The herald., 1894-12-25
\HOMPSON'S ESCAPE.
Ia Christmas Eve Adventure.l

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winch hester, while a second robber
stepped out of the copse behind him,
rife in hand, and, with an oath, ordered
him to dismount.
Colonel Thompson saw that the odds
were decidedly against him, and believ-
ing that discretion was the better part
of valor," he dismounted, and allowed
one of the robbers to take his revolver,
trusting to luck for some other means of
ting the highwaymen. He
was made to stand in the middle of the
road, his hands in the air, and while one
of the robbers covered him with win-
chester the other robber began q search
of the saddle.bag in which the gold
was placed, fact which made the
colonel suspect that some OF the miners
had given information of his journey.
After examining the saddle bags the
robber gave his companion q knowing
look and then began search of the
colonels person. He took the colonel's
gold watch and several trinksts which
the latter priced very highly. The rob.
ber then took the colonefs blankets
from the saddle and threw them on the
road.
The colonel was so stung by the rob-
ber's insolence and meauness that for
the first time in his life he was about al
lowing his anger to get the best OF him,
and was preparing to spring at the rob-
ber's throat, which would have been in
stant death, when robbers and robbed
were startled on hearing a blood -curd-
ling growl in their rear. Looking they
saw coming towards them huge grizzly
bear with it's mouth open.
With q bound the colonel's horse
broke from the robber and dashed along
the road. while the colonel made for a
convenient mountain ash which he
climbed with the agility of telegraph
lineman, and made himself secure in
FORK 20 feet from the ground.
Az the horse started he threw the
robber who was holding him almost
under the BEARS feet. The bear had
been sitting on its hind legs when bull
let from the other robbers winchester
struck him in the shoulder. This in
iuriated the monster. With almost in
conceivable velocity he rushed upon the
prostrate robber, and with the blow
from his chisel-edged claws removed the
entire scalp from his head.
The other robber, seeing the fate of
his companion. fought with desperation.
He literally pumped lead into the bear,
every shot striking, but instead of weak
ening the monster, each shot seemed to
direct him towards his antagonist. One
shot striking him in the shoulder
brought him to the ground, which re-
tarded his movements for moment,
but the next moment he sprang up and
rushed at the robber, its eyes gliHtening
like two balls OF fire.
The robbers courage now deserted
him, for he began to call to the colonel
to come and aid him, but getting no en-
couragement from the latter, he dropped
his gun and ran. With one bound the
maddened bear overlook him and with
q single blow from his from fore paw
broke the robbers back, and then liter
ally tore him into pieces.
Colonel Thompson, who Witnessed the
fight with entire satisfaction, now bit
terly regretted that he did not try and
make his escape during the contest, es
be saw the bear rush toward the two.
The furious grizzly, uttering deep
growlg, struck its claws into the tree, but
its limbs were not sufficiently powerful
to raiSe its great weight up perpendicu-
lar tree trunk. fact which greatly re-
lisved the colonel. The bear made re-.
peated efforts, but finally gave it up
and ran toward the colonel's blankets.
which were lying folded upon the
ground some 80 yards distant. With
teeth and clawa he ripped the blankets
open, and next moment lifted one of
his forepewa between the claws of which
he held bright metaltic-louking OBJ
ject which he at first tried to eat but
soon dropped again upon the ground.
He picked it up again with his claws
and brought it down with @ smash upon
q rock. A terrific explosion rent the
air, and bear, rock and tons OF earth
went skyward like a flash, while the
colonel had the clothes almost stripped
from his body. The metallic-looking
object wea stick CT dynamite which
the colonel had for blasting purposes in
his mine.
AS soon so be was able She colonel got
down from the tree and wrapped what
remained of his blankets around him to
keep himself from freezing. One talon
six inches long was the only part OF the
bear he could find, while six feet OF q
hole in the ground showed the force of
the explosion. He found his horse
cropping bunch grass at little dis
tance. and after his thrilling experience
of the day succeeded in reaching his
home in time to spend the happiest
Christmas of his life with his family.
In America it has been observed that
bees often bore tubular corollas in Or
der to get at the nectar of flowers. in
stead OF entering by the mouth, as
humble bees do in Europe. In essays
on the ross-fertilization Of flowers this
supposed anomaly has been the gu b ject
of much comment. 1t now appears
that the humble bees OF Europe and
America have identical habits in regard
to the manner in which the visits to
flowers are made, aud that it is the
class OF insects known as the carpenter
bse, or the borer, which works in the
outside manner indicated.
There is much more of public gam
bling in Europe than ia commonly sup
posed. Besides Monte Carlo, which still
does a big business. the following list of
gambling places with their winnings
last year is given: Offend kursaal and
clubs. 5000. 900 francs; Dunkirk casino,
300,0 900 francs; Boulogne casino, 500 900
francs; Trouville, 45O, 900 in the casino,
and at the Hotel Eden. $50, 900; Dieppe.
100000; Coburg, $50. 600; Havre. Fras-
gate, 10000; La Trepot. 0,000; Biar-
ritz, 10000 AK les Bainea, .0O0,-
600; Bessncon, 10000; Vichy, 1,0O0,-
900.
In the whole range of the Alps there
are but two peaks which measure mora
than 15. 600 feet in height, and only six
or seven that go above $4,000. In the
Himalaya range, however, there are