Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-13
THINGS HEARD
~ndSEEN

theme with new habilaments as to time and
place.
story which is told over and over again,
sometimes to the extent Of several col
umns. all are alike in the essential features
of exhibiting the brave hunters titanic
prowess, the unusual size and phenomenal
fierceness of the animal and in the final
victory of the gallant but modest hunter
over poor bruin. They seldom deviate, eX-
cept as to such minor details that while
one hunter chased his bear eighty-three
and one-third miles around high noun
tain upon a dead run from start to finish,
the next hunter met his $3.50 pound griz-
ely face to face upon a narrow ledge over
looking a precipice, with sheer descent Of
10000 feet, and hurled the wretched gr1z-
ely into the dark depths below with one
blow from his powerful fist. Some hunters
vary the formula by swearing that they
used their bowie knives, while still others
are weak enough to hint that they may
have shot the bear with an explosive bull
let from high-power rifle at good safe
range.
However, 1 will tell you a bear story
which will have the novelty Of truth, not
that We would for a moment doubt the
stories of great deeds with bars of the
other fellows. 1 fancy that the true YER
| sion of most of these stories lies along sim
| liar lines.
1T was my first bear hunt in the woods
| of Maine. l had guide, a brand new bear
| rifle, bowie knife, Ratchet and hunting suit
! complete, from heavy, waterproof boots to
:, canvas hat. With such an OUTLET any
| story about bear killing ought not to be
| disputed by reasonable men who can tell
| a real live bear from jackpot.
| Il became separated from my guide and
! was making my way back to camp about
| five miles through the thick forest. | was
dog tired. l wasn't thinking about bears,
| hedgehogs or anything else, except my
sweetheart, and was counting the days
| when 1 would get back to civilization. Ny
complete hunting outfit hadn't attracted
| so much as baby wildcat, and | was be-
| ginning to dimly realize that the great
| bear stories l had heard at home and the
| club, after all, were nothing but elastic
stretches of weli-cultiyated and fertile I'M
| agination.
| II had just made up my mind that my
| fancee would be better pleased with a sun
| burst than with ring, when l heard q
| noise up big oak tree under which l was
| passing, which sounded to my unaecus-
| toned ears like eighteen tons of brick fall
| ing a mile upon a tin roof l glanced up,
! and there was big black bear as large and
| threatening as thunder cloud in squat.
! He was falling down from the top of the
| tree limb by limb, humpty-bumpty, d.
| reetly upon my head
| Did I pause, gracefully and skillfuliy
| raise my trusty rifle and shoot off both
| ears and each paw with separate shots
! while he was yet In the air, as trick
| marksman hits glass balls? That Is what
I ought to have done, according to the
regulation bear story. But didn't l
| was 100 amazed TO move, ana gaWkeo up
1 at that bear as a countryman looks into
a city window. Down he came like a fash
| of black lightning, grunting, snarling,
| growing and whining. Before l could
| dodge he landed upon me and sent me spin
| ming about thirty feet, while he rolled over
| and over like huge rubber ball.
| Run? Gee whiz, but you ought to have
| seen us scamper off in opposite directions,
| l toward the camp, and the bear toward
| a deep creek Death on a white horse
1 could not have caught me. lost my rifle.
1 bowie knife, canvas hat and Ratchet, and
| never did find them. though the guide and
the next day went over the wide speed
way / had cut through the underbrush in
my mad flight.
1.-The bear had been caught by lot Of
| wild bees stealing honey out of their hive
| in the giant oak, and their furious attacks
4 and the pain from the stings caused him to
| let go his grip and to come down, crashing
| through the branches like cyclone.
| when a man now tells me about killing
| bears 1 tell him my own actual experience,
and I am glad to say for the veracity of
! our that he is man enough usually to
| crawl and pay for the drinks