The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-30
A SUGAR-CURED BEAR HIDE.
Lon SDearing's Adventure with Bruin and
MOlasses Barrel.

I PAssADUMKEAa, Me-. Aug. 27.-"Pro-
pinquity," said Lon Spearing. the village
schoolmaster, means just about the same
, thlhg as juxtaposition, and whenever a
hungry bear gets in iuStaposition with
my sheep, am money out and that bear II
IN ior longer or shorter run, which is GER
tam TO end IN an early death.
The remarks were called forth from the
fact that Lon had just returned from
bear hunt which had lasted more than n
week. Spearing took nothing with him
but some matches, his rifle and parched
corn. relying. upon what game he shot
| and wild berries for most OF his food. He
walked all day and far into the night, cross
ing Lowell, Burlington, Nos. 80 and 40,
and coming back to Passadumkeag by the
way Of Lakevile plantation and Spring
field.
On reaching the junction of Nicatouus
stream and Passadumkeag River, he came
to wagon camp at nightfall, and breaking
the fastenings to the door, slept in the
musty hunks until nearly light, the first
time he had rested under cover since start
ing out. In the morning he preached Il
barrel Of salt pork, and making some
spatter cakes from -four in camp, had a
hearty breakfast. Then he let out four
holes in his belt and picked up the trail
Of the bear.
For six hours he climbed hills and waded
swamps and swung himself across streams
too deep to wade by clinging to saplings
and leaping from the tops Of Bonded trees
Coming to the side of NlcLanes noun
toin he saw the bear circling near the sum
nit and took long shot at him, which
caused the animal to turn and drop down
the side through a dense growth of spruces.
Thinking the bear would try to get away
by crossing the stream, Spearing made a
detour around the tangled spruces and
came to the water in time to see the bear
crash through the alders on the further
side A bullet fired at 400 yards caused
Bruin to turn and bite at the wound i'll his
side. but did not check him. The water
was deep and the banks were muddy, so
before Lon could undress and swim across
and resume his garments, the bear was
far in advance.
Il saw he was making tracks for the
wangan camp, where / had bunked," said
Spearng, land when | thought about the
pork 1 had fried and how the smell had
gone out for a mile around, | felt pretty
sure the bear was as good as dead. Walk
ing along slowly and approaching the camp
from the lee side, heard a masterful noise
going on among the goods in the camp,
which l had left unfastened. knowing |
should he coming back that way in day
or two.
Il had cooked my rifle and was creeping
up to get a shot at close range when some
thing appeared at the camp door which
made me shake all over, so had hard work
to hold on to my rifle. knew it was my
bear but il looked so much like the ghost
of bear that had died, or like a bear with
a nightdress on, that | never thought of
shooting. II rose on its hind legs until
it stood fully six feet high, and from the
end of its snout to the beginning OF its
tail it was freckled and blotched all over
with patches of reddish yellow and pure
white. The way it gazed at mo and re-
preached me for the condition it was in
caused me to burst out laughing. The
bear had walked away into the bushes.
"He had tipped over a key of molasses
and pulled the plug out, covering the camp
floor with the sticky fluid, in which he had
wallowed until he was gunimed up from
head to heels. Having filed himself with
molasses he had put his nose in the end of
the barrel of -four had opened and given
one big snort. and that had blown the -four
all over him, throwing it among the mo-
asses and whitewashing him beautifully
"An hour later T. found him walowing
in a mudhole trying to clean himself up, and
shot him. but the fur il 80 gummed with
molasSeS that nobody will bny it, guess