The Bossier banner., 1894-08-23
BENTON, LOUISIANA, THURSDAY, AUGUST %, 1894.

In all my life 1 never saw eyes shine
so. believe | can make ont the out
lines of the bears head"
Slowly, with cool hunters deliber-
alton, Phil lifted the rife to his shout
Ger, and while he watched the shining
eyes, Roy seemed to hold his breath
The crack of the weapon awoke the
| echoes along the shore, and as the
| smoke lifted both boys leaned forward
with cagerness and looked toward the
shore.
'You missed him. cried Roy.
No. Look yoEder! The old fellow
has tumbled into the water and is in
the death struggle. Quick! Row to-
ward him before the eddy sucks him
in. We shall lose the bear if we are
| not careful
Roy needed no urging to force the
canoe through the water toward the
| spot where something was splashing
among the rocks, and Phil, who had
reloaded, was watching for another
shot, as he saw that the bear was des-
perately wounded, though not yet quite
conquered.
| As the canoe neared the spot there
was sudden plunge on the part of the
| animal, and the huge bulk vanished
| for a moment.
''Lostr' exclaimed Roy.
| Before Phil could reply, something
| dark aud wet rose almost underneath
| the frail canoe, and the next moment
he saw the taffrail in the grip OF a
bear. The great paws, looking doubly
! formidable in the unsteady light of the
! torch, with the weight of the bear,
threatened to overturn the boat, and
the ugly head with wide mouth bleed
ing from the boys shot, was enough
| to send chills of terror to the Nimrods'
hearts.
Back off, cried Phil, as he saw
that the canoe was almost among the
rocks and liable to be capsized by their
| foe.
Roy sprang anew to the paddles, and
as Phil rose in the boat to thrust the
rife into the bears face and terminate
the contest, the animal made desper-
ate effort to climb aboard
! The situation was now full of peril
| and the rocking OF the boat in the
swift waters caused the torch to scat
ter rain of fire over the devoted boys
and the bear, but the beast only
| blinl1ed his little eyes and redoubled
his efforts to scale the fragile rampant.
Finding that he could not get shot
at the bear as Roy backed the boat off.
| Phil struck with all his might with the
gun, bringing the heavy stock down
upon the huge head. He shattered
the weapon by the blow, while he ap-
parently left the skull of his antagoG-
ist uninjured.
In another movement the bear
lunged forward again, and the canoe
at the same time striking a rock was
capsized, spilling its occupants into
the water and putting out the torch.
All this happened in a second, as it
seemed, and the boys thus thrown into
the stream, and at the mercy of the
bear and current, struggled to right
the canoe and Chamber in again.
After awhile they succeeded, and
Roy, who was fortunate enough to re-
tain one paddle, pushed the boat from
the rocks and sent it out into the river,
| where it was caught in swift current
and carried along like a feather.
This is better than drowning among
the rocks-or being eaten up by the
bear" said Phil, as he looked back.
'But we've lost our Thanksgiving bear
steak, | guess"
Lost the bear?" cried Roy, sharply,
as his face whitened. Look yonder.
He is still clinging to the stern of the
boat"
This was true, as could be seen by
the moonlight which at that particu-
lar place fell through the trees upon
the eddying waters. The two boys
stared at the homely head lifted above
the tide and at the sharp claws that
seemed to dig their way into the
woodwork at stern. The bear held on
with a death grip as the current bore
the canoe and the young Nimrods rap
idly down the stream, now narrowly
missing some half-sunken tree, and
now nearly carsizing again as Roy
tried to escape hidden rock.
What shall we do?' cried Phil al
last, as he turned a frightened face to-
ward his companion. The bear is de
termined to prove our Jonah, and in
short time we shall reach the falls"
"Cut him loose" said Roy. "You
have your knife, haven't you?'
Phil hailed the suggestion with q
cry of JOY, and brought from the
depths of his pocket a big jack-knife,
and in another moment he leaned to.
ward the bear in their wake.
Instead of striking at the throat,
which was exposed, he drove The keen
blade into one of the feet, near the
root of the claws, and drew it toward
him. The bear growled savagely, bat
Phil bravely faced the beast, and sew
cred the other foot likewise.
"A tree! A treep' rang ont Roy:
voice at this moment, and before Phil
conld duck his head the canoe strucl
the obstacle in the middle of the Littlc
Red. and n a jitfy they were in the
water again and struggling to grasT
the limbs of the lodged tree.