The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-03-05
BIER BRUINS DINNER PARTY.
The Bill or Faro Was Choice and None o
the e'ourses Was Skipped.

FREDERICTON. N. B.. Feb. PSI tbere Is any
man in this province who ought to know all
about bears. that man is the veteran hunter
and trapper Harry Braithwaite. During his
lifetime Harry has killed about $50 bears.
But when Harry came out OF the woods last
week his face was as long as an axe handle.
and he was hungry all over and angry clean
through. He said he had found out more
about bears In five minutes than he could for
get II lie lived rs long as old Methuselah.
Harry's ~favorite trapping ground for some
years back has been the head waters OF the
Dungarvon and %ltenous. He has q line OF
ira s up there over seventy miles long. he
has five camps along the route. one OF them q
stout log camp for his central depot. while the
I others are common "lean-tos." In this main
camp he keeps all his supplies and provisions.
and when he makes the round OF his traps
once a week he carries along Just enough
grub to last him out the cruise.
Brnithwaite says he never saw SO many bear
signs as he did this season. The winter was
late setting in. and very few hears took to
their dens until the LIST Of December. They
roamed through the woods in droves. hunt
Ing for beechnuts. tearing up old stumps. and
prowling around the lumber camps. They
were long nosed. gaunt as greyhounds. aHd
very cheeky. Harry trapped six Of them in
the month OF December. but then tho snow
became deep and the bears disappeared.
All through the month OF January not a bear
was to be seen. They were securely hidden
In hollow logs and under old blow-downs and
along the edges OF cedar swamps. Then there
came a big thaw. and all the bears came out
to find their shadows.
On the tnIrd day Of the thsw; Just at sun;
hard snowsioe tramp With a biz load Of
formed him at oncethat something Very much
nlt nj fha n n rim hnI nnnnrrnf IN hta
absence. m around tho camp for rods and
rods were the tracks Of bears; Near the camp
roof, OF the camp the snow was packed down
hard 10 one place. where the bears had been
dows in the can't p. and the beats had smashed
every pane OF glass In both OF them. 4 large
and 1t looked rs il about a hundred bears had
6Geen r9 oil IN tn there = g u for a a VIE; v, I wi,n T bs1t
eaten potatoes. pilot biscuit. Goldfish. smoked
herring. and tea.
camp were numerous. tho scene inside the
camp, Bruithwaito SAYS. WAS simply APPALLING.
toes, goldfish. biscuit. and herring. lust ike the
yard; only q great deal more 50; Tho door
s ..aI 1ssp I ,n4sa ,19m t. it's Hi"ss s.s saa + FAD Sic b SS,s
ont ana pitched about ile eamp The deGcoa
been uD. ended and rolled around until every
floor: over in one corner otthe camp a can OF
r,oIasses had been sril!e! by the bears;
sna it s wn- s frnis1 o 5F'm b,o tGe , mnu of
on the logs thu, ne ca anIma's h,l f9nGl, Hereby
buck wheat meal had been torn open and part
Of the contents emptief into tho inilen stove.
a 4, T"rk G narE Ind rGn nesn sm.s seopt If tiity pounds
and all OF the meat !evoured or carried off.
Thea = large r,IO h OF %psl'ri %i,t eons,st!nG q
mmskrat skins. had been overhaW!ed and many
Of them destroyed. n !acy. Bra.thwalte says
i 'ins' ANN HH' That tho Ss" Sesrs s'i haa not Q, s I'ovesiq the III
noses intT EXCEPT !. ley cans OF meat and
s Sso nn; and na' pI Es"sdi ' "aH ,w si""' lem 's 60 t Ssas
hearts content. but not being able to smell
iHssy lad f"dd' sven r I"p dr% an old pair 'o ot tr, ossns
ara hIans them up at hal, mast on the door q
o course ,Brai,hwaite's eyes stuck, out a
good deal when he saw all this. but Ee Was
bunk above the deacon seat. For there he
saw. rolled snngiy up in the blankets. the
could make out what Killed The bear. but when
h n t0 found and nst tnHt al his fox .sIt, Composed
that tho bear had beer merely guilty Of an
error Of Judgment.
ne AS srs sG Gnh W Ss me lnli sXtsnt mon OF the riiI the
@laye vengeance without delay. lie spent a
and tho next morning bright and early slipped |
ON his snowshoes and started up the trail. He \
found that the bears were four ir number. not
counting the old sinner that was tucked un in
the bunk; The trail was fully two days old.
but Braithwaite relied on finding tho critters
rect. for. after following the trail a short dis
tance., all, four Of the hears. two OF which
proved to be ~yearl!nR cubs. were found sleep
Ing of the effects ofthe recent racket under an
old spruce ,rampike, Bra,thwaite opened FIRE
at once and wiped out the whole tribe, not one
Of the hears getting twenty rods from the dra.
That made the oil irapper feel better. but
the episode as q whole had such n depressing
effect on him tina on tho following day he
packed tho most OF his furs on he toboggnn
and started for the settlement. In n few days
go In and wind up the winters operations lie
says the next time Br'er Bruin has n tea party
the llrsI cnursr On tia I'LL II inru Mill L. ia.I L