The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-01-20

! instead of following him. had upset the
! basket and was knocking the dishes
/ about in a playful way. as she de-
voured greediiy the few sweet things
! it contained.
While Ephraim was excitedlv trying
( 10 free himself from the tangle Of Wild
vines which detained him. TIE transit
| man decided 70 take a back-sight pre-
| paratory to making point ahead. Re-
yersing the telescope and signaling
rod up" by joining his hands above
| his head. johnson sighted through the
tube to the rear point
The glass showed the red and whits
staff standing upright about where it
| should be, but he could see no Ephroiln
| behind 1t.
"Coniound that rear stoEmnn:' he
nuttered, anCrily. Res never on
hand! There's the staff sticking up,
but how arr l to know whether it's be-
hind the point, or foot to one side OF
it?7
He wiped the glass OF the instrument.
aud looked sgain. The men standing
by soon saw an expression of astonish-
ulS1AG OVSEHtIfedu lis HUE
He had reason 10 look wonGeY-struclI
and doubt his senses, for the cross
hairs of bis telescope were focused
upon the nose Of black bear standing
upright behind the rear staff, and hold
ing it with both forepaws,
VIII one OF you look down the line
aud inform me- what that is behind the
reer staff? # it isn't q bear, I don't
know one when I see it, said John
son. Here, Jim. sight through the
telescope, and tell me what you see,-
he added, turning to James Labcee. the
head chairman, who hGd come back for
an arrnful of stakes
jim soHfnted through the transit,
while the other men stared with unas-
sisted eyes down the line to the rear
point,
Tvs bear said Jirn, "or never
sow onei He's ash akin the pole. Now
he's got It down. Where's Bod6sh all
this tiJne?"
Without the aid Of telescope the
other men could see that some animal
Was there, and Jim, through toe tram
sit, saw the bear swing the staff to
toe ground, toss and cuff il about, and
rise on her hind legs, holding It in her
paws rs IA W recruit might handle
mBslcet.
Probably since railroads first were
built no surveying party was ever more
thoroughly 2stoDished than was that
particular party bout the transit.
The drst symptom of returning pres
ence of mind among the group mani
tested itself in call to the axman
ahead TO hurry back to join them-
Then leaving the transit standing
where it was all hands SET out on the
run for the reer station.
It was not an easy matter to make
haste over the woodland huu1moc,zs
ard houows, with the stamps OF the
lately cut bushes and saplings sticking
up to trip ones feet, and Bog stream TO
cross.
One by one the runners reached the
water course, balanced and tiptoed
upon the slippery tree trunk that
served as foot bridge TO the other
bank, and kept onward as well as their
supply OF breath would permit down
the path; but when the foremost ones
reached the rear point, neither bear nor
sfs6fnaan could be seen.
The men called loudly for Ephraim
as they beat about tho wood ON every
hand in search of him and the bear,
hardly hoping to End the one alive, and
not expecting to see the other at all
But they did not know the tricks and
the manners Of the audacious four
footed animal that had so coolIy
usuped the rear staRman's place
Jim Labree, catching sight Of a move
nent in a ciump of brakes, threw
club into Il; when the bear, which had
been lying low, came out at him so
ard fuZIous!y that he was
nearly saized before he realized his
danger.
The heRG-chainuran stood his ground
manfuily, and swung his AK stoutly at
the brute The blow was parried as
neatly as fencing master would turn
a foil, and so forcibly that the weapon
flew out OF its owners hand. as jim
and her claws caught in his bootleg
Rnd threw him down.
BY the time the other mem bers of
She party realized what was going on,
In was fat on the ground, and the
bear upon him The fierce beast struck
him one blow with her paw, which,
had il reached his head, would certain
" have ended his cl1ain-earryina for all
time; but it hit bis arm instead,
vTenched his shoulder, and tore his
sleeve and the skin 6eDeath IL
The bears nose was at his throat,
where the sharp teeth would have
quickly ended JiT1s career had not
stone, thrown by one Of the men, struck
the brute in the RIBS and drawn her at
tention 20 the otaer assaLL2nts.
The party rallied promptly 10 their |
comrades aid, and attacked the bear
with axes, surveying STATS, stones
,4ub s. anything they could snatch up
hastily - use as = weapon. EelIn-
gushing her victim, the bear slowly
turning from time 70 time 20
lash at tho nearest pursners
For several minutes II was al that
the party, acting together. could do 10 .
keep her away from them. Mt las: T
igltwcod knot, thrown by orc q
hem, bit her On tho nose, ana the
beast fell n heap The blow had
Knocked the fight out Of her, but sac
v@s up again in a moment and lest 10
lime in taking 70 the bushes, IN vblca
'he quickly disappeared
The party now had time 20 look to-
Sphrs{En. FOR whose safety they had
many fears They searched The under
-rowth on every side, dreadlar TO had F.