The Wichita daily eagle., 1893-12-19
AGAINST GREAT ODDS.
Peter Nelson's Bear Fight In the
Burning Timber.

'Itwas to fight fire and not bear tha,
Peter Nelson, of Grand Marais. Mich
started for the woods bounding his
| clearing on the west side, but the first
thing he knew he had fight with both
| fire and bears On his hands," said q
New York Sun correspondent who
hunts annually in the Michigan woods.
| There had been forest fires of more
or less extent in the vicinity for several
days, and at last Nelson discovered that
they were encroaching rather near to
his clearing, So he hooked his horse to
his blackboard and drove up the road
| that would take HIM within two OF
three hundred yards of the burning
bush, where, by back firing judiciously,
he thought he could remove all danger
| from the advancing flames Whenever
| anyone starts to travel two or three
miles through that wild country he
| takes his Winchester with him if he
has one, and if he hasn't one any kind
of gun he has, for game is thick out
| there, and a person is liable at almost
any moment to run across a deer or a
bear or a wolf, or have one run across
| him. So Nelson took his Winchester
along. He had to drive about mile
and half before he came to the mar
row piece Of woods lying between the
road and the burning timber, and
which he intended to cross to reach the
latter to fight the fire. Just as he
reached that narrow strip he saw two
little bear cubs tumble out of the
bushes at that side Of the road and con-
tinue the rough-and-tumbl play they
hat begun in the woods
"lAt sight of the cubs Nelson stopped
his horse. The black and shaggy little
bears looked SO cute that Nelson
couldn't resist the temptation to cap
ture them alive. He got ont of his
wagon, leaving his rifle leaning against
the seat But the cubs didn't want to
be captured, and, at the approach of
Nelson, ran into the woods, on the side
Of the road opposite the one they had
just appeared on, as fast as their fat
little legs would carry them. Nelson
followed, but the cubs got two or three
rods into the woods before he overlook
them. He grabbed one of them and
was about to seize the other one when
he heard savage growl in the bushes
ahead Of him. and the next instant tho
mother of the cubs came crashing
along towards him. She was not forty
feet away. when Nelson dropped tho
cubs and made double-quick time for
the road, the bear only few jumps be-
hind him.
'"There are not many horses that will
not become Ierror-stricken at the prox-
unity Of bear, and the mere scent of
bruin will throw some horses into
panic. Nelson's horse W as one Of the
timorous kind, and its owner reached
the road just in time to see the fright
cned animal tearing down the road,
and the buck board careening and jolt
ing over the rough way in a manner
that left little hope for It's lasting long.
But Nelson had no time to bemoan the
rnnniag away Of his horse, for the saw
age and angry old bear was close be-
hind him and getting nearer at every
jump. Nelson cleared the road almost
at bound, for he knew he could not
OulI III SAS OctzK IL liC kCpb lu tiic TOdt,
and, taking the first tree he came to.
was up in its branches ont of the reach
of the bear before he knew it. and
without any clear idea of how he got
there.
THE tree was not moro than eight
inches through. and consequently too
small for the bear to climb. That in
- f,~ H.,
with cubs is satisfied with encompass
ing the safety OF her offspring by put
ting to fight the foe that endangered
them, and loses no time In putting dis
tauce between her and her family and
the threatening foe. But this one was
not inclined that way. Her temper
was evidently naturally ugly; the in
reference with her cubs had increased
that ugliness tenfold; the freeing OF
the object of her rage in tree so
small that che could not follow him
added to 1t in like degree. She made
the most desperate efforts TO climb the
sapling in vain. She gnashed it with
her great teeth, tearing out great chips
and splinters, threatening the stability
of the trunk. much to the alarm Of
Nelson. She dug away the earth ct
the roots ot the tree. scoopfng out
great hollows as Il she intended 10 up
rooti It and topple It and her foe TO the
ground together, accompanying her
work with the most frigh,ful cries OF
rage
For ten or fifteen minutes the bear
varied her previous and persistent ef-
forts to get at Nelson. and those min
utes had been so full of terror and ex-
citemen. to the latter that all thought
of what he had come out there 10 do
had left his mind Finally il came TO
him and increased his unessiuess 1t
had been half an hour or more since he
left home He noticed that a strong
wind right cut of the west had come
up The air had been full OF smoke all
day, but. as that had been the case for
many days. it had not caused him any
unusual apprehension But as he grad
ualIy recovered from the excitement ct
the bears pursuit, seeing that he vas
safe from her N the tree. he noticed
that the smoke had grown much 6enser.
1t was so dense at the height he was
from the ground that IL was becoming
sitting. He noticed with increasing
alarm that IL was charged with heat.
" which came IN puffs and wares sorne-
where from the woods behind him. tie
knew wlia; that meant The wiad had |
famed the wood fires TO greater vol-
ume. and was driving il forward with
increased rapidity upon The spot where
be vas held captive by tie bra-. so