The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1897-11-19

that ! am mere to-day, gentlemen, u.s.
due to gang Of coyotes that would have
torn me into good many fragments II
they could have had their way,
"But the brief respite came to an
end. The bear, tired Of being defrauded
Of his meal. decided to drug it to some
more secluded place, and there feast al
his leisure. He made one last charge
upon the coyotes and then. rushing
back, seized my shoulder again and
started of in trot. A few moments OF
agony were followed by another fapt
ing spell, and once more, happily, was
unconscious. When | recovered the
same bowling, raging paudemonium
was going on around me. Added mum
bers had made the coyotes more cour
ngeous, and they were pressing close
upon the grizzly. He had not yet begun
to devour me. He would stand over me
and growl for moment and then max,
onslaughts upon the enemy. scattering
them like chaff. AS turned to watch
him in one of these violent attacks !
was startled to find that | was lying
Just before the door of one of my
brother Ned's bearpens in the lowe
mountains. 1t was little house, built
and rooted with logs securely clamped
together. The door was raised and
fastened to the lever that connected
with the trigger inside. had helped
to build dozen just like the one neal
at hand. AT first my thought was of the
grim joke it would be on Neds bear
trap to have his brother devoured by q
bear right In front of it. Then some
thing else occurred to me. The bear
came back and stood over me. His
mouth was open to shut down on my
neck and finish this story for me.
could feel his hot breath on my
face, when the coyotes made rush, and
one of them actually seized my foot.
The grizzly rushed after them furious
ly. Now was my opportunity. With SUI
perhuman exertion born OF highly
desperate condition of affairs rosc
upon my uninjured knee, and half
scrambled half rolled into the pen. Be-
fore | was well in could hear the huge
brute coming on run. | crawled an
other foot further-too late-no,
reached the trigger with the tips OF my
fingers, and down shot the ponderous
door, scraping the grizzly's nose as it
fell was shut up in the bear pen.
What moment that was in my life
II were to live thousand years |
should never forget it. How the brutes
did rage outside. A hundred times they
walked around the pen, the bear ofiiciat
ing as chief mourner, and the coyotes
skulking after him and bowling dis.
maliy. AS for me, lay stretched on
the ground inside and laughed and
cried. and cried and laughed. for my
nerves were gone all to pieces. and |
had spell of what would have been
Mysteries if had been woman. Some
times varied the,performance by faint
ing comfortably away, with such a
| blessed sense OF security, and when
walked again | cried and laughed some
more. staid there and kept house III
that bear pen don't know how many
( hours. and all the time my broken leg
/ ached horribly.
After awhile a fusillade of shots
reused me, and saw the grizzly rise
/ upon his launches. Then some NOR
shots sounded and he fell, with faint
struggling motions of his arms. The
coyotes rushed at him first, but few
more shots scattered them.
THE next knew there stood my
brother Edward, looking down upon
me in the bear trap. | was suffering
too much to observe the expression
beyond expression to see me alive be
fore him. He was accompanied by my
two miner acquainta noes of the NIGH
before. III be hanged if it wasn't THE
closest call with grizzly bear | evel
heard Of was the only exclamation the
miners could make.
You zee it happened this way. My
frightened horse tore like mad through
the timber, and passed the miners in thu
canyon. They knew at once that an &C
cident had befallen me. They startet
Immediately to hunt me up, when the,
came across my brother Ned, who hat
come up for another days hunt witt
me. They saw where had passet
through the chaparral, and where
had been thrown from my horse. Th
prints Of the bears feet had given then
reason to believe was done for. ant
the blood on the ground assured then
of frightful death had met. 1t wa
four or five months before ! could ge
about without crutches, and 1t was sev
eral weeks that | lay critically i'll a
my brothers ranch with my shattere'
limb The doctors say it is marvelou
that | lived through the first month.
still feel pain where the break occurred
whenever the wea tlher is damp, and
don't suppose shall ever get over tn
horrible sensation of that July day
when had my life savedIby the coyotes
Do you wonder that | have tende
spot in my heart for the beaststhat min
out of ten men think are the meanes
and sneakicst that liveY"-Detroit FIRE.
Press.