The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-10-03
= A Fight With a Bear.
(A rnrE sronY.l


VIZ make the following extract from a lumtinp
eto,a entitled "Thc l,ig Hear oi Wanhttoln"
pri ic'l in 81. NiehuaA for May. The incident
took place In the back country of Arkansas, in
The ear 1850, aud the hunters were Harvey Rich.
ardgon and the narrator They were after hi
bear whose. dclrcdations had made him he
cnnci ioplc on Conversations ana they started out
with their dogs carly one November morning.
just al day-brcak. we came TO n cross.
ing of The bayou where we felt sure the
bear must pass Oh the way to lis den.
Harvey placed me, the dogs, aud him
self n fallen tree vas in my front, and
through its intcrlactd roots / could see
in every direction. Hardly had we
completed our ambush when n ouick
movement of one of the dogs Startled
me. But, In a moment, noticing that
his looks were directed toward the
crossing, ], too, looked thiihor and
heard the sound of a heavy animal
sauntering slowly over the sodden
ground aud approaching my lair. In
an instant pair of yellow eyes glared
Mt me, and with as wide a look of sur
prise as there was in mine. Recovering
myself, | fired at the monster, which
appeared like huge, animated black
cloud as he rose up before me. The
brute disappeared with the smoke of
my gun, but in q moment / was startled
| by the report and shock of second
discharge. The other load of my gun
had been accidentally exploded. Look
ing in the direction that the bear had
taken, saw he had run along the other
side of the fallen tree and met AT the
farther end the two dogs, when he
turned about and came toward me at
his most rapid speed and in savage hu-
NOR. Then there was o fearful crash
and rush. The black mass came on,
with eyes cleaning, and bewildering
me with the reflection of their glare in
the sunlight.
was conscious that my gun was use
less and SO instinctively grasped my
pistol, but found ii hopelessly entangled
in my belt. For second, despair came
upon me, but sudden revulsion arous-
ed every sense and prompted me TO de-
Tense for life. Quickly drawing my
knife, it was presented at a thrust as
the dark mass sprang at me.
At this moment, one of the huge
dogs lcaped at him so ficrccly as TO d.
vert the monsters attention from nv
self and make him miss his bite. lie
reared, and as he again came down OH
his forc-fcct and was in the act of 90
ing over the bank, plunged my knife
TO the hit into his body. in the region
of his heart. lie turned and made Il
terrible snap at my legs, but at the mo-
ment fell backward over Il bush, and
we all went into the bayou together
Iloundering in the wafer and mud
scrambled TO the edge of the slouoh
and watched with intense anxiety Ia,
result of the battle. In another mo
ment, and when the bear had ncarl,
reached The farther side of the pool
desperately fighting with the dogs ever,
inch of the way, ! heard Il rushin.
sound and the whirring flight of NOR,
Ut the pack as they sriang over me
In the same instant Il flash shot on
from the brown barrel Of Harvey
rifle, and the bear rolled over, though
he siill tccbly fought the pack. an,
kept on fighting to the last moment e
his existence. 70 my modification, al
examination of the huge carcass shnwe,
that my shot had moi made any vi.lbl
mark on the animal, and that my knit
had not quite reached his heart liar
vey's shot had killed him The weigh
OF the savage animal was over iiv
hundred pounds. DR.. I. Il. Nogie: 81
NichoidS for N0y.