The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-11-23

ton! AT once huge form bounded up
and facing me was a monstrous bear
He was so large that had mistaken
him for the OK!
l never knew how fast could run be
fore! l had to dodge and double my way
among the snowy. pines, where it was
| impossible to see what was after me
even if | had stopped to look; but
supposed from certain noises in the rear
that the bear was following me-
But if he chased me, he didn't catch
me. | got to our clearing in short
| space of time, and found my brother
standing in the door and looking fol-
me. Old Pat and Stub had both como
home. and were taking their supper OF
hay, side by side, in the shed.
We loaded our two guns and went tC
the edge of the clearing, but saw moth
ing of my bear Hite, as | called my
brother Hiram, was rather inclined to
laugh at me; and later in the evening,
just before we went to bed, he opened
the outside door and fired off his gun
to scare away the bear, he said, so that
could 90 to sleep.
But late in the night we heard the OK
en- bellow-lirst one, then the other
They made a fearful noise.
''Your bear has come at lastr' said
Hite, jumping out of bed.
Before we could get on our clothes
and light the lantern, we heard the
shotes squeal. At that, caught up my
gun and started out. The snow was half
way to my knees; but ran round the
corner of our cabin to where | could
dimly see the shed and sty.
Such squealing as was going on
had not taken six steps towards the pen
when saw great black form rise up
on the inside of the log fence. AS it
came up over the top log it looked fair
ly gigantic.
If it was not ''my bear" it was an
equally big onc-and he had Sammy"
our best Shotc, in his '.armS." Over the
fence he went with him, and | was so
startled that | couldn't take aim quick
ly enough to shoot.
At this moment Hite rushed out with
the lantern, and we ran towards the
sty. But the bear was already in the
woods.
We gave chase, and had no trouble in
tracing him, dark rs it was, for Sammy
was making the whole forest resound
probably struggling violently, and must
have weighed hundred and fifty
pounds or more. we found it easy to
come up with them The bear was act
ual1y waddling along upon his hind legs,
carrying the shote.
.'Shoot him!' cried Hite
cooked my gun, took aim, ard fired.
But Just rs did so the old bear part
ly turned round, and the whole charge
of balls and buck-shot was buried in
poor Sammy's side.
The poor shote did not squeal again.
But the bear was so frightened that he
dropped him and ran of little way.
AS my gun was now empty, l did not
care to walk up to where the PIC was
lying flat in the snow. So Hite and l
both ran back to the house, where | re-
loaded my piece and Hite left the Ian
tern and took his gun.
When we again reached the place
where had fired, we found all quiet,
and there lay the pig in the snow.
THE old chaps gone l guess" Hite
said; but the instant we took hold Of
the hind legs of the shote to drag it back
to the shed, we heard Il terrible growl,
only a few steps of and crashing in
some dry hemlock tops.
The bear had been standing there,
watching US. He didn't want to see
that pig touched. The brute growled so
that both of US dropped the shote and
ran again.
We ran five or six rods. But the bear
only came as far is the shote. After
waiting a few moments, we tip-toed
back, past some scrub pines, where we
had pretty good view of him in the
act of again seizing the pig. Both of
us then fired at him and ran for the
cabin.
We did not sally out again till after
daybreak. We found the shote still ly-
ing in.the snow; and by the blood-stain-
ed tracks we saw where the bear had
gone off. Following these we came to
where he had dragged himself along,
bleeding profusely. Later in the day,
we found him dead in little hollow, be-
side a frozen brook.
We had to yoke our cattle and cut a
road through the bush to haul him home.
The oxen beloved all the way to the
cabin. The odor of the bear was not
agreeable.
cannot state how much bruin weigh
ed, for we had no scales; but l think he
was as heavy and dressed as much as a
good-sized three-year-old steer. He
was an old giant of bear, at any
rate.
We did not like the taste of the meat,
but our hens did, and as a result of this
meat-diet they soon began to lay, SO
that we had all the eggs we wanted
And we sold tie bear-skin for about
enough to buy another shote. - Youth S
Companion.