The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-05-20
A SPARRING BEAR.
John Moran's Unique Encounter With 1t
In Maine Woods.
Bangor Commercial

and hunter during vacation. Along in
April when the maple sap had gone .aloft
to make new summer suits for the trees
and the bluebirds were taking sky baths
to put fresh tints on their wings, Moran
was going into the woods to store away
his sugar troughs. He was mile or so
from home, jogging along with his axe
over his shoulder and his dinner pail
dangling from the axe handle, when a
sharp turn in the path brought him up
against great hemlock tree which the
wind had blown down.
Moran was feeling unoommonly we'll
that morning, and, not wishing to make
wide detour around the tree, he put his
hand on top of the rough bark ana made
ready for high vault. With caution
born of experience, he looked to see
where he would land, and as his head
peered above the log, something heavy
and hairy shot up from the other side
and hit him squarely across the ear. AS
soon az he had collected his wits enough
to look about him, he found he was un-
der a small spruce, two rods back from
the log, and saw his dinner, consisting
of fresh roast pork and doughnuts, scat
tered about on the dead leaves in way
that made him feel sad.
Rubbing his eyes, he gave another look
and saw a large bear sitting up against
the side Of the log and overhauling the
dinner with the air of an epioure. With
his right paw the bear held up one of
Moran's doughnuts to his eye. and with
its left paw it was gathering in all of the
roast pork in sight.
Moran thought perhaps it was Satan
that had appeared to him. He crossed
himself twice, to remove tho evil spell.
and then limped to his feet. The bear
stopped eating roast pork and scanned
him through the hole in the doughnuts
as much as to say
SAW, beg pawdon; but WEAKLY you
have the advantage of me, doncher
know
The icy effrontery Of the bear was more
than Moran could stand. 1t was bad
enough to have p hear slap him in the
face aud eat his favorite dinner Whsn
to these insults were added the stony
stare of an English lord who has just
borrowed S. and wants to forget 1T,
Moran felt that he must have that bears
blood.
Moran's only weapon was light,
sharp axe, with a tough ash handle.
Armed with this he approached the bear
boldly, and did not stop until just out
side paw range. Then he made several
swift passes with his axe to learn how
many boxing lessons the bear had taken
| and was not over pleased to find out that
| he had met woodland boxer of great
promise. Every time ne tried blow
with the edge Of the axe the bear coun-
| tered on the side or handle and avoided
a serious wound. Eventually he struck
with the fat of the axe, and was pleased
| to see the bear cut its paw half off in the
counter. The bear hit go hard that il
might have cut tits own head off if it had
| not duoked adroitly it the moment death
! was imminent.
Moran's next blow was given with the
| force of a oatapault, and was aimed
straight for the BEARS skull With a left
upper out the bear not only diverted the
axe, but pulled it from his hands and
sent it flying far into a the woods. i
was now a mad man against lame bear
and Moran knew tae odds were all in
favor of the bear. While Moran was feel
ing in his pockets for a jacknife the
bear again applied the doughnut to It'll
eye and examined its manned jaw.
Moran saw it was Of no use to fghI
knife. So he went around the tree an(
started for his sap camp, which wal
nearly twenty or thirty rods beyond. H,
was pleased to see the bear following
him at distance, and fairly shouted
with giee when he reached camp ant
| found his two edged wood axe hanging
above the bunk. In a few minutes HI
had stripped to his trousers and under
shirt, and, swinging his axe aloft, b,
made dash for the enemy.
THE bear ducked Eandsjumped ahead
passing under Moran's arm and facing
about for the next play. Two quicl
| feints were parted with professional
skill, and then came n sweeping blow
straight down from above. The bea
held out It's we'll foot, and the axe handl
drove it nearly to the ground. Leaning
! forward, the bear pushed up on the han
die, and the upper edge, glancing from
it's teeth en- ter the flesh that held tn
BEARS nose to its upper jaw, cutting cord
and tendons until the keen blade wa
| hidden in tie fur.
Moran hardly knows what happene,
next. lie heard the bear groWl In pain
and saw the skin on the front of the hea
furl up and roll back, like the hood OF al
overooet. Then q BEARS head, bony
skinless, and grinning, emerged from
the mass Of hair, and the bear was after
Moran baldheaded. 1t YVES long, hare
run, over windfalls, through swamps
and up and down hill. Every tim,
Moran looked back he saw that GRIMM
skull, and the terror put wings on hi
feet as he fed for home, leaping anon.
cradle knobs and yelling at every bound
When he reached the house he was s
grateful for his escape that he neve
thought to look back for the BEAR but
just barred the door and swore in Ian
guage that was unintelligible even t
his own family.
There is scalped bear abroad IN tn
forest around Moran's home today, bu
Moran is not looking for it, He has ha
enough. He says ubat grinning bear'
skull still haunts his dreams, and that b.