The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-10-30
THE BOOK ON BEARS.
AN OBJECT LESSON WHICH SHOWS
1T WILL NOT DO TO GO BY.
A Sportsman Whose Experience Disproyed
the Claim That the Female Bear wiz
Desert Her Young IL That Is Necessary
to Saw. hs~vself From Trouble.

Desert Her Young IL That Is NecessAr,
to Save B~vself From Trouble.
ut is wonderful how much one may
learn from books what wild animals will
do and what they will not do, +" said a Now
Yorker who has time and money enough
TO go where and do as he pleases. Il am
reminded of this by having read in a book
the other day the positive statement that
the numerous tales told of the black
bears pugnaciousness and the fury with
which it will attack a man are entirely
fanciful. Even when wounded and pressed
by the hunter the black bear will put forth
every endeayor TO escape, and the female
of this variety, instead of resolutely and
savagely standing in defense of her cubs,
will desert them at the first sign of danger
If such desertion is necessary to save her
self from trouble
~ had read that same declaration be-
fore, and few years ago believed il. 1
was led TO change my opinion, though, by
some personal observations had the OPP
portunity of making OF the black bear s
disposition. l do not seek information
about bears any more from the learned
naturalists who make books but l know
q great deal more about them.
1T was only y years ago that l re-
ceived my interesting object lesson in
what the black bear will and will not do.
i was way up in Frontenac county, Can
ada, fishing. / had half breed guide,
who pronounced his name Fangwas. 1
don't know how he spelled it. Neither
did he. He was a giant in size and
strength, and it is pleasant recollection
10 me that he was. Otherwise my conf
dence in book knowledge of wild beasts
would have cost my estate quite sum for
funeral expenses, direct and incidental.
1--WE were camped near the shore Of
White lake. One day l came in from q
little excursion by myself on the lake. and
l had my gun with me- Deer used TO have
a habit of coming down TO the lake and
standing in the water, stamping and snort
ing. This scared the fish, and we used to
take our guns with us sometimes TO make
the deer go away. / had just stepped
ashore from my boat when / heard noise
in the thicket. looked toward IL and saw
bear, followed by two good sized cubs,
hurrying across an open spot in the bushes.
The old bear had got out of sight in tho
thicket again before 1 thought of firing. l
saw where she was, though, by the sway
ing of the bushes, and 1 banged away
The bullet took effect, and the bear tum-
bled and lay there.
She must be dead, said /, 'or she
would get up and run away as fast as her
legs could carry her. cubs or no cubs.
So l hurried toward the spot to take
look at the game my well calculated shot
had brought down and take measures to
secure the two young bears. hadn't TAX
en- half dozen steps, however, when the
bushes began TO tumble about in lively
commotion, and my supposed dead bear
came tearing out into the opening with a
flerceness and determination that were en-
tirely irregular and in violation of the rule
laid down in the books. The instant she
saw me she rose on her launches, and
want to tell you she was sight TO give "a
fellow dreams. And her appearance wasn't
improved any by the fact that my bullet
had carried away her lower jaw.
Before could collect myself sufficient
ly to make any effort either TO defend my
self or to escape the shockingly mutilated
and altogether furious bear was upon me.
Down we went together in n heap on the !
ground. yelled as never man yelled be-
fore, guess. 1t happened, fortunately for
me, that Fangwas was ut the camp, which J
was only a few rods away. He had heard !
my gun and had started lcisurely down |
that way to see what l had fired at He
hadn't suspected bear or danger of any !
kind and never thought of taking his |
gun. When he heard me yell, he was close !
by and came rushing through the thicket !
to my aid. If he had had a gun, he said |
he wouldn't have dared to use
1t, so mixed up were the bear and in the !
struggle on the ground. 1t was well for !
me that my bullet had sliced the bears |
lower jaw off, for the loss of that prevent
cd her from tearing me with her teeth. I |
had presence of mind enough, as we wres-
tied on the ground, to seize the bears long |
fur in my teeth and draw my face deep in |
to her coat, thus keeping 1t away from her |
claws.
Tho instant my guide came he got |
heavy club and began hammering the bear
With 1t. He soon stunned her, and / got |
loose and sprang TO my feet. That seemed |
TO rouse the bear, for she was up and at |
me again like "a flash. With a blow from |
)ne of her paws, which landed on my right |
she knocked me off my feet and |
sent me flying against stump. struck (
With my left side and got up with three |
broken ribs, as subsequent investigation |
proved.
1.-THE bear then rushed for Fangwas and |
lad him disarmed of his club in less time |
han it takes me to tell IL. Then the gil |
yantic guide gave me an exhibition of |
some Greco Roman wrestling such as / |
had never expected to see. He avoided a |
ierce rush the bear made, and, Selling her |
around her body, threw her over his left |
shoulder and held her there In spite of her |
tipping and clawing him. AS he held her
40 shouted to me to shove the muzzle of |
ny gun against her head and blow her
brains out. 1 did SO, and Fangwas held |
he big beast on his shoulder till she died
The guide wasn't hurt much, but / was
70 badly done up that we had to break
amp and get in TO the nearest settlement,
where / could have my injuries attended
20. l was there "a week before / felt chip
per enough to go back and finish my out
ng.
II don't know. what became of the two
young bears, but suppose they escaped to
5he woods and grew up, probably to teach
some one else what mistake he was liza
bic TO make by forming his opinion of
bears from what the books said. New
York Sun.
10 I.fy