Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1878-05-30


der Of the frail twigs which hung to
their sides. Onward and upward un-
til the giddy height upon which he
stood was horrible to contemplate.
But he did not look back. His child
was further on.
And now the point was reached
where the bear was last seen.
At this instant strange sound fell
upon the ears OF the father. At first,
it was only the cry of child. Then,
mingling with 1t, came the fierce growl
OF the she-bear. and following this,
the yelping of cubs. Oh, what agony
filled the fathers bosom, at that mo.
mentl Could it be possible that the
ravenous beasts were already In the
act OF devouring his treasure?
Dick sank upon the solid rock,
while the perspiration rolled in
streams from his face and body. A
blindness came over him, and he felt
himself unable to move.
Then came voice from below. 1t
exclaimed, Courage, Dick. I'll be
with you soon. and will yet save your
child"
"Childl childr" murmured Dick, as
he started up. "Yes, must not give
way to this weakness so long as my
child yet lives; and I can hear its
voice even now"
The poor father became strong
again. He moved forward a few
steps, and paced around a point OF
rock, from behind which came the
sounds.
A terrible sight met his gaze!
The little girl was lying upon her
back upon the rock. The monster
was near her, holding her down with
one Of its huge paws. which rested
upon her breast. The little one had
ceased her strugglings, evidently in
despair, and was now sobbing as il
its poor little heart was broken. The
bear was bleeding profusely, and had
evidently fallen from exhaustion.
The bullets which had been sent into
her body had given her, no doubt,
her mortal wound; but she was
tenacious OF life, and could accom-
plish much after that wound was re-
ceived, but before her life was yield
ed. Like the parent who now sought
his daughter, the first thought of the
bear was Of her young, and even in
her dying agony she clung to the
food she had brought them.
Only few feet higher up were the
cubs. They saw the mother, and
they appeared to anticipate a great
feast, for they were struggling to
reach it, while they lifted their young
voices in chorus with that of their
parent.
Dick knew that he must save his
child soon or it would be too late.
Soon he resolved to creep as near as
possible to the monster, and then
spring upon her with his knife; for,
in his haste and excitement, he had
dropped his rifle.
Just as he was moving forward, the
bear turned, and their eyes met. The
dying beast uttered terrific howl,
and then looked down at her victim.
Then she glanced at her own cubs,
and again toward Dick. Her express
sion seemed to say: "You will have
no mercy on my young; why should
/ have upon yours?
1t was dreadful suspense for Dick.
He was satisfied that the bear could
live few moments. A single blow
with her huge paw and his darling
would be torn into fragments. A
movement upon his part might cause
this blow to fall.
The hunter becomes so accustomed
to the various animals with which he
comes in contact, that he can almost
read their very thoughts. Their ac-
tions can nearly always be interpreted
correctly. SO was it with Dick now.
He saw the intentions OF the bear,
and knew that his own action must
be prompt and powerful, or 1t would
be too late.
He clutched his knife, and with his
arm nerved with desperation, hope,
and fatherly loye, he sprang direct
ly at the throat of the monster, who
received him with a tremendous
howl and with mouth wide open.
Had the beast been uninjured the
struggle would have been of short
duration. for the odds between a man
and a grizzly bear would be as great
as that between lion and a mouse.
But the monster was now dying, and
death was near. She retained all her
courage and will, but not her
strength.
Dick gave her several rapid blows
with his knife. She groaned almost
as q human being would have done,
and fell upon her side. But she re-
covered in an instant, and striking
Dick, she threw him to the earth.
But the father had seized his beloved
daughter, and throwing her little
apart, she was now out OF danger.
Not so with himself.
He was now stretched fat upon his
back and both the paws OF the beast
were upon his breast. and he could
feel the sharp claws entering his
aesh. The two great, CLASSY eyes
glared into his own. The terrible