Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-06-20


apart, often three and four feet in width.
The drift-rick, which served US for
wood-pile, burned we'll, the blaze mount
ing halfway up the cliff, and casting a
warm glow back into our shed.
Here, throughout the rest of the day
and evening. while the gusts howled
across the canon from out over the prai-
rie to north'ard, we lay at our ease and
told stories, going sound asleep at last,
wrapped up in our buffalo skins.
Some hours must have passed, for our
big fire had burned down low, when
was aroused by scratching, raking
noise on the rocks in front of our shed.
Before | was as yet half-awake, some
thing-it was SO dark | could not tell
what. but some heavy animal, I felt sure
came down the rocks and fell partly
into the open front of our shed and on
to Anspach's, the German, extended feet
and ankles.
With that Vert jumped to get up and
gave a shout and we all arose. fumb-
ling for our guns. But before Anse or
I or any of US had gained our feet, down
came the shed. the half-hogsheads we
had brought for our honey. our tilted-up
spring-board wagon, brush and all.
Who had the most do with knocking
it down, I'm sure | don't know. It was
a free scrabble. One of the half-hogs-
heads tipped over in such way as to
shut Grant. the colored boy. under it all
but his shanks; and as the fore wheels
of the spriDg-boar lay partly across the
bottom of the hogshead, he was caught
fast.
The noise he made was nothing com.
pared with the racket the German was
making, for the other half-hogshead had
fallen partly over him, and he was kick
ing at an unknown wild beast whose
growls mixed with his shouts.
"Arnse, ware bees you p we heard
him calling in reproachful tones.
The moment we had extricated our.
selves from the brush and stakes, Dins.
more and | sprang to our feet and tried
to take in the situation.
It was too dark to see much. The
brush was swapping and the half-hogs'
head gas bobbing up and down; and
just then the savage, growing head ol
some animal was thrust repeatedly out
between the spokes of one of the hind
wheels of the capsized spring-board.
Anse. who had seized upon the camp
axe. let it drive at the GROWERS head
His first stroke knocked two spokes ou
of the wheel. At its next plunge th'
animal came head and shoulders through
the gap. But had secured one of tn,
guns. and at this juncture, by good lucl
shot it dead.
Almost with the report, Vert, VIII
had been making frantic efforts to ge
out through the brush on the back side
scrambled to his feet, shouting
"Sharles, pc careful ware you shoots
Whole dozen dem puck-shots 60 puzS p
my ear.
''It's bear" said Alf, peeping be
tween the spokes Of the wheel; but be
fore we had time to haul out the carcass
or even get Grant from under the hogs
head tub, another bear came slidin
down the rocks with scratch and
growl, and fell sprawling into the ashe
and still glowing embers of the fire. !
perfect smother of ashes and Goals fe'
up. 1t must have been warm lightin
for the old chaps feet.
He whirled round with q low vel
and leaped out over some logs at th
lower end of our shed. just had tim
to cock my left hand barrel and fire a
his hind legs disappeared down over th
logs. We heard him give growl whe
the shot struck him, but had no time
look for him or even see where he wer
to for Vert had set up great outcry.
"Queek. Anse queek, Sharles, M
yours goon! In der holler up re rock
DON you hear him VOW? Anoder one
coming down J"
Surely enough. there was another on
looking out of a great fssure. up twenty
five or thirty feet growing and maxim
as if to descend. l could plainly see II
head, and moment after, it turned
come down tail first.
"Zhoust you hark, poys!'' exclaime
Vert. ''Only hear dem sing
| If there had been whole menager
shut up back amongst those rocks.
could hardly have made more music
growing. whining. roaring and yoaoing
There's an awful big den back
there and it's billing over full of 'em
Every minute or two head woul
pop out in sight from the crevice. III
firing and noise had stirred them up.
looked as if the animals had climbed I
to this den over the heap of drift-wot
which our fire had burned up. The fl
and smoke flaming up 20 the mouth (
the hole had kept them in during tt
first part of the night; or else they hs