Barre evening enterprise. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-1898, 1898-04-25
FOLLYOF A WISEBEAR
THE CRAVINGS OF HIS SWEET TOOTH
LED TO HIS DOWNFALL.

Tic Got Drunk on 81 Thompson's Rum and
Molasscs. and 81 Killed Hinton Me.
serve Gives a New York Sportsman a
Dissertation on Bears.
To the ears Of the ~ York sports.
man and Tom Meserve, Las guide, lying
~ the bed of evergreen boughs in camp
IN the shore of Moosehead lake, came
The scream of bear somewhere off in
the dark forest. 1t was 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 tnes at intervals and came each
time frc.n nearer the camp. The guide
got up and went out to the maple grove
few rods away, took down from a
limb the 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 we'll 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 hungry creature and
will eat about everything, from honey
to carrion-a stale salt mackerel will
draw one farther than anything else
but he is shy about coming around
camps where people are. You II 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 SD OF 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 rifle
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
E him.. )"
B. The New York man lay down again
h again close at hand and after that was
n heard no more. Presently tho guide lift
@ ed his head and signaled the New York
M@ er that he should listen. There was a
M sound of cracking twigs and rustling
# bushes somewhere outside the open
# space in front of the camp, but no noise
I'M of FOOTBALLS Then came little sharp
N&souud Of snuffing and after that the
Of something moving through the
Mbushes again. The snuffings and then
sS& 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-
SWNafed that venison there was likely to come
MOO high in the way of risk in getting it,
aaand gone away without showing him
self or exposing his skin to any greater
risk than that of a random shot.
8 "That's the way with BEARS" OBJ
VI Served Meserve as the two men lighted
their pipes. "You almost never get
4 fhot at ono unless you catch him SWIM
hing pond-and in that case you
want to make sure Of your shooting or
be'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
Pc is to get killed It's only the ours
that will zap at the BEARS heels and run
way when he turns on them that es-
rape damage in bear chase, and, once
n sight Of the bear, they re the most
ps full toe The bear is like what l have
cad of elephants. He can't bear the
|ound Of little dog swapping behind
PIN and keeps turning round to drive
nm off and SO gives the hunters a
nance to come up.
There was one bear that stayed
ound this shore for years, and he gave
shermen no end Of trouble by robbing
lelr camps when they were out on the
Ike fishing. He bothered them worst in
pc early spring, when they came up to
pout that time that the bear would
pine out from his winters sleep lean
al hungry, and it took heap to fill
IN up He was great traveller, and
lore the fishing season ended he would
heard of from one end of the lake to
Pc other They could tell that it was
pc bear that did the business, for this
pc mad foot with some of the toes
Pne and the tracks about the camp al
avs showed this mark.
lhi' ear run his rig up and down
T. lake for three years without get
u into trouble. He came to grief at
NJ IN very queer way. A man nam
oilas Thompson, camping. alone on
y east shore Of the lake, was out on
Ice minding his lines one March
ana thinking how he would have
20 nome sooner than he had intended,
ing TO an accident that had happened
"' morning at his camp. In some way
mad dropped his rum jug and broken
.n Two or three places There was
'ie with some molasses in it standing
inc fireplace, and by grabbing up tho
quickly aud holding it over the bot
ne managed to save a quart or two
P !, IN the shape of BLACK strap
vs. the state Sf Maine name snt rum