An Outdoor Adventure of 1778

THE HUNTERS, OR THE SUFFERINGS OFHUGH AND FRANCIS, IN THE WILDERNESS. By Caleb Bingham, Class of 1782. Hanover: Dartmouth Publications, 1954. 35 PP. 3 illus. $1.00.

Of all rke tales, ksnclkul an6 otkervvise, told about Dartmouth Indians, none is more stirring than The Hunters.

Caleb Bingham's account of the grim adventures of his two classmates is written with the poignant prose of the first generation of Dartmouth authors. So incredible is the report that the writer evidently anticipated some brow-raising. To the skeptics this excerpt from his preface was directed: "He pledges himself to the readers, that this history from beginning to end, according to his best recollection, is strictly true; the real names of the parties being retained."

With this assurance, the reader can more readily imagine the dreadful ordeal of these two doughty young hunters, Hugh Holmes of Montreal and his classmate, the resourceful St. Francis Indian, Francis.

In mid-February of 1778 both youngsters were enrolled as scholars at Moor's Charity School in Hanover, while preparing for admission to the College. Meat was scarce. Dr. Wheelock was in a receptive mood to grant their request to hunt moose for five or six days in the wilderness northwest of Norwich.

In language hardly reminiscent of that used by present administrators, Dartmouth's first President said (according to the narrative), "My children, I cannot find it in my heart to refuse your request, though I fear the undertaking is too great for your years and experience. You are good boys; you have studied faithfully, and have been obedient.... Remember your prayers daily; and if you tarry over the sabbath, I charge you not to hunt, or recreate yourselves on that sacred day."

With that admonition and a further plea to "not outstay your time" the two youths crossed the Connecticut and inspired an epic in the lengthy annals of outdoor adventures by Dartmouth students.

Wearing snowshoes and carrying only such primitive essentials as a blanket, rifle and hatchet, the hunters sought a moose-yard where abundant meat would be readily available. But like many a hunter has subse-quently discovered, his prey was not where it should have been.

According to Eleazar Wheelock's journal, four weeks passed before the hunters returned to Hanover. The author reports an absence of nearly two months. In either case, it must have been a long and heart-breaking experience.

What befell the hunters during that period is the content of the story and should not be disclosed here, except to observe that any Dartmouth alumnus should be proud of their contribution to the early development of the Dartmouth spirit.

No longer are College students obliged to turn "meat-hunters" to replenish the campus larder. But despite the 176 years that have passed since Hugh and Francis explored the wilderness, the voice still cries.

Each spring Dartmouth students join the procession of sightseers who drive up the White River Valley to rubber-neck at the bands of deer sunning themselves on the south slopes after a long winter in the backcountry - the very same locale of the story. But today's students usually travel in convertibles rather than on snowshoes.

There are exceptions. During the spring recess of 1954 another pair of Dartmouth undergraduates spent a week on the College Grant, observing the deer-yards with the aid of skis. But they were not obliged to live off the land, as were their predecessors of 1778.

And during the past winter, today's students attending the Outing Club's weekly programs on "Cold Weather Problems" listened to Ross McKenney as he explained with models the construction of a cold-weather bivouac similar to the shelter described by Caleb Bingham.

The lure of adventure has not changed but today's challengers hardly could be expected to return to the campus astride a weary horse saddled only with a fresh moose skin as evidence of their final triumph.

The story of how Dartmouth Publications was able to add this unique item to its catalog is a story in itself, appropriately explained by Richard W. Morin '24, College Librarian, in his introduction.

How this distinctive College record was recently discovered is almost as involved as the actual experiences of the hunters. The spark had almost died. Only one copy of the original pamphlet printed in 1814 is now known to exist. From this last survivor Dartmouth Publications has reproduced an edition strikingly comparable in type and format with the original.

All three wood engravings are duplicated. The frontispiece depicts the campus with our two heroes in the foreground. Another shows the handicapped hunters as they wandered through the wilderness. The third illustrates the return of Hugh and Francis and their reception by incredulous schoolmates.

The book has many uses, aside from its historical significance. The pocket-size edition (only 4" by 6") need not beg for space in any traveling library. Modern hunters, experiencing the same ill luck that befell Hugh and Francis, can remove the booklet from their game pocket and read its contents while their luck may change.

The Hunters would be an appropriate addition to the bedside table of any guest room. Fitful visitors, troubled over the day's developments, should find solace in the thought that their difficulties are puny compared with the obstacles surmounted by Hugh and Francis.

To paraphrase another Dartmouth character, "It is, sir, as I have said, a small book. And yet there are many who will enjoy it."