The Washington times., 1901-11-10

and saw that identical bear following on
behind him, carrying a long staff Just as
he was carrying his, and mimicking 10
perfection the peculiar swinging gait that
was habitual to him. When Lyman
stopped and turned around in the road
the bear stopped and turned, too, and re-
treated, retaining the same mockinS gait,
and handling of the staff, and looking
back over his shoulder every few steps,
with its mouth open, for all the world
as If it were laughing in the enjoyment
of its Joke. Lyman could have shot the
bear. he said, before it got away IN the
woods, but after that almost human per-
formance he felt that the killing OF the
bear would be but little less than murder,
and he never raised his gun. He gave up
trapping for that uncanny beast after
that, believing that in no other way could
he disaTpoint it.
But while all baclIwoOds observation
agrees that it is fits choice to be best
Known in comedy, the bear can be tragic
and terribly so. Leroy Lyman once saw
a she bear. followed by two cubs come
down off the hills and approach Il creek
a short distance below where he and two
other men were standing, and where the
water was deep. The old bear stopped a
moment ana BdZtu AT tiit tHO iA'Ni'' t-+N
then plunged into the creek. The two
cubs followed her, and swan boldly To-
ward the other side with her. one OF the
| cubs seemed stronger than the other and
swan well up with it's mother, keeping al
most head and head with her. The other
] one fell a little behind, but kept bravery
! on. The old bear c!ambered up the bank
when she reached the other side OF the
| creek, the bank being quite high and op-
structed by projecting roots. The one cuD
| followed her promptly and without uiii-
! Guilty. and trotted along In pace Win us
| mothers sweeping stride; but It's less VIZ
| orous companion could not clear the oo-
! structions on the bank. 1t struggled
| braveIy but vainly for a foothold. aware
! that its mother and the more fortunate
| cub were going right on and leaving II pc
| hind, it began to cry piteously. Inc ol'
| bear and her lively cub had swung along
! perhaps fifty feet from the bank Hear-
! ing the cries Of the wcakilns cupr the
| mother stopped and looked around. Not
! seeing the tagging one, she flew into q
| towering rage She snapped her teeth to-
! gcther, growlcd saVagely ana hurried
| hack to the bank, keeping watch all the
| while on the three men, w hen she came
to the edge OF the bank where the cuD
| was struggling and whining, she reacheti
/ down with one paw, grabbed the cup ana
] Killed II with = single blow. Sht lntn tore
| it to pieces and scattered the fragments
| Of its little carcass in the creek. With an
! ugly showing Of teeth at the amazed spec
| tators of this furious exhibition of her
| rage at a wcalting which endangered the
| life Of the other cub as Well as its own.
| she turnsd and strode rapidly back TO
| where her other cub was awaiting her,
| ana the two disappeared in the woods.
The old w0Odsman'S deduction from this
! tragic act of the bear was that, appre-
! hensive of pursuit by the men, she was
| endeavorinS TO put, without delay, as
| much distance between them and her
/ self and her cubs as she possibly could
| When she discovered that the one cub
| was delaying the flight by its inability to
! Chamber up the bank Of the creek her
| temper was reused, and, concluding that
| even If she helped it up the bank, TINS
| wca.sling, IL they were chased, might
! hamper the retreat and place them al IN
| danger; and, furthermore, determined not
| to leave II to fan captive to her ioes, sh"
tore all maternal feelings from her breast
and the offending cub to pieces AZ the
| same time. Yet" said Lyman. II shG
| had found any one of us, or all three OF
us attempting to take the cub when sne
| returned to deal heroic punishment to 1t,
she would have defended il against us,
and given up her own life, II necessary
in efforts to save it "
Another trait that marks strongly the
| individuality of the black bear Is the
elasticity of its appetite and IT'S cohpre-
| hensive palate. There is nothing ~ lhe
animal or vegetable kingdom that Will NOT