The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-05-08
a Va cillntinE Rear.

Wy negro gardener came TO mo On'
evening In great alarm, aud stated that his
twin sons, Mango and Change, had take,
out his gun that morning, and had beer
missing eyer since. | ut once loaded my
rifle, looscd my Cuban bloodhound, and
followed the man to his hut. There put
the dog upon the boys scent, following o,
horseback myself.
1t turned out that the young scamps hac
gone on the trail of large bear, though
they were only thirteen years old, and the;
futhcr had often warned them not to med.
die with wild beasts. They began their
adventure by hunting the bear but ended,
as often happens, in being hunted by the
bear; for Bruin had turned npon them, and
chased them so hard that they were fuin To
drop their guns and take to tree.
1t was sycamore of peculiar shape,
sending forth from its stem many small,
but only two large, branches. These two
were some3thirty feet from the ground, and
stretched almost horizontally in opposite
directions. They were as the twin broth
crs themselves. Change took refuge on
one Of these, Mango on the other.
The bear huggcd the tree till he had
climbed rs far as the fork. There he hcsi-
tated an instant, and then began to creep
along the branch which supported Change.
The beast advanced slowly and gingcrly,
sinking his claws into the bark at every
step, aud not depending too much upon his
balancing powers.
Changots position was now far from
pleasant. II was useless to play tho trick
well known to bear r-h,rntcrs-of cnticing
the animal out to point where the branch
would yield beneath its great weight, for
there was no higher branch within Change g
reach, by catching which he could save
himself from Il deadly fall, thirty feet
sheer.
Three more steps, and the hear would be
upon him, or he would be upon the ground
Brave as the boy WAS, his teeth chattercd.
At this moment, Mango, ncrvcd to hero.
Ism by his brothers peril, moved rapidly
from the opposite limb OF The tree. Step
ping behind the bear, lie graapcd with one
hand small higher bough, which extended
TO where he stood, but not to where his
brother lay; with the other hand, he seized
the animal firmly by its s,umpy tail. The
bear turned to punish his rash assalant :;
but, angry as he was, he turned cautiously,
1t was no easy task 10 right about, face on
branch which already had begun to trcm-
bic and sway beneath his weight.
Change was saved, for the hear evidently
had transferred his animositv TO Mango
whom he pursued step by step, toward the
extremity of the other limb. But Change
was not the boy to leave his brother and
rescucr in the lurch. Waiting until the
enraGcd brnto was well embarked upon
Mango's branch, he pulled its tnil, as hc
had seen his brother do before. Again
Brnn turned awkwartlly, and resumed the
interrupted chase of Change
The twins Continued their tactics with
success Whenever the bear was well ad-
vanccd on one limb, and dangerously close
to one twin, the other twin would sally
from the other limb and pull his tail. The
silly animal always would yield to his latest
impulse Of wrath, and suffer himself to be
diverted from the enemy who wns almost
In his clutches
Alter two hours of disappointment, he
learned his mistake. lie was pow for the
tenth time, on ihnngo's branch, and very
near him. In vain Mango dragged his
hinder extremity; he kept grimly on till
Mango, forced to choose hetween letting 20
the brute's tail or the higher branch which
enabled him to keep his feet, let 20 the
former
Change could now retreat no farther, and
was hardly yard beyond the bears reach.
He nranch was Swayln more than ever md
the beast seemed quite aware that he might
tax its strength too far. After a pause, he
advanced ono OF his fore foct quarter of Il
yard. TO increase the bears difficulty in
seiz!mg hm, the terrified boy let himself
down and swung With his hands from the
bouYh.
lie WAS hanging in suspense between
two frighlful deaths. Ills heart was sink
Ing, his fingers were relaxing.
Then the deep baying of hound struck
his ear, and his hands nyain closed firmly
upon the branch. In Il moment a blood
hound and horseman sprang through the
underwood.
Change held Oh like grim lcoth--hcld on
till ne heard the sharp report of rifle ring
ing through The air; held on till the falling
carcass of the bear passed before his eyes !:
held on till had climbed the tree, crawled
along lhe branch, and, grasping his wcaricd
wrist, had assisted him to get back to the
fork OF the tree and rest bit.
II that bear Ind only understood in time
that boy In the hand is worth two IN the
BUSH he might have heightened his days
ana gone down i'll honor to tho grave!