Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1848-05-13


direction, snoring with pain and fury.
'sHurrah, Bill, roared out Glass, as he saw
the animal rushing towards them, :" Wen
be made 'meat' of as sure as shootin'!"
and leaving the tree behind, which he had
concealed himself, he bolted through the
lthicket, followed closely by his companion.
The brush was SO thick that they could
scarcely make their way through, whereas
the weight and strength of the bear carried
him through all instructions, and he was soon
close upon them.
About hundred yards from the thicket
was steep bluff, and between these points
was a level piece Of prairie; Glass saw that
his only chance was TO reach this bluff, and
shouting to his companion to make for il,
they both broke from the cover and flew
like lightning across the open space. When
more than half way across, the bear being
about fifty yards behind them, Glass, who
was leading, tripped over a stone and fell
to the ground, and Just as he rose to his feet,
the beast, rising on his hind feet, confront
ed him. As he closed, Glass, never losing
his presence of mind, cried to his compan-
ion TO load up quickly, and discharged his
pistol full into the body of the animal, at
the same moment that the bear, with blood
streaming from hisn and mouth, knock
the pistol from his hand with one blow OF
its paw, and, fixing its claws deep into his
flesh, rolled with him to the ground.
4 The hunter notwithstanding his hopeless
situation, struggled mantully, drawing his
knife and plunging il several times into the
body Of the beast, which furious with pain,
tore with tooth and claw the body Of the
wretched victim, actually bareng the ribs of
flesh, and exposing the very bones. Weak
with loss of blood, and with eyes blinded
with the blood which streamcd from his la
cerated scalp, the knife at length fell from
his hand, and Glass sunk down insensble,
and to all appearance dead.
His companion, who, mp to this moment,
had watched the conflict, which, however,
lasted but few seconds, thinking that his
turn would come next, and not having had
presence of mind even to load his rifle, fled
with might and main back to camp, where
he narrated the miserable fate of poor Glass.
The captain of the band Of trappers, how
ever, dispatched the man with companion
back to the spot where he lay, with instruc-
tons to remain by him if still alive, or to
bury him, if, as all supposed, he was de-
funct, promising them at the same time
sum of money for so doing.
On reaching the spot. which was red
with blood, they found Glass still breathing
and the bear dead and stiff, actually lying
upon his body. Poor Glass presented a
horrifying spectacle; the flesh was torn in
strips from his chest and limbs, and large
flaps strewed the ground; has scalp hung
bleeding over his face, which was also laccr-
ated in a shocking manner.
The bear, besides the three bullets which
had pierced its body, bore the marks Of the
fierce nature of Glass final struggle, no less
III
belly testifying to the gallant defence of
the mountaneer.
Imagining that, if not already dead, the
poor fellow could not possibly survive more
than few moments, the men collected his
arms, stripped him Of his hunting shirt and
moccasins, and, merely pulling the dead
bear off the body, mounted their horses and
slowly followed the remainder of the party,
saying, when they reached il, that Glass
was dead, as probably they thought, and
that they had buried him.
In few days the gloom which pervadod
the trapper's camp, occasioned by the loss
of favorite companion, disappeared, and
Glass misfortune, although frequently men
toned over the campfire, at length was nj
most entirely forgotten in the excitement of
the hunt and Indian perils which surround
ed them.
Months elapsed, the hunt was over, and
the party of trappcrs were on their way to
the trading fort with their packs of beaver.
II was nearly shutdown, and the round n
bode bastions of the mud-built fort were
Just in sight when horseman was seen
slowly approaching them along the banks Of
the river. When near enough to discern
his figure, they saw n laDk, cadavcrous form
with n face so SCARED and disfigured that
scarcely feature was observable. APP
preaching the leading horsemen one Of
whom happened TO be the companion Of the
defunct Glass in his memorable bear scrape,
the stranger, in hollow voice, refining in
his horse before them, exclaimed, Hurra,
Bill, my boy! you thought was gone un-
der that time, did you? but hand me over
my horse and gun, my lad; amt dead yet
by dam slghtw
What was the astonisbnent of the whole
party, aud the genuine horror Of Bill and
his worthy companion in the burial story,
TO hear the well known, though not much
altered, voice Of John Glass, who had been
killed by grizzly bear months before, and
comfortably inferred, "a the two men bad
reported, aud all had believed .r
There he was, however, and no mistake
about it; and all crowded round to hear |
from his lips, how, after the lapse of be |
knew not how long, he had gradually re-
covered, and being without arms, or even a
butcber-knfe, he had fed upon the almost
putrid carcass of the bear for several days, I
until he had regained sufficient strength TO
crawl. when, tearing of as much Of the
bears meat as he could carry in his eniee-
bled state, he crept down the river; aud suf-
fering excessive torture from his wounds,
and hunger, and cold, he made the hest of
his way to the fort, which was some eighty
or ninety miles from the place Of his en-
counter with the bear, and living the greater
part Of the way upon roots and berries, he
after many, many days, arrived I'm piiiable