Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-06-10
Caught IN a Bear-Trap.

1t was for several years the custom
with the boys at the R. Academy
(where the writer attended school some
years since) to have hunting-bee, OF
rather q matched game shooting. the
day before Thanksgiving every fall.
Two of the leading boys acted ss
captains. Lots we're cast for the two
first; these two chose each to his OWL
side the other boys, one after another.
The sides being made equal, each cap
tain and his men set off for the woods
With tGeir guns, and hunted all day ae
successfully as they could-the object
of each side being to get more game
tran the other.
The side getting the most, won; and
the side which lost had to furnish the
Thanksgiving dinner for the company
the next day.
All the game taken, however, contrib.
uted to the dinner.
The Year to which my story refers
We held our meeting to arrange details
the evening before the day of the hunt
A score was decided on to count the
game by. A partridge. recollect, wai
to count twenty-five points, q dsck fifty
A fox was to count one hundred, q
mink or marten the same; while, il
anybody got bear. it was agreed to
count it at five hundred points. But
it was not supposed that any one would
get . bear; though up to the north OF
the village, in "the great woods,
which extended of over the mountain,
nobody knew how far, bears were some.
tunes seen, and occasionally killed
Here, too. were many martens; but
these are very shy creatures.
II game not rated on the score was
brought home, the umpire had power
to rate it. On one previous year. q
tremendous mud-turtle had been cap.
tured Is big as . milk-psn. The una.
pire had rated that at seventy points,
much to the disgust of the capturer OF
the turtle. who thought he ought to
have had tvo.hundred on it. He had
fetched it about four miles, and it had
bitten him. 1t had somehow got hold
OF his thumb, and held on for ten min.
utes.
The two captains this year were All
bsteman and Hen Coombs. Iuse thei,
names thus familiarly because it wa
thus We always spoke of them. Bate
man had eight on his side. among them
Nathan DeIpit, William Shaw, George
Bean. and the present writer; Will,
Samuel Bacon. Allen Berry, and Bees,
Tonpkins, with five others. were O,
Coombss side.
Alfred was our leader that day. Lucl
did not especially favor me. In fact
We none Of rs had great luck durine
the drst Of the day. When We came te
meet in the pasture, We found ouI
party had made two hundred and twen,
ty-five points in all.
This will never do, fellowsl" ex
claimed Alfred when We had oounted
up. But if only We can dig out two
or three foxes here, We will be right.
Inc place was know n to be burrov
wnere ioxes were often driven to esrtt
py dogs. 1t was series of holes in 8
pss1, where great deal of yellow dir
mad been dug out.
a crowbar and two barn -shoyels were
borrowed at farm house near bv: md
We fell to work; for We felt pretty sure
there would be foxes there .t Xst tina
OF day. Three of us dug with tbs
shoveis and bar-trying to follow The
mole back into the bank.
IL was soon made sure that there ver<
!o4es IN the den. or at least one fox
''f on thrusting in q pole, q fox could