Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1875-03-24
WHOLE NO, 1903

the Dack lTall, happened 10 hoticc
one tree, which stood little to one
side Of my tracE, that looked so much
larger than the others, that the idea
came into my head to just examine it.
] had a stout oak stick in my hand,
and as I came up to the tree hit the
trunk two or three blows, TO see if it
was sound, you know. Then /
thought I'd see how big round it was,
so that could tell the General how
many steps it took to circumnavigate
it. So I stuck my stick in the ground
for mark, and started.
Nv oen got ABOUT nolf- way round,
/ happened to look up, and I'll be
blest If there wasn't grizzly as big as
an OK, within two feet ofme, asettin
Oh his haunches, and watchin' me out
of hole in the stump OF that tree.
Il brought up pretty sudden, tell
you, and took one good look at him.
Lie looked meek enough at first glance
but in jlfty he fixed his eyes on me,
and his great mouth, which was half
open, with his white teeth, looked
waterish like, as though it was just
achin' to git hold Of me. l see him
kinder half raise one othis big paws,
and then | started. | heerd him give
a low, wheezy kind er growl, as he
Started after me, and / didn't wait to
hear any more. If ever q ttller run,
that feller was Tom Wilson.
Il reckon thought Of every story
Ill ever hcerd about grizzlies ho~
savage they was how they could beat
"a hoss runnin' any time. The more
1 thought, the faster | ruiz, and the
palmer | could hear the bar comm
after ne.
u declare I never knowed it was in
me to run SO. | throwed off pretty
nigh all the clothes | had On, and WA
doin' jest my level best, when sudden
" l tripped on somethin' OF other, and
went down. Then | knowcd t Wa
all up with me for sartin, and / eX-
pected every minute to feel that ban i
paw on TO me.
Il remembered how I'd heered Nat
Beal say, that ifa grizzly thought 4
man was dead, he'd dig hole and
bury him, without huriin' him any,
and after day or two would come
back and dig him up. So l laid still
and held my breath, waitin ior the
bar to bury me.
Il could hear him diggin' the hol.',
and, though my eyes were shet, |
could see jest how he looked, as he
handled them paws Of his.
1T seemed to me that laid there
and held my breath for nigh an hour,
expecting every minute to have the
bar roll me into the hole. After a.
while | ventured to peek out, and,
would you believe ii, there want no
bar there
q jest picked myself up mighty
sudden, and made tracks for camp,
and | reckon itever teler felt beat
that feller was me, then and there.
at was long time before said
anything about my scare in camp;
but, at last, | told the General, and l
thought he'd split a.laughin'."
"yell, Tom," said l, "you must
have been pretty badly frightened.
Enlightened jest tell you, sir,
| was the worst scarf man this side
of the San Juan, and | didn't git over
/, neither in 4 hurry, sare's you're
born
"What had become of the bear p
asked |.
"Why, you see, he was asleep, in
that hole, aud when | thumped on the
tree with my stick it woke him up.
AS nat'ral consequence. his curiosity
was riz, and he poked his head out to
see who was a.knockin' but" added
Tom, with 4 laugh, "before he could
say come in | was gone. I've al
ways owed grizzlies q grudge since
that scare From "An Adventure
with Grizzly by Samuel Wood
worth Cozzens. st. Nicholas for Ap,
ril.