The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-05-05
A CIVILIZED BEAR.

Why was he called Ben? Because
that was his name. You wonder why
that name was given to him? Well,
that may have been for various reasons.
This, for instance. When Ben was o
very small cub he hadn't much in this
world, not even nano nothing but
an old she-bear mother and little cub
brother like himself-no moro.
There was party of hunters or trap
pers camped upon the bank of Western
river, and among them half grown
hoy. who, having finished his break
fast one morning before the others,
boy-like wandered OFF in his restlessness
TO see what he could find. And what
he did find were these two little cubs.
They were too young for him TO have
any fear OF them, and so, without a
thought Of any other bear in the world,
he picked them up by the nape6 of the
necks, one in each hand, and started
back for the camp Though the little
cubs were unable TO defend themselves,
or resent this liberty with their persons,
they could still invoke help, which they
did by squealing Justify, and aroused
the sleeping mother near by.
Rendered desperate by the danger of
losing her cubs, she gave chase right
into the enemy's camp, with a set of
great white teeth FULL exposed in the
open mouth, ears laid back and ewes
glaring with rage. She was formida.
ble-looling object, and the boy lost his
presence OF mind altogether. With des-
perata instinct he clutched the cubs AS
If BIS life depended upon his retaining
ms holG upon them. As he approached
The camp at flying speed he made him
self the subject of much future merri-
ment by bawliDg out TO the party, still
seated mt their breakfast, right IN his
GATH "C-i-e-a-r the track Here
r7s1 come Ne and the bars "
Gust at this critical moment-for the
old bear was right at his heels-he
stumbled and dropped one of the cubs
as he fell headlong to the ground, terri
bly, frightened. The bear, glad to re-
cover one of her lost darlings, stopped
for a moment to caress him, while the
boy regained his feet and escaped to the
camp with the other. AS soon as the
men could snatch their rifles they hur-
ried off in search of the old bear and the
remaining cub, but the bereaved mother,
who had retreated to the rocks and Sc
creted herself and her baby in some fs-
sure, could not be found. In telling his
adventures afterward at the camp the
aIc:tc3 boy remerked: eff L hadn't
dropped that cub | would have been
would have been" He didn't quite
know what he would have been, so he
didn't tell but one of the hunters inter-
rupted him by saying "You would
have Ben, and so you hung on to him.
reckon that the cubs names Ben"
That is probably the reason he was so
called.
At all events his name was Ben, and
by TINT name / introduce him to you.
Pen soon forgot his poor old mother
rs well as his little brother, adapted
himself to his new surroundings and was
metamorphosed into Z" tame bear"
that is, knew no associations but hui
man, was not afraid of man nor were
men afraid of him as rule. Mores
the pity. for this fearless intimacy with
man was the ultimate ruin of poor heed
less Ben.
When the camp broke up, little Ben
was placed in wicker cage improvised
by the boy, and thrown rather roughly
into the wagon with the skins, traps,
salt venison, ETC., and carried off to the
settlement, where he was petted through
the fall, and slept through the greater
part of the winter, as is the nature of
his family.
In thespring. when the journey had TO
be made to the trailing post for ammu-
milton and other supplies, Ben was fur
nished with more substantial and ne
cessarily much larger cage-for he was
now quite half grown-and placed on
the wagon with which his master was to
make the tedious journey of three or four
days duration. 1t ended inst ut night of
the fourth day, and Ben saw by the fad
ing light an old block. house formerly
built for safety against the Indians, and