The Boy Hunters Part 16

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

JERKING A BEAR.

All three--old bear and cubs--now lay stretched along the gra.s.s dead as may be. A rare-looking trio they were. The old one could not have weighed less than five hundred pounds. Her long, rough coat was of a fawn, or cinnamon colour, while the cubs were of a uniform black. This, however, is quite a common thing; and, what is still more singular, the cubs of the black bear are often seen of a reddish or cinnamon colour, while the mother herself is pure black. No doubt the cubs when full-grown change to the colour of their own species; but even at all ages bears of the same species are found varying in colour from difference of climate or other circ.u.mstances.

On the continent of North America, say the naturalists, but three species of bears are found, viz the "black," the "polar," and the "grizzly." This is not certain, however, for the cinnamon bear, of which we have been speaking, is probably a species distinct from the black. If so, there are four kinds on that continent, and, perhaps, a fifth; as the brown bear of the Hudson's Bay furriers, hitherto set down as a variety of the black, is more likely the Russian or brown bear of Europe. It may have reached the American continent by Kamschatka, where it is a common species.

The polar bear is found only in the snowy regions that border the Arctic Ocean; and never ranges above one hundred miles from the sea. The "grizzly," for strength, courage, and ferocity, takes the first place among the bear family--outranking even his white cousin of the north.

We shall have more to say of him by-and-bye. The _black_ bear is our present subject; and as all that is known of the cinnamon variety goes to show that its habits are similar to those of the black, what is here said of the one may be considered applicable to both.

The black bear (_Ursus America.n.u.s_) is said to resemble the brown bear of Europe. I can see no resemblance. There is enough of difference, certainly, to const.i.tute them separate and distinct species. The former has one molar tooth more than the latter; besides, the profile of the black bear is not so much arched, or convex, as that of the brown. In every respect, except habits, they are unlike each other. Their habits are nearly similar.

The whole American continent is the range of the black bear. He can live, and no doubt enjoy life, in all climates. He is equally at home in the icy regions of Canada and the tropic swamps of Louisiana. He is found from the sh.o.r.es of the Atlantic to the Pacific. He inhabits thick forests, and ranges in rocky desert regions, where scarcely any timber grows. He prefers wooded districts, however; and in these is most commonly met with.

Black bears were very plentiful in America previous to its colonisation by the whites. The demand for their skins caused them to be much hunted since that event; and of course they are growing less numerous every day. The fur companies during the last hundred years have obtained thousands upon thousands of their skins both from white and Indian hunters. There are still many of these animals found in wild, unsettled parts; and even in the old and long-inhabited states they are occasionally met with in secluded and mountainous districts. You would wonder that they have not been extirpated long ago--being such large creatures, easily discovered and easily tracked; besides, it is always an ambition with the settlers and amateur-hunters to kill them.

Moreover, but two cubs are produced at a litter, and that only happens once a-year. The fact is, that during winter, when the snow is on the ground and the bear might be easily tracked and destroyed, he does not show himself, but lies torpid in his den--which is either a cave in the rocks or a hollow tree. This happens only in the northern countries, where there are snows and severe winters. In these he disappears for several months, hiding himself in his dark lair, and living, as the hunters a.s.sert, by "sucking his paws." This a.s.sertion, however, I will not attempt to corroborate. All I can say is, that he retires to his lurking-place as "fat as b.u.t.ter," and comes out again in early spring as "thin as a rail."

There is another curious fact about bears, that, to some extent, explains why they are not easily exterminated. It is this: the old she-animals are never killed during the period of gestation--for they are never met with at that time. It has been said there is no hunter to be found in all America who remembers having killed a she-bear with young, either of the black or grizzly species. Now this is not the case with most other animals--such as foxes and wolves--which are often killed with a whole litter of young, many of their species being thus destroyed at once.

The she-bear brings forth in winter in the deep recesses of some cave, where she has lain hid during the whole period of her gestation; and on this account while with young, she rarely, if ever, falls a victim to the hunters. When the cubs are large enough to go abroad, she takes them out, treating them with as much tenderness as a mother would her children. She will lay down her life for them at any time, defending them with great courage when attacked. It has been said that, like the alligator-mother, she is sometimes called upon to protect them from their savage fathers, who would devour them if they could. This I do not believe.

The black bears are omnivorous. They will eat fish, flesh, fowl, and vegetables. They are fond of all kinds of berries and sweet fruits.

They "go crazed" after honey, climbing bee-trees and robbing the nests.

They dig for roots--such as groundnuts and prairie-turnips. They lick up the larva of insects greedily, turning over great logs to get at them. In the south they tear open the nests of turtles and alligators, and devour the eggs; and, where there are settlements, they steal into the fields and eat quant.i.ties of young corn and potatoes, making sad havoc with the crops. They will devour pigs and other animals, eating their flesh--it might be said, alive--as they do not stop to kill them, but eat while tearing them to pieces. They will satisfy their hunger with putrid carca.s.s, or, in short, with anything that is eatable by any other creature.

Notwithstanding the disgusting variety of his food, the flesh of the black bear is very palatable. It is a treat among the Indians and white hunters--particularly the large fat paws, which are esteemed the "t.i.t-bits." It is, perhaps, because these people are so fond of them, that they are led to believe the bear himself must be so, and therefore during his winter retirement entertains himself by sucking them.

There are many ways of capturing the bear. He is hunted by trained hounds. When thus attacked he will run straight on for ten miles, if his pursuers do not press him too close. When overtaken, however, he turns upon the dogs; and, should one of the latter come near enough, a single blow of his paws will usually send it sprawling. He runs awkwardly on his plantigrade feet; but, although from his great length and size he appears to move but slowly, it is not so. He manages to shuffle over the ground much more rapidly than one would suppose. He can overtake a man on foot--although a mounted hunter, with his dogs, will easily overtake _him_. When he finds that he cannot escape by running, he takes to a tree; and, having clambered high up, tries to hide himself among the leaves. He does not often succeed in this, as the keen noses of the hounds guide them to the right tree, where they stand barking and howling until the hunters come up. These finding the bear "treed," rarely fail to bring him down with their rifles. He will then, if only wounded, fight fiercely both with dogs and hunters; but it is only at such times that the black bear will contend with man; as, when not attacked by the latter, he will never attack him. When wounded, however, or a.s.sailed by the hunter, he becomes a dangerous antagonist; and men have been dreadfully mutilated and torn on such occasions, escaping only with their lives. Some there are who have been nearly crushed to death by his "hug."

The black bear is often trapped and snared, in various ways--such as by log-traps, nooses tied to bent saplings, dead-falls, and steel-traps-- and he is thus caught much more readily than either the lynx, the fox, or the wolf.

It would be easy to fill a volume with anecdotes and adventures in which the black bear figures as the hero. Many stories of his peculiar habits are related in the back settlements of America, some of which are true, while others partake largely of exaggeration. We have not room for these, however; and I have given you only _facts_, such as will enable you to form some idea of the general habits of this animal.

Most of these facts were communicated by Lucien to his brothers, while they were engaged in preparing their breakfast; and, as all three were very hungry, this was the first thing that occupied them after the bears had been killed.

The breakfast consisted of part of a cub, which was cleared of the hair by being singed, and then roasted. They knew that bear-meat, like pork, is spoiled by skinning; and they followed the Indian fashion of preparing it. They made a hearty meal, as the cub-meat proved both tender and juicy--having a flavour something between young pork and veal. Of course, Marengo had his breakfast as well, coming in for refuse bits enough to have filled a large basket. The feet, however, which would have fallen to his share, had it been a deer or a buffalo, he did not get. Our young hunters had eaten bear-paws before; and, of coa.r.s.e, reserved these delicate morsels to themselves.

As soon as breakfast was finished, and their animals had been led to the water, the brothers met together in a "council of three." It was necessary to take into consideration how they should now act. Their circ.u.mstances were very much altered. The whole of their provisions of dried meat, flour, and coffee, had been dropped by Jeanette in her flight, and, of course, eaten up or destroyed by the javalies.

Henceforth they would have to depend entirely on their guns to supply them. The loss of their tent did not vex them, as in the fine summer weather, which they then had, they thought nothing of sleeping in the open air. But to be deprived of their coffee, that much-prized luxury of the prairie traveller, was a great chagrin. However, as Basil observed, they would have to get along without it. It would not be long before they should come across the buffalo, and with the delicious "hump-ribs" in plenty, hunters rarely long for other luxuries. All three felt satisfied that the buffalo-range was not far off, and that by keeping due westward they would soon be gratified with the sight of large droves of these animals. They resolved, however, to act with caution. They had heard that many tracts of the prairies are almost barren of game. With this fact before their minds, they were not going to leave so much good food behind them as appeared to be in the carca.s.s of the bear. She therefore must be "jerked," and packed upon Jeanette, in lieu of the load which the latter had kicked off. So, with these intentions, Basil and Francois set to skinning her, while Lucien commenced collecting dry wood for a large fire. Of course they intended staying another night in the same camp, as it would take a day, at least, to "jerk" the bear-meat.

The bear was soon skinned and cut up into thin slices and strips--for that is the mode adopted in "jerking," or preserving without salt. It is usual to cure the meat by simply hanging it over poles or lines, in a hot sun; where it will dry sufficiently in three days, so that there will be no risk of its spoiling afterwards. But our adventurers did not wish to be detained so long, and therefore adopted another mode of curing it--that was by "barbecueing" it slightly over a fire. This was the plan:--A shallow pit was scooped out in the ground, and across it were laid green saplings, parallel to each other. Into the pit were thrown embers and red cinders, so as to give up a considerable heat.

Upon the saplings thin slices of the meat were laid--as on a gridiron-- so that they might become dried and slightly toasted at the same time.

Meat cured in this way will keep for months; and the Indians and hunters usually adopt this plan, when they have no time to wait for a regular "jerking."

The second cub was singed, and cut up without skinning, as pork usually is. It was roasted, to be ready for eating at once--as they designed bringing it "to the table" before many hours.

While the meat was drying, Basil melted some of the fat in the kettle, which fortunately was one of the utensils that still remained. With this fat--which beyond a doubt was genuine _bear's grease_--he anointed poor Jeanette's shanks, that had been almost clean skinned by the teeth of the javalies. She had been suffering with them ever since, and the application of the bear's grease seemed to give her great relief.

CHAPTER TWENTY.

A NOCTURNAL ADVENTURE.

When night came again the young hunters went to sleep by the fire. As it had suddenly grown chilly, they lay with their feet towards it, such being the usual practice of hunters when sleeping by a fire. When the feet are warm, the remainder of the body can easily be kept so; but, on the contrary, when one's feet become cold, it is scarcely possible to sleep. They were not troubled with cold, and all three were soon sleeping soundly.

From the necessity of supplying the barbecue every now and then with fresh embers, a large fire had been kept up during the day. It still continued to blaze and crackle in a bright red pile. The meat remained resting upon the saplings, where it had been placed to dry.

No one had thought of keeping watch. When camping out at night, in their hunting expeditions in the swamps of Louisiana, they had not accustomed themselves to this habit, and they did not think of its being necessary here. It is the fear of Indians alone that causes the prairie traveller to keep sentry during the live-long night; but our young hunters had much less fear of them than might be supposed. There had been as yet no hostilities in this quarter between whites and Indians; besides, Basil knew that he carried a token of friendship should the latter come upon them.

They had not been more than half-an-hour asleep when a growl from Marengo awoke them. They all started up into a sitting posture, and looked anxiously out into the darkness. They could see nothing strange.

The great trunks of the trees, with the long silvery moss of whitish hue, were glistening in the light of the still blazing fire. All the s.p.a.ce between was gloomy and black as ebony. They could hear nothing that sounded strange. There was not a breath of air stirring, so that the trees were still and silent, as if asleep. Only up among their leaves and high tops, the tree-frogs (_Hyloidea_) and cicadas kept up their continuous music. Amid their numerous and varied calls could be distinguished the "ll-l-luk" of the tree-toad (_Hyla versicolor_); and from the aquatic plants, that lined the spring close by, came the merry chirrup of the _Hylodes gryllus_, or "Savanna cricket." Far up among the leaves of the oaks the little green tree-frog repeated his tinkling bell-like note that fell with a pleasant sound upon the ear. But all these were the usual voices of the night--the voices of the southern forest--and they produced no strange impression upon the listening hunters. The call of the _Hyla_, indeed--loud and oft-repeated as it was--warned them that a rain-storm was near; and the darkness of the sky above confirmed the warning.

But it was not these sounds that had caused Marengo to spring up with such a savage growl; and the boys continued attentively listening to discover what it could have been.

The dark aisles of the forest sparkled with moving lights. The fire-flies were abroad in thousands; and their phosphoric lamps, more than usually luminous, also betokened the approach of a rain-storm.

As the young hunters gazed, other lights attracted their attention, causing them to hold their guns in readiness. These lights were very different from those of the insects. They were low down near the surface of the ground. They were round, of a fiery green l.u.s.tre, and appeared in motion. Now they remained shining steadily for some moments, then they disappeared, but immediately shone out afresh in some other place. There were many of them moving about. They were not fire-flies.

Our hunters knew what they were--they were the eyes of animals--of _wild beasts_! This they knew, but no more. What sort of animals they might be was a thing about which they were all three ignorant; and this uncertainty very naturally filled them with dread. They might be _bears, wolverines, or panthers_.

The boys talked in whispers, looking to the locks of their pieces, and preparing themselves for the worst. They were, of course, already seen by the animals, sitting as they did in the light of the fire. Marengo stood by, looking into the darkness, and at intervals uttering the growl with which he was accustomed to hail the presence of an enemy.

The shining eyes appeared to multiply. All at once a dog was heard to utter three distinct barks. Was it a dog? No. The long and piteous howl that followed told that the animal was no dog, but a wolf--_the barking-wolf (Canis latrans_). The moment it had ceased, another took up the strain, and then another and another, until the woods rang on all sides with their hideous howls. This did not come from any particular side, but seemed everywhere; and as the boys looked into the dark aisles between the tree-trunks, they could perceive glancing eyes--a perfect circle of them all around!

"Bah!" cried Basil, now breaking silence, "it's only a pack of prairie-wolves. Who cares for their howling?"

The minds of all were thus set at rest. They had no fear of prairie-wolves; which, though fierce enough when attacking some poor deer or wounded buffalo, are afraid of anything in the shape of man; and will skulk off, whenever they think the latter has any intention to attack them. This, however, is seldom the case, as the prairie hunter does not care to waste a bullet upon them; and they are often permitted to follow, and squat themselves unmolested around the hunter's camp, within reach of his rifle.

The prairie-wolves are much smaller than any other species of wolf found in America. They are not much larger than English terriers, and quite as cunning as the English fox. They can hardly be caught or trapped in any way--though they can be easily run down with horses and dogs. They are of a dull, reddish hue, mixed with a grizzle of white hairs. This is their usual colour, though, like other animals, there are varieties.

They have thick bushy tails, black at the tips, and one-third the length of their bodies. They resemble the dogs found among the prairie Indians, of which they are, no doubt, the progenitors. They are met with throughout all the regions from the Mississippi westward to the Pacific, and southward into Mexico. They hunt in packs, like the jackals; and will run down deer, buffaloes, or any other animals which they think they can master. They dare not attack a buffalo in the herd, though packs of them always follow a drove of these animals. They wait until some one gets separated--a young calf, or, perhaps, a decrepit old bull--which they fall upon and worry to pieces. They follow all parties of hunters and travellers--taking possession of a camp-ground, the moment its occupants have moved out, and devouring every sc.r.a.p of eatables that may have been left behind. They will, even, sometimes steal into the camp by night, and appropriate the very morsel which the hunter had designed for his breakfast in the morning. This sometimes leads to a spirit of retaliation; and the indignant hunter, growing less provident of his powder and lead, cracks away until he has laid several of them stretched along the gra.s.s.

They are more numerous than any other species of American wolves; and on this account--having so many mouths to feed, and so many stomachs to satisfy--they often suffer from extreme hunger. Then, but not till then, they will eat fruits, roots, and vegetables--in short, anything that may sustain life.

These wolves take their trivial name from their being met with princ.i.p.ally on the great prairies of the west--although other species of American wolves are found in the prairie country as well as they. They are sometimes called "barking" wolves; because, as we have noticed, the first two or three notes of their howl resemble the bark of a dog. It ends, however, in a prolonged and disagreeable scream.

"I am glad it is they," said Lucien, in reply to Basil's remark. "It is well it is no worse. I was afraid it was our friends, the javalies, who had come to pay us a visit."

"Bad enough as it is," said Basil. "We shall now have to keep awake, and guard the meat, or these skulking jackals would not leave us an ounce of it by morning."

"That is true enough," replied Lucien; "but we need not all watch. You and Francois go to sleep. I'll stand sentry."

"No," responded Basil. "Go _you_ and Francois to sleep. Let me keep watch."

"Brothers," said Francois, "I am not a bit sleepy; let me be the sentry.

I'll keep 'em off."