Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1903-03-30

upon a bewildered public
since the day the Presi-
dent penetrated the cane brakes of
Mississippi" said Walter Brevort, OF
Boston, to Washington Star man,
''testifies to the versatility of the Amer
lean mind in reconstructing a time
honored and well-worn theme with
new habiliments as to time and place.
Upon analysis Of the regulation bear
story which is told over and over
again, sometimes to the extent OF sew
eral columns, all are alike in the es-
sential 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, except as
to such minor details that while one
hunter chased his bear eighty-three
md onethird miles around a high
I mountain upon dead run from start
to finish. the next hunter met his $3.50
pound grizzly face to face upon a mar
row ledge overlooking precipice, with
n sheer descent of 10000 feet, and
hurled the wretched grizzly 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 bullet from high-power rife
at q good safe range.
"However, will tell you bear story
which will have the novelty Of truth,
not that we would for moment doubt
the stories Of great deeds with bars of
the other fellows fancy that the true
version of most Of these stories lies
along similar lines.
1T was my first bear hunt in the
Moods Of Maine. I had a guide, q
xbrand new bear rifle, bowie knife,
hatchet and hunting suit complete,
from heavy, waterproof boots to can
vas hat. With such an outfit any story
about bear killing ought not to be dis
puted by reasonable men who can tell
real live bear from iackrabbit
Il became separated from my guide
and was making my way back to camp
about five miles through the thick for
est. l was dog tired. I wasn't think
ing about bears, hedgehogs or anything
else, except my sweetheart, and was
counting the days when | would get
back to civilization. Ny complete
hunting outfit hadn't attracted so
much as a baby wildcat, and was be-
ginning to dimly realize that the great
bear stories 1 had heard at home and
the club, after all, Were nothing but
elastic stretches OF well cultivated and
fertile imagination.
kI had just made up my mind that
anNlancee would be better pleased with
q sunburst than with ring, when l
heard noise up a big oak tree under
which l was passing, which sounded
to my unaccustomed ears like eighteen
tons Of brick falling a mile upon tin
roof l glanced up, and there was q
dig black bear as large and threatening
as thunder cloud in a squall. He was
falling down from the top of the tree
limb by limb, humptybumpty directly
over my head.
did l pause, gracefully and skill
fully raise my trusty rife 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 l ought to have done, accord
ing to the regulation bear story. But
[ didn't. | was too amazed to move,
and gawked up at that bear as n coun-
uyman looks into city window. Down
h1 of 1t..l,A
Arunting, snarling, growing and whin-
ting. Before l could dodge he landed
upon me and sent me spinning 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 could not have caught me.
I lost my rifle bowie knife, canvas
hat and hatchet. and never did find
them. though the guide and the next
day went over the wide speedway l
had cut through the underbrush in my
mad flight.
''The bear had been caught by a lot
of wild bees stealing honey out of their
hive in the giant oak, and their furious
attacks and the pain from the stings
caused him to let go his grip and to
come down, crashing through the
branches like cyclone.
when man now tells me about
i'killing BEARS 1 tell him my own ac-
>Aual experience, and 1 am glad to say
for the veracity Of our sex that he is
man enough usually to crawl and pay
for the dinners"
WALKED BESIDE DEATH.