The Savannah morning news., 1900-06-21

4
folk haven't. In fact. I'm che only Teller
ever heard of that ever did. All the
ridin' is generally the other way. Bear
seldom carry outside passengers. But Ola
| Cluhfoot packed me one day in great
Shape. That old sarpent used to range
three hills and if there was anything he
liked it was lead. He was a regular
traVeiin' lead mine. He was so danger
Gus l never hankered after his pelt, but
one day I nearly ran over him, and he
came for me. so that there was nothin'
to do but shoot. l fed him some lead
| right in the gizzard and all he done was
to guip as If it was good, and come right
on with his mouth wide open for some
mere. I accommodated him right in the
mouth, too, but one OF his big white teeth
I New into splinters that whizzed up into
the air l had Sharp's rife and just
as l went to load 1t again the cartridge
stuck in the chamber and l couldn't shut
II Disappointment seemed 10 make the
Old euss only the madder. and on he came.
bent for a full breakfast.
Il suppose you hive persoired. as they
say in lite talk. I didn't have tine 10
get pore open, for luck was en- my de
ano was on.y few yards from a Ii
oak. l was young and pretty quick. and
swung myself in jiffy unto big limb.
felt rip in my pants as l whirled over.
aA1, a ter ge tin we OUt OF rea I
felt there and there was three or four
siits six inches long where his claws had
just missed my casin'. You may laugh al
you please a ont folks thai work With
ire seat CT the ? pants. but if it hadn't
1een for the dry goods boxes down at the
country store you wouldn't he entertain
IN me with your ear tonight
i craVled along 10 The trunk of the
tree and began 10 wonder how | was to
get The rife u. Old Clubf5ot was there
with his big paws clawin down bark only
TWO feet fr- m my toes and tryin' to gel
up His breath 1t like The : cam out o.
q locomotive and his ewes would almost
have done for a headlight, he was so
mad. had seen mad bears before. when
they had foo ca ght in a trap but I
never saw such raein fury as this old
scamp had when he found I was beyond
his reach and The trunk of that n too
straight and smooth for him TO climb.
Just as l began to think of a Sunday
school hymn suitab for saved sinner.
felt a-bite. Then there was another and
another and somethin' erawlin' up my
sleeve and on my neck and up my ankles
and more bites by the second, with the
smell of ants gettin' mighty powerful.
Then you bet I did perspire in no time
bites from one of the big red or black ants
do you suppose it would take to kill
man? And how long do you suppose it
would take? A horse stung by enough
bees is dead before any pison can possibly
reach his vitals a man dropped in bilin'
water would be dead before any heat
could ever reach his innards. It's the
shock to the nerves what does the bust
ness. and before the fifth bite vas well
in, my nerves was gettin' terrible shook
up Then I saw the tree was full of EN-
and lines OF hundreds Of big red ants
runnin up the trunk. No use to mash EN-,
for a hundred wi come 10 the funeral of
every one You mash. 1t wasn't half d
minute before some still small voice inside
Whispered that would have TO get out of
that tree. for it was certain that the
ants would kill me, and with more suf-
ferin' probably than l was likely TO get
at the hands of the bear.
Bears Can Climb.
You'd been mighty smart end slip
ped down the tree on the opposite side
rom the bear wouldn't you? That shows
what you know about bear. You can have
fifty feet start and hen climb your back
stairs in just one and three-quarter sec
onds. 1 wasn't that variety of squash.
1t was over 200 yards TO the next tree,
and that was low one, where ne might
claw me down. even If / was lucky
enough 10 reach it. A grizzly standin' on
his hind legs is mighty high and his
burned claws add another foot onto his
long arms, and when he stretches them
out you've no idea how they reach. All
he's got 90 do is to get one hook into
your meat and you're his'n. There was
only one thing to do and that was to
scare the stufin' out of him. They're
just like wild cattle on a plain. If you
run from 'em they'll make bulge on
you sure, but if you run at EN- and wave
your coat you stand a show of Scarln
'em off. There was only one thing to do,
and that was 90 ride him, for swearin' az
him didn't have no more effect on him
than ID does on you when you make a
rank miss on first rate shot az deer.
There was no time 10 lay out any tne
plans for the ants bit worse and worse
and came thicker and thicker SO | ran |
on big limb and the bear followed me
out there and looked up and showed his |
big white teeth and seemed 60 say: Amt |
you got more lead 10 feed me? I'm tired
of waitin' so long I gave him my hat |
for change and as il fell TO the ground
he dropped his head and began to chaw
on Ii. Before he had a chance to show |
any disappointment because a bears fav- |
orite teethin' ring-a mans skull-wasn't |
inside of it, l just dropped square |
a-strad dle of his back.
Mnde Fast Time.
You don't believe it. Ell? We'll. now. / /
amt a-Uyin' to make out that was par |
ticularly brave. l was only a stroke % /
genius. There wasn't any courage 1bouc |
It. It took more bravery 10 stay with the |
ants There was millions of EN- and I |
Just had 10 ride out of there. 1t was The |
only way to beat the grave. OF course, |
a man must be somethin' of a bareback |
rider and know how TO keep his beai ms |
no Joke intended-but when you Get
in such scrape as that there's |
nothin' else to do especially for |
the bear for he had ridden |
so many hunters that / thought ohsnge |
would be beneficial TO his consuturo1
You might not have been as good rider |
as / was and probably would have got |
OF nj the first pile of rocks we sdl7d |
through. But you'd have mounted nim |
,ust the same as l did because you'd
had to-
Ibid he snort? Not much. He had no
time for that. Did you ever watch ny |
sittin' on an arrow when you let so the
string That was about my M only
didn't drop off Fact is l didn't dare o.
for he wasn't scared enough yet re
started fast enough. but when got a geod
grin with each hand into his WOOL dus
INV heels into his TANKS, end hollered'
'Cit out o. here. you son of a sur! ne
shot out like one of these rife balls you
near tell of that gather speed so fast that
when we went under the first tree,