The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-21

Rata er the near on the Cnnr.
GREAT PoND. Me-, Jan. 21.-About sixty
tcamsters board In the camps at the extract
works. When the sledding 10 good they haul
homlock bark, but IL the stream is open and the
roads are 10y the teams stay In the novels and
tho drivers go cunning and fishing. In the mid
die OF the last thaw. when tho road on the stream
was four feet under wator. Frank Brown came
into camp one night and reported that he had
seen q bear among the sprucos on the side of
Nicatous Mountain. The othor mon laughed at
Brown. but on getting up the next morning they
saw bear tracks all about the camp. The bear
was evidently very hungry and had followed
Brown four miles to camp In the hope of getting
q meal. All the dogs and firearms In the settle
mont were drafted into service, and every able.
bodied man in the place went of on tho bear
hunt.
The dogs overlook their intended victim bo-
fore he reached Nicatous Mountain, and there
was some pretty brisk fighting for four or five
minutes. The hunters, hearing the conflict,
hurried up to help tho dogs. In n few minutes
they began to meet dogs that were going homo
In n hurry. When all tho dogs but four had
gone by toward Great Pond settlement tho
hunters came to tho battle-ground and found
the missing ones lying dead on the snow where
the bear had left them. Tho bear was gone,
having taken the old tote road around tho head
of Nicatous Lake. More than half the hunters
turned back here. Half Of, those who stayed
struck across tho ice on Nicatous Lake. which
was knee deep under water. hoping 70. head the
animal MAR on Sd,, ON me On f Sf,ar ih s' de.i mhi bsn the re-
The tracking party had almost, reached the
head of the lake when they lost the trail. For
half an hour they tramped through tho woods;
then looking into tho lake from a high hill they
saw tho bear neck deep in water. Sc metimcs
walking. he swan for half q mile or SO: The
men fired a pound or SO of lead at him, but ho
dash for the lake. running on the submerged leo
in the hope, of overtakinE tho boar before ho
they were doing he seemed to display no anxiety.
swimming or walking. as the within took him. he
we're we're 9 gaining ioh tnS upon SSpSSf him Sn Tap pt Hge a ,ndV We're aG alm msh
within easy shot when the ice gave way. sub
merging them in the middle l. Of tho lake;
more than an hour to get on shore and build n
fire, AS h good portion of their firearms was in
appeared in the woods, the party passed a dreary
night in n snowstorm and went back to work
the next day fully satisfied that tho bear would
never be caught.
In the meantime, the party who had crossed
the lake further down in order to head the bear
off in case he came down on the opposite side.
had grown tired of waiting and moved up along
panions had received a vwettins. 1t was getting
dark and beginning to snow whom the leaders
Of an Indian file came out OF a spruce belt and
almost ran against a wet and bedragglcd bear.
The man fired and missed, and then all the men
gave chase; The bear retraced his steps to the
side of the lake. and followed along in the fringe
while the hunters could hear him bre king limbs
bear played with. them until dark, and then
swan out into the lake. Tho party built a fire
from their fellow hunters on the other sldo Of
the lake.
After having gained all the experience they
could desire IN hunting bears. the transfers
went to work hauling bark on the now snow.
Though Ia ,sa n the rw wsr not gi sai;s sin9Spsh to 3a Ias t a lot bear of
beans to supply sixty hearty teamsters. and
therefore bHn1 :. the ! e., bean n pot W Whieh e MSs NJ, used sn at Great rns%t
10 hard ipw Wood , eoais i i he EiG two N Sashe as' Of h beSns and md
mention a peck Of peeled onions. a gallon
of molasses and a whole can Of ground
woods smell good enough to tempt a dyspcptic.
Beyond a doubt they make a similar impression
the men had resumed bark hauling a bear be-.
gan to come about the camps at night and dig
the tf,,S dirt it, and ne, chips from iD3nn, the top at Of rs thG bean at hole she
beans. The bean hole was kept hot. however.
warm for the bear to penetrate. As. for the
spring guns and traps that were set in the yicin-
ity for the purpose a5 % ei1 9f sl q xSa6 hnTso the hat eSS" bar,
escaped from the howell in the night, and were
hesitating between snow and rain and were try
ing to compromise upon sleet. the cook went
burning and surprised a bear, in the act OF
jamming his head into the top, of the uncovered
bean pot In quest OF Dakeu Deans. W men the
bear heard the cooks step he lifted his head.
and by SO doing brought the wire bail of the pot
across the back of his neck. The cook yelled.
and the boar, tottering under the weight OF
| nearly a barrel of baked beans suspended from
his neck. retrented up the woods road in the
| direction of the back lot. Though tho bear
could mako good progress with his load. he had
considerable difficulty in finding his way. be-
cause the bean pot INSTRUCTED his vision. II he
| held his head high enough to keep the pot from
dragging It was in front of his eyes, and If he
allowed the pot 10 drag his progress was SO slow
that the cook was liable to overtake him.
Tho cook had III mayed to discharge nll tho
cartridges in a repeating rifle without effect
and the bear had managed to keep in. tho road
for half a mile. when the couple met the loading
bark team coming out of the woods on the last
turn. Nobody has yet been able to train a horse
SO it will not be scared by q bear, and here wasa
big bear ornamentcd as to his neck with n hugo
bean pot, and behind the bear was a bare.headed
and frantic cook yelling as loud as his lungs
would allow. The front horses reared twice and
turned sharp to the off side OF tho road, spilllng
two and n half cords Of bark across the sled
track. While tho teamster was trying to
untangle his horses the second load came
down tho hill. followed in quick succession by n
third and a fourth. Every team saw the bear
or smellod him. and acted MS badly as 1t could.
and while tho cook was pleading for somebody
to help him kill tho bear, and tho teamstcrs
were swearing about their horses and over
turned bark. the bear made a detour through
the bushes and got away, carrying the pot OF
beans along.