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Introduction |
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new-born calf on Bear Pen Knob. During the previous summer this same cow had "reported" to the herders' cabin over on Fork Ridge that a bear had killed and carried off her calf. She had come to the herders in evident distress and would not leave the cabin until they went with her. She led them directly to her partly devoured calf, somewhere over in Ekanetelee Gap (the herders got that bear later). The next summer a herder came off the mountain and reported that a bear had again carried off this same cow's calf. Mr. Oliver hastened up the mountain and found his cow grazing back on Lawson's Ridge and in much need of being milked. However, he was able to drive her to his field in the Cove only with great difficulty as she seemed to be reluctant to leave the Ridge. Meantime she would not stay in the field when placed there, but broke out several times and seemed to be restless and in distress. Again came a herder to Mr. Oliver to say that the calf was still alive but almost starved. The herders were driving the steers over Bear Pen Knob when the calf, hearing the bells (its mother had a bell) arose from its place of concealment behind a log, bleated, then tottered and fell. As all the cattle were steers it was impossible to let the calf suck. However, one of the herders cut off a piece of fat meat winch the calf greedily devoured. Then it followed the herd to Russell's Cabin, where it was placed in an enclosure. There Mr. Oliver found it the next day, but it was very weak. He had to carry it much of the way to his automobile at the foot of the mountain. When it was placed in the car and driven to its mother, the old cow almost climbed over the gate to reach its lost baby. However, it was allowed to suck but little at a time during that day. It recovered and is now a handsome, sleek young fellow.
On Lawson's Ridge were further evidences of the destruction the lightning had worked on the previous day. These Smoky Mountains storms are frightful. A story is told of how two herders, Andy Macaulcy and Joe Lawson ]oved to spend their Sundays a-bce-hunting. After a day spent in this wise they were wending their way towards their cabin. A storm was brewing. Andy had just stepped over a huge log with an upreared limb lying on the trail when the lightning struck the limb, ran along the log and split it in two parts. Joe then stepped over the shattered log. Neither man spoke until he reached the cabin. After both had sat down and smoked a while, "Uncle" Joe Lawson remarked, "By God! I will never hunt bees on Sunday again!"
The journey through Ekanetelee Gap is a whole story in itself. This is a place in which to spend a week, not a few hours. Here is a virgin forest of |
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