The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1894-08-04
BEAR GOVERNMENT.
THE WAY Old MRS eRUiS KEPT HER
NOISY CHILDREN QUIET.

The Shaggy Mother Rear CuEed the Ear
Of the Little Ones and shook the Cass
Repeatedly Because the Yoansssers
sgueaIed and Played.
Il once saw q she bear act toward her
cubs Just as I've seen women act toward
their children.- said an old Zoyalsoek bee
hunter last week Late uue August ]
lined q lot OF wild bees TO big h~ech tree
two miles back in the woods on Elk noun
tain ! located the bees in q hollow part O.
the trunk. far up toward the top, and when
went 10 mark the Iree 50 that Do one else
would claim il no;iessi that bar had
gone up and down the tree several times
only little vkile before
There was ioS Of ltsr- green bs~th tEark
st the batt, and locking up saw that
bear had be~n elawing and biting to 80 il
the hollow where the honey lay. dIdn'r
want to Gu, the tree for two or three weeks
a. the bees were gathering honey from the
wild flowers 81 late summer, and, for fear
that the tear might dig into the rrer and
steal the honey b-fore | got ready 10 chop
tie tree down, decided TO see if couldn't
catch the tear al it that night and shoot
ii in the act.
The next night I clintxsi the heulock.
heard the brush crack at n distance, beard
sonnet hing that sounded Ike the whining
OF cub, followed by low gruwl and
son everyt hing WAS still il the woods
a. il had b-rn- The tear didn't make its
appearance az the bee TREE that night, and
OF my way s-Tn- little after daylight,
szopp-d AT the house Of an old bear hunter
and told him Of my experience in the wo.ds
The Old rlAn chuckled over my LACK OF
knowledge concerning the habits OF t~ar-
for he Jaw through it all az once, and then
he told NE that the cracking had heard
was caused By bears feet. and that
bar always makes three or four circuits
around a bee tree in the night before it ap
proaches it. The bear had beard tramp
ing on the dead limbs, the old hunter said
had run across my track while il Was max
ing the first Circuit, and that it had made
itself scarce mighty quick after it had got
scent OF my boots And III be. a dollar
THAI il was a she bear with one or two
cubs,' he added.
Then he told me to take a couple 81
pieces Of board with me when went aFter
the bear the next time From tie time
you strike the woods till you get to the
tree he said. keep your boots on the
boards by taking one up from behind you
and placing it IL front Of you all the way
Dvnt let your boots touch the ground
boards and boots to your back and take
them up
That night followed the Old lear
hunters directions to the letter A little
after midnight heard the brush crack ing
around IN a circle, for the night was ca I'm
and clear and no wind ru-tleti the leaves
The sound Of cracking came nearer and
nearer, and when three circuits mad been
made by the heavy steps | was rewarded
for my long watching in the big Lemlock
by seeing a she bear steal cautiously tow ard
the bee tree. with TWO cubs tagging at her
heels
The old bar shifted around the butt OF
the tree couple OF times, gazed at the top
Tor moment, and teen stuck her claws n
the bark and started To climb The cubs
began to whine and whimper before their
mother had gone the length Of her up the
tree, and Immediately she began to stop
them by giving low growl and lookin :
back at them. But the cubs didn't stop
their noise, and all at once the old bear
backed down, gave each cub good shak
Ing, sat II up on its launches cuffed il.
ears, shook her fist at it and told il to stav
there till she came down
The cubs were as still as mice, and the
old bear quickly climbed to the top Of the
trunk and began TO tear at the wood with
her teeth | had intended to shoot the
bear in the tree, but when | saw that the
one that was trying TO steal my honey was
mother With two young ones TO looA
after my heart failed me. | might have
killed her easily with charge Of buck
shot, but ! was 80 deeply interested in her
cubs and her work that / made up nv
mind TO let her live and watch her while
che was doing her best 70 dig through the
wood 70 where the honey Law
In the course Of fifteen or twenty min
ut+s the cubs became tired Of sitting Oh
their hind quarters, got down on all fours
and started 20 play with one another
They rolled and capered in the under
brush, and in a little while they began to
squeaI and look up at their mother. a.
though they were coaXing her to come
down. The old bear flew into a rage over
the way they were acting, and hurriedly
acklnS down she gave them another Sc
we're shaking, scolded them, cuffed their
ears and set them up Oh their launches
Then she climbed the tree once more and
for nearly an hour, while she worked ike
beaver with tooth and claw to get at the
money, the cubs sat still as stumps and
didn't give vent to a single whimper
BY that time the old bear had tori,
through the wood to the honey, and when
she mad eaten a lot Of IL she backed down
with pawful Of honey for her young one,
The cubs gobbled it greedily, and the old
bear soon climbed up and fetched down
another pawful, which they ate quickly
All Of sudden the old bear started the
cuts of in front Of her, and in a moment
the bear family was out Of sight. The
next night chopped the tree down and
secured the rest Of the honey. | got a
"ashtub full out Of the hollow tree. and
Z "A fItr
and her cubs have their fill Of il for or,c. ,,
Cor. New York Tribune