The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-02-05
BRUIN AND THE BOAT
THe DEER STORY MAN SIGHED. BUT
SAID NOT A WORD.

~ !" hs Royal ana brains
Won a Magnificent Victory.
They had been telling all sorts of
hunting stories, some almost too mirac-
ulous to be believed, except by hunters
who had had experiences and knew
what strage things sometimes occur far
away amid the forest wilds when there
are no witnesses. The last man had told
OF deer hunting in the water, and
squat, heavy set man sitting in the cor
ner seemed particularly interested in
the tale.
"That reminds me-" he said, when |
he had chance to come in, "of an ex- |
perience l once had up in the lake re- |
gion of Canada. A party Of us were in |
camp there, along in the fall, and were
having great sport with the rod and
gun. We had secured specimens of all
the game and fish for which the section
was noted except bear, and Of that
tracks had been reported not far from
camp, and we were to try for bruin as
soon as we had made proper prepara-
tions. The day before we were to start
out on the bear hunt had gone off up
the shore of the lake in light canoe
we had to fish for a couple of hours
and get fry for supper. l had nothing
with me in the canoe except my fishing
outfit and no sort of weapon unless
the canoe paddle might be called one.
But man didn't need a weapon to
catch fish with, so gave no thought to
| it. had found a nice cave up the cove
about a mile from camp, and there
stopped the canoe about 80 feet from
shore in deep water and threw out my
line. Luck was good, and had pulled
in five or six fine fellows and was hav-
ing more fun than anybody, except the
fisherman, when / was startled by
splash from the thicket lining the shore,
and the next minute whopping big
bear was making for me lickety split.
To say that l was scared doesn't half
express it. was paralyzed. l didn't
even have sense enough left to grab my
paddle and try to get away. l simply
caught it up and held it in my hand as
l would q club and waited. But the
bear didn't wait He was very evident
, ly hungry, or he never would have at
tackled me out there in the boat, and he
was coming straight for me. waited
. for him to get close enough to bat him
Q one, and then gave it to him with the
e canoe paddle square between the eyes.
$ 1t dazed him little, but it was far more
disastrous to the paddle, and when
: Strengthened up from delivering the
|. blow 1 had only about two feet OF the
= paddle left in my hand. The rest OF it,
G splintered, was floating in the wake Of
II the bear. He gave himself shake after
v hit him, and the next minute he had
Ia caught the side of the canoe with one o.
;. his big paws and was manifesting
> violent desire to get aboard with me
d As he weighed about 400 pounds ant
is was as powerful as a horse it did no
# require very strong haul to settle tina
D part of the proceeding early, and instea'
n of his coming aboard with me the cano
y. was unset, and l went into the waite
is with him.
r. "By this time portion OF my wit
n had returned, and l had sense enough
II as the boat went toward the bear, to &c
at off into the water with the boat betwee
"a the bear and me. l was good SWIM
m mer and had a faint idea If got heao
ed toward the shore could outswim IN
enemy and get away, so l turned,
soon as l got Strengthened out III III
be lake, and put back the other way. LII
20 hear in the meantime had starte
&c around the end of the boat, coming III
in way. I don't know what it was, whetl
~. or ipspiration or fear or bravery, b'
ok certainly it was something out OF u
of ordinary, for as went around one on
no Of the boat and the bear was at the otl
IA or mr. unite near it was struck with
ma idea. and instead Of trying speed vii
A.. tho bear for the shore / concluded
,or try wits with him right where we wer
Oh So SWING OH to the end OF the cano
y, which was bottom side up, and rs u
rd beor came toward me, / tilted tho 9th
- end M. and with q sudden jerk, dropp'
iss the inverted boat over the bears nea
Id Tho next minute ] was ON top OF q
,er boat with the bear under me. l que
he didn't know what had happened
him. for he didn't seem to do anyth'l
ho nnder there except to bump his he
no against the bottom and growl Ithoug
he at f,rst he might have sense enough
, a dive and come out on the other SO
but, like turkeys that walk into p
,er through a hole heading from the outsi
TO TO into IL, and, never once looking dc'
- for the hole to get out at. run around
mr.. a crazy kind of way till they
dio cauQht. that bear staid under the oe
70 with me ON top Of it. humping ms ne
nv. and growing. By this time l was re-
hat inc a good deal like Napoleon CROSSE
on. the Alps, or like some other great hel
al. and felt still more like it as motto
'o an the humping and the growing growii
ms less every minute until finally IL
ceased altogether. didn't understa
that quite and began to wonder II
hear wasn't catching ON to himsei1
thinking Of the easiest way to get at
T., dinner, when over in the clear water
ing the lake, a dozen feet or so from
at boat, / saw something big and o.
oles slowly going toward the bottom 9
I-..V nor