Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1841-11-19
A WESTERN BEAR STORY.
From "Life in the UooGs"

among the earliest settlers in the
wilds Of Salmon river. was Vermonler
Of The name Of Dobson -a large reso-
IuDo man Returning one evening from
4 fr0jlc7s hunt after his vagrau' cows,
which according to the custom in new
countries, had been turned into ,he
woods, 10 procure their own subsistence
from the rank heritage Of the early
summer, just before emerging from he
forest upon the clearing o. hi. n"i.hlor,
the late worthy Joseph Sleeper he saw
a huge lear descending from lofty sy
camore, whore he had been, probably,
in quest honey.
A bear asCends tree much more ex
portIy than be desce1ds it, being obiig
ed to come down hiudforemosL Ny
friend Dobsun did not like to he Joined
in his evening walk b. such q compan
ion; and, without redlcJiug what he
should do with the 'yarmiut' afterwards.
he run TO the tree, on the opposite side
from the animals body, and just efora
he reached the ground, he seized him
by the fore paws. Bruin growlod and
gnashej his tusks; but he soon ascer
tained that his paws were in the grasp
OF iron paws, equally iron strong with
his own, nor could he use his hinder
paws to djsembowel his antagonist, as
the manner Of the bear is. nasmuch as
the trunk Of the tree was between them
But Dobson's predicament, as he was
| endowed with rather the most reason,
was worse yet. lie could no moro as.
sail the bear than the bear could assaiI
him: nor could he venture TO let him
goa very gracious return for thus un.
tremendously taking him by the hand
The twilight was fast descending into
darkness, and his position was far less
comfortable Than it otherwise would
have been al the same hour, surrounded
by his wife and children, at the supper
table, to say nothing ofrhe gloomy pros.
poets for the night. SuI, as Joe Sleep
er'S house was moi far distant he hoped
10 be able to call him to his assistance,
but his lungs, although none of the
weakest, were unequal TO the task, and
although he followed and baw led the
Iiyelong night. making the woods and
welkIn ring again, be succeeding NO bet
ter than old Gendower Of old, 10 call.
ing spirits from The Vastly deep.
II was woarsome night for Dohson,
such a game of hold fast he had never
been engaged IN before. Brun, too
was somewhat worried, although he
could not describe his sensation in En-
gDish, albeit he took the regular John
Bull method of making known his dissa
tIslacion thar is 10 say, he growIed
iucessanlIy. But thefo was no let 90
in the case, and Dobson was therefore
under The Necessity of holding fast un
I'll it seemed 10 his cleuched and aching
fingers as though the bears paws and
his had grown together.
As daylight returned. and the smoke
from Mr.. Sieeper's chimney began to
curl up gracefully though rather dimly
in the distance, DobSon again repeated
his cries for succor, aud his heart was
soon glaidened by the appearance of his
worthy but inactive neighbor, who had
at last been attracted by the voice o. the
impatient sufferer, bearing an axe on
his shoulder Dobson had never been
so much reioiced at seeing Mr. Sleeper
before, albeit he was very kind aud
estJmahIe neighbor
"Why don't you make haste, Mr.,
S eoper, and not be oung.ng at that rate
when you see fellow hrIslan in such
a kettle Of fish as lhls2'
II yum! is that you. Mr. Dobson, up
Ia tree blreY And was it you that