The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-05-21

until my head and hands and whole per
son were completely within the center o
the stub.
| At this moment a sudden and strange
fear came over me 1 know not. from
what cause, for am not naturally tim
id; it seemed to affect me with a sense
of suAocation, such as is experienced in
| dreams under the influence of the night
mare Rendered desperate by my feel
iDgs, 1 made violent effort to extricate
myself, when the edges of the wood to
which 1 was holding on treacherously
gave way, and prccipatited me to the
bottom of the hole, which found ex-
tended to q level with the ground. 1
cannot wholly account for it, but proba-
bly, from the erect position in which my
body was necessarily kept in SO narrow
a tube, and my landing on my feet on a
bed of soft moss, dried leaves and other
elastic substances, I sustained little or
no injury from SO great fall; nor were
my clothes but little destroyed in my
descent, Notwithstanding the straight
ness of the passage, owing to the smooth
ness of the surface from long use by the
animals ascending and descending to
and from their der-for den I found
it to be-.
After recovering from my fright, I
had time to examine the interior. ALL
was dark, and putting out my hands to
feel my way, they came in contact with
the cold nose of some beast, and then
with the hair, which T Immediately knew
was that of a half grown cub or young
bear. Continuing to examine 1 ascer-
tanned there were three or four of those
animals, which, aroused by the noise of
my descent, came around aud smclled of
me, uttering a moaning noise taking
me, at first, for their dam, but after a
little examination, snuf6ng and snorting
as if alarmed, they quietly betook them
to their couch on the moss, and left me
to my own troubled aud gloomy refec-
.tious. I knew they were too young to
do me any injury, but with that knowl-
edge cume :he dreadful certainty that
the mother, whose promises I had SO
hecdlessly Invaded, was quite different
: lersonage, and that my life would ter
inmate very soon after she arrived. as
arrive she certainly would, before many
hours could pass over my head.
The interior of the den grew more
visible after my eyes became accustomed
to the darkness, and aided BY little light
from the top, discovered that the den
was circular. and on the ground was five
or six feet in diameter, its circumference
at the height of seven or
eight feet, to a diameter of less than
'brce, owing to the peculiar formation of
the trunk. All my efforts to reach the
narrow part of the hollow, in the hope
of working my way out, az chimney
sweep might have done, if that had been
practicable, were -fruitless. My escape
in this way was, therefore, impossible
To cut hole through the trunk suff-
ciently large to let my body out, with
a small pocket knife, the only one had,
would have Leen the work of weeks and
even mouths, as, from the examination
I had made of the exterior and interior,
I knew that it could not be less than
foot thick. The knife was the only
weapon I possessed, and one hug from my
tremendous adversary would deprive NE
of the power of using even so contempt
able an instrument; and even if I sue
ceedcd in killing the bear, which was
not to be expected, my case was equally
hopeless, for l should then only exchange
a sudden death for one, if possible, even
moro horrid-a lingering one of famine
and thirst; for my tracks in the snow
were long covered by the drifts, and
there was no possibility of my friends
finding me by searching in wilderness
of many miles in circuit.
Two hours had probably passed, and,
to me, two of the longest had ever ex-
perienced, when suddenly, the little light
which had illumincd the gloom of the
deu from above, was gone. 1 looked up
and could no longer see the sky. My
ears, which, at this moment, were pecu-
liarly sensible, we're assailed with low,
growing noise, such as a bear makes
when discov ering an enemy and prepar-
ing for an attack. At once I was aware
that my fate was at hand, as this was
the mother descending to her cubs, hav
ing by her accute organs of smelling,
aseertained that her den had been en-
tered by some enemy. Frnn:: tho time
! ! h L. : ascertained M tue situation I
mad opened my knife, and held it ready
in my hand for the encounter, come
when it would. 1 now, therefore, braced
myself for death grapple with terri
BILE antagonist, feverishly awaiting the
descent.
Bears alWay descend trees in the same
manner that they ascend trees-thlt is,
the head is always upw ard-consequent-
", her most assailable, or rather, her
least Formidable part was opposed to me.
A thoughtrushed through h my mind quick
as light, that escape was possible and
that the bear might furnish the means
No time cqqld be afforded, nor was il