The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1880-04-15
4 VACILEATING BEAR.


Ny negro gardener came to me one
evening in great alarm, and stated that
his Twin sons, Mango and Change, had
taken out his gun that morning, and had
beea missing ever since. I at once load.
ed ray rifle, loosed my Cuban blood
hound, and followed the man to his hut.
There I put the dog upon tie boys scent,
fon1wing on horseback myself.
Ii turned ont that the young scampa
had gone on the trail of a large bear,
though they were only 13 years old, and
Their father had often warned them not
to nleddle with wild beasts. They be-
gan their adventure by hunting the bear,
but ended, as often happens, in being
hunted by the bear; for bruin had turn
ed upon them, and chased them so hard
that they were fain to drop the gun and
take to tree.
1t was sycamore of peculiar shape,
sending forth from its stem many small,
but only two large branches. These two
We're some 30 feet from the ground, and
stretched almost horizontally in opposite
directions. They were as like each other
as the twin brothers themselves. Change
took refuge on one of these, Mango on
the other.
The bear hugged the tree till he had
climbed as far as the fork. There he
hesitated an instant, and then began to
creep along the branch which supported
Change. The beast advanced slowly and
gingerly, sinking his claws into the bark
at every step, and not depending too
mucl upon his balancing powers.
Chango's position was now far from
pleasant. It was useless to play the
triek-well known to bear-hunters-of
enticing the animal out to point where
the branch would yield beneath its great
weight, for there was no higher branch
within Chango's reach, by catching which
he could save himself from a deadly fall,
SO feet sheer. Three more steps, and
the bear would be upon him, Or he would
be upon the ground. Brave as the boy
was, his teeth chattered.
At this moment, Mango, nerved to
hero'sm by his brothers peril, moved
rapidly from the opposite limb of the
tree. Stepping behind the bear, he
grasped 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 ami
NAL firmly by the stumpy tail. The bear
turned to punish his rash assailant; but
angry as he was, he turned cautiously.
1t was no easy task to right-about face on
branch which already had begun to
tremble and sway beneath It's weight.
Change was saved, for the bear evil
dently had transferred his animosity 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 rescuer in the lurch. Wait
ing until the enraged brute was well en-
barked upon Mango's branch, he pulled
its tail, as he had seen his brother DO be-
fore. Again bruin turned awkwardly,
and resumed the interrupted chase of
Change.
The twins continued their tactics with
success. Whenever the bear was well
advanced on one limb, and dangerously
close to one twin, the other twin would
sally from the other limb and pnll his
tail. The silly animal always would yield
to his latest impulse or wrath, and suffer
himself to be diverted from the enemy
who was almost in his clutches. After
two hours of disappointment, he learned
his mistake. He was now for the 10th
time on Chango's branch, and very near
Change. In vain Mango dragged at his
hinder extremity; he kept grimly On till
Mango, forced to choose between letting
go the brute's tail or the higher branch
which enabled him to keep his feet, let
go the former.
Clango could now retreat no farther.
and ae was hardly yard beyond the
bears reach, The branch was swaying
more than ever, and the beast seemed
quite aware that he might tax its strength
too hr. After pause, he advanced one
of hs fore feet quarter of a yard. To
increase the bears difficulty in seizing
himthe terrified boy let himself down
and swung with his hands from the
boush. He was hanging in suspsnse be-
tween two frightful deaths. His heart
wassinking, his fingers were relaxing.
Tlen the deep baying of a hound
struk his ear, and his hands again clos
ed firmly on the branch. In moment.
a bleod hound and horseman sprang
through the underwood. Change held
on Ike grim death, held on till he heard
the sharp report of a rifle ringing
thrdlgh the air; held on till the falling
carass of the bear passed before his
eyes held Oh till had climed the tree,
cravled along the branch, and grasping
his Eearied wrist had assisted him to get
bac- to the fork of the tree and rest
bit. II that bear only had understood
in tine that boy in the hand is worth
twon the bush, he might have length
ena his days and gone down with honor
to ae grave!
! BOGUS OUTRAGE.