The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-02-07
History OF o Bear.


Sullivan County, N. Y. Dave Avery,
of the Mansion House, Monticello, was
one of a party of deer-hunters that left
Monticello to drive deer on the ridges a
few miles from that place. Dave was
standing on a runaway, blowing his
fingers, with his gun cooked, ready to
put lead into any buck, doe or fawn that
ventured his way After he had stood
guard for several hours, Shawan-
gunk mountaineer appeared on the
scene.
"Hallo," said he to Dave, "Tve bin
follerin' a bar track f or two days, N l
can't ketch the bar
"Tll give you a two-dollar note to
put me on that track" said Dave.
The mountaineer jumped at the offer,
and Dave forked over the cash. He
was put on the track, and the mount
aineer lent him his dog.
Dave followed the dog mile into a
swamp, and began to think he had
made bad bargain, then he heard a
noise in the brush. He was on the left
bank OF swamp run, in an open space
in the jungle. He had barely time to
turn in the direction of the noise when
the blacklist kind of bear came tear
ing out of the bush straight for him.
Dave says he forgot all about his gun,
and made for a chestnut tree that stood
near. He had reached the lower
branches before he looked around, and
then he saw the bear going up the
creek as fast as his legs could carry
him, and the borrowed dog not more
than three jumps behind. Dave
thought of the two-dollar note and
dropped out of the tree, BY the time
he had picked up his gun the dog had
caught up with the bear, and seized him
in the rear. This brought bruin to a
stop, and he turned on the dog. Dave
ran to within thirty feet of the spot
where the bear was trying to get the
dog in his "hug,'' and, taking good
aim, let ball behind the fore-shoulder
of the bear. Bruin whisked about and
started at full speed up the creek. AS
he disappeared in the swamp, Dave
sent his buckshot after him. The dog
followed the bear. Dave loaded and
hurried on, believing that he had in
flicted a mortal wound. He had no diff
ficulty in following the bear, as there
was trail of blood through the swamp.
1t was at least a quarter of an hour
before he came again in sight of the
bear, and then just in time to see the
wounded animal capture the borrowed
dog in his grasp and crush him into q
lifeless mass. Dave put another ball
into the bear, which again started off
and disappeared in the swamp. The
fate of the dog did not alter the deter
mination of the hunter to get the worth
of his two dollars, and he followed the
bear. Not more than 800 yards further
on the bloody trail ceased.
1t had followed the creek closely.
Dave stopped, but no trace of the bear
could be found. The hunter was mys-
titled, but suddenly loud snort start
led him, and he saw the head of the
bear protruding from deep place in
the stream. His body was beneath the
water, which was red on the surface
from the blood that flowed from the
bears wounds. The bear did not wait
for any overt act on the part of the
hunter, but rushed from the water with
distcnded jaws upon his foe. Dave dis
charged load of buck-shot from his
gun as quickly as possible, but it had
no deterring effect whatever upon the
bears advance. Dave knew that the
animal must necessarily be badly
wounded and his death only q matter
of time. Dave ran as quickly as pos
sible behind the roots of fallen tree
near by. The bear followed him so
closely that the hunter was unable to
escape from the hole in the ground
made by the tearing out of the roots
before the bear leaped into the depres-
sion also. The distance between the
hunter and bear was not over two feet,
and Dave thought he was destined to
share the fate of the dog. But his
shots had been lodged in vital spots of
the bears body, and when the animal
alighted in the gulley he fell. He raised
partially upon his feet and fell again.
At the third attempt he failed to clear
his body from the ground. Dave then
saw that the animal was in its death
struggles. He climbed out of the hole,
and in few minutes had the satisfac-
ton of seeing the shaggy brute
stretched dead before him. He turned
to the turnpike and met his fellow
hunters. They followed him to the spot
where the bear was killed, and assisted
in carrying it out to the road. 1t was
bought by New York gentleman of the
party.-N. Y. San.
-"Sweet are the uses of adversely"
as the widow said when she went to buy