The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-03-28
FOUR MEN AND A BEAR.
The Men We're Not Looking for . Live BEAR
rhey Had Not Reeeatly Lost oas-Bss
They Had Lively serImmsss
and Won the Rattle.

ScfcFui years dtu nh0 uccu In tuu
Adirondacks fishing and stopped. as
usual. on my way out at Corey's. as
the head OF Upper saranac Lake. says
writer in Forest aud Stream. Corey
came home that night from Follansbeo
Pond. where he had been fishing for
mnscalouge. and reported them very
plentiful. so we decided 10 stay over
another day and try them. We started
next morning Il. Duriee aud
his guide. Ed Flagg. myself and my
guide. Rob w. Nichols. We crossed
Indian Carry. down tin Ampersand
creek and out into the RAquctte river
for the pond. In going down th. river
we came to quite wide place with
long narrow island In IL just before
reaching tho island saw something
swimming in the river aud asked Rob
a. It was dog. lie looked and said.
mo. Il is bear" We were la
pretty fix. with neither gun. pistol.
Ratchet nor axe La our boats. We'll"
said ], 'lets have some fun anyhow"
wo taking the paddles and the guides
standing up in the bows OF the boats.
each with an oar in his hands Wo
padded down one boat each side OF
that bear aud then the fun began.
First one and then the other would
bring down the butt OF their oar with
all their might on that bears head
TIL the blows resounded far and near.
Still he kept swimming. the blows
kept falling and he constantly crowd
ing toward the island.
When found he was going 10 land
and had reached within dozen feet
OF the shore. thought would change
the order OF exercises and showed my
beat directly between him and the
shore; he just raised one paw and
made IA strike for the boat; | oaly
avoided the blow by swinging the bow
nearer the shore. AS IL was. he just
missed us. but scraped his claws down
the side OF the boat leaving marks
that always remained. Then he diyed.
went under the boat and camo up tho
other side onto the island. We were
out OF the boat about ns soon ms he
landed. and dragging II alter us were
in the water on the other side about
as soon AS he was. Then tho pound
Ing operation recommended No
crowded us toward the snore Ia spite
OF all we could do. kept calling TO
my guide 10 hit him on the nose ". he
wanted TO curl him up. but he couldn't
seem TO find any place except tina top
OF his skull. He crowded .us To the
mainland and just before he reached
IL Ed gave him AN extra blow. break
ing his oar, and he went down aud We
thought we had him; but he was SO
near shore his feet touched bottom and
that gave him courage. and coming up
he blew the water from his nostrils,
took few moro steps and went lum-
boring off into the woods.
Well, we landed We didn't follow
that bear. We had no further use for
that bear. In fact. we didn't waai
that bear any more. Don't think we
would have taken the gift OF him
We sat down and talked II over. Tried
TO find out which OF us was the biggest
fool. Told how we might have given
him shove with the our aud sent him
under water aud when no came up
showed him under again and soon
drowned him. Also how few raps
over the nose would have fixed him.
and several ana various other ways la
which we might have captured him.
II any OF your readers think they
could have captured big bear In thu
water with nothing but n couple OF
fish poles and couple OF oars.
should like TO SEQ the fun. Well. we
continued on TO Follansboe pond and
had the best OF luck fishing. | got
one muscalonge weighing 22 pounds.
Durfee one OF Is and one OF 10. be-
rides some 60 more from 2 to 10
pounds. We reached Corey's safely
that night. where jhe women folks
made us present OF a leather modal.
out from the leg OF an old boot for
goinO boar hunting without a Qun