The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-03-28
BEAR AND BLACKSMITH.
A Plucky Little Fellow Smashes In Tougl
Old Bruins Ribs.

A Plucky Little Fellow smashes In Tough
Old Bruins Ribs.
Little Billy Parott, originality black
smith, then a sailor, had drifted to a
Bengal indigo plantation. where he had
charge of the machinery. He was a
good-natured fellow, as strong as bull,
and splendid wrestler, having learned
every trick Of that sport from the many
wrestling matches he had engaged in,
while living in England. One day
several Of the English planters joined
in bear-shooting excursion, and Billy
accompanied them.
On arriving in the Jungle, they were
posted along the edge of . precipitous
gully, on platforms in the trees, about
fifty yards apart, where they waited
until the coolies. beating the bush,
drove up the game. What happened is
narrated by Mr.. Inglis in his Tent
Life in Tigerland."
after several deer had been shot
there was long and silent wait, while
the coolies were beating another part of
the jungle. Billy had left his platform
and was talking to the occupants of
another, when some one shouted, Look
out, You beggars, there's bearr
"A great she-bear rushed through the
bushes accompanied by her cub, and
grunting savagely. She came close to
Billy, but would not have attacked him,
had not one Of the hunters splintered
her lower jaw by shot from his re-
volver. Then with growl she rose up
and rushed for Billy. He started to run,
but his foot caught in vine and down
to the ground he fell. In an instant the
bear was upon him. The brute was
powerless to bite, because of her broken
jaw, but she got Billy in aclose hug. and
rolled over and over with him in her
arms.
''Here Billy's strength and his knowl-
edge of wrestling tricks served him.
He twisted his strong, handy legs round
the bears headquarters, thus keeping
the brute from tearing him with her
hind claws. His left elbow he got right
under the bears throat, favorite wrest-
ling trick, by which he kept the beasts
mouth from his face, and with his right
fist he dealt the bear in the face and
even his own mad shouts.
There was no chance for the other
hunters to shoot or to stab, as they
might have hurt Billy instead of the
bear, who was tearing the mans shout
ders with her fore claws. Over and
over they rolled, writhing. painting.
struggling and approaching the edge of
the precipitous gulley.
''The sportsmen were alarmed, but
powerless. As the wrestlers rolled per-
ilously near the precipice, Billy's
friends rushed forward to save him
They were too late-over went bear and
man. The hunters looked over the
verge and saw the black, jumbled mass
bound from an overhanging ledge and
disappear down the gloomy chasm. Not
one of them expected to see Billy alive
again.
Moody and silent they went down
the steep descent accompanied by the
coolies, to find poor Billy's body. At
last they got to the bottom of the ravine
"A sound caused them to pause. From
the cavernous bottom of the ravine
they heard Billy grooming softly his ia
vorite chorus:
"'Twanke diddle OH
1wanke diddle oh, Twanke
Diddle, idle, idle, oh"
"'Hurrah" shouted again and again
the delighted hunters, and then rushed
down, over rocks and through creepers.
They found Billy alive, but torn and
bruised, sitting on the mangled carcass
of his late enemy. But,he was sound in
wind and limb, while the bears ribs had
been smashed in, as a man brushes an
egg-shell. She fell first on the jagged
rock, and thus saved Billy from being
smashed into mangled heap. One of
the party was doctor, and by the even
ing Billy, propped up on campbell. was