The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1856-09-11
NJ I S g 81 u q III HWWS o
A GOOD BEAR STORY.

or some other Of them cold Norwcgen bays
at the North, where tho rain freezes AS it
comes down, and stands up in the air, on
winter morncns, like green mountains O
ice, all In strcaks. Well, the schooner was
aaven at anchor, and all the hands was out
in the small boats, looken for wales all
except the captin, who said he want very
well that day. Well he was walkcn up
and down on deck, smoker and thinker, l
expect, mostly, when all sudden he reclz-
oncd he see one o them big white bears
polar bears, you know-big It's thunder
with long white teeth. lie rcckoncd he
see one OH 'em sclumpen along on a great
cake o ice, they lay OH the lceward side OF
tho bay, up again OH the bank. The old
cap, wanted to kill one y 'cm varmints
most wonderful, but lie never Tucked to get
4 chance. Now tho, he thought, the time
had come for him to walk into one on 'em
at least, and fix his mutton for him right.
So he run forrad and lay hold on to
small skiff, that was laycn near the forc'stal,
and run her out and launched her. Then
hc tuck drink, and-here's luck-and put
in stiff load Of powder, !; couple Of balls,
and jumped in aud pulled away for the
ice.
cit want long fore he got cross the bay,
for it was i narrer piece y watcr--nct
more than half Il mile wle-and then he
got out OH to the ice. 1t was smart and
large cake, and the bear was way down TO
the tother end ont, by the edge o the wal
ter. So lie first walked first strut along,
and when he got putty close hc walked
round !:kc-!ik4's if hc was
driven for Il plain plovcr-so that the bear
wouldn't think lc was coming :,rtcr him,
and he dragged himself along on his hands
and knees low down, mostly. Well, the
bear didn't seem to mind him none, and
he got within bout fifty yards OH linn, and
then lie looked SO savage and big-llc bear
did-that the captain stopped, and rested
OH his knees, and put up his gun, and lie
was agoin to shoot. But just then the
bear turned round and snutfcI up the cap
tain-just as one Of Lifts hounds snuls up
al old buck, Mr.. Cypress-and begun to
walk towards him, slowly like. lie cum
s'long, the captain sain clump, cump, very
slow, and made the ico bend and crack
again under him, SO that the water come
up and purity much kivcred it all over.
"Wcll, there the captin was all the time
squat on his knees, with his gun pintcL, wait
oil for the varment to come up, and his knees
and legs WAS most mighty cold by means of
the water, that the bear riz on the ice as |
was mentioncn. At last the bear seemed
to make up his mind to see how the captin
scouid taste, and so lie left off wallen slow,
and started off on a smart and swift trot,
right towards the old man, with his mouth
wide open, roarcn, and his tail stickcn out
stiff: The captin kept still, lookcn out all
time putty sharp, should say, till the beast
got within about ten yards on linn, and
then he let him have it. lie aimed right
ut the t1eshy part Of his heart, but the bear
lodged at the flash, and rarcd up, and the
balls went into lis two hind legs, jist by the
jynt, one into each and broke the thigh
bones smack of, SO that he went right
down aft, on the ice, thump, on his hind
quarters, with nothcn standen but his foro
legs, and his head riz up, growlcn at the
captin. When the old man see him down,
and trycn to slide along the ice to get his
revenge, likely, thinks he to himself thinks
he, l might as well get up and go and cnt
that ere creter's throat. So lie TUX out his
knife and opened it. But when he started
to get up, he found to his astonishment,
that he was fruz fast to the ice. Don't laugh:
it's fact there amt no doubt. The wa
ter, you see, had been round him smart
and long while, whilst lie was waiten for
the bear, and it's wonderful cold in them
regions, as was sayen, and you'll freeze
in mint if you don't keep moven about
smarly.
So the captin strained first one leg, and
then lie strained the other, but lie couldn't
move 'em none. They was both fruz fast
into the ice, about an inch and a half deep,
from knee to toe, tight as Jascy oyster
perryauger on mud fiat at low water.-
So he laid down his gun, and looked at the
bear, and doubled up his fists 'Come on,
you bloody varmint,' says the old man, rs
the bear swalloped along on his hinder
eend, comen at him. Ho kept getten
weaker, tho, and comen slower and slower
all the time, SO that, at last, he didn't seem
70 move none; aud directly, when he'd got
scnear that the captain could jest give him
adig in the nose by reachen forrad putty
smart and far, the captin see that the beast
.,'tfass Iruz hast W., nor ho c~uldn't znnvo a