The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-08-05

IOWA BOY KILLED AN ANGRY BEAR
WITH A BLOW OF AN Ak.

His brave Act Saved the Life Of One Of
HiA Companions = The Geology Ciass
Fou>S somsthing In the Rockies 10
w>-ar Looking For.
1t was In Superintendent the Colo
RADIO sun had done its duty and made
Phil as brown of face and stout of limb
as any OF us-that the geology class,
consisting Of the professor and ten pu-
pills, made an excursion into the range
with the object of taking practical
lesson among the limestone beds at the
back Of Lincoln park.
Away we went-feeling very hilar-
ious at the idea of making an independ-
emit expedition, even with Blinkers for
Notwithstanding over rocks and
fallen trees chasing squirrels and chip
}. hunks, throwing stones at birds and
rabbits, and behaving generally just
like what we were-a parcel Of school
boys
Presently we emerged from the trees
and came out upon another little open
parklike stretch of ground. Half way
across it our attention was suddenly at.
tracted by a stir among some high grass,
and out jumped little, dark colored,
short legged animal. which looked like
a woolly pig-if there be any such
thing in nature.
Away it scuttled, and away we all
went, with shout, in pursuit.
Phil happened to be some distance
behind at the moment, being busily en-
gagged in digging tarantula's nest out
Of the ground with his knife; but as
soon as he saw what we were doing he
came racing after us, shouting: Look
outi Look out! It's a.
We did not hear what we were max
ing so much noise ourselves
But the little animal, whatever it
was, was too quick for Us and disap-
peared into some willows while we were
still 20 yards behind. The next moment
the willows waved and bent and out
bounced great she bear-a grizzly!
With yell of dismay we all turned
and, scattering like flock of sparrows
when cat jumps into the midst of
them, fed for the nearest trees. Blink
ers, quite forgetting that he was the
general of the little expeditionary force,
made such use of his long legs that he
was safely up a tree before any of the
rest of us had reached one.
As for me, never reached one at all.
In turning to run / tripped over the
ak, and though l was up again in an in
slant the check made me the last of the
fugitives.
The chase was very soon over. In six
jumps, as it seemed, the great beast
caught me, and, with one blow of her
paw on the middle of my back, sent me,
face downward, to the ground, with ev-
cry atom of breath driven out Of my
body.
This last circumstance was q good
thing for me- could not have moved a
muscle if had wished to. Consequently
the bear supposed that was dead, and
Instead of tearing me up into small
pieces, as expected, she began shifting
me all over and turning me about with
her claws
Suddenly, however, she ceased and
began to growl, and heard Blinkers
up in his tree call out, go back! You
can't do any good. You'll only get
yourself killed too. From which l con-
cluded that Blinkers and the bear had
one thought in common they both sup
posed me to be dead
was beginning to recover my breath
a little by this time, and in my anxiety
to see what was going forward l made
a slight movement with one arm, and
in an instant the bear had that arm be-
tween her teeth. 1t hurt me so horribly
that i tainted, and all that happened
afterward l gathered from the other
boys
Phil, when he saw me knocked down,
instead of climbing up tree like the
rest; ran back TO where l had dropped
the ak, and. picking it up, advanced to
my rescue.
1t was a mad thing to do, there is no
doubt about that; but Phil did it-and
without thought of his own danger.
1t was in vain that Blinkers called to
him TO 60 back; he did not seem to hear,
but kept coming on slowly, with his
eyes fixed on the bear, and the AK held
in readiness to strike.
The bear dropped my arm and ad-
vanced step, standing across my body,
growing and turning up her lips until
all her great white teeth were exposed;
but still Phil came on. At six feet dis
lance he stopped. The bear took step
forward, and then another. and then,
with all the strength Of his body doubled
by the intense excitement of the mo-
ment, Phil struck at her with such force
and precision that he split her skull
clean in two.
But, even in dying, the bear succeeded
In doing some mischief
With last convulsive effort she
struck ont, and, with her great claws,
tore away the front of Phil's coat, vest
and shirt. and made three deep cuts all
across his chest from the left shoulder
diagonally downward. Another inch
and Phil must certainly have been killed
As il was, he stood for n moment sway
ing to and fro, and then fell forward
upon the dead body of the bear. -"Griz-
ely Phil" by Sidford +. Hamp, in ST.
Nicholas.