Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1895-05-14
TOBY AND THE BEAR.
a MANEUvER oven WHICH THE WISE
OLD NATIVES DIFFERED.

OLD NATIVES DIFFERED.
Toby was enc smnfiesi near Dos Tn All
the Woods. and Hll owner wouidn't
Have Sold Him Tor lioo. but He wasn't
Cot out For IN Acrobat.
Il had q dog mined Toby when ]
was living up ia tho Pennsylvania lum-
Der woods. " said George w. Reynolds
Of tho National Lumber company. "He
was n bear dog Bears, ns every one
knows who ever lived among ihom, hato
dogs beyond everything else, two legged
or four legged, and will frequently give
up n good chance TO escape hom q pur-
suing hunter just for the satisfaction Of
waiting for the dog that IS yoiping be-
hind him and taking q fall cut OF him
when he comes mp, a fall that usually
ends tho dogs career, especially If IL Is
a dog not especially trained to hunt the
bear.
"This deg Toby Of r,ino was famous
all through these woods lie was no.
knowledgod 20 be tho most accomplish
cd dog when IL came to getting the best
Of bear that had ever been in that oorn-
try, and If any hunter didn't catch a
bear when Toby was along it wasn't the
dogs fault. Once Toby was borrowed
by q man named Crowley, who know
where a couple Of bears were hanging
ont. Tho dog routed them oct and drove
thom plumb TO Crowley, who could cas-
lily have shot them both, but instoud,
vixen ho saw thcia coming, DO cut aud
ran. Tina Bull, who bad gone along
with Crowley On tho hnht, said that
Toby just stood still and gazed in amaze
meut after the flying hunter. Crowley,
seeing that tho bears had got away, Don
came back. The dog showed his opinion
Of Crowley by bristling mp and growl-
ing sayagely and overwhelmingly at him
for a few seconds. Then he quit ard
went home, Ever after that Toby would
snap ard growl at Crowley Whenever he
saw bin.
zone day l was looking over a log
ging jobI had contracted for and discov-
cred signs of bear along tho creek. Next
day Toby and ! went ont TO rec whit
we could 90 with the bear. We socn
struck the trail, and Toby located tho
bear in q small patch of l%aurols, from
which ho soon routed bruin. He brought
tho bear to bay IN Il littlo open space in
a piece of chestnut tirlbsr. There YVES
no necessity of tho bear turning at bay,
but he evidently wantel to get 4 wbaok
as Toby. / could have EASILY sent a bull
let through tho bear, but having the TT
most confidence in Toby's smartness,
and seeing that the bear was anxious TO
put his smaTtness against tho dogs, |
concluded to let him have the chance and
to enjoy tie sport of 9 few minutes
m%aneuvering between tho two.
cit was fun. Toby worried the al
ready ugly old chap with tricks and
quick movements until the bear was
wild with Tag Do what he might, he
couldn't get a blow OF q bite in on Toby.
while Toby got a nip at the bear ct al
most every turn. This amusing dance
lasted for ten minutes, and 1 fNlt 80
proud Of my dog that / declared there
and then chat i5would take q good deal
moro than eio0 bill to buy him.
"SomoN wise old natives Of those yJocds
assured mo aftorward that what this
bear finally did was a premeditated net,
deliberately and successfully carried cut
as planned. Others declared that il was
an a%fterthought Of tho bears. myself
held and hold yet that il was entirely
an accident, because l viii net admit
that there eyer was a boaz smart enough
to get the better Of Toby by design.
"After sparring and rushing truitlcss'
" at the dog for ten minutes tho leai
put his back against a tree and broathet
hard for Gt lenst a minute. Then il sud.
denly dropped to all fours and hurrie5
toward another tree q rod OF so away.
Toby followed, and as the bear starte6
to climb tho tree seized it by one of il
hams. Although tbs dog must have SCI
his teeth deep in tho flesh, the bear die
not stop on his way, bat climbed on q.
if nothing was worrying him. The doc
beld on and was lifted from the ground
as the bear climbed. The higher the beal
went tho tighter Toby appeared to haue
on to It's rear, aud presently he WA
swinging in tho air 10 feet from tn
ground.
Tho sight was SO funny that l jus
tuAlb4cA Oh WIS tivoIu SAA i'a--t. 80
bear stopped when about 10 feet up IL
trunk Of tho tree, chung there for a mo
mont, and then let loose. he came dow
like a pile driver. When no struck a
the bottom Of tho tree, Toby was be
tween him and the ground. There wa
a faint yeip, and that was all. Three
hundred pounds Of bear had hgttcneI
40 pounds of deg out of all kind o
shape. The catastrophe was so suddel
and unexpected that before could re
cover frcm tEo painful surpriso it CAV
me tho hear had disappeared in the lau
rels. There never was a smarter baa
dog than Toby, hpt he wasn't cut on
for an acrobat. There Is where he mad
his mistake. There never was a smarte
dog than Toby. nor was there ever