The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1898-01-01
MISS-MISS SPARED.
HE CAPTURED THE GRIZZLY JUST IN
THE NICK OF TIME.
Kew the Hudson Bay Tribes Dispose Of
the Old and INDECENT Members-This
Old Warrior Sought Another Death and
Got q New Lease In Life.

OOt D new Lease In Lie.
There is but one beast that the Indi-
q are really afraid Of" said Egerton
Young, the Baptist minister who re-
Gently returned from a long s~ojourn
among the Hudson bay tribes, where
ne was the pioneer missionary. THAT
is the grizzly bear, the tiger of North
America, Only once have l heard Of a
grizzly being captured alive, and in
that case the feat saved the life of a ia
nous old warrior.
Among many Of the Hudson BAY
tribes it is the custom for the ablebod-
led TO put to death the old men and NO.
men who are no longer able to do their
share Of the work. The old women are
simply knocked on the head without
ceremony. The process Of getting rid of
an old man is more elaborate. The In
dians do not think it we'll to stain their
hands with the blood Of one who was
once a warrior. So they delegate the
task to their hereditary enemies. the
wolves, to which they render all assist
ance in their power.
When il has been decided at q sol
N powwow that any particular old
man is 20 die, instructions are given to
a number of young men to take meas
nres to get rid Of him Immediately.
Among the executioners are always the
rons Of the condemned man. The dav
after sentence has been passed these ex-
e%cutloners call on the veteran, attack
him with stones and spears and drive
him into the wilderness. There they
leave him to his fate. A few days later
they return and collect a few we'll
gnawed bones, which they bring back
with hitting ceremonies.
Among all the warriors belonging
10 a tribe with which | made a long So
Journ, none had a more glorious record
than Miss-Niss. But Miss-Miss was get
ting Old. His eyes were dim, his hands
were slow, and rarely did he bring
home a fat buck. Furthermore. food
was scarce, and Niss-Miss retained an
excellent appetite. One morning Miss
Miss got orders TO be prepared to
receive the next day a delegation Of
young braves led bv his two stalwart
SONS.
But MlSs-Niss, though he had as
sisted in many such ceremonialS in his
day, had not yet come TO consider him
self old and useless. He was very angry.
Just as Miss-Miss had done reviling the
lngratltude Of the young a boy rushed
IN TO say that a huge grizzly was feed
ing a short distance from the camp.
Here was the veterans chance. All the
braves Were away at the hunt. Children
and squaws and Miss-Miss were the sole
occupants Of the camp. He knew that
to face a grizzly single handed was
certain death, but it was the death Of a
man. So Miss-Miss armed himself with
bis spear and ~tomahawk and went forth
10 seek the bear.
He had not far to 60. Within a few
hundred yards of the camp he espied
the largest and leanest bear he had seen
for years, making a scanty meal off
dried roots. Crawling up as close as he
could, he hurled his spear. The weapon
struck the bear in the flank. AS he had
calculated, the wound had no further
effect than TO infuriate the brute and
turn. its attention upon him. Miss-Miss
o his stand with his back to a tree,
grasped his little tomahawk firmly and
awaited death.
Now, had it been an ordinary little
black bear the peril of Miss Miss would
have been small. A black bear would
have risen on its hind legs when it
came to close quarters, and leaving its
chest quite unprotected, tried to insert
Its paws between the man and the tree
IN order to hug him to death. All Miss
Miss would have had to do would have
been to wait until it came within arms
length and plunge his hunting knife in
to its chest. One thrust would have
been sufficient. But a grizzly is differ
ent. 1t strikes with its mighty claws.
Mlss-Missa awaited the onset. When the
bear came to close quarters, it rose on
It's hind legs and made a mighty, sweep
ing blow at his body. Setting his teeth, !
Miss-Miss struck at its head with his
t~omahawk. The weapon was dashed
from his grasp and he was hurled to
the ground, but, much to his surprise,
uninJured. Instead Of the sharp claws
IN his side he had felt a mighty buffet !
: a. A1oAl q uuSe JOKING glove. Miss
Miss scrambled TO his feet. The next
glance explained matters. Like himself. /,
the zeal was a veteran. 1t had lost its
claws long since. Miss Miss lodged
round and round his tree and from II
tree to another. The bear, whose sight
was dim with age, aimed blow after
blow, with no other effect than that OF
bruising its paws against the trunks.
The fight went on, and Miss Miss
strength was giving way, when through
an opening in the forest he espied the
blaze OF the campfires close at hand.
The bear saw it, too, and with a grunt
OF disgust and disappointment turned
round and trotted back into the depths
OF the forest to resume its meal.
"Miss-Miss fastened back to the
camp and called the Oldest Of the BOYS
together. Take your l~assoes, he cried,
and we will capture a grizzly alive
So out they went. When the party ar.
rived within range, Miss-Miss whistled.
The bear raised its head and the bows
cast their lassoes. One moose fell over
the brute's neck.
when the braves returned in the