FOREST AND STREAM. 
the owners not having yet returned from the iuterior after 
their fall’s hunting. The houses of the European residents 
lay on the west side of the harbor, which is hero about a 
mile wide, aud near the entrance; but a westerly gale of 
wind prevented any intercourse across. Having no food 
for nearly two days, we ventured to break open the door of 
one of the houses— the captain or chief’s, as we understood 
from my last Indiun, and found what we wanted — provi- 
sions and cooking utensils. The winter stock of provi- 
sions of this provident man, named Emanuel Gontgout, 
the whole having been provided at the proper season, con- 
sisted of six barrels of pickled lish, of different kinds, viz : 
young halibuts and eels, besides dried cod fish, seal oil in 
bladders, aud two barrels of maize, or Indian corn flour. 
November '3d. — W e were slid storm-stayed iu the Indian 
house, in the midst of plenty. It seemed remarkable that 
the provisions were entirely free from the ravages of rats 
and other vermin, although left without any precaution to 
guard against such. There was a potato and turnip field 
close to the house, with crops still iu the ground, of which 
we availed ourselves, although now partly injured by frost. 
November 4 th. — A party of ludians arrived from the inte- 
rior, male aud female, each carrying a load of furs. Our 
landlord was amongst them. Instead of appearing to 
notice with displeasure his door broken open and house 
occupied by strangers, he merely said, upon looking round 
and my offering an explanation, "Suppose me here, you 
take all these tbiugs.” 
We crossed the harbor, and were received by the resi- 
dents— Jersey and English, and their descendents— with 
open arms. All European and other vessels had left this 
coast a mouth before, so that there was no chance of my 
obtaining a passage to St. John’s or to another country. 
There were too mnny risks attending the sending to sea 
any of the vessels here at this season, although I offered a 
considerable sum to the owners of any of them that would 
convey me to Fortune Bay on the south coast, from whence 
I might obtain a passage to Europe by some of the ships 
that had probably not yet sailed from the mercantile estab- 
lishments there. 
After a few days I parted with ray Indians— the one 
who had with painful constancy accompanied me across 
the Island, joining his countrymen here to spend the win- 
ter with them, and return to his friends at the Bay of Des- 
pair in the following spring; the other, having renewed 
Ins stock of ammunition and other outfits, returned to his 
family which we had left in the interior. Having now 
crossed the Island, I cannot help thinking that my success 
was in part owing to the smallness of my party. Many 
together could not so easily have sustained themselves; 
they would have multiplied the chances of casualties, aud 
thereby of the requisition of the attendance aud detention 
of the able. It is difficult to give an idea of, or to form an 
estimate equivalent to, the road-distance gone over The 
toil and deprivations were such that hired men or fol- 
lowers of any class, would not have endured them. At 
St. George’s Bay, as at all other parts of Newfoundland 
except the towns, the country is nearly as destitute of paths 
and roads as at the time of the discovery of the Island - the 
intercourse between the settlements, beiDg by water 
during bad weather is entirely suspended. I remained at 
bt. George s Bay Harbor under tbe hospitable roof of Mr. 
I lnllip Messervey, the principal inhabitant, to rest and 
recover from the fatigues and deprivations of my journey 
and from a hurt received while descending the mountains 
to the coast. 
(To be continued.) 
For Forest and Stream. 
HUNTING BEARS. 
I WAS invited two years ago this Fall by an old deer aud 
bear hunter to come and hunt for a week or two. I 
accepted the invitation, and one charming October morn- 
ing, started for Mr. B.’s, but before I had gone very far 
I began to worry as to how I should bring the bearskins 
, •». home, ns I was on foot. I finally came to the cou- 
clusion that I would hire a wagon and team from one of 
Mr. B.’s neighbors. 
B .y tbe way, Mr. Editor, can you tell me when it is a 
close season for bear, (I suppose it is during the hug- 
S ln S») ns I don t like to kill them out of season 9 
On reaching Mr. B.’s, I found that he had gone to 
town, but would soon be home; so I took my gun and 
went into the woods after gray squirrels. Speaking of 
squirrels reminds: me of a hunt I had once with a friend 
who was a novice in the art. I gave him all the shots at 
fiist, but alter he had missed four or five times, he said 
very innocently, " I thought gray squirrels were a great 
deul bigger than they are.” Alter a few more unsuccess- 
ful shots he got disgusted, aud said: " Now, see here W. 
you re trying to take me in; these are not squirrels at all! 
but are the shadows of the leaves." He shot at them as 
they were running; so any one who has been squirrel 
shooting ''ill understand his comparisons. When Mr B 
came home he was delighted to see me, and said that one 
ot the boys had seen u large bear that morning. After 
supper I said to him: “ Mr. B., you promised to tell me 
„ tbose tbrt ' e Angers from your right hand.” 
1 11 tell you now,” said he. "About ten years a^o I 
had a bear trap in a laurel thicket some five or six miies 
from here. One morning I took some of the bovs ami 
dogs and went to look at the trap. When we got to the 
edge of the thicket I told the hoys to stay there, and leuv- 
f r? e , w ‘! b took ,lj<; ‘logs and went into the 
thicket. On looking into the trap 1 found a half-grown 
bear, uud thinking I would have some fun, I let him out 
and set the dogs on him. Unfortunately they were all 
young dogs but one and the bear soon whipped them aud 
bu » mnH 1 ? 0 ru " , U V dL ; r a lo £. *» d ‘he old dog grabbed him 
hv a hind leg, while I got on the log to stick him will! my 
knife. I raised my arm, but the knife caught a twig and 
tW d fl^ e ° l? SG r m J balauce - I fell and cutlhese 
t h a flugerS 1 kuew the bo - vs wou H laugh at me if 
killed hfm ^” 1 ^ 6 ° 1 ,0 ° k ll * e knife in ,ny lefl bund und 
b , ed f°r 0n ’ and ear] y nest morning, after a 
™ brci ‘ kfa * 1 - started for our bcar.° Mr. B. 
staJ then* us M,i°i P ° f * slony bank ’ and told me to 
below me m, JC1 ‘ r 'm Ul<1 cross lbrou S b tbe open woods 
1 1 could 6 et u sood sho< at him. I stood 
here and nn S a " 1 Y> 5UI '’ bcariu S the dogs barking, now 
ward moved Prc8eQtly 1 8aw somt-ihing, (it’after- 
° . ra 1 bc * stra J r yearling,) moving iu front of 
me’ I d thni. t Jt e r Sa ‘f 6 ,1Ine ’ * heard lbe brusb crack b ebind 
me. X thought, of course, it was Mr. B., as he told me he 
would come that way, aud so 1 said, without turning 
round, "I believe there's the bear now.” Not getting unv 
answer, I turned aud saw, within twenty feet of me, a big 
brown bear. Like a fool, I shot both barrels at him with- 
out taking aim. I was so taken aback— demoralized— that 
I missed him. I put out down the bauk. and as the small 
stones came rattling after me. I thought it was the bear. 
Suddenly as I went through a thicket, something caught 
mo from behind. "0 for a lodge iu this vast wilderness” 
was probably my thoughts, but I will not say so posi- 
tively; in fact, 1 think that even nn example iu short di- 
visiou, (and one that was iu short clothes, too,) would have 
been too much for my brain just then. At last I turned— 
and lo! it was an iuuocent thorn-bush that had caught my 
slinly extended coat tails. 1 now becumo very valorous 
(the bear not being iu sight,) aud put several ounces of 
powder aud between two and three pounds of shot into 
each barrel of my gun, and proceeded toward where I had 
left bruin. By the time I got there the others had come 
up and killed him. After skiuuing him we went back to 
the house, where one of Mr. B.’s sous asked, me to let him 
try my gun. 1 consented; and he went., down into the 
meadow to shoot at a mark. He happened to stand in 
Iront of an opbn window of the room in which we were 
sitting. We soon heard a noise which caused Mr. B. to 
shout to the girl to “shut the windows, as we wore iroinc 
to have a thunder storm.” The words hud barely left bis 
lips when the aforementioned boy came sailing through the 
open window ami alighted on the table. His arms were 
extended to embrace some one (a tree, probably) as he 
came by, and, as he lit on the inkstand, lie observed pen- 
sively, " Put me in my little bed.” 
The above is a little exaggerated— but the gun kicked. 
1 had a pleasant week of hunting, uud, wheu I left the 
doctors said that as the boy was young he would iu time 
recover. * Alleohaxv. 
For Forest and Stream. 
A TEXAS PANTHER HUNT. 
T HERE seems to be a difference of opinion among the 
nutives as touching the panther and the Mexican 
lion, or cougar. Iu fact, oue can frequently heur of cou- 
gars being killed, but when it is sifted aowu to a fine point 
it generally turns out to be no more than the panther. In 
conversation with an old Texau recently, and at whose 
residence I had some years since seen the skin of a pan- 
llier stuffed, I learned that he had seeu an uuimul more 
ot a grayish color— as he expressed it, "about the color of 
acoou, and shaggy about the shoulders.” "I hud just 
come up," he said, "out of Red River Bottom, and kinder 
met it coming into the breaks. 1 tell you it looked at me 
savage. I had no gun, or I should have tried him one pop 
as he passed in a trot within forty yards of me. I took 
him to be heavier than the panther, but not so long.” 
About four years ago I had some business with Mr. M 
then living in Sivel’a Bend, on Red River. After supper 
we were talking around the fire, and among other subjects 
that of wild cuts aud panthers was taken up. M. being an 
old settler, soon had my lmt crawling off my heud from 
the effect of the hair standing ou end, and wound up with 
"I say, R. I believe there’s a paother in the bluffs now, 
for I heard a noise up the viver a few nights since like some 
person in distress, and as there’s no one living up there 1 
have concluded that it was a panther.” 
I replied that I would like to get a shot at one. lust for 
the name of the thing. 
Upon hearing some dogs barking down in the bottom 
M. remarked that the boys were ’possum hunting uud 
guessed they hud found oue. Soon after I had retired, I 
heard the dogs barking again, but this time they seemed so 
much fiercer that I felt sure there was something lurger 
than an opossum. I wus soon couflrmed in this opiuiou 
by the boys bursting in at the door, out of breath, cxclaim- 
lng— "Mr.-Mr. M., git-git-git your gun; some great big 
thing down yonder up iu a tree!" 
"Pshaw, it s a wild cat. Why didn’t you cut down the 
tree?” 
“No, n-o, I tell you it a-i-n-t; it’s too big!” 
M. culled out-"R., get up, quick, I guess them dogs 
have treed fhut panther now. You get a gun over at the 
nigger cabin and come ou. I’ll take the rifle und run down 
there, lest it should jump out.” 
So saying, he seized lus gun and darted out into the dark 
like an arrow. My hair began to crawl again. In my 
hurry I got my pants on wrong side before, and had to 
tuke them off. In fact, my mind was more on gluring 
eyes, long claws, and a light in the dark than it was upon 
making my wardrobe. Hurrying over to the aforesuid 
nigger cabin, I was furnished an old Springfield musket 
ot the U. S. A. style. Upon inquiring It it was loaded, 
old Uncle B. replied:— 
"Yes, massu, 1 hen turkey huntin’ dis eben wid it." 
"Bud” aud I now started on double quick for the scone 
of action. "Bud” lollowed a trail about half a unlc 
through a tangled undergrowth of vines, green briars, ami 
Ihorn bushes so dense that we could not pa*s through any- 
where else. On nearing the river we cunie to an open saiid 
beach covered with cottonwood; turning down the river 
about two hundred yards brought us to the dogs, barking 
at the foot of a large tree on the edge of the jungle. M. 
was out iu the thicket, as ho said, "to keep him from 
jumping down." On nearing the tree, he called me lo 
come round to him, and iu doing so I hud to literally crawl 
upoD iny hands and knees. The young moon was just set- 
ting, and the night was still and clear; but the leaves ou 
the trees made it so dark that we could scarcely see any- 
thing, except against the sky. 
\V Jien I got to M. I raised up, and was shocked at be- 
holding so large an animal, ulmost directly over our heads, 
and not more than thirty feet from us. I can see the bold 
outline yet, as he stood with his hind feet on one limb and 
fore feet on another, some live feet apart, und his long tall 
swaying back aud forth as ho looked down upon us. I 
now began to realize the situation, and did uot want to 
shoot so bad as I thought I did. I kuew the chauce of 
killing the auimul dead was small, and lo cripple him with 
only two dogs was dangerous; besides this, we were in the 
briars so deep we could scarcely turn round. But there 
was uo time for parleying. Of one thing I was deter- 
mined — to shoot, or get lurther from those burning eyes. 
M. generously tendered me the first shot, os he might miss 
it with a rifle. I drew my army six around on my belt aud 
cocked it, then brought my musket up and fired. 
By the time I could get out rav pistol, something ran 
nearly up against it, ana then the dogs bounded oil up the 
STttff tremendous yell. The panther had run down. 
5S« folteH U p° U9; , but wbe " thu pother ran off iho 
nop niioweii I roiu the report of mv cun I guenscd I 
charceta it* 1 1'™° ° VC,,, ! 0D ’ “ hurtfly half a 
M Trn?l 1 113 vexcd aI rn .v*elf and the negro loo. 
could d TV, ?, V ‘, l i U t0 ,° u , r feelIn ,K* b - v yclting as loud as wo 
tow-nut PA lu,bt ‘ r blu * turned, anil was coming directly 
oS br . i:ui crack °“‘*f then.. 
Lother ti-.J^We n U aboU, , var,U from us U ™ u »P 
3 rc * L W ® now sent "Bud” ,0 the house after am- 
bcTto do u-|,h >'"' U8kel < nnd, while consulting what was 
ero iml d n. ,t U lrcmoiul ! ,u « crash the panther fell to lire 
n.»bT ’ 1 " d ° SS r U, ’ C0d u P° n but let it go about us 
water. q growlln «* Rnd dogs came out to 
\Ve followed the dogs Into the thicket, and It mado mv 
flesh crawl when I put my hand upon it to belo M drair it 
Wo now called to "Bud” to bring my hoA “md 
'lieu ho ai lived we had quite a struggle to g.-t R on him 
Next morning wc skinned him. and found that two buck’- 
shmihF.r "n H Urk f y 31,01 bad cuiered just behind the for* 
I^erilfliobav^fh?, UglU " st lh0 8kin J"" 1 under the spine, 
did m ' n « 0 ', vua 110 1110,0 “hot in the gun. We 
h l n .b bu , 1 lbu rulers said he was "a big 
un. I still have his hide, dressed with the hair on and 
donbtle-s prize it as highly as the Arrupahoe Indian (re- 
ferred to by Monmouth) did his. Tkxasl 
Cooke county, Tesuis, January l»f, 1875. 
For Forest and Stream. 
A BEAVER DAY. 
O UR camp was located in a sheltered ravine, aomo 
twenty yards from a clear spring creek that wound 
along through the gorge botoro us, while Just across 1(9 
pebbly channel the granite and marble ledges were piled 
skyward, streaked here and there with the rarest colored 
lichens uiul mosses. The fir and the cedar, which seemed 
to bo clingiug for life to the ragged ledges, formed a strik- 
ing contrast to the clear outlines of the grand old pines 
that surmounted the top and towered over und above ull in 
their magnificent pioportions, humming, in mournful ca- 
dence, u song that was clearly intermingled with the heaiut 
roar of the cataract in the distance. 
Iu all respects our location had been sagaciously clioseu- 
in our hunting and Ashing we lmd been succuMful, and 
our enjoyment, was complete. We had sc»M the highest 
peaks, catching hazy glimpses of the far-reacldng wilder- 
ness that surrounded us ou all sides; we lmd dozed In the 
warm Indiun Summer noon day suu as we scunuod the 
rocks find nipida that lined the Sturgeon Hivcr, and hint 
but not Icaat, we still had in our larder a ^enorouH supply 
of provisions uud necessaries, together with gun and rod 
products— venison, trout and partridges— already secured 
and the wood aud water of this buiuliful location teemed 
with plenty more that could be readily udded to our store 
when needed. Verily, it would seem that under such elr- 
cuinstunees we should buvo imitated the uoblu (?) red men 
and lounged away the remainder of our vacation, but the 
past freedom from care, the clear, oxhilaratlug mountain 
air and bouuteous fare had generated a spirit within us 
that made the muatcrly style of uborlgluul inactivity utterly 
out of the question, aud so we pluuued lor the morrow a 
visit to three beaver traps wo hud set u few days utter lo- 
cating our camp. Accordingly our Juucheou, shouting 
and fishing tackle were pucked, and, ulter uu early break- 
fast, wo wore under way'. We lmd discovered u beaver 
trail about three miles from camp, lmd traced it up aud 
fouud u family located aud u dam just completed, some 
twenty rods iu length, across a thickly timbered ruviuu 
through which a small; trout streum found its way to the 
main river, la order to render our chauces of eucccad 
more tuvoruble, when we placed the traps we removed a 
portion of the dam, so as to partially druiu off the pond, 
uud set oue of the trups iu the breuch, thinking to make 
sure of one wheu the dutn was repaired. The two remain- 
iug traps were set at the bottom of the poud, oue near the 
entrance to the pond, und the other near the feeding 
ground. On arriving iu the vicinity wc tound the tiuia 
had been repuired, uud wc husteued to exatmue the trap at 
the feeding ground first. We found this Uup hud t.etu 
lmulid out of the wuter uud luid oil the dam, uud contained 
the hiud foot of a large bcuver. The uuimul had evidently 
used no greut effort to free Itself, but, on the couirury’, 
appearances seemed lo iudicutu that it had nmmluateii 
ulmost a human appreciation of the desperate situation it 
was in, und had delioenitely gnawed off the leg a., lue only 
effectual meaus of roguiuiug its freedom. A snude of 
regret uud disappointment came over us us we discovered 
the situation, und we at ouce voted lo set uu more oca v or 
traps for curiosity’s sake, uud to let uulurul history pi o- 
vine for speumeus through other barbarians. We tuimd 
to the break we had nmde in the darn and louud it ncuiiy 
repaired, and our trap nowhere to be luuuU, We exam- 
ined every truce and sign, b tluuu purpose, till u chance 
overturn of a portion of iho work re-euied the end of me 
chaiu. We dug out the trap, wheu, to our astonishment, 
we lound it lmd been removed uuU covered with so mum 
care that it was not sprung in the operation. (Jar trap ul 
the entrance of the house was uilsoug ulso, but me condi- 
tion of the euuiu and sliding polo saiisiied us mat thi> oue 
hud f ulfilled its mission, us me uuimul had struett lor the 
entrance to the house uuder the trunk, und must be dm wued. 
W e hauled uw ay on the chain uud pule lor some time, but 
to uo purpose, uud we were dually obliged to worn oiouw- 
deep w im our huichcls in the wuter uud roots to cut uway 
and release the uuimul. Uur reward came at last, us wo 
hauled out on the bank a Jurgu female buuvur, iu excellent 
condition, thul amply repaid us lor our wet uud cold 
experience. 
Visions of a fine rare specimen aud a delicious pot of 
beuver-tail soup now danced before me us 1 hast cued to 
shoulder the prize, and reluctuutly turned my back upou the 
strongest evidences of uuimul Knowledge I hud ever wit- 
nessed. Far lrom the ubodes of meu these families main- 
tain a singular monogamous fife lrom gcucraliou io genera- 
tion, originating and currying on improvements lor self- 
preservation uud comfort that are Uuiy marvelous. '1 he 
juveniles scorn not to degenerate, but at maturity strike 
out for themselves in the good old way, build their houses 
rear their young, secure their food anti store it away with 
the exucineas anu regularity of the scusoua. H. 
Fond du Lac, Wu., January llif/i, IBiO. 
—“Now ia the Winter of our Discontent. " 
