The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-03
JACKS TRUE YARNS.
THE OLD NORTH WOODS GUIDE TELLS
TWO GOOD STORIES.

How He Captured Bear With No Weapon
but His Boot Toes-Ho Was Onco Saved
From Freezing by n Bottle Of Kerosene
and Some Matches.
Jack Ormiston is still alive to tell
some Of the most wonderful tales that
are heard In the ACKNOWLEDGES. Jack has
been a guide for some so years, ever
since he has been big enough to carry o
pack basket. He is tall and loose Joint
ed, and his muscles are as hard as hick-
DRY knots. His black grizzled beard Gov
ers nearly all q his broad face A pair
OF small, blinking black eyes do most Of
his talking for him, but when he is
properly aroused he can spin tale at
the camp fire that will startle the
scfeeoh owls and brighten the waiting
looms down ON the lake shore.
"Yer've heerd some Of the follers say,
hain't yer, how kotched that old bear
last fall?" asked Jack.
Wo assured him that we never had,
and it was strictly true, because he had
told Us dozen or more times himself.
"Waal, yer must know where Tully
pond is" continued Jack. BLESSED if
don't kotch bear mighty queer there
last fall. Jim Hodge give me lift on
the job, must say, but that amt the
point. Fact is, the great point wuz the
toe end of these boots. wuz comm
down this way along Their trail when 1
beerd rustling overhead in tall pine.
Golly, when looked up, kinder quick,
sideways, fer l feerd somethin wuz goin
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- My gun
wuz over at camp. I didn't have thing
with me, and Jim wuz half a mile back
on the trail That bear could see had
mighty fine hide that would bring mo
somethin like $50, with the bounty. L
didn't care ter have him run away, nor
did L want ter shake hands with him
and pass the time of day with him till
Jim como along and put him asleep
with bullet. I didn't make up my
mind mono too soon. The bear warn't
half way down the treo when rushed
at him, not KNOWN what would do ter
own that hide and capture the bounty.
L looked around fer club, but none
come in sight, so when / got ter the
foot of the tree there warn't nothin but
one thing ter do. just hauled off and
kicked that bear.
1t wuz the first experimental of the
kind l ever heerd of, and by gosh it
beat anything l ever see. The bear claw
ed hard inter tho bark and snapped at
me. He was easin up a bit with his
nails when 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 yellin and kickin. first
with one boot and then Tho other. The
bear didn't drop an inch. Just as he
eased up little bit swung again
Gosh Ii seemed as if Jim wuz takin
his time comm along that trail. Just as
swung the forty-ninth kick Jim come
in sight. I dropped fat OH my hack
Jim popped one inter the bear, and it
Topped over OH ter me. Jim wuz the
most surprised man yer ever see. It
two hours before could prove ter him
that I wuz tellin the truth about that
bear
Then Jack piled another log ON the
fire and started in on new tale.
"This spring come near bein done
fer" no said. kerosene kept me in
pickle long enough ter got near fire,
and then l wuz all right again"
We wanted to know if kerosene oil
wasn't new beverage for him.
mo, didn't drink none," he con-
tinued. 81 started ter cross Brandy brook
on log. wanted ter cut off three
mile walk around by the trail The wa
ter wuz high, and there wuz a strong
current running out inter tho lake. This
log wuz about foot and a half through.
rolled it off with the stream. I tucked
my brooches in my boots and straddled
the log 1 hadn't kicked dozen strokes
before I got out inter the swift water,
and then could see ! wuz in fer 1t. I
kicked ter back up again ter the shore,
but it wuz no use, so let itgo. 1t came
on dark, and my feet began ter freeze.
My old boots had been we'll creased, but
the water dripped i'll at the tops and
soaked my stockins. I tried kiokin
harder ter keep my blood stirred up. I
drifted over toward Bear mountain, and
knew that If the wind kept up would
land somewhere before midnight. Just
as Iwuz gettin almighty froze I thought
Of bottle of kerosene had to oil my
gun. Yer can bet wuz wishin it wuz
somethin more cheerin than kerosene
OIL A little alkehal and sugar at that
time would or slipped down inter them
boots from the inside and melted them
frozen toes, but there warn't nuthin but
Kerosene l poured it half and half inter