St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-04-19
OUR NEIGHBORS-"T BEARS

The following entertaining legends
about bears are related by Celia
Gaines in Our Animal Friends, the
bright organ of the American Soci-
ETY. for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals:
A party of hunters were once in
pursuit of bear, when they were
all attacked by a monster stone
giant, and all but three of them were
destroyed. The three, together with
the bear, were carried by invisible
spirits up into the sky, where the
bear can still be seen pursued by the
first hunter with his bow, and by
the second with his kettle, while the
third, further behind, is gathering
sticks. Only in the fall do the
arrows pierce the bear, and then his
dripping blood tiuges the autumn
foliage. Then for time be is in
visible, but afterwards reappears.
Here is legend which reminds one
of those immortal babies, Romulus
and Remus: Some warriors once
encamped long distance from home,
and discovered, as they were prepar-
ing to return, that a young boy Of
their company was missing. After
searching vainly for him for several
days, they concluded that he had
been killed, and sadly departed with
out him. They were no soonergo
however, than the lost child, in an
almost ia mishing condition, was dis
covered by a very kindhearted bear,
who reasoned thus:
IF l attempt to relieve the child in
my present form, he will surely be
frightened to death. l will, there
fore, transform myselfinto woman,
and take the boy home with me to
become a playmate for my little
cubs"
The boy was accordingly rescued
from starvation, and lived very COM
fortably with the bear family. But,
at last, the warriors came back on
the same trail. Then the good bear
said to him.
Nov, my cubs can always take
care of themselves, and you must re-
join your friends; but always feel
kindly toward the bear tribe" upon
which she resumed her proper shape
and disappeared in the woods. The
boy, even when grown, was never
known to kill bear.
Here is another tale, which in its
quaint simplicity carries q moral
lesson of great force:
A certain man had a stepson
whom he hated He devised all
means to get rid of him. At last an
idea struck him. He went out hunt
ing very often, and one day he saw
a porcupine's hole. The very thing,
he thought. When he came home he
called his stepson.
''See here" said he, ~ have found
a porcupine's nest. l want you to
creep into the hole and catch some
of the young ones. Come, crawl in
The boy obeyed, and as soon as
his heels were in, the stepfa Their
closed up the hole and made him a
prisoner. When the little fellow
found himself betrayed, he cried and
cried until he cried himself to sleep;
and, upon awakening, he found him
self in a large wigwam with an old
squaw witch. She brought him
something to eat. but it was so bit
ter that he refused it. Then she
called all the animals around to a
council-wolves, bears, foxes and
deer-to ask them what boy must
have to live on. The fox said:
Il live on geese and fowls. I'll
take him."
But the council decided he could
not eat raw meat. Then the deer
and each animal told what he lived
upon, but none could offer proper
food for the lad. Last of all the
bear spoke:
II live, he said, ION nuts, and corn,
and berries. He may come and live
with my young ones" So the boy
was given to the bear by the squaw
witch, and lived with the cubs for
two years. One day the old bear
said:
"A hunter is coming; he means to
cut down our tree" True enough,
the next day a dog ran barking up,
the tree was cut down, and the kind
old woolly mother and her two cubs
were killed. The hunter thought
there might be still another cub, so
he looked into the hollow tree trunk.
The boy made a noise just like a
small bear. The hunter caught him,
and was so astonished at his ap-
pearance that he took him home to
his wigwarn, tanned him, taught him
to speak and live like man. After
some years he forgot he had ever
lived like a bear. He married a
daughter of the hunter, but his