Transcripts: Southern Appalachian English

Steve Cole

(Sugarlands, Gatlinburg, Sevier County, Tennessee) was age 70 when interviewed.  He had some education and was literate.  He had worked as a farmer, and logger.

*.doc file for printing

This is Steve Cole that lives in the Sugarlands near Gatlinburg in the park, been a-livin' here ever since the park was established, about seventy-one years old.  Him and his brother-in-law one night back years ago, about forty, went out a-bear huntin', a-possum huntin' or other, and treed a bear.  He minded up the tree till it come down.  I shot it.  It rolled off down the mountain a piece, tore loose from the dogs, and run away on down the flat and treed up another tree.  We minded hit up there a good long while.  Finally it come down from up there.  We had us a big fire made up at the root of the tree.  When it come down, why we had a good fire light to fight it by.  When it come down, I shot again, didn't hit it the last time.  When I shot it the last time, shot at it, why, just throwed my gun down and jumped a-straddle of it, grabbed it by both ears, me and my dogs.  I thought I could help him and make him kill it, but I couldn't do that.  I broke the dog's hold, seed I couldn't hold it myself, and I let it loose, started to run back around the tree.  The bear took after me, just as I got around next to the fire the dogs caught it again.  I turned around and jumped on it again a-straddle of it, called for the axe, and my brother-in-law, he'd had the axe to fight the bear with, and he'd laid it down and burnt the handle in two.  He couldn't hardly find the axe, but he hadn't holped me a bit.  He hadn't fit none of the time.  When I got to hunting for the axe and reaching for the axe, I knocked it in the head ever so many licks before I could get it to roll over and hush hollering.  Finally we got it killed, drug it around next to the fire, and I got to looking at it, just looked a-scared, to look at a bear a-thinkin' a man of my age or size would jump on a bear to fight fist and skull without something to fight with.  So we killed it, brought it in home that night about daylight next morning.  About as far as I can go with that.