Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1890-01-25
STORIES o BEARS.


Two Boys Have a Lively Experience on
the O>wcgatchie River.
Up on the borders Of the A~dirondacks
nothing pleases the farmers son so
much as to have winter hold off, so that
he may engage in . b%ear-hunt. When
winter sets ir as it sometimes does,
early in November, and continues right
through without a thaw, hunting for
any thing except rabbits or grouse is
not followed with encouraging results,
The bear and the Don then seek winter
quarters, to remain until spring, or, ac-
cording to the popular belief, until
Candlemas day, when they come out to
see if the sun casts their shadow OF the
snow. When bears roam around in De-
cembor then there is fun. Last Christ
may day two young men, known locally
as Joe and Fred, had a very lively ex-
p~eriencc on the ~Oswegatchie river.
Suppose we let Joe tell his story:
with provisions enough to last two
days we started out Tuesday forenoon
for a long tramp, our destination being
a log camp ten miles away. We saw no
signs of bear until within a mile of the
camp we were to occupy. Then we
ran across the track of what was
apparently a small specimen, We con-
cluded that we would not follow him at
once, so we kept straight ahead on the
trail until the camp was reached. An
odd feature of the hunt began right
here. When we started forward on the
trail again we did not go over a quarter
of a mile before we again struck bear
tracks. This time there were marks Of
two bears, and the tracks Of one being
about three times as big as those OF the
other, we made up our minds he was a
monster. Before we reached camp we
found more bear tracks, and the family
: had increased to three. 1t was about
four o'clock in the afternoon when we
got into camp, and being so late we
concluded that the best thing to do would
be to make ourselves comfortable for
the night and take the chances of And
ing the family Of bears within ten miles
of us on the next day. When we started
out bright and early on Christmas
morning we found the tracks we had
seen the night before within two miles
of camp on a ledge of rocks near the
river bank. Having traced them tC
| their hi~ding-place, the next thing was
to get at them. This was not sc
easy. The hole in the rocks WAS no
very big, and there was only ono way
to get in. 1t was evident tina
an old bear and her two cubs were in
side. and the chances were altogethe
in favor Of a fight when they wer'
stirred up. Fred concluded that a six
teen-foot sapling would be a good thin
with which to begin operations, and HI
, cut one. | stood at the opening in tn
rocks, rifle in hand, while he gave
furious. lab with the sapling. Ho ha
, made but one thrust when there vas
, savage growl, a rush, my gun was di;
/, charged without effect, and the mex
thing | remember was a blow and
, tumble among the rocks. l gathere
myself up in time to see tho old bea
~galloping through the woods thirt
rods away, with a half-grown cub i
close pursuit. Fred was just drawing
bead on the other cub, which had con-
$ out last. He fired and rolled him ov'
!, the first time. When | came to loo
myself over ! found my right arm ha
= been disabled by striking a rock wit
-. my elbow, and | had this scratch on II
face to remind me OF the paws of IL
old bear. | was SO badly used up tn
the bear hunt ended right there. v
d gathered up the cub and returned
[ camp, and the next time | find a FAM
's of bears on a ledge ofrocks shall sta1
!, aside and avoid the rush when tn
u come out.''-Golden Days.