Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-12-08
hugely. Yes. SIR. The Pennsyi"ihia peai'
are humorlsts. and no mistake.
TNE FLORIDA BEAR.

hugely. Yes, SIR. lnt f'hh'y''" 49,
are humorsts. and no mistake.
TIE FLORIDA BEAR.
1--WE never ard any one else speak
about a bear that lives IN tne WINS
threaded by some OF the FLORIDA rivers
aud IL seems strange to me, Tor tnis o,'.i
is an exceedingly interesting animal lie
Is brown. and never gees fat. Maybe that
is becaus he has 10 Work so nara LOT MS
living. He doesn't seem 10 care for any
thing but alligator tongues. and ne can
gather alligator tongues ike he m.sn,
20 out and pick oranges. Il fore he gets
his alligator tongue mes got 10 90. MS
alligator | remember the hrst time 1
ever saw one OF tn &c bears. II was oeau'
lying near the edge OF bayou. 1here
didn't seem to be whole bone 10 ms
body.
That bear said the native, who was
with me, has been out tonguln ana
slipped up on RI.
''Then he told me about the alligator
tongue habit Of this bear. and not lors
afterward | had the pleasure OF seeing
one OF them earning his dinner. First, j
heard a loud below come from tn bayou,
and | knew II was an alligator l hur-
ried through the canes to get saot at
IT, for / was out after a gator myself.
When / came In sight or II | saw tha'
II was terribly worked up about some
thing, which som tnlng was one OF the
lean, brown bears. There wasn't much oil
eight, just rush OF alligator and a
retreat Of bear, and retreat OF aihga-
tor and rush OF bear. repeated several
tlm.s. Then the alligator seemed to hav>
got worked up 10 toe proper pitch OF fury,
and. turning a little TO ona side, threw
its horny tail around at the bear with
a swish that would have broken the bear
In two If IL had struck him. But this
seem to be just what the bear was
waiting for. He lodged. and seemed 20
fiarlen against the ground The furious
sweep OF tail passed over him. Befor- the
gator could recover 70 renew the attack
the bear seized the tail'in his long, neXl-
bic fore-paws, and swung tn alligator
around bodily, lifting IL clear Of the
ground. and knocking its head against
tree with a force that made eyerything
ring, and smashed the thick skull or the
al gator. thus at one swoop ending the
hgat. Stretching the alligator a. the
ground the bear tore open its Jaws,
reached one long paw inside, nlpped on
he tongue, sat down on the allisatoTs
arc4ss and calmly and with gus,o al
the dinner II had earned. These bears
are not very plentiful, ! hear. | suppos
that is because OF the hard work III y
have TO do to make a living, giving them
very little time for recrea ion or raising
4 family. 1t Is, perhaps, just as well
as they are not en- ierful.
"The most mOrose bear | ever came n
contact with is the fishing bear OF the
Arkansas Sunk Lands. l can't see why
this bear should be so uncommon melan-
choly. / know folks who would be hap
bier than laIks all the while If they had
NOT frp 70 DO Itff Ha
Of the Arkansas Sunk Lands. This bear
ives on the islands in the wilderness OF
the st. Francis river. and when he f.
hungry he goes out fishing. The way h.
hshes Is this: There are numerous en-
closed waters T. ereabout, not very deep
and with muddy bottoms When a beai
goes fishing he wades into one OF thes
ponds or lagoons and stirs up the bottom
with his feet for rods around. The waite,
thus soon all rolled up. and there seems
to be something in the disturbance of IN,
bottom that affects the fish so that they
come Ito the surface and gasp for air
Then the bear takes his choice out OF the
lot until he gets his Ill. Yet he amt hap
~ and seems TO have his chief enjoy
ment In coming TO the shores OF his
stands and growing and showing hi
igly teeth clear 10 the gums. and snap
ping his jaws sayagely at fishermen OF
Huhi'iS as tHty pass IN tntir boats.
Il never saw any Of the bears they have
N fancy county, Mo-. and | don't know
anything about them. except what they
told me down there They told me that
the fancy county bears were the latest
bears In creation. If the story d native
! told me Is true. there can be no doubt
that the fancy county bear is entitled
20 the claim they make for him. Acc I'd
ng 10 this native, he put his dogs on
bear-trail down there once. and the bear
Jr0ved TO be one that didn't want u lose
It's hide. So 1t led a pretty long chase
before the hunter got shot at II. IL
out ball in the bear and the bear stop
oed and looked at him. while greas,
pouted from the bulletin lie I'm a con.
.inuous stream until the bear shrank to
lmost nothing. and fell dead The bear
he native said. was so monstrous fat
hat the long run had heated II 50 that
| The fat melted. and, OF course. when the
outlet tapped the bear the melted fat had
| g. squirt out. 1t may be for this reason
hat they very seldom hunt their bears In
/ fancy county They simply go to q
lears den when they want him. crawl In
eel for his heart. and shove a long, keen
| Snife into II. That saves time trouble
I nd prQ4gp