Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-03-13
HOW / KILLED A BEAR


ner reports an experience in the Adj
rondacks. He was not hunting for a
bear, and had no reason to suppose a
bear was looking for him. ''The fact
is" he says, eve were both out black
berrying, and met by chance" He had
set down his rifle, and was wandering
on from bush to bush, with his six-quart
pail, wishing he could meet ga real
BEAR" and weaving a story about it.
But let him tell:
was in the midst of the tale, when
| happened to look some rods away to
the other edge of the clearing, and there
was bear! 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 | was astonished is inside
the mark ! suddenly discovered that
L didn't want to see bear, after all. AT
about the same moment the bear saw
me, stopped eating berries, and regard
ed me with a glad surprise 1t is
all very well to imagine what
you would do under such circumstances.
Probably you wouldn't do it; [ didn't.
The bear dropped down on his fore-fcet,
and came slowly toward me. Climbing
q tree was Of no use with so good 8
climber in the rear; if | started to run,
| had no doubt the bear would give
chase; and although bear cannot run
down hill as fast as he can up hill. yet I
felt that he could get over this rough.
bush-tangled ground faster than I
could.
The bear was approaching. 1t sud-
denl y 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 him
self | put the pail on the ground and
slowly backed away from it, keeping
my eye, as beast-tamers do, on the
bear. The ruse succeeded.
The bear came up to the berries and
stopped; not accustomed to eat out of
a pail, he tipped it over and nosed
aboutin the fruit, corning" (if there is
such u word) it down, mixed with
leaves and dirt, like pig. The bear
is q worse feeder than q pig. When
ever he distylrbs maple sugar camp
IN the spring, he always upset5 the
buckets of syrup and tramDles round in
the sticky sweets, wasting more than
he eats. The bears manners are
thoroughly disagreeable.
AS soon as my enemy's head was
down: | started and ran. Somewhat
out Of breath, and shaky, reached my
rifle. 1t was not moment too soon.
[ heard the bear crashing through the
brush after me. Enraged at my du-
plicity, he was now coming on with
blood in his eye felt that the time
of one of us was probably short The
rapidity Of thought at such moments
Of peril is well known. | thought an
octave volume, had it illustrated and
published, sold fifty thousand copies,
and went to Europe on the proceeds,
while that bear was Looping across the
clearing. AS | was cooking my gun [
made q hasty and unsatisfactory review
of my whole life | 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
strong. | recol!ected a
subscription | had delayed
paying, years and years ago, until both
editor and newspaper were dead; and
which now never could be paid to all
eternity.
The bear was coming on.
| tried to remember what [ had read
about encounters with bears. | couldn't
recall an instance in which a man had
run away from a bear in the woods and
escaped, although [ recalled plenty
where the bear had run from the man
and got off. / tried to think what is the
best way to kill bear with un,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 be
tween his eyes; but this is a dangerous
experiment. The bears brain is very
small, and unless you hit that, the bear
is, not at the time. [ remembered that
the death Of the bear would follow
bullet planted just back of his fore leg
and sent into his heart. This spot is
also difficult to reach unless the bear
stands off side towards you, like a tar
get. finally determined to fire at him
generally.
The bear was coming on.
The contest seemed to be very differ
ent from anything at Creedmoor I
had carefully read the reports of the
shooting there, but it was
not easy to apply the ex
perience I had thus acquired. [
hesitated whether had better fire lying
on my stomach, or lying on my back
and resting my gun on my toes. But
in neither position, reflected, could [
see the bear until he was upon me. The
range was too short, and the bear
wouldn't wait for me to examine the
thermometer and note the direction Of
the wind. Trial Of the Creedmoor
method, therefore, had to be abandon
ed, and [ bitterl y regretted that [ had
not read more accounts of Off-hand
shooting. aar
For the bear was, coming on.
[ tried to fix my thoughts upon my
family. AS my family is small, this was
not difficult Dread of displeasmg my
wife or hurting ner fealings was upper