other 



men for cooks, camp-minders and to drive the teams. 

 These go along for the fun and an equal share of the 

 spoils— otherwise "non-combatants." One is Wash and 

 a white fellow, and another darky as general "supernu- 

 merary and roustabout." Next comes the canine repre- 

 sentation. And all being ready, a blast of the horn, crack 

 of the whips, a yell or so from the young bloods, and the 

 unique and picturesque caravan moves. 



It is stiU overcast and cold, and for two long and freez- 

 ing days we quietly travel on, but that ever rollicking, 

 eternally joking predilection, so proverbial of the Missis- 

 sippian, never knows an end. 



We passed over some of the most enchanting country 

 to a hunter's eye, that I have ever seen, and many a time 

 did I crave the order from our leaders to stop— but no, it 

 was, not yet; until the closing of the fourth day, when 

 our cavalcade drew up at the ford on Eocky Creek, in 

 Jones county. A more charming spot I never beheld, to 

 make the standpoint of a carnival, the which we came to 

 do. 



This famous camp-hunters' rendezvous holds a claim in 

 modern military history. Here on this identical spot, as 

 evidenced by the many scarred pines where we camp — 

 the dashing Federal raider, Grierson, 

 and his men, were attacked and scat- 

 tered over these pine hills, in confusion, 

 by a band of Confederates. 



Having no special head in control of 

 these hunts, all parhament was of a 

 conventional nature, each member hav- 

 ing his say, even to the cooks and 

 camp-minders; however, the more ex- 

 perienced individuals did the planning. 



To set the camp in shape is the prime 

 consideration of all, and requires judg- 

 ment and system. A place to pitch 

 the tent, to feed the stock, to build the 

 camp-fire, and spread the sleeping 

 pallet, to butcher the deer, stretch the 

 hides, and pound the steaks, and every 

 other appointment must be attended 

 to before any start is made to hunt, 

 and the men, dogs and teams must 

 have a good rest. 



Many a fool goes into the woods to 

 hunt, never once giving the camp a 

 thought, until night, with all its im- 

 possibihties, has overtaken him, with 

 not one preparation made. The first 

 thing he does on arriving at camp is to 

 get out his gun and plunge into the 

 woods to shoot something, yes, shoot 

 something, make a noise, make him- 

 self generally conspicuous, to the dis- 

 gust and bother of all others in the 

 camp, frightening the horses, having 

 the. dogs all running and barking, dis- 

 turbing all the game within mUes 

 aroxind; but let me tell you that kind 

 of chap don't creep into our mess but 

 once; for then it is his fault, but the 

 next time the fault wUl be ours. The 

 first time we pay the penalty, the next 

 time he does. 



What a pleasure to the thoughtful 

 man to he on the pallet before the 

 great log fire, and hear the tired horses 

 munch their feed in the troughs, and 

 the faithful dogs lymg promiscuously 

 around, agitating from time to time 

 the shifting fleas, while they sniffle the 

 teasers over their own hides, with sen- 

 sitive noses, and you smoke your pipe 

 and listen the while to the mirthful 

 jokes and guffaws of cheerful darkies 

 from their corner of the ample camp — 

 indeed, sir, there's nothing like it un- 

 der the sun. 



The big camp-flre, built of oak logs 

 cut 13ft. long, and laid on skids to keep 

 them off the ground and admit free 

 ventilation, the interstices of the logs 

 stuffed with "fat" pine knots, makes 

 the grandest fire that ever graced the 

 somber solitudes of a pine forest. 

 The great camp-pallet formed of sundry blankets and 

 C[uilts, like Jacob's coat "of many colors," forty or more 

 in number spread lapping edge on edge, make a bed ample 

 for all, lox^ft. in extent, spread before the glorious blaze 

 — twice the width of its length. When all are disrobed 

 we crawl beneath the adequate covering, and as by a 

 common impulse all are a-snore, lulled to sleep by the 

 crunching of horses, sniffling and pawing of restless dogs 

 and crackling and seething of the magnificent fire, only 

 a yard from the margin of our capacious resting place, 

 I have told you how it is done, and ere the sun flickers 

 above yon straw-covered hill we must all be in motion, 

 ObUvion! 



I hear the rustling sound of "shucking" com, stamping 

 and crunching of the horses, clanking of the ox's horns 

 as one prods Ms mate to keep his own side — aU else as still 

 as the "chancel halls of death." I lie and await other 

 movements soon to follow. ' 'Mas Jim! Mas Jim!" "W^hat's 

 up, Wash?" my brother answers from under the warm 

 coverlid. "I 'spec it time us is gittin' up. I hear de owls 

 hoUin, and de moon, it des pearin 'bove thehiU back dare, 

 and dese mules and bosses and steers pears lack dey 

 wants dau- breakfus an' all, so b'lieve by dat, day is mose 

 here, we all better be gittin' up an' stir'n 'roun' ef yer 

 'spec er soon start, I tell yer." 



That was enough for my brother, for he, hke aU the 

 rest, was anxious to be up and among the "moss heads," 

 and with one simultaneous boimd all were up. The glori- 

 ous fire by this time had smouldered to a heap of Uving 

 coals, yet all aglow in the dim, anti-diurnal darkness that 

 as yet enshrouded the weird camp. 



Every one was now astir, but the quiet and system that- 

 reigned^ reminded vividly of a company of soldiers pre- 

 paring for battle by the pantomimic order that prevailed. 

 The cooks soon had a smoking breakfast ready, which 

 must be the last meal we take of domestic material alone, 

 aU. suhsequent ones must yield the spicy aroma of the flesh 

 of the wild deer. Then all are rapidly loading the guns, 

 counting down the pellets, ramming home the wad, cUck- 

 click, and the cap is placed upon the nipple, dogs are fed, 

 horses saddled, and the anticipated hvmt organized. 



C, L. JOEDAN, 



