Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-04-09

A newcomer now appeared upon the
scene a large, black animal, which
crushed through the snow crust heading
straight for the tree, Gideon saw that
Il was bear, and gave himself up for
lost.
"Hcll climb the tree sure, he thought,
''and then whcrc'll Ibef"
The wolves did not at first appear In
clined to meddIe with the great creature,
which numbered along as II he did not
care for anything that might be in his
path. AS he came near them, growing,
they for moment gave way before him,
lcaping to the left and right. Then one
snapped at him from the rear, which
seemed to give the others courage, and
all together they sprang upon him.
Gideon blew his born loudly in the hope
to Brighten the big animal from taking
refuge in the tree. There cnsucd free
for-all fight. tumbling mass OF gray
andblack fur, but the bear broke away
from his foes and reached the foot Of the
tree.
Snow. he's coming up" said the un-
fortunate musician TO himself, without
casing to toot his horn. ats good-by
me-"
But the bear had other plans. In the
rpcky ground, the main roots Of the tree
growing over two or three nearly buried
granite boulders had lett u hole which
the decay OF the trunk had further en-
arged. In this cavity the bear had taken
up winter quarters and he was now at
his own Threshold Rearing with his
back against the tree he spared like a
boxer, knocking the two foremost wolves
sprawling; then dropping on all fours he
defended himself with his forepaws as
he was backed into his den.
81 wonder what critterll head for this
tree next" he groaned. They don't
seem to know Of any other place to
Dgo to. There! Ones a-coming now.
It's from the sky this time"
A huge form came booming through
the air toward him, with tapping wings
and four kicking legs. Gideon twisted
his legs around the branch, braced him
self hard and blew his loudest note. At
the sound the great horned owl winging
his way homeward with rabbit in his
claws changed his course so as to avoid
the tree ard went his way into the
darkness.
The schoolmaster noticed another good
effect of his horn blowing. At the first
notes the loupcervier had run up the tree
as far rs he could 20, and from the top
most fork, with only his head showing.
looked as disguised and frightened as
the forlorn human beng did dozen
feet below him. Gideon found his perch
hard and chilly one. His legs
were cramped and he was generally un-
comfortable. But he could see no pros
pect of quitting it until daylight might
bring relief, unless indeed, before that
time arrived, he should become be-
num5ed and fail among the wolves.
There was little likelihood that peo-
pie would be moving on the road at that
hour, but on the bare chance that a
lumber team might pass Gideon kept on
blowing his horn. From time to time
he varied his calls of distress by falling
into the strains of practice-tunes. Then
to keep from getting benumbed he would
slap his sides with his hands and kick
vigorously. The wolves, now nine in
number, were all the time moving about
beneath him, with their eyes on the un-
happy musician up tree"
A bright idea for warming himself and
keeping his heart up struck the SILVER
ing schoolmastcr, who had some matches
in his pocket. Tearing from the tree
trunk a sheet Of dry birch bark, he
rolled it into funnel-shaped torch and
lighted it, making a cheerful illumina-
ton. When it burned down near his
fingers il served Co kindle O fresh roll,
\ \
until his fifth torch was burning low,
when, as he reached forward TO tear
away another STRIP OF bark, he saw lit
tie blaze springing up on the snow be
meath him. The bear in squeezing out
from his den had scattered on the crust
quantity of dry leaves and rotten
wood, and the stump of torch had set
them on fire. The blaze crept to the
foot of the tree, the dry birch bark
caught fire like finder, and the wolves
drew back in terror Us torrent of flame
rushed up the tree.
Gideon backed out toward the end of
the limb just in time to escape scorch
ing. Twelve or fifteen feet overhead
the loup cervier followed his example,
and now stood craning its neck in every
direction ON the lookout for chance to
jump and run.
The bear beneath them was not happy,
for the flames worked their way into his
den until the smoke and heat were more
than he could stand. and out he bolted
for the woods. A few feet away from the
tree the wolves fell upon him and their
battle was renewed. The loup-cervicr
thought it a good time to escape, and
dropping on Gidcon's shoulder to break
Its fall-to the no small damage OF the
young mans clothes and nearly knocking
him from the limb. 1T rebounded to the
snow crust beneath and was ut once
pounced upon 10y two wolves, whom it
kept busy in smart running fight.
But things that he knew not of were
working In Gidcons favor. Coming
along the wood road that night were two
noted hunters of the region, "Unclc"
Ezekiel Chase and Nimrod Haynes, on
their return from hunting trip. On a
long "moose" sled they were hauling
the meat and skins that they had Sc
cured. AS they came near the clearing
they heard, a long way off, a booming
noise that caused Cncle Zeke to remark:
'If twas October instead o. March
should think some greenhorn was tryin'
to call bull moose"
''D'ye mind another noise, Uncle
Zeke," said his companion, like
houn's baying? It's wolves, sartin.
See that the magazine of yer sixteen
shooters charged n VII find out what
all that racket means"
The two hunters stole. toward the
noises and their wonder grew as the
sounds that they had taken for n
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