The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-05-21

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histwin sons Mango khd bbenkd, had
taken out his gun in the morning, and
had been missing ever since. Mt oncel
loaded my fide, loosehsti my Cuban
bloodhound, and followed the man to
his huta0 o Thera,I put tho dog upon the
boys, scent, following on Horseback
myself 80. 20 - Iiilu 81
II turned out at The Young scamps
had gone on the trail a a. large bear. I
though, they were only thirteen years
old, and their father had. ofben warned
them not to meddle with Wild beast.
They began their sdventure by hunting
the bear, but ended, Ms soften1 happens,
In being hunted by the bear; for Bruir
had turned upon them. and chased
them 50 hard that they were fain to. .drod
the gun and take TO a tree. sai q.
IL was sycamore Of peculiar shape,
sending forth from its stem many small,
but only two large, branches. These
two were some thirty feet from the
ground, and stretched almost horizon
tally In opposite directions. They were
as like each other as the twin brothers
themselves. Cbango. took refuge on
one OF these, Mango on the other,
The bear hugged the tree till he Ind
climbed as far as the fork. There he
hesitated an instant, and then began To
creep along the branch which sup
ported Change. The beast advanced
slowly and gingerly, sinking his claws
into the bark at every step, and not
depending too much upon his balancing
powers. o. res
Cbango's position was now far from
pleasant. It was useless TO play the
trick well known to bear-hunters-- oi
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 hims.
from deadly fall-thirty feet sheer.
Three more steps, and the bear would
be upon him, or he would be mon tho
ground. Brave as the boy was. his
teeth chartered. fiI
At this moment, Mango, nerved TO
heroism by his brothers. peril, moved
rapidly from the opposite limb of the
tree. Stepping behind the bear, he
grasped with one hand d small higher
bough, which extended to where he
stood, but not to where his brother Law
with the other hand, he seized the ami
NAL firmly by its stumpy tail. The bear
turned TO punish his rash assailant;
but, angry as he was, he turned cauti-
ously. 1t was no easy task I'd, right
about face on a branch which ALREADY
had began to tremble and sway beneath
his weight. ........ -.
Change was saved, for the bear evil
IDENTIFY had transferred his animosity 10
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.
Waiting until the enraged brute was well
embarked upon Mango's branch, he
pulled lis tail, as he had seen his
brother do before. 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 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 was almost in his clutches,
After two hours OF disappointment,
he learned his mistake. He was now.
for the tenth 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 brutes
tail or the higher branch which enabled
him to keep his feet, let 60 the former.
Change could now retreat no further.
and he was hard ~ yard beyond the
bears reach. The branch was swaying
more than eyer. and the beast seemed
quite aware that he might tax is
strength too far. After pause he ad-
yanced one OF his forefeet q quarter of a
yard. To increase :he bears difficulty
in seizing him, the terrified boy let him
self down and swung with his hands
from the bough. ...-..
He was hanging in suspense between
two frightful deaths. His heart was
sinking, his fingers were relaxing.
Then the deep baying OLA hound
struck his ear. and his hands again
closed firmly on the branch. In a mo-
ment, bloodhound and horseman
sprang through the underwood.
Change held on like grim death-held
on till he heard the sharp report of n
rifle ringing through the air; held on
till the falling carcass of the bear passed
before his eyes; held on till 1 had
climbed the tree, crawled along the
branch, and, grasping his wearied wrist,
had assisted him to get back to the fork
of the tree, and rest bit. ..s.t
If that bear only had understood in
time that a boy in the hand is worth
two in the bush, he might have length
ened his days and gone down with
honor to the graye-F. Blake Crojtoa.
in s.. Nicholas.
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