The herald., 1896-12-02

view, not quarter of mile away, were
fully dozen big bears engaged in gam
boiling together like a group of school
boys at play. Black bears and CHINA
! mons seemed to be in about equal pro-
portion. 1t looked to Holbrook as
on the acorns the brush furnished them,
and were then enjoying an after break
fast frolic.
Some were lying inert under the sun,
others rolled over and over, while half a
dozen disported themselves at what ap-
peared very like a game of leap-frog.
One bear would lie paws down on the
ground while another took short race
toward the spot stood on his head, and
then clumsily turned a somersault over
the body of the PROSTATE animal. This
trick the bears seemed to enjoy hugely,
taking turns at the feat of somersault-
ing.
But Engineer Hilbrook had neither
the time nor the inclination to watch
the game. On arriving at the camp he
was informed that bears had already
been bothering the men there, and he
decided to trap them hole was dug
for the trap at the foot of pine tree.
and low enclosure of sapling pickets
fitted with an open wicketWay, con-
structed around it. The mouth of the
trap was then covered over with leaves
D. "
pine, directly over it, chunk of fresh
beef was suspended-and the hunters
returned to camp to await develop
ments.
Next morning Holbrook, Sumner and
Love visited the trap. They found 45O-
pound cinnamon bear sitting on top
Of it, crying like human being In his
discontinue and agony, with one of his
fore paws caught firmly in the steel
Jaws of the device. On the suggestion
of Mr.. Love, who is an oldtime hunter,
1t was decided to drive the bear, as do
mestic animals are driven, to the place
chosen for his slaughter. BY way OF
precaution against the possibility OF
some bear carrying off the trap, 1t had
been chained to stout log, in addition
to being buried. With some difficulty
and more danger, this log was dislodged
from amid clump of brush. the bear
all the time roaring ana swapping VI
ciously at those engaged in the job.
Having got the log loose, Holbrook
and Sumner cut two long poles, and get
ting in the rear of the imprisoned cinna-
mon, they whacked him vigorously over
the snout. He rose upon his hind legs
with a mighty roar and sprang through
the opening in the enclosure, dragging
the trap and log behind him. once free,
he showed a disposition to turn on his
tormentors. But every time he faced
about down came the pole on his nose.
and with another roar he started down
the hill.
BY dint of constant whacking and
careful herding the strangely handicap
ped bear was finally brought to the high
way. After this it was comparatively
easy to get him to point close to the
Love cabin, where a bullet ended his
sufferings. The scheme of driving the
bear ahead of them, as described, saved
the hunters the Inconvenience of drag
ging his corpse distance of nearly four
miles.
After skinning the cinnamon, secur-
ing choice steaks and getting the oil
out of his fat, the hunters took their
trap back to the pine tree and reset 1t as
before Next day they found young
black bear weighing about 250 pounds,
caught in the trap. He was herded to
near Loves house, as was his prede-
cessor in misfortune, and disposed of in
similar fashion.
Two days went by this time before a
victim bit at the bear-trap meat. Bear
number three was giant of the cinna-
mon species, weighing, in the neighbor-
hood of 700 pounds. When the three own
ers of the trap first saw him he was sit
ting outside the enclosure, apparently as
though he had torn up the trap In his
attempts to get rid Of it. Holbrook,
Summer and Love approached him con-
fidently, intending to treat him as they
had treated their two former captives.
As they did so the bear rose up with
roar and then made for them, leaving the
trap undisturbed.
The hunters then saw that the cinna-
mons right fore paw was only bleed
ing stump and that the bear itself was
free from the trap. Being armed with