The Van Buren press., 1895-11-02

The disappointed men stared blAnkly
1t one another; but Jack, moro shrewd
than any Of them, had been all the
time watching the water. Now he ex.
citedly yelled:
Look! lookl old Devil Bears maxi
ing for the other shore. Seel there's .
sort Of .wavy motion above where he's
swimming. Pick up your rides and
we'll all shoot together when he shows
himself at the other bank"
| The river was at this place about ono
hundred yards wide, and the water.
being backed up by dam below, was
very still and deep; bat the riAemen,
snxiously scanning its sunlit surface.
had no difficulty In tracing the sub
merged monsters progress by slight
shimmering line left in his wake.
Steadily and with wondrous speed he
drew toward the opposite shore; in q
few seconds he must come into view,
all thought while Mr.. Monroe said:
sAs soon as the brute's head and
shoulders are clear, boys, shoot straight
and altogether, when give the word.
1t won't do to let the old villain escape
this time"
Very sensible advice, but one slight
obstacle existed to Its successful
adoption, the Devil Bear had no inten-
tion of exposing his head and shoul-
ders
The teil-tale ripple had extended to
within q few feet Of the farther bank,
and every man stood with poised rife,
expecting to see the aaid head and
shoulders appear, Bus they didn't
Their diabolically cunning owner
knew q trick worth dozen of that
He did not banker after . woodland
ramble just then. 3.. m ,, ga.
whats become of the brute? I
don't see a sign OF him any more.
Guess he's got an underground parlor
on that side, too" exclaimed Joe
Brooks, veteran hunter.
Jack Monroe's sharp young eyes were
not so easily deceived, however. After
q moments keen watching, he said:
NO, he's lying there, like a wounded
duck, with nothing but the point of his
nose out of the water. See, right in
line with the hemlock sapling."
Thus directed, the whole crowd
could now distinguish the protruding
snout and (of course Immediately be-
hind it) the scarcely immersed head to
which it was attached.
"Now, boys, you want to draw a
mighty fine sight, just as II you were
shooting at gobbler's topknot twenty
rods off," said Joe Brooks. Lets all
aim nine inches back Of the critters
nose, and pull when Allen gives the
word. There's not more than a couple
Of inches of water over that big skull.
and we stand SO much higher than it
that our bullets'll cut through all
right Il guess"
Sixteen heavy rifles came up to their
owners shoulders, wavered for one
second, and then remained steady as If
each long barrel was fixed in wise.
.sAll ready?" questioned Monroe. A
softly murmured "Yes" in reply.
"Fire!"
Each man had raised the back sight
of his rife to the one-hundred-yard
notch; all were good marksmen, and
sixteen bullets, simultaneously alight-
ing, struck almost in a bunch the
selected spot; whereupon the giant
bear, without groan or cry, loosened
his hold of the bottom, rose in his
whole monstrous length to the surface
and foated motionless on the Grim
soned water.
Then, when the jubilant hunters had
yelled themselves hoarse, Joe Brooks
said:
"The old rascal's 70 fat that he can't
sink. Let's make q raft and go over to
him."
Ten minutes sufficed for these skilled
axmen to chop of three dry cedar logs,
place them side by side in the water,
with smaller pieces across, cut two
showing poles, push over to the dead
bear, tie Turks leash around his lower
jaw, and tow him ashore. 1t was ther
found that four bullets had pierced the
brute's brain, while number of Others
had cut through the scalp and glanced
of the thick skull
So huge was the carcass that thu
united efforts Of Ave men were required
to draw it up on the bank; and wheI
fairly landed, all the more expert
enced hunters declared they had nevel
seen any other than that of q grizzly
bear at all approaching it in size.
Don't touch knife to it yet. boys,
said Mr.. Monroe, It'll Jack brings tn,
} big steelyards from the house. Wei
weigh the fellow just as he lies"
Jack scampered gleefully away
quickly returning with a lot OF rop
, and the great steelyards general.
: used for weighing fat hogs and siaugh
tered beeves. BY the aid OF these, tn
horizontal Limb Of a big tree, and tn
strength OF half dozen men, tn
: weighing was finally accomplished
the immense carcass tipping the bean
: at seven hundred and six pounds, full
three hundred more than that Of an,
! black bear ever before killed, SO far a
: the oldest hunter knew, in Michigan
The skin, when taken off, measure
within a fraction of seven feet fror
snout-tip to the base of the stump
tail; and nearly eight gallons of Of
: were afterward tried out from tn
great masses of fat which not onl
covered, but lined, the defunct an
mails body. The hams only wer
saved for eating, and these looked lik
: those of mammoth premium hog
. Happening to be at that time prof
pecting along Marquette river, !, my
: self. saw the Devil Bears pelt an
hang Sxo days after the brute wa
killee, and it was then that this story
! substantially as have written it, wa
told me by the actors themselves, who
!. L.. ~ finua furfhn a