Abilene weekly reflector., 1896-03-19

first time, but that's part Of the hunt.
I've known some folks 10 make break
Tor the nearest tree and shin up il
when they saw the bear making his
rush, but that spoils man for being
bear hunter. Remember 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. UnderstandT
"Gillson kind O. suffered out that
he understood. and the sweat poured
out of him SO, and he looked SO much
as II he wished he was home, that
'elt sorry for him. but went off into
a thicket and rolled in the snow for Ave
minutes, and stuffed my hat in my
mouth to keep from hollering right
out, and then went back to wait for
Dave to 70 in and stir up the bear.
stood right where l could see ellison
and a maple tree that stood not more
than 20 feet to one side Of him.
"'Pll 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, ]
looked up at Cillson He stood with
Lis feet braced and his teeth clinched,
ind his gun ready. hadn't any idea
that Dave could make such commo
ton among such stubborn growth
as laurels, and when the growing and
snarling tuned up just laid back and
wondered. ellison stood to his post
like soldier.
"'Ain't that darn fool going to cut
and run after all saysI.
Just then the laurels shook and
snapped rs If cyclone was working
among them. There came from the
midst Of the disturbance such combi-
nation Of yells and howls and snorts
and growls that I'd taken fright my
self and run if l hadn't known that Is
was only Dave. And ellison stood still
and waited. Then heard a shot in the
swamp, and another yell, followed by
startling creaking and swaying Of
the laurels, the line of that commotion
leading straight toward me.
"'Gillson.' hollcrcd, he's q terr0r!'
II don't know what ellison replied,
for the next second out Of that laurel
patch, not 20 feet from me, crashed a
bear SO big, and with such fury in his
eyes that it's a wonder didn't drop
in my tracks. | didn't have time to
think. The bear was coming head-on
for me, With his jaws swapping like a
thrashing machine. | turned and l
saw the maple tree that had in my
mind reserved for ellison and my fun.
] flew for it. | don't know how many
feet | covered at a jump but, although
I knew the bear wasn't many jumps
behind me, had time to think:
Lord! If ellison goes for that tree
now he'll Lead me off, ard I'm goner"
For fear he would. hollered to him
in my desperation:
"Theres tree just below you, yon-
der! Cut Tor that one'
"But he didn't. He started for the
maple. | put on more steam and got
there first. grabbed the tree, re-
member bearing two shots. The next
] remember was that | was sitting in
the snow, with my arms and legs clasp
ing the trunk of the maple tree. That
was as far as had climbed. looked
around. There stood ellison, little
pale, but with grin on his face that
made me feel shecpish. Near by lay
the bear with the top of his head half
blown off. ellison had put both of his
buckshot charges into it, with the gun
almost against it. Sitting on log,
few feet tn the right, was Dave. What
clothes he had on him were hanging
from him in iatters, and his face and
hands were streaked with blood
"'Funnv. amt it, Doc?' says he. TITS
so funny that I've got to git in the open
country where l can find room to
taught
with that Dave got up and limped
away home, and he hasn't spoken to
me since.
"'rhe bear broke out in the wrong
place, didn't he, Doc? says ellison.
But it was deuced clever in you to run
him over here so | could get shot at
him.
" didn't say word, but got up and
helped ellison drag the dear bear home,
only matter of five miles, and
pronder man never walked than was
that little greenhorn hunter"
1t is supposed the bear was one that
had been driven by hunters from tie
country, the chase be-
ing so lorg that they had given it up,
and that it had come into the laurel
patch before the snow, unknown TO
anybody, and settled there for the
winter. When Dave Ramsy went into
the laurels to make the mock disturb
ance with a bear to carry out Doc
Prebles joke, he stumbled unexpected
y upon this ugly customer, and found
himself in a rough-and-tumble wrestle
with him before he knew it. The bear
weighed 375 Dounds-N Y SIN