Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-12-06

ever get back without swimmin'., But
the deuce Of 1t was It would be just as
bad II I stayed, for didn't have any
butcher knife or axe or horse pistols
like tenderfeet generally carry.
"The bear bore the countenance Of a
rich sucker from the east who has
picked up a choice line Of snaps on one
Of our busted booms, and thought I
might relieve him by lancin' him in the
small Of the back with my pocket knife.
So tied 1t onto a stick and got around
behind him. Just as 1t pricked the
skin of his back was in front Of him
with knife and stick sailin' through
the brush forty yards away. There
was nothing to do but run, and the
deuce of it was the bear seemed to be
Of the same opinion. Whether he was
a-runnin' after me or trying to get
away from the dogs didn't seem very
material just then. When you're In a
mess Of briars in your stockin' feet and
no weapon in your hand, and with
even your finger nails bitten pretty
short you sometimes don't catch fast
to the main pint in a great question.
Even q smaller bear on only three legs
and draggin' a half dozen dogs along
by his hams seems to suspend the
higher functions of rashyoshy nation,
as my old teacher Of logic used to say.
So struck out for the water again as
the surest thing to keep that bear from
runnin' a fringe factory on my coat
tail.
Just then bang went rife and a
yelp come from the best dog like what
our parson used to describe as the aw-
full wall of a lost soul. How a soul
could wall without carcass he never
told us, but that dogs wall come from
his soul. and he keeled over just as an
other bullet came hissin' through my
back hair.
"For Gods sake, don't come to the
rescue any more" yelled, as saw the
tenderfoot pintin' his rifle again and
thought bout his bein' so excited, and
hurt, perhaps, that he couldn't shoot
straight. The only answer was another
bang that sent ball hissin' SO close to
everything but the bear that I yelled:
Leave me to the bear. Leave me to
the bear!'
HE must have thought was a-yell-
in to him to shoot faster for sssss,
chug wheeoooo, came ball after ball
into everything around us but the bear,
and he KEEP a-comin' faster for me as
the dogs began to drop off under the
rapid fire.. while the briars got sharper
and thicker under my stockin' feet l
struck for the water to plunge my head
in first as the only way to escape from
the fire in the rear, and just then a
dreadful thought struck me. The blast
ed tenderfoot had one of them Evans
repeaters that they thought was goin'
to set the world on fire. because they
had the magazine in the stock and shot
thirty-two times. Great heavens! 1
thought he's got twenty-five shots left
and it's over fifty yards to the water
and right toward him. I've got hun
dred briars to the square inch In my
feet already, and If I run to the right
or left I'll have long run to make,
and in front of the bear Is the safest
place, anyway, as long as that blasted
magazine holds out. AS the dogs yelped
and hoIwed and let go under the storm
of lead that poured faster and faster
the bear thought he was doin' 'em up
and felt so encouraged that he thought
he might as we'll clean out the whole
outfit as quick as possible. So he made
an extra bulge on me. But old Jim, my
favorite Of all dogs. though he was shot
through the neck 80 that he afterward
died. lust as soon as he saw the dam
ger picked himself up and froze on that
bears rump so tight that he forgot all
about me- That gave me time to reach
the water, and in went head first, and
I was so burned scared Of that tender
foot's rifle it seems as If hadn't come
to the surface yet."-Los Angeles
Times.