ROBERT ERNEST COWAN
 
 PHILADELPHIA 
 
 UPflNClTT 
 
 C^AMBOJiQO, 
 
 ISv JfeJL ,fcxi25.
 
 THE HUNTER-NATURALIST. 
 
 OR, 
 
 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS, 
 
 BY C. W. W E B B E K, 
 
 ACTHOB Of 
 
 SHOT cc THE EYE," "OLD HICKS THE outDE," "CHAXIES TOrrERrnoD PAPERS," 
 "GOLD MLXES or THE QUA," ETC. ETC. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 J B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 
 
 1859.
 
 ENTERED according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by 
 
 LIPPINC01T. QRAMBO 4 CO. 
 in the Clerk's Office of the District tvur t of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
 
 INTRODUCTION. t 
 
 THE first volume of the HUNTER-NATURALIST is merely 
 introductory to what I propose to make, in every sense, a 
 u progressive" series of seven volumes. 
 
 My cherished object in this undertaking is, to introduce 
 within the general scope of Polite Literature, a popular 
 Natural History: upon the production of which I have so 
 brought to bear the latest discoveries of Science, in the 
 application of mechanical forces to pictorial illustration, as 
 to cheapen all their cost without any deterioration of artistic 
 value ; and bring the essential spirit of what have been here- 
 tofore as sealed books, from their excessive costliness, within 
 e> ' 
 
 g$ the reach of the People. 
 
 *~L Then, again, what I mean by "popular" is to be found 
 Sg in a regard of the highest sense of this vulgarized and 
 52 misused term in contrast with that of the scholastic use of 
 yet "technical" a work belonging rather to the general litera- 
 3e ture than technical science of Natural History treating of 
 5 its facts as well as cognate associations. A work, indeed, 
 aiming to be as gay as it is grave as fanciful as it is 
 profound as theoretical as accurate as full of flesh and 
 blood as of philosophy as human as it is transcendental 
 as rhapsodically intoxicate as the hale air and blithe sunshine 
 out-of-doors can make it and just sufficiently spiced with 
 "learning" not to make one "mad." A work in which the 
 Animal Kingdom shall illustrate the Spiritual, and the Spirit- 
 ual the Animal, as well. A work in which Bird and Beast 
 shall be humanized to Man through Nature, and Man shown 
 to have been inhumanized to Beast and Bird through Society 
 which shall rebuke fanaticism for its ignorance of natural 
 laws, while it shall plead against wantonness with our race 
 for reconciliation and for mercy to the humblest of God's
 
 4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 creatures; in a word, which shall endeavor always, and in 
 every country, to present the Human Actor with the natural 
 scene the hunter with the hunted and the Hunter-Natural- 
 ist, placed amidst his chosen accessories, however remote, 
 whether of climate, individual action and adventure, or the 
 living and characteristic objects of his pursuit. 
 
 And who is this Hunter-Naturalist? I answer, something 
 of the Primitive Hunter and modern Field-Naturalist com- 
 bined. The name best defines itself since .ffuftZer-Naturalist 
 implies at once a rugged and freebooter intrusion into the 
 realms of Nature, in which the nice mail of Science has ex- 
 changed its glitter and its polish for the greasy, powder-black- 
 ened, blood-stained buckskins of the rough, earnest wilderness. 
 
 While pretending to no dainty refinements of technical 
 accuracy, if his clear eye, aided by his stout limbs, explores, 
 discovers and assists to glorify, through art and thought, the 
 wide fields of Natural Science, I see no good reason why his 
 pale Brother of the Closet should sneer at him if he forgets 
 his Latin in a " stampede," or spells the jaw-cracking name of 
 a genus wrong, when his notes are often written, as much by 
 the flashes of the covering storm, or the smouldering light of 
 a half-drowned fire, as by honest sun light. 
 
 Familiar with Nature in all her modes and moods, the 
 Hunter-Naturalist is he who being accustomed to know her 
 through the medium of his own senses rather than books, should 
 only be held responsible, in a scientific sense, for what he him- 
 self has felt, seen, tasted, smelt, heard, and thought, out in 
 unchallenged communion with the secrets of his great Mother. 
 His observations then are essentially his own. 
 
 They but constitute one man's impressions of Natuio, and 
 convey an individual method of expressing them, which may 
 be as reliable in the facts presented, to say the least of it, 
 as if they had been drained, diluted, altered and amended 
 through the musty pages of an hundred folios. 
 
 Not that I would presume by any means to arrogate for
 
 INTKODUCTION. 5 
 
 the Hunter-Naturalist, even under my own comprehensive 
 definition of his mission, any independence of his pale 
 Brother, so far as his relations to absolute science are con- 
 cerned. His individual observations would soon become, to 
 the stern accuracy of practical classification, more crude 
 than savage myths; and his deductions vaguer than the 
 shadows of a day-dream but that when submitted to this 
 colder, more learned, and deliberate analysis, his "facts" and 
 his "discoveries" have been inexorably technicalized. 
 
 Yet from my earliest childhood I have felt individually 
 wronged when constantly compelled to turn from the dry, 
 inert and formal methods of "the Books," to the gay, sug- 
 gestive or subtile treatment of the Goldsmiths, Huberts and 
 St. Pierres, who have spoken so successfully for the People, 
 the charmed " sesame" of Science or else in hopeless sense 
 of the comparatively narrowed artificialities of each, have 
 thrown myself back, with a calmed and steadied enthusiasm, 
 upon the devouter study of those green and living pages of the 
 Natural World, which have never yet failed me in their truth. 
 
 Thus in assuming my position with regard to the method of 
 treating the subjects of Natural History, to be observed in 
 this work, the whole matter has resolved itself with me into 
 the simple question whether "lion-heart" and "eagle-eye" 
 shall be banished from heroic poetry, because they lack the 
 learned prefixes of Aquillce and Leonis or sentimental 
 rhymes resign all images of "plaintive Philomels," " cooing 
 Doves," and "Gazelle eyes," because they are not defined to 
 the people according to the " dead letter" of Museum cata- 
 logues ? or, indeed, whether it be vitally essential to the 
 general purposes of human enlightenment, that "all the world" 
 should become strictly technical Naturalists, in the scientific 
 sense, before the many who possess an eye for the Beautiful, an 
 ear for its language, a spiritual recognition of its unities, and 
 heart for the joy it brings, can be admitted to its presence? 
 
 It is thus the feeling has continued to grow with my 
 growth, and strengthen with my strength, that the Literature
 
 6 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of Natural History has been too much circumscribed within 
 the mere formulas- of Scientific utility to meet the mental 
 requisitions of the period in its text, or the practical demand 
 for cheapness in its illustration, which the rapid progress 
 of discovery in this department clearly demands ! I have, 
 therefore, in bringing this enterprise to a head, consistently 
 acted with |an early conceived purpose, that so far as the 
 devotion of individual energies could go, the General Mind 
 should no longer be thus rudely shut off from the contempla- 
 tion of themes which, in their free and legitimate presenta- 
 tion, are the most healthful, refreshing and ennobling ! I 
 speak this in no arrogance, for of such I have no sense but 
 of a collected purpose. 
 
 I have remarked that this first Volume is put forward as 
 merely an introductory to the Series. My object has been 
 to present my Reader at once to the Hunter-Naturalist in 
 that broad and comprehensive meaning of the character which 
 it implies to me. The Narrative and Sketchy form into which 
 I have moulded this Volume, is to continue a distinctive feature 
 of the Series. The wild creature and its Human peer must go 
 together in our treatment the one re-acts upon and modifies 
 the other ; let us exhibit the passions and the life of both. 
 Therefore, in each successive volume, whether it be the Wild 
 Indian and his Buffalo the Trapper and his Beaver the 
 buck-skinned Nomad of Art and Science, with Specimen-box 
 and precious Port-folio of Drawings or the amateur Adven- 
 turer with his insatiable appetite for novelty however foreign, 
 strange, or distant such may be, they shall appear amidst their 
 separate accessories of the Animal World. 
 
 Each Volume shall contain at least five such Plates as those 
 we give in this, devoted to the illustration of the Wild Scenes 
 of our own Indian Border Life, which will be furnished from 
 the noble and unequalled pencil of Alfred J. Miller, of Bal- 
 timore, who accompanied Sir William Drummond Stuart, on 
 his noted expedition among the Indian Tribes of the Plains, 
 as Artist. How splendidly he has accomplished his mission
 
 INTRODUCTION. 7 
 
 those who may not be familiar with his former works will at 
 once comprehend, in looking over the five first Lithographs in 
 this volume. I say with perfect confidence that it remains 
 yet for Art in this country, to approach the amazing fidelity 
 and spirit of these Drawings and his glorious Portfolio is hut 
 yet just opened ! I shall give in addition as in this volume 
 five other Lithographs of Foreign Scenes quite as elaborately 
 drawn, but of less costly finish. And I hope so far to perfect, 
 through the skill of my Lithographer, Mr. Rosenthall, the 
 processes by which he has produced these unparalleled speci- 
 mens of the art of Printing in colors upon stone, as to be able 
 to present all the figures of animal life in color and at a cost 
 which will come within the limit of that of the present volume. 
 This I shall regard as indeed a triumph. But the Reader will 
 perceive, that in the singular skill with which the colorist and 
 lithographer, have produced the pictures for this volume, I 
 arid he have much to anticipate. I hope through such able 
 seconding to demonstrate, that the art of printing in colors, 
 which is yet in embryo in Europe, has been left for us to de- 
 velope in this country, as we have that of Daguerreotyping. 
 
 I scarcely think that any specimens of that mysterious art 
 can be produced in England, where it has been longest a 
 subject of emulation, that will compare with my first five litho- 
 graphs by Rosenthall and Kramer, from Miller at least I 
 am very well content to abide the issue of public sentiment 
 with regard to this first experiment 'in a novel field ! 
 
 Here I would introduce to the Reader a new ally such an 
 one as certainly is not often presented in such enterprises. 
 This is no less a personage than my "little Wife," Mrs. E. M. 
 Webber, whose portrait you see associated with my own on 
 the title page of this volume. She is an Artist; and to her 
 hand I am indebted for much of the fine work in illustration 
 of this volume. But this is not her peculiar field the delicate 
 accuracy of the Woman artist will be more prominently and 
 characteristically displayed in our second volume, the title 
 of which will be " Wild Scenes and Song Birds of the World."
 
 8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The drawings of birds and flowers for this and all succeed- 
 ing volumes, will be by her ; arid I rest most proud and happy 
 with such a "help-mete" in my labors! 
 
 In presenting this first volume to the Public, I have felt 
 a proper diffidence in regard to the whole subject of scientific 
 classification, and have therefore solicited and fortunately ob- 
 tained aid in the highest legitimate quarter known amongst us. 
 
 Mr. John Cassin, the Secretary of the Academy of Natural 
 Sciences in Philadelphia, has consented to edit, with me, the 
 future volumes of the series ; so that my subscribers and readers 
 may not only rely upon the scientific accuracy of the work 
 through his learned supervision of this department, but may 
 as well look for a ripe, quaint and scholastic vein of humor, 
 such as has seldom been brought to bear upon such themes, 
 and which will form a pleasing contrast with my own head- 
 long methods. I thus hope to offer a work which shall be 
 complete in itself, as a Salmagundi of the facts, thoughts 
 and suggestions of the natural world, with enough of technical 
 accuracy to constitute it a reliable authority to the Student 
 of Science, and a sufficiency of genial reverence, gaiety and 
 kindliness, to render it always a safe, welcome and valued 
 companion of the fireside, into the chaste penetralia of which I 
 so much desire to win my way. We should not be permitted to 
 rest unconscious of the sacred serenities of Nature ; all the har- 
 monies rest therein and they bring peace with them ! Though 
 men may grow callous and dumb in listening forever to the 
 clink of dollars, shall not the sense of their fair children be 
 attuned to voices more soft, more mellowed, more divine ! 
 
 In conclusion, I would remark, that for my wood-cuts I 
 am indebted to Mr. Joseph T. Brightly, who has not only 
 performed his part as an engraver ably, but has with an 
 unexpected skill, thrown himself into the department of 
 design, and furnished me with the rough draughts of many 
 of my finest wood-cuts. To Mr. A. AYooclside, artist of this 
 city, I am also much indebted for a number of highly artistic 
 drawings on wood.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. PACI. 
 
 Bird, Beast, and Hunter 17 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 The Boy Hunter 34 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 The Naturalist Developing 54 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 The Night Hunt in Recess 75 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Audubon the Hunter-Naturalist Audubon and Wilson 87 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Audubon and Boone 123 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 The Grave of the Silent Hunter 191 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 Old Bill Smith the Silent Hunter 211 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 The Hunters of Kentucky James Harrod of Harrodsburg '231 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 The Fox and Fox Hunting in America 248 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 The Texan Huntress 274 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 Metaphysics of Bear Hunting 343 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Hunting Peccaries in Texas a Bear-Hunt without the Meta- 
 physics 381
 
 10 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOH 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 The Buffalo 394 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Panthers, and our other Felines 403 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Captain Dan Henrie ; his Adventure with "Wolves 425 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 The Darkle Fiddler and the Wolves 446 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 Skater Chased by Wolves 454 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 The Mustang, or Wild Horse 4GO 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 A Bird's-eye View of the Speclater 472 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 Trolling in June 482 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 A Night-hunt up the Cungamunck 492 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 Trouting on Jessup's River 503 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 Anecdotes of Moose and Deer Hunting among the Northern Lakes. 515 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 Hunting Elephants in South Africa 53G 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 The Giraffe 561 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 South African Lions 572 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 The Rhinoceros and Hippopotamus 594 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 Buffalo and Antelopes of South Africa 604
 
 1I1E WILD HUNTSMAN.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF SPORTING, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 BIRD, BEAST AND HUNTER. 
 
 THE air is filled with birds that fly, and are pursued by 
 bird and beast. The earth, with beasts that run, and are 
 pursued by beast and bird ; while man, in a world of pursuers 
 and pursued, is chief hunter of them all ! 
 
 Whatever may have been the case in primeval times, it 
 certainly seems very natural now that our relations to the living 
 creatures by which we are surrounded should be mainly 1 hose 
 of hunter and the hunted ; and that these relations should be 
 most immediate to bird and beast seems equally of course, 
 since they more nearly approach us on the ascending scale 
 
 2 17
 
 18 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 of being. But these most intimate relations to the life below 
 us express far more than is conveyed in mere consanguinity, 
 for they are each separate and living types of our compounded 
 selves. 
 
 Thus we see in the bird the type of our intellect of the 
 soul. We feel that they address the imagination, appeal to 
 what is exulting and exalting in us to " the aspiration in 
 our heels !" 
 
 The beast, on the other hand, is the type of our sensuous 
 life it appeals to our material and lower impulses. It pre- 
 figures and embodies individually those purely physical attri- 
 butes which we find expressed in man the Microcosm. In a 
 word, quadrupeds are the indices of our passions which belong 
 to sense; and birds, of our passions which belong to soul. 
 The bird has wings, and like thought, triumphs over time 
 and space. It lives in the pure ether, and all its modes and 
 associations are apparently those of the soul's life. 
 
 "As birds within the wind 
 
 As fish within the wave, 
 As the thought of man's own mind 
 
 Floats through all above the grave." 
 
 Even the impulses of the bird are those of cold and clear 
 intellection. When it strikes it kills the quick, fierce, 
 promptitude of appetite knows no pause. It never dallies 
 with the prey, to gloat upon its agonies and heat a hunger 
 on the struggles of fear in the efforts to escape, as do the 
 felines and many others of the quadrupeds. With it to feel 
 is to do, and to do quickly. Veni, vidi, vici ! is the accepted 
 motto of fiery, keen, victorious thought. They are the vicious 
 and ignoble sluggards of action that creep to conquer. The 
 beast is crushed by its grossness, and in its highest moods is 
 a crawler, with its belly in the dust. Even in the exultings 
 of its passion, in the murderous bound upon its prey, it must 
 shake the earth from its claws. It is indeed, " of the earth,
 
 BIRD, BEAST AND HUNTER. 19 
 
 earthy," and associated with the baseness and lowliness of 
 filth and dirt. However nice it may be, however intact of 
 the habitual soil it may keep its pelage, yet are its appetites 
 thirsty for blood like the absorbing earth ; its passions linger- 
 ing, deadly, but sure as the revolving seasons. Birds do not 
 linger so. When they strike, it is for the death; and then, 
 with no pause between, they swallow. Sometimes, as with 
 many of the fishers, they do not even tarry that they may 
 tear their prey, but deglutate alive. 
 
 As with the higher intellection, alimentation seems with 
 the bird rather a means than an end. Life has higher blisses 
 for them, and they eat to live ; while the animal but lives to 
 eat. The joy of wings, of sunshine and of singing, of battle 
 with the wind and storms, of rocking on the wave of forest- 
 tops, or swinging with the bound of waters, is with the bird 
 the nobler purpose ; while the beast must lick its thirsty 
 chops forever, and with baleful eye glare always the insatiate 
 lust of ravin through the smiles of peaceful nature ! 
 
 With all this we have to confess that as yet the beast 
 more closely approximates our sympathies, appeals to us 
 through more numerous traits of consanguinity than the 
 bird. This, though honest, and sufficiently honorable to us, 
 is nevertheless most humiliating to a transcendental pride. 
 
 They who would have the human all spiritualized, with 
 wings, forget that such conditions belong to a remote de- 
 velopment, or the other life ; that, linked as we are here with 
 the material, it is as brave of us, and as necessary, that we 
 should be true animals, as that we should be true angels. 
 Our mingled being can, as yet, be neither one nor the other 
 wholly, but must wisely compound between the extremes, and 
 be simply what we are men ! As men, then, all the vene- 
 rable past is sacred to our memory, as the cheerful future 
 is to our hope. The youth of humanity, in which the mate- 
 rial or passionate life predominated so much over the spiritual, 
 was just as excellent and as noble as its present condition.
 
 20 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Our past is as illustrious in its facts as our future can ever 
 be in its hopes. "We should as much venerate that antediluvian 
 era in which our giant progenitors wrestled hand to claw 
 with their brute antagonists, as this latter one, in which our 
 science, through chemistry and mechanics, has so entirely 
 quelled and fully restrained them. 
 
 Although fanatics may regard this proposition as crude 
 and profane, it is, nevertheless, absolutely true, that begin- 
 ning with germination, every stage of development to its 
 highest point, is equally honorable and to be honored. Is 
 the flower with the sun-light on it more to be regarded than 
 the first pale leaf which struggles to the air from out the 
 gloomy foldings of the earth ? Is the great tree, bending 
 beneath the ruddy weight of fruitage, more respectable in 
 God's economy of progress, than the small dark seed from the 
 entombment of which its proud show is the resurrection ? 
 
 Struggle, throughout all life, so far as it has been revealed 
 to us, is the law of ascension, as well as of fixed grades ; and 
 hence we justify all those rude antagonisms between man and 
 man, which a namby-pamby scntimentalism would convert 
 into the "piping times of peace." War is a legitimate con- 
 sequence of the conditions of our race, and all the concomitants 
 of war, martial games, hunting, &c., are equally legitimate. 
 It is astonishing that the lymphatic " peace" men should leave 
 out of view the fact, that when battle and death shall cease, 
 the whole animal world must be annihilated. In the first 
 place, even the graminivorous animals live upon the destruction 
 of some forms of animal life. There is no blade of grass or 
 leaf plucked by them, upon which myriads of animalculrc and 
 hundreds of insects are not destroyed they cannot move 
 upon the surface of the earth without destroying such crea- 
 tures every lifting of a hoof leaves crushed and writhing 
 victims in its track, and when the foot comes down, it is like 
 Behemoth raging through the thronged cities of men. The 
 law is, that animal life must be perpetuated through death
 
 BIRD, BEAST AND HUNTER. 21 
 
 and decay. The carnivorous animals confessedly live by mu- 
 tual destruction. How ridiculous is the effort to institute a 
 scale of sympathy, at the head of which the red-blooded ani- 
 mals are to be placed as more nearly appealing to our mercy. 
 They are, to be sure, nearest in fact, for the reason that we 
 too are red-blooded animals. 
 
 What right have we to suppose that the animalcule or a 
 caterpillar does not experience the same pangs from sudden 
 dissolution, that are felt by ourselves, or a stag or a boar ? 
 What difference, in this respect, does it make whether the 
 blood of the slain creature be red, green or white ? Is not 
 every vegetable devoured, even by your Gfrahamite, a micro- 
 cosm of the world, and like it populous with living things ? 
 If then the destruction of animal life be a crime, does He 
 who marks the fall of every sparrow, regard with less com- 
 placency this wholesale annihilation of a little world, with all 
 its joys and passions, by the remorseless jaws of that soft- 
 hearted vegetable eater ? Four-fifths of the creatures which 
 are visible to the naked eye live in our sight upon mutual 
 destruction while the remaining fifth live by the destruction 
 of those creatures of the existence of which the microscope 
 has taught us ! Where will our sickly benevolence stop ? All 
 things that live in the grades below man are the fungi of decay, 
 and all that is material of him is alike so ! Death is indeed 
 so entirely the law of life, that though fed on air you must 
 do murder with every breath ; it is the fuel of all life, except, 
 perhaps, that of baby ethics, alias, transcendentalism ! 
 
 Why, then, give to the red-blooded animals so dispropor- 
 tionate an amount of sympathy ? The monadic, vegetable 
 and insect lives, are as necessary to the economy of God's 
 World, as he has been pleased to institute it, as our own, or 
 the lives of any other of the higher animals. 
 
 Indeed, it is a curious fact, entirely left out of view in 
 modern theories, that even the lustful battles of the animal 
 tribes among themselves, are necessary to their own integrity
 
 22 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. . 
 
 and perpetuation. In these battles, which always result in 
 mutilation and death to many, the strong, of course, conquer, 
 and the weak being killed or driven off, are prevented from 
 perpetuating their own imbecility, and thus degenerating the 
 race. All are familiar with the savage contests of the ca- 
 nines, felines, &c. At such periods, even among the grami- 
 nivorous tribes, old Spencer tells of 
 
 "As greet a noyse as when in Cymbrian plain 
 An heard of bulles whome kindly rage doth sting, 
 
 Doe for the milky mother's want complain, 
 And fill the fields with troublous bellowing." 
 
 It is a fact, with regard to the habits of the Mustangs, or 
 wild horses of our great prairies, which we have frequently 
 observed personally, that the weaker stallions are invariably, 
 after desperate contests, cither killed or driven into solitary 
 banishment, from which they never return to the herd, until 
 their strength and prowess have been so far developed in the 
 solitude, as to give them some hopes of being able to triumph 
 in a renewed struggle with their conquerors. The marcs, in 
 the mean time, are passive observers, and surrender without 
 hesitation, to whichever of the opponents may have demon- 
 strated the right to approach them legitimately. There is a 
 still more curious instance, which we have learned from books, 
 of this stern recognition of the utilitarian principle amongst 
 the lower animals. The stork, which belongs to the old 
 world, and is a migrating bird, furnishes this illustration. It 
 is said, that when the period for their annual journey arrives, 
 all those storks who neighbor in the district assemble, as do 
 our martins and swallows, at a given place, for the purpose 
 of practising their wings, and thoroughly testing their powers 
 of flight, before they set off on their long pilgrimage towards 
 the Orient. After several weeks, spent in aerial circlings and 
 evolutions, the stronger storks suddenly fall upon those which 
 have shown, in this probation, such deficient energy of wing,
 
 BIRD, BEAST AND HUNTER. 23 
 
 as to make it unsafe for them to undertake the projected 
 flight, without embarrassment to their comrades, and dispatch 
 them with their long sharp beaks, sending them as quickly 
 thumping to the earth, as if a rifle-ball had struck them to 
 the heart. Here is a necessitarian justice, coming out of tho 
 code God himself has instituted for the government of his 
 natural world, which will no doubt greatly horrify the sickly 
 word-heroes of the anti-capital punishment and non-resistant 
 creeds. Although God himself has established these severe 
 ultimatums, there are those wiser than he, who would substi- 
 tute their own pale shadows of thought for the nervous sub- 
 stance of his will ! 
 
 I do not deny progress, even in the fanatics' sense of it ; 
 but I assert that war has been one of its greatest physical 
 agents; that it has convulsed and broken up those stagna- 
 tions of the moral sense which would have been fatal to it. 
 Though the necessity for war is gradually giving way to the 
 higher and more defined development of the spiritual life, 
 yet it must, for a long time yet, continue to be an important 
 agent of civilization. 
 
 Do not let us, in the meantime, forget that the vocation of 
 the soldier and laborer is as honorable in God's sight, and as 
 necessary to the real progress of humanity, as that of the 
 intellectualist. And do not let us forget, either, that all 
 those associations of the past, which link our race more imme- 
 diately with these under types of passional life, are equally 
 glorious Avith that primeval time, when Ham, with the hirsute 
 strength, and passion for the chase, which gave birth from 
 him to the stalwart progeny of "mighty hunters before the 
 Lord," perpetuated those fierce instincts of combat and 
 destruction, which have made the gloom as well as the glory 
 of our progress. Brave times, certainly, were those of 
 
 "Nimrod, the founder 
 
 Of empire and chase, 
 Who made the woods wonder, 
 
 And quake for their race;
 
 24 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 When the lion was young, 
 
 In the pride of his might, 
 Then 'twas sport for the strong 
 
 To embrace him in fight: 
 To go forth with a pine 
 
 For a spear 'gainst the mammoth, 
 Or strike through the ravine 
 
 At the foaming behemoth ; 
 While man was in stature 
 
 As towers in our time- 
 The first-born of nature, 
 
 And like her. sublime." 
 
 And something of the same rough stupendous cast from 
 nature's mould, must have been an old Briton of that young 
 time, when the first Roman came across, as the earliest navi- 
 gator to civilize for it is certain, that if the Romans came 
 as conquerors, they came equally as civilizers. And though 
 they found the man savagely rude, yet, also, they found that 
 he had taken one step, at least, towards the investment of 
 civilization. From him Spencer took his famous picture 
 
 "About his shoulders broad he threw 
 
 An harie hide of some wild beast, whom hee 
 
 In salvage forest by adventure slew, 
 
 And reft the spoyle his ornament to bee, 
 
 Which spreading all his back with dreadful view, 
 
 Made all that him eo horrible did see, 
 
 Think him Alcidea with the lyon's skin, 
 
 When the Neamean conquest he did win." 
 
 And now with the knotted club in hand, the round bull's- 
 hide shield advanced, with the long matted locks, hairy limbs, 
 and savage eyes, we have a pretty clear outline of the fierce 
 wild figures which met "with dreadful view" the Roman 
 gallics in the surf on their descent. 
 
 They were strange times, too those of the acorn-eating 
 Druids. The Man was, in fact, but a few degrees removed 
 above the brute, from which he 
 
 " Reft the spoyle his ornament to bee,"
 
 BIRD, BEAST AND HUNTER. 25 
 
 so far as habits went. But habits are not all the man, and 
 they were most sublime rites, the incense of which went up 
 from beneath those truest temples the sacred forests ! At 
 such a period the strong contrasts are exhibited. The brute- 
 man literally wrestles with his brute prototype for glory. 
 " spoyle," and food ; while the higher man sits with grey 
 venerable poll beneath the leafy shadows of his sacred place, 
 musing beside a rude stone altar ; or on the plain, upturns 
 the white calm of his time-beleagured front towards the stars, 
 in still communion with their mystari.s. 
 
 Then conies that finer union of the animal and spiritual lives, 
 when the science of Eld Egypt the God-revealed legislation 
 of the Hebrew the magic of the far wondrous East the 
 Ionian polish, and the Roman sternness, had, in their gradual 
 progress towards the West, so greatly modified human devel- 
 opment, that, out of such combinations, chivalry sprung forth. 
 This is that most generous balance of the two natures, which 
 even at the present day more nearly appeals to our nobler 
 instincts ; and 
 
 "In rough magnificence arrayed, 
 When ancient chivalry displayed
 
 26 
 
 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 The pomp of her heroic games, 
 
 And crested chiefs and tissued dames 
 
 Assembled at the clarion's call, 
 
 In some proud castle's high arched hall" 
 
 we have the most illustrious period of our race, in which, 
 through the expansion of the higher virtues, woman emerged 
 to her true place, and stood forth in light the angel of the 
 fireside ! Though the feudal age was partial in its immediate 
 effects, and the masses were still held in rude vassalage, yet 
 Buch developments as came to and for the few, were large 
 and grand. Then came the accession, though it was much 
 confined to the privileged classes, of that bold individuality 
 which dared to question any despotism, or hoary precedent 
 for truth, and out of which emancipation, sprung those liberal 
 opinions which have so far through blood and " terror" worked 
 out the modern ideas of liberty and equality. Thence came, 
 too, those regal impulses those mild and liberal sentiments, 
 which in their open-handed dispensations fell like the benedic- 
 tion of blessed dews from heaven, upon the feverish embittered 
 struggle of man with man ; and which cooled down their heat, 
 restoring that calm, mutual faith, that is the basis of any
 
 BIRD, BEAST AND HUNTEK. 27 
 
 attempt at self-government. Thence came as well "the 
 pomp and circumstance" of tournaments and hunts, in which 
 "the civil courteseys" of polished intercourse was most deli- 
 cately denned, even amidst the stern collisions of opposing 
 forces, and from which all those beautiful amenities, named 
 politeness by modern civilization, had their truest source. 
 
 Then the human chased the brute, surrounded by all the 
 regalia of a more exalted state, and the physical was culti- 
 vated through magnificence. Then "crested chiefs, and 
 tissued dames," were not above being thoroughly developed 
 men and women. Animals now arose to a more correct esti- 
 mation, and under the proper culture, soon became rather the 
 companions and subjects of our hilarious sports, than abject 
 slaves and enemies, or objects of alimentive lust. Then the 
 fleet and fire-eyed barbs were transported from their desert 
 homes, with all the appointments of a ducal progress, to lend 
 their game and tireless speed to the ambition of our rural 
 sports. Then the boar was left to whet his tusks and strength 
 together in his native and inviolated solitudes, until his savage 
 energies came to him, and he was fitted to add that hardy 
 attraction to the chase which danger gives. So was the stag 
 nourished in those solemn forest haunts where its antlered 
 pride grew and was matured for the noble struggle of its 
 chase. Even the falcon, with its steel-hinged wings, and in- 
 domitable wildness, was brought down from its crag-eyrie to 
 serve our pastimes ; and falconry became the most graceful 
 of all the sports in which the two sexes elegantly united. 
 Then came the manly fox hunt, in which sly Reynard's cun- 
 ning was made to increase the joviality and excitement of 
 the pursuit, and from which this creature has made itself 
 associate with the lusty habitudes and ruddy cheeks of the 
 English gentry. 
 
 But the free and courteous indications thus nourished, 
 soon opened for the race a new field, as well as novel sur- 
 roundings, in which their legitimate results would be wrought
 
 28 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 out fairly. The New World was discovered by a bold in- 
 quisition of science, which the newly released thought 
 exulting in its freedom could only have attempted ; and 
 was conquered by the proud daring of a chivalry, which wag 
 first sublime to undertake and strong enough to accomplish, 
 all that its fiery dreams had conceived. Then the Matador 
 knights of Southern Europe, possessed themselves of gold-bear- 
 ing, gorgeous Mexico ; and the cut-and-thrust agility the fero- 
 cious cowardice of their national show, "the bull-fight" has 
 been well perpetuated in the assassin's skill with the assassin's 
 blade ; and the brutal thirst for blood, wreaking itself the more 
 mercilessly as the victim is more helpless which has distin- 
 guished the modern Mexico of that conquest ! 
 
 But another people from the hardy North of the Old 
 World, which has always preserved the physical integrity of 
 its races went across to possess the, to them, congenial 
 North of the New. 
 
 The elemental war the thundering of wind-driven waves 
 upon "the rock-bound coast" the white desolation of snowa 
 crowning the cliffs and bowing the gnarled tangles of scrubby 
 forests, had no formidable terrors to them whose manhood 
 had been cultivated amidst the out-door hardships of those 
 gallant feudal sports to which we have alluded. They had 
 been cradled by the tempestuous North, and knew how to 
 match all its moods in self-defence. They could wrench the 
 fire from dead trees by friction, and even when this resource 
 failed, knew how to strip the warm skin from the newly slain 
 beast to wrap around them in their slumbers, and defy the 
 winter. They were not appalled by the savage red man with 
 his scalp lock, for they had conquered brutes as savage in 
 the wild fastnesses of their mutual home. Though certainly 
 there is a wide difference between the rough boar hunts, 
 through which some of our pilgrim fathers may be supposed 
 to have been habituated to " imminent perils by flood and 
 field" to which the knights went forth with their peers
 
 BIRD, BEAST AND HUNTER. 29 
 
 around them, with hundreds of retainers at their heels and 
 those stern conflicts in the wide wilderness of our forests to 
 which the single hunter went forth with his rifle and knife ; 
 and in which he had not only to meet in awful solitudes the 
 bear, the bison, the panther and the moose, but as well, the 
 still creeping, deadly subtlety of an Indian foe ! 
 
 The latter had all the aid of numbers, and a common pur- 
 pose, which, even under imperfect discipline, may convert a 
 physical coward into the hero. The former, shorn of all 
 these associations, was compelled to push his way alone into 
 the grim surrounding of the "howling waste," and single- 
 handed cope with all its clangers. He came with nerves of 
 steel and heart of rock, to subdue the bleak wilderness, and 
 he accomplished it though "dark and bloody grounds" may 
 have marked each arena of his stern and struggling progress ! 
 His own quick senses, and his prompt right arm were his 
 only dependences for the preservation of " dear life !" It is 
 not at all astonishing, then, that from the nurturings of such 
 scenes and habitudes, that bold and strong individuality, that 
 untamable self-reliance, which constitutes the basis of self- 
 government and a free republic, should have come forth 
 cap-a-pie, to assert its claim to national character, in the 
 eight, or even had it been necessary, the eighteen years' war 
 of a revolution. The war of the Revolution, and every one 
 that has occurred since, proves, that however deficient in 
 discipline, the North Americans are the best individual sol- 
 diers that the world has ever known. The remarkable skill in 
 rifle shooting, and the constant familiarity with sudden exi- 
 gencies of the ruder sports of hunting, which the every-day 
 habitudes of their wild life has given them, has fitted almost 
 every common soldier for the station of an officer, so far as 
 skill, coolness, promptness and self-dependence can go. 
 
 All the impulsion of our national character all of the 
 hardy, stern, resolute and generous that may be native, we 
 take through the noble blood of our hunter ancestors. That
 
 30 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUN1ERS. 
 
 terrible soldiery which devastated Mexico, was composed of 
 hunters almost to a man ; the eagle they earned before them 
 was a hunting bird the fierce-eyed king of the winged hunters ! 
 
 To me, the wild and peculiar sports of our country, are 
 as noble and ennobling subjects of curiosity, as I feel our 
 science should be of jealous accuracy, and philosophy of 
 liberal breadth. Our physical character has been quite as 
 much developed by the first, as our intellectual or moral by 
 the second, and our spiritual by the last. 
 
 Here, the civilized man, the savage and the brute have 
 been brought into extraordinary relations. Nor is this all. 
 It is through this remarkable collision, that a more intimate 
 knowledge of the habits of all the forms of animal life has 
 been obtained in the New World than has come through 
 any other source. The savage was the earliest and most 
 accurate student of their habits, from the necessities of his 
 condition, which compelled him to familiarize himself with 
 all their moods, in view of the facilities for capture, which 
 the want of food and raiment entailed. His familiarity with 
 such themes was then purely compulsory, while that of 
 our American pioneers has been nearly quite as much 
 BO. They, too, were bound to be naturalists. They came 
 to the unbroken solitudes to cope with the savage in the 
 conditions of his own life. Though they had more science, 
 and a better architecture, yet were they equally dependant 
 for subsistence upon personal prowess. They were com- 
 pelled to learn from their savage antagonist as tiny could, 
 through their manner of taking them the nature and habits 
 of the new animal races amongst which they found them- 
 selves. What they could not acquire from such sources, 
 their own intelligent observation furnished them ; so that, 
 in reality, the first American Naturalists were our pioneer 
 hunters, who learned through starvation, and all the perils of 
 savage warfare, and the inconstant seasons, to know more 
 accurately the habits, passions, transitions and localities of
 
 BIRD, BEAST AND HUNTER. 31 
 
 our animals, than whole fleets of navigators and scientific 
 pedants in silk stockings, could attain to in half a century. 
 
 It is only those who have dared to live such lives as they 
 did, and through familiar associations with them, have been 
 enabled to unite scientific accuracy with the gleanings of their 
 rude lore, who are to be depended upon as true delineators. 
 Such men have our great naturalists been. Such men were 
 Wilson, Godman and Audubon. With the eye, step, and 
 frame of an Indian the astuteness, nerve and intrepid skill 
 of the pioneer hunter, and the learning of the savan united 
 in himself, the Hunter Naturalist of America has pushed his 
 way, rifle in hand, into the secret places and confidences of 
 nature. He has carried her jealous defences by storm, and 
 may almost be said to have " wooed her as the lion wooes his 
 bride," will ye, nill ye I There have been few such ardent 
 investigators among the Old World Naturalists until of late. 
 Though many of them have been great travellers, and have 
 professed to examine the subjects of their favorite science, 
 amidst native surroundings yet in method and spirit they have 
 been entirely unlike the American. While the American, in 
 the confidence of practice and self-reliance, has been content 
 to trust in his own good right arm for provision and defence, 
 they have been sent out by Royal Institutes, with all the un- 
 wieldy appointments of a scientific progress, to explore the 
 "sands and shores and desert wildernesses." While he, with 
 habits as hardy and simple as those of the wild creatures 
 themselves, has moved among them without their being 
 aware has plucked the same berries, drank from the same 
 spring, and rested beneath the same shades, with his calm, 
 bright - eye, like that of an invisible presence, forever upon 
 their unconscious lives, has read them in their freedom 
 like an unsealed book the Europeans, with their lumbering 
 trains, have" brought dismay and terror into the startled soli- 
 tudes, and at best have obtained nothing but unsatisfactory 
 glimpses of retreating forms, or the clumsily slain " speci-
 
 32 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 mens." While he, with the experience of a boyhood and 
 manhood spent in hunting and among hunters, can subject 
 the wild legends and the vague tales he may hear to a sure 
 test within himself, and skilfully sift them of whatever truth 
 they may contain, for his own use the Europeans, whose 
 years have been spent amidst the musty folios of a library, 
 or the faded specimens of museums, must take whatever they 
 may hear for granted since it would puzzle a quizzing 
 "native" to romance more sillily than the venerated dullards 
 of those folios, and it would equally puzzle their astuteness 
 to recognize the living animals when they had only seen the 
 dried skins thereof! The consequence has been, that the 
 efforts of Europeans in Ornithology and Mammalogy have 
 been comparatively "lame and impotent conclusions," espe- 
 cially when they have undertaken to delineate American birds 
 and animals. As laborious systematizers and technicalists, 
 they of course have preceded and far surpassed us. We will 
 not dispute the husks of honor with them but must insist 
 that as to all wherein consists the proper vitality and purpose 
 of such themes, our own the American treatment has been 
 the most original, vigorous and true. 
 
 To such causes as we have traced, the fact is owing that in 
 European treatment, the subject of Natural History has been 
 technicalised into what may be almost called a perfect whalebone 
 state of sapless system. The subject, of all others possessing 
 the greatest amount of inherent vitality, it has been so heavily 
 overlaid by the dry bones of the Linnrean nomenclature as to 
 have become a veritable Golgotha of Science. Among us the 
 people, with whom it is necessarily a favorite theme, are 
 repulsed, in dismay of its formidable hieroglyphics, from what 
 is to them as a scaled book. Thrown back upon individual 
 resources solely, they become as we have seen, of necessity, 
 close observers, and so far as opportunity goes, much better 
 naturalists than your pur-blind Professors of the Science, who 
 tree only a learned name in its proper " class" and " order,"
 
 BIRD, BEAST AND HUNTER. 33 
 
 not a living creature on the green earth and under the sun, 
 and therefore it has been that only such heathful and hardy 
 treatment as our naturalists have given to Natural History, 
 has found favor among us. Our glorious Audubon, -who is 
 just now dead, lived and wrote like one of the people, and 
 therefore we love and venerate him passed away. The people 
 everywhere will have the familiar objects and subjects of 
 their every-day life treated in a familiar way, and all the 
 stilted terminology of an over-done wisdom is, and must con- 
 tinue to be, gibberish to them. One such fanciful and eloquent 
 romancer as Buffon, will continue through all time more dear to 
 the popular heart in the Old World, than fifty rude stolid com- 
 pilers as Gesner or Pennant, or even than the venerated 
 Linngeus himself; and Goldsmith, too, has made "A Fairy 
 Tale" (as Sam Johnson called it,) of Natural History, that 
 must live as a substantial reality in the memories of mankind 
 more enduring than the heavy monuments of learning. 
 
 It is therefore entirely from the stand-point of the Hunter 
 Naturalist, the indigenous growth of our New World, that I 
 propose to regard the Romance of Sporting, and the relations 
 of Bird, Beast and Hunter.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE BOY-HUNTEK. 
 
 I MUST surely have been intended for a hunter, as the first 
 thing I can remember was an animal. 
 
 I have often tried to trace as far back as possible into the 
 days of my childhood, the period when consciousness first 
 became linked with external things ; or, in other words, 
 my memory of life began. Curiously enough, I have never 
 been able to get farther back than to a time when I was kick- 
 ing and screaming in my nurse's arms, in cxtacied and uncon- 
 trollable eagerness to get my hands upon a beautiful little 
 white rabbit which had been sent home by my father in a 
 basket. 
 
 34
 
 THE BOY-HUNTER. 35 
 
 The picture of that snowy creature, with its "pink eyne," 
 and long ears laid back, couched and trembling amidst the 
 tow on which it had been placed, in its rough wicker cage, is 
 to this hour as distinct as a scene of yesterday. It was the 
 sweet surprise of that soft vision that startled my new life 
 into full awakening. I have no memory of the dull dawn 
 before ; it is here my actual being commenced. 
 
 They tell me I had already vegetated a few months, but it 
 must have been as a sprawling negation, dim-eyed and dream- 
 less, clutching feebly the untenanted air; for now was my 
 first amazed recognition of separate being ; now was that 
 vague Infinite first made palpable to me through sense in 
 form. 
 
 Ah ! the miracle of that mysterious outer world, where 
 such shapes of wondrous beauty grew ! I now felt the sun- 
 shine, and saw all things glitter. How strange and vivid 
 'familiar things around me seemed ; the rough fence, the old 
 trees and house wore golden halos on them ; the green earth 
 was glorified in splendors that entered to possess me in warm 
 thrills ; and a creeping joy, mingled of I know not what 
 delicious pains, glowed through my life, until it swooned in 
 love ! Ah, the ecstatic influx of that sensuous birth ! would it 
 might hold my heart to nature in that sacred glow forever ! 
 
 There is a philosophy which takes man for the highest and 
 purest exhibition of the divisible, for that type of being in 
 which all organism is perfected ; it recognizes him also as 
 linking this being with the indivisible, as the penultimate of 
 forms a part of heaven and a part of earth. 
 
 This being accepted, his relations towards inferior creatures 
 become beautifully dignified, and constitute a sort of arch- 
 archangelship under the sun, drawn by the common ties of 
 common sympathy towards all things that breathe and move, 
 yet holding an awful throne by right of its spiritual lineage. 
 Then doth he become, to their material nature, a " God made 
 visible," the palpable, immediate expression of that mystery
 
 36 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 and power which arc the elements of all supreme rule, whether 
 it be human or divine. 
 
 These earth-mated creatures are his subjects ; and here, at 
 least, his lust of despotism can be gratified, for he is ruler 
 and lord above them all, for evil as well as for good. When 
 it is for evil, how terrible he must be to them with his dread 
 engines and his fierce subtlety ! When for good, what moving 
 of strange thoughts, what yearnings for a better and gentler 
 being must visit them ! Was it not so, even with ourselves, 
 when there were giants in those days, and angels sought the 
 daughters of Adam on our earth ? 
 
 If creation be an unresting tendency, eternally ascending 
 towards the perfect, then is our supposition less a fancy than 
 a truth, and our dominion over the beast of the earth and 
 the fowl of the air becomes a heritage of fearful responsi- 
 bilities, embracing wide extremes of pleasure and of pain. 
 Duties, then, of startling significancy, open to us, and we 
 feel the presence of self-derived majesty expand throughout 
 our principality, and in beneficence above immortal subjects. 
 We are no longer their tyrants, but right royal masters. 
 We know them not as the insensate objects of a rude caprice, 
 dumb foot-balls to our blind and heady passions, to be chased 
 and torn and worried in our savage glee, but as the crea- 
 tures of our dedicated love, to be guarded gently, nurtured 
 well, and led by easy ways up, through serener airs, to happier 
 fields. 
 
 This is the Apocalyptic Vision of an elder race man, THE 
 ASCENDER, beckoning the flocks and herds, the live ocean- 
 tide of his inheritance, up the steep ; the calm radiance of his 
 merciful brow drawing its flood towards the stars ! It is a 
 healthful philosophy, full of noble teachings, and we should 
 hold it to our hearts, though the reality of such a vision 
 may be so remote though, alas ! fallen ourselves, we have 
 cursed them. 
 
 It is sad enough that all these creatures have scented
 
 THE BOT-HUXTEPv. 37 
 
 murder on our red right hands, and fly from our darkened 
 brows, that the archangel of our birth has been dethroned, 
 and that shining Presence, once upturned over them in 
 blessings, as a God, become terrible in wrath ! Yet are we 
 monarchs still, and yearn towards our ancient subjects, though 
 it be in empty mockery of state. In our domesticated crea- 
 tures we call them around us once again to feed from our 
 hands, though they be rather as the captives of our will, the 
 slaves of our necessities, than as loyal subjects in the bonds 
 of love. 
 
 What wonder that the man seeks savage compensation for 
 the loss of empire ? What wonder if, in the shadow where 
 he walketh now, those mighty memories turn his heart to gall, 
 when he looketh out upon his subjects, shining sleek, in beauty 
 and in strength, amidst their sun-lit plains ; and they regard 
 not his voice, lifted up as of old, to call them to his feet ? 
 Is it strange that, in the bitterness of quickened wrath, 
 his fierce pride turn upon them, glorying in the strife of 
 will with will, and strength with strength, to overtake them 
 in their vaulting freedom, and grimly laugh amidst their 
 slaughter ? 
 
 Yet are they co-mates and sharers of the sun with us, and 
 dark, unnatural passions cannot always shut them out from 
 the full circle of our sympathies. Childhood has yet a birth- 
 right of innocent illusion ; and while its ethereal haze lingereth 
 over all things in enchantment, we may at least believe and 
 love ! 
 
 We become curst and harsh with dwelling forever amidst 
 false hopes and care-Avcighed aspirations, and therefore is it 
 sad, indeed, when we outgrow that charming Faith of innocence, 
 since by it do we hold eternal youth. In its deathless happi- 
 ness it takes us forth into this marvellous outer world to grow 
 strong again in wondering, to freshen on the loveliness, and 
 grow mirthful with its gay and careless lives. Here are beings 
 infinitely numerous, Ayho breathe and move by the same laws
 
 38 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 with ourselves, and yet, who in their apparelling their modes 
 and humors, answer mere nature; and just as we love the 
 matron-smiling .front of her eternal freshness, must we love 
 these, and continue to shed upon them out of our hearts, a 
 wide beneficence. 
 
 How can we fail to love a keen-eyed wild-bird, coming 
 from the solitude, burnished and many-hued, as if the air, 
 where its surpassing beauty grew, held stores of gold, of 
 amethyst and glittering gems within its depths, and had 
 sifted them in gradual splendors down upon the plumy thing 
 that sat within its stillness ! "What a pleasant mystery its 
 gay, eccentric being is ! How we delight to watch its tame- 
 less heart pulsing through every gesture, and to wonder what 
 it thinks and feels, and how its moods go ! 
 
 Who has not noted the joyful amazement lighting up an 
 infant's eye when you hold a bird before it, or a sleek-furred 
 squirrel just from its leaf-cradle. How it screams with the 
 novel joy as its shrinking fingers feel the strange, soft touch. 
 Its first impulse the royal patron roused already ! is to 
 fondle and caress the little prisoner, and, though the chubby, 
 awkward fist of the young Hercules may strangle his deli- 
 cate vassal at the first grasp, yet is it not from cruelty, but 
 from the eagerness of the new delight. 
 
 All children are enthusiastic naturalists so long as the 
 happy time of innocent free impulse lasts, and well do I 
 remember all that mellow time with me ! Then was my faith 
 in the beautiful most mighty ; then gave it a charmed life to 
 me ; then was it my dintless shield, the Sigil of my necro- 
 mance ; by it did I " strange deeds upon the clouds," and 
 fairy fantasies of earth, and air, and sea, came in my dreams 
 obedient to its spell ; it made to me a world of God's free 
 nature, wherein its creatures wore his glories for a garment, the 
 light of his own eternity in their clear eyes, and syllabled in 
 most sweet voices the language of his own harmonious tongue ! 
 I knew these for my twin-born brothers, for, with the com-
 
 THE BOT-HUNTEK. 39 
 
 mon forms about me, I grew weary: they did not fill my 
 longings for I knew not what ! but when the wild-bird, 
 gleaming past, told me of the beautiful, the vivid, and the 
 free, I no longer tarried with dull sense ! I wore no wings, 
 but yet I followed it, beating the air with visionary plumes, 
 to fling the sunshine off; mine were no mellow pipes, but yet 
 I felt a carol in the blossoming tree, and sung by shady 
 streamlets a low, rippling trill wild among flowers and vines, 
 darting through shadows in tameless shine, I went, with the 
 swift thing, in riot through our joy ! Ah, it filled me with 
 the freshness of untamable delight, and set my spirit free on 
 its gem-dusted wings ! 
 
 As for that young squirrel, out from deep woods where 
 some old oak had nursed it, rocking the soft sprite in his 
 rigid arms, it won my very soul, with its dark glistening eyes 
 and feathery brush ! I felt the frosty patriarch of shades em- 
 brace it gently and warm within his knotted bosom, when the 
 battle-wind of winter had come forth ; and saw its airy bound- 
 ings lend a frolic grace to his grey poll, when gay spring 
 breezes wooed him. Enchanted now, and eager of sweet 
 mysteries, I entered where its leafy bed was rolled, and where 
 the garnered stores lay fragrant in dim chambers of that 
 oaken heart. 
 
 And then I smiled in dreaming, for I saw it here with 
 strange surroundings ! It had troops of little friends, the 
 leaf-winged elves, that came into its chambers when the moon 
 went down, and were all a-shiver with the cold, raw morning ; 
 and with puffy cheeks, straining at the load, they brought it 
 round, fat nuts, an armful each, and threw them on the little 
 heaps within its garner ; some, rare acorns, too, and some, 
 triangled beech-nuts, or purple wild grape, or a bursting bud 
 this was for love and breakfast ! Then they would creep 
 in bed with folded wings, and I could plainly see them pulling 
 its soft brush aside to get beneath the cover, and it would stir 
 a bit as if in vision it saw the dainties they had brought, and
 
 40 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 snuff drowsily at the perfume. Now they all lay so warm 
 and cozey, rolled delicately snug in that furry ball and when 
 daylight came and it went forth to play, they would keep the 
 bed warm for it through the glaring time of sunshine ! 
 
 There's no use saying I could not, for I could see those 
 little fellows just as plain as the squirrel itself ; and when 
 night came., I could see them, too, at their airy antics, plainly 
 against the moon as it rose up, and, at playing bo-peep, I 
 have caught them kissing the sleeping flowers, sure enough ! 
 
 They used to fight with the old owls, too, and thrust sharp 
 spear grass in their moony eyes, that would stare murder at 
 gay, heedless chip munck, or pretty little panting wood-mouse 
 pattering on the withered leaves below ! Indeed, I saw them 
 often gathering from afar in arms troop after troop, in snail- 
 shell helms, to drive such monsters bodily away when they 
 had ventured near that squirrel's house; and then, the. battle
 
 THE BOY-HUNTER. 41 
 
 over, they would throw aside their arms, and take .ZEolian 
 instruments they frame, and, with stealthy footing round the 
 oriole's hanging nest, make creeping music, steal into her 
 happy dreams, until she twitters in her sleep, of the dim 
 sweetness, fitfully ! 
 
 All this I saw with that young squirrel ! aye, and much 
 more, too ! I have not told you yet about its friends that 
 live in the cold shade of little mossy grottos down the deep 
 glen, where it must go to drink ! They are grotesque little 
 fellows, with fin-like wings, and you might any time see 
 squirrels play with them whether you could see them or 
 not jumping from rock to rock, darting under dark old 
 mossy roots, to hide in gurgling water underneath ; diving in 
 still pools, where it will fear to follow, or shooting a swift 
 rapid to some island pebble in the midst, where master bushy- 
 tail, with all his long bounds, cannot reach ! if I should go 
 on to tell you of all these doings, and of ever so much more, 
 you would know him just as well as I did ; but I don't tell 
 every thing ! we had our secrets between us, and I am 
 bound over about some of the daintiest of them ! 
 
 Whether you believe all this or not, its just the saoie to me, 
 for I did, and that even before I was big enough to go into the 
 woods alone to see for myself! When I did go, I found it 
 was all the same, except that I couldn't see the little friends 
 very plain, though I could see squirrel plain enough ! 
 
 Then, when I went out by myself into the deep wood, I sat 
 down on the moss at the root of an old tree, to watch for 
 him. When every thing was still again, I would see him 
 after awhile poking his nose slily out of the hole, snuff! snuff! 
 Then out his head would pop to rest his chin upon his fore- 
 paws, and he would look all around, above and below, very 
 cunning, to see if it was all right. Then out, like a thought, 
 he would glide, and I could see his lovely brush quickly 
 curled and spread all so grand above his head as he sat upon 
 a limb, still, for the moment. Lo ! there is another snuffing
 
 42 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 nose, and then great shining eyes filling the round black knot- 
 hole, and out another pops and then another and another 
 three of them his brother and sisters ! 
 
 Hark ! listen, qua ! qua ! quagh ! That is another one 
 over on another tree ! He answers it, and then such a time ! 
 such whisking of tails, darting along limbs and bounding 
 from swinging twig to rustling tree-tops, until they all meet, 
 two families of them ! 
 
 Now the frolic begins in earnest, and round and round the 
 rough trunks, rattling the bark down as they chase each 
 other ! Their tails are spread now as wide as they can, as 
 if they were badly scared, and that young lady he makes 
 love to, you may be sure, for now he has chased her out 
 to the very end of a great high limb, and hard pushed, here 
 she comes right off into the air ! down almost into my face 
 the white of her arms underneath, spread wide like her 
 stiffened tail ! into the leaves head foremost, and then up 
 and away, patter ! patter ! patter ! Here he comes, too, 
 sailing down after her, plump ! and rattles off along the old 
 logs and swinging vines in hot chase ! 
 
 So they all would frolic, chasing one another, and one would 
 see me, and stop and stamp his tiny feet and bark hoarsely 
 at me, jerking his tail in comic wrath. Sometimes another 
 would dart away suddenly, as if possessed, scurrying round 
 and round the tree after nothing ; and then I knew well 
 enough that it was not its tail that it was chasing, but one of 
 its little airy friends, only it was of too transpraent sub- 
 stance for me to see it by the day-light. 
 
 Nor were these all the sights I saw out there in those 
 quaintly peopled woods. There was saucy chip-munck, with 
 black and white stripes down his brown back ; he was a spry 
 fellow, too, upon the ground, and lived in the prettiest house 
 under an old stump. lie would show his striped nose push- 
 ing through the long moss hanging over his little hole under 
 the decaying root. How bright his soft, vivid eyes, and how
 
 THE BOY-HUNTER. 
 
 43 
 
 nis long black whiskers tremble as he pricks his short ears to 
 listen ! Then, quick as lightning, he mounts the stump, 
 frisking his pert tail at a great rate ; you c.in see his little-- 
 white bosom beating fast, like a toy watch in a flurry, as ho 
 glances sharply round ; then away he darts, pit-a-pat ! leap- 
 ing on another stump to look again ; now he is satisfied the 
 coast is clear, and with a soft chirping squeak dives down 
 into the leaves, scratching them aside and pushing under 
 them his inquisitive nose. Ha ! another soft chirp, and ho 
 darts back upon the stump again, and you can see his small 
 cheeks are all puffed out. In a moment one of the acorns he- 
 has found is in his paws, and sitting up straight as a little 
 goblin man, you can soon hear his sharp teeth creak ! creak I 
 against the hull. 
 
 He, too, has friends that live with him ; that are kin to
 
 44 
 
 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 the gnomes ; they are a very funny sort of people. They 
 cannot see at all after day, and they are so fond of their 
 antics, that sometimes light overtakes them, and then they 
 have to crawl under shelter of the first stone they can find, 
 until night comes again. Whenever you happen to turn over 
 the stone and see a blind, sluggish creature under it, looking 
 like a brick-dusted lizard, don't hurt the wee, helpless thing, 
 for when dark comes it will dart about and sparkle in the 
 most beautiful manner, like a living carbuncle, among the 
 strange night-flowering fungi that droop like it in the morn- 
 ing. You often see them at play, and if you do not notice, 
 will think they are nothing but fire-flies. 
 
 There were many more creatures that these gnome-people 
 loved very well, and which lived under the earth, too. They 
 lighted the long galleries of the tiny shrews, and when the
 
 THE BOYrHUNTER. 45 
 
 Star-nozed moles held their root festivals in domed chambers, 
 they were there to blaze amidst the velvet-coated throng, 
 right merrily at midnight. And the soft mice ! they had some 
 games with them, too, and loved mightily their warm round 
 nests beneath the stubble, or in leafy hollows of dead trees. 
 As for the gaunt and bloody weasels, they fright them with 
 a sudden glare in those dark passages where they dig, nosing 
 for murder ; and blind, too, the sullen mink with splendor in 
 his earthy prowls ! 
 
 So at first I went forth among the creatures of earth, in 
 peace, and saw them in my simple faith ; and all my plea- 
 santest memories of calm, unmixed delight, are associated 
 with that time of innocent wonder and loving familiarity with 
 these fresh articulations of God's thought in forms. 
 
 But as my passions grew, this harmless wonder changed 
 into curiosity, that became insatiable for a more intimate 
 knowledge. I yearned to know them better, to see them 
 more closely, to feel them, to possess ! I became jealous of 
 that graceful freedom I had at first admired so much, because 
 it took them away from me just when my heart was overflow- 
 ing towards them ; I reached forth my arms to clasp them to 
 my bosom, the empty air I folded chilled me at first, and then 
 anger rose. The pride of a despotic will, the rights of the 
 natural lord, were wounded from the tender side, and thus 
 became aroused to an embittered consciousness of strength, 
 and a willful purpose to use it against my gentle playfellows. 
 
 It was not that I grew cruel suddenly, and sought them 
 with the dark curse of Cain in my heart, at once; but that 
 I was impatient of this liberty that could take them from mo 
 when they willed, and desired to restrain them to come to me 
 when I willed. 
 
 I had no thought of murder at first, when I learned to en- 
 snare them. It would have broken my heart then to have 
 slain one ; and so full was I of love for them, that I could not 
 fully realize how much they suffered in being deprived of
 
 46 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 freedom. Though they did struggle desperately, and cry 
 aloud in fear and sorrow, I comforted myself in thinking that 
 it was because they did not understand what I desired ; that, 
 when they came to know of the good I intended, what a nice 
 little house I should build for them, what delicate food I 
 would bring, and above all, how dearly I should love them, 
 that then they would learn to love me, and become reconciled 
 to everything, and happy as I was in having them. 
 
 So, in my simplicity, I tried to believe, until the whol\3 
 thing became as' real as if it were true ; and the sunny attic, I 
 proudly called my room, soon became a sort of caravansary, 
 filled with these captive travellers of air and earth. What a 
 happiness it was to me to familiarize each new prisoner with 
 my presence, and sit and watch in low-breathed quiet all their 
 ways, as I used to in the woods, and laugh out suddenly, 
 until the old house rang, at some odd whimsicality of passion- 
 ate gesture. How I loved to have them on my person, to 
 caress me, to feed from my hands and mouth, to peck at me 
 in feigned wrath, or seize my hands with harmless teeth in 
 fierce dissembled savagery. Aye, I was lordly proud then, 
 even happy as a king. 
 
 When the snow came, too, what a joyful time that was to 
 be, for now I was to capture many more lovely friends. 
 
 When the grey heavy cloud gathered over night, and a 
 few broad flakes came scattering slowly down through the 
 twilight, then I knew there would be a heavy snow in the 
 morning. What a restless, fidgety fever I was in ! I went 
 to bed early that night, that I might get up early, and mean- 
 while sleep away the suspense. 
 
 I forgot to say my prayers for I did say them nightly in 
 those sinless times and lay tossed in restless visions of traps, 
 and snares, and dead-falls ; of monstrous hares, as big as my 
 dog Milo, swung up by the neck at the end of a pole ; of 
 great flocks of quails, with strange beautiful birds among 
 them, fluttering and peering their heads through the sticks
 
 THE BOT-HUNTEK. 47 
 
 of my traps ; of white foxes and black foxes, or of a great 
 opossum, lying with crushed heads beneath my dead-falls ; or 
 of tracking some creature that left the foot-mark of an ele- 
 phant on the fresh snow for miles and miles through the bowed 
 and foreign-looking woods, until I had tree'd it at last ; when, 
 after toiling and tugging, with sweaty brows, I had drawn it 
 forth from the hollow, and held it in my hand, I saw, without 
 the least surprise, that it was a soft little wood-mouse ! Ah ! 
 delicious fantasies were they ! 
 
 When at cock-crow I bounded out of bed and ran to the 
 window, the first thing how I clapped my hands and danced 
 for joy, and waked every body with my shoutings " The 
 snow ! the snow ! a deep snow !" 
 
 Then what a fussing time ! making new traps, stealing 
 clap-boards, and every other kind of boards that were avail- 
 able, to be split into trap pieces ! What a teasing my father for 
 triggers, to make me triggers for spring-falls, nooses, par- 
 tridge traps, traps for little birds, and all ! HOAV I wondered 
 I could not get the old gentleman to understand that I should 
 be ruined ! dead-ruined ! if I did not get my traps ready to 
 be set early even by breakfast-time for the other boys 
 would be setting their's, too, and take all the best places. 
 
 Little did I care for the hot coffee and cakes that morning, 
 but snatching a sup and a bite, was off, whistling for Milo, 
 and shouting for Pomp the negro boy, to accompany and help 
 me. Eagerly did we discuss, by the way, as we lugged our 
 heavy traps through the deep snow, whether the sink-hole in 
 the pasture, the thicket in the corn-field fence row, the black- 
 berry patch in the corner, or on the edge of the woods, were 
 the surest places for "Bob Whites," (partridges), or "Molly 
 Cotton-tails," (hares). There was no deciding between them, 
 so, to settle the matter, a trap was set at each place, and one 
 in addition for larks, cloves, red-birds, and sparrows, by the 
 old wheat-stack behind the barn. 
 
 Pompcy, who carried the spade, dug away the snow from
 
 48 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 each sagaciously chosen place, and exposed the black earth 
 beneath, so that our tempting bait might show from afar. 
 Then was the trap placed over it on the bare spot, and set 
 with such careful nicety ! Now with many a wistful look 
 behind to see if the birds were not at it already, we went on 
 to set the next. 
 
 When this first and most important business was got 
 through with, then came hare hunting under the snow. 
 
 Ah, that was the sport ! Molly Cotton would sit still 
 wherever the storm overtook her, and when the snow began 
 to cover her over, she would keep crowding, and pushing 
 gently back and forth, pressing it to one side until she had 
 formed a roomy little chamber all about her. The snow 
 would go on heaping and heaping until a domed arch grew 
 over all with just one little round hole, kept open through its 
 top by the warm air of her breathing and there she would 
 sit, snug as a Russian Princess, in her palace of ice, and 
 dreaming of luscious cabbage leaves and tender apple-shoots 
 in the neighboring garden. But Molly's golden visions were 
 as subject to be rudely dispelled as those of other people ! 
 
 See ! Milo's keen nose has scented one of those very breath- 
 ing-holes on the smooth, glistening surface of the snow he 
 has stopped suddenly on the plunge, with his foot raised ! 
 " Steady ! steady, boy !" We are up with him in long leaps ! 
 Now for it! " Hie on, boy!" and helter, skelter, here we 
 come ! I, Milo, Pompey, all together, tumbling heels over 
 head upon the snowy roof of Mistress Molly's palace ! There 
 she is I feel the soft, warm fur ! Squeak ! quai ! quai ! 
 quai ! her plaintive cry sings out ; we have her ! " Hold 
 hard, Pompcy; she kicks so with her strong hind-logs that 
 she will surely get away ! Down, you Milo ! There now ! 
 we have her tied she is secure !" 
 
 Every hour or two the traps near at hand are visited, and 
 those at a distance twice a day. We start upon our round. 
 From afar we can see that one is down ! My heart jumps !
 
 THE BOY-HUNTER. 
 
 I long sorely to run ! Pompey starts off, I call him back ! 
 It is necessary I should be dignified should prove to him 
 and all the world, by my unhurried calmness, 
 
 that my demerits 
 
 May speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune 
 As this that has befallen." 
 
 I walk slow and stately, feeling exalted by my self-denial 
 speculating after what manner the fates are about to reward 
 me thinking of a whole dozen of partridges, a splendid 
 male red-bird or, it may be, a large fat pheasant, or some 
 entirely new and wondrous creature, as best befitting my 
 just claims. 
 
 We are close at hand we can seo the little tenement 
 shake hear the heavy beat of struggling wings. Too much 
 for my stoicism is that sound ! With fluttering pulse I spring 
 eagerly forward bah ! it is nothing but a common thieving 
 
 J a 7 ! 
 
 I almost stagger with the revulsion of my soaring aspira- 
 tions while Pompey proceeds to get out the poor bird with 
 sundry abusive epithets and gabbled threats of neck- wringing. 
 " Yah ! yah ! ole feller ! cotch at last ! Carry sticks to de 
 debbil, to make fire, burn dis child wid, will you ! Da ! now 
 you carry sticks to debbil !" and away flutters the obnoxious 
 jay's headless body over the bloodied snow. 
 
 I have said I was not cruel, and it was a perfect agony to 
 me to witness the death of any of my prisoners but the 
 shock of the fall of my high-flown hopes was too much for 
 me, arid in this case I did not recover in time to save the 
 unlucky victim of a superstition universal among our negroes, 
 and to which, if I were not ashamed of the confession, I 
 might admit having been more than half inclined myself ! 
 
 But this was not all our sport on the snow, either ! If it 
 grew damp towards evening, then the cold night-winds would
 
 50 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 freeze its untrampled surface, and, by the time morning came 
 again, there would be a hard crust over all hard enough to 
 bear Molly Cotton's weight at any rate. 
 
 Now, such grand chases as we would have after her upon 
 the crust ! Milo's nose was to find her in the old stubble-field, 
 by the little breathing-holes through the top of her palace 
 under the snow ; then we had all the little dogs from the 
 Quarter, who were not much heavier than she, to chase her 
 on the crust. 
 
 Ah ! this was the greatest affair of all ! greater than 
 catching her at once in her house, for here we gave Molly a 
 fair start, and could see the whole chase to the end. 
 
 Before sunrise, Pomp had assembled from the quarter the 
 other young darkies, Dick, Sambo, and the rest, with their 
 cur-dogs, fices, terriers, and all other kinds of light dogs, 
 each one lead by a tow-string around its neck for it would 
 spoil the fun and interfere with Milo, to have them loose until 
 the time came. Such a gabbling and a yelping as they made, 
 the darkies and their dogs between them, when Milo and I 
 came running out, and took the lead through the deep crack- 
 ling snow towards the great field. 
 
 Sometimes the snow would bear us for a moment, and then 
 up somebody's heels would fly, and such a shrieking and 
 tumbling about with the laughter as there would be ; then the 
 eager mongrels, when they saw Milo run ahead with long high 
 plunges through the snow, would yell with anger at being 
 tied, and leap against their tow-leashes, or darting between 
 the holder's legs, would trip him up, and break away. Then 
 there was no catching the little wretch, for he would be cun- 
 ning enough not to come when his master called, just to be 
 caught again, so I would have to order a halt, and call in my 
 obedient Milo, and then the runaway would be decoyed in 
 reach of some one who would snatch the trailing tow-string, 
 and make him prisoner once mere.
 
 THE BOY-HUNTER. 51 
 
 So, at last, with all our stoppages in this way, and in 
 climbing the half-buried fences, where the negroes' dogs would 
 be sure to get nearly hung to death in jumping through the 
 wrong places, we would come to the old stubble just about 
 when the sunrise scattered the 'purple dawning, and every- 
 thing was a-glitter with the yellow blaze. We veiled our 
 eyes from the dazzle with our coat-sleeves and caps when the 
 white glare of the wide, unbroken surface was thrown into 
 our faces. 
 
 But my eyes would soon bear it when I caught a glimpse 
 of Milo's flying ears almost disappearing in his deep plunges 
 through the snow, then rising again with his high leaps. 
 He knew the time for action had come in earnest, and the 
 little dogs, straining on their leashes, would whine and shift 
 their feet, and yelp to get away, while they watched him, 
 with great white eyes, almost popping out of their heads with 
 their choked eagerness. 
 
 We all stand still, in breathless watching, as he covers his 
 ground right and left, scientifically, as if there were no snow 
 to hinder. But standing still, over the knees in the snow, is 
 very hard for boys, and I begin to stamp with the cold and 
 impatience, and rub my hands, while Pomp and his darkies 
 gradually draw their breaths and commence gabbling away 
 as noisy as ever. 
 
 "Yah! yah! Massa Charles, see dat Milo jump! He 
 long ear down dat sink-hole dar look jes like de big pheasant 
 fly 'long de snow ! He hab dat molly-cotton soon, now !" 
 
 " Keigh ! hush you nigger, dar ! d' 'aint no cotton tail 
 down dat briar-patch, 't all !" 
 
 " Sambo, what you know ? Milo knows more 'n ten sich 
 nigger ! He find him !" 
 
 " There ! he stops ! that's a point !" 
 
 "Whoop! yah! yah! told you nigger ! dar dat cotton !" 
 
 " Hush your noise ! Steady boy ! steady ! Silence ! Hold
 
 52 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 on to your dogs . come on quietly ! Steady, boy ! steady . 
 steady!" 
 
 Bursting almost with impatience, I have great trouble to 
 hold back my rabble, for we must get close before Milo 13 
 hied on, so as to have a fair run of it. 
 
 " Steady, boy ! steady ! Hold back there Dick, you ras- 
 cal ! hold the dogs ! Steady, old boy !" 
 
 I can see the point of his tail shaking, and his ears quiver 
 with restrained excitement. We are in ten steps, now 
 for it ! 
 
 " Hie on, boy !" One long bound he plunges beneath 
 the snow amidst the briars ! one breathless moment ! there 
 she is ! 
 
 From beneath his very feet she bursts through the pow- 
 dered snow, and shaking it from her fur, at one leap she is clear 
 upon the firm crust, and after slipping up once or twice, makes 
 steadily off. 
 
 Such a burst of yells, yelps and screeches ! Such a jumble- 
 together, helter, skelter, heels-in-the-air start as we make of 
 it. I, little dogs, negroes and all ! such falls, and such trip- 
 ping up ! such crackling and crashing ! Now the little dogs, 
 that have at first slipped up and rolled over each other, all 
 in a yelling heap, gather their legs together and stretch away 
 with fierce cries after poor molly-cotton, who is going off like 
 a bird, with her black shadow on the snow. 
 
 \Ve are wild, frantic with the excitement, and whoop and 
 screech as if tearing out our very lungs, as we follow, throwing 
 each other down in the jostle, and leaving soon the smallest 
 ones far behind. 
 
 " They are closing on her ! she slips up ! Whoop ! 
 hurrah !" 
 
 " Golly ! dat's Snap ! yah ! yah ! he de dog !" 
 
 " You Pomp, dat's my Sanch ! you nigger, dat's no 
 
 Snap ! Da, now ! he got her !"
 
 THE BOY-HUNTER. 53 
 
 " You Sanch ! you Snap ! get out, you dogs ! get out ! 
 begone !" I shriek, but it is too late now to SJ^e poor molly- 
 cotton from being torn. 
 
 " Hoo-ey ! dat my Snap ! yah ! yah !" 
 
 " You nigger, dat Sanch, fust ! Mass Charles dat Sanch ? 
 yah! yah! dis nigger's dog ! Hoo-ray! hoo-ray!"
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE NATURALIST DEVELOPING. 
 
 WHEN the crust had melted, then came tracking hares on 
 the snow, and here Pompey and I Avere better than Milo's 
 nose for we could see the beautiful little triangles Molly left 
 behind with her feet at each bound, laid as plain along the 
 snow as three ink-marks on white paper. 
 
 Out from the cabbage-patch or the nursery we would follow 
 it, winding round and round, through the fences and by the 
 briar-patch across the fields and away towards the wood we 
 would trail, bending down to look as we went, and keeping 
 Milo back behind us. Now the edge of the wood is reached, 
 and here the track gets all mixed up with others, and twisted
 
 THE NATURALIST DEVELOPING. 55 
 
 back upon itself, so that for a long time we cannot make it 
 out but Pompey strikes a circuit round in the wood, and 
 after awhile he shouts 
 
 " Here he am, Massa Chas. ! Got her agin ! soon find dat 
 hollow, now !" 
 
 Away we tramp again Pompey as eager on the new trail 
 as any hound crashing through hazel thickets falling over 
 buried logs and grape vines to he up and scramble on again 
 until " Ha ! that great old oak tree ! That's the place 
 see, the tracks go right into the hollow at its root." 
 
 " We've got her ! we've got her !" 
 
 Matches were not known in those days, but we had a little 
 steel and flint, with some "punk" between us, and now soon 
 we had scraped away the snow to get at the dry leaves, and 
 broken off all the dead boughs and twigs we could find around 
 for a heap a great heap at the mouth of the hole. 
 
 It was very hard to keep Milo's nose out, for snuff and 
 snuff he would in spite of us, when we turned our backs. 
 Now the punk burns the .pile is fired, and then we throw on 
 damp leaves to make a great smoke to rise up the hollow. 
 Milo stands by, looking on now with a very wise expectation 
 but Pompey kneels by his side, and holds him round the 
 neck tight. A little while ! we hear snuff ! snuff ! and scram- 
 bling inside the hollow ! Now she comes ! thump ! sneeze ! 
 There she bursts through the smoking pile stifling and help- 
 less. I seize her quickly. 
 
 " Down, Milo ! down ! Hold him, Pomp !" as I wheel round 
 and round to escape him, swinging poor Molly above my head. 
 Now she has got her breath again. Quai ! quai ! quai ! How 
 sad her wail is ! But, after a desperate struggle, Milo is beat 
 off, and she is saved ! 
 
 By the time the snow was gone, my attic had become popu- 
 lous enough ; but when the busy, gay and glowing spring had 
 come, and the carolling out of doors, and the warm, deepen- 
 ing green, and the faint odors of the youngest flowers came
 
 56 WILl) SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 stealing on the air, the prisoners there grew so restless and 
 looked so out of place in their bare wooden cages, that day 
 by day compunctious visitings grew upon me, until one after 
 one, with many a yearning sigh as I looked after them, all 
 were turned loose upon the sunny earth again. I would be 
 saddened for days to think of their ingratitude, for no one 
 of them would ever come back to me again. 
 
 Sorrows could not last long in those days. The sap run 
 vigorously, and new pleasures soon grew over the old scars. 
 My pets were all gone, but with the same spring that wooed 
 their freedom came nesting time. 
 
 Ah, what an eye I had for localities most apt to be selected 
 by my wild favorites to build their homes in then ! I was 
 seldom taken by surprise in finding any nest. I could almost 
 tell beforehand the very fork, thick clustered round with veil- 
 ing leaves, in which Master Dandy Jay would wisely hide his 
 clumsy house. 
 
 I knew the very limb out near the end of which the Robin 
 meant to build. I could tell the very stump or hollow which 
 yonder twittering pair of Blue Birds would select that is, 
 if they didn't choose a hole in the great gate-posts of the 
 meadow. 
 
 The blackberry thicket in the corner of the "worm fence" 
 where the Brown Thrasher would build amidst sharp briars, 
 I knew well of old ; and the very pear tree top, or swinging 
 locust in the yard, from which the Oriole, with black and 
 golden coat, would hang its woven cradle, was prophetically 
 foreshadowed. 
 
 I knew the apple-tree in the orchard, too, that so'her-coated 
 reverend of jollity, the Parson Oriole, would be sure. to select 
 to preach his garrulous sermons of glee on, while his tender 
 mate rocked pendent, listening from the same breezy bough. 
 
 I could tell before I reached yonder dead young mulberry, 
 whether it was a Tom-Tit's populous nursery that had filled 
 that sap-sucker's deserted chamber, or whether I might expect,
 
 THE NATURALIST DEVELOPING. 
 
 vrhen I tapped its sounding sides, to see the great soft black 
 eyes and trembling whiskers of the velvety Flying Squirrel 
 fill the round little hole before she darted out to sail down or, 
 the creamy spread of her furred drapery ; as for the red- 
 crested Flicker with his spotted breast, who loved this kind 
 of house, too, I knew his droll ways better than his better- 
 half herself, and many a sunshiny morning have I sat beneath 
 and mocked his noisy laugh and hammering rattle. 
 
 I knew the Screech Owl stood to blink and stare on sleepy 
 watch the livelong dav, out from his door in that old hollow 
 
 O / ' 
 
 beech that held his little family of horned goblins warm within ; 
 and where the robber Hawk circled on moveless wing with 
 plaintive cries at noonday, I knew his savage heart was 
 yearning towards that huge oak's clustering top below and
 
 58 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 if eagle's eyried on the cliff, I told it when I saw them stealing 
 quickly in. 
 
 It was no mystery to me where the shy Flame Bird hid its 
 eggs nor could the artist Hummer, with all its matchless 
 skill, deceive me for the moss-cloaked bulb that seemed so 
 like the gradual swelling of a natural knot upon the twig, 
 revealed its delicate secret to my sharpened eye. 
 
 The cunning, noisy crow, with all its loud-mouthed gam- 
 mon, never could mislead me, and even the subtle mocking- 
 bird had to give in to my untiring watchfulness. As for Bob 
 White, I heard him daily call "wife-e ! wife-e !" to nest in 
 the deep clover ; and the meek, simple dove, I patronized, 
 especially, and visited her each day, to watch, lest some rude 
 boy or prowling cat had marked the low and exposed nest 
 where the silly thing had placed it on an apple-tree limb, 
 right across the orchard path ; and respecting the wren, 
 Miss Kitty, the jade ! I believe she would have built in my 
 coat sleeve, had I given her half a chance ! 
 
 The blue martin and I knew each other's faces, Spring in, 
 and Autumn out ; for many a friendly and familiar gossip did 
 we hold together from my attic window, that overlooked the 
 little painted palace on a pole I had set up for it outside. 
 
 Ah, that fatal structure, with its red walls of painted brick ! 
 its mimic turrets, saw my first foul deed of wanton murder ! 
 
 These purple martins I most dearly loved, because they 
 brought me from the farthest south the first news of Spring 
 in their glad, low twitterings, and I placed this gorgeous house 
 there in lofty state for them to occupy in welcome to their 
 weary wings ; but then, the little warlike blue bird would 
 take possession first, and cruelly buffet the tired wanderer 
 when it came to claim its own ; then my blood boiled to wit- 
 ness the inhospitable deed, for the blue bird was no stranger, 
 and lived here through the winter. 
 
 I plead now with my father for a gun, and by one tremen- 
 dous effort, learned to say my multiplication table backwards,
 
 THE NATURALIST DEVELOPING. 59 
 
 to win it as a reward, and then grasping the bright new 
 weapon, in truculent rage, slew, with my first shot, the 
 audacious intruder, as it fluttered in triumph above the house 
 it had usurped. 
 
 What a strange sensation it was as I lifted that first 
 gasping victim of my prowess, and saw the blood upon my 
 hands. 
 
 I believe that blood, warm, dropping blood, maddens our 
 race, and makes fiends of us, for any devil of them all might 
 have envied my ferocious exultation ! It was my first taste 
 of blood, shed by my own act, and the red, infernal nectar 
 fired through my veins the raging ecstacies of a new lust that 
 all incarnadined the blue, holy sky, and dimmed, angrily, the 
 green, cheerful earth ! From that moment the fiercer impulse 
 of the hunter was aroused, to grow apace towards its stern 
 joys ! 
 
 The tyrant king bird knew me for a foe, and would ruffle 
 his vermilion crest at the very sight of me, and dip at my 
 head with waspish, querulous twitterings, for now there was 
 mortal feud between us ; and when I saw the quarrelsome 
 braggart persecute, with cruel buffetings, such blithe embody- 
 ments of musical mirth as the little Parson Oriole, and wag- 
 ging Wren, my heart would be moved to deadly indignation on 
 behalf of my gentle playmates ; but when the warrior-bird 
 screamed its game defiance as it fell before my aim, and 
 pecked and clawed at me to the last gasp, then my respect 
 was aroused, and I stood over it, sorrowing for my hasty 
 wrath. 
 
 But such compunctious visitings would become less and 
 loss frequent with each new deed of bloody retribution ! as 
 I fain would call it now. In my puisance I assumed to be 
 the champion of weakness and the oppressed, out in this free 
 world of nature ; and going forth slaying, and to slay, its 
 tyrants, I loved to call by self-approving names this lust for 
 slaughter that grew upon me.
 
 60 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 How my cheek paled when a warning cry from some watch- 
 ful singer would hush all the timid choir around, and with a 
 sudden swoop of overcoming wings, the dark hawk hurled its 
 fearful form down amidst the scattering throng ; and then, 
 the flushing hot blood, how it tingled through me, as I grasped 
 my gun ! 
 
 My very soul on fire, I shivered with the eagerness of 
 vengeful wrath, when that sharp wail broke upon the breathless 
 silence, and upward, with shrill, triumphing screams, the 
 robber mounted, in heavy flappings, with the stricken victim 
 struggling in his claws. 
 
 One concentrated instant, with my nerves all steel, and 
 his strong flight swerves to the report ! a shriek of baffled 
 fierceness, and he is whirling prone to earth ! 
 
 No errant knight, careering earth intent on deeds of " high 
 emprise," did ever press his mailed foot, at last, on slain 
 dragon's scaly neck, with more exulting consciousness of lof- 
 tiest mede, than I in that proud moment of stern victory. 
 
 It was the madness of a glorious exultation when I thus 
 slew the prowlers of earth, or air, or water ! I was exalted 
 by the act, and felt happy in their pangs, as it seemed to me, 
 because they chased and tore the gentle creatures that I loved ! 
 I could not realize in this foolish illusion, the mere " savagery 
 of unreclaimed blood," therefore did I rejoice in it with un- 
 utterable delight ! It was not that I was cruel, either, 
 I was drunk ! drunk with blood in the bewildering riot of 
 youthful energies and unaccustomed power ! 
 
 Ah, and I was a daring climber, too, in those days ! a 
 clean shaft, thirty feet to the limbs, was a mere irritation to 
 me, especially if I had espied a grey squirrel's summer 
 pavilion swinging to the breeze upon its lofty top. 
 
 When I had mounted, what a joy it was, rocking with un- 
 dizzied brain from topmost fork, to look out over the upheav- 
 ing, restless ocean of green leaves, and hear their low, solemn 
 murmurings go by ! They filled me with a strange exulting,
 
 THE NATURALIST DEVELOPING. 1 
 
 those wild symphonies, with their deep, mellow, muffled roar, 
 and I would rock my perilous perch in reckless sweepings, 
 to and fro, until it swung me in delicious vaultings through 
 the resonant tumult, like a sea-bird lifted on the storm-tossed 
 waves. 
 
 Many a ferruling has climbing for such a swing, or for a 
 bird's nest, cost me, savagely laid on by a brutal and captious 
 pedagogue ; and I hate the mean oppressor to this day ! I 
 was a scape-grace truant, to be sure ; but God had made the 
 glad sun and beautiful earth that wooed my lagging steps, and 
 I should not have been bruised and scarred by a base, thick- 
 blooded wretch, because I yielded an hour to their holy spell, 
 and could forget, amid scenes of such enchantment, even the 
 terrors of his gloomy reign. 
 
 Verily, that " Old Field Schoolmaster" will have many 
 grievous sins to answer for in his day of account. May the 
 justice that shall be measured unto him be more lenient than 
 any he meted out to me ! 
 
 I fought him at last, tooth and finger nails, with the scorn- 
 ful but futile spite of the little warrior King Bird, caught 
 napping by the claws of a carrion crow. 
 
 I ran away to my friends, and was protected from his ven- 
 geance. Dread was the ire that shook his mighty soul when 
 he saw that the victim was beyond the reach of his tyranny ! 
 It rose and expanded into prophecy, and he registered the 
 vow before the Fates, that he would live to see me the worst 
 boy in the county " hanged !" 
 
 Ha ! ha ! It might certainly have befallen me, as with 
 Absalom, to have been hung by the hair in a vine or tree-top, 
 for daily I ran the risk in my predacious climbing, but, as 
 yet, the neck of " the worst boy in the county" claims to be 
 innocent of any unpleasant familiarity with hemp ! May the 
 shadow of that prophecy never be less ! Ah, boys who loved 
 the green-wood better than the horn-book, saw hard times in 
 my young days.
 
 62 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 But now came the first great revolution to my young life. 
 I must be sent from home to school ! The rebel-boy is to bo 
 tamed by stern and wholesome lessons by the necessity of 
 self-sustained struggle with the rough actualities of being. 
 
 The soft delicious haze of home the warm thrill of nest- 
 ling love beneath a gentle mother's wing, must even be chilled 
 away in the bare, unaided conflict, for place and recognition 
 among my fellows in the strange dreary world outside. The 
 tender soothings of that sweet seclusion, where my heart had 
 grown all fenced about by charms, must now give place to 
 wanton gibes ; and ruffian buffettings dispel my dream-born 
 delicate visions, in the bare melee of vulgar license ! 
 
 It was a fearful trial, but I endured it ; for it was a wild 
 country house they sent me to, and I sought for compensation 
 amidst my old surroundings of the natural world. Those 
 loved associations of the shady wood gave me new calm with 
 the mild presence of their familiar graces, and strengthened, 
 with music of the songs they sung at home, my sinking heart 
 to bear the sharp bereavement. Here, from my first cheering 
 refuge, they became my almost sole companions in rough soli- 
 tary sports, until every secret place they made their haunts, 
 for miles and miles around, was known to me in loving visi 
 tation, wild foray, or vengeful raid. 
 
 For a long time I shrank from the coarse companionship 
 of the rude boys of my own age, who were my school-fellows 
 for, fresh from my sacred home, where bird voices had 
 mingled most with the gentle tones of playmate sisters, their 
 brutal recklessness of speech could but sound repulsive and 
 disgusting to my dainty sense. I scorned them with fastidious 
 haughtiness ; and they of course taunted me until, my pride 
 aroused, I stood at bay with sullen desperation, and in many 
 a fierce battle pounded a full respect into their thick skulls 
 for these same "womanish ways" of mine, as they had dared 
 to name them ! 
 
 Now the ice was fairly broken shocked by these rude col-
 
 THE NATURALIST DEVELOPING. 63 
 
 lisions, out of Dream-land into the Real, I waked into a lusty 
 sympathy with its stern and boisterous elements. The hardy 
 spirit that had joyed before to wrestle in isolation with the 
 unhoused wild conditions of mere nature, learned now to cope 
 with turbulent passions amidst lawless peers to feel new 
 exultings in an emulous strife with my own race ! 
 
 Ah, then came the glorious time of most ambitious feats ! 
 The spirit of rivalry once aroused, to what superb extreme 
 would not the extravagant energies be hurled in their fierce 
 lust of eminence ! What feats of incredible audacity and 
 hysterical endurance ! 
 
 The pale and rigid wrestler, writhing with a stouter foe 
 the desperate runner straining at a distant goal, with teeth 
 clenched, lest he should pant and fall the climber, taunted 
 to a perilous feat, swinging some fearful gap, with flying 
 bound, from limb to limb at dizziest height the swimmer, 
 breasting swollen torrents with blue limbs, beating vainly to 
 advance these were my playmates now in reckless emula- 
 tion ! When Saturday came, and in trembling eagerness we 
 girded up our loins to meet our freedom, and scattered in 
 hurrying troops over the rough hills and away to seek adven- 
 ture for this happy time, how dauntless and how strong were 
 we ! Dangers we loved for danger's sake, and shouted for 
 the joy to meet them. 
 
 Those holiday hours were indeed precious fragments from 
 the Nomad's Dream of Paradise, we had time to snatch, fresh 
 with the sparkle of dew and sunshine on them, during those 
 cloudy times of irksome servitude and how we reveled in 
 them when they came ! A year of enjoyment was crowded 
 through those fast minutes into the day. 
 
 Away with the rising sun to the " Bottomless Spring" Mill 
 Pond, six miles off! in bare feet with jackets slung over 
 arms, and fishing lines in pockets, we pattered along the 
 bridle-path at the long swinging gait of an Indian runner 
 never pausing, in our merry chattering, for breath, since such
 
 t4 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 time was too precious ! "VVe must be there in an hour, for the 
 greatest fish bite early ! 
 
 The dark hills are past, and we have reached the level 
 on the other side, and through the great trees can see the 
 sobered glisten of the vexed tumbling stream we have leaped 
 across so often in the highlands, now creeping in slow crystal 
 spread beneath the overhanging shadows toward its neared 
 bourne. There they go in splendid shoals, the great white 
 trout, darting like wild pigeons through a fluid air, as we are 
 seen ; and now, too, we can slacken our swift pace to gaze in 
 panting ecstacy for awhile. The green pike, lithe and swift, 
 glances its white belly, like a sword flash, up at us as he darts 
 past the active succors scattering from its dreaded path ! 
 We cannot take them here they hold their way towards the 
 deep water that now shows like a great fog-bank through the 
 thick towering forest stems ahead. 
 
 Here we are at last ! as the wide burst of water, blazing in 
 the morning sun, dazzles our eyes accustomed to the shades ! 
 One shout of joyous greeting and then to work ! Quickly 
 the long tapering poles are cut from the bordering thickets 
 bait for our small hooks produced, and in hurried eagerness 
 the favored spot secured. They are thrown in. Hey ! hey ! 
 Hurrah ! a fluttering splash ! and the first fish is landed 
 amidst laughing congratulations, altogether at war with the 
 favorite precepts of legitimate angling ! But what care we 
 for the shades of Cotton and Walton ? the fish are too 
 abounding and too eager to be frightened easily, and the 
 noisy sport goes on. 
 
 Yonder, away across the lake-like Pond, is the Bottomless 
 Spring. There the greatest fish are taken, and very soon, 
 with a sufficiency of minnows secured, we hire the boat from 
 the mill below to cross. At last comes the real time for 
 sport. The excitement is too great now, and the stakes too 
 important, for unseemly mirth or noise. With rapid silent 
 oars we urge across the broad sheet, avoiding here and there
 
 THE NATURALIST DEVELOPING. 65 
 
 the formidable snags that protrude their dry rugged arms 
 from some buried trunk imploringly towards the sunshine. 
 Now we stem with laboring oars the polished glide with which 
 the dark pool throws up its green waters from unsounded 
 depths. 
 
 We strain our eyes downwards through that dim yawning 
 gulf in wondering awe, for here the legends say the earth- 
 crust has been rent by the Evil One, who came one dark night 
 of storm and horror to carry off a noted Infidel, who lived not 
 far from hence, on a great plantation, years ago ! Just be- 
 yond a great cave yawns, too, and we can push the boat upon 
 the lapsing transparency up beneath the dripping roof, until 
 we shudder, of the rayless gloom, and dare not venture to go 
 farther ; though it is said to bring us at last beneath a vast 
 and vaulted roof, far under the hills. Here we let go our 
 long lines over the side of the boat, in the Bottomless Spring, 
 a hundred feet or so, and now for the trout or greedy pike. 
 Ah, what a strange thrill it is, when we drag up with many 
 a wary strain of hissing lines, the sparkling prey from that 
 mysterious abyss. 
 
 When the noon comes with its sultry heats, we leave our 
 finny sport for new refreshing in those cool depths. Delicious 
 plunges ! down ! deep down, with eager eyes opened on the 
 wave, we strive to pierce its secrets but in vain. Many an 
 hour we struggled and plashed through the freshening waters, 
 until the hot sun would scorch our exposed backs, and the 
 blistered skin peel from the writhing flesh. Evening, and the 
 return through lengthening shadows with our burdens of fish 
 carried between us, found our flagging steps drag heavily on 
 the hilly way, and the late moon rose behind the tall chim- 
 neys as the "Big House" came in welcome view ! 
 
 Then there came, too, the long excursions in search for 
 young squirrels through the deep trackless heart of the wild 
 forest or in the autumn to gather nuts ; when, for either, we 
 
 5
 
 66 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 must cliinb the loftiest of the hoary trees, and that with a 
 lithe daring that would have curdled soberer blood. 
 
 With the winter came new sports, more hardy still the 
 long night hunts by stealth with the younger darkies and 
 their little cur dogs, for the sulky " 'Possum." That was 
 great sport to begin with for we seldom ventured far from 
 the skirts of the plantation for fear of getting lost, and we 
 were not yet old enough to be promoted to sharing the dan- 
 gerous honors of the Coon hunt with the grown negroes, 
 because we could not keep up with their weary tramps. 
 
 But the 'Possum hunt was our own affair, and well we 
 knew to manage it among ourselves. It all had to be done 
 very quietly ; and if a dog barked before we got clear out of 
 ear-shot of the "Big House," he got well kicked for it by all 
 in reach black or white. We dreaded betrayal in the least 
 sound ; and even the chunk of fire carried by the biggest 
 darkle, was carefully sheltered by our hats and bodies, lest 
 its tell-tale gleam might be seen. Once round the turn and 
 fairly in the woods, we breathed freely, and might venture to 
 raise our voices from the eager whispers of consultation to 
 the more decided tones of decision and command encouraging 
 each other and the dogs: for "outer-darkness" is a great 
 damper upon both boys and dogs ! 
 
 Now we may cheer, and even whoop, as we are beginning 
 to enter the old field, where the persimmons grow, and wild 
 grapes mat, with their strong tendrils, the scrubby thickets. 
 Here the " 'possums" resort to feast upon the fruits, and the 
 "old har" keeps his form, too, in the long grass and briar 
 patches ; and every now and then, with o sudden burst of 
 screeching yelps, the little curs break away after a bounding 
 fellow, which they soon lose in the thickets. We do not care 
 for these interruptions, for the little dogs cannot trail them 
 far, and soon lose them in doubling through the briars. We 
 have no fear that the noise they make will spoil our sport a
 
 THE NATURALIST DEVELOPING. 67 
 
 great deal, for the sluggish 'possum does not care to trust iis 
 heels much on the ground to run away, and we shall be apt 
 to find it where it has come to feed on the persimmons, or 
 overtake it on the way. With many a shrill whoop and yell 
 we cheer the dogs on to greater activity, now that the forage- 
 grounds are gained, and the game must be at hand. 
 
 Hark, a low, wary yelp, quick, short, half-smothered with 
 hesitation and eagerness ! There it goes, the gathering cry ! 
 yelp, screech, quaver, whine ! They are bursting to let go 
 their voices. Hurrah ! the shrill yell rises from every throat 
 at once, curs, boys, darkies screeching all together in one 
 sharp, sudden cry of savage exultation ; then all is silent. 
 
 " Tree'd !" "tree'd!" Yes, a short, sullen bark is followed 
 by another and another, as each dog comes up, and smelling 
 at the tree, satisfies himself that all is right ; now we plunge, 
 tearing through the brush, regardless of briars and thorns, in 
 the direction of these sounds, and soon we hear the eager 
 whining of the dogs, through all the noise of their barking. 
 We are very close now ; and bursting through the thicket, 
 come upon them, all leaping up against a fence-corner of the 
 plantation ; there, showing plain against the moon, and hang- 
 ing by the tail from a limb of that bare persimmon over the 
 fence, we see the great grey 'possum savagely grinning at the 
 scene below, with his long, white teeth full bared ! 
 
 Hah ! hah ! hah ! what yells of merry laughter greet the 
 grotesque sight ! Some point their fingers at his shame-faced 
 grins, some pelt him with rotten boughs caught up from the 
 dry leaves at our feet ; while the dogs yell louder still, and 
 leaping against the tree and fence fall back in scrambles 
 between our le<rs. 
 
 f ^ 
 
 "Hn, yah! ole boy! what do dar, grinnin' at dat moon? 
 Steal more olc hen, suck more eggs, 'nudder night, will 
 yer?" 
 
 " Come out dat ! dat curl-teil no hold whar dis child climb !" 
 and up starts a young darkie to shake him out.
 
 68 
 
 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 " Yah ! yah ! see dot 'possum laugh ! grin nudder side 
 you's mout 'fore long, ole chicken thief!" 
 
 " Shake he, Josh ! shake hard, nigger ! he hold on good 
 wid he curl-tail !" 
 
 " Ha ! yah ! whoop ! hear he growl ! now dat 'possum laugh ! 
 dar he come !" 
 
 A simultaneous rush, screams, shrieks, growls, all min- 
 gled for an instant, while we beat off the dogs, and then he is 
 swung in triumph above their heads by the tallest of the party. 
 Now the well known trick of the opossum, in feigning to bo 
 dead, affords new amusement ; and he is surrounded by his 
 merry torturers, who, amidst noisy clamors, tease him in a 
 thousand ingenious ways to make him show signs of life,
 
 THE NATURALIST DEVELOPING. 69 
 
 though all but the greener ones take good care not to give 
 him too good a chance to bite, which he sometimes does with 
 severity while thus "playing 'possum." 
 
 Sometimes he is tree'd in a large tree, and then the fire 
 must be built, and a serious job we have of it to got at him ; 
 but the attempt is seldom relinquished until success has at- 
 tended it. The negroes take charge of the game on our 
 return, and the next night there is a grand 'possum roast at 
 the Quarter, in which we participate only on the sly as have 
 been with the hunt. 
 
 But to digress about our teacher. He was an eccentric person, 
 who having been poor in his young days, had acquired a fond- 
 ness for teaching, which he had adopted then from a necessity, 
 but which continued to cling to him through his life, although 
 his marriage had brought him a handsome fortune. He there- 
 fore kept up his school as an amateur, rather than from the ne- 
 cessities of the case. His plantation was a very extensive one, 
 situated on the edge of a wild country, and his admirable 
 school the favored and noted resort of the sons of the southern 
 gentry, from far and wide. 
 
 He was a good old man, that father Hinton, and loved us 
 all as his own children. We were allowed much more license, 
 on parole of honor, than was usual at such places ; the old 
 gentleman even took a grotesque sort of pleasure, which he 
 awkwardly attempted to conceal, in examining and comment- 
 ing upon, and particularly in weighing and noting down the 
 weight of our game, the legitimate produce of any and all 
 our wild sports, except the night-hunts, which were strictly 
 interdicted. 
 
 I shall remember his appearance to my dying day, on one 
 occasion of this sort. 
 
 We had made an unusually successful excursion to the 
 distant Bottomless Spring Mill Pond on one Saturday, and 
 the next morning, which was Sunday, we were very eager to 
 exhibit to him our trophies, of which we were very proud.
 
 70 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 lie was a very zealous Presbyterian, of the Old School doc- 
 trine, and of course very strict in regard to his and our de- 
 meanor on the Sabbath. We were therefore a little afraid to 
 parade our fish before him this morning; but there was one 
 among the rest, a great white perch, or trout, as it was in- 
 correctly called in that locality, of such extraordinary size, 
 and with the capture of which, too, there was such a ridiculous 
 story of mishaps, to me connected, that all my comrades were 
 bursting with eagerness to tell it before Mr. Hinton. 
 
 They would not venture, however, to take the fish to him 
 before breakfast, because there was no opportunity, as we 
 were always marched out in solemn procession from morning 
 prayers to the breakfast table, which was placed in a long 
 and wide passage of the large house. The fish, hoAvever, 
 were hung in a grand cluster against a pillar which stood near 
 the head of the table, in such a position that his eye must 
 necessarily fall upon them as he took his accustomed posi- 
 tion to pronounce the grace standing. 
 
 Now Mr. Ilinton was a person of genuine dignity of 
 character, and we stood in great awe of the earnest solemnity 
 of manner with which he always addressed himself to the 
 observances of his religion ; but the story with regard to the 
 capture of the great trout had got all among the boys, and 
 the sight of it, paraded so ostentatiously, now caused a 
 general disposition to titter, which was even ill suppressed, 
 as our teacher assumed his place. lie had not chanced to 
 notice it, and raised his hands reverently, and the habit of 
 respect for his tall and thin, but commanding presence in 
 these solemn functions, for the instant hushed every one 
 breathlessly. It was his well known habit to hold his eyes 
 reverently closed during the pronunciation of the somewhat 
 lengthy benediction; ;uid I am sorry to s;iy that it h;id been 
 a general habit, too, among the wor.st of us, to seize irreve- 
 rently this occasion to snatch in wanton mischief, sundry 
 articles of food from the dishes before us, which could bo
 
 THE NATURALIST DEVELOPING. 71 
 
 transferred to our pockets ; or else to throw a crust of bread 
 across the table and hit a neighbor on the nose, or pull the 
 ears of the servant girls in waiting, or indeed perform any 
 other ingenious antics which did not require too much time, 
 or cause too great a noise i 
 
 No sooner did the good man close his eyes than there 
 was so general a movement of heads and hands, such loud 
 whispering and noisy attempts to choke down laughter, that 
 with all his Sunday morning solemnity he could not help 
 hearing, and accordingly cut short the grace in time to open 
 his eyes upon the most vivid, interesting tableaux conceivable 
 of grins, grimaces, hob-nobbing heads and pointing fingers ; 
 following the direction of which, involuntarily his eye rested 
 first upon my unlucky self, and then upon the monster trout 
 against the pillar, as the cause of this ill-timed hubbub. He 
 started somewhat as his eye took in its size, and the severe 
 frown gathering upon his brow was contradicted by a slight 
 nervous twitch of relaxation at the corner of his mouth ; our 
 watchful eyes detected instantly this favorable sign, and there 
 was one general burst of the smothered laughter from all sides, 
 above which rose the stern command, 
 
 " Silence ! what does this mean, young gentlemen ?" 
 
 But it was too late now for authority to be regained at once, 
 and peal after peal of unrestrainable laughter set order at de- 
 fiance. But, fortunately for the delinquents, the good man's 
 eyes seemed to wander abstractedly, drawn by some irre- 
 sistible attraction towards the trout. Suddenly he muttered, 
 as if to himself, 
 
 " Why, as I live, that fish must weigh more than ten 
 pounds!" and forgetting all our outrageous conduct for the 
 moment, he strode across the passage, took down his little 
 spring balance, which he always used for such purposes, and, 
 to our increased amusement and delight, proceeded immedi- 
 ately to satisfy himself as to the weight. 
 
 " Twelve pounds !" he exclaimed, drawing a long breath
 
 72 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 " Whew, pro-di-gious ! Greatest trout ever taken at me 
 Spring Pond since my memory !" Then replacing fish and 
 scales, he turned and looked sharply along the table, while 
 the hubbub was silenced in an instant. " You Charles, 
 Henry, Tom, you will all three remain after school, to-morrow 
 morning !" 
 
 This was said with a severity that chilled the hearts of 
 those of us named, for remaining "after school" was well 
 known to portend punishment of some sort. 
 
 However, by the time the terrible hour of judgment came, 
 the whole story of the capture having reached his ears, he 
 was evidently more disposed, at that awful moment, when all 
 the other boys had vanished, and we left alone with him to 
 receive sentence, to laugh at the affair himself, than to be 
 severe with us, so we got off with a slight reproof. 
 
 The incident which had caused so much fun was this : 
 During the whole day of Saturday there had been a match 
 going on among us all, as to who should catch the most and 
 largest fish. It so happened that I had either not been in 
 the mood for fishing, or had been in poor luck, for I had 
 caught little or nothing. 
 
 As evening closed the party embarked in the boat to return 
 across the Pond, and were quizzing me most unmercifully for 
 my poor success ; and I in return was making empty boasts, 
 which I had no dream of realizing, as I stood in the bow idly 
 lashing the water with my line, that I would surely catch a 
 larger fish than all their's put together, before we reached the 
 other shore. There was no bait on my hook, and there seemed 
 surely no great probability of my performing any such miracle. 
 Our boat was slowly winding among the buried logs, of 
 which I have spoken, when suddenly, as my line dropped in 
 our wake, the gleam of the leaden sinkers caught the eye of 
 a huge fish which made its lair under the logs, and in a twink- 
 ling I was jerked head-foremost over the bow into the water, 
 amidst the laughing shouts of my companions, who under-
 
 
 THE NATURALIST DEVELOPING. 73 
 
 stood the thing in an instant. Some one shouted comfort- 
 ingly in my ear, as I rose spluttering from the sudden plunge, 
 " Ha ! ha ! I think the fish has caught you instead ! Hold on 
 to him ! hold on !" 
 
 The fish was secured, after a desperate struggle, "with our 
 united force ; and as I was yet quite a little fellow, the joke 
 of my having been " caught by the fish," was too good a one 
 not to tell for a long time among such boys ! 
 
 We had skating, too, in the winter, and many a wild scene 
 there was when we were flying, like squads of swallows, hither 
 and yon upon the ice. There were some winters when extra- 
 ordinary floods came in the early part of the season, and then 
 the whole forest on the lowest side of the plantation would 
 be flooded, and its trunks stand several feet deep in the clear 
 water. The change of a night or two would freeze this over 
 suddenly and then such a time ! 
 
 The earliest dawn of Saturday found us afoot with prepa- 
 ration, for we had scarcely slept for eagerness through that 
 long dull night of Friday ! Such clanking of skates as we set 
 off in a run, with a cold bite for breakfast in our hands, and 
 some more stuffed into our pockets for dinner ! This was too 
 great a time to think much of eating. 
 
 Away across the wide bare fields, scrambling over the 
 rough, hard frozen ploughed ground in our thick boots, which 
 made great clamor on the crisp clear morning air, we hurried 
 with smoking nostrils and thick gloved hands. Our bodies 
 just from the warm bed, are almost cut in two at first by the 
 cold scythe of thai winter's breath in its wide keen SAreep 
 across the open fields but soon we reach the shelter of the 
 h,eavy wood, and then our blood comes glowing warm again 
 back to the tingling surface, and with eager shouts we greet 
 the strange scene. 
 
 Sunrise is streaming now down through the dark trunks in 
 many a line of rosy light that is reflected in sharp broken 
 blazes far and wide, from the aerial mirror underneath,
 
 74 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 that holds that mighty forest, all glory-tipped, reversed, in its 
 hard clear bosom. The fire is soon built to warm our freezing 
 fingers while the skates are fitted ; but it seems a fearful 
 thing to trust ourself out on mid-air thus for so to our awed 
 sense, that dark translucent depth appears as we shoot above 
 its mysteries, almost of our own volition, 
 
 " And yet no footing seen." 
 
 Motion soon dispels the chill of strangeness, and now with 
 hardy eagerness we spring away in facile glide among the 
 great trees, and soon we dart, and wind, and fly, as in that 
 marvelous sense of motion without wings, in overcoming space, 
 that sometimes visits us in dreams. How rapturous that 
 wild ecstacy of speed ! We flew past walls of trunks, run 
 into each other we circled like thoughts, whirling as moun- 
 tain winds are eddied into the light, and out, like glittering 
 shadows dimmed, while the ringing clangors of our steel-shod 
 heels receded in soft meanings from our swift way ! 
 
 So sped our lives, winter and summer, as a vision goes, until 
 the time came at last when we must leave that old place, some 
 of us for wider fields of busy strife, out in the great world 
 of men, and others for college. With what fond regrets my 
 memory revisits those rude and pleasant scenes. They are 
 near the last of those still-life pictures, where the soul rests 
 calmly in the past. 
 
 Now the action thickens as the opening turmoil hourly 
 includes new scenes, new experiences, with diversified excite- 
 ments rousing deeper passions. The boy is yet not all a boy, 
 and the consciousness of strange yearnings and new ambitions 
 begin to move his breast with undefined wonder.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE NIGHT HUNT IN RECESS, 
 
 BUT still the old leaven leaveneth the whole lump, and with 
 the advent of Commencement, earlier passions soon displaced 
 the new ambitions. Ah ! do I not remember well those turbu- 
 lent times when, having got somewhat up in my "teens," i 
 began to "feel myself," and think of a truant independent^ 
 in college recess ? 
 
 The "old folks," as I and sundry other "young gentlemen 
 sophomores" of the neighborhood, were disposed to believe 
 unanimously, were entirely too close and particular ; or, ir 
 a word, since our college experience, apron-strings were be- 
 
 75
 
 
 76 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 ginning to be manacles ! A declaration of independence had 
 become necessary ! not an open one, but a declaration of 
 " expediency !" sucli an one as we could make without involv- 
 ing serious consequences. 
 
 For instance, item, our right to creep out of our windows 
 when the "sleepless Gryphons" were a-bed for once "caught 
 napping" to keep "tryst" with our "peers" in view of a 
 descent upon some old snarler's watermelon patch, which lay 
 odd miles away. Item, our right by the same mode of exit, 
 or other strategy, at a given hour of the night, to meet at the 
 said given place, with the intention of enjoying the moon in 
 a "coon" or "'possum" hunt with the "Darkies" and their 
 dogs, down at the "Quarter,"* &c., &c., &c. 
 
 As the time had come when we felt it necessary to make 
 such doughty demonstrations, our measures were of course 
 taken with due an 1 necessary forecast. 
 
 Old Sambo, down at the Quarter, the dingy Nimrod of 
 darkness and the "Darkies," was first to be propitiated. He 
 is somewhat coy at Crst, for Js grizzly poll has been pene- 
 trated with a veneration mos, profound for the dictum of the 
 constituted authorities at tts " J3'g House !" Sundry presents 
 of "baccar" pipes, and old snTv.' ^s, assisted by a most con- 
 descending and confidential man;MT on our part, gradually 
 bring him around to a reciprocation. In vague hints, and 
 through telegraphic nods and gestures of most profound signi- 
 fication, the time, place, probable force, and accompaniments 
 of his n?xt great turn-f .t from the Quarter, for a "coon" 
 hunt, are all impartnl to the "young massa." We of course 
 instantly convey the momentous news through somewhat less 
 mysterious mediums to sundry young companions, living near 
 at hand, who are eagerly awaiting it. 
 
 The important night has arrived. The "old folks" have 
 
 * On the plantations there are usually several villages, or settlements of 
 the negroes, which are called "Quarters."
 
 THE NIGHT-HUNT IN RECESS. 77 
 
 barely time to commence their first snooze, having taken it 
 for granted that we are where dutiful and obedient sons should 
 be at such an hour in the land of Nod when by sundry 
 silent exhibitions of our skill at escalading, we have made our 
 escape from the sacred precincts of authority, and are off to 
 Sambo's Quarter, footing it with a fluttering heart beneath 
 the uncertain starlight. 
 
 Now as we had been prohibited from joining in "night- 
 hunts," first, on the ground that they injured our health, and 
 secondly, on the ground that they were dangerous, and third 
 and lastly, on the ground that it was highly undignified that 
 young gentlemen "to the manor born," and just from college, 
 too, should go out hunting with "the servants :" we of course, 
 with the heavy portent of all these formidable indictments 
 hanging over us, felt that discovery would be attended with 
 just the requisite amount of danger to give piquancy to the 
 commencement of an enterprise. 
 
 If our pulse was quickened, our heels were not less so by 
 such considerations. We were sinning on the strength of our 
 instincts, and we knew it ! We pause at the several cross- 
 paths on the way, to wait for the other young recusants who 
 were to join us. One after another they come in, each usually 
 attended by a favorite servant not far from his own age, who 
 has been admitted to his confidence. Joyously enough we 
 begin to gabble as the distance between us and the awful 
 shadows of the "Big House" is increased. Soon the 
 
 " Long leveled rule of streaming light," 
 
 for a sight of which the bewitched lady in Comus prayed, 
 "visits" us, and as we approach, the one ruddy "level" 
 divides itself into many a narrow fitful stream from the open 
 d;>ors and glowing hearths of the " Quarter !" 
 
 The crossing of shadows to and fro shows that all there is 
 alert. We hear the subdued too-oot of a horn, and the low 
 opening howl of the gathering dogs in answer. We begin to
 
 78 WILD SCENES AXD WILD IIUNTEKfs. 
 
 grow silent, and move faster. The horn is sounded more 
 boldly, and the howls accompany it in a gathering cadence. 
 
 NOAY the scene has burst upon us through an opening of the 
 trees ! There they are ! Negroes of all degrees, size and 
 age, and of dogs 
 
 " Mastiff, greyhound, mongrel grim, 
 Hound or spaniel, brack or lym, 
 Or bobtail tike, or trundle tail," 
 
 All are there, in one conglomerate of active, noisy confusion. 
 When indications of the hurried approach of our company are 
 perceived, a great accession to the hubbub is consequential. 
 
 Old Sambo sounds a shriller note upon his horn, the dogs 
 rise from independent howls to a simultaneous yell, and along 
 with all the young half-naked darkies rush to meet us. The 
 women come to the doors with their blazing lamps lifted above 
 their heads, that they may get a look at the "young masters," 
 and we, shouting with excitement, and blinded by the light, 
 plunge stumbling through the meeting current of dogs and 
 young negroes, into the midst of the gathering party. Here 
 we are suddenly arrested by a sort of awe as we find ourselves 
 in the presence of old Sambo. The young dogs leap upon 
 us with their dirty fore-paws, but we merely push aside their 
 caresses, for old Sambo and his old dog Bose are the two 
 centres of our admiration and interest. 
 
 Old Sambo is the "Mighty Hunter before" the moon! 
 of all that region. He is seamed and scarred with the pitti- 
 less siege of sixty winters ! Upon all matters appertaining 
 to such hunts, his word is "laiv," while the "tongue" of his 
 favorite and ancient friend Bose is recognized as "gospel." 
 In our young imaginations, the two are respectfully identified. 
 
 Old Sambo, with his blanket "roundabout" his cow's-horn 
 trumpet slung about his shoulders by a tow string his bare 
 head, with its greyish fleece of wool the broad grin of com- 
 placency, showing his yet sound white teeth and rolling the
 
 THE NIGHT-HUNT IN RECESS. 79 
 
 whites of his eyes benignantly over the turmoil of the scene 
 was to us the higher prototype of Bose. He, with the 
 proper slowness of dignity, accepts the greet of our patting 
 caresses, with a formal wagging of the tail, which seems to 
 say " 0, I am used to this !" while, when the young dogs 
 leap upon him with obstreperous fawnings, he will correct 
 them into propriety with stately snarling. They knew him 
 for their leader ! they should be more respectful ! 
 
 Now old Sambo becomes patronizing to us, as is necessary 
 and proper in our new relations ! From his official posi- 
 tion of Commander-in-chief, he soon reduces the chaos around 
 us into something like subjection, and then in a little time 
 comes forth the form of our night's march. A few stout 
 young men who have obeyed his summons have gathered 
 around him from the different huts of the Quarter some with 
 axes, and others with torches of pine and bark. The dogs 
 become more restless, and we more excited, as these indices 
 of immediate action appear. 
 
 Now, with a long blast from the cow's-horn of Sambo, and 
 a deafening clamor of all sizes, high and low from men, 
 women, children and dogs, we take up the line of march 
 for the woods. Sambo leads, of course. We are soon trail- 
 ing after him in single file, led by the glimmer of the torches 
 far ahead. 
 
 Now the open ground of the plantation has been passed, 
 and as we approach the deep gloom of the bordering forest 
 
 " Those perplexed woods, 
 The nodding horror of whose shady brows 
 Threats the forlorn and wandering passenger" 
 
 even the yelpings of the excited dogs cease to be heard, and 
 they dash on into the darkness as if they were going to work 
 while we with our joyous chattering subsided into silence, 
 enter these " long-drawn aisles" with a sort of shiver ; the 
 torches showing, as we pass in a dim light, the trees theii
 
 80 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 huge trunks vaulting over head into the night, with here and 
 there a star shining like a gem set into their tall branching 
 capitals while on either side we look into depths of black- 
 ness as unutterably drear to us as thoughts of death and 
 nothingness. Oh, it was in half trembling wonder then, we 
 crowded, trampling on the heels of those before, and, when 
 after awhile the rude young negroes would begin to laugh 
 aloud, we felt that in some sort it was profane. 
 
 But such impressions never lasted long in those days. 
 Every other mood and thought gives way to the novelty and 
 contagious excitement of adventure. We are soon using our 
 lungs as merrily as the rest. The older dogs seem to know 
 perfectly, from the direction taken, what was the game to be 
 pursued for the night. Had we gone up by the old Field 
 'where the Persimmon trees grow, they would have understood 
 that "possums" were to be had; but as old Sambo led off 
 through the deep woods towards the swamps, it said " coons" 
 to them as plain as if they had been Whigs of 1840. 
 
 The flush of blood begins to subside as we penetrate deeper 
 into the wood, and as we hear old Sambo shout to his staff 
 officers and immediate rear guard, "Ilushdat 'ar jawing, you 
 niggers, dar," we take it for granted that it is a hint, meant 
 not to be disrespected by us, that silence is necessary, lest 
 we should startle the game too soon and confuse the dogs. 
 
 All is silence now, except the rustle of our tramp over the 
 dried autumn leaves, and occasional patter of the feet of a 
 dog who ranges near to our path. Occasionally a white dog 
 comes suddenly out of the darkness into view and disappears 
 as soon, leaving our imagination startled as if some curious 
 sprite had come " momently" from out its silent haunts to 
 peep at us. Then we will hear the rustling of some rapid 
 thing behind us, and looking round, sec nothing ; then spring 
 aside with a nervous bound and fluttering pulse, as some black 
 object brushes by our legs " Xothin' but dat dog, Xigger Trim- 
 bush," chuckles a darkie, who observed us but the couplet,
 
 THE NIGHT-HUNT IN RECESS. 81 
 
 " And the kelpie must flit from the black bog pit, 
 And the brownie must not tarry," 
 
 flashes across our memory from the romance of superstition, 
 with the half shudder that is the accompaniment of such 
 dreamy images. 
 
 Hark, a dog opens another, then another ! We are still 
 in a moment, listening all eyes are turned upon old Sambo, 
 the oracle. He only pauses for a minute. 
 
 " Dem's de pups ole dogs aint dar !" A pause. "Pshaw, 
 nothin but a ole har !" and a long, loud blast of the horn 
 sounds the recall. 
 
 We move on and now the frosty night air has become 
 chilly, and we begin to feel that we have something to do 
 before us. Our legs are plied too lustily on the go-ahead 
 principle for us to have time to talk. The young dogs have 
 ceased to give tongue ; for like unruly children they have 
 dashed off in chase of what came first, and as the American 
 hare (" Lepus Amerieanus"} is found nearly everywhere, it 
 was the earliest object. 
 
 Just when the darkness is most deep, and the sounds about 
 our way most hushed, up wheels the silver moon, and with a 
 mellowed glory overcomes the night. The weight of darkness 
 has been lifted from us, and we trudge along more cheerily ! 
 The dogs are making wider ranges, and we hear nothing of 
 them. The silence weighs upon us, and old Sambo gives an 
 occasional whoop of encouragement. We would like, too, to 
 relieve our lungs, but he says, " nobody mus holler now but 
 clem dat de dog knows : make 'em bother !" We must per- 
 force be quiet; for " de dog" means Bose, and we must be 
 deferential to his humors ! 
 
 Tramp, tramp, tramp, it has been for miles, and not a note 
 from the dogs. We are beginning to be fatigued ; our spirits 
 sink, and we have visions of the warm room and bed we have 
 deserted at home. The torches are burning down, and the 
 
 cold, pale moon-light is stronger than that they give. One 
 
 6
 
 82 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 after another the young dogs come panting back to us, and 
 fall lazily into our wake. " Hang coon hunts in general ! 
 this is no joke ; all cry and no wool !" 
 
 Hark ! a deep-mouthed, distant bay ! The sound is electri- 
 cal ; our impatience and fatigue are gone ! All ears and 
 eyes, we crowd around old Sambo. The oracle attitudinizes. 
 He leans forward with one ear turned towards the earth in 
 the direction of the sound. Breathlessly we gaze upon him. 
 Hark ! another bay ; another ; then several join in. The old 
 man has been unconsciously soliloquizing from the first sound. 
 
 " Golly, dat's nigger Trim !" in an under tone; "he kno.v 
 de coon!" Next sound. "Dat's a pup; shawl" Pause. 
 " Dat's a pup, agin ! Oh, niggers, no coon dar !" 
 
 Lifting his outspread hand, which he brings down with a 
 loud slap upon his thigh ; " Yah ! yah ! dat's ole Music ; look 
 out, niggers !" Then, as a hoarse, low bay comes booming 
 to us through a pause, he bounds into the air with the caperish 
 agility of a colt, and breaks out in ecstasy, " Whoop ! whoop ! 
 dat's do ole dog ; go my Bose !" Then striking hurriedly 
 through the brush in the direction of the sounds, we only hear 
 from him again, 
 
 " Yah ! yah ! yah ! dat's a coon, niggers ! Bose dar !" 
 A_nd away we rush as fast as we can scramble through the 
 underbrush of the thick wood. The loud burst of the whole 
 pack opening together, drowns even the noise of our progress. 
 
 The cry of a full pack is maddening music to the hunter. 
 Fatigue is forgotten, and obstacles are nothing. On we go ; 
 yelling in chorus with the dogs. Our direction is towards the 
 swamp, and they arc fast hurrying to its fastnesses. But 
 what do we care ! Briars and logs ; the brush of dead trees ; 
 plunges half leg deep into the watery mire of boggy places 
 arc alike disregarded. The game is up ! Hurrah ! hurrah ! 
 we must be in at the death ! So we scurry, led by the mad- 
 dening chorus 
 
 " -\vhile the bablilintr echo mocks the hounds."
 
 THE NIGHT-HUNT IN RECESS. 83 
 
 Suddenly the reverberations die away. Old Sambo halts. 
 When we get into ear-shot the only word we hear is, " Tree'd !" 
 This from the oracle is sufficient. We have another Ions* 
 
 o 
 
 scramble, in which we are led by the monotonous baying of a 
 single dog. 
 
 We have reached the place at last all breathless. Our 
 torches have been nearly extinguished. One of the young 
 dogs is seated at the foot of a tree, and looking up, it bays 
 incessantly. Old Sambo pauses for awhile to survey the 
 scene. The old dogs are circling round and. round, jumping 
 up against the side of every tree, smelling as high as they 
 can reach. They are not satisfied, and Sambo waits for his 
 tried oracles to solve the mystery. He regards them steadily 
 and patiently for awhile; then steps forward quickly, and 
 beats off the young dog who had "lied" at the "tree." 
 
 The veterans now have a quiet field to themselves, and 
 after some further delay in jumping up the sides of the sur- 
 rounding trees, to find the scent, they finally open in full 
 burst upon the trail. Old Sambo exclaims curtly, as we set 
 off in the new chase, 
 
 " Dat looks like coon ! but cats is about !" 
 
 Now the whole pack opens again, and we are off after it, 
 We all understand the allusion to the cats for we know that, 
 like the raccoon, this animal endeavors to baffle the dogs by 
 running some distance up a tree, and then springing off upon 
 another, and so on until it can safely descend. The young 
 dogs take it for granted that he is in the first tree, while the 
 older ones sweep circling round and round until they are 
 convinced that the animal has not escaped. They thus baffle 
 the common trick which they have learned through long ex- 
 perience, and recovering the trail of escape, renew the 
 chase. 
 
 Under ordinary circumstances we would already have been 
 sufficiently exhausted ; but the magnetism of the scene lifts 
 cur feet as if they had been shod with wings. Another
 
 84 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 weary scramble over every provoking obstacle, and the soli- 
 tary baying of a dog is heard again winding up the " cry." 
 
 When we reach the " tree" this time, and find it is another 
 "feint," we are entirely disheartened, and all this excitement 
 and fatigue of the night reacting upon us leaves us utterly 
 exhausted, and disinclined to budge one foot further. Old 
 Sambo comes up he has watched with an astute phiz the 
 movements of the dogs for some time. 
 
 " Thought dat ware a ole coon from de fust ! Dat's a 
 mighty ole coon !" with a dubious shake of his head. " Ole 
 coon nebber run dat long !" Another shake of the head, and 
 addressing himself to his "staff:" "Ole coon nebber run'ed 
 dis fur, niggers ! ' Then turning to us " Massas, dat a cat ! 
 'taint no coon !" 
 
 The dogs break out again, at the same moment, and with 
 peculiar fierceness, in full cry. " Come 'long, niggers ! 
 maby dat's a coon maby 'taint!" and off he starts again. 
 
 We are electrified by the scenes and sounds once more, and 
 "follow, still follow," forgetting everything in the renewed 
 hubbub and excitement. Wearily now we go aga!n over 
 marsh and quagmire, bog and pond, rushing through vines 
 and thickets and dead limbs. Ah, what glimpses have we 
 of our cozy home during this wild chase ! Now our strength 
 is gone we are chilled, and our teeth chatter the moon 
 seems to be the centre of cold as the sun is of heat, and its 
 beams strike us like arrows of ice. Yet the cry of the dogs 
 is onward, and old Sambo and his staff yell on ! 
 
 Suddenly there is a pause ! the dogs are silent, and we hold 
 up ! " Is it .all lost ?" we exclaim, as we stagger, with our 
 bruised and exhausted limbs, to a seat upon an old log. The 
 stillness is as deep as midnight the owl strikes the watch 
 with his too-whoo ! Hah ! that same hoarse, deep bay which 
 first electrified us comes booming again through the stillness. 
 
 " Yah ! yah ! dat ole coon am done for ! Bose got he, 
 niggers Gemmen, come on !"
 
 THE NIGHT-HUNT IN RECESS. 85 
 
 The inspiriting announcement, that Bose had tree'd at last, 
 is balm to all our wounds, and we follow in the hurry-scurry 
 rush to the tree. Arrived there, we find old Bose on end 
 barking up a great old oak, while the other dogs lie panting 
 around. "Dare he am," says old Sambo. "Make a fire, 
 niggers !" There is but a single stump of a torch left ; but 
 in a little while they have collected dried wood enough to 
 kindle a great blaze. 
 
 " Which nigger's gwine to climb dat tree ?" says old Sambo, 
 looking round inquiringly. Nobody answers. The insinua- 
 tions he had thrown out, that it might be a cat, have had 
 their effect upon the younger darkies. Sambo waits, in dig- 
 nified silence, for an answer, and throwing off his horn, with 
 an indignant gesture, he says, 
 
 " You d n pack of chicken-gizzards, niggers ! climb de 
 tree myself!" and straightway the wiry old man, with the 
 activity of a boy, springs against the huge trunk, and com- 
 mences to ascend the tree. 
 
 Bose gives an occasional low yelp as he looks after his 
 master. The other dogs sit with upturned noses, and on 
 restless haunches, as they watch his ascent. 
 
 Nothing is heard for some time, but the fall of dead 
 branches and bark which he throws down. The fire blazes 
 high, and the darkness about us, beyond its light, is unpene- 
 trated even by the moon. We stand in eager groups watch- 
 incr his ascent. He is soon lost to our view amongst the 
 
 O O 
 
 limbs ; yet we watch on until our necks ache, while the eager 
 dogs fidget on their haunches, and emit short yelps of im- 
 patience. We see him, against the moon, far up amongst the 
 uppermost forks, creeping like a beetle, up, still up ! We are 
 all on fire the whole fatigue and all the bruises of the chase 
 forgotten ! our fire crackles and blazes fiercely as our im- 
 patience, and sends quick tongues of light, piercing the black 
 throng of forest sentinels about us.
 
 86 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Suddenly the topmost branches of the great oak begin to 
 shake, and seem to be lashing the face of the moon. 
 
 " De cat ! de cat ! look out down dar !" The dogs burst 
 into an eager howl! He is shaking him off! A dark object 
 comes thumping down into our midst, and shakes the ground 
 with its fall. The eager dogs rush upon it ! but we saw the 
 spotted thing with the electric flashing of its eyes. Yells 
 and sputtering screams the howls of pain the gnashing 
 growls of assault the dark, tumbling struggle that is rolled, 
 with its fierce clamors, out from our fire-light into the dark 
 shadows of the wood, are all enough to madden us. 
 
 We all rush after the fray, and strike wildly into its midst 
 with the clubs and dead limbs we have snatched, when one 
 of the body-guards happens to think of his axe, and with a 
 single blow settles it ! 
 
 All is over ! We get home as we may, and about the 
 time 
 
 ' the dapple grey coursers of the morn 
 
 Beat up the light with their bright silver hoofs, 
 And chase it though the sky," 
 
 we creep cautiously into our back window, and sleep not the 
 less profoundly for our fatigue, that we have to charge our 
 late hour of rising, next day, upon Bacon, or the Iliad, Jr- 
 etead of the "Night Hunt."
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 AUDUBON THE HUNTER-NATURALIST. 
 
 THE time had now come to my developed and overflowing 
 passions when life must mate itself with destiny ; when tastes 
 and energies thus nourished in wild seclusion, should seek 
 their legitimate direction should break away on their own 
 course to find their natural level ! 
 
 And so they did, with a vengeance ! For had the uncon- 
 querable instinct been wanting in my nature, there was one 
 NAME that had so filled my life, that it alone would have 
 been sufficient to inspire me with a giant's strength, had such 
 been necessary, to burst all bonds and away upon the same 
 free track ! 
 
 87
 
 88 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Audubon ! Audubon ! Delightful name ! Ah, do I not 
 remember well the hold it took upon my young imagination 
 when I heard the fragmented rumor from afar, that there was 
 a strange man abroad then, who lived in the wilderness with 
 only his dog and gun, and did nothing day by day, but follow 
 up the birds ; watching every thing they might do ; keeping 
 in sight of them all the time, wherever they went, while light 
 lasted ; then sleeping beneath the tree where they perched, 
 to be up and follow them again with the dawn, until he knew 
 every habit and way that belonged to them. That when he 
 was satisfied, he would shoot them in some manner, so as not 
 to tear their plumage, and then sitting down on the mossy 
 roots of an oak, and with nobody to connoisseur for him but 
 his wise looking dog, and the squirrel that stamped and 
 scolded at him from the limbs above, would draw such 
 marvelous pictures of birds as the world never saw before ! 
 
 Oh, what a happy, happy being that strange man must be, 
 I used to think ; and what a strong and brave one, too, to 
 sleep out among the panthers and wild cats, where the Indian 
 whoop was heard trusting only to his single arm and his 
 faithful dog. I loved to speculate about that dog. He must 
 be larger than my dog "Milo," I thought, and just about as 
 gentle and true, but a little more knowing. How I envied 
 him the happiness of such a master and such a life. 
 
 As for the master, what magical conjurations of a charmed 
 fancy I loved to associate with him. He must be noble and 
 good, and wear such lofty calmness upon his brow. I had 
 an ideal of physical perfection, and below it could not bear to 
 conceive tnat so heroic a philosopher could fall. 
 
 What a martyr-spirit his must be ; and what a holy enthu- 
 siasm leads him on through tangled swamps, where the cougar 
 yelled, alligators roared, and hideous serpents parted, with 
 their wavy spotted lengths, the green scum of stagnant pools ; 
 up difficult mountains, where the rattle-snake sprung its 
 deadly alarum amidst the mossy fissures of the crumbling
 
 AUDUBON THE HUNTER-NATURALIST. 89 
 
 stones, and the eagle whetted its hooked beak upon the crag- 
 points ; or, beneath the profound shadows of primeval forests, 
 where the few sunbeams that straggled through at noonday, 
 looked like gold dust scattered over the black earth down 
 the destructive flood of mighty rivers, or beside crystal lakes 
 set in a columnar rim of giant cypresses ; on the sky-bounded 
 ocean-heaved prairies, or where the green and glinting ice- 
 bergs thundered crashingly against the hoar cliffs " of fretted 
 Labrador," or the " tropic gulf" hurled at the low " Keys" its 
 foaming mountains through, amidst, and over all, his daunt- 
 less spirit was passing, led always by the. winnowing sound 
 of wings. 
 
 What a poetical enchantment there was to me in such a 
 life ! What sights of awe and of beauty he must sec. What 
 images of touching truth of odd, peculiar humors he must 
 have stored. And that magical power he was said to possess, 
 to tame in colors the very waves upon the leap, and the arrowy 
 Albatross upon the plunge into its beaded crest ! 
 
 All these were so surprising and miraculous to me, that I 
 wondered, in my simplicity, whether such devotion was not 
 sinful, and such surpassing works would not bring upon their 
 author persecution and imprisonment for necromancy, as the 
 story books told had been the case of old. 
 
 It seemed to me too much bliss and too many gifts for a 
 single mortal to enjoy ! I felt, not envious ; but a deep emu- 
 lation was stirred within me. I vowed, in my inmost heart, 
 that I would first see all those things for myself, with my own 
 eyes ; where and as he had seen them out upon the broad 
 face of the extended world, and then I could look upon his 
 work and know, with an appreciative knowledge, whether ho 
 had wrought these miracles or not. 
 
 This resolve at once gave tone to my after life. Many a 
 tie was rent, and much agony endured by my friends, when I 
 became an unreckin wanderer through wild and distant 
 
 o o 
 
 regions. The uttermost arms of our tremendous seaward
 
 90 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 floods saw me amongst their springs. The salt and tumbling 
 Gulf tossed me upon its southern shores, and broad savannahs 
 swelled in my westward course into undulating plains ; and 
 they yet rose, across their wearisome breadth, into tall, 
 rounded hills, that grew apace, with crags upon their heads, 
 until heap upon heap far glinting through the clouds, the 
 pinnacled sharp rocks climbed upwards, and the vast forest 
 of crags spread its white bloomy tops among the stars. 
 
 My restless step was everywhere ; my eager eyes saw all 
 that our great continent could show. The grizzly bear and 
 the tropic bird were equally known to me. The savage 
 trooper and the Mexican slave had been familiars, as well as 
 the fierce bandit, and the stern, simple-hearted hunter. Years 
 of my earlier manhood passed in these erratic wanderings. I 
 had grown familiar with all wild, grotesque and lonely crea- 
 tures that populate those infinite solitudes of nature, " that 
 own not man's dominion." The vision and the passions of 
 my boyhood still haunted me, and the rustling of free wings 
 by my ear yet awakened all pleasant images. 
 
 Now, I felt that I had a right to know and see, face to 
 face, that remarkable man whose deeds and life had so much 
 occupied my imagination who had so made a living reality 
 out of what had been to me the poetry of life aye, a poetry 
 which had proved with me, stronger 
 
 " Than stipulations, duties, reverences, 
 
 and driven me far and wide, an April shadow chased before 
 the fitful wind ! 
 
 Should I ever see him ? The eager questioning lived about 
 my heart whenever I heard his name. I returned home, "the 
 prodigal son," my spirit much tamed and chastened ; yet the 
 old leaven fermenting deep beneath the calmer surface. 
 
 My restless steps had not long been still. I became again 
 a traveler. 
 
 Our boat landed one morning about daybreak at Pittsburg
 
 AUDUBON THE HUNTEK-NATURALIST. 91 
 
 that singular city, that looks as if it had been built over 
 the very gates of Acheron. Soon as I made my appearance 
 in the raw, foggy air, upon the wharf, early as it was, I was 
 surrounded by scores of " strikers" and agents of the different 
 hotels and transportation lines. 
 
 Amidst the yells and deafening clamors of contending 
 claims on every side, I permitted myself to be bodily ravished 
 into a coach, and hurried off, bag and baggage, for the word 
 of the Darky " Striker" being accepted "the most splen- 
 diferous hotel in the city !" As it happened to be the one I 
 knew, and had selected beforehand, I was content to take his 
 definition of its superlative excellence. 
 
 Before I reached my destination, the coach was hailed from 
 a street corner, and a fellow, muffled in a pilot cloth, sprang 
 in and took a seat beside me. To my no little astonishment, 
 he seemed to take the most sudden and peculiar interest in 
 me, and, greatly to the exaltation of my inward consciousness 
 of great deserts, plied me with a series of the sharpest ques- 
 tionings as to my whereabouts "when I was at home" my 
 destination, and above all, my route with the roundest and 
 most voluble protestations as to the affectionate interest he felt 
 in seeing that all travelers, especially such looking ones as I 
 was, were properly warned of the complicated impositions and 
 knaveries practised habitually upon them, by the many trans- 
 portation lines in this wicked city ; and to wind up this touch- 
 ing exordium, he frankly assured me that the " Stage Route" 
 across the mountains was the cheapest the most safe the 
 " most genteelest" and altogether the route he would recom- 
 mend to such a gentleman as me ! 
 
 The milk of human kindness was somewhat stirred in my 
 veins, responsive to this gratuitous exhibition of a broad phi- 
 lanthropy but as it happened that I had determined upon 
 the " Canal Route," I waived, with the most thankful acknowl- 
 edgments, any present committal, and gratefully accepted the
 
 92 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 card he thrust into my hand. But, as it most unfortunately 
 occurred, I found the office of the " Canal Route" for Phila- 
 delphia, &C.,, was next door to our hotel, and I was tempted, 
 weakly enough, no doubt ! to go in and book my name " clear 
 through." Insensate creature that I was. The canal boats 
 would not start till after dark, so that 1 spent the hours 
 allotted to daylight by the cathedral clocks, in exploring the 
 streets of this dim Cyclopian city. 
 
 The incessant clang of sledge-hammers had become suffi- 
 ciently monotonous when the evening closed in, and I was 
 glad enough to take coach and be transported to the Canal 
 Depot, when the usual vexations and delay consequent, had 
 to be endured. 
 
 Finally, however, we got underweigh, with such a cargo of 
 pigs, poultry and humanity, as even canal boats are seldom 
 blessed with. I stood upon tiptoe for the fresh air in the 
 cabin, until the time had actually come when people must go 
 to bed ; when that awful personage, the Captain, summoned 
 us all together, and informed us that every man, woman and 
 child aboard, must stow his, her or itself away along the face 
 of the narrow walls, in the succession of their registration 
 during the day. Now, it happened that as gentlemen are 
 not usually up before daybreak, that I stood first upon the 
 first list, and was of course entitled to the first choice of 
 hammocks. We panted in the centre of the close-jammed 
 crowd, waiting till the ladies, who always take precedence in 
 America, had been called off. As it happened that this 
 right of choice was finally definitive for the route, and deter- 
 mined whether one should sleep upon a hammock, or the 
 floor, or the tables, for several successive nights it was a 
 matter of no little moment. 
 
 It occurred while the ladies were being disposed of, that I 
 heard above the buzz around me the name of Audubon spoken. 
 My attention was instantly attracted by that magical sound.
 
 AUDUBON THE HUNTER-NATURALIST. 93 
 
 I listened in breathless eagerness. I heard a gentleman near 
 me say " Mr. Audubon is last on the list ; I fear he Trill not 
 get a bed, we are so crowded !" 
 
 I felt my heart leap. 
 
 "What," said I, leaning forward quickly, "is it possible 
 Mr. Audubon can be aboard ? I thought he was still on his 
 Rocky Mountain tour !" 
 
 "We are just returning, sir," said the gentleman court- 
 eously, half smiling, as he observed the excited expression of 
 my face. 
 
 "But, you are joking, are you not?" said I, hardly able to 
 realize so much happiness. He cannot really be in this boat. 
 Where ? Which is he ?" 
 
 " He is actually in this very cabin," said he, turning full 
 upon me. 
 
 " The man of all others in the world I wanted to see most," 
 I ejaculated, half inwardly. 
 
 " Well, there he is," said the gentleman, laughing, as he 
 pointed to a Xuge pile of green blankets and fur which I had 
 before observed stretched upon one of the benches, and took 
 to be the fat bale of some Western trader. 
 
 " What, that Mr. Audubon ?" I exclaimed, naively. 
 
 " Yes ; he is taking a nap." 
 
 At that moment my name was called out by the Captain 
 as entitled to the first choice of berths. 
 
 " I waive my right of choice in favor of Mr. Audubon," 
 was my answer. 
 
 Now the green bale stirred a little half turned upon its 
 narrow resting-place, and, after awhile, sat erect, and showed 
 me, to my no small surprise, that there was a man inside 
 .fit. 
 
 A patriarchal beard fell, white and wavy, down his breast ; 
 a pair of hawk-like eyes gleamed sharply out from the fuzzy 
 shroud of cap and collar. 
 
 I drew near, with a thrill of irrepressible curiosity. The
 
 94 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 moment my eyes took in the noble contour of that Roman 
 face, I felt that it was he, and could be no one else. Yes, it 
 was Audubon in his wilderness garb, hale and alert, with 
 sixty winters upon his shoulders, as one of his own " old 
 eagles, feathered to the heel," fresh from where the floods 
 are cradled amid crag-piled glooms, or flowery extended 
 plains ! 
 
 He looked as I had dreamed the antique Plato must have 
 looked, with that fine, classic head and lofty mien ! He 
 fully realized the hero of the ideal. With what eager and 
 affectionate admiration I gazed upon him, the valorous and 
 venerable Sage ! 
 
 What a deathless and beautiful dedication his had been to 
 the holy priesthood of nature ! I felt that the very hem of 
 his garments of that rusty and faded green blanket, ought 
 to be sacred t all devotees of science, and was so to me. 
 
 What an indomitable flame, that not 
 
 " The wreakful siege of battering years" 
 
 could qu,ll, must fire that heroic heart. To think, that now, 
 when " TL^e had delved its parallels upon his brow" when 
 lie had ulreidy accomplished the most Herculean labor of the 
 age in his "Birds of America" still unsatisfied, he should 
 undertake a new, and as grand a work, upon the animals ; 
 and now h* was returning with the trophies of science gath- 
 ered on his toilsome and dangerous journey ings ! 
 
 Ah, how I venerated him ! How I longed to know him, 
 and to be permitted to sit at his feet and learn, and hear his 
 own lips discourse of those loveable themes which had so 
 absorbed my life. 
 
 I scarcely slept that night, for my brain was teeming with 
 novel and happy images. I determined to stretch to the 
 utmost the traveller's license, and approach him in the morn- 
 ing. My happy fortune in having been able to make the 
 " surrender " in his favor, assisted me, or else his quick eye
 
 AUDUBON THE HUNTER-NATURALIST. 95 
 
 detected at once the sympathy of our tastes ; be that as it 
 may, we were soon on good terms. 
 
 Like all men who have lived much apart with nature, he 
 was not very talkative. His conversation was impulsive and 
 fragmentary : that, taken together with a mellow Gallic 
 idiom, rendered his style pleasingly titilating to a curious 
 listener, as I was eager to get at his stores of knowledge, and 
 compare my own diffuse but extended observation with his 
 profound accuracy. 
 
 The hours of that protracted journey glided by as in a 
 dream. I was forever at his side, catching with a delighted 
 eagerness at those characteristic scraps that fv.ll from his 
 lips. 
 
 I was anxious to obtain an accurate insight into the man 
 the individual. I found rather more of the man of the world 
 about him, than I was inclined to expect, though every inch 
 of him was symmetrical with his character of naturalist, and 
 many inches are there in that, growing through tall cubits 
 into the Titanic girth. 
 
 He had several new and curious animals along with him, 
 which he had taken in those distant wilds where I had myself 
 seen them in their freedom, and now they looked like old 
 acquaintances to me ; and I soon got up an intimacy with the 
 swift Fox, the snarling Badger and the Rocky Mountain 
 Deer. He exhibited to me some of the original drawings of 
 the splendid work on the Zoology of the continent, which his 
 sons are now engaged in bringing out. I recognized in them 
 the miraculous pencil of the "Birds of America." But I 
 observed several personal traits that interested me very much. 
 
 The confinement we were subjected to on board the canal 
 boat, was very tiresome to his habits of freedom. We used 
 to get ashore and walk for hours along the tow-path ahead 
 of the boat ; and I observed, with astonishment, that, though 
 over sixty, he could walk me down with ease. 
 
 Now, I was something of a walker, and was not very far
 
 96 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTEKS. 
 
 advanced in years, and though I do not exactly affect tho 
 nimbleness of Cleopatra, who was seen to 
 
 " Hop forty paces through the public street," 
 
 yet I pretend to very respectable ambulatory powers. Th ugh, 
 I say, I would not enter in a match with Gildersleeve, CoL 
 Stannard, Kit North, John Neal, or anybody else who has 
 pedcstrinated himself into an Olympic Crown ; yet I do set 
 up to be a walker, and I was not a little confounded at seeing 
 this old man leave me, panting to the leeward. 
 
 His physical energies seemed entirely unimpaired. Another 
 striking evidence of this he gave me. A number of us wei\> 
 standing grouped around him, on the top of the boat, ono 
 clear sunshiny morning ; we were at the same time passing 
 through a broken and very picturesque region; his kee.i eyes, 
 with an abstracted, intense expression, an expression of looking 
 over the heads of men around him, out into nature, peculiar 
 to them, were glancing over the scenery as we ^li led through, 
 when suddenly he pointed with his finger towards the fenco 
 of a field, several hundred yards off, with the exclamation, 
 
 " See ! yonder is a Fox Squirrel, running along the top 
 rail ! It is not often I have seen them in Pennsylvania !" 
 
 Now his power of vision must have been singularly acute, 
 to have distinguished that it, was a Fox Sq 1 irrel at such a 
 distance ; for only myself and one other person out of a dozen 
 or two, who were looking in the same direction, detected the 
 creature at all, and we could barely distinguish that there 
 was some object moving on the rail. I asked hi. i curiously, 
 if he w;is sure of its being a Fox Squirrel. He smiled, and 
 flashed his hawk-like glance upon me, as he ai swercd ; 
 
 " Ah, I have an Indian's eye !" And I had only to look into 
 it to feel that he had. 
 
 These arc slight but peculiar traits, in perfect keeping with 
 his general characteristics, as the naturalist and the man. 
 Of course, I never permitted that acquaintance to fall through,
 
 AUDUBON THE HUNTER-NATURALIST. 97 
 
 while he lived, and amidst the many and -wearisome vicissi- 
 tudes which have befallen since, I have retained fresh and 
 unimpaired the memory of that journey through the moun- 
 tains, as one of the green places of the past, where the sun- 
 light always lives. 
 
 Thus it was I came first to meet him, laurelled and grey, 
 my highest ideal of the Hunter-Naturalist, the old Audubon ! 
 Ah, the grandeur of that man's life ! though it had filled my 
 own with poetic yearnings in my youth, yet they have lost 
 nothing in fire and earnest upward through my maturer 
 age ! Now that he is dead, and I can look upon his career with 
 sobered vision, undazzled by the prestige of presence, un- 
 biassed by personal affection, and from the stand-point of 
 wide experience and comparison with other men, still I can 
 speak of as a reality what was once more like the thought of a 
 boy's daydream, that in all the world's history of wonderful 
 men, there is not to my mind one story of life so filled with 
 beautiful romance as this of J. J. Audubon, considered in the 
 mere deatils of its facts. Take them in his own simple words 
 as furnished by himself incidentally, in the text of his great 
 work, and what a wondrous tale it is ! 
 
 We will hear then from his own lips something of how 
 the greatest of the Hunter-Naturalists was developed, catch 
 glimpses of the boy-Audubon, artlessly conveyed through his 
 own memories and impressions of early scenes, yearnings 
 and impressions, up to the period of manly achievement ; of 
 doubts, of failure, and finally of gloriously consummated tri- 
 umph ! In his charming preface to the Biography of Birds, 
 written the March of 1831, he says of himself: 
 
 I received life and light in the New World. When I had 
 hardly yet learned to walk, and to articulate those first words 
 always so endearing to parents, the productions of Nature 
 that lay spread all around, were constantly pointed out to 
 me. They soon became my playmates ; and before my ideas 
 were sufficiently formed to enable me to estimate the differ- 
 
 7
 
 98 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 ence between the azure tints of the sky, and the emerald hue 
 of the bright foliage, I felt that an intimacy with them, not 
 consisting of friendship merely, but bordering on phrenzy, 
 must accompany my steps through life; and now, more 
 than ever, am I persuaded of the power of those early im- 
 pressions. They laid such hold upon me, that, when removed 
 from the woods, the prairies and the brooks, or shut up from 
 the view of the wide Atlantic, I experienced none of those 
 pleasures most congenial to my mind. None but aerial com- 
 panions suited my fancy. No roof seemed so secure to me 
 as that formed of the dense foliage under which the feathered 
 tribes were seen to resort, or the caves and fissures of the 
 massy rocks to which the dark-winged Cormorant and the 
 Curlew retired to rest, or to protect themselves from the fury 
 of the tempest. My father generally accompanied my steps, 
 procured birds and flowers for me with great eagerness, 
 pointed out the elegant movements of the former, the beauty 
 and softness of their plumage, the manifestations of their 
 pleasure or sense of danger, and the always perfect forms 
 and splendid attire of the latter. My valued preceptor would 
 then speak of the departure and return of birds with the 
 seasons, would describe their haunts, and, more wonderful 
 than all, their change of livery; thus exciting me to study 
 them, and to raise my mind towards their great Creator. 
 
 A vivid pleasure shone upon those days of my early youth, 
 attended with a calmness of feeling, that seldom failed to 
 rivet my attention for hours, whilst I gazed in ecstacy upon 
 the pearly and shining eggs, as they lay imbedded in the 
 softest down, or among dried leaves and twigs, or were ex- 
 posed upon the burning sand or weather-beaten rock of our 
 Atlantic shores. I was taught to look upon them as flowers 
 yet in the bud. I watched their opening, to see how Nature 
 had provided each different species with eyes, either open at 
 birth, or closed for some time after ; to trace the slow progress 
 yf the young birds toward perfection, or admire the celerity
 
 AUDUBON THE HUNTER-NATURALIST. 99 
 
 with which some of them, while yet unfledged, removed them- 
 selves from danger to security. 
 
 I grew up, and my wishes grew with my form. Those 
 wishes, kind reader, were for the entire possession of all that I 
 saw. I was fervently desirous of becoming acquainted with 
 Nature. For many years, however, I was sadly disappointed, 
 and forever, doubtless, must I have desires that can ot be 
 gratified. The moment a bird was dead, however beautiful 
 it had been when in life, the pleasure arising from tho pos- 
 session of it became blunted ; and although the greatest cares 
 were bestowed in endeavors to preserve the appearance of 
 nature, I looked upon its vesture as more than sullied, as 
 requiring constant attention and repeated mendings, while, 
 after all, it could no longer be said to be fresh from the 
 hands of its Maker. I wished to possess all the productions 
 of nature, but I wished life with them. This was imposs. ble. 
 Then what was to be done ? I turned to my father, and 
 made known to him my disappointment and anxiety. He 
 produced a book of Illustrations. A. new life ran in my 
 veins. I turned over the leaves with avidity ; and although 
 what I saw was not what I longed for, it gave me a desire to 
 copy Nature. To Nature I went, and tried to imitate her, 
 as in the days of my childhood I had tried to raise myself 
 from the ground and stand erect, before Nature had imparted 
 the vigor necessary for the success of such an undertaking. 
 
 How sorely disappointed did I feel for many years, when 
 I saw that my productions were worse than those which 1 
 ventured (perhaps in' silence) to regard as bad, in the book 
 given me by my father ! My pencil gave birth to a family 
 of cripples. So maimed were most of them, that they re- 
 sembled the mangled corpses on a field of battle, compared 
 with the integrity of living men. These difficulties and dis- 
 appointments irritated me, but never for a moment destroyed 
 the desire of obtaining perfect representations of nature. 
 The worse my drawings were, the more beautiful did I see the
 
 100 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 originals. To have been torn from the study would have 
 been as death to me. My time was entirely occupied with 
 it. I produced hundreds of these rude sketches annually ; 
 and for a long time, at my request, they made bonfires on 
 the anniversaries of my birth-day. 
 
 Patiently, and with industry, did I apply myself to study, 
 for, although I felt the impossibility of giving life to my pro- 
 ductions, I did not abandon the idea of representing nature. 
 Many plans were successively adopted, many masters guided 
 my hand. At the age of seventeen, when I returned from 
 France, whither I had gone to receive the rudiments of my 
 education, my drawings had assumed a form. DAVID had 
 guided my hand in tracing objects of large size. Eyes and 
 noses belonging to giants, and heads of horses represented in 
 ancient sculpture, were my models. These, although fit sub- 
 jects for men intent on pursuing the higher branches of the 
 art, were immediately laid aside by me. I returned to the 
 woods of the New "World with fresh ardor, and commenced a 
 collection of drawings, which I henceforth continued, and 
 which is now publishing under the title of " THE BIRDS OF 
 AMERICA." 
 
 In Pennsylvania, a beautiful State, almost central on the 
 line of our Atlantic shores, my father, in his desire of proving 
 my friend through life, gave me what Americans call a beau- 
 tiful ' plantation,' refreshed during the summer heats by the 
 waters of the Schuylkill river, and traversed by a creek 
 named Perkioming. Its fine woodlands, its extensive fields, 
 its hills crowned with evergreens, offered many subj cts to 
 my pencil. It was there that I commenced my simple and 
 agreeable studies, with as little concern about the future as 
 if the world had been made for me. My rambles inv? 'ably 
 commenced at break of day ; and to return wet with dew, and 
 bearing a feathered prize, was, and ever will be, the highest 
 enjoyment for which I have been fitted. 
 
 Yet, think not, reader, that the enthusiasm which I felt for
 
 AUDUBON THE HUNTER-NATURALIST. 101 
 
 my favorite pursuits was a barrier opposed to the admission 
 of gentler sentiments. Nature, which had turned my young 
 mind toward the bird and the flower, soon proved her influ- 
 ence upon my heart. Be it enough to say, that the object 
 of my passion has long since blessed me with the name of 
 husband. And now let us return, for who cares to listen to 
 the love-tale of a naturalist, whose feelings may be supposed 
 to be as light as the feathers which he delineates ! 
 
 For a period of nearly twenty years, my life was a succes- 
 sion of vicissitudes. I tried various branches of commerce, 
 but they all proved unprofitable, doubtless because my whole 
 mind was ever filled with my passion for rambling and ad- 
 miring those objects of nature from which alone I received 
 the purest gratification. I had to struggle against the will 
 of all who at that period called themselves my friends. I 
 must here, however, except my wife and children. The re- 
 marks of my other friends irritated me beyond endurance, 
 and, breaking through all bonds, I gave myself entirely up 
 to my pursuits. Any one acquainted with the extraordinary 
 desire which I then felt of seeing and judging for myself, 
 would doubtless have pronounced me callous to every sense 
 of duty, and regardless of every interest. I undertook long 
 and tedious journeys, ransacked the woods, the lakes, the 
 prairies, and the shores of the Atlantic. Years were spent 
 away from my family. Yet, reader, will you believe it, I 
 had no other object in view, than simply to enjoy the sight 
 of nature. Never for a moment did I conceive the hope of 
 becoming in any degree useful to my kind, until I accidentally 
 formed acquaintance with the PRINCE OF MUSIGNANO, at Phi- 
 ladelphia, to which place I went, with the view of proceeding 
 
 eastward along the coast. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 In April, 1824, he sought for patronage in Philadelphia, 
 and failing there, went to New York, with some better suc- 
 cess ; but weary and depressed, on the whole, he returned to
 
 102 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 nature for refreshing, and, ascending that noble stream, the 
 Hudson, glided over our broad lakes, to seek the wildest soli- 
 tudes of the pathless and gloomy forests. 
 
 It was in these forests that, for the first time, I communed 
 with myself as to the possible event of my visiting Europe 
 again ; and I began to fancy my work under the multiplying 
 efforts of the graver. Happy days, and nights of pleasing 
 dreams ! I read over the catalogue of my collection, and 
 thought how it might be possible for an unconnected and un- 
 aided individual like myself to accomplish the grand scheme. 
 
 Eighteen months elapsed. I returned to my family, then 
 in Louisiana, explored every portion of the vast woods around, 
 and at last sailed towards the Old World. But before we 
 visit the shores of hospitable England, I have the wish, good- 
 natured reader, to give you some idea of my mode of executing 
 the original drawings, from which the illustrations have been 
 taken ; and I sincerely hope that the perusal of these lines 
 may excite in you a desire minutely to examine them. 
 
 Merely to say that each object of my illustrations is of the 
 size of nature, were too vague for to many it might only 
 convey the idea that they are so, more or less, according as 
 the eye of the delineator may have been more or less correct 
 in measurement simply obtained through that medium; and 
 of avoiding error in this respect I am particularly desirous. 
 Not only is every object, as a whole, of the natural size, but 
 also every portion of each object. The compass aided me in 
 its delineation, regulated and corrected each part, even to the 
 very fore-shortening which now and then may be seen in the 
 figures. The bill, the feet, the legs, the claws, the very 
 feathers as they project one beyond another, have been accu- 
 rately measured. The birds, almost all of them, were killed 
 by myself, after I had examined their motions and habits, as 
 much as the case admitted, and were regularly drawn on or 
 near the spot where I procured them. The positions may, 
 perhaps, in some instances appear outre; but such supposed
 
 4UDUBON THE HUNTER-NATUEALIST. 103 
 
 exaggerations can afford subject of criticism only to persons 
 unacquainted with the feathered tribes ; for, believe me, no- 
 thing can be more transient or varied than the attitudes or 
 positions of birds. The Heron, when warming itself in the 
 sun, will sometimes drop its wings several inches, as if they 
 were dislocated ; the Swan may often be seen floating with 
 one foot extended from the body ; and some pigeons, you 
 well know, turn quite over, when playing in the air. The 
 flowers, plants, or portions of trees which are attached to the 
 principal objects, have been chosen from amongst those in the 
 vicinity of which the birds were found, and are not, as some 
 persons have thought, the trees or plants upon which they 
 always feed or perch. 
 
 An accident which happened to two hundred of my original 
 drawings, nearly put a stop to my researches in ornithology. 
 I shall relate it, merely to show you how far enthusiasm for 
 by no other name can I call the persevering zeal with which 
 I labored may enable the observer of nature to surmount 
 the most disheartening obstacles. I left the village of Hen- 
 derson, in Kentucky, situated on the bank of the Ohio, where 
 I resided for several years, to proceed to Philadelphia on 
 business. I looked to all my drawings before my departure, 
 placed them carefully in a wooden box, and gave them in 
 charge to a relative, with injunctions to see that no injury 
 should happen to them. My absence was of several months ; 
 and when I returned, after having enjoyed the pleasures of 
 home for a few days, I inquired after my box, and what I 
 was pleased to call my treasure. The box was produced, and 
 opened; but, reader, feel for me a pair of Norway rats 
 had taken possession of the whole, and had reared a young 
 family amongst the gnawed bits of paper, which, but a few 
 months before, represented nearly a thousand inhabitants of 
 the air ! 
 
 The burning heat which instantly rushed through my brain 
 was too great to be endured, without affecting the whole of
 
 104 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 my nervous system. I slept not for several nights, and the 
 days passed like days of oblivion, until, the animal powers 
 being recalled into action, through the strength of my consti- 
 tution, I took up my gun, my note-book and my pencils, and 
 went forth to the wocds as gaily as if nothing had happened. 
 I felt pleased that I might now make much better drawings 
 than before, and, ere a period not exceeding three years had 
 elapsed, I had my portfolio filled again. 
 
 America being my country, and the principal pleasures of 
 my life having been obtained there, I prepared to leave it 
 with deep sorrow, after in vain trying to publish my illustra- 
 tions in the United States. In Philadelphia, Wilson's prin- 
 cipal engraver, amongst others, gave it as his opinion to my 
 friends, that my drawings could never be engraved. In New 
 York, other difficulties presented themselves, which deter- 
 mined me to carry my collections to Europe. 
 
 As I approached the coast of England, and for the first 
 time beheld her fertile shores, the despondency of my spirits 
 became very great. I knew not an individual in the country ; 
 and, although I was the bearer of letters from American 
 friends and statesmen of great eminence, my situation ap- 
 peared precarious in the extreme. I imagined that every 
 individual whom I was about to meet, might be possessed of 
 talents superior to those of any on our side of the Atlantic ! 
 Indeed, as I for the first time walked on the streets of Liver- 
 pool, my heart nearly failed me, for not a glance of sympathy 
 did I meet in my wanderings, for two days To the woods I 
 could not betake myself, for there were none near. 
 
 Well received in England, he passes througli to Scotland. 
 
 Gallant and beautiful spirit ! there was no need of woods 
 for thee to hide ! The noble work of Wilson had not lon^ 
 
 O 
 
 been finished then, and men were not done wondering at this 
 glorious achievement of the Faisely weaver, who had left their 
 own shores years ago, a poor and obscure adventurer for the 
 forests of the New World, when another pilgrim from those
 
 AUDUBON THE HUNTER-NATURALIST. 105 
 
 far wildernesses, made his appearance among the learned 
 circles of the Scottish Capital. He carried a p irtfolio under 
 his arm, and came, too, on an adventure to this seat of the 
 mind's royalty and of voluptuous wealth. There was a look 
 of nature's children about him. His curled and shining hair, 
 thrown back from his open front, fell in dark clusters down 
 his broad shoulders. Those bold features, moulded after 
 
 " The high, old Roman fashion" 
 
 those sharp, steady eyes, that straight figure and elastic 
 tread, were a strange blending of the Red man and the pure- 
 blooded noble. A curious trader he ! But, when his won- 
 drous wares were all unfolded and spread out before their 
 eyes, what a delicious thrilling of amazement and delight 
 was felt through those fastidious circles '! A gorgeous show ! 
 The heart of a virgin world unfolded teeming with rare and 
 exquisite thoughts that had been born in the deep solitudes 
 of her young musings, and thus caught by this weird en- 
 chanter's pencil, as they gleamed past in all the bright hues 
 and airy graces of their fresh fleeting lives with flower and 
 tree, and rock and wave, as beautiful and new as they, thrown 
 in to make the fairy pageant real ! It was a surprising reve- 
 lation, and when they knew that it had all been the work 
 the obscure, unaided work, through years of enduring toil of 
 that young wanderer, they were filled with overwhelming admi- 
 ration. They loaded him with adulation and with honors ; 
 they took him by the hand generously, and led him up to his 
 success. 
 
 Such was the effect of Audubon's appearance in Edinburgh. 
 In that glorious portfolio men felt that a great creation lay 
 folded ; in that modest backwoodsman they saw the first of the 
 Hunter-Naturalists in the simple grandeur of that presence 
 they recognized the type of those masterful spirits of the race 
 of the olden time, the stories of whose deeds are the histories of 
 ages. They were awed, they loved him they nourished and
 
 106 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 they cherished him how could it be otherwise among a culti- 
 vated people ? for to such there is in genius a compelling 
 sense that will bear through its purposes in their love. 
 
 But it is not on his triumphal progress through Europe, 
 that we prefer to accompany him. Nor is it of so much inte- 
 rest to us to hear that such men as Cuvier and Humboldt 
 who alone were his peers pronounced his work on Birds the 
 most magnificent monument art had yet erected to ornitho- 
 logy. The world has long ago taken charge of his fame. It 
 is of the man, the Hunter-Naturalist, out in the wilderness 
 highways and byways of the unreclaimed earth that we would 
 know more intimately. It is rather the methods of the work- 
 man that we would now see for it is well enough known that 
 never, in the annals of individual achievement, did unaided 
 enthusiasm, through poverty and neglect, accomplish so much 
 single-handed against such tremendous odds. 
 
 The world, by the way, has been told many times of the im- 
 mense pecuniary difficulties to be overcome by him from the 
 commencement but not yet, perhaps, in his own touching 
 language, have they heard some of the effects of these struggles 
 upon his temper and feelings. He says in the introduction 
 to the third volume 
 
 Ten years have now elapsed since the first number of my 
 Illustrations of the Birds of America made its appearance. 
 At that period I calculated that the engravers would take 
 sixteen years in accomplishing their task ; and this I announed 
 in my prospectus, and talked of to my friends. Of the latter 
 not a single individual seemed to have the least hope of my 
 success, and several strongly advised me to abandon my plans, 
 dispose of my drawings, and return to my country. I listened 
 with attention to all that was urged on the subject, and often 
 felt deeply depressed, for I was well aware of many of the 
 difficulties to be surmounted, and perceived that no small 
 sum of money would be required to defray the necessary 
 expenses. Yet never did I seriously think of abandoning the
 
 AUDUBON THE HUNTER-NATURALIST. 107 
 
 cherished object of my hopes. When I delivered the first 
 drawings to the engraver, I had not a single subscriber. 
 Those who knew me best called me rash ; some wrote to me 
 that they did not expect to see a second fasciculus ; and others 
 seemed to anticipate the total failure of my enterprise. But 
 my heart was nerved, and my reliance on that Power, on 
 whom all must depend, brought bright anticipations of success. 
 
 Having made arrangements for meeting the first difficulties, 
 I turned my attention to the improvement of my drawings, 
 and began to collect from the pages of my journals the scat- 
 tered notes which referred to the habits of the birds repre- 
 sented by them. I worked early and late, and glad I was to 
 perceive that the more I labored the more I improved. I 
 was happy, too, to find, that in general each succeeding plate 
 was better than its predecessor, and when those who had at 
 first endeavored to dissuade me from undertaking so vast an 
 enterprise, complimented me on my more favorable prospects, 
 I could not but feel happy. Number after number appeared 
 in regular succession, until at the end of four years of anxiety, 
 my engraver, Mr. Havell, presented me with the First Volume 
 of the Birds of America. 
 
 Convinced, from a careful comparison of the plates, that at 
 least there had been no falling off in the execution, I looked 
 forward with confidence to the termination of the next four 
 years' labor. Time passed on, and I returned from the 
 forests and wilds of the western world to congratulate my 
 friend Havell, just when the last plate of the second volume 
 was finished. 
 
 About that time, a nobleman called upon me with his 
 family, and requested me to show them some of the original 
 drawings, which I did with the more pleasure that my visitors 
 possessed a knowledge of Ornithology. In the course of our 
 conversation, I was asked how long it might be until the 
 work should be finished. When I mentioned eight years 
 more, the nobleman shrugged up his shoulders, and sighing.
 
 108 "WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 said, " I may not sec it finished, but my children will, and 
 you may please to add my name to your list of subscribers." 
 The young people exhibited a mingled expression of joy and 
 sorrow, and when I with them strove to dispel the cloud that 
 seemed to hang over their father's mind, he smiled, bade me 
 be sure to see that the whole work should be punctually de- 
 livered, and took his leave. The solemnity of his manner I 
 could not forget for several days ; I often thought that neither 
 might I see the work completed, but at length I exclaimed, 
 "My sons may." And now that another volume, both of my 
 Illustrations and of my Biographies is finished, my trust in 
 Providence is augmented, and I cannot but hope that myself 
 and my family together may be permitted to see the comple- 
 tion of my labors. 
 
 How that prayer has been answered, the facts since, with 
 which the world is familiar, have shown. He obtained one 
 hundred and eighty subscribers to the work at one thousand 
 dollars each ; and lived not only to complete it, surrounded by ' 
 his sons, but, as I have already mentioned, had by their aid 
 commenced and even completed another great work on tho 
 Quadrupeds of America. 
 
 It is not the least extraordinary characteristic of this man's 
 unexampled career, that he should, until even late in life, 
 have been entirely unconscious of the powers he possessed. 
 Indeed, he repeatedly asserts, that it was not until his meet- 
 ing with Charles Lucien Bonaparte, on his visit to Philadel- 
 phia in 1824, that he had any thought, whatever, of pub- 
 lishing, or dreamed that he had been accomplishing anything 
 very extraordinary. Bonaparte was astonished, astounded, 
 even, in looking over his portfolio of drawings, and exclaimed, 
 in an irrepressible burst of admiration and wonder at the 
 simplicity of his unconsciousness, 
 
 " Mr. Auclubon, do you know that you are a great man, 
 a very great man ! The greatest ornithologist in the world?" 
 
 It was this language that first filled him with the thought
 
 AUDUBON THE HUNTER-NATURALIST. 109 
 
 of publishing, which, as we have seen, on his retirement to 
 tne solitudes of nature, near the sources of the Hudson, 
 became gradually nourished into a purpose. But let us see 
 the most touching instance of this unconsciousness in his own 
 relation of the manner of his first interview with Wilson, the 
 Ornithologist. He lived for two years in Louisville, Ken- 
 tucky, which was then a comparatively small town. He was 
 engaged in business as a merchant or trader, yet never- 
 theless says : 
 
 During my residence at Louisville, much of my time was 
 employed in my ever favorite pursuits. I drew and noted 
 the habits of everything which I procured, and my collection 
 was daily augmenting, as every individual who carried a gun, 
 always sent me such birds or quadrupeds as he thought might 
 prove useful to me. My portfolios already contained upwards 
 of two hundred drawings. 
 
 One fair morning, I was surprised by the sudden entrance 
 into our counting-room of Mr. Alexander Wilson, the cele- 
 brated author of the "American Ornithology," of whose 
 existence I had never until that moment been apprised. 
 This happened in March, 1810. How well do I remember 
 him, as he then walked up to me ! His long, rather hooked 
 nose, the keenness of his eyes, and his prominent cheek-bones, 
 stamped his countenance with a peculiar character. His 
 dress, too, was of a kind not usually seen in that part of the 
 country ; a short coat, trowsers, and a waistcoat of grey cloth. 
 His stature was not above the middle size. He had two 
 volumes under his arm, and as he approached the table at 
 which I was working, I thought I discovered something like 
 astonishment in his countenance. He, however, immediately 
 proceeded to disclose the object of his visit, which was to 
 procure subscriptions for his work. He opened his books, 
 explained the nature of his occupations, and requested my 
 patronage. 
 
 I felt surprised and gratified at the sight of his volumes,
 
 110 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 turned over a few of the plates, and had already taken a pen 
 to write my name in his favor, when my partner rather ab- 
 ruptly said to me in French, "My dear Audubon, what 
 induces you to subscribe to this work ? Your drawings aro 
 certainly far better, and again you must know as much of 
 the habits of American birds as this gentleman." Whether 
 Mr. Wilson understood French or not, or if the suddenness 
 with which I paused, disappointed him, I cannot tell ; but I 
 clearly perceived that he was not pleased. Vanity and the 
 encomiums of my friend prevented me from subscribing. Mr. 
 Wilson asked me if I had many drawings of birds. I rose, 
 took down a large portfolio, laid it on the table, and showed 
 him, as I would show you, kind reader, or any other person fond 
 of such subjects, the whole of the contents, with the same 
 patience with which he had shown me his own engravings. 
 
 His surprise appeared great, as he told me he never had 
 the most distant idea that any other individual than himself 
 had been engaged in forming such a collection. He asked 
 me if it was my intention to publish, and when I answered in 
 the negative, his surprise seemed to increase. And, truly, 
 such was not my intention ; for, until long after, when I met 
 the Prince of Musignano in Philadelphia, I had not the least 
 idea of presenting the fruits of my labors to the world. Mr. 
 Wilson now examined my drawings with care, asked if I 
 should have any objections to lending him a few during his 
 stay, to which I replied that I had none : he then bade me 
 good morning, not, however, until I had made an arrange- 
 ment to explore the woods in the vicinity along with him, and 
 had promised to procure for him some birds, of which I had 
 drawings in my collection, but which he had never seen. 
 
 It happened that he lodged in the same house with us, but 
 his retired habits, I thought, exhibited either a strong feeling 
 of discontent, or a decided melancholy. The Scotch airs 
 which he played sweetly on his flute made me melancholy 
 too, and I felt for him. I presented him to my wife and
 
 AUDUBON THE HUNTER-NATURALIST. Ill 
 
 friends, and seeing that he was all enthusiasm, exerted my- 
 self as much as was in my power, to procure for him the 
 specimens which he wanted. We hunted together, and ob- 
 tained birds which he had never before seen ; but, reader, I 
 did not subscribe to his work, for, even at that time, my col- 
 lection was greater than his. Thinking that perhaps he 
 might be pleased to publish the results of my researches, I 
 offered them to him, merely on condition that what I had 
 drawn, or might afterwards draw and send to him, should be 
 mentioned in his work, as coming from my pencil. I at the 
 same time offered to open a correspondence with him, which 
 I thought might prove beneficial to us both. He made no 
 reply to either proposal, and before many days had elapsed, 
 left Louisville, on his way to New Orleans, little knowing 
 how much his talents were appreciated in our little town, at 
 least by myself and my friends. 
 
 Some time elapsed, during which I never heard of him, or of 
 his work. At length, having occasion to go to Philadelphia, 
 I, immediately after my arrival there, inquired for him, and 
 paid him a visit. He was then drawing a White-headed 
 Eagle. He received me with civility, and took me to the Ex- 
 hibition Rooms of Rembrandt Peale, the artist, who had 
 then portrayed Napoleon crossing the Alps. Mr. Wilson 
 spoke not of birds or drawings. Feeling, as I was forced to 
 do, that my company was not agreeable, I parted from him ; 
 and after that I never saw him again. But judge of my 
 astonishment some time after, when on reading the thirty- 
 ninth page of the ninth volume of American Ornithology, I 
 found in it the following paragraph : 
 
 "March 23<^, 1810. I bade adieu to Louisville, to which 
 place I had four letters of recommendation, and was taught 
 to expect much of everything there ; but neither received one 
 act of civility from those to whom I was recommended, one 
 subscriber, nor one new bird ; though I delivered my letters, 
 ransacked the woods repeatedly, and visited all the characters
 
 112 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 likely to subscribe. Science or literature has not one friend 
 in this place." 
 
 We will not add to the gloom which has followed the illus- 
 trious life of poor Wilson to his grave, by any officious com- 
 ments upon the tenor of this short narrative. I w'ill add, 
 though, that it should be remembered, in forming any judg- 
 ment of that strong, moody man, that he had bitter woes 
 enough to contend with, not only in his friendless early 
 days, but in the harsh isolation of his weary wanderings and 
 unappreciated after-life, to have grown a gall beneath an 
 angel's wing. Withal, the bursts of sunshine and exultation 
 which shone through his eloquent writings often, show that 
 his inner self had fed healthfully sometimes upon the pure 
 and peaceful teachings of his gentle pursuits. He was a man 
 whose profound genius, darkened by misfortune, was som- 
 brely illuminated by a noble enthusiasm. He, too, may be 
 accepted as a Hunter-Naturalist, but not as first among 
 them all ! To J. J. Audubon, undoubtedly, that high place 
 belongs, though this has been disputed by many, and even 
 Christopher North has been found to assert them as " equals." 
 
 This cannot be admitted here. Then how stands the 
 case? 
 
 When the noble work of Wilson, the unknown Scotchman, 
 began to make its appearance, Ornithology among us was in 
 its infancy, and the freshness of his hardy original genius was 
 promptly recognized and keenly relished abroad, in contrast 
 with the stale, unprofitable treatment of the predominant 
 school of the Technicalists. 
 
 It was at once perceived how much the attractiveness of 
 his subject was heightened by the circumstances of his per- 
 sonal intimacy and association with the creatures described in 
 many of the conditions of natural freedom. 
 
 His fine descriptions had a savor of the wilderness about 
 them. His birds were living things, and led out the heart in 
 yearning through the scenes of a primeval earth to recognize
 
 AUDUBON AND WILSON. 113 
 
 them in their own wild homes, singing to the solitude from 
 some chosen spray, or plying, with careless grace, on busy 
 wings, their curious sports and labors. 
 
 Here is the legitimate purpose of works of this character 
 to fill the mind with such pleasant images as will win the 
 affections forth from the dull centre of mere human sympa- 
 thies, through all the wonders of the outer world, up, with a 
 wise and chastened adoration, to the Power that framed it. 
 Wilson, to a greater degree than any man who had yet 
 appeared, felt himself, and caused others to recognize, this 
 apostleship of the true Naturalist. 
 
 It was an era, a happy era in philosophy, when art had 
 linked its remoter teachings to the hearts of men ; and to 
 Wilson undoubtedly belongs the glory of having fairly pio- 
 neered its ushering. It is impossible to regard the labors of 
 this man, even in a purely scientific light, without astonish- 
 ment ; but when we come to take into consideration all the 
 pitiable afflictions and degrading misery entailed upon him by 
 "caste," in his own country, we are lost in affectionate admi- 
 ration of his indomitable genius, as we see the shrunk veins 
 of the haggard emigrant swelling, when he has touched our 
 shore, with a new life hardy enough to cope with the rude 
 elements by which he found himself surrounded, and carry 
 through triumphantly his remarkable undertaking. 
 
 Spirits with the vigor in them his possessed, ask only the 
 vital air of freedom. Difficulties then are nothing. It is no 
 wonder, when those trophies which he had wrestled for alone 
 with Nature here in her bare and unhoused wilds, and had won 
 through trials and poverty, unassisted, had been returned to 
 Scotland, that country which drove him forth in rags, and it 
 had been offered a share of his glory for its gold, that it should 
 have poured out freely the dross upon him in very shame. Nor 
 is il surprising, that in the eager reaction of its penitence, it 
 should continue to exalt him too highly claiming for him, to 
 the detriment of others, more than his just dues.
 
 114 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Wo think it very natural, 'that glorious old " Christopher," 
 puzzled between the heartfelt and generous recognition, he 
 hardly conceals, of the out-of-sight supremacy of Audubon, 
 and some compunctious qualms of a yet farther expiation due 
 to the shade of the neglected Wilson, should have split the 
 difference, by making them "brothers." 
 
 Well, and brothers they are, by all those sacred bonds 
 which link the tall fraternity of genius brothers they are in 
 all the higher virtues of manhood brothers they are in tho 
 yet more intimate sense, that the same objects and the same 
 field have been labored upon by each; but, that they are 
 equals in the sense of Christopher's "same stature," we alto- 
 gether deny. 
 
 We should as well talk of elevating the knotted front of 
 Gifford, of murderous Jefiery, or the sleek scalp of a modern 
 Reviewer into that rare altitude till " the crowns of their 
 heads touch" from which the broad brow of " Maga throned" 
 smiles serenely down upon her empire. 
 
 They are not equal ! By the same sign that Christopher, 
 like another "bald" and "full-winged bird," yet holds the 
 empyrean alone, Audubon, though "last, shall be fii-st." 
 
 First in that, though Wilson displayed the noblest ele- 
 ments of greatness in the staunch, unconquerable vigor with 
 which he met the difficulties in his path Audubon exhibited 
 quite as much "game," and in the proportionable grandeur 
 of his scheme, had full as many trials to surmount. 
 
 First in that, while the biographies of Wilson were full 
 of natural spirit, of grace and power, greatly beyond all his 
 predecessors, yet those of Audubon are far more minute and 
 carefully detailed introducing us, one after another, to a more 
 intimate fellowship with each individual of the wide family 
 of his love, through every piquant and distinctive trait of 
 gesture, air, and movement, characterizing all the phases of 
 their nature without the faults of generalization, and too 
 much credence in hear-say, or a gloomy and unphilosophic
 
 AUDUBOff AND WILSON. 115 
 
 Spirit since the mild and loving geniality of childhood breathes 
 through every line. 
 
 First, moreover, by the reason that, while the drawings of 
 Wilson are advanced upon all that had yet been accomplished, 
 are free and accurate in outline, and sometimes even elegant 
 in finish, yet those of Audubon are superior to them beyond 
 all measure of comparison. 
 
 And here is the clear ground of distinction on which the 
 more powerful genius steps forth in the proper garb of its 
 own striking and unmistakeable individuality, and appeals to 
 the eye at once for a recognition of its creations, as alone 
 original and apart from all others. Audubon's drawings are 
 quite as singular and unapproached as any one of the phe- 
 nomena of art by which we mark the ages. 
 
 Wilson's pencil has been content with a mere portraiture, 
 correct, indeed, of proportion, and a color barely suggestive ; 
 but the pencil of the necromancer has not only caught the 
 play of sunlight, shivered gorgeous in metallic hues from each 
 particular fibre of their plumes, (in a word, created the true 
 style of coloring,) but has stilled these arrowy cleavers of the 
 elements amidst their own clouds, upon the very waves on 
 which th'ey loved "to sit and swing," by "the beached 
 verge," on the precipitous perch, or twig and leaf and berry 
 of the boughs that were their homes stilled them, too, in all 
 the character of passionate life their loves, battles, chases, 
 gambols, thefts the grotesquery and grace, every mode and 
 mood of their being amidst their native scenes. 
 
 Each plate is a full-length family portrait, with all the 
 accessories historical. They are perfect in themselves, and 
 tell the whole story more clearly than words could do. Talcen 
 apart, they are chapters in the " Illuminated Bible" of nature 
 and very pleasant is the creed they teach, full of merry 
 thoughts that make the heart go lightly ; and plumy shapes, 
 of strange, undreamed-of beauty, come and go through the 
 still air of musings, till we grow devout with thinking how
 
 116 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTEKS. 
 
 God has made the roughest places of our earth so populous 
 with lovely things that can surprise us into joy. 
 
 But without rhapsodizing. Wilson's claim to originality, 
 in having first conceived the magnificent design of illustrating 
 the Birds of America, and led the van of Practical Science in 
 its relations to Ornithology, is certainly a most imposing r.no, 
 and one with which no after exertions of mere talent, however 
 tireless, devoted, and successful it might be, could by any 
 possibility compete. But genius can do what talent cannot. 
 It is above all rules and "saws," and scorns the measure of 
 an aphorism. 
 
 " When the power falls into the mighty hands 
 Of Nature the spirit, giant-born, 
 Who listens only to himself " 
 
 such things are effected, as an age of the leaden attainments 
 of studied acquisition cannot accomplish. 
 
 Audubon, in the unique and striking originality of his 
 drawings, and the whole treatment of his themes, has so far 
 outstripped, in a bold freedom of design and execution, any 
 thing of Wilson's which may bo denominated suggestive even, 
 as to leave scarcely any room for comparison in this last 
 issue. If Wilson was original, our Ornithologist is infinitely 
 more so. 
 
 Wilson has all the advantages in such a contrast. " He 
 was first in the field," and with the world that said, all is 
 said. Whatever has been done since must be footed on to 
 his account with fame, at least to the point of careful balance 
 with that of any one who has chanced to come after him. 
 This is not strictly just. 
 
 We admit cheerfully all that is righteously due to the 
 Paisley adventurer. But we cannot perceive why when the 
 fact that he is not entitled to it, is clear as a sunburst to any 
 observer he should be thrust, rather than elevated into an 
 equal rank with Audubon. It has been too much the way of
 
 AUDUBON AND WILSON. 117 
 
 the world to ease its conscience of present injustice and 
 neglect of genius, by an internal reservation, that it will pile 
 up posthumous honors mountain high. 
 
 Now it is surely to be apprehended that this genius, though 
 " of so airy and light a quality," has yet something to seek 
 "of the earth, earthy," in common with the rest of men 
 and that, therefore, the recognizing, with its own proper eyes, 
 the just claims of an original mind, by the country to which 
 it has added lustre, cannot be to it a matter of indifference. 
 Audubon has nothing of glory to ask of us. But this his 
 memory demands, that we, his countrymen, should guard his 
 honors from even the shadow of infringement. "We drove him 
 to the embrace of a foreign land for patronage but there, 
 amidst all the pomp of courts and the intoxication of suddea 
 success, he was still proudly the American "Woodsman ; no- 
 thing could damp that noble pride, and through every page 
 he has written, we can still see it looking out with the same 
 calm, abiding affection. "We should not, then, be the last to 
 vindicate such valorous faith. The man of his age, the illus- 
 trious Frenchman, has led the way in defining his supremacy, 
 and yet the American mind, since Professor "Wilson pro- 
 nounced his autocratic fiat, that they "were equals," has 
 been timid to say in plain words No ! our Audubon is regally 
 the head and front of Illustrative Science; the dictum of 
 Christopher to the contrary notwithstanding, he is in this 
 the Ornithologist of the world, and the favorite Wilson must 
 be content to stand below him. 
 
 But hear this same cannie Scot, Christopher North, dis 
 course of Audubon en dishabille, with the straight-jacket of 
 nationality thrown aside, and verily in his dressing gown and 
 slippers, when it is man to man that speaks as the heart 
 moveth, not Scot to Scot ! Thus, in the Noctes he discourseth, 
 sotto voce. 
 
 We were sitting one night, lately, all alone by ourselves, 
 almost unconsciously eyeing the members, fire without flame,
 
 118 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS.] 
 
 in the many-visioned grate, but at times aware of the symbols 
 and emblems there beautifully built up, of the ongoings of 
 human life, when a knocking, not loud but resolute, came 
 to the front door, followed by the rustling thrill of the bell- 
 wire, and then by a tinkling far below, too gentle to waken 
 the house, that continued to enjoy the undisturbed dream of its 
 repose. At first we supposed it might be but some late-home- 
 going knight-errant from a feast of shells, in a mood "between 
 malice and true-love," seeking to disquiet the slumbers of Old 
 Christopher, in expectation of seeing his night-cap (which he 
 never wears) popped out of the window, and hearing his voice 
 (of which he is chary in the open air) simulating a scold 
 upon the audacious sleep-breaker. So we benevolently laid 
 back our head on our easy-chair, and pursued our speculations 
 on the state of affairs in general and more particularly on 
 the floundering fall of that inexplicable people the Whigs. 
 We had been wondering, and of our wondering found no end, 
 what could have been their chief reasons for committing sui- 
 cide. It appeared a case of very singular felo-de-se for 
 they had so timed the "rash act," as to excite strong suspi- 
 cious in the public mind that his Majesty had committed 
 murder. Circumstances, however, had soon come to light, 
 that proved to demonstration, that the wretched Ministry had 
 laid violent hands on itself, and effected its purpose by 
 strangulation. There was the fatal black ring visible round 
 the neck though a mere thread ; there were the blood- 
 shot eyes protruding from the sockets ; there the lip-biting 
 teeth clenched in the last convulsions ; and there sorriest 
 sight of all was the ghastly suicidal smile, last relic of the 
 laughter of despair. But the knocking would not leave the 
 door and listening to its character, we were assured that it 
 came from the fist of a friend, who saw light through the 
 chinks of the shutter, and knew, moreover, that we never put 
 on the shroud of death's pleasant brother, sleep, till " ae weo 
 short hour ayont the twal," and often not till earliest cock-
 
 ATJDUBON AND WILSON. 119 
 
 crow, which chanticleer utters somewhat drowsily, and then 
 replaces his head beneath his wing, supported on one side by 
 a partlet, on the other by a hen. So we gathered up our 
 slippered feet from the rug, lamp in hand stalked along the 
 lobbies, unchained and unlocked the oak which our faithful 
 night porter Somnus had sported and lo ! a figure muffled 
 up in a cloak, and furred like a Russ, who advanced familiarly 
 into the hall, extended both hands, and then embracing us, 
 bade God bless us, and pronounced, with somewhat of a 
 foreign accent, the name in which we and the world rejoice 
 " Christopher North !" We were not slow in returning the 
 hug fraternal for who was it but the " American Woods- 
 man ?" even Audubon himself fresh from the Floridas 
 and breathing of the pure air of far-off Labrador ! 
 
 Three years and upwards had fled since we had taken fare- 
 well of the illustrious Ornithologist on the same spot at 
 the same hour ; and there was something ghostlike in such 
 return of a dear friend from a distant region almost as if 
 from the land of spirits. It seemed as if the same moon 
 again looked at us but then she was wan and somewhat 
 sad now clear as a diamond, and all the starry heavens 
 wore a smile. " Our words they were no" mony feck" but 
 in less time than we have taken to write it we two were 
 sitting cheek by jowl, and hand in hand, by that essential 
 fire while we showed by our looks that we both felt, now 
 they were over, that three years were but as one day ! The 
 cane coal-scuttle, instinct with spirit, beeted the fire of its 
 own accord, without word or beck of ours, as if placed there 
 by the hands of one of our wakeful Lares ; in globe of purest 
 crystal the Glenlivet shone ; unasked the bright brass kettle 
 began to whisper its sweet "under song;" and a centenary 
 of the fairest oysters native to our isle turned towards us 
 their languishing eyes, unseen the Nereid that had on the 
 instant wafted them from the procreant cradle beds of Pres- 
 tonpans. Grace said, we drew in to supper, and hobnobbing,
 
 ?20. WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 from elegant long-shank, down each naturalist's gullets gra- 
 ciously descended, with a gurgle, the mildest, the meekest, 
 the very Moses of Ales. 
 
 Audubon, ere half an hour had elapsed, found an oppor- 
 tunity of telling us that he had never seen us in a higher state 
 of preservation and in a low voice whispered something about 
 the eagle renewing his youth. We acknowledged the kind- 
 ness by a remark on bold bright birds of passage that find the 
 seasons obedient to their will, and wing their way through 
 worlds still rejoicing in the perfect year. But too true 
 friends were we not to be sincere in all we seriously said ; and 
 while Audubon confessed that he saw rather more plainly 
 than when we parted the crowfeet in the corners of our eyes, 
 we did not deny that we saw in him an image of the Falco 
 Leucocephalus, for that, looking on his " carum caput," it 
 answered his own description of that handsome and powerful 
 bird, viz : " the general color of the plumage above is dull 
 hair-brown, the lower parts being deeply brown, broadly 
 margined with greyish white." But here he corrected us ; 
 for "Surely my dear friend," quoth he, "you must admit I 
 am a living specimen of the Adult Bird, and you remember 
 my description of him in my First Volume." And thus 
 blending our gravities and our gayetics, we sat facing one 
 another, each with his last oyster on the prong of his trident, 
 which disappeared, like all mortal joys, between a smile and 
 a sigh. 
 
 How similar in much our dispositions yet in almost all 
 how dissimilar our lives ! Since last we parted, " AVC scarcely 
 heard of half a mile from home" he tanned by the suns and 
 beaten by the storms of many latitudes we like a ship laid 
 up in ordinary, or anchored close in shore within the same 
 sheltering bay with sails unfurled and flags flying but for 
 sake of show on some holiday he like a ship that every 
 morning has been dashing through a new world of waves 
 often close-reefed or under bare poles but oftcner affronting
 
 ATTDUBON AND WILSON". 121 
 
 the heavens with a whiter and swifter cloud than any hoisted 
 by the combined fleets in the sky. And now, with canvas 
 unrent, and masts unsprung, returned to the very buoy she 
 left. Somewhat faded, indeed, in her apparelling but her 
 hull sound as ever nor a speck of dry rot in her timbers 
 her keel unscathed by rock her cut-water yet sharp as new- 
 whetted scythe ere the mower renews his toil her-figure- 
 head, that had so often looked out for squalls, now "patient 
 as the brooding dove" and her bowsprit but let "s man 
 the main-brace ; nor is there purer spirit my trusty frere 
 in the Old World or the New. 
 
 It was quite a Noctes. Audubon told us by snatches 
 all his travels, history, with many an anecdote interspersed 
 of the dwellers among the woods bird, beast and man. 
 
 All this and more he told us, with a cheerful voice and 
 animated eyes, while the dusky hours were noiselessly wheel- 
 ing the chariot of Night along the star-losing sky ; and we 
 too had something to tell him of our own home-loving obscu- 
 rity, not ungladdened by studies sweet in the Forest till 
 Dawn yoked her dappled coursers for one single slow stage 
 and then jocund Morn leaping up on the box, took the 
 ribbons in her rosy fingers, and, after a dram of dew, blew 
 her bugle, and drove like blazes right on towards the gates 
 of Day. 
 
 His great work, says Professor "Wilson, elsewhere, was indeed 
 a perilous undertaking for a stranger in Britain, without the 
 patronage of powerful friends, and with no very great means 
 of his own all of which he embarked in the enterprise dearest 
 to his heart. Had it failed, Audubon would have been a 
 ruined man and that fear must have sometimes dismally 
 disturbed him, for he is not alone in life, and is a man of 
 strong family affections. But happily those nearest his 
 breast are as enthusiastic in the love of natural science as 
 himself and were all willing to sink or swim with the be 
 loved husband and venerated father. America may well be
 
 122 
 
 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 proud of him and he gratefully records the kindness he has 
 experienced from so many of her most distinguished sons. 
 In his own fame he was just and generous to all who excel in 
 the same studies ; not a particle of jealousy is in his compo- 
 sition ; a sin, that, alas ! seems too easily to beset too many 
 of the most gifted spirits in literature and science , nor is the 
 happiest genius imaginative or intellectual such is the 
 frailty of poor human nature at the best safe from the access 
 of that dishonoring passion. 
 
 Just and generously said, most loyal Christopher ! may 
 thy giant shadow never be less ! 
 
 ALEXANDER WILSON.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 
 
 I TURN from Audubon and his triumphs amid courtly scenes 
 of the Old World, surrounded by the princely and the learned, 
 to the Hunter-Naturalist at his labors in the wilderness of the 
 New the associate of the rugged Boone, and many another 
 skin-dressed peer. 
 
 We may gather from his generous exhortation to younger 
 naturalists to take the field, interesting features of what may 
 be supposed to have been his own method of conducting his 
 investigations when abroad with nature. Something of the 
 sort of training by which his remarkable character was formed, 
 and the modes and circumstances under which his works grew. 
 After saying that the list of new species had been nearly 
 doubled since the time of Alexander Wilson's work, and that 
 he felt confident very many species remain to be added by 
 future observers, who shall travel the vast wastes extending 
 northward and westward from the Canadas, and along the 
 western slopes of the Rocky Mountains, from Nootka to Cali- 
 fornia ; indeed, that he looks upon the whole range of those 
 magnificent mountains as being yet unexplored he addresses 
 the young enthusiast : 
 
 Therefore, I would strongly advise you to make up your 
 mind, shoulder your gun, muster all your spirits, and start in 
 search of the interesting unknown, of which I greatly regret 
 I can no more go in pursuit not for want of will, but of 
 the vigor and elasticity necessary for so arduous an enter- 
 prise. Should you agree to undertake the task, and prove 
 fortunate enough to return full of knowledge, laden with 
 
 123
 
 124 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 objects new and rare, be pleased when you publish your work, 
 to place my name in the list of subscribers, and be assured 
 that I will not leave you in the lurch. 
 
 Now supposing that you are full of ardor and ready to 
 proceed ; allow me to offer you a little advice. Leave nothing 
 to memory, but note down all your observations with ink, not 
 with a black-lead pencil, and keep in mind, that the more par- 
 ticulars you write at the time, the more you will recollect 
 afterwards. Work not at night, but anticipate the morning 
 dawn, and never think, for an instant, about the difficulties 
 of ransacking the woods, the shores, or the barren grounds, 
 nor be vexed when you have traversed a few hundred miles 
 of country without finding a single new species. It may, 
 indeed, it not unfrequently happens, that after days, or even 
 weeks of fruitless search, one enters a grove, or comes upon 
 a pond, or forces his way through the tall grass of a prairie, 
 and suddenly meets with several objects, all new, all beautiful, 
 and perhaps all suited to the palate. Then how delightful 
 will be your feelings, and how marvelously all fatigue will 
 vanish. 
 
 Think, for instance, that you are on one of the declivities 
 of the Rocky Mountains, with shaggy and abrupt banks on 
 each side of you, while the naked cliffs tower high over head, 
 as if with the wish to reach the sky. Your trusty gun has 
 brought to the ground a most splendid ' American Pheasant,' 
 weighing fully two pounds ! What a treat ! You have been 
 surprised at the length of its tail ; you have taken the precise 
 measurement of all its parts, and given a brief description of 
 it. Have you read this twice and corrected errors and defi- 
 ciencies ? ' Yes,' you say. Very well ; now you have begun 
 your drawing of this precious bird. Ah ! you have finished 
 it. Xow then, you skin the beautiful creature, and you are 
 pleased to find it plump and fat. You have, I find, studied 
 comparative anatomy under my friend, Macgillivray, and at 
 least, have finished your examination of the oesophagus, giz-
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 125 
 
 zard, cocca, trachee, and bronchi. On the ignited clay cast- 
 ings of a buffalo you have laid the body, and it is now almost 
 ready to satisfy the longing of your stomach, as it hisses in 
 its oderous sap. The brook at your feet affords the very best 
 drink that nature can supply, and I need not wish you better 
 fare than that before you. 
 
 Next morning you find yourself refreshed and reinvigor- 
 ated, more ardent than ever, for success fails not to excite the 
 desire of those who have entered upon the study of nature. 
 You have packed your bird's skin flat in your box, rolled up 
 your drawing round those previously made, and now, day 
 after day, you push through thick and thin, sometimes with 
 success, and sometimes without ; but you at last return with 
 such a load on your shoulders as I have often carried on 
 mine. Having once more reached the settlements, you relieve 
 your tired limbs by mounting a horse, and at length gaining 
 a city, find means of publishing the results of your journey. 
 
 It requires very little exertion of fancy to see in this a 
 felicitous sketch of his own mode of " ransacking the woods, 
 the shores, and the barren grounds." 
 
 It is just such hardy methods wherein consist the immea- 
 surable superiority of Mr. Audubon over the whole school of 
 stuffed-specimen delineators, whose indigestible crudities and 
 VTttched figures have proven the very night-mare of Natural 
 Science in the Old World. 
 
 The idea of mounting knapsack and gun, and trudging 
 thousands of miles through brake and morass, over " sands, 
 shores, and desert wildernesses," encountering and braving 
 the "imminence" of many perils, exposed to all "the spite 
 of wreakful elements," purely for love of nature, and scientific 
 accuracy, would have set one of these philosophical amateurs 
 to shuddering. To bespatter black coat and silken hose, get 
 half starved, and catch a death cold in " collecting materials," 
 were simply preposterous when the Zoological gardens are 
 close at hand, and the museums are filled with specimens.
 
 
 126 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 To be sure they have been dead a few years, and owe their 
 present forms very much to the taste of the ignorant trades- 
 man who "wired" and stuffed them but the colors are there ; 
 they do not fade that is, not much and by a slight exertion 
 of fancy it will be easy enough to make them "sister nature's 
 own shape" of birds again, so that shortly a magnificent five 
 vol. illustrated work makes its appearance. 
 
 Contrast all such farrago with the language of a man who 
 knew what he was doing. It was during those weary wan- 
 derings in which Audubon coursed back and forth " the 
 seasons from equator to the pole," that in the far south he 
 met with the " Oarracaras Eagle," then a new bird to him. 
 lie -says 
 
 1 was not aware of the existence of the Caracara or Bra- 
 zilian Eagle in the United States, until my visit to the 
 Floridas, in the winter of 1831. On the 24th of November 
 of that year, in the course of an excursion near the town of 
 St. Augustine, I observed a bird flying at a great elevation, 
 and almost over my head. Convinced that it was unknown 
 to me, and bent on obtaining it, I followed it nearly a mile, 
 when I saw it sail towards the earth, making for a place 
 where a group of Vultures ware engaged in devouring a dead 
 horse. Walking up to the horse, I observed the new bird 
 alighted on it, and helping itself freely to the savory meat 
 beneath its feet ; but it evinced a degree of shyness far greater 
 than that of its associates, the Turkey Buzzards and Carrion 
 Crows. I moved circuitously, until I came to a deep ditch, 
 along which I crawled, and went as near to the bird as I pos- 
 sibly could ; but finding the distance much too great for a 
 sure shot, I got up suddenly, when the whole of the birds 
 took to flight. The eagle, as if desirous of forming acquaint- 
 ar ce with me, took a round and passed over me. I shot, but 
 to my great mortification missed it. However, it alighted a 
 few hundred yards off, in an open savanna, on which I laid 
 myself flat on the ground, and crawled towards it, pushing
 
 AUBUBON AND BOOXE. 127 
 
 my gun before me, amid burs and mud-holes, until I reached 
 the distance of about seventy-five yards from it, when I 
 stopped to observe its attitudes. The bird did not notice 
 me ; he stood on a lump of flesh, tearing it to pieces, in the 
 manner of a Vulture, until he had nearly swallowed the 
 whole. Being now less occupied, he spied me, erected the 
 feathers of his neck, and, starting up, flew away, carrying 
 the remainder of his prey in his talons. I shot a second 
 time, and probably touched him ; for he dropped his burden, 
 and made off in a direct course, across the St. Sebastian river, 
 with alternate sailings and flappings, somewhat in the manner 
 of a Vulture, but more gracefully. He never uttered a cry, 
 and I followed him wistfully with my eyes until he was quite 
 out of sight. 
 
 The following day the bird returned, and was again among 
 the Vultures, but at some distance from the carcase, the birds 
 having been kept off by the dogs. I approached by the ditch, 
 saw it very well, and watched its movements, until it arose, 
 when once more I shot, but without effect. It sailed off in 
 large circles, gliding in a very elegant manner, and now and 
 then diving downwards and rising again. 
 
 Two days elapsed before it returned. Being apprised by 
 a friend of this desired event, instead of going after it myself, 
 I dispatched my assistant, who returned with it in little more 
 than half an hour. I immediately began my drawing cf it. 
 The weather was sultry, the thermometer being at 89; 
 and, to my surprise, the vivid tints of the plumage were 
 fading much faster than I had ever seen them in like cir- 
 cumstances, insomuch that Dr. Bell of Dublin, who saw it 
 when fresh, and also when I was finishing the drawing twenty- 
 four hours after, said he could scarcely believe it to be ths 
 same bird. How often have I thought of the changes which 
 I have seen effected in the colors of the bill, legs, eyes, and 
 even the plumage of birds, when looking on imitations which 
 I was aware were taken from stuffed specimens, and which I
 
 128 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 well knew could not be accurate ! The sJcin, when the bird 
 was quite recent, was of a bright yellow. The bird was ex- 
 tremely lousy. Its stomach contained the remains of a bull- 
 frog, numerous hard-shelled worms, and a quantity of horse 
 and deer-hair. The skin was saved with great difficulty, and 
 its plumage had entirely lost its original lightness of coloring. 
 The deep red of the fleshy parts of the head had assumed a 
 purplish livid hue, and the spoil scarcely resembled the coat 
 of the living Eagle. 
 
 I made a double drawing of. this individual, for the purpose 
 of showing all its feathers, which I hope will be found to be 
 accurately represented. 
 
 This is the way in which one of the truest naturalists who 
 ever delineated form of bird, beast, or creeping thing, con- 
 sidered it necessary to labor in his vocation, and this is Jiis 
 opinion about the evanescence of colors in the dead subjects, 
 and, as is of course implied, of the undoubtedly wide play for 
 the "fancy" in replacing them. 
 
 Hear, too, his account of the study of Water Birds. He 
 says 
 
 The difficulties which are to be encountered in studying 
 the habits of our Water Birds are great. He who follows 
 the feathered inhabitants of the forests and plains, however 
 rough or tangled the paths may be, seldom fails to obtain the 
 objects of his pursuit, provided he be possessed of due enthu- 
 siasm and perseverance. The Land Bird flits from bush to 
 bush, runs before you, and seldom extends its flight beyond 
 the range of your vision. It is very different with the Water 
 Bird, which sweeps afar over the wide ocean, hovers above 
 the surges, or betakes itself for refuge to the inaccessible 
 rocks on the shore. There, on the smooth sea-beach, you see 
 the lively and active Sandpiper ; on that rugged promontory 
 the Dusky Cormorant ; under the dark shade of yon cypress 
 the Ibis and Heron ; above you in the still air floats the Peli- 
 can or the Swan j while far over the angry billows scour the
 
 ATJDUBON AND BOONE. 129 
 
 Fulmar and the Frigate bird. If you endeavor to approach 
 these birds in their haunts, they betake themselves to flight, 
 and speed to places where they are secure from your in- 
 trusion. 
 
 But the scarcer the fruit, the more prized it is ; and seldom 
 have I experienced greater pleasures than when on the Florida 
 Keys, under a burning sun, after pushing my bark for miles 
 over a soapy flat, I have striven all day long, tormented by 
 myriads of insects, to procure a heron new to me, and have 
 at length succeeded in my efforts. And then how amply are 
 the labors of the naturalist compensated, when, after observ- 
 ing the wildest and most distrustful birds, in their remote and 
 almost inaccessible breeding places, he returns from his jour- 
 neys, and relates his adventures to an interested and friendly 
 audience. 
 
 It is thus the miraculous fidelity which characterises his whole 
 work, could only have been attained. His life is full of such 
 incidents. It was indeed a habit from which he never devi- 
 ated throughout the long years of his faithful dedication to his 
 art, to make his drawings, if possible, on the very spot where 
 the specimens had been obtained, without regard to heat, or 
 cold, or storm. In making his drawings of the Golden Eagle, 
 his incessant application through many hours of hurried 
 labor, without rest, threw him into a violent fit of illness 
 which quite nearly cost him his life. In many other instances 
 he suffered greatly. He sometimes worked, while in Labra- 
 dor, until the pencil absolutely dropped from his stiffened 
 fingers, frozen in that bitter air ; and so it was in the South, 
 his exposure to the opposite extremes were quite as great. 
 
 But it is by contrasting his own accounts of his visit to 
 Lebrador and the Florida Keys, that we will best be enabled 
 to apprehend the rugged zeal of his out-door methods in these 
 widely separated regions. A visit to Labrador, which is the 
 nesting-ground of a vast number of our migratory birds, 
 having become necessary to the continuation of his work, the 
 
 9
 
 130 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 first volume only having been as yet issued, he chartered a 
 small vessel, the " Ripley," at Eastport, Maine, for the pur- 
 pose, and accompanied hy four young gentlemen, fond of 
 Natural History and adventure, set sail for the North. He 
 describes his out-fit, mode of life on board and ashore. 
 
 We had purchased our stores at Boston, with the aid of my 
 generous friend Dr. Parkman of that city ; but unfortunately 
 many things necessary on an expedition like ours were omitted. 
 At Eastport in Maine we therefore laid in these requisites. 
 No traveller, let me say, ought to neglect anything that is 
 calculated to insure the success of his undertaking, or to con- 
 tribute to his personal comfort, when about to set out on a long 
 and perhaps hazardous voyage. Very few opportunities of 
 replenishing stores of provision, clothing or ammunition, 
 occur in such a country as Labrador ; and yet, we all placed 
 too much confidence in the zeal and foresight of our purvey- 
 ors at Eastport. We had abundance of ammunition, excellent 
 bread, meat and potatoes ; but the butter was quite rancid, 
 the oil only fit to grease our guns, the vinegar too liberally 
 diluted with cider, the mustard and pepper deficient in due 
 pungency. All this, however, was not discovered until it was 
 too late to be remedied. Several of the young men were not 
 clothed as hunters should be, and some of the guns were not 
 so good as we could have wished. We were, however, fortunate 
 with respect to our vessel, which was a notable sailer, did not 
 leak, had a good crew, and was directed by a capital seaman. 
 
 The hold of the schooner was floored, and an entrance 
 made to it from the cabin, so that in it we had a very good par- 
 lor, dining-room, drawing-room, library, &c., all those apart- 
 ments, however, being united into one. An extravagantly 
 elongated deal table ranged along the centre ; one of the 
 party had slung his hammock at one end, and in its vicinity 
 slept the cook and a lad who acted as armorer. The cabin 
 was small ; but being fitted in the usual manner with side 
 berths, was used for a dormitory. It contained a small table
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 131 
 
 and a stove, the latter of diminutive size, but smoky enough 
 to discomfit a host. We had adopted in a great measure the 
 clothing worn by the American fishermen on that coast, 
 namely, thick blue cloth trousers, a comfortable waistcoat, 
 and a pea-jacket of blanket. Our boots were large, round- 
 toe'd, strong, and well studded with large nails to prevent 
 sliding on the rocks. Worsted comforters, thick mittens and 
 round broad-brimmed hats, completed our dress, which was 
 more picturesque than fashionable. As soon as we had an 
 opportunity, the boots were exchanged for Esquimaux mounted 
 mocassins of seal-skin, impermeable to water, light, easy and 
 fastening at top about the midde of the thigh to straps, which 
 when buckled over the hips secured them well. To complete 
 our equipment, we had several good boats, one of which was 
 extremely light and adapted for shallow water. 
 
 No sooner had we reached the coast and got into harbor, than 
 we agreed to follow certain regulations intended for the gene- 
 ral benefit. Every morning the cook was called before three 
 o'clock. At half-past three, breakfast was on the table, and 
 everybody equipped. The guns, ammunition, botanical boxes, 
 and baskets for eggs or minerals, were all in readiness. Our 
 breakfast consisted of coffee, bread and various other materials. 
 At four, all except the cook and one seaman, went off in 
 different directions, not forgetting to carry with them a store 
 of cooked provisions. Some betook themselves to the islands, 
 others to the deep bays ; the latter on landing wandered over 
 the country, until noon, when laying themselves down on the 
 rich moss, or sitting on the granite rock, they would rest for 
 an hour, eat their dinner, and talk of their successes or dis- 
 appointments. I often regret that I did not take sketches 
 of the curious groups formed by my young friends on such 
 occasions, and when, after returning at night, all were engaged 
 in measuring, weighing, comparing and dissecting the birds we 
 had procured, operations which were carried on with the aid 
 of a number of candles thrust into the necks of bottles. Here
 
 132 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 one examined the flowers and leaves of a plant, there another 
 explored the recesses of a diver's gullet, while a third skinned 
 a gull or a grouse. Nor was our journal forgotten. Arrange- 
 ments were made for the morrow, and at twelve we left 
 matters to the management of the cook, and retired to our 
 roosts. 
 
 If the wind blew hard, all went on shore, and, excepting 
 on a few remarkably rainy days, we continued our pursuits 
 much in the same manner during our stay in the country. 
 The physical powers of the young men were considered in 
 making our arrangements. Shattuck and Ingalls went to- 
 gether ; the Captain and Cooledge were fond of each other, 
 the latter having also been an officer ; Lincoln and my son 
 being the strongest and most determined hunters, generally 
 marched by themselves ; and I went with one or other of the 
 parties according to circumstances, although it was by no 
 means my custom to do so regularly, as I had abundance of 
 work on hand in the vessel. 
 
 The return of my young companions and the sailors was 
 always looked for with anxiety. On getting on board, they 
 opened their budgets, and laid their contents on the deck, 
 amid much merriment, those who had procured most speci- 
 mens being laughed at by those who had obtained the rarest, 
 and the former joking the latter in return. A substantial 
 meal always awaited them, and fortunate we were in having 
 a capital cook, although he was a little too fond of the bottle. 
 
 Our "fourth of July" was kept sacred, and every Saturday 
 night the toast of "wives and sweethearts" was the first 
 given, "parents and friends" the last. Never was there a 
 more merry set. Some with the violin and flute accompanied 
 the voices of the rest, and few moments were spent in idle- 
 ness. Before a month had elapsed, the spoils of many a fine 
 bird hung around the hold ; shrubs and flowers were in the 
 press, and I had several drawings finished, some of which you 
 have seen, and of which I hope you will ere long see the re-
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 133 
 
 malnder. Large jars were filling apace with the bodies of 
 rare birds, fishes, quadrupeds and reptiles, as well as mollus- 
 cous animals. We had several pets too, Gulls, Cormorants, 
 Guillemots, Puffins, Hawks and a Raven. In some of the 
 harbors, curious fishes were hooked in our sight, so clear was 
 the water. 
 
 We found that camping out at night was extremely un- 
 comfortable, on account of the annoyance caused by flies and 
 musquitoes, which attacked the hunters in swarms at all times, 
 but more especially when they lay down, unless they enveloped 
 themselves in thick smoke, which is not much more pleasant. 
 Once when camping, the weather became very bad, and the 
 party was twenty miles distant from Whapatiguan as night 
 threw her mantle over the earth. The rain fell in torrents, 
 the north-east wind blew furiously, and the air was extremely 
 cold. The oars of the boat were fixed so as to support some 
 blankets, and a small fire was with difficulty kindled, on the 
 embers of which a scanty meal was cooked. How different 
 from a camp on the shores of the Mississippi, where wood is 
 abundant, and the air generally not lacking heat, where mus- 
 quitoes, though plentiful enough, are not accompanied by 
 carraboo flies, and where the barkings of a joyful squirrel, or 
 the notes of the Barred Owl, that grave buffoon of our western 
 woods, never fail to gladden the camper as he cuts to the right 
 and left such branches and canes as most easily supply mate- 
 rials for forming a lodging for the night ! On the coast of 
 Labrador there are no such things ; granite and green moss 
 are spread around, silence like that of the grave envelopes 
 all, and when night has closed the dreary scene from your 
 sight, the wolves, attracted by the scent of the remains of 
 your scanty repast, gather around you. Cowards as they 
 are, they dare not venture on a charge ; but their bowlings 
 effectually banish sleep. You must almost roast your feet 
 to keep them warm, while your head and shoulders are chilled 
 by the blast. When morning comes, she smiles net on you with
 
 134 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 rosy cheeks, but appears muffled in a grey mantle of cold 
 mist, which shows you that there is no prospect of a fine day. 
 The object of the expedition, which was to procure some Owls 
 that had been observed there by day, was entirely frustrated. 
 At early dawn, the party rose stiffened and dispirited, and 
 glad were they to betake themselves to their boats, and return 
 to their floating home. 
 
 Before we left Labrador, several of my young friends began 
 to feel the want of suitable clothing. The sailor's ever-tailor- 
 ing system was, believe me, fairly' put to the test. Patches 
 of various colors ornamented knees and elbows ; our boots 
 were worn out ; our greasy garments and battered hats were 
 in harmony with our tanned and weather-beaten faces ; and, 
 had you met with us, you might have taken us for a squad 
 of wretched vagrants ; but we were joyous in the expectation 
 of a speedy return, and exulted at the thoughts of our success. 
 
 As the chill blast that precedes the winter's tempest thick- 
 ened the fogs on the hills and ruffled the dark waters, each 
 successive day saw us more anxious to leave the dreary wild- 
 erness of grim rocks and desolate moss-clad valleys. Un- 
 favorable winds prevented us for awhile from spreading our 
 white sails ; but at last one fair morning smiled on the wintry 
 world, the Ripley was towed from the harbor, her tackle 
 trimmed, and as we bounded over the billows, we turned our 
 eyes towards the wilds of Labrabor, and heartily bade them 
 farewell forever ! 
 
 He had previously visited the Florida Coast, alone, in 
 1831 and 1832, and during this expedition penetrated the 
 interior by the St. John's River. All this region, but par- 
 ticularly the "Keys," is like its Boreal contrast, Labrador, 
 of peculiar interest to the Ornithologist, as the resort of my- 
 riads of water-fowl and tropical birds of extraordinary splen- 
 dor, lie says : 
 
 While in this part of the peninsula, I followed my usual 
 avocations, although with little success, it being then winter.
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 135 
 
 I had Litters from the Secretaries of the Navy and Treasury 
 of the United States, to the commanding officers of vessels 
 of war of the revenue service, directing them to afford me 
 any assistance in their power ; and the schooner Spark having 
 come to St. Augustine, on her way to the St. John's River, 
 I presented my credentials to her commander, Lieutenant 
 Piercy, who readily and with politeness, received me and my 
 assistants on board. We soon after set sail, with a fair 
 breeze. The strict attention to duty on board even this small 
 vessel of war, afforded matter of surprise to me. Everything 
 went on with tfys regularity of a chronometer ; orders were 
 given, answered to and accomplished, before they ceased to 
 vibrate on the ear. The neatness of the crew equalled the 
 cleanliness of the white planks of the deck ; the sails were in 
 perfect condition ; and, built as the Spark was, for swift sail- 
 ing, on she went gambolling from wave to wave. 
 
 I thought that, while thus sailing, no feeling but that of 
 pleasure could exist in our breasts ; but, alas ! how fleeting 
 are our enjoyments. When we were almost at the entrance 
 of the river, the wind changed, the sky became clouded, and, 
 before many minutes had elapsed, the little bark was lying-to 
 "like a duck," as her commander expressed himself. It blew 
 a hurricane : let it blow, reader. At the break of day wo 
 were again at anchor within the bar of St. Augustine. 
 
 Our next attempt was successful. Not many hours after 
 we had crossed the bar, we perceived the star-like glimmer 
 of the light in the great lantern at the entrance of the St. 
 John's River. This was before day-light ; and, as the cross- 
 ing of the sand-banks or bars, which occur at the mouths of 
 all the streams of this peninsula is difficult, and can be accom- 
 plished only when the tide is up, one of the guns was fired 
 as a signal for the government pilot. The good man, it 
 seemed, was unwilling to leave his couch, but a second gun 
 brought him in his canoe alongside. The depth of the chan- 
 nel was barely sufficient. My eyes, however, were not di-
 
 136 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 rected towards the water, but on high, where flew some 
 thousands of snowy Pelicans, which had fled affrighted from 
 their resting grounds. How beautifully they performed their 
 broad gyrations, and how matchless, after awhile, was the 
 marshalling of their files, as they flew past us ! 
 
 On the tide we proceeded apace. Myriads of Cormorants 
 covered the face of the waters, and over it Fish-Crows innu- 
 merable were already arriving from their distant roosts. 
 We landed at one place to search for the birds whose charm- 
 ing melodies had engaged our attention, and here and there 
 some young Eagles we shot, to add to our store of fresh pro- 
 visions ! The river did not seem to me equal in beauty to 
 the fair Ohio ; the shores were in many places low and swampy, 
 to the great delight of the numberless Herons that moved 
 along in gracefulness, and the grim alligators that swam in 
 sluggish sullenness. In going up a bayou, we caught a great 
 number of the young of the latter for the purpose of making 
 experiments upon them. 
 
 After sailing a considerable way, during which our com- 
 mander and officers took the soundings, as well as the angles 
 and bearings of every nook and crook of the sinuous stream, 
 we anchored one evening at a distance of fully one hundred 
 miles from the mouth of the river. The weather, although it 
 was the 12th of February, was quite warm, the thermometer 
 on board standing at 75, and on shore at 90. The fog 
 was so thick that neither of the shores could be seen, and 
 yet the river was not a mile in breadth. The " blind mus- 
 quitoes" covered every object, even in the cabin, and so won- 
 derfully abundant were these tormentors, that they more 
 than once fairly extinguished the candles whilst I was writing 
 my journal, which I closed in despair, crushing between the 
 leaves more than a hundred of the little wretches. Bad as 
 they are, however, these blind musquitoes do not bite. As if 
 purposely to render our situation doubly uncomfortable, there 
 was an establishment for jerking beef, on the nearer shores
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 137 
 
 to the windward of our vessel, from which the breeze came 
 laden with no sweet odors. 
 
 In the morning when I arose, the country was still covered 
 with thick fogs, so that although I could plainly hear the 
 notes of the birds on shore, not an object could I see beyond 
 the bowsprit, and the air was as close and sultry as on the 
 previous evening. Guided by the scent of the jerkers' works, 
 we went on shore, where we found the vegetation already far 
 advanced. The blossoms of the jessamine, ever pleasing, lay 
 steeped in dew ; the humming bee was collecting her winter's 
 store from the snowy flowers of the native orange ; and the 
 little warblers frisked along the twigs of the smilax. Now, 
 amid the tall pines of the forest, the sun's rays began to force 
 their way, and as the dense mists dissolved in the atmosphere, 
 the bright luminary at length shone forth. We explored the 
 woods around, guided by some friendly live-oakers who had 
 pitched their camp in the vicinity. After awhile the Spark 
 again displayed her sails, and as she silently glided along, 
 we espied a Seminole Indian approaching us in his canoe. 
 The poor dejected son of the woods, endowed with talents of 
 the highest order, although rarely acknowledged by the proud 
 usurpers of his native soil, has spent the night in fishing, and 
 the morning in procuring the superb-feathered game of the 
 swampy thickets ; and with both he comes to offer them for 
 our acceptance. Alas ! thou fallen one, descendant of an 
 ancient line of freeborn hunters, would that I could restore 
 to thee thy birthright, thy natural independence, the generous 
 feelings that were once fostered in thy brave bosom. But 
 the irrevocable deed is done, and I can merely admire the 
 perfect symmetry of his frame, as he dexterously throws on 
 our .deck the trouts" and turkeys which he has captured. He 
 receives a recompense, and without smile or bow, or acknowl- 
 edgment of any kind, off he starts with the speed of an arrow 
 from his own bow. 
 
 Alligators were extremely abundant, and the heads of the
 
 138 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 fishes which they had snapped off lay floating around on the 
 dark waters. A rifle bullet was now and then sent through 
 the eye of one of the largest, which, with a tremendous splash 
 of its tail expired. One morning we saw a monstrous fellow 
 lying on the shore. I was desirous of obtaining him to make 
 an accurate drawing of his head, and, accompanied by my as- 
 sistant and two of the sailors, proceeded cautiously towards him. 
 When within a few yards, one of us fired and sent through 
 his side an ounce ball, which tore open a hole large enough 
 to receive a man's hand. He slowly raised his head, bent 
 himself upwards, opened his huge jaws, swung his tail to and 
 fro, rose on his legs, blew in a frightful manner, and fell to 
 the earth. My assistant leaped on shore, and contrary to 
 my injunctions, caught hold of the animal's tail, when the 
 alligator, awakening from his trance, with a last effort crawled 
 slowly towards the water, and plunged heavily into it. Had 
 he thought of once flourishing his tremendous weapon there 
 might have been an end of his assailant's life, but he for- 
 funately went in peace to his grave, where we left him, as 
 the water was too deep. The same morning, another of equal 
 size was observed swimming directly for the bows of our 
 vessel, attracted by the gentle rippling of the water there. 
 One of the officers, who had watched him, fired and scattered 
 his brain through the air, when he tumbled and rolled at a 
 fearful rate, blowing all the while most furiously. The river 
 was bloody for yards around, but although the monster passed 
 close by the vessel, we could not secure him, and after awhile 
 he sunk to the bottom. 
 
 Early one morning I hired a boat and two men, with the 
 view of returning to St. Augustine by a short cut. Our 
 baggage being placed on board, I bade adieu to the officers, 
 and off we started. About four in the afternoon we arrived 
 at the short cut, forty miles distant from our point of de- 
 parture, and where we had expected to procure a wagon, but 
 were disappointed. So we laid our things on the bank, and,
 
 ATJDUBON AND BOONS. 139 
 
 leaving one of my assistants to look after them, I set out, 
 accompanied by the other, and my Newfoundland dog. We 
 had eighteen miles to go ; and as the sun was only two hours 
 high, we struck off at a good rate. Presently we entered a 
 pine barren. The country was as level as a floor ; our path, 
 although narrow, was well beaten, having been used by the 
 Seminole Indians for ages, and the weather was calm and 
 beautiful. Now and then a rivulet occurred, from which we 
 quenched our thirst, while the magnolias and other flowering 
 plants on its banks, relieved the dull uniformity of the woods. 
 When the path separated into two branches, both seemingly 
 leading the same way, I would follow one, while my com- 
 panion took the other, and unless we met again in a short 
 time, one of us would go across the intervening forest. 
 
 The sun went down behind a cloud, and the south-east 
 breeze that sprung up at this moment, sounied dolefully 
 among the tall pines. Along the eastern horizon lay a bed 
 of black vapor, which gradually rose, and soon covered the 
 heavens. The air felt hot and oppressive, and we knew that 
 a tempest was approaching. Plato was now our guide, the 
 white spots on his skin being the only objects that we could 
 discern amid the darkness, and as if aware of his utility in 
 this respect, he kept a short way before us on the trail. Had 
 we imagined ourselves more than a few miles from the town, 
 we would have made a camp, and remained under its shelter 
 for the night ; but conceiving that the distance could not bo 
 great, we resolved to trudge along. 
 
 Large drops began to fall from the murky mass overhead ; 
 thick, impenetrable darkness surrounded us, and to my dis- 
 may, the dog refused to proceed. Groping with my hands 
 on the ground, I discovered that several trails branched out 
 at the spot where he lay down ; and when I had selected one, 
 he went on. Vivid flashes of lightning streamed across the 
 heavens, the wind increased to a gale, and the rain poured 
 down upon us like a torrent. The water soon rose on the
 
 140 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 level ground so as almost to cover our feet, and we slowly ad- 
 vanced, fronting the tempest. Here and there a tall pine on 
 fire presented a magnificent spectacle, illumining the trees 
 around it, and surrounded with a halo of dim light, abruptly 
 bordered with the deep black of the night. At one time we 
 passed through a tangled thicket of low trees, at another 
 crossed a stream flushed by the heavy rain, and again pro- 
 ceeded over the open barrens. 
 
 How long we thus, half-lost, groped our way, is more than 
 I can tell you ; but at length the tempest passed over, and 
 suddenly the clear sky became spangled with stars. Soon 
 after we smelt the salt-marshes, and walking directly towards 
 them, like pointers advancing on a covey of partridges, we at 
 last to our great joy descried the light of the beacon near 
 St. Augustine. My dog began to run briskly around, having 
 met with ground on which he had hunted before, and taking 
 a direct course, led us to the great causeway that crosses the 
 marshes at the back of the town. We refreshed ourselves 
 with the produce of the first orange tree that we met with, 
 and in half an hour more arrived at our hotel. Drenched 
 with rain, steaming with perspiration, and covered to the 
 knees with mud, you may imagine what figures we cut in the 
 eyes of the good people whom we found snugly enjoying 
 themselves in the sitting room. Next morning, Major Gates, 
 who had received me with much kindness, sent a wagon with 
 mules and two trusty soldiers for my companion and luggage. 
 
 Availing himself of his letters again, he now went on board 
 a revenue cutter, the "Marion." 
 
 As the " Marion" neared the inlet called " Indian Key," 
 which is situated on the eastern coast of the peninsula of 
 Florida, my heart swelled Avith uncontrollable delight. Our 
 vessel once over the coral reef that every where stretches 
 along the shore like a great wall, reared by an army of giants, 
 we found ourselves in safe anchoring ground, within a few 
 furlongs of the land. The next moment saw the oars of a
 
 ADDUBON AND BOONE. 141 
 
 boat propelling us towards the shore, and in brief time we 
 stood on the desired beach. With what delightful feelings 
 did we gaze on the objects around us ! the gorgeous flowers, 
 the singular and beautiful plants, the luxuriant trees. The 
 balmy air which we breathed filled us with animation, so pure 
 and salubrious did it seem to be. The birds which we saw 
 were almost all new to us ; their lovely forms appeared to be 
 arrayed in more brilliant apparel than I had ever before seen, 
 and as they gambolled in happy playfulness among the bushes, 
 or glided over the light green waters, we longed to form a 
 more intimate acquaintance with them. 
 
 Students of nature spend little time in introductions, espe- 
 cially when they present themselves to persons who feel an 
 interest in their pursuits. This was the case with Mr. Thruston, 
 the Deputy Collector of the island, who shook us all heartily 
 by the hand, and in a trice had a boat manned at our service. 
 Accompanied by him, his pilot and fishermen, off we went, 
 and after a short pull landed on a large Key. Few minutes 
 had elapsed, when shot after shot might be heard, and down 
 came whirling through the air the objects of our desire. One 
 thrust himself into the tangled groves that covered all but the 
 beautiful coral beach that in a continued line bordered the 
 island, while others gazed on the glowing and diversified hues 
 of the curious inhabitants of the deep. I saw one of my party 
 rush into the limpid element, to seize on a crab, that with 
 claws extended upwards, awaited his approach, as if deter- 
 mined not to give way. A loud voice called him back to the 
 land, for sharks are as abundant along these shores as pebbles, 
 and the hungry prowlers could not have got a more savory 
 dinner. 
 
 The pilot, besides being a first-rate shot, possessed a most 
 intimate acquaintance with the country. He had been a 
 "conch-diver," and no matter what number of fathoms mea- 
 sured the distance between the surface of the water and its 
 craggy bottom, to seek for curious shells in their retreat,
 
 142 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 seemed to him more pastime than toil. Not a Cormorant or 
 Pelican, a Flamingo, an Ibis, or Heron, had ever in his days 
 formed its nest without his having marked the spot ; and as 
 to the Keys to which the Doves are wont to resort, he was 
 better acquainted with them than many fops are with the 
 contents of their pockets. In a word, he positively knew 
 every channel that led to these islands, and every cranny 
 along their shores. For years his employment had been to 
 hunt those singular animals called Sea Cows or Marratees, 
 and he had conquered hundreds of them, "merely," as he 
 said, because the flesh and hide bring "a fair price" at 
 Havanna. He never went anywhere to land without " Long 
 Tom," which proved indeed to be a wonderful gun, and which 
 made smart havoc when charged with " groceries," a term by 
 which he designated the large shot which he used. In like 
 manner, he never paddled his light canoe without having by 
 his side the trusty javelin, with which he unerringly trans- 
 fixed such fishes as he thought fit either for market or for his 
 own use. In attacking turtles, netting, or overturning them, 
 I doubt if his equal ever lived on the Florida coast. No 
 sooner was he made acquainted with my errand, than he 
 freely offered his best services, and from that moment until 1 
 left Key West, he was seldom out of my hearing. 
 
 While the young gentlemen who accompanied us were 
 engaged in procuring plants, shells, and small birds, he 
 tapped me on the shoulder, and with a smile said to me, 
 " Come along, I'll show you something better worth your 
 while." To the boat we betook ourselves, with the Captain 
 and only a pair of tars, for more he said would not answer. 
 The yawl for awhile was urged at a great rate, but as we 
 approached a point, the oars were taken in, and the pilot 
 alone skulling, desired us to make ready, for in a few minutes 
 we should have "rare sport." As we advanced, the more 
 slowly did we move, and the most profound silence was main- 
 tained, until suddenly coming almost in contact with a thick
 
 AUDUBOff AND BOOXE. 143 
 
 Bnrubbery of mangroves, "we beheld, right before us, a multi- 
 tude of pelicans. A discharge of artillery seldom produced 
 more effect; the dead, the dying, and the wounded, fell 
 from the trees upon the water, while those unscathed flew 
 streaming through the air in terror and dismay. " There," 
 said he, "did not I tell you so; is it not rare sport?" The 
 birds, one after another, were lodged under the gunwales, 
 when the pilot desired the Captain to order the lads to pull 
 away. Within about half a mile we reached the extremity 
 of the Key. " Pull away," cried the pilot, " never mind them 
 .on the wing, for those black rascals don't mind a little firing 
 now, boys, lay her close under the nests." And there we 
 were, with four hundred cormorants' nests over our heads. 
 The birds were sitting, and when we fired, the number that 
 dropped as if dead and plunged into the water was such, that 
 I thought by some unaccountable means or other we had 
 killed the whole colony. You would have smiled at the loud 
 laugh and curious gestures of the pilot. " Gentlemen," said 
 he, "almost a blank shot!" And so it was, for, on following 
 the birds as one after another peeped up from the water, we 
 found only a few unable to take to wing. "Now," said the 
 pilot, " had you waited until I had spoken to the black vil- 
 lains, you might have killed a score or more of them." On 
 inspection, we found that our shots had lodged in the tough 
 dry twigs of which these birds form their nests, and that we 
 had lost the more favorable opportunity of hitting them, by 
 not waiting until they rose. "Never mind," said the pilot, 
 " if you wish it, you may load the Lady of the Green Mantle* 
 with them in less than a week. Stand still, my lads ; and 
 now, gentlemen, in ten minutes you and I will bring down 
 a score of them." And so we did. As we rounded the 
 island, a beautiful bird of the species called Peale's Egret, 
 came up and was shot. We now landed, took in the rest of 
 
 * The name given by the ^wreckers and smugglers to the Marion.
 
 144 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 our party, and returned to Indian Key, where we arrived 
 three hours before sunset 
 
 The sailors and other individuals to whom my name and 
 pursuits had become known, carried our birds to the pilot's 
 house. His good wife had a room ready for me to draw in, 
 and my assistant might have been seen busily engaged in 
 skinning, while George Lehman was making a sketch of the 
 lovely isle. 
 
 Time is ever precious to the student of nature. I placed 
 several birds in their natural attitudes, and began to outline 
 them. A dance had been prepared also, and no sooner was 
 the sun lost to our eye, than males and females, including 
 our captain and others from the vessel, were seen advancing 
 gaily towards the house in full apparel. The birds were 
 skinned, the sketch was on paper, and I told my young men 
 to amuse themselves. As to myself, I could not join in tho 
 merriment, for, full of the remembrance of you, reader, and 
 of the patrons of my work both in America and in Europe, I 
 went on "grinding" not on an organ, like the Lady of Bras 
 d'Or, but on paper, to the finishing, not merely of my out- 
 lines, but of my notes respecting the objects seen this day. 
 
 The room adjoining that in which I worked, was soon filled. 
 Two miserable fiddlers screwed their screeching silken stringa 
 not an inch of catgut graced their instruments ; and the 
 bouncing of brave lads and fair lasses shook the premises to 
 the foundation. One with a slip came down heavily on the 
 floor, and the burst of laughter that followed echoed over the 
 isle. Diluted claret was handed round to cool the ladies, 
 while a beverage of more potent energies warmed their part- 
 ners. After supper our captain returned to the Marion, and 
 J, with my young men, slept in light swinging hammocks, 
 under the eaves of the piazza. 
 
 It was the end of April, when the nights were short and 
 the days therefore long. Anxious to turn every moment to 
 account, we were on board Mr. Thruston's boat at three next
 
 ATJDUBON AND BOONE. 145 
 
 morning. Pursuing our way through the deep and tortuous 
 channels that everywhere traverse the immense muddy soap- 
 like flats that stretch from the outward Keys to the Main, 
 we proceeded on our voyage of discovery. Here and there 
 we met with great beds of floating sea-weeds, which showed 
 us that turtles were abundant there, these masses being the 
 refuse of their feeding. On talking to Mr. Thruston of the 
 nature of these muddy flats, he mentioned that he had once 
 been lost amongst their narrow channels for several days and 
 nights, when in pursuit of some smugglers' boat, the owners 
 of which were better acquainted with the place than the men 
 who were along with him. Although in full sight of several 
 of the Keys, as well as of the main land, he was unable to 
 reach either, until a heavy gale raised the water, when he 
 sailed directly over the flats, and returned home almost ex- 
 hausted with fatigue and hunger. His present pilot often 
 alluded to the circumstance afterwards, ending with a great 
 laugh, and asserting that had he "been there, the rascals 
 would not have escaped." 
 
 Coming under a Key on which multitudes of Frigate Peli- 
 cans had begun to form their nests, we shot a good number 
 of them, and observed their habits. The boastings of our 
 pilot were here confirmed by the exploits which he performed 
 with his long gun, and on several occasions he brought down 
 a bird from a height of fully a hundred yards. The poor 
 birds, unaware of the range of our artillery, sailed calmly 
 along, so that it was not difficult for "Long Tom," or rather 
 for its owner, to furnish us with as many as we required. 
 The day was spent in this manner, and towards night we 
 returned, laden with booty, to the hospitable home of the 
 pilot. 
 
 The next morning was delightful. The gentle sea-breeze 
 glided over the flowery isle, the horizon was clear, and all 
 was silent save the long breakers that rushed over the distant 
 reefs. As we were proceeding towards some Keys, seldom 
 
 10
 
 146 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 yisited by men, the sun rose from the bosom of the waters 
 with a burst of glory that flashed on my soul the idea of that 
 power which called into existence so magnificent an object. 
 The moon, thin and pale, as if ashamed to show her feeblo 
 light, concealed herself- in the dim west. The surface of the 
 waters shone in its tremulous smoothness, and the deep blue 
 of the clear heavens was pure as the world that lies beyond 
 them. The Heron heavily flew towards the land, like the 
 glutton retiring at day-break, with well-lined paunch, from 
 the house of some wealthy patron of good cheer. The Night 
 Heron and the Owl, fearful of day, with hurried flight sought 
 safety in the recesses of the deepest swamps ; while the Gulls 
 and Terns, ever cheerful, gambolled over the water, exulting 
 in the prospect of abundance. I also exulted in hope ; my 
 whole frame seemed to expand ; and our sturdy crew showed, 
 by their merry faces, that nature had charms for them too. 
 How much of beauty and joy is lost to those who never view 
 the rising sun, and of whose waking existence the best half is 
 nocturnal ! 
 
 Twenty miles our men had to row before we reached 
 " Sandy Island," and as on its level shores we all leaped, we 
 plainly saw the southernmost cape of the Floridas. The 
 flocks of birds that covered the shelly beaches, and those 
 hovering over head so astonished us, that we could for awhile 
 scarcely believe our eyes. The first volley procured a supply 
 of food sufficient for two days' consumption. Such tales, you 
 have already been told, are well enough at a distance from 
 the place to which they refer ; but you will doubtless be still 
 more surprised, when I tell you that our first fire among a 
 crowd of the Great Godwits laid prostrate sixty-five of these 
 birds. Rose-colored Curlews stalked gracefully beneath the 
 mangroves ; Purple Herons rose at almost every step we 
 took, and each cactus supported the nest of a White Ibis. 
 The air was darkened by whistling wings, while, on the waters, 
 floated Gallinules and other interesting birds. We formed a
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 147 
 
 kind of shed with sticks and grass, the sailor cov/k commenced 
 his labors, and- ere long we supplied the deficiencies of our 
 fatigued frames. The business of the day over, we secured 
 ourselves from insects by means of musquito-nets, and were 
 lulled to rest by the cacklings of the beautiful Purple Galli- 
 nules ! 
 
 When we had lain ourselves down in the sand to sleep, the 
 waters almost bathed our feet ; when we opened our eyes in the 
 morning, they were at an immense distance. Our boat lay 
 on her side, looking not unlike a whale reposing on a mud- 
 bank. The birds in myriads were probing their exposed 
 pasture-ground. There great flocks of Ibises fed apart from 
 equally large collections of Godwits, and thousands of Herons 
 gracefully paced along, ever and anon thrusting their javelin 
 bills into the body of some unfortunate fish confined in a small 
 pool of water. Of Fish-Crows I could not estimate the 
 number, but from the havoc they made among the crabs, I 
 conjecture that these animals must have been scarce by the 
 time of next ebb. Frigate Pelicans chased the Jager, which 
 himself had just robbed a poor Gull of its prize, and all the 
 Gallinules ran with spread wings from the mud-banks to the 
 thickets of the island, so timorous had they become when 
 they perceived us. 
 
 Surrounded as we were by so many objects that allured us, 
 not one could we yet attain, so dangerous would it have been 
 to venture on the mud ; and our pilot having assured us that 
 nothing could be lost by waiting, spoke of our eating, and on 
 this hint told us that he would take us to a part of the island 
 where "our breakfast would be abundant, although uncooked." 
 Off we went, some of the sailors carrying baskets, others 
 large tin pans and wooden vessels, such as they use for eating 
 their meals in. Entering a thicket of about an acre in extent, 
 we found on every bush several nests of the Ibis, each con- 
 taining three large and beautiful eggs, and all hands fell to 
 gathering. The birds gave way to us, and ere long we had
 
 148 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 a heap of eggs that promised delicious food. Nor did wo 
 stand long in expectation, for, kindling a fire, we soon pre- 
 pared, in one way or other, enough to satisfy the cravings of 
 our hungry maAvs. Breakfast ended, the pilot, looking at 
 the gorgeous sunrise, said, " Gentlemen, prepare yourselves 
 for fun, the tide is acoming." 
 
 Over these enormous mud-flats, a foot or two of water ia 
 quite sufficient to drive all the birds ashore, even the tallest 
 Heron or Flamingo, and the tide seems to flow at once over 
 the whole expanse. Each of us provided with a gun, posted 
 himself behind a bush, and no sooner had the water forced 
 the winged creatures to approach the shore, than the work of 
 destruction commenced. When it at length ceased, the col- 
 lected mass of birds of different kinds looked not unlike a 
 small haycock. Who could not with a little industry have 
 helped himself to a few of their skins ? Why, reader, surely 
 no one as fond of these things as I am. Every one assisted 
 in this, and even the sailors themselves tried their hand at the 
 work. 
 
 Our pilot, good man, told us he was no hand at such occu- 
 pations, and would go after something else. So taking Long 
 Tom and his fishing-tackle, he marched off quietly along the 
 shores. About an hour afterwards we saw him returning, 
 when he looked quite exhausted, and on our inquiring the 
 cause, said, " There is a dew-fish yonder and a few bala- 
 coudas, but I am not able to bring them, or even to haul 
 them here ; please send the sailors after them." The fishes 
 were accordingly brought, and as I had never seen a dew-fish, 
 I examined it closely, and took an outline of its form, which 
 some days hence you may perhaps see. It exceeded a hun- 
 dred pounds in weight, and afforded excellent eating. The 
 balacouda is also a good fish, but at times a dangerous one, 
 for, according to the pilot, on more than one occasion " some 
 of these gentry" had followed him when waist-deep in tho 
 water, in pursuit of a more valuable prize, until in self-defence
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 149 
 
 he had to spear them, fearing that "the gentleman" might at 
 one dart cut off his legs, or some other nice bit, with which 
 he was unwilling to part. 
 
 Having filled our cask from a fine well long since dug in 
 the sand of Cape Sable, either by Seminole Indians or pirates, 
 no matter which, we left Sandy Isle about full tide, and pro- 
 ceeded homewards, giving a call here and there at different 
 keys, with the view of procuring rare birds, and also their 
 nests and eggs. "We had twenty miles to go " as the birds 
 fly," but the tortuosity of the channels rendered our course 
 fully a third longer. The sun was descending fast, when a 
 black cloud suddenly obscured the majestic orb. Our sails 
 swelled by a breeze that was scarcely felt by us, and the 
 pilot, requesting us to sit on the weather gunwale, told us 
 that we were "going to get it." One sail was hauled in and 
 secured, and the other was reefed, although the wind had not 
 increased. A low murmuring noise was heard, and across 
 the cloud that now rolled along in tumultuous masses, shot 
 vivid flashes of lightning. Our experienced guide steered 
 directly across a flat towards the nearest land. The sailors 
 passed their quids from one cheek to the other, and our pilot 
 having covered himself with his oil-jacket, we followed his 
 example. "Blow, sweet breeze," cried he at the tiller, and 
 "we'll reach land before the blast overtakes us, for, ggntle- 
 men, it is a furious cloud yon." 
 
 A furious cloud indeed was the one which now, like an eagle 
 on outstretched wings, approached so swiftly, that one might 
 have deemed it in haste to destroy us. We were not more 
 than a cable's length from the shore, when, with imperative 
 voice, the pilot calmly said to us, " Sit quite still, gentlemen, 
 for I should not like to lose you overboard just now; the boat 
 can't upset, my word for that, if you will but sit still here 
 we have it !" 
 
 Reader, persons who have never witnessed a hurricane, 
 such as not unfrequently desolates the sultry climates of the
 
 150 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 south, can scarcely form an idea of their terrific grandeur. 
 One would think that, not content with laying waste all on 
 land, it must needs sweep the waters of the shallows quite 
 dry, to quench its thirst. No respite for an instant does it 
 afford to the objects within the reach of its furious current. 
 Like the scythe of the destroying angel, it cuts every thing 
 by the roots, as it were, with the careless ease of the expe- 
 rienced mower. Each of its revolving sweeps collects a heap 
 that might be likened to the full sheaf which the husbandman 
 flings by his side. On it goes with a wildness and fury that 
 are indescribable ; and when at last its frightful blasts have 
 ceased, Nature, weeping and disconsolate, is left bereaved of 
 her beauteous offspring. In some instances, even a full cen- 
 tury is required, before, with all her powerful energies, she 
 can repair her loss. The planter has not only lost his man- 
 sion, his crops, and his flocks, but he has to clear his lands 
 anew, covered and entangled as they are with the trunks and 
 branches of trees that are every where strewn. The bark 
 overtaken by the storm, is cast on the lee-shore, and if any 
 are left to witness the fatal results, they are the "wreckers" 
 alone, who, with inward delight, gaze upon the melancholy 
 spectacle. 
 
 Our light bark shivered like a leaf the instant the blast 
 reached her sides. We thought she had gone over ; but the 
 next instant she was on the shore. And now in contempla- 
 tion of the sublime and awful storm, I gazed around me. The 
 waters drifted like snow ; the tough mangroves hid their tops 
 amid their roots, and the loud roaring of the waves driven 
 among them, blended with the howl of the tempest. It was 
 not rain that fell ; the masses of water flew in a horizontal 
 direction, and where a part of my body was exposed, I felt 
 as if a smart blow had been given me on it. But enough ! 
 in half an hour it was over. The pure blue sky once more 
 embellished the heavens, and although it was now quite night, 
 we considered our situation a good one.
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 151 
 
 The crew and some of the party spent the night in the 
 boat. The pilot, myself, and one of my assistants, took to 
 the heart of the mangroves, and, having found high land, we 
 made a fire as well as we could, spread a tarpauling, and 
 fixing our insect bars over us, soon forgot in sleep the horrors 
 that had surrounded us. 
 
 Next day, the Marion proceeded on her cruise, and in a 
 few more days, having anchored in another safe harbor, we 
 visited other Keys, of which I will, with your leave, give you 
 a short account. 
 
 The Deputy-Collector of Indian Isle gave me the use of his 
 pilot for a few weeks, and I was the more gratified by this, 
 that besides knowing him to be a good man and a perfect 
 sailor, I was now convinced that he possessed a great knowl- 
 edge of the habits of birds, and could without loss of time 
 lead me to their haunts. We were a hundred miles or so 
 farther to the south. Gay May, like a playful babe, gam- 
 bolled on the bosom of his mother nature, and every thing 
 was replete with life and joy. The pilot had spoken to me 
 of some birds, which I was very desirous of obtaining. One 
 morning, therefore, we went in two boats to some distant isle, 
 where they were said to breed. Our difficulties in reaching 
 that Key might to some seem more imaginary than real, were 
 I faithfully to describe them. Suffice it for me to tell you, 
 that after hauling our boats, and pushing them with our 
 hands, for upwards of nine miles, over the flats, we at last 
 reached the deep channel that usually surrounds each of the 
 mangrove islands. We were much exhausted by the labor 
 and excessive heat, but we were now floating on deep water, 
 and by resting a short while under the shade of some man- 
 groves, we were soon refreshed by the breeze that gently 
 blew from the Gulf. We further repaired our strength by 
 taking some food ; and I may as well tell you here, that 
 during all the time I spent in that portion of the Floridas, 
 my party restricted themselves to fish and soaked biscuit,
 
 152 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 while our only and constant beverage was water and molasses, 
 I found that in these warm latitudes, exposed as we constantly 
 were to alternate heat and moisture, ardent spirits and more 
 substantial food would prove dangerous to us. The officers, 
 and those persons who from time to time kindly accompanied 
 us, adopted the same regimen, and not an individual of us 
 had ever to complain of so much as a headache. 
 
 But we were under the mangroves at a great distance on 
 one of the flats, the Heron, which I have named Ardea occi- 
 dentalis, was seen moving majestically in great numbers. 
 The tide rose and drove them away, and as they came towards 
 us, to alight and rest for a time on the tallest trees, we shot 
 as many as I wished. I also took under my charge several 
 of their young, alive. 
 
 At another time we visited the "Mule Keys." There the 
 prospect was in many respects dismal in the extreme. As I 
 followed their shores, I saw bales of cotton floating in all the 
 coves, while spars of every description lay on the beach, and 
 far off on the reefs I could see the last remains of a lost ship, 
 her dismantled hulk. Several schooners were around her; 
 they were wreckers. I turned me from the sight with a 
 heavy heart. Indeed, as I slowly proceeded, I dreaded to 
 meet the floating or cast ashore bodies of some of the unfortu- 
 nate crew. Our visit to the Mule Keys was in no way pro- 
 fitable, for, besides meeting with but a few birds in two or 
 three instances, I was, whilst swimming in the deep channel 
 of a mangrove isle, much nearer a large shark than I wish 
 ever to be again. 
 
 "The service" requiring all the attention, prudence and 
 activity of Captain Day and his gallant officers, another cruise 
 took place, of which you will find some account in the sequel ; 
 and, while I rest a little on the deck of the Lady of the 
 Green Mantle, let me offer my humble thanks to the Being 
 who has allowed me the pleasure of thus relating to you, kind 
 reader, a small part of my adventures.
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 153 
 
 Admitted by Nature to her most tender confidences, the 
 Hunter-Naturalist seems also to have been chosen as the 
 favored intim'ate of her convulsed and most terrible moods. 
 We have seen him here ride unharmed amidst the hurricane 
 of the Tropics, let us now turn to him standing secure " a 
 looker-on," beside its fearful track in the West. He thus 
 describes the scene : 
 
 I had left the village of Shawney, situated on the banks of 
 the Ohio, on my return from Henderson, which is also situated 
 on the banks of the same beautiful stream. The weather 
 was pleasant, and I thought not warmer than usual at that 
 season. My horse was jogging quietly along, and my thoughts 
 were, for once at least in the course of my life, entirely en- 
 gaged in commercial speculations. I had forded Highland 
 Creek, and was on the eve of entering a tract of bottom land 
 or valley that lay between it and Canoe Creek, when on a 
 sudden I remarked a great difference in the aspect of the 
 heavens. A hazy thickness had overspread the country, and I 
 for some time expected an earthquake, but my horse exhibited 
 no propensity to stop and prepare for such an occurrence. 
 I had nearly arrived at the verge of the valley, when I 
 thought fit to stop near a brook, and dismounted to quench 
 the thirst which had come upon me. 
 
 I was leaning on my knees, with my lips about to touch 
 the water, when, from my proximity to the earth, I heard a 
 distant murmuring sound of an extraordinary nature. I 
 drank, however, and as I rose on my feet, looked towards 
 the south-west, where I observed a yellowish oval spot, the 
 appearance of which was quite new to me. Little time was 
 left me for consideration, as the next moment a smart breeze 
 began to agitate the taller trees. It increased to an unex- 
 pected height, and already the smaller branches and twigs were 
 seen falling in a slanting direction towards the ground. Two 
 minutes had scarcely elapsed, when the whole forest before 
 me was in fearful motion. Here and there, where one tree
 
 154 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 pressed against another, a creaking noise was produced, 
 similar to that occasioned by the violent gusts which some- 
 times sweep over the country. Turning instinctively towards 
 the direction from which the wind blew, I saw to my great 
 astonishment, that the noblest trees of the forest bent their 
 lofty heads for a while, and unable to stand against the blast, 
 were falling into pieces. First, the branches were broken 
 off with a crackling noise ; then went the upper part of the 
 massy trunks ; and in many places whole trees of gigantic 
 size were falling entire to the ground. So rapid was the pro- 
 gress of the storm, that before I could think of taking mea- 
 sures to insure my safety, the hurricane was passing opposite 
 the place where I stood. Never can I forget the scene which 
 at that moment presented itself. The tops of the trees were 
 seen moving in the strangest manner, in the central current 
 of the tempest, which carried along with it a mingled mass 
 of twigs and foliage, that completely obscured the view. 
 Some of the largest trees were seen bending and writhing 
 under the gale ; others suddenly snapped across ; and many, 
 after a momentary resistance, fell uprooted to the earth. 
 The mass of branches, twigs, foliage and dust that moved 
 through the air, was whirled onwards like a cloud of feathers, 
 and on passing, disclosed a wide space filled with fallen trees, 
 naked stumps and heaps of shapeless ruins, which marked 
 the path of the tempest. This space was about a fourth of a 
 mile in breadth, and to my imagination resembled the dried- 
 up bed of the Mississippi, Avith its thousands of planters and 
 sawyers, strewed in the sand, and inclined in various degrees. 
 The horrible noise resembled that of the great cataracts of 
 Niagara, and as it howled along in the track of the desolating 
 tempest, produced a feeling in my mind which it were im- 
 possible to describe. 
 
 The principal force of the hurricane was now over, although 
 millions of twigs and small branches, that had been brought 
 from a great distance, were seen following the blast, as if
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 155 
 
 drawn onwards by some mysterious power. They even floated 
 in the air for some hours after, as if supported by the thick 
 mass of dust that rose high above the ground. The sky had 
 now a greenish lurid hue, and an extremely disagreeable sul- 
 phureous odor was diffused in the atmosphere. I waited in 
 amazement, having sustained no material injury, until nature 
 at length resumed her wonted aspect. For some moments, I 
 felt undetermined whether I should return to Morgantown, 
 or attempt to force my way through the wrecks of the tem- 
 pest. My business, however, being of an urgent nature, I 
 ventured into the path of the storm, and after encountering 
 innumerable difficulties, succeeded in crossing it. I was 
 obliged to lead my horse by the bridle, to enable him to leap 
 over the fallen trees, whilst I scrambled over or under them 
 in the best way I could, at times so hemmed in by the broken 
 tops and tangled branches, as almost to become desperate. 
 On arriving at my house, I gave an account of what I had 
 seen, when, to my surprise, I was told that there had been 
 very little wind in the neighborhood, although in the streets 
 and gardens many branches and twigs had fallen in a manner 
 which excited, great surprise. 
 
 Many wondrous accounts of the devastating effects of this 
 hurricane were circulated in the country, after its occurrence. 
 Some log houses, we were told, had been overturned, and 
 their inmates destroyed. One person informed me that a 
 wire-sifter had been conveyed by the gust to a distance of 
 many miles. Another had found a cow lodged in the fork of 
 a large half-broken tree. But, as I am disposed to relate 
 only what I have myself seen, I shall not lead you into the 
 region of romance, but shall content myself with saying that 
 much damage was done by this awful visitation. The valley 
 is yet a desolate place, overgrown with briars and bushes, 
 thickly entangled amidst the tops and trunks of the fallen 
 trees, and is the resort of ravenous animals, to which they 
 betake themselves when pursued by man, or after they have
 
 158 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 committed their depredations on the farms of the surrounding 
 district. I have crossed the path of the storm, at a distance 
 of a hundred miles from the spot where I witnessed its fury, 
 and, a^ain, four hundred miles farther off, in the State of 
 
 7 O ' ' 
 
 Ohio. Lastly, I observed traces of its ravages on the sum- 
 mits of the mountains connected with the Great Pine Forest 
 of Pennsylvania, three hundred miles beyond the place last 
 mentioned. In all these different parts, it appeared to me 
 not to have exceeded a quarter of a mile in breadth. 
 
 But even this is not enough for Nature's child ; he must 
 be accepted playmate of the earthquake too, and calmly rock 
 upon its waves. He tells us : 
 
 Travelling through the Barrens of Kentucky (of which I 
 shall give you an account elsewhere) in the month of Novem- 
 ber, I was jogging on one afternoon, when I remarked a 
 sudden and strange darkness rising from the western horizon. 
 Accustomed to our heavy storms of thunder and rain, I took 
 no more notice of it, as I thought the speed of my horse 
 might enable me to get under shelter of the roof of an acquaint- 
 ance, who lived not far distant, before it should come up. 
 I had proceeded about a mile, when I heard what I imagined 
 to be the distant rumbling of a violent tornado, on which I 
 spurred my steed, with a wish to gallop as fast as possible to 
 the place of shelter ; but it would not do, the animal knew 
 better than I what was forthcoming, and, instead of going 
 faster, so nearly stopped, that I remarked he placed one foot 
 after another on the ground with as much precaution as if 
 walking on a smooth sheet of ice. I thought he had suddenly 
 foundered, and, speaking to him, was on the point of dis- 
 mounting and leading him, when he all of a sudden fell a- 
 groaning piteously, hung his head, spread out his four legs, 
 as if to save himself from falling, and stood stock still, con- 
 tinuing to groan. I thought my horse was about to die, and 
 would have sprung from his back had a minute more elapsed, 
 but at that instant all the shrubs and trees began to move
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 157 
 
 from their very roots, the ground rose and fell in successive 
 furrows, like the ruffled waters of a lake, and I became be- 
 wildered in my ideas, as I too plainly discovered that all 
 this awful commotion in nature was the result of an earth- 
 quake. 
 
 I had never witnessed anything of the kind before, although, 
 like every other person, I knew of earthquakes by description. 
 But what is description compared with the reality ? "Who 
 can tell of the sensations which I experienced when I found 
 myself rocking as it were on my horse, and with him moved 
 to and fro like a child in a cradle, with the most imminent 
 danger around, and expecting the ground every moment to 
 open, and present to my eye such an abyss as might engulf 
 myself and all around me ? The fearful convulsion, however, 
 lasted only a few minutes, and the heavens again brightened 
 as quickly as they had become obscured ; my horse brought 
 his feet to their natural position, raised his head, and gal- 
 loped off as if loose and frolicking without a rider. 
 
 I was not, however, without great apprehension respecting 
 my family, from which I was yet many miles distant, fearful 
 that where they were the shock might have caused greater 
 havoc than I had witnessed. I gave the bridle to my steed, 
 and was glad to see him appear as anxious to get home as 
 myself. The pace at which he galloped accomplished this 
 sooner than I had expected, and I found, with much pleasure, 
 that hardly any greater harm had taken place than the appre- 
 hension excited for my own safety. 
 
 Shock succeeded shock almost every day and night for 
 several weeks, diminishing, however, so gradually as to dwindle 
 away into mere vibrations of the earth. Strange to say, I for 
 one became so accustomed to the feeling as rather to enjoy the 
 fears manifested by others. I never can forget the effects of 
 one of the slighter shocks which took place when I was at a 
 friend's house, where I had gone to enjoy the merriment that, 
 in our western country, attends a wedding. The ceremony
 
 158 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 being performed, supper over and the fiddles tuned, dancing 
 became the order of the moment. This was merrily followed 
 up to a late hour, when the party retired to rest. We were 
 in what is called, with great propriety, a Log-house, one of 
 large dimensions, and solidly constructed. The owner was a 
 physician, and in one corner were not only his lancets, tour- 
 niquets, amputating-knives and other sanguinary apparatus, 
 but all the drugs which he employed for the relief of his pa- 
 tients, arranged in jars and phials of different sizes. These 
 had some days before made a nirrow escape from destruction, 
 but had been fortunately preserved by closing the doors of the 
 cases in which they were contained. 
 
 As I have said, we had all retired to rest, some to dream 
 of sighs and smiles, and others to sink into oblivion. Morn- 
 ing was fast approaching, when the rumbling noise that pre- 
 cedes the earthquake began so loudly, as to waken and alarm 
 the whole party, and drive them out of bed in the greatest 
 consternation. The scene which ensued it is impossible for 
 me to describe, and it would require the humorous pencil of 
 Cruikshank to do justice to it. Fear knows no restraints. 
 Every person, old and young, filled with alarm at the creak- 
 ing of the log-house, and apprehending instant destruction, 
 rushed wildly out to the grass enclosure fronting the building. 
 The full moon was slowly descending from her throne, covered 
 at times by clouds that rolled heavily along, as if to conceal 
 from her view the scenes of terror which prevailed on the earth 
 below. On the grass-plat we all met, in such condition as 
 rendered it next to impossible to discriminate any of the 
 party, all huddled together in a state of almost perfect nudity. 
 The earth waved like a field of corn before the breeze : the 
 birds left their perches, and flew about not knowing whither ; 
 and the doctor, recollecting the danger of his gallipots, ran 
 to his shop-room, to prevent their dancing off the shelves to 
 the floor. Never for a moment did he think of closing the 
 doors, but, spreading his arms, jumped about the front of the
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 159 
 
 cases, pushing back here and there the falling jars ; with so 
 little success, however, that before the shock was over, he had 
 lost nearly all he possessed. 
 
 The shock at length ceased, and the frightened females, 
 now sensible of their dishabille, fled to their several apart- 
 ments. The earthquakes produced more serious consequences 
 in other places. Near New Madrid, and for some distance 
 on the Mississippi, the earth was rent asunder in several 
 places, one or two islands sunk forever, and the inhabitants 
 fled in dismay towards the eastern shores. 
 
 Nor was it alone amidst the "elemental rack" that he thus 
 seemed to bear a charmed life. He was threatened with 
 another, and as stern danger, at the hand of the red man 
 once during his "Western wanderings. This was, when return- 
 ing from the upper Mississippi, he was forced to cross one of 
 the wide prairies of that region. We must let him relate it 
 in part. Toward the dusk of the evening, wearied with an 
 interminable jaunt over the prairie, he approached a light 
 that feebly shone from the window of a log hut. He reached 
 the spot, and presenting himself at the door, asked a tall 
 figure of a woman, whether he might take shelter under her 
 roof. Her voice was gruff, and her dress carelessly thrown 
 about her person. She answered his question in the affirma- 
 tive, when he walked in, took a wooden stool, and quietly 
 seated himself by the fire. A finely formed young Indian, 
 his head resting between his hands, with his elbows on his 
 knees, was seated in the centre of the cabin. A long bow 
 stood against the wall, while a quantity of arrows and two or 
 three black raccoon skins lay at his feet. He moved not : 
 he apparently breathed not. Being addressed in French, he 
 raised his head, pointed to one of his eyes with his finger, 
 and gave a significant glance with the other. His face "was 
 covered with blood. It appeared, that an hour before, in the 
 act of discharging an arrow at a raccoon, the arrow slipt upon 
 the cord, and sprang back with such violence into his right
 
 160 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 eye, as to destroy it forever. " Feeling hungry," Mr. Audu- 
 bon continues his narrative, " I inquired what sort of fare I 
 might expect. Such a thing as a bed was not to be seen, 
 but many large untanned bear and buffalo hides lay piled up 
 in a corner. I drew a fine time-piece from my vest, and told 
 the woman that it was late, and that I was fatigued. She 
 had espied my watch, the richness of which seemed to operate 
 upon her feelings with electric quickness. She told me that 
 there was plenty of venison and jerked buffalo meat, and that 
 on removing the ashes I should find a cake. But my watch 
 had struck her fancy, and her curiosity had to be gratified 
 with a sight of it. I took off the gold chain that secured it^ 
 from around my neck, and presented it to her. She was all 
 ecstacy, spoke of its beauty, asked me its value, put the chain 
 around her brawny neck, saying how happy the possession of 
 such a chain would make her. Thoughtless, and, as I fancied 
 myself in so retired a spot, secure, I paid little attention to 
 her talk or her movements. I helped my dog to a good 
 supper of venison, and was not long in satisfying the demands 
 of my own appetite. The Indian rose from his scat as if in 
 extreme suffering. He pinched me on the side so violently, 
 that the pain nearly brought forth an exclamation of anger, 
 I looked at him. His eye met mine ; but his look was so for- 
 bidding that it struck a chill into the more nervous part of 
 my system. lie again seated himself, drew a butcher-knife 
 from its greasy scabbard, examined its edge, as I would do 
 that of a razor I suspected to be dull, replaced it, and again 
 taking his tomahawk from his back, filled the pipe of it with 
 tobacco, and sent me expressive glances whenever our hostess 
 chanced to have her back toward us. Never till that moment 
 had my senses been awakened to the danger which I now 
 suspected to be about me. I returned glance for glance with 
 my companion, and rested well assured that, whatever ene- 
 mies I might have, he was not of the number." 
 
 In the meantime, he retired to rest upon the skins, when
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 151 
 
 two athletic youths, the sons of the woman, made their en- 
 trance. She whispered with them a little while, when they 
 fell to eating and drinking, to a state bordering on intoxica- 
 tion. "Judge of my astonishment," he says, "when I saw 
 this incarnate fiend take a large carving knife, and go to the 
 grindstone to whet its edge ! I saw her pour the water on 
 the turning-machine, and watched her working away with the 
 dangerous instrument, until the sweat covered every part of 
 my body, in spite of my determination to defend myself to 
 the last. Her task finished, she walked to her reeling sons, 
 and said : ' There, that'll soon settle him ! Boys, kill yon 
 
 , and then for the watch !' I turned, cocked my gun 
 
 locks silently, and lay ready to start up and shoot the first 
 who might attempt my life. Fortunately, two strangers enter- 
 ing at the moment, the purpose of the woman was disclosed, 
 and she and her drunken sons secured." 
 
 But before and during this most erratic period of Audubon's 
 long life of vicissitude and exposure, these same solitudes 
 amidst which he wandered, knew another shaggy presence 
 even better than his own. The same earthquakes, the same 
 hurricanes, and the same red foe had beset the path of Daniel 
 Boone and he, too, the rough, strong birth of nature, wan a 
 Hunter-Naturalist ! Though his deeds and aims were not 
 after the manner of those of Audubon, yet were they as 
 grand, and their lives, how much alike ! These remarkable 
 men, one the Pioneer of Civilization and the other of Art and 
 Science, in that great wilderness, through which the path of 
 empire leads, did not meet until the career of each had been 
 finally shaped, and then what grandeur was there in such 
 meetings ! 
 
 But we will trace rapidly the career of Boone up to these 
 periods, and see how much resemblance in the outline of the 
 gigantic proportions of these two men shall appear. 
 
 The great Pioneer was born in 1746, and, though a nr.tive 
 
 of Maryland, had lived as a hunter in two other States' 
 
 11
 
 162 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Virginia and North Carolina before he was twenty-three. 
 Having reached eighteen, with rifle on shoulder and hunting- 
 knife at belt, he first set off alone for the wilds of Western 
 Virginia. He left his parents behind since he had found 
 that they were not to be reconciled to the wild, roving, soli- 
 tary life to which he had been so incurably addicted from tho 
 time he was strong enough to handle his little rifle. Since 
 then, the woods had been his home and the father's house 
 his camp though less and less frequently, as the years ad- 
 vanced, had it amounted even to so much of a tie. 
 
 It was not that the young Daniel was of either an ungentle 
 or unloving nature that this apparent alienation and desertion 
 occurred the reverse is true, and his whole striking career 
 has demonstrated him to have been the possessor of attributes 
 as loyal and as generous as ever marked the man of great 
 achievement. No, the instinct of freedom freedom with 
 God and nature was as strong as life in him, and his 
 tenacity of purpose as ungovernable as the law of gravitation. 
 
 His family was humble, and he had no educated purpose 
 but what he had learned from the deep breathings of nature. 
 What this purpose was, he never stopped to think he only 
 felt yearnings ungovernably strong the meaning of which 
 he could not know but which led him, deeper and deeper, 
 with yet more resistless strength, into the cool profounds of 
 the all-nourishing bosom of his primeval mother. Here was 
 his learning here he found a language with meanings enough 
 to him for each day had taught him to read with clearer 
 and more unerring vision. lie could not interpret this lan- 
 guage any more than he could the purpose with which his life 
 was filled ; but, as with that purpose, he would feel it in his 
 being. About all that he knew definitely concerning him- 
 eelf was, that he always had been a hunter, and always shoul 1 
 be a hunter ; and, as for what might happen farther, IK gave 
 no other thought than for the day or the hour. 
 
 His spirit even at lusty eighteen with the eye of a Imwk
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 163 
 
 and agility of a j oung panther was not a turbulent one. He 
 rebelled against the life of usages that we call society not 
 because he lacked the strength or the firmness to battle with 
 it but because he lacked the will or desire to do so. Ho 
 was too young and too healthy for misanthropy ; and, if he 
 had been older and less healthy, the social conditions with 
 which he was familiar were too simple for him to have realized 
 that contamination of vice which sometimes goes far to breed 
 distrust, disgust and hate in even strong natures. 
 
 No ! if ever a wild creature gentle, and yet terrible in 
 gentleness went on two feet through the shadowed heart of 
 forests, the young Boone was one ! He knew nothing of any 
 world but God's world of any law but the right of any 
 conscience but his own of any Power but that which dwelt 
 above in nature, and in his own good right arm and unerring 
 rifle. 
 
 In a word, he was the Patriarch of that "Wild Turkey 
 breed" of tameless wanderers peculiar to this Continent; and 
 from the restless and wary instincts of which our progress 
 towards almost boundless empire upon the hemisphere takes 
 origin. 
 
 " He might have been civilized !" as a gentleman, of 
 Chestnut or Broadway inspecting through an eye-glass his 
 powerful frame and ruddy cheeks may be supposed to lisp ! 
 but that would have spoiled a man ! a man of might ! 
 the father of a State. 
 
 You could not have tamed such a man as Daniel Boone 
 into the mere conventional slave while there was " elbow 
 room," as he memorably termed it, in the world. If he had 
 been chained, that dogged perseverance that invincible self- 
 reliance that deathless love for the natural and the free 
 would have made him a most formidable galley slave ; under 
 any institutions he would have been a terrible agent of revo- 
 lution and overthrow. 
 
 Indeed, one great cause of the solidity of our government
 
 164 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 at present is undoubtedly to be found in the fact, that our 
 immense territories have as yet formed an outlet for such 
 fierce unbending spirits, in the better work of pioneering, 
 than the worse of emeutes, as in hampered France. Crowd 
 such natures too much, and the friction assuredly causes an 
 explosion ! They are too combustible to be trusted near the 
 fires which rage beneath such cauldrons as Paris ! Give them 
 air and "elbow room!" Cool them beneath the shadows of 
 wide forests, and beside the rivulets that murmur, glistening 
 here and there or by the deep beds where mighty torrents 
 roll and roar then you make human beings of them you 
 temper down that savage restlessness of restraint which makes 
 of them beasts and devils elsewhere. However stern the code 
 their passions and necessities may cause them to adopt, yet 
 it is sure to be based upon justice, and lead to wide utility. 
 Society had always better let such men go if they want to 
 go if it be even to " the fartherest Ind" for it is as sure in 
 that event to hear of them again >for ultimate good, as it is 
 certain, if they are restrained, to feel them for immediate evil. 
 
 Young Boone passed through Virginia until he reached the 
 wooded slopes, dark glens, and lofty cliffs of the Alleghany 
 Mountains. Here at last it was lonely and wild enough for 
 him. Here he felt was home and peace. Parts of this region 
 were singularly picturesque and lovely, as they indeed still 
 are. The fine open woods, heavily sodded with a rich and 
 nutritious grass, afforded at that time the most abundant 
 pasturage for great herds of deer, while now these lovely 
 elopes are covered with large grazing farms, sustaining some 
 of the finest cattle in the world. 
 
 The young adventurer soon built him a little hut in a ravine 
 on the side of a mountain, about twenty miles beyond what 
 he then supposed to be the outermost boundary of settlement. 
 lie then quietly proceeded to explore the region round about 
 pursuing industriously, in the meanwhile, his chosen voca- 
 tion of hunter. This was at that time a far more honorable
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 165 
 
 and lucrative employment than can well be realized now, for 
 although very many devoted themselves to it as a means of 
 earning an honest livelihood, and the skins and meat of the 
 animals slain hy them found an important branch of traffic to 
 the whole country yet everybody was in addition more or 
 less a hunter so that, fortunately, for our struggles then 
 and since, this might be called the chief occupation of the 
 people, and we a nation of hunters. 
 
 He went in to the nearest trading post now and then, laden 
 with skins and meat, to exchange them for powder, lead and 
 other necessaries, returning as speedily as possible, for the 
 very atmosphere of even such "crowded haunts," was oppres- 
 sive to him, and the coarse voices of common traffic sounded 
 harsh enough to ears accustomed only to those of nature. 
 
 His lonely explorations were first directed towards the sum 
 mits of the great chain. He would make excursions of weeks 
 together along the wildest and most inaccessible sides of the 
 mountains penetrating their deepest fastnesses, and camping 
 wherever the game or other objects of interest attracted him 
 for a time then he would on again, to some newer and yet 
 more difficult region within reasonable reach of his solitary 
 cabin, and in a different direction. 
 
 Thus the whole year was unconsciously spent in scaling 
 the Eastern side of those mountains the descent upon the 
 Vfestern slope of which was to open to him a field of re- 
 nown. 
 
 We next hear of him on the Frontier of North Carolina. 
 Here he lived for over a year in the most entire seclusion 
 never being seen except when he came in to the nearest 
 settlement for powder and lead ; and here he seemed still more 
 shy than before but yet his unusual energy as a hunter, his 
 skill in wood-craft, and his cool, reckless presence of mind, 
 under all circumstances of danger, soon attracted the admira- 
 tion of the Border men, and, in spite of his modesty and 
 entire shrinking from all intercourse with his fellows that
 
 166 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 could be avoided, he found himself at twenty-one literally 
 dragged forward into the position of a leader. 
 
 The frontier of North Carolina was at that time a good 
 deal harrassed by Indians, but principally by white ruffians 
 and marauders who assumed the guise of Indians to perpetrate 
 their most infamous outrages. From his knowledge of wood- 
 craft he was soon enabled to put a stop to this trick, and 
 break down this dangerous combination. This gained him, in 
 a still greater degree, the admiration of the borderers, and he 
 was now regarded as a person of importance, and great con- 
 fidence reposed in him, though so young a man. 
 
 Little was known, at this time, of the vast country beyond 
 the Alleghanies to the West, but most especially of the wild 
 and remote land of Kan-tuck-Kee, as it was termed from its 
 principal river by the Indians. 
 
 It is true, that so early as 1543, the Spaniards who pene- 
 trated the northern country under the chivalrous and unfor- 
 funate De Soto, discovered Kentucky while descending the 
 Mississippi ; that on the Ohio and Mississippi sides it had 
 frequently been merely touched by the French Canadians, 
 and by Jesuit missionaries, but it seems that a Colonel Wood 
 in 1654, was the first American who penetrated it so far 
 as the Mississippi, through the interior. 
 
 In 1670, Captain Bolt, visited it from Virginia, then the 
 famous Jesuit, Father Hennepin, visited it in 1680. lie is 
 followed by Captain Tonti, three years afterwards, who de- 
 scended the Mississippi for the first time to its mouth, along 
 with the famous Laselle. By the year 1739, the French 
 Canadian traders had a regular trail through Kentucky by 
 the Big Bone Lick. In 1750, Dr. Thomas Walker crossed 
 the Alleghanies and explored to the Cumberland and Kentucky 
 rivers ; then James McBride, in 1754, descended to the mouth 
 of the Kentucky river and left his name there carved upon a 
 Leech tree. But it was not until 1767 that the country could 
 be said to have been really explored.
 
 AUDUB02T AND BOONE. 167 
 
 111 this year a bold and enterprising man, who is only 
 known as John Finley, with a small party of restless and 
 reckless persons like himself, did penetrate the very heart of 
 the land, and returning to North Carolina with the story of 
 this new Eden, fired the spirit of adventure wherever he 
 went. 
 
 By this time, young Boone had married the daughter of a 
 brave and upright borderer. In 1769 he left his little family, 
 and with this same John Finley for a guide, and accompanied 
 by a small party in addition, he set off for the new Dorado. 
 His restless spirit yearned for solitudes more vast and wild 
 than any he had yet known. It was only in the excitement 
 of action, constant and unresting, that he could live. 
 
 From this time the history of the } T oung hunter is well 
 knoAvn. A little over one month, from the first of May to the 
 seventh of June, 1769, the party of Boone, consisting of five 
 men beside himself, arrived on what was then called Red 
 river, after having crossed the mountains and penetrated, on 
 foot, full five hundred miles, the untracked wilderness. Here 
 they formed a camp near where the guide, John Finley, had 
 formerly camped when trapping and trading with the Indians 
 on his last expedition. 
 
 They remained here for some time to recruit, and each day 
 the young Boone wandered farther from the camp tOAvards 
 the west. He made an expedition of several days at lost, 
 and having found a much more convenient and lovely location, 
 returned, broke up his camp and moved on to this place. 
 
 From this camp he made even wider excursions than before, 
 and it was upon one of these when, alone, he came out upon 
 a mountain steppe, and saw stretched beneath him, as for as 
 eye could reach, the wondrous vision of Kentucky. Miles 
 and miles away the fair and glorious land extended in flowery 
 undulating plains, along which, here and there, stretched 
 dark lines of heavy forest, above which, in thin squadrons, 
 the pale morning mist was lifting slowly on the rising breath
 
 168 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 of odorous summer. It was a vision more rare thaa day 
 dreams reveal to wild Utopian. The young hunter waw over- 
 whelmed. Here the mother that he worshiped had put on 
 her beautiful garments at last, and revealed herself to him as 
 God had caused her to be ! Here he could realize the joy 
 of worship, the soft terror of an overcoming awe, and trans- 
 ported, cry aloud in wonder ! 
 
 The Father of Empire stood above his realm, and knew 
 not, as his heart swelled and trembled while the majesty of 
 this new land passed into and possessed his soul, what a heri- 
 tage of renown it was to prove to him. 
 
 He lingered in rapturous musings until the night gathered, 
 and then returned with a proud clastic step to the camp. He 
 felt now, for the first time, a fullness of content. Here was 
 a space before him apparently illimitable, and all nature, 
 nothing but nature ! For the dangers he cared nothing, he 
 was already familiar with, and fully prepared for them; and in 
 the fullness of his joy, only looked forward to that vast un- 
 broken quiet of the ancient wilds, and that had so absorbed 
 his life in its own stillness. He was no longer a youth now, 
 but had become suddenly a man in this fruition, his life dream ! 
 
 The camp was broken up next morning, and young Boone 
 with his companions pushed on with great alertness to pene- 
 trate the new Eden, and explore its treasures. But poor 
 Boonc, who, in the eagerness of his new enthusiasm, urged on 
 ahead of the rest of the party, in company with his favorite 
 friend and companion, Stewart, was suddenly brought to a 
 stand ; fur, surrounded by a large party of Indians, they were 
 made prisoners as they carelessly ascended a steep hill. They 
 were plundered, stripped and bound of course, for the Shawa- 
 nees who held that portion of Kentucky then, were not a 
 little remarkable for their want of ceremony in such cases. 
 
 The tact of the consummate borderers now showed itself, 
 and Boonc with his companion feigned content, with such 
 a quiet resignation, that the savages were entirely deceived,
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 
 
 and gave them liberties which finally resulted in the desired 
 opportunity of escape, and of which they skillfully availed 
 themselves in time to get off. They found their camp broken 
 and plundered, and, to their great dismay, that the res>t of the 
 party paving become frightened by the appearance of the 
 Indians, had returned to North Carolina. This was a great 
 shock to Boone, but his nature was far too resolute to be 
 deterred at all from the prosecution of his fixed purpose at 
 the out-set, to explore and possess this whole region.
 
 170 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Soon after this, his brother, Squire Boone, joined them 
 with a small supply of necessaries, of which powder and shot 
 were the most important. 
 
 John Stewart seems to have been a doomed man from tho 
 beginning, and his blood was to be the first offered up in the 
 savage and unnatural struggle which was about to begin 
 between the Red man and his brother, the "long knife !" As 
 yet only incidental traders, the Jesuit missionaries, the Cana- 
 dian French, and a few explorers whom we have named, had 
 penetrated here and there on the different sides of this lovely 
 land, and had been met with that sort of surly endurance 
 which characterizes, always, the first intercourse of the savage 
 with the civilized trader or explorer. As yet no blood of the 
 white man had been shed in Kentucky. 
 
 As Boone, his brother and Stewart were traversing the 
 forest this autumn, they were suddenly fired upon by a large 
 party of Indians from a cane-brake, and Stewart fell, mor- 
 tally wounded ! Resistance was useless, and the brothers 
 fled from the overwhelming force, and the scalping-knife 
 which was drawn around poor Stewart's skull, opened, with 
 its gory trophy, one of the most obstinate and bloody wars 
 that ever occurred between two races. 
 
 Heretofore the most powerful aboriginal tribes of the north 
 ani the south had made Kentucky the common battle-ground. 
 Taking the bloody wars between the Talegans and the Lenaps, 
 with the branch of the grand and famous tribe of Natches in 
 West Kentucky, and with the Sciotos in East Kentucky ; then 
 the litter Avars after the breaking up of the great Lenap con- 
 federacy, between the Senekas, the Mohawks, the powerful 
 tribes of Menguys, Wyaridots, &c., down to the time of the great 
 Shawanec confederacy, and this beautiful land of Kentucky 
 had been the field and scene of all the darkest struggles ; 
 therefore it came to be called the "dark arid bloody ground !" 
 
 Indeed, considering the tremendous strutr^lc between the 
 
 ' O OO 
 
 Otawas and the Shawanecs for supremacy, in which the former
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 171 
 
 conquered, and uniting that with those which had preceded, 
 and with the still more deadly and ferocious contest which, 
 incipient with the appearance of De Soto on the banks of the 
 Mississippi, was precipitated here by the death of Stewart ; 
 I think Kentucky may truly be said to be entitled to the 
 name. 
 
 The Council ground the hunting ground the battle 
 ground of many nations Kentucky may well feel that she 
 has been " tried in the furnace !" that she has a right to 
 send forth some names of historic dignity to have at least a 
 place among her sisters ! She does not boast of her heroes 
 she only presents them ! 
 
 The two Boones were the only white men now left in this 
 vast expanse of wilderness. They were cool and resolute per- 
 sons ; but it seemed a tremendous and almost infinite thing for 
 them to be alone here, with the momentary prospect of collision 
 with a foe who had just pronounced "war to the knife" 
 in the slaughter of Stewart ; and, to make this more remark- 
 able still, the brother of Boone returned for supplies and 
 with the purpose of bringing out all that was necessary, in 
 the way of implements, for opening a settlement. 
 
 In the meantime, Daniel was left sole tenant of the wilder- 
 ness. Think of it ! alone ! this single young man, with 
 his rifle on shoulder, presuming to hold, " by right of posses- 
 sion," this great demesne against savage foes unnumbered. 
 This dark rich earth had been colored by the blood of many 
 nations poured upon it. Why should it not continue the 
 scene of desperate and memorable struggle ? 
 
 Alone ! in his own proper self he stood, the sole repre- 
 sentative of the great world he had left. The Romulus of 
 Saxon blood, he was founding a new empire, and, greater 
 than he was fed, not upon the "wolf's milk" but upon 
 the abundance of mild and serene nature upon the delicious 
 esculence of her forest game, and fruits of her wild luxuriant 
 vines.
 
 172 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 With all his anxieties, he found repose here. He knew 
 content to be where he was, at last, with none to rebuke him, 
 none to say to him, nay. 
 
 His brother returned during the year, and they met at the 
 camp where they had parted. The brave and noble brothers 
 now explored the country more thoroughly, and to greater 
 distances than before, as the younger had then brought in 
 what was far more precious than silver and gold, powder and 
 shot ! The last of the year 1771, they returned for their 
 families, having determined to remove to Kentucky. The 
 renown of the young hunter and his discovery had now 
 reached the settlements, and on the way back he was joined 
 by forty stout hunters in Powell's valley. 
 
 They had reached the interior, when the party was attacked 
 by a large force of Indians, and six of their number killed. 
 Their cattle were scattered, and indeed the whole party dis- 
 organized by this incident, and in spite of Boone's exhorta- 
 tions, they persisted in returning upon their trail and retreated 
 to a settlement on the Clinch river. 
 
 Boone was indignant, and buried himself in the depths of 
 the forest, leaving his family in charge of the new settlement, 
 and there remained alone, a hunter, for four years, revisiting 
 his family occasionally. 
 
 He had now become generally known as the man of the 
 frontiers, and his reputation had filled the ear of authority, 
 and, by the energetic Governor Spottswood, of the State of 
 Virginia at that time, he was employed in some surveys of 
 importance, and from that period was considered the leading 
 spirit of that part of the State territory. 
 
 In 1775, after numerous and important services to the 
 Government and the emigrants, who had begun to flock into 
 the country from all sections, in small parties, he arrived at 
 a salt spring or lick, with a scattered fragment of his party, 
 which had been much cut up by the Indians, and commenced 
 building a fort on the site of what is now termed Boons-
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 173 
 
 borough. They were much annoyed by the Indians during 
 this time, and one man was killed by them, but they suffered 
 most from want of provisions. The indomitable courage of 
 Boone overcame everything ; he finished his fort, and soon 
 after removed his wife and daughter to the stronghold and 
 now these two women stood alone by his side, the first who 
 had crossed the mountains yet the first white women who 
 had yet stood upon the soil of Kentucky ! The mother of a 
 state stood now beside the daughter ! 
 
 I cannot follow up with minuteness the further details of 
 the life of this remarkable man. His story is the history of 
 the birth of states in our progress towards the Empire of the 
 Vv r est. It is well known that so soon as Kentucky had grown, 
 mainly under his fostering, to be able to take care of herself, 
 and the smoke of his neighbor's cabin could be seen on the 
 distant hills, the restless pioneer shouldered his rifle and 
 pushed forward to find more room in the yet deeper and un- 
 violated solitudes of Missouri. 
 
 But let us turn to Audubon's first meeting with him, as 
 related by himself in his sketch of the progress of early settle- 
 ment, and of the wild sports of Kentucky. He says : 
 
 Kentucky was formerly attached to Virginia, but in those 
 days the Indians looked upon that portion of the western 
 wilds as their own, and abandoned the district only when 
 forced to do so, moving with disconsolate hearts farther into 
 the recesses of the unexplored forests. Doubtless the rich- 
 ness of its soil, and the beauty of its borders, situated as they 
 are along one of the most beautiful rivers in the world, con- 
 tributed as much to attract the old Virginians, as the desire 
 so generally experienced in America, of spreading over the 
 uncultivated tracts, and bringing into cultivation lands that 
 have for unknown ages teemed with the wild luxuriance of 
 untamed nature. The conquest of Kentucky was not per- 
 formed without many difficulties. The warfare that long ex 
 isted between the intruders and the Redskins was sanguinary
 
 174 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 and protracted ; but the former at length made good their 
 footing, and the latter drew off their shattered bands, dis- 
 mayed by the mental superiority and indomitable courage of 
 the white men. 
 
 This region was probably* discovered by a daring hunter, 
 the renowned Daniel Boone. The richness of its soil, its 
 magnificent forests, its numberless navigable streams, its salt 
 springs and licks, its saltpetre caves, its coal strata, and the 
 vast herds of buffaloes and deer that browsed on its hills and 
 amidst its charming valleys, afforded ample inducements to 
 the new settler, who pushed forward with a spirit far above 
 that of the most undaunted tribes, which for ages had been 
 the sole possessors of the soil. 
 
 The Virginians thronged towards the Ohio. An axe, a 
 couple of horses and a heavy rifle, with store of ammunition, 
 were all that were considered necessary for the equipment 
 of the man, who, with his family, removed to the new State, 
 assured that, in that land of exuberant fertility, he could not 
 fail to provide amply for all his wants. To have witnessed 
 the industry and perseverance of these emigrants, must at 
 once have proved the vigor of their minds. Regardless of 
 the fatigue attending every movement which they made, they 
 pushed through an unexplored region of dark and tangled 
 forests, guiding themselves by the sun alone, and reposing at 
 night on the bare ground. Numberless streams they had to 
 cross on rafts, with their wives and children, their cattle and 
 their luggage, often drifting to considerable distances before 
 they could effect a landing on the opposite shores. Their 
 cattle would often stray amid the rich pasturage of these 
 shores, and occasion a delay of several days. To these trou- 
 bles add the constantly impending danger of being murdered, 
 while asleep in their encampments, by the prowling and 
 
 * We have given the true account of the "Discovery" in the preceding 
 sketch of Boone.
 
 ATJDUBON AND EOONE. 175 
 
 ruthless Indians ; while they had hefore them a distance of 
 hundreds of miles to be traversed, before they could reach 
 certain places of rendezvous called Stations. To encounter 
 difficulties like these must have required energies of no ordi- 
 nary kind ; and the reward which these veteran settlers enjoy 
 was doubtless well merited. 
 
 Some removed from the Atlantic shores to those of the 
 Ohio, in more comfort and security. They had their wagons, 
 their negroes and their families. Their way was cut through 
 the woods by their own axemen, the day before their advance, 
 and when night overtook them, the hunters attached to the 
 party came to the place pitched upon for encamping, loaded 
 with the dainties of which the forest yielded an abundant 
 supply, the blazing light of a huge fire guiding their steps as 
 they approached, and the sounds of merriment that saluted 
 their ears assuring them that all was well. The flesh of the 
 buffalo, the bear and the deer, soon hung in large and delicious 
 steaks, in front of the embers ; the cakes already prepared 
 were deposited in their proper places, and under the rich 
 drippings of the juicy roasts, were quickly baked. The 
 wagons contained the bedding, and whilst the horses which 
 had drawn them were turned loose to feed on the luxuriant 
 undergrowth of the woods, some perhaps hoppled, but the 
 greater number, merely with a light bell hung to their neck, 
 to guide their owners in the morning to the spot where they 
 might have rambled, the party were enjoying themselves after 
 the fatigues of the day. 
 
 In anticipation all is pleasure; and these migrating bands 
 feasted in joyous sociality, unapprehensive of any greater 
 difficulties than those to be encountered in forcing their way 
 through the pathless woods to the land of abundance ; and 
 although it took months to accomplish the journey, and a, 
 skirmish now and then took place between them and the In- 
 dians, who sometimes crept unperceived into their very camp, 
 still did the Virginians cheerfully proceed towards the western
 
 176 WILD SCENES AND "WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 horizon, until the various groups all reached the Ohio, when, 
 struck with the beauty of that magnificent stream, they at 
 once commenced the task of clearing land, for the purpose of 
 establishing a permanent residence. 
 
 Others, perhaps encumbered with too much luggage, pre- 
 ferred descending the stream. They prepared arks pierced 
 with port-holes, and glided on the gentle current, more an- 
 noyed, however, than those who marched by land, by the 
 attacks of the Indians, who watched their motions. Many 
 travellers have described these boats, formerly called arks, 
 but now named flat-boats. But have they told you, kind 
 reader, that in those times a boat thirty or forty feet in 
 length, by ten or twelve in breadth, was considered a stupen- 
 dous fabric ; that this boat contained men, women and chil- 
 dren, huddled together, with horses, cattle, hogs and poultry for 
 their companions, while the remaining portion was crammed 
 with vegetables and packages of seeds ? The roof or deck 
 of the boat was not unlike a farm-yard, being covered with 
 hay, ploughs, carts, wagons and various agricultural imple- 
 ments, together with numerous others, among which the 
 spinning-wheels of the matrons were conspicuous. Even 
 the sides of the floating mass were loaded with the wheels of 
 the different vehicles, which themselves lay on the roof. 
 Have they told you that these boats contained the little all 
 of each family of venturous emigrants, who, fearful of being 
 discovered by the Indians under night moved in darkness, 
 groping their way from one part to another of these floating 
 habitations, denying themselves the comfort of fire or light, 
 lest the foe that watched them from the shore should rush 
 upon them and destroy them ? Have they told you that this 
 boat was used, after the tedious voyage was ended, as the 
 first dwelling of these new settlers ? No, kind reader, such 
 things have not been related to you before. The travellers 
 who have visited our country, have had other objects in view. 
 
 I shall not describe the many massacres which took place
 
 ATJDUBON AND BOONE. 177 
 
 among the different parties of White and Red men, as the 
 former moved down the Ohio ; because I have never been 
 very fond of battles, and indeed have always wished that the 
 world were more peaceably inclined than it is ; and shall 
 merely add, that, in one way or other, Kentucky was wrested 
 from the original owners of the soil. Let us, therefore, turn 
 our attention to the sports still enjoyed in that now happy por- 
 tion of the United States. 
 
 We have individuals in Kentucky, kind reader, that even 
 there are considered wonderful adepts in the management of 
 the rifle. To drive a nail is a common feat, not more thought 
 of by the Kentuckians than to cut off a wild turkey's head, 
 at a distance of a hundred yards. Others will bark off squir- 
 rels one after another, until satisfied with the number pro- 
 cured. Some, less intent on destroying game, may be seen 
 under night snuffing a candle at the distance of fifty yards, 
 off-hand, without extinguishing it. I have been told that 
 some have proved so expert and cool, as to make choice of 
 the eye of a foe at a wonderful distance, boasting beforehand 
 of the sureness of their piece, which has afterwards been fully 
 proved when the enemy's head has been examined ! 
 
 Having resided some years in Kentucky, and having more 
 than once been witness of rifle sport, I shall present you with 
 the results of my observation, leaving you to judge how far 
 rifle-shooting is understood in that State. 
 
 Several individuals who conceive themselves expert in the 
 management of the gun, are often seen to meet for the pur- 
 pose of displaying their skill, and betting a trifling sum, put 
 up a target, in the centre of which a common-sized nail is 
 hammered for about two-thirds of its length. The marksmen 
 make choice of what they consider a proper distance, which 
 may be forty paces. Each man cleans the interior of his 
 tube, which is called wiping it, places a ball in the palm of 
 his hand, pouring as much powder from his horn upon it as 
 will cover it. This quantity is supposed to be sufficient for 
 
 12
 
 178 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 any distance within a hundred yards. A shot which comes 
 very close to the nail is considered as that of an indifferent 
 marksman ; the bending of the nail is, of course, somewhat 
 better ; but nothing less than hitting it right on the head is 
 satisfactory. Well, kind reader, one out of three shots gene- 
 rally hits the nail, and should the shooters amount to half a 
 dozen, two nails are frequently needed before each can have 
 a shot. Those who drive the nail have a further trial amongst 
 themselves, and the two best shots out of these generally settle 
 the affair, when all the sportsmen adjourn to some house, and 
 spend an hour or two in friendly intercourse, appointing, 
 before they part, a day for another trial. This is techni- 
 cally termed Driving the Nail. 
 
 Barking off squirrels is delightful sport, and in my opinion 
 requires a greater degree of accuracy than any other. I first 
 witnessed this manner of procuring squirrels, whilst near the 
 town of Frankfort. The performer was the celebrated Daniel 
 Boone. We walked out together, and followed the rocky 
 margins of the Kentucky River, until we reached a piece of 
 flat land thickly covered with black walnuts, oaks and hicko- 
 ries. As the general mast was a good one that year, squirrels 
 were seen gambolling on every tree around us. My com- 
 panion, a stout, hale and athletic man, dressed in a homespun 
 hunting-shirt, bare-legged and moccasined, carried a long and 
 heavy rifle, which, as he was loading it, he said had proved 
 efficient in all his former undertakings, and which he hoped 
 would not fail on this occasion, as he felt proud to show me 
 his skill. The gun was wiped, the powder measured, the ball 
 patched with six-hundrcd-thread linen, and the charge sent 
 home with a hickory rod. We moved not a step from the 
 place, for the squirrels were so numerous that it was unneces- 
 sary to go after them. Boon pointed to one of these animals 
 which had observed us, and was crouched on a branch about 
 fifty paces distant, and bade me mark well the spot where 
 the ball should hit. lie raised his piece gradually, until the
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONS. 179 
 
 bead (that being the name given by the Kentuckians to the 
 sight) of the barrel was brought to a line with the spot which 
 he intended to hit. The whip-like report resounded through 
 the woods and along the hills, in repeated echoes. Judge of 
 my surprise, when I perceived that the ball had hit the piece 
 of the bark immediately beneath the squirrel, and shivered it 
 into splinters, the concussion produced by which had killed 
 the animal, and* sent it whirling through the air, as if it had 
 been blown up by the explosion of a powder magazine. Boon 
 kept up his firing, and, before many hours had elapsed, we 
 had procured as many squirrels as we wished ; for you must 
 know, kind reader, that to load a rifle requires only a mo- 
 ment, and that if it is wiped once after each shot, it will do 
 duty for hours. Since that first interview with our veteran 
 Boone, I have seen many other individuals perform the same 
 feat. 
 
 On another occasion he says 
 
 Colonel Boone happened to spend a night with me under 
 the same roof, more than twenty years ago. We had returned 
 from a shooting excursion, in the course of which his extra- 
 ordinary skill in the management of the rifle had been fully 
 displayed. On retiring to the room appropriated to that 
 remarkable individual and myself for the night, I felt anxious 
 to know more of his exploits and adventures than I did, and 
 accordingly took the liberty of proposing numerous questions 
 to him. The stature and general appearance of this wanderer 
 of the western forests approached the gigantic. His chest 
 was broad and prominent; his muscular powers displayed 
 themselves in every limb ; his countenance gave indication of 
 his great courage, enterprise, and perseverance ; and when 
 he spoke, the very motion of his lips brought the impression 
 that whatever he uttered could not be otherwise than strictly 
 true. I undressed, whilsf he merely took off his hunting 
 shirt, and arranged a few folds of blankets on the floor, 
 choosing rather to lie there, as lie observed, than on the
 
 180 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 softest bed. When we had both disposed of ourselves, each 
 after his own fashion, he related to me the following account 
 of his powers of memory, which I lay before you, kind reader, 
 in his own words, hoping that the simplicity of his style may 
 prove interesting to you. 
 
 " I was once," said he, " on a hunting expedition on the 
 banks of the Green River, when the lower parts of this State 
 (Kentucky) were still in the hands of nature, and none but 
 the sons of the soil were looked upon as its lawful proprietors. 
 We Virginians had for some time been waging a war of intru- 
 sion upon them, and I, amongst the rest, rambled through 
 the woods in pursuit of their race, as I now would follow the 
 tracks of any ravenous animal. The Indians outwitted me 
 one dark night, and I was as unexpectedly as suddenly made 
 a prisoner by them. The trick had been managed with great 
 skill ; for no sooner had I extinguished the fire of my camp, 
 and laid me down to rest, in full security, as I thought, than 
 I felt myself seized by an indistinguishable number of hand?, 
 and was immediately pinioned, as if about to be led to the 
 scaffold for execution. To have attempted to be refractory, 
 would have proved useless and dangerous to my life ; and I 
 suffered myself to be removed from my camp to theirs, a few 
 miles distant, without uttering even a word of complaint. 
 You are aware, I dare say, that to act in this manner was 
 the best policy, as you understand that by so doing, I proved 
 to the Indians at once, that I was born and bred as fearless 
 of death as any of themselves. 
 
 " When we reached the camp, great rejoicings were ex- 
 hibited. Two squaws and a few papooses appeared particu- 
 larly delighted at the sight of me, and I was assured, by very 
 unequivocal gestures and words, that, on the morrow, the 
 mortal enemy of the Red-skins would cease to live. I never 
 opened my lips, but was busy contriving some scheme which 
 might enable me to give the rascals the slip before dawn. 
 The women immediately fell a searching about my hunting-
 
 AUDUB03ST AND BOONE. 181 
 
 Bliirt for whatever they might think valuable, and, fortunately 
 for me, soon found my flask filled with monongahela (that is, 
 reader, strong whisky). A terrific grin was exhibited on 
 their murderous countenances, while my heart throbbed with 
 joy at the anticipation of their intoxication. The crew imme- 
 diately began to beat their bellies and sing, as they passed 
 the bottle from mouth to mouth. How often did I wish the 
 flask ten times its size, and filled with aqua-fortis ! I ob- 
 served that the squaws drank more freely than the warriors, 
 and again my spirits were about to be depressed, when the 
 report of a gun was heard at a distance. The Indians all 
 jumped on their feet. The singing and drinking were both 
 brought to a stand, and I saw, with inexpressible joy, the 
 men walk off to some distance and talk to the squaws. I 
 knew that they were consulting about me, and I foresaw that 
 in a few moments the warriors would go to discover the cause 
 of the gun having been fired so near their camp. I expected 
 that the squaws would be left to guard me. Well, sir, it was 
 just so. They returned; the men took up their guns, and 
 walked away. The squaws sat down again, and in less than 
 five minutes had my bottle up to their dirty mouths, gurgling 
 down their throats the remains of the whisky. 
 
 " With what pleasure did I see them becoming more and 
 more drunk, until the liquor took such hold of them that it 
 was quite impossible for these women to be of any service. 
 They tumbled down, rolled about, and began to snore : when 
 I, having no other chance of freeing myself from the cords 
 that fastened me, rolled over and over towards the fire, and, 
 after a slnrt time, burned them asunder. I rose on my feet, 
 stretched my stiffened sinews, snatched up my rifle, and, for 
 once in my life, spared that of Indians. I now recollect how 
 desirous I once or twice felt to lay open the skulls of the 
 wretches with my tomahawk ; but when I again thought upon 
 killing beings unprepared and unable to defend themselves, it 
 looked like murder without need, and I gave up the idea.
 
 182 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 " But, sir, I felt determined to mark the spot, and walking 
 to a thrifty ash sapling, I cut out of it three large chips, and 
 ran off. I soon reached the river, soon crossed it, and threw 
 myself deep into the cane-brakes, imitating the tracks of an 
 Indian with my feet, so that no chance might be left for those 
 from whom I had escaped to overtake me. 
 
 "It is now nearly twenty years since this happened, and 
 more than five since I left the whites' settlements, which I 
 might probably never have visited again, had I not been 
 called on as a witness in a law suit that was pending in Ken- 
 tucky, and which I really believe would never have been 
 settled, had I not come forward, and established the begin 
 ning of 'a certain boundary line. This is the story, sir. 
 
 "Mr. moved from Old Virginia into Kentucky, 
 
 and having a large tract granted to him in the new State, 
 laid claim to a certain parcel of land adjoining Green River, 
 and as chance would have it, took for one of his corners the 
 very ash tree on which I had made my mark, and finished his 
 survey of some thousands of acres, beginning, as it is expressed 
 in the deed, ' at an ash marked by three distinct notches of 
 the tomahawk of a white man.' 
 
 " The tree had grown much, and the bark had covered the 
 
 marks ; but, somehow or other, Mr. heard from some 
 
 one all that I have already said to you, and thinking that I 
 might remember the spot alluded to in the deed, but which 
 was no longer discoverable, wrote for me to come and try at 
 least to find the place or the tree. His letter mentioned that 
 all my expenses should be paid, and not caving much about 
 once more going back to Kentucky, I started and met Mr. 
 
 . After some conversation, the affair with the Indians 
 
 came to my recollection. I considered for awhile, and began 
 to think that after all I could find the very spot, as well as 
 the tree, if it was yet standing. 
 
 " Mr. - and I mounted our horses, and off we went 
 
 to the Green River Bottoms. After some difficulties, for you
 
 AUDUBON AND BOOKE. 183 
 
 must be aware, sir, that great changes have taken place in 
 those woods, I found at last the spot where I had crossed the 
 river, and waiting for the moon to rise, made for the course 
 in which I thought the ash tree grew. On approaching the 
 place, I felt as if the Indians were there still, and as if I 
 
 was still a prisoner among them. Mr. and I camped 
 
 near what I conceived the spot, and waited until the return 
 of day. 
 
 " At the rising of the sun I was on foot, and after a good 
 deal of musing, thought that an ash tree then in sight must 
 be the very one on which I had made my mark. I felt as if 
 there could be no doubt of it, and mentioned my thought to 
 
 Mr. . 'Well, Colonel Boone,' said he, 'if you think 
 
 so, I hope it may prove true, but we must have some wit- 
 nesses ; do you stay here about, and I will go and bring some 
 
 of the settlers whom I know.' I agreed. Mr. trotted 
 
 off, and I, to pass the time, rambled about to see if a deer 
 was still living in the land. But ah ! sir, what a wonderful 
 difference thirty years makes in the country ! Why, at the 
 time when I was caught by the Indians, you would not have 
 walked out in any direction for more than a mile without 
 shooting a buck or a bear. There were then thousands of 
 buffaloes on the hills in Kentucky ; the land looked as if it 
 never would become poor ; and to hunt in those days was a 
 pleasure indeed. But when I was left to myself on the banks 
 of Green River, I dare say for the last time in my life, a few 
 signs only of deer were to be seen, and as to a deer itself, I 
 saw none. 
 
 " Mr. returned, accompanied by three gentlemen. 
 
 They looked upon me as if I had been Washington himself, 
 and walked to the ash tree, which I now called my own, as 
 if in quest of a long lost treasure. I took an axe from one 
 of them, and cut a few chips off the bark. Still no signs 
 were to be seen. So I cut again until I thought it was time 
 to be cautious, and I scraped and worked away with my
 
 184 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 butcher knife, until I did come to -where my tomahawk had 
 left an impression in the wood. We now went regularly to 
 work, and scraped at the tree with care, until three hacks as 
 plain as any three notches ever were, could be seen. Mr. 
 
 and the other gentlemen were astonished, and, I must 
 
 allow, I was as much surprised as pleased myself. I made 
 affidavit of this remarkable occurrence in presence of these 
 
 gentlemen. Mr. gained his cause. I left Green 
 
 River forever, and came to where we now are ; and, sir, I 
 wish you a good night." 
 
 There are a thousand such characteristic anecdotes of 
 Daniel Boone that might be given, but none of them would 
 be so interesting in themselves or possess such attraction as 
 this, coming from the lips of such a narrator for Boone was 
 never more remarkable for the development of the curious 
 instincts of wood-craft, than was Audubon himself who of 
 all men was best qualified to appreciate such phenomena in 
 another. 
 
 Not long after his removal to Missouri, Boone calmly laid 
 down and died in 1818, and what is not the least extraordi- 
 nary fact connected with his history, died poor ! With all the 
 opportunities his life had afforded him from the beginning, of 
 amassing enormous wealth, by dealing in lands, the settle- 
 ment of which he pioneered, he preferred a clear conscience 
 and a stainless name, and only retained to the last what was 
 his original inheritance, his rifle ! Simple and generous hero 
 the turf of that wild distant grave must lie lightly on that 
 broad and gentle bosom ! 
 
 Audubon, too, as we know, is lately dead. But let us, be- 
 fore we pass to other themes, linger to look upon him once 
 more at the moment, and in the scene of what he considered 
 the greatest triumph of his long life his discovery of the Bird 
 of Washington. He says 
 
 It was in the month of February, 1814, that I obtained 
 the first sight of this noble bird, and never shall I forget the
 
 AUDUBON AND BODNE. 185 
 
 delight which it gave me. Not even Herschel, when he dis- 
 covered the planet which bears his name, could have expe- 
 rienced more rapturous feelings. We were on a trading 
 voyage, ascending the Upper Mississippi. The keen wintry 
 blasts whistled around us, and the cold from which I suffered 
 had, in a great degree, extinguished the deep interest which, 
 at other seasons, this magnificent river has been wont to 
 awake in me. I lay stretched beside our patroon. The 
 safety of the cargo was forgotten, and the only thing that 
 called my attention was the multitude of ducks, of different 
 species, accompanied by vast flocks of swans, which from time 
 to time passed us. My patroon, a Canadian, had been en- 
 gaged many years in the fur trade. He was a man of much 
 intelligence, and, perceiving that these birds had engaged my 
 curiosity, seemed anxious to find some new object to divert 
 me. An eagle flew over us. "How fortunate!" he ex- 
 claimed ; " this is what I could have wished. Look, sir ! the 
 Great Eagle, and the only one I have seen since I left the 
 lakes." I was instantly on my feet, and having observed it 
 attentively, concluded, as I lost it in the distance, that it was 
 a species quite new to me. My patroon assured me that such 
 birds were indeed rare ; that they sometimes followed the 
 hunters, to feed on the entrails of animals which they had 
 killed, when the lakes were frozen over, but that when the 
 lakes were open, they would dive in the daytime after fish, 
 and snatch them up in the manner of the Fishing Hawk; 
 and that they roosted generally on the shelves of the rocks, 
 where they built their nests, of which he had discovered 
 several by the quantity of white dung scattered below. 
 
 Convinced that the bird was unknown to naturalists, I felt 
 particularly anxious to learn its habits, and to discover in 
 what particulars it differed from the rest of its genus. My 
 next meeting with this bird was a few years afterwards, whilst 
 engaged in collecting crayfish on one of those flats which 
 border and divide Green River, in Kentucky, near its June-
 
 186 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 tion with the Ohio. The river is there bordered by a range 
 of high cliffs, which for some distance follow its windings. I 
 observed on the rocks which, at that place, are nearly per- 
 pendicular, a quantity of white ordure, which I attributed to 
 owls that might have resorted thither. I mentioned the cir- 
 cumstance to my companions, when one of them, who lived 
 within a mile and a half of the place, told me it was from the 
 nest of the Brown Eagle, meaning the White-headed Eagle 
 (Falco leucocepJialus] in its immature state. I assured him 
 this could not be, and remarked that neither the old nor the 
 young birds of that species ever build in such places, but 
 always in trees. Although he could not answer my objection, 
 he stoutly maintained that a brown eagle of some kind, above 
 the usual size, had built there ; and added that he had espied 
 the nest some days before, and had seen one of the old birds 
 dive and catch a fish. This he thought strange, having, till 
 then, always observed that both Brown Eagles and Bald 
 Eagles procured this kind of food by robbing the fish-hawks. 
 lie said that if I felt particularly anxious to know what nest 
 it was, I might soon satisfy myself, as the old birds would 
 come and feed their young with fish, for he had seen them do 
 so before. 
 
 In high expectation, I seated myself about a hundred yards 
 from the foot of the rock. Never did time pass more slowly. 
 I could not help betraying tl\e most impatient curiosity, for 
 my hopes whispered it was a Sea Eagle's nest. Two long 
 hours had elapsed before the old bird made his appearance, 
 which was announced to us by the loud hissings of the two 
 young ones, which crawled to the extremity of the hole to 
 receive a fine fish. I had a perfect view of this noble bird as 
 he held himself to the edging rock, hanging like the Barn, 
 Bank, or Social Swallow, his tail spread, and his wings partly 
 so. I trembled lest a word should escape from my com- 
 panions. The slightest murmur had been treason from them. 
 They entered into my feelings, and, although little interested,
 
 AUDUBON AND BOONE. 187 
 
 gazed with me. In a few minutes the other parent joined 
 her mate, and from the difference in size (the female of rapa- 
 cious birds being much larger), we knew this to be the mother 
 bird. She also had brought a fish ; but, more cautious than 
 her mate, she glanced her quick and piercing eye around, and 
 instantly perceived that her abode had been discovered. She 
 dropped her prey, with a loud shriek communicated the alarm 
 to the male, and, hovering with him over our heads, kept up 
 a growling cry, to intimidate us from our suspected design. 
 This watchful solicitude I have ever found peculiar to the 
 female : must I be understood to speak only of birds ? 
 
 The young having concealed themselves, we went and 
 picked up the fish which the mother had let fall. It was a 
 white perch, weighing about 5 Ibs. The upper part of the 
 head was broken in, and the back torn by the talons of the 
 eagle. "We had plainly seen her bearing it in the manner of 
 the Fish Hawk. 
 
 This day's sport being at an end, as we journeyed home- 
 wards, we agreed to return the next morning, with the view 
 of obtaining both the old and young birds; but rainy and 
 tempestuous weather setting in, it became necessary to defer 
 the expedition till the third day following, when, with guns 
 and men all in readiness, we reached the rock. Some posted 
 themselves at the foot, others upon it, but in vain. We 
 passed the entire day, without either seeing or hearing an 
 eagle, the sagacious birds, no doubt, having anticipated an 
 invasion, and removed their young to new quarters. 
 
 I come at last to the day which I had so often and so 
 ardently desired. Two years had gone by since the discovery 
 of the nest, in fruitless excursions ; but my wishes were no 
 longer to remain ungratified. In returning from the little 
 village of Henderson, to the house of Doctor Rankin, about a 
 mile distant, I saw an eagle rise from a small enclosure not a 
 hundred yards before me, where the Doctor had a few Jays 
 before slaughtered some hogs, and alight upon a l<pw treo
 
 188 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 branching over tha road. I prepared my double-barrelled 
 piece, which I constantly carry, and went slowly and cau- 
 tiously towards him. Quite fearlessly he awaited my ap- 
 proach, looking upon me with undaunted eye. I fired, and 
 he fell. Before I reached him he was dead. With what 
 delight did I survey the magnificent bird ! Had the finest 
 salmon ever pleased him as he did me ? Never. I ran and 
 presented him to my friend, with a pride which they alone 
 can feel, who, like me, have devoted themselves from their 
 earliest childhood to such pursuits, and who have derived 
 from them their first pleasures. To others I must seem to 
 " prattle out of fashion." The Doctor, who was an expe- 
 rienced hunter, examined the bird with much satisfaction, 
 and frankly acknowledged he had never before seen or heard 
 of it. 
 
 The name which I have chosen for this new species of 
 Eagle, " The Bird of Washington," may, by some, be con- 
 sidered as preposterous and unfit; but as it is indisputably 
 the noblest bird of its genus that has yet been discovered in 
 the United States, I trust I shall be allowed to honor it with 
 the name of one yet nobler, who was the saviour of his coun- 
 try, and whose name will ever be dear to it. To those who 
 may be curious to know my reasons, I can only say, that, as 
 the New World gave me birth and liberty, the great man 
 who insured its independence is next to my heart. He had 
 a nobility of mind, and a generosity of soul, such as are 
 seldom possessed. He was brave, so is the eagle ; like it, 
 too, he was the terror of his foes ; and his fame, extending 
 from pole to pole, resembles the majestic soarings of the 
 mightiest of the feathered tribe. If America has reason to 
 be proud of her Washington, so has she to be proud of her 
 Great Eagle. 
 
 In the month of January following, I saw a pair of these 
 eagles flying over the Falls of the Ohio, one in pursuit of the 
 other. The next day I saw them again. The female had
 
 AUDUBON AND BOOXE. 189 
 
 relaxed her severity, had laid aside her coyness, and to a 
 favorite tree they continually resorted. I pursued them un- 
 successfully for several days, when they forsook the place. 
 
 Stay yet, too, while we note this fine expression of the 
 agonized travail of genius in the production of its mighty 
 works. It is from the introduction to his fifth and concluding 
 volume of the " Ornithological Biography." 
 
 How often have I longed to see the day on which my labors 
 should be brought to an end ! Many times, when I had laid 
 myself down in the deepest recesses of the Western forest, 
 have I been suddenly awakened by the apparition of dismal 
 prospects that have presented themselves to my mind. Now 
 sickness methought had seized me with burning hands, and 
 hurried me away, in spite of all fond wishes, from those wild 
 woods in which I had so long lingered to increase my knowl- 
 edge of the objects they presented to my view. 
 
 Poverty, too, at times, walked hand in hand with me, and 
 on more than one occasion, urged me to cast away my pen- 
 cils, destroy my drawings, abandon my journals, change my 
 ideas, and return to the world. At other times, the red 
 Indian, erect and bold, tortured my ears with horrible yells, 
 and threatened to put an end to my existence ; or white- 
 skinned murderers aimed their rifles at me. Snakes, loath- 
 some and venomous, entwined my limbs, while vultures, lean 
 and ravenous, looked on with impatience. Once, too, I 
 dreamed, when asleep on a sand bar on one of the Florida 
 Keys, that a huge shark had me in his jaws, and was drag- 
 ging me into the deep. 
 
 But my thoughts were not always of this nature for. at 
 other times, my dreams presented pleasing images. The sky 
 was serene, the air perfumed, and thousands of melodious 
 notes from birds, all unknown to me, urged me to rise and go 
 in pursuit of those beautiful and happy creatures. Then 1 
 would find myself furnished with large and powerful wings, 
 and cleaving the air like an eagle, I would fly, and by a few
 
 190 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 joyous bounds, overtake the objects of my desire. At other 
 times I was gladdened by the sight of my beloved family, 
 seated by their cheerful fire, and anticipating the delight 
 which they would experience on my return. The glorious 
 Bun would rise, and as its first rays illuminated the earth, I 
 would cheer myself with the pleasing prospect of the happy 
 termination of my labors, and hear in fancy the praises which 
 land friends would freely accord. Many times, indeed, have 
 such thoughts enlivened my spirits ; and now the task is 
 accomplished. In health and in sickness, in adversity and 
 prosperity, in summer and winter, amidst the cheers of friends 
 and the scowls of foes, I have depicted the Birds of America, 
 and studied their habits as they roamed at large in their 
 peculiar haunts. 
 
 That concluding passage is far nobler than "Fern", vidi, 
 vici!" as the simple expression of a proud triumphant con- 
 sciousness ; for, instead of the intense egotism which renders 
 that repulsive as it is celebrated, this is modest and severely 
 classic. What a day that was when he could say, " I find 
 my journeys all finished, my anxieties vanished, my mission 
 accomplished !" What a magnificent perspective could he 
 look back through, down the past, more glorious than all 
 royalties, than any heritage of earthly princes and all his 
 own ! That day has now come in the fulness of time and, 
 glorious oil man, thy mission is indeed accomplished !
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE HUNTERS OF KENTUCKY. 
 THE GRAVE OF THE SILENT HUNTER. 
 
 MY native town, Hopkinsville, is in one of the southern 
 counties of Kentucky, called Christian, which was for a long 
 time one of the largest, if not the largest county in the State. 
 This was no special matter of boast by the way ; for although 
 the southern portion, comprising about half the county which 
 bordered upon the Tennessee line, was as rich, level and 
 lovely a stretch of " barrens" as ever swayed its myriad wild 
 flowers of countless hues beneath the labored beat of the 
 south wind's odor-burdened wings, yet, immediately to the
 
 192 WILD SCENES AND "WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 north of the county-scat Hopkinsville the whole character 
 of the county changed at once. While five miles to the south 
 was a paradise of flowers, or when cultivated, covered with 
 crops of Indian corn ten and fifteen feet in height ; tobacco, 
 with leaves often three feet hy two ; and wheat, five to six 
 feet ; the same distance to the north brought you amidst 
 rugged hills of sand or clay, that barely yielded the most 
 meagre subsistence to the poor and simple inhabitants, who 
 necessarily remained hunters. Their rifles supplied them 
 with that provision which the ungrateful earth refused to 
 yield to the plough and the hoe. As you penetrated further 
 in this direction, the country became wilder and more broken 
 at every turn of the narrow trail, until, even so late as twelve 
 years ago, you came upon a country quite as wild and sav- 
 agely unaltered as when the Indian war-whoop alone dis- 
 turbed its echoes. Here your trails cease, and as you push 
 into this formidable looking wilderness, which reaches to 
 Green river over forty miles you shudder at the tremendous 
 solitudes of its abrupt cliffs, that take away your breath when 
 you come suddenly upon the verge of their deep gorges, wind- 
 ing far away, black with the " Bottom Forests," except where 
 some stream that has leaped with a sullen roar from beneath 
 you down the cliff, gleams sharply out from the shadow here 
 and there ; or when, in the distance, some huge "Pilot Knob" 
 lifts its bare, conical crown so high into the hazy heavens, 
 that it seems like one of old Nilus' Pyramids, set above the 
 hills ! The scene here, is indeed inexpressibly shaggy, wild 
 and stern. These Pilot Knobs, of which there are two, arc 
 very famous in the early annals of Kentucky ; and we may 
 have more to say of them. They constitute the most peculiar 
 features of this singular scenery, and there are many legends 
 connected with them. Here the Indians lingered longest 
 after being driven from their northern possessions, or hunting 
 grounds rather ; and here the raging hate of the two races 
 spent itself in the last desperate collisions, before sullen con-
 
 THE GKAVB OF THE SILENT HUNTER. 198 
 
 quered or conqueror could agree to part. Here the game 
 lingered too, and still lingers, and must continue to linger for 
 many a year to come ; though what was once sole possession 
 of the fierce, swarthy Shawanee, is now periodically intruded 
 upon by the pale sons of the lordly planters of the tobacco 
 lands to the south, who are accustomed to make up, yearly, 
 " camping parties" to hunt in this region for a few weeks 
 during the fall of the year. 
 
 Along the southern border of the rougher part of this 
 wilderness, there are a few cabins of the old race of hunters, 
 who belong to the times of Boone, and still boast that they con- 
 tinue to " hold their own," which means, being still " out of 
 sight of the smoke of a neighbor's chimney !" It would 
 indeed be rather a difficult feat to see this same smoke, it 
 must be confessed, since the nearest neighbor is probably 
 twelve miles off, and both their huts embosomed in steep 
 crags ! 
 
 I have never been a lover of, what tliey term so expres- 
 cively in the West, " a crowd," particularly on hunting excur- 
 sions ; the chief charm of which has consisted in the entire 
 separation from my race, permitted for the time, and the 
 solitude that invites a refreshing communion with the primi- 
 tive forms of the natural world. Many's the time have I 
 forgotten to shoot, and let the stately deer go by unscathed, 
 while I stood breathless to admire its graceful action, and 
 the charming unity of its antlered presence here, with the 
 swaying of old boughs and lapsing leap of streams. With 
 such moods upon me, I could not bear to hurt the lovely 
 creatures ; it seemed as though a voice of our mother nature 
 chid me : " Shame ! shame ! to slay the beautiful !" 
 
 But I was usually as keen a hunter as ever startled the 
 ancient echoes with the rifle's shrilly ring. My boon com- 
 panion at this time, some twelve years ago, was like myself, 
 named Charles, or Charlie M., as he was everywhere called, 
 from his merry, reckless, jovial character. Now Charlie w as a 
 
 13
 
 194 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 character, sure enough, and just such an one you will meet 
 with nowhere else in the world hut in Kentucky ; and even 
 there it is nearly grown out hy this time. A more loyal, 
 gentle and generous spirit never lived, nor did a truer heart 
 beat ever in the broad, roomy chest of a lion-man. He was 
 as merrily reckless as a prodigious flow of physical energies, 
 mirthful instincts, and indomitable courage could make him. 
 He always took sides with the weak, it mattered not to him 
 what the odds of the oppressor, or how strange both parties 
 might be to him. He carried this feeling to amusing ex- 
 tremes in the defence of domestic animals ; and many the 
 scrape he has got into by taking the part of a poor horse or 
 dog that was being cruelly beaten by a drunken beast of a 
 master. He would never pass such a scene without stopping 
 it, at all hazards to himself; he would never see a negro beaten, 
 and never struck his own, but resented it as a personal injury 
 to himself if another did. This man was the most passion- 
 ately devoted to the chase of any one I had ever yet met with. 
 His father had been very wealthy, and at the time he grew 
 up, at Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky, the chase was the 
 one fashionable and absorbing pursuit of the young men of 
 his social rank. The greater part of his life was thus spent 
 in the saddle ; and a passion cultivated from boyhood is not 
 easily shaken off in early manhood, particularly one so fasci- 
 nating. Suffice it, he kept a splendid pack of hounds, the 
 genealogy of every one of which he had at his tongue's end ; 
 and some fine hunters in his stable ; and for years after I knew 
 him when he moved to the south near my native town 
 he spent fully one-third of his time, night and day, in the 
 woods on horseback following his hounds. Ho, too, was a 
 genuine lover of Nature, and preferred to hunt alone. Charlie 
 was indeed the very impersonation of a class of gay, dashing, 
 reckless and accomplished sportsmen of the north of Kentucky, 
 which is now nearly extinct. Whether, mounted on his tall 
 and pc werful hunter, that seemed almost a miracle of indomi-
 
 THE GRAVE OF THE SILENT HUNTER. 195 
 
 table game and speed, he went sweeping through the thick, 
 primitive woods at a pace that would have terrified any other 
 sportsman on the open ground, clearing at flying leaps the 
 most extravagant perils, without notice, and always close with 
 the chase, cheering in ringing halloes his noble hounds ; or, on 
 our long rides to the distant hunting grounds by night, car- 
 rying chorus to some wild hunting song in the shrill blasts of 
 his curled bugle, cr to some touching balled of the ancient 
 chivalry, poured from his manly lips, rolling its soft accom- 
 paniment in mellowed clamors through the echoing hills, he 
 was still the splendid and consistent ideal of the north-Ken- 
 tucky fox-hunter of the generation following Clay and Crit- 
 tenden ! 
 
 We soon knew each other ; and, as there were many points 
 of earnest congeniality between myself and the wild hunter, 
 we soon became frequent and inseparable companions, par- 
 ticularly on the long hunts to this rude region I have de- 
 scribed. 
 
 It was now the last of -November that we started with 
 hound and horn for the hills, on the grand hunt of the year. 
 A snow storm had commenced the over night, and none but 
 a true hunter can realize the bounding delight with which 
 the first snow storm is welcomed. Then only comes his en- 
 joyments in highest perfection ! Now the game of every 
 kind is not only within his reach, but is in its highest 
 condition. He can himself trace it for miles and miles away 
 through the deep snow, until brought to bay at last, it falls 
 before his unerring aim. He has an exulting consciousness 
 of his independence, even of his dogs, for nothing can escape 
 his- practiced eye and tireless patience. The most exciting 
 of all hunts are proverbially those in the snow ; but in the 
 northern States they become disgusting very soon, as they 
 quickly degenerate into the merest butcheries, where the 
 snow, from three to four feet, remains upon the ground for 
 three or four months, with a crust over it just strong enough
 
 196 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 to bear a man on snow shoes, or his dog, and yet will let in 
 the poor animal at every jump as deep as it can sink. Here 
 it is like slaughtering sheep in a pen when hunters attack a 
 "yard" of deer or moose, but in Kentucky the case is very 
 different. The snow seldom or never falls deeper than two 
 feet, and most frequently does not last a week. It never 
 crusts sufficiently to impede, materially, the progress of large 
 game, and all the sport is therefore confined to within the 
 first few days ; and the principal, if not only advantage 
 the hunter gains, consisting in the increased facility with 
 which the game is traced, either by himself or by the noses 
 of his hounds. This makes the sport intensely exciting, for 
 you sometimes pursue a single herd or sole animal for twenty 
 miles before you get a shot ; but as you are sure to get a 
 glimpse of them, and hear their whistling snort of defiance 
 as they bound on again every half hour or so, you are kept 
 in a constant state of excitement, and beguiled, without heed- 
 ing, over miles and miles that would otherwise have been 
 weary enough to you. It is only when the coveted achievement 
 has been really accomplished, and you have proudly thrown 
 your noble quarry across the saddle, that you begin to realize 
 fatigue in satiety, and self-reproach in the fatigue, as with 
 aching limbs you turn your wearied horse through the strange, 
 darkening woods towards the distant camp. Now the chill 
 night wind whistles through the gnarled boughs, dashes the 
 frozen snow in fine, sifted, searching particles into your face 
 and bosom ; now your hot blood chills and your fiery pulse 
 sinks ; the cutting nor'-wester searches the very " marrow of 
 annoy;" and with sinking heart and shivering limbs, its very 
 shadow as the owl sails by, causes your teeth to chatter, and 
 its sudden hoot makes you almost leap from the saddle in 
 nervous affright. Now, as the dreary way lengthens before 
 you, the cheerful light of the solitary camp-fire seems far, far 
 away, and an almost infinite distance of bog and bluff, of 
 crag, ravine and tangled wood, seems stretched between you
 
 THE GRAVE OF THE SILENT HUNTER. 197 
 
 and that warm haven ; then it is that conscience speaks 
 through the downcast life, and we are forced to realize the 
 Drtual savagery of this miscalled " sport ;" we have a fore- 
 taste of the aches and pains of the poor animals we have heen 
 chasing through the deep snow all day, already in our own 
 chafed and suffering limbs, with the sure knowledge that the 
 fruition is not yet, but must come when we rise sore, stiff and 
 shivering, from, perhaps, a frozen couch in the morning. Ah, 
 how the weary miles do stretch ! It is in vain that a few 
 spasmodic notes are sounded upon the curled bugle at our 
 side ; the echoes take on such stunning reverberations amongst 
 the bare cliffs, that we are awed into silence ! How many 
 vows against cruelty to animals, against the indulgence of 
 such tiger-passions, are muttered as our despair gathers with 
 exhaustion. The moon wheels up her glittering disk, and 
 at another time we should have been wild with delight to 
 watch the glory of the shine her coming lays along the spark- 
 ling earth, and through the dark armed trees ; but now, alas ! 
 it only taunts with its splendor ; it cannot make the way 
 more short ! On, on we plunge ; the miles grow longer, and 
 the noble horse begins to stagger beneath his double load, 
 and then the shuddering apprehension comes that he may 
 give out, and leave us to trudge the live-long night through 
 the snow to keep from freezing. If the fatal sleep overtake 
 us, we must lie down and die, with our poor horse for a pillow, 
 and the filmed eyes of the noble buck we slew fixed in a stonied 
 gaze upon our own as they are glazed by the cold wind. Mad- 
 dened by such horrid images, and nerved by despair, we raise 
 the bugle to our stiffened lips once more ; loud, long and high 
 the -peal rings out, shrill as a death-cry. My sagacious horse 
 has stopped of his own accord, holding his breath, while with 
 pricked ears he listens. Hark ! that faint distant sound ! Is 
 it echo ! He stamps his foot with an impatient neigh, and 
 with blazing eyes and erect crest springs forward. No mc-re 
 staggering now, fatigue is gone ; it requires all my exhausted
 
 198 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 strength to hold him within anything like a moderate gait. 
 A half an hour, and with an eager neigh he breaks into a 
 run, under my not unwilling rein, for I, too, have caught a 
 glimpse of a fire through the wood, and recognize the white 
 face of yonder cliff, with the moon full upon it ; and in another 
 minute, with the warm blood rushing to my heart and brain, 
 and a mad whoop of delight, I burst into the light of 
 the camp-fire to be welcomed by the yells and combined 
 Jiowls of a dozen hounds, and a hearty cheer from the gallant 
 Charlie ! 
 
 Now the scene has changed, and by the warm fire and 
 over the smoking roast of tenderest venison, the feats of 
 the day are recounted with as much eager zest as if there had 
 been no such thing as cold, fatigue, and nervous apprehen- 
 sions. The terrors have all vanished within the charmed circle 
 of that fire-light, and we threw ourselves upon our blankets 
 to sleep, dreaming lustily of just such scenes to be gone 
 through to-morrow ; only the dreams some how gave only the 
 bright side of the picture, and managed to leave out all about 
 freezing to death, starvation, &c. So sunrise would find us 
 with appetites only sharpened by the sufferings of the day 
 before, and yet more ready to do full justice to the roast or 
 living venison. Such are the strange inconsistencies of the 
 hunter's moods, and such the charms of the vivid shiftino; 
 
 ' O 
 
 excitements of his restless and tumultuous life ! He is one 
 moment worse than the most ferocious wild beast, and the 
 next his head is turned aside to weep that he has slain "a 
 thing of beauty," fresh from God's own hands. It was thus 
 our lives had fared, in camp and out, for four or five days, 
 when the weather changing suddenly, the snow commenced 
 to disappear rapidly. 
 
 Our sport in the snow was now over ; but we were not by 
 any means satisfied, and Charlie proposed that we should 
 strike our camp and make our way across the ridges to the 
 hut of a famous hunter known along this border as Old Jake,
 
 THE GRAVE OF THE SILENT HUXTEK. 199 
 
 what his other name was he had never heard, though he 
 had been at his hut several times. He said the old fellow 
 would be very glad to see us, and would furnish us with a 
 "hill-boy," whom he kept in his employ, to act as a guide 
 and driver for us. We intended now to change our mode 
 of hunting. We were to be placed by the driver at different 
 "stands," as they are called, meaning places at which, from 
 his knowledge of the country, he knew the deer always 
 passed out when roused by the dogs from their feeding- 
 grounds. After placing us, he was to return along the ridge 
 for a mile or so with the dogs, and then descending into 
 the bottom, with sound of horns, yells of dogs and other 
 noises, drive the frightened creatures before him to our 
 stands. "We found everything at Old Jake's as Charlie ex- 
 pected. We were received with true hunter hospitality by 
 the family ; consisting of the old man, his tanned and wrinkled 
 dame, with two stout and comely daughters, who were the 
 very impersonations of buxom good humor. 
 
 We had a merry time of it the first evening, and the next 
 morning, early, were joined by our guide that was to be. He 
 was a droll-looking specimen, surely ! Lank, long, and lantern- 
 jawed, he looked as if the fever and ague of the country bot- 
 toms had, in shaking him into a bag of bones, forgotten to joint 
 him again when he was set up ; yet, withal, it was marvellous to 
 see the cadaverous-looking creature making his way over these 
 rugged hills, far in advance of our active horses, while with 
 every long stride his loose limbs actually seemed to be wrapping 
 round each other. He was called Jabe, as I supposed short for 
 Jabez, and carried a very long specimen of the old-fashioned 
 rifle of our fathers. It was easy enough to see that he was 
 a fine marksman, from the sharp, steady shine of his black 
 eyes beneath the long, coarse, Indian-like hair that hung 
 over them ; indeed, I half suspected that the fellow was a 
 half-breed, but had no opportunity of ascertaining ! We had 
 evidence enough of this afterwards. Placing ourselves with
 
 200 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 implicit faith under the patronage and guidance of this 
 remarkable personage, we met with " sport" to satiety at 
 last, within two days. 
 
 We had gone out as usual on the third, and in a different 
 direction from any we had yet tried. The spot assigned me 
 for a stand by Jabe was by far the most remarkable I had 
 yet seen. Five miles back, we had, with considerable diffi- 
 culty, climbed up the steep side of a lofty and wooded ridge, 
 that seemed much higher than any one we had yet seen. 
 We had found the top, or comb, apparently level ; though as 
 we rode on, I observed the surrounding country to be either 
 sinking beneath the feet of the ridge, or else the ridge wrs 
 rising rapidly above the country. Suddenly we came to what, 
 I remember instantly reminded me of my boyish idea of the 
 " jumping-off place !" The thing was so sudden that our 
 horses reared backwards and snorted with affright. We were 
 on the sheer verge of a precipice three hundred feet in depth, 
 and the heavy forest below us looked almost like lichens 
 clinging to stones, which Avere in reality considerable bluffs. 
 It seemed as if the ancient basin of some ocean lay at our 
 feet, stretching as far as the eye could reach on either hand 
 and in front ; while far away to the right, just under the 
 rim of the horizon, we could distinguish the dark, heavy line 
 of the wood bordering Green river ; while to the left it shut 
 down upon a blue serrated line of lofty Knobs. We were 
 lost in wonderment, gazing over this extraordinary scene, 
 when Charlie suddenly shouted, as he turned his head quickly : 
 
 " Hilloa, there ! you Jabe where are you making off to, 
 you tallow-skinned knave ? you havn't shown me my stand 
 yet!" 
 
 But Jabe either did, or pretended not to hear, and only 
 increased the celerity of his gait, as he went crashing through 
 the brush down the steep ridge-side without turning his head, 
 even. Charlie was highly enraged, and bestowed upon him 
 eundry expletives not of the choicest selection, but which it is
 
 THE GRAVE OF THE SILENT HUNTER. 201 
 
 hardly necessary to repeat. I laughed heartily at the incident, 
 and Charlie at once forget his wrath in a loud burst of merri- 
 ment, when I recalled to his recollection the droll way in 
 which our guide had acted for the last mile. He had been 
 up to that time striding just ahead of our horses, gossiping 
 in the gayest possible of saturnine humors, asking us all sorts 
 of unsophisticated questions about the ways of the " settle- 
 ments," and telling us quaint anecdotes about Old Jake, who 
 was the greatest man in the world, according to his estima- 
 tion. Indeed, he had been keeping us in one continued roar 
 of laughter at his simplicity, and a certain shrewdness 
 combined, when suddenly a new thought seemed to have 
 struck him. He had paused for an instant, looked around 
 him furtively, and then drawing over towards the left hand 
 side of the ridge, had, from that time, commenced bearing 
 down that side further and further, until when we had nearly 
 reached this spot, he pointed here, without a word, and the 
 next we saw of him he was "splitting it" down the ridge. 
 
 "You remember, Charlie, we could get nothing, not one 
 word out of him, with all your merciless rallying, after he 
 made that sudden stop ! Depend upon it, there is some fun 
 in this, and that fellow has got this bluff-point somehow 
 mixed up in the ridiculous superstitions common to his class!" 
 
 After many merry comments upon this text, in the course 
 of which, with our loud talking and laughter, we violated all 
 the accepted rules of "driving," which require, peremptorily, 
 the most profound silence on the part of the "stander" as he 
 approaches his "stand," we came to the conclusion that as 
 the mischief had no doubt already been done, and the deer 
 turned back by the sound of our voices, we had just as well 
 take it easy until the driver came in. So, seating, or rather 
 stretching ourselves upon some mossy boulders, scattered 
 around, we chatted away the next half hour very cozily, 
 although an occasional eddy of the wind would bring up to our 
 ears the distant babble of the hounds in the vallev, and the
 
 202 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTEKS. 
 
 long, mellow wail of the driver's horn, both showing the game 
 was on foot ; yet neither of us rose, even, so entirely had we 
 become cloyed of this sport ! Soon the full chorus of hounds 
 burst upon us, seemingly close at hand, still neither of uj 
 rose. Suddenly we heard a heavy crashing through the under- 
 brush, and before we had time to think, an enormous black 
 bear rushed past us. 
 
 "Hah! new game!" I exclaimed, as we both sprang to 
 our feet and fired our rifles after the unwieldy brute. It 
 was evidently hit, but kept on with undiminished speed across 
 the ridge. The dogs, with bristles erect, and savage yells, 
 came pouring after, while we, thus unexpectedly aroused to 
 the wildest excitement, shouted like madmen as we followed 
 after on foot, loading our guns while we ran. We knew the 
 bear was wounded, and would take to the first large tree it 
 came to. The comb of the ridge was about a quarter of a 
 mile wide here, and the ground a general level. We heard 
 the dogs baying furiously now. 
 
 " He's tree'd already !" chuckled Charlie. " Let's approach 
 cautiously." 
 
 We feared it might resort to its common trick when 
 tree'd by the dogs ; seeing the hunters approach, it rolls 
 itself up into a ball, and dropping to the ground, makes off 
 again. We, however, managed to get fair shots, and brought 
 it down. It was a very large animal of the species, and we 
 wound a merry blast, both loud and long, in honor of our 
 unexpected triumph. We supposed that the sound of the 
 guns and the recall of the horns would, of course, bring our 
 faithful esquire, Jabe, to us. After listening for some time, 
 and no answer, Charlie gave another louder and longer blast, 
 with all the power of his lungs, and receiving no answer still, 
 Bent out his prodigious voice over the valley, with a force 
 that filled it with reverberations. After listening a moment 
 we could barely distinguish a feeble " too-oot ! toot !" that 
 seemed to come from no great distance, but what the direction
 
 THE GRAVE OF THE SILENT HUNTER. 203 
 
 might be, neither of us could tell ; for Jabe, as it undoubtedly 
 was, must surely have been stretched upon the ground in 
 some hiding-place. I laughed heartily. 
 
 " Why Charlie, that fellow is frightened out of his wits by 
 some ghost story, we must get along without him !" 
 
 " More like the bear has scared him into a fit the spindle- 
 shanked hill-tyke !" growled Charlie, who was excessively 
 wroth for a few minutes, but whose risibles could not with- 
 stand the slightest allusion on my part to that dolorously timid 
 "too-oot! toot!" We accordingly went to work, in despair 
 of any assistance from the redoubtable Jabe, and prepared 
 our meat for transportation homeward. We had reached our 
 horses, and while engaged in dividing the burden between 
 them, who should come crawling cautiously towards us, out 
 of the wood, but our gentleman of the asthmatic horn. As 
 soon as Charlie saw him, he staggered in convulsions of 
 laughter, and letting his burden fall, rolled over and over 
 upon the leaves, scarcely able to articulate more than a word 
 or two at a time. 
 
 " Jabe ! Jabe ! the bear ! the bear ! run Jabe 
 the bear ! what'll uncle Jake say ! Jabe ! run Jabe ! 
 the bear !" 
 
 Jabe, in the meantime, was very cooly examining the bear, 
 while his eyes fairly glistened at the sight of the fat, heavy 
 hams. 
 
 " Gosh! he's a whopper! Killed jest sich a old 'un down 
 in the truck-patch back er uncle Jake's, 'bout this time last 
 winter. I was out choppin', and he com'd snuffin' at a hog- 
 bone I'd brung out for a bite, and didn't seem to mind me, 
 so I stood still, and he kinder come too close at last, and I let 
 him hev it across the nose ! one lick turned him up, sir, 
 sure as a gun !" 
 
 I now remembered having heard uncle Jake refer to this feat 
 of Jabe' but it had been done incidentally, and in such a mat- 
 ter-of-course sort of a way, that I had not noticed it specially
 
 204 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 at the time. The simple way in which the young hunter now 
 recalled it, and the enthusiasm which lit his eye the moment 
 he saw our unwonted quarry, convinced me that Charlie had 
 been entirely mistaken, and that there must be some other 
 cause than the one he assigned for the evident alarm of a 
 man who had already, and with such coolness, killed a full- 
 grown bear with an axe only. I accordingly let Charlie have 
 his laugh out ; for he had no notion of listening to any but 
 his own version of the affair, while I determined to take ad- 
 vantage of the garrulous excitement, caused in the mind of 
 Jabe by the sight of this the most valued of all the game of 
 the country, to draw out from him the real cause of his 
 alarm. So we sat down on the ground to examine the bear 
 more at our leisure, and winking at Charlie, I at last got him 
 to comprehend something of my purpose. We drew him out 
 as to his hunting feats in general, but most especially with 
 regard to those in this particular neighborhood. Gradually 
 he seemed to forget himself, and watching the moment, I 
 asked him, suddenly, if he had ever taken a " stand" here, 
 where he had placed us, himself! 
 
 "I!" he exclaimed, with a look of amazement, "I! 
 great jingo no ! I wouldn't er tuck a ' stand' on this here 
 Pint, fer all the bar on the Tennessee and Cumberland put 
 together !" 
 
 "But, why not, Jabe? we've seen nothing very wrong 
 here !" 
 
 " 0, you're strangers ! but didn't lie swar before he died 
 that the fust hunter, as ought'er know, that com'd near 
 enough that big black oak to see the little head-stone to his 
 grave that he meant to haunt him to death ? Didn't he ? 
 I tell you this aint the boy that would go in a hundred yards 
 of that big oak on no consideration in natur?" 
 
 "But," said I, impatiently, "Jabe, who was this per- 
 son?" 
 
 " Why, Old Bill Smith to be sure ! you never hearn of
 
 THE GRAVE OF THE SILENT HUNTER. 205 
 
 Old Bill Smith ? Why uncle Jake know'd him well he's fit 
 Injuns with him many a time ; everybody down in these parts 
 know'd him !" 
 
 " No doubt, Jabe but you say he's buried under the big 
 black oak; was he buried there of his own wish?" 
 
 " In course ! they say he chose the place years before he 
 died, and fixed the grave himself. Them as buried him say 
 it's a mighty curius sort o' grave. He was one of Boone's 
 men, and so was uncle Jake, and uncle Jake helped three 
 more on 'em to bury him. There 'aint bin a livin' soul be- 
 longin' round here since. He lived by himself more 'n two 
 years, down by the big spring. That's since I ken recollect. 
 He never spoke to nobody but our uncle Jake, and we never 
 seed him more 'n three times a year, when he com'd in to git 
 the powder an' lead uncle Jake had got for him." 
 
 " Now, Jabe," said I, in my most wheedling tone, " Jabe, 
 my good fellow, won't you show us the grave ?" 
 
 " I ! good ! why man, no ! not for all the money in 
 your town !" 
 
 " But, Jabe, you need only go near enough to show us the 
 tree, you will not be violating the command in doing that, 
 merely !" 
 
 He still continued to shake his head, dubiously, in spite of 
 our united entreaties, and mutter : 
 
 " Golly ! don't like this here ridge, anyhow, don't think 
 it's safe, wish hadn't bin sich a dratted fool as to come this 
 way ; forgot till I was most there !" 
 
 But Charlie and I, in whom the spirit of mischief on his 
 part, and earnest curiosity on mine, had now been thoroughly 
 roused, determined to give poor Jabe no time for considera- 
 tion, and plied him on both sides with such eagerness, that 
 after a considerable degree of wavering and hesitation, we at 
 last brought him up to the sticking point by the application 
 of a few shiners to his palm. He started, though still with 
 visible trepidation, to lead us to the grave. I could scarcely
 
 206 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 keep from giving way to my inclination to laugh again, as I 
 watched the various expressions of dread, mingled with the 
 most spasmodic efforts to express a courageous and devil-may- 
 care sort of air, which were becoming more and more forlorn 
 as we approached the scene of his apprehensions. 
 
 We had not walked more than a few hundred yards, almost 
 immediately along the edge of the cliff, when he stopped, and 
 pointing ahead to a very large black oak tree that stood some- 
 what apart from the more stunted growth of the ridge, and 
 within a few feet of the precipitous verge we had been treading, 
 he said in a tremulous tone, 
 
 " Thar ! that's the tree ! wouldn't go any closer for a 
 kingdom !" 
 
 "Well, Jabe, you'll wait here, won't you!" said I, as we 
 walked on. 
 
 " 'Spose I will, don't like it, though !" 
 
 We laughed slightly as we looked back. 
 
 The moment the tree had been pointed out to us, I had 
 remarked to Charlie, that I thought I recognized that tree ; 
 and when we reached it, judge our astonishment, to find it 
 was the very one from which we had shot the bear a few 
 hours before : and, on looking round, we perceived what had, 
 during the excitement of the chase and conquest, entirely 
 escaped our attention before, namely, that this was really the 
 largest tree in sight, and that it stood exactly on the highest 
 point of the ridge, and commanded a wider prospect than 
 was possible from any other spot. These observations inte- 
 rested us not a little, and I looked around curiously for traces 
 of the grave. Directly, Charlie uttered an exclamation. 
 
 " Here it is ! I suppose this must be it though it's a droll 
 looking affair for a grave !" 
 
 I stepped towards him and found him kneeling on the bluff- 
 side of the tree close to its roots, and peering between some 
 flat rocks which he had partly uncovered of the mould and 
 leaves.
 
 THE GRAVE OF THE SILENT HUNTER. 207 
 
 " These flat rocks seem to be regular this must be the 
 sepulchre, coffin, or whatever you choose to call it !" he con- 
 tinued, as he scratched away. " By Jove ! look through that 
 crack I can see the skull !" 
 
 I knelt beside him, and sure enough a human skull was 
 visible in the shallow sarcophagus. I immediately proposed 
 to remove the stone, and take the skull out. I was at the 
 time a vehemently ardent student of the new science of Gall 
 and Spurzehim, and would cheerfully have risked my life for 
 any such opportunity as this for examining the skull of a man 
 whose character must evidently have been so very marked and 
 extraordinary. It was no vulgar curiosity that caused me to 
 disregard the slight remonstrance of Charlie, who muttered 
 something about the pity to disturb the old fellow's rest. I 
 reverently lifted the thin flat stone, about eighteen inches in 
 length by six in breadth, which lay across the grave over the 
 head, and could then see the structure of the whole as well as 
 the great portion of the skeleton. 
 
 The grave was only about eighteen inches deep by about the 
 same width, and was lined bottom and sides with flat unhewn 
 stones of the same size of that I had taken from over the head, 
 and the rest of the cover was the same, as well as what we 
 call the head-stone, which stood an inch and a half above the 
 surface. I immediately recognized the sort of stone sarco- 
 phagus or grave, which is to be found in thousands, covering 
 sometimes miles of ground in the southern part of Kentucky 
 and portions of Tennessee. The people adopting this curious 
 mode of sepulture were extinct at a period earlier than the 
 remotest reach of the tradition of the present aboriginal races, 
 as we vainly enough call them ! I have often examined these 
 graves where you could not make a step for miles but upon 
 one. It was evidently a pigmy race, for these graves ave- 
 rage not more than three feet in length. It was from these 
 ancient burial grounds that the old hunter had obtained his 
 idea of sepulture. Who this singular people were, will pro
 
 208 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 bably never be satisfactorily discovered. In the meantime, 
 men of sense will continue to laugh at the absurd theory, that 
 they are the burying grounds of the Aztecs for their children. 
 They must have been accommodating children to die by the 
 thousand just about three feet high ! 
 
 After examining the interior, without disturbing the limbs 
 and body, I proceeded to lift the skull tenderly in my hand. 
 I now stood erect, holding it off from me to study its propor- 
 tions when a sudden yell so startled me that I came near 
 dropping it in the shock. I looked around quickly, Jabe 
 uttering a second yell of horror, was in the act of throwing 
 his long rifle from him then bending his head forward and 
 fighting desperately about his ears, as if attacked by a whole 
 nest of hornets, he bounded with another wild screech into 
 the thicket, and, as far as I could hear him, he seemed to 
 give a screech for each bound. I turned an inquiring look 
 upon Charlie, who was rolling upon the leaves half dead with 
 smothered laughter. 
 
 "Has he got into a yellow jacket's nest, Charlie!" I in- 
 quired, very soberly, of the ridiculous fellow, for I did not feel 
 much like laughing. 
 
 "No," he gasped at last "but if you don't look out you 
 will have got into one, by that phrenological whim of yours. 
 Jabe saw you with the skull in your hand, and it frightened 
 him to death almost. You may rest assured that he will not 
 stop now until every man in the circumference of twenty milea 
 knows of this. There are not many of them to be sure, but 
 they will be troublesome fellows to deal with." 
 
 " Well, what would you advise, Charlie ?" 
 
 " Why, that we both make a bee-line for home, right off? 
 I think I can find the way out, and its no use meeting these 
 fellows while they are exasperated. We'll return in a few 
 weeks, when the thing has passed over ; and as I have no hand 
 in it, I'll make your peace with the superstitious fools, and
 
 THE GRAVE OF THE SILENT HUNTER. 209 
 
 toe can have our hunt out, and hear Uncle Jake's story of this 
 Bill Smith !" 
 
 " Well, I'm agreed but stop a few moments, Charlie. As 
 I have risked a lynching to get a sight of the old hunter's 
 skull I am going to have a good look at it now before we 
 go!" 
 
 He uttered some exclamation of impatience, and sunk down 
 upon the leaves again, when I was soon deep in the mystery 
 of bumps. 
 
 I marvelled at that head ! The skull was of rather small 
 size, and ran up at firmness almost to a cone secreetiveness 
 was enormous, too, and destructiveness quite as excessive 
 but cornbativeness was not large adhesiveness, benevolence 
 and conscienciousness remarkably large. Of acquisitiveness 
 he seemed to have nothing scarcely, and of what is called 
 human nature, a great deal. He had prominent language, yet 
 one of his sobriquets was, the "Silent Indian killer!" Of 
 casuality there was little but comparison was large the 
 organs between the eyes were large form, locality, &c. Phi- 
 loprogenitiveness was the largest organ, except firmness ! 
 
 These were the hasty observations I had time to make 
 before the impulsive hurry of my comrade compelled me to 
 replace the skull. This was done with the most scrupulous 
 care, in as exactly the position from which I had taken it as 
 possible. The grave was also re-covered with the same care, 
 and restored as nearly as I could get it to the condition in 
 which I found it. We soon after mounted our horses, with 
 the bear meat tied behind us, and set off rapidly on our return 
 to town. During the whole ride I was thinking of this extra- 
 ordinary head, and what had been no doubt its equally remark-- 
 able owner. What a man this must have been, and what a 
 career ! for, obscure as it appeared to have been, it was 
 evident from the awe and dread his very bones inspired in 
 the mind of the simple hunter, that he must have possessed
 
 210 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 traits while living, quite as peculiar, as his taste in burial, or 
 the shape of his head. What circumstances could have com- 
 bined to drive one of his naturally strong and active social 
 feelings into the terrible isolation of life and of death, in 
 which I had thus far traced him. 
 
 Come what might, I vowed that at some future time I would 
 make another effort to clear up this mystery of the " Hunter's 
 Grave," and trace the story of this saturnine old w&rrior of 
 the dark and bloody ground.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 OLD BILL SMITH, THE SILENT HUNTER. 
 
 I CARRIED out my resolution, to get at all that could be 
 reached concerning the history of Bill Smith. On a new ex- 
 cursion, I saw and made my peace with Uncle Jake the one 
 of his old comrades who had most of his confidence, and whe 
 lived nearest to the concluding scenes of his life. My friend 
 Charlie and myself spent a week with him this time, and we 
 were even successful, after the first day, in reconciling to us 
 our old acquaintance and guide, Jabe, in spite of the terrible 
 fright we had given him through my phrenological enthusiasm. 
 Jabe seemed to have come, finally, to the logical conclusion, 
 that, as the ghost had not yet ridden us into our graves, that 
 
 211
 
 212 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 it meant to let us off, on the score of our being green-horns, 
 "who didn't know no better!" 
 
 ''But fur a hunter, who ought'er know'd sumthin, to do 
 sich a thing it would'er been more 'an his life or his sleep 
 o'nights war worth !" 
 
 Without pretending to dispute the metaphysical views of 
 Jabe, we proceeded as usual to avail ourselves of his really 
 uncommon skill as a guide and driver, while I made it a point 
 when Ave returned from the day's hunt, and when the evening 
 meal had given way to pipes and segars, to bring old Uncle 
 Jake round, by indirections, to the topic of which he was 
 most shy, while I was most eager, namely, the story of this 
 Bill Smith for the more I heard of him the more curious 
 the contradictions of his character appeared. 
 
 In furnishing this relation in my own language, I wish it 
 expressly understood, that the whole is necessarily a sort of 
 scraps and patch narrative, the general tone of which I take 
 from Uncle Jake, but many of the important facts beside have 
 been obtained in conversation with some others of the elderly 
 Burvivors of that period, and who, too, had been associates 
 of Smith. Other circumstances of interest I picked up in 
 Washington City, and others more private, I gleaned in 
 North Carolina. I have taken the liberty to throw all these 
 tilings together, as to me " seemeth best," and as I have to 
 trust entirely to my memory, am liable to some inaccuracies ; 
 but such as it is, I oiler you this account of Old Bill Smith. 
 
 So far as I can make out the story, he seems to have been 
 an orphan buy, thrown upon the charities of the kind world 
 when quite young, by the sudden death of parents, whose only 
 child he was, and who had lately come over with a ship load 
 of other emigrants from Old England. 
 
 It was not to be expected that a child with such an unfortu- 
 nate patronymic as Smith, was ever to be inquired after. 
 He was lo.st in the undistinguishable and innumerable multi- 
 tude of that great_family. Of course the fate of the poor
 
 OLD BILL SMITH, THE SILENT HUNTER. 213 
 
 nameless child for Smith can hardly be called a name ! 
 vras apprenticeship under the system of indenture which pre- 
 vailed quite generally among the colonies. We hear of him 
 as indentured to an old farmer in the northern part of North 
 Carolina. He must have been eight years old or thereabouts 
 at this time. 
 
 This old farmer, I suspect, was a veritable brute ; for 
 although the terms of indenture, besides a sufficiency of food 
 and clothing, together with comfortable lodgings, expressly 
 stipulated that the apprentice, thus bound for a term of years, 
 for and in consideration of his services, was to be afforded 
 the opportunity and allowed the necessary time for the acqui- 
 sition of a good common school education. 
 
 This part of his bond and duty, it seems, the old curmud- 
 geon never did or would fulfill, thinking, I suppose, that learn- 
 ing was only one of the worldly vanities, and would most 
 likely turn the boy's head. William seems to have been, from 
 the beginning, remarkable more for wilfulness than any other 
 trait ; and I suppose it was quite as much because old Saun- 
 ders refused to send him to school as from any inherent love 
 of learning, that he determined to learn to read anyhow. 
 
 Little blue-eyed Mattie Saunders, who seemed a stray 
 angel by the fireside of the old beast who called her child, 
 somehow or other divined the wishes and purpose of the 
 young Smith ; and as her excellent mother had taken care to 
 learn her to read as soon as she could speak, from a sort of 
 melancholy presentiment that she had not long to tarry with 
 her, she proved a very capable and certainly remarkably 
 successful instructress. Certain it is, that if he did not 
 take to learning for learning's own sweet sake altogether, 
 there proved to be a most salutary attraction in that little 
 white and dumpy finger, gliding from letter to letter, to fix 
 the attention of the wilful and headstrong boy. 
 
 He made such rapid progress that he soon became tho 
 teacher of his young mistress in turn ; and as this relation
 
 214 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 between the young ones had to be kept scrupulously private, 
 the pleasures of such stolen intercourse were greatly lightened. 
 
 This condition of things, charming enough, no doubt, to 
 both parties, was most unpleasantly broken up by the acci- 
 dental discovery of its existence by the old man, who, it seems, 
 was furious thereat, and from that time commenced a series 
 of petty and abominable persecutions, which almost drove the 
 forlorn and wretched child mad. 
 
 The gentle consolations which he had heretofore received 
 from sweet little Mattie, were now denied him. He was 
 banished, in mid-winter, to the barn to sleep on the hay, with 
 only a single thin and tattered blanket to cover his shivering 
 body. 
 
 The heroic boy bore all this for eighteen months without a 
 murmur, and all for the sake of his little mistress, with whom, 
 in spite of the vigilance of the father, he managed to obtain 
 occasional interviews, in which, with many tears on both 
 sides, the testimonials of their pure and innocent affection 
 were hurriedly exchanged. 
 
 Old Saundcrs had but the one child ; and having amassed a 
 considerable fortune by the most parsimonious and usurious 
 practices, he was constantly haunted by the apprehension, 
 even in her childhood, that every one who approached little 
 Mattie did so with an eye to her money. The child was 
 tender-hearted, meek, and confiding, as her poor mother had 
 been before her ; and the wretch remembered how even lie 
 had wrought upon the isolation of that poor woman, and 
 induced her to confide to him her little all, as well as life, 
 and he very properly concluded, that if such a creature as 
 himself could thus win upon the confidence of the mother 
 even though it had only lasted for a few days after marriage 
 who might not aspire to win that of the child, that resembled 
 her so closely. 
 
 He therefore watched her most jealously, and cut her off 
 as much as possible from all intercourse with the outward
 
 OLD BILL SMITH, THE SILENT HUNTER. 215 
 
 world even in the distant perspective of womanhood tho 
 idea of her marriage and a dower was almost death to him. 
 To part with any portion of his precious and ill-gotten gold 
 was like wringing the drops of his heart-blood upon the 
 thirsty sands. He at once became furious the moment he 
 discovered the intimacy and childish sympathy between the 
 boy Smith and his child. There was no knowing what such 
 a thing might come to ; and the starveling, whom he flattered 
 himself he had apprenticed out of charity, might prove the 
 viper upon his hearth. 
 
 Such were the barbarities practised upon the helpless 
 orphan, that, although too manly himself ever to complain, 
 they became the talk of the neighborhood ; and, while some 
 persons openly asserted that old Saunders was trying to kill 
 the boy by inches, others had determined to have him pre- 
 sented to the next Grand Inquest that sat in the county, for 
 barbarity and neglect of duty. 
 
 Before, however, this very necessary and proper step could 
 be taken, these persecutions had grown beyond any further 
 possibility of endurance, and in a fit of ungovernable despair, 
 the miserable child made up his rags into a little bundle, in 
 which he also secreted a few scraps of food, which little 
 Mattie, to whom he had made known his purpose, had ob- 
 tained for him. He then crept into her little room by the 
 window at night, and after weeping long, as if their little 
 hearts would burst in each other's arms for each felt that 
 this parting was from the only friend they had in the world 
 the poor boy comforted the tender mourner by assuring 
 her, in a tone of singular confidence, that when he got to be 
 a great man he was going to come back for her and make her 
 his little wife. 
 
 Even at the early age of thirteen the remarkable magnetic 
 power which afterwards distinguished the man, was developed 
 for, in relating this occurrence himself in after-life, he said 
 that when he spoke this in a bold, confident tone, the little
 
 216 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 trembler ceased to weep, and looking up into his face with a 
 smile, said 
 
 "Well, then, you may run along, Billy I'll wait for you!" 
 
 He was off in an instant, and with her last pure kiss upon 
 his lips, he plied his little legs as fast as they could carry 
 him on the road which he had learned led to the capital of 
 the State. His heart was light, his spirit bold, and the great 
 world before him a shrouded mystery. He reached Raleigh 
 in about a week, begging his way after his own little store 
 gave out. He must have exhibited a great deal of audacity 
 and address, for a child of his age, to have succeeded in 
 getting through such a journey without being stopped by the 
 authorities somewhere on the way. However, it is not more 
 remarkable than many other of the events of his life. 
 
 After reaching Raleigh, his life was of course wretchedly 
 precarious for some time. He prowled about the kitchens of 
 the gentry at meal times, and lived upon such of the scraps 
 of the tables as the negroes chose to throw to him in compas- 
 sion at night he crawled into some shed or stable to shiver 
 in the straw till morning. 
 
 It happened that a kind-hearted old Judge of the Circuit 
 Court Campbell by name who was a very early riser, and 
 always went, the first thing, to see how the cattle and horses 
 came on, found one morning a feeble looking child, with 
 features ghastly and sharpened by hunger, lying in ^he 
 trough of his cow-house, which was a close shed around three 
 sides of the stable. lie stopped, astonished, to gaze upon 
 him. The little fellow had not rags enough upon him to 
 cover his nakedness, and had drawn down some of the hay 
 from the manger above to cover him, and the whole pile 
 shook as he shuddered with the cold. 
 
 The old man gazed for a moment or two upon that troubled 
 sleep, the irregular breathing, broken so often with faint 
 moans, that they touched deeply, and as the tears sprang to 
 his eves, he murmured
 
 OLD BILL SMITH, THE SILENT HUNTER. 217 
 
 " This must not be so while I have a crust. Children must 
 not starve in such a country as this !" So saying, he took the 
 child gently in his arms, and bore it into his house, where his 
 good old wife immediately took the dying orphan to her 
 bosom, and soon warmed it into life again; but with the 
 utmost exercise of her matronly skill, it was several days 
 before the exhausted little one could recover strength enough 
 to give any coherent account of himself. 
 
 Judge Campbell knew old Saunders well, and when he 
 heard the boy's straight-forward story, he had every reason to 
 believe that it wa's true, every word of it. In the meantime 
 he had got up a great interest in this little ivaif and estray, 
 which it had pleased Providence to cast in his path ; and as 
 the old couple had no children, but two daughters who were 
 married and comfortably settled, they finally determined to 
 submit to what seemed like a requisition upon them by the 
 Father of all on behalf of the fatherless, and adopted little 
 Smith into their family as a son. 
 
 The Circuits were some of them very large at that time, as 
 was especially the case with that of Judge Campbell's. Soon 
 after this event he started on his round, and what was his 
 inexpressible delight to find the first case on the docket, in 
 the county which had the honor of owning old Saunders for 
 a citizen, marked " Commonwealth vs. Samuel Saunders, for 
 abducting, murdering, or otherwise unlawfully making away 
 with an indentured male child, known as William Smith," 
 &c. &c. 
 
 The old man could scarcely contain his gravity upon the 
 bench. He immediately ordered up the case ruled down all 
 quibbling attempts to obtain a postponement and it was the 
 general remark among the lawyers, that the usually lenient 
 Judge was more severe and harsh this term than they had 
 ever known him to be before in twenty years upon the bench. 
 
 The e-ise came on. The Judge compelled the minutest 
 scrutiny of all the facts, and a most damning case was made
 
 218 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. ' 
 
 out from the evidence. His own lawyers were cowed, and 
 the pale and frightened wretch listened with ghastly face, 
 chattering teeth, and trembling hands to the Judge's charge 
 to the jury, which sounded in its solemn tones and terrible 
 denunciations much more like a sentence of death than a 
 charge when, as he was apparently about winding up -with 
 positive instructions to the jury to find the prisoner guilty 
 there was the sound of carriage wheels outside, and then a 
 sudden commotion in the court. 
 
 In a moment the Sheriff stepped forward and placed a slip 
 of paper in the hands of the Judge, who had paused at the 
 first sound, and now read the paper calmly over twice ; then 
 deliberately throwing back his spectacles, he nodded assent 
 to the Sheriff, who, with a sort of half smile upon his face, 
 made his way out of the court room, and in a moment re- 
 turned, pushing through the crowd, bearing in his arms, the 
 attenuated form of the missing boy, William Smith ! 
 
 Such a thrill and murmur as ran through that court room, 
 the old miser, who had at first sprung to his feet, con- 
 vulsively dropped, swooning, into his seat, for the child had 
 been artfully draped in white, and looked as if it might have 
 just come from the grave, and the hoary-headed villain really 
 did not know whether it was dead or alive, for Mattie ! ten- 
 der, timid, gentle Mattie ! had kept her little companion's 
 counsel, as she had promised, in spite of all the threats of her 
 father, and all the terrors of a public trial. Indeed, poor 
 child, she did not know herself whether he was alive, and had 
 been almost crying her life away because, in her innocence, 
 she supposed the neighbors who had presented her father 
 must of course have known the fact of his murder before they 
 did it he was in truth dead to her ! 
 
 The scene that follows baffles description. Old Saunders 
 was borne from the court room in convulsions, and shriek was 
 heard following shriek from him until the doors of the jail 
 closed upon him. The Judge then ran rapidly over the facts
 
 OLD BILL SMITH, THE SILENT HUNTER. 219 
 
 of the case as nearly as he could without detailing his own 
 share in the plot, which was entirely unnecessary, as his ob- 
 ject had been to further the cause of justice and humanity 
 by punishing this monster morally, if it could not be done 
 legally, and then exhibiting the boy to the jury, declared the 
 bond of indenture to be forfeited, and that Saunders should 
 be found in costs of suit, and compelled to give security for 
 the support and education of the boy until he was eighteen. 
 
 Such was the eventful opening of the public career of 
 "Billy," as poor Mattie called him. When we next hear of 
 him he was a gay, voluble, dashing young lawyer, successful 
 in his first case, and indeed in almost every other to which 
 he put his hand. The old Judge, his adopted father, had 
 retired from the bench upon a handsome competency, and 
 though now very decrepid, could not resist the gratification 
 of listening to the forensic triumphs of his " pet nursling of 
 the cow-troughs," as he used to term William, humorously. 
 Whenever William had an interesting case on hand, the old 
 man's carriage was invariably seen to roll up to the court 
 house door, and he to hobble in on crutches, when the duti- 
 ful young man was instantly at his side to assist him up the 
 accustomed steps to the old accustomed chair, which still held 
 its place for his occasional accommodation. After seeing him 
 comfortably seated, and his gouty feet adjusted with scrupulous 
 care, would return with redoubled energy to his case. 
 
 It was always noticed that when the venerable ex-judge 
 was present, the face of the young lawyer flushed with anxious 
 excitement, and then he made his very happiest efforts, and 
 carrying everything before him by the impetuous vehemence 
 of his oratory, never lost a case ; and the father and patron, 
 in one, would sit with half closed eyes, in a sort of rapt 
 ecstacy of enjoyment, while his lips occasionally moved in 
 unconscious approval as the young man let off his happier 
 hits. Smith soon became exceedingly popular, and his clients 
 learned to avail their causes of this noble trait of Smith, in
 
 220 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 something of the same spirit of the wretches who made for- 
 tunes off of the vice of poor George Moreland. When a new 
 picture was to be wrung from their victim, they came to him 
 with a pittance of ready gold in one hand and a hrandy bottle 
 in the other ; and as the latter was always the more potent 
 of the two, they made up the difference due in gold, in cheap 
 and villainous brandy. 
 
 Smith, like Moreland, was too lazy to work under the ordi- 
 nary stimulus of money, for which he never could be made to 
 care, and when they found out this "beautiful weakness," as 
 the mercenary knaves were in the habit of terming it, they 
 never failed, when he was to speak on a doubtful case where 
 there was much at stake, to have the old man informed of the 
 day and hour, and thus drag him forth, well or ill for go he 
 would, to act as a sort of spiritual brandy bottle upon his 
 adopted son. They knew well that Smith would sooner lose his 
 right arm than make a failure in a legal argument before his 
 beloved and venerated patron. What is still more strange, 
 neither Smith nor the old judge ever suspected this infamous 
 game, although it was regularly practised upon them, until the 
 death of the latter, and was well known to every one about 
 the courts. 
 
 The Judge lived just long enough to bless the son of his 
 adoption and his pride, who had been elected to the Assembly 
 of the Province the very year he came of lawful age. The 
 good man then lay down in peace to die, for now he had seen 
 the fruition of his hope. lie left his property divided equally 
 between his two daughters and the adopted son. lie was soon 
 followed by his faithful dame, and now the young orphan stood 
 once more alone in the world. Not entirely alone, spiritually, 
 either, for Mattie was still steadfast to her childish affection, 
 and would listen to no suitors that came. To be sure, had she 
 been disposed to coquetry, the indulgence would have been 
 something difficult, for old Saundcrs became more and more 
 miserly as he grew older, and more watchful of his daughter.
 
 OLD BILL SMITH, THE SILENT HUNTER. 221 
 
 William and she had, however, in spite of his vigilance, 
 managed, through the good offices of a relation of Mattie's, 
 who had learned to admire Smith, and had always loved 
 Mattie, to keep up a sort of broken correspondence by letter, 
 and even to obtain an occasional interview, which was suffi- 
 cient, during the long period I have passed over, to keep 
 always bright and unbroken the links of that subtle chain 
 which seems from the first gradually binding their lives more 
 inseparably in one. 
 
 Smith, though considered a rising young mar. with a good 
 fortune already in hand, and every prospect of great honors 
 and a greater fortune before him, and therefore, of course, 
 greatly sought after by the highest ladies of the land, yet 
 never for one moment did he falter or flinch in allegiance to 
 his gentle mistress with the chubby fingers ! When he came 
 to realize that it was really love that he bore her, he felt at 
 once the serenity of entire content ; and that love was enough 
 for him, it filled his being and he asked no other. The sub- 
 ject was never mentioned between them until after the death 
 of his adopted parents, for William seems to have always felt 
 as if his first duty was to them and gratitude, love and 
 himself afterwards. 
 
 He was now in such circumstances as permitted him to 
 think of marriage ; as it "was utterly hopeless to expect the 
 consent of the miserly old Saunders, he took the matter in 
 his own hands, and in defiance married the sweet Mattie, who 
 was now of age, almost under his eyes, and leaving him to 
 rave, blaspheme and tear his hair at his own leisure, quietly 
 installed his bride as mistress of the old town mansion left 
 him by the Judge. Mattie proved a thrifty and a tender 
 wife, and bore him sons and daughters, comely to look upon, 
 and that gladdened their father's heart. 
 
 He, in the meantime, grew apace in manly honors, and at 
 the time of the Declaration of Independence, was forty-five
 
 222 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 years of age, and one of the leading men, in a quiet way, of 
 the patriot party. 
 
 Since his marriage, and up to this time, Smith's character 
 seemed to have undergone a change, which was specially re- 
 marked by those who had watched his entrance upon public 
 life. Up to the time of his marriage he had exhibited the 
 most recklessly spendthrift disposition ; although enjoying a 
 lucrative practice, yet it was observed that he always wanted 
 money. He had no such apparent habits of extravagance as 
 could account for such expenditure, so that he had the full 
 benefit of all sorts of dark hints and vague surmises, not one 
 of which was in the neighborhood of true. 
 
 There were a few who knew him better, who could have 
 told how the base vultures and harpies that always flock 
 around where there is a great heart to be torn and fed upon, 
 regularly fleeced him of more than half the dues for his ser- 
 vices, by some servile and whining appeal to his well known 
 magnanimity, and singular disregard of gold. He was sys- 
 tematically victimized by a whole flock of such foul birds, 
 who chuckled over the thought that they were gulling the 
 smart young lawyer ; a great mistake ! for his intuition of 
 character and motive was as quick as lightning. 
 
 His keen, gray eye was never at fault; and he gave them 
 what they cringed for out of contemptuous disgust for the 
 creatures and the filthy god they worshipped. He loathed 
 the one as much as the other, and was equally anxious to get 
 rid of both. His charities were just as reckless, though it 
 began soon to be found that he was rather a dangerous per- 
 son to task the patience of too far. 
 
 From the day he married Mattie he became a cautious, 
 saving man ; and the hungry wretches that had battened upon 
 his lofty generosity, or rather, scorn, were soon scattered in 
 dismay before the stern brow and powerful arm that hurled 
 them right and left from his path. He had Mattie, beloved
 
 OLD BILL SMITH, THE SILENT HUNTER. 223 
 
 Mattie, to provide for now, and her precious little ones ; 
 there was to be no more trifling. He became a rigid econo- 
 mist, or rather, Mattie economized for him, and all his ex- 
 penditures were left entirely to her frugal and patient 
 housewifery. He neither gave nor spent now without first 
 taking counsel of his heart-elected monitress, and how skill- 
 fully she managed may be shown in the fact that in twenty 
 years after their marriage Smith was accounted one of the 
 wealthiest men in the province. "With this change came 
 another, which was accounted quite as droll by the wiseacres. 
 As a young man, he had shown great ambition for political 
 distinction, his prospects were extremely flattering, but he 
 withdrew after serving one term, and steadily refused ever 
 afterwards to be drawn into public life again. 
 
 But now that the great struggle for freedom was fairly 
 entered upon, the William Smith of twenty-five was waked 
 up again suddenly, after having slept the charmed sleep of 
 domestic love and happiness for twenty years. Now again 
 his contempt for*gold, but as a medium of good, a mechanical 
 means, exhibited itself as strikingly, but in a more rational 
 and consistent manner than before ; now his carefully hoarded 
 wealth flowed like water, and the gentle Mattie saw it go and 
 said never a word nor shed a tear. So long as her beloved 
 was spared to her the gold might go. They had no right to it 
 when the blessed Congress and brave army needed it. They 
 had no right to keep William selfishly at home with them, to 
 sleep in a warm bed when so many of our brave people were 
 tracking the snows with the blood of their bare feet, and when 
 General Washington himself was glad to sleep upon a snow 
 bank with only his cloak for covering. " Let the gold go ! 
 let the gold go!" the brave woman was wont to say, "it 
 is all for liberty, and the children will be better for that 
 than for all the wealth of the province!" and the gold 
 did go ! 
 
 Aye, there was no keeping back of the tribute there !
 
 224 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 William Smith had always exhibited a remarkable disinclina- 
 tion for scenes of bloodshed, considering the character of the 
 times. He did not, even now, join the patriot army ; but, aa 
 the chief of the Vigilance Committee, did far better service with 
 his prompt sagacity and profuse liberality than he could 
 probably have done in the field. We cannot follow him 
 through the details of the acts of this noblest period of his 
 career ; suffice to say, that when the war ended in our dear- 
 bought independence, he first took time to look upon th< 
 condition of his own affairs ; the survey exhibited himself to 
 to himself a beggar ! 
 
 Everything had been swallowed up in the vortex, except 
 some few fragments of landed estate ; and they had only been 
 spared him because nothing could be raised on them in such 
 troublous times. lie smiled upon Mattie as he looked around 
 proudly upon five handsome, manly boys and three daughters, 
 ail pleasant variations upon her, and patting her still fresh 
 check, said gaily, 
 
 " Missus, it's all gone ! I am proud of the way it went 
 we've gained our holy cause, I am content ! what say 
 you, woman ?" 
 
 " Dear Billy, what should I say ! Am I not proud of it 
 as you!" 
 
 " Well, missus, neighbor Daniel Boone has got back from 
 Kan-tuck-ee, across the mountains, as he calls it. He says 
 it's a great country, greater and more beautiful than any on 
 this side the Alleghanies, and Daniel's a reliable man, you 
 know ! and that plenty of splendid land is to be had for the 
 settling and defending it ; our boys are good riflemen, 
 what say you, Mattie ?" 
 
 Mattie turned a little pale, and laid her cheek against that 
 of her husband, but answered in a firm, round voice, 
 
 "I am ready, Billy, to follow you!" 
 
 And this is all that was said between them ; it was settled ! 
 
 This was a few years afte*- the time that Daniel Boone and
 
 OLD BILL SMITH, THE SILENT HUNTER. 225 
 
 his brother came in for their wives and families. The news of 
 his wonderful discoveries had flown like wildfire throughout 
 Virginia and North Carolina, in both of which States he was 
 well known. It had caused a great and general ferment 
 among all bold and reckless spirits in the old States, as well 
 those of the border, as those whom a long war had unfitted 
 for any other than a life of adventure. Various companies 
 had been fitted out in different directions who had followed 
 the return of the Boones. Settlements had been formed 
 forts built and even municipal regulations commenced. 
 
 The place of general rendezvous was across the mountains, 
 in what was called Powell's Valley, and the settlement on 
 Clinch river was the Frontier fort. The emigrants assembled 
 in Powell's Valley in the Spring of 1784, and when all col- 
 lected, started on their long journey. Among them was the 
 family of William Smith. He had converted all that was left 
 him into live stock, implements, &c. Himself and his whole 
 family Mattie and the girls included were in the highest 
 spirits in view of the novelty and wild loveliness of the scene 
 they were to traverse. 
 
 The emigrants numbered fifty souls, the great majority of 
 them women and children. The journey, as they were pre- 
 pared to expect, proved a rough and tedio'us one, but they 
 saw nothing of Indians, as yet. They arrived on the banks 
 of the Licking river in the ordinary time. Harrod, who had 
 several years since built the fort where Harrodsburg stands, 
 was now returning from a visit to Virginia; and he, with 
 several other of the principal men, Smith among them, left 
 their families, as they supposed, with a sufficient guard in 
 camp, and pushed forward to find Boone, at either Harrods- 
 burg or Boonesborough, and bring back some supplies. 
 
 Alas, for that parting ! when they returned six days after- 
 wards, as the day was breaking, having accomplished the 
 object of their mission, they found the camp just broken up, and 
 following on the scattered trail, caught up with the frightened 
 
 15
 
 226 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 remnant of the emigrants, in full retreat back for the settle- 
 ments on Clinch river. 
 
 " Where is my wife? and where are my children?" le- 
 manded Smith, in a cold, stern tone, of the person under 
 whose command the camp had been left. 
 
 " You will find them where you left them ! Ask the Shawa- 
 nees ; they can tell you the rest." 
 
 " You have neglected your trust, and they are murdered," 
 Smith replied, in a deliberate but trembling voice. 
 
 " And yet we find you retreating ! where is your man- 
 hood, wretch ! coward !" he shrieked, as he sprang at the 
 throat of the man, and hurled him to the ground with such 
 furious violence that the blood gushed from his nose and 
 mouth, and he was thought for a long time to be dying. 
 Without pausing an instant to see what he had done, the 
 unfortunate man turned, and with the speed of the wild deer, 
 fled back to the deserted camp. 
 
 Several hours subsequent, Harrod and some others returned 
 to look after the dead, and they found Smith stretched upon 
 the bodies of Mattie and the children, with his arms spread 
 in the endeavor to clasp them all in one embrace, lie looked 
 up with tearless eyes, and smiling with a terrible serenity, 
 took the spade fr6m the hand of the nearest person, and com- 
 menced digging a grave for them. The sturdy men around, 
 moved and awed by the speechless silence with which he pro- 
 ceeded, offered in low whispers to assist him. lie motioned 
 them solemnly away, and would not be aided. lie thus 
 worked on for hours, until a grave wide enough and deep 
 enough had been hollowed then reaching the cold form of 
 Mattie from the spot where it lay, he clasped it to his breast 
 a moment held it off for one long, fixed gaze pressed 
 those dear lips, and laid her gently down to rest. He then 
 placed her first-born son upon her right side, and as he saw 
 the frown of desperate battle still on his fair young brow, 
 and the shattered rifle clutched in the grip of death, he smiled
 
 OLD BILL SMITH, THE SILENT HUNTER. 227 
 
 a strange and terrible smile. Her youngest born lie lay next 
 her heart, and to each, as he disposed the stiffening form in 
 order, he gave the last embrace and farewell kiss. This done 
 he stood on the side of the grave for some moments, gazing 
 silently down upon the home, the earthly heaven he had lost, 
 and then, without a word or groan, proceeded to fill up the 
 grave. His comrades waited until he had finished, and had 
 heaped a pile of stones to mark the place. They expected 
 him to return with them now to the new camp which had 
 been formed. He, however, took up his rifle, waved his hand 
 in solemn adieu, and without speaking, disappeared on the 
 trail of the Shawanees. 
 
 Little was generally known, and less said about Smith, 
 from the time of this disappearance. It was generally be- 
 lieved that Boone, Harrod, and a few others, knew more 
 of him than they chose to tell ; the most that could be got 
 out of any one concerning him, was, a significant touch of 
 the forehead and shake of the head. Boone, in particular, 
 was believed to have frequent interviews with him, as he 
 would take with him at such suspected times a double supply 
 of powder and lead. 
 
 For a year or two the mystery of his solitary life received 
 no elucidation whatever, until a Shawanee, having been made 
 captive by the people of Boones' Fort, they heard from him 
 a terrible story of an Evil Demon that had been haunting the 
 war-path of the Shawanees for nearly two years, and that 
 from the hunting-trail and war-path together, more than 
 thirty of their best braves, including several chiefs, had dis- 
 appeared. The Shawanees believed that the Great Spirit 
 was angry with them, and had sent a Medicine Spirit to 
 punish them. They were nearly determined on this account 
 to leave their hunting-grounds in Kan-tuck-ee forever. When 
 questioned as to whether they had ever got sight of this Medi- 
 cine, the answer was that they had never seen it distinctly, 
 but that of late their young men had pursued it often, and
 
 228 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 always came back with some of their number missing. They 
 had never been able to overtake, or even to approach the 
 mysterious and terrible Medicine Spirit. 
 
 After this report got abroad, men began to mention the 
 name of Bill Smith again but it was with a feeling of unac- 
 countable dread, and in low voices that they spoke. The 
 timidity and uncertain movements of desultory attack which 
 began to characterize the warfare of the Shawanees, once the 
 best organized and most formidable of the tribes, came now 
 to attract attention, too. But all conjecture was set to rest, 
 when, after awhile, Smith was seen to make his appear- 
 ance at the Forts occasionally but this was only when the 
 Shawanees were known to be engaged in a foray. He usually 
 came in ahead of the Indians, or after spme unaccountable 
 fashion, suddenly appeared in the midst "of a battle with them. 
 
 He was at the Blue Lick, at the Raisin, threw himself into 
 Brian's Fort when it was stormed ; and, indeed, he was known 
 to have been in nearly all the principal battles in which 
 Boone was present. 
 
 He was never heard to speak to any one he came without 
 a greeting and went without farewell. He was regarded with 
 a curious feeling of dread and respect by the Border people, 
 none of whom ever ventured to address a word to him. The 
 Shawanees were driven first across the Kan-tuck-ee River, 
 then across the Green River. 
 
 Bill Smith disappeared, and never crossed Green River 
 again ; they thought towards the North that he must finally 
 have fallen a sacrifice to his monomania of vengeance. It 
 will be remembered by what accident I found his grave, and 
 heard from old Uncle Jake Latham something with regard to 
 his latter years. 
 
 After seeing the last canoe of the Shawanees launched 
 upon the Ohio, and sending a death-messenger in farewell 
 after it, the old man had built him a hut in the most inacces- 
 sible. part of the Green River Hills, and there the remainder
 
 OLD BILL SMITH, THE SILEXT HUNTER. 229 
 
 of his days were spent in solitary quiet. He hunted just 
 enough to furnish him with food, and powder and shot never 
 went near any one but Uncle Jake, who made his purchases 
 for him ; and at the age of eighty-eight was found dead in 
 his cabin. He seemed sleeping calmly, with a serene smile 
 still upon his face, such as might have greeted his Mattie 
 above, waiting for him. His face in death alone had lost 
 that still and fearful expression of astonied ferocity, which 
 was said never to have left it from the time of the death 
 of Mattie and his children. Monomaniacs are proverbially 
 known for the frequently marvellous cunning displayed by 
 them in bringing about the accomplishment of the one object, 
 which is the single thought of their lives. 
 
 "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord !" Who, at this time, 
 in weighing the acts of this remarkable man, while wasting 
 under the long fever of his terrible vengeance, shall venture 
 to forget, "Judge not, that ye be not judged !" 
 
 It was ever thus that our Fathers of the Dark and Bloody 
 Ground were tried !
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE HUNTERS OP KENTUCKY. 
 JAMES HARROD OF HARRODSBURQ. 
 
 AFTER all the bombast of hero worshipers, it is astonishing 
 how little it takes to make a real hero ! Like many of those 
 important discoveries in mechanics, which have revolutionized 
 the world, the combinations are so simple, that whe nmen come 
 to realize them, the general exclamation is, " Why, pshaw, I 
 could have done that myself !" No doubt such wiseacres 
 
 could have done it themselves, but somehow, they didn't do 
 
 231
 
 232 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 it ! and what renders the parallel still more complete is, that 
 when the humble mechanician has accomplished the work, has 
 chained an element with a silken thread, he looks upon the 
 mighty achievement as nothing, and is bowed down with 
 shame that men should so wonder at a thing so plain. 
 
 Your true hero never understands why men should marvel 
 that he has only done his duty, and the plaudits of the crowd 
 are to him only a heart sickening commentary upon its own 
 unworthiness. Why should they applaud him for only acting 
 like a man ? Had they expected him to act like a brute, and 
 therefore been surprised into raptures ? Or was it that they 
 were conscious that they would have acted like brutes them- 
 selves under the same circumstances ? 
 
 The world may say what it may of the natural equality of 
 mankind, but there is often more in one large brain and large 
 heart than in a whole nation. It is not by any means, learn- 
 ing, or station, or honors that constitutes this greatness ; 
 these are but the tinsel, the appliances, the outward show, 
 in a word, 
 
 "The man's the man for a' that;" 
 
 and it was indeed among the early scenes of the settlement 
 of Kentucky, that the fine gold was separated and that the 
 man stood forth in the nude grandeur of the heroic virtues. 
 
 There was nothing of the pomp and circumstance here of 
 adventitious place, to bolster up padded and pretentious no- 
 bility. State was trampled in the bloody mire of struggle, 
 and all regalia, but such as nature had bestowed, turned into 
 plough-lines and significant halters 
 
 The contest here was hand to hand, and foot to foot, with 
 foes too stern and real for a silken diplomate to soothe. In 
 his unhoused wild condition, the strong man wrestled with 
 the panther for its cave, and took its dappled hide for cover- 
 ing. Starched ruffs and white gloves would have served ill 
 in such a battle. The death-hug, when the white man and
 
 JAMES HAKEOD, OF HARRODSBURG. 283 
 
 the red man met, would have poorly become the voluptuous 
 court, and the bleak, wintry winds would scarce have put a 
 shirt on warm. 
 
 There was no dodging here, the axe was first swung by 
 brawny arms, and then a shelter rose ; and, before no dainty 
 strength that fed on sylabubs, would those tall forests bow, 
 that bread might grow '! No 'shaky nerve, or eye dulled in 
 the sickly glare of show, could hold the heavy rifle in a vice- 
 like grasp, and guide it clear and sure as death's own arrow 
 flies. 
 
 Here action was eloquence, with deeds for words, and the 
 glib and oily art of demagogues learns no such language; 
 the axe spoke louder than the honied phrase ; and forests, 
 thundering in their fall, rolled out the grandest sentences : 
 the rifle cracked the sharpest jokes, and staggering buffaloes 
 roared bathos best upon the bloody plain ! 
 
 One of those men of nature, whose large brain and large 
 heart, hard hands and giant thews, best fitted them to cope in 
 mastery with such conditions, was James Harrod, the founder 
 of Harrodsburg, Kentucky, and one of the noblest of the 
 early companions of Boone. 
 
 Harrod was one of those persons who make their appear- 
 ance in the world much as an oak tree comes into it : nobody 
 hears it grow, sees it grow, or knoAvs that it is, and has a 
 being until suddenly a people look up and find themselves 
 sheltered beneath its boughs, and nourished by the nuts it 
 rains in benediction upon their heads. 
 
 So little was known of the youth James Harrod, that the 
 histories of that time do not even name the colony from whence 
 he came, nor even the precise year in which he emigrated ; 
 they only know that he came early with Boone, was most 
 probably a Virginian, went back to that State and returned 
 to Kentucky in 1774; joined Colonel Lewis and his follow- 
 ers on the way, and was with them in the battle at the mouth 
 of the Kenhawa, and that in the next year he settled himself
 
 234 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 on the site of the present town of Harrodsburg. This IB 
 about the extent of the chronology bearing upon that early 
 period of his history. 
 
 But for years before this period the name of the stalwart 
 young hunter was familiar along the borders, and associated 
 with that of Boone in many a feat of self-denying hardihood 
 and generous chivalry. He was tall, strong, modest and 
 simple. He had read no book but that of nature, knew no 
 art but wood-craft, hated nothing on earth but an Indian and 
 a pole-cat, and never said, "Boys, you do it!" but, "Boys, 
 come on !" His rifle was the longest, the heaviest and the 
 surest ; his calm, frank eye was never at a fault to mark the 
 distant game, to meet the gaze of deadly foe, or smile back 
 truth to friend. His arm, resistless, as his tongue was slow. 
 How can you make a hero out of a block so rough as this ? 
 We had nothing to do with the manufacture, God made him 
 a hero, if he was one ! 
 
 The unwritten history of that time tells many a touching 
 narrative of the deeds of this young hunter ; his skill on the 
 war-trail, his vigilance and his wonderful powers of endurance, 
 soon made him one of the chief supports of the feeble and shat- 
 tered settlements, which then, in the name of God and civi- 
 lization, dared presume to hold and occupy this wide land, 
 which for its richness and its beauty had for many centuries 
 been the golden apple of dispute between powerful tribes of 
 savages, on the North and the South. The hardiness and 
 simplicity of his habits, his fresh and unbroken constitution, 
 his great frame, endowed with a natural strength remarkable, 
 everywhere gave him supremacy even over those border sons 
 of Anak, among whom he seemed to move as peer. 
 
 Such were his habits of incessant activity, and so cool his 
 self-reliance, that he never waited for companions, on the 
 longest and most dangerous of his expeditions. He would often 
 be gone for weeks, and even months together, no one knew 
 thither, or for what end, 'and the first thing heard of him
 
 JAMES HARROD, OF HARRODSBURG. 235 
 
 would be his sudden appearance, to put the settlements on 
 their guard against the approach of some Indian war-party. 
 During these long absences his industry was untiring ; all the 
 game that he could kill was cured and stored, after the man- 
 ner of the Indians, beyond the reach of wild beasts, or even 
 of the sagacity of his teachers. To these stores he cotild 
 resort at any time of scarcity, for supplies for the block- 
 houses. 
 
 His knowledge of Indian life, and confidence, was such that 
 he frequently continued to hunt alone, when he knew well, 
 by the signs around him, that Indians were hunting on the 
 same ground. The proud hunter would not give way, but 
 took the chances with his red foe. 
 
 On one such occasion he had perceived several fine deer, 
 grouped, feeding, in a small open glade in the forest, near 
 the Kentucky river. He had approached them with much 
 precaution, for a shot, and having gained the desired point, 
 was kneeling behind a tree, and in the act of raising his rifle 
 to take aim, when the buck of the herd lifted its head sud- 
 denly, and uttered the peculiar shrill whistle which indicates 
 that they have either seen or smelt danger. 
 
 Harrod was too prompt a woodsman not to perceive in- 
 stantly, from the direction in which the deer turned its 
 head, that there was another foe present than himself. He 
 remained motionless, holding his breath, when, at the sharp 
 crack of a rifle from the opposite side of the glade, the startled 
 buck sprang into the air and fell dead. 
 
 The report of Harrod's rifle followed so instantly that it 
 seemed a mere prolongation of the first sound ; a nobler 
 quarry bit the dust, the ball of the back-woodsman met the 
 proud heart of a Shawanee chief, who had leaned forward 
 from his covert to fire. Harrod had known for several days 
 that there was a hunting-party of Shawanees in the neighbor- 
 hood. 
 
 At another time his own wary game was nearly played
 
 236 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 successfully upon himself. He was on -a great buffalo trail, 
 leading to the Blue Licks. He had been hunting for several 
 days with great success, and this time had seen no Indian 
 sign, and was not aware that any had come down. He had 
 wounded a large bull that had left the herd, and stood at bay 
 several miles distant, in a thick wood ; Harrod was obliged 
 to approach it with great precaution, for the animal was 
 now very dangerous, as is always the case when it is badly 
 wounded. 
 
 He had gained his position, and when in the very act of 
 firing, caught glimpse of a warrior taking aim at him from 
 behind a tree. He fired, for it was too late to help that, but 
 in the same instant dropped as if killed. The warrior fired, 
 of course, and his ball made a hole through the wolf-skin cap 
 of Harrod as he fell. He laid perfectly still, while the Indian, 
 after stopping to load his rifle, as they always do before, leaving 
 cover, now approached him to get his scalp, but did so with 
 characteristic wariness, leaping from tree to tree ; he came 
 near, and seeing that the body lay perfectly still, sprang for- 
 ward, scalping-knife in hand, but as he stooped to grasp the 
 scalp-lock, quick as lightning the long and powerful arms of 
 Harrod were clasped about his neck, and with the sudden 
 throe of a \\aking panther, the warrior was crushed in hig 
 herculean hug, and writhed helpless on the ground beneath 
 him. 
 
 There is yet another anecdote of his individual prowess, 
 with something of the same character as those given above, 
 which, although a household story in Kentucky, is not so 
 well known elsewhere. 
 
 The Shawances had made several attacks upon Boone's 
 station, against which settlement they had always expressed 
 the bitterest animosity, on account, no doubt, of its having 
 been the first white settlement held in the country. Boone 
 was absent at the Licks, with a great part of the men of the 
 station, making salt ; the prowling parties of Indians had
 
 JAMES HARROD, OF HARRODSBURG. 237 
 
 killed their cattle, driven in their hunting-parties, and so 
 shortened their supplies of meat, that the little garrison wag 
 reduced to great straits. 
 
 At this juncture Harrod made his appearance unexpectedly, 
 on his return from one of his long expeditions. Finding the 
 condition of things, he first proposed to some of the remain- 
 ing men, that they should accompany him to one of the nearest 
 of his depots of meat. The risk was very great ; and Harrod 
 perceiving from the hesitation, that the men were not willing 
 to go, left the station that night alone, telling the women to 
 be of good cheer, that he would bring them back meat. 
 
 He found game very shy in the morning, and as there was 
 plenty of Indian sign about, he determined to have the first 
 meat he could get, and return with it as soon as possible 
 to the relief of the station. He came in sight of a small 
 herd of deer, which were moving as if they had been lately 
 startled, and were still on the look out ; this caused him to 
 use great circumspection. It was not long before he came 
 across signs, which induced him to think that there were 
 several Indians close at hand. The daring hunter cared 
 nothing for the odds, but coolly resolved to have one of those 
 deer or lose a scalp, and of the latter there surely seemed to 
 be a great likelihood. 
 
 This would have been foolhardiness with any other man, 
 but with Harrod it was entirely a matter of course. He had 
 never turned aside from his path for the red man, nor did he 
 ever intend to do so. He claimed those hunting-grounds, 
 too, and these deer were his, if he could win them, and hia 
 he intended they should be. 
 
 His circumspection was not a little increased on perceiving 
 the marks of the mocassin on the trail of the deer. These 
 were before him, and he might come upon them at any 
 moment. This did not deter him, for he saw at a glance his 
 advantage, as he was on the look-out for them, while they 
 were on the look-out for the deer, and, evidently from the
 
 238 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 carelessness of the sign they left, entirely unconscious of hi3 
 proximity. He had followed on in this manner for several 
 miles, taking care to expose his body as little as possible, and 
 indeed, advancing from tree to tree all the time, as if in a 
 bush fight. 
 
 The sudden whistle of a deer, followed instantly by the 
 ring of two rifles close on his left, gave him warning that the 
 time for business had come. The Indians kept close, and as 
 he was peeping cautiously round a tree, endeavoring to get a 
 sight of them, a rifle ball from the right whizzed through the 
 heavy mass of black hair that fell down over his shoulders, 
 stinging his neck sharply as it grazed past. He crouched 
 instantly, and all was as still as death for a long time, for 
 the two on the left had taken the hint, and lay close, while 
 the Indian on the right did the same, while he reloaded and 
 watched for another chance. 
 
 Here was a fix certainly for any common man, beleaguered 
 on two sides, and it might be on every side for all he could 
 tell. But from what is known of Harrod's character, I have 
 no doubt he enjoyed the fix ; for it was just such a one as 
 he delighted to get himself into, for the pleasure of getting 
 himself out again. 
 
 The foot of the tree at which he crouched was surrounded 
 by bushes or shrubs about three feet high, and he was obliged 
 to lift his head above these before he could fire. He wore 
 his famous wolf-skin cap, as usual ; and after waiting till he 
 was convinced that there was no chance of getting a sight of 
 the cautious foe, he placed it upon the muzzle of his rifle, 
 and, after some prefatory manoeuvring among the shrubs, to 
 show that he was getting restless, gradually and cautiously 
 elevated the cap. 
 
 The ring of the three rifles was almost simultaneous, as it 
 rose a little above the bushes, and before the echoes had died 
 away, the death-shriek of the warrior on the right followed 
 theru into the shadows. Ilarrod lay still for a long time
 
 JAMES HARROD, OF HARRODSBURG. 230 
 
 again before he concluded to try the manoeuvre over ; the cap 
 was cautiously elevated again, and this time drew but one 
 fire, for the Indians had taken warning. It effected all that 
 Harrod required, however, for it disclosed the exact position 
 of these two. He had only known the direction before, but 
 not the position, as his eyes had been occupied in watching 
 the one on the right in less than half a minute, the Indian 
 who had fired, exposed part of his body in sending home his 
 rod. Harrod shot him through the heart. 
 
 The other Indian commenced a rapid retreat. He got off, 
 but Harrod thought he carried a third ball with him. They 
 had been entirely deceived by the manoeuvre of the cap, and 
 the survivor was clearly of the opinion, that, as they had killed 
 two, there must be several white men there yet. Harrod pro- 
 ceeded at his leisure to dress the two deer they had brought 
 down, and that night entered the station, to the great joy of 
 all, with a full load of meat. 
 
 The benevolence of Harrod seems to have been equal to 
 his energy. His hut, one of the first erected in the country, 
 became at once the nucleus of a station thither the sur- 
 veyors, the speculators, the hunters and emigrants flocked 
 for shelter and protection, and the names of Harrodsburg and 
 Boonesborough became the first identified in the minds of 
 weary adventurers of every grade, to this dangerous region, 
 with the prospect of rest and the hope of security. Other 
 huts had rapidly gone up around his, until more secure de- 
 fences had become necessary, and a fort was built. 
 
 Thus, under the shelter of these two names, Boone and 
 Harrod, the permanent occupation of Kentucky by the white 
 race commenced. 
 
 These men, though both comparatively young, seem to 
 have reproduced in themselves perfectly the primitive type 
 of the ancient patriarchal character, which was so much 
 needed in the elementary condition of the society they w?ve 
 organizing. All new comers were their children they W.TC
 
 240 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 received as such with open arms, they were watched over, 
 guarded and guided, until they learned to stand alone and 
 take care of themselves, and, what was still more remarkable, 
 were allowed, without a murmur or a thought, to avail them- 
 selves of nearly all of the extraordinary labors and sufferings 
 of their noble and unselfish guardians. 
 
 For example, Boone, who might, as I mentioned before, 
 have been the richest man in the whole West, had he been as 
 grasping as he was good and wise, entered no land, and died 
 in wandering poverty, with no claim to one spot in that para- 
 dise into which he had led his countrymen. Harrod exhibited 
 the same unselfish traits, as we shall see. 
 
 When a new settler came, he inquired for a locality ; Har- 
 rod's knowledge of the surrounding country was at his ser- 
 vice ; he shouldered his axe, and helped the new comer run 
 up a hut the family out of meat, Harrod, by some necro- 
 mancy peculiar to himself, had found it out. He was off to the 
 woods, and soon a fine deer, or fat bear, or quarters of a 
 buffalo, was placed at their disposal. Their horses had 
 Btrayed in the range, with which the husband was not yet 
 familiar, and no ploughing could be done Harrod's incessant 
 activity has made the discovery in passing, that something 
 was wrong in the new clearing his frank and manly voice is 
 heard shouting from the fence, " Hilloa, Jones ! What's the 
 matter ? No ploughing done yet, I see ! Nothin' wrong, I 
 hope?" 
 
 " Well, yes ! the old horse been gone these five days 
 can't find him down thar in that cane-brake range been lost 
 myself already two whole days in looking for him, and I've 
 jest about gin it up." 
 
 "Never mind, Jones, you'll get used to that range some- 
 time before long that horse of your'n is a blood-bay, aint 
 he ?" 
 
 " Yes snip down the nose, and left hind foot white collar 
 marked bad on the shoulders."
 
 JAMES HARROD, OF HARRODSBURO. 241 
 
 " Good morning, Jones !" 
 
 A few hours afterwards, Jones' horse, with his snip on his 
 nose, is quietly driven up to the fence and turned in James 
 Harrod walks on. 
 
 News comes into the station that the Indians have attacked 
 the house of a settler, five miles distant, and murdered all the 
 family but the two daughters, whom they are hurrying off to 
 a brutal and perilous captivity the war-cry of Harrod is 
 instantly heard. 
 
 " Come, boys ! come, boys ! we must catch those rascals 
 we can't spare our girls !" 
 
 While his dark complexion glows with enthusiasm, and his 
 black eye flames again the men know their leader, for he is 
 off without them in a moment, and they are soon ready. 
 
 The swift and tireless pursuit, the wary approach to the 
 camp, the night attack, with its short, fierce struggle, the 
 rescue, the return, were all the not unusual incidents of their 
 wild life. 
 
 In the capacity of spy, guide or ranger captain, his excur- 
 sions into the Indian country were very daring and frequent. 
 There was no enterprise too audacious for his enthusiasm, 
 none requiring patience, dexterity, endurance of hunger, 
 thirst and fatigue, too serious for his cool self-reliance to 
 undertake, and that most frequently alone. He avoided, 
 when possible, having other men with him, for, he said, they 
 always complained of the hardships or the dangers before the 
 fun was fairly commenced with him, and therefore it cost him 
 more trouble to take care of them, than to do all there was 
 to be done himself, twice over. This extraordinary love of 
 solitary adventure was one of the marked characteristics 
 of James Harrod. Indeed, the Indians christened him the 
 "Lone Long-Knife," and dreaded his mysterious prowess 
 very greatly. 
 
 He on several occasions entered their villages in the night 
 to ascertain their plans; and once, when discovered by a 
 
 16
 
 242 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 young warrior, struck him to the earth with his huge fist, 
 and then threw himself into the neighboring forest, not 
 though without being seen and pursued; twenty or thirty 
 warriors followed him, and so close were they upon his heels 
 at the start, that their rifle balls showered like hail about 
 him. 
 
 The swiftness of Indian runners has passed into a proverb, 
 but they had a man before them more swift and tireless than 
 they. lie gained so much upon them that by the time they 
 reached the Miami, which was ten miles distant, there were 
 only three warriors who seemed to be continuing the chase. 
 
 Harrod swam the river without hesitation ; as he reached 
 the opposite bank they came up, and fired at him as he climbed 
 the bank ; the river was wide here, and the balls fell short. 
 He now took a tree upon the edge of the forest, and removing 
 the water-proof cover of deer's bladder from the lock of his 
 rifle, prepared for them, should they attempt to cross the 
 river. The Indians hesitated a moment, for it had now been 
 some time full daylight, and they seemed to have some appre- 
 hension that he might make a stand, but hearing at this in- 
 stant the coming yells of those who had fallen behind, they 
 replied, and plunged into the stream. 
 
 Ilarrod waited until they were more than half across, when 
 at the crack of his rifle, the foremost sank ; the other two 
 paused, then turned to go back, but before they could get out 
 of range, he wounded a second desperately, who gave himself 
 up to the current and was swept down. The third, by a 
 series of rapid dives, like the manoeuvres of a wounded wild 
 duck, succeeded in baffling the aim of Ilarrod, even, and got 
 out of range. 
 
 Ilarrod heard the furious howl of the main body of his out- 
 witted pursuers, who had reached the river as he was making 
 off again through the forest; the chase was not continued 
 further. 
 
 What adds not a little to the dramatic interest of this ad-
 
 JAMES HARROD, OF HARRODSBURG. 243 
 
 venture, is, that when, two hours afterward, Harrod struck 
 the bank of the Miami again, he saw upon a pile of drift 
 wood, which had collected at the mouth of one of the small 
 tributaries of the stream, some living object, which he took 
 for a large turtle glistening in the sun, as he struggled to 
 drag his unwieldy body upon the logs to bask. 
 
 He stopped to gaze ; and imagine his astonishment, when 
 he saw a tall Indian drag his body slowly from the water, and 
 finally seat himself upon the logs. He had lost his gun, and 
 commenced endeavoring to stifle the bleeding from a bullet 
 wound in his shoulder. Harrod knew that it was the second 
 Indian he had shot, and who had most probably reached one of 
 the pieces of drift wood of which the swollen river was at pre- 
 sent full, and sustained himself by it all this distance, badly 
 wounded as he was. 
 
 Here was a trial for such a man as Harrod ; his foe was 
 wounded and helpless ; take him prisoner he feared would be 
 impossible, and letting him escape he felt to be contrary to 
 his duty to his own people. He thought within himself some 
 little time before deciding upon his course, for shoot the poor 
 wretch he could not. 
 
 His determination formed, he made a wide circuit, and 
 crept cautiously upon the wounded warrior from behind ; a 
 large tree stood close to the drift, which being gained, Harrod 
 laid down his gun, then suddenly stepping into full view from 
 behind the tree, raised his hands to show that he was un- 
 armed. 
 
 " Uguh !" grunted the astonished warrior, making a sudden 
 movement as if to plunge into the water again. Harrod placed 
 his Band upon his heart, spoke two words in the Shawanee 
 tongue, when the Indian paused, and looking at him a moment 
 earnestly, bowed his head in token of submission. Harrod 
 helped him to the bank, tore his own shirt and bound up the 
 wound with cooling herbs ; and then, as he found the savage 
 unable to walk, threw him across his broad shoulders, and bore
 
 244 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 him, not to the station, but to a cave which he used aJ 
 one of his places of deposit. No one knew of the existence 
 cf this hiding-place but himself, and he had discovered it by 
 the accident of having driven a wounded bear into it. 
 
 The entrance was very small and covered with briars ; 
 pushing these aside, you looked down into what seemed a 
 dee.p well ; when the eye became accustomed to the darkness, 
 you could gradually discover a dry, white bottom. Harrod 
 had descended into it by means of a pole ladder which he had 
 let down ; this ladder, which is essentially a frontier con- 
 trivance, consists merely of a stout sapling, which is thick 
 set with limbs; the sapling being cut down, the limbs ars 
 chopped off within six inches from the trunk, thus leaving 
 excellent foothold to climb by. 
 
 When you reached the bottom, which was about twelve feet 
 below the surface, you found yourself in a small, but irregularly 
 shaped room, the ceiling of which was hung with many beau- 
 tiful and fantastic stalactites, from among which, and at the 
 farther extremity of the room, a small, clear stream, poured 
 steadily down into a white, round basin, which it had worn 
 into the solid limestone. 
 
 The little stream, after passing across the length of the 
 chamber, found vent through a dark hole in the wall, about 
 large enough to admit a man, crawling in on his hands and 
 knees. Here, over the whitest sand, it escaped into unknown 
 caverns beyond. From the point of every stalactite on the 
 ceiling a drop of water fell slowly upon stalactites rising to 
 meet them, many of which had assumed the most extraordi- 
 nary shapes. About twelve feet square of the ceiling and 
 floor of this singular subterranean chamber was as dry as 
 tinder. 
 
 I am thus particular in describing this cave, having once- 
 visited it, and been singularly impressed with the quaint 
 peculiarities of the place. Among other tilings, the steady 
 dropping of the water upon the white and ringing stalactites,
 
 JAMES HARROD, OF HARRODSBURG. 245 
 
 formed a sort of low harmonicon, the sweetness of which. I 
 shall never forget. 
 
 In this strange hiding-place, as the story goes, Harrod con- 
 cealed his wounded foe, for the generous hunter having once 
 determined to aid him, possessed too much magnanimity to 
 subject the proud warrior to the humiliation worse to him 
 than death, of being paraded before his white foes as a 
 prisoner. Harrod took care of him till his recovery, visiting 
 him regularly on his hunting excursions. When the warrior 
 grew strong again, Harrod gave him a supply of provisions, 
 and pointing towards the North, bade him return to his peo- 
 ple, and tell them how the "Long-Knife" treats his wouiided 
 foe. 
 
 Nothing was ever heard directly from this warrior again, 
 though Boone, who was aware of the circumstance, and who 
 was taken prisoner by the Shawanees a short time afterwards, 
 always attributed the kind treatment he received from the 
 Indians, and their good faith to eighteen of his men, to the 
 good offices of this grateful savage. These men were engaged, 
 under his command, in making salt at the saline springs, and 
 surrendered at his own suggestion, he having been surprised and 
 taken prisoner while hunting, and the promise of kind treat- 
 ment and release having been pledged to him by the Indians. 
 They, after taking their arms, ammunition, &c., permitted the 
 men to return to the station unharmed. They took Boone 
 with them, however, to Canada, where he was shortly ran- 
 somed. 
 
 The popularity of Harrod became very great ; for these 
 many extraordinary feats and kind acts were not his only 
 claims on the now rapidly increasing population of Ken- 
 tucky, for their respect and gratitude. His manly wisdom and 
 counsel, was fully equal to his efficiency in the field; for 
 though to the last he could barely write his name, and con- 
 tinued to be a man of few words, one short sentence of 
 his, direct, as it always was, and to the purpose, was of
 
 246 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 greater value in those times than all a mouthing demagogue 
 could utter in a year. 
 
 He was elected Colonel, married happily, a genuine Ken- 
 tucky girl, and was universally venerated and idolized, though 
 yet scarcely past his prime. His modesty was unconquera- 
 ble, and he shrunk from all honors which he could possibly 
 avoid. 
 
 Strange to say, not even the endearments of his happy 
 home, the love of his fellow citizens, or the charms of a society 
 daily increasing in refinement, could win him from that sin- 
 gular passion for solitary hunting, which seems to be general 
 and' peculiar to the Hunter-Naturalist, in whatever guise he 
 may be found for which Harrod was so remarkable. He 
 would still, rifle in hand, bury himself for weeks, and even 
 months, in some unpenetrated fastness of the wilderness, from 
 whence he would return as unexpectedly as he went, laden 
 with the trophies of the hunt. 
 
 Once he thus disappeared, never to return ! By what 
 casuality of the chase, or in what deadly contest with his 
 Indian foes, no one could ever more than conjecture. 
 
 Thus died a true hero ! as he would no doubt have chosen 
 best to die, amidst those wild, stern scenes he had so dearly 
 loved, and in fair battle with the chances that he gloried most 
 in daring. Face to face, with God, the ancient nature and 
 his foe, his noble heart was stilled, and his strong arm fell 
 nerveless ! 
 
 The wintry winds have moaned through stately mausole- 
 ums, indeed, but never yet wailed they a grander requiem, 
 above a nobler grave, than that wild spot of rocks and forest 
 where James Ilarrod lies ! He left, I believe, one daughter ; 
 and a large and respectable family, descended from her, still 
 lire in Harrodsburg and the neighborhood.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE FOX AND FOX HUNTING IN AMERICA. 
 
 REYNARD is a famous fellow, to be sure ! it behooves me 
 to be somewhat careful in making my approaches to a person 
 of such world-wide celebrity. 
 
 He is eminently an historical character, and one not lightly 
 to be dealt with, even from behind the ponderous shield of 
 science. His fame has been recounted, not alone in the sober 
 "chronicles of wasted time," but legend and romance have 
 given their voices to commemorate his deeds, and poets have 
 sung of them in high heroic strains. Witness that renowned 
 and venerable epic of the nursery, "Reynard the Fox," for 
 ' : what their antique pens would have expressed !" 
 
 But it must be confessed that your philosopher is a pro- 
 digious leveller. No antiquity is so remote that he will not 
 brush off the green rime of ages, to count the wrinkles on its 
 front ; no fame so awful or overshadowing, that he will not, 
 with familiar hands, stroke " the mane of darkness till it 
 smiles," and renders up the secrets of its glory. 
 
 It is only from this point of view that we account for un- 
 conscious and remarkable coolness, with which astute Natu- 
 ralists have seized Master Reynard by the nape of the neck, 
 to drag him forth from beneath the misty obscurations of 
 time, and hold him in the common light of day before the 
 eyes of the astonished world. Seeing that they have done 
 80, in spite of all savage growlings of his outraged histori- 
 cal dignity, even I can take courage, though with humility, 
 to give him now an additional shake. I shall accordingly 
 proceed to "beat out his fur," mathematically, so long as I 
 248
 
 FOX HUNTING IN AMERICA. 249 
 
 can hold a sober face in dealing "with a proverbially slippery 
 and facetious customer. 
 
 There are about twelve well known species belonging to 
 this genera, four of which are native to North America. 
 There are many disputes among Naturalists with regard to 
 the varieties of this animal. Instead of twelve, the number 
 of species has been extended to sixteen. Mr. Audubon, iu 
 his new work, the Quadrupeds of America, has discovered 
 that many of those animals which have been named and set 
 down as distinct species, are only varieties. As for instance, 
 the Cross Fox, the Black or Silver Fox, and the Red Fox, 
 have each been classed as a separate species heretofore ; but 
 he has shown, I think, conclusively, that the two first are 
 mere varieties of the last. 
 
 He found all three together in one litter. This fact in 
 itself, is very strong proof that he is right, for the Gray Fox 
 is never known to breed with either of these varieties ; and 
 the same is true of the Swift Fox and the Arctic Fox. This 
 is somewhat singular, for the Red Fox is well ascertained to 
 breed with the wolf and dog ; while a mortal antipathy is 
 thought to exist between it and the Gray Fox ; so great, 
 indeed, as to give rise to a common opinion, that the- Gray 
 Fox is exterminated by the Red wherever it makes its appear- 
 ance. 
 
 Furthermore, the celebrated Dr. Richardson adheres to 
 the same opinion, in common with the Indians, hunters and 
 trappers, who have a saying, with regard to the Rod Fox, 
 "This is not a Cross Fox yet, but it is becoming so !" The 
 European Fox is subject to similar varieties, and the Canis 
 crucigera of Gessen, differs from it in the same way that our 
 Cross Fox does from the Red one. On the whole then, I 
 regard it as a safe conclusion, that the Red and Gray Foxes 
 are the only distinct species we have within the present limits 
 of the States. 
 
 The slight variations of pelage, which have given rise to the
 
 250 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 belief of the existence of so many species, are not at all 
 extraordinary or peculiar ; and, indeed, this is the com- 
 mon cause of a vast and unnecessary accession of species, 
 which so complicates and involves the whole history of quad- 
 rupeds. Where such differences are not owning to age or 
 sex, they are frequently to the accidents of disease, locality, 
 climate, &c. I once saw three cubs taken from the bed of a 
 Gray Fox, two of which were white as milk, and the other 
 gray. It would have been very wise of me to have announced 
 the discovery of a new species on the strength of these 
 Albinoes ! 
 
 There is a curious and interesting case in point, given from 
 the personal experience of Dr. Bachman, the editorial asso- 
 ciate of Mr. Audubon in the " Quadrupeds." After pre- 
 mising that the swiftness of the animal has most probably 
 been greatly exaggerated, he says : 
 
 In regard to the cunning of this variety, there may be 
 some truth in the general opinion, but this can be accounted 
 for on natural principles ; the skin is considered very valuable, 
 and the animal is always regarded as a curiosity ; hence the 
 hunters make every endeavor to obtain one when seen, and 
 it would not be surprising if a constant succession of attempts 
 to capture it, together with the instinctive desire for self-pre- 
 servation possessed by all animals, should sharpen its wits 
 and render it more cautious and wild than those species that 
 are less frequently molested. "VYe remember an instance of 
 this kind, which we will here relate. 
 
 A Cross Fox, nearly black, was frequently seen in a par- 
 ticular cover. "We offered what was in those days considered 
 a high premium for the animal in the flesh. The Fox was 
 accordingly chased, and shot at by the farmers' boys in the 
 neighborhood. The autumn and winter passed away, nay, 
 a whole year, and still the Fox was going at large. It Avas 
 at last regarded by some of the more credulous, as possess- 
 ing a charmed life, and it was thought that nothing but a silver
 
 FOX HUNTING IN AMERICA. 251 
 
 ball could kill it. In the spring we induced one of our ser- 
 vants to dig for the young foxes that had been seen at the 
 burrow, which was known to be frequented by the Cross Fox. 
 With an immense deal of labor and fatigue the young were 
 dug out from the side of a hill ; there were seven. Unfor- 
 tunately we were obliged to leave home, and did not return 
 until after they had been given away, and were distributed 
 about the neighborhood. 
 
 Three were said to have been black, the rest were red. 
 The blackest of the young whelps was retained for us ; and 
 we frequently saw at the house of a neighbor another of the 
 litter that was red, and differed in no respect from the com- 
 mon Red Fox. The older our little pet became, the less it 
 grew like the Black, and the more like the Cross Fox. It was, 
 very much to our regret, killed by a dog when about six 
 months old, and as far as we can recollect, was nearly of the 
 color. 
 
 The following autumn we determined to try our hand at 
 procuring the enchanted fox, which was the parent of these 
 young varieties, as it could always be started in the same 
 vicinity. We obtained a pair of fine fox hounds, and gave 
 chase. The dogs were young, and proved no match for the 
 fox, which generally took a straight direction through cleared 
 fields for five or six miles, after which it began winding and 
 twisting among the hills, where the hounds on two occasions 
 lost the scent, and returned home. 
 
 On a third hunt, we took our stand near the corner of an 
 old field, at a spot we had twice observed it to pass. It came 
 at last, swinging its brush from side to side, and running 
 with great rapidity, three quarters of a mile ahead of the 
 dogs, which were yet out of hearing. A good aim removed 
 the mysterious charm. We killed it with squirrel shot without 
 the aid of a silver bullet. It was nearly jet-black, with the 
 tip of the tail white. This fox was the female which had 
 produced the young of the previous spring, that we have just
 
 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 spoken of; and as some of them, as we have already said, 
 were Cross Foxes, and others Red Foxes, this has settled tho 
 question in our minds that both the Cross Fox and the Black 
 Fox are mere varieties of the Red. 
 
 Here I will dismiss this question, premising the conviction 
 confirmed out of my own experience by the facts given above, 
 that the three varieties, the Black, Cross and Red Foxes, will 
 be found to be about as nearly identical as three specimens 
 of the common American Skunk, taken from the same bed, 
 one of which will be banded, another barred, and another 
 mottled. 
 
 But the Editors of the Quadrupeds of America, have been, 
 after some hesitation, bold enough to go with Cuvier in a most 
 decided innovation upon the old formulas of classification. 
 
 They say, the characters of this genus differ so slightly 
 from those of the genus canis, that they were induced to pause 
 before removing it from the sub-genus in which it had so 
 long remained. 
 
 I do not perceive that there was any special reason for 
 doubt about the matter, for I have always been surprised that 
 the foxes have not been recognized by Naturalists through all 
 time as a separate genus. The common sense of mankind 
 has always so placed them, but it seems that the common 
 sense of Naturalists has been something different. 
 
 Nobody but a tcchnicalist was ever satisfied with seeing the 
 fox ranked as a sub-genus of canis. Apart from slight physi- 
 cal coincidents, it is so distinct in habits, character, &c., that 
 we could quite as readily be content to see the humming-bird 
 classed as a moth ! There is about as much reason for the 
 one as the other. The truth seems to me to be, that as the 
 humming-bird, though distinct in its own character, forms 
 the connecting link between insects and birds, so docs the 
 fox that between the genera canis and lynx ; which last, it 
 will be remembered, was once, in a like manner, classed as 
 a Feline.
 
 FOX HUNTING IN AMERICA. 253 
 
 Here comes in a reflection which pertinently illustrates the 
 ladder-like ascension of scientific inquiry towards truth. 
 Before Linnaeus, the methods of classification were so vague 
 that nothing more definite could be said of them, than that 
 food, size, shape and color were the principal rules. But 
 the great classifier made an immense advance upon this loose 
 mode, and his terse definitions are perfect, so far as external 
 signs can go, or an accurate knowledge of habits substantiate 
 them. Buffon, who repudiated systems, only made confusion 
 worse confounded ; and in the fierce collisions which ensued 
 between his followers and their technicalists, (who swore by 
 their master, the great Swede,) all systems of classification 
 seemed to be in danger of being swept overboard. 
 
 Cuvier at once stepped to the helm and righted everything. 
 He brought along with him, not alone the strong arm and the 
 commanding eye, which wield success, but as well, a heavy 
 ballast of f6ssil remains, and huge pre-Adamite bones, which 
 soon steadied the storm-shaken vessel. Now, Naturalists 
 were for the first time forced to realize, though unwillingly, 
 that the only absolute and mathematical law of classification 
 in Zoology, was to be looked for in the dental and osseous struc- 
 ture. The old methods are accepted as suggestive adjuncts, 
 but by no means as absolute authority. 
 
 In the dental formula of the genus vulpes, there is only a 
 slight, but decisive difference from that of the genus canis ; 
 the upper incisor being less curved. It was, however, suffici- 
 ent to determine Cuvier. The other marked traits of differ- 
 ence are, that animals of this genus, generally, are smaller, 
 and the number of species known, greater, than among the 
 wolves ; they diffuse a foetid odor, dig burrows, and attack 
 none but the weaker quadrupeds, or birds, &c. Yet, despite 
 their courage upon this point, the venerable Editors of the 
 " Quadrupeds," with characteristic caution, persist in what 
 may be called "hedging their position," when they say: 
 
 As a general rule, we are obliged to admit that a fox is a
 
 54 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 wolf, and a small wolf may be termed a fox. Commend us 
 to consistency, say I ! 
 
 The genus vulpes of Cuvier is now established, has become 
 a fixed fact of science among us, as it ought to have been 
 considered long ago ! The other two species, beside the 
 Gray and Red, which go to make up the complement of four 
 assigned to North America, are the Swift Fox and the Arctic 
 Fox. 
 
 The Swift Fox inhabits the Missouri and Platte Rivers, 
 west to the Rocky Mountains. It is a very extraordinary 
 creature. Although the smallest of American foxes, it is by 
 far the fleetest. In traversing the wild region where it is 
 native, I heard from the hunters and trappers most marvel- 
 ous tales of its swiftness, some of which placed it even along- 
 side the horse and antelope in this respect, and far beyond 
 any other animal on the plains. These stories are to be 
 taken with considerable allowance. I saw it frequently, but 
 had no fair opportunity of testing its speed thoroughly though 
 there is one observation which I made, that may be worth 
 giving in this connection. 
 
 The vast bare extent and undulating surface of those plains 
 seem to have had a somewhat remarkable effect in developing 
 powers of flight and pursuit, in most of the creatures inhabiting 
 them, and more particularly in the smaller ones ; and there is 
 quite as much of this exaggerated story-telling to be met with 
 upon the lips of these same wandering hunters and trappers, 
 with regard to the great-cared rabbit of the plains further 
 South. This animal is represented by them as a miracle of 
 speed ; and I am, from my own observation, disposed to give 
 a large proportion of credit to their representations. 
 
 I have witnessed in them such astonishing power of getting 
 over the ground, that they almost seemed to defy pursuit. 
 It was " more like flying than running," as the hunters say. 
 The total absence upon these wild plains of any of those 
 facilities for concealment, refuge or escape, which are afforded
 
 FOX HUNTING IN AMERICA. 255 
 
 elsewhere, by trees, shrubs, rocks, holes, &c., renders the 
 whole game of flight and pursuit a plain, straight-forward 
 matter of hard running on both sides ; so that it is no great 
 wonder after all, if the heels of both the predatory and fugi- 
 tive animals should be somewhat cultivated. As civilization 
 is extended toward these remote regions, we shall know more 
 of the habits of these fleet children of the solitudes, it is to be 
 hoped. 
 
 The Arctic Fox is more familiar to us, though really far 
 more distant, and living among more unpropitious and appa- 
 rently inaccessible fastnesses, locked in by icebergs. 
 
 I shall merely say of it, that it is the only one of the genus 
 which we think at all justifies the remark, that " a large fox 
 is a wolf, and a small wolf may be termed a fox." It is much 
 more like the jackal and wolf in its habits ; like them, it is 
 gregarious, when pressed with hunger, and is known, like 
 them, to hunt in packs. 
 
 But the Red and Gray Foxes are the most interesting, for 
 around them all the legendary and historical memorabilia 
 of the genus cluster. This Red Fox must be the same mighty 
 embodiment of quadrupedal treachery, upon whose sneaking 
 head the indignant Chaucer loosened such an avalanche of 
 bitter epithet and grand comparison 
 
 " false morel erour reecking in thy den ! 
 newe Scariot, newe Genelon, 
 false dissimulour, Greek Sinon, 
 That brouglitest Troye al utterly to roune." 
 
 And I fear he has not much improved in manners since ; 
 for so well is the slipperiness of his reputation understood, 
 that his most earnestly solicitous friends, the sportsmen, not 
 to speak of Naturalists, are to this day puzzled with regard 
 to his identity. It is a question now of grave dispute, whether 
 this " false morderour," denounced into immortality by Chau- 
 cer, be identical with the personage known by the same name 
 among us one party strenuously maintaining that the Red
 
 256 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Fox of America is entitled to the glory of such high descent, 
 while the other sturdily contends that our Fox is an abori- 
 ginal Fox, and by no means deserving of such hard names as 
 Chaucer used with regard to the English Fox. 
 
 This dispute is rather curious and amusing than serious. I 
 shall look over some of the grounds of this interesting contro- 
 versy. One party contends most earnestly that it is the 
 European Fox, which was brought over by one of the Conti- 
 nental Governors, who was an ardent sportsman, and who 
 turned a pair or more loose to breed on Long Island ; that 
 finally they escaped, they or their descendants, over to the 
 main land, and have since migrated South and West. 
 
 The other party contends that it is a native species, and 
 comes from the North, migrating as many other species of 
 quadrupeds and birds, as well as nations of men have done 
 towards the South. 
 
 The last argument appears to me to be the true one, be- 
 cause, in the first place, although there are many points of 
 general resemblance, which might deceive any but careful 
 Naturalists, yet it has been found, when the two animals 
 have been brought together and critically compared by them, 
 that they are quite clearly distinct. This, of itself, ought to 
 be enough to settle the question ; but when we come to 
 remember, in the second place, that the Red Fox and all its 
 varieties is a Northern animal, and that from its cunning and 
 sagacity, it would always make a convenience of the neigh- 
 borhood of man, for the purpose of preying upon his domesti- 
 cated creatures, we can well understand how its progress 
 South should have been quite as gradual as that of well 
 stocked barn-yards and fat flocks of geese. 
 
 The case is to me a perfectly plain one ; and the answer to 
 the multiplied inquiries I hear from old sportsmen ""\Vhcther 
 it is that the Red Fox has degenerated, or that our hounds, 
 through careful breeding, have been appreciated in speed ? 
 since it is true that the Red Fox is now taken with ease in
 
 FOX HUNTING IN AMERICA. 257 
 
 two hours at most, when we thought ourselves fortunate, 
 when he first came amongst us, if we run him down in 
 twelve," is equally plain. He is a Northern animal, and 
 the fat living you give him, and your warm climate, have 
 degenerated the gaunt starveling of the North. 
 
 Godman, in his American Natural History, disposes of the 
 question in quite a summary manner, and, no doubt, greatly 
 to his own satisfaction. He says : 
 
 By the fineness of its fur, the liveliness of its color, 
 length of limbs, and slenderness of body, as well as the form 
 of its skull, the Red Fox of America is obviously distinguished 
 from the common fox of Europe, to which, in other respects, 
 it bears a resemblance sufficiently striking to mislead an inci- 
 dental observer. 
 
 But to suppose this question of varieties settled, we may 
 proceed in justice to say that with all his persecution Reynard 
 has never been remarkable for ill-nature, except after the 
 manner of a practical joker, who gives and takes ; he has too 
 great regard for his ancient and privileged character as a 
 humorist, ever to show his teeth savagely, except when fully 
 cornered, and then he dies game. No wonder the gall of bitter- 
 ness should be stirred within him at the venal and unfair 
 method of pursuit common in the Northern States, where the 
 Cross Fox is hunted by countrymen on foot through the snow. 
 
 The dogs used are a mongrel cross upon the cur hound and 
 grayhound. This animal is stronger and swifter than any 
 thorough-bred, and better suited for this peculiar purpose 
 for the object is simply to get the skin and turn it into dollais 
 and cents in the most direct possible manner. There is no 
 poetry or chivalry in this kind of chase, of which Dr. Bach- 
 man gives the following account. 
 
 o o 
 
 In the fresh-fallen and deep snows of mid-winter, the 
 hunters are most successful. During these severe snow 
 storms, the ruffled grouse, called in our Eastern States the 
 partridge, is often snowed up and covered over ; or sometimes 
 
 17
 
 258 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 plunges from on wing into the soft snow, where it remains 
 concealed for a day or two. The fox occasionally surprises 
 these birds, and as he is usually stimulated at this inclement 
 season, by the gnawings of hunger, he is compelled to seek 
 for food by day as well as by night ; his fresh track may be 
 seen in the fields, along the fences, and on the skirts of the 
 farm-yard, as well as in the deep forest. Nothing is easier 
 than to track the fox under these favorable circumstances, 
 and the trail having been discovered, it is followed up until 
 Reynard is started. 
 
 Now the chase begins ; the half-hound yells out, in tones 
 far removed from the mellow notes of the thorough-bred dog, 
 but equally inspiriting, perhaps, through the clear frosty air, 
 as the solitary hunter eagerly follows, as fast as his limited 
 powers of locomotion will admit. At intervals of three or 
 four minutes, the sharp cry of the dog resounds, the fox has no 
 time to double and shuffle, the dog is at his heels almost, and 
 speed, speed, is his only hope of life. Now the shrill baying 
 of the hound becomes irregular ; we may fancy he is at the 
 throat of his victim ; the hunter is far in the rear, toiling 
 along the track which marks the course so well contested, 
 but occasionally the voice of his dog, softened by the distance, 
 is borne on the wind to his car. 
 
 For a mile or two the fox keeps ahead of his pursuer ; but 
 the latter has the longest legs, and the snow impedes him less 
 than it does poor Reynard. Every bound and plunge into 
 the snow diminishes the distance between the fox and his 
 relentless foe. Onward they rush, through field, fence, brush- 
 wood, and open forest, the snow flying from bush and briar 
 as they dart through the copse, or speed across the newly 
 cleared field. 
 
 But this desperate race cannot last longer ; the fox must 
 gain his burrow, or some cavernous rock, or he dies. Alas ! 
 he lias been lured too far away fiom his customary haunts, 
 and from his secure retreq t, in search of prey ; he is unable
 
 FOX HUNTING IN AMERICA. 259 
 
 to reach his home ; the dog is even now within a foot of his 
 brush. 
 
 One more desperate leap, and with a sudden snappish 
 growl he turns upon his pursuer, and endeavors to defend 
 himself with his sharp teeth. For a moment he resists the 
 dog, hut is almost instantly overcome. He is not killed, how- 
 ever, in the first onset ; both dog and fox are so fatigued that 
 they now sit on their haunches, facing each other, resting, 
 panting, their tongues hanging out, and the foam from their 
 lips dropping on the snow. 
 
 After fiercely eyeing each other for awhile, both become 
 impatient the former to seize his prey, the other to escape. 
 At the first leap of the fox the dog seizes him ; with renewed 
 vigor he seizes him by the throat, and does not loose his hold 
 until the snow is stained with blood, and the fox lies rumpled, 
 draggled, with blood-shot eye, and frothy, open mouth, a 
 mangled carcase on the ground. 
 
 The hunter soon comes up : he has made several short cuts, 
 guided by the baying of his hound; and striking the deep 
 trail in the snow again, at a point much nearer the scene of 
 the death-struggle, he hurries toward the place where the last 
 cry was heard, and pushes forward in a half run until ho 
 meets his dog, which, on hearing his master approach, gene- 
 rally advances towards him, and leads the way to the place 
 where he has achieved his victory. 
 
 There are yet more unfair modes of taking this gallant 
 animal, known at the North, the very mention of which would 
 make the warm blood of a genuine fox-hunter boil over with 
 contemptuous indignation. 
 
 The fox is pursued over the snow by one of the scrubby 
 mongrels above mentioned, until he is fairly earthed, when 
 the sportsman, as he is facetiously called, comes up with 
 spade and pick-axe on his shoulder, and after cooly surveying 
 the ground, prepares to dig him out. His labor at this season 
 is worth something less than a dollar a day, and if he sue-
 
 260 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 ceeds in digging out the poor fox, he will receive from five 
 to seven dollars for the valuable skin, which would be a con- 
 siderable advance upon what he gets for fair and honorable 
 labor. 
 
 Alas ! poor Reynard, for all the dignity of ancient asso- 
 ciations, 
 
 " To what base uses do we come at last." 
 
 The countryman throws off his coat, goes doggedly to work, 
 and, after hours of digging, perhaps succeeds in dragging out 
 and knocking the poor beast upon the head, and then swings 
 the inglorious trophy upon his back to trudge away, triumph- 
 ing in the prospective dollars. It may be he has to smoke 
 poor Reynard to death in his hole, or else knock him on the 
 nose as he rushes forth to the fresh air. 
 
 Truly this may be called " Crucigera," the cross-bearing 
 variety of the genus, since it is subjected to such unorthodox 
 and savage modes of persecution, which certainly entitle it to 
 the crown of martyrdom, if not to the meeker glory of bear- 
 ing the cross for the sins of all its wicked and witty family. 
 Indeed, all the twelve tribes, in whatever part of the world 
 they are found, may be said to "bear the cross" of slander 
 and unmerited abuse from the whole quadrupidal kingdom. 
 
 But Reynard having somehow mysteriously, got a bad name 
 for himself, is made amenable for all the cunning, sly, 
 audacious things done among the animals, and is therefore 
 considered, and really known to be, a grievously wicked per- 
 son. 
 
 "It is no harm to abuse a poor devil whom the world 
 unites in abusing," is the magnanimous motto of the mob, 
 and poor Reynard has the full benefit of it, in an amount of 
 obloquy and buffeting which would surely have been sufficient 
 to chasten and reform the life of any but such an incorrigible. 
 
 I rather think he glories in bearing the cross, and courta 
 martyrdom. I can perceive no symptoms of amendment.
 
 POX HUNTING IN AMERICA. 261 
 
 He is still the glozing and subtle intriguant of the Greek 
 fables. The old "romaunt" is still being enacted, and "all 
 the beasts complain of the fox," daily and hourly, until king 
 lion roars in .wrath against his wily minister. 
 
 I fear there is no sober reform or hopeful redemption for 
 the sad scamp, since his quaint malfeasances, instead of be- 
 coming more tempered and ameliorated by time, have grown 
 only the more glaring and impudent as history brings him 
 nearer to us. 
 
 Verily, it is a sad story that the records tell, for Chaucer 
 found him still " a col fox, full of sleigh iniquitie," even in 
 his day. The young poet, in the prattle of his " garrulous 
 god, innocence," tells us a dreadful story of the morals and 
 manners of Reynard in his time. 
 
 I think it should be blazoned now in the self-same words 
 of him 
 
 "Who first with harmony informed our tongue," 
 
 that it may be kept before the eyes of all modern and juvenile 
 Reynards, as a warning and example of the fearful conse- 
 quences following upon the unrestrained indulgence of the 
 predatory instinct they have inherited. It appears from 
 Chaucer's evidence, that " Russel, the fox," alias Reynard, 
 (for like all thieves and robbers he has an alias,} did 
 
 " By high imagination forecast " 
 (which hints, I suppose, at clairvoyance,) find his way 
 
 "Into the yerde, there chaunticlere the faire 
 Was vont and eke his wives to repaire." 
 
 This was of course only one of his accustomed jokes ; ami 
 although he certainly seemed to be "on the sneak" when 
 crouching 
 
 " in a bed of \vortes, still he lay," 
 
 no intimate admirer of his ancestral glory would have sus-
 
 262 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 pected what dire and shameless purpose brought him there ! 
 The poet denounces him, as we haye seen, with a just and 
 dreadful denunciation, which, it would seem, must have been 
 sufficient to arouse the conscience of anybody else, and s?nd 
 him with rebuked tail between his legs abashed away. But, 
 nevertheless, observe how coldly it has fallen upon his deaf 
 ear, and how, with oily words of glozing courtesy, he proceeds 
 to assail the gallant and unsuspecting cock, upon his weak 
 side of vanity and family pride. He tells him blandly 
 
 " Save you ne herd I never man so sing 
 As did your fader in the morwening." 
 
 The silly bird believes him, and 
 
 " Stood high upon his toos, 
 
 Stretching his neck and held his eyen cloos, 
 And gan to crowen loud for the nones, 
 And Dan Russel, the fox, start up at ones, 
 And by the garget heute chaunticlere, 
 And on his back towards the wood him bere." 
 
 Then arises at sight of the daring depredator, the many- 
 tongued hubbub of the barn-yard. 
 
 "The sely widow and her daughtren two," 
 
 rush out in pursuit with broom-sticks and with staves, and 
 cry " harow and wala wa, a ha, the fox !" and after him, too, 
 
 "Ran Colle, our dog, and Talbot and Gerlond, 
 And Malkin with her distaf in hire hond ; 
 Ran cow and calf, and eke the veray hoggs." 
 * * * * * * 
 
 "They ronncn so hem thought their hertes breke, 
 They yellcden as fendes don in hell, 
 The dokes crieden as men would hem quelle, 
 The gees for feur flowen over the trees, 
 Out of the hive came the swarm of bees, 
 So hideous was the noise a bcnrdicte!" 
 
 Shocking and abhorrent as is the view of the moral life of 
 Russel, alias Reynard, here presented by the simple-hearted
 
 FOX HUNTING IN AMEKICA. 263 
 
 chronicler, there are yet more grievous and solemn charges 
 laid to his door in the " Shepherd's Callender." I cannot 
 but devoutly hope that the grand old Spencer is rather, in 
 this case, after the confirmed manner of his " Faerie Queen," 
 indulging in metaphor, than telling a veritable incident out 
 of his own knowledge. His ominous words are concerning 
 
 " A wily fox, that having spide, 
 
 Where on a sunny bank the lambes doo play, 
 Full closely creeping by the hinder side, 
 Lyes in ambushment of his hoped prey, 
 Ne stirreth limbe till seeing readie tide, 
 He rushetli forth and snatcheth quite away 
 One of the little younglings unawares." 
 
 This bloody, but cold and sneaking crime, wrought on in- 
 nocence, so white-wooled, gaily, meek and unsuspecting, is 
 too fearful to dwell upon. I can only drop the curtain here 
 for the present, hoping that Reynard may not prove guilty, 
 according to the poet's showing ! 
 
 Certainly we are not much comforted when we take up the 
 character of the " Gray Fox." Comparisons are proverbially 
 odious, yet as an accurate historian, I have felt myself com- 
 pelled to make them. 
 
 It must be admitted that the Gray Fox, as compared with 
 the Red, is something of a sneak ! They are both four-footed 
 Jesuits, to be sure, but the latter is stouter, and besides has 
 a family name, an ancestral glory to sustain ! He is the 
 Don Quixote of the foxes, and therefore we can well under- 
 stand his hen-roost chivalry, not to speak of his barn-yard 
 heroics ! 
 
 Though we admit him to be great, we cannot help recog- 
 nizing the Gray Fox as the special embodiment of all the 
 blarney and lower cunning of the race. We are most familiar 
 with him at the South, and feel a sort of local jealousy for 
 his fame and character. We flatter ourselves that he can 
 afford to be guilty of a few peccadillos, since they are con- 
 trasted by such extraordinary attributes.
 
 264 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Let anybody read the subjoined anecdote, by the Editor? 
 of the " Quadrupeds," and say afterwards, if he can, that 
 the Gray Fox is not an extraordinary animal ! 
 
 On a cold, drizzly, sleety, rainy day, while travelling in 
 Carolina, we observed a Gray Fox in a field of broom-grass, 
 coursing against the wind and hunting, in the manner of the 
 pointer dog. We stopped to witness his manoeuvres ; sud- 
 denly he stood still, and squatted low on his haunches ; a 
 moment after he proceeded on once more, but with slow and 
 cautious steps ; at times his nose was raised higher in the air, 
 moving about from side to side. At length he seemed to be sure 
 of his game, and went straight forward, although very slowly, 
 at times crawling on the earth; he was occasionally hidden 
 by the grass, so that we could not see him very distinctly ; 
 however, at length we observed him make a dead halt. There 
 was no twisting or horizontal movement of the tail, like that 
 made by the common house-cat when ready to make a spring, 
 but his tail seemed resting on the side, whilst his ears were 
 drawn back and his head raised only a few inches from the 
 earth. 
 
 He remained in this attitude nearly half a minute, and 
 then made a sudden pounce upon his prey ; at the same in- 
 stant the whirring of the distracted covey was heard, as the 
 affrighted birds took wing ; two or three sharp screams suc- 
 ceeded, and the successful prowler immediately passed out 
 of the field with an unfortunate partridge in his mouth, evi- 
 dently with the intention of seeking a more retired spot to 
 make a dainty meal. 
 
 We had a gun with us, and he passed within long gun shot 
 of us. But we did not wound or destroy him? He has 
 enabled us, for the first time, to bear witness that he is not 
 only a dog, but a good pointer in the bargain ; he has obeyed 
 an impulse of nature, and obtained a meal in the manner in 
 which it was intended by the wise Creator that he should bo 
 supplied. lie seizes only a single bird, whilst man, who
 
 TOX HUNTING IN AMERICA. 265 
 
 vrould weak liis vengeance on this poacher among the game, 
 is not satisfied until he has killed half the covey with the 
 murderous gun, or caught the whole brood in a trap, and 
 wrung off their necks in triumph. 
 
 Condemn not the fox too hastily ; he has a more strikingly 
 carnivorous tooth than yourself, indicating the kind of food 
 he is required to seek ; he takes no wanton pleasure in destroy- 
 ing the bird ; he exhibits to his companions no trophies of his 
 skill, and is contented with a meal; whilst you are not satisfied 
 when your capacious bird-bag is filled. 
 
 This anecdote is very curious and interesting for several 
 reasons. In the first place, it exhibits the fox in a new cha- 
 racter of higher intelligence, than he has credit for possessing, 
 and in the next, it goes far towards confirming the old 
 Spanish legend, with regard to the pointer dog. This repre- 
 sents the pointer as a made variety, and not an original race. 
 
 The legend represents that a Spanish monk, first observed, 
 in the wild dog of Andalusia, the trick of pausing before the 
 spring upon its prey. As this pause was longer than in any 
 other animal, the idea was at once suggested, that by train- 
 ing, this habit might be made useful. He accordingly tamed 
 a number of these dogs, and finding them somewhat deficient 
 in p.'ze, docility and scent, crossed them upon the nobler spe- 
 cies of hound, and hence the pointer was derived. 
 
 I have always been inclined to regard this remarkable story 
 as giving somewhere near the true origin of the pointer, and 
 think it most likely that the wild dog mentioned, was a tran- 
 sition species between the wolf and fox. But apart from 
 these conjectures, this incident illustrates from an entirely 
 new point of view, the predatory habits of the species. 
 
 In the older States, as all other game has been nearly ex- 
 terminated, these nine-lived creatures seem only to have 
 become more abundant, more sagacious and more popular. 
 Spanccr, in his " Shepherd's Callendcr," very clearly inti 
 mates that this is not the first time in the history of men
 
 2G6 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTEKS. 
 
 and foxes, that such a condition of things had existed. He 
 Bays: 
 
 " Well is it known that sith the Gascon King, 
 Never was wolf seen, many nor some ; 
 Nor in all Kent nor in Christendome ; 
 But the fewer wolves (the sooth to sain,) 
 The more bene the foxes that here remaine." 
 
 This animal seems to have been able to take care of itself, 
 wh?n all others have vanished before the exterminating tread 
 of human progress. The game laws protect the Red Fox in 
 England to an uncertain degree ; but the Gray Fox protects 
 it. 1 ] elf here in a certain degree, without the aid of game laws, 
 and seems in many districts, to defy all our efforts to exter- 
 minate it ; while its sagacity, dexterity and cunning, seem 
 only to have been increased by the difficulties and dangers of 
 its environment. 
 
 Fox-hunting in the Middle and Southern States, is quite 
 as much a subject of enthusiasm, as it has been in England ; 
 although it is neither so expensive nor so technical with us. 
 We don't pay fifty guineas a couple for our hounds, or keep 
 studs of "hunters" at prodigious cost; yet we are fox-hunt- 
 ers after a rude and untechnical manner ; and although we 
 do not ride in white tops and corduroys, yet we ride to the 
 purpose ; and through the rude and break-neck exigencies of 
 thicket, forest, fallen trees, precipitous hills, rough rocks, 
 precipices, quaggy swamps and fatal quicksands, we are still 
 the eager and staunch hunters of a game as staunch. Our 
 horses doubly trained in the deer and fox-hunt, are more 
 wiry and active than the English hunters, although they may 
 not be so heely in passing over open ground, or so well trained 
 in leaping over hedges and ditches ! And, finally, as for 
 dogs, their genealogies have been quite scrupulously preserved 
 in the old Scates. Even at this day, we frequently find tho 
 SKakspcrian ideal of the dog, still carefully maintained :
 
 'FOX HUNTING IN AMERICA. 207 
 
 " My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind, 
 So flew'd, so sanded; and their heads are hung 
 With ears that sweep away the morning dew, 
 Crook-knee'd and dew-lapped, like Thessalian bulls 
 Slow in pursuit, but matched in mouth-like bells." 
 
 From Maryland to Florida, and farther west, through Ken- 
 tucky and Alabama to Mississippi and Louisiana, fox-hunting 
 next to deer hunting is the favorite amusement of sportsmen, 
 and the chase of that animal may in fact be regarded ex- 
 clusively as a southern sport in the United States, as the fox 
 is never followed on horseback in the North, where the rocky 
 and precipitous character of the surface in many districts 
 prevents the best riders from attempting it ; whilst in others, 
 our sturdy, independent farmers would not like to see a dozen 
 or more horsemen leaping through fences, and with break- 
 neck speed gallopping through the wheat-fields, or other "fall" 
 crops. Besides, the Red Fox, which is more generally found 
 in the northern States than the gray species, runs so far 
 before the dogs that he is seldom seen, although the huntsmen 
 keep up with the pack, and after a chase of ten miles, during 
 which he may not have been once seen, he perhaps takes 
 refuge in some deep fissure of a rock, or in an impenetrable 
 burrow, which of course ends the sport, very much to the 
 satisfaction of the fox. 
 
 In the southern States, on the contrary, the ground is, in 
 many cases, favorable to this amusement, and the planter sus- 
 tains but little injury from the passing hunt, as the Gray 
 Fox usually courses through woods or worn out old fields, 
 keeping on high dry ground, and seldom, during the chase, 
 running across a cultivated plantation. 
 
 In fox-hunting, it is well known that the horse usually 
 becomes as much excited as his rider; and at the cry of the 
 hounds, I have known an old steed, which had been turned 
 loose in the woods to pick up a subsistence, prick up his ears,
 
 268 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 and in an instant start off full gallop until he overtook the 
 pack, keeping in the run until the chase was ended. 
 
 In the older southern States the modes of hunting the Gray 
 Fox are much alike. To the sound of winding horns the 
 neighboring gentry collect at an appointed place, each accom- 
 panied by his favorite dogs, and usually a negro driver to 
 manage them and keep them from starting deer. Mounted 
 on fine horses, accustomed to the sport, they send in the 
 hounds and await the start, chatting in a group, collected in 
 some by-road, or some high spot of open ground from which 
 they can hear every sound borne upon the breeze. Thickets 
 on the edges of plantations, briar patches, and deserted 
 fields covered with bloom-grass, are places where the fox is 
 most likely to have his bed. The trail he has left behind him 
 during his nocturnal rambles being struck, the hounds are 
 encouraged by the voices of their drivers to as great speed aa 
 the devious course it leads them will permit. Now they scent 
 the trail the fox has left along the field, when in search of 
 partridges, meadow-larks, rabbits or field-mice ; presently 
 they trace his footsteps to some large log, from whence he has 
 jumped on to a worm-fence, and after walking a little way 
 on it, leaped a ditch and skulked towards the borders of a 
 marsh. Through all his crooked ways the sagacious hounds 
 unravel his trail, until he is suddenly roused, perchance from 
 a dreamy vision of fat hens, geese or turkeys, and with a 
 general cry, the whole pack, led on by the staunchest and 
 best dogs, open-mouthed and eager, join the chase. The 
 startled fox makes two or three rapid doublings, and then sud- 
 denly flies to a cover, perhaps a quarter of a mile off, and 
 sometimes thus puts the hounds off the scent for a few minutes, 
 as when cool and at first starting his scent is not so strong as 
 that of the Red Fox. 
 
 After the chase has continued for a quarter of an hour or 
 so, and the animal is somewhat heated, his track is followed
 
 POX HUNTING IN AMERICA. 269 
 
 with greater ease and quickness, and the scene becomes ani- 
 mating and exciting. Now the masters dash into the chase, 
 and with wild, eager yells of bursting excitment, they spur 
 after the roaring pack and regardless plunge at headlong 
 speed over and through the difficulties of the ground. 
 
 When the woods are free from underbrush, which is often 
 the case in Virginia and the Carolinas, the grass and bushes 
 being burnt almost annually, many of the sportsmen keep up 
 with the dogs, and the fox is frequently in sight. He now 
 resorts to some of the manoeuvres for which he is famous ; 
 he . plunges into a thicket, doubles, runs into the water, leaps 
 on to a log, or perhaps gets upon a worm fence and runs 
 along the top of it for a hundred yards, leaping from it with 
 a desperate bound and continuing his flight in the vain hope 
 of escape. At length he becomes fatigued ; he once more 
 drives into the closest thickets, where he doubles hurriedly ; 
 he hears and even sees the dogs upon him, and as a last resort 
 climbs a small tree. The hounds and hunters are almost in- 
 stantly at the foot of it, and while the former are barking 
 fiercely at the terrified animal, the latter usually determine 
 to give him another chance for his life. The dogs are taken 
 off to a little distance, and the fox is forced to leap to the 
 ground by reaching him with a long pole or throwing a billet 
 of wood at him ; he is allowed a quarter of an hour before 
 the hounds are permitted to pursue him ; but he is now less 
 able to escape than before, he has become stiff and chill, is 
 soon overtaken, and falls an easy prey, turning, however, 
 upon his pursuers, with a fierce despair, and snapping at them 
 indomitably, game to the last. 
 
 The extraordinary cunning and sagacity of the Gray Fox 
 is so much the constant theme of Southern hunters, that we 
 might collect quite a volume of well authenticated stories of 
 its feats ; but the best of the joke is, that wonderful as are 
 the stories they tell of it, we in Kentucky, and wherever the 
 Reel Fox has yet made its appearance, manage to out-Herod
 
 270 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Herod iii the wonders we have to tell concerning it ; so, that 
 on the whole, the question of rivalry may be set down as near 
 about as long as it is short. 
 
 Admitting all the champions of the Red Fox desire, the 
 Gray Fox must be acknowledged to be smart, decidedly smart ! 
 It frequently climbs trees with an awkward readiness, particu- 
 larly in the summer time but its favorite resort is to holes. 
 Indeed, from what I remember of the Gray Fox, I should say 
 emphatically that it was " of the earth, earthy," for in lime- 
 stone regions, such as Kentucky, Tennessee, &c., where sinks 
 or holes in the ground are abundant, the fellow only conde- 
 scends to run for recreation, and takes to a hole precisely as 
 soon as he becomes blown. 
 
 An incident occurred in my own experience, and in the 
 southern part of Kentucky, illustrating the astonishing saga- 
 city of this fox. I was enthusiastically addicted to fox hunt- 
 ing, and kept a fine pack of hounds. Several young men of 
 the neighborhood kept packs of dogs also, and we used very 
 frequently to meet, and join in the chase with all our forces. 
 
 There was a certain briary old field of great extent, near 
 the middle of which we could on any morning of the year, 
 start a Gray Fox. After' a chase of an hour or so, just 
 enough to blow the dogs and horses well, we would invariably 
 lose the fox at a given spot, the 'fence corner of a large planta- 
 tion, which was opened into a heavy forest on one side of this 
 old field ! The frequency and certainty of this event became 
 the standing joke of the country. Fox hunters from other 
 neighborhoods would bring their pack for miles, to have a run 
 out of this mysterious fox, in the hope of clearing up the 
 mystery. But no. They were all baffled alike. We often 
 examined the ground critically, to find out, if possible, the 
 mode of escape, but could discover nothing, that in any way 
 accounted for it, or suggested any thing in regard to it. That 
 it did not fly, was very sure ; that it must escape along the 
 fence in some way was equally so. My first idea was, that
 
 TOX HUNTING IN AMERICA. 271 
 
 the animal, as is very common, had climbed upon the top rail 
 of the fence, and walked along it to such a distance before 
 leaping off, that the dogs were entirely thrown out. I accord- 
 ingly followed the fence with the whole pack about me, clear 
 round the plantation, but without striking the trail again or 
 making any discovery. 
 
 The affair now became quite serious. The reputation of 
 our hounds was suffering; and besides, I found they were 
 really losing confidence in themselves, and would not run with 
 half the staunch eagerness which had before characterized 
 them. The joke of being regularly baffled, had been so often 
 repeated, that they now came to consider it a settled thing 
 that they were never to shake another fox again, and were 
 disposed to give up in despair. Some of the neighbors had 
 grown superstitious about it, and vowed that this must be a 
 weir-fox, who could make himself invisible when he pleased. 
 
 At last I determined to watch at the fence-corner, and see 
 what became of the fox. Within about the usual time, we 
 heard him heading towards the mysterious corner, as the 
 voices of the pack clearly indicated. I almost held my breath 
 in my concealment, while I watched for the appearance of 
 this extraordinary creature. In -a little while, the fox made 
 his appearance, coming on at quite a leisurely pace, a little 
 in advance of the pack. When he reached the corner, he 
 climbed in a most unhurried and deliberate way to the top 
 rail of the fence, and then walked along it, balancing himself 
 as carefully as a rope-dancer. He proceeded down the side 
 of the fence next to the forest in which I was concealed. 
 
 I followed cautiously, so as just to keep him in view. Be- 
 fore he had thus proceeded more than two hundred yards, the 
 hounds came up to the corner, and he very deliberately paused 
 and looked back for a moment, then he hurried on along the 
 fence some paces farther, and when he came opposite a dead, 
 but leaning tree, which stood inside the fence, some twelve or 
 sixteen feet distant, he stooped, made a high and long bound
 
 272 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 to a knot upon the side of its trunk, up which he ran, and 
 entered a hollo;? in the top -where it had been broken off, near 
 thirty feet from the ground, in some storm. I respected the 
 astuteness of the trick too much to betray its author, since I 
 was now personally satisfied; and he continued for a long 
 time yet, while I kept his secret, to be the wonder and the 
 topic of neighboring fox-hunters, until at last one of them 
 happened to take the same idea into his head, and found out 
 the mystery. He avenged himself by cutting down the tree, 
 and capturing the smart fox. 
 
 The tree stood at such a distance from the fence, that no 
 one of us, who had examined the ground, ever dreamed of the 
 possibility that the fox would leap to it ; it seemed a physical 
 impossibility ; but practice and the convenient knot had enabled 
 cunning Reynard to overcome it, with assured ease. I quote 
 an incident from the Quadrupeds of America of nearly the 
 same class. 
 
 Shortly after the rail road from Charleston to Hamburg, 
 South Carolina, had been constructed, the rails, a portion of 
 the distance, having been laid upon timbers at a considerable 
 height from the ground, supported by strong posts, we ob- 
 served a fox which was hard pressed by a pack of hounds, 
 mounting the rails, upon which he ran several hundred yards ; 
 the dogs were unable to pursue him, and thus he crossed a 
 deep cypress swamp, over which the rail road was in this 
 singular manner carried, and made his escape on the opposite 
 side. 
 
 The late Benjamin C. Yancy, Esq., an eminent lawyer, 
 who in his youth was very fond of fox hunting, related the 
 following : A fox had been pursued, near his residence in 
 Edgefield, several times, but the hounds always lost the track 
 at a place where there was a foot-path leading down a steep 
 hill. He, therefore, determined to conceal himself near this 
 declivity the next time the fox was started, in order to dis- 
 cover his mode of baffling the dogs at this place. The animal
 
 FOX HUNTING IN AMERICA. 273 
 
 Was accordingly put up and chased, and at first led the hounds 
 through many bayous and ponds in the woods, but at length 
 came running over the brow of the hill along the path, stopped 
 suddenly and spread himself out flat and motionless on the 
 ground. The hounds came down the hill in pursuit at a dash- 
 ing pace, and the whole pack passed, and did not stop until 
 they were at the bottom of the hill. As soon as the imme- 
 diate danger was over, the fox, casting a furtive glance around 
 him, started up, and ran off at his greatest speed. 
 
 I knew an instance much resembling the last given ; but 
 this was a Red Fox. It was in the remarkable bluffs of the 
 Kentucky river. 
 
 The fox had always been lost at the edge of one of these 
 abrupt cliffs, which faced the river. The place had often 
 been examined by the hunters, but as the descent was nearly 
 a sheer perpendicular of several hundred feet, it had only to 
 be looked over to convince the beholder that the fox must 
 ha\e wings to leap down it in safety. At last a hunter deter- 
 mined to watch the fox, and accordingly lay in wait. He 
 saw the creature come to the edge of the bluff and look down. 
 Ten feet below, there was a break in the perpendicular line, 
 ivhich formed a sort of steppe nearly a foot in width. The 
 movement by which he let himself down to this, was some- 
 thing between a leap and a slide, but it nevertheless landed 
 him safe on the shelf; and then it appeared that this was the 
 mouth of a wide fissure in the rock. The most curious part 
 of this story is, that the hunter discovered another and easy 
 -ntrance to the cave from the level ground above. This the 
 fox never used when the hounds were on his trail, as the more 
 perilous entrance from the front cut short the scent, and pre- 
 vented the discovery of his retreat. He could only get clown 
 that way and came out by the other opening from the level. 
 
 18
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 
 
 MY dissertation of the last chapter upon the Fox and Fox 
 Hunting, though strictly germain to the general theme, has 
 caused me in some measure to lose sight of the individuality 
 of the Hunter-Naturalist in one of his favorite sports. Though 
 I have turned aside, through many pages, to present nobler 
 exemplars of the character, still I must be here permitted to 
 resume that broken thread of personal narrative, in which I 
 commenced to recount something of its humble and inner ex- 
 periences on the rough highway of development ; and now, 
 evil, and wild, and stern as they may be, I shall continue to 
 
 274
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 275 
 
 depict them with an unfaltering hand, for the lessons they 
 should convey. 
 
 The rude and hardy sports in which my boyhood, youth 
 and opening manhood had been spent with such devotion, had 
 yet not been sufficiently engrossing to divert or turn aside 
 that morbid revulsion of the passions, which inevitably super- 
 venes upon their first fiery introduction at this critical period 
 to reality outside the holiday world of Dreams and Books. 
 
 Indeed, I had scarcely stepped beyond the threshold of 
 the closet, and found myself under the sun, out in the broad 
 world, before the sickness of this spiritual revulsion came over 
 me. I felt the thin wings of the delicate visions I had nur- 
 tured in scholastic shades, wilt and curl up, as I have seen 
 the dew-flower petals beneath a flaming noon. Ah ! a grievous 
 sickness almost unto death that was, when I saw those 
 exquisite frail things all dying. 
 
 They were the creatures of the soul's first spring-time, of 
 softer glowing hues, and breathing fresher odors than ever 
 come again ; and what the su-n had spared when the tink- 
 ling trample of the curt, gray frost went over them were 
 snapped and strewn stark in their own beauties dead ! 
 The glory and the joy passed from the earth with them a 
 huge desolation spinning on its poles I stood upon its wide 
 bla^k, deaf and blind, with one word burning in ghastly light 
 through darkened brain and soul ! a curse ! It was a pur- 
 pose it was a savage ecstacy, to live and curse all, God, 
 woman, man ! to walk through life until I chose to die, hating 
 and defiant. I laughed hoarsely as I hugged the pleasant 
 madness to my heart. 0, rare and mirthfulest conceit ! Re- 
 venge. 
 
 Hate ! scorn ! Ha ! ha ! I shouted in my bitterness ; right 
 royal brotherhood for the stout spirit. What a carnival the 
 game of life will be to us only we wont throw sugar plums. 
 Z lie down upon the grass and sob and pule like a tripping 
 Cupid over his crushed flowers ? Manly employment that !
 
 276 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 When here is a world swarming with fools to scorn ; and a 
 wide air, tremulous with the beat of hearts, to trample on ; a 
 Universe pregnant with some hideous Power to be defied ! 
 And then the proud exultation to stalk on, beneath God's 
 own lights, wronging his creatures, and taunting him to send 
 his bolts. 
 
 A new energy was possessing me. Life became stronger 
 than it ever had been before, though my body was wasting. 
 When the first wild whirl of this delirious excitement had 
 passed away, the horrible transformation was completed, for 
 an ashy-pale cold twilight, which no sunshine could dispel or 
 warm, had settled upon my whole being an icy ring palpably 
 clung around my heart, which beat sharply and fast in the 
 centre my forehead was cold, but the brain was seething 
 and glowing behind it. 
 
 I felt a chill, unnatural, flaming in my eyes. I was afraid 
 to look at them ; I saw little children shrink in affright as 
 they gazed at me. Then I knew there was hate and hell in 
 them, and felt glad for there was some of the old leaven left 
 in spite of me that innocence would be alarmed of its own 
 instincts, and avoid me. I was stolidly sullen or hysterically 
 merry, and felt the strangest inclination to laugh when I saw 
 others weep. I would hide my face in my handkerchief, and 
 laugh until my sides ached at what were to others the most 
 touching exhibitions of grief. 
 
 I read incessantly, and out of all literature managed to 
 extract the bitter waters. My sharpened and morbid fancy 
 conceived that it could trace the creed of the logician, with 
 its doubts, its sophisms, and its sneers, through " all records 
 of all times." Yet I regarded the Berkeley, Volney, and Tom 
 Paine school with profound contempt. These people attempted 
 vulgarly enough to " reason" themselves into atheism and 
 universal scepticism nothing could have been more absurd ; 
 and Hume would have been placed in the same category, but 
 that he took to sneering; and generalization. Voltaire was
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 277 
 
 the Bayard of these weapons, and his compeers learned to 
 vse them. Gibbon possessed a subtle insight, and wielded 
 the borrowed thrust effectually. 
 
 I hated and scorned the Truths of Christianity not as " a 
 Reasoner" but as an Idealist. I did not, in my morbid mad- 
 ness, regard, though familiar with them, the historic evidences 
 of Christ's Godship and Mission. Had the same evidence 
 proved that he came in a chariot, with blazing worlds for 
 wheels, and myriad legions of the seraphim, with fiery swords 
 about Him, that reaped a nation from the lap of earth, I 
 should have been no more impressed by it than by the simple 
 story of Calvary. Mere " Reason," I saw plainly enough, to 
 be utterly incompetent to deal with the sublimity of that 
 sacrifice, as I had seen it, and known it to be, with the 
 simpler yet lofty devotion of common humanity. 
 
 No ; regarding our world as a mere infinitesimal mite of 
 the Infinite Universe, I impiously questioned, why and how 
 the creative and governing source of these myriad worlds 
 could recognize the atomies upon this speck of his dominions, 
 as alone worth the sacrifice of His Son, and whether such a 
 sacrifice had been made for the rebels of other worlds ; and 
 recognizing, too, in my philosophy, the separate entity of the 
 soul, and the mere animal life I insanely demanded those 
 spiritual evidences and revelations His followers professed to 
 receive, and which proved to them that the God of all was 
 present here, regardful of every hair of our heads, and even 
 of every sparrow that should fall upon this molecule of space ! 
 Unfortunately, these evidences could never come to such de- 
 mands; with all the travail of an eager and presumptuous 
 spirit, they had not yet appeared. My faith, or imagination, 
 had been appealed to, yet, through nothing palpable it could 
 lay hold of; and the earnest logician, who starts with doubt, 
 will certainly never reason himself out of the labyrinth. Tbe 
 more he reasons the more he doubts. 
 
 The beginning and the end with him is doubt. He doubts
 
 278 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 everything the justice and the being of God for he mea- 
 sures him, his entity, and his acts, by the human standard 
 the truth and virtue of his race for he measures them by 
 what he has felt and realized to be his own capabilities of 
 evil ; and so he goes on, until life its purposes, its duties, 
 its realities becomes to him one vast lie a monstrous illu- 
 sion ; and himself, with his passions and their ferocious crav- 
 ings, the only actuality his own volition, the focal power 
 round which and for which, the universe revolves. This 
 devouring egotism though more, in my instance, an intel- 
 lectual, than a moral vice had swallowed up all social ties. 
 
 I could recognize society now, only as a masked battle-field, 
 in which every man, as captain of his own passions, saw in each 
 fellow man he met a sworn instinctive foe, leading his own 
 cohort of selfish passions in the grand melee of life. The 
 individual contests, then, were decided by the cool and wary 
 subtlety of the Olympic wrestler. The genial virtues, family 
 ties, friendship, love, benevolence, constituted the mere 
 masquerade of the great central instinct, selfishness ! 
 
 This infernal creed grew upon me, until I became, in plain 
 words, a devil. Those who had known me and loved me as 
 the gay, frank, confiding enthusiast, stared at my altered face 
 and relentless savagery of manner first in speechless astonish- 
 ment, and then turned aside to weep ! When I laughed at 
 and mocked their tears, they tried to think me mad but I 
 was too coolly and rationally brutal for that. They conld 
 not put me in a strait jacket, but could only wonder and 
 grieve. 
 
 The very fiends of hell would have been aghast at the 
 awful phantasies which came and dwelt with me as matters 
 of course. I could think of stabbing my own friend, as a 
 common-place thing to be calculated upon. I become morose 
 and vicious in my temper until my best friends avoided me, 
 and those who had given inc cause for enmity would turn 
 aside from my path. I had become a downright nuisance,
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 279 
 
 with my wicked, scornful gibing at everything men hold 
 sacred. As to women " to search the bottom of annoy," 
 and gall, and pain them with the most studied and cruel rail- 
 lery, was an especially pleasant recreation the enjoyment 
 of which was heightened in the precise ratio of their beauty 
 and wit or, as I pretended to myself, of their power to 
 deceive and ruin the moral lives of others, as mine had been 
 blasted by them.. At last I sickened of such tame amuse- 
 ments. 
 
 I thirsted my blood was on fire for sterner excitements I 
 longed to meet death face to face, and look on carnage. It 
 was an anticipated ecstacy of proud and fierce delight the 
 thought of meeting my detested fellows openly at the weapon's 
 point. I had champed with the social manacles on, over my 
 stifled hate, until endurance was no longer possible. I looked 
 around upon the world for the scenes and circumstances fitted 
 to the gratification of such pleasant humors. Texas was a 
 very paradise of monsters the vicious, the desperate, the 
 social and civil outlaws of all the world had gathered there. 
 
 Delightful fraternity of devils ! they were fighting among 
 themselves, fighting with the Mexicans, fighting with the 
 Indians, and for recreation to keep their hands in were 
 battling with the wild beasts. Charming existence ! How it 
 attracted me ! how I yearned to participate in its pleasures. 
 I madly severed the few remaining ties, and started for this 
 El Dorado of the ruffian. 
 
 My friends saw me go, I believe, with a mournful sense of 
 relief. Though I had been guilty of no overt outrage against 
 the laws of society, yet my moral presence had become pesti- 
 lential, and they felt that the morbid disease which was 
 withering up my soul, must find its own cure. I found myself 
 in just the element I needed in this country. I met with 
 men capable of all I dared to do as hard and reckless, as 
 God-defying and man-hating, as could be desired. I felt at 
 home and at ease with such men we understood each other !
 
 280 WILD SCEXES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 We carried our lives in our hands or, what is in other words 
 the s<ime thing our weapons. 
 
 It added very much to my relish of the sense of being, the 
 consciousness that I could get myself shot at any time by 
 crooking my finger. It was a novel sensation the having 
 one's life so entirely at our command at least the holding it in 
 such complete dependence upon one's prompt right arm. And 
 then the occasional divertisement of quelling some red-handed 
 bully as cowardly as he was ferocious. It was a refreshing 
 exultation to unmask such villains, and see their white livers 
 paling through their cheeks. 
 
 But the life in the cities and settlements was a mere fore- 
 taste. I must go to the frontier to meet the dusky chivalry 
 of the mountains on the " Debatable Ground" of the plains- 
 What, with the open struggle with these wild warriors,-v_ 
 gaunt, half naked, subtle and guarding against the secret 
 and murderous treachery of the Mexican, I expected to find 
 employment enough, and glut my passions with the tumult 
 of strange perils ! 
 
 Perhaps then my blood would grow cooler, the fever might 
 go off, and leave me thinking and feeling more as I once did ! 
 for I longed at times to get back to the ground I had left, but 
 could not now ! The disease must have its course. I was 
 plunging into all this madness to get away from my own con- 
 sciousness, to hide from the frightful realization of my own 
 doctrines ! 
 
 I would say, parenthetically, that this recital is not in- 
 tended for the sleepy, lymphatic denizens of the " namby 
 pamby inane." Your "perfect people," who never had a 
 sinful thought, a passion above beef-steak, or a higher adven- 
 ture than overturning a poor woman's apple-stall, their very 
 blood would be congealed at the idea of reading a line from 
 the pen of so wicked a wretch as I have described myself to 
 have been. But men and ivomen who have thought, felt, 
 analyzed, seen, acted and remembered, will recognize the
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 281 
 
 idiosyncracy of this case, as set forth, to be common to one 
 of the necessary stages of the inner life's development. Suf- 
 fice it ! To the frontier I did go, and now for the story of 
 my adventurings there. 
 
 The incidents I am about to give are some of them familiar 
 to leading men of Texas, though they have never been related 
 in print. On my way out I had stopped to visit at the house 
 of a friend, who was a planter, living high up on the Brazos 
 River. Our time was principally occupied in hunting. As I 
 had just arrived in the country, the abundant sport afforded 
 by the numbers and variety of the game, with which it might 
 be said literally to swarm, afforded a diversion to my morbid 
 feeling, and kept me in a continued state of eager excitement. 
 I was on my horse the greater part of the time. 
 
 Though not a raw woodsman, so far as making my way 
 through the heavy forests of the West was concerned, yet 
 finding myself for the first time upon the vast and unaccus- 
 tomed expanse of the Southern Prairies, I was for a long 
 time surprised that though excessively reckless, I should be 
 here much perplexed, and even timid, in attempting to find 
 my way. 
 
 The land-marks are so different, as well as the modes of 
 using them, from those to which I had been accustomed, that 
 I was frequently confused and overwhelmed with awe on 
 finding myself left in the vicissitudes of the hunt, alone amidst 
 the illimitable solitudes, with no experienced eye to see for 
 me the course, where all was trackless. 
 
 When I would thus get " turned round,'" as it is called, 
 and the consciousness that I had lost my course, would drive 
 the blood to my heart : the startled sense of the revulsion is 
 difficult to describe. Body and soul would seem for a moment 
 as if sinking under the weight of a drear solemnity, and then 
 the returning blood would leap back to the brow, thrilling every 
 fibre with a shudder. A thousand Stories of bloody deaths 
 under the reeking scalping-knife of savage hordes, met in the
 
 282 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 wide wilderness of plains; of confused circlings day by day, 
 always bringing the victim back to his own trail, until the 
 dreary, lingering death of starvation relieved the bewilder- 
 ment ; of banded wolves with gaping jaws, hungry yells and 
 tireless feet, pursuing the uncertain flight which has be- 
 trayed to their ferocious instinct a sure prey in the lost man ; 
 of grim, creeping panthers springing from the thicket upon 
 the decp v sleep of his fruitless exhaustion ; of the wild, vague 
 and unutterable horror of lonely, unavenged and unrecorded 
 death in a thousand forms, until self-possession reeled, and 
 the mad impulse was to strike spurs into my ho/se and plunge 
 blindly on amidst them all. 
 
 This singular sensation gradually loses its intensity, when, 
 by a series of happy accidents, rather than instincts, we gain 
 more confidence, and it requires a less forlorn struggle to 
 recall ourselves to calmness and the cool consideration of the 
 position in which we are thrown. 
 
 But let there be as many lessons as can well be crowded 
 into a year or two of such wild experiences, yet he is a man 
 of very strong nerve who can, even then, draw up his horse, 
 after a heated chase of buffalo, deer, or wolf, or bear, and 
 not feel much of this appalled startle when, the slaughter 
 over, he looks around with aching eyes for the first time to 
 see where he is. 
 
 A sinking sense of loneliness and awe is the reaction of the 
 fierce and headlong excitement, under which he has been 
 hurled, as it were, he knows not in what direction, or how 
 far. He gazes around him in breathless silence and name- 
 less dread for awhile ; the contrast of the stilless, r>ow that 
 death has intervened, with the crashing, raging impetus which 
 brought him here, is too oppressive, and he dares not make a 
 sound ; he almost shudders while the dim consciousness that 
 he has just done murder in the sight of his peaceful mother, 
 Earth, comes over him reproachfully amidst her voiceless 
 calms ; and the whole forest, with its straight stems, the broad
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 283 
 
 plain with its flower eyes, the benignant sun, the wide air 
 itself, all seem for one instant to have stood still to gaze upon 
 the unholy deed. There lies the quiet victim ! He feels 
 their reproach as he looks upon its fixed, but undimmed eyes. 
 
 He cannot stand all this. I said it was but for one instant, 
 and then his habitual hardness returns ; the awe he throws off 
 with a sneer ; the carcass is slung upon his horse, and he turns 
 its head towards the nearest high land to look how the 
 country lies. If he recognizes no familiar land-marks, and 
 he sees that he is out of his range, he then takes his course 
 by the direction of the prevailing winds, the moss upon the 
 trees, the position of the sun, the course of the streams or of the 
 buffalo trails, by the flight of birds, or thousand other tele- 
 graphic characters which he has learned to read. 
 
 But then he has nevertheless experienced, however briefly, 
 this vague feeling of terror and dread, to which we have al- 
 luded, and no one but an old skinny Trapper, whose whole 
 life has been spent among the mountains, ever entirely loses 
 this sensation on realizing that he is lost in these mighty 
 solitudes ; because, in the first place, he is never lost, and in 
 the next, if he were, it would be all the same to him. He 
 can live wherever a snail, a lizzard, or a raven can live r 
 and he cares little if he never sees the face of man for a year 
 or two ; in that time he is sure to come out somewhere, even 
 if it be on the Pacific coast ! The deep gorges of the moun- 
 tains afford him shelter and repose in winter ; the open plain 
 or forest glades a couch in summer ; a rock is pillow soft 
 enough for him, and piping winds do well for lullabies, though 
 they do bring the thunder for their bass ! 
 
 He starves until ravin makes him wild, and then his rifle 
 is more inexorable than the bolts of death. The famishing 
 wolf is merciful to him. Earth and her creatures are nothing, 
 now, but fuel and food to glut his shriveled maw. Blood ! 
 blood ! Blood is to him Ambrosia. The Nectar of the gods 
 would not tempt him from the greasy esculence of " beaver
 
 284 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 tail !". He is ecstatic upon " buffalo hump," and sups his 
 divincst inspiration from a gourd of "bar's grease." What 
 knows he, then, of that " dim religious awe" within the 
 natural temples of the Most High, at which I have hinted ! 
 Not he ! He has become in these temples what the world 
 calls a practical priest, and cuts up the "flesh offerings" 
 like a saw, as harsh and as steely hard ! 
 
 But to return to our story. The day's hunt had been an 
 unusually exciting one. We hunted deer after the following 
 fashion. These animals feed principally upon the open 
 prairie, but about eleven o'clock, A. M. they may be seen in 
 long lines sauntering towards the nearest wood, which usually, 
 throughout Texas, grows upon the margin of the small lakes 
 or banks of streams. 
 
 They are now going to water, and repose in the shade 
 Tjntil three or four o'clock in the afternoon, when they come 
 out to feed again. The deer of the prairies is a very swift 
 variety, with smaller antlers than the common buck of our 
 forests bears. We stationed ourselves some half a mile dis- 
 tant in the prairie on fleet horses, some who were most skilled 
 with the common "lasso" of the country, and others with our 
 holster pistols, as in my own case. A negro " driver," as he 
 is called, was then sent in with dogs on the opposite side of 
 the wood to drive the deer out upon the plain ; for, contrary 
 to the usage of the common deer, this creature of the plains 
 makes always for open ground directly when pursued, and we 
 awaiting their exit chased them by sight on our horses. We had 
 but little time to wait, for within twenty minutes out burst a 
 numerous herd. It was a splendid sight as they came plunging 
 into the long grass and sunshine, out from the dark shadows 
 suddenly, witli their white throats, their " aritlercd pride" 
 thrown back, and round ears laid sharp behind to hearken 
 the pursuing cry of " bell-mouthed" hound. It is one of the 
 raost exciting scenes I know in the sports of our country. 
 
 We reined up our horses for the start ; bending forward
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 285 
 
 with eager eye and bounding pulse to wait the instant when 
 they should have passed us on their way into the illimitable 
 plain upon which they trust to their flying feet for safety. 
 But though those tiny hoofs be fleet enough to leave th.e Red 
 Wolf far behind, or dart beyond the agile panther's leap, yet 
 our good steeds, that champ and plunge impatiently, are far 
 more fleet than they. Now they go bounding by with long, 
 high leaps over the tall, embarrassing grass, and seem as if 
 they half wore wings, and were afraid to use them. Now, 
 too, with a wild shout of pent-up excitement, we are off on 
 the chase, each man selecting his special prey. There is 
 little use for the whip and spur in this hunt, for when a horse 
 has once tasted its fierce and headlong pleasures, he needs 
 no other stimulant after. They, like their riders, become 
 furious with the excitement, and sometimes will bite the poor 
 animal when they come up with it after a long chase. 
 
 The broad, white tails of the deer produce a droll effect as 
 they rise and fall along the surface of the grass, and serve as 
 a sort of fluttering beacon to the eye in the early part of the 
 run ; for, when they, at first sight of you, fairly straighten 
 themselves in their frightened speed, they leave horse and 
 rider far enough behind ; but this does not last long ; they 
 are very fat at this season, the fall, and do not hold out at 
 this rate. They soon begin to flag from the heat and dragging 
 weight of the grass, which is now nearly as high as their backs. 
 We gradually close upon them, and the herd begins to break 
 up, scattering here and there and everywhere. Your eye 
 has become fixed upon a particular one, a noble buck, whose 
 powerful form has attracted you. Your horse has caught 
 the same object, and divines you well as he turns his head to 
 follow it, without regard to the course taken by the rest. 
 
 Now the excitement becomes a delirium of action; and a3 
 you find yourself farther separated from the other sounds of 
 the chase, your own individual par sions become more and more 
 intensified upon the immediate object before you, and you
 
 286 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 rush, on, you know not whither. My game on this day proved 
 to be much more long-winded and powerful than usual, and I 
 had, as the consequence, a tremendous race of it before I 
 began to gain very rapidly upon its flight. At length the 
 buck began to make leaps a little less long and high, and my 
 horse, by this time thoroughly heated in the run, to snort 
 with eagerness as he let out an additional link or two of 
 speed. I closed rapidly with the quarry, and loosened my 
 holsters for the shot which was to close the scene. Now my 
 horse, with ears laid back, closes up alongside, and with 
 trembling haste the pistol is snatched from the holster. With 
 all its desperate speed we almost touch the hair with the 
 muzzle before we fire between the shoulders and it is down ! 
 tumbling, in the impulse of its flight, forward with broken 
 neck bent beneath the body. 
 
 It is over ! We are silent and still. The bloody work is 
 finished, and I look around for the first time to see where I 
 am, or what is in sight. I am amongst a wild Archipelago 
 of islands, or " motts" of timber, with long, irregular vistas 
 stretching between them in all directions. My victim lies at 
 my feet quiet enough now. The strong breeze cools my 
 heated forehead. The hush is profound at first, for every 
 voice of nature has been frightened into silence by the violent 
 scene which had just occurred to desecrate a peaceful home ; 
 but gradually, before my confused sense has time to realize 
 the scene, the rap, rap, rapping of a wood-pecker's hammer 
 stole timidly out from the nearest "mott," and then sound 
 after sound, resumed in the same low key, hesitated forth 
 from bird and insect, showing that Nature was yet alive, 
 although just now so appalled. 
 
 I gazed around with something of the dim confused per- 
 ception of one awakening from the deep sleep of troubled dream 
 into the lengthening vistas stretching by uncertain glimpses 
 into remotest distance when gradually the overwhelming rea- 
 lization of the vastness came upon me, arid then the shudder-
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 287 
 
 ing consciousness that I was lost! as utterly lost as if I had 
 just dropped upon the planet from the moon, with a piece of 
 green cheese in my fist. I had lost all idea of course, dis- 
 tance, or time during the chase, and now was completely 
 "turned round." I immediately felt the full dangers of my 
 situation. I knew the direction in which we had started, but 
 knew, too, as well, that from the numerous turns the chase 
 had taken, that I could no more tell which Avay to start back 
 than if I had been physically blind, as I had, in fact, been 
 mentally so. 
 
 I had imprudently come out without a pocket compass, and 
 was a young woodsman lost upon strange plains. I did not 
 know enough of the geography of the country to render what 
 knowledge I had of natural signs of any avail to me here. I 
 was, in a word, sufficiently panic-struck to act more like the 
 inexperienced person that I was, than with the self-possession 
 these circumstances so much required. My heart beat very 
 loud and fast as I wheeled my horse, and with a sultry feeling 
 of recklessness, spurred him into one of the narrow openings, 
 without stopping one moment to consider which way or whither 
 it should lead me. The poor deer I left upon the spot where 
 it fell, for I was too much startled to think of dissecting it 
 now -since, of all the terrible fates that could ever befall a 
 human being, this of being lost in such^a country, had always 
 been most formidable to me. 
 
 I had known of so many instances of terrible suffering and 
 dreary death from such a cause, at this early time, when 
 even individual settlements were sometimes eighty or a hun- 
 dred miles apart in the direction of Galveston, and none in 
 the opposite direction for thousands, that now the chill 
 revulsion seemed first like present annihilation, and then 
 like such remote and undefined suffering as was far more 
 formidable ; so I urged on vaguely hoping nothing, trusting 
 nothing, but simply asking for action to distract and a crisis 
 to end the suspense.
 
 288 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTFRS. 
 
 My horse apparently sympathized with my terror and 
 despair, for he rushed on with a frightened speed, which at 
 any other time would have been frightful, hut now was only 
 congenial. I recognized no object that we passed each 
 melted into the other, forming on either hand a sort of back- 
 running liquefaction of mountain and tree, of plain and sky, 
 that seemed to be keeping time with my motion. I was 
 riding through a dim land, where nothing looked real but all 
 infinite where the end was I did not know. 
 
 It was not long before I gained the open plain, upon which 
 there was, indeed, nothing but grass and horizon, but which 
 appeared to me the wide end of all things. It was like gal- 
 loping on clouds toward the moon or " the juniping-off place" 
 the distance seemed so inappreciable ! yet I urged on. 
 The grass sparrow chirped and flitted, I suppose, the deer 
 turned round to stare, no doubt, the partridge roared its 
 sudden under-bass of wings and skimmed away, bending the 
 grass-tops with its windy whirr, for all I know, but yet I saw 
 them not but as we see swift shadows in a stormy dream. I 
 shouted like a crazy man. 
 
 I fired my other pistol in the air, in the hope that some 
 of the party of hunters might hear it then I paused to 
 listen. My frightened and impatient horse would chafe and 
 plunge for a moment, and again, as if divining why I paused, 
 would be still as death ; and now with pricked ears, pointed 
 stifily here and there, seem listening round him for a sound 
 and then would snuff the breeze with his wide, eager nostrils, 
 and with an impulse, headlong and impatient as my own, 
 bound onward as the steady, winging raven that followed, 
 over head, our course, croaked an answer that sounded so 
 like self-congratulation. 
 
 Away ! away ! away ! and still no sight and still no sound 
 that carne to us with any promise a herd of mustangs would 
 sourry off, snorting as we passed a s(.|uad of buffaloes, wheel- 
 ing sharp about, and like hogsheads inspired of hoofs, with
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 289 
 
 tails stuck straight in air, go lumber away over the shaking 
 plain but nothing like human form appeared. The first 
 madness had passed off the instinct of the love of life had 
 assumed its place, and the blurred vision had become intensi- 
 fied by the sharpening apprehension which the physical 
 brought, of thirst, hunger and exhaustion. 
 
 I saw objects clearly now. Every line in the horizon was 
 distinctly defined, and conveyed to me a sort of hope. All 
 things, indeed, took their relations again, and I was unfright- 
 ened into calm. I knew my danger, in detail, and saw every 
 blade of grass that marked my way towards what ? I heard 
 the odd ejaculation of the long-necked blue cranes explode 
 upon the silonce like a distant pistol shot I saw the flowers 
 bend, and the meadow lark, with its dark feather-heart out- 
 side its musical breast, bound up from the grass with its low 
 fluttering flight, to sing on wing most sweetly, of all joy, 
 though filled with fear. The very sand rat that had darted 
 with a faint squeak to its hole, I saw peep forth again as I 
 went past, so minutely did my vision take in everything now. 
 
 I had ridden on for several hours, the country at each 
 moment becoming still more strange. There were no objects 
 in which I could detect the slightest degree of familiarity 
 my horse was beginning to fail, and dreading lest he would 
 give out beneath me, I reined him up. This would, indeed, 
 be a fate too terrible to contemplate being left on foot in 
 the midst of these great plains ! I got down and stroked his 
 panting sides and walked with him for an hour, until he 
 seemed to be regaining his strength somewhat, for the morn- 
 ing's work had been tremendous, as I in my unrecking 
 despair, had kept him urged to nearly the top of his speed 
 during this foolish ride. Fortunately, he was one of those 
 game and indomitable horses formed by crossing the mustang, 
 which is an Arab, upon the larger-boned Northern horse, or 
 he could never have survived such a run. 
 
 19
 
 290 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 I had supposed that my only chance of escape lay in keep- 
 ing one direction, for, that circling commenced, each turn 
 made lessened the chances. But now that I came to reason 
 somewhat coolly about my position, it became apparent to me, 
 that in this time I had, in pursuing this straight line, passed 
 over more than treble the possible distance to the plantation 
 of my friend, and that, of course, I must therefore either have 
 taken the wrong direction or have passed it without observing. 
 Then commenced that fatal series of doubts, fears, surmises, 
 trials, in this and that direction, which is usually the indica- 
 tion of syncope in this disease of getting lost. Each failure 
 only bewilders you the more each turn makes " confusion 
 worse confounded." But, nevertheless, some change had be- 
 come necessary. I might be every moment going away from 
 the reach of help getting deeper and deeper into the track- 
 less waste ! But which way shall I turn ? I now remembered, 
 for the first time, that I had failed to trust any thing to my 
 horse in choosing my direction. 
 
 If I had done so in the first place, the chances were that 
 the extraordinary instinct possessed by many of these animals, 
 would have carried me right ! I have, in frequent instances, 
 found this instinct infallible, especially when the animal was 
 closely crossed upon the Arab blood. That noble race, which 
 bore the earliest children of Ham in the chase across the 
 shifting deserts, inherits all the strange instincts, with regard 
 to courses and distances, which the wild and perilous uses of 
 their hunter-lords developed in them, through the centuries 
 which have developed as well our civilization. They are, 
 therefore, best suited, until the camel comes, to traverse with 
 security the " unhoused wilderness" of the great south-west. 
 That wonderful animal has not yet been introduced upon 
 these plains, although much has been done by myself and 
 others to awaken public attention to its importance. Such 
 an advent will entirely revolutionize the commerce and travel
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 291 
 
 of the plains. The camel must carry our civilization over 
 these deserts, as it has brought that of the ancient east upon 
 its uncouth back towards the triumphing West. 
 
 I stopped my horse entirely, and dropping the reins upon 
 his back, urged him slightly with my spurs very slightly. 
 When he found himself free, he shook his head to realize it, 
 and then, stopping, turned his gaze around and around him 
 several times but yet he seemed to be bewildered, and only 
 moved hesitatingly, first in this direction and then in that. 
 If he had taken his course at once, I should have felt some 
 hope but my heart sank in me as I saw from his manner 
 that he felt what was expected of him, but had become con- 
 fused. Had he taken any particular direction and pursued 
 it steadily, with accelerated speed, I should have been entirely 
 secure, because then I would have been impressed that he 
 knew he was right, and could ultimately bear us through. 
 His hesitation, however, convinced me that I was as utterly 
 lost as ever rudderless ship, without a compass, was upon a 
 shoreless sea but yet I felt, too, that I had better trust to 
 him than to myself. My imagination had confused me, while 
 physical exhaustion had rendered his instinct too insecure. 
 
 He was evidently as afraid of being trusted as I to trust. 
 However, after a pause of a few moments, he moved on, 
 turning back nearly in the direction we had come. At first 
 I was pleased with this selection, as it seemed to indicate the 
 possible truth of my own surmise, that I had started nearly 
 right, but had passed the plantation. This poor consolation, 
 however, did not outlive the approach of night, which came 
 in heavy shadows, portending a storm, such as thunders and 
 rages along these southern plains occasionally. My miserable 
 horse was now nearly exhausted, and staggered as he dragged 
 his limbs heavily through the high grass. We were still in 
 the prairie with nothing around us but the grea.t ocean of 
 grass, which was beginning to toss and sway with the advance 
 winds of the coming tornado.
 
 292 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 The black heaven of clouds came rolling up out of the 
 south-east, and already I felt the cold breath that drove 
 it on, dash with a fresh heavy chill against my face, like 
 the spray of a cataract. The rush and roar that followed left 
 me no time for thought. In a moment, horse and man wcro 
 prostrate, helpless along the plain. 
 
 Such crashes ! such tremendous claps such sheeting the 
 horizon with swift piercing blazes such beating, crushing 
 floods, that but seemed a better medium to transmit the 
 mighty clangor hurled around by the strong wind, with 
 vast black clouds that dipped and spun like flakes of ebon 
 down, or sudden fire above ! Such an image of sublimest 
 anarchy never before came to overwhelm an already desperate, 
 wearied, and starving wanderer. I clutched at the strong 
 rooted grass in the blindness of my astound, and knew not, 
 in the horrid tumult, that my horse had fallen upon my leg. 
 
 I was so stunned that I did not feel the pain. I tried to 
 look up to understand the awful clamor. Was the last day 
 come ? Had some God descended in the terror of his might ? A 
 keen shaft, in clattering zigzag, would pierce the chaos, blind- 
 ing as it illuminated. The crashing of torn limbs, caught up 
 miles away, and projected with the flooding rain the stifling 
 grass-tops, torn and hurled into my face the bellowing moan 
 of frightened buffaloes the shaking trample of their strug- 
 gling feet, all came commingled, as the only interludes to my 
 confused senses. 
 
 My horse, at last, as terror-stricken as myself, burst forth, 
 while he lay writhing upon my crushed leg, into a wild and 
 strangely harrowing cry peculiar to these animals when 
 overcome by panic and which now rose a weird shriek of 
 agony into the tempest. I had never heard it before, and 
 could not know its source; and the sudden coming of this 
 shrill and unimaginable cry so close to my head, had an effect 
 of the supernatural so absolutely appalling, that I fainted, 
 und remember nothing more until the steady blazing of the
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 293 
 
 early sunlight upon my eyes waked me to a sense of pain, 
 weakness, and astonishment, amounting almost to fright for 
 stooping over me was one of the most unexpectedly strange 
 figures that it had ever been my fortune yet to encounter. 
 " He's coming-to the poor boy !" 
 
 This was spoken in a tone that startled me for some reason 
 I did not know what entirely apart from the circum- 
 stances, and the unexpectedness of hearing a human voice at 
 all, after and amidst such scenes. I looked up. What a ft e! 
 Storm-seamed and bronzed, it was clearly a woman's bust 
 a woman's face ! that leaned over and looked kindly down 
 upon me from beneath a sort of half cap and half hood of 
 fawn's skin, with the spotted hair turned out. 
 
 " You are not wanting of a wet bed to make you grew my 
 green youngster ! What in the Lord's name brought you 
 here, child?" 
 
 The sort of half-grim pleasantry with which this was spoken, 
 as I opened my eyes fully upon her, relieved to some decree 
 my startled feeling of apprehension, and I faltered out feebly, 
 with an attempt at cleverness : 
 
 " I suppose I was blown here or fell from the clouds !" 
 She assisted me to a sitting posture with her strong hand. 
 
 "Nonsense! nonsense, boy! your own foolish hastiness 
 brought you here ! get up ! Ah ! I see you cannot rise yet ! 
 But you are hungry, perhaps ! I'll give you a slice of m fino 
 a buck as ever was killed, and the taste of which one w uld 
 think you ought to know !" 
 
 She drew forward a small wallet of dressed skin that was 
 slung behind her singular costume of the same material, and 
 took from it some pieces of roasted venison, with which she 
 presented me. As I clutched them with a half-famishing 
 eagerness, a low, quiet laugh from this personage caused me 
 to look up at her again with a droll feeling of curiosity, which 
 even excessive hunger could not repress. 
 
 "Taste it, boy! taste it! He! he! he! you ought tc
 
 294 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 know that meat!" and she stooped to pick a rifle from the 
 wet grass ; and while, continuing to chuckle, she examined 
 carefully the neat lock, I could see her whole figure fully as 1 
 ate. The form was unmistakeably that of a genuine woman. 
 The figure, about five feet seven, had nothing of Amazonian 
 stoutness at all apparent, although the manner in which the 
 rifle was held and handled, would naturally lead one to sup- 
 pose that those limbs must be very compact, indeed. The 
 general outline, although obscured by the rude drapery, gave 
 you the idea of that swift tenacity which roun 1. small bone 
 and taut-strung thews express in the young Indian runner of 
 the North, without destroying a sort of "formidable grace" 
 in its flexible natural movement. 
 
 You were surprised, and yet you were not, that she should 
 be a woman of our own race. The features were plain, and 
 here the lines were a little sharp, though not unmatronly. 
 altogether. There was an expression of care, not faded, but 
 eager, anxious, longing. The eye seemed so calm and frank, 
 quick, open, large and blue, that that you could never have 
 conceived the finely arched eye-brow as darkening of itself, 
 but simply as drawn down by the possible contracting of a 
 " dreary mouth austere" below. In a word, with her tanned, 
 self-possessed face, her hair slightly tinged with gray, her half- 
 hunter and half Indian-woman costume, her concise lacrnia-je, 
 her sudden appearance, she was to me the most extraordinary 
 mortal phenomenon I had yet met with- I was too hungry 
 to philosophize or speculate, so there was nothing left me to 
 do but live in the exhausted present, and wait for the future 
 to enlighten me concerning her. 
 
 She leaned the gun, re-covering the lock with a buck's skin 
 guard, carefully against my saddle, which I observed upon 
 the grass, and seeming to be satisfied from her inspection that 
 the tube was all right and the cap now entirely dry, she 
 walked towards my horse, merely saying, " Sleep again, 
 boy, and you will be ready !" The curt injunction seemed
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 295 
 
 almost unnecessary, for the unconquerable drowsiness which 
 follows eating, after long hunger and excessive fatigue and 
 excitement, was already upon me ; and the last I saw of her 
 she was standing by the side of my horse with caressing words 
 and gestures as he nibbled feebly at the grass amidst which 
 he stood, with an uncertain sort of air, as if he would just as 
 soon lay down again, or rather fall down ! as not ! 
 
 When I awoke again, the sun was getting low, and its 
 shadows even fell over the damp bed upon which I had fallen. 
 I raised myself to a sitting posture with a vigor apparently 
 renewed, as I felt for the moment the deepest astonishment 
 and mystified enough by what had been occurring. It all 
 seemed like a dream. It could not be real ! There was a 
 vague image of a strange woman with a rifle in her hand, 
 struggling through my brain, and I tried to remember her 
 cool, patronizing words, and her plain, remarkable face, with 
 the fawn-skin hood, and her hardy looking figure, with its 
 anomalous dress of buck-skin ; but it all seemed too unreal, 
 and I found myself standing erect, with a sort of smiling con- 
 sciousness that I had been having a very ridiculous dream ; 
 because, there was my noble gray standing the usual distance 
 off in the deep grass, and browsing as if he expected a long 
 day's work, and was laying in the necessary supply of pro- 
 vender therefor. 
 
 To be sure, the grass seemed strangely levelled and twirled 
 about, and it was odd what a number of twigs and limbs of 
 trees lay strewed around, considering there was nothing like 
 a tree in sight ; but yet I could make nothing out of it. How 
 came my saddle off? How came Gray to look so comfortable ? 
 How came I so lame in my left leg that I could not step more 
 than half an inch at a time after I got up, with a sort of 
 numbed struggle, to my feet, and realized the extent and 
 dreariness of the devastation in the midst of which I stood? 
 The prairie presented the appearance of a thousand mael- 
 Btromes congealed into green stillness, humbled by a Higher
 
 296 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Power as a fixed expression of abasement, with all the broken, 
 jagged wrecks left obtrusive, sticking here and there and 
 everywhere, just as they had been hurled in the rash rebellion 
 that had provoked it. 
 
 What a scene of desolation for a dreaming man to awake to 
 realize ? I had risen from a blanket ! It seemed as if I must 
 have gone to sleep quite considerately ! there were evidences 
 about me of my having partaken of food, the proof was in 
 the vigor that I felt in spite of my lameness ! and then the 
 whole terrible scene of the storm came back to me as I brushed 
 my forehead impetuously with my hand. Ha ! ha ! I have 
 it all! That woman! I turned my head, and there stood 
 the strange figure, leaning on her rifle, within ten feet of me, 
 chuckling inwardly at my bewilderment, with that same cool 
 smile ! 
 
 "Young man, are you ready now?" she asked, suddenly. 
 I was still somewhat bewildered, and answered, " Ready for 
 what ?" 
 
 "To go with me !" was the abrupt reply. 
 
 " But go where ? What would you have me to do ? Who are 
 you? Are you man or woman?" 
 
 " What is that to you, childish boy ? Your questions are 
 foolish. I have saved your life and wish to preserve it far- 
 ther ; you can never get out of this wilderness in your present 
 condition. I will take you home with me until you are j e- 
 covered sufficiently." 
 
 "But, have you a home?" I said, pertinaciously. 
 
 "Am I a wild beast?" she answered, taking off the strange 
 head-dress, and showing a pure white brow, the feminine lines 
 of which contrasted curiously with the dark, seamed bronze 
 beneath. She smiled, I thought a little proudly, as she re- 
 placed it, and advanced towards my horse for the purpose of 
 equipping him, which was done with perfect dexterity. She 
 then led him to my side. 
 
 "Now, boy, will you mount?"
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 297 
 
 "How can I! I can scarcely move." 
 
 " 0, never mind ! your leg is not broken. I can help 
 you!" 
 
 So without more ado, she lifted me into the saddle, with 
 perfect ease to herself, but great agony to me. When once 
 in the saddle, the pain subsided in a measure. She pointed 
 me the course, and walking by my side, held my leg gently, 
 so as to ease its position as much as possible. This conside- 
 rate kindness had a most soothing effect upon me, and the 
 simple act greatly alleviated my pain and restored ine to con- 
 fidence, singular as had been the circumstances of this ren- 
 contre. I was even moved to speak to her as to a human 
 being ; for in my disturbed state she had really appeared 
 a doubtful sort of being. I was not over clear in my mind 
 as to where she came from, nor over sure what to expect from 
 her ; but this little act convinced me that I must be in good 
 hands, at least, however unaccountable the use they were 
 apparently put to might seem. 
 
 She appeared to comprehend the sort of dubiousness of 
 feeling with which I had become possessed, and answered the 
 question : 
 
 " How far is this home of yours ?" 
 
 " ! it isn't in a hole in the ground, in a hollow tree, or 
 in a cave, as you will see!" 
 
 " Then, how far is it to C 's plantation ?" (My 
 
 friend's.) 
 
 " You will find it far enough to need whole limbs to reach it." 
 
 " But how far may that be ?" 
 
 " Boy ! we have no surveyors here, with their steel chains 
 laid along the earth, emblematic of the slavery to which it ia 
 doomed, to measure our miles for us. We measure them by 
 our own free strides !" 
 
 " But that is no answer !" 
 
 "Ask no questions! I will show you when it is tinie 
 enough for you to go !"
 
 298 "WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 This was spoken with a sort of petulance, mangled with 
 solemnity ; and, as if declining further conversation, she urged 
 on my horse and strode more rapidly, not forgetting her ten- 
 der care of my leg, though she had dropped her head moodily 
 upon her breast. I was compelled into silence, of course, 
 but this abrupt sort of manner roused my pride somewhat. 
 
 I recalled the frequency with which she had spoken to me 
 as a "boy," "child," &c., with some spleen, as I rode on in 
 sulky silence, too. Why, I was a young man of twenty-one, 
 and thought myself somebody ! What was there entitling any- 
 body to call me by diminutive names, in the stupid fact of my 
 having got lost in a country of which I knew so little ? "I 
 dislike this sort of patronage, even if she has got some streaks 
 of gray in her hair ; she is not so oldish-looking after all, as 
 to entitle her to speak like the mother of Methusalch, even 
 if she did drag me from under my horse when I was uncon- 
 scious !" so I muttered to myself in a really childish spleen, 
 the secret of which was mingled of mortified vanity and baf- 
 fled curiosity. As she remained silent, I was foolish enough to 
 give way to this feeling at last. 
 
 "Why do you persist in calling me 'child,' 'boy,' and the 
 like names ?" 
 
 "Because you are a child!" and she looked up into my 
 face with a quick glance that had an expression of sternness 
 in it, above that compressed mouth, that I shall never forget. 
 
 " Mere boy as you are, you think you arc a man ! you 
 might pass well enough in the tinselled dens and reeking 
 sinks of civilization ! Perhaps you are a boy-man !" This 
 was said with a slight sneer that cut me to the very core. 
 
 "But, remember! it requires something more than mere 
 years the vital breath of which has been poisoned to make a 
 man out here, in the presence of the ALMIGHTY, worthy to look 
 up into his solemn Infinite, where Nature is the only delegated 
 Presence ! You must have wiser and riper experience, than 
 those which caused a brave young man no doubt ! to start
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 299 
 
 like a madman across the plains, merely because he considered 
 himself lost, without taking time to cut the throat of the 
 deer he had just shot, or to cooly examine his immediate 
 neighborhood, when, in that event, he might have seen me 
 step forth, whose eye had been upon him, and relieve him 
 from all trouble. You need to trust Nature more, and through 
 her learn to trust yourself ! She is full of amenities, and in 
 the mild grandeur of her moods is merciful to all but human 
 weakness. As she represents all that we know of God's 
 physical to us, we must trust her in such relations as we trust 
 him in the spiritual. You are old enough and know enough 
 to have found your way back to your friends, if you had 
 stopped to think a moment. 
 
 " You did not trust, and though you might not have fled 
 from mortal foe, you did fly from your own imaginations, for 
 I was an unseen witness ! I saw you scurry off, and before 
 I understood the cause, you were beyond the reach of any 
 sound I could produce. I laughed, and pitied you, but 
 found you this morning by accident." 
 
 " You are a strange person ! What is the meaning of all 
 these things you say to me?" 
 
 " Meaning, boy ? That you children of civilization imagine 
 yourselves educated when you have talked with books in 
 clingy closets, and grown pale in the stagnant air in which 
 your morbid dreams are generated, along with dull diseases ! 
 You have only commenced the true life. Neither the physi- 
 cal or spiritual are yet developed in you, although you may 
 be what you call learned!" 
 
 " That I disclaim !" I could not help saying, with false 
 and unnecessary modesty. 
 
 " Then, it is nothing to your credit ! One kind of learn- 
 ing is as necessary as another !" she continued, with no change 
 of intonation, but in a severe, rapid manner. 
 
 " You should know books as well as Nature. One is God's 
 Book and the other man's !"
 
 800 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 "That sounds polemical!" sneered I, having by this time 
 become interested in her dogmatism, and feeling a sudden 
 accession of the old profane propensity for cynicism. 
 
 " I am no vulgar heretic. I believe in all the sacrednesses 
 of humanity, but I believe as well in those of Nature. The 
 religion of the Bible is, perhaps, more of a religion to me than 
 to you, but the religion of Nature is an essential part of it, 
 and, with me, the base, of course, as Eden had its base upon 
 the earth." 
 
 "Well!" thought I, to myself, "Here's a droll preacher I 
 have met with, any how !" 
 
 " But, you think it strange I should tell you that you do not 
 know your own life, because you suffered your imagination to 
 make a fool of you, in conditions from which your experiences 
 showed you no mode of escape which you could understand?" 
 
 "Yes!" 
 
 "Well, that you may understand what I mean, should 
 you not have known how to read this great page of continent- 
 stretching plain, as well as that other smaller page of your 
 Human Learning, let it belong to what tome it may?" 
 
 " Yes ; but you remember I have not had time yet to learn !" 
 
 " Then confess yourself a child ! I have been taught to read 
 your books, and have learned something of them, too. I can 
 read the other book as well ; and, instead of the faded decay 
 of the mere scholar, you see the bronzed seams of a sterner 
 and more hardy life. Woman as you say I am I will out- 
 live a dozen of them in the Life of Truth. Had I been cast 
 upon the middle of the desert of Sahara by such a tornado as 
 you met with last night, I should not have attempted to take a 
 course until I had seen the sun rise. This would have been 
 a base for faith, for observation, for calculation nothing 
 would have escaped me, however minute from the character 
 of a cloud to the position of the low sand-waves fixed around 
 me, to tell how the prevailing wind had left them to wait its 
 next coming and that wind would tell a pregnant story,
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 301 
 
 too, when it went by. I could almost judge with certainty 
 ' whence it cometh or whither it goeth !' Not a starved and 
 bitter shrub, but its fingers pointed a significance or showed 
 something on one side of the discolored bark either the 
 direction of the nearest water, or of the prevailing wind 
 not an antelope that darted past but would have led me tho 
 way to some Oasis !" She paused suddenly. 
 
 " That a man should utter such thought would not surprise 
 me so much" said I, hastily. " But that a woman should " 
 
 "A woman should!" she interrupted. "Give a woman 
 something to love and something to venerate an idea to 
 achieve and what will she not accomplish ! Now you show 
 yourself a child again !" 
 
 " You nuike woman in yourself more infallible than man 
 pretends to be, even in his proper and peculiar field !" 
 
 " Young man I understand you ! I could possibly get 
 lost as easily as some men but I could not get scared !" 
 
 " Thank you !" said I, with a poor effort at the magnani- 
 mous. But she went on without noticing. 
 
 " I should not have been flurried out of my common sense, 
 and lost all the chance I had for getting out of the scrape 
 if I am a woman. There is too much yet to be accomplished 
 to justify any one in throwing away a life. Mankind has yet 
 to be redeemed. The world needs all its laborers !" 
 
 Here is the key-note to this strange anomaly I thought ! 
 
 " You will not do much to redeem it out here !" I ventured 
 to hint. 
 
 She turned her head abruptly, merely muttering 
 
 "You will know more some time !" and, as at the moment, 
 a herd of deer, which had been lying down in the grass within 
 range, sprang up from a low piece of the ground her rifle 
 was at her shoulder in an instant. A deer bounded into the 
 air, and merely saying as she turned off 
 
 ""Wait for me 1" she proceeded to cut the throat of the 
 animal reloading her rifle as she. went.
 
 302 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 "Well!" said I, as I squirmed in my saddle, when she wag 
 out of car-shot " Here's a, free specimen, with a vengeance ! 
 A sort of Amazonian-Siamese-Twins-of-a-personage a doublc- 
 shottcd-shc-fanatic run wild ! She is surely sufficient unto 
 herself? Lord help the husband of such a woman if she 
 have one !" Then I felt mean. 
 
 " But, by Jove, how strangely she talks and how kindly she 
 has treated me if she does patronize ! I half suspect she's 
 right about the child!" 
 
 The deer was dissected in short order, and she returned to 
 my side bearing the hams still enveloped in the hide, which 
 had been stripped from the fore-parts, which are not much 
 valued in a country where venison is so abundant. She slung 
 her burden across my horse behind my seat, merely remarking 
 as we moved on " This is a fat saddle !" 
 
 " But is it possible that you hunt on foot always ?" 
 
 " Yes ; I prefer it !" 
 
 " How do you get your meat home ? not upon your shoul- 
 ders, I hope !" 
 
 " Yes but why not, young man ? My limbs arc strong, 
 my step is firm. I do not tire like the tottering creatures of 
 rotten civilization. I who breathe God's pure air have the 
 will why not the deed ?" 
 
 "But you are a woman," I persisted. "Your husband, if 
 you have one, should do this ?" 
 
 " Bah ! What if I am a woman I must work ? My hus- 
 band works ! Works gloriously and nobly for mankind, and 
 I, too, am laboring for mankind when I provide for him. He 
 has no time for such menial labors ; and if he had, he would 
 be doing injustice to the necessities of the race if lie gave it 
 to anything but the high mission on which he has been sent !" 
 
 " This is a strange doctrine, it scorns to me you arc 
 reversing the savage code ; for even with them, although the 
 women perform the baser services, the men at least do the 
 hunting."
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 303 
 
 "Young man, you speak like one who had been in the 
 world just twenty-one years, and that, having eyes, had not 
 seen. Do you not know that progress, like all other of God'a 
 great Laws, moves in the spiral upwards? That it must 
 bring us around again to the same conditions from whence we 
 started though above them. A close approximation to the 
 savage life and virtues will be the highest civilization. It is the 
 ferocious vices we shall have conquered, and the heroic virtues 
 we shall have attained. These stern savage races go down 
 before the wheels of progress because they will not bend ; with 
 the light that was given them, they are too faithful and too 
 strong to yield. It is a bastard civilization that is really un- 
 true begotten of luxury or lust its children are the true 
 Neros of ferocity and brutality. The world needs brains 
 now more than thews and sinews. The need is too great for 
 true hearts to stop at conventional forms, which, after all, are 
 the mere disguises of unbounded licentiousness. The millions 
 groan, and we must work each in his own appointed way." 
 
 " But I do not understand from all this why the common 
 relation of husband and wife should be reversed." 
 
 " Ah, yes ! Then the constant tendency of this struggle 
 of civilization toward the simpler forms and a purer light, is 
 to intensify the action of the mental and spiritual natures, 
 rather than the mere physical. The mental searches for the 
 mechanical means of rescue, the soul for the spiritual. Both 
 are maddened by the clamorous cries of suffering nations into 
 a morbid activity the results of which are most frequently 
 * confusion worse confounded' and an unnatural development 
 of the brain, or of the mental in relation to physical. Where 
 this condition has supervened, it is the office of love to restore 
 the equilibrium ; and in the true marriage, upon whichever 
 party the lot of extreme spiritual and mental development 
 shall fall, the doctrine of Utility requires of him or her a 
 life-dedication to the great cause, in whatever direction tho
 
 304 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 strongest tendencies may be and so upon whichever party, 
 man or woman, the lot of greatest physical strength and 
 activity should fall, the responsibility of all that species of 
 exertion must devolve. Thus they both labor to the same 
 end, through each other, and are unified in purpose and 
 results !" 
 
 " This then is your reason for assuming the office of com- 
 missary! You are physically strongest, and have assumed 
 the burden of the way ?" 
 
 " He is strong in his own way, young man !" she answered 
 drily " But look ! there is our little home !" 
 
 I had become so interested in this strange conversation 
 stranger even than the circumstances which had brought me 
 into such relations that I had not noticed what the direction 
 was, or what the peculiarities of the ground we were passing 
 over. I now looked around me, and even if my vision iiad 
 not been sharpened by observing a sort of cynical smile upon 
 her face as she pronounced the last words I think my own 
 memory would have been sufficient to compel me to recognize 
 the scene, amidst the "Archipelago of motts," in which the 
 deer had. fallen, and from which I had fled so ignominiously 
 as it was turning out. 
 
 There was the very spot where I had left the deer, and the 
 bones of the refuse parts lay strewed around upon the dank 
 and bloody grass. Some wolves, which had been squatting in 
 the neighborhood of their feast, made off as we approached. 
 I looked in the direction in which the woman had pointed, 
 but could perceive nothing like a house. She smiled at my 
 puzzled gaze of inquiry into her face. 
 
 " You are back again, you see ! I took off that deer's skin 
 myself, and you ate some of its meat. The horse had more 
 wit than the rider you perceive he was coming direct !" 
 
 "Yes!" said I dolorously, as we were passing on "but 
 where is the house of which you spoke ?" for my bruised
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTKESS. 305 
 
 limb the pain of which I had almost forgotten during the 
 excitement of our conversation was becoming most oppres- 
 sive, now that something had been said of home and rest. 
 
 "Do you see that small mott?" said she, pointing with her 
 rifle to a clump of large live oaks upon a bit of rising ground, 
 some half a mile ahead and near to what, I now perceived, 
 for the first time, to look like the heavy timbered bottom of a 
 stream of some size. 
 
 "I see nothing but a mott !" said I impatiently. "Where 
 is the house ?" Her look brightened as she stepped on more 
 briskly by the side of my horse, who seemed to have scented 
 some familiar odor on the breeze, that quickened his step, for 
 his ear was now pricked forward, and his gait confident and 
 elate. 
 
 " You shall see !" and she smiled. We soon reached the 
 mott, and passing beneath the long heavy drapery of moss 
 that descended from the low wide limbs of the live-oak, we 
 were at once in the dim cool twilight, which would have b~3t 
 become that religious atmosphere in which the Druidical riteo 
 were performed. In the midst of this, and almost hidden by 
 the gray fantastic drapery of the great tree above, I saw 
 indistinctly the appearance of palisading, that seemed to be 
 circular in form. Another moment she pushed aside the moss, 
 and we were at the door. It was a round hut, the walls of 
 which were composed of the small trunks of trees set perpen- 
 dicularly in the ground the interstices being filled with a 
 sort of cement of moss and mud. The roof was thatched 
 with bull-rushes, and the door was a frame of hickory saplings 
 stoutly interwoven. There was no sort of picketing about 
 it, as is usual in the country, to the small as well as large 
 ranches. 
 
 It seemed as if the shelter of the moss-draped oaks had 
 been deemed sufficient and so, indeed, it appeared to be, for 
 its appearance of entire security, like some wild nest of lonely 
 birds, was what first struck me as I saw it. The door was 
 
 20
 
 306 WILD SCENES AND "WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 closed, and it looked silent as death. She held up her arms 
 to assist me to alight, and then taking down her venison, she 
 gave the lariate of my horse a turn around a limb of the 
 sheltering oak, and assisted me toward the door. She called 
 out in a low tone, " William ?" 
 
 I heard a soft, unsteady tread respond to the call, and the 
 door was opened. A pale man, with large head, bright gray 
 eyes, broad shoulders, and small legs, made his appearance. 
 
 "What is the matter, Molly?" said he, with such a quiet 
 look as his eye fell upon me, that one would have supposed I 
 was his oldest son. 
 
 " Is the poor youth hurt that he leans upon you so ?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Then, bring him in, in God's name, and we will shelter 
 him until his strength returns!" and she assisted me to the 
 door, when he clutched me with a strength of gripe that as- 
 tonished me, and nearly lifting me towards a low couch of 
 dried moss, laid me upon it without asking a question. He 
 adjusted my position with a sort of awkward care, and when 
 assured that I was comfortable, he went quietly to a rude 
 ottoman composed of dressed bear-skins with forked stakes and 
 small saplings for supports, and seated himself, with the most 
 benign expression of serenity before a rude table covered with 
 all sorts of odd implements ; and taking, up, what appeared to 
 be a microscope, commenced an attentive survey of some small 
 object before him, which I could not distinguish. He had 
 asked me no explanation, did not seem to be at all disturbed 
 by my sudden appearance, and had fallen back into what 
 Bcemed a routine, just as if nothing had happened. This, 
 though not very complimentary to my vanity, only served to 
 rouse my curiosity, in spite of my sufferings. 
 
 "Molly will take care of you directly!" he said, looking 
 up ; " She has gone to stake out your horse !" and he went on 
 with his work. I thought of magii, necromancers, astrologers, 
 alchemists, &c., all in a breath, as I stared at the strange,
 
 THE. TEXAN HUNTRESS. 307 
 
 calm man, with the light from one small window, or port-hole 
 rather, falling upon his tahle and his gray hairs ! 
 
 The strange effect was not a little heightened by the sur- 
 roundings of this person. I had now, in the unbroken silence, 
 sufficient leisure to observe these appliances, which were en- 
 tirely inexplicable to me at the time. First, I noticed a 
 small rude furnace in one corner, near to which were scat- 
 tered about some small hammers, files, tongs and other tools 
 used in working iron and steel ; while near the desk were some 
 ten or a dozen small models carved from wood with great 
 neatness, and having occasional springs, bolts, &c. of metal. 
 Such a maze of wheels, cogs, cranks, balls, bolts and all that 
 sort of thing was there, that one could form no idea of their 
 meaning, not even whether they all belonged to the same 
 machine, or were the parts of one whole, waiting to be put to- 
 gether ! 
 
 On knots and pegs, in crannies, and strewed in all sorts of con- 
 fusion about the floor and on rude shelves, were every con- 
 ceivable variety of parts that appeared to have been formed 
 for machinery of models or a model. These parts were prin- 
 cipally of wood, as the metals seemed to have been used with 
 every possible frugality, since they must, of course, have been 
 very difficult to obtain and to transport in such a region. A 
 few of the simplest of the common implements of carpentry 
 were hung around the room or thrown about the floor. It 
 seemed as if the tools and their creations had all been shaken 
 in a bag together and then whirled around the room to roll 
 together, to fall or stick, where and as they might. It was 
 certainly a droll looking place, and there was one mysterious 
 seeming recess which was hung with skins, but which was, 
 as it appeared to me, too small for a bed, and added no little 
 to my curiosity. 
 
 The woman now came in. 
 
 "He is bruised, William, what shall we do?" 
 
 The man looked up, slightly.
 
 308 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 " Did you bring in a deer, Molly ?" 
 
 "Yes!" 
 
 "Is it cold?" 
 
 " All but the hams !" 
 
 " Then skin them, and wrap the warm parts of the skin 
 around the bruised limb !" 
 
 " Yes, I know !" and she turned off, while he resumed his 
 labor. 
 
 " Well !" thought I, " this is a case !. Here I am about to 
 be enveloped in a reeking deer-skin, warm from the carcass, 
 by these wild cannibals. I wish the infernal tornado had 
 finished me. I have heard of such usages, but they horrify 
 me !" I felt most like getting up to run away, but there in 
 terposed the sad difficulty that I was unable to rise. Aftei 
 several ineffectual efforts, which, however, attracted no sort 
 of attention from the rapt student at the desk, and many 
 muttered anathemas against fate, fools and fanatics in gene- 
 ral, I managed to subside, in a great degree, into a cooler 
 mood, and became resigned, from sheer helplessness, jto trust 
 in anything but such Providence ! as I impiously sneered to 
 myself. 
 
 The woman came now with the warm skin ; and after some 
 remonstrance on my part, the old man was roused from his 
 absorbed labor to envelop my extremities in this novel poul- 
 tice. I afterwards found that it was extensively used among 
 the Indians, north and south, and have since learned that this 
 first step towards the "pack" of wet sheet and blanket, claimed 
 to be invented by Priessnitz, is one of the oldest uses of our 
 race, and still practiced with wonderful effect in China, Russia, 
 Germany, c., by the lower classes, and sometimes by the 
 higher, as was the case once with Murat, when he was crushed 
 almost into a jelly by the fall of his horse down a precipice. 
 
 lie was enveloped by his wise physician, in the hide of an 
 ox, Avhich was killed for the purpose, and after a long sleep, 
 recovered, with nearly all trace of his bruises gone. I was not
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 309 
 
 aware at the time, more than vaguely, in what good and an- 
 cient company I lay in my disgusting envelope ; all I could 
 know about it was that I went to sleep very soon, and slept, 
 Heaven knows how long ! and awoke with the pain gone ! 
 
 The old man released me, and leading me, entirely nude, 
 out-side the door, astounded me by dashing a bucket full of 
 the coldest water upon my person, which was reeking with 
 perspiration, and before I had fairly recovered from the effects 
 of this, it was followed by another and another. 
 
 This primitive sort of treatment had a wonderful effect ; 
 and when I again dressed, I almost thought myself born again, 
 so free did I feel from the distressing consequences of my 
 fall. I found in attempting to move about that there was 
 still some stiffness in my leg, but it was so slight as not to be 
 a matter of much importance. The bruises were gone, and 
 the circulation of the limb temporarily restored in a great 
 measure, and that was certainly miracle enough for the pre- 
 sent. 
 
 Though the acute pain had been entirely banished by this 
 novel process, yet, of course, the entire restoration was yet 
 slow. The muscles and tendons had been seriously strained 
 and injured by the weight and struggles of my horse, but, 
 bathing the parts in cold water, as was directed by the old 
 man, always soothed any painful return of inflammation. 
 
 There was a clear, beautiful spring in the rear of the 
 house, underneath the huge live-oaks composing the mott. 
 Here I limped several times a day to apply the simple resto- 
 rative. The little brook made its shining way through the 
 high grass down the slope, and at some periods of the day, 
 glanced prettily in the sun from beneath the green tangles 
 that drooped and met over it. The scene was very pleasant ; 
 for, seated on the mossy roots in the cool, dense shade, I could 
 just trace its glimmering way by glimpses through the neavy 
 draping of moss which depended nearly to the ground. The 
 stillness, mildly stirred by the faint ripple, was so lulling,
 
 310 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 that if one did not sleep soon he was compelled to think, and 
 in connected strains of thought, too. 
 
 Here I sat and mused much ; for, in spite of myself and 
 all my efforts at sneering, there was something in this woman's 
 A'ild talk that impressed me, and in the strange life, man- 
 ners and surroundings of this remarkable recluse, that had 
 aroused my deepest and most curious sympathy. These were 
 new thoughts, strange ideas she had spoken. This was a 
 new phase of life to me this isolation this devotion to a 
 fixed purpose this self-denial, which could sever two persons 
 from all the common sympathies of their race, and send them 
 off to remote and dangerous solitudes, change the natural 
 relations of the sexes, and exalt them into the incommunica- 
 tive and apparently crazed condition of abstraction and de- 
 votion to a single idea ! 
 
 " What is this Idea ? What do these people hope to ac- 
 complish?" I asked myself a thousand times. " They talk 
 of social wrongs, but that is no new story, it is simply as 
 old as society, that those who can find no business of their 
 own to attend to, should, and will employ themselves with 
 the business of others, and go to work to save the world ! 
 They commonly make a good speculation of it, and are usually 
 corrupt as they are loud-mouthed, vulgar and stupid, but 
 here seems an anomalous case. These people are clearly in 
 earnest. Women do not run such risks for nothing, nor do 
 men dedicate themselves' with such singleness of purpose to 
 what they merely expect selfish returns from ! I must get at 
 this idea and get at it I will ! These persons are evidently 
 educated, for silent and abruptly incommunicative as they 
 have been since I came, I have heard enough to convince 
 me of this much, and unravel this secret 1 will!" 
 
 Such, I remember, were my musings, when, after having 
 been tenderly cared for several days, I found myself equally 
 puzzled as at first, to understand what this old man was doing, 
 or expected to accomplish. He had made no explanations,
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 311 
 
 and although uniformly kind, had taken no sort of notice of the 
 various and ingenious hints by which I had endeavored to get 
 at what was his object. I had slyly tried to understand for 
 myself the meaning of the models which strewed the room, 
 but could make nothing out of them all. Though my knowl- 
 edge of mechanics was very slight, yet I had some idea of 
 general principles, which ought to have been sufficient to give 
 me at least a vague clue to the object attempted. I had 
 given up in despair ; and as I could not understand the mean- 
 ing of the sort of hieroglyphico-transcendental language in 
 which they spoke to each other upon the subject of the mys- 
 terious machine, I determined to win upon the sympathies of 
 one or the other in some way, and get thus at the secret. 
 
 Accident favored me ! 
 
 She had talked with me in the freest manner during the 
 first exciting period after our meeting, but since I had become 
 an inmate, her answers to my inquiry upon such subjects 
 had all been abrupt and mystical in a degree which left me 
 no wiser than before. The old man seldom left the house, 
 even for exercise ; but one morning, when I had almost en- 
 tirely recovered, I was sitting in my accustomed place by 
 the spring, when he came slowly walking towards me with 
 the fccblo gait of the partial paralytic; and, greatly to my 
 surprise, bore my pistols along with his own gun, in his 
 hands. 
 
 " What can this mean !" thought I, rising hastily to meet 
 him. 
 
 Giving the pistols into my hands, he merely said, with a 
 quiet smile : 
 
 " The Cherokee Indians are down, young man ! and we 
 may have to defend our little home !" 
 
 "Is it possible!" said I, starting with surprise. "The 
 Cherokees! Where are they? How did you hear?" 
 
 " 0, Molly keeps a good look out ! she found their trail
 
 312 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 about day-break, and lias since seen them. She has just 
 got in. They are on her trail now, I suppose, for we expect 
 them here soon !" 
 
 The blood rushed to my heart, and it beat very loud and 
 fast. I had never met the Indians of any sort, as yet. Here 
 at once was a stern novely in the excitements that I had 
 courted. 
 
 I had little time to understand the thing, for we now saw and 
 felt the imminent necessity of hurrying towards the house 
 before the approaching savages. I had to assist the old man, 
 and the moment I got into motion, the blood rushed in a 
 burning tide back to my head and face, and then every limb 
 and fibre thrilled with a new sensation. Everything seemed 
 confused around me for the moment. The trees spun, and 
 the moss and grass were whirled together in a chaotic blend- 
 ing, most like that before the eyes of a drunken man; while 
 the only objects that I saw with perfect arid vivid distinct- 
 ness, were the tall forms of eight or ten warriors that had 
 suddenly appeared in the distance, and were gliding rapidly 
 across a sui.-i] opening between the oaks, evidently with the 
 view of ^-'Hm; between us and the house, and thus cutting 
 us off from abater. When I realized this it caused a violent 
 start that r^ored me, like an electric shock in a case of 
 stupor, to the full possession of all my faculties, sharpened, 
 indeed, into a greater than the natural coolness. The dis- 
 tance we had to pass was short, to be sure, but then the old 
 man was paralytic, and I was still somewhat lame. 
 
 I sa'.v in one quick glance our great danger that the 
 savages were urging their utmost speed to intercept us. A 
 sudden strength almost supernatural possessed me at once. 
 My eye tcok in every thing. The very undulations of the 
 moss enabled me to track their course, when they quickly 
 passed out of view behind it. I could now even hear the 
 twigs crush beneath their feet when feeling that our hope
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 813 
 
 was a desperate one I seized the old man in my arms, and 
 forgetting my lameness, rushed with him towards the door 
 of the house. 
 
 I reached it and found it was closed for the moment. He 
 still held on to his rifle, and as the door opened to admit us, 
 he turned himself in my arms, and coolly presenting it, said 
 in a low voice, " Stop !" 
 
 The word was not fully spoken, when the ring of several 
 rifles from the wood was replied to by that of his own. He 
 dropped heavily from my arms on his own door-sill. The 
 Indians were upon us ! I had stuck my pistols into my belt, 
 and now I wheeled to face them, standing over the body. The 
 clear ring of a rifle above my shoulder, and the staggering 
 fall of one of the foremost warriors showed me that "Molly" 
 was on hand. The Indians recoiled for a moment, for it was 
 the chief of the party that fell beneath the shot and then 
 seeing only myself astride of the body they rushed on me 
 with a yell as vengeful as it was infernal. 
 
 I saw the fierce eyes of "Molly" blazing behind me as she 
 screamed 
 
 "Give it to the Cherokee dogs, my boy!" while she plied 
 her ram-rod desperately reloading for another shot. 
 
 I stood at bay with that strange flushed feeling which 
 always attends the consummation of despair. It was a wild and 
 furious struggle for a moment. The firing of my pistols was 
 almost instantly followed by the report of her rifle again 
 this caused the Indians to hesitate slightly, which gave us time 
 to drag in the body of the dead or wounded man we did not 
 yet know which. They saw us about to escape, and made a 
 rush to prevent the closing of the door. Several of them were 
 throwing themselves against it together, and had nearly suc- 
 ceeded in the effort but the frantic woman seemed endued 
 with nearly supernatural strength, and with a single stroke, 
 felled the foremost with the butt of her rifle while I held
 
 314 WILD SCENES 'AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 lh9 dcor with all mj excited strength. Though both of us 
 were wounded, we succeeded in closing the bolt, while the 
 Indians kept firing at the door, in the vain hope of hitting 
 us through it. Hickory is a very tough wood, and the closely 
 woven withs or poles of which it was composed were bullet- 
 proof. 
 
 Tt was not, however, proof against hatchets, and instantly 
 we heard the blows by which they were cutting their way 
 through. "We reloaded our weapons in silence. The door 
 was fraily hung, and could not stand such a general assault 
 more than a few moments but when we were ready, she 
 looked up with a smile that seemed very strange at such a 
 time. 
 
 " I prepared for them long ago !" she said, in a low, hissing 
 voice as she punched out a bit of mud from between two of 
 the pickets of the house and then thrust her rifle through 
 what I now saw was a shrewdly disguised port-hole, bearing 
 directly upon the door. She fired, and a yell of agony from 
 the outside followed. As she withdrew her rifle, I also fired 
 my pistol through the port-hole into the midst of the flurried 
 and astonished group, which had gathered about a fallen 
 warrior. Their discomfiture was now complete, and with ges- 
 tures of furious menace, I could see they commenced a retreat 
 more rapid than the charge had been, and as little expected. 
 
 The woman, who now appeared to have grown wild with 
 rage, quickly sent after their retreat another shot from the 
 door-way, which she had impetuously thrown open. She 
 screamed her defiance, and shook her clenched hand at them 
 like some crazed " Madge Wildfire," as they disappeared in 
 yet greater confusion from her shot, and turning towards me 
 \vith lips blue and compressed until they were thin as wafers 
 across her teeth muttered faintly 
 
 " They have slain my husband !" and staggering towards 
 the still insensible body her flashing eyes suddenly grew
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 315 
 
 dim her face deathly pale, and dropping her rifle to the 
 floor, she fell upon the body, clutching it convulsively about 
 the neck. 
 
 Now came the time for me to repay, in some measure at 
 least, the kindness of this singular couple. They both lay 
 stretched upon the floor insensible, and apparently dead. It 
 was a horrid sight for a moment I was stupefied as I gazed 
 upon them but the last few moments, in thoroughly rousing 
 my whole life to new sensations, had learned me a stern lesson 
 in presence of mind. I sprang first for some water, and 
 dashed it into the faces of the motionless pair, and then 
 kneeling beside them, rubbed their hands and feet with all 
 my strength. It was but a little time before I convinced 
 myself that neither one of them was yet dead. This relieved 
 and encouraged me greatly, so that I urged my efforts to 
 resuscitate them, and, after a few minutes more, commenced 
 examining the old man's body, to find and staunch the wound. 
 
 I had seen no blood as yet, and therefore supposed it must, 
 of course, bleed internally, and consequently be fatal. What 
 was my hopeful surprise to find that it was apparently a 
 graze-shot as the ball had ploughed up the flesh along the 
 hinder part of the neck near the base of the skull ; and as it 
 was, evidently, not deep when I probed it with my finger, I 
 came to the conclusion that the bone had been merely indented 
 not shattered and that the spinal chord had been more 
 paralyzed by the shock than seriously injured. Warmed still 
 more pleasantly by this discovery, I, rapidly staunched the 
 blood, which had been running down inside the collar of his 
 buckskin coat, and was, therefore, not visible. 
 
 The wound of the woman was bleeding profusely. I soon 
 found that it consisted of an ugly flesh wound in the right 
 arm, which passed through into the breast, but whether into 
 the chest or not I could only conjecture but hoped for the 
 best, as I saw it, too, bled externally and freelj. I staunched 
 the wounds as well as my poor skill in surgery would admit.
 
 316 TVILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 She gradually recovered from the swoon, and, half rising, 
 stared vaguely about her for an instant but her first words 
 were 
 
 "Is he alive?" This was spoken in a suffocating voice, 
 while her lips trembled. 
 
 " He still lives, and I hope is not mortally hurt !" 
 
 " God be thanked, and let humanity rejoice !" she said 
 solemnly, and with a start she sprang to her feet. " You are 
 hurt, young man I see blood upon you !" 
 
 I had been too much excited to think of my own wound, 
 although I now felt that the pain had been considerable 
 however, it proved to be, upon examination, but slight, and 
 gave me of itself but little trouble afterwards. It was merely a 
 flesh wound in the thigh of the same leg that had been injured 
 in the storm, and, as is frequently the case, rather accelerated 
 the cure of that injury. The vital functions, thus extraordi- 
 narily aroused, it is well known, do often throw off the old as 
 well as the new disease, by the one great effort thus concen- 
 trated upon the local seat of the disturbance. Be this as it 
 may, I did not suffer from lameness much after this although 
 I had a great amount of exertion devolved upon me by this 
 sudden catastrophe. 
 
 The woman, after assisting me in dressing my wound, said 
 to me gravely 
 
 " Now, young man, much depends upon you ! You arc not 
 a great deal hurt as God would have it while I am griev- 
 ously and my poor William must probably remain long in 
 this stupor !" 
 
 She was carefully examining him without disturbing my 
 dressings, further than to saturate them with water. 
 
 "I can hope," she said, as she rose from the examination 
 and drew a long breath " I can hope that your opinion of 
 the wound may prove correct for his pulse, though slow, is 
 strong enough yet but it must be a long time before be 
 recovers his faculties. His brain is so immense and so dis-
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 317 
 
 proportioned to his physical strength, that his recovery must 
 be very slow, if it come at all. Young man, I have dedi- 
 cated my life without stint or reservation to him, and although 
 it is impossible for me yet to tell the extent of the injuries I 
 have received, yet I must not 'stop to regard them I must 
 win that glorious mind back to the world again, cost what it 
 will to me. I count myself as nothing weighed in the scale 
 with his usefulness. He must be saved at any rate, to finish 
 his great work ! I saved your life a lost wanderer, beaten 
 down by the tempest helpless, bewildered, wounded and for- 
 lorn and now all that I ask of you is, help to save him I 
 Make no remonstrances !" as I was proceeding to' deprecate 
 the disregard of self she spoke of, " make no remonstrances, 
 my son !" she said mournfully " I must require it of you 
 not to interfere with but obey me for the time. I cannot 
 be moved I will nurse him you must provide us with food 
 and water in the meanwhile. I want no farther assistance. 
 I know him best you can render no assistance to him per- 
 sonally. God only knows how far this ugly hurt_ of mine 
 may prove injurious. I will be careful of it for his sake, at 
 least!" 
 
 " I promise to obey you. I feel that I owe my life to you, 
 and I will cheerfully resign it to serve you or your husband !" 
 
 " I knew as much, my child ! I knew as much and 
 was selfish of me to remind you of obligation when you had 
 already more than trebly repaid whatever there might be, by 
 saving that dear body which lies so placid there, from the 
 defacing hands of those murderous brutes who, as with those 
 who sttmd the Prophet of old knew not what they did! 
 But it is ao selfish anxiety for self that has thus made me 
 forget wl .at was due to hospitality it was for Mm ! for his 
 dear life ! I spoke so eagerly, forgetting all things else ! 
 come, let us place him on the poor bed !" 
 
 We immediately removed him to his place upon a raised 
 couch of dried moss and leaves, covered with skins, which had
 
 318 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 heretofore been resigned to me. As we laid him clown, his 
 pulsation evidently quickened, but his eyes were still un- 
 opened, and his limbs remained palsied. I brought water 
 from the spring, which I freely used under the directions of 
 the woman, who by this time had become too faint for farther 
 exertion. The only immediate effect was a partial one, even 
 with our slight expectation. He breathed still more freely, 
 and slightly moved his head. I now had to apply the same 
 remedy to herself, and soon had the satisfaction, after using 
 the cold water freely, and enveloping her in skins, of which 
 there was a large quantity piled on a sort of garret scaffolding 
 near the roof, to see her fall into a deep but troubled sleep. 
 I enveloped his body in much the same way, and then had 
 leisure to look about me, and find what store of provision we 
 had on hand. 
 
 I was greatly disappointed to find but little venison cr 
 meat of any kind stored in the house, and this filled me with 
 uneasiness, for I did not yet feel myself strong enough to 
 hunt, and could not help dwelling upon the frightful fate 
 before us in the event of my wound proving worse than I an- 
 ticipated. I did what I could for it until the most resistless 
 drowsiness overtook me, and falling upon a pile of skins, I 
 sunk into the deep sleep consequent upon extreme excitement 
 and loss of blood. 
 
 I was waked by the shrill cries of the woman, and, as I 
 sprang to my feet was horrified to perceive from the flushed ap- 
 pearance of her face, her wild ejaculations and even screams, 
 that she was suffering from a raging brain fever. Slie tossed 
 her body violently to and fro, moaning as she pressed her 
 throbbing head convulsively between her hands, and occasion- 
 ally shrieking at the top of her voice incoherently. It was a 
 melancholy sight, indeed. I knew but one remedy in reach; 
 and if there had been a thousand, perhaps none would have 
 availed so well as the simple one to which I now resorted, 
 almost upon compulsion ! I hobbled to the spring for a fresh
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 319 
 
 supply of its cooling craters. Returning -with equal difficulty, 
 I found the fever even gaining in violence. It was certainly an 
 awful sight : this stern, heroic woman helplessly tossed in blinded 
 struggles by the side of that calm and gray picture of death, 
 which, unmoved by it all, breathed on like one in a sweet sleep. 
 I could only reduce the fever gradually, for my strength was 
 not sufficient to lift her, and for hours I sat beside her, sooth- 
 ing, as well as I was able, her convulsions, by constant appli- 
 cations of cold water. It was, or seemed at least, a weary 
 time before I gained any ground, and my wound broke out 
 afresh from the excessive fatigue; besides, I was fainting 
 with hunger and horror combined. At last I thought I might 
 venture to leave her awhile, as she grew more composed, and 
 I sought some food. I took a portion of our small supply 
 and rekindled the coals of the smouldering fire, but the bleed- 
 ing seemed to increase, and I was compelled to attend to my 
 wounds before I could cook the flesh. I stopped the flow of 
 blood, and was eating sparingly of the spare meal, when I 
 suddenly became aware of the fact that I was the keeper of a 
 maniac ! 
 
 Hearing a sudden noise behind me, I looked around. The 
 woman, with flushed face and glittering eyes, was rapidly 
 endeavoring to disengage her butcher knife from the sheath 
 where it hung on the belt of her bullet pouch, which I had 
 taken off and suspended on its usual hook of buck's horn. 
 She was muttering rapidly, "I will do it myself! yes! yes! 
 I will do it myself ! The wretches did not finish their work ! 
 They did not know how hard it was for a god to die ! He is not 
 dead he suffers ! It shall not be ! They sent their blood- 
 hounds to murder a true Christ ! He who came to redeem them ! 
 They struck at him in wrath ! They did not finish their wor k 
 but I will do it ! and go with him !" 
 
 The knife was in her hand, and she was darting across the 
 room towards the unconscious man, when I, who had risen 
 in the meantime, seized her suddenly, and with a shriek as
 
 320 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Blie gazed round at me, she struck desperately at my breaaS 
 with the knife. I warded off the blow, and she dropped it ! 
 Then, with a still more harrowing cry, she fainted across the 
 body. 
 
 Never was horror amplified to a more intolerable extreme 
 of fear and dread than now, in all my experience before or 
 since. She was crazed, we were nearly out of food of any 
 kind ! and could I dare, even if able, to go out and leave her 
 here alone? It seemed just as shocking to me to confine her 
 with thongs as to leave her alone. What might not the 
 furious strength of a maniac accomplish ? 
 
 Here was a climax ! I acknowledge, I felt in no hurry to 
 restore her from her fainting fit. Murder, madness, stupor 
 and starvation, all rose in appalling succession before me. 
 
 " What could I do ? What should I do ? I bowed my head 
 upon my hands and wept, completely overcome by this 
 tragic combination of fearful extremities. 
 
 A loud hurrah, accompanied by the clatter of horses' feet 
 now broke the stifling stillness, and springing u; I rushed 
 forward, or rather hobbled earnestly towards the door to see 
 if it was yet secure. 
 
 As I reached it, it was burst open violently, and in rushed 
 
 my friend C , the planter ! followed by several ncgros. 
 
 lie was a good-humored, vehement, boisterous man, and ex- 
 claimed, in a loud voice, as his eye fell upon me : 
 
 " Caught at last ! Why what's all this, my good fellow ?" 
 looking round him, in astonishment and horror. " What 
 
 sort of a d 1's den is this you've fallen into ? have you 
 
 been playing the ' Kilkenny cats' out here in this droll-look- 
 ing place ? Are those two people dead ? What's been happen- 
 ing?" 
 
 " We've been having a brush with tho Cherokees, these 
 persons are wounded !" 
 
 " Hah ! the very fellows I've just been drubbing. They 
 carried the bodies of several killed and wounded. You must
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 321 
 
 have had close work of it, my boy ! We finished the business 
 for them, though, only three got off?" 
 
 " Glad of it, but help that woman, she has fainted." 
 
 " Great God ! a woman here, and in that dress ?" 
 
 He sprang forward to the bed and looked at her ! 
 
 " It is so, as I am alive. Boys," turning to the negroes 
 who stood at the door, rolling up the whites of their eyes in 
 wonder and awe, "run, boys, and get some water, you 
 saw the spring out there as we came ?" then turning to me, 
 with a broad expression of amazement, he asked : 
 
 " Who can these people be ? Did they drop from the clouds ? 
 She's wounded ! Did she fight too ?" 
 
 " Indeed, she did, she did the most of it !" 
 
 " But what are they doing here with all this droll trump- 
 ery ? Did she faint from loss of blood ? Is she badly hurt ? 
 This old man looks as if he were dead ?" So he ran on, and 
 without waiting for answer, and turning, stepped hastily to 
 the door, and shouted at the top of his voice : 
 
 " You Tom ! Scip ! Jim ! come along with that water ! 
 Here are thoee poor people dying, and you lazy vagabonds 
 you i.ii } here you are!" and the three negroes rushed for- 
 ward to tkoj door of the room, bearing each a brimming gourd 
 in one L.iiid and his rifle in the other. The foremost stam- 
 mered out : 
 
 " Heerd you, Massa, was comin' fast as we could, but 
 Jim say he war afraid ob dem cu'rus folks and dem cunjura- 
 tion wheis thar, he was 'bout to slope, an I cotch he." 
 
 " Hang Jim and his conjurations ! give me the gourd, you 
 rascal !" 
 
 " Da he am, Massa !" while Jim, thrusting his own gourd 
 from behind, into the hand of Tom, did " slope" out, sure 
 enough, r^iing his big eyes behind him as if he expected to 
 Bee some horrid witch in pursuit. 
 
 " Here's Jim's, too ! nigger, fool ! He afeard ! Here, 
 
 21
 
 322 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Massa, here's Scip's, too ! He fool !" and the second darkle 
 glided furtively from the door, looking over his shoulder. 
 
 The Pinter in the meantime was stooping over the silent 
 forms of the couple, and administering the cooling water to 
 them, while Tom stood by and looked on with a sort of half 
 grin of heroical indifference, not a little heightened in its effect 
 by the conscious expression of superiority and trepidation 
 which still lingered upon his face, since he looked after the 
 hasty retreat of his sable comrades in arms. 
 
 " She recovers !" said the good-hearted Planter, eagerly, 
 lifting his head. The woman opened her eyes and sprang 
 half erect, uttering at the same time a sudden shriek, so shrill 
 that I involuntarily placed my hands upon my ears. The 
 Planter stepped backwards, and Tom, in spite of his heroism, 
 vanished in a twinkle out of the door. 
 
 "What does this mean?" said C , glancing quickly 
 
 around at me. "Is she crazy?" and he sprang towards her, 
 instinctively, forcing her down upon the bed, while he turned 
 his head slightly to listen for my answer. 
 
 " Yes, she is, hold her ! hold her firmly ! she is not 
 sane now, and may do more mischief!" 
 
 " I understand scalping, but this infernal den is too much 
 for me !" exclaimed he, as he pressed her down to the bed 
 again, while her shrieks redoubled, and her struggles became 
 more furious. lie was a very strong man, and yet all his 
 strength was required to keep her down, and he turned to me 
 with an expression of exhaustion and flurried distress, as he 
 exclaimed, " Why didn't you warn me of this ?" 
 
 "I had no time !" 
 
 " One word would have sufficed !" 
 
 "And what good would that have done?" 
 
 "I might have understood something!" 
 
 " No ! you could not have known more after an explana- 
 tion than you can see !''
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 323 
 
 "And what is that?" 
 
 " Why, you perceive that the woman is out of her head, 
 has a brain fever. She suffers from her wound, her anxiety 
 for her husband, and the additional excitement of the late 
 conflict, that is all !" 
 
 " What shall we do ?" he asked, in dismay, as it became 
 every moment more difficult to keep her down. 
 
 " I must call the negros back, for I can be of little assist- 
 ance to you !" 
 
 " The stupid fools ! you can't get them to come back !" 
 
 "Yes I can!" and seizing his rifle, I hobbled to the door 
 and looked out. Tom was the only one in sight. I shouted 
 to him, ordering his return. The fellow shook his head, and 
 looked furtively askance towards me. I instantly raised the 
 rifle, and, as I brought it to bear upon him, peremptorily 
 ordered his return, under penalty of a ball through his woolly 
 head. The habit of obedience conquered his fears in a mea- 
 sure, and he came back with a slow, unwilling step. 
 
 " TVhy, you cowardly rascal !" I said, in an angry and con- 
 temptuous tone, which I thought might sting and rouse his 
 pride, for I knew he was really a brave fellow, but super- 
 stitious, as were all his class, " I thought you had some 
 manhood in you, a great big lubber like you to run away 
 from a sick and wounded woman ! I am ashamed of you, Tom. 
 Come in here, your master needs you to help him hold her I" 
 
 " Dat ! dat ! dat ! no woman, Massa !" He stammered 
 hesitatingly, as he looked up humbly for a moment. " Dat 
 witch, she make poor nigger die like rotten sheep if he 
 touch um !" 
 
 " I tell you, you fool, the woman is no witch ; she is a 
 good woman, and has a bad fever, and does not know what 
 she is doing !" 
 
 " But, Massa, what all dat conjure-wheels do dar if she am 
 no witch?" he persisted, in a more cheerful voice, but still 
 hanging back.
 
 324 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 " Why, you stupid fellow ! did you never see a wheel, 
 Tom ?" 
 
 " Yes, Massa, but den dem aint' cart-weels !' 
 
 "Fellow!" said I, provoked at his tenacious stupidity, 
 " those are parts of small machines, and can hurt neither you 
 nor me. Come in, this moment, without another word, and 
 assist your master to hold the woman !" 
 
 I seized him by the collar and pushed him in, saying, as I 
 looked significantly at my rifle 
 
 " Do as you are ordered, or remember this !" 
 
 The Planter, who was nearly exhausted by the continued 
 violence of the convulsions, when he saw the cowering negro 
 enter, saluted him with a wrathful oath, which we will be 
 excused from repeating, and in a voice of thunder, ordered him 
 to seize the woman's arms, enforcing his command with a 
 furious kick, followed by gentle insinuation that he would 
 dash his brains out, if he dared to let her up. Tom took 
 hold evidently with fear and trembling, but still with all his 
 might. 
 
 " What are we to do with this she-dragon ?" gasped the 
 poor Planter, wiping the sweat from his brow. " It will take 
 half-a-dozen men to hold her at this rate we shall have to 
 tie her !" 
 
 At this moment an extraordinary change came over the 
 face of the raving woman. The face of the negro as he 
 stooped above her, holding her arms and body down was, of 
 course, immediately over hers. The moment her eyes rested 
 upon it she ceased to struggle, and lay gazing fixedly up at 
 it without moving lip or muscle. We both noticed it at the 
 same moment, and almost held our breath to watch the result. 
 
 After some little while, she began to speak in nearly her 
 ordinary tone, except that it was more measured. It had 
 before been so shriekingly incoherent, that we could only dis- 
 tinguish here and there a phrase. 
 
 " Yes ! yes ! Poor child of persecution, you are here !
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 325 
 
 Your pale tyrant is gone he was my tyrant, too ! With his 
 foot upon your neck, he clutched with bloody hands at mine. 
 Then I was furious because I must be free ! You come to 
 console because the oppressed have learned to know what 
 gentle pity is. You have Cain's mark upon your clouded 
 brow but so has truth. There is the allegory ! ' The meek 
 shall inherit the earth !' * He that was first shall be last !' 
 That brow shall grow bright once more the curse shall be 
 annealed ! It shall grow pure and white with love and truth 
 not pale of fear livid with murder, and flushed with the 
 ghastly mark of bloody hands ! I hate my guilty race !" she 
 continued to murmur in a lower voice " I hate our ferocious 
 cowardice ! We dare not be men like the hunting fathers of 
 thy hunted race the hairy children of the accursed Cain ! 
 We dare not meet brute force with brute force, and hand to 
 claw grapple with the lion in his might ! We sneak behind 
 our cunning, and pervert the laws of mechanics which govern 
 the Universe, rule the destinies of men and the earth into 
 the horrible agents of wholesale destruction from behind our 
 sheltered ramparts !" 
 
 " Why, what is the woman ranting about ?" said the Planter 
 nervously turning to me with a bewildered look. " I 'most 
 believe she is a witch myself! Who ever heard such wild 
 gabble? And yet she talks very plain !" 
 
 She had stopped when he spoke, and deliberately turned 
 her eyes upon him, and I saw nothing more in their expression 
 now than I had noted from the first a sort of calm, intense 
 enthusiasm or stern elevation. So far as appearances went, 
 the crazy fit had passed, and she, if not restored to sanity, 
 had at least returned to her habitual mood and manner. She 
 spoke very coldly 
 
 " Yes ! ' ranting about ?' a convenient word that ! I 
 rant when you either will not or dare not understand ! I 
 rant when I tell you truths you have not the soul or the 
 heart to face ! I rant when I tell you that you are cither an
 
 326 WILD SCENES AND WILD flUNTEKS. 
 
 insensate brute, a maudlin fool, or a selfish tyrant ! I do 
 not mean that you are all or any one of these things in your 
 own responsible deed but I mean that you and I, and that 
 young man there our whole race ! deserve such epithets ! 
 because we have and are conspiring together without con- 
 cert, even but from the individual selfishness which has 
 either been educated into us or has been deliberately assumed 
 by ourselves in spite of experience to oppress our fellow- 
 men not of one color but of all I of our own ! Release 
 me !" and with a sudden effort, she threw the terrified negro 
 across the room and sprang to her feet. We both rose to 
 seize her, but she walked with the utmost calmness of look 
 and manner right up to the astounded Planter. 
 
 " Do not place your hands upon me again. I am perfectly 
 myself now. I know I have been delirious I am not so any 
 longer. Forgive what I have said, that you did not under- 
 stand, and done, that may have been rude and violent, for 
 the paroxysm has passed, and I now know you as you are. 
 You have no doubt been kind, and I shall thank you as a 
 brother !" 
 
 My friend was entirely confounded by this sudden change, 
 and stared at the woman with such an expression of almost 
 ludicrous surprise, that I could not for the life of me restrain 
 a slight disposition to smile particularly when I caught a 
 glimpse of the eager and abject form of Tom creeping 
 stealthily behind her, and from a respectful distance, catch- 
 ing, with pricked ears, open mouth, and wide staring eyes, 
 every word that fell from her lips. 
 
 "Does lie live?" she said to me, as she turned slowly 
 towards the old man, and bent over him feeling his pulsa- 
 tion before I could answer she looked up 
 
 " Yes ! it is all well as yet. Leave him to me he will 
 recover soon in my charge. Thank God ! he was insensible 
 while I was so! was lie not?" she asked eagerly, turning 
 her head.
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 327 
 
 "Yes ; he has not moved yet !" 
 
 " We can't leave this poor woman here alone !" exclaimed 
 my friend, with returning self-possession "We must remove 
 them to my house and have them cared for !" 
 
 "No, friend that cannot be !" said the woman "We live 
 here or we die here ! If you wish to do any thing, send your 
 slaves here with provisions and some simple comforts. Leave 
 that young man with me, and we will nurse him ourselves !" 
 
 My friend was about to answer vehemently with his usual 
 rough impatience of contradiction, but I appealed to him in a 
 beseeching look for acquiescence for the present at least. 
 I found some difficulty, in the hurried and whispered conver- 
 sation which ensued while she turned back to affectionate 
 offices in convincing him that it was best to let this strange 
 and unmanageable woman have her own way that we must 
 humor her, or we could do nothing for her. 
 
 He finally consented, with evident reluctance, to remain 
 with me, and send Tom back to the plantation for supplies. 
 It was about twenty miles distant, and we might expect to 
 hear something of our scout by mid-day to-morrow. When 
 it was explained to Tom what was expected of him, he accepted 
 the mission with astonishing alacrity, and expressed with 
 eagerness, in his own quaint fashion, his readiness to do 
 every thing that speed and energy could accomplish, for he 
 said, with a shamed and sneaking glance at me 
 
 " She aint no witch Jim are jes the nigger fool I sed he 
 war ! She be a good woman, massa ! Tom will gib he's 
 scalp fur hur any time !" and springing upon his horse he 
 galloped away, rifle in hand, and alone across these dangerous 
 wilds. 
 
 " Tom is all right now I" I said, with an attempt at a smile 
 as we turned into the house. 
 
 " Yes ; he's brave as a bull-dog, when he knows what he's 
 doing," answered my friend, with a contemplative look, as we 
 turned towards the round house " But, by heaven ! I'd like
 
 328 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS.] 
 
 i 
 
 to know where he gets his sudden confidence from for this 
 woman seems now almost as much of a witch to me as she 
 did at first to him ! She must be either a witch or a mad- 
 woman !" 
 
 "Nonsense !" said I, "she is neither!" 
 
 I reconciled our Planter, in some degree, to what, appa- 
 rently, there was no mode of escape from, and on re-entering 
 the house, he acted with considerable circumspection, not a 
 little to my amusement ! I could not help perceiving that 
 this caution was not a little tempered with awe. 
 
 The woman continued perfectly quiet administered to her 
 husband in many sagacious though unusual ways, and he evi- 
 dently improved. 
 
 Tom returned punctually the next day, bringing with him 
 a supply of creature comforts and leading my horse. I was 
 greatly surprised to see the animal back again, and turning 
 to my friend, stared him in the face, exclaiming 
 
 " Why, where did Tom get my horse ? This is the first time 
 I've thought of him since the fight I supposed he must have 
 been carried off by the Cherokees !" 
 
 He laughed heartily, while Tom grinned his broadest grin. 
 
 "Yah! yah! yah, massa ! Dat witch-er-woman witch he 
 back agin !" 
 
 Tom had brought another companion, in whose pluck he 
 had more confidence, I suppose, and they both laughed with 
 great apparent enjoyment at this sally. My friend slapped 
 me on the shoulder pleasantly 
 
 " I'm afraid you would have gone off on a broom-stick sure 
 enough, but that your horse was wiser than yourself, and 
 knew his way home better ! We took his back trail, expecting 
 to find some of your bones, at least, and it brought us to this 
 place !" 
 
 " Well, I shall learn to place my trust in horses more here- 
 after that is all !" and we proceeded to arrange our stores. 
 In finding places to deposite them around the single chamber,
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 329 
 
 I took an opportunity to examine the little recess of which I 
 have made mention. I was not much surprised to find it 
 filled with books for that I was prepared to expect but for 
 the number of rare and valuable works upon ONE subject, I 
 had never seen it surpassed, even in extensive and pretentious 
 libraries. They were nearly all works upon Social Science, 
 and especially in its relations to Mechanics. I had only time 
 to glance hastily over the titles, but they impressed me quite 
 as strangely as had the appearance of the room and its wheels 
 and models in the first place. This discovery only served to 
 increase my curiosity. 
 
 We soon had every thing arranged in some sort of rude 
 comfort and as it was too late for any body to return to 
 the plantation, my friend consented to remain until morn- 
 ing. My wound proved less formidable, now that there 
 were others to wait upon the wounded. The old man was 
 gradually waking and the woman continued perfectly calm. 
 
 Tom was very active now, and quickly produced for us an 
 admirable supper. He was very alert in serving the woman, 
 and would jump eagerly at her slightest gesture, and ran to 
 do any errand she might require. It was even amusing to 
 observe how reverentially he watched her and obeyed the 
 slightest word or movement of the hand, and even endeavored 
 to anticipate her very thought. 
 
 She received it all as a matter of course, merely deigning 
 the acknowledgment of a look. She seldom spoke to us, and 
 then it was in an abrupt and almost imperative manner, which 
 excessively disgusted my Planter friend though he obeyed 
 her with nearly the alacrity of Tom himself and then would 
 come back to me growling in an undertone, most furiously 
 about " A crazy harriden ! an insolent virago ! a ranting 
 fanatic ! a wier-woman ! a witch ! a she-devil," &c. I did 
 not pay much attention to all these expletives, for I felt how 
 entirely impulsive they were, and how little they expressed of 
 his real feeling about her.
 
 330 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 "We passed the night quietly, and had the satisfaction to 
 find in the morning that the old man had opened his eyes, 
 and after his bath, seemed entirely conscious recognizing 
 me with a smile, and my friend with a slight hut placid move- 
 ment of the head. He made no attempt to speak, and it 
 soon became apparent that he had, temporarily, at least, lost 
 the power of speech. 
 
 We were all greatly shocked at discovering this sad mis- 
 fortune; hut the woman, although I could clearly see that 
 she shuddered at the discovery, remained apparently cool, 
 and only remarked : 
 
 " I said his recovery must he slow, hut whether it come 
 or not, I shall be content, for his glorious brain has been 
 spared ; I can see that in his clear, firm eye, and if he only 
 recovers the use of his hands and body, the great work may 
 yet be accomplished !" and she turned off about her domestic 
 duties, as he nodded a sublimely placid acquiescence, at 
 least so it seemed to me ! 
 
 The Planter was early ready to return, telling me that 
 he would send over a servant every day, or come himself to 
 see how we were getting on. He offered to leave Tom with 
 us, but I had stoutly refused, and the woman peremptorily. 
 Tom brought up the horses the Planter had mounted, and 
 the other slave was also in the saddle, when Tom, who had 
 been standing during the moments of leave-taking, came for- 
 
 O O G' 
 
 ward, and making a humble bow at his master's stirrup, said, 
 in a faltering voice : 
 
 "Massa! you please to gib Tom leave to stay here and 
 wait on dis gemmen and dat sick lady ?" 
 
 " Why, Tom, she wont have you, my good fellow ! I've 
 offered to leave you already !" 
 
 Tom seemed greatly humiliated by this speech, and bowed 
 his head with a look of deep mortification for a moment, and 
 then lifting it suddenly, exclaimed, with a droll look of eager 
 entreaty :
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 331 
 
 " Dat no matter to Tom, Massa ! He sleep under de tree 
 outside, and bring de wood, and fetch de water from de spring, 
 and no look at urn if she no like it for Tom !" 
 
 I said to the planter, in a low voice : 
 
 " Perhaps you had better let him stay ! The poor fellow 
 seems to be very much in earnest, and may be of assist- 
 ance !" 
 
 " You know I wanted you to keep him, but what will 
 this virago inside say to it ? I believe she has bewitched him 
 already, do you think she won't whisk him off on a broom- 
 stick, nor anything of that sort ?" 
 
 " 0, no ! I'll make his peace with her, I'll engage ! but 
 I want him to stay now, because this sudden and unexpected 
 sort of sympathy and veneration for this woman interests me, 
 and I wish to trace its real cause, at present it is entirely 
 inexplicable!" 
 
 " 0, very good ! Tom, you may stay. It seems as curious 
 to me as to you. I shall come over as often as I can to see 
 you all, but," he added, leaning down from his saddle and 
 speaking in a whisper : " I want you to beware how Tom 
 hears any more of her fanatical talk about Cain and the 
 darkies, such things always lead to mischief, and I'm half 
 afraid that is why Tom has so soon got over his scare about 
 her!" 
 
 "Yes! yes!" I answered, with a smile, "I'll see to 
 Tom's morals." 
 
 " Then, good-by, and look sharp for witches and Red- 
 skins !" 
 
 So saying, he struck spurs into his horse and gallopped 
 off beneath the mossy hung boughs, followed by his servant, 
 while Tom, with great glee, unharnessed his horse and led 
 him off to stake him out near mine. His manner was comi- 
 cally exulting, as I watched him until nearly out of view. 
 He would throw his head far back, seeming to be in a parox- 
 ism of low laughter, the chuckling sound of which would
 
 332 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 just reach me ; he would occasionally toss up his arms in 
 exultation, or jump into the air, striking his heels together 
 twice or thrice e'er he came down, and make sundry other 
 antics, to the evident astonishment of his horse, who would 
 suddenly jerk backwards, while Tom, in total unconsciousness, 
 would tug away at the lariat, uttering some comical expletive, 
 until he got him started again, and then go on rejoicing ! 
 
 I did not mention the circumstance to the woman, having 
 determined that she and Tom might settle the affair after 
 their own fashion. For several days I could see nothing 
 of him, though the wood and water necessary for us was 
 regularly deposited at the door. The woman, or myself as 
 it happened, would take it in ; and, as she made no comment 
 upon the obvious singularity of the circumstance, I did not, 
 of course, allude to it. Indeed, the terms of our intercourse 
 were so monosyllabic that I could only speak to her concern- 
 ing matters of plain necessity. Her wound had to be cared 
 for, but most of all that of the husband ! She sometimes 
 remembered to cook, but when she did not do so I attended 
 to that necessary duty myself. My friend had not returned 
 as I expected, nor had we heard a word from him as yet. 
 
 The husband grew better with unexpected rapidity, and 
 when he finally was able, with slight assistance, to resume 
 his accustomed chair, it was a grand occasion with us ; for 
 the woman had evidently clung with a pertinacity, which was 
 still afraid to precipitate its despair, to the hope that when 
 he had recovered the use of his constitutional strength suffi- 
 ciently to be able to use his limbs for locomotion, the faculty 
 of speech would return to him therefore she had applied 
 herself to the restoration of his physique exclusively, and had, 
 with an obvious feeling of trepidation, avoided calling out 
 from him the slighcst attempt at using his voice. Now came 
 the shock in full ! We had stated him in the chair, and he 
 glanced around with a beaming look upon the instruments of 
 his labor. He even picked them up, such as were near him,
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 333 
 
 With an affectionate familiarity, and seemed to think of 
 resuming his labors where he left them off. Her eyes brimmed 
 and glistened as she watched him, and when he took up his 
 magnifying glass she leaned forward, suddenly, and asked, 
 with an eager and hopeful expression : 
 
 "William, is the light good?" 
 
 He nodded his head pleasantly, but spoke no word ; she 
 turned pale at this, and said, in an agonized voice, while with 
 blue and parted lips she hung upon his answer: 
 
 " William, why do you not speak ?" 
 
 He made an inarticulate movement of the lips, raised his 
 finger to them, and shook his head sadly. She clasped her 
 hands and staggered backwards, but I caught her. For one 
 minute she was motionless, except a slow shivering of the 
 body ; and with rigid features and lips compressed, leaned 
 against me, with such an expression of hopeless abandon, that 
 I could not help the tears springing to my eyes. She soon 
 recovered her self-possession, and raising herself erect, she 
 coldly remarked : 
 
 " He can at least talk for humanity in deeds; his eyes have 
 language enough for us to converse." 
 
 From this time she seemed to me as one stricken ; she 
 moved about in tearless silence, never speaking to me, 
 except when compelled, and then only in monosyllables. 
 
 She never attempted to speak to him again, except by looks 
 or signs, of which they had in a few days established a simple 
 but sufficiently significant system. I never heard this woman 
 complain once of her wound, though it was clearly a severe 
 one, and she must have suffered greatly. She went calmly 
 on as usual, watching every want of her husband, and even 
 anticipating many. He had recovered sufficiently now to be 
 able to resume his labor, and she kept near him all the time, 
 seeming to understand perfectly the effect of every new 
 combination attempted, and the purpose which was to be 
 attained.
 
 334 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 So much was she absorbed, that she never appeared to 
 notice the fact that we had heard nothing from my friend, 
 the planter, and that still our stores of provisions, wood and 
 water, did not appear to diminish in the least, and that I had 
 only to hobble to the door to bring them in each morning. 
 She asked no questions, and saw nothing but what was required 
 for her husband. 
 
 My life now grew horribly monotonous. The eternal silence, 
 broken only by an occasional word to me, which had sole 
 reference to some one of the details of our material wants ; 
 that dumb worker, so earnestly plying his curious and delicate 
 labors ; that stern, and almost sleepless watcher, whose eyes 
 were always upon him, and who scarcely seemed to be aware of 
 my presence ; that noiseless guardianship over our necessities 
 from without; all taken together, had such an effect upon 
 my imagination, that sometimes I really believed myself to be 
 in a dream, and that the whole of these surroundings were 
 unreal as drifting phantasmagoria through the skies of cloud- 
 land. 
 
 I had noticed for some days past that the eyes of the woman 
 shone with an unusual brightness, and that to all my questions 
 with regard to her wound she gave either evasive or abrupt 
 answers. The ball had not yet been extracted, to my knowl- 
 edge, though I had good reason to believe that this stern 
 being had attempted to cut it out herself in private. In 
 so deep a wound there would be, of course, a severe and 
 dangerous sloughing. She had given me no sort of oppor- 
 tunity to judge how far it had progressed, for, like a wounded 
 panther, she went sullenly apart to live or die alone at the 
 feet of her mate. 
 
 I was inexpressibly shocked to notice these dreary symp- 
 toms, and isolated and unsympathetic as our relations were, 
 and had been, I wept like a child when I saw her at last 
 fall upon the bed her husband had so lately occupied, and 
 with the first expression of utter helplessness I had yet heard
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 335 
 
 from her, exclaim : " It is all over ! The struggle is closed 
 for me ! He will finish the work alone !" 
 
 I reached her side as soon as possible. She was most pain- 
 fully haggard, and her eyes were distended to a degree which 
 made their expression seem peculiarly ghastly. She recog- 
 nized me with a smile of such genial sweetness, as for the 
 first time showed me directly the infinite depth and tenderness 
 of that strong heart. She had never revealed herself to me 
 before, so that I felt her recognition ; she had kept all her 
 sympathies with an austere exclusiveness for her husband, 
 and those she had given to me were merely general, such as 
 she would have given to any other member of the human 
 family. She beckoned me to come to her. I came and 
 threw myself on my knees by the side of her couch, she 
 placed her hand upon my head, saying, in a low, solemn 
 voice : 
 
 " My son, while I am yet strong enough, I wish to explain 
 much to you that you neither have nor could have compre- 
 hended. I seem to you, no doubt, a wild and incomprehen- 
 sible fanatic my husband a dreamer ! Neither idea is the 
 true one. We are both enthusiasts and love our common 
 purpose more than we love each other for a great thought 
 is, and should be, far more sacred than any passion. Love 
 is only spiritualized in reality when two souls meet in the 
 same idea I Animals have passions, even stronger than ours 
 but have they a purpose ? They have the purpose of living. 
 We have, or ought to have, a higher ! We have something 
 more to do than to ' live, and move, and have a being' we 
 have to work I Work for what ? For its men and women 
 its animals, its birds, its insects, its fishes, its reptiles, its 
 monsters, anthropophagi, and all \ Work to elevate, enlarge, 
 expand to beautify to glorify ! Work to make the flowers 
 like those we know in dreams the trees express our thoughts 
 of overshadowing strength and love the rocks, of grandeur
 
 336 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 the mountains, of sublime ! We must unchain the winter 
 quell the torrid sun ! 
 
 We must charm the water make its sedges spread- 
 Must -win all bitter berries up and make them turn to bread ! 
 E'en the insensate sod 
 
 Must wake to know its life, 
 To feel it has a God, 
 And join the upward strife! 
 
 So she spoke, in a rapid, distinct manner, for some moments, 
 and then abruptly ceased. This wild and half-poetical rhap- 
 sody impressed me quite as solemnly as the mythical mutterings 
 of a Pythoness would have done, and I could make no reply. 
 Very soon she commenced speaking again, in a voice still 
 more subdued. 
 
 " This sounds to you as altogether vague, because the 
 thoughts are new. But do you know these thoughts are as 
 old as humanity ? Men have always thought so when they 
 had brains to think with ; they have not, except in isolated 
 instances, dared to speak what they knew ! They have hidden 
 their sense in allegories they have spoken in double mean- 
 ings or they have demonstrated in words. This was not 
 sufficient. Mankind requires something more than words ! 
 The hieroglyphics of our infancy, as a race, must not be ren- 
 dered into demonstration alone but into physical realities. 
 We must speak in creations like Gods ! if we wish to be 
 worthy of our trust. We must prove that he and we ! 
 possessing the ' one talent' (which simply means our earth) ! 
 are worthy; and that it may not be given to Mm possessing 
 five ! In a word, we shall not and cannot wrap that * one 
 talent in a napkin !' We must work in our own despite and 
 for our own self-respect must be doing for the good of others, 
 as well as ourselves !" 
 
 " But how ?" said I, humbly " It is easy enough to dig !" 
 
 " yes ! to delve is the lot of our race ! But we must
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTKESS. 837 
 
 dig up liill moles, and all low beasts and reptiles climb 
 towards the apex, Aspiration has no wings ! It climbs ! 
 it does not soar ! all that even Shakspeare says is, that 
 
 ' Aspiration breedeth wings !' 
 
 We mast cultivate the facility the habit of going up will 
 soon accustom us to new ideas and modes of thought that 
 had never been suggested but I wander ! The relation 
 which I intended to give you is a very simple one. You 
 asked me how we should work ? I will tell you how 1 have 
 worked, and why ? 
 
 " I was poor as strength always is ! The knaves starve 
 wisdom because it is child-like ! I was a daughter of New 
 England I was proud and self-reliant I determined very 
 early in my life that I would support myself ! My parents, 
 from whom my plan met but little sympathy, of course opposed 
 violently my purpose to go to some great cotton mill, and 
 work there for my own support. They were poor, too, but 
 proud of an ancestral position ; they could and would not resign 
 it, as they supposed, to ignoble associations ! We had a long 
 and bitter struggle the amount of which was, that I learned 
 to hate most heartily their cowardly apprehension of the 
 ' say-so' of the world ! I carried my point, and must acknowl- 
 edge that, for one day, my romantic delusion with regard 
 to the general idea of associated labor in public mills and 
 manufactories, was nearly kept up but the filth and want 
 of ventilation first shocked me. 
 
 "In a few hours after the excitement of my new posi- 
 tion had passed, I began to feel myself stifled my mouth 
 was dry and my lungs suffered from the cotton-lint, which 
 filled the air in infinite particles. I nearly fainted when we 
 were turned loose late in the evening, and the sensation Avas 
 little decreased when I returned to my room in one of the 
 regular boarding houses. It was an affair of seven by six, 
 without a pretence of ventilation, and contained two beds.
 
 338 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 " The food was horrible ! The mercenary wretches em- 
 ployed to grind, and starve, and rot the life out of several 
 thousand helpless girls, proved worthy of their employers ! 
 They were just as ruthless barterers in human flesh as hell 
 could ask, or millionaires applaud ! 
 
 " Since, I have walked in the track of plague, leprosy, 
 cholera, and fever but I have never seen any thing so 
 humiliating to personal dignity so oppressive to individual 
 health so brutal in regard to the ordinary sympathies as the 
 whole system of these mills. The poor children of strength 
 and poverty die off, as regularly as the moths of the silk- 
 worm, in three or four years at the most or else they con- 
 geal into a sort of old-maid-withered state, which, in its 
 wrinkled and horrid distortions, is more monstrous than any 
 thing this side the English colliers ! according to Parlia 
 mentary Reports! 
 
 " I could not be a slave ! I would not be a minion. I left 
 the mills I left my family with the determination to work 
 somehow to redeem the earth from this great evil. 
 
 " This was a vast undertaking for a poor forlorn female. 
 But, nevertheless, I had strong feelings that something could 
 be done, even by one so humble as myself. But first I had 
 to earn my own bread, and as my education had been good, 
 and I had read eagerly since my early childhood, I thought 
 myself qualified to act as governess, and advertised. I soon 
 found a place. It happened to be in a rich and visionary 
 family, every member of which had mounted some particular 
 hobby of its own. I thought myself in heaven for awhile, 
 but soon began to perceive that hobbies arc hobbies. 
 
 " I found this family of world-saviours for no one of them 
 was any thing short ! the most intense self-ists I had ever 
 met. The only merit they possessed was obstinacy. Each 
 one held to his or her opinion with a ludicrous pertinacity, 
 and the house was one continuous Babel of controversy. All 
 the reform topics of the day were thus continually dinned
 
 THE TEXAX HUNTRESS. 339 
 
 into niy ears, and the running commentary upon this anxioua 
 care for humanity was furnished in the dissolute habits of the 
 family. A more vicious, mean, and cowardly set of knaves 
 and beasts I never saw congregated in one household. It 
 was a perfect epitome of the vices of civilization. With an 
 immense inherited fortune and entire leisure, they united 
 untameable passions and great intellectual activity without 
 one particle of faith or of honor. Each mounted a hobby 
 because it was the fashion, and rode it until ' the galled jade 
 winced!' The passion for notoriety, which predominated 
 among them, was inexorable. All the lustful vices a corrupt 
 humanity ever dreamed of, were practised among them. These 
 were absolutely carried to hideous excesses, and I became a 
 victim. 
 
 " The family were very handsome, and the oldest son was 
 magnificently so. He early cast his eyes upon me. His 
 advances were very subtle. He discovered my tendency 
 towards what are called liberal views, and upon that key-note 
 his skill was Satanic as his will was invincible. He imbued 
 me fully with the knowledge of all modern isms libertinism 
 amono- the rest in the end ! Nothing that clairvovance has 
 
 O SJ *t 
 
 guessed, Swedenborg dreamed, or Fourier idealised, but that 
 I heard it all in his soft musical tones, breathed insidiously 
 against my cheek. I believed it all, and believed him. My 
 ruin was the consequence, as I have hinted. I bore him a 
 child ! The wretch had removed me from my place, and 
 deserted me before the child was born ! Why should I de- 
 scribe the sufferings of a strong nature under such a wrong ? 
 Like natures understand them better without description ! A 
 friend who knew and loved me, a just and righteous man, 
 adopted the child of shame, and has done well by him. 
 
 One dark night, beneath a murky lamp, I met and stabbed 
 the villain, in the place where I had awaited him for hours. 
 He knew me as he fell, and I laughed in his dying ear. I 
 fled the country, of cour?<2, and came to Texas. In Galveston
 
 340 WILD SCENES AND "WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 I met this man my husband. I had lived there for several 
 years, teaching the only regular school they had in the 
 country. I had, after a fearful struggle, gained a sort of 
 resignation. 
 
 " But once I heard some ribald fellows of that rude society 
 ridiculing a "crazy old cove," as they called him. They said 
 he did nothing but ' work ! work I work ! all day ; and that 
 nobody could understand whal; the poor old fool was doing 
 with his wheels and his stupid machines.' 
 
 " I at once determined to know this man ! To be abused 
 by such fellows was enough to persuade me in his favor. I 
 went to see him. I found him as you have seen him a 
 mighty intellect with a feeble physique ! We became friends 
 at once. My enthusiasm had only been ' driven in' so to 
 say, and now came rushing back to the surface of expression. 
 I found him alone, and almost helpless. He had no one to 
 care for him, and could not care for himself for, although 
 he possessed some means, he was too much abstracted to 
 notice minor details of comfort so he lived in the most pain- 
 fully squallid mariner. He did his own cooking, and made 
 his bed once a week for he would not have a servant about 
 him, because he feared he might disturb his work the 
 apparent chaos of which was his order ! 
 
 " I talked with this man, for he talked then ! long and 
 eagerly. He told me much that satisfied me. He showed 
 me that the reform, for which so many true and devoted 
 spirits were really laboring, was a different thing from the 
 cant of the professional reformers. They prayed in public 
 places to be "seen of men;" they, who are in earnest, pray 
 in deeds, and not in words ; and neither do they let the right 
 hand know what the left hand doeth ! 
 
 " He showed me that the popular schemes of reform were 
 all purely theoretical. That they could, and would accom- 
 plish nothing direct ! That all true reforms must begin in the 
 physical ! That men were moved only through material mean*
 
 THE TEXAN HUNTRESS. 341 
 
 and that it was through such means that the material was to 
 be reached and elevated. That the laws of Mechanics were 
 the laws of the universe in dimuendo ! and that the hatreds, 
 the oppressions, the crimes, the monstrosities of our social 
 system, were only to be reached through Mechanics ! The 
 law of order was supreme, and this law required a material 
 medium. Mankind was only to be emancipated into leisure to 
 cultivate the spiritual by the aid of machinery ! of rail-roads, 
 canals, &c. ! Then the working classes would have leisure, 
 leisure to think and feel ; leisure to cultivate the arts ; to 
 make the flowers grow ! 
 
 " But, yet, as he taught, they need a higher Mechanics ! 
 They have steam, and air and electricity, they have appro- 
 priated the water and the gasses, brutes, minerals, vegeta- 
 tion, all ! but one Power I superior to them all ! 
 
 " The law of gravitation is the law of labor, of life, and of 
 progress I This great law remains to be conquered ! We have 
 conquered the elements and made them our slaves ! how 
 slow they carry us ! We want to rein the law that governs 
 spheres ! 
 
 "He was making the audacious attempt! He overwhelmed 
 me with the calm profundity of his knowledge he dazzled me 
 in a very different sense from that first dazzle, which was 
 delirious, and simply, simple !" 
 
 She placed her hands upon her eyes, and they looked very 
 thin and feeble ! A shudder passed through her frame. She 
 muttered : 
 
 " He dared attempt the ' perpetual motion,' and I dedicated 
 my life to him but more to the great thought ! We came 
 apart from civilization, and made us a home here by the 
 unaided labor of our own hands. Here he has worked and 
 I have slaved, to the mighty thought that Gfod may reveal 
 himself in Mechanics I as well as by other revelations, and 
 the children of Eve be thus released from all slavery !"
 
 342 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 She fell back upon her pillow, and, as I started to my feet, 
 a strange, dull cry came from the husband ! 
 
 She was dead I I turned my head in horror from the 
 realization of the scene, and there was Tom, crouching close 
 beside me, with his eyes rolled up in such an expression of 
 horror and sympathy, that I was even more profoundly moved. 
 He had evidently crept in, and been listening to everything 
 she said ! 
 
 Poor Tom ! He buried this strange woman with many 
 tears, and then we took the old man back to the Planter's 
 house, with all his wheels and models ; but he soon fell into 
 idiocy, and died not long after, leaving his life's labor in the 
 hands of strangers, to come to nothing I as all attempts must 
 do at asserting the prerogative of Divinity Himself whose 
 life is the only perpetual motion that can exist in the Universe! 
 Here was a sad and stern first lesson of the presumption 
 which goeth aside in the confidence of its own strength to 
 search after the " strange gods," yet, alas, it was in vain 
 for me, as I only came forth from this experience a mere 
 cold and impious doubter.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR-HUNTING. 
 
 THERE are those who can learn nothing through the ex- 
 r eriences of others, however impressively presented; who 
 uust hear, 3ee, taste, sniell and feel for themselves, before 
 '.Ley can understand the most self-evident truths. The knock- 
 3^wn argument is the only one that has availed wMi me for 
 evil or for good; and that, it seems, I was to have the full 
 benefit of, before the frantic scepticism, which had fastened 
 upon this period of my life, could be reached. The passion 
 of the hunter-naturalist for solitary communion with the soul 
 of nature, which had strengthened the life of my childhood 
 
 343
 
 344 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 and youth into the holier calms of full contentment, had now 
 become so morbidly distorted that this solitude was terrible, 
 unless filled with the action and excitement of danger. My 
 late adventure, from the still farther confusion in which it 
 involved my spiritual and mental sense, proved only the 
 incentive to yet more blind and headlong plunges, into I 
 knew and cared not what desperate extremes of adventure. 
 
 I hurriedly parted with my friend C , determined to 
 
 push on to the uttermost verge of settlement, or even beyond 
 if might be ! 
 
 Now, by way of parenthesis, as to this novel metaphysics, 
 upon an exposition of which I am about to enter, I would say, 
 if there be sermons in stones, and the minnow-rippled, silvery- 
 gabbling brooks be all oracular, and the mute trees yet panto- 
 mime of homilies, not to speak of the obstreperous tongue, 
 nimble-stroked, of "cross, quick lightning," which, "in the 
 dead vast, and middle of the night" doth fright us with its 
 ethics, if, I say, these have, every one, high teachings of 
 their own, why may there not be more in the metaphysics 
 of bear-hunting than has been dreamed of in any fire-side 
 philosophy ? 
 
 I am human enough to love this linking of the invisible 
 with forms ; this association with the material gives it to the 
 palpable. Every thought of mirth, or vision of delight, is 
 ours forever, when, clothed in fit habiliments, we have given 
 it "a local habitation and a name." 
 
 "These are the adept's doctrines; every element 
 la peopled with its separate race of spirits ; 
 The airy sylph on the blue ether floats, 
 Deep in the earthy caverns skulks the gnome, 
 The sea-green Naiad skims the ocean billow, 
 And the fierce fire is yet a friendly home 
 To its peculiar sprite, the Salamander !" 
 
 Now, though I have no special dealing at present with the 
 Bylph, Naiad, Gnome, or Salamander, I would submit whether
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR HUNTING. 345 
 
 the century-lived glory of that antique Faith be not referable 
 to this "bodying forth" of rare ideals, with all the circumstance 
 of an " earthly house," a name of the chisel and the pencil! 
 So in these latter times, when a truth comes to us out from 
 the Infinite, that is to abide with us, it is sent, not with the 
 destroying splendors of its source, but through the gross types 
 of sense, wearing the shapes of most familiar creatures, or 
 actino- through the common elements of things. 
 
 O O J 
 
 Miracles 
 
 Are so impounded now by the stern laws 
 Of sentient things, that poor short-sighted reason, 
 Yielding the divination up to Faith, 
 Submits these revelations under rule, 
 As only given to her far ken I 
 
 Miracles are above us, around us, and beneath us ; it is 
 only when the higher sense bends its inner vision upon them, 
 that we recognize them so. The very triteness of the incidents 
 and imagery through which they appeal to our eyes, "ever 
 staring, wide-propped, at marvels, or lazily giouting on the 
 moon," prevents the recognition of their import. But are 
 they the less miraculous, that our own stultification will not 
 permit us to see them thus ? 
 
 There are times, though, when they come to us right solemnly, 
 in sternness, in strangeness, through chastenings, Avhen the 
 veil is torn aside, and we are made to look in awe on holy, 
 hidden things, to tremble and believe. In such times our 
 stolidity is no refuge ; " we know that we do see !" and when 
 that time has passed, what are the symbols and the images 
 through which that truth dwells forever after with the soul ? 
 The incidents through which the Godhead came, the material 
 forms through which He was made visible ! be they pigmy or 
 huge in man's esteem, they ever, henceforth, in one certain 
 collocation, must stand linked, the eternal, moveless, silent 
 witnessess of that Revelation, and of God, against tin soul.
 
 346 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 When we would reproduce for other wayfarers the lessons 
 vouchsafed to us, how, in what better way can it be done, than 
 by dragging from under the broken seals of the past, that 
 deep-lined imagery, in the array God stamped it on our life, 
 that brother souls may regard it. 
 
 Perhaps they, too, may see the miracle, and be moved by 
 it as we have been. Though a thousand eyes might look on the 
 same facts, and sneer that you talk of G-od ! yet there are 
 those with the "gift and faculty divine" who know when to 
 sneer wisely, if they sneer at all ! Such will understand us, 
 when we aver that faith can find " the evidence of things 
 unseen" only as it is mated with the actual. How can it be 
 thought or expressed otherwise ? This necessity for the actual, 
 is the true old Pantheistic element, though modern ethics 
 will be gravely horrified by the profane juxtaposition ! The 
 elder Penates were things, ours arc words ; but not the less 
 things for all that, if they be sacred. 
 
 But though this be a "bear story," why may it not convey 
 a lesson of higher import and severer teaching than the name- 
 would promise ? Why may it riot be made to trace and 
 arrange the progress of incidents which led to a new birth of 
 the spiritual life within me ? Which taught me, raving doubter 
 that I was, through the simplest and most natural means 
 curiously enough presented, indeed that first and most sublime 
 of truths GOD IS ! Which has linked the " pathless desola- 
 tion" and " the lowly instrument" forever with my memories 
 of adoring gratitude, of love and awe, and left them to me, 
 the sentient demonstrations, strong as proof of Holy Writ, of a 
 benevolent and active Providence wielding appreciable laws 
 inscrutably on my behalf ! But to return to my narrative. 
 
 A solitary and perilous journey brought me to San Antonio 
 do Bexar, then the extreme frontier post of Texas. On my 
 arrival, I found the company of reckless scamps who called 
 themselves Rangers, and made this old town their head-
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR IIUXTING. 347 
 
 quarters, in a very bad humor what would you conjecture 
 was the cause ? Simply that there had been no fighting to 
 do for a whole month ! 
 
 I had never heard a spoiled belle complain half so patheti- 
 cally of a decaying season, and the scarcity of victims, as did 
 these petulant amateurs, of the late difficulties, in the way of 
 raising a fight ! They seemed to imagine the whole world 
 was conspiring against them that a coalition, including not 
 Mexicans and Indians only, but even " His celestial highness, 
 the brother of the sun," had been formed for the express pur- 
 pose of killing them off, through a stagnation of blood, super- 
 vening upon the horrible monotony of an endless peace ! 
 Rather than die so base a death, they were just vowing to 
 rush into any alternative extreme sack some village or 
 Catholic Mission on the other side of the Rio Grande or go 
 up into the mountains and burn an Indian town, and see if 
 that would not stir the hornets and give them something to do. 
 
 After the deliberation due in so dire a strait, Hays, their 
 good-natured little captain, too much moved, perhaps, by the 
 tenderness of his sympathy, and a desire to give them full 
 amends for all they had endured, decided upon the latter of 
 these alternatives. 
 
 Lither of them was promising enough ; but he, as in duty 
 bound, of course selected that around which clustered the 
 fullest fruition in perspective! To form some idea of his 
 accommodating temper and their insatiable gourmandie, 
 imagine a party of eight white men and two Mexicans, 
 traversing an almost desert prairie, three hundred miles in 
 width, with the purpose to reach the mountainous region near 
 the sources of the San Saba river, in which lay the fastnesses 
 of those formidable tribes that scour the plains of Mexico 
 and Texas intending, when gained, to penetrate them, and 
 destroy some one of the towns hid away in their gorges 
 with, furthermore, the pleasant prospect of having thousands 
 of infuriated warriors howling on their trail back to the very
 
 348 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 square from which they started that is, if, contrary to all 
 probabilities, they ever should reach it again. If possessed 
 of a vivid imagination, after grasping all that this view pre- 
 sents, you may form some faint conception of what these 
 remarkably moderate young gentlemen were contented to 
 consider sport !" 
 
 For myself, being, as has been perceived by this time, just in 
 the mood for so reasonable and matter-of-fact an undertaking, 
 I was delighted at having arrived in time to join the party, 
 and nothing the less delighted at the extravagant gusto with 
 which the fellows seemed to relish the idea of this highly 
 seasoned joke. 
 
 Captain Hays had thrown out a hint, as the climactric 
 attraction to any one who might need further incentive or 
 dream of hesitating, that if we had not seen too many 
 Indians by the time we reached the foot of the San Saba 
 ridge, we would recreate there a day or so in killing bears, 
 which animals were reported to be wonderfully abundant, 
 and collecting wild honey, to be drunk with the oil ! 
 
 This last mellifluous argument proved too much for a rotund 
 and doughty little Doctor like myself, lately from the States 
 who had been slightly affected by some natural qualms 
 of prudence; but now, "in fine phrensie rolling," his inner 
 visuals were all preoccupied and inspired by the scenes round 
 the camp-fire himself, with sleeves rolled up the sharp knife 
 in his dumpy red hand the fat streaks falling off beneath 
 his strokes upon the napkin of leaves the steam, " like rich 
 distilled perfumes," that rose as they hissed upon the spit 
 before the cheery fire. Then the brown honey in stately 
 liquid flow from the tin cups, strewed over the tenderly crisped 
 flesh ! Oh ! it was too delicious ! What cared he for Coman- 
 ches after that rapt vision ! Yes, go ho would, though they 
 swarmed by thousands to turn him from his bliss ! 
 
 The best of the joke, though, was, that after this we could 
 not get the Doctor anyhow to realize that there would be
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR HUNTING. 349 
 
 Indians to fight. He would not and could not conceive tho 
 possibility of the tawny rascals interposing "betwixt the 
 wind" and that odorous revelation. " Faugh ! give me an 
 ounce of civet !" good apothecary, he would ejaculate, with 
 the parenthetic addition, " or bear-steak and honey would do 
 as well," whenever the thing was mentioned by us. Remon- 
 strate as we might, he would see and know of nothing else 
 ahead but these rare delicacies ; nor could he be induced to 
 make provision in his equipments for any thing other than 
 securing them. He had gotten hold of something he called 
 a bear spear, which a wag had quizzed him into believing 
 to be an infallible weapon in hunting that animal ; then, in 
 addition, slinging a small axe to his saddle-bow, to be used 
 in cutting out the honey, along with a huge pair of holster- 
 pistols, he declared himself, with great vivacity, " Ready, 
 boys !" 
 
 We tried to induce him to throw away his spear and take 
 a gun. " Never ! What, would you have me unsteady my 
 nerves by lugging a great gun ? How shall I then be able 
 to dissect with that nicety of skill so indispensable to attain- 
 ing the true flavor of a bear-steak ? You are surely demented 
 gentlemen !" and spurring his bob-tailed and vicious-looking 
 pony into a canter, he led the way out of the square. We 
 were all soon clattering after him. 
 
 It requires precious little time, after an expedition has been 
 determined upon, for a troop like this to get ready for it ; with 
 his rifle, his pistols, his bowie knife, his tin cup, " water 
 gourd," buffalo robe, lariat, Mexican bridle, saddle and spurs, 
 the jolly Ranger feels himself prepared to go wherever his 
 horse can carry him, and to meet " all imminence the gods 
 address their dangers in !" He never troubles himself to-day 
 about what he shall eat or what he shall wear to-morrow ; 
 for, so long as his eye is true, and his aim steady, his good 
 rifle will supply him with meat for food, and skins for clothes ; 
 and what more could any reasonable mortal ask ?
 
 350 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 In truth, we were an odd-looking set each one dressed in 
 buckskin, fashioned and trimmed very much to suit individual 
 taste, with no sort of respect to uniformity our whole equip- 
 ment making up a singular amalgamation of Mexican, Indian 
 and American costumes, while our arms were of almost every 
 conceivable stamp. The most experienced hunters carried 
 the old-fashioned long-barreled rifle, single-barreled pistols, 
 and a heavy knife ; while those of us just from the States, 
 were loaded down with the newest inventions six-shooting 
 revolvers, double-barrels, and all sorts of new-fangled notions, 
 which we supposed were to make us, individually, a host for 
 which unwarranted supposition we got ourselves laughed at 
 most heartily, and were afterwards glad to have time for 
 repentance. 
 
 Our horses, some of them mustangs, others American, had 
 been carefully selected with reference to their speed and 
 endurance ; and all, with the exception of the Doctor's 
 nondescript pony, were fine looking animals. 
 
 After clearing the narrow streets of the dilapidated town, 
 and gaining the open prairie, which lay stretched like an 
 ocean before us, with its long waves stilled upon the leap it 
 was a glorious intoxication to feel the noble brutes exulting 
 in their strength beneath us, as they bounded over the undu- 
 lations ; and, in one full ringing shout, our pent-up spirits 
 greeted the mountain winds that came dashing their cool wel- 
 come against our faces ! 
 
 Ho ! for the mountains ! ho ! away ! 
 For merry men are we ! 
 
 A short but rapid ride through a lovely region whose 
 diversified features shifted in panoramic changes every moment 
 as we dashed by brought us to a small stream, which was 
 to be our camping place for the night ; and here, we must 
 confess, that as is invariably the case on the first night out, 
 there was a sort of intoxication rife round our camp-fires very
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR HUNTING. 351 
 
 different from that healthy exhilaration we hare spoken of. 
 Our "water-gourds" we had discovered would hold "nouya" 
 and "absynthe" just as well, and the time was decidedly at 
 a discount for the evening, which was spent in as gay and 
 reckless a carouse as ever chased the "lagging night-shades," 
 with songs and laughter through the " sma' hours." 
 
 Of course, in such a state of things, there was no watch 
 set and we all felt very foolish, on waking the next morning, 
 to find some of our hest horses gone among them my own 
 gallant American. Some of the thieving Mexicans of Bexar, 
 having in view the well-known custom of the Rangers, to com- 
 mence all long and perilous expeditions with a spree, had 
 slunk and crawled upon our trail, since wo left town, and 
 having ascertained our camping ground, kept themselves 
 invisible until we were far gone in the profound sleep which 
 followed our excesses ; then ere t near the camp, and cutting 
 the lariats of those horses on the outside, rode them off ! 
 
 Great as our vexation was, a general burst of laughter rung 
 out on all sides when it was discovered that an attempt had 
 been made to carry off the Doctor's pony, too ; but from the 
 indications, it was plain that the vicious little rascal had been 
 too much for the thief for it had compelled that luckless 
 personage to leave his " sombrero" under its heels, and the 
 print of his prostrate form was plain enough on the damp 
 grass. 
 
 Pony rose a hundred per cent, in the estimation of all 
 parties, forthwith, and his quaint owner with him. There 
 was nothing for it but to wait patiently until those who had 
 horses should return, and replace the stolen ones by pur- 
 chases from the nearest " Cavayard." As they had nearly 
 a thousand to select from, we were consoled by the hope 
 that we should get at least passable horses. 
 
 The return of our messengers late in the evening was 
 awaited by myself, as well as the other unfortunates, with 
 groat anxiety, for all that could be hoped of either pleasure
 
 3-j2 WILD SCENES AXD WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 or security, on an expedition such as this, depended very 
 much upon the character and mettle of our horses. It was 
 in vain to regret the noble fellow I had lost, for he would be 
 across the Rio Grande in the shortest possible time. I could 
 only mutter vengeance against Mexican horse thieves in 
 general, and hope he might be at, least tolerably replaced. 
 It will be seen in the event, that we did not attach too much 
 importance to this circumstance. 
 
 When the detachment arrived, I was agreeably surprised 
 to find a powerful, wild-eyed, fine-looking animal assigned to 
 me ; but my pleasure was not a little dashed at discover : ng, as 
 soon as I undertook to handle him, that he had never had a 
 saddle on his back ! Here was a poser with a vengeance ! 
 What was I to do with an untamed Mustang, as strong as a 
 buffalo, and vicious as a wild cat? After enjoying a laugh 
 at my chap-fallen, chagrined look, on realizing this astounding 
 fact, my tormentors suggested to me the only alleviation, 
 which was to pay one of our Mexican guides a dollar, mount 
 his horse, and let him take mine in hand for a day or two, in 
 which time he would make him " cabdlo de buena rienda" 
 for me. 
 
 In a little while the copper-skinned knave was careering 
 like the wind over the plains on my frantic steed, while the 
 mischievous Rangers comforted me with the assurance, that 
 we would probably catch up with him "iu a day or two!" 
 However, he came into camp late at night, with the horse 
 sweltering in foam, and nearly exhausted by a run of some 
 ten miles and back, and assured me that he was " mucy buena" 
 very good ! that is, he had been able to stand this tremen- 
 dous race, without falling dead in his tracks, which constituted 
 the Mexican standard of excellence in these cases. I was 
 eager to mount him myself next morning, for I did not fancy 
 the idea of having his wind broken, by this Mexican and 
 summary process of taming. 
 
 I was approaching him incautiously, without paying any
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAU HUNTING. 853 
 
 attention to the guide's reiterated "No! no! por Dios!" 
 when he suddenly threw out his heels in such devilish earnest 
 that they clattered together just above my forehead, and 
 reminded me that "prudence was the better part," &c., so 
 far as he was concerned, yet awhile. I turned off with a 
 feeling of high indignation at this ungrateful reception of 
 my kindly intentions, and consigned him over to the tender 
 mercies of the Mexican, with the petulant and unnecessary 
 injunction, to "kill him, or ride that devil out of him!" I 
 have some times since thought that the horse must have 
 understood this cruel speech, and to have bided his time to 
 avenge himself right royally and he did it, too, as you will 
 presently see ! 
 
 Our westward march was now resumed. We soon recovered 
 that careless buoyancy which had somewhat been checked by 
 the unpromising "first night." The scenery was glorious, 
 the air deliciously fresh and bracing, the Doctor and his 
 pony irresistibly comic ; and the grouse was soon startled, 
 whirring up from its grassy couch by the joyous bursts of 
 tameless merriment. That same Doctor, and his better part, 
 on four legs, were enough to have kept an army in a roar. I 
 say better part, for the pony was as self-opinionated as he 
 was cross-grained, and scarcely an hour passed that he and 
 his rider had not some misunderstanding to settle, in the 
 final adjustment of which "bobtail" generally managed to 
 get the best of it. On the slightest matter of offence being 
 given, the irrascible little wretch would stop and bite at the 
 Doctor's short legs ; when he, of course, jerking them back 
 suddenly to avoid snaps, his armed heels would prick the 
 pony's flank, who would spring forward with several quick 
 successive leaps, which would sadly discommode his rider's 
 equilibrium, and, not unfrequently, would keep them up Avith 
 such rapidity, that the tight, round personalities of the 
 Doctor, after a flying ascension over his head, would plump 
 into the grass ; but as that happened to be very thick, and 
 
 23
 
 354 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 the ground very soft, nothing worse would come of it than 
 a smart jolt, which the Doctor would aver, with the most 
 indomitable good humor, "assisted his digestion." 
 
 Pony never seemed to feel at liberty to desert his friend, 
 after he had demonstrated his affection in this curious fashion, 
 but would stand perfectly still, and with a very demure, 
 repentant look, take the kick which the Doctor always 
 favored him with before remounting. 
 
 I have laughed till my sides ached at this quaint couple. 
 The Doctor was the strangest compound of simplicity and 
 good humor that can be conceived. 
 
 The Rangers were most of them gentlemen, in breeding at 
 least, so that the days of our travel glided by delightfully, 
 enlivened with pleasantries and tales of curious adventure, 
 to which I was a most untiring listener. I had, in the mean- 
 time, received my horse at the hands of the Mexican, and 
 was very well pleased at his behavior. The character of the 
 scenery was now entirely changed. It had been agreeably 
 diversified before, but now we had stretched around us to the 
 horizon, the fatiguing monotony of a dead-level, sterile plain, 
 covered with coarse thin grass, with only once in fifteen or 
 twenty miles a clump of stunted bushes to relieve the eye. 
 This continued for several days. 
 
 At last, however, just as we were beginning to be exces- 
 sively bored by it, a dim broken line looked in the lilac 
 distance before us like a great bank of clouds. This, to our 
 great relief, was announced to be the San Saba Hills. 
 
 "Now," said the little Doctor, who had been looking some- 
 what disconsolate, but brightened up when he heard this, 
 "Now for the bear-steaks ! And I warn you, gentlemen, that 
 I shall win the first that arc eaten, with this same spear of 
 mine, which has been the subject of so much wit .among you 
 all ! You need not laugh, I shall confound you before to- 
 morrow night." 
 
 And saying this, he plunged his spurs into the sides of
 
 METAPHYSICS OP BEAK HUNTING. 355 
 
 bobtail with such unwonted energy, that he, feeling himself 
 furiously insulted, commenced a series of caperings even 
 more vivacious and complicated than usual, and persevered 
 in them with such determination, that, after a hard struggle, 
 the Doctor was fairly somerseted, bear-spear and all, amidst 
 a roar of merriment. He got nimbly to his legs again, dealt 
 two kicks this time, with a little more vigor than usual, and 
 remounted. 
 
 By night, we could clearly distinguish the different knobs, 
 and the shaded valleys between them. We camped in high 
 spirits, for no traces had yet been discovered of Indians, and 
 we were near enough the hills to reach them in time for sport 
 in the morning. 
 
 Bright and early we were under way our arms all over- 
 hauled and in fine order with a keen relish for the rough 
 work before us. As we neared the hills, they presented 
 singular features. They rose directly and abruptly from the 
 level of the plain we had been traversing. It seemed to be 
 a succession of ridges, marched out like an army of Titans 
 upon the meadows the lowest in front rising higher and 
 higher as the eye traced each line back until it grew up into 
 the clouds ; and, from the level, we could look into the deep, 
 cool, green valleys that went winding among their feet. 
 
 Those in front were by no means precipitous, but rose 
 from the valleys with a gentle curve, clothed all the way to 
 the top with mighty live oaks, bearded like patriarchs, whose 
 trunks stood far apart to give room for their long knotty 
 arms, festooned with silvery moss, to spread, over the girth, 
 not unfrequently of half an acre. As these trees forked 
 very soon, and as there was no underbrush beneath, the 
 heavy drapery of the moss hung drooping as from a low- 
 roofed temple of the Druids ; and the thick green sward 
 spread under it, mellowed the gray shades deliciously. The 
 trees became gradually smaller and more sparse, as the eye 
 descended to the valleys, and then in the centre of each was
 
 356 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 a strip of prairie of the deepest verdure, open to the sun, 
 which produced the illusion of a gold and emerald flood, 
 stilly creeping beneath the grim towering shadows. A few 
 small trees were scattered along the feet of the ridges a short 
 distance out into our prairie. We were all entranced into 
 gazing upon this marvelous scene, which opened in new traits 
 of surpassing loveliness and grandeur as we approached. 
 
 The awed silence which had fallen round the party was 
 broken by a quick, vehement exclamation of the Doctor, 
 "Egad ! there they are ! I'm into 'em, boys !" and away he 
 dashed, with "bobtail" at his best speed, and nourishing the 
 spear above his head ! 
 
 Looking around in astonishment for the cause of this 
 sudden outbreak, I saw the whole party bending forward in 
 the act of letting out their horses, while their eyes were 
 strained with a half eager, half comic look after the Doctor. 
 Following the same direction, I could distinguish, three or 
 four hundred yards ahead, several black, unwieldy-looking 
 objects, that seemed to be rooting in the long grass, just at 
 the foot of one of the low Knobs, and a little distance out in 
 the prairie. One of them raised its head at the moment, and 
 I saw that is was a bear ! Hays exclaimed, as he spurred his 
 horse " Boys, we're lucky ! They come down to feed on the 
 snails !" at the same moment the company broke off like 
 madmen. I followed, but having been pre-occupied, and less 
 on the alert, was soon among the hindmost. 
 
 The valiant Doctor had between fifty and eighty rods the 
 start of us. His fiery little pony carried him straight up to 
 the nearest bear, which stood upon its hind feet stupidly 
 snuffing the air, evidently greatly puzzled what to make of 
 these new visitors ! The gallant .ZEsculnpian dashed up to it, 
 and was raising his spear to strike, before the astonished 
 animal had concluded to turn tail, which, when it did, it 
 waddled off with great speed. But, as the Doctor drove away 
 manfully at its shaggy back with his weapon, in his eagerness
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR HUNTING. 357 
 
 he had ridden so close that pony, too, entering into the spirit 
 of the affair, was biting with great vigor at its haunches. 
 
 Such a combination of assailants was too much for Bruin's 
 patience, and it wheeled so suddenly, that, before pony could 
 dodge, it had given him a wipe with his tremendous paws 
 which brought him to his knees. This unexpected stoppage, 
 of course, sent the Doctor vaulting over the head of his beast. 
 His dumpy figure looked so natural, so much like the old 
 trick, as it went sprawling through the air, that one universal 
 yell of laughter broke impulsively from every throat in spite 
 of the imminent peril of his predicament ! 
 
 Happily for the Doctor, the pony, as the largest object, 
 distracted the attention of the bear from him for an instant, 
 and gave him time to regain his feet, and make for a low live 
 oak which stood near. Into this he mounted with inconceivable 
 nimbleness, but the bear was close at his heels. He ran out 
 upon a limb, but the inexorable monster still purued. lie 
 finally got out so far as the limb would sustain his weight, 
 and there he stood, swayed to and fro in the air, holding on 
 with one hand to the branches above him, while with the other 
 he was pushing away most vehemently at the bear's nose with 
 his spear, endeavoring to keep it at a respectful distance. This 
 arrangement Bruin did not seem to feel disposed to agree to, 
 but was cautiously and slowly pushing his way out on the 
 limb, for the purpose of making a closer acquaintance. To 
 complete the picture, pony was prancing, stamping his feet, 
 looking up into the tree and whining most furiously, as if 
 he fully appreciated his master's danger, and was eager to 
 get up to the rescue. 
 
 The whole scene occupied but a few seconds. The foremost 
 of the party seeing the Doctor mount the tree, had gallopped 
 on, laughing, in pursuit of the other bears ; while we were 
 so much convulsed with merriment, that I verily believe the 
 creature might have eaten the poor fellow whole, before any 
 of us would have recovered sufficiently to shoot, but for the
 
 358 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 interposition of Hays. He, by a great exertion of his 
 remarkable self-command, so far recovered as to be able to 
 send a ball through its head, which brought it to the ground. 
 
 There were now four bears in sight, who were making for 
 the Knobs, and seeing that the Doctor was safe, without 
 pausing, we all swept by in headlong career, to arrest these 
 fellows before they left the plain. The last I saw of the 
 Doctor for many a day, he was dangling from the end of that 
 live oak limb, in the act of driving his spear into the body 
 of the wounded bear, while pony, with his ears laid back, 
 was kicking most vehemently at its writhing body ! 
 
 The intensity of individual excitement was all now given 
 to the chase. Our party had broken up into four groups, 
 each of which had selected for pursuit one of the unwieldy 
 brutes, who were getting over the ground with astonishing 
 speed in a direct line for the Knobs. We pushed them so 
 hard, though, that instead of attempting to ascend the ridges, 
 they all diverged into some one of the narrow valleys I have 
 spoken of. It happened that a young Virginian and myself 
 had selected the same animal, and, before we entered the 
 gorge, up which he ran, all the others of the party had 
 disappeared into gorges of the same character, which led 
 them to the opposite sides of the ridges. I now began to 
 notice, for the first time, that there was trouble brewing with 
 my horse. He had caught scent of the bear, and seemed to 
 be terribly alarmed, snorting and bouncing up from the 
 ground with a short, stiff spring, that almost jerked me out of 
 my scat. Though his natural action was fully as great aa 
 that of the Virginian's horse, yet he, somehow or other, 
 contrived not to get over much ground, and would not keep 
 up. His manoeuvres made me feel a little curious, though I 
 am, and was then, a practical horseman. 
 
 I saw my companion closing upon the bear, which suddenly 
 diverged from the valley, up the hill, and lost sight of both 
 behind an immense live oak hung to the very ground with
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR HUNTING. 359 
 
 In another instant he had fired two shots in quick 
 succession. The idea of losing my shot entirely, made me 
 desperate, and reining the horse's head with all my strength, 
 1 plunged the spurs furiously into his flanks. 
 
 Three or four frantic bounds, and he had brushed through 
 the dense moss curtain under the live oak, and came through 
 on the other side, within five paces of the object of his terror, 
 the bear, the loins of which had been broken by the two 
 shots, and it was swaying its huge carcass to and fro, and 
 gaping its great red mouth with roars. 
 
 Had my horse been suddenly turned to stone he would not 
 have been more rigid than he became the instant his feet 
 touched the earth. There was something positively awful 
 in the paralysis of fright which seized him. His skin had 
 been perfectly dry, and in a second, big drops had started, 
 running off to the ground. His legs were set and stiff; his 
 nostrils prodigiously distended, but motionless ; his eyes shot 
 out, and fixed, in the fascination of terror, upon the hideous 
 object. I was shocked. I drove my spurs into him with 
 redoubled strength, wrenching at the bit at the same time. 
 His head felt like a rock, and only a slight quiver of the 
 muscles answered the spur. I fairly yelled with rage as I 
 struck him over the head with my gun barrel. The blow 
 sounded dull and heavy, but there was no motion, not even of 
 an ear. I never felt so strangely in rny life. I was frightened 
 myself. 
 
 At this instant, for all had passed in an instant, just as 
 the Virginian was leveling his pistol for a third shot, our 
 attention was arrested by the quick succession of firing, like 
 a platoon, from the other side of the ridge, followed up by 
 the stunning clamor, which has only to be heard once to be 
 remembered forever, of the Comanche war-whoop ! and then, 
 above us, the heavy tramp and rush of a troop descending the 
 hill directly towards us ! There was no time for deliberation .' 
 "The Indians! take care of yourself, Kentuck!" hastily
 
 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTEKS. 
 
 exclaimed my companion, as he wheeled his horse and dashed 
 down the hill for the valley. Gold comfort that "take 
 care of yourself," indeed ! 
 
 I made one more desperate and unavailing effort to break 
 the trance of the vile brute I strode, then sprang from his 
 back, ran under the drooping moss, stepped up into the live 
 oak, the forks of which were not over three feet from the 
 ground, ran along up one of its massive limbs, and had 
 barely time to conceal myself behind a dense cluster of the 
 moss, when, with deafening whooping, a bronzed and feather- 
 bedizened crew of some twenty Comanches swept into the 
 valley just beneath me. They paused for an instant on 
 seeing my horse, who was standing as I left him, and one 
 of them took the lariat from the saddle-bow, but just then 
 they caught sight of the flying Virginian, and, with a yell 
 that made the very leaves shiver, dashed on in pursuit of 
 him. 
 
 This broke the spell upon my Mustang, and, with a sudden 
 start and shrill neigh, he plunged wildly through the crowd, 
 dragging the warrior who held the lariat from his seat, and 
 nearly unhorsing two or three others ; then, as if the very 
 fiends were lashing him with red hot steel, he flew, rather 
 than ran, out of the valley into the plains, neighing louder 
 than the savages howled, till he was out of sight ! In a little 
 while they, too, had disappeared ; a gun or two followed at 
 momentary intervals, and then the echoes faded into pulseless 
 and oppressive silence, broken only by the sobbing moans 
 of the wounded bear beneath me. 
 
 I was stupefied. These events were so strange, and had 
 followed each other so rapidly, that I was dizzy and utterly 
 confounded. Was it enchanted land? Here was I, three 
 hundred miles beyond the remotest outskirts of civilization, 
 perched in a tree ; my horse gone ; friends scattered or 
 scalped; this infernal silence weighing upon my lungs. No! 
 There is the dismal moan again ! I must go down and stop
 
 METAPHYSICS OP BEAR HUNTING. 361 
 
 that, or it'll run me crazy, sure enough ! Ha ! ha ! this is 
 a funny joke ! what a laugh I'll have with the fellows when 
 we all get together again ! Oh ! they have all hid as I have 
 done, and we will all meet out there at the mouth of the 
 gorge after awhile ! 
 
 Pooh ! the Fates merely mean to try my nerves ! Curse 
 that moaning ! I must go down and kill that bear. Pity to 
 kill him, too ; it's a sort of companionship ! Doleful friends 
 we'll be ! Confound it, if it wouldn't whine so piteously I 
 could stand it ! Pshaw ! the fellows will be here directly, and 
 what will they say to find I have been so unmanned by a 
 little silence, that I could not finish a wounded bear, when I 
 came all this way to hunt it ? So down I went ! The great 
 monster, I found, was too far gone to be savage. He merely 
 stared at me through half-closed eyes, then tossed his head 
 about, gaped his jaws, and moaned. I went close up to him. 
 I wanted him to show fight and excite me. It looked like 
 cold-blooded murder to kill him so, and we the only live 
 things near : but he wouldn't notice me. 
 
 His back was broken, and he had enough to occupy him. 
 Wouldn't it be merciful to put him out of pain ? Yes ! but 
 who's going to be merciful to me when I'm starving, after 
 my ammunition gives out ! I felt jealous of the bear's good 
 luck, in having me there with a large knife to kill him at 
 
 once 
 
 All my logic wouldn't do. Sophise as I might, the awful 
 conviction was settling about my brain that the party had 
 been hopelessly scattered, and that I was left alone, with 
 no experience to guide me back, and no hope of getting 
 back on foot if I had possessed experience. But it wouldn't 
 do to let this feeling gain the ascendant. I must have 
 something to employ me. They might come yet. 
 
 So, I deliberately split the bear's skull open with my 
 bowie-knife, and went to work very formally to dissect him. 
 I managed to protract this operation to such a length, that,
 
 3G2 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 when I looked up, I was surprised to find that the sun was 
 Betting. But I had no longer to complain of the stillness. 
 This was the signal for the voices of the wilderness to break 
 forth. 
 
 A long, screeching cry, that seemed right at my ear, made 
 my blood curdle. I looked around. The limbs of a live oak, 
 near, were rustling and swaying, as under some great weight. 
 The head of a panther peered out from between two bunches 
 of moss. "We looked at each other very coolly. He stretched 
 his white throat from the covert, turned up his nose and 
 snuffed towards me. He smelt the blood. His eyes were 
 very large and gleaming, but he looked innocent enough ; 
 his face seemed so good-natured and familiar, that I felt for 
 the moment we must be old acquaintances, that I ought to 
 offer to take his paw. There's no harm in him ! 
 
 lie stretched his jaws to scream again, and I saw his 
 long, white fangs : the cat tribe are well furnished about the 
 jaws. But, horror ! his cry has a dozen echoes all around, 
 far away and near. What a caterwauling ! God of heaven ! 
 it is said they like man's meat the best ! Oh ! but these are 
 simple boors, uncontaminatcd by luxurious tastes. They 
 won't know any better, unless they have heard the tradition. 
 But, then, it is something of a risk if they haven't. What 
 shall I do ? Shoot that meek-looking panther in the eyes ? 
 Bead panthers tell no talcs ! 
 
 No, the Indians will hear the gun, and I shall have them 
 swarming through the ridges, to-morrow, sky-larking. That 
 won't do. What then ? Why, I'll climb to the top of this 
 live oak, so that these nimble gentry can't get above ine, 
 unless they jump out of the moon ; and I'll tic myself up 
 there, and swing about 'till morning. So long as I'm above 
 'em, I'm safe, for I can see their eyes as they come up, and 
 rake down the limb. 
 
 This conclusion was forthwith acted apon. I didn't like 
 that panther to stand there watching me, though, for he
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR HUNTING/ 363 
 
 would be sure to tell, and I should be besieged all niglit; 
 so I picked up some round pebbles that were strewed along 
 the hill side, and took deliberate aim at his broad, innocent 
 face. The first one cut the moss, just above his head. 
 He looked up, with a quick movement, and low growl, 
 evidently wondering prodigiously where it came from. He 
 had no suspicion of me at all, and looked down again very 
 friendly, and very inquisitive. 
 
 I tried it again. This time I struck the limb near him, 
 and the stroke rang sharply. He clapped his paw over the 
 place, clawed it and smelt. The simple fellow didn't look 
 at me, at all. I felt almost ashamed to be imposing upon 
 him so. But while he was thus engaged, I sett another, 
 this whistled past him on the other side. He wheeled and 
 clawed at the sound. At last I struck him, plumb ! Ho 
 saw the pebble fall, and go rolling down the hill, and with 
 a savage growl leaped out of the tree after it, and went 
 chasing it down into the valley. It was clear he tl? ought 
 the place bewitched; for he didn't come back again until 
 it had grown quite dark, if he came even them ! 
 
 I took some of the choicer pieces of the bear and hung 
 them to a swinging limb, where they would be out of reach, 
 and then ascended the live oak. I climbed and climbed 
 until I got so high, that, by standing straight, I could look 
 out above the top, and see the stars twinkling in a very 
 sleery sort of fashion, as if they had been called up too 
 early, and had not decided whether they should wake at all, 
 yet a while. 
 
 The moon was just wheeling up her chaste disc from 
 behind the mountains. They all looked too much like old 
 times to be pleasant just then ; so I dodged my head beneath 
 the shade of the moss again, and made my arrangements 
 with the most accommodating forks for the night. That 
 settled, I went to sleep counting the answers to the nearest 
 panther's cry, guessing how many there were to the acre ;
 
 
 364 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 or conjecturing whether wolves learned to howl by gamut, 
 and how many quavers made their endless bars, or wondering 
 wJ.-ther "rattle! rattle! snap! snap!" was considered a 
 l--.>kimate chorus to "tu whit! tu whoo !" by the San Saba 
 owls. 
 
 I got tired conjecturing about the owls, for they seemed 
 to have taken that matter in hand with regard to me, and 
 came napping and hooting about the tree tops, and-, shining 
 their great eyes curiously at me, as they went by, till I 
 almost foamed with spite, because I couldn't punch them 
 out. The moon got up over head at last, and that narrow 
 little valley, which looked so pretty in the morning sunshine, 
 now lay along the deep bosom of the shadow, in the light, 
 braiding them like a silver ribbon. Those graceful little 
 creatures stepping across it, one, two, three, they are ocelots, 
 spotted like a pard. What a carouse is going on down there 
 over that bear's carcass. The brutes are about to hold a 
 carnival here to-night, in celebration of my release from the 
 thraldom and restraints of civilization. Confound 'em, if 
 they hadn't such rakish ways about them, I would come 
 down and do the " honors" for them genteelly, as a civil 
 host should ! Can't trust 'em, though ! How their eyes do 
 sparkle and flash green flames, as they spit and claw at each 
 other over the bones. The panther rules the roost down 
 there. I wonder if the puma is going to come. 
 
 I wish he would. There'll be rare scintillating fire-works 
 from their eyes should they get to battling. I suppose I 
 should see all the cat family by the light, sitting on their 
 haunchoa around, connoisscuring. That would be funny, for 
 they are a sober, demure-looking generation. Look at that 
 pack of wolves sitting off there in the moonlight. How they 
 fidget, and whine, and lick their chops. They dare not come 
 nearer ! Good for them, the sneaking grave-robbers ! Those 
 panthers are gleaming their eyes up this way. Have they 
 scented ? Can it be they suspect ? There go the gleams
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR HUNTING. 365 
 
 shooting up. What can it mean ? Ha ! the greedy rogue ! 
 He is jumping up at the tit-bits, that I hung on a limb. 
 He's welcome to them if he can get them if that'll satisfy 
 him so far that he wont attempt to make tit-bits out of me. 
 
 Ha ! ha ! strange that that quaint song about the fairies 
 should be buzzing through my brain now: 
 
 "From the silver tops of the moon- touched trees, 
 
 Where they swing in their cobweb hammocks high, 
 And rocked about in the evening breeze " 
 
 I'd make a good-sized courtier for Queen Mab's 
 
 " Hall of state in the lilly's cup." 
 
 I wonder how the " wee people" would fancy buckskins. 
 I'm "rocked about in the evening breeze" with a vengeance. 
 I wish I had " cobwebs," or something stouter in proportion, 
 to lash my "hammock" a little more securely 
 
 " Ye Gods ! 
 
 From fairies and tempters of the night 
 Guard me !" ' 
 
 Rather heathenish rendering that of 
 
 " And now I lay me down to sleep," &c. 
 
 I fear I am no better than a heathen, anyhow ! But bless 
 us, they say a fairy is 
 
 " Something betwixt heaven and hell, 
 Something that neither stood nor fell 
 Something that through thy wit or will, 
 May work thee good, may work thee ill." 
 
 i. e. it is a "betweenity !" But hush! they are "pesky 
 folk," and won't stand being spoken of disrespectfully. They 
 "may work thee ill," I am ill enough off already ! 
 
 Curious notions to get into a body's head ! I wonder if
 
 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 there should be any angels, whether my predicament does 
 not remind them something of the young Hehrew they saw 
 in the lion's den, three thousand cycles ago except that I 
 am a trifle higher up than he was. But lions didn't climb 
 then. I believe they haven't learned yet so well as panthers 
 cases mightily alike, anyhow ! The angels pitied him, for 
 they are said to be very compassionate ; and maybe they'd 
 pity me, too, if I were not such an unmitigated sinner, and 
 didn't feel ashamed to ask their pity. I have no hope in 
 that direction, for I never believed in them ; though it would 
 be a comfort now. I have sneered like a devil about their 
 "harping on their harps," when they had never done me any 
 harm and I didn't want their help even if I was to be 
 overtaken with a belief in them now I don't fancy such 
 times as this for repentance and begging don't think they 
 would either. 
 
 Roar away down there that's right ! Saturnalia of the 
 grizzly fiends ! That's the music for the brave Sceptic ! His 
 religion is to hate and to defy ! Pooh ! I'm getting a little 
 cracked, I believe, and sleepy, too. Ticklish place this, to 
 dream, unless it is of hugging ! Wonder what effect Mrs. 
 Mab's chariot wheels, driven athwart one's nose, would have 
 upon dreams up here ? Warrant her " time out of mind coach 
 makers," "joiner squirrel and old grub," are plenty enough 
 out this way. Ila ! ha ! to think of her " team of atomics" 
 galloping across the panther's snout. 
 
 Plague this unruly member ! I can't keep it from prating 
 about God ! I'd like to know how high the Doctor roosts 
 to-night ? I'm afraid that it is in Abraham's bosom ! I 
 wonder if he has pony with him? Pity he couldn't have 
 had a bear-steak, with honey, before he went ; I think he'd 
 have gone without a murmur then. But they say x hat 
 milk and honey flow through the streets up there no 
 account of bears though. Sleep! "balmy sleep! tired
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR HUNTING. 367 
 
 nature's sweet " Sleep, indeed ! I fear I shall never go 
 to sleep again. I find I shall have to take care of myself. 
 and see fair play. Things are almost getting serious. 
 
 Just to think how long that panther's teeth were ! He 
 keeps them very white, considering ! 
 
 I wonder if its daylight up in old Kentuck now, and what 
 they are all doing. That good old man is trimming grape 
 vines. lie has prayed for me this morning. He can pray ! 
 And the girls, weeding flowers, I warrant. And Willie, 
 that glorious boy, with the seraph struggling through hig 
 great eyes, pranking ! pranking ! like an elf. That's a 
 catamount mewing ; how soft his voice is butter wouldn't 
 melt in his mouth. Confound this drowsy fit I had like to 
 have fallen. This nodding " 'twixt earth and sky" is rather 
 more serious than, in my college days, I considered Homeric 
 nods to be. 
 
 At it again down there ! " Celestial Syren's harmonies !" 
 you are discord to it ! Howling, growling, snarling, yelling, 
 spitting, snapping whew ! how the bones crack sweet- 
 tempered family these Felines ! They are giving each other 
 farewell salutes and embraces affectionate creatures ! 
 
 But, thank Fate ! it is the order of nature that day must 
 come, though it docs seem to be a hundred years. And it 
 has come at last. The wassailers of the night, striped, 
 dotted, frecked, spotted, one and all, shrink away with 
 mean, guilty looks, while 
 
 " The morn, in russet mantle clad, 
 Walks o'er the dew of yon high eastern hill." 
 
 Those surly panthers, though, unwilling to go, stop in full 
 view under an oak, to lick their paws, and are looking back 
 wistfully as if they would have thanked daylight to tarry yet 
 awhile. But it will not do, you are not Joshuas, and the sun 
 can't stand still for your convenience. Good-by ! When you
 
 808 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 revisit the glimpses of the moon, "making night hideous," 
 I am sorry to say I shan't be here ! " Such sweet com- 
 pulsion doth in music lie," I shall bo compelled to travel 
 away from yours ! Well, as the coast is clear, I'll go down ! 
 
 A pretty muss they've made of it down here. Fur, and 
 blood, and bones ! That salient thief did get my tit-bits, 
 sure enough. Well, it is said there is such a thing as 
 starving possible ! I suppose I am beginning to feel some- 
 thing like the premonitories. I have tasted nothing since 
 daylight yesterday morning ; but they say an empty stomach, 
 for long wind, and I am likely to need all the wind I can 
 raise before I get across this prairie. Some of the boys 
 will be in sight though, by the time I reach the mouth of 
 the gorge. It can't be that they are all scalped, and they 
 must know that I am here. Oh, yes, I shall see them, and 
 what a laugh we'll have comparing roosts. 
 
 I set off down the valley, reached the prairie, strained my 
 eye over the desolate expanse, and not a living thing was to 
 be seen. I went to the tree where I left the Doctor dangling ; 
 the wolves had stripped the bones of the bear, and were still 
 lingering around them. That immortal spear was sticking 
 between the ribs, where he had driven it, no doubt, with 
 splenetic vigor. I looked around for some trace of his 
 bones, but none were to be seen. 
 
 Great God, it can't be they are not coming ! Foolish 
 expletive ! when one neither believes in the greatness or 
 the Godship. Instinct of education ! Bali ! one needs 
 something more get-at-able and substantial than instincts 
 and old wives' tales at such times as this ! 
 
 I climbed the tree to the top-most bough, and strained 
 my eyes till they ached again. Wide and terrible solitude ; 
 not an insect chirped, not a leaf stirred. The pulses of my 
 heart sounded like the throes of a mountain ; I be^an to 
 
 ' O 
 
 imagine it the centre of all vitality the only thing that
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR HUNTING*, 369 
 
 throbbed and felt beneath the sun ; and that His great fire 
 burnt alone for me. Pity that one couldn't live on beams, 
 as they say the poets do. 
 
 I wish I was a poet ! If things have been here, just as 
 they look now, since the Flood, I wonder if the grass, and 
 trees, and sun, have not become tired of each other's faces, 
 everlastingly by the same. It must be quite a relief to them 
 to have me here. 
 
 Who what hears me when I talk ? The earth, these 
 stolid hills, or the solemn oaks, or the bowed grass ? They 
 all have "airy tongues," and mysterious whisperings have 
 been heard between them. It is evident if they talk they 
 must hear, and if they hear, they surely must pity me. 
 Pity ! I must be whining of pity ! What have I to do 
 with it ? Have I been pitiful to friend or foe ? Have I 
 not swelled, till I was nigh to burst with ravings of defiance 
 to the heavens above and the earth beneath, of the proud 
 mastery of my own will ? Where is it now ? Cowed by 
 silence ! Egad ! I did not know, that as he lay in his 
 "old couch of space and airy cradle," this "silence" was 
 so awful ! I wish I had Atlas' shoulders that old couch 
 and airy cradle are terribly heavy as they lean upon me ! 
 
 What is this silence and this awe ? Oh, is it God's presence ? 
 Is this the way he looks and comes with a fearful calm 
 upon him! Is there a God out here in these tremendous 
 wilds ? I cannot see Him unless this vast stagnation, this 
 breathless, bare infinitude of waste, this huge, levelled corse 
 be He ! I cannot feel Him, unless it is He, striving to crush 
 my life out with this hideous weight of stillness ! Hah ! Ho 
 is not, or He is a God who loves to torture. They will not 
 come. I have been set apart for an awful death, that His 
 dread hate may gloat upon my agonies, because I have defied 
 Him. 
 
 It shall not be. I will not starve, I fairly screamed ; life 
 is strong in me, and where the wolf lives, I can live. I'll
 
 370 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 be subtler than the serpent. My scent shall be keener than 
 the sleuth-hound's, my sight than the vulture's. I'll run 
 swifter than the deer. I will wrestle hand to claw with the 
 prairie wolf, that I may tear out his heart to eat but I will 
 baulk that imperious Malignity. Die by inches? Not I. I'll 
 set the prairie on fire to beacon the Comanches, and dare 
 them to battle for my scalp, or give me food. 
 
 And so the infidel fiend within me mouthed its impotent 
 ravings, in the face of Heaven's Majesty, until I almost 
 fainted with exhaustion. 
 
 I slid out of the tree, and threw myself upon the grass. 
 Long I lay there, half stupefied ; my blood raging and brain 
 whirling with fearful images. A solitary raven "tolled in 
 his hollow beak," and aroused me. I knew it was one of the 
 "ill birds," though I had never seen or heard one before. I 
 looked up. It sat upon the oak just over me, and the limbs 
 were swaying with its weight. It "tolled" that "sick man's 
 requiem" again, then turned its head aside and stared, with 
 "grave inquisition*' in its black, glittering eyes, down upon 
 me. You've come too soon, you ebony wizard! Not dead 
 yet, I thank you ! and I stared at its carnal glance. Its 
 gray, scaly legs had stains upon them "uairs were clotted 
 on its claws, and the fellow had not even wiped his sharp, 
 wedge-like beak clean. 
 
 Think how slovenly, when he came to offer the services of 
 the instrument to pick my eyes out ! What wonder I felt 
 indignant, and the life began to wake up in me again. I 
 did not want him go ! It was a ghastly companionship, but 
 then I had always felt strangely curious about them, for 
 they are wonderful creatures. They live where nothing else 
 can be seen to live out in the trackless desert vast 
 wildernesses of desolation where even the clouds have fled 
 away, and there is nothing but the sky and sun above, and 
 sands and rocks beneath ; the winnow of their black wings 
 Ktirs the dead air, and their harsh, sepulchral croak, startles
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR HUNTING. 371 
 
 the torpid echoes from a sleep of ages. " He that feedeth 
 the young ravens !" I felt now the striking sublimity of 
 that figure. 
 
 Dark-plumed spirit of the desolation, in what grim wild 
 hast thou thy home ? Thou hast snuffed the slaughter from 
 afar, and been coursing with death around the world. Yet 
 there are wide throats gaping with ravin in that foul nest 
 of thine. How dost thou live, and how art they fed, while 
 thou art crossing continents, the mate of famine ? Waugh ! 
 waugh ! woo-a-ugh ! he " tolled" again, and spread his black 
 wings and flapped indignantly away ! The omen of his coming 
 is not ill to me ; where he goes there must be something to 
 live upon. 
 
 It is no miracle that gives refreshing to these tireless 
 wings. Ha ! I have it. The snails ! Hays said the bears 
 came down to feed upon them. I rose, with new hope, 
 examined the ground about me, and, to my great joy found., 
 scattered here and there over the surface, quite a number 
 of snails, some of them as large as my thumb. Ah ! ha ! I 
 said, I should not starve ! and a gleam of exultant triumph 
 shot through my inmost soul. 
 
 Defeated ! defeated ! I shouted, as I impiously shook my 
 clenched, paltry hand toward the fathomless wide heavens ; 
 I shall neither die of starvation, nor, unless I will it, at the 
 hands of the Indians. There is game in the hills to be had 
 for the shooting, but I do not choose to turn " root-digger," 
 as I should have to do when my ammunition gives out. 1 
 burrow with my claws for the gratification of no one. The 
 first shot would bring the Comanches upon me, and I am 
 not ready for them yet ! I shall go back among men, and show 
 the cowards how much a haughty purpose can accomplish. 
 With nothing to creep behind, deer could not be approached 
 n the dead level of the plain before me. 
 
 These snails, that ghostly-eyed, jolly old croaker hag 
 helped me to, will last so long as the sterility and the sand
 
 372 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 continue. What a fool I was to have lain there mumbling 
 like a toothless crone, who pleads with death for one hour 
 more of palsied life, when my veins are full of life. I am 
 strong, and there is enough to eat scattered over the earth - 
 A child could hardly ask for more ! I soon collected enough 
 to make a meal. Oh, ye epicures, tell me not of your 
 crustaceous delicacies, out of the deep sea. Snails snails 
 that grow upon the sands for me ; though they are rather 
 light food for a walk of three hundred miles, it must be 
 confessed. 
 
 Being refreshed in my inner man, I looked at matters 
 very coolly. The plain must be crossed; it lay between me 
 and life; and the sooner the attempt was made the better. 
 So I girded up my loins and started towards the sunrise. 
 All that I knew about the course was, that we came west, 
 and therefore east must be the direction back. 
 
 There were no objects to assist me in keeping the right 
 line. I must walk with my shadow behind me in the morning, 
 and before mo in the evening, looking steadily at the horizon, 
 my gaze fixed upon some slight feature, a wave or curve of 
 its contour just under the sun. All day long I walked with 
 my eyes fixed on something, which turned out to be nothing 
 that could be distinguished from the vast level plain around 
 when I reached it. Yet, I felt that I had kept the line, 
 and that was a great deal. I had always to stop before it 
 grew dark, to look for snails and water. For a day or 
 two the snails were abundant, and I came to water at least 
 once a day, but then they both began to grow scarce. The 
 gnawings and parchings of hunger and thirst commenced 
 at the same time. I could no longer keep my course steadily, 
 for my eyes must be employed all the while in looking for 
 food and water. A herd of Mustangs would go by now and 
 then, stop a moment to shake their silky manes, snort and 
 stare in startled wonder, and then sweep on before I could 
 approach within gun shot. The deer would rise lazily from
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR HUNTING. 373 
 
 their couches of "knot-grass, dew be-sprent," prick their 
 ears, toss their slight heads, whistle and bound away. The 
 awkward cranes would stalk to and fro, gesticulate with 
 their long necks, and croak; then stop, spread their broad 
 wings, and go with their long shanks dangling behind them. 
 But I could never kill them ; for, though hunger made me 
 reckless at last, and I could fire, I would hear the shot 
 rattle smong their thick feathers: but it availed nothing. 
 They still sailed croaking off. 
 
 These were the only living things, except "horned frogs," 
 that I saw ; and while my strength held out, I would chase 
 the last, nimble, ugly little creatures, with an eagerness 
 inconceivable. Yes, there were wolves, too; but they are 
 minions of the devil, not honest, living things. Some of 
 them were on my trail all the time, determined to be in at 
 the death. Oh, how fiercely I hated them. I tried all 
 manner of devices to lure them within gun-shot, but it was 
 of no avail. They were too subtle. The hairy ghouls ! 
 they have the "second sight." They can see death before 
 he strikes, and they will slink and creep with horrid patience 
 in his wake, for one lap of blood. It would make me shiver 
 to turn and see them, like my shadow, forever trailing me. 
 And then at night they would sit around and howl and moan 
 for hours and hours, as if they were determined I should learn 
 my own requiem by heart ! 
 
 Snails and water were becoming yet more difficult to obtain, 
 and I weaker and weaker every hour. Still I travelled on ; 
 though my gait was staggering. I had drawn my hunger- 
 belt, until I looked like a wasp. My senses became painfully 
 acute. The clang of a crane's wing, or his croak as he rose, 
 would thump and crash against my tympanum like thunder, 
 and roar through my brain in reverberations for minutes 
 after. The earth's smell became rank and oppressive ; and 
 when the breeze swept by, it sounded like the whirring of
 
 374 WILD SCENES AND "WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 ten thousand wings. I began to see strange sights on the 
 prairie. Armies with banners would hurtle by, and their 
 tread would shake the earth. It would turn out to be a 
 flying troop of mustangs. Great lakes of water would 
 glimmer in the sun before me, and when I would reel along 
 a little faster to reach them, they would still travel on, and 
 I could not lessen the distance between them and me. 
 
 I was too weak to curse, but I thought of heaven-doomed 
 Tantalus ! The star-beams hurt me with their icy keenness, 
 and the moon's light made my teeth chatter ; mist forms of 
 those I loved would sail along the air, solemnly and slow, 
 their still eyes fixed on me. The wail of the accursed wolves 
 would sound like the clamoring volume of agonies rolled up 
 from a teeming bell-pick, or the moaning of a northern ocean 
 through cavernous icebergs. The blood tingled sharply and 
 stung along my veins ; while my stomach was cold as if it 
 were dead. I felt as if I were cut in two, and my head and 
 feet acting from different volitions. At night, I would lie 
 with my mouth open and tongue out, gasping for the dew. I 
 would eat the grass like a beast, before the sun had dried it. 
 
 Yet I travelled on, for while I was in motion, I felt the 
 horrors less ; and sometimes my body seemed to drink in 
 unnatural vigor from the atmosphere, giving me ecstatic 
 visions. The most delicious moments of my life would 
 crowd upon me, bringing all familiar faces, wearing the 
 expression I loved best to remember them by. But they 
 were spiritualized, and seemed to be the angels of old joys ; 
 and they looked with such pitying tenderness into my eyes, 
 that tears would gush from them in hot torrents. And then 
 tJl mirthful phantasies would dance and gleam about me, in 
 such quaint shapes of sparkling beauty, that I would laugh 
 aloud and stretch my arms to clasp, that I might kiss them. 
 But when, from sheer exhaustion, I was compelled to lie 
 down, then the awful hell of torture would commence to
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR HUNTING. 375 
 
 rage within me ; and famine would tear and wrench at my 
 vitals. Thirst, fiery thirst, would seethe, and boil, and shoot 
 like electric flame along my veins. 
 
 In this condition I had been moving along like one in a 
 dreadful dream, for two days, and yet no alleviation. I still 
 clung to my gun ; but, merciful heavens ! how heavy it had 
 become. It felt like Goliath's beam ; sunk into my flesh, 
 and seemed to be crushing the very bones. Yet I would 
 not give it up. I could not bear the thought of being killed 
 without the opportunity of revenge. It would have been a 
 glorious happiness to have met the Comanches, and died 
 defiant. Those fiend-whelps, the wolves, to have them 
 snarling their white fangs over me, while I was yet alive, 
 was too horrible. 
 
 I had almost lost the capability of further wrestling with 
 inevitable fate, when I suddenly noticed on the prairie before 
 me, that which appeared like a cluster of trees. I was strong 
 again in an instant. My feet seemed to bo shod with some 
 buoyant principle. "Water! water! water." my parched 
 lips articulated at every step. As I approached, I could 
 perceive there were other "motts" scattered at wide intervals 
 of miles in a line across the plain. This I knew indicated 
 the presence of a stream; and oh, what a thrill of hope, for 
 I was humbled now, it sent through my weakened frame. 
 
 In an hour I reached the nearest "mott," a cluster of 
 scrubby timber, covering about thirty square feet and I 
 almost screamed with eager delight, as I saw from the gully 
 on which it stood, the gleam of water. I dropped my gun, 
 tumbled down the bank, threw myself prostrate on the brink, 
 and plunged my head up to the shoulders in the clear fluid. 
 I gulped several huge rapid swallows on the instant ; but 
 when I paused for breath horror of horrors ! Great God! 
 it was as salt as brine ! It all came up in an instant, and it 
 was like tearing out my vitals. The blackness of darkness 
 came around my brain. I was insensible.
 
 376 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTEKS. 
 
 I cannot tell how long I lay there, but I fell with a portion 
 of my body in the water, and this revived me. I waked to 
 consciousness, with my brain clearer than it had been for 
 several days. I felt that the game was all up now, and a 
 strange calmness took possession of me. I smiled even, to 
 think what a wild feverish struggle I had gone through to 
 preserve a boon so utterly worthless as life now seemed 
 and how foolishly obstreperous and bitter I had been about 
 things that now appeared as mere conventional whimsicalities ! 
 To die ! why it is a sweet, a glorious prospect ! What was 
 life without the joy and happiness of dying? To die of 
 starvation ! It will be deliciously pleasant, as being lulled 
 to sleep by the roundelays of home. 
 
 Strange ! I never thought of God now but as a name ; it 
 was an inevitable law of being I obeyed, gladly and meekly ! 
 The fancy took possession of me that I wanted to lie down 
 on the green moss under the trees. I must make one more 
 effort to get there. I attempted to crawl, but was too weak, 
 and fell ! I lay for some time, and still that fancy haunted 
 me so singularly, that my powerless limbs regained a partial 
 vigor ; I crawled on my hands and knees up the bank. It 
 took me a long time to do this. I felt as if it was my last 
 duty, and desperately I struggled to accomplish it. I passed 
 my gun and dragged it along with me. I thought of the 
 wolves, and wanted to go to sleep in peace. 
 
 I reached the mott. There was one bright green spot, 
 under the largest tree, in the centre. That's the place. 
 It will be a lovely couch. I managed to reach it, and 
 stretched myself upon my back, with my gun by my side, 
 and my head resting on a cushion of moss near the root. 
 My eyes were closed. An indescribable sense of weakness 
 pervaded my being. I felt that I should never rise from 
 that place again. But I was happy. The agony was over ; 
 the "fitful fever" had grown cal.n, and was slowly sinking 
 me to rest. The loved faces of that far away home came
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR HUNTING. 377 
 
 around me for the farewell. Others stooped from the clouds 
 and beckoned and smiled for me to come on. They wore 
 wings oh, how I longed to be with them. It was a pleasant 
 trance. I felt that I should never lose sight of them again : 
 that before many hours I should feel myself, buoyant as they, 
 rise up from the damp earth, and float away towards the 
 stars. A sunbeam, struggling through the leaves, fell on 
 my closed lids, and shocked me back to earth again. I 
 opened my eyes for one more look at the glad sun and 
 beautiful earth. I looked up. 
 
 What ! can it be ? Strange ! strange ! There is a God ! 
 That very being / poor I had thought to scorn, is here 
 in the sublimity of mercy. He has work for thee to do, and 
 has willed thou shalt not die yet ! 
 
 Directly above me, within six feet of my face, crouching 
 close to the body of the tree, was a large Fox squirrel. The 
 instant my eye fell upon it, I felt that I had been reprieved, 
 and life and all its objects rushed back upon my heart again. 
 Not a shadow of an idea crossed my mind that there was 
 even a possibility of the creature escaping me. I felt as 
 well assured that I should get back to Bexar, and home, as 
 if I had already been sitting in the old rocking chair. I 
 felt awed, too, for here was the rebuke, broad and bright as 
 the sun's path, of my feeble and impious presumption ! 
 
 Who shall sound Thy compassion with a plummet, thou 
 marvelous Majesty of Heaven ? His hand the hand of the 
 God of Jacob ! This is His act ! I have looked upon that 
 hand, and in that act have heard his pitying voice. " Go, 
 thou poor worm, live, and sin no more !" I lay perfectly 
 still several minutes, watching it breathe, and thinking how 
 its poor life had been given for mine. I had been too weak 
 to raise my hand before, now I slowly, and with care, lifted 
 my gun with one hand, without changing my position at all, 
 raised it without aim, for I felt I couldn't miss it, and fired. 
 It fell upon my breast. I sat up, drew my knife, cut it up
 
 378 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 deliberately, and ate as much as I cared at once, raw ! and 
 then, with the first prayer of Faith, of thanksgiving, and of 
 praise that ever breathed upon my lips, sunk back, and was 
 Bound asleep in a moment. 
 
 I slept for twenty-four hours, as near as I can judge. 
 On waking, I finished the remainder of the squirrel, and 
 felt quite able to walk again ; though, on attempting to rise, 
 I staggered sorely for awhile. But the conviction that I 
 should meet with no further difficulty, had become a matter 
 of such positive certainty, that I never dreamed of a doubt. 
 
 " The evidence of things unseen" had reached me through 
 the material at last. Faith looked farther and higher than 
 the senses. I knew that I knew ! The Penates of the soul, 
 the image of the desolation and the humble instrument, had 
 assumed their holy niches ! I was happy, full of love, and 
 humble. Spring-time visions came again. The brazen, 
 glowing sky, and the red, cloudy earth, had passed from 
 before my eyes, and the blue heavens and a natural sun 
 were over me. The ice-ring melted from around my heart, 
 sense and thought and brain were clear again ! The madness 
 had passed away. I clapped my hands and laughed aloud 
 for joy ! 
 
 In about two hours I saw two men on horseback, herding 
 a drove of cattle. I was not surprised. I expected something 
 of the sort. The men rode towards me. I saw they were 
 Mexicans. I knew there was nothing to expect from these 
 traitorous wretches, by fair means, so I concealed my gun 
 by running it up my hunting-shirt, and waited for them to 
 come within range. They approached very cautiously, and 
 when they were within thirty paces of me, I drew my gun 
 suddenly forth and brought it to bear upon them. They 
 were desperately frightened, and would have wheeled and 
 galloped off, but something in my look showed that I was 
 not joking. I ordered them up to me, dismounted the one 
 on the best horse, took his seat, waved my hand in adieu to
 
 METAPHYSICS OF BEAR HUNTING. 379 
 
 the chapfallen-looking scoundrels, who had expected to plunder 
 me, and galloped off. 
 
 The motion of the horse was dreadful. I remember 
 dropping the bridle, and seizing the high pommel with both 
 hands, while the horse dashed off towards the eastward, at 
 the top of his speed. The next thing I remember was being 
 lifted off by the Rangers at the door of Johnson's, in the 
 square of Bexar. I heard some of them say, " Poor fellow ! 
 I thought it was his ghost." 
 
 The clays were a blank then for several weeks. My next 
 waking was in a pleasant room, in bed, with the little Doctor 
 bending anxiously over me. I was safe the crisis was 
 past ! The Doctor had been wounded, and was now a spare, 
 thin little body. I supposed he, too, had seen his troubles. 
 
 It appeared that the body of Comanches had been very 
 large. They had attacked the different detachments of our 
 scattered party, very nearly at the same time, and so entirely 
 dispersed it, that not more than two ever got together again. 
 Two men had been killed, and several others wounded. Hays 
 had saved the Doctor's life, with the faithful aid of pony; 
 and it is said the Doctor means to have pony embalmed when 
 he dies. All had a hard time coming in; but my case was 
 rather the most desperate. 
 
 The sagacious critic will no doubt smile at the importance 
 I have attached to these simple incidents. He is free to 
 sneer they are facts, and the most remarkable under the 
 circumstances that ever came under my observation. This 
 " mott" was not more than thirty feet square ; the trees 
 dwarfish, and none of them nut-bearing. It was fully six 
 miles, above and below, to the other motts, and they were 
 not so large as this one, and were thirty miles from any 
 other timber. 
 
 The sterile prairie produced nothing which I could perceive 
 to be natural food for such an animal. It may have been
 
 380 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 migrating, but they generally do so in large numbers, keeping 
 near the water ; there was none in this region. How the 
 creature got there, and how it lived, will always be a positive 
 mystery to me. The impression made by this combination 
 of singular circumstances the fact of its being there at all 
 then of my seeing it, just at the crisis when I thought I was 
 dying its crouching so close to me as to make it a matter 
 of impossibility almost for me to fail of killing it, even in my 
 feeble condition, all together, it can never fade from iny 
 memory.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 HUNTING PE CABLES IN TEXAS A BEAR-HUNT WITHOUT 
 THE METAPHYSICS. 
 
 NATURALISTS are very fond of calling our American ani- 
 mals cowardly. This sweeping statement is only a partial 
 tr-U ; and I, for one, have got tired of hearing it reiterated. 
 The animals of this continent were originally just as ferocious 
 towards man, if that's what they call bravery, and the fear 
 of him cowardice ! as were any of the most formidable of 
 the Eastern hemisphere, in proportion to the size and strength 
 of the races. 
 
 Our forefathers, with their terrible rifles in hand, found 
 our wild beasts quite sufficiently disposed, for their comfort, 
 
 381
 
 382 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 to dispute ascendency with them in the land. They had 
 been accustomed to grapple with the Bed man, armed only 
 as he was with lance and bow, and in these conflicts, tho 
 animals were by no means unfrequently the conquerors. 
 Now they are compelled to battle with a new and invisible 
 power an agent as mysterious in its operations, as it is 
 terrible in its effects which, as it overawed and intimidated 
 their ancient foes, the Red men, might well be expected to fill 
 them with the panic of an indefinable dread. 
 
 The growth of this wholesome fear has been very gradual 
 and slow. The rifle had driven them from frontier to frontier 
 of all the older States, before any marked cnange in their 
 respect for the genus homo began to be apparent. 
 
 The Panther, which at first made fight wita the hunter 
 wherever he met him, had learned to be mere circumspect, 
 and instead of becoming the assailant, and leaping from the 
 limb whereon he crouched above, do-v/n on his foe below, was 
 content to let him pass, and stand cnt.'/cly upon the defensive ; 
 even the Black Bear, who forrr.crly had been notorious for 
 his unceremonious habit of purhing his cold nose into what- 
 ever he might perceive going on before him, be the actors 
 who they might, became almost a proverb of prudence. The 
 wild cat, who sometimes lost his temper in love-making time, 
 and challenged any buck-skinned intruder he might meet on 
 the war-path for a fight hand to claw, now contented himself 
 with "giving the road" as his sagacious nostrils recognized 
 the smell of gunpowder ahead. 
 
 Now these changes should not by any means be stigmatized 
 as the result of cowardice, but be honorably set down to the 
 credit of a cautious reasoning : they had found an enemy 
 armed with an agency, the nature or effects of which they 
 could neither comprehend nor counteract ; they therefore 
 wisely concluded to avoid it just as any other logical 
 thinkers, reasoning from experience, would have done. 
 
 However, let any of those believers in the cowardice of
 
 HUNTING PECCARIES IN TEXAS. 383 
 
 our wild animals, even at this late day, venture into the 
 fastnesses of the Dismal Swamp, or any of those enormous 
 cane-brakes locked up within the sluggish embrace of the 
 bayous of the Mississippi, and propose to shake hands with 
 the first Panther he meets, or offer the fraternal hug to Bruin, 
 and he will see what a reception he will find ? let him be 
 armed with as many guns and pistols, as he can carry, I'll 
 engage he will need to make the most of them, the first timi 
 he comes within spring of a panther, or treads on the tail (?) 
 of a bear. 
 
 The fact is, the introduction of fire-arms, in modifying tho 
 face of the whole globe, physically as well as morally and 
 mentally, has not failed, of course, in its effects upon savage 
 animals as well as savage men. If it has thundered civiliza- 
 tion or extermination into the ears of one, it has as well 
 detonated circumspection into the ears of the other. 
 
 Before the East India conquests of the British introduced 
 fire-arms, the bold and open ravages of lions, tigers, and other 
 wild beasts, were frequently carried to such a formidable 
 extent, that whole villages of the imbecile natives were 
 depopulated by a single animal, to destroy which armies 
 had to be assembled ; and even they have been beaten back 
 from the jungles, without effecting their object more than 
 partially. When British officers first commenced lion and 
 tiger hunting, it was considered the most dangerous sport 
 in the world; and the records and correspondence of that 
 period teem with fearful tales of bloody deaths at the horrid 
 jaws of those animals. At that time, the tiger, without 
 hesitation, attacked large parties of men, leaping into their 
 midst from the jungle, and carrying off a victim without 
 regard to epaulettes or color : while the lion charged boldly 
 into camps, carrying off men, oxen, or any other dainties 
 that happened to suit his taste. 
 
 In hunting on elephants, it was so exceedingly rare to find 
 one who would charge a jungle after the scent of the tiger
 
 384 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 had reached him, that such an animal commanded the highest 
 prices. Now the tables are so entirely turned, that we never 
 hear of any one being carried off by these animals, whether 
 native or not, except in the remote interior of the forests of 
 Bengal and Africa, into which the heavy and formidable rifle 
 of the British sportsman has not yet carried its ounce-ball 
 terrors. While hunting on elephants has become a sport, 
 attended with so little danger, that even the placid nerves 
 of a clerk from Threadneedle street may now venture to 
 partake of the indulgence, fortified with a little cotton stuffed 
 in his ears to drown the roars of the brute, and a little sal 
 volatile to stay his spirits when the blood begins to flow. 
 
 The dreaded tiger now skulks in caves and deepest jungles, 
 until frightened forth by the maddening and incessant play 
 of rockets, grenades, and every other species of torturing 
 fire-works. While the lordly lion waits behind the bush for 
 the assault of his foes, and is not known to charge, even 
 until several times wounded. In yielding to the mastery 
 m?,n has thus established, these animals have lost nothing 
 of their original characteristics, except so far as their rela- 
 tions to him are concerned and in this the difference is 
 rather, as we have before remarked, to man the mechanical 
 intelligence, than to man the animal. 
 
 Nor are these gradual ameliorations of temper and habits, 
 so far as mankind are concerned, confined to quadrupeds 
 alone birds, and all other creatures, partake of them, in 
 degrees proportioned to their intelligence. It is notorious 
 how soon game birds, and the whole family of rapacious 
 birds, learn to distinguish a man with a gun from a man 
 without a gun, and with such sagacity will they do this, too, 
 that we are seldom able to surprise them, by any stratagem 
 of concealed weapons. 
 
 And yet the white-headed eagle remains the white-headed 
 eagle, so far as its relations to the rest of the vorld arc- 
 concerned. It continues to thrash the vultures, to mako
 
 HUNTING PECCARIES IN TEXAS. 385 
 
 them disgorge their food robs the fish-hawk of his shining 
 prey with just as splendid audacity as ever, and continues 
 with quite as ferocious astuteness to tear out the eyes of 
 any wounded deer or buffalo cow that it may perceive go 
 aside from the herd. 
 
 But, all rules have their exceptions and it was to treat 
 concerning one of these exceptions, that this chapter has been 
 written. Certainly, however much other wild animals may 
 have yielded to the awful supremacy of that dread machine, 
 behind which man has entrenched his physical inferiority, 
 the Peccary cannot be accused of the same weakness ; for of 
 a verity, it does seem to me that if those same formidable- 
 tubes were to pour forth the thunders and fires of Hecla 
 itself, instead of the respectable little volcano, of which they 
 at present can boast, the belching of this huge and noisy 
 chaos would only increase the irate valor of this curious 
 little animal. It seems to be entirely insensible to all those 
 sudden influences, the unexpected supervention of which are 
 sure to cause panic in other animals. Ungovernable rage 
 seems to take the place of this panic a rage quite as head- 
 long and as blind. Though scarcely more than eighteen 
 inches high by two and a half feet in length, it is yet, 
 really, one of the most formidable animals belonging to our 
 hemisphere. It is gregarious, and goes in droves of from 
 ten to fifty. Its jaws are armed after the manner of the 
 wild boar, with tushes, but they are of very different shape, 
 and if possible, more to be dreaded. They stand straight in 
 the jaws, instead of curving upwards, and have the form as 
 well as keenness of the lancet blade. Their motions are as 
 quick as lightning, and with shoulders, head and neck 
 possessing extraordinary muscular power, they manage to 
 slash and gash in the most horrible manner with these 
 villainous little weapons, which arc only about an inch and 
 a half in length. As they do not hesitate to attack any- 
 thing or any body, big or little, provocation or no provo- 
 
 25
 
 386 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. ' 
 
 cation, that may chance to cross their paths, men and 
 animals very soon learn that their only safety is in flight. 
 As they rush upon the object in a body, and fight until the 
 last of their number is slain, it is fruitless to stop and battle 
 with them, as they would cut either a man or the largest 
 animal, so badly, before they could all be despatched, that 
 the victory would prove a dear one indeed. 
 
 There is no wild animal that will stop to fight them, and 
 men, dogs and horses run from them in the most ridiculous 
 consternation indeed, they are the very terror of hunters. 
 
 This droll creature seems to be exactly the intermediate 
 between the family of hedge-hogs and that of the wild boar, 
 or common hog. Its general form, so far as the body is 
 concerned, resembles rather more that of the hedge-hog, 
 while its hair, which is about the average length of the 
 bristles of the common hog, is thinly set in a rough skin, 
 and flattened and sharp, as are the spines of the hedge-hog, 
 and of the same bony consistence in appearance, though so 
 thin as not to be prickly to the touch, except very slightly, 
 when erected as they always are if the animal is enraged, 
 after the manner of the whole family of porcupines. These 
 'thin spines, or hairs, are also parti-colored being barred with 
 the muddy white and bluish chocolate, producing the general 
 effect of a roan they are destitute of a tail, (excepting 
 merely a fleshy protuberance,) in common with the hedge-hog, 
 and have that curious gland which is vulgarly called the 
 "navel on the back." They have no appearance of the 
 navel underneath; and this depression of the spine, which 
 is directly over the loin, looks more like a navel than 
 anything else, though it contains a dcpositc of a certain 
 musk, which the animal gives forth when excited, and which 
 assimilates it again with the civet-cat of the East. Its 
 shoulders, neck and head resemble the wild boar quite 
 closely in conformation, though the outline, of course, is 
 much more delicate, and sharpened at the snout. Its legs
 
 HUNTING PECCARIES IN TEXAS. 387 
 
 and feet, also, are much like those of the boar. Its food 
 partakes of the character of that of both the boar and the 
 hedge-hog, consisting of mast, wild fruits, grains, grasses, 
 shoots of cane, roots, herbs, reptiles, &c. 
 
 But, with all its other peculiarities to answer for, the 
 drollest is yet to come. I refer to their mode of sleeping. 
 They usually frequent those heavy cane-brakes, through 
 which are scattered, at wide intervals, trees of enormous 
 size and age. These, from their isolated condition, are 
 most exposed to the fury of storms, and, therefore, most 
 liable to be thrown down. We find their giant stems 
 stretched here and there, through the cane-brakes of Texas, 
 overgrown with the densest thickets of the cane, matted 
 together by strong and thorny vines. In these old trees 
 the Peccaries find their favorite lodgings. Into one of these 
 logs a drove of twenty or thirty of them will enter at night, 
 each one backing in, so that the last one entering stands 
 with his nose at the entrance. The planters, who dread 
 them and hate them as well on account of the ravages on 
 their grain crops which they commit, the frequent destruction 
 or mutilation by them of their stock, their favorite dogs, 
 and sometimes horses even, as on account of the ridiculous 
 predicaments, such as taking to a tree, or running for clear 
 life, ect., to which they have been subjected themselves by 
 them, seek their destruction with the greatest eagerness. 
 When a hollow log has been found, which bears the marks 
 of being used by them, they wait with great impatience till 
 the first dark, cloudy day of rain. A dark drizzle is the 
 best, as it is well known that on such days they do not 
 leave their lodgings at all. 
 
 The planter, concealing himself just before day carefully 
 out of view, but directly in front of the opening of the log, 
 awaits in patient silence the coming of sufficient light. Soon 
 as the day opens, peering cautiously through the cane he
 
 388 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 can perceive the protruded snout and sharp watchful eyes of 
 the sentinel Peccary on duty, while his fellows behind him 
 sleep. Noiselessly the unerring rifle is raised, the ring of 
 its explosion is heard, and with a convulsive spring the 
 sentinel leaps forward out of the hole, and rolls in its death 
 struggle on the ground. Scarcely an instant is passed, a 
 low grunt is heard, and another pair of eyes is seen shining 
 steadily in the place the others had just held. Not a sound 
 is heard, the planter loads again with such dexterity that 
 not even a branch of the embowering cane is stirred. Again, 
 with steady nerve, the piece is fired, out springs the second 
 victim, as the first had done; then another takes its place, 
 and so on to the third, fourth, fifth, or twentieth, even to 
 the last of the herd; unless he should happen, by some 
 carelessness, to make a stir in the cane around him, when 
 out it springs, with a short grunt, without waiting to be shot 
 this time, and followed by the whole herd, when they make 
 a dash straight at the unlucky sportsman, who is now glad 
 enough to take to his heels, and blesses his stars if he should 
 be able to climb a tree or a fence, in time to save his legs. 
 If, during the firing, the sentinel should happen to sink in 
 the hole without making the usual spring, the one behind 
 him roots out the body to take its place. They do not 
 understand what the danger is, or whence it comes. Neither 
 do they fear it, but face its mysterious power dauntless to 
 the last. They never charge towards unseen enemies, until 
 guided either by the sight of some disturbance caused by a 
 motion in the thicket, or by those sounds, with which they 
 are familiar, indicating their position. Incredible as this 
 account may appear, it is actually the method in which the 
 settlements along Cancy Creek and on the Brazos Bottoms 
 have been, of late years, in a great measure relieved of this 
 dangerous annoyance. When one is taken in a snare or 
 trap, it is torn to pieces by the others in their eagerness to
 
 HUNTING PECCAKIES IN TEXAS. 389 
 
 get it free. The planters amuse themselves very much by 
 relating these adventures, as there are many mirth-provoking 
 scrapes connected with them. 
 
 My first adventure with the peccaries I shall never forget. 
 I was stopping with a planter on Caney Creek for a few 
 days of rest and recreation. He was an old friend from my 
 native State, had been one of the early emigrants to Texas, 
 and was now settled with his brothers on a magnificent 
 plantation, of which their joint enterprise had made them 
 possessors. I was yet comparatively a new-comer, young, 
 eager, and withal the tragic incidents of my late initiation to 
 such life, an enthusiastic sportsman. Of course, I listened 
 curiously to their many relations of adventures in the chase, 
 which always form the chief topic of the social intercourse of 
 the border. It happened that the Peccaries had lately been 
 doing much mischief to their crops of grain, and as they 
 had been hunting them with great zeal and wrath, they 
 formed the principal theme of denunciation and narrative. 
 Their invective became quite amusing as they took me out 
 to show me several of their finest dogs, which had been 
 disabled by the shocking mutilation received in accidental 
 meetings with this fierce little animal. I say accidental, 
 because no dog could be found hardy enough to hunt it, after 
 having had one taste of its quality. The eldest brother told 
 me of a meeting with them the day before. He had walked 
 out with his rifle into a field of grain, on the border of the 
 plantation, to look for fresh traces of the bear, which, 
 together with the Peccary, had almost utterly destroyed his 
 corn. Here, by way of parenthesis, he exclaimed, " And I 
 did find the tracks of a whopping old he!" 
 
 "Let us go hunting him then, this morning!" we all 
 exclaimed in a breath. 
 
 "Well, well, we'll see." 
 
 "When near the outside fence, he suddenly came upcn a 
 drove of Peccaries in the very act of demolishmcnt. It was
 
 390 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 too late to retreat decorously, for lie Lad already been seen, 
 and as is usual, they came charging headlong upon him, 
 grunting and snapping their white tusks at every jump. 
 It was useless to stop to shoot, taking to his heels was his 
 only chance. He made for the fence, which he succeeded 
 in climbing before they reached him. The foremost of them 
 reared themselves on their hind legs, endeavoring to reach 
 him, cutting at his feet with their sharp tusks most viciously. 
 It was a loose worm fence, and not very high, and they kept 
 him there for a few moments, dancing, to use his own 
 expression, "like a hen upon a hot griddle," while he fired 
 as rapidly as he could load. He had killed several, without 
 any diminution of their ferocity. It rather indeed seemed 
 to be increased, if possible, when suddenly, to his unutterable 
 consternation, the frail fence broke down, and he measured 
 his length backward, in the cane outside. He sprang to his 
 feet, as you may imagine, with some celerity, and, before 
 they could reach him, over the ruins of the fence, had fairly 
 vacated. After a hearty laugh at this ridiculous misadventure, 
 the preparations for the bear hunt immediately commenced. 
 
 We were soon mounted and under weigh, four of us, and 
 attended by a negro " driver" on horseback, who, with his 
 long cow's-horn swung about his neck, was to "put out" 
 the pack. The dogs were a fine and powerful breed, used 
 exclusively for bear hunting, and came of a cross of the 
 bull-dog on the fox-hound they were all scarred with the 
 tusks of the Peccary and the claws of the bear. On our 
 way across the plantation my friend was particular in 
 counselling me how to behave in the event of any unpleasant 
 rencontre with the Peccaries for he assured me flight was 
 my only alternative, unless I desired to have my horse 
 ham-strung, or every leg hopelessly gashed. I promised 
 to be very prudent, of course, but with the opening yell 
 of our dogs, all recollection of the existence of such creatures 
 as Peccaries vanished.
 
 HUNTING PECCARIES IN TEXAS. 391 
 
 There was a nobler quarry on foot, and we plunged our 
 horses eagerly into the narrow tracks opening into the 
 cane-brake in the direction of the chase. We soon found 
 ourselves riding beneath the matted arches formed by the 
 meeting of the cane-tops, bound together by vines, ten or 
 twelve feet above our heads. The cane on either side 
 formed a wall so close, and seemingly so impregnable, that 
 it seemed to me that a starved lizard would have found 
 difficulty in making its way between the stems. So long 
 as we could remain in the paths, of which there were but 
 few, it was all very nice and exciting to listen to the fitful 
 music of the chase ; but when it came bursting on us with 
 a roar of fitful yells, that made our horses shiver with 
 eagerness, and we scattered each man for himself, trusting 
 to his own ear, to enable him to intercept the chase, and 
 win the honor of the first shot, then the rough and fierce 
 realities of a bear hunt began to be realized. My fiery 
 horse plunged into the thickest of the brake, requiring my 
 whole strength to keep him within anything like bounds. 
 Now the bear had commenced circling in short turns through 
 the tallest and most dense of the cane ; and very soon, when 
 the thundering chase went crashing past me, utterly invisible, 
 though within fifteen paces, my horse became entirely 
 unmanageable, and in three or four furious bounds, I was 
 torn from the saddle by the interlacing vines, through which 
 he was endeavoring to burst his way. I held on to the reins, 
 and recovered my seat, without stopping to count bruises ; 
 but the shock of the fall had brought me to my memory. 
 I now did what I should have done at first, had I retained my 
 self-possession, drew my heavy boAvie knife, and commenced 
 cutting my way through the brake. Ho ! the chase has made 
 another tack ; and followed by the yells of my half-crazy 
 comrades, the wild route turns crashing and roaring towards 
 ir;e again. This time my horse was even worse than before. At 
 the first plunge he again became entangled in the vir.es, and
 
 392 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 whirling round and round in his furious efforts to release 
 himself, I soon had the satisfaction of finding myself and 
 horse twisted up in a net that would have defied the strength 
 of Samson to have burst. The pleasure of this predicament 
 was not a little increased, by the sight of the bear rushing 
 past at a few feet distance, with the whole pack biting at his 
 heels. 
 
 Alas for my prowess ! in what a helpless case was I. 
 The moment my horse saw the bear, he uttered a wild 
 neigh it was the first one he had ever faced and backed 
 with such ungovernable terror and strength, that I was 
 almost torn to pieces by the vines, and choked in the bar- 
 gain. However, at the expense of my coat sleeve, which 
 was torn out at the arm-hole, my bleeding right arm was 
 freed from the infernal mesh, when a few desperate strokes 
 of my bowie-knife freed us from our desperate thraldom. 
 Now came, from near at hand, the deafening clamor of 
 baying, of shrieks, and hoarse growling, which told that 
 the bear had stopped to fight the dogs. Now is the chance 
 for the coveted shot, and it required no spur to urge my 
 horse in that direction. I commenced hewing my way 
 towards the scene, which seemed to be at the foot of a 
 large tree. I heard the shouts of my friends, who seemed 
 to be urging their way towards the same point. At about 
 the same moment two of us burst our way through the wall 
 of cane into the open space, about twenty feet in circum- 
 ference, that had been beaten down by the weight of the 
 enormous bear, during the battle. And such a scene as it 
 was ! The bear, hearing our approach, had made an attempt 
 to climb the tree, and the dogs, encouraged by the same 
 sounds, had made a simultaneous rush, and were literally 
 all over his huge carcass, having hold of him on every side ; 
 our guns were instantly presented, but we feared to fire lest 
 we should kill the dogs. 
 
 While we stood thus hesitating, and the bear was tossing
 
 HUNTING PECCARIES IN TEXAS. 
 
 the j'Oor dogs like shuttlecocks to the right and left, quicker 
 than thought, a troop of grunting Peccaries came rushing in, 
 and charged headlong upon bear, dogs, and all. Such yells, 
 and screams, and roars of pain, and such a medley helter- 
 skelter rout as now occurred, would be difficult to describe. 
 The wounded dogs, with tails between their legs, came 
 skulking towards us. The bear, frantic with pain, rolled 
 his great carcass to and fro, and gaped his red mouth, as 
 he struck blindly about him here and there. The grunting' 
 and rushing patter of an addition to the herd coming in 
 behind us, waked us from the sort of stupor this unexpected 
 scene had thrown us into for the instant. " Run, ran !" 
 shouted my friend, with a voice half choked with mingled 
 rage and laughter, and such a scurrying on all sides, for 
 the other hunters had just come in, and the cry of "Peccaries ! 
 Peccaries ! run ! run !" and the popping of our guns all round 
 at them, as we urged our horses to escape through the cane, 
 closed this eventful scene, of my first introduction to the 
 Peccaries !
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE BUFFALO. 
 
 BUT the wildest scenes to be witnessed on this hemisphere 
 are those connected with buffalo-hunting on the great plains. 
 This huge and shaggy brute affords a strong contrast in size 
 with the fierce and bristling little peccary, though in many 
 respects the formidable character of the two may be traced 
 to a single and similar cause. The " downward eye," 
 common to them, is this cause. Neither of them, from 
 the stiff and peculiar structure of the neck and placing of 
 the eye-balls, can, without an effort, see beyond the direct 
 plane of vision presented to the habitual carriage of the 
 head. 
 
 Whatever is thus exhibited to the peccary that has motion, 
 if it be merely the legs of an animal, it charges upon, as 
 we have seen ; while the buffalo, which is less spontaneously 
 pugnacious, may regard the same as an object of stupid 
 suspicion, or of headlong, blundering terror. The buffalo 
 must be wounded to turn upon the pursuer, and then the 
 charge of the goaded and 'frantic monster, being always in 
 a straight line, is disarmed of half its dangerous character, 
 as the hunter is thus readily enabled to elude the effects 
 by a quick side motion. 
 
 The eye of the horse being more prominently placed, it 
 is enabled soon to acquire this facility of advantage; and 
 it is most surprising with what wary confidence the trained 
 Bteed* of a Black-feet, Sioux, or a Comanche will dash in 
 and through an interminable herd of these prodigious beasts, 
 
 394
 
 THE BUFFALO. 395 
 
 winding in and winding 9ut, amidst the surging tumult of 
 liorns and heels, without receiving a scratch. 
 
 On no other conditions could this powerful animal be 
 assailed with sufficient effect to answer the requisitions of 
 the numerous tribes upon it for their yearly subsistence. 
 Were they able only to assail the outskirts of the herds, the 
 foraging they might do would be meagerly enough eked out 
 upon the weakly bodies of the sick and wounded and super- 
 annuated lingerers. 
 
 Indeed, were the buffalo possessed of the same alert, high- 
 headed and agile motions of the mustang, in addition to the 
 "bovine rage" with which it seems so easily inspired, the 
 weight of the fore-parts of its body, and of the closely- 
 packed, incalculable columns in which it moves, of choice, 
 would make it the most formidable brute on earth, and 
 enable it to trample the mightiest armies of men like grass 
 in its path. There is no object in nature so terrible as the 
 headlong advance of a great herd of these animals thoroughly 
 aroused by terror. Niagara itself is not more tremendously 
 resistless than that black, bellowing torrent which is thus 
 sometimes poured through narrow denies of Rocky Mountain 
 steppes, or which is suddenly turned loose like a new roaring 
 flood, to overwhelm the slant and trembling plains. 
 
 No sights equalling this are witnessed elsewhere on the 
 face of the earth, though South Africa exhibits an approxi- 
 mating parallel in the migratory movements of the Spring- 
 bock and other antelopes, to which we shall refer. A 
 herd of elephant bulls, may be, and is properly esteemed 
 "pro-di-gi-ous," by English adventurers in that direction, 
 but the oceanic mases in which the native bison of our 
 plains are accustomed to move, have no real parallel except 
 those in which our people urge and act towards a given point 
 of empire ! 
 
 When we come to think that at a roujih estimate, more 
 
 C3 ' 
 
 than seventy thousand souls of our native tribes upon the
 
 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 plains depend, the year round, solely upon the slaughter of 
 buffalo for food, covering, and in a great measure, implements, 
 and then put this together, with the consideration that 
 probably not more than one out of twenty of the animals 
 slain is consumed, beyond the mere hide or hump, by these 
 thriftless and wasteful people, some estimate may be formed 
 of the aggregate increase necessary to keep up a supply for 
 the demand in this one quarter. 
 
 The inroads of our own race upon them, though great, 
 are as yet comparatively insignificant. We are merely 
 guided by the utilities, and have slaughtered them rather 
 as objects of necessary food, than of commercial interchange 
 and profit. The wealth and dignity of the Indian warrior, 
 on the other hand, is nearly proportioned to the number of 
 buffalo robes he can afford to dispose of to the traders, and 
 therefore this article is to him the representative of value. 
 Hence he follows upon the track of the migratory herd, and 
 when undisturbed, continues to slay them with the sole and 
 improvident reference to the value of the skins at the 
 nearest trading post; while the object of food, amidst its 
 reeking abundance, is merely an incidental one. As it may 
 chance he merely cuts out some tit bit from the individual 
 slain, or leaves it, after stripping the skin, to the wolves who 
 follow faithfully in the wake of their sure purveyor. 
 
 The extent to which this reckless massacre is, and has 
 been habitually carried by the prairie Indians, can hardly 
 be computed ; yet we have the strange and significant fact 
 that they have among them no tradition even of an appreciable 
 diminution in the numbers of the buffalo thus wantonly 
 slaughtered by them from remotest periods, which antedate 
 the first appearance of the white man upon their plains with his 
 sulphurous and panic-spreading engines of destruction. From 
 this ominous event the tribes date those fatal refluxes in 
 the stated periods and courses of migration of the herds, 
 which have been attended by most disastrous famines among
 
 THE BUFFALO. 397 
 
 their people. Before this hated coming they and their 
 fathers had been accustomed to calculate, with the same 
 certainty with which the sailor does the ebb and flow of 
 ocean tides, these annual migrations, and could move with 
 or follow them at leisure and with confidence ; but suddenly 
 the mighty herds have snuffed some hidden danger on the 
 tainted breeze, and breaking away in mad and scattered 
 career over the plains, have defied pursuit, to gather again 
 in some remote and unaccustomed pastures beyond the reach 
 of this vague, indefinite dread which has met them on the 
 coming air. 
 
 Thus all calculations for the usual supply of the season 
 having been thrown entirely out, the tribes are left to struggle 
 with the precarious chances of again finding the buffalo. 
 They, too, have been accustomed heretofore to watching the 
 signs of the seasons, and could even scent a drought as far 
 as the grayest muzzle of the leaders of these herds, and 
 could, with unfailing sagacity, foresee what variation from 
 the usual trail this would cause with them. But now a new 
 sign was in the heavens, a prognostic of evil, which, as it 
 could only be felt in dread by their savage souls, was now 
 first more nearly interpreted by the sure instincts of their 
 brute co-occupants of these great solitudes and in these wild 
 panics, distant, so unaccountable to them at first, they soon 
 learned to recognize a mysterious apprehension of the remote 
 advance of that destroying Power, the realization of which 
 has now, though later, come to them more clearly. The 
 brute sense proved surer than the man's in this, as in all 
 other instances in which circumstances have enabled us to 
 measure its actions and their results in regard to the 
 approaches of our race into the wildernesses of earth with the 
 fearful appliances of civilization. The shudder of approach- 
 ing dissolution has already passed through all those vast 
 herds, as well as felt in the awed souls of these savago 
 hunters.
 
 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Of all the modes of hunting the buffalo practised by the 
 prairie tribes, there is no one, the accompaniments of 
 which are of such characteristic and terrible wildness, as 
 that of which the lithograph given is a strikingly accurate 
 delineation. The Indians are driving a maddened herd of 
 buffalo over the edges of one of those tremendous prairie 
 rifts or canones, as they are sometimes incorrectly called by 
 the border men. These are vast yawning fissures, which 
 suddenly open on the great Piano JZstacado, which stretches 
 in one prodigious plain from the foot of the Rocky Mountains 
 to the head waters of the Red River, Arkansas, &c. Mr. 
 Kendall's description of this scene in his Santa Fe Expedi- 
 tion, is so nearly accurate, that I give it here in his own 
 words. 
 
 We had scarcely proceeded six miles, after drying our 
 blankets, when we suddenly came upon another immense 
 rent or chasm in the earth, exceeding in depth the one we 
 had so much difficulty in crossing the day before. No one 
 was aware of its existence until we were immediately upon 
 its brink, when a spectacle, exceeding in grandeur any thing 
 we had previously beheld, came suddenly in view. Not a 
 tree or bush, no outline whatever, marked its position or 
 course, and we were all lost in amazement, as one by one 
 we left the double-file ranks and rode up to the verge of the 
 yawning abyss. 
 
 In depth it could not be less than eight hundred feet, was 
 from three to five hundred yards in width, and at the point 
 where we first struck it, the sides were nearly perpendicular. 
 A sickly sensation of dizziness was felt by all as we looked 
 down, as it were, into the depths of the earth. In the dark 
 and narrow valley below, an occasional spot of green relieved 
 the eye. and a small stream of water, now rising to the view, 
 then sinking beneath some huge rock, was foaming and 
 bubbling along. Immense walls, columns, and in some places 
 what appeared to be arches, were seen standing, modelle.l by
 
 THE BUFFALO. 399 
 
 the wear of the water, undoubtedly, yet so perfect in form 
 that we could with difficulty be brought to believe that the 
 hand of man had not fashioned them. The rains of centuries, 
 falling upon an immense prairie, had here formed a reservoir, 
 and their workings upon the different veins of earth and stone 
 had formed these strange and fanciful shapes. 
 
 Before reaching the chasm we had crossed numerous large 
 trails, leading a little more to the west than we were travel- 
 ling ; and the experience of the previous day had led us to 
 suppose that they all terminated at a common crossing near 
 by. In this conjecture we were not disappointed, for a trot 
 of half an hour brought us into a large road, the thoroughfare 
 along which millions of Indians, buffalos and mustangs had 
 evidently travelled for years. Perilous as the descent 
 appeared, we well knew that there was no other near. The 
 leading mule was again urged forward, the steadier and older 
 horses were next driven over the sides, and the more skittish 
 and intractable brought up the rear. Once in the narrow 
 path, which led circuitously down the descent, there was no 
 turning back, and our half-maddened animals finally reached 
 the bottom in safety. Several large stones were loosened 
 from their fastenings by our men, during this frightful 
 descent ; these would leap, dash and thunder down the 
 precipitous sides, and strike against the bottom far below 
 us with a terrific and reverberating crash. 
 
 We found a running stream on reaching the lower level of 
 the chasm, on the opposite side of which was a romantic dell, 
 covered with short grass and a few scattered cotton-woods. 
 A large party of Indians had encamped on this very spot but 
 a few days previous, the wilted limbs of the trees and other 
 "signs," showing that they had made it a resting-place. 
 We, too, halted a couple of hours to give our horses an 
 opportunity to graze and rest themselves. The trail, which 
 led up on the opposite side, was discovered a short distance
 
 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 above us, to the south, winding up the steep and rugged 
 sides of the acclivity. 
 
 As we journeyed along this dell all were again struck with 
 admiration at the strange and fanciful figures made by the 
 washing of the waters during the rainy season. In some 
 places perfect walls, formed of reddish clay, were seen 
 standing, and were they any where else, it would be 
 impossible to believe that other than the hand of man 
 
 formed them. The veins of which these walls were com- 
 \ 
 
 posed were of even thickness, very hard, and ran perpen 
 dicularly; and when the softer sand which had surrounded 
 them was washed away, the veins still remained standing 
 upright, in some places a hundred feet high, and three or 
 four hundred in length. Columns, too, were there, and such 
 was their appearance or architectural order, and so much 
 of chaste grandeur was there about them, that we were lost 
 in wonder and admiration. Sometimes the breastworks, as 
 of forts, would be plainly visible; then again the frowning 
 turrets of some castle of the olden time. Cumbrous pillars 
 of some mighty pile, such as is dedicated to religion or 
 royalty, were scattered about; regularity was strangely 
 mingled with disorder and ruin, and Nature had done it all. 
 Niagara has been considered one of her wildest freaks, but 
 Niagara sinks into insignificance when compared with the 
 wild grandeur of this awful chasm this deep, abyssmal 
 solitude, as Carlyle would call it. Imagination carried us 
 back to Thebes, to Palmyra, and to ancient Athens, and 
 we could not help thinking that we were now among their 
 ruins. 
 
 Our passage out of this place was effected with the greatest 
 difficulty. We were obliged to carry our rifles, holsters, and 
 saddlebags in our hands, and in clambering up a steep pitch, 
 one of the horses, striking his shoulders against a projecting 
 rock, was precipitated some fifteen or twenty feet directly
 
 THE BUFFALO. 401 
 
 npon his back. All thought he must be killed by the fall ; 
 but, strangely enough, he rose immediately, shook himself, 
 and a second effort in climbing proved more successful the 
 animal had not received the slightest injury ! 
 
 By the middle of the afternoon we were all safely across, 
 after passing some five or six hours completely shut out from 
 the world. Again we found ourselves upon the level prairie, 
 and in looking back, after proceeding some hundred yards, 
 not a sign of the immense chasm was visible. The plain we 
 were then upon was at least one hundred and fifty miles in 
 width, and the two chasms I have mentioned were the reser- 
 voirs of the heavy body of rain which falls during the wet 
 season, and at the same time its conductors to the running 
 streams. The prairie is undoubtedly the largest in the world, 
 and the canons are in perfect keeping with the size of the 
 prairie. Whether the waters which run into them sink into 
 them, or find their way to the Canadian, is a matter of 
 uncertainty but I am inclined to believe the latter is the 
 case. 
 
 This description is accurate as the language is striking no 
 language, indeed, can fully convey the sudden appal with which 
 this gaping waste of piled and torn immensity fills one coming 
 upon it for the first time. It forms a stern and most charac- 
 teristic feature of these dreary steppes, that climb through 
 thousands of miles by imperceptible slopes towards the white 
 soaring crests of the Rocky Mountain chain. 
 
 The buffalo trails leading from every conceivable direction 
 to centre at the far separated crossing places, are, most 
 probably, as old as the face of the continent, and are 
 frequently themselves worn into deep and impracticable 
 gullies, as you approach the point of convergence, by the 
 tramp of myriad hoofs through unrecorded centuries. 
 
 Nothing more strongly indicates the fatuitous recklessness 1 
 of the Indian tribes, whose sole dependence is upon this 
 animal, than the constant recurrence of such wanton and 
 
 26
 
 402 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 wholesale massacres as this of which we give an illustration. 
 Although the buffalo, for causes at which I have hinted, are 
 yearly becoming less accessible to them whether their num- 
 bers be so appreciably diminished in reality or not, yet they 
 persist, as of old, whenever they can come upon a herd, 
 however immense, feeding in such relative position to ono 
 of these rifts as to offer the inducement of possible success, 
 in urging the panic-stricken masses over the sudden abyss, 
 where, bounding from rough point to point down ! down ! 
 their great bodies are piled in a huge hecatomb of blackened, 
 writhing, sweltering slaughter, such as could rejoice only 
 these Red Demons of destruction. 
 
 Next to this, in wholesale wantonness, among the methods 
 of hunting buffalo peculiar to their Indian foes, is the 
 "Prairie Surround." The widely scattered line of the 
 Surround, enclosing some valley containing a herd, is 
 rapidly closed up by the yelling warriors composing it, 
 who drive the frightened animals from its circumference, 
 urging towards a centre, where, precipitated in the headlong 
 crush upon each other, the helpless mass sways, bellowing 
 while amidst the dust-clouds of their collision, the forms of 
 the warriors, who have leaped from their horses upon the 
 backs of the buffalo, may be dimly seen treading the horned 
 tumult with fierce gestures, and wielding the long lance as 
 a rope dancer docs his balance pole, with the slight difference, 
 that with nearly every step they thrust its sharp point down 
 through joint and marrow, between the spine and skull of 
 some new victim, whose shaggy back they have but pressed 
 in passing with their moccasined feet. Thousands are thus 
 slaughtered in a few moments. 
 
 This scene, as weird and wild as it is real, tames, by 
 contrast, all midnight phantasmagoria beneath the blaze of 
 the noon-tide.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 PANTHERS, AND OUR OTHER FELINES. 
 
 IN preceding articles I protested against any wholesale 
 denunciation of the native wild beasts of our continent as 
 naturally cowards. It sounds like a sort of imputation upon 
 our soil, that it is not strong enough to have grown even 
 wild cats, panthers, bears, etc., with the full instincts of 
 destructiveness peculiar to their species elsewhere. 
 
 Mr. Audubon and Dr. Bachman, the editors of the new 
 work on the Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, 
 entirely discredit what they call "the stories" of its boldness 
 ia attacking larger animals, men or even children. I agree 
 
 403
 
 404 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 that caution is a highly commendable trait in the character 
 of the Naturalist, but it may carry him into absurdities, too. 
 What is here asserted may be true enough of such poor 
 persecuted feeble specimens of these animals as may be 
 met with occasionally, lurking still about the borders of 
 swamps in the old States, and even at no great distance from 
 some of our southern cities but that the wild cat did, and 
 does still, in remote localities, and during the rutting season, 
 attack grown up men with a prompt and formidable fierceness, 
 there is abundant evidence. 
 
 I have spoken fully of that salutary effect which the terror 
 of our formidable rifle has gradually impressed upon such 
 creatures in the progress of our civilization but the frontier 
 settlements furnish many indubitable instances of their natural 
 ferocity. Indeed, I have myself heard from the venerable 
 lips of some of the honored compeers of Boone, in the settle- 
 ment of Kentucky, relations of personal encounters held by 
 themselves on unexpected meetings with creatures of this 
 feline family, for which they were unprepared, and from 
 which they necessarily came off terribly mutilated. 
 
 I remember particularly one instance in which the wild 
 cat was met by the narrator in the narrow path which led 
 from his cabin to the spring. The hardy hunter, though he 
 had no weapon upon him but a common belt or sheath-knife 
 which he always carried, met his assailant with that, and 
 although he was fearfully wounded in the struggle, and 
 would, undoubtedly, have had his bowels torn out, but for 
 the partial protection which his stout buck-skin dress afforded 
 him, yet he succeeded in despatching it with this small 
 weapon. 
 
 The venerable soldier, who, by the way, is the ancestor 
 of a very large and respectable family in Kentucky, showed 
 me the plain scar of wounds from its claws and teeth upon 
 his person. All corroborative circumstances which family 
 reminiscences and tho character of the man furnished, left
 
 PANTHERS, AND OUR OTHER CATS. 405 
 
 one no hook to hang a doubt upon in this case, and left me 
 more inclined to believe the many anecdotes of the same 
 kind, which are as familiar to us of the southwest as house- 
 hold words. 
 
 Nor are such relations to be thus summarily disposed of, 
 as old wives' tales ; the hearsay and hap-hazard gossip of the 
 borders, for they are sound, substantial realities just as 
 much historical truths of those times as the battle of the 
 Horse Shoe, of the River Raisin, or of the Blue Licks, or 
 any other collision that might be named between the white 
 race and a foe quite as savage as even I can suppose the 
 most ferocious of these animals to have been, and like them 
 rapidly disappearing before our coming. 
 
 There can be no question that the port of the civilized 
 man, even without the adventitious aid of the fearful engines 
 he wields, is in itself sufficient, when he chooses to assert 
 his God-like supremacy upon a physical world, to overawe 
 and subdue the most untameable brutes ; utterly changing 
 their relations to himself, by the majesty of his presence 
 and his will ! 
 
 The Editors of the Quadrupeds of America give, in a 
 short anecdote, an illustration to the point : 
 
 During a botanical excursion to the Edista river, our 
 attention was attracted by the barking of a small terrier at 
 the foot of a tree. On looking up, we observed a wild cat, 
 about twenty feet from the ground, and at least three times 
 the size of the dog, of whom he did not appear to be much 
 afraid. He seemed to have a greater dread of man, however, 
 than of this diminutive specimen of the canine race, and 
 leaped from the tree when we drew near ! 
 
 Yet with all the timidity this anecdote is intended to 
 illustrate, the wild cat, from its desperate fighting and 
 cunning, affords a very exciting sport to the hunter. When 
 overtaken by the dogs, several of them are frequently killed 
 by it, and Mr. Audubon gives some instances of its subtlety
 
 406 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 in eluding pursuit, which would do credit to Reynard himself. 
 One of them is, that he makes for some half dried swamp 
 or pond, and runs into the most sticky clay, seeming to be 
 aware that the stockings with which his legs would be 
 defended when he came out, would prevent the scent being 
 deposited from his feet, and dull the trail ! A shrewd 
 conjecture that ! but not, as I think, particularly plausible, 
 for in a few bounds the mire would be rubbed off the soles of 
 his feet, from which alone the scent is emitted, and leave him 
 badly off as ever. I have described the cunning strategy of 
 this creature, in the Night Hunt of an earlier chapter. 
 
 But I know hundreds of well authenticated instances in 
 which the cougar or panther attacked the early hunters 
 springing upon them as readily from ambush, as they would 
 have done upon a deer. 
 
 I should not feel authorized to mention at second-hand 
 any incident of the many I could command, as entitle^ to 
 stand among the facts of natural history, but that in my 
 own personal experience I have so frequently witnessed such, 
 that I am compelled to allow some of these a weight propor- 
 tioned to their authority. 
 
 In an excursion towards the Rocky Mountains, I have 
 met all our most formidable animals under the most varied 
 circumstances of sudden collision. On this expedition we 
 saw several skins and two specimens in the flesh of the puma, 
 which is yet unrecognized by any American Naturalist. It 
 is evidently a transitional genus, partaking of the charac- 
 ters of both the lion and the cougar. It has clearly the 
 rudimental mane and tufted tail, which characterizes the 
 former, while its habits approximate those of the latter. 
 
 I once, while hunting around a camp on one of the head 
 streams of the Red River, encountered a puma, in a manner 
 much resembling the instance of the wild cat trivcn above. 
 
 o o 
 
 I had gone out in the early morning to hunt, with a comrade, 
 and we were carelessly walking through the thick woods in
 
 PANTHERS, AND OUR OTHER CATS. 407 
 
 Indian file, when I, who was behind, suddenly observed a 
 creature, which I supposed to be a panther, in the act 
 of springing from the low limb of a bending tree on my 
 companion who was a few feet in advance of me. I shouted 
 in warning to him, when he sprang forward, and I fired. 
 The ball struck the creature "on the leap" just between 
 the eyes, and it fell at my feet. The eyes were burst from 
 the sockets, and its yells and dying struggles were terrific. 
 On firing another load into it, these struggles ceased. 
 
 After our surprise had subsided, I examined it coolly, and 
 found it to be entirely distinct from the cougar, both in size, 
 which I am convinced was considerably greater, (I took no 
 measurement,) and color, which instead of tawny, was a light 
 roan, or mingled red and dull white. Then the head was of 
 greater size in proportion to the body, and the rudiments of 
 a mane and tufted tail were sufficiently distinctive. I regret 
 that I was not more careful at the time, for my measurement 
 might have substantiated a new species. 
 
 A hunter attached to Sir William Drummond Stewart's 
 Expeditions, was assailed by a Puma leaping down upon him 
 from off the face of a bluff, as he rode beneath. He was 
 walking his horse slowly, when his attention was aroused by 
 the rolling down of a pebble or some fragment of rock. 
 Looking up quickly, the terrible brute was crouching above 
 him, with ears laid back close upon its head, and he saw 
 the wavy stir of the tail in the grass, and brambles above. 
 To whip out his holster was the act of an instant, and he 
 fired into its face, as the yellow glare of those eyes was 
 almost against his own in the descent of its leap. He was 
 considerably torn by its claws in the death-struggle, but 
 the heavy ball of his holster had crushed its skull to pieces. 
 
 Mr. Miller afterwards made a sketch of the scene of 
 this occurrence on the spot, and it is given at the head of 
 this chapter. 
 
 But what is more in point, we saw several skins of these
 
 408 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 creatures, which had been killed near San Antonio de Bexar, 
 in Texas, which is a very old Spanish town; yet, on the 
 most careful inquiry, we learned from the hunters, that they 
 were quite as cowardly, and averse to attacking man as the 
 cougars, which yet linger in the swamps of the Mississippi, 
 the pine woods of the Carolinas, or along the course of 
 our Western rivers, are known to be. 
 
 The secret of this is, that the creatures we met on the 
 remote waters of the Red River, where the hunter's rifle 
 had probably been never heard, were in fact living in entire 
 unconsciousness of its formidable prognostics and accompani- 
 ments. 
 
 I had also an adventure once with the oceolet, which fully 
 illustrates the progress this sort of intimidation has made in 
 altering our relations to such creatures. 
 
 The occolct which is, next to the common house cat, the 
 base of the felines, and has always been set down in old 
 books of natural history as, in proportion to its size, one 
 of the most incorrigibly fierce of its tribe, and which may 
 still with truth be called the most untameable, as it is the 
 most beautiful of all yet showed itself to be even more 
 timid than I, in a sudden rencontre ! 
 
 I was hunting with a friend near his ranche, on the San 
 Antonio river, one morning. The two untrained dogs which 
 accompanied us soon ran off far enough ahead doAvn the 
 course of the heavily timbered river bottom. We were 
 walking through a field which had been opened into the 
 timber, and which being now uncultivated, was fringed by 
 a thick briar-path. As we approached this, some creature 
 sprang up from its outer edge, where it had probably been 
 sunning itself, and we heard it rattling away into the 
 adjacent forest, which at this place was below where we 
 stood. 
 
 On looking down over the top of the thicket, we saw the 
 beautifully mottled form of an oceolet, clinging to the trunk
 
 PANTHERS, AND OUR OTHER CATS. 409 
 
 of a large cotton-wood tree, some ten feet from its base, with 
 its striped face turned back over its shoulders, curiously 
 regarding us. It was in short point blank range, and I 
 immediately fired. It dropped out of view, and when I 
 forced my way through the thicket and reached the foot 
 of the tree, it had disappeared. There was a large hollow 
 in the foot of the tree, into which we supposed the creature 
 had fallen, for I felt sure of my aim. 
 
 On looking down, I saw it extended along the bottom, 
 apparently dead. I was anxious to obtain its skin, and 
 accordingly, after reloading my rifle, I, by a side-way 
 movement, pushed my arm, shoulders and head with diffi- 
 culty into the narrow gap, in hope that I should be able 
 to reach and draw it out. My head had scarcely been 
 introduced before a pair of flaming eyes looked up into 
 mine from the darkness, apparently within a few inches. 
 I, of course, struggled out as quickly as possible, under the 
 impression that the creature I supposed to have been killed 
 was only stunned. I put the muzzle of my rifle down the 
 hollow and fired, as I thought, directly between the glowing 
 eyes. When the smoke was dissipated, I ventured to look 
 in again, and there lay the same creature, as I supposed, 
 stretched, and still in the old position. 
 
 I now determined on a second trial to draw it out. I had 
 forced in arms, shoulders and head so far as they would 
 go, when suddenly the fiery eyes made their appearance 
 again, so close to mine that they seemed almost to burn 
 them ! I scuffled desperately to extricate my person, for 
 the idea of a pair of long white claws stuck into my phiz, 
 was not the most pleasant that could be conceived. I was 
 just in time; for, as I drew my face out, plump against it 
 came the heavy crush of soft fur, with a strong body behind 
 it, and I was prostrated on my back. 
 
 I was roused from the stun and fright together, by the loud 
 guffaws of my companion, who was to; much convulsed with
 
 410 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 laughter to be able to shoot the cat, which we saw going off 
 through the woods at full speed. On examination, I found 
 the roots of the great tree had been hollowed far under 
 and beyond the line of vision, and concluded that the shot 
 into the hollow had missed aim, as I found the first animal 
 dead, which I had seen lying from the first. We now called 
 the dogs, which soon traced the fugitive to another hollow 
 tree, from which we smoked it down as is the practice in 
 taking hares when they are "treed!" and shot it dead as 
 it sprang out. "VVe found this to be the dam, while the first 
 was a cub just grown. 
 
 It is a somewhat curious commentary upon the nature of 
 these animals, that the cub was found to have been so badly 
 torn by the teeth of the dam as to render its skin useless. 
 I suppose its falling into the den so suddenly and unusually, 
 was the cause of this unnatural act on the part of the mother, 
 who mistook it for some assailant. I have no doubt I should 
 have been badly mutilated by this creature had the incident 
 occurred any where but in this neighborhood, where it had 
 been thoroughly initiated into the terrors of gunpowder and 
 the rifle. 
 
 The genus Lynx is very celebrated in those classic and 
 European legends, which, under the name of facts, have 
 come down to us as Natural History. The metaphor in 
 which a " Lynx's eye" is represented as being able to pierce 
 through stone walls, is familiar to our childhood. From very 
 ancient times, it has been known through curious and various 
 associations. It is a sort of anomaly neither canine or 
 feline, strictly, but holding an intermediate position both 
 in grade and notoriety. Though it has been much identified 
 with the old world progress and story, yet it is even more 
 intimately connected with the associations of the new world 
 pioneer life. With us, north or south, every body has heard 
 of the Lynx rufus, (or common wild cat,) even though some 
 may have identified it with the Canada Lynx, and others,
 
 PAXTHEHS, AND OUR OTHER CATS. 411 
 
 puzzled by its varied marking and size, may have called it 
 by sundry names, such as catamount, etc. In truth, even 
 Naturalists have been sadly perplexed with regard to the 
 true place of this genus, and we should not "wonder that 
 the common people of all countries should be as well. It 
 is unquestionably the transition species from the more defined 
 genera, felis and canis, and consequently, as a sub-genus, its 
 definitions have become more involved. In the dental arrange- 
 ment, there is only the slight variation from that of the 
 felines of one molar less on each side above ; for the rest, 
 they have shorter bodies in proportion to the length of the 
 legs, and shorter tails. Their resemblance to the genus 
 canis (to which those of lupus and vulpes are sub-genera,) 
 seems to be less defined. They approach the dogs, not by 
 very distinct stages of transition, through both these sub- 
 genera. They live more like the fox, on the ground, and 
 approach its associations more in choice of localities and 
 manner of taking its prey. It resembles the dog in its 
 fieetness, and more particularly in its acute sense of smtll, 
 which no doubt gave rise to the legend about its being able 
 to see through a stone wall the acuteness of one sense 
 being vulgarly substituted for that of another. But the true 
 physical characteristic, which distinguishes this from all the 
 other genera, is the tuft or pencil of hair which appears, 
 when they are in full pelage, on the points of their ears. 
 This is the most prominent character of the genus, which I 
 have left to be considered last, because it varies so much 
 with the shedding time and seasons, that it has been the 
 most fruitful source of confusion in classifying the animal, 
 At one time it is long, and at another scarcely visible 
 hence careless observers have insisted upon a most com- 
 plicated subdivision of the genus. 
 
 Certainly this difficulty has quite naturally been increased, 
 by the extraordinary variations in markings or color, which 
 are peculiar to the Lynx rvfus ; although the Canada lynx
 
 412 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 is more * strictly defined. Rafenesque even confounded it 
 into fifteen varieties ; and when a Naturalist is led into such 
 errors, it is not astonishing that the popular judgment should 
 make mistakes. Indeed, I myself for a long time held the 
 opinion, based not only on the varied size, markings, length 
 of tail and ear-tufts, of the specimens which I had either 
 killed, or seen others kill, hut as well upon a patient survey 
 of thousands of skins at the fur warehouses in St. Louis 
 that the catamount, or common wild cat, was a cross upon 
 the oceolet and Canada lynx. The oceolet is a true feline. 
 Indeed, all these singular variations have had their effect on 
 me, for I had seen the tail from one inch to four, and the 
 pelage not alone faintly banded, but mottled, through such 
 regular transitions, from plain olive brown to distinct mark- 
 ings, and then to the very peculiar black and unmistakable 
 rosette, which belongs to the pelage of the oceolet, that I 
 could not help thinking that the Canada lynx and the oceolet 
 may have perpetuated a middle species, partaking, as well in 
 habits as in markings, the characteristics of the two. The 
 authors of the Quadrupeds of America, however, take a different 
 view of the subject. They certainly bring up many formidable 
 instances to show that they are right ; and until I have spent 
 as many years as they have in personal dedication to such 
 investigations, I shall fully accept their nomenclature. They 
 remark, in general terms, concerning the "pelage:" 
 
 There arc, however, at all seasons of the year, even in 
 the same neighborhood, strongly marked varieties, and it is 
 difficult to find two individuals precisely alike. 
 
 Some specimens are broadly marked with fulvus under 
 the throat, whilst in others the throat as well as the chin is 
 gray. In some, the stripes on the back and spots along 
 the sides arc very distinctly seen, whilst in others they arc 
 fccarcely visible, and the animal is grayish-brown above, with 
 a dark dorsal stripe. 
 
 There are six species of lynx known to the old world, and,
 
 PANTHERS, AND OUR OTHER CATS. 413 
 
 as they say, only two to North America! I am surely right 
 with regard to the old world, but whether they are, upon this 
 knotty point, right as to this, we will leave for future investi- 
 gation to determine. Be scientific truth on which side of the 
 controversy it may, the animal itself is a very interesting 
 one, and intimately associated with the legend and character, 
 not only of the pioneers, but of the older population of our 
 wide country, for it is found every where, from the middle 
 to the extreme southern and southwestern limits of settlement. 
 The Canada lynx, which is so frequently identified with it, 
 extends from the mountains of Pennsylvania to the northern 
 districts of Canada. With regard to the habits of the Lynx 
 rufus, the authors of the Quadrupeds of America say : 
 
 The general appearance of this species conveys the idea 
 of a degree of ferocity, which cannot with propriety be con- 
 sidered as belonging to its character, although it will, when 
 at bay, show its sharp teeth, and with outstretched claws and 
 infuriated despair, repel the attacks of either man or dog, 
 sputtering the while and rolling its eyes like the common cat. 
 It is, however, generally cowardly when attacked, and always 
 flies from its pursuers if it can ; and although some anecdotes 
 have been related to us of the strength, daring and fierceness 
 of the animal, such as its having been known to kill, at 
 different times, a sheep, a full grown doe, attack a child in 
 the woods, etc., yet in all the instances that have come 
 under our own notice, we have found it very timid, and 
 always rather inclined to beat a retreat, than to make an 
 attack on an animal larger than a hare or young pig. 
 
 Dr. Bachman, Associate Editor of the Quadrupeds of 
 America, describes with some minuteness and reality the most 
 common mode of hunting the wild cat by daylight, when 
 undertaken in set fashion by the southern gentry, with all the 
 appliances of "hound and horn," etc.; but his chase is wound 
 up by the shooting of the exhausted animal by some one of 
 the huntsmen.
 
 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS, 
 
 In a southern foxchase there can be nothing more unortho- 
 dox than such an expenditure of ammunition, for the hunters 
 would have been somewhat dangerously furious, and the 
 hounds themselves ready to tear in pieces the unlucky marks- 
 man who should have dared to interpose between their heated 
 ferocity and a legitimate consummation of the chase, in " the 
 death !" The wild cat injures the dogs, though, so much, 
 that after losing a few of the most valued leaders of the 
 pack in the bloody death-struggle with this savagely formi- 
 dable creature, the huntsmen soon learn to differ from our 
 friend Dr. Bachman's opinion concerning its courage, and 
 become very cautious how they run the risk of having their 
 dogs overtake it. They easily tell, from the cry of the 
 hounds, when it is becoming exhausted, and has reached its 
 short doublings ; and, as by this time they have enjoyed the 
 excitement of a long chase, they can very well afford to listen 
 to the dictates of prudence in shooting it, as described above. 
 
 The dogs used in a night hunt are not the full-blooded 
 hounds of the chase above. A cross of the fox or stag-hound 
 upon the fiercer, snapping, wire-haired cur, which seems to 
 be peculiarly the dog of the negro, makes a far more swift, 
 though not so long-winded or so sure a hunter; and, from its 
 strength and activity, is considered a much better fighter 
 than the aristocratic hound, which is owned solely by the 
 master. Indeed, the half-breeds of this and various other 
 crosses are almost exclusively used for the chase and destruc- 
 tion of the carnivorous animals throughout this country the 
 game "full-bloods," which, when heated by their long chases, 
 habitually rush in, closing instantly with their quarry, when 
 it has been brought to bay, suffer terribly when it turns out 
 to be wild cat, panther or bear ; and, if permitted to chase 
 these animals, the pack is soon exterminated by them. 
 
 It is curious to observe the instant change in the appear- 
 ance of all dogs used in the chase, on striking the trail of 
 any one of these animals, but more especially that of the
 
 PANTHERS, AND OUR OTHER CATS. 415 
 
 wild cat or panther. The hair "roughs," as the hunters 
 term it, that is, stands on end ' over the back and tail ; and 
 their cry becomes a sort of eager growl. The drivers 
 understand these signs well, and when beating for deer or 
 fox they immediately call the dogs off the dangerous scent. 
 
 As a hunter, the bay lynx exhibits a good deal of cunning 
 and sagacity quite as much, it would appear, as Reynard 
 himself. Dr. Bachman gives some curious relations upon 
 this head. One incident, which occurred at the plantation 
 of Dr. Desel, in South Carolina, is worth giving. It seems 
 that " the drove of geese were nightly lodged near the 
 house in an enclosure which was rendered apparently safe 
 by a very high fence. As an additional security, several 
 watch dogs were let loose about the premises; besides, an 
 excellent pack of hounds, which, by an occasional bark or 
 howl during the night, sounded the alarm in case any 
 marauder, whether biped or quadruped, approached. Not- 
 withstanding these precautions, a goose disappeared almost 
 every night, and no trace of the ingress or egress of the 
 robber could be discovered. Slow in attaching suspicion to 
 to his servants, the Doctor waited for time and watchfulness 
 to solve the mystery. At length, the feathers and other 
 remains of his geese were discovered in a marsh, about a 
 quarter of a mile from the house, and strong suspicion was 
 fastened on the wild cat ! Still, as he came at odd hours 
 of the night, all attempts to kill or shoot him proved, for a 
 time, unavailing. One morning, however, he came about 
 daylight, and having captured a good fat goose, was traced 
 by the keen noses of the hounds." 
 
 The hounds tracked him up, and he was finally shot ; but 
 his subtle in-goings and out-comings sound to us very like 
 the German stories of the witch or weir-wolf. It was surely 
 ticklish walking, though his toes be padded, for the wary 
 plunderer amid so many foes. But his astuteness and 
 dexterity are quite as remarkable in those wild wood forays,
 
 416 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTEKS. 
 
 which the editors of the " Quadrupeds" have had an oppor- 
 tunity of witnessing. Such -examples are confirmed by my 
 own experience. 
 
 When this animal discovers a flock of wild turkeys, he 
 will generally follow them at a little distance for some time, 
 and after having ascertained the direction in which they 
 are proceeding, make a rapid detour, and concealing himself 
 behind a fallen tree, or in the lower branches of some leafy 
 maple, patiently wait in ambush until the birds approach, 
 when he suddenly springs on one of them, if near enough, 
 and with one bound secures it. We once, while resting on a 
 log in the woods, on the banks of the Wabash river, perceived 
 two wild turkey-cocks at some distance below us, under 
 the bank near the water, pluming and picking their feathers ; 
 on a sudden one of them fled across the river, and the other 
 we saw struggling in the grasp of a wild cat, which almost 
 instantly dragged it up the bank into the woods and made 
 off. On another occasion, we observed an individual of this 
 species almost nine miles from Charleston, in pursuit of a 
 covey -of partridges (Ortyx Virginiana^ so intent was 
 the cat upon its prey, that it passed within ten steps of us, 
 as it was making a circle to get in advance, and in the path 
 of the birds ; its eyes were constantly fixed on the covey, 
 and it stealthily concealed itself behind a log it expected 
 the birds to pass. In a second attempt, the marauder 
 succeeded in capturing one of the partridges, when the rest, 
 in great affright, flew and scattered in all directions. 
 
 The Canada lynx is something larger than the bay lynx, 
 and though more formidable-looking, is not so fierce, bold, or 
 restless. Indeed, it seems to be quite remarkable for a shy 
 timidity, even when far removed from the neighborhood 
 of man. It is not mottled as the bay lynx, but is gray 
 above, a little clouded with irregular dark spots, and lighter 
 beneath. It is well protected against the cold of its northern 
 home by its long fur. It is very dexterous in capturing the
 
 PANTHERS, AND OUR OTHER CATS. 417 
 
 grouse, hares, squirrels, and other small creatures, which 
 constitute its habitual prey. It has even been represented 
 as having killed a deer though I conjecture it must have 
 been a wounded one. It is true there is less known of its 
 habits than of those of the southern species; but on the 
 whole, I am disposed to regard it as a less enterprising, and 
 therefore less interesting species. 
 
 Indeed, it is by no means through the character of this 
 gray northern animal, that the wide-spread notoriety of the 
 wild cat, in connection with border life, has obtained in this 
 country. It is to the more fierce, predatory, and pugnacious 
 temperament of its tawny and mottled brother of the south, 
 that the family reputation is mainly owing. The panther, 
 (or cougar,) with even its greater size and more formidable 
 attributes, is not more entirely identified with our wildest 
 legends, scenes, and adventures, than is this bay lynx. 
 
 I give, in conclusion, a characteristic paper, in which a 
 Cougar hunt is described by Mr. Audubon. This, as afford- 
 ing an additional glimpse of the adventurous out-door life of 
 the great Naturalist, possesses a greater interest than any 
 relation of personal adventure I could give, although such 
 are abundant enough. He says : 
 
 There is an extensive Swamp in the section of the State 
 of Mississippi which lies partly in the Choctaw territory. It 
 commences at the borders of the Mississippi, at no great 
 distance from a Chickasaw village, situated near the mouth 
 of a creek known by the name of Vanconnah, and partly 
 inundated by the swellings of several large bayous, the 
 principal of which, crossing the swamp in its whole extent, 
 discharges its waters not far from the mouth of the Yazoo 
 River. This famous bayou is called False River. The 
 swamp of which I am speaking follows the windings of the 
 Yazoo, until the latter branches off to the north-east, and at 
 this point forms the stream named Cold Water River, below 
 vrhich the Yazoo receives the draining of another bayou 
 
 27
 
 418 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 inclining towards the north-west, and intersecting that known 
 by the name of False River, at a short distance from the 
 place where the latter receives the waters of the Mississippi. 
 This tedious account of the situation of the Swamp, is given 
 with the view of pointing it out to all students of nature who 
 may chance to go that way, and whom I would earnestly 
 urge to visit its interior, as it abounds in rare and interesting 
 productions : birds, quadrupeds and reptiles, as well as mol- 
 luscous animals, many of which, I am persuaded, have never 
 been described. 
 
 In the course of one of my rambles, I chanced to meet 
 with a squatter's cabin on the banks of the Cold Water 
 River. In the owner of this hut, like most of those adven- 
 turous settlers in the uncultivated tracts of our frontier 
 districts, I found a person well versed in the chase, and 
 acquainted with the habits of some of the larger species of 
 quadrupeds and birds. As he who is desirous of instruction 
 ought not to disdain listening to any one, who has knowledge 
 to communicate, however humble may be his lot, or however 
 limited his. talents, I entered the squatter's cabin, and imme- 
 diately opened a conversation with him respecting the situation 
 of the swamp, and its natural productions. lie told me he 
 thought it the very place I ought to visit, spoke of the game 
 which it contained, and pointed to some bear and deer skins, 
 adding, that the individuals to which they had belonged, 
 formed but a small portion of the number of those animals 
 which he had shot within it. My heart swelled with delight ; 
 and on asking if he would accompany me through the great 
 morass, and allow me to become an inmate of his humble but 
 hospitable mansion, I was gratified to find that lie cordially 
 assented to all my proposals. So I immediately unstrapped 
 my drawing materials, laid up my gun, and sat down to 
 partake of the homely but wholesome faro intended for tho 
 Supper of the squatter, his wife, and his two sons. 
 
 The quietness of the evening seemed in perfect accordance
 
 PANTHERS, AND OUR OTHER CATS. 419 
 
 with the gentle demeanor of the family. The wife and chil- 
 dren, I more than once thought, seemed to look upon me as 
 a strange sort of person, going about, as I told them I was, 
 in search of birds and plants ; and were I here to relate tne 
 many questions which they put to me in return for those 
 which I addressed to them, the catalogue would occupy 
 several pages. The husband, a native of Connecticut, had 
 heard of the existence of such men as myself, both in our 
 own country and abroad, and seemed greatly pleased to have 
 me under his roof. Supper over, I asked my kind host what 
 had induced him to remove to this wild and solitary spot. 
 " The people are too numerous now to thrive in New Eng- 
 land," was his answer. I thought of the state of some parts 
 of Europe, arid calculating the denseness of their population 
 compared with that of New England, exclaimed to myself, 
 " How much more difficult must it be for men to thrive in 
 those populous countries 1" The conversation then changed, 
 and the squatter, his sons and myself, spoke of hunting and 
 fishing, until at length tired, we laid ourselves down on 
 pallets of bear skins, and reposed in peace on the floor of 
 the only apartment of which the hut consisted. 
 
 Day dawned, and the squatter's call to his hogs, which, 
 being almost in a wild state, were suffered to seek the greater 
 portion of their food in the woods, awakened me. Being 
 ready dressed, I was not long in joining him. The hogs and 
 their young came grunting at the well known call of their 
 owner, who threw them a few ears of corn, and counted them, 
 but told me that for some weeks their number had been 
 greatly diminished by the ravages committed upon them by 
 a large Panther, by which name the cougar is designated 
 in America, and that the ravenous animal did not content 
 himself with the flesh of his pigs, but now and then carried 
 off one of his calves, notwithstanding the many attempts he 
 had made to shoot it, The Painter, as he sometimes called 
 it, had on several occasions robbed him of a dead deer ; and
 
 420 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 to these exploits the squatter added several remarkable feats 
 of audacity which it had performed, to give me an idea of 
 the formidable character of the beast. Delighted by his 
 description, I offered to assist him in destroying the enemy, 
 at which he was highly pleased, but assured me that unless 
 some of his neighbors should join us with their dogs and his 
 own, the attempt would prove fruitless. Soon after, mount- 
 ing a horse, he went off to his neighbors, several of whom 
 lived at a distance of some miles, and appointed a day of 
 meeting. 
 
 The hunters, accordingly, made their appearance, one fine 
 morning, at the door of the cabin, just as the sun was 
 emerging from beneath the horizon. They were five in 
 number, and fully equipped for the chase, being mounted 
 on horses, which in some parts of Europe might appear 
 sorry nags, but which in strength, speed and bottom, are 
 better fitted for pursuing a cougar or a bear through woods 
 and morasses than any in that country. A pack of large 
 ugly curs were already engaged in making acquaintance 
 with those of the squatter. He and myself mounted his two 
 best horses, whilst his sons were bestriding others of inferior 
 quality. 
 
 Few words were uttered by the party until we had reached 
 the edge of the Swamp, where it was agreed that all should 
 disperse and seek for the fresh track of the Painter, it being 
 previously settled that the discoverer should blow his horn, 
 and remain on the spot, until the rest should join him. In 
 less than an hour, the sound of the horn was clearly heard, 
 and, sticking close to the squatter, off we went through the 
 thick woods, guided only by the now and then repeated call 
 cf the distant huntsmen. We soon reached the spot, and in 
 a, short time the rest of the party came up. The best dog 
 was sent forward to track the Cougar, and in a few moments, 
 the whole pack were observed diligently trailing, and bearing 
 in their course for the interior of the Swamp. The rifles
 
 PANTHERS, AND OUR OTHER CATS. 421 
 
 were immediately put in trim, and the party followed the 
 dogs, at separate distances, but in sight of each other, deter- 
 mined to shoot at no other game than the Panther. 
 
 The dogs soon began to mouth, and suddenly quickened 
 their pace. My companion concluded that the beast was 
 on the ground, and putting our horses to a gentle gallop, 
 we followed the curs, guided by their voices. The noise of 
 the dogs increased, when, all of a sudden, their mode of 
 barking became altered, and the squatter, urging me to push 
 on, told me that the beast was treed, by which he meant that 
 it had got upon some low branch of a large tree to rest for 
 a few moments, and that should we not succeed in shooting 
 him when thus situated, we might expect a long chase of it. 
 As we approached the spot, we all by degrees united into a 
 body, but on seeing the dogs at the foot of a large tree, 
 separated again and galloped off to surround it. 
 
 Each hunter now moved with caution, holding his gun 
 ready, and allowing the bridle to dangle on the neck of his 
 horse, as it advanced slowly towards the dogs. A shot from 
 one of the party was heard, on which the Cougar was seen 
 to leap to the ground, and bound off with such velocity as to 
 show that he was very unwilling to stand our fire longer. The 
 dogs set off in pursuit with great eagerness and a deafening 
 cry. The hunter who had fired came up and said that his 
 ball had hit the monster, and had probably broken one of his 
 fore-legs near the shoulder, the only place at which he could 
 aim. A slight trail of blood was discovered on the ground, 
 but the curs proceeded at such a rate that we merely noticed 
 this, and put spurs to our horses, which galloped on towards 
 the centre of the Swamp. One bayou was crossed, then 
 another still larger and more muddy; but the dogs were 
 brushing forward, and as the horses began to pant at a 
 furious rate, we judged it expedient to leave them and 
 advance on foot. These determined hunters knew that the 
 Cougar being wounded, would shortly ascend another tree,
 
 422 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 where in all probability lie would remain for a considerable 
 time, and that it would be easy to follow the track of the 
 dogs. We dismounted, took off the saddles and bridles, set 
 the bells attached to the horses' necks at liberty to jingle, 
 hoppled the animals, and left them to shift for themselves. 
 
 Now, kind reader, follow the group marching through the 
 swamp, crossing muddy pools, and making the best of their 
 way over fallen trees and amongst the tangled rushes that 
 now and then covered acres of ground. If you are a hunter 
 yourself, all this will appear nothing to you ; but if crowded 
 assemblies of "beauty and fashion," or the quiet enjoyment 
 of your " pleasure-grounds," alone delight you, I must mend 
 my pen before I attempt to give you an idea of the pleasure 
 felt on such an expedition. 
 
 After marching for a couple of hours, we again heard the 
 dogs. Each of us pressed forward, elated at the thought 
 of terminating the career of the cougar. Some of the dogs 
 were heard whining, although the greater number barked 
 vehemently. We felt assured that the Cougar was treed, 
 and that he would rest for some time to recover from his 
 fatigue. As we came" up to the dogs, we discovered the 
 ferocious animal lying across a large branch, close to the 
 trunk of a cotton-wood tree. His broad breast lay towards 
 us ; his eyes were at one time bent on us and again on the 
 dogs'' beneath and around him ; one of his fore legs hung 
 loosely by his side, and he lay crouched, with his ears 
 lowered close to his head, as if he thought he might remain 
 undiscovered. Three balls were fired at him, at a given 
 signal, on which he sprang a few feet from the branch, and 
 tumbled headlong to the ground. Attacked on all sides by 
 the enraged curs, the infuriated Cougar fought with desperate 
 valor ; but the squatter advancing in front of the party, and 
 almost in the midst of the dogs, shot him immediately behind 
 and beneath the left shoulder. The Cougar writhed for a 
 moment in agony, and in another lay dead.
 
 PANTHERS, AND OUR OTHER CATS. 423 
 
 The sun was now sinking in the west. Two of the hunters 
 separated from the rest, to procure venison, whilst the 
 squatter's sons were ordered to make the best of their way 
 home, to be ready to feed the hogs in the morning. The 
 rest of the party agreed to camp on the spot. The cougar 
 was despoiled of its skin, and its carcass left to the hungry 
 clogs. Whilst engaged in preparing our camp, we heard the 
 report of a gun, and soon after one of our hunters returned 
 with a small deer. A fire was lighted, and each hunter 
 displayed his pone of bread, along with a flask of whisky 
 The deer was skinned in a trice, and slices placed on sticks 
 before the fire. These materials afforded us an excellent 
 meal, and as the night grew darker, stories and songs went 
 round, until my companions, fatigued, laid themselves down, 
 close under the smoke of the fire, and soon fell asleep. 
 
 I walked for some minutes round the camp, to contemplate 
 the beauties of that nature from which I have certainly 
 derived my greatest pleasures. I thought of the occurrences 
 of the day, and glancing my eye around, remarked the 
 singular effects produced by the phosphorescent qualities 
 of the large decayed trunks which lay in all directions 
 around me. HOAV easy, I thought, would it be for the 
 confused and agitated mind of a person bewildered in a 
 swamp like this, to imagine in each of these luminous masses 
 some wondrous and fearful being, the very sight of *tvhich 
 might make the hair stand erect on his head. The thought 
 of being myself placed in such a predicament burst over my 
 mind, and I hastened to join my companions, beside whom 
 I laid me down and slept, assured that no enemy could 
 approach us without first rousing the dogs, which were 
 growling in fierce dispute over the remains of the cougar. 
 
 At daybreak we left our camp, the squatter bearing on 
 his shoulder the skin of the late destroyer of his stock, and 
 retraced our steps until we found our horses, which had not 
 strayed far from the place where we had left them. These
 
 424 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 we soon saddled, and jogging along, in a direct course, 
 guided by the sun, congratulating each other on the destruc- 
 tion of so formidable a neighbor as the panther had been, 
 we soon arrived at my host's cabin. The five neighbors 
 partook of such refreshment as the house could afford, and 
 dispersing, returned to their homes, leaving me to follow my 
 favorite pursuits.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 CAPTAIN DAN HENRIE ; HIS ADVENTURE WITH THE WOLVES. 
 
 EVERY body remembers the famous escape of Capt. Dan 
 Henrie at Encarnacion. This reckless and daring Ranger 
 probably passed through a greater number of perilous and 
 singular adventures than any other man of the same age in 
 the service. Though one of the most light-hearted mortals 
 that the warm sun ever smiled upon, yet he had a careless 
 knack of getting into the most desperate scrapes on every 
 possible occasion, and then, of course, fought his way out 
 again with the most dashing gallantry. 
 
 Mark you, Dan never got into scrapes with his own people ; 
 
 425
 
 426 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 he was far too kindly and generous for that ; but he had a 
 hatred for the "cussed yaller bellies," and "copper heads," 
 as he called the Mexicans and Indians, which was refresh- 
 ingly orthodox. His hatred of the Mexicans was amusingly 
 bitter and contemptuous while you listened to him talk of 
 them ; but when this hatred came to be expressed in action, 
 it was of the most savage and deadly character. At Encar- 
 nacion, when the little band found themselves surrounded by 
 the heavy masses of Minon's cavalry, the proposition, which, 
 we believe, originated with Cassius M. Clay, was made to 
 Stand to their arms and fight it out with the Mexicans, to 
 the last gasp, in spite of the disparity of numbers. Lieu- 
 tenant Dan, who was then their guide, seconded this propo- 
 sition warmly, and went about among the men, urging them 
 "to stand up to the rack," as he called it, representing that 
 they could hope for nothing but bad faith, resulting in cold- 
 blooded massacre, if they surrendered to the Mexicans. He 
 reminded them of Goliad, and the Meir surrender, and of his 
 own experience in the last case. After showing, to his own 
 satisfaction, that the resolution of fighting; their wav through 
 
 O O v O 
 
 was the only possible chance of safety or honorable death left 
 them, he concluded, with the characteristic piece of savage 
 advice, " Shoot low, boys shoot them through their bellies, 
 so that their groans will frighten their comrades one groancr 
 is worth half a dozen dummies !" 
 
 His perfect knowledge of the Mexican character, as well 
 as his mortal hatred of them, was fully displayed in this 
 advice. Dan knew perfectly that there would be no chance 
 for him, for he had already been recognized as one of the 
 Mcir men by several Mexicans, whose faces he remembered 
 well ; the surrender, therefore, placed him in a desperate 
 predicament. lie knew, perfectly, that whatever faith they 
 might keep with other prisoners, they would keep none with 
 him, although his safety had been provided for in an express
 
 CAPTAIN DAN HENRIE. 427 
 
 stipulation of the terms of surrender. I hare never seen 
 the mode of his escape correctly related yet, so that it is 
 worth while to give it in his own version. 
 
 The Mexicans have a mortal hatred of the Meir prisoners, 
 one and all but most particularly do they detest those of 
 them who rose at the Salado and escaped from Perote. Dan 
 had, unfortunately, not only been prominent in both these 
 affairs, but from the fact of speaking the language as well 
 as a native, he had always acted as interpreter, and thus 
 been put forward more conspicuously than any one of the 
 other prisoners. Besides this, he had previously made him- 
 self very notorious, too$ as a Ranger. All these causes 
 combined to make his recognition general and sure at almost 
 any point on the whole route to Mexico ; and if it had not 
 occurred immediately, there was no telling at what moment 
 it might occur, and of course, when his body might be made 
 the target of their cowardly hate. 
 
 He saw those men who had recognized him whispering 
 among themselves, and from his knowledge of the Mexican 
 character, felt sure that so soon as the commanding officers 
 had retired and left them in charge of the guard, he would 
 be shot from the ranks. It fortunately occurred, that when 
 they were started, Minon and his staff was moving in the 
 same direction down the lines of the Mexican force. Colonel 
 Gaines rode a very swift and beautiful mare. Dan rode up 
 to his side and whispered to him the discoveries he had made, 
 his fears, and his determination. Gaines at once, with a 
 generous promptness, proposed that he should take his mare 
 to make the attempt upon, as her high-blooded metal would 
 distance any Mexican horse with ease. This was precisely 
 what Dan desired, and he eagerly accepted the offer. The 
 officers had not yet been deprived of their pistols, and the 
 holsters of Gaines remained on the saddle. 
 
 The mare was very spirited and fiery, and Dan slily roused 
 up all her mettle by touching her with the spur. She began
 
 428 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 to pitch and plunge, and throw out her heels. This compelled 
 the escort, or rather guard, which rode on either side of the 
 prisoners, to open their line occasionally. Dan kept it up 
 for some minutes, so as to remove all suspicion, and watched 
 his chance, until he saw the guard were beginning to become 
 careless, and regard those unruly capers rather with amuse- 
 ment than otherwise. Then seeing his way open as they 
 moved slowly through the squadrons of green-coated cavalry, 
 le suddenly reined up the mare in the midst of her capri- 
 jolings, and plunging the spurs into her, she darted off like 
 an arrow loosened from the bow, while he stooped, laying 
 himself close along her side, after the manner of the 
 Comanche Indians. A shower of balls was fired hurriedly 
 after him, but without effect, as they all passed over him. 
 
 The plain to the foot of the mountains was very narrow 
 just here ; and he had observed, before he made his break, 
 that they were opposite a road which came down a narrow 
 valley. He made for this gap, running the gauntlet between 
 several squadrons of cavalry, before he reached its shelter. 
 Just as he was diving into it, he wheeled in his saddle, and 
 amidst the whistling of balls, shook his clenched hand at 
 them, and shouted back his defiance. This sudden escape 
 caused great uproar and confusion among the Mexicans, and 
 several hundred men started at full speed in the pursuit ; 
 but the gallant mare soon left them all far enough behind, 
 as she clattered with sparkling hoofs along the deep ravine. 
 Before the first two miles had been passed, the pursuit was 
 out of sight in the rear. 
 
 The valley road, which he had taken at hap-hazard, without 
 the slightest idea of where it led, now opened upon a small 
 plain of table-land, which was occupied by a hacienda of 
 considerable extent. As he swept l.-y in front of the buill- 
 ings, he saw a number of green-coats hastily mounting, and 
 in another moment heard the clatter of their pursuing horses 
 comiuir down the road, lie looked over his shoulder and
 
 CAPTAIN DAN HENKIE. 429 
 
 saw that it was probably a foraging party of about^ ten 
 lancers. The first agony was over now, and he felt sure 
 of the game and speed of his mare; and with his usual 
 audacity, he determined to give the "yaller bellies" some- 
 thing to remember him by before he took his final leave. 
 He accordingly reined up his mare gradually, and let them 
 gain upon him. They thought she was failing, and raised 
 a yell of triumph as they urged their horses to yet greater 
 exertions. 
 
 He looked behind again, and the officer, with one of his 
 men, was now considerably in the advance, and closing 
 rapidly upon him. He loosened a pistol from the holster. 
 The officer was foremost, and was already shouting to him,, 
 with many " Garachoes," to surrender, when he wheeled 
 suddenly in his saddle and shot him dead. The lancer, 
 who was close behind, and coming on at furious speed, 
 attempted in vain to rein up his horse. It was too late 
 he was carried by the impetus of his speed within ten feet 
 of Dan, who had by this time drawn his other pistol, with 
 which he shot him through the head, and then galloped 
 leisurely along, feeling sure that the remainder of his 
 pursuers would be stopped effectually by this bloody barri- 
 cade he had left across their path. He was not mistaken, 
 for they halted there, and this was the last he saw of their 
 green coats. 
 
 All that day long he kept the noble beast in swift motion, 
 since at every little rancho or village he came to, it would 
 be necessary for the fugitive to make a desperate run for it, 
 before a pursuit could be organized. The roads were filled, 
 too, with scouting parties of the enemy, and it required all 
 his knowledge of their sort of tactics to enable him to dodge 
 them. He several times very narrowly avoided rushing 
 headlong into the very midst of these advance parties. The 
 Mexicans are usually very noisy troops, and he would hear 
 them talking on the march in time to docl<re to one side and
 
 430 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 let t^em pass, for lie had no fancy to try the hacienda trick 
 over again with empty pistols, since he had nothing to load 
 them with again. He finally threw them away as so much 
 "make-weight," that was useless to him and embarrassing 
 to his mare. 
 
 So he hurried on, not daring to pause a moment to rest or 
 obtain food, until the next day, when, in a deep, wild gorge 
 among the mountains, his game and gallant mare fell beneath 
 him, dead ! The ravenous and filthy galapotes, (turkey- 
 ouzzards,) were gouging at her fawn-like eyes before they 
 were fairly glazed, and before her stiffened and staggering 
 rider was out of sight. Now came the most terrible part 
 of this wild and remarkable adventure. He was totally 
 without food, except what little fruit of the cactus he could 
 gather during the day while he was skulking, for he only 
 ventured to travel at night now. This was scarcely enough 
 to keep body and soul together ; while his clothes soon became 
 torn to pieces, and hung about his bleeding limbs like broad 
 and tattered ribbons. He, however, still continued making 
 his way steadfastly in the direction of General Wool's camp. 
 At last, some of his scouts picked the poor fellow up when 
 almost speechless with thirst and hunger ; he was yet feebly 
 reeling along like a ghostly and haggard drunkard. 
 
 This affair very properly got him his promotion to a 
 captaincy. But strange, perilous, and even wonderful as 
 this escape seems, it is only one of many others quite as 
 remarkable, by which his most eventful life has been 
 checkered. In the Texan Avar with the Cherokees, which 
 was a very bloody business while it lasted, he passed through 
 scenes as bad, if not worse than this. Then his adventures 
 as a Ranger arc very remarkable, for of many of these I 
 am myself personally cognizant; and of his cruel sufferings 
 and headlong daring during the Mcir imprisonment, all the 
 country has been, to a certain degree, made aware since the 
 publication of General Green's book.
 
 CAPTAIN DAN HENRTE 431 
 
 Dan, who was my comrade in many a curious adventure, 
 was the same Henrie of my previous narrative of the " Shot 
 in the Eye." It is one of the drollest of his many personal 
 affairs that I propose to relate now. I shall endeavor to 
 give it as nearly as I can remember, in his own way, as 
 he related it to me; though I must confess, it will be very 
 difficult, if not impossible, to preserve the raciness of his 
 rattle-pate and peculiar manner. It was before he joined 
 the Mcir expedition, and while yet with the Rangers, under 
 the command of McCullough. 
 
 Dan, whose excellence as a guide was well known to the 
 captain, was despatched by him, along with three others of 
 the troop, on a scouting expedition, towards the head waters 
 of the Nueces. This was in the early winter of the year 
 before the Meir expedition, and the Mexicans were in many 
 ways annoying and threatening the weak settlements along 
 that river. This state of things had encouraged the Indians, 
 as well, to make very bold descents. McCullough had on 
 his first arrival given them both a severe lesson, upon which 
 the marauders had taken the hint, and nothing further had 
 been heard from either party for several months. Unwilling 
 that his men should lie in camp at such a place as Corpus 
 Christi, with nothing to do but drink and carouse, the prudent 
 captain of Rangers had thought best to despatch all the 
 most restless spirits on tours of observation in various 
 quarters. Besides, the aspect of affairs in that part of Texas 
 generally, had begun to seem rather forlorn, and seemed to 
 call for unremitting vigilance. 
 
 Dan and his companions had reached the foot of the 
 mountains in which the western branch of the ISTucces takes 
 rise, without meeting any other sort of incident than those 
 which are common to prairie travel. Here they formed their 
 camp, and as they had yet discovered no signs of Indians, 
 it was concluded that they would take each his own course 
 the next day, and after traversing as much ground as possible,
 
 432 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 return to camp and report, and if it should then appear that 
 no sign had yet been discovered by any of them, it was 
 agreed they should spend several days in a regular buffalo- 
 hunting frolic, as these animals seemed to abound greatly in 
 this region. 
 
 Accordingly they were under way quite early, each man 
 following the bent of his own humor and fancy for the time. 
 
 Dan had been travelling in a leisurely sort of a way until 
 noon, when he came upon a scene of such remarkable beauty 
 that he involuntarily stopped to gaze upon it. He had, 
 without observing it, followed up the west branch of the 
 Nueces, until he now found himself at its very head-spring. 
 In front of him a bold and broken mountain stood out 
 somewhat from the chain, at the foot of which he had been 
 riding all the morning. The front of this mountain was almost 
 a square perpendicular, and looked as if it had been cleft 
 from crest to foot by a bolt of thunder, and hurled from out 
 the ranks of its peers. The huge masses of stone with which 
 it seemed built were seamed with a sort of eccentric regularity, 
 and evergreens were rooted along these seams. As the eye 
 descended, these masses became more broken, and assumed 
 a fantastic resemblance to the lines and forms of Gothic 
 architecture in decay while from the prairie level sprung 
 a broken arch, one side of which was perfect in outline, and 
 the other concealed by the over-hanging masses of evergreen 
 shrubs. At a distance, this seemed the arched gateway of 
 some huge cavern; but when he approached it, he found that 
 the rock slanted in at just sufficient angle to give it, at a 
 distance, the appearance of shadow. Instead of an enormous 
 cavern, it proved to be only a recess or slanting niche, some 
 twenty feet deep at the bottom from the back part of which, 
 a bold spring burst a little above the level of the prairie, 
 and rushed down and out from the shadow, rejoicing over 
 the white, sand, until it sparkled in the checkered sunlight, 
 beneath the over-hanging evergreens outside then it coursed
 
 CAPTAIN DAN HENRIE. 483 
 
 away toward the chain of mountains and wound about their 
 feet. All off to the left, and beyond this remarkable 
 mountain, seemed an interminable stretch of rolling prairies, 
 over which, amidst clumps of cactus, were scattered herds 
 of deer, mustangs and buffalo, in view at once. 
 
 Dan has npt much poetry in him, but he could not help 
 being both astonished and enchanted by the strange, wild 
 loveliness of this scene. He slid from his saddle, and stood 
 leaning against it for only a moment or two of wrapt 
 contemplation, when the habitual instinct of watchfulness, 
 peculiar to the Ranger, caused him to change his position, 
 and turn his head. As he did so he perceived one of the 
 droves of mustangs (wild hoi'ses,) moving slowty towards 
 him. They were a long way off, and there appeared nothing 
 peculiar about them but it served to remind him that he 
 had a short time before seen the unshod tracks of horses and 
 mules moving at a gallop, or that, though they might be 
 nothing more than mustangs, yet the simple fact of their 
 going at a gallop, was in itself suspicious of another fact or 
 so either that they were the tracks of Indian horses and 
 mules, or of mustangs that had been chased or otherwise 
 frightened by them ; so that whatever of enchantment there 
 may have been for him in the scene, it now gave place 
 quickly to caution, and his head turned rapidly from side 
 to side, with the habitual manner of the old spy. 
 
 His eye now and then fell upon the advancing drove, but 
 not with any consciously defined suspicion. At length they 
 disappeared slowly down a long valley, like the SAvay of the 
 prairie undulations, and were out of sight so long that he 
 had quite forgotten them, when suddenly they appeared 
 again on this side, moving directly towards him, at a swift 
 gallop. He bounded into his saddle as quick as thought, 
 supposing that, may be, one or two Indians who were 
 mustang-hunting, had lain in wait for this herd, in the deep 
 grass of that prairie valley, and were now chasing them with 
 
 28
 
 434 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. ; 
 
 the lasso. He urged his horse behind one of the many 
 clumps of cactus around him, with the intention of laying 
 in wait to give these dusky wild horse hunters a trial for 
 their scalps as they went past him. 
 
 As he changed his position, the figures which were 
 approaching became more distinctly defined against the 
 back-ground of sky, for they were descending towards him ! 
 He saw, what sent his heart into his throat, that each 
 animal had an Indian slung along its side, by one hand 
 and foot, holding to either horn of the saddle ! This is a 
 common trick of theirs in approaching an enemy by day-light, 
 on the prairies; and it is difficult of detection at a distance, 
 by the most experienced eye, as they ride close together, 
 and no part of the body is shown above the outline of the 
 horse. 
 
 Dan was off in a twinkling ! The tables were very suddenly 
 turned; for instead of taking a scalp or two himself, as ho 
 had expected, it would now require the best he knew to save 
 his own. It was well that he could trust his horse, for they 
 had got so close to him that his escape at all must be a matter 
 of sheer speed he must run away from them or be run through 
 by them. "To be or not to be," was the question now with 
 poor Dan, while he desperately urged his good horse with 
 quirt and spur. So soon as they saw him start, the rascals 
 had wheeled up into their saddles again, and yelled their 
 war-whoop like exulting devils. This was a sound which, 
 though it came to his ears somewhat softened by the distance, 
 was by no means calculated to diminish the energy or urgency 
 of the calls upon the speed of his horse, which were made by 
 Dan. He glanced furtively over his shoulder and saw that 
 they were spreading out into the prairie with tlie intention 
 of hemming him in against the mountains. He instantly 
 perceived that his only chance was a desperate run for an 
 elbow of the chain, which, if he could reach and turn first, he 
 thought would secure his scalp for the present, as around it
 
 CAPTAIN DAN HENRIE. 435 
 
 the stream became heavily timbered, and he knew they would 
 not follow him into it for fear they might come upon his 
 friends. 
 
 It was a tremendous race, for the Indians knew the 
 advantage as well as he ; and Dan vows that his long curly 
 hair began to straighten and lift his cap on its ends before 
 he reached' the point, they pushed him so close and hard. 
 By the skin of his teeth he got by before they surrounded 
 him, and now he says his " hair fell as smooth and sleek as 
 if a pint of bear's grease had been poured over it;" but not 
 until he had reached up and taken down his cap off the stiff 
 ends to wave as he shouted back at them in derisive triumph, 
 and then darted beneath the shades of the friendly wood. 
 They left him here as he expected ; but as this was most 
 evidently a dangerous neighborhood, he concluded it would 
 be safest not to tarry here but get out of it as fast as possible, 
 for there was no telling what new whim might take these 
 fellows when they had spread around on his trail and found 
 him to be alone ! So away he went through the woods for 
 five or six miles without halting. 
 
 The hurry and necessities of his flight had taken him off 
 his course back to the rendezvous of his companions. He 
 now first discovered this as he emerged from the timber upon 
 the prairie again, and found himself far enough away from 
 the course of the stream. He paused but for a moment, to 
 collect himself and try and get back the true idea of his 
 direction. Thinking he had it, he urged his horse into a 
 swift run again. This was kept up for several hours, until 
 night began to close around' him, and his horse to give 
 unmistakable indications that he must have rest before he 
 went much further. He came at last to a small rivulet 
 trickling along a deep, rough cut, and as he supposed, in the 
 direction of the west branch of the Nueces. He had passed 
 the camp far enough, he knew, but this would set him right 
 if he followed it up when daybreak came. So he selected
 
 436 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 a small piece of meadow ground which was -covered with 
 musquit grass, and well protected from view by the great 
 clusters of cactus which surrounded it on three sides. Here 
 he stripped his faithful horse and turned him loose to graze, 
 and then taking for supper a hearty draught of water, threw 
 himself upon his blanket to sleep. 
 
 He had lost his provision wallet in the chase, and it was 
 more than he dare venture upon to shoot game, for fear of 
 betraying his hiding-place ; and though hungry enough, he 
 was fain this time "to go to bed supperless." He thought 
 of home before sleep came, of course, and wished himself 
 there most heartily, that he might attack the well-stocked 
 pantry, the contents of which danced in most tantalizing 
 visions before him during the whole night. This was too 
 much a common predicament, however, to make any very 
 strong impression upon him otherwise. 
 
 He was mounted and off very early the next morning, and 
 was by no means delighted to perceive that his horse was 
 considerably gaunted by the yesterday's hard work and the 
 somewhat narrow commons of the night. However, he moved 
 on noAV with something less of a hurry, as there were no 
 indications of pursuit apparent. Following the rivulet, he 
 soon reached the west branch, and turned up this with a 
 brisker movement, spurred by the cheerful hope of soon 
 rejoining his companions and finding them safe. In an hour 
 he was in sight of the ground, and put his horse into a swift 
 gallop in his eagerness to pass over the interval quickly. On 
 coming up, he saw, instead of his comrades, the dead body 
 of an Indian warrior lying across the very ashes of their 
 camp fire, all gashed and hewn with bowie-knife cuts. All 
 around the earth was deeply broken up, with the evidences 
 of a desperate hand to hand struggle. The breech of a 
 rifle, which he recognized, and a number of arrows, with a 
 broken lance and shield, were scattered around. lie felt a 
 choking sensation and his blood ran cold at this sight.
 
 CAPTAIN DAN HEKHIE. 437' 
 
 His comrades had been surprised, no doubt, by the same 
 party which had pursued him, but with what result it was 
 impossible for him to tell certainly, though he had little 
 choice but to believe and fear the worst. Amid the multitude 
 of the tracks of unshod horses, he could distinguish the few 
 tracks of their shod horses. There was no trace of their 
 bodies in the hasty survey he had time to make, and it 
 seemed very strange that this dead warrior should be left 
 behind, so contrary to their well-known custom ! He followed 
 the trail for some time, with great caution, but could make 
 no discovery, except a great deal of blood on the ground, 
 until towards noon, when rising the comb of a steep ridge, 
 he looked down into the plain below upon a large body of 
 Indians, encamped about a mile distant. 
 
 This was a startling sight, and they perceived him at the 
 same moment. Now he felt he would have indeed to run 
 for his life. One glance, as he wheeled, was sufficient to 
 show him warriors mounting the horses of his friends ! He 
 did not dread a race with the horses of the Indians so much, 
 because his horse was more than a match for the best of 
 theirs ; but the horses of his comrades were as swift, and in 
 every sense as good as his now they were to be turned 
 against him ! He cursed the rashness that had induced 
 him to follow up their trail, but this was no time to pause 
 for regrets he was off, down the hill, at the best speed 
 his horse, already somewhat fagged, could raise. All 
 depended upon getting back to the timber and losing 
 them ! He could hear their pursuing yells, distinctly, for 
 a moment, and this was no syren's music to draw him 
 back ! He had a good mile the start, but that was no 
 great matter, if, as he supposed, their horses were fresher 
 than his own ! He had not time now to feel any alarm, 
 but only that there was hot work before, and he -had it to 
 attend to ! His object was to get out of sight as soon as 
 possible, for he gained a great deal by compelling them
 
 438 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 to run on his trail. He strained his horse tremendously, and 
 succeeded, for when the sudden burst of their voices came 
 from time to time, proving that they had reached the comb 
 of the ridge, he looked back, and could not see it or them. 
 
 He felt a little less tight about the heart now, and had 
 time to think something of his best course. It seemed a 
 forlorn chance for an escape he was over six miles from 
 timber. He suddenly remembered that he had observed, 
 for several days past, a heavy smoke off towards the south, 
 and looking now in that direction, saw it filling the whole 
 horizon with gloomy masses, which seemed to be rising but 
 a few miles off. Observing that it was not very high, it 
 instantly occurred to him in his extremity, for he felt sure 
 from the action of his horse, that he would not last much 
 longer in the hard run before them, that the safest course 
 for him would be the most desperate, and this was to make 
 directly for the approaching line of this fire, and take his 
 chance of being able to force his way through it alive. 
 With such a barrier between himself and the Indians, he 
 was safe ! Acting upon this stern and strange alternative, 
 he urged his horse steadily towards the fire. It was not 
 long before he met the dark advance guard of the smoke, 
 as it rolled along the grass, and rode beneath its stifling 
 shelter, the fire being yet a mile off. 
 
 He was now securely enough out of sight of the Indians, 
 and springing from his horse, proceeded to prepare himself 
 for a trial of the fiery sea. He cut his blanket into pieces, 
 with one of which he blindfolded his horse ; another he tied 
 in a loose bag about the lower part of its head, enveloping 
 the mouth and nostrils. He then enveloped his own face 
 in a loose vizor of the same material. The blanket was 
 coarse and let in air enough to barely sustain life for a 
 short time, while it kept out the smoke. lie could hear 
 the yells of his pursuers seemingly close at hand. He was 
 now in utter darkness, and mounting quickly again, headed
 
 CAPTAIN DAN HENRIE. 439 
 
 his horse directly for the fire. On lie went, not knowing 
 where ; the reins were tightened, and the lash and spur 
 applied with the energy of desperation. 
 
 Hotter and hotter the air became, but on he careered, 
 heady and blind. The fire has struck him with a roaring 
 surge ! His hair flames crisply, and the flesh of his body 
 seems to be burning ! The frantic and panting horse 
 attempts to shy: but no, the fierceness of the agony has 
 turned that rider's arm and will to iron ! 
 
 It cannot shy the poor horse ! On ! on ! scorching 
 through the stifling blaze ! A few bounds more and the 
 terrific surges are past ! The fresh air has met him ! He 
 tore the envelope from his face and leaped from the stag- 
 gering horse upon the charred hot ground,. The blanket 
 is torn away from its mouth, and the animal begins to 
 revive quickly, though it shivers and can scarcely stand 
 for the mortal terror ! He is safe ! He has accomplished 
 an unparalleled feat ! 
 
 He hears faintly above the crackling and roar of the 
 retiring flames a howl of triumph from his pursuers, who 
 imagine they have driven him into the fire, and that he 
 is burnt, horse and all. He makes a feeble attempt to 
 answer them defiantly, but can scarcely hear his own voice. 
 Stunned, and gasping to recover the use of their almost 
 stifled lungs, he and his horse stand, side by side, upon 
 that blackened plain, without moving a step for more than 
 an hour. 
 
 But the perils of the day were by no means passed. 
 Before him, as far as the eye could reach, there was only 
 one charred, level, smouldering waste, which had to be 
 crossed before he could reach water, for which both himself 
 and horse were now almost perishing. He started on at 
 last, taking his course at random, for one seemed to his 
 bewildered sense about as good as another. He did not 
 ride at first, but mercifully led his poor horse, until the
 
 440 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS/ 
 
 heat of the ground and the still smouldering stubs of grass 
 became insufferable to his feet, and then he turned to mount. 
 He now, for the first time, looked at the animal carefully, 
 and to his horror, saw that nearly every hair upon its body 
 was gone, and little but the bare skin left, and that was 
 so badly scorched in places, as to come off at the slightest 
 touch. 
 
 This was dreadful enough, but water ! water ! water ! he 
 must have that, or they would both die. He sprang into 
 the saddle and urged the wretched creature along with the 
 last energies of his sinking life. In an hour he had begun 
 to grow dizzy, and the blackened earth swam round and 
 round, and tossed him to and fro ! Now a strange noise 
 was about him ; and as the lifting waves of the earth would 
 almost seem to leap up into his face, he would catch glimpses 
 of huge wolves careering on them, turning up their fiery 
 eyes to his, and howling at him with red hot open mouths 
 and lolling tongues ! Suddenly his horse rushed down a 
 steep bank, and there was a great splashing. Water ! 
 Blessed God, water ! He tumbled from his saddle into 
 the cold delicious fluid. 
 
 In an instant his senses had returned, and he saw himself 
 surrounded by thirty or forty prairie wolves, some of whom 
 were swimming in the water after him, while the others sat 
 upon the bank of the small lake, and howled their gathering 
 cry. He struck those which were nearest with his gun barrel 
 and beat them off, while he had time to draw his heavy knife. 
 One of them had seized his passive horse, who, while it was 
 endeavoring to pull him down, stood still and drunk the 
 long eager draughts. He split the wolf's head with his 
 knife, and soon sent the rest back out of the water, yelling 
 with their wounds. But those upon the bank only howled 
 the louder, and they were answered near at hand and from 
 afar by hundreds of others, who were swiftly gathering in 
 at the well-known call to a banquet.
 
 CAPTAIN DAN HENKIE. 441 
 
 He now remembered that these weird and infernal brutes 
 always collect in large numbers, to follow in the wake of a 
 great prairie fire, and tear the carcasses of those animals 
 that are killed; or band together, to chase and drag down 
 those that come through alive, but scorched, blinded and 
 staggering, as was his poor horse. They become very 
 savage with blood, impunity and numbers, and very few 
 creatures which have escaped from the hungry flames can 
 escape from their yet more ravenous jaws. The creature, 
 at other times, is utterly contemptible for its cowardice ; 
 but he shuddered when he called to mind the dreadful 
 stories he had heard of its deadly fierceness on such occa- 
 sions as this. 
 
 "My God!" he moaned aloud: "Wasn't it bad enough 
 for me to pass that hell of flames back yonder ! and have 
 I only escaped that to meet a fate a thousand times more 
 hideous ?" 
 
 He looked at his horse ; the animal was now, too, partially 
 refreshed, and began to be conscious of the new danger as it 
 gazed around with staring eyeballs upon the eager and swiftly 
 gathering crowd that howled along the bank. He snorted 
 in affright, and lifted his head with a wildly mournful 
 neigh, that seemed to poor Dan the most piteous sound 
 that ever rung upon his ear before. There was some com- 
 fort though, the horse had life enough in him to make one 
 more run for safety. 
 
 He mounted, and after having fired his rifle, with deliberate 
 aim, into the thickest of them, charged right through at full 
 speed. They leaped at his feet and attempted to seize his 
 horse's legs, but the animal was too mortally frightened for 
 them to impede his way for an instant. Through he trampled, 
 and away across the prairie he flies, snorting with terror, and 
 moving with as great speed as if perfectly fresh ; and away, 
 too, in pursuit, swept the yelling herd of wolves. There were 
 more than a hundred now, and seemed increasing in numbers
 
 442 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 at every jump ; for as Dan glanced his frightened eyes around, 
 he would see them straitened out with speed and their mouths 
 wide open, coming to join the terrible route from every direc- 
 tion over the prairie. He looks behind him they were close 
 upon his heels. The great part of them, particularly those in 
 front, and who seemed most fierce and ravenous, were scorched 
 nearly naked ; and with the white foam flying, their long red 
 tongues, their fiery glaring eyes, they presented the most 
 hideous picture of unearthly terror that ever mortal lived 
 to be chased by unless by the horrible phantasmagoria of 
 madness ! 
 
 He fired his pistols back at them, but it made no difference ; 
 they only yelled the louder, and came on the more fiercely, 
 while five joined their long train for each one that he had 
 killed. If his horse should fall or give out, they would both 
 be torn to fragments in an instant ! This appalling convic- 
 tion caused him to give all of eye and nerve that were left 
 him in the mortal fright to steadying and guiding his horse, 
 for the only hope now lay in him. He soon perceived, 
 however, that he was leaving the pack far behind, for there 
 is little comparison between the speed of a horse and that 
 of the prairie wolf. 
 
 He now began to feel something of hope ; and as the 
 frantic speed of his horse placed yet a greater distance 
 between them, the unimaginable dread seemed to be lifting 
 from his life. Now he could not hear their yells, and could 
 barely distinguish, far in the rear, the long snake-like train 
 yet moving on in the relentless chase, over the undula- 
 tions of the bare plain. He sees timber ahead, and shouts 
 in an ecstacy of joyful relief, for then he himself at least 
 id safe ! He can climb a tree and in the delight of that 
 thought, he has no time for thinking that his poor horse 
 cannot climb trees ! 
 
 The horse sees, and is inspirited, too for to all creatures 
 on the prairies there seems to be a vague feeling of safety
 
 CAPTAIN DAN HENRIE. 443 
 
 in the sight of woods. But, alas, poor horse ! They have 
 reached the timber, but scarcely a hundred rods have been 
 passed over, when the faithful creature gives out ; and after 
 a few ineffectual efforts still to obey the urging spur, can only 
 lean against the trunk of a tree, and pant and groan with 
 exhaustion. Dan ascends the tree, tying the lariat of his 
 horse to one of the lower limbs. He then loaded his arms 
 in the forlorn hope of defending him if they came up. All 
 was still as death, but the loud panting of the exhausted 
 animal. He ascended higher to look out for the approach 
 of the wolves, for he had a faint hope that they had given 
 up the chase. But, alas ! his heart sinks again. There they 
 come, the long yellowish looking train : and several large 
 white wolves have joined them now. He knows well the 
 tameless and pitiless ferocity of tnese red-eyed monsters, 
 and feels that his true, his noble horse, must go ! 
 
 Now he can hear their cry ! They are in the woods. 
 The poor horse shivers looks back, and utters that wild 
 and wailing neigh, as they rush upon him in a body. Dan 
 fires down among them ; but what avail is it ! In a twink- 
 ling, his gallant beast is down, and has been torn to atoms ! 
 The halter of the lariat hangs empty beside the tree. 
 
 Now they lie panting around the foot of the tree, with 
 their fiery eyes turned wistfully up at him for the horse 
 had been only a mouthful a piece. Whenever he makes a 
 movement, they rise with eager yells, and leap up towards 
 him, as if to meet his fall. Dan says, that in the utter 
 and dreadfully hopeless desperation of his position now, a 
 grotesque sort of humor possessed him of a sudden, and 
 he commenced deliberately firing down at the red glaring 
 eyeballs of the white wolves, and would roar with laughter, 
 and fairly dance upon his ticklish perch with glee, when he 
 saw the creature tumble over with a shrill death-cry; and 
 then the whole pack rush on it and tear it into shreds in an 
 instant, with gnashing cries.
 
 444 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 He says he amused himself in this way for an hour, and 
 made them tear to pieces every white wolf that had joined 
 the chase. This sport delighted him so much, that he 
 became careless, and narrowly escaped falling. He only 
 saved himself by dropping his gun, which they seized, and 
 almost tore its stock to pieces before they discovered it 
 was not eatable. I saw the dents of their teeth in the 
 barrel afterwards. Darkness was coming on, and they 
 seemed not in the least disposed to go ; and he felt that 
 he must tumble out from the faintness of hunger and 
 fatigue, if he was compelled to spend another hour in that 
 tree without food. He had become entirely reckless now, 
 and loaded up his pistols, determined, if he must fall, to 
 bring death with him for some more of them. 
 
 Suddenly he heard a distant yelling on the prairie, like 
 that which had sounded so dreadfully behind his flight. 
 The wolves sprung to their feet in a body, and with pricked 
 ears, listened. He looked out towards the prairie, and could 
 faintly discover a large buffalo bull plunging along over the 
 plain, surrounded by a great herd of wolves, who were 
 tearing him at every jump. He could even hear the low 
 bellowing of the creature's agony. Another victim ! and hia 
 thirsty guardians started to join the chase. One after another 
 they went ; while those who staid behind would turn their 
 heads to look back wistfully at him, and whine and lick 
 their dry chaps. When the chase come in sight though, 
 off they started in a body with savage yells. He fired his 
 pistols after them in farewell, and killed one of the hindmost, 
 while another, with a broken shoulder, kept on yelling with 
 the pack. 
 
 He knew he would be safe now if he could get a fire 
 kindled before they returned, if they did so at all. Before 
 they were out of sight, he had reached the ground, and 
 with trembling eagernoas proceeded to light a fire with the 
 help of his flint and steel, winch every Hanger carries. He
 
 CAPTAIN DAN HENIUE. 445 
 
 soon had a great fire blazing, and then cutting a piece from 
 the last wolf he had killed, proceeded to roast it for food. 
 When he had eaten, he felt so much refreshed that he could 
 now proceed to make provision for the night's rest. He 
 gathered a great deal of dried wood, and built a large fire 
 in a circle about the spot he had selected to sleep upon. 
 TLe wolves came back in about an hour after he had finished 
 his arrangements for the night; but he now felt perfectly 
 secure, for though he could see their hungry eyes shining 
 all round the outside of the circle, and they kept up a 
 continued howling all night long, he laid himself down and 
 slept soundly until morning. 
 
 When he waked up, the wolves were all gone but one or 
 two, craunching at the bones of yesterday's feast. He shot 
 one of them with his pistol, and made a breakfast off of it. 
 He picked up the gun, and found that though very much 
 torn, it could still be used. He now took his course, and 
 started to foot it into the settlements. After a week of 
 alrnoet incredible suffering, he got in safe, and saw nothing 
 more of the wolves or of his comrades, who are thought to 
 have been carried off prisoners, and afterwards murdered 
 by the Indians on their attempting to escape. 
 
 Dan was sick of a fever for several weeks at Corpus Christ! 
 after he got in, and raved incessantly about wolves.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE DARKIE FIDDLER AND TEE VOLVL~'. 
 
 POOR Dan Henrie's adventure with the wolves has reminded 
 me of one or two other incidents sufficiently characteristic of 
 the habits of that remarkable animal to be worthy of relation 
 here, by way of interlude. 
 
 The wolf, besides being the most ubiquitous of our 
 predatory animals, is the most active, tenacious and difficult 
 of extirpation. It is everywhere. It fills-in the chinks of 
 desolation. Its savage, grinning head peers through all the 
 broken glooms of our stern wildernesses a ghoul-like presence 
 hideous, gaunt and fierce ! It knows no sympathies, and 
 
 446
 
 THE DARKIE FIDDLER. 447 
 
 we give it none. Yet there is one droll incident with -which 
 my boyhood was familiar, which seems to indicate a certain 
 susceptibility to the softer emotions or more refined senses 
 at least. 
 
 In the early days of the settlement of South Kentucky, 
 there was great trouble with the wolves. The large gray 
 wolf of the more wooded northern and middle districts, greatly 
 abounded in the heavy forests of the Green River Bottom, 
 particularly in th*. neighborhood of Henderson, which is 
 situated on the Ohio, not far below the mouth of Green 
 River. The barn-yard suffered to a great extent, in the way 
 of pigs, calves, etc., from their depredations, which frequently, 
 in mid-winter, were even carried to the audacious extreme 
 of attacking human beings. Indeed, it was no unusual thing 
 for the belated footman, at such times, when they were 
 pressed by hunger, to find himself surrounded by a herd of 
 them in the woods. Some striking stories of hair-breadth 
 escapes and desperate ventures, belong to this period and 
 condition of things. No one of them ever made a stronger 
 impression upon me than the adventure of old Dick, the 
 fiddler. 
 
 He was " a good old good-for-nothing darkie," as the word 
 went in the neighborhood, whose sole merit consisted in his 
 fiddling but, by the way ! singular as this merit was, it 
 in reality constituted him by far the most important "gemmen 
 of color" within forty miles around. The fact is, nothing 
 of any interest could occur without his presence ! It was 
 as important skinny as it was ! as the very face of the 
 man in the moon, beneath whose auspices the corn-shockings / 
 the weddings, the "break-downs" and Juba dances of the 
 neighborhood were enacted. 
 
 Old Dick, who was the property of one of the Hendersons, 
 from whom the town and county take their names, waa 
 esteemed by his good-natured and wealthy master as decidedly
 
 448 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 a privileged character. He had his time pretty much to 
 himself, and no one pretended to interfere with its disposal, 
 as his master humorously styled him a " necessary nuisance" 
 to the neighborhood, because he kept the darkies in a good 
 humor by his fiddle. Now Dick had most strongly developed 
 the strongest and most marked traits of the fiddler, the world 
 over, namely, punctiliousness and punctuality. Upon either 
 of these points he was peculiarly irritable, nay even ferocious. 
 With all the proverbial timidity of the " child of genius," 
 Old Dick was yet as savage as a hyena at any improprieties 
 of etiquette which might chance to turn up during the sable 
 orgies over which he presided ; but nothing caused him to 
 so far forget "the proprieties" in his own person, as the 
 intervention of any unusual or accidental causes of delay 
 which prevented his being on hand in time ! Poor Dick ! 
 but the story I have to tell of him will explain ! 
 
 On the occasion of a grand wedding festival among the 
 colored gentry of a neighboring plantation, some six miles 
 distant, Old Dick was, of course, expected to officiate as 
 master of the ceremonies. It had been an unusually severe 
 winter, and a heavy snow lay upon the ground on the event- 
 ful evening, when, having donned his "long-tailed blue," 
 with its glittering gilt buttons, and mounted the immense 
 shirt collar, by the aid of which the dignity of his official 
 character was properly maintained, the ancient Apollo 
 sallied forth, fiddle in hand, to dare the perils of the distant 
 way alone: for the younger darkies had all gone to the frolic 
 hours ago, with a haste and eagerness altogther unbecoming 
 his importance. 
 
 The moon was out, and the stars twinkled merrily over 
 head, as the spry old man trudged away over the crisp and 
 crackling snow. The path, which was a very narrow one, 
 led, for the greater part of the way, through the dark shadows 
 of a heavy bottom forest, which yet remained as wild as
 
 THE DAKKIE FIDDLER. 449 
 
 when the Indians roamed it, an<J was untraversed by a wagon 
 road for many miles. 
 
 The profound and dreary solitude of the way could not 
 have failed to impress any one who was not either more or 
 less than human, except under conditions of entire pre-occupa- 
 tion in one absorbing thought, such as now held absolutely 
 the body and soul of the old man, in the strained tension 
 of an anxious hurry to reach the seat of operations, in exact 
 time. He was goaded at every step by the maddening vision 
 of the expectant ranks of sable gentility, rolling the whites 
 of their eyes and stamping their stocking feet upon the 
 puncheon floor, impatient of his delay; for the truth was, 
 that he had lingered a little too long over the polishing of 
 those brass buttons and the setting of that plentitude of 
 collar, and he now first became conscious of it as he had 
 come forth beneath the moon and perceived its unexpected 
 height above the horizon. 
 
 On he dashed with unrelaxing energy, heedless of the 
 black shadows and hideous night-cries in the deep forest. 
 Wolves were howling around him in every direction, but he 
 paid no attention to sounds that were so common. However, 
 he was soon compelled to give more heed to these animals 
 than was by any means pleasing or expected. He had now 
 made nearly half of his journey, and the light opening ahead 
 through the trees showed him the "old clearing," as it was 
 called, through which his path led. The wolves had been 
 getting excessively noisy for the last mile ; and to the 
 undescribable horror of the old man, he could hear them 
 gathering about him in the crackling bushes on either side, 
 as they ran along to keep pace with his rapid steps. The 
 woods very soon seemed to the old man to be literally alive 
 with them, as they gathered in yelling packs from far and 
 near. 
 
 Wolves are cautious about attacking a human being at 
 
 29
 
 450 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 once, but usually require some little time to work themselves 
 up to the point. That such was the case, now proved most 
 luckj for poor old Dick, who began to realize the horrible 
 danger, as a dark object would brush past his legs every 
 few moments, with a snapping sound like the ring of a steel 
 trap ; while the yells and patter of the gathering wolves 
 increased with terrible rapidity. Dick knew enough of the 
 habits of the animal to be fully aware that to run would 
 insure his instant death, as the cowardly pack would be sure 
 to set upon him in a body on the instant of observing any 
 such indication of fear. His only chance was to keep them 
 at bay by preserving the utmost steadiness until he could 
 icach the open ground before him, when he hoped they 
 iright leave him, as they do not like to attack in the open 
 rround. He remembered, too, that an old hut still stood 
 in the middle of the clearing, and the thought that he might 
 reach that haven gave him some comfort. 
 
 The wolves were becoming more audacious every minute, 
 and the poor old soul could see their green eyes glaring 
 fiery death upon him from all the thickets around. They 
 rushed at him more boldly one after another, snapping as 
 they went past in closer and closer proximity to his thin 
 legs indeed, the frightened fiddler instinctively thrust at 
 them with his fiddle to turn them aside. In doing so the 
 strings were jarred, and the despairing wretch took on some 
 hope to his shivering soul, when he observed the sudden- 
 ness of the sound caused the wolves to leap aside with 
 surprise. He instantly drew his hand across the strings 
 with vehemence, and to his infinite relief they sprang back 
 and aside as if he had shot amongst them. Taking imme- 
 diate advantage of this lucky diversion in his favor, as he 
 had now reached the edge of the clearing, he made a break 
 for the hut, raking his hand across the fiddle strings at every 
 jump, until they fairly roared again. The astonished wolves
 
 THE DARKIE FIDDLER. 451 
 
 paused for a moment on the edge of the clearing with tails 
 between their legs, looking after him ; but the sight of his 
 flying form renewed at once their savage instincts, and with 
 a loud burst of yells, they pursued him at full speed. Alas 
 for the unlucky fiddler, had he been caught now, it would 
 have been all up with him, even had his fiddle continued to 
 shriek more unearthly shrieks than that of Paganini ever 
 gave forth. He had broken the spell by running, for had 
 they caught him now, they would never have paused to 
 listen, had he been an Orpheus in reality. 
 
 Luckily the old man reached the hut just as they were at 
 his heels, and slamming the rickety door behind him, he had 
 time to climb out on to the roof, where he was comparatively 
 out of danger. I say comparatively, for the perch he now 
 occupied, was too rickety to make it any thing rather than 
 desirable, except by contrast with the immediate condition 
 from .which he had escaped. 
 
 The wolves were now furious, and thronging the interior 
 of the hut, leaped up at him with wild yells of gnashing 
 rage. The poor old sinner was horribly frightened, and 
 it required the utmost activity of motion to keep his legs 
 from being snapped by them. Wild with the agonized 
 terror as he was, poor old Dick had managed to cling to his 
 fiddle through it all, and remembering that it had saved him 
 in the woods, he now, with the sheer energy of desperation, 
 drew his bow shrieking across the strings, with a sound that 
 rose high above all their deafening yells, while, with his feet 
 kicking out into the air, he endeavored to avoid their steel -like 
 fangs. An instant silence followed this sudden outburst, and 
 Dick continued to produce such frightful spasms of sound as 
 his hysterical condition conceived. 
 
 This outbreak kept the wolves quiet for a moment or two, 
 but old Dick soon learned to his increased horror that even 
 wolves are too fastidious to stand bad fiddling, for they com-
 
 452 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 menced a renewal of the attack, as soon as the first surprise 
 was over, more furiously than ever. This was too much for 
 the poor fiddler, and most especially when the head of a great 
 wolf was thrust up between the boards of the roof, within a 
 few inches of where he sat. He gave himself up now for a 
 gone darkie, and with the horrified exclamation 
 
 "Bress God! who dar ?" 
 
 He fell to fiddling Yankee Doodle with all his might, uncon- 
 sciously, as the dying swan is said to sing its own requiem in 
 its closing moments. With the first notes of the air silence 
 commenced ; Orpheus had conquered ! the brutes owned the 
 U Jvluing spell, and the terror-stricken fiddler, when he came 
 to himself astonished at the sudden cessation of hostilities 
 saw he was surrounded by the most attentive and certainly 
 appreciative audience he had ever played before for the 
 moment there was the slightest cessation of the music, every 
 listener sprang forward to renew the battle, and set his. pipe- 
 stem legs to flying about in the air again. 
 
 But he had now learned the spell, and so long as he 
 continued to play with tolerable correctness, was compara- 
 tively safe. The old fiddler soon forgot his terror now in 
 professional pride, for he was decidedly flattered by such 
 intense appreciation ; and entering fully into the spirit of 
 the thing, played with a gusto and effect such as he thought 
 he had never before surpassed or even equalled. Even the 
 wedding, with its warm lights, its sweetened whiskey, was 
 forgotten for the time in the glow of this new professional 
 triumph. 
 
 But all pleasures have their draw-backs on this earth; and 
 as time progressed, he began, with all his enthusiasm, to feel 
 very natural symptoms of cold, fatigue, and even exhaustion. 
 But it would not do lie could not stop a moment before they 
 were at him again and there they persistently sat, that 
 shaggy troop of connoisseurs, fidgeting on their haunches,
 
 THE DARKIE FIDDLER. 453 
 
 with lolling tongues and pricked ears, listening to their com- 
 pulsory charmer, for several weary hours, until the negroes 
 at the wedding, becoming impatient or alarmed about the old 
 man, came out to look for him, and found him thus perched 
 upon the roof of the tottering hut, sawing away for dear life, 
 while he was ready to drop every instant from sheer fatigue 
 and the freezing cold. They rescued the old man from his 
 comfortless position, while the lingering forms of his late 
 audience told that they most unwillingly surrendered the 
 fruition of their unwonted feast.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 SKATER CHASED BY WOLVES. 
 
 EVERYBODY has read the remarkable adventure with tho 
 wolves on the ice, related by Mr. Whitehead. Tho story has 
 made so strong an impression upon me, that I cannot resist 
 the temptation of preserving it here, along with the previous 
 narrative, as incidental to our "Wild Scenes," entirely legiti- 
 mate here. I present it with an illustration, as one of tin 
 most effective stories ever given about wolves. 
 
 During the winter of 1844, being engaged in the northern 
 part of Maine, I had much leisure to devote to the wild sportj 
 of a new country. To none of these was I more passionately 
 
 454
 
 SKATER CHASED BY WOLVES. 455 
 
 addicted than to skating. The deep and sequestered lakes 
 of this State, frozen by the intense cold of a northern winter, 
 present a wide field to the lovers of this pastime. Often 
 would I bind on my skates, and glide away up the glittering 
 river and wind each mazy streamlet that flowed beneath its 
 f:tLT8 on toward the parent ocean, forgetting all the while 
 time and distance in the luxurious sense of the gliding motion 
 thinking of nothing in the easy flight, but rather dreaming, 
 as I looked through the transparent ice at the long weeds 
 and cresses that nodded in the current beneath, and seemed 
 wrestling with the wave to let them go ; or I would follow 
 the track of some fox or otter, and run my skate along the 
 mark he had left with .his dragging tail until the trail would 
 enter the woods. Sometimes these excursions were made by 
 moonlight ; and it was on one of these occasions that I had a 
 rencontre which even now, with kind faces around me, I 
 cannot recall without a nervous looking-over-my-shoulder 
 feeliig. 
 
 I had left my friend's house one evening just before dusk, 
 with th.9 intention of skating a short distance up the noble 
 Kennebec, which glided directly before the door. The night 
 was beautifully clear. A peerless moon rode through an 
 occasional fleecy cloud, and stars twinkled from the sky and 
 from every frost-covered tree in millions. Your mind would 
 wonder at the light that came glinting from ice, and snow- 
 wreath, and incrusted branches, as the eye followed for miles 
 the broad gleam of the Kennebec, that like a jeweled zone 
 swept between the mighty forests on its banks. And yet all 
 was still. The cold seemed to have frozen tree, and air, and 
 water, ana every living thing that moved. Even the ringing 
 of my skates echoed back from the Moccasin Hill with a 
 startling clearness, and the crackle of the ice as I passed 
 over it in my course seemed to follow the tide of the river 
 with lightning speed. 
 
 I had gone up the river nearly two miles, when coming to
 
 456 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 a little stream which empties into the larger, I turned into it 
 to explore its course. Fir and hemlock of a century's growth 
 met overhead, and formed an archway radiant with frost- 
 work. All was dark within ; but I was young and fearless, 
 and, as I peered into an unbroken forest, that reared itself 
 on the borders of the stream, I laughed with very joyous- 
 ness ; my wild hurrah rang through the silent woods, and I 
 stood listening to the echo thalfrevcrberated again and again, 
 until all was hushed. Suddenly a sound arose it seemed to 
 me to come from beneath the ice ; it sounded low and tremu- 
 lous at first, until it ended in one wild yell. I was appalled. 
 Never before had such a noise met my ears. I thought it 
 more than mortal ; so fierce, and amidst such an unbroken 
 solitude, it seemed as though a fiend had blown a blast from 
 an infernal trumpet. Presently I heard the twigs on shore 
 crack as though from the tread of some brute animal, and 
 the blood rushed back to my forehead with a bound that 
 made my skin burn, and I felt relieved that I had to contend 
 with things earthly, and not of spiritual nature my energies 
 returned, and I looked around me for some means of escape. 
 
 The moon shone through the opening at the mouth of the 
 creek by which I had entered the forest, and considering this 
 the best means of escape, I darted towards it like an arrow. 
 'Twas hardly a hundred yards distant, and the swallow could 
 scarcely excel my desperate flight ; yet, as I turned my head 
 to the shore, I could see two dark objects dashing through 
 the underbrush at a pace nearly double in speed to my own. 
 By this great speed, and the short yells which they 
 occasionally gave, I knew at once that these were the much 
 dreaded gray wolves. 
 
 I had never met with these animals, but from the descrip- 
 tion given of them, I had but little pleasure in making their 
 acquaintance. Their untameable fierceness, and the untiring 
 strength which seems part of their nature, render them 
 objects of dread to every benighted traveller.
 
 SKATER CHASED BY WOLVES. 457 
 
 "With their long gallop, vhich can tire 
 The deer-hound's hate, the hunter's ire," 
 
 they pursue their prey never straying from the track of 
 their victim and as the wearied hunter thinks that he has 
 at last outstripped them, he finds that they but waited for 
 the evening to seize their prey, and falls a prize to the tireless 
 animals. 
 
 The bushes that skirted the shore flew past with the 
 velocity of lightning, as I dashed on in my flight to pass 
 the narrow opening. The outlet was nearly gained ; one 
 second more and I would be comparatively safe, when my 
 pursuers appeared on the bank above me, which here rose 
 to the height of ten feet. There was no time for thought, so 
 I bent my head and dashed madly forward. The wolves 
 sprang, but miscalculating my speed, fell behind, Avhile their 
 intended prey glided out upon the river. 
 
 Nature turned me towards home. The light flakes of 
 snow spun from the iron of my skates, and I was some 
 distance from my pursuers, when their fierce howl told me 
 I was still their fugitive. I did not look back, I did not 
 feel afraid, or sorry, or glad; one thought of home, of the 
 bright faces awaiting my return, and of their tears if they 
 never should see me, and then every energy of body and 
 mind were exerted for escape. I was perfectly at horse on 
 the ice. Many were the days that I spent on my good 
 skates, never thinking that at one time they would be my 
 only means of safety. Every half minute an alternate yelp 
 from my fierce attendants made me but too certain that they 
 were in close pursuit. Nearer and nearer they came ; I 
 heard their feet pattering on the ice nearer still, until I 
 could feel their breath and hear their snuffing scent. Every 
 nerve and muscle in my frame was stretched to the utmost 
 tension. 
 
 The trees along the shore seemed to dance in an uncc:tfiin 
 light, and my brain turned with my own breathless speed,
 
 458 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTEKS. 
 
 vet still they seemed to hiss forth their hreath with a sound 
 truly horrible, when an involuntary motion on my part, 
 turned me out of my course. The wolves, close behind, 
 unable to stop, and as unable to turn on the smooth ice, 
 slipped and fell, still going on far ahead ; their tongues were 
 lolling out, their white tusks glaring from their bloody 
 mouths, their dark, shaggy breasts were fleeced with foam, 
 and as they passed me, their eyes glared, and they howled 
 with fury. The thought flashed on my mind, that by this 
 means I could avoid them, viz : by turning aside whenever 
 they came too near ; for they, by the formation of their feet ; 
 are unable to run on ice except in a straight line. 
 
 I immediately acted upon this plan. The wolves, having 
 regained their feet, sprang directly towards me. The race 
 was renewed for twenty yards up the stream ; they were 
 already close on my back, Avhen I glided round and dashed 
 directly past my pursuers. A fierce yell greeted my evolu- 
 tion, and the wolves, slipping upon their haunches, sailed 
 onward, presenting a perfect picture of helplessness and 
 baffled rage. Thus I gained nearly a hundred yards at 
 each turning. This was repeated two or three times, every 
 moment the animals getting more excited and baffled. 
 
 At one time, by delaying my turning too long, my sangui- 
 nary antagonists came so near that they threw the white 
 foam over my dress as they sprang to seize me, and their 
 teeth clashed together like the spring of a fox-trap. Had 
 my skates failed for one instant, had I tripped on a stick, 
 or caught my foot in a fissure of the ice, the story I am now 
 telling would never have been tola. 
 
 1 thought all the chances over ; I knew where they would 
 first take hold of me if I fell ; I thought how long it would 
 be before I died, and then there would be a search for the 
 body that would already have its tomb ; for oh ! how fast 
 man's mind traces out all the dread colors of death's picture, 
 only those who have been near the grim original can tell.
 
 
 SKATER CHASED BY WOLVES. 459 
 
 But I soon came opposite the house, and my hounds I 
 knew their deep voices roused by the noise, bayed furiously 
 from the kennels. I heard their chains rattle : how I wished 
 they would break them ! and then I should have protectors 
 that would be peers to the fiercest denizens of the forest. 
 The wolves taking the hint conveyed by the dogs, stopped 
 in their mad career, and after a moment's consideration, 
 turned and fled. I watched them until their forms disappeared 
 over a neighboring hill, then taking off my skates, wended 
 i) y way to the house, with feelings which may be better 
 imagined than described. But even yet I never see a broad 
 sheet of ice in the moon-shine, without thinking of that 
 snufllng breath and those fearful things that followed me so 
 d.-icly down the frozen Kennebec.
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE MUSTANG, OR WILD HORSE. 
 
 " Round-hoof 'd, short-jointed, fetlocks shag and long, 
 Broad breast, full eye, small head and nostrils -wide, 
 High crest, short ears, straight legs, and passing strong, 
 Thin mane, thick tail, broad buttock, tender hide 
 Look what a horse should have!" 
 
 " LOOK what a horse should have !" "Willie of Avon being 
 judge ! and acknowledge, gentle sportsman, that the wild, 
 rattling, poacher scamp had as sharp an eye for the parts 
 of the noble animal on four legs, as he exhibited in his 
 rpiritual anatomy of the animal on two. Can any of you 
 \'eat that with all your modern breeding, in and out, crossings 
 and improvements ? Can even the Napoleon of the turf 
 himself suggest an addition or subtraction to or from this 
 masterly summary of what the "horse" should be? not 
 the draught-horse, the race-horse, the saddle-horse, the hunt- 
 ing-horse, the trotter or the pacer ! but the nonpareil, 
 uniting in himself the nearest approach to the perfection of 
 all these ! 
 
 "But," says the gent., "deuce take it! where are you 
 [King to find such a horse, now you've got him described? 
 li/s like shaking a basket of spring strawberries under the 
 nose of a convalescing man, and then pleading the doctor 
 on him, to tantalize us by dilating upon Shakspcare's ideal, 
 when such an animal has long since been crossed and trained 
 out of being !" 
 
 Very true, sir! very true! "The horse," with his exube- 
 rance of power and unity of splendid traits, is ruled down. 
 
 460
 
 THE MUSTANG, OR WILD HORSE. 461 
 
 now into "strains" of a single characteristic, his parts and 
 paces determined with mathematical certainty before he is 
 foaled. Though there is a great deal gained in convenience 
 by this, there is more lost in the general excellence and 
 nobility of the animal. We need to recur again occasionally 
 to the primeval horse to throw a dash of freedom into the 
 hard lines of our too strictly ruled strains ; to find this, we 
 shall probably always go back to the Arab on his yellow 
 sands. While I admit this to be the true mine of the 
 "porcelain earth" for the horse manufacture, I am astonished 
 that our American breeders have paid so little attention to 
 a " chip of the same grit" we have nearer home. I refer 
 to the mustang, or wild horse of our great prairies. 
 
 A very common and natural misapprehension exists with 
 regard to the value of the mustang, from the fact that it is 
 only the inferior animals of a drove that are taken, as a 
 general thing ; and again, that the hunters always keep the 
 finest themselves, and send in the trifling ones to trade off 
 to the settlements ; and it is only such as these we ever get 
 a sight off, unless we make a trip to the Rocky Mountains 
 or California in person ! But it is a great mistake to suppose 
 that all mustangs are like the long-headed, donkey-tempered, 
 spindle-shanked, Dwarfish creatures we see occasionally in 
 the country. 
 
 It would be just as wise to judge the stock in our racing 
 stables by some pot-bellied, shag-haired, scrub colt we might 
 chance to stumble upon, picking the short grass along with 
 the pigs in a country lane, as to form an opinion of the wild 
 horse as he is, fetterless and proud, upon his boundless 
 plains, from these miserable specimens. You must recollect 
 that the best are not to be taken every day; that their 
 liability to capture is exactly proportionate to their want 
 cf speed, under the most usual method of securing them with 
 tL ) lasso! For this to be done, you are aware he has to 
 be fairly run upon by the hunter, with a start of a mile or
 
 462 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 two, sometimes; and the animal overtaken with such odd3 
 must be immensely inferior to the one in pursuit ! 
 
 So far is the fact of this inferiority from being found to 
 exist in the case of the finest of them, that I have known 
 instances of mustangs being chased for three or four days 
 together, all the time, night and day, with fresh horses put 
 in every four or five hours, and yet without any sensible 
 flagging of their speed ; without their having been sufficiently 
 pushed to prevent them from stopping occasionally to graze 
 arid drink. Their great powers of endurance will not be 
 particularly wondered at, when you remember the history 
 of their origin. 
 
 It will be recollected that the adventurers, who, lured by 
 the golden romance the stories of the earliest navigators had 
 thrown over the New World, had been induced to attach 
 themselves to the expedition of Cortez, were cavaliers, the 
 dissolute and spendthrift sons of the noble families of Spain, 
 who expecting to retrieve their desperate fortunes by the 
 realization of enormous wealth, strained the credit of their 
 friends to the last pitch that they might equip themselves 
 with a splendor worthy of their rank, and the glory of such 
 an enterprise. 
 
 Those were the palmy days of Spanish power, and her 
 nobility could command the choicest resources of the Old 
 World ; and haughty and luxurious as they were, of course 
 nothing short of the purest and far-descended blood of 
 Barbary and the Deserts could prance beneath their purple 
 housings. Steeds, whose descent, could we believe the quaint 
 old chroniclers of the time, might be traced, without a spot 
 or blemish, back to the veritable pair who shook the big 
 drops of the Flood from their manes, and breasted its devour- 
 ing waves successfully, were the companions of the mad-cap 
 coxcombs on their perilous voyage. 
 
 You will remember their appearance on horseback alarmed 
 the simple natives more than even their pale faces and
 
 THE MUSTANG, OR WILD HORSE. 4G3 
 
 thunder. They considered horse and rider as one animal, 
 like the Centaur of the Greek, a supernatural one, and 
 sent them human victims for food, to propitiate their wrath. 
 These facts all prove that there was not even a tradition of 
 the existence of such an animal on our hemisphere at that 
 time. 
 
 It will be recollected, finally, that led on by a remorseless 
 avarice, which even the palace halls of the Montezuma, heaped 
 to the ceiling with ingots of gold, could not touch, they 
 penetrated far into the interior, in the fantastic search of 
 mountains, whose rocks were of the precious metal without 
 alloy ; and rivers, whose beds were amethyst, and pearl, and 
 glittering dust ; and that instead of the realization of these 
 gorgeous fancies, they met with fierce tribes amidst the 
 crags and valleys, who cut them to pieces. But as these 
 warlike men exhibited the same terror and astonishment at 
 the sight of the horse, the gallant beasts, as their riders 
 fell, were permitted by the superstitious conquerors to gallop 
 away for a new life of freedom upon the wide savannahs below. 
 
 There were several entire parties of the cavaliers killed 
 to a man, by these mountain hordes, all of whose horses 
 escaped. These bounded away joyfully, with neighings, 
 until they reached the luxuriant pasture of the plains, and 
 then fell to work to multiply and replenish. 
 
 From this royal lineage the wild horse of both continents 
 has undoubtedly descended. They spread gradually from 
 the pampas of California to the bleak and sterile ridges of 
 Canada, where starvation and the cold dwindled them down 
 to the shaggy pine-knot of a pony, retaining still the bright, 
 prominent eye, and devilish, indomitable spirit of their 
 ancestry. So that you see the pedigree of the mustang is 
 more immaculate than that of the proudest winner of a 
 hundred fields. But, independent of these historical facts, 
 no man who is familiar with the Arab can cast his eye over
 
 464 "WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 a " Cavayard" of Mexican mares, who are unadulterated 
 mustangs, without being instantly struck by the remarkable 
 resemblance between the two races. 
 
 You see there the same long, and rather angular outline ; 
 the same thin, wavy mane, sometimes from two to three feet 
 in length; the same silky coat; the same round, flat hoof, 
 the bushy fetlock, and the spur distinctly defined ; the same 
 round, straight fore-leg and short pasterns; the same gray- 
 hound hams, and somewhat ragged hips ; the same short 
 coupling; the same fine ear, thin head, rather lengthened 
 for symmetry ; wide, elastic nostrils, and deep mouth ; but 
 foremost of all, the prominent socket ; the wide-open lid, 
 the large eye-ball, lit with a tameless, but not vicious fire, 
 with its free play showing the broad stripe of creamy white ; 
 and when they drink, which they do but once a day, the 
 same trick of plunging the nostrils up to the eyes in the 
 water, and swallowing with huge gulphs. 
 
 Then mount one, and if you can stick there, you will 
 find the analogy fully sustained. Day after day, in a long, 
 springy gallop, it will carry you eighty -or a hundred miles, 
 for weeks together, with scarcely a perceptible diminution of 
 spirit or vigor, and requiring nothing with all this but a long 
 draught of cool, clear water, and the grass of the prairies. 
 
 This is the mustang as he really is ; as he is to be seen in 
 thousands multiplied, upon the ocean-like meadows of the 
 great South- West ! But such specimens as this are to be 
 seldom seen off his native wilds, for the reason I have 
 given above ; and which must be self-evident, that he is 
 seldom taken, and \vhen he has been, is far too valuable to 
 the hunter to be parted with. Mounted upon these magni- 
 ficent animals, they take in hundreds the stunted, vicious 
 little devils that have given reputation to the mustang 
 among us ! 
 
 Like human hunchbacks these creatures seem to become
 
 THE MUSTANG, OR WILD HORSE. 465 
 
 splenetic, and unconquerably ill-grained, in a ratio equal 
 th.ir declension from the full standard of proportion and 
 po-rer. 
 
 The cavayards of the Rio Grande valley and California, 
 aro composed sometimes of a thousand mares and eight or 
 ten studs, by whom the females are divided into families of 
 from eighty to a hundred and twenty, the number a good 
 des.1 regulated by their individual prowess. For wars of 
 jea? ;us rivalry are incessantly occurring among them, and 
 who that is best able to protect his concubines has most of 
 thru. They sometimes have very furious battles with the 
 wO asses of the country, from which they generally come 
 off worst. These are most merciless ravishers ; and after 
 hav':ig frequently killed, or entirely used up the stallions, 
 th "j will scatter the cavayard so that they can never be got 
 together again. 
 
 The mares, which have all been disabled from running fast 
 by a cruel practice on- the part of their owners, of severing 
 one of the tendons at the knee, cannot escape from these 
 ferocious gallants, who, more inexorable than the " Old Man 
 of the Sea" of Sindbad, will cling to them for days till their 
 object be accomplished, through sheer exhaustion on the 
 part of the victim. The produce of this connection 
 
 "Who in the lusty stealth of nature take 
 More composition and fierce quality 
 
 is a clean-limbed, vigorous, powerful animal. Indeed, the 
 mule thus bred is, immeasurably, far the most active, spirited, 
 swift and enduring of all the long-eared genus. They are 
 not so heavy -boned as the Kentucky mules, but they can 
 kill two or three of them as travellers, and are really most 
 delightful animals for the saddle ; and being high before, 
 with light heads, some of them are very handsome, and quite 
 the average height of our saddle horses. 
 
 As our hemisphere is indebted to the priest accompanying 
 
 30
 
 466 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Cortez for the ass, as it is to the cavaliers for the horse, 
 it affords quite a suspicious comment upon the morals of 
 the reverend fraternity that their brute representatives s^ou'.d 
 inherit such carnal propensities, and disturb the solitudes 
 of nature even to this late day by so obstreporous disp*^s 
 of them ! 
 
 These mules approach nearly in temper and form to the 
 horse. I speak of the finest of them, of course, for Ocy 
 are very heely, and, as in the case of the mustang^ ere 
 seldom captured. You never see a drove of mustangs without 
 a considerable proportion of mules among them ; which pes 
 to prove that the wild ass plays a consistent game wilh. hia 
 peer, the wild stallion; and, indeed, it is no unusual thi';g to 
 come across them in the spring and fall engaged in most 
 desperate contests. The method of managing these duclloes 
 is rather a comical one on the part of the ass. 
 
 I once had an opportunity of witnessing an " affair" of 
 the kind, which was something after this fashion. Th ; ass 
 was his own trumpeter, and announced his approach from 
 afar with the euphoneous and car-splitting symphony for 
 which ho is so famous the world over. The ladies of the 
 herd seemed to be thrown into great consternation by this 
 ferociously amatory prelude, and rushed t.gethcr in a trem- 
 bling crowd around their rightful lord for protection. He, 
 extricating himself and shaking his streaming mane upon 
 the winds, with a disdainful toss of his fine crest, gallops 
 out in front to meet his vulgar and boisterous enemy who, 
 with his wide jaws distended, in a very paroxysm of harmo- 
 nious delivery, comes tearing on with headlong violence. 
 The chivalrous stallion receives him with a salute from his 
 heels that fairly rings again upon his hard shaggy limbs 
 this compliment, which would seem to have been sufficient 
 to have shaken, if not overturned a stout-sized barn has 
 not the effect of even checking the impetus of the uncouth 
 foe, who rushes on, his mouth still open, right at the throat
 
 THE MUSTANG, OR WILD HORSE. 467 
 
 of the generous steed, thus breaking through his "guard," 
 and fastening those massive distended clamps upon his wind- 
 pipe, hangs there like a hull-dog. 
 
 Then comes a sudden silence, and the frightened dames, 
 their hodies clustered together as close as they can crowd, 
 their heads all turned toward the combatants, stare in trem- 
 bling terror at the death-struggle. Many a frantic plunge 
 the poor horse makes but all the lithe vigor of his polished 
 limbs avails him nothing now rearing erect in the despera- 
 tion of his agony, he clatters his fore hoofs upon the tough 
 shoulders of his assailant, but they make about as much 
 impression there, as they would have done upon the trunk 
 of a live oak. Now, with every muscle strained, and the 
 big veins almost bursting through his delicate skin, he 
 springs wildly forward into the air as though he would 
 bound clear over the ugly brute ; but no with a stolid 
 and passive sturdiness, he hangs on, until, at last, all his 
 nighty strength expended in vain but furious strugglings, 
 with a deep smothered groan, the noble stallion falls heavily 
 upon his side. And now the rude conqueror condescends to 
 quit his hold, and with his bloody jaws distended in a still 
 louder bray of triumph, he rushes at the shivering squad of 
 mares ! And such a scatterment ! Like mad, they rush off 
 in every direction he right upon their heels ! Soon he 
 closes with some wretched unfortunate, and then comes 
 another frantic struggle between savage lust and fear. 
 
 The battles between the stallions though, are gallant 
 displays of graceful and splendid action they rear and 
 wrestle like the athlete of olden time their long and 
 silky manes dishevelled their large eye-balls suffused and 
 red, glowing with angry fires their pied and glossy coats 
 stained with blood upon the milk white ground, and gleaming 
 with the rapid play of agile limbs. Mr. Miller, our artist, 
 who took the sketch of the scene we give, on the spot,
 
 468 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 through a glass, has presented rather, the grace and playful 
 action of their lives, than this fierce scene. 
 
 The colors of the mustang are surpassingly rich and 
 beautiful. They are all intense and decided. You will 
 find them white as the driven snow, without a dark hair on 
 their bodies; and again, black as the concentrated essence 
 of midnight the sunbeams 
 
 " Smoothing the ebon down of darkness till it smiled," 
 
 at every movement of their buoyant humors ; then a deep 
 blood bay, with black mane and tail, or a rich red sorrel. 
 Again, you find these dark colors mottled in clear relief 
 upon the pure white. The effect is sometimes exquisite 
 beyond description. I have seen them " spotted like a 
 Pard," and marked in elegant rosettes like the skin of the 
 African panther. The startling contrast of these deep colors, 
 in graceful lines, banded and star'd, flecked and dotted, upon 
 the snowy ground, is above the " Ken of Fancie," beautiful. 
 
 The Comanches Nomadic tribes, who from their mountain 
 fastness descend upon the plains below for plunder like 
 birds of prey stooping from their eyries, are mounted upon 
 the finest specimens of these horses that are to be found, 
 and with such rapidity do they move, that they will traverse 
 hundreds of miles, carrying death and fear with them along 
 a whole frontier, and yet retreat to their rocky holds in 
 safety before the inhabitants can organize a pursuit. 
 
 The warriors have a great passion for these " paint horses" 
 as they are called, and if I live to the age of Methuselah, I 
 shall never forget the picturesque appearance of a party of 
 twenty of them we pursued once for fifteen miles, all of 
 whom were mounted upon fancifully mottled horses. Over 
 the prairie and through the deep woods we scurried in that 
 wild desperate chase the dark gaunt savage forms on their 
 Bnowy and freckled steeds, now and then to be seen ahead
 
 THE MUSTANG, OR WILD HORSE. 469 
 
 of us, glancing past the leafy trunks of the great trees 
 now in a line like a great spotted snake, arrowy gliding over 
 the green sea of grass. 
 
 They had run their horses nearly forty miles before we 
 got on their trail, and yet our American horses, which were 
 perfectly fresh, were thoroughly used up before we closed 
 with them but "thereby hangs a tale," touching and strange, 
 indeed which we cannot stop here to tell. 
 
 The incident strikingly illustrates though, the wonderful 
 powers of this animal. 
 
 The bearing of the stallions toward their families is the 
 very ideal of chivalry each one seems to consider himself 
 solely responsible for the safety of those he has taken under 
 his protection. He is always on the alert feeding apart 
 from them on the highest ground, his watchful survey every 
 moment or two scans the horizon, and if any thing suspicious 
 is detected,- off he dashes, fearless in his might and speed, 
 and circling around the doubtful object till he has determined 
 its character if it be an enemy, his trumpet neigh gives 
 warning to his dames, who have been quietly feeding all this 
 time, to be off upon their flight ! while he, with proud curvet 
 ings, follows on as if half determined not to fly at an, 
 "sometimes he trots as though he told his steps," facing 
 back towards his pursuer, while 
 
 " His nostrils drink the air, and forth again, 
 As from a furnace, vapors doth he send." 
 
 And when a long look and the nearer approach of the enemy 
 has satisfied his curiosity, wheeling again, he flies with sur- 
 passing speed and louder neighing after his retreating herd 
 while 
 
 " Through his mane and tail the high wind sighs, 
 Fanning the hairs, who wave like feathered wings." 
 
 It is a very common thing, when the hunters with the 
 lasso dash in among the herd, for these gallant fellows to 
 injure them or their horses seriously, by kicking and biting
 
 470 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 them. The hunters seldom venture upon the experiment 
 of lassoing them, for the moment an old stallion feels the 
 lasso upon his neck he will rush at the man and tear him 
 from his seat. I knew an instance in which a Mexican 
 was maimed for life. Some of these stallions are very 
 famous for their incredible swiftness, beauty and endurance. 
 The hunters know their color, their fine parts and haunts 
 as well as they know the features of the Pilot Knobs. 
 
 You all remember Kendall's fine description of the "white 
 steed of the prairies," so remarkable for his pace that no 
 hunter had ever yet been able to make him break it ! I had 
 often heard of the same animal from them, and what is a 
 curious coincidence, all the white mustangs I have ever seen 
 are natural pacers. 
 
 There is another animal even more magnificent than these, 
 frequenting the plains west of San Antonia. I had a good 
 opportunity of seeing this fellow, and was one of a party 
 that chased him for several days, in the effort to run him 
 down that we might " pen" him, the only method of hunting 
 them which is ever successful in securing one of the splendid 
 creatures. But we must defer the story for another time. 
 
 The code in these herds is a very imperious one. Rivalry 
 is not submitted to from any quarter. As soon as the stud 
 colts begin to " feel themselves" they are most unceremoniously 
 banished by the old patriarch. They then lead a solitary 
 life for several years, until feeling confident in their strength, 
 they dash into the nearest herd, and if they should prove 
 able, whip off the leader and take possession of his seraglio. 
 
 In passing those prairies diversified like old English parks 
 with a cluster of timber here, and a huge moss-hung live-oak 
 there, I have frequently been amused by the disconsolate air 
 of one of these expatriated horses, standing " solitary and 
 alone" beneath the shade, his head drooping, evidently 
 brooding over bitter memories, and ruminating dire revenge. 
 The hunters always have a laugh at the sight of such a fellow.
 
 THE MUSTANG, OR WILD HORSE. 471 
 
 But the point I wish particularly to direct the attention 
 of our breeders to. is the importance of crossing the inares 
 upon our big-boned American stock. A great many facts 
 have come under my observation which would prove this to 
 be an exceedingly interesting field of inquiry. The experi- 
 ment has already been tried upon the western frontier of 
 Texas, and it is perfectly astonishing what a splendid animal 
 is produced by the cross of even a very coarse American 
 stud, so he has size, upon these high-blooded and fiery little 
 mares. A single cross makes the best saddle horse, take 
 him altogether, I have ever met with, and we have some 
 pretty passible hacks in Kentucky ! It could hardly well be 
 otherwise, when we look at the pure descent of these mares ! 
 
 Yet apart from these considerations of utility, if a herd 
 of buffalo be the grandest and most formidable of our prairie 
 sights, certainly a drove of mustangs must be accounted the 
 most magnificently beautiful. No imagination can compass 
 the exceeding grace and airy freedom of the arched and 
 silken-tossing chaos, as it sways to and fro, glistening in 
 beamy mail beneath the sun, while sportively unconscious of 
 observation. How grandly they plunge, curvette and wrestle, 
 wheel like trained columns, charge, scatter and form again 
 in the swift change of magic convolutions, shifting like cloud 
 Bhadows eddied on an April breeze along the grass, as swift, 
 if not as fleeting ! 
 
 So they appear from the distance, at which they can alone 
 be viewed, as in our sketch. Sometimes I have come upon 
 them suddenly amidst the motts of timber ; when the mo- 
 mentary, but nearer view, would disclose the mottled variety 
 of their coats to which I have referred ; but most usually 
 they are seen in swift battalions, scurrying across the plains, 
 and stopping for a moment, on the last undulation, for a 
 parting look at the intruder, cluster with flying hair against 
 the sky, and are gone !
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE SPECLATER. 
 
 TURN we now to the northward, for our " Wild Scenes" 
 have lingered long upon the green and waving Plains that 
 shimmer in the breezy sunshine of the mellow South. We 
 have felt the slumbering electricity in its treacherous air jar 
 us through smiles, and amidst its fierce extremes of beauty 
 and of terror, realized something of the wild unexpectedness 
 of action peculiar to life amidst the latent power of such 
 fierce elements, as there "do mostly congregate." 
 
 The " Hunter-Naturalist" like an invisible Presence- 
 has walked with us amidst these scenes, " informing the 
 
 472
 
 WILD LAKES OF THE ARIONDACK. 473 
 
 Spirit" of them all with this most gossip and desultory 
 mood in which our volume was at first conceived. 
 
 A summer's journey of sporting adventure towards the 
 North, dating at a much later period in my life than those 
 previously given as personal, included a sojourn amongst 
 that linked and wonderful cluster of Lakes, extending from 
 
 7 O 
 
 IL'imllton county, in the west of New York, north to Lake 
 CL...L plain and the St. Lawrence. Something of the "Wild 
 Scenes" and characteristic incidents amidst the haughty 
 solitudes of those rugged hemlock-bristled Ariondacks, 
 and their chaste, cold, glistening Lakes, I must give in a 
 fragmentary way. 
 
 I had reached Lake Pleasant in Hamilton county, the 
 semi-civilized outpost of the wilderness interior of " Sporting 
 Grounds," through the ordinary tribulations of jolting, 
 fat : ;;ue, mud, rain, etc., in company with an English friend, 
 a placid "son of the angle," in the strict Waltonian sense, 
 but altogether an unaccustomed hunter of wilderness game. 
 
 Lake Pleasant, upon the outlet end of which we were 
 temporarily located in a rude board hovel, dignified as " mine 
 inn !" was overlooked at the opposite by an abrupt moun- 
 tain one of the Ariondacks named from the Indian name, 
 the Speclater. The inlet came in at its foot, and from the 
 steep top, a bird's-eye view could be obtained of the whole 
 scene of our future operations. After a night's rest, we 
 made a day of it to clamber the huge rocky sides of this 
 ancient sentinel that from its bald crest we should look 
 forth, that our eyes might be "made aware." 
 
 I wanted to convey some idea of what we saw, but I find 
 that though very nice in theory the practice is difficult. I 
 could only think, as we ascended, in the words of one who 
 spake of old " Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift 
 thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and east- 
 ward, behold it with thine own eyes !" And, verily, when we
 
 474 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTEKS. 
 
 reached the top of Mount Speclater did we lift our eyes 
 and behold the promised land of sportsmen the Canaan, 
 not of milk and honey, by a long jump but of the ferae 
 naturae " a whole y earth full 'er God-a-mighty's wild var- 
 mints !" as a sublimity-struck Connecticut Pedlar ejaculated 
 from the same point of view ! Of a truth it was a wonderful 
 sight looking down at your feet, then off to the South, and 
 then to the North-west, upon this wild chaos of savage-looking 
 hills, lit up by the scattered shine of thirty-six Lakes, which, 
 within the space of about the same number of miles in length, 
 look like bright patches which had fallen in benediction out 
 of a summer's sky into these sullen glooms ! 
 
 There they go, far away beneath us those younger ranks 
 of pine-haired Titans, that make the blue line of the Arion- 
 dack ! See them stretch their misty arms to one another, 
 rank upon rank, to form these cordons of impregnable defence 
 about those shadowy basins, up from which the silver sheen 
 of many a grotesque form of Lake is thrown into our dazzled 
 eyes. 
 
 What a sight is this, within twenty-four hours of New 
 York, with its smoke, and din, and crush ! 
 
 Hurrah ! to think that these bright sheets are gleaming 
 down through their still blue depths with shoals of the 
 magnificent salmon trout, with their dark marbled backs 
 and lustrous mottled sides, and that every silver thread of 
 river, rivulet and inlet binding them together, glitters upon 
 its ripples or within its shaded pools to the arrowy leap of 
 that crimson flecked keystrel of the streams, the brook trout ! 
 
 Hurrah ! hurrah ! to think, too, that these unbroken forests 
 which still wear the solemn look of Earth's Primeval births, 
 yet shelter within their difficult fastnesses, her earliest chil- 
 dren. That the huge moose which came before the red man, 
 yet rouses the sluggish echoes with its hoarse bcllowings. 
 That the red deer whistles and snorts to the boding how 1
 
 WILD LAKES OP THE ARIOKDACK. 475 
 
 of the tireless gray wolf ; and the brown bear, like a clumsy 
 boxer, cuffs the screaming panther away from its newly slain 
 feast ! 
 
 The Indian is gone, but yet his ancient foes and victims 
 have flourished apace, and may usurp their inheritance. 
 
 Hurrah ! hurrah ! Arkwright and Fulton have not yet 
 conquered the free earth of God in this direction and 
 bound all its limbs in chains ! 
 
 "The undevout astronomer is mad" and the devout 
 sportsman may be forgiven, if at such a sight he, too, grow 
 mad and should fall to capering, and become something of 
 a heathen in his glee, shouting as I did. 
 
 " Take my cap, Jupiter, and thank thee !" Against such 
 uncanonical sins I hereby formally warn all other faithful 
 eons of Nimrod, who may be "taken aback" under similar 
 circumstances. 
 
 As to the propriety of capering and throwing up one's 
 cap on the top of a mountain, I must in meekness confess 
 to its being "highly improper" "unworthy the dignity," 
 etc. but bless our soul, who could help it ? Not any genuine 
 sportsman, I am sure, whether he be "Venator," "Piscator," 
 or "Anceps!" or all combined as "I flatter myself!" 
 ahem ! 
 
 No, it was not in human nature or more inclusively, 
 sportsman's nature to look down upon a scene so gloriously 
 fresh so impregna-bly savage hemmed in with its blue- 
 topped barriers forever ! without feeling rich rich as the 
 discoverer of some new gold-bearing island of the ti"pic 
 sea of dreams richer far than one of England's proud lords 
 when he waved his hand towards his fenced and great domain ; 
 for this, too, was mine was oure was all mankind's was 
 GOD'S, as the executor for ALL ! 
 
 And what if I were guilty of some saltant absurdities ? 
 There were no game law iniquities upon my shoulders to 
 weigh down my heels ! all this was free, and the fatness
 
 476 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 thereof was mine for the winning mine to be struggled 
 for manfully with my brother mine to be pouched, carried 
 off and eaten, if my right hand retained its cunning ! Even 
 my placid friend, Piscator, felt within him the movings of a 
 mild exultation, as he stretched forth his hands above it in 
 calm blessing, and peacefully smiled ! 
 
 Here and there the white mist-clouds lay along the hill- 
 sides above them seeming to form high up against the 
 purpled green the serial double of the lakes and there, no 
 doubt, the swift-winged swallows though we couldn't see 
 them dived through the fleecy waves like brook-trout, and 
 the fish-hawk swooped like the ravenous salmon if they 
 didn't at them below ! 
 
 Of this we had much more palpable evidence, for we saw 
 many of them rise, beating their wings with exulting screams 
 as they went circling up and up, bearing a three to a five 
 pounder in their talons. Fat pickings for fish-hawks, any 
 how, in these thirty odd lakes ! How I envied the rascals, 
 and wished to hear the war-cry of a bald eagle, and see 
 him come down from the clouds above, hurled swiftly, like 
 the bolt he once bore, upon resistless wings, to strike the 
 gluttons and make them drop their struggling prey, and 
 then to see the conquering robber pause and dive with a 
 roar of plumes down the still air and snatch the glistening 
 spoil before it reached the wave again. 
 
 These are the quick, fierce battles of the air-kings that 
 we sometimes see from such a perch ! 
 
 But let us count our riches over, and name their names 
 and places that we may know them. 
 
 Sheer down from our pinnacle on the northern side lies 
 Lake Pleasant a great white opal, with an emerald in the 
 centre. This is 
 
 The captain jewel of the carcanct," 
 
 and old earth wears it proudly for its beauty, and its name
 
 WILD LAKES OF THE ARIONDACK. 477 
 
 19 most happily named. Its shape is somewhat irregular, 
 and its length is four miles, with an average breadth of two 
 miles, and a depth of sixty feet. At the opposite extremity 
 is the narrow but deep outlet which forms the Sockendog 
 River, after passing through Cungamunck Bay, a few cCes 
 farther on, and then strikes off to the north-east, a bold 
 and boisterous mountain stream, clattering among tho hills 
 until it looses itself in the great Hudson, as its western 
 branch. 
 
 The shores of Lake Pleasant have quite a cultivated aspect 
 this is of course comparative. A number of beautiful 
 grazing farms are opened to view around its rolling shores 
 down to the water's edge. They are very rudely cultivated 
 yet, but they might be made surpassingly lovely some day. 
 
 At the N. W. extremity of Lake Pleasant is the inlet of 
 Round Lake, which is about half a mile in length. Round 
 Lake ! Gloomy, wild and picturesque Round Lake ! twin 
 sister of Lake Pleasant, " but grander and more rude than 
 she !" rimmed, like a Titan's brimming drinking cup, with 
 low rocks, all around and above them the unbroken forest 
 slanting up to blue-topped hills. How deep, austere and 
 solemn its repose. 
 
 What a shadow beside the sunny loveliness of its contrasted 
 sister ! It is three miles both ways, and deeper than Lake 
 Pleasant. There is no sign of cultivation upon its savage 
 shores except at the outlet. It has several inlets, which go 
 glimmering faintly through the narrow valleys towards the 
 north-west. They connect it still with smaller lakes, Echo 
 Lake, Lake Sound, and ! euphonious accord ! Mud 
 Lake ! 
 
 When a few miles to the west another chain commences with 
 Long Lake, which is two miles and a half in length by a 
 half in width. This connects with Fly Lake, which is 
 smaller still, and this with Falls Lake, about the same size, 
 which outlets into Piseco, eleven miles west. This is a
 
 478 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 famous lake, and is about seven miles long and twelve 
 wide. Through its outlet, West River, it is one of the 
 feeders of Sockendog River, "which forms the west branch 
 of the Hudson. 
 
 This, too, is a lovely lake, partaking of many of the 
 features of Lake Pleasant. There is some rude presence of 
 civilization on the north end and eastern side, where a few 
 farms and a small village are to be seen along the smoothly 
 undulating shore. The country opens level to the south-east, 
 but on the north-west the Panther mountain beatlcs over it 
 protectingly stern. 
 
 This lake has been made renowned among sportsmen by 
 the feats of the noted Piseco Club a fraternal band who 
 went thither once a year upon a devout pilgrimage to offer 
 up a sacrificial hecatomb of fish bones and buck's horns to 
 the manes of their hirsute progenitor, Ham ! After very 
 nearly exhausting its waters and shores, they have deserted 
 them, and are now threatening some one of the wilder lakes 
 we see towards the north-west. Here, when wo talk of 
 exhausting Piseco, we must be understood as when talking 
 of the progress of civilization in a comparative sense for 
 be it understood these six devout pilgrims regarded one 
 hundred pounds a day as the small expression of their fervid 
 religious zeal ; and the beautiful lake fell into discredit with 
 them so soon as it refused to render up this slight diurnal 
 tribute. Sportsmen of less zeal still find it a charming 
 resort. 
 
 Now look away to the north-west, and you can count along 
 the line of vision, until it is lost in the dim serrated line 
 of the Blue Ariondack, twenty-five wild, lovely lakes, upon 
 whose virgin solitudes no Piscco Club has ever intruded with 
 its exhausting zeal. Look closely now, and you will be 
 able to trace the threads of three of the finest trout streams 
 in America. They form the eastern branch of the Hudson ! 
 
 Here we are perched above and in the centre of the head
 
 WILD LAKES OF THE ABJONDACK. 479 
 
 springs of that majestic river, and can almost trace even the 
 attenuated rills to their junction, and we can see, too, in the 
 blue mountains, the dividing ridge between its waters and 
 the clear, gelid flood of the St. Lawrence ! 
 
 A glorious perch, is it not ? 
 
 First: six miles N. W. we can sec Jessup's River. This 
 is the nearest stream abounding with speckled trout, and 
 where sport at this season is sure to be abundant. To "the 
 Bridge" and to "the Indian Clearing" everybody must go 
 first "to feel the joy that anglers feel." 
 
 This last place has been rendered immortal by the extra- 
 ordinary feat of our friend Porter, of the Spirit of the 
 Times. We do not venture to give the number of pounds 
 within a given time he is "tall" enough and his shoulders 
 are broad enough to bear the responsibility but we can 
 bear witness, from our high and responsible position, in the 
 presence of all these solemn-looking hills and lakes, that 
 our " experience" at the Indian Clearing entirely bears him 
 out in the assertion of prodigies to be wrought there. 
 
 Then comes Whittaker Lake thereby hangs a tale ! Then 
 comes the two Dug Mountain Lakes and Mason Lake these 
 are all small. 
 
 Now comes Louis Lake the next most famous to Piseco, 
 and affording now better fishing and hunting. It is twelve 
 miles from the Speclater, and is the favorite resort of 
 those who come for a short stay and ready sport. This is 
 one of the most beautiful of the lakes its outlet forms a 
 junction with Jessup's River in a few miles, and is thence 
 called Indian River to its junction with the east branch of 
 the Hudson. 
 
 But I have not space for more particular enumeration. I 
 nr st pass to the curious Trinity of the Cedar Lakes, which 
 empty, too, into the Hudson by Moose River better fishing 
 even than the Jessup's River and here we are at Racquett's 
 Lake, which is in this direction almost the ultima tliule and
 
 480 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Jjl Dorado of the sportsman combined. It is fourteen by 
 B3ven L.iles, average, broken into two great basins, connected 
 by a narrow strait. It is the largest and most savagely 
 picturesque of the lakes, and most abounding in game of 
 every sort. 
 
 Trout of both kinds are so abundant in the great basins and 
 the numerous inlets, that the sport soon becomes fatiguing. 
 It has twenty-four islands, of from one hundred acres to ten 
 feet. On the west side is the inlet of a singular chain of small 
 lakes, eight in number, all of which abound in both varieties 
 of trout, and the accompanying fish, suckers, chubs, shiners, 
 blue cats, sun perch, etc. This remarkable chain extends 
 about fourteen miles north and east of the lakes, is deep, 
 clear and ice cold. On the east side of Racket Lake is the 
 inlet of Blue Mountain Lake, which is cold almost to 
 freezing point and like a solid crystal set upon a snowbank 
 of blanched sand. 
 
 You can see, as you hang suspended in mid-air here in 
 your boat, the shoals of trout go by in twenty feet water ! 
 Think of that ! Then comes Long Lake again this time 
 in earnest for it is twenty miles long, with an outlet 
 towards Lake Champlain. Here is the difficult paradise of 
 sportsmen; and from Louis Lake, north, the moose becomes 
 more abundant, with its attendant train of smaller game, 
 and the distance, all told, from our perch on Speclater 
 Mountain to Long Lake, is only sixty miles! These are 
 the principal points of attraction -within the range of our 
 utmost vision which I have here noted ; though now we can 
 perceive that even yet there are more than thirty-six lakes, 
 the names and distances of which I have not space to notice 
 in tLid bird's-eye view. 
 
 But verily, this view of this our exceeding riches, in a 
 land so rude and unpromising in the mouth of fame, and it 
 may be together with the rareness of the air, has sharpened 
 our appetite for testing again the flavor of the good things
 
 
 WILD LAKES OF THE ARIONDACK.j 481 
 
 therein contained. Yea, our placid friend, Piscator, stroketh 
 his stomach as his anticipative eyes are turned towaids 
 yonder humble looking house. Let us descend. What have 
 we here, our tidy hostess? Fresh green peas a salmon 
 trout a delicate steak of venison strawberries, currants, 
 cream ! 0, ye gods on high Olympus ! Shade of Epicurus ! 
 Let us fall to ! 
 
 The blessing of Piscator was somewhat curiously commen- 
 tated " Thank thee for thy manifold mercies, good Lord : 
 Amen. Verily a good wife is a jewel unto her husband !" 
 Amen ! we responded. 
 
 31
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 TROLLING IN JUNE. 
 
 "TROLLING," anywhere over good water, has its merits, 
 but "trolling" over Lake Pleasant and Round Lake, of a 
 sultry, pulseless summer's day, after the season has gone 
 by, has its romance ; and it is concerning this striking 
 feature thereof, that I propose now to write. 
 
 "Patience is a virture of the serene gods," say the meek 
 "brothers of the angle ; but I say their godships never sub- 
 jected that sublimest attribute to the test of trolling one 
 of the last days of June anywhere in Hamilton county; 
 neither do I believe Old Nick ever thought of that merciful 
 dispensation in favor of Job, or we should have heard a 
 
 different story. It passeth all comprehension not " 
 
 still imagination in bottomless conceit " could ! But 
 
 1 anticipate! 
 
 I was extremely ambitious of salmon trout or "lakers," 
 as they call them ; and must confess that my inner visuals 
 were so preoccupied by the glistening image of a twenty- 
 pounder dancing in the air before them, while preparing 
 to come here, that it never once occurred to me to inquire 
 whether I should be in season or out of season for them. 
 As for my friend Piscator, his contented fancy had never 
 soared above a brook-trout of three pounds ; and when he 
 heard the stories of these huge fellows, his large eyes would 
 grow rounder, and lambent with a liquid inspiration at the 
 thought. 
 
 With what an eager smile, betwixt wonder and awe, he 
 would listen, while he toiled at his delicate tackle, renewing 
 482
 
 TROLLING. 483 
 
 its parts and strengthening its joints in preparation for the 
 momentous struggle! We impatiently questioned our oracle, 
 George Holland, as to the chances of success in trolling; 
 but George, like all other oracles, was both prudent and 
 mystical. He saw that we were determined that it should 
 be in season, whether or no; that we would take some 
 salmon trout, "bite or no bite;" and therefore he waived 
 answering our questions directly, but told of his success four 
 weeks ago ; said the day was not very fine for 'em but we 
 might try, and if they did bite, we would probably take 
 some ! Encouraging, very ! and the sly twinkle in the fellow's 
 eye, still more so ! But we hadn't come two hundred miles 
 to be discouraged, and we went. 
 
 My friend had new-rigged his tackle with the painstaking 
 skill of true science while I, who pretend to no knowledge 
 of the niceties of art, had left mine to the experience of 
 George. The " shiners" were taken for bait with a dip net 
 at the outlet, and then in a light boat we launched upon 
 the lake. We were two in a boat which is contrary to all 
 precedent, as laid down in the Journal of Lake Piseco Trout 
 Club, which has been appended to Wiley & Putnam's elegant 
 edition of Walton and Cotton. There it is described ex 
 cathedra, as follows 
 
 The trolling is done by rod and reel, each fisherman 
 using two at the same time ; the reels are improved by 
 having a bearing upon them instead of a catch, so that the 
 rod may be laid clown with the line extended without running 
 out, unless struck by a fish or some other obstruction. When 
 a fish seizes the bait the oarsman quits his oars, the other 
 is handed to him, and he reels up the line to prevent its 
 falling upon the bottom, or the fish, from entanglement. 
 
 This, of course, implies one fisherman to a boat but with 
 such an oarsman as ours, we found there was not the slightest 
 danger of entanglement, with one at each end, while the 
 oarsman was left free to use the gaff without an/ risk of
 
 484 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 unsteadying tlie boat too much by giving him two things to 
 do at a lime. Our tackle, however, agreed precisely with 
 their formula, which we give. 
 
 The tackle is of the most delicate kind; a leader of 
 from six to nine feet of single gut, with sncll having five 
 hooks, arranged with two at the end placed back to back, 
 two more one inch above, and a fifth, or slip hook, one inch 
 above, which passes through and secures the upper and 
 lower jaw of the minnow, which serves for bait ; one of the 
 middle hooks is placed in the back of the bait, and one of 
 the lower hooks in the tail. These hooks are so small that 
 they will scarcely allow the barrel of a quill to rest in them. 
 
 Thus far we were "conformists;" and George, after a few 
 strokes of the oars, paused, and taking a shiner from the 
 bucket in which they swam, placed one upon each of our 
 lines. The operation is a very nice one as the object is 
 to retain the fish in the position of swimming, and keep it 
 alive, too, as long as possible, by closing its jaws with the slip 
 hook, which prevents it from drowning ; the two other hooks 
 on the same side are so carefully placed under the back fin 
 and through the tail, that I have seen them swim briskly 
 off after an hour's trolling. George then cast them off, and 
 struck out for the deep water with powerful strokes which 
 made the boat fairly leap again. 
 
 The shores of Lake Ploasant on this side slope beautifully 
 over a fair sand bottom for several hundred yards to the 
 deep water. Before we reached this dark transparency, our 
 lines had been reeled off to over a hundred and fifty feet, 
 and were trailing a few feet below the surface, far in our 
 rear. Our oarsman then altered his stroke to a slow and 
 noiseless dip, which scarcely rippled the calm surface. Now 
 a " strike," if we were to get one at all, might be expected- 
 and with this skillful rowing, our wake closed far enough this 
 side the bait to leave it floating in calm water, where the 
 trout might see the flash of the shiner's side gleam slant
 
 TROLLING. 485 
 
 down the cold depths of the ''spring-holes" where they 
 lay. 
 
 There we sat, stem and stern, Piscator and I, holding our 
 poles erect, like statues, petrified by our own eagerness, 
 while the angry sun looked down in sweltering wrath upon 
 our simplicity. Not a breeze came with its blessing to turn 
 aside his curse not a cloud went up to the sky to shelter 
 us with brooding wings. The pitiless lake held up its 
 burnished shield still as the death of winter to hurl the 
 sun's keen arrows, yellow with heat, full in our faces. 
 Round and round Lake Pleasant (infernal mockery of name !) 
 went the slow boat, until the silence of its glide became 
 torture to me, for I longed to hear the ring of ripples and 
 the cool splash of oars. How I began to curse the skill 
 of our patient boatman. As we wheeled slowly past the 
 island it looked like heaven, with the dark, cool shadows 
 of its towering pines. How I longed to have said my 
 prayers more regularly, that I might be permitted to lie 
 down beneath them and caught myself murmuring rapidly 
 over and over, Avith my childhood's intonation of piety i. e. 
 through the nose "And now I lay me down to sleep," c. 
 
 But I couldn't catch up ! Not a bite yet. That would 
 have been some comfort ! I moaned as I tossed my basting 
 limbs to and fro. 
 
 " Curse all salmon-trout ! would that the bull-frogs and 
 mud-cats had ye in the spawn hope ye may all be toasted 
 alive upon the trident of the god of waters ye illusory 
 imps ye speckled whelps, hag-born may it be the fate of 
 each of ye to be frozen stiff and be made into runners to 
 some furred Kamskatkan's dog-drawn sled ! but pshaw ! 
 there's no outlet that way; curse 'cm anyhow! PheAv, 
 scizzors !" 
 
 George loquitur " Gentlemen, think we'd better go into 
 R,ound Lake the water's colder and deeper there, we'll 
 have a better chance ?"
 
 486 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 Ego " Yes ! in the name of mercy go anywhere where 
 its cold into Round Lake or Nova Zembla. Wish Round 
 Lake, Lake Pleasant and all the rest of your lakes were 
 boiling in the cauldron of Hecla, and I was sitting on an 
 iceberg to witness it how I would rejoice to see the bleached 
 salmon tossed up on the bubbles !" 
 
 Piscator solemnly " but then we should eat them without 
 the glory of capturing them alive. Unless I had felt them 
 play upon my tackle I should have no stomach for their 
 blanched sides. It is a wish unworthy a true brother of the 
 angle !" 
 
 Ego "Piscator, when you die, the Zodiac will be the 
 richer, for you will surely be translated into the sign of 
 the fish ! to join the patriarchs who have gone before 
 Walton, and Cotton, Mr. Secretary Bibb when he does 
 go ! A breeze ! a breeze ! my kingdom for a breeze ! 
 George, let us away to Round Lake this bad cannot be 
 made worse !" 
 
 We pass into the narrow inlet, and the boat glides briskly 
 among the parched water lilies, the drooping flags and long 
 bowed grass. A half mile of its winding way, and we are 
 shot, with a long sweep of oars, into Round Lake. " Beau- 
 tiful ! beautiful!" I exclaimed aloud "What a scene of 
 fairie." 
 
 Piscator "Verily, it seems promising for trout here, at 
 last, George. They are known to bite on this deep Avater 
 such days as this ?" 
 
 Ego "No, unfortunate Piscator you may rest assured 
 never ! They would scald their noses if they caine near 
 enough the surface to strike, even here." 
 
 George with a sly evasion "It requires a breeze, sir, 
 for them to bite most any time I" 
 
 Piscator " Here goes with another shiner breeze or no 
 breeze, we must have a trout for dinner ! Would that I had 
 my hook of flies !"
 
 TKOLLING. 487 
 
 Ego " Piscator, thou unbelieving Thomas ! What would'st 
 thou do with flies here ?" 
 
 "Piscator We of the brotherhood know them to work 
 miracles, and therefore believe in their efficacy." 
 
 Ego with a gasp and a sigh of exhaustion " I see ! Ah, 
 Piscator ! Piscator ! The ruling passion strong in death !" 
 
 " George Looking behind him " A breeze ! There comes 
 a breeze, gentlemen !" 
 
 " Thank the good gods," and I almost overset the boat as 
 I lifted up my forehead eagerly to catch the first cool brush 
 of its coming wing. 
 
 "Now for a trout," chuckled Piscator, with glistening eyes. 
 
 Ah, it comes at last so cool so balmily delicious driving 
 the white-topped wavelets before it on ! on with it came the 
 black shadow of that angel-ridden cloud to shelter us. I 
 could have shouted for my joy aye, lifted up my exulting 
 soul in pseans, as cloud after cloud came drifting on their 
 white plumes over us, with a legion of airy ministers which 
 had come to our relief ; but that my eyes fell upon the warm 
 face of Piscator, shining with perspiration and expanded into 
 a smile of pleasing expectancy as he watched the vibrations 
 of his line. I was amazed into dumbness. I gazed upon 
 the devotee in "a mute astound," when lo ! a heavy jerk 
 a lurch and a shout, "you've got him!" from George, made 
 me aware that a fish had struck. "Reel him in!" said 
 George, as I hastily let go the line. "Reel him in," he 
 
 O ' v O f 
 
 has line enough." I reeled away, while Piscator, too 
 generous to show his disappointment, did the like with 
 his, watching at the same time with benevolent interest 
 for my success. 
 
 It was a pause of breathless interest, as I reeled rapidly 
 up for a few moments. " Curse it, George," I exclaimed 
 petulantly, "I feel nothing the fellow has broken away." 
 He was watching my line " No ! no ! reel on you have 
 him, you'll feel him directly." Reel ! reel ! reel ! and
 
 488 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 now a few faint surges which bent the rod slightly. There ! 
 the flash of his gleaming side darts up the blue wave ! now 
 he has waked up ! Tug ! splash ! whiz there he goes bound- 
 ing clear out of water on the taut line ! Steady ! steady ! 
 George is ready with the gaff. Now he rises again there, 
 he has it ! Floundering over our feet lays a beautiful two- 
 pound laker ! 
 
 "No great shakes after all, Master George but ah ! what 
 a lovely creature it is. Here, let me look at him well before 
 his glorious colors fade. See his long gracefully tapering 
 body ; see the dark greenish purple of his richly marbled 
 back, how it lightens quickly down his side, like silver 
 burnished bronze ; and then those rows of spots so regularly 
 placed along it the two outside of yellow, like gold drops, 
 that down the middle of small carbuncles ! There ! there ! 
 the splendors are fading already !" 
 
 Beautiful dweller of the dark blue waters, farewell until 
 we meet, again at the dinner table ! Ah, Piscator ! Piscator ! 
 my hapless friend ! you perceive the jealous Deities of the 
 lake have visited an austere judgment upon you in permitting 
 to me alone the " spoila opima" of the excursion, can you 
 not perceive the reason ? 
 
 Piscator " To rebuke your want of faith and wishes on 
 their behalf this day, I suppose !" 
 
 Ego " Infatuated ! can you not feel that it has been to 
 punish your presumption in wishing you had flies when 
 George, our oracle and their High Priest, had already 
 revealed to you that they would only take living shiners, 
 and were not to be fooled by mimic monsters of wool and 
 feathers! you shamefully discredited their sagacity thereby!" 
 
 Piscator with suspended nostrils and lightning in his eye 
 " Pshaw, nonsense ! I shall take a trout greater than five 
 of thine before we reach yonder shore !" 
 
 Ego compassionately " Vain man !" 
 
 Again we glided off, across and about, around and around
 
 TROLLING. 439 
 
 we went for a weary time the same noiseless way when 
 suddenly our curse came again, and I remembered 
 
 "Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down, 
 'Twas sad as sad could be." 
 
 And then : 
 
 ' All in a hot and copper sky, 
 The bloody sun, at noon," &c. &c. 
 
 I verily shuddered as I felt the hot stagnation settle upon 
 my forehead and my lungs. I looked appealingly to Piscator. 
 What ? Horror ! the despairing wretch ! the disappoint- 
 ment and all has been too much for him ! With head thrown 
 back, and eyes rolling wildly towards the zenith his large 
 manly throat bared, he held the brandy flask to his lips ! 
 the forgotten brandy flask ! and then my time came. I 
 imbibed from it contemplatively and laid it aside solemnly. 
 I had rested the end of my rod in the gunwale of the boat, 
 and did not take it up again. I laid myself reposefully in 
 the bow. The vanity of all sublunary things but most 
 that of trolling for lakers out of season, had been male 
 apparent to me. I looked up to the clouds above us they 
 had vanished, and all was "a hot and copper sky:" as if 
 to the spell of some strange wizard of the North, their 
 careering legions had been called down and rested toward 
 the pole upon the mountain tops still ! still as if they 
 paused in the terror of a weird necromancy, which held 
 them frozen in its dreadful will. They were strangely piled, 
 and strewn, and marshalled. I never saw such clouds before 
 the forms were all of white, with a dark distinct outline. 
 I became strangely elated and laughed out wildly, and then 
 muttered 
 
 " Aye, yonder is the pageant of our lives the substance 
 whereof our realities are made, and yet how strange it seems, 
 how it has become so palpable. Look at it closely ; you will 
 see there
 
 490 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 ' The shadows of all forms that think and live 
 Till Death unite them, and they part no more ; 
 Dreams and the light imaginings of men, 
 And all that faith creates of love, desires 
 Terrible, strange, sublime and beauteous shapes.' 
 
 Every thing there, Piscator ! Even to that white throne, 
 heaped up like a reflex of the frowning Speclater; and there 
 on the cloudy Olympus I can see particular deities of Lake 
 Pleasant and Round Lake. It must be confessed, that 
 though their ' brows are awful,' their tails look somewhat 
 1 fishy !' See ! there is a veritable representative of the 
 salmon trout whom you have this day insulted ! He kneels 
 with a graceful bend of his pedestal fin, and with open mouth 
 is complaining to their Godships concerning you. See how 
 they wag their misty heads and scowl the feathery bolts of 
 their ire down at you ! Tremble, presumptuous Piscator !' 
 
 Piscator laughing dolorously " Aye ! aye ! my Pithian ! 
 Pass him the flask, George !" 
 
 Ego with a grandiose wave of the arm " No, sir ! no 
 more brandy. My inspiration is there 
 
 All the gods 
 
 Are there, and all the powers of nameless worlds ; 
 Vast sceptred phantoms ; heroes, men and beasts ; 
 And Demogorgon, a tremendous gloom ; 
 And he, the supreme Tyrant on his throne 
 Of burning gold.' 
 
 Blind worm (I should call you angle-worm, Piscator) 
 can you not see them ? Look, I say ! there is the Northern 
 Bear, distinct, upreared upon his mighty hinder parts, and 
 boxing with his frosty paws the small and feathery curled 
 effigy of a French poodle, which assails him from above 
 with snarling jaws !" 
 
 Piscator " Bah ! you are becoming a political prophet. 
 Do you see John Bull there?" 
 
 indignantly " Where arc your eyes ? Do you not
 
 TROLLING. 
 
 491 
 
 see him on this side below the bear, tumbling down the white 
 cliff's of Albion, from which he has just been brought by one 
 stroke of those white gelid paws with hoofs in air, and 
 upward mouth wide-stretched with bellowings ? (Piscator is 
 an Englishman !) Eyeless Angle-worm ! can you not see ?" 
 
 Piscator placidly " No, no ! I, have no eyes for your 
 mad visions !" 
 
 Ego with furious emphasis " Mad, are they ? 
 
 ' Call at will 
 
 Thine own ghost or the ghost of Jupiter, 
 
 Hades, or Typhon, or what mightier gods hey !' " 
 
 A tremendous lurch ! Boat nearly turned over ! My rod 
 almost bent double ! as the boat is wheeled violently from its 
 course, and we all thrown as violently upon our sides, for iu 
 the wake a huge trout leaped from the water, and when ho 
 falls back the boat rights, and we all look foolish. 
 
 George, vehemently " There, you've lost him !" 
 
 Piscator, indignantly " There ! if you had held your rool 
 in your hand, instead of ranting nonsense on your back 
 you wouldn't have lost that twelve-pounder !" 
 
 Ego faintly " But he didn't bite at a fly, or at the hook 
 of a fly fisher !" 
 
 Moral never troll lake trout after the first of June.
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 A NIGHT HUNT UP THE CUNGAMUNCK. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the most inveterate of veteran fly-fishers, Pis- 
 cator had, even in our short survey of these wild sporting 
 grounds, become thoroughly aroused to a sense of " higher 
 things" than brook trout, and not in the least discouraged at 
 the signal failures of the first flights of his ambition at the 
 great lake trout, he now breathed quicker, with a yet more 
 eager emulation for nobler quarry still ! In short, as our 
 guide, George, said " He's down on the deer up Cunga- 
 rnunck !" 
 
 The reader is no doubt familiar with the mode of hunting 
 
 492
 
 A NIGHT HUNT UP THE CUNGAMUNCK. 493 
 
 deer "by torch-light," which has been so often described 
 but I have some doubts about his being so with that of 
 hunting them " by candle-light," which, I believe, is peculiar 
 to the Lake country. This hunt must take place during the 
 warm months, when flies are most abundant. Indeed, it is 
 as much to escape from their persecutions as to browse upon 
 certain varieties of water-plants, which then make their 
 appearance along the edges of the marshes, streams, and 
 lakes, that the deer come into the water to feed, and thus 
 afford an opportunity for this evening sport. 
 
 Yes, the "dander" of my placid associate, Piscator, "is 
 riz !" He vows in his mild, but not the less significant 
 manner, that nothing short of a "ten prong buck" will 
 satisfy him, and so proceeds in a severe and ominous silence 
 with his preparation. 
 
 The beautiful "double-barrel" which had heretofore been 
 guilty of nothing more serious than wood-cock and ducks 
 was to be unscrewed, taken apart, and cleaned to the last 
 degree of scrupulous nicety, in preparation for the more 
 important work on hand. Then, with mathematical pre- 
 cision, it was duly charged, and then, with a flask in each 
 pocket for two kinds of ammunition are indispensable on 
 such occasions ! and a well-filled cigar case, he is ready ! 
 And he casts his eyes about something is wanting ! Yes ! 
 yes! the "India rubber overall." For Piscator, like all 
 true brothers of the angle that I have yet met, has a peculiar 
 horror of risking the wetting his skin. 
 
 I have, after much study, accounted satisfactorily for this 
 phenomenon, by the philosophical conclusion, that they are 
 haunted by the constant apprehension of transmigration into 
 the corporate forms of the trout, to which they are so devoted. 
 I had even ventured to hint as much to Piscator, but the 
 nervous dread with which he evidently avoided the subject, 
 caused me to forbear, in courtesy, pressing it farther ! Being 
 a zealous disciple of Priesnitz, I have no fear of cold water
 
 494 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 before my eyes ; and therefore my equipment in this respect 
 was considerably simplified, though I must confess to you I 
 had an ever-present terror of the flies, which was quite an 
 offset to Piscator's transmigration, and cost me quite as much 
 preparation to guard against. 
 
 I knew that the oil of pennyroyal was a specific against 
 their attacks ; but aside from my aversion to the use of so 
 disagreeable an article, I had forgotten it, so that the only 
 resource left me, had been to buy a green veil at Northfield, 
 and cutting a hole in the centre large enough for the crown 
 of my broad brimmed leghorn to pass through, I had the ends 
 taken up and a " puckering string" run around them, so that 
 they could be drawn close about my neck thus securely 
 surrounding my face with a net which would defy even 
 " black gnats." Thus, with rifle (which is my favorite weapon) 
 in hand, and my personal dividend of ammunition in pocket, 
 I, too, considered myself equipped for the night hunt. 
 
 Piscator was characteristically disregardful of "the flics," 
 and laughed quite as much at my precautions against them 
 as I had done at his against getting wet. lie said, somewhat 
 pedantically, that "Patience was a more magnanimous divinity 
 than Prudence, seeing that the one was always irritable, 
 distrustful, and guarding herself against the wisdom of the 
 Higher Powers, while the other was content in calm humility 
 to abide the evil the Gods might send along with the good !" 
 
 Whereto I replied " The Gods do not send black gnats, 
 Piscator ; for I have sufficient proof in their color that they 
 are hatched in Acheron, and are loosed upon earth by the 
 Evil Deities to make good men swear against Jupiter there- 
 fore, I guard against the crime rather than provoke it while 
 you impiously shield your shoulders against the rain, which 
 is confessedly the chiefest benediction of the covering heavens." 
 
 Piscator did not reply, but somewhat petulantly tossed his 
 India rubber overall upon his shoulders, and calling oar 
 guide, tramped away, followed by me, towards the boat at
 
 A NIGHT HUXT UP THE CUNGAMUNCK. 
 
 the outlet. There we found every thing needful already in 
 the boat. The additions to its ordinary equipment were very 
 few and simple. A stout pine stick had been let into an 
 auger hole through a board which had been placed across 
 the bow. This stood some four feet high ; and upon the top 
 of it was placed a triangular shaped box, open at the wide 
 end, and which was intended to hold the lighted candles. 
 Then there was a low seat, which was intended for the 
 marksman, who sat forward, just behind the staff and box- 
 lantern ; then we had a paddle, which was to be used when 
 we reached the scene of operations, where the ordinary oars 
 were to be laid aside. 
 
 Now we embarked, and set off down the narrow but deep 
 outlet. It here takes the name of Sockendog river, and its 
 course towards the southeast is through a wide valley, between 
 two chains of hills. The water spreads over the surface of 
 this valley in reality, though it is so overgrown by the 
 "mash" of tall grass, flags and water-lilies, that the real 
 channel seems like a dark shining ribbon laid along a rippled 
 and rustling waste of green. Soon we reached Cungamunck 
 Bay, which spreads a quarter of a mile in width, with tho 
 hills rising abruptly on the east. It is a pretty sheet of 
 water, covered with the white and yellow flowers of the lily. 
 Sockendog plunges on through a gorge by the foot of the 
 hills, while we turn towards the north-west, pushing through 
 the grass and lilies for the thread-like channel of the Cunga- 
 munck river, which comes winding down from out a forest 
 of wild hills. 
 
 Now the valley narrows rapidly, and the hills stand 
 marshalled on either hand in close dark lines. The sun 
 is yet over an hour high, and its yellow glitter is broken 
 upon our faces through the firs and pines which bristle on 
 the ridges. We are gliding with a " stilly creeping" glide, 
 beneath their long shadows and up the tortuous vistas of this 
 curious stream, which comes creeping slowly down, through
 
 496 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 the grass like a great snake out of its lair of night, with 
 here and there the golden morning glistening on its scales. 
 
 It was a strange, lonely scene, and a dream-like hush was 
 over it, so that we could hear our hearts beat above the soft 
 lapsing of the deeply winnowed oars. It seemed so wild, and 
 was so still here, that no other sounds should intrude but the 
 splash of the plunging bull-frog, the rustling ripple of the 
 wading deer among the flags, and the musically shrill metallic 
 warble of the black-winged scarlet tanager, from out the deep 
 shadows of the hill-side forest of old pines and hemlock. 
 Now is the time when the deer begin to come down from the 
 hills to feed upon the tender grasses and water plants that 
 grow in the bed and along the edges of the stream ; and we 
 may expect any moment, when we make the short turns, 
 which, although the stream is deep, are often hardly long 
 enough for the boat to lie in, or wide enough for the oars, 
 to see a tawny head uplifted in the startle, and reaching out 
 from the long grass over the channel to gaze at our coming 
 with pricked ears. 
 
 Piscator and I drew lots for the first shot at starting, and 
 I won, so that I had the forward seat, and with rifle at 
 "present," I sat in statue-like and breathless expectation as 
 we made each turn, and came upon a new and always wilder 
 and more lovely picture of green islets, deep receding coves, 
 where the trout leaped like quick gleams of moonlight over 
 the white lilies or small meadows waving to and fro, in live 
 contrast with the gray and solemn-looking boulders of granite 
 which are piled up behind them, with the matted and snake- 
 like roots of the ancient pines above, twisted and twined 
 along their edges. I was so lulled and enchanted by the 
 constantly varying beauty and the presiding repose of these 
 scenes, that, with all the eager instincts of the sportsman 
 rampant in my veins, I could not help hoping, at moments, 
 that no deer would make its appearance, and thus compel 
 me to mar this harmonious calm. Nor did it happen so, for,
 
 A NIGHT HUNT UP THE CUNGAMUNCK. 497 
 
 contrary to our expectation, not one showed itself to tempt 
 me, although it was three miles up to where this stream 
 outlets in Elm Lake. 
 
 It was in the last half mile of our approach to this and 
 around its mashy shores, that we looked for the sport of the 
 night to begin in earnest ; and any that might have occurred 
 on the way would have been incidental, and could therefore 
 be well dispensed with for the higher and more placid enjoy- 
 ment of the scene. As we approached the Lake the stream 
 became more shallow, and we were compelled at last to get 
 out and let our guide drag the boat up the ripples. The sun 
 was now setting, and at the first place where the low water 
 thus compelled us to land for a few moments, we were 
 suddenly introduced to that most inconceivable torment, the 
 black gnat ! 
 
 As the shades of evening advance, these gnats, which at 
 first hover near the surface of the water, rise slowly on the 
 strata of miasmatic air. Wishing to examine some object on 
 the sand-bar more closely, I stooped, when instantly, as if an 
 infinitesimal shower of red-hot sand or fine vitriol drops 
 had been clashed into my face and eyes, I felt them blister- 
 ing against neck and bosom, up sleeves and pants, they at 
 once invested me in a maddening reality of the fabled terrors 
 of the shirt of Nessus ! No imagination is sufficiently vivid 
 to conceive the intensity of that keen-poisoned, stinging 
 nettle-rash with which we found ourselves suddenly assailed 
 by this invisible torturer from Acheron, rising to meet us on 
 its thick, pestilent airs. I did not know what it meant at 
 first, and, blinded with the pain, rushed with the instinct of 
 the cold water man, to plunge my face in the stream for 
 relief. This was, fortunately, the best thing I could have 
 done ; and I now gasped out, " George ! George ! what is 
 it!" "The gnats, sir ! the gnats you had better put on 
 your veil !" 
 
 I did so as quickly as possible ; and when I turned, there 
 
 32
 
 498 "WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 stood Piscator, with a wild look of endurance, earnestly 
 fighting away at his invisible torturers with a leafy bough 
 which he had plucked; his warm face glowed again with 
 the malignant ardor of their stings, and he stopped at 
 intervals in the fierce battle to rub his goaded limbs, and 
 fairly danced in the restless shifting of his feet. Suffering 
 as I was, or rather, had been, I could not help laughing at 
 the comical sight. But he did not regard me, and coolly 
 proceeded to stuff the legs of his pants down his boot-tops, 
 to protect himself from their assaults in that quarter; and 
 then turning up his coat collar, tied his handkerchief about 
 his ears, and soon, with recovered equinimaty, came smiling 
 to his seat in the boat, while the bough played yet faster 
 about his face. I could but wonder at the man. I watched 
 him in utter amaze ; puzzled whether most to admire the 
 thickness of his skin or the immovability of his temper. 
 As soon as the boat was in motion they left us, for they 
 were drifted behind on air-currents in our wake. 
 
 We were soon at the wider mash meadows, which indicated 
 our approach to the outlet of Elm Lake, and here was the 
 ground where the night hunt was to commence. Darkness 
 had not not yet settled down, and until it came our lights 
 would be of no avail; so the oars were hid, and the boat 
 run through the mash to shore, and there we were to stand 
 until it became dark enough to light the candles ! 
 
 We stood underneath the bordering pines, and as soon 
 as we became stationary heavens and earth ! the dusky air 
 thickened with the black and venomous swarms of mosquitos, 
 flies and gnats, and the hungry diapason of their blistering 
 music was fairly roared into our ears ! No herd of famished 
 wolves was ever so desperately ravenous as this fierce multi- 
 tude seemed to be for as I was fully protected by my veil, 
 J could afford to be philosophical in my observations on the 
 Buffering of the two outside unfortunates. 
 
 George was very loquacious, and having provided himself
 
 A NIGHT HUXT UP THE CUNGAMUNCK. 499 
 
 with a thick bough, kept that in motion with his words; 
 for he seemed to have a desperate sort of feeling that he 
 must keep up our courage and his own by talking, or else 
 we would be compelled to give in! He amused us in this 
 trying interval with many stories of his bold adventuring 
 through these northern snows (a fortunate contrast !) in 
 hunting the dangerous moose. While Piscator puffed his 
 segar patiently fought in open battle his myriad foes, and 
 smiled appreciatingly through his torture as the stories sped. 
 How I admired the superhuman heroism of the man ! 
 
 I could not help enjoying the forlorn and melancholy 
 efforts of the guide to be merry in his suffering. But the 
 night settled rapidly, though it brought no alleviation of the 
 plague of flies, which on warm evenings most abound after 
 sunset for some hours. Now George stepped cautiously to 
 the stern of the boat, and taking the candles from the box, 
 proceeded to light them and place them in the triangular 
 box on the staff at the bow. Then with great care we 
 noiselessly took our seats, and he paddled the boat with 
 surprising stillness up the outlet. Mine was the foremost 
 seat as allotted and though the light above shone power- 
 fully upon the shrubs and grass in front of us on the side 
 of the channel, yet not one ray of it fell upon me ! So 
 with a far-thrown light before us, we glided in darkness up 
 the channel, seeing every blade of grass as we advanced, 
 while we were ourselves unseen ! But the sky had now 
 clouded, and the white mist began to curl up before us, and 
 we only saw the rank grass and elder bushes in advance as 
 it lifted at intervals. 
 
 We glided through the white-wreathed silence for awhile, 
 with the mash plants and grass showing through the gloom 
 on one side, and the tall shrubs on the other, when suddenly 
 there is a splashing to our right the boat stops splash ! 
 splash ! splash ! off they go with a loud whistle as they 
 plunge away two deer are gone ! They had been frightened
 
 500 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 by the Incessant movement of our hands in striking off the 
 clinging flies ! 
 
 George curses strong and deep, " sotto voce," and we move 
 on into the lake without a word from us. Now we are 
 gliding along its marshy shore, and the only sound we make 
 is that caused by the low grating of the bottom of our boat 
 against the heavy leaves of the water-lilies, which cover the 
 whole surface as far as we can see, but that is not far. The 
 heavy mist-wreaths still curl up around us and arching to 
 our light, roll and spread their whitened volumes murkily. 
 The slow boat ploughs through these fantastic shapes as if 
 it labored with their weight ; but now and then an eddy of 
 the mountain wind lifts them, whirling in broken masses, 
 and reveals the dark shadows of the forest on the shore, 
 with the shining flags that push up among the bordering 
 lilies. The night is becoming chill, and we have crept into 
 every cove and winding strait among the inlets along the 
 shore, and still the same slow-rising vapor twists and rolls in 
 huge white phantoms, bushing past us ; and, lifting in solemn 
 sweep upon the winds, the jaws of darkness open over 
 the broad water, as if on that side the abyss of black infinity 
 were yawning to engulph us. No deer yet, for they seem 
 to have been all startled by our first misadventure; we 
 should have seen a dozen eyes shine our light before this ! 
 We are cold as cold can be, for much time has now passed } 
 and chilled, too, by the disappointment. Now we shoot 
 into a narrow cove between two islands. The long grass 
 and shrubs on either side nearly meet above our heads, we 
 must move with still greater caution lest we brush them. 
 
 Now the narrow way widens again somewhat, and we go 
 winding on, while our advance light dawns with a strange 
 gleam beneath the curling vapor upon the dense wall of leafy 
 stems on either side, and we seem urging up, among ghastly 
 clouds, the glistening steep of night. It is a wild, unearthly 
 scene ; we shudder with chilly awe, for the vast weight of
 
 A NIGHT HUNT UP THE CUNGAMUNCK. 501 
 
 midnight has crushed the world, the wide and mighty 
 world, into that little circle of light with its wizard shapes, 
 thronging above and around us all else is void nothing ! 
 nothing ! 
 
 Ha ! close to my hand a little summer duck comes swim- 
 ming. That looks as if there were an outer world a 
 something beyond this wizzard chaos ! See it comes close in 
 our charmed circle it cannot get away. Its great black 
 eyes shine still, as if it were in a dream of dazzled splendors, 
 it does not see us, it moves as the sleep walker moves, round 
 and round, yet not away. There, I had nearly caught it 
 with my hand, but it glided like a beam-eyed shadow from 
 beneath my grasp. It seems as ghostly as all else here. 
 
 Hark ! a splashing plunge in the deep marsh to our right, 
 that sounds like earth like a reality ! 
 
 "Hist!" says George, in a whisper, "rise. up ! rise softly, 
 he stands there over the bushes see his eyes !" 
 
 " Steady, George." I rise as carefully as my stiffened limbs 
 would permit, and now the mist-wreaths on an eddy of the 
 night-wind rise with me. Slowly ! slowly ! See the antlered 
 head above the cover and the shining eyes. A shrill, loud 
 whistle I fire as he bounds a heavy plunge a struggle in 
 the tossing covert and all is still ! 
 
 "Youv'e got him! you got him that time, sir!" shouted 
 George, and the sound of his human voice broke the spell 
 that was upon me, as of a heavy vision, and with a long 
 breath of suppressed excitement, I plunge after him to 
 assist in dragging our prey to the boat. It was a fine buck, 
 and I had shot him between the eyes. Ah, that was a 
 moment of cruel exultation, but I will not tell you how I 
 triumphed at the blank looks of poor Piscator, when, as he 
 took his seat now in front, we discovered that the lights 
 were nearly exhausted, and that there would be little chance 
 for him to get a shot at all ! The candles soon gave out,
 
 502 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTEKS. 
 
 and we got lost upon the lake, where our bewildered guide 
 continued to row up and down until nearly daylight, through 
 the pitchy darkness ; at last he found a landing by accident, 
 and, nearly frozen, we made our way to the house of a 
 hunter, whose kind hospitality gave rest to our weary and 
 chilled frames.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 TROUTING ON JESSUP'S RIVER. 
 
 could not remain quiet long at a time, for my restless 
 friend had not yet had a fair trial of the "flies" at trout. 
 After all, laugh at Piscator's violent passion for it as I 
 may, the sport -which lasts longest, is the most abundant, 
 the most admired, and most practised by the frequenters of 
 the Lake country, is that of taking the speckled or brook 
 trout with the rod ! 
 
 The larger lakes afford good trolling grounds, when resorted 
 to in the right season ; but the trolling season, which begins 
 in March, is too early for the majority of anglers, who cannot 
 leave their spring business for mere sport. But when summer 
 comes, business is over ; then the rejoicing anglers, like chil- 
 dren broke loose from school, scatter abroad over the moun- 
 tainous places of the land, literally gasping with panting 
 bosoms for fresh air. 
 
 To such it makes little difference, when they reach here, 
 to find that the fishing-grounds for trout are not close at 
 hand, but that they must go yet farther from five to thirty 
 miles, among the rough wild hills, to fresher streams, amidst 
 valleys deeper than these. It seems strange, to be sure, and 
 very provoking to them, if they go without a proper knowledge 
 of the season to find that these wide clear sheets, with all 
 their inlets and outlets, are but so much dead water to them 
 affording no sport after the tenth of June, worth notice. 
 But they are soon over this, for the mountain breezes are 
 very inspiriting ; and with expanding chests they look towards 
 the blue ridges with emulation, and brace themselves up tc 
 
 503
 
 604 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 meet the rude exigencies of a "tramp" and "shanteeing 
 out" for a few days, amidst storm or sunshine, as the evening 
 heavens may send ! 
 
 "The Bridge" at Jessup's River, is well known to sports- 
 men, and to this point we made our first fly-fishing expedition. 
 The eyes of Piscator glistened at the thought, and early was 
 he busied with almost hasty fingers through an hour of ardent 
 preparation amongst his varied and complicated tackle. Now 
 was his time for triumph ! In all the ruder sports in which 
 we had heretofore heen engaged, I, assisted hy mere chance, 
 had been most successful but now the infallible certainty of 
 
 * 
 
 skill and science were to be demonstrated in himself, and 
 the orthodoxy of flies vindicated to my unsophistic sense. 
 
 The preparations are simple, and were early completed. 
 The tidy housewife soon had ready the huge loaves of fresh 
 nice bread the can of yellow butter, and other minor 
 appliances of a feast in the woods the main condiments 
 and dishes of which we were expected to supply from our 
 own sharpened appetites and skill. Then the cooking appa- 
 ratus, which was primitive enough to suit the taste of an 
 ascetic, as it consisted in a single frying pan. Then the 
 blankets, with the guns, ammunition, rods, &c. 
 
 These were all disposed in the wagon of our host, which 
 stood ready at the door. It was a rough affair, with stiff 
 wooden springs, like all those of the country, and suited to 
 the mountainous roads they are intended to traverse, rather 
 than for civilized ideas of comfort. We, however, bounded 
 into the low-backed seat ; and if it had been cushioned to suit 
 royalty, we could not have been more secure than we were 
 of luxurious comfort a fanciful illusion which it took but 
 little time, however, to dissipate in an astound, as we found 
 ourselves rumbling, pitching, and jolting over a road even 
 Worse than that which brought us first to the lake. It 
 seemed to me that nothing but the surprising docility of the 
 pretty span of glossy black ponies which drew us, could
 
 TROUTING ON JESSUP's RIVER. 505 
 
 have saved us, strong wagon and all, from a sudden return 
 to our original atoms. I soon got tired of this, and sprang 
 out with my gun, determined to foot it ahead, in the hope 
 of seeing a partridge or red squirrel. 
 
 The wagon, with its thundering rumble, was soon left 
 behind, and for several miles I tramped on alone through 
 the oppressive stillness of those old spruc6 and hemlock 
 forests, which line the road upon the hill-side and down steep 
 shaded valleys. It was then I observed the extraordinary- 
 stillness, which I found characterized the woods there, in 
 whatever direction I had penetrated. 
 
 I wondered for some time what was the cause, and what 
 it was I missed so much, until I discovered the almost total 
 absence of the different varieties of squirrel. Then I under- 
 stood at once. 
 
 These creatures are the great enliveners of forest scenery, 
 and we unconsciously as much expect to hear them rattling 
 over the dry leaves their rustling leap from bough to bough 
 the pattering of nuts they are unhusking over head their 
 saucy chattering and defiant bark or to see their graceful 
 forms leap across the path dart up and around the standing 
 trunks or along the dead logs, as we do, to see the trees 
 themselves, or hear the winds murmur through their leaves. 
 Every where, except in the tropics, they are ever-present 
 and more essential to the complete characteristics of forest 
 scenery, than even the birds themselves. This is particularly 
 the case at the north, where the varieties of the birds are 
 neither so abundantly musical or large as in the Middle 
 States. I never saw woods before through which you might 
 walk all day, from day to day, for weeks, and most probably 
 not see or hear the sound of a single squirrel. 
 
 I had spent much time in the woods, and had not been able 
 to reconcile myself to this strange want, which impressed me, 
 even before I heard the cause, with something like a funeral 
 desolation with the shadow of a feeling like that which we
 
 506 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 would have in walking through the echoing streets of a 
 plague-depopulated city. I was greatly surprised when I 
 found how analogous the case really was. On inquiring 
 among the old hunters, I heard from them the reason. 
 
 In the first place, the chickaree, or common red squirrel, 
 is the only one, except the little chip squirrel, they have 
 there at all as a resident variety for although the gray 
 squirrel has occasionally made its appearance for a little 
 while, the black martin, which is very abundant, is said 
 to enter its hole and destroy it, before it has time to breed 
 much, while the hole of the chickaree is too small for it to 
 gain admittance. Well, about twenty years ago, the country 
 was literally overrun one summer by a plague of red squirrels, 
 curiously enough, too, accompanied by great numbers of the 
 little deer mouse or jumping mouse. The two united, 
 destroyed nearly the whole of the standing crops of grain, 
 and swarmed over the outhouses and even the dwelling- 
 houses themselves, and along the fences by the roadside, 
 and indeed through the woods every where. 
 
 The people were alarmed by the apprehension of great 
 loss, and even a partial famine, when suddenly the curse 
 was swept away in a most singular manner. The squirrels 
 all at once began to act strangely ; they were observed to 
 drag themselves slowly along the ground across the roads, 
 so that the people could crush them with their heels. Those 
 on the fences would mope and stagger along the rails, or 
 falling off, would be seen in dozens hanging by one claw, 
 until they dropped dead to the ground. They could be 
 killed by hundreds, with a small stick, and the very air 
 became impure with the stench of their dead bodies. On 
 examination, it was found they were literally covered over 
 their whole bodies witn warty and vermillion-colorcd pustules, 
 which looked very foul and angry. The mice were visited 
 in the same way, and nearly all, if not all, died off; since, 
 for several years after, not a creature of either kind was to
 
 TROUTING ON JESSUP'S RIVER. 507 
 
 be seen, and to this day they have remained remarkably 
 scarce. 
 
 This story seemed very strange to me, but one day I shot 
 a young red squirrel, the first I had killed since I came for 
 lack of opportunity and I found it covered by this same 
 warty disease, which had been described as causing their 
 extermination so long ago. The pustules were quite small 
 upon it, and not so thickly placed as in the time of the 
 plague, when they were as large as a pea of good size, and 
 there was not the space of a pin's head any where between 
 them ! This accounts for their not having increased more 
 rapidly since the fact shows that the disease continues to 
 linger with them, preventing, as I suppose, their arriving at 
 maturity, in the majority of cases. 
 
 But I have gone a good way aside from my theme to 
 narrate these curious facts, and must get back to the 'Bridge' 
 again, at which we arrived about the middle of the afternoon. 
 There we found an old field just across the bridge. It was 
 called AVilcox's Clearing, and like all such places I had seen 
 in this fine grazing region, was still well sodded down in 
 Timothy, blue grass, and clover. Our luggage having been 
 deposited in the shantee, which consisted nearly of boards 
 torn from the old house, which were leaned against the sides 
 of two forks, placed a few feet apart, we set off at once for 
 the Falls, a short distance above. This was merely an initial 
 trial, to obtain enough for dinner, and find the prognostics 
 of the next day's sport in feeling the manner of the fish. 
 
 At the Falls the river is only about fifteen feet wide, 
 though its average width is from twenty-five to thirty. The 
 water tumbles over a ledge of about ten feet, at the bottom 
 of which is a fine hole, while on the surface sheets of foam 
 are whirled round and round upon the tormented eddies for 
 the stream has considerable volume and power. 
 
 We stepped cautiously along the ledge, Piscator ahead, and 
 holding his precious flies ready for a cast, which was most
 
 508 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTEKS. 
 
 artistically made, not without a glance of triumphing pity at 
 poor me, who was preparing to do the same with the humble 
 angle-worm. The 'flies' fall I see the glance of half a 
 dozen golden sides darting at them but, by this time, nry; 
 own cast is made, and I am fully occupied with the struggles 
 of a fine trout. 
 
 What a thrilling sensation it is ! the bite of the first 
 trout ! renewed each season, too, in all the strength of 
 novelty, when you, perhaps, for the fiftieth time after the 
 weary interval otherwise employed, feel again the electric 
 shock of its pull, communicated through your arm to all 
 your frame the heart bounds as gladly, and the eyes gleam 
 in as wild an ecstacy of delight, for the moment, as on your 
 boyhood's first capture. But the 'black flies' swarmed by 
 this time with such a wounding, maddening buzz into my 
 eyes, nostrils and mouth, behind my ears, and up my sleeves, 
 that no mortal enthusiasm could stand it any longer. 
 
 "Here, George, in heaven's name take my rod! My veil! 
 where is it ? I have forgotten it !" 
 
 "No, here it is I thought of it!" and he drew it from 
 his bosom. How I blessed the fellow ! It was on and 
 adjusted in an instant and then I had time to draw a 
 long breath and look around me. 
 
 " Hey ! seven trout. What, did I catch all those in this 
 little while ?" I exclaimed, in a surprise not very compli- 
 mentary to Piscator's ' flies.' 
 
 "I caught one of 'em!" growled he while he persever- 
 ingly whipped the foam with his flies. I turned towards 
 him, and through my green veil his forlorn, despairing face 
 looked jaundiced. I was moved to pity. 
 
 " Try the worms, good Piscator here they are. This is 
 not the right time of day for them to take the flies in this 
 river, I judge !" 
 
 He was soothed, and eagerly improving the door of escape 
 thus opened to him, took off the flies and used worms with
 
 TROUTING ON JESSUP'g RIVER. 509 
 
 immediate and brilliant success, which brought back the 
 placid smile to his face, and he would now and then as 
 calmly brush away the distracting swarm of flies from his 
 face, as if they had been mere innocent motes. He had 
 only taken the one with his flies at the first instant of his 
 cast and afterward, not a single trout would rise to them. 
 But later that evening came a temporary triumph for Piscator. 
 The hole at the Falls was soon exhausted, and we moved on 
 down to glean the ripples. It was nearly sundown, and here 
 the pertinacious Piscator determined to try the flies again. 
 He cast with three, and instantly struck two half-pound 
 trout, which, after a spirited play, he safely landed. Never 
 did I see so proud a look of exulting triumph as that which 
 glowed upon his as he bade me "look there!" when he landed 
 them. 
 
 " Very fine, Piscator ! a capital feat ! but I fear it was an 
 accident ! You will not get any more that way !" 
 
 "We shall see, sir!" said he proudly, and commenced 
 whipping the water again, but to no avail, while I continued 
 throwing them out with great rapidity. 
 
 I carefully abstained from watching him, for I had no 
 desire to spoil his evening sport by taunting him, to continue 
 his experiment. I soon observed him throwing out, the fish 
 with great spirit again. I merely shouted to him across the 
 stream " The angle-worm, once more, Piscator ?" 
 
 "Yes !" with a laugh. 
 
 As the sun went down, the black gnats began to make 
 themselves felt in their smarting and infinitesimal myriads, 
 and we forthwith beat a hasty retreat to the shantee. These 
 creatures, which are the most diabolical pests that ever 
 haunted the air and water-side, are, I think, identical with 
 the sand fly in Texas where it is the terror of all low, sandy, 
 bottom lands, and valleys below the sea range. It follows 
 the black fly, which is about half the size and a good deal the 
 shape of the common house fly. About an hour after its
 
 510 "WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 appearance in the afternoon, and its coming is considered 
 the universal signal for retreat from the fishing grounds, as 
 no heroism, not even that of Piscator, could long withstand 
 their assaults. 
 
 We had taken about ten pounds of trout ; and the first 
 procedure, after reaching the camp, was to build a ' smudge,' 
 or smoke-fire, to drive away these abominable gnats, which 
 fortunately, take flight with the first whiff of smoke and the 
 next was to prepare the fish for dinner, though not till all 
 had been carefully dressed by the guide, and placed in the 
 cold current of the little spring stream near, that they might 
 keep sound. 
 
 Now came the rousing fire, and soon some splendid trout 
 were piled upon dishes of fresh pealed elm bark before us. 
 They were very skillfully cooked, and 0, ye deluded Epicu- 
 reans ! let me tell ye ! ye know not, on your rich and 
 massive plate, the true flavor of this rare morsel for the Gods 
 to smack their lips at, that I took up in my fingers from the 
 bark dish no, the ripe, high color of the flesh the sweet, 
 melting, luscious, glorious titillation of the palate by which I 
 was exalted there in that rude shantee, to the highest heaven 
 of the sense, you cannot know ! The exquisite aroma has 
 passed away before it reaches you, fading with the splendid 
 colors of the skin, and ye cannot catch it ! Not all your 
 wealth can transport it in the season, delicious as we had it. 
 You can get them so in the winter, when it is cold enough to 
 freeze them instantly on coming from the water, but not 
 otherwise. 
 
 The feast being over, then to recline back upon the fresh 
 couch of soft spruce boughs, and with a cigar in mouth, watch 
 the gathering ' night-shades ' brooding lower and more low 
 upon the thick wild forest in front far into the depths of 
 which the leaping flames of our crackling fire go, darting 
 now and then with a revealing tongue of quick light and 
 listening to the owl make hoarse answer to the wolf afar off
 
 TROUTING ON JESSUP'S RIVER. 511 
 
 to think of wild passages in a life of adventure years ago 
 amidst surroundings such as this ; with the additional spice 
 of peril from savage and treacherous foes, and then, as the 
 hushed life subsides into a stiller mood, see the faces of loved 
 ones come to you through the darkness, with a smile from oui 
 your distant home, and while it sinks sweetly on your heart, 
 subside into happy and dream-peopled slumber ! " This ! this 
 is bliss !" the bliss of the shantee to the wearied sportsman ! 
 a bliss unattainable to the sluggish and jaded gourmand of 
 the city ! 
 
 We were on foot with the sun next morning, and after 
 another feast, which we appreciated with unpalled appetites, 
 we set off for some deep spring holes nearly a mile above the 
 Falls. The morning set cloudy, and rain fell piteously for 
 several hours. During this time we had reached the neigh- 
 borhood of the holes, after an abominably rough scramble 
 along the mountain side ; and here George set to work to 
 construct a raft of the decayed spruce which stood around. 
 This completed, it was launched with great labor into the 
 Stream ; and as the day was beginning to clear off, Piscator 
 BO far conquered his horror of getting wet, as to agree to 
 start. "We pulled noiselessly up to the spring hole, and 
 found it very deep, and quite large for the general size 
 of the stream. 
 
 The instant my hook was in the water, a fine trout was 
 hung, and even Piscator, who still persevered with the 
 flies, was successful the first cast, as usual. But as no 
 further notice was taken of the flies by the trout, and I 
 continued to pull out the noble fellows as fast as I could 
 throw my hook in, he changed very quickly again to the 
 worm. The sport was now magnificent, and all the time, 
 one line or the other was singing through the deep water to 
 the struggles of a trout, and often both at the same time. 
 We found the raft very convenient, for having no landing
 
 512 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 net, "while they were playing vigorously, we would take them 
 on a spring upward through the water, and by a quick move- 
 ment, adding to their impetus, would land them on the raft. 
 We took several of that most splendidly beautiful of all trout, 
 the "red bellied" for their bellies are as if of burnished 
 gold, heated to a red heat, while the spots upon their sides 
 fairly glitter, while their fins are black, bordered with white. 
 
 The moment they were hooked, we could see their sides 
 flash up from the depths of the hole like the gleam of an 
 angry blaze, and they shot like fiery meteors through the 
 air as they leaped from it. We moved on slowly down the 
 stream with our raft, after they ceased to bite here, and took 
 from one to two and four pounds from every hole we passed, 
 until I became weary of the sport, and even Piscator con- 
 fessed himself for once to have had enough of trout fishing. 
 The time had come for our return home, and now the inter- 
 minable rain set in again more violently than ever, and our 
 guide, who had fifty pounds of trout upon his shoulder, 
 shrank from clambering back over the mountain with such a 
 burden, and we landed on the opposite side of the river, to 
 return by a new and longer though more level route. 
 
 Of all the dismal and exhausting walks ever taken, this 
 seemed to me the most so. A violent west wind ha-d set in, 
 dashing on its cold current the colder rain into our faces. 
 We were chilled and wet in an instant after starting. Much 
 of the way led through a deep tangle of elder and raspberry 
 bushes, which were as high as our heads, and bent with the 
 burden of icy rain drops. So this gave us a double bath. 
 We managed or, our guide did for us ! to get lost in the 
 bargain ; had five miles to tramp through the thick pine 
 woods, plunging through swamps, and stumbling into deep 
 holes, over roots, dead trees, and rocks. There was one 
 comfort before us, at least, the prospect that we should find 
 our host waiting for us at the bridge with the wagon.
 
 TROUTING ON JESSUP'S RIVER. 513 
 
 On we staggered bravely splash ! splash ! drip ! drip ; 
 Above us, under, and on every side, the gelid rain ! As is 
 an incessant shower bath, far more exhausting than a pro- 
 tracted plunge so was this wading through wet bushes 
 beneath the pitiless pelting rain. I am sure that it abstracted 
 a greater amount of vital heat and strength from us than 
 wading the same length of time in cold water would have 
 done. At least I never remember to have been more utterly 
 exhausted than when we reached the bridge, and found, to 
 our great joy, the wagon in waiting. 
 
 Fortunately, our host had been prudent enough to bring 
 blankets with him, and wrapping our shivering bodies in 
 these, we hurried off on our return. It was no use going 
 to our shantee for comfort the fire was out, and the rain 
 had set in for a week to come, and it was a poor affair at 
 best. Though it was a break-neck road, I urged him with 
 chattering teeth, to drive faster ; but the immovable Piscator 
 quietly suggested that I should "take it easy!" I stared at 
 the man, for I was excessively nervous and irritable, politely 
 wishing him in a warmer place with his philosophy. He only 
 laughed, and as that made me still more angry, I was soon 
 nearly warmed up again. 
 
 Strange as the remedy may seem to those who are not 
 familiar with the miracles of bathing, I took forthwith a bath 
 of very cold water on reaching home. This warmed me 
 instantly and thoroughly, and then the flesh brush and dry 
 clothes completed the magical process of immediate transfer 
 from the arctic to the tropics, which my sensations underwent, 
 without the aid of fire or sun. 
 
 I never felt more delightfully than I did when I sat down 
 to a fine dinner that evening in the old Tavern, and very 
 much of this pleasurable feeling of entire comfort I attributed 
 to the prompt use of the cold bath. I have mentioned 
 Piscator's hydrophobia, so far as the external application of 
 
 33
 
 514 fcTLD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 cold water was concerned, and the fact, that when we met 
 at table, he appeared, in spite of his philosophy, far from 
 refreshed or cheerful, I could not help attributing it to 
 his neglect of this precaution. Poor Piscator, with all his 
 puisance in ' flies,' his appetite for that delicious trout dinner 
 failed him.
 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 ANECDOTES OF MOOSE AND DEER HUNTING AMONG THE 
 NORTHERN LAKES. 
 
 I HAVE already furnished a description of two modes of 
 hunting deer, practised in the lake country ; one by driving 
 them into the lake, the other, by candle light on the marsh. 
 These are methods almost peculiar to this Ariondack region^ 
 while there are several more which they practice there, in 
 common with many other parts, such as driving on the 
 "run-ways" still-hunting, and hunting on the "crust" with 
 snow-shoes, 
 
 Deer are so surprisingly abundant, that it is worth while 
 
 515
 
 516 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 to know something of the how, the wherefore and the when 
 of all these methods for nothing is more certain than that 
 you can get this game, and an abundance of it, if you only 
 go at the right time, and seek it in the right way. 
 
 The two favorite methods of taking deer are running them 
 into the lake, and hunting them on the crust the first for 
 summer and fall, the other for winter, of course. 
 
 The proper time for the first method is about the beginning 
 of September when the down is off their horns, and they 
 are getting into the "blue coat." That is the season may 
 be said to be then commenced, for, of course, the deer are 
 improving every day. In three weeks more they will be 
 " seal fat," and will take to the water almost as soon as you 
 start them. This sport continues until the lakes freeze over, 
 when hunting on the crust takes its place. 
 
 Driving on the run-ways is not much practiced here, for 
 the run-ways are so numerous that it requires a large company 
 to man them all, which must be done in most instances to 
 insure sport, since it is next to impossible to tell through 
 which of them all the deer will pass a second time. 
 
 But as I could at any time start a deer within half a mile 
 of where I then quartered, at a rude farm house near a small 
 lake, and that within the hour, too, by the help of the old 
 hound, Ring, it is not to be wondered at that I have several 
 times succeeded, with all the uncertainty, in getting a deer 
 on the run-way. None but a native, with his fly-proof skin, 
 can evei do much at ''still hunting" here, so long as the 
 warm weither lasts, for as the whole success of this hunt 
 depends upon your preserving the most perfect and statue-like 
 stillness, it requires a test of heroism which I could never 
 bring 'myself up to meet. It is easy enough to find where 
 the deer arc, and even to catch a glimpse of them or hear 
 them as they run off, but your hands must be going so 
 incessantly, for the protection of your excoriated face and 
 neck, that tht wary and keen-sighted creatures are almost
 
 CRUST AND LAKE HUNTING. 517 
 
 sure to see you first, and then you only get whistled at by 
 them for your pains ! 
 
 So that, after trying every other mode of summer and fall 
 hunting, you are compelled to fall back upon the lakes at 
 last. Round Lake and Pleasant used to be famous for this 
 hunt, but they have fallen greatly into disrepute now ; though 
 it is still very easy any warm morning to drive a deer into 
 this end of Lake Pleasant, as I have found by repeated 
 experiments. 
 
 However, there are other lakes at hand where the sport 
 is much more exciting and sure. Whittaker Lake is now 
 more resorted to, and that, too, with more surprising success, 
 than any other nearer than Louis Lake. It always has been, 
 and must continue, so long as there are any deer in the 
 country, to be the favorite place of refuge for them, on account 
 of its peculiar conformation. Its two islands, and the many 
 narrow coves for which it is peculiar, offer many facilities 
 for ready escape, by losing the dogs. In this hunt there 
 should generally be at least two boats on -the lake. This 
 is particularly necessary at Whittaker, where there were 
 formerly two boats. To give some idea of the method of 
 conducting this hunt, practiced by the natives here, each 
 of whom is a good oarsman of course, I will give an outline 
 of what three men accomplished in a single day's hunt. 
 
 Three is the proper number to act without mutual embar- 
 rassment, two to man the boats and one to "put out" the 
 dogs. This party had two dogs, one of which was remarkably 
 sagacious and well trained. They shanteed on the shore 
 the over night, and the dogs were put out by sunrise in 
 the morning. 
 
 The two boatmen, or rather one in a boat and the other in 
 a small canoe, took position ; the boat hid in the grass of the 
 marsh at one end, and the canoe under the alders at the 
 point of one of the islands. In a very short time a large 
 buck came splashing through the marsh in a terrible panic,
 
 518 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 and nearly ran over the man in the boat, who shot him before 
 he reached the deep water. The dogs were then put out 
 again, and before ten o'clock they brought another deer 
 down to the water but this fellow skulked, swam across a 
 narrow cove, and made off again. He did not return to this 
 lake, which is very unusual, but made off to another, Elm 
 Lake, three miles distant. The dogs were not reclaimed 
 until noon. After feeding and a short rest, they were put 
 out for a third race, and in a little while drove in a third 
 deer, which struck out for the widest part of the lake. 
 
 Both hunters started in pursuit ; the oarsman cut it off 
 from land, and the boatsman, who was* furnished with a long, 
 forked stick, across the prongs of which a slip-noose of rope 
 was tied, now came up by the side of the swimming deer, 
 and threw the rope over its head. It plunged very violently, 
 but in spite of its struggles he pushed its head under water 
 with the assistance of the fork, and soon drowned it. This 
 was a fine doe. 
 
 The dogs were again put out, and after a long race brought 
 in a yearling spike buck. It came to the water twice, but 
 as it had the wind of the two hunters, both times it turned 
 and went out. It came at last on the opposite side, and 
 struck right out for the open water. The canoe man did 
 not succeed in cutting it off this time, and it reached one 
 of the islands. The boatman shot at it as it Avas going out, 
 and missed. 
 
 They then took a position on each side to prevent its 
 escape, while " Old Sound," who had reached the shore, and 
 comprehended in a moment how matters were, swam to the 
 island and soon routed the little buck, which now attempted 
 to reach the second island. The man in the canoe cut it 
 off this time, and darting up alongside of it as it swam, 
 seized it by its short horns, and drawing its head back, cut 
 its throat. 
 
 But the bcaiman in the meantime had his hands full as
 
 CRUST AND LAKE HUNTING. 519 
 
 well. He bad not time to load his gun or see what became 
 of the young buck, for the other dog had brought down an 
 enormous old buck, which took water at the same time near 
 him. He lay still and let it swim out some distance, and 
 then gave chase. He was soon up with him in wide water, 
 and attempted to throw the noose over its horns. The buck 
 showed fight, and striking up, suddenly knocked the stick 
 from his grasp. Then, with stiffened bristles, and a hoarse 
 low of wrath, it raised itself in the water, and planted its 
 fore-feet on the side of the boat. 
 
 The man was too old a hunter to be much alarmed, though 
 the deer seemed determined to turn the boat over or get in. 
 The gun was empty, as we have said, but these men always 
 throw a stout club of heavy green wood into the bottom of 
 the boat to provide against contingencies such as these 
 indeed, they frequently take nothing else with them, as this 
 is usually sufficient to kill any deer. A rapping blow across 
 the head with this club caused the buck to drop back into 
 the water, with his courage considerably cooled. 
 
 However, it soon renewed the fight, and as it caught most 
 of the blows aimed at its head upon its immense horns, the 
 man found he had both a tough and a dangerous job before 
 him. The deer, in the meantime, was making gradually for 
 the shore, and the hunter saw that it would effect its escape 
 at last, if he continued to fight so he directed all his efforts 
 to turning it off from shore, shouting at the same time to hia 
 comrade for help. He was nearly worn out with fatigue, 
 and had received several severe blows from the horns c* 
 the deer, when his friend came to his assistance and ft it 
 it through the head. 
 
 It was now nearly dark, and with four deer as the result 
 of one day's sport, they returned perfectly satisfied, as well 
 as worn out, to their shantee for the night. This day's 
 work, though an unusually successful one, will stand in it-3 
 modes and incidents, for a pretty fair epitone of the sport
 
 520 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 of " driving deer into the lake !" The Piseco Club boast 
 of having noosed a buck and taken him a prisoner to shore, 
 and tied him up to a tree. But this is a feat very easy of 
 accomplishment, so far as noosing the deer is concerned; 
 though, I suppose, no one else would fancy the troublesome 
 and useless job of getting the animal out of the water alive. 
 
 The boatman often takes the deer by the tail, and makes 
 it draw the boat ; and I know of instances where the perilous 
 feat of seizing a buck by the horns, and holding its head 
 under water until drowned, has been performed. But such 
 feats as this last are as rare as they are unwise. The most 
 amusing instance I have heard, though, of these attempts 
 to capture a grown animal, is furnished in that which was 
 made by a party of sagacious hunters in this neighborhood, 
 a winter ago, to take an old bull moose alive with ropes. 
 As this leaves the feat of the Piseco Club far in the shade, 
 I am tempted to give it. 
 
 Some lucky hunter had lately succeeded in capturing a 
 couple of moose alive, and had sold them to a menagerie 
 company for a round sum. This set all the hunters in a 
 furor to capture live moose. The yard of a famous largo 
 bull having been discovered by a half-breed Indian hunter, 
 he was accompanied by several of the hunters about Lake 
 Pleasant, on a grand turn-out to make the attempt upon this 
 fellow. The snow was very deep, and the moose was soon 
 brought to a stand by the men on their snow-shoes. When 
 they came up, they found he had backed himself into a 
 strong position, with the roots of a torn-up tree in his rear, 
 on one side, and a great shelving rock on the other. He 
 was an enormous fellow, and they proceeded to make their 
 demonstrations with most respectful caution. 
 
 One of the party ascended the trunk of the inclining tree 
 from his rear, and climbing thence on to the shelving rock 
 above, from, as he supposed, a very safe elevation, succeeded 
 in throwing a rope-noose over one of its spreading antlers.
 
 CRUST AND LAKE HUNTING. 521 
 
 Another adventurer, more daring than the first, took up 
 a position on the trunk of a fallen tree, almost touching 
 the flanks of the animal w!th his feet, and reaching over 
 dropped a second rope upon its horns, and was proceeding 
 triumphantly to give it a turn around the trunk, thinking 
 they had it all safe now. The creature shook its head, and 
 making a sudden plunge forward, jerked the men headfore- 
 most from both rocky shelf and log, snapping their nooses. 
 They fell against the hinder parts of the moose ; hut as those 
 in front, seeing their danger, made a great clamor at the 
 moment, the animal did not notice them; though, as it 
 retreated hack to its strong position, it trampled upon their 
 prostrate forms with its hind feet. The fellows yelled to 
 them to shoot, but as they had irritated the moose in front, it 
 mado a dash at them again, and they crawled out considerably 
 bruised. Not discouraged by any means, as yet, another 
 of the party succeeded in getting hold of the end of the 
 broken rope, and this was immediately secured to a limb 
 of the fallen tree once more. 
 
 They now thought they were certain to triumph, as they 
 roped its horns more securely than before, and proceeded to 
 throw slip-nooses among its feet, in the hope that it might 
 step into them, and that they would then be able to throw it. 
 It was very wary of the ropes. They thus caught one foot 
 only, after worrying the whole day with the creature, and 
 getting several of the party even more severely hurt. But 
 when the hunter who had this rope, and who was standing 
 directly in front of the infuriated animal, attempted to jerk 
 the foot from under it, it made one tremendous surge at him, 
 snapped the rope about its horns, and tossed him into the air 
 some ten feet on its broad, snow-shoveling antlers while the 
 second hero of the ropes on the log had his legs jerked from 
 under him, and fell as the first had fallen. There was a 
 frightened scattering of the whole party this time in earnest, 
 while the moose, with bristling sulkia'ss, retreated again to
 
 522 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 its old position. The bruised and crippled hunter who had 
 been thus summarily tossed, seized his gun, limped up close 
 to the moose, and shot it dead in his rage, just as if he had 
 any right to have expected any other treatment for his folly. 
 
 This party was thoroughly satisfied with their single experi- 
 ment, and have very safely promised their anxious mothers 
 and sweethearts, never to make another such. 
 
 But crust hunting is by far the most destructive method 
 of pursuing the deer known in this region. The deer form 
 "yards" on the bleak northern sides of the mountains, and 
 the ,e are sometimes five or six miles in extent, and containing 
 iv great number of deer. They have deep roads or paths 
 leading in every direction, through the snow, and will never 
 leave these unless forced by the dog to do so. The deer 
 seldom runs far, but stops to fight until the hunter comes 
 up and kills it with his rifle, and sometimes with a club 
 or axe. 
 
 There is a well authenticated instance in illustration, that 
 I will relate. My guide has been a famous hunter in his 
 day. When he was about sixteen his father lived upon t h>gh 
 hill, in sight of my shantee. In a valley half a milj from 
 the hut, he had a small sugar camp. One bright morning, 
 early in March, when a slight snow had fallen over night, 
 upon the old crust, which was thin and melted through 
 in places, Clark, who was a stout jv,-uth, started to the 
 sugar camp to clean and set the troughs, as it promised to 
 be a fine day for the sap to run. He said he would be back 
 in time for breakfast, and followed by a noble hound, he was 
 soon out of sight. 
 
 'o><3 family waited and waited in vain for his return, until 
 noon, when his father, overcome by uneasiness, starfcd in 
 pursuit of the boy for knowing that he had no kind of 
 weapon,' not even a pocket-knife, with him, he could not 
 but fear that some accidout had happened. He met him 
 returning, panting up the hill.
 
 CRUST AND LAKE HUNTING. 523 
 
 " Why, Clark ! what in the name of wonder has been 
 keeping you all the morning ?" 
 
 " I got myself into business, and had it to attend to ; I've 
 been killing deer !" 
 
 " Killing deer ? What, did you gouge their eyes out ? 
 you'r got nothing about you to kill deer with." 
 
 " But I found a spruce knot that answered !" 
 
 The boy then went on to relate how he had found the 
 tracks of four deer that had come into the sugar camp. 
 The dog pursued them. It should be explained that the 
 spring thaw had commenced, and the snow was nearly melted 
 down, except under the shade of the deep woods, where it 
 was as deep as ever, and the crust so thin that the deer went 
 through easily. So soon as they came to the deep snow the 
 dog stopped one. The boy followed along, and where the 
 snow had thawed he found an old spruce log of great size, 
 which had fallen into decay and left the knots of the limbs, 
 which run back clear into the heart, round as ever and heavy 
 almost as iron. Clark snatched up one of these, and when 
 he came in sight the dog immediately seized the deer and 
 dragged it down on the snow. Clark came up with his knot- 
 club and knocked it on the head. They then followed on 
 again, and in a short time came up with another, which was 
 Berved in the same way, and a third also. 
 
 The fourth got to the Cungamunck river, and plunged into 
 a small hole through the ice. The dog would follow on the 
 ice as it swam round and round, and watching an opportunity, 
 seize the deer by the nose, and pulling back with all his 
 might, endeavor to drag it out. The deer would place its 
 fore feet against the ice and resist this proceeding, until 
 Clark came up at last, and for fear his dog might be dragged 
 in and get under the ice, he ended the pulling match by 
 knocking the deer on the head. 
 
 This was a pretty fair morning's work for a youth without 
 arms of any kind, but those nature had given him. This
 
 524 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 same dog, " Old Sound," met with a great many adventures 
 in his day. One of these is worth relating. His master, 
 with two other men, were out deer hunting in snow shoes, 
 and on the side of Dug Mountain the dog started three 
 deer. They followed on, and soon killed two of them ; the 
 other, a fine young three-year old buck, showed himself to 
 be, as the old man said, "the cunningest deer I ever see'd !" 
 There is a tremendous ledge on the side of this mountain, 
 which gives it its name, for it is bare of earth and almost 
 perpendicular, and looks as if it had been "dug" down the 
 face. 
 
 The deer was in full view, and commenced climbing up 
 along the edge of this ledge "to escape from the dog, who, 
 when he came up, in vain essayed the same feat. After 
 falling back several times, in the effort to follow the deer, 
 the sagacious creature gave it up, and followed along the 
 foot of the ledge to the other side. The deer looked as if he 
 must fall from its airy perch every instant, and they expected 
 to see it dashed to pieces ; but it descended in safety, to be 
 met by the dog on the other side. There the chase was 
 renewed until the old man knew, by the manner of his bark, 
 that the dog had brought it to bay. The three hunters now 
 endeavored to outstrip each other in getting to the deer ; but 
 the others, not being accustomed to snow shoes, got theirs 
 entangled, in their hurry, and fell. The old man came up 
 in sight of the deer alone. 
 
 He had followed the tracks in the snow, and to his great 
 surprise had not heard the dog bark for some time. There 
 stood the deer in the snow, bolt upright, with its feet gathered 
 up under it, and with bristles raised as if for a spring, but it 
 remained perfectly still, eyeing the approaching hunter. 
 
 "There's the deer," he said to himself, "butwherc's my 
 dog ? I can't see him any where !" But tho first thing to 
 be done was to shoot the deer which he did. The animal 
 fell over in the snow, and to his great astonishment, the dog
 
 CRUST AND LAKE HUNTING. 525 
 
 bounded up from beneath its feet, shaking the snow from his 
 hair. 
 
 Old Sound looked rather humiliated, and seating himself 
 a little distance off, gazed upon his dying conqueror in 
 demure silence. " The cunningest deer" having been baffled 
 in an extraordinary effort to get rid of its noisy foe, had 
 adopted the curious expedient of first beating him down in 
 the snow with its fore-paws, and then deliberately standing 
 on his prostrate body. Deer do some ugly things of this 
 kind occasionally. One of the neighboring hunters, who 
 was passing through the woods on the crust, without any 
 weapon but his pocket-knife, came upon three deer, one of 
 which was an immense buck. 
 
 The buck eyed the man as he came up, until he was within 
 a few yards of him, and then made right at him with his hair 
 turned the wrong way. He knocked the man down in the 
 snow, and commenced very deliberately stamping him to 
 death. He kept it up until the man lay still, and then he 
 would step off a little distance and turn to look at his victim. 
 If the man moved, he would plunge upon him again and give 
 him another pounding, until he was content to lie still. This 
 <ime had been repeated several times ; and the man, whose 
 strength was fast going, felt that he would soon be killed 
 if he could not get out of this scrape in some way for even 
 if he laid still the deer showed no disposition to leave him, 
 and he must freeze to death soon in his cold bed. He now 
 for the first time bethought him of his knife, and at the 
 expense of another pounding, got his hand into the pocket. 
 
 The deer stood off a little distance watching him ; but 
 when he had secured the knife, and managed to work it 
 open with one hand, he made a movement by kicking up the 
 snow with his feet. The buck was on him in an instant, as 
 usual, and the man, urged now to despair, rose upon his 
 elbow, and making three or four savage cuts upwards with 
 his knife, succeeded in reaching the vitals of the buck
 
 526 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 staggered off a few paces and fell dead upon the snow with 
 all its entrails let out. The man got home with great diffi- 
 culty and was laid up for some time after with his hurts. 
 This was a lesson he never forgot, and always took a gun 
 with him afterwards when he went into the woods on a crust. 
 
 Piscator and I having determined on a trip to the famous 
 Whittaker Lake, we set off on a fine morning before sunrise, 
 and on foot, accompanied by two guides and as many dogs, 
 well trained to this lake hunting. The morning proved to 
 be especially warm, and one of the guides most expressively 
 characterized it, as we passed up the southern side of a long 
 hill 
 
 "I swow ! but it's a yaller day!" was gasped out by the 
 fellow. 
 
 I laughed heartily, and thought that might "pass." The 
 little oxen performed miracles in dragging the sled with our 
 boat on it through the inconceivably rugged and tangled 
 woods, to the lake. The two guides went ahead to open 
 the way. We reached the margin between twelve and one. 
 When I reached the gap of the forest, which gave us an 
 outlook over the lake for I was some little distance ahead 
 imagine my astonishment at seeing four or five deer 
 leisurely feeding on the edge of the water, on the opposite 
 shore. My first hasty impulse was to fire my rifle at them, 
 they seemed so close ; but then I remembered, and was at 
 the same time reminded by the guide who followed, that 
 the lake was nearly half a mile wide. The deer had not 
 observed or heard us, since we had approached as quietly 
 as possible. 
 
 I stood and watched for some time the graceful and 
 unconscious creatures leisurely cropping the lily leaves and 
 buds that lay upon the surface of the calm lake. What a 
 shame it seemed that we had thus come to disturb and rouse, 
 with a bloody reveille, this happy quiet. They seemed, in 
 their hill-girt home, to be uttcrlv ignorant of man's harshness 
 
 O r O
 
 CRUST AND LAKE HUNTING. 527 
 
 in the world, and the old buck tossed his antlered head, as 
 proudly as if he were sole monarch of these wilds. They 
 were in view, feeding and sporting along the water of the 
 edge for a full half hour. 
 
 It would have been a lesson for those " budge doctors of 
 the stoic fur," of whom my friend Piscator is an emulous 
 disciple, to have witnessed the elate and eager longing of 
 the smile which radiated from his face while he gazed upoA, 
 this tranquil scene. His double-barrel quivered in his grasp 
 with the excitement, and his round, red lips looked watery. 
 With such a sight before us, you may rest assured there was 
 no time lost in dispatching our " bite" of a dinner, prepara- 
 tory for work. The boat was now quickly launched, and 
 the moment it touched the water, loud and unearthly cries, 
 deafening and sonorous, rose from every part of the lake. 
 I looked around in astonishment, and the eyes of Piscator 
 sought mine with something of a wild flaring in them, but 
 the guides smiled. 
 
 " Them's the loons !" said George. 
 
 Two or three of them now swam out fiom the point of the 
 nearest island, and curiously approached us. I saw at once 
 that it was the loon, or northern diver ; one of the most 
 beautifully marked of all the water-fowl. They properly 
 resented our intrusion upon their lovely and secluded breed- 
 ing-places, of which they evidently had not been conscious 
 until the splash of launching our boat upon their favorite 
 element conveyed to them, through some mysterious medium 
 of sympathy, the warning of our dangerous approaches. 
 Their cry is strangely human, and yet inhuman ; too, and 
 there is a wild and mournful quaver in it, such as I have 
 always observed to be peculiar to birds which frequent 
 desolate and solitary places. There is a strange and harmo- 
 nious fitness in this which never struck me so forcibly at 
 any other time, as during our stay at this lonely place. 
 
 Louden, the " yaller-day" man, who was to put out the
 
 528 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 dogs to drive the deer, was first taken across the lake with 
 his two dogs, and landed. George, who was now beginning 
 to develope new traits, which we afterwards found rather 
 characteristic of the professional guide among the lakes, 
 then brought back the boat for us. There were two islands 
 in the lake, a mile and a half long, and we were to stand 
 upon jhe larger one. At least, so Master George insisted. 
 He, in the boat, alone, was to undertake to drive the accomo- 
 dating deer that might swim into the lake, along up to us, to 
 be shot. A delectable plan, truly ! We were to stand, like 
 two innocents, on the island, to enjoy the sport of seeing 
 our guide chase and capture all the deer that came in. I 
 instantly perceived that this was one of the knavish tricks 
 of the guide, who, having in some such way laid the trouble- 
 some sportsman on the shelf, quietly monopolizes all the fun 
 to himself. I now began to obtain some insight into this 
 same Master George, in whom I fondly hoped I had found that 
 paragon an honest guide. I would not stand this impudent 
 trick, of course, since I paid the fellow for ministering to my 
 amusement, not his own. The pretence was, that the boat, 
 with two in it, would be too much freighted for the swift 
 rowing necessary for overtaking the deer. And good, easy 
 Piscator, eager as he was to retrieve his lost ground, and 
 immortalize himself in the world of his own self-content, by 
 killing the first deer, would insist that George must be right, 
 as it was his business to know better than we. 
 
 I insisted that he did not know better, and that it was 
 sheer knavery in him, and so indignantly urged it, that 
 Piscator was persuaded at last ; and as I surrendered th' 
 first chance to him he was to take his seat first in the boat 
 I now left them, and took my stand on the other end of thfc 
 island. Soon all was perfect silence again, broken only at 
 intervals by the clarion-like whoop of the troubled loor>s I 
 watched two of them, which, as I lay upon the moss, could see 
 me only indistinctly, and urged by their strong curiosity,
 
 CRUST AND LAKE HUNTING. 529 
 
 swam back and forth, each time coming slowly nearer me, 
 until they were so close that I could see the shine of their 
 dark eyes, and the white rings about their necks. 
 
 Soon the dogs open musically on, far up on the deep- 
 wooded side of Dug Mountain. It is a short and spirited 
 race, and while I lie abstractedly tracing the reverberations 
 of their voices among the mountains a splash ! My heart 
 leaps. There ! The deer has taken water at the southern 
 end of the lake. See, he swims already ! It's a noble fellow ! 
 Ha ! he is not coming for the open water ! "We shan't get 
 him ! He swims across that narrow .cove now he's out ! 
 See him shake the drops from his tawny hair, as he walks 
 deliberately into the woods again ! 
 
 There come the dogs ! Old Turk, with his face half white 
 and black, stands upon the shore an instant, snuffing over 
 the water. In he plunges ! What a bold and rapid swimmer ! 
 He swims out into the lake towards us. The trick has told 
 he has lost the deer. George puts out in the boat to meet 
 him. He takes him in and rows towards where the buck 
 went out. He has nearly reached the shore the dog stands 
 with his fore paws on the edge of the boat, snuffing the air. 
 There ! he plunges he has caught the scent again, and 
 away he goes, with eager yells, on the track. 
 
 He is off, and Master George does not return to us with 
 the boat. The rascal is out of our reach, and is determined 
 now, in spite of me, to carry out his purpose. Knowing 
 that he can invent some excuse which will satisfy Piscator, I 
 swallow my anger ; for this is his chance, and if he chooses 
 to lose it, well and good. In half an hour the deer is back, 
 takes the water on the other side of the lake, and makes for 
 the second island. Master George is off, and pulling with 
 his best might and skill to cut the deer off from the shore. 
 He has started too soon ; the deer has seen him, and turns. 
 They both disappear behind the point of the island. 
 
 The audacious rascal ! One of us should have been in that 
 
 34
 
 530 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 boat. The deer will be lost, for the gun he has is worthless. 
 In a moment we hear the gun, and then all is silent for 
 nearly half an hour. He has probably shot the deer. A 
 pretty business this ! We paying this impudent fellow to 
 take the deer from under our very noses. I was greatly 
 enraged, and it was well he did not make his appearance 
 soon. But the other dog has started now. A noisy and 
 exciting chase to and fro along the shore woods. After 
 awhile, who should make his appearance but Master George 
 again, shouting at the top of his voice, as he turned a point 
 of the island, with some small object swimming in the water 
 before him 
 
 " Here's your deer ! Here's your deer !" 
 
 " The devil it is !" I exclaimed, for I had now rejoined 
 Piscator. " That's no deer. It looks more like a rabbit or 
 musk-rat." 
 
 " Come along down shore and shoot it ; its a fawn," 
 shouted our redoubtable boatman. 
 
 "Why, you rascal, I don't want to hurt that little 
 creature ! Take it alive !" I shouted. 
 
 The fellow felt he had his peace to make, and accordingly 
 did his best to take the fawn alive. In his efforts to accom- 
 plish this, a most ludicrous and amusing scene occurred. 
 The dog Turk, who had lost the trail of his deer at the 
 water, then joined in the chase after the fawn, and now 
 came swimming boldly out after it. George had seized the 
 active little creature by the hind feet, and was endeavoring 
 to drag it into the boat. He had nearly succeeded, when 
 Turk leaped half way out of the water and upon the back 
 of the bleating fawn. George must release his hold to fight 
 off the dog, and now the struggle commenced. The fierce 
 and headstrong Turk, as in duty bound, is determined to 
 kill the game, and George that he shall not. While these 
 two are struggling, the poor little fawn would make some 
 headway, then George would be compelled to take up his
 
 CRUST AND LAKE HUNTING. 531 
 
 oars. The boat would shoot alongside again, and he would 
 seize it by the ears or tail to have the same scene over 
 again, for Turk was on hand to drag it back into the water, 
 when he had lifted it partly out. George became furious at 
 last, and his half-frantic, half-despairing screams of 
 
 "You Turk ! Get away, Turk ! Begone Turk !" mingled 
 with the bleating of the fawn and the angry barking of the 
 dog, and the splash and sputtering of the watery strife, pro- 
 duced a combination of sounds and scene so irresistibly comic, 
 that I sunk to the very earth with peal upon peal of unre- 
 strainable and almost hysterical laughter; for I enjoyed so 
 immensely the agony of George, that I had no time to think 
 of that of the poor little fawn. 
 
 At last this ludicrous contest came to a crisis. The fawn 
 had all this time been making for the shore, and now it had 
 struck shallow water, and was about to make its escape, when 
 George seized his gun and shot it through the head. I had 
 rather the blood of this little spotted thing had been on his 
 conscience than mine, and to do him justice, he seemed very 
 sorry for it afterwards. It turned out that the fellow had 
 missed the deer after all, and let it escape. I now peremp- 
 torily put a stop to that favorite joke of his going alone 
 and as Piscator had lost his chance, went into the boat 
 myself. I was still angry, but I had not the heart to abuse 
 him after affording me so hearty a laugh. 
 
 It was late, but the dogs made another start, and after 
 a short race, a fine young buck entered the water, and instead 
 of swimming, attempted, as the others had, to skulk along 
 the shore. We knew he was lying down, for we should have 
 seen his whole body, had he been standing up in the shallow 
 marsh. We watched in silence to see what the next maneuvre 
 would be when the dog came up, when suddenly a gun 
 exploded from the woods on shore, the deer rose, and with 
 a long bound, made for the shore. It was out of our rifle 
 range, but I could not resist the inclination, and sent a ball
 
 532 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 after him as lie went into the bush. It was the presuming 
 guide who put out the dogs. He d/d not see us as we lay 
 concealed in the grass, and had fired at the deer. The dogs 
 came up, we put them on the track, and they went off 
 splendidly. 
 
 It was not more than a minute, and we all three stood in 
 open view upon a log, upon which we had run the boat, when 
 the deer came in again at precisely the same place. We 
 stood still as if suddenly congealed I with my rod half- 
 driven home ; it came cautiously into the .water at first, but 
 did not seem to have noticed us, as is always the case if you 
 are perfectly motionless. At last it struck across the lake ; we 
 waited until it was too far from shore to turn back. "Now!" 
 I sprang into the boat, which George pushed off at the same 
 moment, and we darted through the water. We soon closed 
 upon the deer, which commenced bleating as we approached, 
 and it saw that capture was sure but yonder came the dogs 
 swimming out to us. We must make quick work of it. 
 
 " Shoot !" 
 
 I fired a ball into its head, and as it was going down, 
 George seized it by its hind legs, and drew it into the boat. 
 The weather now becoming unfavorable for the continuation 
 of our sport, we concluded to break up our shantee the next 
 day, and dismissing our worthless guide, we pushed on some 
 six miles further, through the mountains to the north, to 
 Louis Lake, where we purposed spending a week in hunting 
 and fishing at the shantee of "Old Sturgc." His two boys, 
 who were fifteen and sixteen years old, ofiiciating as our 
 guides. 
 
 This is the most picturesque and loveliest of all the lakes ; 
 and here we had abundant sport. The boys were extraordi- 
 nary specimens of the Wild Turkey breed of natural-born 
 hunters, and proved to be admirable guides. These youths 
 had been in the habit of walking since their early childhood 
 the most incredible distances, in these wild mountains, and
 
 CRUST AND LAKE HUNTING. 533 
 
 entirely alone. They were equally at home every where, as 
 much so as the wild deer they hunted. 
 
 Old Sturge himself is a ' case ' for any country. He will 
 walk forty miles a day with as little trouble as a dandy would 
 feel it to be promenading from the Astor to the Broadway 
 hotel ; and ' Sturge ' will have the advantage in that, though 
 he only carries a pack on his shoulders of sixty or eighty 
 pounds dead weight, the dandy is burdened with an unappre- 
 ciable quantity of live brass. He goes in and out to his 
 favorite Lake twice a day, something as if it were "only 
 cross the way." He is a helter-skelter, harum-scarum, good- 
 natured, headlong fellow, who is forever blundering into the 
 most ludicrous scrapes with wild animals, and yet has man- 
 hood enough to come out right end up usually. 
 
 He always has a number of traps set near the Lake. He 
 was coming in one morning with one or two old hunters, and 
 passing by a trap on the way, found a large bear caught by 
 the hind-leg. Without waiting to shoot the creature, or 
 indeed thinking at all of it, he rushed upon it with his knife 
 to cut its throat. Bruin of course met him with the hug 
 fraternal, and then commenced between them a desperate 
 struggle. His comrades were too much paralyzed with 
 laughter to come to his help, and before he succeeded in 
 despatching the bear with his knife, his clothing had all been 
 stripped off, and himself badly torn and bruised. 
 
 Nobody on the face of the earth but ( Old Sturge,' would 
 ever have dreamed of doing such a stupidly reckless thing ; 
 but this is only one out of many such madcap capers. How- 
 ever, he is pioneering a settlement to Louis Lake most 
 effectively, by taking there a large family of children most 
 of them boys, and as hardy as young partridges. He intends 
 to keep a corner of the shantee for sportsmen, who prefer 
 Louis Lake, and the tough, wiry old fellow will hold himself 
 in readiness to carry them astride his shoulders if they desiro 
 it thirty miles further into the wilderness.
 
 534 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 There is an amusing story told of Old Sturge's first inter* 
 view with a moose, which is worth giving before we dismiss 
 him. It was soon after he came to the country from ' down 
 east,' and when he was somewhat green upon the subject of 
 ' wild varmints ' in general. 
 
 Some one had shown him how to set his traps at Louis 
 Lake, and one morning when he went to visit them, rifle in 
 hand, he saw a huge black beast lying in the place of one 
 of his traps. He said he thought it was the Old Harry 
 himself, with a bundle of pitchforks, and iron-wooden shovels 
 on his head but though mortally frightened, and very much 
 disposed to run back home, he concluded finally, that to save 
 his manhood he must take a shot at it any how. It had not 
 seen him, and he was quite close, so he blazed away. Whether 
 he shut his eyes or not, he does not know, but the creature 
 paid no attention to him, and did not even turn its head. 
 
 Finding himself alive after this desperate venture, he took 
 courage, hid behind a tree, and loaded again. He fired 
 again with the same result. He began now to think that 
 it surely bore a charmed life, and said that when ho 
 looked along the barrel at it, it grew as large as a meeting 
 house, and that when in spite of his fear he aimed right at 
 the middle of this great pile, the ball would go clear through, 
 and it would close up again. He says he got madder and 
 madder, and worse and worse scared every time he shot, 
 until he supposed he had been at it an hour or two, when, as 
 his last load was fired, the great black beast got up and gave 
 nne tremendous bound. He heard his steel trap fall clashing 
 back against the stones, and it was gone. 
 
 After he had sufficiently recovered from his trepidation, 
 he went up to the trap, and found there, between its saw-like 
 teeth, the veritable 'split hoof,' for which the old gentleman 
 he took it for is so famous ! lie swears to this day that 
 there was a strong smell of sulphur in the woods, which 
 remained for weeks afterwards.
 
 CKUST AND LAKE HUNTING. 535 
 
 He came into the settlement in a great fright with the 
 hoof, but the old hunters looked wise and solemn, shaking 
 their heads. Sturge, poor fellow, could get no consolation 
 out of them. When winter came, he went with a party to 
 hunt moose, and when in the yard, they came upon a huge 
 bull moose, Sturge was for making tracks as fast as his snow 
 shoes would let him, yelling 
 
 "That's him! there he is again!" but the hunters stopped 
 him with roars of laughter, and let him shoot at the bull 
 until he brought it down, when he satisfied himself that it 
 had not the ' forked tail,' and therefore was not the genuine 
 Old Harry ! But this was when Sturge was young and 
 verdant, and his mistake after all was no more remarkable 
 than many others that have been made at the susceptible 
 age. He has killed many moose since, but always has to fire 
 a great many shots at them for he says that somehow, since 
 that time, they " will look so big he can't see his sights !"
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 HUNTING ELEPHANTS IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 BUT the " Hunter-Naturalist" is not confined to the " wild 
 scenes" of our young continent. There yet remain upon the 
 oldest continent of the Old "World "Realms of Ancient 
 Solitude" as vast, as savage, as difficult of penetration; "where 
 action as wild, and passions as uncontrolled as those we 
 have been witnessing and depicting, find "verge and room 
 enough." 
 
 The same audacious spirit of inquiry and passionate aban- 
 don of taste, which has characterized the half-scientific, 
 half-Nomadic explorer here, has carried, in some stage of 
 development, the " Hunter-Naturalist" in whatever direction 
 the empire-measuring eye of Britain has been turned, forward 
 as the "-surveyor," in advance of chain and staff, to explore, 
 of his own free will, and report of his own free fancy, concern- 
 ing the prospective riches of these remote lands. 
 
 Thus a new class of adventurers has grown up under the 
 far-seeing policy, first of the Honorable East India Company, 
 and afterwards, perforce of example, under the general 
 military administration of British colonial affairs, which 
 aspires at once to combine all characteristics of the Boones 
 and Audubons of our history. The stories of tiger hunting 
 on elephants by officers of the British army, which have for so 
 long constituted the staple of savage romance in that direction, 
 as to render their details now superlatively stale, have yet 
 had their effect in developing this new British type, though 
 it be but a secondary one ; yet the lawless magnificence of 
 
 536
 
 ELEPHANT HUNTING. 537 
 
 action and association which had rendered the character of 
 Pioneer and Hunter-Naturalist nearly synonomous in renown 
 here, had still more to do with this result in affording the most 
 extraordinary and illustrious instances of individual heroism 
 the world ever saw. Men became emulous of this personal 
 glory, with which the association of single names with the 
 conquest of empires, first with mere handfulls of followers, as 
 with Cortez and Pizarro, and afterwards through all unex- 
 pected disparities of numbers, down to the solitary man, as 
 with Boone, had been made so familiar since the discovery 
 of the New World. If there were no new worlds to discover, 
 there were at least new regions to explore; if there were 
 no more Perus or Mexicos to conquer, there were great herds 
 of peaceful elephants browsing the unpenetrated forests of the 
 vast interior of Africa, in the hunt of which energies as rest- 
 less and irrepressible could be expended. Thus the pacific 
 and curious traveller, such as Bruce, or "more merchant- 
 like," as Marco Paulo and Sir John Mandeville, has given 
 place to such Nimrods on parole as Major W. Cornwallis 
 Harris, R. Gorden Cummings, etc., of the British army in 
 South Africa, who have lately made themselves illustrious as 
 having gone forth if not literally 
 
 " With a pine 
 For a spear, 'gainst the mammoth," 
 
 at least practically, with their short rifles against 
 " foaming behemoth." 
 
 The adventures of these men open a new and very curious, 
 as well as striking chapter of "Wild Scenes and Wild 
 Hunters" in the old world. Each tells his own story with the 
 characteristic extravagance of the adventurer ; but this con- 
 sists more in expression than fact. They are both inspired 
 with the genuine spirit of the " Hunter-Naturalist," and in 
 their eager emulation of securing " trophies" of specimens,
 
 538 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 have done much to illustrate the Natural History of an 
 immense and wholly unknown country. Of the two, Harris 
 has ten years the precedence in the field; and to say the 
 least, there is a somewhat suspicious resemblance between 
 many of the incidents in Cummings' book and his on the 
 " Sports of South Africa." This coincidence, however natural, 
 from the fact that much the same ground has been gone 
 over by both, is yet strong enough to show that Cummings 
 has taken Harris for his master and model. As a proper 
 introduction to these "Wild Scenes," I shall give from 
 Cummings a general sketch of the habits of the elephant. 
 
 Before proceeding further with my narrative, it may here 
 be interesting to make a few remarks on the African elephant 
 and his habits. The elephant is widely diffused through the 
 vast forests, and is met with in herds of various numbers. 
 The male is very much larger than the female, consequently 
 much more difficult to kill. He is provided with two enormous 
 tusks. These are long, tapering, and beautifully arched ; 
 their length averages from six to eight feet, and they weigh 
 from sixty to a hundred pounds each. In the vicinity of 
 the equator the elephants attain to a greater size than to 
 the southward ; and I am in the possession- of a pair of tusks 
 of the African bull elephant, the larger of which measures 
 ten feet nine inches in length, and weighs one hundred and 
 seventy-three pounds. The females, unlike Asiatic elephants 
 in this respect, are likewise provided with tusks. The price 
 which the largest ivory fetches in the English market is from 
 X28 to ,32 per hundred and twelve pounds. Old bull 
 elephants are found singly or in pairs, or consorting together 
 in small herds, varying from six to twenty individuals. The 
 younger bulls remain for many years in the company of their 
 mothers, and these are met together in large herds of from 
 twenty to a hundred individuals. The food of the elephant 
 consists of the branches, Icnves and roots of trees, and also of 
 a variety of bulbs, of the situation of which he is advisee 5 by
 
 ELEPHANT HUNTING. 539 
 
 his exquisite sense of smell. To obtain these he turns up 
 the ground with his tusks, and whole acres may be seen thus 
 plowed up. Elephants consume an immense quantity of 
 food, and pass the greater part of the day and night in 
 feeding. Like the whale in the ocean, the elephant on land 
 is acquainted with, and roams over, wide and extensive 
 tracts. He is extemely particular in always frequenting 
 the freshest and most verdant districts of the forest; and 
 when one district is parched and barren, he will forsake it 
 for years, and wander to great distances in quest of better 
 pasture. 
 
 The elephant entertains an extraordinary horror of man, 
 and a child can put a hundred of them to flight by passing 
 at a quarter of a mile to windward ; and when thus disturbed, 
 they go a long way before they halt. It is surprising how 
 soon these sagacious animals are aware of the presence of a 
 hunter in their domains. When one troop has been attacked, 
 all the other elephants frequenting the district are aware of 
 the fact within two or three days, when they all forsake it, and 
 migrate to distant parts, leaving the hunter no alternative 
 but to inspan his wagons and remove to fresh ground. This 
 constitutes one of the greatest difficulties which a skillful 
 elephant-hunter encounters. Even in the most remote parts, 
 which may be reckoned the head-quarters of the elephant, it is 
 only occasionally, and with inconceivable toil and hardship, that 
 the eye of the hunter is cheered by the sight of one. Owing to 
 habits peculiar to himself, the elephant is more inaccessible, 
 and much more rarely seen, than any other game quadruped, 
 excepting certain rare antelopes. They choose for their 
 resort the most lonely and secluded depths of the forest, 
 generally at a very great distance from the rivers and 
 fountains at which they drink. In dry and warm weather 
 they visit these waters nightly, but in cool and cloudy weather 
 they drink only once every third or fourth clay. About 
 sundown the elephant leaves his distant mid-day haunt, and
 
 540 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 commences his march toward the fountain, which is probably 
 from twelve to twenty miles distant. This he generally 
 reaches between the hours of nine and midnight, when, 
 having slaked his thirst and cooled his body by spouting 
 large volumes of Avater over his back with his trunk, he 
 resumes the path to his forest solitudes. Having reached a 
 secluded spot, I have remarked that, full-grown bulls lie down 
 on their broadsides, about the hour of midnight, and sleep 
 for a few hours. The spot which they usually select is an 
 ant-hill, and they lie around it with their backs resting 
 against it ; these hills formed by the white ants, are from 
 thirty to forty feet in diameter at their base. The mark 
 of the under tusk is always deeply imprinted in the ground, 
 proving that they lie upon their sides. I never remarked 
 that females had thus lain down, and it is only in the more 
 secluded districts that the bulls adopt this practice ; for I 
 observed that, in districts where the elephants were liable 
 to frequent disturbance, they took repose standing on their 
 legs beneath some shady tree. Having slept, they then 
 proceed to feed extensively. Spreading out from one another, 
 and proceeding in a zigzag course, they smash and destroy 
 all the finest trees in the forest which happen to lie in their 
 course. The number of goodly trees which a herd of bull 
 elephants will thus destroy is utterly incredible. They are 
 extremely capricious, and on coming to a group of five or six 
 trees, they break down not unfrcquently the whole of them, 
 when, having perhaps tasted one or two small branches, they 
 pass on and continue their wanton work of destruction. I 
 have repeatedly ridden through forests where the trees thus 
 broken lay so thick across one another that it was almost 
 impossible to ride through the district, and it is in situations 
 such as these that attacking the elephant is attended with 
 most danger. During the night they will feed in open plains 
 and thinly-wooded districts, but as day dawns they retire 
 to the densest covers within reach, which nine times in ten
 
 ELEPHANT HUNTING. 541 
 
 are composed of the impracticable wait-a-bit thorns, and here 
 they remain drawn up in a compact herd during the heat of 
 the day. In remote districts, however, and in cool weather, 
 I have known herds to continue pasturing throughout the 
 whole day. 
 
 The appearance of the wild elephant is inconceivably 
 majestic and imposing. Ilis gigantic height and colossal 
 bulk, so greatly surpassing all other quadrupeds, combined 
 with his sagacious disposition and peculiar habits, impart to 
 him an interest in the eyes of the hunter which no other 
 animal can call forth. The pace of the elephant, when 
 undisturbed, is a bold, free, sweeping step ; and from the 
 peculiar spongy formation of his foot, his tread is extremely 
 light and inaudible, and all his movements are attended 
 with a peculiar gentleness and grace. This, however, only 
 applies to the elephant when roaming undisturbed in his 
 jungle ; for, when roused by the hunter, he proves the most 
 dangerous enemy, and far more difficult to conquer than any 
 other beast of the chase. 
 
 Harris has given a most graphic description of the imposing 
 scene of his first introduction to the South African Elephants. 
 Here it is in his own picturesque style. 
 
 Early in the afternoon the Hottentots returned with the 
 oxen, and we proceeded without loss of time to the eastward, 
 following the course of the mountains through very high 
 grass, and passing between two conical hills of singular 
 appearance, which stood like sentinels on either hand ; after 
 crossing six inconsiderable streams, we with some difficulty 
 gained the vicinity of a remarkable abrupt opening in the 
 range, which through a telescope appeared to afford a prac- 
 ticable road to the northward. Both our wagons stuck fast 
 in the Saut river, and were with difficulty extricated by the 
 united efforts of the teams. The heat was intense, not a 
 breath stirred ; the heavy black clouds fast collecting bade 
 us prepare for a deluge. We therefore formed the camp
 
 542 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 in an elevated and sheltered position, under the lee of a high 
 stone enclosure, which only required the entrance to be closed 
 with bushes to make a secure pound for the cattle. Scarcely 
 were these arrangements completed, when a stream of liquid 
 fire ran along the ground, and a deafening thunder-clap 
 exploding close above us, was instantly followed by a torrent 
 of rain which " came dancing down to the earth," not in 
 drops, but in continuous streams, and with indescribable 
 violence, during the greater part of the night ; the thunder 
 now receding and rumbling less and less distinctly, but more 
 incessantly, among the distant mountains now pealing in 
 echoes over the distant hills, and now returning to burst with 
 redoubled violence over our heads. 
 
 " Far along, 
 
 From peak to peak, the rattling crags among, 
 Leapt the wild thunder, not from one lone cloud, 
 But every mountain soon had found a tongue." 
 
 The horses and oxen were presently standing knee-deep 
 in water; our followers remained sitting all night in the 
 baggage wagon, which, being better covered, fortunately 
 resisted the pitiless storm. Sleep, however, was out of the 
 question, the earth actually threatening to give way under 
 us, the lightning being so painfully vivid that we were glad 
 to hide our heads under the pillow. 
 
 Those only who have witnessed the setting in of the south- 
 west monsoon in India, are capable of understanding the 
 awful tempest I have attempted to describe. About an hour 
 before dawn its fury began to abate, and at sunrise it was 
 perfectly fine, but the rivers were quite impassable. I pro- 
 ceeded with some of the Hottentots to reconnoitre the pass, 
 but found that it was impassable for wagons, being nothing 
 more than a narrow channel flanked by perpendicular crags, 
 between which the Saut river rushes on its way to join the 
 Singkling, making a number of abrupt windings through a
 
 ELEPHANT HUKTING. 543 
 
 most impracticable country, intersected by a succession of 
 rocky declivities. From the highest peak we saw several 
 herds of buffaloes, and whilst descending came upon the 
 tracks of a huge elephant that had passed about an hour 
 before. This being the largest foot-print we had seen, I had 
 the curiosity to measure it, in order to ascertain the animal's 
 height twice the circumference of an elephant's foot being, 
 it is notorious, the exact height at the shoulder. It yielded 
 a product of about twelve feet, which, notwithstanding the 
 traditions that have been handed down, I believe to be the 
 maximum height attained by the African elephant. 
 
 We followed the trail across the Saut river, which had now 
 considerably subsided, and finding that it proceeded eastward 
 along the mountain chain, returned to our encampment for 
 horses and ammunition. 
 
 Leaving the wagon to proceed to a spot agreed upon, we 
 again took the field about ten o'clock, and pursued the track 
 indefatigably for eight miles over a country presenting every 
 variety of feature. At one time we crossed bare stony ridges, 
 at another threaded the intricacies of shaggy but dilapidated 
 forests ; now struggling through high fields of waving grass, 
 and again emerged into open downs. At length we arrived 
 among extensive groups of grassy hillocks, covered with loose 
 stones, interspersed with streams, and occasional patches of 
 forest, in which the recent ravages of elephants were sur- 
 prising. Here, to our inexpressible gratification, we descried 
 a large herd of those long-sought animals, lazily browsing at 
 the head of a distant valley, our attention having been first 
 directed to it by che strong and not to be mistaken effluvia 
 with which the wind was impregnated. Never having before 
 seen the elephant in his native jungles, we gazed at the sight 
 before us with intense and indescribable interest. Our feel- 
 ings on the occasion even extended to our followers. As for 
 Andries, he became so agitated that he could scarcely articu-
 
 544 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 late. With open eyes and quivering lips he at length stuttered 
 forth 
 
 " Dar stand de olifant!" 
 
 Mohanycom and Lingap were immediately dispatched to 
 drive the herd back into the valley, up which we rode slowly 
 and without noise, against the wind ; and arriving within one 
 hundred and fifty yards unperceived, we made our horses 
 fast, and took up a commanding position in an old stone 
 kraal. The shouting of the savages, who now appeared on 
 the height, rattling their shields, caused the animals to move 
 unsuspiciously towards us, and even within ten yards of our 
 ambush. The group consisted of nine, all females, with large 
 tusks. We selected the finest, and with perfect deliberation, 
 fired a volley of five balls into her. She stumbled, but 
 recovering herself, uttered a shrill note of lamentation, when 
 the whole party threw their trunks above their heads, and 
 instantly clambered up the adjacent hill with incredible 
 celerity, their huge fan-like ears flapping in the ratio of 
 their speed. We instantly mounted our horses, the sharp 
 loose stones not suiting the feet of the wounded lady, soon 
 closed with her. Streaming with blood, and infuriated with 
 rage, she turned upon us with uplifted trunk, and it was not 
 until after repeated discharges, that a ball took effect in her 
 brain, and threw her lifeless upon the earth, which resounded 
 with the fall. 
 
 Turning our attention from the exciting scene we have 
 described, we found that a second valley had opened before 
 us, surrounded by bare strong hills, and traversed by a thinly 
 wooded ravine. Here a grand and magnificent panorama 
 was before us, which beggars all description. The whole 
 face of the landscape was actually covered with wild elephants. 
 There could not have been fewer than three hundred within 
 the scope of our vision. Every height and green knoll was 
 dotted over with groups of them, whilst the bottom of the
 
 ELEPHANT HUNTING. 545 
 
 glen exhibited a dense and sable living mass their colossal 
 forms being at one moment partially concealed by the trees, 
 which they were disfiguring with great strength ; and at others 
 seen majestically emerging into the open glades, bearing in 
 their trunks the branches of trees, with which they indolently 
 protected themselves from the flies. The back-ground was 
 filled by a limited peep of the blue mountainous range, which 
 here assumed a remarkably precipitous character, and com- 
 pleted a picture at once soul-stirring and sublime ! 
 
 Our approach being still against the wind, was unobserved, 
 and created little alarm, until the herd that we had left 
 behind suddenly showed itself, recklessly thundering down 
 the hill to join the main body, and passing so close to us 
 that we could not refrain from firing a broadside into one 
 of them, which, however, bravely withstood it. "We secured 
 our horses on the summit of a stony ridge, 'j.d then station- 
 ing ourselves at an opportune place on a ledge overlooking 
 the wooded defile, sent Andries to maneuvre, so that as 
 many of the elephants as possible could pass before us in 
 order of review, that we might ascertain by a close inspection 
 whether there was not a male amongst them. Filing slug- 
 gishly along, they occasionally halted beneath an umbrageous 
 tree, within fifteen yards of us, lazily fanning themselves 
 with their ample ears, blowing away the flies with their 
 trunks, and uttering the feeble and peculiar cry so peculiar to 
 Indian elephants. They all proved to be ladies, and most of 
 them mothers, followed by their little old-fashioned calves, 
 each trudging close to the heels of her dam, and mimicking 
 all her motions. Thus situated, we might have killed any 
 number we pleased, their heads being frequently turned 
 towards us in such a position, and so close, that a single ball 
 in the brain would have sufficed for each ; but whilst we 
 were yet hesitating, a bullet suddenly whizzed past Richard- 
 son's ear, and put the whole herd to immediate flight. We 
 had barely time to recede behind a tree, before a party of 
 
 35
 
 546 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 about twenty, with several little ones in their wake, were 
 upon us, striding at their utmost speed, and trumpeting 
 loudly with uplifted heads. I rested my rifle against the 
 tree, and firing behind the shoulder of the leader, she dropped 
 instantly. Another large detachment being close behind us at 
 the same moment, we were compelled to retreat, dodging from 
 tree to tree, stumbling amongst sharp stones, and ever coming 
 upon fresh parties of the enemy. This scene of ludicrous 
 confusion did not long continue, and soon approaching the 
 prostrate lady, we put an end to her struggles by a shot in 
 the forehead. Andries now came up in high good humor at 
 his achievements, and in the most bravado manner, discharged 
 his piece into the dead carcass, under the pretence that the 
 animal was shamming. His object evidently was to confound 
 the shots, for, thrusting his middle finger into the orifice 
 made by my two-ounce ball, he with the most modest assurance 
 declared himself the author of the deed, being pleased 
 altogether to overlook the fact of the mortal shot having 
 entered the elephant on the side opposite to that on which 
 he was stationed, and that his own ball, whether designedly 
 or not, had all but expended my worthy and esteemed fellow- 
 traveller. 
 
 On our way to the camp, of the exact position of which 
 we were uncertain, in consequence of the late inundation, we 
 passed three other large herds of elephants. One of these 
 standing directly in the route, we attacked it, and pursued 
 the fugitive about a mile over loose stones. Much has been 
 said of the attachment of elephants to their young, but neither 
 on this, nor on any subsequent occasion, did we perceive 
 tlum evince the smallest concern for their safety. On the 
 contrary, they left them to shift for themselves, and Mohany- 
 com and Lingap, who were behind us, assagaied one, the 
 tail of which they brought in. We slew another old female 
 as we ascended the brow of an eminence, and at the same 
 moment perceived our wagons within a few hundred yards of
 
 ELEPHANT HUNTING. 547 
 
 the spot. The whole herd dashed through the camp, causing 
 indescribable consternation amongst cattle and followers, but 
 fortunately no accident occurred; and after the fatiguing 
 day's Avork we had undergone, we were not sorry to find 
 ourselves at home. 
 
 Watery clouds hung about the sun as he set heavily behind 
 the mountains. Loud peals of crashing thunder rent the 
 air, and ere it was yet dark, we had a repetition of yesterday's 
 storm ; the river roaring past us with frightful fury ; troops 
 of elephants, flying from the scene of slaughter, passed close 
 to our wagons during the darkness, their wild voices echoing 
 amongst the mountains, and sounding like trumpets above 
 the tempest. It was impossible to keep the fires burning ; 
 and the oxen and sheep were alarmed to such a degree that 
 they broke from the kraal, and sought safety in the wilder- 
 ness. Tired as I was, the excitement I had undergone 
 banished sleep from my eyes. I ruminated on the spirit- 
 stirring events of the day, and burned with impatience to 
 renew them. Heedless of the withering blast that howled 
 without, I felt that my most sanguine expectations had been 
 realized, and that we had already been amply repaid for the 
 difiiculties, privations and dangers that we had encountered 
 in our toilsome journey towards this fairy-land' of sport. 
 
 It was still raining heavily when the day gloomily dawned. 
 The mountain torrents having overflowed their banks, the 
 valley in which we were encamped had become a continuous 
 pool of water, and those of our followers who had slung 
 their hammocks beneath the wagons, were partially sub- 
 merged. High-roads had been ploughed through the mire 
 by the passage of elephants, and whole acres of grass, by 
 which we had been surrounded the preceding evening, had 
 been completely trampled down. Soon after sunrise it cleared 
 up, and the cattle having been recovered, we armed a party 
 with hatchets, and proceeded on foot to cut out the teeth of
 
 548 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 the slain elephants ; but walking was exceedingly toilsome, 
 and our feet sinking to the ankles in black mud, were extri- 
 cated with inconceivable difficulty. Taking advantage of our 
 situation, an irritated rhinoceros sallied from behind an old 
 stone wall ; and the damp causing three of the balls to misa 
 fire, he was actually amongst us, when my ball fortunately 
 pierced his eye, and he fell dead at our feet. 
 
 Not an elephant was to be seen on the ground that was 
 yesterday teeming with them ; but on reaching the glen, 
 which had been the scene of our exploits during the early 
 part of the action, a calf about three feet and a half high, 
 walked forth from a bush, and saluted us with mournful 
 piping notes. We had observed the unhappy little wretch 
 hovering about its mother after she fell, and having probably 
 been unable to overtake the herd, it had passed a dreary 
 night in the wood. Entwining its little proboscis about our 
 legs, the sagacious creature, after demonstrating its delight 
 at our arrival by a thousand ungainly antics, accompanied 
 the party to the body of its dam, which, swollen to an enor- 
 mous size, was surrounded by an inquest of vultures. Seated 
 in gaunt array, with their shoulders shrugged, these loathe- 
 some fowls were waiting its decomposition with forced 
 resignation ; the tough hide having defied all the efforts of 
 their beaks, with which the eyes and softer parts had been 
 vigorously assailed. The conduct of the quaint little calf 
 now became quite affecting, and elicited the sympathy of 
 every one. It ran round its mother's corpse with touching 
 demonstrations of grief, piping sorrowfully, and vainly 
 attempted to raise her with its tiny trunk. I confess that 
 I had felt compunctions in committing the murder the day 
 before, and now half resolved never to assist in another; 
 for in addition to the moving behavior of the young elephant, 
 I had been unable to divest myself of the idea that I was 
 firing at my old favorite, Mowla-Bukhsh, from whose gallant
 
 ELEPHANT HUNTING. 549 
 
 back I had vanquished so many of my feline foes in Guzerat 
 an impression which, however ridiculous it must appear, 
 detracted considerably from the satisfaction I experienced. 
 
 The operation of hewing out three pairs of tusks occupied 
 several hours, their roots, embedded in massy sockets, spread- 
 ing over the greater portion of the face. My Indian friends 
 will marvel when they hear of tusks being extricated from 
 the jaws of a female elephant but with very few exceptions, 
 all that we saw had these accessories, measuring from three 
 to four feet in length. I have already stated my belief that 
 the maximum height of the African male is twelve feet ; that 
 of the female averages eight and a half the enormous magni- 
 tude of the ears, which not only cover the whole of the 
 shoulder, but overlap each other on the neck, to the complete 
 exclusion of the mahout, or driver, constituting another 
 striking feature of difference between the two species. The 
 forehead is remarkably large and prominent, and consists of 
 two Avails or tables, between which, a wide cellular space 
 intervening, a ball, hardened with tin or quicksilver, readily 
 penetrates to the brain, and proves instantaneously fatal. 
 
 The barbarous tribes that people Southern Africa, have 
 never dreamed of the possibility of rendering this lordly 
 quadruped serviceable in a domestic capacity ; and even 
 amongst the colonists, there exists an unaccountable super- 
 stition that his subjugation is not to be accomplished. His 
 capture, however, may readily be achieved ; and as he appears 
 to possess all the aptitude of his Asiatic relative, the only 
 difficulty that presents itself, is the general absence, within 
 our territories, of sufficient food for his support. Were he 
 once domesticated and arrayed against the beasts of the 
 forest, Africa would realize the very beau ideal of magnifi- 
 cent sport. It is also worthy of remark, that no attempt has 
 ever been made on the part of the colonists to naturalize 
 another most useful animal, the camel, although the soil, cli- 
 mate, and productions appear alike to favor its introduction.
 
 550 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTEKS. 
 
 All this is plain sailing, and something we common mor 
 tals can comprehend, foreign and unusual as its picturings 
 and details are ; but it is nothing comparatively with what 
 Mr. Cummings has to tell of different modes of hunting the 
 elephant, as practised by himself higher up in the extraordi- 
 nary valley of the Limpopo. Hear him for his story 
 
 On the 17th of September I resolved to leave the fountain 
 of Seboono, as it was much disturbed, and to proceed with 
 a few Bakalahari to a small yet famous v ater about six miles 
 to the south-east. We accordingly saddled up and held 
 thither. On reaching this fountain, Avhich is called by the 
 natives "Paapaa," I found the numerous foot-paths leading 
 to it covered, as I had anticipated, with fresh spoor of 
 elephant and rhinoceros. I then at once proceeded to study 
 the best spot on which to make our shooting-hole for the 
 night. It would be impossible to prevent some of the game 
 from getting our wind, for the foot-paths led to it from every 
 side. The prevailing wind was from the east, so I pitched 
 upon the south-west corner of the fountain. The water was 
 not more than twenty yards long and ten broad. The west 
 side was bounded by tufous rock, which rose abruptly from 
 the water about five feet high. The top of this rock was 
 level with the surrounding vley, and here all the elephants 
 drank, as if suspicious of treading on the muddy margin on 
 the* other three sides of the fountain. I made our shooting- 
 box within six or eight yards of the water, constructing it in 
 a circular form, of bushes packed together so as to form a 
 hedge about three feet high. On the top of the hedge I 
 placed heavy dead old branches of trees, so as to form a fine 
 clear rest for our rifles ; these clean old branches were all 
 lashed firmly together with strips of thorn bark. All being 
 completed, I took the Bakalahari and our steeds to a shady 
 tree, about a quarter of a mile to leeward of the fountain, 
 where we formed a kraall, and off-saddled. This day was 
 particularly adapted to bring game to the water, the sun
 
 ELEPHANT HUNTING. 551 
 
 being extremely powerful, and a hot, dry wind prevailing all 
 the afternoon. I told Carey that we were certain of having 
 a good night's sport, and I was right, fer we undoubtedly 
 had about the finest night's sport and the most wonderful 
 that was ever enjoyed by man. 
 
 A little before the sun went down, leaving our kraal, we 
 held to the fountain, having with us our heavy-metaled rifles, 
 karosses and two Bakalahari. We also had two small guns, 
 my double-barreled Westley Richards and Carey's single- 
 barreled gun. As we approached the fountain, a stately 
 bull giraffe stood before us ; the heat of the day had brought 
 him thither, but he feared to go in and drink ; on observing 
 us, he walked slowly away. Two jackals were next detected. 
 Guinea-fowl, partridges, two or three sorts of pigeon and 
 turtle-dove, and small birds in countless thousands, were 
 pouring in to drink from every airt, as we walked up to our 
 hiding-place and lay doAvn. In a few minutes the sun was 
 under ; but the moon was strong and high (it being within 
 three nights of the full), and the sky was clear, with scarcely 
 a cloud. Yery soon a step was heard approaching from the 
 east : it was a presuming black rhinoceros. He came up 
 within ten yards of the hiding-hole, and, observing us with 
 his sharp, prying eye, at once came slowly forward for a 
 nearer inspection. I then shouted to him ; but this he did 
 not heed in the slightest. I then sprang up and waved my 
 large kaross, shouting at the same time. This, however, 
 only seemed to amuse Boreld, for he stood within four yards 
 of us, with his horn threatening our momentary destruction, 
 nor would he wheel about until I threw a log of wood at him. 
 Black rhinoceroses are very difficult to scare when they do 
 not get the wind ; the best way to do so is to hit them with 
 a stone that is, in the event of the sportsman not wishing 
 to fire off his gun. 
 
 Soon after Boreld departed, four old bull elephants dre?r
 
 552 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 near from the south. They were coming right on for the 
 spot where we lay, and they seemed very likely to walk over 
 the top of us. We therefore placed our two big rifles in 
 position, and awaited their forward movement with intense 
 interest. On they came, with slow and stately step, until 
 within twenty yards of us, when the leading elephant took 
 it into his head to pass to leeward. We let him come on 
 until he got our wind ; he was then within ten yards of the 
 muzzles of our heavy-metaled rifles ; on winding us, he 
 tossed his trunk aloft, and we instantly fired together. I 
 caught him somewhere about the heart, and my big six-pound 
 rifle burst in Carey's hands, very nearly killing us both. 
 The elephant, on being fired at, wheeled about, and retreated 
 to the forest at top speed. I now directed " Stick-in-the-mud" 
 to make use of his single-barreled twelve to the pound in the 
 event of more elephants coming up ; and thanking my stars 
 that the old Dutch rifle had not sent us both to the land of 
 the leal, I sat down and watched the dark masses of trees 
 that cut the sky on every side, in the hope of seeing a mass 
 as high and wide come towering forward into the open space 
 that surrounded the fountain. 
 
 Nor did I watch long in vain, for very soon three princely 
 bull elephants appeared exactly where the first came on, and 
 holding exactly the same course. They approached just as 
 the first had done. When the leading elephant came within 
 ten yards of us, he got our wind and tossed up his trunk, 
 and was wheeling round to retreat, when we fired together, 
 and sent our bullets somewhere about his heart. He ran two 
 hundred yards and then stood, being evidently dying. His 
 comrades halted likewise, but one of them, the finest of the 
 three, almost immediately turned his head once more to the 
 fountain, and very slowly and warily came on. We now 
 heard the wounded elephant utter the cry of death, and fall 
 heavily on the earth. Carey, whose ears were damaged by
 
 ELEPHANT HUNTING. 553 
 
 the bursting of the big rifle, did not catch this sound, but 
 swore that the elephant which now so stealthily approached 
 the water was the one at which we had fired. 
 
 It was interesting to observe this grand old bull approach 
 the fountain : he seemed to mistrust the very earth on which 
 he stood, and smelt and examined with his trunk every yard 
 of the ground before he trod on it, and sometimes stood five 
 minutes on one spot without moving. At length, having 
 gone round three sides of the fountain, and being apparently 
 satisfied as to the correctness of everything, he stepped 
 boldly forward on to the rock on the west, and, walking up 
 within six or seven yards of the muzzles of our rifles, turned 
 his broadside, and, lowering his trunk into the water, drew 
 up a volume of water, which he threw over his back and 
 shoulders to cool his person. This operation he repeated 
 two or three times, after which he commenced drinking, by 
 drawing the water into his trunk and then pouring it into 
 his mouth. I determined to break his leg if possible; so, 
 covering the limb about level with the lower line of his body, 
 I fired, Carey firing for his heart. I made a lucky shot; 
 and as the elephant turned and attempted to make away, 
 his leg broke with a loud crack, and he stood upon his three 
 sound ones. At once disabled and utterly incapable of 
 escaping, he stood statue-like beside the fountain, within a 
 few yards of where he had got the shot, and only occasion- 
 ally made an attempt at locomotion. 
 
 The patch of my rifle fired at this elephant's comrade had 
 ignited a large ball of dry old dung, about eight yards to 
 leeward of our kraal, and, fanned by the breeze, it was 
 now burning away very brightly, the sparks flying in the 
 wind. Presently, on looking about me, I beheld two bull 
 elephants approaching by the self-same foot-path which the 
 others had held. The first of these was a half-grown bull, 
 the last was an out-and-out old fellow with enormous tusks. 
 They came on as the first had done, but seemed inclined
 
 654 "WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 to pass to windward of us. The young bull, however, observed 
 the fire ; he at once walked up to it, and, smelling at it with 
 his trunk, seemed extremely amused, and in a gamboling 
 humor threw his trunk about, as if not knowing what to 
 think of it. The larger bull now came up and exposed a 
 fine broadside ; we took him behind the shoulder and fired 
 together ; on receiving the shots, he wheeled about and held 
 west with drooping ears, evidently mortally wounded. 
 
 Some time after this I detected an enormous old bull 
 elephant approaching from the west. If we lay still where 
 we were, he must in a few minutes get our wind, so we 
 jumped up and ran forward out of his line of march. 
 Here a boreld opposed our further progress, and we had 
 to stone him out of our way. The elephant came on, and 
 presently got the wind of where we had been lying. This 
 at once seemed to awake his suspicions, for he stood still 
 among the trees, stretching his trunk from side to side to 
 catch the scent, and doubtful whether he should advance or 
 retreat. We then ran toward him, and stalked in within 
 forty yards of where he stood, and, taking up a position 
 behind a bush, awaited his forward movement. The elephant 
 came slowly forward, and I thought would pass to windward 
 of us, when he suddenly altered his course, and walked boldly 
 forward right for where we stood. He camu on until within 
 seven or eight yards, when I coughed loudly to turn him. 
 lie tossed up his trunk and turned quickly round to fly ; as 
 he turned, however, we fired together, when the elephant 
 uttered a shrill cry of distress, and crashed away, evidently 
 hard hit. When this bull was standing before us, we both 
 remarked that he was the finest we had seen that night : his 
 tusks were extremely long, thick, and very unusually wide set. 
 
 We now returned to the fountain, and once more lay down 
 to watch. Rhinoceroses, both black and white, were parading 
 around us all night in every direction. We had lain but 
 a short time when I detected a single old bull elephant
 
 ELEPHANT HUNTING. 555 
 
 approaching from the south by the same path which all the 
 others had held. This elephant must have been very thirsty, 
 for he came boldly on without any hesitation, and, keeping 
 to windward, walked past within about eight yards of us. 
 We fired at the same moment ; the elephant wheeled about, 
 and, after running a hundred yards, reduced his pace to a 
 slow walk. I clapped Carey on the shoul ler, and said, " We 
 have him." I had hardly uttered the words when he fell 
 over on his side; he rose, however, again to his feet. At 
 this moment the same presuming borele' who had troubled us 
 in the early part of the night came up to us again, and, 
 declining as before to depart by gentle hints, I thought it a 
 fitting moment to put an end to his intrusion, and accord- 
 ingly g ave hi m a b a H behind the shoulder. On receiving it, 
 he galloped off in tremendous consternation, and passed close 
 under the dying elephant, who at the moment fell dead with 
 a heavy crash, and broke one of his hind legs under him in 
 the fall. 
 
 About an hour after two more elephants came towering on 
 from the east. When they came up they stood for a long 
 time motionless within forty yards of the water ; and at 
 length the finer of the two, which was a very first-rate old 
 bull, and carrying immense tusks, walked boldly forward, 
 and, passing round the north side of the fountain, commenced 
 drinking on the rock, just as the crippled bull had done. We 
 both fired together, holding for his heart; the bullets must 
 have gone nearly through him, for we had double charges of 
 powder in our weapons. On receiving the shots he dropped 
 a volume of water from his trunk, and, tossing it aloft, uttered 
 a loud cry and made off, steering north ; but before he was 
 out of our sight he reduced his pace to a slow walk, and I 
 could quite plainly hear, by the loud, painful breathing 
 through his trunk, that . he was mortally wounded ; but 
 whether the natives were too lazy to seek him, or having 
 found him would not tell me, I know not, but I never got
 
 556 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 
 
 him. We shot another bull elephant shortly after this ; he, 
 too, uttered a shrill cry, and went off holding the same course 
 the last one did ; that was, however, all that I ever saw of 
 him. 
 
 Eight elephants killed and four t bagged' were the ' trophies' 
 of this extraordinary night's sport, beside the 'borele" and 
 other ' small fry' enough, surely, to have appeased the 
 appetite for slaughter of the veritable Nimrod of eld himself 
 but there follows a variation upon this comparatively tame 
 sport. 
 
 The next night I put in practice a novel experiment I had 
 long entertained that of hunting elephants by moonlight 
 with dogs and horses, as in the day, being very much annoyed 
 at wounding and losing in the last week no less than ten first- 
 rate old bull elephants. I communicated my idea to ' Stick- 
 in-the-mud,' and we hastily proceeded to saddle my steed. I 
 led my dogs, eight in number, through the forest to leeward 
 of where a bull who had come to the fountain to drink had 
 gone in, and when I saw that they had got his wind I slipped 
 them. They clashed forward and next minute I followed tho 
 baying of the dogs, and the crash and the trumpet of the 
 elephant. He rushed away at first without halting, and held 
 right for the mountains to the south-west. When, however, 
 he found that his speed did not avail, and that he could not 
 get away from his pursuers, he began to turn and dodge 
 about in the thickest of the cover, occasionally making 
 charges after the dogs. I followed on as best I could, 
 shouting with all my might to encourage my (jood hounds. 
 These, hearing their master's voice beside them, stuck well 
 by the elephant, and fought him better than in the day. I 
 gave him my first two shots from the saddle ; after which, I 
 rode close up to him, and, running in on foot, gave him some 
 deadly shots at distances of from fifteen to twenty yards. 
 
 The elephant very soon evinced signs of distress, and 
 ceased to make away from us. Taking up positions in the
 
 ELEPHANT HUNTING. 557 
 
 densest parts of the cover, he caught up the red dust with 
 his trunk, and throwing it over his head and back, endeavored 
 to conceal himself in a cloud. This was a fine opportunity 
 to pour in my deadly shafts, and I took care to avail myself 
 of it. When he had received about twelve shots, he walked 
 slowly forward in a dying state, the blood streaming from 
 his trunk. I rode close up to him, and gave him a sharp 
 right and left from the saddle : he turned and walked a few 
 yards, then suddenly came down with tremendous violence on 
 his vast stern, pitching his head and trunk aloft to a pro- 
 digious height, and, falling heavily over on his side, expired. 
 This was an extremely large and handsome elephant, decidedly 
 the finest bull I had shot this year. Afraid of taking cold 
 or rheumatism, for I was in a most profuse perspiration, I 
 hastened back to my fireside, having first secured all the dog3 
 in their couples. Here I divested myself of my leather 
 tro'wsers, shooting-belt, and veldt-schoens, and, stretched on 
 my kaross, I took tea, and wondered at the facility with 
 which I had captured this mighty elephant. 
 
 Feeling fatigued, I intended to lie down and rest till 
 morning. Just, however, as I was arranging my saddles 
 for a pillow, I beheld another first-rate old bull elephant 
 advancing up the vley from the south. I at once resolved 
 that he, too, should run the gauntlet wLh the dogs. In 
 immense haste, therefore, I once more pulled on my old 
 leathers, and buckled on my shooting-belt, and ran down 
 into the rank long grass beside the fountain to meet him, 
 armed with the large two-grooved rifle, having directed Carey 
 and Piet to come slowly up with the dogs and my horse and 
 gun as soon as they were ready. The elephant came on, and 
 stood drinking within thirty yards of me. When I saw 
 Carey coming on with the dogs and steed, I fired, but my 
 rifle hung fire. The shot, however, gave the dogs good 
 courage, and they fought well. The elephant took away 
 at a rapid pace toward the other fountain where the Bechu"
 
 558 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 anas lay, and at first led me through very bad wait-a-bit 
 thorn cover, which once or twice nearly swept me out of the 
 saddle. Presently he inclined to the west, and got into 
 better country ; I then rode close up to him, and bowled 
 him over with four shots. 
 
 With one more glimpse of the cool extravagance charac- 
 teristic of the Professional Hunter, and of which Cummings 
 has prided himself upon giving us so many specimens, we 
 take our leave of elephant hunting in South Africa. The 
 following is most refreshing. 
 
 On the 31st I held south-east in quest of elephants, with a 
 large party of the natives. Our course lay through an open 
 part of the forest, where I beheld a troop of springboks and 
 two ostriches, the first I had seen for a long time. We held 
 for Towannie, a strong fountain in the gravelly bed of a 
 periodical river : here two herds of cow elephants had drunk 
 on the preceding evening, but I declined to follow them ; and 
 presently, at a muddy fountain a little in advance, we took 
 up the spoor of an enormous bull, which had wallowed in the 
 mud, and then plastered the sides of several of the adjacent 
 veteran-looking trees. We followed the spoor through level 
 forest in an easterly direction, when the leading party overran 
 the spoor, and casts were made for its recovery. Presently 
 I detected an excited native beckoning violently a little to my 
 left, and, cantering up to him, he said that he had seen the 
 elephant. He led me through the forest a few hundred yard?, 
 when, clearing a wait-a-bit, I came full in view of the tallest 
 and largest bull elephant I had ever seen. He stood broadside 
 to me, at upward of one hundred yards, and his attention at 
 the moment was occupied with the dogs, which, unaware of 
 his proximity, were rushing past him, while the old fellow 
 seemed to gaze at their unwonted appearance with surprise. 
 
 Halting my horse, I fired at his shoulder, and secured him 
 with a single shot. The ball caught him high upon the 
 shoulder-blade, rendering him instantly dead lame ; and
 
 ELEPHANT HUNTING. 559 
 
 before the echo of the bullet could reach my ear, I plainly 
 saw that the elephant was mine. The dogs now came up and 
 barked around him, but finding himself incapacitated, the old 
 fellow seemed determined to take it easy, and, limping slowly 
 to a neighboring tree, he remained stationary, eyeing his 
 pursuers with a resigned and philosophic air. 
 
 I resolved to devote a short time to the contemplation of 
 this noble elephant before I should lay him low ; accordingly, 
 having off-saddled the horses beneath a shady tree which was 
 to be my quarters for the night and ensuing day, I quickly 
 kindled a fire and put on the kettle, and in a very few minutes 
 my coffee was prepared. There I sat in my forest home, 
 coolly sipping my coffee, with one of the fine'st elephants iu 
 Africa awaiting my pleasure beside a neighboring tree. 
 
 It was, indeed, a striking scene ; and as I gazed upon the 
 stupendous veteran of the forest, I thought of the red deer 
 which I loved to follow in my native land, and felt that, 
 though the Fates had driven me to follow a more daring and 
 arduous avocation in a distant land, it was a good exchange 
 which I had made, for I was now a chief over boundless 
 forests, which yielded unspeakably more noble and exciting 
 sport. 
 
 Having admired the elephant for a considerable time, I 
 resolved to make experiments for vulnerable points, and, 
 approaching very near, I fired several bullets at different 
 parts of his enormous skull. These did not seem to affect 
 him in the slightest ; he only acknowledged the shots by a 
 "salaam-like" movement of his trunk, with the point of which 
 he gently touched the wound with a striking and peculiar 
 action. Surprised and shocked to find that I was only tor- 
 menting and prolonging the sufferings of the noble beast, which 
 bore his trials with such dignified composure, I resolved to 
 finish the proceeding with all possible dispatch ; accordingly, 
 I opened fire upon him from the left side, aiming behind the 
 shoulder ; but even there it was long before my bullets
 
 560 WILD SCENES AND VTILD HUNTERS. 
 
 seemed to take effect. I first fired six shots with the two- 
 grooved, which must have eventually proved mortal, but aa 
 yet he evinced no visible distress ; after which I fired three 
 shots at the same part with the Dutch six-pounder. Large 
 tears now trickled from his eyes, which he slowly shut and 
 opened ; his colossal frame quivered convulsively, and, falling 
 on his side, he expired. The tusks of this elephant were 
 beautifully arched, and were the heaviest I had yet met with, 
 averaging ninety pounds weight apiece. 
 
 All this is cool very ! It is picturesque, not to say 
 theatrical ! Mr. Cummings, at this rate, might be educated 
 into a good American Borderer, and some day "come up to 
 the scratch" in a duello, hand-to-claw with a Grisly Bear, 
 after having exchanged the compliments of the morning with 
 him beneath the cold shadows of the Rocky Mountain peaks !
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE GIRAFFE. 
 
 I HAVE before hinted at the degree in which Cummingg 
 has made Harris his model, in his new book, "Five Years 
 in South Africa." I therefore propose to give, one after the 
 other, the account each has furnished of his firsst interview 
 with the giraffe. They are different, yet alike in many 
 curious particulars; and as their faets are equally inter- 
 esting, it is pleasing to compare the impressions of these 
 two notorious, if not remarkable examples of the Hunter- 
 Naturalist, from nearly the same point of view. I give 
 Cummings the advantage of presenting his first. 
 
 This day was to me rather a memorable one, as the first 
 on which I saw and slew the lofty, graceful-looking giraffe 
 or camelopard, with which, during many years of my life, I 
 nad longed to form an acquaintance. 
 
 These gigantic and exquisitely beautiful animals, which 
 are admirably formed by nature to adorn the fair forests 
 that clothe the boundless plains of the interior, are widely 
 distributed throughout the interior of Southern Africa, but 
 are nowhere to be met with in great numbers. In countries 
 unmolested by the intrusive foot of man, the giraffe is found 
 generally in herds varying from twelve to sixteen ; but I 
 have not unfrequently met with herds containing thirty indi- 
 viduals, and on one occasion I counted forty together ; this,, 
 however, was owing to chance, and about sixteen may be 
 reckoned as the average number of a herd. 
 
 These herds are composed of giraffes of various sizes, from 
 the young giraffe of nine or ten feet in height, to the dark, 
 
 36 561
 
 562 WILD SCENES AN1, WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 chestnut-colored old bull of the herd, whose exalted head 
 towers above his companions, generally attaining to a height 
 of upwards of eighteen feet. The females are of lower 
 stature and more delicately formed than the males, their 
 height averaging from sixteen to seventeen feet. 
 
 Some writers have discovered ugliness and a want of 
 grace in the giraffe, but I consider that he is one of the 
 most strikingly beautiful animals in creation ; and when a 
 herd of them is seen scattered through a grove of the 
 picturesque parasol-topped acacias which adorn their native 
 plains, and on whose uppermost shoots they are enabled to 
 browse by the colossal height with which nature has so 
 admirably endowed them, he must indeed be slow of concep- 
 tion who fails to discover both grace and dignity in all their 
 movements. 
 
 There can be no doubt that every animal is seen to the 
 greatest advantage in the haunts which nature destined him 
 to adorn ; and among the various living creatures which 
 beautify this fair creation, I have often traced a remarkable 
 resemblance between the animal and the general appearance 
 of the locality in which it is found. This I remarked at 
 an early period of my life, when entomology occupied a 
 part of my attention. No person following this interesting 
 pursuit can fail to observe the extraordinary likeness which 
 insects bear to the various abodes in which they are met 
 with. Thus, among the long, green grass, we find a variety 
 of long, green insects, whose legs and antennae so resemble 
 the shoots emanating from the stalks of the grass that it 
 requires a practiced eye to distinguish them. Throughout 
 Bandy districts, varieties of insects are met with of a color 
 similar to the sand which they inhabit. 
 
 Among the green leaves of the various trees of the forest 
 innumerable leaf-colored insects are to found ; while, closely 
 adhering to the rough, gray bark of these forest-trees, we 
 observe beautifully-colored gray-looking moths of various
 
 THE FIRST GIRAFFE HUNT. 563 
 
 patterns, yet altogether so resembling the bark as to be 
 invisible to the passing observer. 
 
 In like manner, among quadrupeds I have traced a corres- 
 ponding analogy; for, even in the case of the stupendous 
 elephant, the ashy color of his hide so corresponds with the 
 gray, thorny jungles which he frequents throughout the day, 
 that a person unaccustomed to hunting elephants, standing 
 on a commanding situation, might look down upon a herd 
 and fail to detect their presence. 
 
 And further, in the case of the giraffe, which is invariably 
 met with among venerable forests, where innumerable blasted 
 and weather-beaten trunks and stems occur, I have repeatedly 
 been in doubt as to the presence of a troop of them until I 
 had recourse to my spy-glass ; and on referring the case to 
 my savage attendants, I have known even their optics to fail, 
 at one time even mistaking these dilapidated trunks for 
 camelopards, and again confounding real camelopards with 
 these aged veterans of the forest. 
 
 Although we had now been travelling many days through 
 the country of the giraffe, and had marched through forests 
 in which their spoor was abundant, our eyes had not yet 
 been gifted with a sight of " Tootla" himself; it was there- 
 fore with indescribable pleasure that, on the evening of the 
 11 th, I beheld a troop of these interesting animals. 
 
 Our breakfast being finished, I resumed my journey 
 through an endless gray forest of cameel-dorn and other 
 trees, the country slightly undulating, and grass abundant. 
 A little before the sun went down my driver remarked to 
 me, " I was just going to say, sir, that that old tree was a 
 camelopard." On looking where he pointed, I saw that the 
 old tree was indeed a camelopard; and, on casting my eyes 
 a little to the right, I beheld a troop of them standing 
 looking at us, their heads actually towering above the trees 
 of the forest. It was imprudent to commence a chase at 
 such a late hour, especially in a country of so level a
 
 564 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 character, where the chances were ; against my being able 
 to regain my wagons that night. I, however, resolved to 
 chance everything ; and directing my men to catch and 
 saddle Colesburg, I proceeded in haste to buckle on my 
 shooting-belt and spurs, and in two minutes I was in the 
 saddle. The giraffes stood looking at the wagons until I 
 was within sixty yards of them, when, galloping round a 
 thick bushy tree, under cover of which I had ridden, I 
 suddenly beheld a sight the most astounding that a sports- 
 man's eye can encounter. Before me stood a troop of ten 
 colossal giraffes, the majority of which were from seventeen 
 to eighteen feet high. On beholding me they at once made 
 off, twisting their long tails over their backs, making a loud, 
 switching noise with them, and cantered along at an easy 
 pace, which, however, obliged Colesburg to put his best foot 
 foremost to keep up with them. 
 
 The sensations which I felt on this occasion were different 
 from anything that I had before experienced, during a long 
 sporting career. My senses were so absorbed by the won- 
 drous and beautiful sight before me, that I rode along like 
 one entranced, and I felt inclined to disbelieve that I was 
 hunting living things of this world. The ground was firm 
 and favorable for riding. At every stride I gained upon the 
 giraffes, and after a short burst at a swinging gallop I was 
 in the middle of them, and turned the finest cow out of the 
 herd. On finding herself driven from her comrades and 
 hotly pursued, she increased her pace, and cantered along 
 with tremendous strides, clearing an amazing extent of 
 ground at every bound ; while her neck and breast coming 
 \n contact with the dead old branches of the trees, were con- 
 tinually strewing them in my path. In a few minutes I was 
 riding within five feet of her stern, and, firing at a gallop, 
 I sent a bullet into her back. Increasing my pace, I next 
 rode alongside, and, placing the muzzle of my rifle within a 
 few feet of her, I fired my second shot behind the shoulder ;
 
 THE FIRST GIRAFFE HUNT. 365 
 
 the ball, however, seemed to have little effect. I then placed 
 myself directly in front, when she came to a walk. Dis- 
 mounting, I hastily loaded both barrels, putting in double- 
 charges of powder. Before this was accomplished she was 
 off at a canter. In a short time I brought her to a stand 
 in the dry bed of a water-course, where I fired at fifteen 
 yards, aiming where I thought the heart lay, upon which she 
 again made off. Having loaded, I followed, and had very 
 nearly lost her; she had turned abruptly to the left, and 
 was far out of sight among the trees. Onee more I brought 
 her to a stand, and dismounted from my horse. There we 
 stood together alone in the wild wood. I gazed in wonder 
 at her extreme beauty, while her soft, dark eye, with its 
 silky fringe, looked down imploringly at me, and I really felt 
 a pang of sorrow in this moment of triumph for the blood I 
 was shedding. Pointing my rifle toward the skies, I sent a 
 bullet through her neck. On receiving it, she reared high 
 on her hind legs, and fell backward with a heavy crash, 
 making the earth shake around her. A thick stream of dark 
 blood spouted out from the wound, her colossal limbs quivered 
 for a moment, and she expired. 
 
 I had little time to contemplate the prize I had won. 
 Night was fast setting in, and it was very questionable if 
 I should succeed in regaining my wagons ; so, having cut 
 off the tail of the giraffe, which was adorned with a bushy 
 tuft of flowing black hair, I took "one last fond look," and 
 rode hard for the spoor of the wagons, which I succeeded in 
 reaching just as it was dark. 
 
 No pen nor words can convey to a sportsman what it is to 
 ride in the midst of a troop of gigantic giraffes : it must be 
 experienced to be understood. They emitted a powerful 
 perfume, which in the chase came hot in my face, reminding 
 me of the smell of a hive of heather honey in September. 
 The greater part of this chase led through bushes of the 
 wait-a-bit thorn of the most virulent description, which
 
 566 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 covered my legs and arms with blood long before I had killed 
 the giraffe. I rode as usual in the kilt, with my arms bare 
 to my shoulder. It was Chapelpark of Badenoch's old gray 
 kilt, but in this chase it received a death blow which it never 
 afterwards recovered. 
 
 Now comes Harris's story and between them we shall get 
 a pretty clear idea of the sensation of killing the first giraffe. 
 He says : 
 
 To the sportsman, the most thrilling passage in my adven- 
 tures is now to be recounted. In my own breast, it awakens 
 a renewal of past impressions, more lively than any written 
 description can render intelligible ; and far abler pens than 
 mine, dipped in more glowing tints, would still fall short of 
 the reality, and leave much to be supplied by the imagination. 
 Three hundred gigantic elephants, browsing in majestic tran- 
 quillity amidst the wild magnificence of an African landscape, 
 and a wide stretching plain, darkened, far as the eye can 
 reach, with a moving phalanx of gnoos and quaggas, whose 
 numbers literally baffle computation, are sights but rarely to 
 be witnessed; but who amongst our brother Nimrods shall 
 hear of riding familiarly by the side of a troop of colossal 
 giraffes, and not feel his spirit stirred within him ? He that 
 would behold so marvellous a sight must leave the haunts of 
 man, and dive, as we did, into pathless wilds, traversed only 
 by the brute creation into wide wastes, where the grim lion 
 prowls, monarch of all he surveys, and where the gaunt hyaena 
 and wild dog fearlessly pursue their prey. 
 
 Many days had now elapsed since we had even seen the 
 camelopard and then only in small numbers, and under the 
 most unfavorable circumstances. The blood coursed through 
 my veins like quicksilver ; therefore, as on the morning of the 
 10th, from the back of Breslar, my most trusty steed, with a 
 firm wooded plain before me, I counted thirty-two of these 
 animals, industriously stretching their peacock necks to crop 
 the tiny leaves which fluttered above their heads, in a mimosa
 
 THE FIRST GIRAFFE HUNT. 567 
 
 grove that beautified the scenery. They were within a hun- 
 dred yards of me, but having previously determined to try 
 the boarding system, I reserved my fire. Although I had 
 taken the field expressly to look for giraffes, and had put 
 four of the Hottentots on horseback, all excepting Piet had 
 as usual slipped off unperceived in pursuit of a troop of 
 koodoos. Our stealthy approach was soon opposed by an 
 ill-tempered rhinoceros, which, with her ugly calf, stood 
 directly in the path ; and the twinkling of her bright little 
 eyes, accompanied by a restless rolling of the body, giving 
 earnest of her intention to charge, I directed Piet to salute 
 her with a broadside, at the same moment putting spurs to 
 my horse. At the report of the gun, and the sudden clatter- 
 ing of hoofs, away bounded the giraffes in grotesque confusion, 
 clearing the ground by a succession of frog-like hops, and 
 soon leaving me far in the rear. Twice were their towering 
 forms concealed from view by a park of trees, which we 
 entered almost at the same instant ; and twice, on emerging 
 from the labyrinth, did I perceive them tilting over an 
 eminence immeasurably in advajice. A white turban, that 
 I wore round my hunting cap, being dragged off by a 
 projecting bough, was instantly charged by three rhinoce- 
 roses ; and looking over my shoulder, I could see them long 
 afterwards fagging themselves to overtake me. In the course 
 of five minutes, the fugitives arrived at a small river, the 
 treacherous sands of which receiving their long legs, their 
 flight was greatly retarded ; and after floundering to the 
 opposite side, and scrambling to the top of the bank, I 
 perceived that their race was run. Patting the streaming 
 neck of my good steed, I urged him again to his utmost, and 
 instantly found myself by the side of the herd. The stately 
 bull, being readily distinguishable from the rest by his dark 
 chestnut robe, and superior stature, I applied the muzzle of 
 my rifle behind his dappled shoulder, with the right hand, 
 and drew both triggers; but he still continued to shufflo
 
 568 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 along, and being afraid of losing him, should I dismount, 
 among the extensive mimosa groves, with which the land- 
 scape was now obscured, I sat in my saddle, loading and 
 firing behind the elbow, and then placing myself across his 
 path, until, the tears trickling from his full brilliant eye, his 
 lofty frame began to totter, and at the seventeenth discharge 
 fiom the deadly grooved bore, bowing his graceful head from 
 the skies, his proud form was prostrate in the dust. Never 
 shall I forget the tingling excitement of that moment ! Alone, 
 in the wild wood, I hurraed with bursting exultation, and 
 unsaddling my steed, sank exhausted beside the noble prize I 
 had won. 
 
 When I leisurely contemplated the massive frame before 
 me, seeming as though it had been cast in a mould of brass, 
 and protected by a hide of an inch and a half in thickness, 
 it was no longer matter of astonishment, that a bullet dis- 
 charged from a distance of eighty or ninety yards, should 
 have been attended with little effect upon such amazing 
 strength. The extreme height from the crown of the 
 elegantly moulded head to the hoof of this magnificent 
 animal, was eighteen feet ; the whole being equally divided 
 into neck, body, and leg. Two hours were passed in com- 
 pleting a drawing ; arid Piet still not making his appearance, 
 I cut off the tail, which exceeded five feet in length, and was 
 rneasurelessly the most estimable trophy I had gained ; but 
 proceeding to saddle my horse, which I had left quietly 
 grazing by the side of a running brook, my chagrin may be 
 conceived, when I discovered that he had taken advantage 
 of my occupation to free himself from his halter, and abscond. 
 Being ten miles from the wagons, and in a perfectly strange 
 country, I felt convinced that the only chance of recovering 
 my pet, was by following the trail, whilst doing which with 
 infinite difficulty, the ground scarcely deigning to receive a 
 foot-print, I had the satisfaction of meeting Piet and Moliany- 
 om, who had fortunately seen and recaptured the truant
 
 THE FIRST GIKAFFE HUNT. 569 
 
 Heturnlng to the giraffe, we all feasted heartily upon the 
 flesh, which, although highly scented at this season with the 
 rank mokaala blossoms, was far from despicable ; and after 
 losing our way in consequence of the twin-like resemblance 
 of two scarped hills, we regained the wagons after sunset. 
 
 The spell was now broken, and the secret of cameleopard 
 hunting discovered. The next day Richardson and myself 
 killed three ; one a female, slipping upon muddy ground, and 
 falling with great violence, before she had been wounded, a 
 shot in the head dispatched her as she lay. From this time 
 we could reckon confidently upon two out of each troop that 
 we Avere fortunate enough to find, always approaching as 
 near as possible, in order to insure a good start, galloping 
 into the middle of them, boarding the largest, and riding 
 with him until he fell. The rapidity with which these awk- 
 wardly formed animals can move, is beyond all things 
 surprising, our best horses being unable to close with them 
 under two miles. Their gallop is a succession of jumping 
 strides, the fore and hind leg on the same side moving 
 together instead of diagonally, as in most other quadrupeds, 
 the former being kept close together, and the latter so wide 
 apart, that in riding by the animal's side, the hoof may be 
 seen striking on the outside of the horse, momentarily threat- 
 ening to overthrow him. Their motion, altogether, reminded 
 me rather of the pitching of a ship, or rolling of a rocking- 
 horse, than of any thing living ; and the remarkable gait is 
 rendered still more automaton-like, by the switching, at 
 regular intervals, of the long black tail, which is invariably 
 curled above the back, and by the corresponding action of 
 the neck, swinging as it does, like a pendulum, and literally 
 imparting to the animal the appearance of a huge piece of 
 machinery in motion. Naturally gentle, timid and peaceable, 
 the unfortunate giraffe has no means of protecting itself but 
 with its heels ; but even when hemmed into a corner, ic 
 seldom resorted to this mode of defence. I have beforu
 
 570 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 noticed the courage evinced by our horses, in the pursuit of 
 game. Even when brought into actual contact with these 
 almost unearthly quadrupeds, they evinced no symptom of 
 alarm, a circumstance which may possibly be traced to their 
 meagre diet. 
 
 The colossal height, and apparent disproportions of this 
 extraordinary animal, long classed it with the unicorn and 
 the sphynx of the ancients, and induced a belief that it 
 belonged rather to the group of chimeras with which the 
 regions of imagination are tenanted, than existed amongst 
 the actual works of nature. Of its form and habits, no very 
 precise notions were obtained until within the last forty years ; 
 and even now, the extant delineations are far from the truth, 
 having been taken from crippled prisoners instead of from 
 specimens free in their native deserts. The giraffe is by no 
 means a common animal, even at its headquarters. We 
 seldom found them without having followed the -trail, and 
 never saw more than five-and-thirty in a day. A traveller 
 whom I met in the Cape Colony, assured me, before I visited 
 the interior, that he had himself counted eight hundred 
 giraffes in a single day ; and during his travels, had ridden 
 down hundreds. On my return, however, after a little cross- 
 examination, the number destroyed dwindled gradually down 
 to one; which solitary individual appeared, upon further 
 investigation, to have been been taken in a pitfall ! The 
 senses of sight, hearing and smell, are acute and delicate ; 
 the eyes, which are soft and gentle, eclipsing those of the 
 oft-sung gazelle of the East, and being so constructed that, 
 without turning the head, the animal can see both before and 
 behind it at the same time. On the forehead there is a 
 remarkable prominence ; and the tongue has the power of 
 mobility increased to an extraordinary degree, accompanied 
 with the faculty of extension, which enables it, in miniature, 
 to perform the office of the elephant's proboscis. The lofty 
 mancd neck, possessing only seven joints, appears to move
 
 THE FIRST GIRAFFE HUNT. 571 
 
 on a pivot, instead of being flexible like that of the swan or 
 peacock, to which, from its length, it has been likened. 
 
 The giraffe utters no cry whatever. Both sexes have 
 horns, covered with hair, and are similarly marked with 
 an angular and somewhat symmetrical pattern. The male 
 increases in depth of color according to the age, and in some 
 specimens is nearly black ; but the female is smaller in 
 stature, and of a lighter color, approaching to yellow. 
 Although very extensive, the range of its habitat is exclu- 
 sively confined to those regions in which the species of 
 mimosa termed mokaala, or kameel-doorn, is a6undarit, the 
 leaves, shoots, and blossoms of that tree being its ordinary 
 food. 
 
 On the 22d, being encamped on the banks of a small 
 stream, a cameleopard was killed by a lion, whilst in the 
 act of drinking, at no great distance from the wagons. It 
 was a noisy affair, but an inspection of the scene on which 
 it occurred, proved that the giant strength of the victim had 
 been paralyzed in an instant. Authors have asserted that 
 the king of beasts is some.times carried fifteen or twenty 
 miles, "riding proudly" on the back of the giraffe; but 
 notwithstanding the amazing and acknowledged power of this 
 superb animal, I am greatly disposed to question his ability 
 to maintain so long a race under such merciless jockeyship ! 
 
 Sensations very well described capitally, indeed ! only 
 it is surprising how much alike "First Giraffe Hunts" must 
 be, since such a remarkable coincidence of feeling expe- 
 rienced, and of the action described, should have occurred 
 in these two thus, performed by different persons, at an 
 interval of ten years. The fact of their being so much 
 alike, may console those of us in this prosy real world who 
 may chance to be emulous of a Giraffe Hunt.
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICAN LIONS. 
 
 Now for the lordly King of Beasts ! As these wild African 
 Hunters found him, the grandeur of his ancestral name is 
 not a little heightened. There are some pictures of this 
 South African monarch of the wastes furnished as well by 
 the daring missionaries of the Christian Church in this 
 direction, which are quite as striking as those given by the 
 professional Hunters themselves. These we shall give after 
 first taking the general sketch of the habits of the animal 
 furnished by Gumming. 
 
 The night of the 19th was to me rather a memorable one, 
 as being the first on which I had the satisfaction of hearing 
 the deep-toned thunder of the lion's roar. Although there 
 was no one near to inform me' by what beast the haughty 
 and impressive sounds which echoed through the wilderness 
 were produced, I had little difficulty in divining. There was 
 no mistake about it ; and on hearing it I at once knew, as 
 well as if accustomed to the sound from my infancy, that 
 the appalling roar which was uttered within half a mile 
 of me was no other than that of the mighty and terrible 
 king of beasts. Although the dignified and truly monarch- 
 ical appearance of the lion has long rendered him famous 
 among his fellow quadrupeds, and his appearance and habits 
 have often been described by abler pens than mine, never- 
 theless I consider that a few remarks, resulting from my 
 own personal experience, formed by a tolerably long acquaint- 
 ance with them both by day and by night, may not prove 
 uninteresting to the reader. There is something so noble 
 
 572
 
 ADVENTURES WITH LIONS. 573 
 
 and imposing in the presence of the lion, when seen walking 
 with dignified self-possession, free and undaunted, on hia 
 native soil, that no description can convey an adequate idea 
 of his striking appearance. The lion is exquisitely formed 
 by nature for the predatory habits which he is destined to 
 pursue. Combining in comparatively small compass the 
 qualities of power and agility, he is enabled, by means of 
 the tremendous machinery with which nature has gifted 
 him, easily to overcome and destroy almost every beast of 
 the forest, however superior to him in weight and stature. 
 
 Though considerably under four feet in height, he has 
 little difficulty in dashing to the ground and overcoming the 
 lofty and apparently powerful giraffe, whose head towers above 
 the trees of the forest, and whose skin is nearly an inch in 
 thickness. The lion is the constant attendant of the vast 
 herds of buffaloes which frequent the interminable forests of 
 the interior ; and a full-grown one, so long as his teeth are 
 unbroken, generally proves a match for an old bull buffalo, 
 which in size and strength greatly surpasses the most 
 powerful breed of English cattle : the lion also preys on all 
 the larger varieties of the antelopes, and on both varieties 
 of the gnu. The zebra, which is met with in large herds 
 throughout the interior, is also a favorite object of his puisuit. 
 
 Lions do not refuse, as has been asserted, to feast upon 
 the venison that they have not killed themselves. I have 
 repeatedly discovered lions of all ages which had taken 
 possession of, and were feasting upon, the carcasses of 
 various game quadrupeds which had fallen before my rifle. 
 The lion is very generally diffused throughout the secluded 
 parts of Southern Africa. lie is, however, nowhere met 
 with in great abundance, it being very rare to find more 
 than three, or even two, families of lions frequenting the 
 same district and drinking at the same fountain. When a 
 greater number were met with, I remarked it was owing to 
 long-protracted droughts, which, by drying nearly all the
 
 574 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 fountains, had compelled the game of various districts to 
 crowd the remaining springs, and the lions, according to their 
 custom, followed in the wake. It is a common thing to come 
 upon a full-grown lion and lioness associating with three or 
 four large ones nearly full-grown ; at other times, full-growr. 
 males will be found associating and hunting together in a 
 happy state of friendship; two, three, and four full-grown 
 male lions may thus be discovered consorting together. 
 
 The male lion is adorned with a long, rank, shaggy mane, 
 which in some instances almost sweeps the ground. The 
 color of these manes varies, some being very dark, and 
 others of a golden yellow. This appearance has given rise 
 to a prevailing opinion among the Boers that there are two 
 distinct varieties of lions, which they distinguish by the 
 respective names of " Schwart fore life" and " Chiel fore 
 life;" this idea, however, is erroneons. The color of the 
 lion's mane is generally influenced by his age. He attains his 
 mane in the third year of his existence. I have remarked 
 that at first it is of a yellowish color ; in the prime of life it is 
 blackest, and when he has numbered many years, but still 
 is in the full enjoyment of his power, it assumes a yellowish- 
 gray, pepper-and-salt sort of color. These old fellows are 
 cunning and dangerous, and most to be dreaded. The 
 females are utterly destitute of a mane, being covered with 
 a short, thick, glossy coat of tawny hair. The manes and 
 coats of lions frequenting open-lying districts utterly destitute 
 of trees, such as the borders of the great Kalahari desert, 
 are more rank and handsome than those inhabiting forest 
 districts. 
 
 One of the most striking things connected with the lion 
 is his voice, which is extremely grand and peculiarly 
 striking. It consists at times of a low, deep moaning, 
 repeated five or six times, ending in faintly audible sighs ; 
 at other times he startles the forest with loud, deep-toned, 
 solemn roars, repeated five or six times in quick succession,
 
 ADVENTURES WITH LIONS. 575 
 
 each increasing in loudness to the third or fourth, when his 
 voice dies away in five or six low, muffled sounds, very much 
 resembling distant thunder. At times, and not unfrequently, 
 a troop may be heard roaring in concert, one assuming the 
 lead, and two, three, or four more regularly taking up their 
 parts, like persons singing a catch. Like our Scottish stags 
 at the rutting season, they roar loudest in cold, frosty 
 nights ; but on no occasions are their voices to be heard 
 in such perfection, or so intensely powerful, as when two or 
 three strange troops of lions approach a fountain to drink at 
 the same time. When this occurs, every member of each 
 troop sounds a bold roar of defiance at the opposite parties ; 
 and when one roars, all roar together, and each seems to 
 vie with his comrade in the intensity and power of his voice. 
 The power and grandeur of these nocturnal forest concerts 
 is inconceivably striking and pleasing to the hunter's ear. 
 The effect, I may remark, is greatly enhanced when the 
 hearer happens to be situated in the depths of the forest, 
 at the dead hour of midnight, unaccompanied by any attend- 
 ant, and ensconced within twenty yards of the fountain 
 Vfhich the surrounding troops of lions are approaching. Such 
 has been my situation many scores of times ; and though I 
 am allowed to have a tolerable good taste for music, I 
 consider the catches with which I was then regaled as the 
 sweetest and most natural I ever heard. 
 
 As a general rule, lions roar during the night ; their 
 sighing moans commencing as the shades of evening envelop 
 the forest, and continuing at intervals throughout the night. 
 In distant and secluded regions, however, I have constantly 
 heard them roaring loudly as late as nine and ten o'clock on 
 a bright sunny morning. In hazy and rainy weather they 
 are to be heard at every hour in the day, but their roar is 
 subdued. It often happens that when two strange male 
 lions meet at a fountain a terrific combat ensues, which not 
 unfrequently ends in the death of one of them. The habits
 
 576 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 of the lion are strictly nocturnal; during the day he lies 
 concealed beneath the shade of some low, bushy tree or wide- 
 spreading bush, either in the level forest or on the mountain 
 side. He is also partial to lofty reeds, or fields of long, 
 yellow grass, such as occur in low-lying vleys. From these 
 haunts he sallies forth when the sun goes down, and com- 
 mences his nightly prowl. When he is successful in his 
 beat and has secured his prey, he does not roar much that 
 night, only uttering occasionally a few low moans ; that is, 
 provided no intruders approach him, otherwise the case would 
 be very different. 
 
 Lions are ever most active, daring and presuming in dark 
 and stormy nights, and consequently, on such occasions, the 
 traveller ought more particularly to be on his guard. I 
 remarked a fact connected with the lion's hour of drinking 
 peculiar to themselves ; they seemed unwilling to visit the 
 fountains with good moonlight. Thus, when the moon rose 
 early, the lions deferred their hour of watering until late in 
 the morning ; and when the moon rose late, they drank at 
 a very early hour in the night. By this acute system many 
 a grisly lion saved his bacon, and is now luxuriating in the 
 forest of South Africa, which had otherwise fallen by the 
 barrels of my " Westley Richards." Owing to the tawny 
 color of the coat with which nature has robed him, he is 
 perfectly invisible in the dark ; and although I have often 
 heard them loudly lapping the water under my very nose, 
 not twenty yards from me, I could not possibly make out so 
 much as the outline of their forms. When a thirsty lion 
 comes to water, he stretches out his massive arms, lies down 
 on his breast to drink, and makes a loud, lapping noise in 
 drinking not to be mistaken. lie continues lapping up the 
 water for a long while, and four or five times during the 
 proceeding he pauses for half a minute as if to take breath. 
 One thing conspicuous about them is their eyes, which, in a 
 dark night, glow like two balls of fire. The female is more
 
 ADVENTURES WITH LIONS. 5 < i 
 
 fierce and active than the male, as a general rule. Lionesses 
 which have never had young are much more dangerous than 
 those which have. At no time is the lion so much to be 
 dreaded as when his partner has got small young ones. At 
 that season he knows no fear, and, in the coolest and most 
 intrepid manner, he will face a thousand men. A remarkable 
 instance of this kind came under my own observation, which 
 confirmed the reports I had before heard from the nati/es. 
 One day, when out elephant-hunting in the territory of the 
 "Baseleka," accompanied by two hundred and fifty men, I 
 was astonished suddenly to behold a majestic lion slowly and 
 steadily advancing toward us with a dignified step and 
 undaunted bearing, the most noble and imposing that can 
 be conceived. Lashing his tail from side to side, and growl- 
 ing haughtily, his terribly expressive eye resolutely fixed 
 upon us, and displaying a show of ivory well calculated to 
 inspire terror among the timid "Bechuanas," he approached. 
 A headlong flight of the two hundred and fifty men was the 
 immediate result ; and, in the confusion of the moment, four 
 couples of my dogs, which they had been leading, were 
 allowed to escape in their couples. These instantly faced 
 the lion, who, finding that by his bold bearing he had 
 succeeded in putting his enemies to flight, now became 
 solicitous for the safety of his little family, with which the 
 lioness was retreating in the back-ground. Facing about, 
 he followed after them with a haughty and independent 
 step, growling fiercely at the dogs which trotted along on 
 either side of him. Three troops of elephants having been 
 discovered a few minutes previous to this, upon which I 
 was marching for the attack, I, with the most heartfelt 
 reluctance, reserved my fire. On running down the hill side 
 to endeavor to recall my dogs, I observed, for the first time, 
 the retreating lioness with four cubs. About twenty minutes 
 afterwards two noble elephants repaid my forbearance. 
 
 Among Indian Nimrods, a certain class of royal tigers 
 
 37
 
 578 "WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 is dignified with the appellation of "man-eaters." These 
 are tigers which, having once tasted human flesh, show a 
 predilection for the same, and such characters are very 
 naturally famed and dreaded among the natives. Elderly 
 gentlemen of similar tastes and habits are occasionally met 
 with among the lions in the interior of South Africa, and 
 the danger of such neighbors may be easily imagined. I 
 account for lions first acquiring this taste in the following 
 manner : the Bechuana tribes of the far interior do not bury 
 their dead, but unceremoniously carry them forth, and leave 
 them lying exposed in the forest or on the plain, a prey to 
 the lion and hyaena, or the jackal and vulture ; and I can 
 readily imagine that a lion, having thus once tasted human 
 flesh, would have little hesitation, when opportunity presented 
 itself, of springing upon and carrying off the unwary traveller 
 or " Bechuana" inhabiting his country. Be this as it may, 
 man-eaters occur ; and on my fourth hunting expedition, a 
 horrible tragedy was acted one dark night in my little lonely 
 camp by one of these formidable characters, which deprived 
 me, in the far wilderness, of my most valuable servant. In 
 winding up these few observations on the lion, which I trust 
 will not have been tiresome to the reader, I may remark 
 that lion-hunting, under any circumstances, is decidedly a 
 dangerous pursuit. It may nevertheless be followed, to a 
 certain extent, with comparative safety by those who have 
 naturally a turn for that sort of thing. A recklessness of 
 death, perfect coolness and self-possession, an acquaintance 
 with the disposition and manners of lions, and a tolerable 
 knowledge of the use of the rifle, are indispensable to him 
 who would shine in the overpoweringly exciting pastime of 
 hunting this justly celebrated king of beasts. 
 
 It would be a pity, if, amidst his other lauded character- 
 istics, the Hoc should not be quite as remarkable for manners 
 as magnanimity. Moffat, the daring agent of the London 
 Missionary Society in South Africa, who for twenty-three
 
 ADVENTURES WITH LIONS. 579 
 
 years was exposed to all the perils of general resident, and 
 travelling supervision, of the Society operations in that wild 
 region, has given many striking and memorable anecdotes 
 of the lion, which are worth comparison with the rabidly 
 egotistical narratives of Gumming, &c. We quote one, in 
 his own language, of the authenticity of which there can be 
 no reasonable doubt at least it stands upon quite as broad a 
 basis of authenticity as any thing in that species of literature. 
 Conversing with the party one evening, when sitting around 
 the fire, on the conduct of children to their parents, I observed 
 that they were as bad as lions. " They are worse," replied 
 Africaner. This he illustrated from the well-known charac- 
 teristics of the king of beasts ; or, more properly, king of the 
 beasts of prey. Much has been written about African lions, 
 but the half has not been told. The following trait in their 
 character may not be intrusive, or partaking of the marvelous, 
 with which the tales of some travellers are said to abound. I 
 give it as received from men of God, and men who had been 
 experienced Nimrods, too. The old lion, when in company 
 with his children as the natives call them, though they are 
 nearly as big as himself; or, when numbers together happen 
 to come upon game, the oldest or ablest creeps to the object, 
 while the others crouch on the grass ; if he be successful, 
 which he generally is, he retires from his victim, and lies 
 down to breathe and rest, for perhaps a quarter of an hour ; 
 in the meantime, the others draw around, and lie down at a 
 respectful distance. When the chief one has got his rest, he 
 commences at the abdomen and breast, and after making 
 havoc with the tit-bits of the carcass, he will take a second 
 rest, none of the others presuming to move. Having made 
 a second gorge, he retires, the others watching his motions, 
 rush on the remainder, and it is soon devoured. At other 
 times, if a young lion seizes the prey, and an old one happens 
 to come up, the younger retires till the elder has dined. This
 
 580 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 was what Africaner called better manners than those of the 
 Namaquas. 
 
 Here are others as droll from the same source : 
 Passing along a vale, we came to a spot where the lion 
 appeared to have been exercising himself in the way of leap- 
 ing. As the natives are very expert in tracing the maneuvres 
 of animals by their foot-marks, it was soon discovered that a 
 large lion had crept towards a short black stump, very like 
 the human form ; when within about a dozen yards, it bounded 
 on its supposed prey, when, to his mortification, he fell a foot 
 or two short of it. According to the testimony of a native 
 who had been watching his motions, and who joined us soon 
 after, the lion lay for some time steadfastly eyeing its sup- 
 posed meal. It then arose, smelt the object, and returned to 
 the spot from which he commenced his first leap, and leaped 
 four several times, till at last he placed his paw on the 
 imagined prize. On another occasion, when Africaner and 
 an attendant were passing near the end of a hill, from which 
 jutted out a smooth rock of ten or twelve feet high, he 
 observed a number of zebras pressing round it, obliged to 
 keep the path, beyond which it was precipitous. A lion was 
 seen creeping up towards the path, to intercept the large 
 etallion, which is always in the rear to defend or warn the 
 troop. The lion missed his mark, and while the zebra rushed 
 round the point, the lion knew well, if he could mount the 
 rock at one leap, the next would be on the zebra's back, it 
 being obliged to turn towards the hill. He fell short, with 
 only his head over the stone, looking at the galloping zebra 
 switching his tail in the air. He then tried a second and a 
 tnird leap, till he succeeded. In the meantime two more 
 lions came up, and seemed to roar and talk away about 
 something, while the old lion led them round the rock, and 
 round it again ; then he made another grand leap, to show 
 them what he and they must do next time. Africaner added.
 
 ADVENTURES WITH LIONS. 581 
 
 with the nLost perfect gravity, "They evidently talked to 
 each other, but though loud enough, I could not understand 
 a word they said ; and, fearing lest we should be the next 
 objects of their skill, we crept away and left them in council." 
 
 This is a fine story, and I do not regard it with near the 
 suspicion with which I do' those vaunting ones of personal 
 adventure to which I have referred'. I do not at all doubt 
 the sagacious measuring of strength with distance by the 
 lion. How else could certainty be secured in the next 
 experiment though the self-educating processes of the 
 young lion are plainly indicated. Another story of more 
 tragic character is given. 
 
 The following fact will show the fearful dangers to which 
 solitary travellers are sometimes exposed. A man belonging 
 to Mr. Schmelen's congregation, at Bethany, returning home- 
 wards from a visit to his friends, took a circuitous course in 
 order to pass a small fountain, or rather pool, where he hoped 
 to kill an antelope, to carry home to his family. The sun 
 had risen to some height by the time he reached the spot, 
 and seeing no game, he laid his gun down on a shelving low 
 rock, the back part of which was covered over with a species 
 of dwarf thorn-bushes. He went to the water, took a hearty 
 drink, and returned to the rock, smoked his pipe, and being 
 a little tired, fell asleep. In a short time the heat reflected 
 from the rock awoke him, and opening his eyes, he saw a 
 large lion crouching before him, with its eyes glaring in his 
 face, and within little more than a yard of his feet. He sat 
 motionless for some minutes, till he had recovered his presence 
 of mind, then eyeing his gun, moved his hand slowly towards 
 it ; the lion seeing him, raised its head, and gave a tremendous 
 roar; he made another and another attempt, but the gun 
 being far beyond his reach, he gave it up, as the lion seemed 
 well aware of his object, and was enraged whenever he 
 attempted to move his hand. His situation now became 
 painful in the extreme ; the rock on which he sat became
 
 582 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 so hot that he could scarcely bear his naked feet to touch 
 it, and kept moving them, alternately placing one above the 
 other. The day passed, and the night also, but the lion 
 never moved from the spot; the sun rose again, and its 
 intense heat soon rendered his feet past feeling. At noon 
 the lion rose and walked to the water, only a few yards 
 distant, looking behind as it went, lest the man should move, 
 and seeing him stretch out his hand to take his gun, turned 
 in a rage, and was on the point of springing upon him. The 
 animal went to the water, drank, and returning, lay down 
 again at the edge of the rock. Another night passed ; the 
 man, in describing it, said, he knew not whether he slept, but 
 if he did, it must have been with his eyes open, for he always 
 saw the lion at his feet. Next day, in the forenoon, the 
 animal went again to the water, and while there, he listened 
 to some noise apparently from an opposite quarter, and dis- 
 appeared in the bushes. The man now made another effort, 
 and seized his gun ; but on attempting to rise, he fell, his 
 ankles being without power. With his gun in his hand, he 
 crept towards the water, and drank ; but looking at his feet, 
 he saw, as he expressed it, his " toes roasted," and the skin 
 torn off with the grass. There he sat a few moments, expect- 
 ing the lion's return, when he was resolved to send the 
 contents of the gun through its head; but as it did not 
 appear, tying his gun to his back, the poor man made the 
 best of his way on his hands and knees, to the nearest 
 path, hoping some solitary individual might pass. He could 
 go no farther, when, providentially, a person came up, who 
 took him to a place of safety, from whence he obtained help, 
 though he lost his toes, and was a cripple for life. 
 
 The preceding lion stories, selected from many more, will 
 ?erve for the present to illustrate something of the character 
 f that noble, but dangerous creature. 
 
 Here is another from Moffat, of quite as curious though 
 rather of the opposite and a more grotesque nature.
 
 ADVENTURES WITH LIONS. 583 
 
 As to his being afraid of the human eye, I shall touch on 
 that subject in another part of my work, when I describe 
 those which have tasted human flesh, for which they ever 
 afterwards retain an uncommon relish. With all their bold- 
 ness, they are sometimes arrant cowards. On one occasion, 
 I remember a man who, coming unexpectedly on a lion, 
 fainted. The lion raised himself to look over the bushes, 
 and seeing no one, seemed to suspect a plot, and scampered 
 off with his tail between his legs. It is but justice to add, 
 that the man was no less cowardly ; for, on awaking from his 
 swoon, and looking this way and that, he imagined the object 
 of his terror was still there, and taking to his heels, he made 
 towards the wagon. I have known Bushmen, and even 
 women, drive the lion away from the prey he has just seized, 
 by beating their clubs on dry hides, and shouting ; neverthe- 
 less, by day, and especially by night, he is an object of terror. 
 
 Here is yet another, from a Missionary of South Africa, 
 which is analogous. It is from a narrative of a visit to the 
 Mauritius and South Africa, by James Backhouse. 
 
 A Bushman residing near the Orange river, in the direc- 
 tion of Hardcastle Kloof, was hunting with some companions, 
 and observing a considerable number of vultures soaring in 
 the air, he concluded that some animal had been accidentally 
 killed, of which he might possibly obtain a share ; he therefore 
 left his companions and repaired to the spot, where he found 
 a hartebeest lying, off which he drove a number of these birds. 
 On doing this, a lion, which he supposed had killed the harte- 
 beest and satisfied its hunger, came from behind a neighboring 
 bush and growled at him. 
 
 Petrified with fear, the Bushman stood perfectly still. The 
 lion walked round him, so close as to brush him with its tail, 
 uttering at the same time a low growl ; it went to a short 
 distance and sat down, looking at the Bushman, who kept hia 
 eye upon it and drew back a few paces ; but when he drew 
 back the lion advanced, he therefore stood quite still till the
 
 584 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 lion retired a little and lay down. The Bushman seized the 
 opportunity, picked up a few straws of dried grass and began 
 to try to strike a light ; but as soon as the lion heard the 
 tapping of the flint and steel, it rose again and walked around 
 the Bushman, brushing him as before; again the Bushman 
 was still, and again the lion retired. The Bushman once 
 more plied his flint and steel, and again the lion advanced 
 from his retreat. At this moment the Bushman succeeded in 
 obtaining a light, but such was his terror that, forgetting 
 himself, he continued blowing at it till it scorched his face. 
 The lion made a stand when he saw the flame, and as this 
 increased when the burning grass was dropped into a dry 
 bush, the lion fled. The Bushman, who had been thus 
 detained from noon to sunset, lost no time, when the lion 
 was sufficiently far gone, in also making his retreat ; he said 
 he had never run so fast before, and when he reached his 
 companions he was pale and sick with fright. 
 
 These missionary stories most strikingly illustrate that 
 mysterious power over "the beasts of the field" which is 
 undoubtedly exercised by all beings, even though they be 
 degraded Hottentots, who chance to bear the "upturned 
 countenance" which was stamped upon the human race as 
 a "sign of dominion." Gumming gives a still more extraordi- 
 nary relation of an incident of the same class which happened 
 to himself. Although this has generally been set down as 
 an apocryphal anecdote, yet I am, from my own experience 
 of animals, if not for many other reasons, disposed to believe 
 it a real incident, and therefore give it as he tells it literally. 
 
 Ruyter came towards me, and I ran forward to obtain a 
 view beyond a slight rise in the ground to see whither the 
 lioness had gone. In so doing I came suddenly upon them, 
 within about seventy yards ; they were standing looking 
 back at Ruyter. I then very rashly commenced making a 
 rapid stalk in upon them, and fired at the nearest, having 
 only one shot in my rifle. The ball told loudly, and the
 
 ADVENTURES WITH LIONS. 585 
 
 lioness at which I had fired wheeled right round, and came 
 on lashing her tail, showing her teeth, and making that 
 horrid, murderous deep growl which an angry lion generally 
 utters. At the same moment, her comrade, who seemed 
 better to know that she was in the presence of man, made a 
 hasty retreat into the reeds. The instant the lioness came 
 on, I stood up to my full height, holding my rifle, and my 
 arms extended, and high above my head. This checked her 
 in her course ; but on looking round and missing her comrade, 
 and observing Ruyter slowly advancing, she was still more 
 exasperated, and, fancying that she was being surrounded, 
 she made another forward movement, growling terribly. 
 This was a moment of great danger, I felt that my only 
 chance of safety was extreme steadiness ; so, standing 
 motionless as a rock, with my eyes firmly fixed upon her, I 
 called out in a clear, commanding voice, " Holloa ! old girl, 
 what's the hurry? take it easy; holloa! holloa!" She 
 instantly once more halted, and seemed perplexed, looking 
 round for her comrade. I then thought it prudent to beat 
 a retreat, which I very slowly did, talking to the lioness all 
 the time. She seemed undecided as to her future movements, 
 and was gazing after me and snuffing the ground when I last 
 beheld her. 
 
 But here we have another adventure of his with a lioness, 
 too, in which he does not prove altogether so successful in 
 "running his face" upon the roused lady of the wastes. 
 
 Suddenly I observed a number of vultures seated on the 
 plain about a quarter of a mile ahead of us, and close beside 
 them stood a huge lioness, consuming a blesbok which she 
 had killed. She was assisted in her repast by about a dozen 
 jackals, which were feasting along with her in the most 
 friendly and confidential manner. Directing my followers' 
 attention to the spot, I remarked, "I see the lion;" to which 
 they replied, "Whar? whar? Yah! Almagtag! dat is he;" 
 and instantly reining in their steeds and wheeling about,
 
 586 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 they pressed their heels to their horses' sides, and were 
 preparing to betake themselves to flight. I asked them 
 what they were going to do. To which they answered, 
 "Wo have not yet placed caps on our rifles." This was 
 true; but while this short conversation was passing, the 
 lioness had obs-erved us. Kaising her full, round face, she 
 overhauled us for a few seconds, and then set off at a smart 
 canter towards a range of mountains some miles to the north- 
 ward ; the whole troop of jackals also started off in another 
 direction ; there was, therefore, no time to think of caps. 
 The first move was to bring her to bay, and not a second 
 was to be lost. Spurring my good and lively steed, and 
 shouting to my men to follow, I flew across the plain, and, 
 being fortunately mounted on Colesburg, the flower of my 
 stud, I gained upon her at every stride. This was to me a 
 joyful moment, and I at once made up my mind that she or 
 I must die. 
 
 The lioness having had a long start of me, we went over 
 a considerable extent of ground before I came up with her. 
 She was a large, full-grown beast, and the bare and level 
 nature of the plain added to her imposing appearance. 
 Finding that I gained upon her, she reduced her pace from 
 a canter to a trot, carrying her tail stuck out behind her, 
 and slewed a little to one side. I shouted loudly to her to 
 halt, as I wished to speak with her, upon which she suddenly 
 pulled up, and sat on her haunches like a dog, with her 
 back towards me, not even deigning to look round. She 
 then appeared to say to herself, "Does this fellow know who 
 he is after?" Having thus sat for half a minute, as if 
 involved in thought, she sprang to her feet, and, facing 
 about, stood looking at me for a few seconds, moving her 
 tail slowly from side to side, showing her teeth, and growling 
 fiercely. She next made a short run forward, making a 
 loud, rumbling noise like thunder. This she did to intimidate 
 me; but, finding that I did not flinch an inch nor seem to
 
 ADVENTURES WITH LIONS. 587 
 
 heed her hostile demonstrations, she quietly stretched out 
 her massive arms, and lay down on the grass. My Hottentots 
 now coming up, we all three dismounted, and, drawing our 
 rifles from their holsters, we looked to see if the powder was 
 up in the nipples, and put on our caps. While this was 
 doing the lioness sat up, and showed evident symptoms of 
 uneasiness. She looked first at us, and then behind her, as 
 if to see if the coast were clear ; after which she made a 
 short run towards us, uttering her deep-drawn, murderous 
 growls. Having secured the three horses to one another by 
 their rheims, we led them on as if we intended to pass her, 
 in the hope of obtaining a broadside. But this she carefully 
 avoided to expose, presenting only her full front. I had 
 given Stofolus my Moore rifle, with orders to shoot her if 
 she should spring upon me, but on no account to fire before 
 me. Kleinboy was to stand ready to hand me my Purdey 
 rifle, in case the two-grooved Dixon should not prove sufficient. 
 My men as yet had been steady, but they were in a precious 
 stew, their faces having assumed a ghastly paleness, and 
 I had a painful feeling that I could place no reliance on 
 them. 
 
 Now, then, for it, neck or nothing ! She is within sixty 
 yards of us, and she keeps advancing. We turned the horses' 
 tails to her. I knelt on one side, and, taking a steady aim 
 at her breast, let fly. The ball cracked loudly on her tawny 
 hide, and crippled her in the shoulder, upon which she 
 charged with an appalling roar, and in the twinkling of an 
 eye she was in the midst of us. At this moment Stofolus's 
 rifle exploded in his hand, and Kleinboy, whom I had ordered 
 to stand reidy by me, danced about like a duck in a gale 
 of wind. Tho lioness sprang upon Colesburg, and fearfully 
 lacerated his ribs and haunches with her horrid teeth and 
 claws ; the worst wound was on his haunch, which exhibited a 
 sickening, yawning gash, more than twelve inches long, almost 
 laying bare the very bone. I was very cool and steady, and
 
 588 "WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 did not feel in the least degree nervous, having fortunately 
 great confidence in my own shooting ; but I must confess, 
 when the whole affair was over, I felt that it was a very 
 awful situation, and attended with extreme peril, as I had no 
 friend with me on whom I could rely. 
 
 When the lioness sprang on Colcsburg, I stood out from 
 the horses, ready with my second barrel for the first chance 
 she should give me of a clear shot. This she quickly did ; 
 for, seemingly satisfied with the revenge she had now taken, 
 she quitted Colesburg, and, slewing her tail to one side, 
 trotted sulkily past within a few paces of me, taking one 
 step to the left. I pitched my rifle to my shoulder, and in 
 another second the lioness was stretched on the plain a 
 lifeless corpse. In the struggles of death she half turned 
 on her back, and stretched her neck and fore arms con- 
 vulsively, when she fell back to her former position ; her 
 mighty arms hung powerless by her side, her lower jaw fell, 
 blood streamed from her mouth, and she expired. At the 
 moment I fired my second shot, Stofolus, who hardly knew 
 whether he was alive or dead, allowed the three horses to 
 escape. These galloped frantically across the plain, on 
 which he and Kleinboy instantly started after them, leaving 
 me standing alone and unarmed within a few paces of the 
 lioness, which they, from their anxiety to be out of the way, 
 evidently considered quite capable of doing further mischief. 
 
 Such is ever the case with these worthies, and with nearly 
 all the natives of South Africa. No reliance can be placed 
 on them. They will to a certainty forsake their master in 
 the most dastardly manner in the hour of peril, and leave 
 him in the lurch. A stranger, however, hearing these 
 fellows recounting their own gallant adventures, when sitting 
 in the evening along with their comrades round a blazing 
 fire, or under the influence of their adored " Cape smoke" 
 or native brandy, might fancy them to be the bravest of the 
 brave. Having skinned the lioness and cut off her head, wo
 
 ADVENTURES WITH LIONS. 589 
 
 placed her trophies upon Beauty and held for camp. Before 
 we had proceeded a hundred yards from the carcass, upwards 
 of sixty vultures, -whom the lioness had often fed, were 
 fcastin"- on hor remains. 
 
 O 
 
 These tawny ladies appear to have a temper of their own, 
 in common with the sex generally ; indeed, it appears to be 
 the united testimony of travellers, that the lioness is most 
 apt to be aggressively dangerous when she has cubs ; while 
 the attacks of the lion are only to be greatly dreaded when 
 wounded, while he stands on the defensive. Harris, however, 
 exhibits the monarch in one of those grand and terrible out- 
 bursts of apparently causeless wrath, to which he, in common 
 with the elephant and all the larger beasts, seem to be subject, 
 both in their native wilds and in confinement. Here is his 
 story. 
 
 Peeping out, however, to ascertain if there was any 
 prospect of its clearing up, we perceived three lions squatted 
 within a hundred yards, in the open plain, attentively 
 watching the oxen. Our rifles were hastily seized, but the 
 dampness of the atmosphere prevented their exploding. One 
 after another, too, the Hottentots sprang out of the pack 
 wagon, and snapped their guns at the unwelcome intruders, 
 as they trotted sulkily away, and took up their position on 
 a stony eminence at no great distance. Fresh caps and 
 priming were applied, and a broadside was followed by the 
 instantaneous demise of the largest, whose cranium was 
 perforated by two bullets at the same instant. Swinging 
 their tails over their backs, the two survivors took warning 
 by the fate of their companion, and dashed into the thicket 
 with a roar. In another half hour the voice of Leo wa3 
 again heard at the foot of the mountains, about a quarter 
 of a mile from the camp ; and from the wagon top we could 
 perceive a savage monster rampant, with his tail hoisted and 
 whirling in a circle, charging furiously along the base of the 
 range, and in desperate wrath, making towards John April,
 
 590 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 who was tending the sheep. Every one instinctively grasped 
 his weapon, and rushed to the rescue, calling loudly to warn 
 the expected victim of his danger. Without taking the 
 smallest notice of him, however, the infuriated monster 
 dashed past, roaring and lashing his sides, until concealed 
 in the mist. Those who have seen the savage monarch of 
 the forest, in crippled captivity only, immured in a cage 
 barely double his own length, with his sinews relaxed by 
 confinement, have seen but the shadow of that animal which 
 "clears the desert with his rolling eye." 
 
 This is by far the noblest picture of the king of brutes in 
 all the magnificence of his freedom, and terror of his might 
 and wrath, that I remember in the whole range of this species 
 of literature. The simple grandeur of the recital is in most 
 unfavorable contrast with a rather sputtering attempt, on the 
 part of Gumming, to " do up the sublime," in his description 
 of a rencontre with the dreaded "man-eater lion/' which 
 carried off one of his men at night from the midst of his 
 camp, and was next day slain by him. There is such huge 
 overstraining of epithetical horrors on the part of the narrator 
 of an event, sufficiently hideous in itself, that I decline 
 inserting it here but shall quote instead from the gallant 
 Missionary, Moffat, a much more modest and comprehensible 
 account of an incident something parallel, which will at least 
 convey a most clear idea of what the appetite of a lion is, as 
 well as something of the dangers from them to be encountered 
 by the traveller in South Africa. 
 
 Having put my wagon in order, taken a driver, and a little 
 boy as leader of the oxen, and two Barolongs, who were going 
 to the same place, I left the station, my wife and family, for 
 an absence of two or three months. Our journey lay over a 
 wild and dreary country, inhabited by Balalas only, and but 
 a sprinkling of these. On the night of the third day's 
 journey, having halted at a pool, (Khokhole), we listened, 
 on the lonely plain, for the sound of an inhabitant, but all
 
 ADVENTURES WITH LIONS. 591 
 
 was silent. "We could discover no lights, and, amid the dark- 
 ness, -were unable to trace footmarks to the pool. We let 
 loose our wearied oxen to drink and graze, but as we were 
 ignorant of the character of the company with which we 
 might have to spend the night, we took a firebrand, and 
 examined the edges of the pool to see, from the imprints, 
 what animals were in the habit of drinking there, and, with 
 terror, discovered many spoors of lions. We immediately 
 collected the oxen, and brought them to the wagon, to which 
 we fastened them with the strongest thongs we had, having 
 discovered in their appearance something rather wild, indi- 
 cating that either from scent or sight, they knew danger was 
 near. The two Barolongs had brought a young cow with 
 them, and though I recommended their making her fast also, 
 they very humorously replied that she was too wise to leave 
 the wagon and oxen, even though a lion should be scented. 
 We took a little supper, which was followed by our evening 
 hymn, and prayer. I had retired only a few minutes to my 
 wagon to prepare for the night, when the whole of the oxen 
 started to their feet. 
 
 A lion had seized the cow only a few steps from their tails, 
 and dragged it to the distance of thirty or forty yards, where 
 we distinctly heard it tearing the animal, and breaking the 
 bones, while its bellowings were most pitiful. When these 
 were over, I seized my gun, but as it was too dark to see any 
 object at half the distance, I aimed at the spot where the 
 devouring jaws of the lion were heard. I fired again and 
 again, to which he replied with tremendous roars, at the 
 same time making a rush towards the wagon, so as exceed- 
 ingly to terrify the oxen. The two Barolongs engaged to 
 take firebrands, advance a few yards, and throw them at him, 
 so as to afford me a degree of light, that I might take aim, 
 the place being bushy. They had scarcely discharged them 
 from their hands, when the flame went out, and the enraged 
 animal rushed towards them with such swiftness, that I had
 
 592 "WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 barely time to turn the gun and fire between the men and the 
 lion, and providentially the ball struck the ground imme- 
 diately under his head, as we found by examination the 
 following morning. From this surprise he returned, growling 
 dreadfully. The men darted through some thorn-bushes 
 with countenances indicative of the utmost terror. It was 
 now the opinion of all that we had better let him alone if 
 he did not molest us. 
 
 Having but a scanty supply of wood to keep up a fire, one 
 man crept among the bushes on one side of the pool, while I 
 proceeded for the same purpose on the other side. I had not 
 gone far, when, looking upward to the edge of the small basin, 
 I discerned between me and the sky four animals, whose 
 attention appeared to be directed to me, by the noise I made 
 in breaking a dry stick. On closer inspection, I found that 
 the large, round, hairy-headed visiters were lions ; and 
 retreated on my hands and feet towards the other side of 
 the pool, when coming to my wagon-driver, to inform him 
 of our danger, I found him looking, with no little alarm, in 
 an opposite direction, and with good reason, as no fewer than 
 two lions, with a cub, were eyeing us both, apparently as 
 uncertain about us as we were distrustful of them. They 
 appeared, as they always do in the dark, twice the usual size. 
 We thankfully decamped to the wagon, and sat clown to keep 
 alive our scanty fire, while we listened to the lion tearing and 
 devouring his prey. When any of the other hungry lions 
 dared to approach, he would pursue them for some paces, 
 with a horrible howl, which made our poor oxen tremble, and 
 produced any thing but agreeable sensations in ourselves. 
 We had reason for alarm, lest any of the six lions we saw, 
 fearless of our small fire, might rush in among us. The two 
 Barolongs were grudging the lion his fat meal, and would 
 now and then break the silence with a deep sigh, and expres- 
 sions of regret that such a vagabond lion should have such a 
 feast on their cow, which they anticipated would have afforded
 
 ADVENTURES WITH LIOXS. 593 
 
 them many a draught of luscious milk. Before the day 
 dawned, having deposited nearly the whole of the carcass in 
 his stomach, he collected the head, back bone, parts of the 
 legs, the paunch, which he emptied of its contents, and the 
 two clubs which had been thrown at him, and walked off, 
 leaving nothing but some fragments of bones, and one of my 
 balls, which had hit the carcass instead of himself. 
 
 When it was light we examined the spot, and found, from 
 the foot-marks, that the lion was a large one, and had 
 devoured the cow himself. I had some difficulty in believing 
 this, but was fully convinced by the Barolongs pointing out 
 to me that the foot-marks of the other lions had not come 
 within thirty yards of the spot, two jackals only had 
 approached to lick up any little leavings. The men pursued 
 the spoor to find the fragments, where the lion had deposited 
 them, while he retired to a thicket to sleep during the day. 
 I had often heard how much a large, hungry lion would eat, 
 but nothing less than a demonstration would have convinced 
 me that it was possible for him to have eaten all the flesh of 
 a good heifer, and many of the bones, for scarcely a rib was 
 left, and even some of the marrow bones were broke as if 
 with a hammer. 
 
 After this, I think the curiosity of few would carry them 
 so far as to desire to test the appetite of a hungry South 
 African lion under any circumstances, where " proxy" could 
 not conveniently be substituted as in this case, with the poor 
 cow. Here I will take leave of the South African lion with 
 the remark, that with all the grandeur of his roarings, his 
 strength, and his appetite, he is on the whole a most pusil- 
 lanimous sneak ; and in consistent ferocity, is not near so 
 much to be dreaded, or so formidable, indeed, as our Grisly 
 Bear, which is not only fully his equal in strength, but sur- 
 passes him in courage altogether. 
 
 38
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE RHINOCEEOS AND HIPPOPOTAMUS. 
 
 OUR African adventurers plume themselves evidently upon 
 having out-Heroded the Herods of all previous Romance of 
 Hunting in having capped the climax of dashing extrava- 
 gance, by combatting both behemoth and the unicorn in 
 their own meadows and beneath forests as hoar as their 
 renown. It certainly constitutes a very striking element 
 of true romance this picture of two young men penetrating 
 the most ancient solitudes of earth, to battle, single-handed, 
 with these sole representatives of monsters before the Flood, 
 whose huge remains now fill the generations with such awe ! 
 
 59-4
 
 BEHEMOTH AND THE UNICORN. 595 
 
 Verily the rifle has brought us back to the antediluvian 
 prowess of that period, concerning which it is recorded, as 
 I have before remarked, " and there were? giants in those 
 days !" 
 
 Gumming, in his off-hand way, thus introduces us to the 
 unicorn. 
 
 Of the rhinoceros there are four varieties in South 
 Africa, distinguished by the Bechuanas by the names of 
 the borele', or black rhinoceros, the keitloa, or two-horned 
 black rhinoceros, the muchocho, or common white rhinoceros, 
 and the kobaoba, or long-horned white rhinoceros. Both 
 varieties of the black rhinoceros are extremely fierce and 
 dangerous, and rush headlong and unprovoked at any object 
 which attracts their attention. They never attain much fat, 
 and their flesh is tough, and not much esteemed by the 
 Bechuanas. Their food consists almost entirely of the 
 thorny branches of the wait-a-bit thorns. Their horns are 
 much shorter than those of the other varieties, seldom 
 exceeding eighteen inches in length. They are finely 
 polished with constant rubbing against the trees. The skull 
 is remarkably formed, its most striking feature, being the 
 tremendous thick ossification in which it ends above the 
 nostrils. It is on this mass that the horn is supported. 
 The horns are not connected with the skull, being attached 
 merely by the skin, and they may thus be separated from 
 the head by means of a sharp knife. They are hard and 
 perfectly solid throughout, and are a fine material for 
 various articles, such as drinking-cups, mallets for rifles, 
 handles for turner's tools, &c. &c. The horn is capable 
 of a very high polish. The eyes of the rhinoceros are 
 small and sparkling, and do not readily observe the 
 hunter, provided he keeps to leeward of them. The skin 
 is extremely thick, and only to be penetrated by buflets 
 hardened with solder. During the day the rhinoceros will 
 be found lying asleep or standing indolently in some retired
 
 596 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 part of the forest, or under the base of the mountains, 
 sheltered from the power of the sun by some friendly grove 
 of umbrella-topped mimosas. In the evening they commence 
 their nightly ramble, and wander over a great extent of 
 country. They usually visit the fountains between the hours 
 of nine and twelve o'clock at night, and it is on these 
 occasions that they may be most successfully hunted, and 
 with the least danger. The black rhinoceros is subject to 
 paroxysms of unprovoked fury, often ploughing up the 
 ground for several yards with its horn, and assaulting large 
 bushes in the most violent manner. On these bushes they 
 work for hours with their horns, at the same time snorting 
 and blowing loudly, nor do they leave them in general until 
 they have broken them into pieces. The rhinoceros is sup- 
 posed by many, and by myself among the rest, to be the animal 
 alluded to by Job, chap, xxxix., verses 10 and 11, where it 
 is written, " Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in 
 the furrow ? or will he harrow the valleys after thee ? Wilt 
 thou trust him because his strength is great ? or wilt thou 
 leave thy labor to him?" evidently alluding to an animal 
 possessed of great strength and of untameable disposition, 
 for both of which the rhinoceros is remarkable. All the 
 four varieties delight to roll and wallow in mud, with which 
 their rugged hides are generally incrusted. Both varieties 
 of the black rhinoceros are much smaller and more active 
 than the white, and are so swift that a horse with a rider 
 on his back can rarely overtake them. The two varieties 
 of the wliite rhinoceros are so similar in habits, that the 
 description of one will serve for both, the principal difference 
 consisting in the length and set of the anterior horn; that 
 of the rnuchocho averaging from two to three feet in length, 
 and pointing backwards, while the horn of the kobaoba often 
 exceeds four feet in length, and inclines forward from the 
 nose at an angle of forty-five degrees. The posterior horn 
 of either species seldom exceeds six or seven inches in
 
 BEHEMOTH AND THE UNICORN. 597 
 
 length. The kobaoba is the rarer of the two, and it is found 
 very far in the interior, chiefly to the eastward of the 
 Limpopo. Its horns are very valuable for loading rods, 
 supplying a substance at once suitable for a sporting imple- 
 ment and excellent for the purpose. Both these varieties of 
 rhinoceros attain an enormous size, being the animals next 
 in magnitude to the elephant. They feed solely on grass, 
 carry much fat, and their flesh is excellent, being preferable 
 to beef. They are of a much milder and more inoffensive 
 disposition than the black rhinoceros, rarely charging their 
 pursuer. Their speed is very inferior to that of the other 
 varieties, and a person well mounted can overtake and shoot 
 them. The head of these is a foot longer than that of the 
 borele*. They generally carry their heads low, whereas the 
 . borele, when disturbed, carries his very high, which imparts 
 to him a saucy and independent air. Unlike the elephants, 
 they never associate in herds, but are met with singly or in 
 pairs. In districts where they are abundant, from three to 
 six may be found in company, and I once saw upward of a 
 dozen congregated together on some young grass, but such 
 an occurrence is rare. 
 
 Here, too, is his first introduction to the unicorn. 
 Shortly after this I found myself on the banks of the 
 stream beside which my wagons were outspanned. Follow- 
 ing along its margin, I presently beheld a bull of the borele', 
 or black rhinoceros, standing within a hundred yards of me. 
 Dismounting from my horse, I secured him to a tree, and 
 then stalked within twenty yards of the huge beast, under 
 cover of a large, strong bush. Borele', hearing me advance, 
 came on to see what it was, and suddenly protruded his 
 horny nose within twenty yards of me. Knowing well that 
 a front shot would not prove deadly, I sprang to my feet 
 and ran behind the bush. Upon this the villain charged, 
 blowing loudly, and chased me round the bush. Had 'his 
 activity been equal to his ugliness, my wanderings would
 
 598 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 have terminated here, but by my superior agility I had the 
 advantage in the turn. After standing a short time, eyeing 
 me through the bush, he got a whiff of my wind, which at 
 once alarmed him. Uttering a blowing noise, and erecting 
 his insignificant yet saucy-looking tail, he wheeled about, 
 leaving me master of the field, when I sent a bullet through 
 his ribs, to teach him manners. 
 
 But the most extraordinary fact connected with the history 
 of the rhinoceros comes under the observation of Gumming 
 immediately after this incident. It is thus introduced : 
 
 On the forenoon of the 23d a native came and informed 
 me that he had discovered a white rhinoceros lying asleep in 
 a thick cover to the south. I accordingly accompanied him to 
 the spot, and commenced stalking in upon the vast muchocho. 
 He was lying asleep beneath a shady tree, and his appearance 
 reminded me of an enormous hog, which in shape he slightly 
 resembles. He kept constantly flapping his ears, which they 
 invariably do when sleeping. Before I could reach the proper 
 distance to fire, several "rhinoceros birds," by which he was 
 attended, warned him of his impending danger by sticking 
 their bills into his ear, and uttering their harsh, grating cry. 
 Thus aroused, he suddenly sprang to his feet and crashed 
 away through the jungle at a rapid trot, and I saw no more 
 of him. 
 
 These rhinoceros birds are constant attendants upon the 
 hippopotamus and the four varieties of rhinoceros, their 
 object being to feed upon the ticks and other parisitic insects 
 that swarm upon these animals. They are of a grayish color, 
 and are nearly as large as a common thrush ; their voice is 
 very similar to that of the mistletoe thrush. Many a time 
 have these ever-watchful birds disappointed me in my stalk, 
 and tempted me to invoke an anathema upon their devoted 
 heads. They are the best friends the rhinoceros has, and 
 rarely fail to awaken him even in his soundest nap. " Chu- 
 kuroo ' perfectly understands their warning, and, springing
 
 BEHEMOTH AND THE UXICORtf. 599 
 
 to his feet, he generally first looks about him in every direc 
 tion, after which he invariably makes off. I have often 
 hunted a rhinoceros on horseback, which led me a chase of 
 many miles, and required a number of shots before he fell, 
 during which chase several of these birds remained by the 
 rhinoceros to the last. They reminded me of mariners on 
 the deck of some bark sailing on the ocean, for they perched 
 along his back and sides ; and as each of my bullets told on 
 the shoulder of the rhinoceros, they ascended about six feet 
 into the air, uttering their harsh cry of alarm, and then 
 resumed their position. It sometimes happened that the 
 lower branches of trees, under which the rhinoceros passed, 
 swept them from their living deck, but they always recovered 
 their former station ; they also adhere to the rhinoceros 
 during the night. I have often shot these animals at mid- 
 night, when drinking at the fountains, and the birds, imagining 
 they were asleep, remained with them till morning, and on 
 my approaching, before taking flight, they exerted them 
 selves to their utmost to awaken Chukuroo from his deep 
 sleep. 
 
 This account of the bird guardians of the rhinoceros, 
 though apparently extravagant, is not without many corres- 
 pondencies throughout the natural world. We have among 
 us a familiar instance in the habits of the cow-pen bird. 
 Audubon says, concerning it : 
 
 This species derives its name from the circumstance of its 
 frequenting cow-pens. In this respect it greatly resembles 
 the European starling. Like that bird it follows the cattle 
 in the fields, often alights on their backs, and may be seen 
 diligently searching for worms and larvae among their dung. 
 In spring, the cattle in many parts of the United States aro 
 much infested with intestinal worms, which they pass in great 
 quantities, and on these the cow-bird frequently makes a 
 delicious repast. 
 
 Of the abundance of the rhinoceros in the upper part of
 
 600 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 the valley of the Limpopo, Harris gives us the following 
 graphic sketch : 
 
 The country now literally presented the appearance of a 
 menagerie ; the host of rhinoceroses in particular that daily 
 exhibited themselves, almost exceeding belief. Whilst the 
 camp was being formed, an ugly head might be seen pro- 
 truded from every bush, and the possession of the ground 
 was often stoutly disputed. In the field, these animals lost 
 no opportunity of making themselves obnoxious frequently 
 charging at my elbow, when in the act of drawing the trigger 
 at some object and pursuing our horses with indefatigable 
 and ludicrous industry, carrrying their noses close to the 
 ground, moving with a mincing gait, which ill-beseemed so 
 ungainly and ponderous a quadruped, and uttering the while, 
 a sound between a grunt and a smothered whistle. In remov- 
 ing the horn with an axe, the brain was discovered seated in 
 a cavity below it, at the very extremity of the snout a phe- 
 nomenon in the idiosyncracy of this animal, which may in 
 some measure account for its want of intelligence and piggish 
 obstinacy, as well as for the extraordinary acuteness of smell 
 with which it is endowed. Irrascible beyond all other quad- 
 rupeds, the African rhinoceros appears subject even to unpro- 
 voked paroxysms of reckless fury ; but the sphere of vision is 
 so exceedingly limited, that its attacks, though sudden and 
 impetuous, are easily eluded, and a shot behind the shoulder, 
 discharged from the distance of twenty or thirty yards, 
 generally proves fatal. 
 
 On our way from the wagons to a hill, not half a mile 
 distant, we counted no less than twenty-two of the white 
 species of rhinoceros, and were compelled in self-defence to 
 slaughter four. On another occasion, I was besieged in a 
 bush by three at once, and had no little difficulty in beating 
 off the assailants. 
 
 But we will dismiss this fierce, grotesque, and ridiculous 
 animal, with the following striking remark from Moffat, which
 
 BEHEMOTH AND THE UNICORN. 601 
 
 exhibits its prodigious* strength in a more formidable light 
 than any thing else we have yet heard of it. He says, 
 speaking of the black rhinoceros : 
 
 They fear no enemy but man, and are fearless of him when 
 wounded and pursued. The lion flies before them like a cat ; 
 the mohohu, the largest species, has been known even to kill 
 the elephant, by thrusting his horn into his ribs. 
 
 But Harris's account of behemoth is too graphic to be 
 omitted or amended. Here it is : 
 
 Of all the mammalia, whose portraits, drawn from ill-stuffed 
 specimens, have been foisted upon the world, the Behemoth 
 has perhaps been the most ludicrously misrepresented. I 
 sought in vain for the colossal head for those cavern-like 
 jaws, garnished with elephantine tusks or those ponderous 
 feet with which " the formidable and ferocious quadruped" is 
 wont " to trample down whole fields of corn during a single 
 night." Defenceless and inoffensive, his shapeless carcass is 
 but feebly supported upon short and disproportioned legs, and 
 his belly almost trailing upon the ground, he may not inaptly 
 be likened to an overgrown " prize pig." The color is pinkish 
 brown, clouded and freckled with a darker tint. Of many 
 that we shot, the largest measured less than five feet at the 
 shoulder'; and the reality falling so lamentably short of the 
 monstrous conception I had formed, the "river horse" or 
 "sea cow," was the first, and indeed the only South African 
 quadruped in which I felt disappointed. 
 
 Our next movement brought us to the source of the Oori 
 or Limpopo the gareep of Moselekatse's dominions. Led 
 by many fine streams from the Cashan range, this enchanting 
 river springs into existence as if by magic ; and rolling its 
 deep and tranquil waters between tiers of weeping willows, 
 through a passage in the mountain barrier, takes its course 
 to the northward. Here we enjoyed the novel diversion of 
 hippopotamus shooting, that animal abounding in the Lim- 
 popo ; and dividing the empire with its amphibious neighbor,
 
 602 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 the crocodile. Throughout the night} the unwieldy monsters 
 might be heard snorting and blowing during their aquatic 
 gambols, and we riot unfrequently detected them in the act 
 of sallying from their reed-grown coverts to graze by light 
 of the moon ; never, however, venturing to any distance from 
 the river, the strong-hold to which they betake themselves on 
 the smallest alarm. Occasionally during the day they were 
 to be seen basking on the shore amid oose and mud, but 
 shots were more constantly to be had at their uncouth heads 
 when protruded from the water to draw breath, and if killed, 
 the body rose to the surface. Vulnerable only behind the 
 ear, however, or in the eye, which is placed in a prominence 
 so as to resemble the garret window in a dutch house, they 
 require the perfection of rifle practice, and after a few shots, 
 become exceedingly shy, exhibiting the snout only, and as 
 instantly withdrawing it. The flesh is delicious, resembling 
 pork in flavor, and abounding in fat, which in the colony is 
 deservedly esteemed the greatest of delicacies. The hide is 
 upward of an inch and a half in thickness, and being scarcely 
 flexible may be drawn from the ribs in strips, like the planks 
 from a ship's side. Of these are manufactured a superior 
 description of jambok, the elastic whip already noticed as 
 being an indispensable piece of furniture to every boor pro- 
 ceeding on a journey. Our followers encumbered the wagons 
 with a large investment of them, and of the canine teeth, the 
 ivory of which is extremely profitable. 
 
 It is truly surprising how completely a little cool common 
 sense will sometimes strip a favorite marvel of all prodigious 
 attributes. The thing was never more completely done than 
 by Harris in this instance. Being a clever artist himself, 
 he took sketches of the animal on the spot ; which fully 
 confirm his words, if they were not equally strengthened by 
 other travellers in the same region. But Mr. Gumming, 
 however, has chosen to dissent from him after a fashion so 
 peculiarly his own, that I cannot, among other reasons,
 
 BEHEMOTH AND THE UNICORN. 603 
 
 resist giving it for the contrast between the mental habitudes 
 of the two men it affords. While Harris is simply content 
 with giving a clear and effective delineation of what he sees, 
 Gumming is so egregiously beset with the mania for the pro- 
 di-gi-ous and for the amplification of his own deeds, that it is 
 evident if he had chanced to have seriously encountered 
 "rats" during his "five years in South Africa," they would 
 have been nothing short of mammoth rats or colossal 
 at the very least. He had come upon a herd of fourteen 
 hippopotami, several of which he had already wounded and 
 lost, having made his first shot at one which temporarily 
 escaped. He says of it 
 
 The one I had first shot was now resting with half her 
 body above water on a sand-bank in the Limpopo. From 
 this resting-place I started her with one shot in the shoulder 
 and another in the side of the head ; this last shot set 
 her in motion once more, and she commenced struggling 
 in the water in the most extraordinary manner, disappearing 
 for a few seconds, and then coming up like a great whale, 
 setting the 'whole river in an uproar. Presently she took 
 away down the stream, holding to the other side ; but, 
 again returning, I finished her with a shot in the middle 
 of the forehead. This proved a most magnificent specimen 
 of the female of the wondrous hippopotamus, an animal with 
 which I was extremely surprised and delighted. She far 
 surpassed the brightest conceptions I had formed of her. 
 being a larger, a more lively, and in every way a more 
 interesting animal that certain writers had led me to expect. 
 
 The "certain writers" alluded to so significantly, must 
 include our friend Harris, who so clearly differs with the 
 enthusiastic elephant-hunter in his admiring appreciation of 
 the sprightly graces of the sea-cow. It is always a pity 
 when doctors disagree, but it rather seems like adding insult 
 to injury on the part of Gumming, when he first steals from 
 his master Harris, and then snubs him.
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 BUFFALO AND ANTELOPES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 AFTER treating of Behemoth, I suppose buffalo and 
 antelopes must be classed as small game, although the 
 Buffalo is represented as a larger animal than our Bison, 
 and the Eland, which is classed as an antelope, " not 
 unfrequently attains the height of nineteen hands, and 
 weighing two thousand pounds !" Tolerable specimens these 
 of small game for any country ! but we have to admit that 
 all things are comparative, and where the giraffe of nineteen 
 feet is the standard in height and the elephant of bulk, the 
 processes in dimuendo must necessarily be slow. 
 
 This South African is undoubtedly the true ^Buffalo, and 
 is in some respects individually a more formidable animal 
 than that known by the same name upon our plains. Harris 
 speaks of a specimen of the African buffalo slain by him, 
 standing sixteen hands and a half at the shoulder ; his 
 ponderous horns, measuring four feet from tip to tip, liko a 
 mass of rock, overshadowing his small, sinister, gray eyes, 
 imparting a cunning gloom and vindictive expression to its 
 head, which was of such weight that one powerful man could 
 with difficulty lift it into the wagon ; Gumming, however, 
 surpasses him, as usual, since it required the utmost strength 
 of two men to lift the head of a similar monster he slew ! 
 He says 
 
 I ordered the Bechuanas to release the dogs ; and spurring 
 Colesberg, which I rode for the first time since the affair 
 with the lioness, I gave chase. The buffaloes crossed the 
 
 604
 
 AFRICAN SMALL GAME. 605 
 
 valley in front of me, and made for a succession of dense 
 thickets in the hills to the northward. As they crossed 
 the valley, by riding hard I obtained a broadside shot at 
 the last bull, and fired both barrels into him. He, however, 
 continued his course, but I presently separated him, along 
 with two other bulls, from the troop. My rifle being a 
 two-grooved, which is hard to load, I was unable to do so 
 on horseback, and followed with it empty, in the hope of 
 bringing them to bay. In passing through a grove of 
 thorny trees I lost sight of the wounded buffalo ; he had 
 turned short and doubled back, a common practice with them 
 when wounded. After following the other two at a hard 
 gallop for about two miles, I was riding within five yards 
 of their huge broad sterns. They exhaled a strong bovine 
 smell, which came hot in my face. I expected every minute 
 that they would come to bay, and give me time to load ; but 
 this they did not seem disposed to do. At length, finding I 
 had the speed of them, I increased my pace ; and going 
 ahead, I placed myself right before the finest bull, thus 
 expecting to force him to stand at bay; upon which he 
 instantly charged me with a low roar, very similar to the 
 voice of a lion. Colesberg neatly avoided the charge, and 
 the bull resumed his northward course. We now entered on 
 rocky ground, and the forest became more dense as we pro- 
 ceeded. The buffaloes were evidently making for some strong 
 retreat. I, however, managed with much difficulty to hold 
 them in view, following, as best I could, through thorny 
 thickets. Isaa-c rode some hundreds yards behind, and kept 
 shouting to me to drop the pursuit, or I should be killed. At 
 .last the buffaloes suddenly pulled up, and stood at bay in a 
 thicket within twenty yards of me. Springing from my 
 horse, I hastily loaded my two-grooved rifle, which I had 
 scarcely completed when Isaac rode up and inquired what 
 had become of the buffaloes, little dreaming that they were 
 standing within twenty yards of him. I answered by pointing
 
 606 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 my rifle across his horse's nose, and letting fly sharp right 
 and left at the two buffaloes. A headlong charge, accom- 
 panied by a muffled roar, was the result. In an instant I 
 was round a clump of tangled thorn trees ; but Isaac, by the 
 violence of his efforts to get his horse in motion, lost his 
 balance, and at the same instant, his girths giving way, him- 
 self, his saddle, and big Dutch rifle, all came to the ground 
 together, with a heavy crash, right in the path of the infu- 
 riated buffaloes. Two of the dogs, which had fortunately 
 that moment joined us, met them in their charge, and, by 
 diverting their attention, probably saved Isaac from instant 
 destruction. The buffaloes now took up another position in 
 an adjoining thicket. They were both badly wounded, 
 blotches and pools of blood marking the ground where they 
 had stood. The dogs -rendered me assistance by taking up 
 their attention, and in a few minutes these two noble bulls 
 breathed their last beneath- the shade of a mimosa grove. 
 Each of them, in dying, repeatedly uttered a very striking, 
 low, deep moan. This I subsequently ascertained the buffalo 
 invariably utters when in the act of expiring. 
 
 On going up to them, I was astonished to behold their size 
 and powerful appearance. Their horns reminded me of the 
 rugged trunk of an oak tree. Eacli horn was upward of a 
 foot in breadth at the base, and together they effectually 
 protected the skull with a massive and impenetrable shield. 
 The horns, descending, and spreading out horizontally, com- 
 pletely overshadowed the animal's eyes, imparting to him a 
 look the most ferocious and sinister that can be imagined. 
 
 This conveys to us a striking picture of the pOAver and 
 prowess of the individual animal, but ; although these gentle- 
 men are, with perhaps pardonable exaggeration, constantly 
 using the term " vast," in reference to the herds of buffalo 
 encountered by them in these regions, yet I am compelled 
 to classify this use of a word so significant along with that 
 they uniformly make of forest, which after all means in
 
 AFRICAN SMALL GAME. 607 
 
 reality, according to their own showing, nothing more than 
 what we term " bushy woodlands" heing groves of mimosa 
 bushes or shrubs, eighteen or nineteen feet in height, on the 
 tops of which the giraffe is represented as browsing. It 
 sounds about as droll to a backwoodsman's ears to hear these 
 shrubs called forest trees, as it would to hear a herd of three 
 thousand buffaloes called "vast," when armies of hundreds 
 of thousands, or even millions, are by no means considered 
 either extraordinary or unusual on our plains. Things are 
 comparative in more ways than one ; and although the 
 African buffalo may stand higher on its legs than our bison, 
 the bulk is certainly not greater. And as for the petty herds 
 in which it moves, expressing anything of that indescribable 
 grandeur with which the American animal is poured along in 
 countless shaggy legions over trembling plains, the very idea 
 of comparison is like that of a mill-tail to Niagara ; or the 
 dangers of shooting cowardly- lions, helpless sea-cows, 
 peaceful elephants and harmless giraffes, amidst the stupid, 
 poorly armed, half-monkey tribes of Africa, accompanied 
 by huge wains, lumbered with the luxuries of wines, cigars, 
 tea, coffee and bread, with the perils to be faced by the 
 wild border hunter of. America ! 
 
 Mounted on his mustang, with the occasional luxury of 
 a pack mule and coffee and sugar for the first week out, 
 the Borderer will traverse thousands of miles alone, armed 
 with rifle and knife, through desert regions, scourc-i by 
 the fiercest, most cruel, the best mounted Nomads in the 
 world, whom he must baffle wile with wile and force by 
 force will meet, single-handed, the terrible Grisly Bear 
 that knows no panic, and cannot be turned aside \\hen 
 roused, even by fire or cross, unscathed, the thundering 
 track of myriad Bisons ; and think himself very lucky, if, 
 at the end of a year or two, after having eaten up his 
 saddle skirts and made soup of his moccasins some half 
 dozen times he gets back to a trading post or settlement,
 
 608 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 and can obtain a taste once more of a " corn dodger," and 
 a little " bald-face" or " old rye !" 
 
 These are what we call Hunters in America, and such 
 are the comparative conditions of suffering and danger in 
 the life here and in South Africa ! yet Harris, on his return 
 from his South African Expedition, with great simplicity, 
 enumerates it among his other hardships, that he had lived 
 for four or five months upon nothing but the monotonous 
 round of tea, coffee, brandy, bread and meat ! ! ! ! 
 
 Our Hunters and Hunter-Naturalists do not withal con- 
 sider themselves heroes by any means and would laugh at 
 you for the supposition ; such things are too much matters of 
 course with them. Yet I do not the less respect the manly 
 and dashing achievements of these British South African 
 adventurers, nor hesitate to deny to them in their fine zeal 
 for " specimens," the true and hardy spirit of the Hunter- 
 Naturalist. I would insist, nevertheless, upon having it 
 understood, as before hinted, that some things are compara- 
 tive as well as others. With one more short picture from 
 Harris, I am done with the buffalo. He says while on the 
 Limpopo 
 
 Wild buffaloes, too, might often be seen from the wagons. 
 Riding up a narrow defile, flanked by steep banks, I one 
 morning found myself suddenly confronted with the van of 
 a vast troop of these formidable animals, which were ascend- 
 ing from the opposite side their malevolent gray eyes 
 scowling beneath a threatening brow. Unable to turn, 
 they must have charged over me, had my horse not contrived 
 to scramble up the bank ; from the top of which I fired both 
 barrels into the leader, a ponderous bull, whose appearance 
 stamped him father of the herd. Falling on his knees, the 
 patriarch was instantly trampled under foot by his followers 
 as they charged, bellowing, in close squadrons down the 
 declivity, with the fury of a passing whirlwind, and making 
 the woods re-echo to the clatter of their hoofs.
 
 AFRICAN SMALL GAME. 609 
 
 But the only South. African animal which at all approxi- 
 mates in its habits the prodigious migratory movements of 
 our bison, is a beautiful -antelope of the smaller species, 
 ailed by the Dutch Boers the Springbok. Gumming thus 
 describes his first sight of the migrations of the springbok 
 
 A person anxious to kill many springboks might have 
 bagged thirty or forty that morning. I never, in all my 
 subsequent career, fell in with so dense a herd of antelopes, 
 nor found them allow me to ride so near th.em. Having 
 inspanned, we proceeded with the wagons to take up the 
 fallen game. Vast and surprising as was the herd of spring- 
 boks which I had that morning witnessed, it was infinitely 
 supassed by what I beheld on the march from my vley to 
 old Sweir's camp ; for, on our clearing the low range of hills 
 through which the springboks had been pouring, I beheld 
 the boundless plains, and even the hill sides which stretched 
 away on every side of me, thickly covered, not with " herds," 
 but with " one vast herd" of springboks ; far as the eye could 
 strain the landscape was alive with them, until they softened 
 down into a red mass of living creatures. 
 
 To endeavor to form any idea of the amount of antelopes 
 which I that day beheld, were vain ; but I have, nevertheless, 
 no hesitation in stating that some hundreds of thousands of 
 springboks were that morning within the compass of my 
 vision. Old Sweirs acknowledged that it was a very fair 
 " trek-bokken," but observed that it was not many when 
 compared with what he had seen. "You, this morning," 
 he remarked, " behold only one flat covered with spring- 
 boks, but I give you my word that I have ridden a long 
 day's journey over a succession of flats covered with them, as 
 far as I could see, as thick as sheep standing in a fold." 
 
 My limits press upon me so, that, with regret, I take 
 leave of the antelopes, the most brilliant and interesting of 
 the groups of African game, with a parting glimpse of the 
 
 39
 
 610 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
 
 magnificent riches of the great valley of the Limpopo, in 
 strange, grotesque and lovely forms. 
 
 Here may be seen the graceful pallah, shy and capricious, 
 with knotted and excentrically inflected horns of extraordi- 
 nary proportions; the rare and majestic water-buck, which 
 is never found at a distance from rivers, in which he delights 
 to plunge ; the sluggish roan antelope of the elevated downs 
 and ridges, charging viciously, when unable to continue its 
 flight, with its heavy build and size equaling that of a large 
 horse. Here too, is found the majestic koo-doo, with it3 
 brilliant colors of lively French gray, approaching to blue ; 
 with transverse white bands over the back and loins ; 
 
 The grotesque and awkward gnoo wheels and prances in 
 every direction, his shaggy and bearded head arched between 
 slender and muscular legs ; his long, white tail streaming to 
 the wind ; his wild, sinister eyes flashing fire, and his frequent 
 snort, like the roar of a lion. The sassayby, with his crescent 
 horns, drooping hind quarters and brilliant colors, purple 
 and violet, and the hartebeest of bright orange, and legs 
 excentrically marked ; the splendid oryx, with its sweeping 
 tail, reversed mane, shaggy breast and straight, slender 
 horns ; the beautiful zebra, with the more faintly banded 
 quagga, and the riet-buck of the sedge-grown rivulets; the 
 prodigious eland, fat always like a prize ox, and nearly as 
 large ; and most glorious of all, the swift and rare sable 
 antelope, with its scimetar-shaped horns and snowy breast, 
 flying along the mountain ridges. 
 
 These are but a few of the twenty different varieties of the 
 antelope, in which this veritable Paradise of the Feme Naturae 
 abounds, and most of those hero enumerated are frequently 
 in view in one landscape, which will yet be diversified by the 
 presence of the larger beasts we have spoken of before. 
 Yerily is the life of the Hunter-Naturalist filled with " Wild 
 Scenes !"
 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below 
 
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 'dUN!51970 
 Jest <em. 
 
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