The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1895-06-08
TOBY AND THE BEAR.
A MANEUVER OVER WHICH THE.WIS
OLD NATIVES DIFFERED. e

the Woods, and His Owner Wouldn't
Have Sold Him For 500, but He Wasn't
Cut Out For an Acrobat. ~
II had dog named Toby when I
was living up in the Pennsylvania lum-
Der woods" said George W. Reynolds
of the National Lumber company. = HE
was bear dog Bears, as every one
knows who ever lived among them, hate
dogs beyond everything else, two legged
OF four legged, and will frequently give
up good chance to escape from a pnr-
suing hunter just for the satisfaction Of
waiting for the dog that is yelping be-
hind him and taking fall out of him
when he comes up, a fall that usually
ends the dogs career, especially if it is
dog not especially trained to hunt the
bear.
''This dog Toby Of mine was famous
all through these woods He was &C.
knowledged to be the most accomplish
of bear that had ever been in that coun
try, and if any hunter didn't catch
bear when Toby was along it wasn't the
dogs fault. Once Toby was borrowed
by man named Crowley, who knew
where couple Of bears were hanging
out. The dog routed them out and drove
them plumb to Crowley, who could cas-
when he saw them coming he cut and
ran. Tim Bull, who had gone along
with Crowley on the hunt, said that
Toby just stood still and gazed in amaze
ment after the flying hunter. Crowley,
seeing that the bears had got away, soon
came back. The dog showed his opinion
of Crowley by bristling up and growl-
ing savagely and threateningly at him
for a few seconds. Then he quit and
went home. Ever after that Toby would
snap and growl at Crowley whenever he
saw him.
Zone day was looking over log
ging job I had contracted for and discov
cred signs of bear along the creek. Next
day Toby and I went out to see what
we could do with the bear. We soon
struck the trail, and Toby located the
bear in a small patch of laurels, from
which he soon routed bruin. He brought
the bear to bay in little open space in
piece Of chestnut timber. There was
no necessity of the bear turning at bay,
but he evidently wanted to get whack
at Toby. I could have easily sent bull
let through the bear, but having the ut
most confidence in Toby's smartness,
and seeing that the bear was anxious to
put his smartness against the dogs, l
concluded to let him have the chance and
to enjoy the sport of few minutes
maneuvering between the two.
''It was fun. Toby worried the al
ready ugly old chap with tricks and
quick movements until the bear was
wild with rage. Do what he might, he
couldn't get blow or bite in on Toby,
while Toby got a nip at the bear at al
most every turn. THIS amusing dance
lasted for ten minutes, and 1 felt SO
proud Of my dog that r declared there
and then that it would take a good deal
more than 500 bill to buy him.
Some wise old natives Of those woods
assured me afterWard that What this
bear finally did was premeditatcd act,
deliberately and successfully carried out
as planned. Others declared that it was
an afterthought of tho BEARS. | myself
held and hold yet that it was Ell ireiy
an accident, because will t ;:.mit
that there ever WAS bear smart GU;
to get the better of Toby by de.:l.
"After sparring and rushiugt. >:t.ce>.
ly at the deg for tcH l,iuu5cs t
put his back against {! tI<,nH All i.;...'
hard for at lest q :. i
denly dropped to all l,;:>.> $3.50,
toward anu; n"r treo {: J
Toby followed, ana Is t::r Il
to climb tie tree lied il
hams. Although the cog :
his teeth deep in the l>!h, So M.
not stop oh his way, but chm bed ca !;
if nothing was worrying him. The deg
held on and was lifted from the ground
as the bear climbed. The higher the bear
went the tighter Toby appeared to haA g
on to it's rear, and presently he was
swinging in the air 5 feet from the
ground.
1.-THE sight was so funny that just
tumbled on the ground and roared. The
bear stopped when about Is feet up the
trunk of the tree, chung there for a mo-
ment, and then let loose He came down
like pile driver. When he struck at
the bottom of the tree, Toby was be-
tween him, and the ground. There was
faint yelp, and that was all. Three
hundred pounds of bear had fattened
40 pounds of dog out of all kind Of
shape. The catastrophe was so sudden
and unexpected that before could re-
cover from the painful surprise it gave
me the bear had disappeared in the lau-
rels. There never was a smarter bear
dog than Toby, but he wasn't cut out
for an acrobat There is where be made
his mistake. There never was a smarter
dog than Toby, nor was there ever a
deader one when that bear got off Of
him. New York Sun.