The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1882-01-12

Mr., D.. one VI our neighbors. WAS
going after his cows ono night when hs
had singular hit Of experience lie kept
the cattle near meadow aud in going. for
them he had 10 pass through clumP Of
bushes where raspbcrries were abundant
The path was very narrow aud ia some
plares so much ovcrgrown by the bushes
that person might he very near All object
and not see H. Suddenly n huge bear
rose up before him aud sat on his hauneh
cs not three feet away, Mr., D. was a
tall aud powerful man. not easily fright.
ened, but he did not like such familiarity
as that There was no time 10 retreat, and
he had no weapon with which 10 defend
himself. but he clinched his huge fist, aud
struck the bear terrific blow between the
eyes. Bruin was not prepared for this.
and as he sat up so straight, aud oouldn.
brace himself quick enough. the blow
knocked him clean over on his back in the
bushes. He rosred and sprang TO his feet
and ran of Is fast "a his legs could carry
him, much more disturbed by the eveut
than Mr.. was.
A year or two after this my father and
/ we're out gathering raspberries one after.
noon in August We were in field CLOSE
to wood, where several acres were COW
cred with the bushes, and us IT was newly
cleared land they grew very tall. Indeed,
person might be picking berries ton foet
from you, and il he kept quiet you would
not know il.
After a while we climbed upon the trunk
OF fallen tree, for the sake OF reaching
the high bushes that were bending under
the weight Of the luscious fruit, when We
saw n bear not more than ten feet distant
helping himself to the same berries. At
first he did not see us and we watched
him while as he ate the fruit. II WAS
surprising how skillfully he would take
bush in his paws aud hold it down while
he ate off the berries and then lot il 20 aud
catch another
But we wanted those raspberries and
father shouted and swung his pail over
his head, thinking to drive the bear away
But the beast did not propose to be dis
turbed in that way and seemed TO think he
had as much right there Oh we. He sim.
ply let 90 the bushes and looked at us.
Father got sick Of swinging the pail OF
berries round his own head and threw il
with all his might at the head OF the bear.
II was well aimed and struck him squarely
in the face. 1t scattered the berries all
over him and the tin pail fell rattling
among the bushes aud stones never
saw such picture Of astonisment W the
bear presented. For u brief instant he
'eemed paralyzed, and then, dropping on
our feet hs ran away. screaming like .
,hild who had been frightened by tur.
Key gobbler.
We hear stories about bears attacking /
people without provocatioD, but believe
most OF them are purely imaginary or. at
east, greatly exaggerated. have hunted |
he black bear in the New England states {
md in the British Provinces; have thread. /
ID the forest on foot and secured the 9
'lains on horseback, but I never yet saw /
black bear that would attack man, un. a
ess it were dam whose cubs were med /
lied with, or bear that had been woun. I
led and driven into corner. Under such n
circumstances any animal will fight in self I
efense. The chief difficulty with black Q
ears is, not that they hurt you, but that 4
on can't get near enough to hurt them. q