Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1888-11-01

In the tracks he had made on his way
out. He knew the dog was after him,
and he was cunning enough to try to
fool the dog by taking his back track
and hiding in the tree top, with his
face toward the way he had gone in.
That was how be lay when our friend |
found him. He was peeping out
through the limbs and dry leaves, but
he didn't think that any one could see
him, and the Philadelphia man put
bullet right between the old tike's eyes
and laid him out as stiff as crowbar.
Well, sir, that fellow felt SO good ovef-l
it that he couldn't do enough for me-
and Charley, but he didn't want to
hunt any more that day.
"a friend of mine came here on a
visit from the West in the winter,
few years ago, and invited him to go
on bear hunt with me. He had been
used to handling IA lasso out there. and
he said he would go if | would agree
to let him have some fun with the
lasso on the first bear We might have
the good luck to get near enough to
reach with it. told him all right,
and with a long rope for lasso we
started out with old Dash early the
next morning. This time we went to
Long Swamp, which we reached about
the middle of the forenoon. l had
double-barreled rifle, but the only
weapon my friend had and the only
one he said he wanted, was the lasso.
lie made me promise, in case old Dash
should bring a bear to a standstill,
that would not shoot until he had had
q chance to practice on the bear with
his rope, and foverto the swamp we
trudged through the snow.
| 1--WE had no trouble in finding a
bear track, and back andforth through
the long and marrow swamp old Dash
dashed until late in the afternoon,
when he brought bear to bay not
far from the center Of the swamp. l
could tell by the peculiar noise he
made that he had run foul of the bear,
and told my visitor from the West,
who had kept around with me all day,
that he would soon have chance to
practice with his lasso. Then we
plunged into the swamp and found
that old Dash was teasing the bear in
an open space that had alder bushes
all around it. In trying to escape from
the dog all day the bear seemed to be
pretty well played out. The bear had
been nipped so much on the hind quar-
ters that he was sitting up when we
got there, and every thing was favor
able for my friend to use his lasso. So
| stood in the bushes and called the
dog to me, and then | told the man
from the West to pitch in.
He was as brave as lion, and he
swung the coil of rope around few
times and then let drive at the bear.
His aim was tip-top, for the rope
caught the bear around the deck and
then my friend began to pull and yank,
That walked the bear up, but he didn't
run away He got as mad as wet
hen in seconds time, and his getting
mad surprised my friend, for he sup.
posed that the bear would pull back or
! the rope and soon choke himself sc
that his tongue would hang out. In.
stead of that, the fiery old fellow slack.
ened on the rope as quick as you could
say scat, and made lunge at the mar
with the lasso, knocking him down in
the snow and falling on top of him
The bears weight almost knocked the
breath out of my visitor, and he gaspec
something that sounded to me, like
'Shoot the old devil, Nickii and
hauled up and put a bullet into the
bears skull. When my friend crawlet
out from under the heavy carcass hi:
face was as white as milk, and wher
he got his wind again he looked sheep
ish, but he owned right up. declared
that it was his own fault, and wanted
me to say nothing about it. Well,
never did to any one that knew him
and | haven't mentioned his name Il
n you, SO telling about the fun he hat
iassoing the bear won't hurt him any. >
IL see you keep few bees. Hav,
, bears ever disturbed the hives?"
: "Several years ago l found ski
tipped over one morning along in tn,
, fall. 1t looked as though the mischie
had been done by bear. but it hadn'
, rained any in three weeks, and the
ground was so dry and hard that
bears tracks wouldn' show in the dir
except in the road, and I I,couldn't fint
|, any tracks there. But l was prett,
sure that a bear had been around il
, the night, and that he would turn VI
i again before long, and so i put all o
the skips but one into the cellar tina
day, and just before dark that night
j set trap in front of the other skip, GOV
n cred itup with leaves and dead grass
and fastened the 'chsin, toNa post ia tn,
!, dooryard fence. 1 knew that if bea
j got his foot in the trap ] would hea-
} him aouncing around and rafting tn,
chain before he would have time t,
, leave his toes and wag off on thre,
| Ilegs, and so l didn't hitch the chain t.
something that he could drag along.
Then loaded both barrels Of m,
rife. / stood it where Icould grab i
| at moments notice, telling my wifi,
/ to wake me If she heard any noise nea
: the bee hive before / did. Well, sir
that very night. between one and tw,
. o'clock. bear came nosing aroun,
5 after more honey. Mrs. Burdick hear,
l him when he first got there. She sal,
! was snoring pretty loud at the time
| but she soon stopped me, andI was ou
4 of bed in no time. / ran TO the othe