Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-06-04

almost sure TO drive the bears into their fast
nesses where no hunter could find them.
The surrounding county was covered with
impossible windfalls, cavernous lodges, deem
ravines, and swamps. David, on the con-
trary. would go into the woods alone, select
place to his taste, and either sit or lie
down. David was neither hasty, excitable.
nor impatient. He was Just idle enough To
make good bear hunter. Beside he had
made the discovery that bears have pro.
pensity to prowl about when the woods arc
still, looking for something. Likely ns not
David would go off sound asleep, seemingly.
Presently bear tempted into providing
about the quiet woods would discover him.
vi course the bears curiosity would be ex-
cited by seeing the innocent simpleton in Al
inviting condition. SO the bear would be.
gin reconnaissance preparatory TO gobbinR
him up. But David had an amusing knack
Of coming to just at the right moment, and
when the bear had got the preliminaries all
arranged, David would settle the bear with
a single discharge OF his old "thunderbuss, "
rs he called it.
David was slow beyond all comparison.
But he was as sure as he was slow. He had
not particle of fear in his nature, and there
lay the greatest secret of his success.
Just below his fathers house there was a
little plot of very fertile land. containing
about an acre. One season it was planted to
corn. 1t throve finely and when August ar
rived, it promised such an abundant crop
that the old gentleman expressed his satis-
faction by the remark: Reckon, we'll have
enough to last year.
But he reckoned too early to do so cor
rectly, for it CHANGED to be year when bears
were very thick. Several bear families had
settled in the inaccessible woods in the vicin-
| ity. 1t was difficult to find them in their
Businesses. But when the corn got in good
condition to eat the bears discovered the
fact. They would meet in the corn-feld
every night, and hold revel, feasting and
destroying. David endured it for a time
because he was very busy, but finally,
thinking the crop would all be destroyed, he
began to bestir himself
He took circuit around the field, and dis
covered n path where the bears entered
from the woods. The path led into tho field
directly between great pine stump, and the
end of a pine log. There was Just room
enough between the two for the bears to
pass in and out. David sat down, unused
over the subject a few minutes, and then re-
marked to n neighbours boys
There's where the tarnal's come through.
Guess I'll fix 'em, though"
How will you do it, David3" inquired
the other.
"Tll set that stump to shooting EN-
''Set that stumpto shooting themP what do
you meanP"
You'll see when l get it fixed" was all
the reply he could obtain. so the boy start
ed home leaving David to carry out his pro-
ject. He placed his gun alongside the log.
pointing across the passage between the end
of the log and stump. Then he attached a
cord to the stump in such manner that If
bear attempted to pass, he would be sure to
discharge the gun into bis own body. Da-
vid elevated the piece with great precision,
aud adjusted the tension of the cord so
nicely that he guessed il would "tech the
critters heart every time" Having arrang-
ed it to his mind David went home, leaving
the stump to shoot the thieves. David was
not one to feel any anxiety over the result
OF his experiment. lie went to bed at the
usual hour without thought of his spring
gun, and was soon sound asleep. Right in
the middle of the night, bang! 1t went, awak-
ening every one in the house. David turned
over with the comforting remark: There's
one more dead bear" and composed him
selfto sleep again.
But David's older brother was of differ
ent temperament. and he demonstrated:
Hadn't you better go down and see what
you have got? Perhaps you have only
wounded a bear, and he'll escape before
morning.
Wounded!' exclaimed David, contempt
uously. little nettled lat being disturbed.
" reckon he's dead enough!" So saying he
went of to sleep again, and did not wake till
broad day light. When he did wake he
found the neighbours boys on hand to see
what was up, they having heard the gun go
off in the night.
On reaching the spot they found full
grown bear, dead, shot through the heart,
exactly as David had planned it. The ball
deeply imbedded itself in the stump, as Da-
vid had contrived it to save lead
Good shootIn' for n stump" remarked
David, as he dragged the dead bear from
the aperture, and reloaded his gun. The
bear was dragged to the house and dressed
David thought he had done n good thing
that day, but he was not quite satisfied. So
after dinner he took his gun and shuffled of
into the woods
Sawney Gilchrist, tho old Scotchman, lived
a little more than mile from Mr.. Mann's,
in the town of 81. Johnsbury. Sawney had
fine field of oats on the meadow, by Moose
River. There is no grain that bears are
more fond of than oats, and the bears had
got in the habit of visiting Sawney's field
for their suppers. After lounging about the
woods till the middle Of the afternoon, with
out meeting anything, David went down to
the field of oats. Selecting place to his
taste near the edge of the woods, he lay
down in the grain and went to Sleep with
one eye and ear half open as usual One,
two, three hours passed by and David had
not stirred, nor made sound. 1t was get
ting near sunset when David Iheard a sound
in the woods, just over the fence. David
knew what it was. Rolling over in the right
position, he raised and cooked his gun. A
moment after large bear climbed upon the
fence within rod of him, and looked over
into the oats to see if any one was around.
Unfortunately for tho bear David's stub of
gun sent ball blowing through lhs heart
and he rolled off dead David looked him
over few moments, and then reloaded his
gun and started home. He had gone but
short distance, however, before he met
Elisha Whipple, a neighbor, who had heard |
the gun and come to see what he had killed. |
David showed Whipple the bear. Whipple |
agreed to get the bear to his home that night,
dress it and take the skin and meat to David |