Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-08-19
TRAPPING FOR BEAR.

Will ever be lmmortallZed In song or
story. There is not enough of it to
make a song. and it possesses few
charms likely to attract a romancer.
But in the days OF the rebellion it had
charms Of substantial kind for two
small boys l wot OF. in that it
abounded in fur bearing ANIMALS
whose pelts brought money to their
purses and the catching of which
gave salad TO existence.
In visiting an unfrequented part OF
the region round about one day in
late autumn the boys came upon a
narrow trail beaten deep into the soft
earth and leading around small low
place that was usually filled with
water
Bears did that III betl" was the
instant verdict of one of them in
which the other at once conceded.
Had they not been afflicted with
bearomania their knowledge of wood
craft would have told them It was an
Indian trail. 50 constantly used that
individual footprints could not be
distinguished. But in their then
frame of mind it must be bear trail.
"a main Travelled road of Bruin, so to
speak and they governed themselves
accordingly.
1t was four miles up the neighbor-
ing river to the residence Of gentle
man retired by reason Of old age
from the pursuit OF peltry. but who
still had in his possession a bear trap
with teeth in It's formidable jaws more
appalling to look upon than those IN
the Jaws of bear himself and which
had II cruel tendency to make az near
an approach a. possible TO meeting in
the flesh of whatever should step in
TO it,
This the boys borrowed. although
Old Mack. its owner was openly
skeptical about there bring bear in
the vicinity.
The thirst OF glory to be won by
getting the bear was so great that they
were unusually careless and unskill-
full in setting their other traps that
day, and in fact regarded ordinary
trapping as a rather petty business
good enough for sqCaws no doubt
but on the whole entirely beneath the
dignity of men of enterprise and
proper spirit
1t befell at dusk that night as il
invariably does that the Indians
wendell their way toward their camp
with the spoils of the chase upon
them. with an eye single to supper
and sleep There are some things
however which an Indian does by in-
stinct and one of these Is to be per-
petually on the lookout for pitfalls
and ambuscades. Consequently. when
each noble son OF the forest came to a
spot in the trail whero there was a
pile OF leaves, and chiefly leaves from
trees which did not grow in that vi
cinity. he reelected that though it
might be and probably was all right.
ii would require no extra effort to
step over instead OF into the midst of
the pile. Such is Indian philosophy.
Ke-ke-chump-we-ak was behind
time as usual He was an Indian
bore of the first magnitude. and his
name (Eviscerated Bluejay) had been
given hiai in recognition OF the fact
that he would have occupied the
whole time OF every council saying
nothing were it not for the unanimous
determ nation Of the village to sit
down on him very soon after he arose
to deliver his orations
lie made it a point to be late in
order that he might narrate a won
derful adventure as the cause of his
hardness But the god of the red
men had evidently taken a frealxish
fancy on this occasion TO discourage
the vice OF lying among his devotees.
1t was as dark as a night can con-
h. uvl h.,
trap and the old fellow was busy
mentally arranging the minor details
of his thrilling tale. The consequence
was that to his confusion shame and
great physical pain he was fast in that
bear trap in a jiffy-or perhaps less.
Ugh! Wow D-n' was his BIZ
lingual exclamation on realizing his
undone condition. And thereupon. as
there was nothing else to do, he took
a few painful moments for reelection.
To call for help and thereby betray
the fact that he was the only man in
the tribe without sense enough to
avoid the trap would be a disgrace
not 10 be thought of for moment.
To endure the agony he then felt was
also dire alternative. TO get out OF
his predicament. and sneak into camp
without attracting attention was the
one thing altogether desirable Mean
while the trap with the assistance OF
its powerful steel spring. was trying
to bite him to the bone
In due time his Squaw. now safe in
camp would miss him. and probably
take the trail in search of him; but
how long firstp
Let the sacredness OF the blessed
state of matrimony be the excuse for
passing over In silence the converse.
aion that followed when she found
him and while she was loosening the
straps remorseless jaws. Civiliza-
ton undoubtedly furnishes an abund-
ance OF parallels to that scene but no
one will pretend that the scene should
be described on that account So
fierce and voluble was she in her COM
ments that the instant he felt him
self 10 the undisputed possession OF
both legs he knocked her good ten