The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-04-14
STORIES OF PIONEER DAYS.
AN ADVENTURE WITH A BEAR.

Well. my young friends, here We
are again. A perry good evening
and happy greeting to yCu all
l have told you about one long
journey into the wilderness. and oul
happy arrival at Uncle Charles's.
Soon after this an event occurred
which was long TO be remembered by
the children. At the first gray streak
Of dawn we were all astT. Aunt The
resa and mother set about preparing
breakfast before the great wide stone
fireplace. The maple logs piled on
the andirons, blazed up the capacious
chimney, sending a warm ruddy glow
over the room, baking the bread in
the tin oven and heating the kettles
suspended from crane hooks above.
Father and Uncle Charles had taken
their tin lantern and gone to the barn
to feed the oxen, sheep and cows. As
came out at the door, with a dish
of clear cold water to wash my hands
and face, the bright morning star was
yet shining in the calm blue sky; a
rich food of gold and crimson per
vaded the eastern horizon, away be
yond the wooded hills where the sun
would rise, and everything betokened
a lovely morning. The loud cackling
of geese and the shrill voice of the old
rooster echoed through the forest.
heralding approaching day. In my
boyish fancy L thought frontier life
was paradise. | had not yet wit
messed its difficulties and dangers,
however. Perhaps the time was not
far distant when l would look upon it
in far different light.
After breakfast father aud Uncle
Charles took their axes, and & pail
containing their dinner, and telling us
they would probably be gone till sun
down, set out to locate and cut logs
for our new home. A happy time
soon prevailed with the youngsters.
We hunted hens nests all over the
barn, and turned somersaults on the
hay, and then we got out our hand
sleds and rode down hill in the yard.
Finally we tired of this sport and
then it was proposed that we should
60 up into the woods, to great ledge
on the brow of the hill. and see cave
in the rocks. Putting our sleds over
the log fence, by the path, we were all
eager and ready to set forth. If our
parents had known our intentions,
they would have vetoed our plans at
once, and forbidden us to go to the
woods; but they did not know; and in
up the high rocky ridge that rose ab
ruptly from the edge of the clearing
back of the house.
The ledge was some ten or fifteen
rods in length, and rose perpendicu
larly, in some places to the height of
twenty fve.> feet Huge boulders,
covered with patches of gray moss
and lunches of ferns and liverworts
where the melting snow did not cover
them, lay separately or piled up in de
tached masses along the rough uneven
hillside. In some places along the
ledge the action of the atmosphere
and water had crumbled away the
lower portion of the rock, producing
chambers into which we could walk
over the loose mass of dry stones to
the distance CT eight or ten feet.
Small dark openings led off from the
back of the larger chambers into the
interior of the ledge. One of these
was found large enough to admit of
our passage on our hands and knees,
and we crawled into it to the distance
of ten or twelve feet but it WAS 50 dark
and confined that we backed out, and
concluded to leave further investiga-
ton to more daring explorers.
After traversing the ledge in vari-
Gus directions and visiting the princi-
clpal openings, we gathered under
one of the largest jutting rocks and
commenced to lay up Il wall along
the front, from the loose stones that
had fallen from the roof We were
chatting and laughing as merry and
noisy as magpies, enjoying ourselves
in the highest degree, thinking of the
worlds of fun we should have after
our stone Jail should be completed,
when low, sullen growl arrested our
attention.
Looking around an angle of the
rock, where a couple of hemlock trees
had been overturned and lay with
their tops against the ledge, we beheld
a huge black bear in the act of crawl
ing underneath The stones we held
in our hands were dropped and with
blanched faces we lnstictively came
out from beneath the rock.
What is it," whispered one.
Il don't know" replied another in a
low scared tone of voise. 1T looks
ike grandpa's old black hog. Let's
run,
Away we all went, up around an
angle of the ledge, beyond his sight
Il amt goin' to rum" said cousin
George. Lets get some big stout
clubs and if he comes up here We'll
kill him. | amt afraid of him"
We proceeded to procure some
broken branches that lay about us
but hardly had they been obtained
when we heard crash among the
dried boughs of the two hemlocks
that lay over the top of the ledge, and
the bear jumped down before Us.
With loud cries of fear we rushed
to little sapling near by, and hur-
riedly commenced to climb from
branch to branch that put out trunk
thickly one above another. George
was the last to ascend. He stood
facing the slowly approaching beast
for single moment, and then he
hureld his club at him with all his
might. and rushed up the tree behind
us. 1t struck the bear 10 the face. and
uttering a loud savage growl he
bounded forward and angrily tore the
barkfrom the tree with his teeth.
To us it was an exciting moment
We sscended higher and higher until
the top began to sway, high up near q
larger spreading branch of great
hemlock, and then we paused. From
our elevated position we could lool
down upon the house and all it:
pleasant surroundings. At that mo
ment Aunt Theresa came out in The
door yard for an armful of wood.