Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-09-08
The Doctors Pill and Grizzly Bear.

placed small case in his breast pocket.
Being somewhat curious to know what
the case contained, | inquired of him
what it was. He handed it 10 me and
on the outside read:
| DIR. BLANKS
DOUBLE ACTION MISUNDERSTANDING PILLS
Caliber As, 80 grains.
We soon caught sight of the'largest
grizzly it has been my fortune to see.
His left side was tous. saw the Doctor
turn pale with excitement. Whispering
to him to stiffen his left ear, / rested my
rifle on that prominent part of his per-
son, and. taking dead aim for the bears
breast, fired. At the report of the gun,
the Doctor, stunned by the explosion, !
suppose, fell as though he had been
shot. Not so with the bear, however,
for starting up with snort, he looked
around. L fired again, but shot wild,
and then saw the bear start for us, with
hair on end and growing fearfully.
| Shall | confess it that fear took posses
sion of me, even SO that l dropped my
gun and RAMP mr
Yes, fled ingloriously and lett my
poor helpless comrade to his fate. Some
| fifty yards below where l had fired there
| was q scrubby oak tree, some twelve
feet high, and for this tree l ran as fast
as my legs would carry me, and swung
myself into its branches none too soon.
The bear olutched at my feet as | drew
up. / climbed to the top, and looked
tremblingly down. The bear seized the
tree in his grasp and endeavored to tear
it up by the roots; but it was rooted in
the rocks, and was too much for even
his giant strength.
l breathed more freely. knew he
could not climb the tree. On looking
at him closely | could see the hole in
his LETT side where the bullet had en-
tered, and on the other side where il
had passed out 1t must have torn his
heart to pieces. The blood was flowing
from the wound, and the bloody froth
was on his lips. Surely he must soon
die, thought. But he showed no sign
of falling vitality, and j soon came to
believe That bear may live without
heart. | saw plainly now that should
have shot him through the heal or else
through the spine. But it was too late
to rectify the mistake; my gun was Or
the ground.
The bear would not leave the tree,
but kept looking up ut me. After
awhile he took large boulder in his
| paws, and laid it ut the root of the tree,
and then another and another. At first
| / was puzzled to know what ii meant,
| but soon the terrible truth dawned on
my mn that he was heaping them
there that he might stand on them and
| reach me. The thought was enough to
make me start. and for Il moment
! thought OF leaping over him to the
ground and taking my chances in run
ming. But | knew lie would overtSke
me. Then | thought of the Doctor,
and turned my eyes toward the place
where he had fallen. He was not there,
| shouted his name, and saw him thrust
his head out from a crevice in the rocks
close by where had left him. Howhe
managed to squeeze his body into SC
small space is a mystery to me.
sect your gun and shoot the bear"
screamed to him. care you going to
stand still and see this brute eat me?'
He did not answer, but crept out
cautiously to where his rifle lay, and
ran quickly back to his retreat. saw
him ann, and then saw the flash of the
gun-and one of my boot-heels flew off.
implored him to aim with more care
next time, and to shoot at the bear, not
at me. | waited with much trepidation
his next shot, and we'll might, for the
bullet sung dirge by my ear, burning
it as it passed. Then l asked him to
desist, for fear that he might commit
murder and that L would be the victim.
Slowly but surely the bear was piling
up the rocks at the base of the tree, and
must soon reach me. For while hope
deserted me and sat in kind of stupor,
from which was aroused by thought
that flashed across my mind. Acting
upon it L shouted to the Doctor. "Draw
the bullet from a cartridge, quickly,
and replace with one of your pills! Load
your gun with il"
"All right, came the response.
"Now run out, said, 'and attract
the attention of the bear.
In another moment he came out yell
inc and capering about. This was more
than the bear could resist, and he rushed
for the Doctor, who fled to his retreat,
followed by the bear.
"When he opens his mouth fire
straight down his throat" yelled.
| heard shot, saw the bear stagger
back, then rear up and place his paws
on his abdomen, bowling all the while
as if in pain. Then he started to flee,
but fell into commissions horrible to be-
hold. tearing up the earth in his death
struggle. Gradually his movements
ceased. His limbs stiflened. He was
dead.
Then the Doctor emerged from his
crevice in the rocks and rushed up to
the bears carcass and kicked it and
leaped upon it, yelling all the while like