" There was a hunter's pride in
the achievement with apparently little value given to the bravery of the
personal role he had played.
He had been on a hunt back in the hills. His dogs had gone ahead of him
and he "knowed they had somethin'." When he came in sight of them they
rushed into a cave and some came out yelping and bloody. When they
wouldn't go back, then it was he "sized hit wur a bear." He looked at
the mountains around him, but there was not a cabin in sight where he
could get help.
"Ez the dogs couldn't git out whatever wuz in there, and wuz only
keepin' hit in, I sat down to think hit over. I lowed I would tell some
one en folks would say, 'that's the man who had a bear in a cave, and
did not git him.' Ef I went in en come out alive with scratches on me,
folks would say 'a bear done that, but he got the bear.'"
He cut a long pole, fastened a pine knot to the end of it and set it
afire. Getting to the side of the mouth of the cave he began slowly to
push in the burning knot, "leavin' the channel open ef anything wanted
to come out."
But the bear didn't come out, and the hunter grew afraid that the smoke
would not move his prey yet would prevent him seeing around in the cave
if he had to go in. The cave's mouth was low, a rock hung over it and he
could not crawl upon his hands and knees.
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