The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-08-30
MlSS--MISS SPARED.
ne CAPTURED THE GRIZZLY JUST IN
THE NICK OF TIME.

Ihere is but one beast that the Indi-
ans are really afraid of" said Eeerton
Young, the Baptist minister who re-
gently returned from a long soionrn
among the Hudson bay tribes. where
ne was the pioneer missionary. "That
Is the grizzly bear, the tiger of North
America. Only once have | heard of a
grizzly being captured alive, and i'm
that case the feat saved the life of IA
nous old warrior.
Among many of the Hudson bav
tribes IL Is the custom for the ablebod
lea 10 put TO death the old men and wo.
men who are no longer able to do their
share OF the work. The old women are
simply knocked on the head without
ceremony. The process of getting rid of
an old man is more elaborate The In
dians do not think it we'll to stain their
hands with the blood of one who was
snce warrior. So they delegate the
task to their hereditary enemies, the
wolves, to which they render all assist
ance in their power.
ANd ~ ioo btCil uOtlUtu ub u SOl-
emn powwow that any particular old
man is to die, instructions are given to
number OF young men to take meas
ures to get rid of him immediately.
Among the executioners are always the
sons OF the condemned man. The day
after sentence has been passed these ex-
ecutioners call on the veteran, attack
him with stones and spears and drive
him into the wilderness. There they
leave him to his fate. A few days later
they return and collect few we'll
gnawed bones, which they bring back
with fitting ceremonies
Among all the warriors belonging
to tribe with which | made "a long so.
Journ, none had more glorious record
than Miss-Miss. But Miss Miss was get
ting old. His eyes were dim, his hands
were slow, and rarely did he bring
home fat buck. Furthermore. food
was scarce, and Miss Miss retained an
excellent appetite. One morning Miss
Miss got orders TO be prepared to
receive the next day a delegation Of
young braves led by his two stalwart
sons.
but Miss Miss, though he had as
sisted in many such ceremonials in his
| day, had not yet come to consider HIM
self old and useless. He was very angry.
Just as Miss Miss had done reviling the
ingratitude of the young boy rushed
in to say that huge grizzly was feed
ing short distance from the camp.
Here was the veterans chance. All the
braves were away at the hunt. Children
and squaws and Miss Miss were the sole
occupants of the camp. He knew that
to face grizzly single handed was
certain death, but it was the death of a
man. So Miss-Miss armed himself with
his spear and tomahawk and went forth
to seek the bear.
"He had not far to 60 Within a few
hundred yards of the camp he espied
| the largest and leanest bear he had seen
for years, making scanty meal off
dried roots Crawling up as close as he
could. he hurled his spear. The weapon
| struck the bear in the flank. AS he had
| calculated, the wound had no further
| effect than to infuriate the brute and
turn its attention upon him. Miss-Miss
| took his stand with his back to tree
grasped his little tomahawk firmly and
awaited death.
Nov, had it been an ordinary little
black bear the peril Of Miss Miss would
have been small A black bear would
have risen OH its hind legs when 1t
came to close quarters, aud leaving its
chest quite unprotected, tried to insert
its paws between the man and the tree
in order to hug him to death. All Miss
Miss would have had to do would have
been to wait until it came within arms
length and plunge his hunting knife in
| TO its chest. One thrust would have
been sufficient. But a grizzly is differ
ent. It strikes with its mighty claws.
| Miss Miss awaited the onset. When the
bear came to close quarters. it rose on
its hind legs and made mighty, sweep
| ing blow at his body. Setting his teeth,
Miss-Miss struck at its head with his
tomahawk. The weapon was dashed
from his grasp and he was hurled to
the ground, but, much to his surprise,
uninjured. Instead of the sharp claws
in his side he had felt mighty buffet
as if from huge boxing glove. Miss
| Miss scrambled to his feet. The next
glance explained matters. Like himself,
the bear was veteran. 1t had lost its
claws long since. Miss-Miss lodged
round and round his tree and from one
tree to another The bear, whose sight
was dim with age, aimed blow after
blow. with no other effect than that OF
bruising its paws against the trunks.
The fight went on, and Miss Miss
strength was giving way, when through
an opening in the forest he espied the
blaze of the campfres close at hand.
The bear saw it, too, and with a grunt
of disgust and disappointment turned
round and trotted back into the depths
of the forest to resume its meal.
miss Miss fastened back to the
camp and called the oldest of the boys
together. Take your lassoes, ne cried,
and we will capture grizzly alive >
So ont they went. When the party ar
Az, Mics III ct1p1