The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-03-24
Obed's story.


"Five year ago, when ] Jest come ter
Truckee, a-minin' was pretty nigh played
out but the woods round waz full of
bars, so took ter huntin EN-. It's a
mighty onsartin' bizness, but I've been
pretty lucky haint lost no bars yit,
nor haint got 'chawed up ez most
b'ar-hunters do afore they've ben at it
ez long ez me.
"I got me a couple of bull-purps to
start with, but soon found out the
blooded dorgs warn't no account in
bar hunt You see they close right in
with a bar, and the konsiquens is, they
don't last no time. Mongrels is what
yer want In bar hunt no account
dorgs is the ones to worry bar power
ful-i.nappin' and snarlin' and bitin' in
the rear is more n bar can stan by
considerable. You see it confuses 'em
so, that they naturally take to a tree,
and then you hev got 'em. Why, Squire,
the hardest fight ever had with black
bar was right here, and the biggest one
/ ever killed / shot on the crotch er that
beech thar" pointing to large tree
close at hand). "Ill tell yer about it eff
yer like, ez soon ez light my pipe.
The pipe being lighted, Obod COM
menced as follows
cit was mornin' in November. L
hadn't slep' much all night, and along
Jest afore daylight 1 heerd Pete yelp.
CT kuowed from the sound that he
waz ON Their track o. somethin', so L got
ND and dressed and went out ter see
what it waz. Putty soon heerd him
ag'in down in these woods, so took old
Kaintuck and started.
''Jest after daylight, 1 struck bars
trail in tibet same corn-field we come
through this afternoon / see plenty of
places, too, where he'd helped himself to
Their corn. I follard the tracks till got
we'll inter these woods, and then waited
for Pete ter speak again. In a little
while heerd him yelp, and L knowd
by the sound he'd got the bar freed, an
he'd stay by it till got thar. 1 stepped
along putty lively, though didn't keer
to hurry much, and got ter Jest about
where you're sittin' afore L seed the
dorgs. There old Pete was, a-standin'
straight up on his hind-legs, with his
forepaws braced agin' the tree, lookin'
ut the bar, and ev'ry few minutes yellin'
'0bedl' ez plain ez anybody could
say it. 40, ...
"Well, Squire, that waz the crossest-
lookin' bar ever seed, an [ knowed
tibet should hev trouble with him ez
/ sot eyes on him /; cause, yer see, ther
dorgs had got him riled clar through.
: He waz so mad, he didn't seem ter take
no notice o. me, so crep' round ter
whar could git a fair shot. Yer see, IN
shootin' bar, eff yer can put a bullet
right in behind the fore-shoulder, ten
ter one one shots huff. So ] crep
round till / got Jest the position wanted,
and then I drew old Kaintuck on him.
He kinder looked round at me wher
I fired, and then settled down on tel
tibet big limb thar, as though he was de-
! tarmined to stick thar. So fired once
more the critter jest give a low growl
and Rugged it all The closer.
81 he'd to fire ag'in afcre he dropped
and ez quick as he struck the grount
the dorgs made for him but, bless yer
3 quicker'n I hev took ter tell yer, tire,
. o. them dorgs waz dead. Pete waz tn,
$ only live one left. / never see b'al
2 tibet could handle his paws as tibet on,
4 did they made me think o. tibet wind
(; mill down in the MERGED valley, more'r
q ennything I ever seed afare.
"Pete knowed bettr 'ern ter tackl,
J. tibet critter; he Jest sot and watches
y ev'ry motion-ez knc win ez emmy mai
would "a done; AMI eff he seed the b'a
;: look toward where he waz a-sittin', he,
" 'h-yi like all possest, and put inter tn
y woods. Wal, seed couldn't do nothin
With ther dorg, so made up my min,
s TO go for the critter myself. / drawe,
d my knife and started toward him; bu
/" afore got within six feet of him, he ri
up an hit me lick with one Of his paws
d tibet knocked me more'n ten feet. an
d sent my knife whar / never hev seed
he ter this day. Nor / haint never foun
I, out how he done it either, for Z was di
!, so awful quick. When come to, tn
bar lay thar dead. / hunted for m
Y. knife awhile, an then went back ter th
j settlement, an got some of the boys te
come out an help me carry the critic
RS home, for Z was the biggest black BIZ
d, ever killed in Truckee. Ny head didn
j. get over kin for month arter the
es though / never should hev got hi,
re ennyway, of il hadn't ben fur Pete :
I'd an ter think that dorg tibet knowed ,
ID much ez Pete should hev ben and gor
ne an got kicked ter de'th by mule at last
a n