The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-02-25

~clatter, the tines ringing On the CO
ment floor. His bearship. hesitated,
listened, let go my arm and looked TIC
see what the rake might be. Evident
ly he was on his guard against any
rescuer who might appear to give me
assistance. AS he dropped my arm he
lifted his snout, bringing it in exactly
the best position for me to deliver a
Knockout blow with M right. This
was what prize fighters would call an
opening" but Russian bears know
nothing about the tactical methods OF
boxers, and my assailant was not con-
scious of his only weak spot. But l
knew and took advantage of it. No
Coner had he turned his nose than,
summoning all my failing energies, /
struck him a heavy blow squarely on
the end of the nose. For a bear this
is the Knockout blow. In an instant
the paws that had encircled me re
Taxed and the almost victorious ami
NAL began to brush the stars from be-
fore his eyes in a ridiculous manner
just as you have seen comical pictures
of bears in the act of keeping flies Off
themselves. 1t is quite amusing now
but it wasn't funny then.
Escape from the Cage.
While the animal was engaged in
recovering his disturbed faculties !
staggered to the gate. When l got
there | quickly opened it and backed
out. On the outside of the gate were
several policemen, and n Of them
handed me a revolver. | took tho
weapon and started to reenter the
cage, but l was feeling pretty groggy,
and, before I could reach the gate, l
fell over in a faint, brought on by the
loss of blood, the pain and the extraOr-
binary eXertion | had undergone. The
rest of the adventure was merely a
matter of hospital, doctors and nurses.
| lay my escape entirely to the COM
motion made by the rake when it was
thrown into the pit. 1t came at the
right moment and in the proper place
to distract bruins attention so as to
make him throw his head in the right
position for me to give him the knock
out blow.
The Knockout Blow.
And now a word as to this knock
out blow, because some who read this
--iAy AiN44 III 20 ~ SASSN 49, HNAo
with a savage animal some day. A
Lard blow across the nostrils just be-
low the point where the bone or hard
portion of the head ends ana the soft
q cartilaginOus part begins will al
ways blind and often wholly over
come an animal. | am not prepared to
say that the effect Of such a blow is
the same as that which a blow on the
point of the chin produces in a human
Being, and which as I understand az
feCts certain nerve centers. Many
times | have been compelled to strike
animals across the nOstrils in the man
ner | have described, and the effect
produced has always been the same.
Apparently they see things and be
in to brush them away with their
paws. Possibly the sudden d~arkening
of their vision causes them to try to
remove what they feel to be an OBJ
struction. But I leave that for scien-
life students Of the subject. It is
enough for me to congratulate myself
On that | was permitted to give the
Russian bear a Knockout blow at the
right time and place.
How did I get Over it? Oh, that
was easy. but it took time. No,
haven't been in with the Russian bear
since. I am not looking for trouble.
| learned one thing at least, and thai
is never to trust in the friendship OF
the Russian bear.
Copyright, 1903, BY Joseph 3. BowlesD
CIVILIZATION AND SAFETY.