The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-01-19
AGAINST GREAT ODDS.
Peter Nelson's Bear Fight in the
Burning Timber

1T was TO fight fire and not bear that
Peter Nelson. of Grand Narais. Mich,
started for the woods bounding his
clearing on the west side hut the first
thing hc knew he had fight with both
fire and bears on his hands" said
New York sun correspondent who
hunts annually in the Michigan woods
There had been forest fires of more
or less extent in the vicinity for several
days, and At last Nelson discovered that
they were cncroaching rather near to
his clear UT- so he hooked his horse to
his blackboard and drove up the road
that would take HIM within two or
three hundred yards of the burning
bush, where, 10y back firing judiciously,
lie thought he could remove all danger
from the advancing flames. Whenever
anyone starts TO travel two or three
miles through that wild country he
takes his Winchester with him if he
has one. and if hc hasn't one any kind
of gun hc has, for game is thick ont
there, and person is liable at almost
any moment To run across deer or =
bear or wolf. or have one run across
ilim. So Nelson took his Winchester
along. lie had to drive about Il mile
and a half before he came to the mar
row piece of woods lying between the
road and the burning timber, and
which hc intended 10 cross 10 reach the
latter 20 d-ht the fire. Just as he
reached IA @ narrow strip he saw two
little bear cubs tumble out of the
bushes ~ that side Of the road and com
tiuue the rough-aud-tumble play they
had begun in the woods.
AT SIGHT of the cubs Nelson stopped
his horse. The black and shaggy little
bears looked so cute that Nelson
couldn't resist the temptation to cap
turc them alive He got out of his
wagon. leaving his rifle leaning against
thc seat. But the cubs didn't want TO
bc captured, and, at the approach OF
Nelson, ran into the woods, on the side
OF the road opposite the one they had
Just appeared on, as fast as their fat
httlc legs would carry them. Nelson
followed but the cubs got two or three
rods into the woods before he overlook
them He grabbed one of them and
was about to seize the other one when
ne heard a savage growl in the bushes
ahead of him, and the next instant the
mother of the cubs came crashing
along towards him. She was not forty
feet away, when Nelson dropped the
cubs and made double-quiclI time for
the road, the bear only u few jumps be-
hind him.
There are not many horses that will
aOt become tcrrOr-stricl<en at the proX-
unity OF bear, and the mere scent Of
Jruiu win throw some horses into
panic. Nelson's horse W Is one Of the
timorous kind, and its owner reached
thc road Just IN time to see the fright
aneI animal tearing down the road,
and the blackboard carecning and jolt
ing over the rough way in q manner
that left little hope for its lasting long.
But Nelson had no time to bemoau the
running away OF his horse, for the saw
age and angry old bear was close he
hind him and getting nearer At every
jump. Nelson cleared the road almost
at "a bound. for he knew he could not
outruu the bear if he kept in the road,
and. taking the first tree he came To,
was up in its branches out of the reach
OF the bear before hc knew II, and
without any clear idea OF how he got
there.
The tree was not more than eight
inches through, and consequently too
small for the bear to climb. That in
creased her fury. Ordinarily a she bear
with cubs is satisfied with encompass
ing the safety of her offspring 10y put
ting to flight. the foe that endangered
them, and loses no time in putting dis
tance between her and her family and
the threatening foe But this one was
not inclined that way. Her temper
vyus evidently naturally ugly; the in
terlcrcnce with her cubs had increased
that ugliness tenfold; the freeing of
the object of her rage in tree so
small that she could not follow him
added TO it in like degree. She made
the most desperate efforts to climb the
saDlinr in vain. She gnashCd it with
her great teeth, tearing out great chips
and splinters, threatening the stability
of the trunk, much to the alarm OF
Nelson. She dug away the earth at
the roots of the tree. scooping ont
great hollows as If she intended To mp
root it and topple it and her foe to the
ground together, accompanying her
work with the most frightful cries of
rage.
''For ten or fifteen minutes the bear
varied her previous and persistent ef-
forts to get at Nelson, and those min
utcs had been so full of terror and CX-
element to the latter that all thought
of what he had come out there to do
had lett ms fiind 4 many II came 70
him and increased his uneasincss- 1t
had been half an hour or more since he
left home. He noticed that a strong
wind right out of the west had come
mp The air had been full of smoke all
dav. but. as that had been the case for
many davs. it had not caused him any
unusual apprehension. But rs he grad
uallv recovered from the excitement OF
the bears pursuit, seeing that he was
safe from her in the tree, he notices
that the smoke had grown much denser-
1t was so dense at the height he wa
from the ground that it was becoming
sitting. He noticed with increasing
alarm that it was charged with heat.
which came in puffs and waves some
where from the woods behind HIM lie
knew what that meant. The wind had