Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-04-23
show to get back to camp. ,1Ge
had started out to capture the 70,

now that | wanted him to 60 down,
the little imp wouldn't stir peg.
Only minute before he seemed par
ticularly anxious to reach lower po-
sition in the tree than my own, bnt
he had changed his mind now, and
wanted the old bear to come up after
him. | tried to Chamber up above
him, in which case | should have bun
died him down a good deal livelier
than he came up; but it wouldn' t
work worth red.
The way the old bear caved around
and roared was a caution to snakes.
She was at it for some time before
attempting to climb, and | went to
work hacking away at limb as thick
as your arm with my bowie, making
club with which l hoped to be able
to keep the ferocious old bear at
bay as she tried to climb up after me.
| did the tallest whiting on that
limb for about minute that was ever
done in Montana, / reckon. | did
well to whittle lively, too, for had
hardly got the club well in hand when
the old bear pulled herself together
on the fork about eight feet lower
down, preparatory to sailing in and
finishing me up. The cub was about
the same distance above where |
stood. The old bear was a regular
monster, and madden all through than
a rattlesnake. AS she champed her
mouth with rage big flakes of foam
flew all over her and dropped down
to the ground. Up she came, open
mouthed at me. Whack went the
club but it didn't do any damage.
Clinging to the tree with one arm,
the old she fury fenced with the 9TH
er paw as cleverly as John Lawrence
Sullivan could have done to parry
the blows l aimed at her head. 1t
was mighty ticklish work for me, this
fencing with the old bears handy
paw, for | reckoned at the time that
if she should knock the club out of
my hand l was as good as done up
for good. At length l managed to
fetch her an ugly whack across the
snout, which seemed to daze her a
little, and before she could recover |
followed this up with another. The
second blow hit her squarely in the
jaws, and looseped a tooth or two,
may be; anyhow, it made the blood
fly. 1t seemed to arouse all the dew
il in her carcass, for she gave roar
ing snort that sent the blood and
foam scattering all over my face, at
the same time she reached up and
made savage blow with her paw.
AS her broad paw raked off the
bark a couple of feet below my face
Il was lying on my stomach across a |
IOlh IL NlClOuS OlS SlG IL Will |
my bowie and pinned it to the tree.
This was coming to pretty close quar-
ters. The bear uttered a hoarse roar |
of rage, and, reaching up close to
my resting place with the other paw,
she seized the bowie knife between
her teeth and snapped it in two. This
was done so quickly that |
had no time to recover the bowie
knife. | was now practically within
the bears reach, and the chances
were all against my being able to
stand her off with the club where
was. Quicker than it takes to tell
about it | swung myself up into the
next roosting place above.
In the meantime the cub had ven-
tured down to this point, and had to
vacate to make room for me. He
didn't seem in any particular hurry
about it; in fact, the little whelp
seemed half inclined to take hand
n the fight now he seemed to realize
that they had me cornered up, and
ne only moved away a few feet. l
lad barely got settled in this new po-
sition when the BEARS paw and the
club were at it again. l managed to
fetch her another vicious rap over
,he head; but the blow only made
ler roar and duck, and scatter blood
and foam all over me and the tree.
At this stage of the fight she looked
4 fend incarnate. After fencing
awhile for an opening. l made out to
nit her another sockdolager across
,he snout. l hit her so hard this
lime that splinters flew off the club,
put it only made her savager and
more dangerous than ever. tried
hard to jab her in the eye, but you
night as we'll try to poke a fencing
master in the eye with a stick, and
1uiChOI ohC |
vrenched it out of my grasp. There
was only one thing to be done now,
and that was to get from between
ler and the cub just as lively as pos
'ible. At the imminent risk of break
ng my neck | scurried along the
nearest branch on all fours, until the
Dough bent and swayed with the ten
sion. The old bear was blind with
Jury, and started out after me, but
as the branch began to snap and
splinter she funked, and drew herself
pack to the fork. A moment later
she was joined by the cub, who threw
is paws about her neck, and began
licking her bleeding mouth. The old
)ear's fury seemed to cool off won
lerfully at finding her cub uninjured,
md after soldering over it for awhile
hey both started down the tree. The
chief concern of the old bear now