Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-10-27
NO. 253.

sisu oi hini- NotninS OUT fOrest anu ST.
lence.
George keeps on; do nv best to follow.
He glides along like cat. in one hand an
uplifted axe, descending nov and then to
sever an opposing beugh. He gets over the
ground two feet to nv one. sas
lie roiia 9sis'ea ra, There he goes again
|ene- Come on.' cries George and per-
form the speediest coming on of which am
capable. Slow enough it is, though. Every
few steps the tangled branches of a fallen
cedar must be burst through, but on l press
and scramble and tumble and crawl till
George is reached. He stands on prostrate
tree, axe upraised. head bent forward aud To
one side-an admirable statue of alertness.
"Eeoste., Listen!" he whispers,
A moments stiffness. Then cracking,
loud and near, up the hillside. George
jumps through the thicket ana springs up the
slope like flash.
Follow him? could as easily dit up to
heaven without wings. So l scramble on
through the level swamp II is said "blood
will tell" can swear that weight will. The
burden of my 200 pounds handicapped me in
this swamp race with bear. Every thicket I
crawled through, every windfall l scrambled
over, told on me, till At last was forced to
halt. With Precipitation bursting from every
pore, and breath only caught in gasps. ] lean.
Su uSaiust u tVS, auu iuiNkiuCu Tue dwellings, Ol
the losing horse in race, My heart beat
loudly as the drumming of partridge. the
whole forest seemed to reverberate with its
quick thud, thud, thud. and the blood leaped
to my head and temples till my brain was in
whirl.
While the trees were dancing before nv
reeling sight thought, "What an unlucky
wight am |. After 20 wears of small game
shooting, to at last actually meet a bear in
his haunts in the forest, get within 30 yards
of him. on the point of gratifying one of the
pet ambitions of my life, and then to bang
away couple of shots like fool with the
buck ague, while my noble quarry. coolly
makes of, and am left empty -handed,''
Worse than that, the brute runs away so
slowly that George sees him again and again
keeps up with him. in fact. Alas, my too.
too solid flesh !" Were l q slight. nimhls
fellow like George, might have shot bear
yes. half dozen times over. And then
my gun. What a fool to bring little snipe
gun into the woods in quest Of the king Of
the forests. the breast before which all others
quail, from the Atlantic to the Mississippi,
and then to fire away at this lordly game as
would pull trigger on a woodcock! One
bird missed, up f1ips another. But where
shall find another bear. when have been
all my life getting up with this first one
would spin to NV sporting friends
lie voice encore Here it Is again I"
sounded Georges voice, loud and clear,
through the forest, and cut short my reverie.
My heart stilled, and my brain steadied
in an instant. Again | sprung forward
Il may get him yet; may retrieve my
fortunes" thought l. AS | dragged, crawlcd.
and pushed myself ahead through undcrbrush.
George hears me crashing along. and
shouts from the mountain side, "He's maxim
down by the lake. Right ahead oyer. Look
out for him.
scramble on, impelled by one single,
strong desire-to get one good, fair shot at
that bear.
keep on and on. Not a word rom
George at my right, through the leaves. I
catch bright glimpses Of the lake. sleeping
in the sunlight slacken my pace. All in
silent as a sanctuary. We'll, the bear is
off, and George with him. I'll keep on
slowly, cool of, and perhaps get my 'second
wind that we read about. w hatever that may
be" SO thinking, swing myself upon a
fallen cedar that lay brest high across my
route, swing my legs over, sit and rest for a
moment. then leisurely drop down on the
other side.
only seven PAGES away a mass of blacknesa
~
| have not time to take step. Had time
allowed. there is no opportunity. The fallen
cedar is at my back; am pinioned between
its branches. But no thought of restreat or
lodging enters my mind. There il time but
for one single impulse, and that is--shoot.
My gun is in ny right hand, both barrels full
cock. Instantly pitch it to my shoulder,
yet in this instant the whole forest scene,
with the on-dashing. black brute in the cen
tire, is accurately and indelibly photographed
on my sight. see the beast leaping on all
fours. hind quarters high, fore-shoulders low,
head down and askew, spout turned to right.
lip curled up like snarling dog, teeth chat
tering, and black eyes cleaning with deve-
lish light. On comes the monster with his
vibrating, hunting growl, Knar-r-r-r-s, A.
the gun swings up to my face glance along
the barrels, and see the swapping teeth of the
leaping brute within four feet Of my gun
muzzle against the monsters head. lie
moves not, Every fibre Of my being thrills
with wild, intense delight.
DEAD" yell. with savage qlee.
And from up the mountain-side comes
Georges answering shout, Bravo, mon
frree.'
And now comes George himself. crashing
and bounding down the steep, and swinging
his axe aloft He jumps over our fallen foe,
-
man, shouting, "Bravo. mon fyeyei 5yaro.
mon freref Nous arons rnineu nofre enue.
mt Saere You old black devil, You. Yoiei
here you are, moyt. Aha.' and xrasping
me with both hands. words fail us, and we
give voice to the wild joy Of victory in one
long "HallOo!" that wakes the slun,bering
echoes Of the summer lake. The veneer Of
thousand years Of civilization dropped from
us like garment, and the original savage.
the fighting animal, the true man within.
laughed with a zest that civilization knows
naught of.
Jim hears our shout from down the lake,
catches its meaning, gleefully halloos in
reply and paddles swiftly to us in the
piro0ue.
Here she is, Jin,," quoth I. Yoiei
Poprs."
Jim peers over the shaggy brute. looks up,
takes off his hat, and, bowing toward me,
says, with the air Of a diplomat offering q
sentiment at royal banquet. "Cest 5ien
bon. monsieur, beaueoup de pouroir a rofre
bras, ct meme plus rofye fusiI."
Taking Brun by the paws we slid her
down the bank.
shell weigh about four hundred" said
Jim, refectively. as we lifted her into the
pirogue. ''But then they're dreadful lean in
aummer Late in the fall n0v aho'd on q n