Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1878-03-21

He touched bis cap, and said "Good night"
whispered, "noble, brave, and brightv'
started on my homeward way
Not only boys, but men, I thought,
Passed by the poor ones every day;
Only the rich and grand are sought;
This world is full Of Foolish pride, >--"-~~---.
Puts "Patchie' on the other side.
How Killed Bear.
In the. Atlantic Charles Dudley War
ncr reports an experience in the Adiron-
dacks. He was not hunting for bear,
and had no reason to suppose bear was
looking for him.. "The fact u.s." he says,
"we were both out blackberrying, and
met by chance" He had set down his
rife, and was wandering on from bush to
bush, with his six-quart pail, wishing he
could meet a real bear.' and weaving a
story about it. But let him tell:
was in the midst of the tale, when l
happened to look some rods away to the
other edge of the clearing, and there was
bear2 He was standing on his hind
legs and doing just what was doing
picking blackberries. with one paw he
bent down the bush, while with the other
he clawed the berries into his mouth
green ones and all.
To say that I was astonished is inside
the mark. 1 suddenly discovered that I
didn't want to see bear, after all. At
about the same moment the bear saw me,
stopped eating berries, and regarded me
with glad surprise. 1t is all very we'll
to imagine what you would do under
such circumstances. Probably you
wouldn't do it; didn't. The bear drop
ped down on his fore-feet, and came
slowly towards me Ginning tree was of
no use with so good climber in the rear:
if started to run, I had NO doubt the
bear would give chase and although bear
cannot run down hill as fast as he n.up
hill, yet felt that he could get over this
rough, bush-tanglet ground faster than l
could.
The bear was approaching. 1t sudden
ly occurred to me how could divert his
mind until I could fall back upon my
military base. My pail was nearly full
of excellent berries-much better than
the bear could pick himself. I put the
pail on the ground and slowly backed
away from it, keeping my eye, as a
beast -tamers do, on the bear. The ruse
succeeded.
TIE bear came up to the berries and
stopped Tot accustomed to eat out of g
pail, he tipped it over and nosed about in
the fruit, ''gorming" (if there is such a
word) it down, mixed with leaves and
dirt, like pig. The bear is a worse
feeder than q pig. Whenever he dis
turbes maple-sugar camp in the spring,
he always upsets the bucket of syrup
and tramples round the site ~ sweets,
wasting more than he eats. The bears
manners are thoroughly disagreeable.
As soon as my enemy's head was down.
I started and ran. Somewhat out of
breath, and shaky, I reached my rifle.
1t was not moment too soon. I heard
the bear crashing through the brush af
ter me. Enraged at my duplicity, he
was now coming on with blood in his
eye. l felt that the time Of one Of US
was probably short. The rapidity OF
thought at such moments Of peril is we'll
known. I thought an octave volume,
had it illustrated and published, sold tif-
" thousand copies, and went to Europe
on the proceeds, while that bear was To-
ping across the clearing. AS was cock
ing my gun: I made hasty and unsatis-
factory review Of my whole life I noted
that even in such a compulsory review it
is almost impossible to think of any good
thing you have done. The sins come out
uncommonly strong. 1 recollected
newspaper subscription had delayed
paving, years and years ago, until both
editor and newspaper were dead; and
which now never could be paid to all
eternity. e.. 49,.
The bear was coming on.
l tried to remember what had read
about encounters with bears. I couldn't
recall an instance in which man had
run away from u bear in the woods and
escaped, although I recalled plenty where
the bear had run from the man and got
off. I tried to think what is the best way
to kill bear with gun, when you are
not near enough to club him with the
stock. My first thought was to fire at his
head, to plant the ball between his eyes;
but this is q dangerous experiment. The
RS brain is very small, and unless you
II that, the bear does not mind bullet
in his heaa-that is, not at the time. II
remembered the instant death Of the bear
would follow bullet planted just back
81 6fsfore leg and sent into his heart
This SPOT is also difficult to reach unless
the b.ar stands off size towards you, like
targ>t. ! finally determined to fire at
him generally. ..fE
The bear was coming on. y
The contest seemed to me very differ
emit from any thing at Creedmoor. ] had
carefully read the reports Of the shooting
there, but it was not easy to apply the
experience had thus acquired. I hest:
tated whether had better fire lying on
nv stomach, or lying on my back and
resting my gun on my toes. But in
neither position, I reflected, could I see the
bear until he was upon me. The range
was too short, and the bear wouldn't visit
for me to examine the thermometer and
note the direction Of the wind. Trial of the
Crcedmoor method, therefore, had to be
abandoned, and I bitterly regretted that
shooting. ~ %$@ z 5
For the bear was coming on. s.:
+ tried to fx my last thoughts upon my
family. As my family is small !, this was
not difficult. Dread of displeasing my
wife or hurting her feelings was up
permost ia my mine. What would be
her anxiety as hour after hour passed on
and i did not return2 What would the rest
&c the house hold think as the afternoon
passed and no black berries came? What
81 would Be her mort fcat ion when the news
was Brought that her husband had been
4 & eaten up BY 8 bear3 cannot imagine
ANY thing more ignoninious than to have
4 { husband eaten ~ u bear 5. ss5
TThdn Ne arranged his epitaph, md