The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-09-09

himself up again. The bear stopped elm bling,
but chung. With his weight, the roots cracked;
the tree shuddered. He must fall, or all 90
down, down, down, together. Repeating the ma.
nosuvre, as instantaneously as before, Herman
stabbed him in the other eye. he dropped,
rolling, roaring, and struggling, on the pebbly
gravel at the root of the tree, and they after,
while With the threefold jerk the fir reeled,
swung, toppled slowly over, and hung roots
uppermost and branches out of sight
Herman reloaded elk times, and shot no less
than six bullets through poor Csleb's brain and
lungs before his troubles were over; and then,
that which is q matter of conjecture to most of
MS, namely, how death would seem to us il We
knew that We were, in all probability, Just about
to die, could never be again q matter of con-
lecture to Herman. he knew.
How had it seemed? Like only An incident
in life." But did he not kneel down and thank his
Maker for his preservation Undoubtedly; not,
though, that he had any particular preference
for living in this world in those days, but be.
cause he saw that it was Gods will that he
should live, and was therefore content and glad
to do it; and because, when he had time to
think, he did not love to think how, if his ad.
venture had had different ending, Clara would
have cried in his far.away home, while the noun.
tain eagles we're picking his bones in these
their Businesses. But first of all, must tell the
whole story? He was whimsical fellow, and,
as have said, not perfect. Before he did any.
thing else, he rolled on his back, screaming with
fun at the idea of having come off victorious al
doublestick with bear. He cut out and
pocketed for trophies his victims twenty claws,
which we're all of them between four and Eve
inches in length. Then, with Whattaraskle's
assistance, he rolled and showed him over the
broken edge of the plumb descent, thinking that
slight amount of pounding might make him
tenderer, and that at any rate it would be con-
venient to let him travel homewards of his own
motion as far as he could; for he must have
weighed between two and three hundred
pounds. To the foot of the precipice, Herman,
on his return to the camp, sent up detach.
ment Of his most Trustworthy friends, under
Whattaraskle's guidance, to get the dear re-.
mains. He was, though quite unhurt, for once
in his life completely tired out and sore, and
strained in every muscle, from his fight, end
made no attempt to accompany them. They
satisfied themselves with devouring raw, on the
spot, only portion of the more tempting en-.
trails and marrow, and faithfully brought him
. home flesh enough to enable him to entertain
them meetly at pompous festivals at several
succeeding days.
Whattaraskle, having regained his wits, was
not ungrateful. He did not cease to be mis-
chievous; Tor then he must have ceased to be !;
all the mis chief subtracted, he must have be
| come a ms,e cipher. But the next day, when
: his delivsa pr, on q ramble to see again the
scene of Ills adventure, unwittingly sprang
down on tie baked clay bed of one of the inno-
cent-looksr9, dry-on-the-top, bottomless-H uid.
undernead auicksands, or rather quick pud.
dies, of tn Rocky Mountains, and was sucked
down help asly up to his knees, and up to his
hips, and !, to his chin, and up to his nose,
Whattare. ,, beholding, not only with infinite
presence mind, emitted yells such as only an
Indian ca. liter, but whisked up an oak fast
by, scrap' d along an over.hanging branch,
hung from , at full length by his hands, and
| gave Herr both bis feet to hold on by till
| help can,e end did not once finch nor com.
plain, thor : it was full quarter of an hour
in coming Aad, in the course of that time, his
arms ws.e pulled nearly out of their sockets !;
| had it not zen for which merciful Intervention,
my pleaai g tale would have wanted hero !;
all the int resting incidents whsrewith am
about to d. light my readers in my ensuing chap
| ters would never have happened to him and
| he would sobably have been at this time still
sinking a. sinking through the earth, and des.
tined even ally (if gravity does not forbid the
idea) to ppear in the shape of very re-
narkable sil at the antipodes.
Nor W. ,e Good Woman inferior in graft.
tide to hi bad son. She could not, indeed,
refrain # coaxing away all of the bears
| claws but ., to ornament q necklace for her
husband, q Herman, who she saw Was, from
s.defective Jucation, incapable of approaching
/ ia any jps egree their beauty and worth but,
not satia6t with preparing the bears akin, with
the aubur bair on, 90 nicely for him, that he
slept undo il every cold night for years after,
she, wisbs to provide for him pleasant sur.
prise, ma lged to abstract from his tent his
| only exts, civilized pair Of boots, stepped them
In the All ais grease to soften the leather, and
wrought IN thickly with dyed porcupine's
| quilts, afs. which they we're unctuous, but i'm.
pervious T. the wet. She also, to his great Joy,
obtained the kind Meneaska," from her
husband, invitation to take up his quarters
at his lod,
HERNIA lid soimmediately, and by bringing,
81 Mr.. Gr be advised, his own clean rugs and
wrapping 18th him, made himself comfortable
/ enough, would have been more 90, If his
hosts TOT had not previously solemnly en-.
Joined it IN him in q dream, if ever he pass.
| ed nigh nth white man, to hop twice or
thrice hk, frog to and fro across his pillow at
p,idnight German was first made aware of
ibis custo 'ather roughly, by being awakened
ri the pr, y time by smart FLIP from the
! Jhieftaini oe in his nose, which felt at the
moment if it must be nearly torn off; but
he agile quinsuwatish improved by practice,
and no Sc ms accident of the kind occurred
h.gain, tho his guest vss sorry that he should
oe put to much trouble on his account.
Not ma nights after, when Herman and
| Hhattara 2, having taken an unusually long
SAMPLE an scramble, had gone to bed early,
eavipg T, uinsuwatish still ont It q gambling
ntertainn t, and Weshwashtay rocking her
elf to and o on a buffalo akin before he 6rs.
ind soothi to sleep her Youngest pspoose. Who
3 vas i'll, B nan was awakened by hearing .
leep, hoIl voice at the door say: