The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-12-09
RES!EGED BY BEARS.

Experience Or a Nsonia. rfpaecr Win
A.araeI B.usM.. ian..y VIII y sh5f-
Gan.
At tho r,eareat ranch on tie western
side OF the mo mains t..e@c lives
Gcrmal who W.; IL FIRST loaeer 10
bring cattle il among these vaH ~.
Not long 40. this Old fellow built
new cabin for hinlsc Il tn 70 : Of
mountain. Befor. lis hone WIS fin
ished. he went out one day and killed
q finc Il, aoer. BRINGING the eorc; -
home IT nj lit, he hung il up against
the back Of his house, and then hang
ing blanket over the doorway which
was still without door. he went to
bed. lie slept sound'y. but there
dimly seemed to him TO be some dis
turhanee about the house during tie
night: and when lie went out III the
morning. every bit of his deer was
gone, aud the baartracks up and down
the mountain-side showed what had
become of it. Blu, game was plentiful
audit was not long before his deer was
replaced by bigshorned sheep. which
j. the most tender and juicy meat that
ever was eaten. This time liz va,
more careful. AMI lay awake h.lf the
night. fearing that he should lose his
stock III fresh meat. When it
was very lafc and he was about
to give up watching, be Ut last
heard q sound at the back 81
the house. Something was at work
on his wild mutton. There was y
noise of scratching aad tearing. II
seemed as If several bears were MAX
ing short work with his meat. lie
seized his loaded rifle and jumped out
Of bed with very scanty clothing OH.
Going to the doorway end drawing
aside tho blanket. he saw that the
night was clouiy and as dari Is
Egypt. lie stopped and thought for
moment that il would DC impossible
to kill y bear in such darkness. even
ii he should be able to hi it. for these
beasts are 50 touch TINT they will carry
dozen bullets about ia their bodies
without much Inconvenience, il they
are not wounded III the heart or the
brain. So our friend laid down his
rifle and took instead loaded shot
gun. This Is the thing for them,
he said to himself; 1t will pepper
them al over and scare them 80 they
never will come again. Then, with
gun in hand, lc silently climbed tie
projecting los at the nearest corner
OF the cabin. and. creeping across the
roof. peepei over the edge above tie
place where tic sheep was hung.
Something appeared to lie moving b.
Al. Il ls.,As
dom aim, he blaZcl away. The
shot scattered, and evidently TOOK
effect; Tor there arose Il chorus
Of growls ana howls and yells
that would have made the braysst
mans hair stand on end: there was 4
ecampcring and shutting OF many feet
up aud down. and around the cabin:
even in the thick darkness he could
sec many great fat creatures running
and smiling angrily about TO lind who
had attacked item. He saw that hc
was besicgcd on his own roof BY at
| least q dozen furious. hungry bear.
"lhey didn't scare worth cent, he
said. 1t was not long before they dis
| covered whence the shot had come.
and, knowing very we'll that there is
strength in numbers. they determined
70 have that man for supper, even II
they had to put of their supper till
| breakfast-timc. So while some sat
down here and there. the Others walked
about. grunting and growing over
| their injuries. Bears can climb quite
| rs well as men. and old Frank stood
with fear and trembling in the middle
| of the roof. ready to receive with the
/ butt Of his gun the first nose that
should rise above the edge. II two
had happened to mount the roof on
/ opposite sides, there would have been
. small chance Of life for the poor man.
| But the bears thought that solid ground
was the safer place for them, SD there
! they staid; and up above sat old
Frank shivcring. how long he n,ver
knew. It seemed centuries. 1t was
sharp, frosty autumn night. and. Is
he had on very little clothing, Frank
was soon chilled almost to his bones
| But the bears coats were warm
/ enough. They were more hungry than
they were cold, SO there they sat and
| growled and waited for their prey to
come down AMI be eaten. soon a lit
terly cold wind began To blow. Every
| Joint in the poor mans body stiifened;
but 1t seemed pleasanter to freeze t.
death than to be eaten up by those ugl y
beasts, so lie bore his discomfort as
best he could. The hours OF that
night seemed to be endless, end the
chill grew terrible; but at last dull
gray streak appeared in the east. No
man was ever more glad to see the first
sign of dawn than was that chilly
watcher. Bears ire very shy by day
light. and as the twilight little by little
grew into broad day. Franks visitors
trotted away disappointed and sulky
up to their dens on the mountain.
Their victim, more dead than alive.
was able at last to climb down and
kindle fire to warm himself. He still
lives to tell the story in the same log
| cabin: but ii has a good stout door
now, and he will never again 60 bear
hunting with shotgun. Alfred Terry
Racon. in 81. Nicholas.
s. AMiABLE AND HELPFUL.