The Arizona sentinel., 1888-08-25

han onto the tree, an I didn't dare
 pull myself up, ye see, by the snake $
 tail fur fear it might break. Well,
 fore long got silver of bark off the
 lower side of the tree, an then the
 way tantalized that snake was cau-
 tion. The critter bit my lef' han
 twict. It makes me laugh now
 but it didn't then-to think how
 he'd strike at that bark, an then when
 I'd hold it just little further off he'd
 draw up his body and squirm a leetle
 further along the tree, an at every
 squirm his tail would draw up little
 mite-'bout half inch All this time
 I wuz thinkin' great deal about lots
 of things and her (pointing over his
 shoulder at Mrs. --). Well, fore
 long-but it seemed to me like it was
 two hours, only 1 knew it wasn't after
 wards by the sun-the tail had drawed up so fur that I could swing my lief han onto the tree. Then ye better
 believe 1 wuz soon up onto the top of
 the ledge. When l got my gun 1 shot the snake, and there's his skin"
 The next day was rainy, and my
 host told me the full particulars of
 how he killed two bears last spring. | It appears that the bears were killed
 toward the latter part of February and in rather a singular manner. He had
 been out nearly all day tramping in the wet snow, which was very heavy there, but had at this time partly melted, and he had seen no trace of
 "large game" As it began to rain about three o'clock in the afternoon he determined to find as sheltered a nook as possible, eat his lunch, and then make his way home. Just as he had arrived at this conclusion, he came upon a large, hollow sycamore log, or, rather, the greater part of trunk, lying prostrate across a little piece of level ground by the side of the creek, the waters of which had evidently undermined it's roots years before. He looked the surround ings over and then unrolled his lunch, crawled into the ample opening at the upper or little end of the trunk, from which the branches had been torn away no doubt when the tree crashed down and further routed by years of rain and sun. Lying prone upon the bottom of the big wooden tube, his rife by his side, he not only enjoyed the simple corn bread and ham with which his better half had provided him, but got very acceptable rest How long he had lain there when he was aroused he says he doesn't exact ly know. He thinks that on his tramp, the hearty food, and the lulling batter of the rain upon his shelter made him sleepy, and he may have dozed little.
 Suddenly he felt the hollow old shell vibrate, heard a untitled, scraping, shuffiing sound, and raising his head quickly from where it had rested upon his folded arms he saw the aperature at the further end of the log suddenly closed. There was a subdued shilling and then a loud snort. He knew in an instant that it was nothing less than a bear, which had come in at what might be called the front entrance of his place of refuge, and he judged it to be a bear of very good size. The bear, too, was evidently aware that the syca- more had some other tenant and re- mained ominOusly still. Slowly bring ing his gun from alongside his body to his shoulder he took careful aim by the faint streak of light that showed between the bears body and that con- cave surface of the tree trunk and fired. There was violent motion that shook the old sycamore from end to end, loud ''woof, woof," and then all was still.
 The hunter, happy over his unex- pected good luck, started to back from his end of the log with an idea of | going around and drawing his victims | carcass from the other end, but just as | he made the first movement toward do- | ing so he heard a commotion behind i him. Turning his head as far as pos sible to one side he looked back and his blood almost froze at seeing an- other bear within yard of the circu- lar opening. Acting upon the impulse | he crept two or three feet further into | the log.
 The bear came to the opening and | paused. The hunters mind was now | a swiftly-turning kaleidoscope of | thoughts. His gun was not loaded, and in his cramped and narrow quar- ters he could not run charge home. To emerge feet foremost under the | very nose of large bear was suicidal. | If the bear would only turn away-but | no; it was already pushing its way into | the tunnel, which now became almost | totally dark. Could the now desperate man creep forward, push the presuma- ply dead bear from the other end Of-the | log, and so make his escapeP Doubt ful. Still he crept forward, slowly, | painfully, endeavoring, though vainly, | in the meantime to load his rife. He | could hear the bear behind him labori- ously squeezing its huge body into the | cylinder, could hear the rattling and | tearing of its claws upon the half routed wood, and could almost feel it's breath.
 'I felt almost as unpleasant" he said, ''as I did when was hangin' by that durn snakes tail over the ninety three foot ledge.
 Suddenly the strained nerves give a