The Forrest City times., 1896-02-14

i
| PreDlc and Ramsy each carried double
bitted chopping axes and rifle, and
revolvers in their belts.
| Well finG him tough customer.
| said Doc PEBBLE to ellison. "Eis foot
print measures nearly IA inches. and
the biggest bear L ever heard of around
here before made tract only eight
inches long. There's liable to be some
blood split before night, 6nd it won't
all be i'ear's blood, either"
ellison was inclined to weaken wh IN
he saw the tracks in the snow. and
asked Hreble why they couldn't tran
the bear fist and then kill him, but
Preble and kamsy laughed at him, apd
told him they didis't bag their bears in
that way. Sn the uasophisLcated hunt
er braced up and went on.
| Il mad lad out 10 have heap of fun
that day." AID Doc Preple, telling abo;lt
1t afterwar", according 20 the DO
| gramme had made This was TO tramn
ellison up and down those hills and
among the l..urels for four or five miles.
trailing the alleged bear, end all the
time loading him With the 1anger there
/
laurel patch to anyone who might
stand in his way; then for Ramsy.
when we came 10 the laurel patch
where we had agreed that the bear
had stopped, to go INTO the swamp and
rout him up making tremendous hub
buD, and bowling and snort;ng and veil
ing, as If tn bear vas worked up to the
widest pitct of fury over being dis
turbed, and was going out of that
swamp with rush to carry trouble to
the first one he came to. ellison hay-
ing just been posted at a point on the
edge of the patch and assured that the
bear would certainly come out there,
so he could shoot it; and then to see
ellison break for the nearest tree and
get into it at the frst sound of the dis
turbance in the aurels.
Everything worked first-rate. When
we got to the last laurel patch | was
| pulling and blowing like tired horse,
and was about as near bushed as any
one could be, but thought of the fun
| was having, and the more was going
to have, and said nothing, but Just went
off to one side and shook my sides.
/ iiC - III mere sure, ana III Tnere am I
breakers ahead, can't read bear signs
said Dave Ramsy.
| Il unbuckled my revolvers and laid
EN- on the snow, dropped my AK and
stood my gun against tree / took
Glllson over to one end of the patch
and stood him there
When the bear comes pitch ;ng OUT
| said, as if it was foregone conclu-
sion that the bear was coming out
right there and nowhere else, don't fire
until you see the whites of his eyes.
He'll come like a steam engine, and
very likely run you down and trample
ell over you and claw you some the
first time, but that's part of the hunt.
I've known some folks TO make break
for the nearest tree and shin up it
when they saw the bear making his
rush, but that spoils man for being
bear hunter. Remember l says,
and don't shoot until you can see the
whites OF his eyes, and when he's tramp
ling and clawing and chewing you,
then get in your little work with your
AK and your knife. Understand?'
"Gillson kind o. suffered cut that
he understood, and the sweat poured
out of him so, and he looked so much
as If he wished he was home, that |
telt sorry for him, but L went off into
thicket and rolled in the snow for five
minutes and stuffed my hat in my
mouth to keep from hollering right
out, and then went back to wait for
Dave to go in and stir up the bear.
stood right where / could see ellison
and maple tree that stood not more
than 20 feet to one side of him.
"'I'll have to burst when he throws
his gun and goes fer that tree! says.
And if he is too scared to climb it,
know / shall die!'
Dave went into the patch to rout up
the bear.
Shake the laurels up lively says
| to him, and holler and howl like thun-
| der!'
II guess Dave had been in the swamp
three minutes or more before the dis
turbance began. When the laurels be-
gan to SNAP and crack and shake, l
looked up at ellison. He stood with
Lis feet braced and his teeth clinched,
i1u HIS SuH Tcttuy. haui' an llcd
that Dave could make such commo-
tion among such a stubborn growth
RS laurels, and when the growing and
snarling tuned up | just laid back and
wondered. ellison stood to his post
ike a soldier.
".Ain't that darn fool going to cut
and run after all? saysI
ss.Just then the laurels shook and