Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-06-25
-FOLLYOFAW ISEBEAR
THE CRAVINGS or HIS SWEET TOOTH
LED TO HIS DOWNFALL.

He Got Drunk on 81 Thompson's Rum and
MoIasses, and ST Killed Hinton Me-
serve Gives New York sportsman a
Dissertation on Bears.
To the ears of the New York sports
man and Tom Meserve, his guide, lying
on the bed of evergreen boughs in camp
on the shore Of Moosehead lake, came
the scream Of a bear somewhere off in
the dark forest. 1t was a queer sound
that was much like the shrill call Of
Dinner, with a rising infection at
the end, with which New England farm
wives summon the men from the fields
to the MONDAY meal. 1t was repeated
several times at intervals and came each
time from nearer the camp. The guide
got up and went out to the maple grove
few rods away, took down from
limb tho buck that was hanging there,
dragged it nearer the camp and hung it
up to a tree within plain sight of the
doorway.
"When we know that bear is prowl-
ing round, it is well to have our venison
where we can see it, :" he said. "He
won't come so near the camp, but if we
left the meat out among the naples he'd
be apt to spoil some of it before morn
ing. A bear is a hungry creature and
will eat about everything, from honey
to carrion---a stale salt maekerel will
draw one farther than anything else
but he is shy about coming around
camps where people are. You'll see that
this one will come near enough to find
out that there are people here, and then
will go away"
The New Yorker was for going out
to try a she at the bear, but the guide
told him that it was of no use.
HE won t come into view anyway,
he said, land if you show yourself at
the door he'll not come within rife
shot. Remember that he can see in the
dark, but unless you should get a
glimpse of his eyes you couldn't distin-
guish him among the shadows five steps
away. Just listen, and we may hear
him"
The New York man lay down again
upon the boughs. The scream came once
again close at hand and after that was
heard no more. Presently the guide lift
ed his head and signaled the New York
er that he should listen. There was a
sound of cracking twigs and rustling
bushes somewhere outside the open
space in front of the camp, but no noise
of footballs. Then came little sharp
eo,,nJ % euuH1nu aud oftor fbat tho
noise Of something moving through the
bushes again. The snuffings and then
the moving ON again kept up until the
bear had completely circled round the
camp, and then the sounds from him
died away. Bruin had found out all he
wanted to know about the camp, decid-
| ed that venison there was likely to come
too high in the way of risk in getting it.
and gone away without showing him
self or exposing his skin to any greater
risk than that of random shot.
"That's the way with bears, " OBJ
served Meserve as the two men lighted
their pipes. "You almost never get a
shot at one unless you catch him swim
ming pond-and in that case you
want to make sure of your shooting or
he'll come aboard your boat, which
makes things bad-or run him down
with dogs, which is expensive, for the
more valuable the dog the more certain
he is to get killed It's only the ours
that will zap at the bears heels and run
away when he turns ON them that es-
cape damage in bear chase, and, once
in sight of the bear, they're the most
useful too The bear is like what have
read of elephants He can't bear the
sound of "a little dog swapping behind
him and keeps turning round to drive
him off and so gives the hunters a
chance to come up.
There was one bear that stayed
round this shore for years, and he gave
fishermen no end of trouble by robbing
their camps when they were out on the
lake fishing. He bothered them worst In
the early spring, when they came up to