The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-10-06
MISS-MISS SPARED.
He CAPTURED THE GRIZZLY JUST IN
THE NICK OF TIME.

He CAPTURED THE GRIZZLY JUST IN
THE NICK OF TIME.
How the Hudson Bay Tribes Dispose of
the Old and INDECENT Members-This
old Warrior Sought Another Death and
Got q New Lease In Life.
There is but one beast that the Indi-
ans are really afraid of" said Egerton
Young, the Baptist minister who re-
Iently returned from a long sojourn
among the Hudson bay tribes, where
he was the pioneer missionary. That
is the grizzly bear, the tiger of North
America Only once have i heard of a
grizzly being captured alive, and in
that case the feat saved the life of ia
mous old warrior.
Among many of the Hudson bay
tribes it is the custom for the ablebod-
led TO put 10 death the old men and wo-
men who are no longer able 10 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 il well 10 stain their
hands with the blood of one who was
once a warrior So they delegate the
task TO their hereditary enemies, the
wolves, TO which they render sll assist
ance in their power.
When il has been decided at a sol
emn powwow that any particular old
man is TO die, instructions are given TO
a 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 a few well
gnawed bones, which they bring back
with fitting ceremonies.
Among all the warriors belonging
20 tribe with which | made long So
journ, none bad a more glorious record
than Miss-M But Miss Miss was get
ting odd. His eyes were dim, his hands
were slow, and rarely did he bring
home a 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 a 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 a grizzly single handed was
certain death, but it was the death of
man. So Miss-Miss armed himself with
his spear and tomahawk and went forth
70 seek the bear.
He had not far to GO Within a few
hundred yards Of the camp he espied
the largest and leanest bear he had seen
for years, making a 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
took his stand with his back to a tree,
grasped his little tomahawk firmly and
awaited death
Now, had it been an ordinary little
black bear the peril of Miss-Miss would
have been small a black bear would
have risen on its hind legs when it
came 70 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 il came within arm s
length and plunge his hunting knife in
TO its chest One thrust would have
been sufficient But grizzly is differ
ent Ii strikes with its mighty claws
Miss-M 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 20 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 a 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
brJising 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 1t, too, and with grunt
Cf disgust and disappointment turned
round and trotted back into the depths
Of the forest TO resume its meal
Miss Miss hastened back to the
camp and called the Oldest of the boys
together Take your lassoes,' be cried,
and We will capture a grizzly alive
So out they went When the party ar
rived within range, Miss Miss whistled.
The bear raised its head and the boys
cast their lassoes. One moose fell over
the brute's neck
When the braves returned in the
evening, prepared to chase Miss Miss
into the wilderness, they found huge,
roaring grizzly tethered IN the middle
Of the camp No one Of the tribe ever
had done such deed They concluded
the Great Spirit had willed that Miss
Miss should live. and Miss Miss is alive
today and in high homer with the
tribe New York Sun
Chewing the DeteI Nat.
Maxwell Sommerville, in his book
Slam Op ha Nas.,av,, -.