Oct. is, 1898.] 
1 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
311 
In the Louisiana Lowlands*— IV. 
BY FRED MATHER. 
[Continued from last week.\ 
Contrary to the Colonel's expectation, the rain 
stopped about noon the next day, but the sky was over- 
cast and threatening, so that the day was passed in- 
doors. I now had a chance to make the acquaintance 
of the boys. George was a strong lad of sixteen, dark, 
erect, and manly, while his brother, Jack, of four- 
teen, was not dark, and was one of those boys who 
are weak from making rapid growth, but who promise 
to broaden out after they attain their longitude, and 
become strong men. Up to this time the daily greet- 
ings had been the extent of our intercourse. I was. 
reading on the piazza, and the boys were in earnest 
conversation on some subject at a little distance; finally 
George said, loud enough for me to hear: "No, you do. 
it," and Avalked away. Jack came toward the porch., 
and as he came up the steps I dropped the book and 
made some remark. 
Without hesitation he stated the business on hand: 
"George and I have heard that there was to be a bear 
hunt and we want to go. We would have been pleased 
to have accompanied you on the woodcock expedition, 
but were not sufficiently urged, and we stood on our 
dignity, and would not ask for an invitation. George 
says that a word from you to grandfather would bring; 
the invitation, that is if you do not object to our 
going." 
Here was a manly speech from a manly boy, a 
straightforward statement of what he wanted, with 
no circumlocution. I mentally recalled the adventure 
his uncle had had with a bear when he was about 
Jack's age, and being in doubt about his mother's 
views on bear hunting by boys, I cautiously answered: 
'Well, Jack, I know just how you feel about joining- 
the hunt, for I was a boy myself, in the auld lang 
syne, and when about your age was in a fearful state 
of excitement when a deer hunt was proposed and 
I did not know if I would be 'sufficiently urged,' as; 
you put it, and. like you, I was too proud to ask.* 
Nothing would please me better than to have you join 
us, for the enthusiasm of boys is contagious with me,, 
and I always like their company, but please remember 
that I am only a guest of your grandfather's, and in 
that capacity it might be indelicate for me to offer him 
suggestions concerning the composition of the party 
which shall compose the hunt to which he has so 
kindly invited me. Has that view of the situation oc- 
curred to you?" 
"Yes, sir, it has; and George and I have talked it 
all over. Ho-o, George! Please wait until George 
comes up; he's only down there by the road, waiting for 
me to join him and report on what you say; please 
wait for him, he can tell you all about the case better 
than I can." 
Jack sat down, and as George was rather dignified in 
approaching after his brother's call I had time to re- 
view the situation. I had in some way, not clearly un- 
derstood, become the guest of a Louisiana planter who 
had lost his only sons in the Civil War. His widowed 
daughter and her two sons constituted his family. I 
thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality of Col. B., espe- 
cially as a Union soldier was generally persona 11011 
grata in that locality. To-day I say "locality," then we 
called it a "section," but as this term means cut-off, it 
is dropping into disuse, as it should. I was not sure 
but Mrs. H., the mother of the boys, was a "war 
widow," but so far the, Colonel and his family had 
not made reference to the war further than to give me 
a military title, obtained from letters, and certainly I 
w*ould not refer to it. 
As George came slowly up the steps, I said: "George, 
your brother has ably laid out your case, as you de- 
cided that he should do, but as a guest I am diffident 
about talking on this subject to your grandfather. What 
do you say?" 
"Mother says that you have awakened grandfather 
out of dreams of the past. She says that he often breaks 
out into a laugh when alone, and is more cheerful than 
she ever knew him since her brothers were lost in the 
war. That being the case, it is only necessary for you 
to say the word and we boys go with you on the bear 
hunt." 
"Will you get your mother's consent to go?" 
The result was that Mrs. H. came and talked of 
the dangers, but in the end I got her consent. She 
only got to the point of "Veni, Vidi," while the boys 
could have added "Vici," but the whole scheme was 
subject to revision by Coi. B. 
That evening, after the lemons and cigars had been 
consumed, I told him that the boys wished to go with 
us, and after stipulating that George should remain close 
to him, while Jack should do the same to me, it was 
settled that the boys should go. When I retired, after 
midnight, I was waylaid by both boys to know the ver- 
dict. They had not gone to bed, and there is little prob- 
ability that they slept after they did go. Oh, if the en- 
thusiasm of youth could only abide with us! 
The Bear Hunt. 
As the previous day had been overcast and some- 
what threatening, the Colonel had called up a venerable 
darky named Tom, one of his pensioners, who had been 
on the plantation before the Colonel's father came on 
earth, and whose age was as much a matter of conjecture 
as that of the Elgin marbles. With his snow white head 
uncovered, lame with "rheumatiz," and bent "wid de 
misery pains," Tom hobbled up the steps to the porch, 
where we were seated. 
"Well, Tom, what kind of weather are we going to 
have for our hunt to-morrow? If it is going to rain 
we will wait for a better day," said the Colonel. 
The old man fumbled with his hat, looked at me, 
turned his thoughts inward and replied: "1 heerd de 
boys talk 'bout a hunt in mawnin' an' I jess kep' a notiss 
awn de wedda signs fo' to see w'at's a-comin' I atl'a's 
keep a' eye awn de wedda, 'cause o' de roomatiz in my 
It \ Hav<r i'"i--hed With," pb, T. $ 
laig an' de misery pains in de back, an' ole Aunt Mary, 
who claims to be de oldes'— " 
"Never mind Aunt Marv, Tom; tell us what you think 
the weather is to be." 
"Well, Cunnel, de ole cat didn' wash hees face dis 
ebenin', and dat means dat dah's no rain to-maw. De 
smoke goes up straight fum de chirnlv, and dat backs 
up w at de ole cat says. De mawnin' '1] be bright, an' 
de day good, an' Ise on'y too sorry 'at I'm too ole to 
go an 'joy de spo't. I wish vo' plenty ob it." And 
hatpin hand the old man hobbled off. 
George and Jack were too well bred to knock at my 
door before daylight, but as their room was next to 
mine it may be taken for granted that I did not over- 
sleep. I might have said, with Bottom: "And I pray 
you let none of your people stir me; I have an exposi- 
tlon of slee P come upon me." But what availed such an 
old fogy desire to two boys who were going on their 
first bear hunt? Of course they talked, and not sotto 
voce; they were not at all interested in the somnolent 
tastes of their neighbors because their thoughts did not 
run 111 that direction. If some person had hinted to these 
enthusiastic boys that they were disturbing the rest of 
the stranger within their gates they would have quieted 
down; but what boy of sixteen, who is going on his first 
hunt for bear, deer, turkey, grouse or other game, ever 
had a corner in his brain for any other thought? If 
lie had he would not be in my list of interesting and 
lovable boys. And so I rose early without regret, and 
I hate to be up before the sun. 
After an early breakfast we assembled on the porch, 
and a vigorous young darky called Joe appeared and 
blew several long blasts upon a horn. Darky boys 
and dogs swarmed at the call. Jim was evidently the 
"whole thing'' as far as darky boys and dogs were con- 
cerned, and he laid down his laws to the boys, and his 
law was like unto that of the Medes and Persians. 
A few weeks ago in the Forest and Stream Col. 
Alexander attacked my notion of heredity in the matter 
of a trout, which had been pricked with a hook, trans- 
mitting its fear to its progeny. Several good friends, 
Hermit and Von W„ took up the lance for me, and 
some day I may say a word on the subject. I refer to 
it here because of what happened on this morning of 
the bear hunt. When the horn sounded every dog on 
the plantation assembled. The poor old blind Bugle, 
who had been blinded by a bear years ago, came up and 
sniffed around among dogs and men, and then, with 
drooping tail, went off to the negro quarters before we 
started. The setters, Bob and Dan, were there, and after 
licking our hands went and lay down in a corner of the 
porch as the party started, knowing that their services 
as bird dogs were not needed. How they knew this 
cannot be attributed to instinct. There had been no 
bear hunt during the year. The actions of these dogs 
were the result of intelligent reasoning, not of a "sub- 
ego," but of a well developed canine brain. 
We mounted our horses and .were followed by some 
twenty negro men and boys, for a bear hunt was a holi- 
day on the plantation, and there were nearly a score of 
mongrel dogs of varying sizes and colors, and no two 
alike. Old Tom's forecast of the weather proved correct; 
the sun rose clear, and the Colonel remarked that we 
would find it hot in the thickets at midday, and we did. 
The master of ceremonies was the before-mentioned Joe, 
a powerful man, whose "blacksnake" whip was held in 
great respect by both dogs and boys. Not a cur dared 
to stray from the road into the brush, nor a boy ventured 
to be unduly hilarious. 
At a "likely bit of canebrake" near a stream Joe 
turned in and started the dogs, our party, the Colonel, 
George, Jack and I, keeping the road. A" hound's voice 
broke into loud bay, and Jack, who was only fourteen 
years old, called out: "They've started him!" but Joe 
dispelled that notion by calling: "Bunce, come back! 
Yo' heah me? Come heah!" Shortly afterward a dog 
ki-yied, and Joe exclaimed: "You fool dog," another 
ki-yi, "go chasin' a' ol' rabbit w'en we's out fo' bah," 
and once more the blacksnake enforced the lesson. 
It was slow work for men and dogs in the brakes and 
thickets, and we ate our midday lunch beside a spring, 
and had just mounted, when about a mile away the 
whole pack opened cry, and Jack and I, the two novices 
at this sport, wanted to dismount and enter the thicket 
to join in the chase. 
The Colonel said: "There's no hurry; they've only 
struck a fresh track, and the bear may lead them a long 
chase yet. Keep in your saddles until the dogs bring 
him to bay, and we'll follow the roads; it's much easier." 
The voices of the dogs were evidence of much hound 
blood in the pack; "Jess 'miff," Joe said afterward, "to 
make 'em stick to de track, but all houn'," he ex- 
plained, "ain't got de grit to get close 'nuff to a bah to 
make him stan' till de men get up, an' if dey's got 
too much grit dey gets killed. A good bah dog mus' 
hab a good nose an' not too much grit, jess 'nuff." 
At Bay. 
We rode leisurely along for about two hours, when 
the excited tonguing of the pack told us that they were 
near the game. Then the darky boys in the rear added 
their voices to the cry. It was quite musical, and re- 
called the remarks of Hippolyta: 
"I was with Hercules and Cadmus once 
When in a wood of Crete they bay'd the bear 
With hounds of Sparta: never did I hear 
Such gallant chiding; for, besides the groves, 
The skies, the fountains, every region near 
Seem'd all one mutual cry. I never heard" 
So musical a discord, such sweet thunder." 
A blast from Joe's horn announced that the bear was 
at bay, but the Colonel said: "Don't dismount yet; 
he'll break away and lead 'em another chase; that's 
only his first stand. Halt here at these corners until we 
hear which direction he takes." 
The din was increasing in vigor; barks, yelps and 
howls all mixed, with the voice of Joe above all, as he 
encouraged a dog that needed it, or cautioned one that 
was too venturesome. Then the cry of pursuit took the 
place of that of battle, and we knew that our game had 
hhcihff] n.wav and was again leading the dvf??- "Tliev 
are coming our way!" "Yes, sure," "No, he has turned," 
were the remarks as we sat in our saddles at the cross- 
roads. Again the bear stood at bay, and Joe blew his 
horn, while the same exciting sounds came to us. "Will 
he conie our way?" "No," said the Colonel, "come on; 
he's tired of the brakes and thickets, and is making for 
the upland and the tall timber, where, if he can't outrun 
the dogs, he thinks he can climb a tree. Come on!" 
And our horses were speeded for the first time that day. 
Even the blase Colonel was now excited, and we reached 
the next road just in time to see the bear enter the fringe 
of bushes below the tall timber, with Joe and the dogs 
close behind. 
Once More at Bay. 
Again Joe's horn sounded as the dogs brought the 
game to bay. "Here we will dismount and hitch our 
horses," the Colonel ordered, "and go into the woods. 
George, you stay by me, and do as I say; Jack, you 
will keep by the Major, and obey him in all things." 
This had been decided upon the evening before, and at 
my request, for I am very fond of boys who are under 
sixteen years, and of those who have passed twenty, but 
between those years the boy — I speak in general terms — has 
a conceit that he knows more than King Solomon, and 
entertains a patronizing sort of contempt for all who 
happen to be older than he. I speak from experience. 
When I was between those ages I knew positively that 
worldly knowledge had advanced since my father was a 
boy; "things are different now," is the motto of the 
boy of this particular age; so, George being sixteen and 
Jack fourteen, I chose the youngest, the one who had not 
yet thought of being a man. I like that sort of a boy. 
The trees and underbrush tended to drift men apart 
as we forged along to that babel of sounds made by a 
score of dogs snapping at the heels of a bear, who turns 
upon one detachment only to be assailed in the same 
place by another. Guided by the din, we pushed on. 
sweating at every pore in the dense woods on a warm 
day, the fight growing nearer every minute. 
"Jack," said I, "be careful now, don't shoot without 
taking careful sight. Remember that Joe is there among 
the dogs, and you don't want to plug him nor kill a 
dog. Remember that you are not to use your rifle until 
I say the word. If you waste a shot on the bear I may 
have to shoot before it breaks away from the dogs, and 
I want you to kill this bear. Are you sure that you will 
do as I say?" 
Jack was certain of it. 
We were nearing the conflict, and while Jack and I 
were on an equality as far as never having killed a bear 
was concerned, I was older and had myself more under 
control. He was trembling with excitement, and my in- 
terest in the hunt now centered in Jack. The fight had 
drifted off our way, and we seemed likely to be first 
on the field, and we were. 
There, not 200yds. away, in open timber, was what 
appeared to be a black, seething mass of growling, yelp- 
ing, howling animal life, with Joe- on its outskirts, yell- 
ing, coaxing and cursing, as we approached. I re- 
strained Jack until we were within 100ft. A dog bit 
the bear in the hindleg, but did not get away quick 
enough, and had his throat cut by a sweep of the bear's 
forepaws. Another had his leg broken in the same man- 
ner. Jack cocked his rifle to shoot, but I restrained him. 
"No, Jack, the bear is on all fours, and is surrounded 
by dogs. If you shoot now you may kill a dog and not 
touch the bear; wait until he rises on his hindlegs to 
cuff a dog and then let him have it." 
The advice was theoretical, but good. Jack was also 
good, but young and enthusiastic, and he took a pot- 
shot at the bear and killed a dog. The shot encouraged 
the dogs, for they then knew that they had the backing 
of man, the most formidable animal that this world con- 
tains. The dogs knew it, Col. Alexander, because they 
had reasoning powers. Does any owner of a dog doubt 
this? 
I brought up my rifle and lowered it. It would be more 
to Jack or his brother to kill a bear than it would to 
me. "Jack," said I, "you were shaky. Now that you 
have loaded your rifle, cool off a little, the dogs will hold 
the bear now, for he is tired and does not dare to put 
them all in his rear by running. You see, there is no — " 
Crack! went a rifle, and I turned and saw that George 
had fired and missed. All this time the fight continued: 
harassed in front and rear, with an occasional nip on 
the hindleg from a more venturesome dog, the bear 
would swing suddenly and send a dog flying several feet, 
yelping all the while and with several slits in his hide 
that would take time to heal. Joe stood near the fight, 
overseeing the dogs, but the other darkies were not there; 
it was safer in the brush. 
"Now, Jack, when the bear rises on his hindlegs again 
take a careful sight back of his foreleg if his side is 
toward you; square in the breast if he faces you, or just 
below his shoulders if his back is turned to you. Now 
he's rising; take a good aim, but don't dwell on it." 
The back of the bear was toward us as he rose, and 
the dogs in his rear nipped him. Jack's rifle was at his 
shoulder just as the bear whirled and faced us, and as 
he fired the bear tossed a dog and came down on all 
fours to renew the fighting. The dogs were not so 
eager now, the hard run, the fight and excitement had 
tired them as well as the bear, and the contest was not 
as fierce as it had been. 
"Missed again/' said Jack, and George called out: 
"I'll fetch him next time he rises," when the bear stag- 
gered among the dogs and fell. The dogs did not worry 
him much after this; they were glad to lie down and 
rest. Jack wanted to go up to the bear, but I forbade 
it, and it was well I did so; for a young dog, presuming 
that the bear was dead, went nosing around to lick the 
blood or to worry the animal, roused the enemy, who 
struck the dog a blow that he would remember, got 
up, made a charge on the dogs and fell dead. 
We cautiously drew near. The Colonel was not there, 
and Joe and I had considerable regard for a bear that had 
made such a grand fight, and might have life enough 
left to rouse up and take a man with him, but several 
prods with a pole had no effect, and we officially pro- 
nounced the bear dead. Then the crowd of darkies 
appeared to spring from I he earth., like Macbet.h/.s 
