Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-12-27
AN ENGINEERS ADVENTURE.
freed By a VIVID Boar aud saved from Dea,h
BY Black Bear.

by Black Bear.
A letter from Honesdale, Pa, says:
Aleck Forbes and Charley Hulsizer, OF
Port Jervis, are two well known Erie
railway engineers. They have lately
returned from two weeks hunt in the
wilderness Of Canada, $50 miles north
OF st Thomas.
Last year Charley and went out
the same woods, Aleck said. "Then /
got freed by wild boar, and thought
that was worse than going down the
bank at the rate OF forty miles an hour.
You see, some old fellow out there
turned some hogs in the woods three or
four years ago, and they went wild. l
started one of 'em one day, and thought
I'd have little fun with him. 1 sent q
bullet after him. He changed his
course, and made plumb for me. 1
skinned up beech tree. 1 thought the
blamed animal'd go away when he fonnd
l was out of his reach. But he wasn't
that kind of hog. It was colder than
Greenland, and about two o'clock in the
afternoon. Charley and the rest of the
party were scattered about in the woods,
ont of hearing. The boar-for he was q
boar, and a big one at that-waltzed
around that tree, splitting out froth as if
he'd chewed barrel of shaving soap,
and showing up pair of tusks like
young rhinoceros. He tried to gnaw
the tree down, and worked away for an
hour with his teeth. I thought certain
he intended to keep right on till he
brought me down. But by and by he
gave that plan up. The tree wasn't more
than eight inches through, and 1 think
the hog made mistake in quitting, for
there amt any doubt but that he'd
fetched it by early bed time. But he
stopped gnawing.
"Then ne went off ten or dozen feet
and sat down on his launches. He
grunted and frothed for at least ten
minutes. Then a new idea seemed to
strike him. He jumped back to the
foot of the tree and commenced to
shovel the dirt away from it with his
snout, as if he had contract to build
cellar. I saw what he was at in
minute. He was going to dig up the
tree by The roots. Blame the hog I l
said. IF some of the boys don't come
along pretty soon I might as we'll have
been born beech-nut, for he's bound
to have meal ON me if it's in the book. ,
Then I yelled, 'S'boy, there, s'boy 7
But that hog'd been too long in the
woods to s'boy worth cent. Then 1
whistled for an imaginary dog, and call
ed, flyer, Towserl h'yer, h'yer,
h'yer 7 I remembered that when was
boy, and the hogs got into the garden,
they always made for the hole in the
fence when you whistled for the dog.
But this old fellow only frothed the
more, and snorted the louder and work
ed the faster.
81 was blame near frozen by tho
time it grew dark. The sun went down
and the moon came up, and still that
hog dug away at the roots OF that tree.
could see that he had hole around it
big enough to bury an OK in, and hope
to fly if I didn't think the tree began to
totter. It got colder and colder, and
the boar kept right on roofing. be-
gan to wonder who they'd put on my
engine in my place, and whether the
hog would leave my bones so the boys
might find 'em, and take 'em home to
my folks. Once, at about eight o'clock,
l thought I'd shin down the tree and
try race with the boar, as I might as
we'll be killed in trying to get away as
to die like sheep in pen. So I be.
gan to let myself quietly down. l had
my hands on the lower branches, with
my legs hanging down the trunk, when
the hog smelt the rat. He gave snort
that made the very tree shake, and
raised up on his hind feet to meet me
half way. L was back to within two
feet of the top of the tree in less time
than it would take red squirrel tc
jump a rail fence.
cts no use," 1 said. "Unless some
O. the boys come along inside OF al
hour, I'm a goner." About ten minutes
after that the hog suddenly stopped dig
ging. He seemed to listen for minute
then, with string of the most unearth
ly snorts, he started on a dead run of
toward Wolf swamp.
"What's up" said. In less thar
five seconds l knew what Was up. Out
of the brush to the right came, tearing
and growing. one of the biggest bear
1 ever saw. He never stopped, but lie
himself out the best he knew how afte
the boar. Pork is one OF the choice
delicacies in the provender of bear
The hog had considerable start of the
bear, but at the rate the bear was going
as [ saw him by the light of the moo
disappear over the brow of the ridge,
think he must have come up with tn
hog and had his coveted lunch. I didn'
wait for any news from the seat of war
but got out of that tree about as ivel,
as had got into it, picked up my gui
and made for camp. I got in abou
twelve o'clock. The boys had bee
out looking for me, and had given m
up for lost. They felt good when
showed up.