The Bessemer indicator., 1893-02-18
EATEN BY POLAR BEARS.
AN AFRICANS COLOR SAVED
HIM FROM A LIKE FATE.
A Coiored Man Alone Out of Crew of
Twelve Lived to Tell the Story
Tho white Hear Not Cow
ard as Some believe.


told us he gathered crowd about
him in waterfront saloon, says the
San Francisco Examiner.
II was one of the crew of twelve
who left this port in 1876 on the
whisky trader Nellie for Il cruise
among the islands of the North, and
was also one of the seven OF that
twelve who reached the shore when
the vessel went to pieces off st.
Mathews Island. OF that seven | was
the only one who lived to tell the story,
and it was my color that saved me.
alt was in June that wo went
ashore. The wreck occurred early in
the morning, and by noon there
wasn't enough left OF the vessel to
make n cane for dude. We saved
nothing but our lives and the clothes
on ou.. backs. The island was unin-
habited, though it has plenty Of tim
ber, and we were able to build shell
ter OF brush and driftwood.
About midnight one of the men
startled us broad awake by Il yell which
should have been heard by all the
ships upon the sea. He seemed to be
dragged away by a huge shape, and
we heard his cries grow fainter and
fainter, but didn't dare to follow.
We had no light, and all we could do
was to wait for the morning.
"At dawn wc found all that WIS
left of our shipmate-a pile of bones
and blood-staincd garments-not 100
yards from our shelter. From the
tracks in the soft ground we knew he
had been dragged off and eaten by
bears. We found that the island
swarmed with polar bears, and CON
cluded that our only safety lay in
climbing tall trees and sleep up
there.
This roos;ing high like turkeys
grew very tiresomc in short order,
and we set about building stout
brush corral. We picked up an ak
with a broken helvo in the wreckagc
on the shore, and in two days had a
C rral and hut that looked as If they
would Withstand herd of elephants.
"Tho bears went through that
brush stockade as if it had been made
of paper. The men scattered for the
trees, but two of them were caught,
killed and eaten.
"You may have been told that a
polar bear is coward, and that he
will retreat il man shows fight.
That's one of the lies OF those natur-
alist chaps, who make habits for ami
mails from tho top stories Of brick
buildings. Why, get two or three of
those bears together and hungry and
they'd attack the United States army.
1.-The death of those two men set
tied the question of sleeping. We
didn't try any more stCckados but
stuck to the trees, and wished they
were higher. But we couldn't stay
there always. We had to cat, and
the bears seemed to know it. They
took to coming round during the day
and shifting ut tho roots OF the trees
where we were. This forced us to
make our sallies to the beach togeth-
er, and we had to be very quick
about gathering tho mussels and
other shelliish.
"But with all our caution one more
chap was surprised and killed, and
then the three survivors drew lots as
to who should gather the days food.
The man who drew the short twig the
first day refused to go. So we had a
row, and each man had to shift for
himself.
II starved in my tree three days
before dared make n dash for food
or drink. ] could see or hear bears
all the time. Finally, ran for it.,
swallowed as much water as ! could
hold and luckily came upon u double
handful of musscls.
"Ihe bears didn't bother me, but
the moment the other men attempted
a similar feat they were pursued.
One was overtaken and eaten, right in
plain view. Two big beasts laid siege
to the tree of the other He stuck it
out for three days more. and then
from weakness or delirium fell or
threw himself down
after that | nearly went mad. l
could see no hope. Vessels rarely
touched at the island. The mussels
were nearly all gone from that beach,
and expected to be eaten if made n
move. At last, however. / was forced
to do something, so I slid to the
ground and started for the spring.
Hardly had taken the first sip,
when out Of the brush came n bear.
jumped up TO run, but in my weak
ened condition stumbled, fell and
couldn't rise. The great brute was
upon me, and gave up hope. | felt
his hot breath on my face. He turned
me over with rough touch OF a
paw.
Then he shifted and went away.
Boys, polar bears won't cat mig
gers. It's because we are superior
race. Black meat is too rich for
them.
after that I worked around to the
other side OF the island where there
was more to eat on the beach. and
just at the time / was down to bone
and queer in my head the Canadian
sealer Ottawa blew in for water.
when told the aealors about the
bears they thought l was light up
aloft on account OF my troubles. But
| showed tn I'm the tracks and all
hands turned out for n hunt. They
killed eight the first day and twenty
three before the week was out.