St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-03-10

bear below on the watch, it may be con
sldcrcd exceedingly unpleasant. Hour
, wore slowly away, with the bear movin,
: about, at times in full view, and again
hidden by the underbrush. At last, abou
! sunset, he took himself off, and our hun
, ter was about to descend, when he agail
heard reports from his enemy. Thcs,
were fierce growls of rage that issue,
, from gorge near by. My friend n
first supposed the bear had encountered
other hunters, but us he heard no soun,
of guns nor other evidences of morta
combat, he resumed his seat and listened
lhe mysterious uproar continued, ant
what was strange appeared in the fac
that 1t came from the same spot. I'm
armed, and faint from hunger and fatigue
my friend remained all night clinging tt
his perch and ut intervals he heard tho
bear growing and tearing furiouSly. The
comical idea seized on the hunter, thai
Bruin had stupidity mistaken some Other
pine for the one that sheltered his enemy.
The night wore slowly away The
stars, gllttcring as stars can glitter only
in those mountain regions, passed in their
solemn march, while the deep forests OF
eyergrcens were full of of strange noises
to which the bear added through his &C.
centric conduct. My friend slept from
time TO time, and invariably dreamed OF
falling, to wakcn with start and find
himself clinging TO the branches of the
pine. When 4 man sleeps in tree, the
muscles necessary to his safety do not re-
lax as in an ordinary sleep; but when
through fuiguc they are about TO lose
their tension, the sleeper is awakened by
a dream. This is one of the singular lit
tie phcnomcna we overlook while in
search Of larger ones. Who has not seen
Il mother in Il railroad car or stage. coach,
holding her infant when tired nature had
forced sleep upon her! lie head will
drop in sleep upon her breast, but the
arms will not sleep; and when, exhaust
ed, the muscles are about t. relax and
let the child fall, the loving mother will
awaken with 4 start and gather her babe
nearer to her heart. OF the same sort Is
the fact 50 familiar TO us all, that when
one Is about to start upon Il journey early
in the mcrning, and fixes i'll his mind be
fore going To sleep the hour necessary to
awaken, at that hour the sleeper will
start INTO consciousness us if shaken by
some friend. And have often asked
what part OF Us it is that remains awake
to guard the infant or arouse the sleeper
The evidences of Il spiritual life lie all
about us, but, like our Saviour in the
mangcr, seem SO humble and insignificant
that We magnificent creatures take no
notice of them.
But to return TO my friend. Day
dawned ut last, and he crawled down,
sorc, faint, and hungry. lie was about
to gather up the fragments of his rifle
and hurry back TO camp, when Il fresh
burst of rage from the wounded bear, and
issuing from the same locality as during
the night, SO excited his curiosity that
he determined 10 investigate, and there
fore crcpt cautiously toward the gorge
from whence the noise proceeded. The
explanation made him laugh Old griz-
ely had fallen into a log trap, such as
living specimen. There was the last
nights foe well secured, and my friend
was mean enough to laugh in his face
while regarding curiou>ly the wound his
hastily discharged rifle had m,de. The
left ear was torn away.
Nearly a year after this event, my
friend, the ASST tant hero Of the adven-
ture, was passing along East Broadway
in New Iolk, when his attention was
attracted by sickly hand-organ that
made an orchestra TO the show of n griz-
zly bear, with the usual accompaniment
of fat woman, the anacondas, Il calf
with two heads and an assortment of
tails, and Il monkey. Wishing to renew
his acquaintance with an animal that had
so nearly closed his career, my friend
paid the necessary dime and entered
through foul odor of dccaying sawduSt
and fried sausagcs. To his amazement,
in 4 huge iron cage, scarcely large enough
to allow him standing room, was the griz-
ely bear he had marked in the mountains
lie had been carried TO Sln Francisco,
and won great rcnown in several fights
with bulls and dogs. He was now being
exhibited on the Atlantic slope 10 admir-
ing thousands. My friend tried to catch
the eye Of his old adversary, but in vain.
The creatures ill-tcmper seemed to sur
vive his many fights and long coniine-
ment for IN awkward fellow, evidently
from the interior, turned rather near the
cage to gaze ut the Corpulent Woman,
then being fcstooncd with anacondas,
when old grizzly with a growl threw out
his huge paw with such force, rapidity,
and precision, that not only the back of
the countryman's coat but the seat OF his
stout pantaloons disappeared. My friend
left the place i'll the midst of fierce al
tercation between the country-fellow and
the Snowman, as TO who should pay for
| ''them clothes
The strange acquaintance did not end
with this. Years after, in visit with
some friends to the biological Gardens
Of Paris, the Englishman was delighted
to recognize again his former foe Old
age, added to better knowledge of the
world, had not only subdued his ugly
disposition, but life IN Paris affected him
rs it does all native Americans, and rem
dered the beast positively luxurious. He
received bone kindly from his once
deadly opponent, and, as the weather
was extremely warm, he rolled into his
stone trough to lie on his back, permit
ting the cool wafer TO trickle over his
hairy head while he lazily gnawed at the
bone. This falling from his indolent
grasp, he closed his eyes and dropped off