Thirty-One, Bear

Thirty-One

Bear

30 May 1824

This morning, I slept until the sunlight shone  through the window.  I awoke in a sweat, having been wrapped up in a quilt, for the night before I was shivering again.  Mother is spending the night in the other room now.  I do not know if she is sleeping in Patsy's bed, or in my bed with Father; the door is closed and I really do not care to know. 

I arose, dressed, and sat at the table alone, eating a biscuit and some bacon.  Susie has been making it a habit of cooking the meals and bringing them to the house, putting them on the table, and leaving again.  When she and I or Mother are in the same room, nothing is said.  But when I see her, Susie has taken on a new importance to me, and I silently study her in detail.  But this morning, she had already gone.

I finished my meal, and slipped through the door.  I began my walk to the Coosa, as is now my habit.  I suspect I'll not see Susie there again. 

There is a footpath that follows along the river for a while; one way takes you to the falls, and the other way, toward the Terry place.  I chose the falls for no particular reason, unless it was that I did not want to chance running into either Reverend Terry or his wife.  I had given them some reason to talk, and I was not certain that I could count on their discretion.

The river is still running rather fast, given the time of year; the snow melt is long past, but the recent rains have quickened.

As I neared the falls, the scent of what seemed like sweat, or wet fur? came to me just as I rounded a bend.  I stopped short, for there was a bear who had come to the river to catch a fish or two.   I was fortunate to be upwind of him and far enough away that he did not notice me as I backed slowly and as quietly as I could, my heart racing.  Once I thought that I was safely away, I ran back home, for I could think of no other place to go when in a state of panic.

I have seen my brothers Daniel and TJ go hunt for bear, and I know that the natives do also.  I have not witnessed a bear killing, but Daniel felled one once, with his shotgun.  He said that it took more than one round to fell the creature, who turned toward him as if to charge.  Daniel said that he was lucky that the bear was not quick, for he was able to reload and fell it.  But TJ disputes that Daniel felled the bear alone; TJ says that he was nearby and witnessed the event, and was able to also get off a shot.

Our family, and Daniel's, Warner's, and Uncle's had bear meat for days after that.  I am not particularly fond of it, but the bear stew was tolerable.  I do, however, appreciate that the hide brought a good trade, including a good supply of ink.  I long ago became adept at sharpening my quills, but keeping a goodly supply of ink is a bit more problematic. I have learnt to order a greater and greater supply, and am grateful that the fur helped in this regard, for the many peaches and pecans from our trees could not supply as much as this bear fur did.   

Of course, they traded for much more than ink.  One item was several yards of cotton, and several more of muslin.  From these, I and my sisters and mother were able to make new frocks for us all.  Mostly, though, the fur supplied some much needed tools for the fields and gardens.

I, being unarmed at this morning's encounter, was certainly very thankful that I was not detected.  By remembering the good that a bear can do in bringing us a bounty of supplies, I was able to calm myself sufficiently to go inside our dwelling to write about this adventure.