The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-11-22

turn; indeed, / should have done SO had
it not beeh that mir. Nettlefold was at
the time too far ahead Marcus, who
never for moment anticipated the COM
ng danger, urged US on toward the
ponds. Both his sisters .ecended the
proposition, SO there was no help for it.
"On we went. We were obliged to
thread our way with the utmost caution,
having to crawl through a miserably
small opening. I shuddered. but said
nothing, lest 1 should be accused of cow
ardice. At length we reached the de-
sired spot without any serious mishap,
and found ourselves in the deepest re-
cesses of the cavern, far removed from
the external world. We became aware
of a draught of wind by the flickering of
our torches, and discovered TO the right
| OF the pond narrow passage which evi-
dently led further into the cave. Taken
| altogether, the cave presented a most
cheerless aspect. The lurid glare of the
| torches Oh the dark surface of the deep,
stagnant water, in which neither sun nor
moon had ever been reflected; the damp,
dripping lime walls; the rough, and, in
many parts, slippery ground, so filed us
with dlsmay that we determined upon
retracing Our steps, and in q very short
time had the satisfaction of finding OUR
selves near the narrow passage through
which we had passed. Mr. Nettlefold,
| who led the way, suddenly came to a
halt, and made sign for us to remain
quiet. We stopped and listened; our
feelings at this time-at least can an
swer for myself-were not OF an envi-
able nature. We looked anxiously at
each other, and a cold shudder came
over all upon our hearing a loud roar,
as of some beast of prey. The fright
full cries were repeated several times.
"Speak, Marcus I calculated, in
an extremity of fear; from whence pro-
ceed these sounds?'
"'A bear, without doubt 7 he mat
tered, in deep detection.
"His two sisters turned pale, and
trembled with fear.
"fWe must meet the danger as best
we can, said Marcus, glancing at the
girls. BE of good cheer, and let us pa
tiently await the result
"' It is the growl of bear, I sup
poser said I, addressing myself to Mr.
Nettlefold.
"'There is no mistaking it. answered
our English friend. Some DAYS ago.
the villagers hunted shaggy monster
who had committed great devastation
among the farming stock. They did
not succeed in hitting the bear, who
made his escape; and
What 2 I inquired, anxiously.
"'I much fear that the animal may
have sought shelter in these cavetns.
"Snch, afterward, was but too clearly
demonstrated" said Haller, seating
himself on a messy bank, at the rear of
which hung the luscious grapes of
large plantation of vines.
I followed his example. and sat aewn
by his side.
"Before I conclude the disasters of
that fatal day." said my companion, &c it
will be as well, perhaps, to give you
some idea of the mode of hunting bears
'In the more remote and less culti-
waited districts of Hungary and Bohemia,
the brown and black bear is in winter
the terror of the shepherds, and hunting
him is almost as favorite a pastime with
the people of those countries as bull
fighting with the inhabitants of Spain
or Portugal. 1t is only in the spring
that the bears do most mischief, when
the hard frost has straitened them for
several weeks of their forest prey; they
then make raids by broad daylight
into the hanlets and villages, and it is
returning from his labor in the field
to find furred and whiskered marauder
in possession of his hut, and ransacking
it, from the meal-chest to the corner cup
board, in quest of provision. If tracked
with hounds, which is easy at this sea-
son, because his footsteps in the snow
betray him, the bear retreats, but by no
means in disorder, or with any special
CELEBRITY. For the chase, the villagers go
out in parties of three or four together
and armed with a small ak, made after
the manner of an American tOmahawk;
and the first work is. to beat the places
where the bear is likely to be found, or
to lay bait for him, consisting of dead
sheep, near which they wait until he is
attracted by the SMELL When bruin ap-
pears, the hunter who is to make the at
tack-having graphing g-hooks fitted to
his knees in order to climb more easily
advances boldly to within fifty or sixty
yards, and commences the quarrel by
throwing stone. This done, he makes
for a tree which ne mas selected: snd
then, according to agreement with his
companions, the affair becomes trag-
edy, or is to terminate as farce.
Gas soon as the bear finds himself
struck, he starts at smart trot in pur-
suit of his molester, seldom offering to
meddle with any one else unless his venge-
ance is interfered with and, when he
reaches the tree, he straightway begins
to ascend with as much expedition as his
habitual gravity or movement will permit
This is the moment, if the game is to die,
at which the forester begins to bestir
himself. Seated among the leaves and
strongest branches of the tree, he rap
idly cuts away with his ak any small
twigs which might impede the full sweep
and play of his arm, and awaits the ap-
proach of the enemy. The bear, by the
help of his strong claws, climbs slowly
up the trunk of the tree but these dig
so deep sometimes into the bark that he
finds it difficult to draw them out again
This gives the man full time, who waits
steadily till the fore-paw comes within
his reach, when, with one vigorous blow
of the ak, he strikesit off, or else so mutt
latesitas to stop all chance offurther prog
ress. The position here for striking Is
so favorable, and habit makes the hun
ters SO expert, that many of them in
twenty blows would not miss once divid-
ing the paw, bone and all but whether
this is done or not, the stroke is usually
fatal to the animal, who falls to the
ground, and is dispatched while still
stunned with the force of his descent.
Sometimes he remains clinging with his
second paw to the tree /; but, in that
case. the second paw is Immediately cut
off likewise, when, of necessity, he rolls
backward, and remains at the mercy of
the hunters Such is the usual course
of events in affairs of this sort bat, un-
happily for myself and my companions,
the bear, whose growlings caused SO
much alarm, pursued an exceptional
course-so we afterward learned for
Gonna reason or other ba did not choose