The Somerset reporter., 1896-04-02


Jack Ormiston is still alive to tell
some of the most wonderful tales that
are heard in the Adirondacks. Jack has
been a guide for some 80 years, evol
since be has been big enough to carry
pack basket He Is tall and loose joint.
ed and his muscles are as hard as hiCk
cry knots His black grizzled beard coy.
ers nearly all of his broad face. a pan
of small. blinking black eyes do most Of
his talking for him, but when he !
properly aroused lie can spin tale Ut
the camp fire that will startle thu
screech owls and brighten the waiting
looms down on the lake shore.
Yer We heerd some of the fellers say.
hain't yer, how | kotched that old beal
last fall2' asked jack.
We assured him that we never had.
and it was strictly true, because he Lad
toS Us dozen CT more times himself.
"Waal, yer must know where Tully
pond is, - continued Jack. Blessed II
/ don't kotch bear mighty queer there
last fall Jim Hodge give me a lift on
the job, | must say, but that amt the
point. Fact is, the great point wuz thu
toe end Of these boots WIZ comm
down this way along Their trail when
heerd rusthng overhead in Il tall pine.
Golly, when | looked up, kinder quick,
sideways fer | feerd somethin wuz Poin
ter drop. | see a mighty big bear comm
along one Of the limbs toward the trunk.
He started ter como down the trunk
back end first, winkin at me. Ny gun
wuz over at camp. | didn' t have thing
with me, and Jim wuz half mile back
on the trail That bear | could see had
a mighty fine hide that would bring mo
somethin like $50. with the bounty. |
didn' care ter have him run away, nor
did | want ter shake hands with him
and pass the time of day with him till
Jim come along and put him asleep
with bullet | didn't make mp my
mind none too soon. The bear warn t
half way down the tree when | rushed
at him, not KNOWN what / would do ter
own that hide and capture the bounty.
| locked around fer Il club, but NONE
come in sight 50 when l got ter the
foot of the tree there warn't nathin but
one Ehing ter do. [ just hauled off and
kicked that bear
at wuz the first experimeutin Of the
kind ( ever hoerd Of, and by gosh II
beat anything ever see. The bear claw
ed hare inter she bark and snapped at
me He WAS easin up bit with b.
nails VIXEN l swung him another and
another. yelled for jim and swung
again yelled six times, kickin be
tween every yell. Then Jim answered,
and | kept up yollin and kickin, first
with one boot and then the other. The
bear didn't drop an inch. Inst as he
eased up little bit 1 swung again.
Gosh l. seemed rs if Jim wuz takin
his time efmin along that trail just a.
| swung tlhe fortynipth Kick jim come
in sight | dropped fat ON my hack.
jim popped one inter che bear, and 1t
Topped over on ter me Jim Wuz the
most surprised man yer ever see- 1t wuA
two hours bnfore | coulf prove ter him
that | WIZ tellin the trath about tha5
bear"
Then Jack piled another log on tho
fire and started i'll on new tale.
This spr7ng | come near bein done
fer" he said Kerosene kept me in
pickle long enough ter get near fire,
and then l wu8 all right again. =
We wanted to know if kerosene oil
WASH { a new beverage for him
mo, | didn't drink none" he con.
tinucd. "Istarted ter cross Brandy brook
on log. wanted ter cut off three
mile walk around by the trail The wa
ter wuz high, and there~wua a strong
current running out interthe lake. This
log wuz about u foot and a half through.
| rolled it off with the stream. | tucked
my brooches III my boots and straddled
the log | hadn t kicked dozen strokes
before | got ont inter the swift water,
and then Ecould see l WIZ in fer it. l
kicked ter back up again ter the shore,
but it WIZ no use, so | let 1t go. 1t came
on dark, and my feet began ter freeze.
My old boots had been veil creased, bat
the water dripped III at the tops and
soaked Iuy stockin's. / tried kick1n
harder ter keep my blQod stirred up. l
drifted over toward Bear mountain, snd
knew that if the wind kept up | would
land somewhere before midnight bust
as wuz .gettin almighty froze | Thought
of bottle of kerosene / had to oih my
gun Yer can bet | wuz wishin it wuz
somethin more chaerin than kerosene
oil A little alkehal.and sugar at that
time would er slipped down inter them
boots from the inside and melted theiL
frozen toes, but there warn t nutll2n but
kerosene. pouredit half and hals intel
each boot, and know it helped ter make
me easy fer time But by aud by 1t
seemad ter me the oil must ha freezin
too 1t wuz lucky | had my old match
box along in my vest pocket, high and
dry. fer then tire idea struck me that II
| lii match AID sent it down inter the
oil it would warm things mp some.
There warn t much else ter do er THINK
erhout. WIZ maxim fer Bear Mounta N
island slow, Sut steady. If l didn't get
there till midnight, my feet would bo'h
be froze off. 50 | made up my mind ter
try the 1aaches. Lucky fer me my
boots had Wide tops so l could send the
lit matcn right down ter the bottom
where it nd do the most good. Well,
sir, the first match in the right boot did
the trick fine 1t took fire and thawed
things out quicker | thought. Blsters
raised all over, and when it all goa