The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-05-04

not escape tne hungry beast. AS
they reached him, he sprang; and
although he missed the horses, he caught
the sledge. With his great fore-paws,
and his head and shoulders inside the
sledge, he endeavored to draw up his
hind legs--a difficult matter, at the rate
the horses were going.
The General, who was sitting on the
opposite side from that to which the
bear was clinging, clapped his pistol to
the creatures head, and pulled the trig-
ger.
Click 1t missed fire. At this, poor
Ivan, who, with horror-stricken ex-
preston, WIS looking back at the bear,
threw down the reins and sprang from
the sledge. The bear drew up one of his
hind legs, and at the same moment the
General drew up both of his legs, and
rolled, sideways, out on the snow. He
saw that it was time to get out.
The bear now drew himself entirely
into the sledge. and looked about him.
The horses galloped more wildly than
ever-if such thing were possible-and
the rapid motion seemed to please the
shaggy brute. He sat down in the bot
tom of the sledge and looked at the
horses, as if wondering which one he
should spring upon first.
While he was thinking about the mat
ter, they reached the point where the
road left the woods and led out into the
open country. The way now, for some
distance, was down hill, and as the
frightened horses plunged along, and
the sledge was whirled around turn,
where it came very near upsetting, the
bear had to hold fast to the front seat to
keep from being thrown out. On they
went, the horses madly dashing along,
and the bear tightly clutching the seat,
until they reached the level road again.
Here the tremendous pace which they
had been keeping up almost from the
time that they had entered the forest
began to tell upon the horses, and, in
spite of their terror, their speed slack
ened.
And now the bear, finding his seat
more secure, leaned forward, as if he
could afford to lose no more time in max
ing his choice of the horses.
But already he had waited too long.
At short distance in front of him, by
the roadside, there stood two men with
rifles on their shoulders. They were
hunters. Having heard behind them
the noise of the galloping horses, they
had stopped and turned to see what it
was which was approaching at such
pace. They did not comprehend that
bear was the occupant of the sledge,
until it had passed them. But then,
raising their rifles together, they took
quick aim !; two reports rang out, and
two balls went through the head of the
bear, who dropped dead in the bottom
of the sledge. On went the horses,
galloping more slowly, but still going at
a rapid rate.
"Ho! no! said one of the
hunters. Something has happened
were the horses of Gen. Batashef, and
that was his sledge."
81 think you are right" said the
other; but how came bear in it I? He
could not have lent his sledge to bear,
especially one who drives so recklessly.
Something has happened, as you say.
Let us go back and see what it is. "
So back toward the woods went the
hunters. When they had proceeded some
distance into the forest, they saw two
doleful figures approaching them. One
was Ivan, who had hurt his leg when he
sprang from the sledge, and he was limp
ing along, partly supported by the
General who had rolled into snow
bank, and, with the exception of shak-
ing-up, had escaped injury.
They were glad enough to see the
hunters, and still more happy to hear of
nf no Go, hoa oil
great fears that the brute would Jump
out of the sledge and come back after
them.
The two men took Ivan between them,
and by resting his hands on q shoulder
of each of them, he found that he could
get along very well. The news of the
death of the bear really made his leg
feel better The General was strong
and vigorous, and so they hoped to get
home without much difficulty, al
though there were six or seven miles to
be walked.
Not very long after this, the three
horses, painting and smoking, trotted
into the courtyard adjoining the Gen
erals stables, and stopped before the
great stable door. Some of the men,
VINO uau Deen expecting Jne General,
came running out, but when they
saw no one in the sledge but dead
bear, they were stricken dumb with
amaZement
What is this ?" said one, when he
found his tongue. "This beast has
killed and devoured Ivan and our mas
ter ~
Chow can that be ?" said another.
He is dead himself. If he killed them
first, they could not have killed him af-
terward and if they killed him first, he
could not have killed them"
"True enough" said big man with
gray beard, who had charge of the
stables. "They cannot be hurt, or they
could not have shot this bear so well. L
see how it was. The General shot the
bear he shot him twice-there are two
wounds in his head. Then he and Ivan
were lifting him into the sledge when
the horses took fright-they hate bear
dead or alive-and ran off, leaving Ivan
and the General standing in the road
Here-quick Bring out another sledge