The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-10-08

quite while, verify believe, before
they forget their trip to the wilds of
northern MINI esota, and what came to
pass therein. They went off together,
heading up Prairie river, under the able
guidance of an emeritus Hshacker' of
that region, bent on three weeks fish
ing, hunting and general good time
and got it. But they did not stay two
weeks. The shacker brought Mr.. Rata
andshauled him at once to the hospital,
where he was found to be possessed
Of three broken ribs, collarbone ditto,
| and badly lacerated face. Mr.. Oyer
did not return at all, at least visibly,
and none Of us have seen him since. To
sympathetic visitors at the hospital,
Mr.. Rataplan vouchsafed the informa-
ton that his injuries had been received
at the hands Of bear, and as the con-
well result that way, his story went.
And as he told it it was about like
this: 5a
There was so much water in all the
lakes and creeks up country that the
| fishing was to the bad altogether, and
put in more time with gun than rod
| Oyer, who is regular fish crank, could
| hardly be coaxed away from the water
long enough to eat and sleep, and I had
no competition at all in hunting, the old
shacker being too lazy to do more of it
us in fresh meat. But I didn t mind
that. I wanted to kill something big
A bear, | ynx. wolf or even bobcat,
and take it home with me as trophy.
| Take its skin, [ mean; for, of course,
! the hide of. big bear would put me
in the front rankin the city-and
that of one of the smaller beasts boost
my reputation for woodcraft and killing
qualities, in proportion: I'm going
next best thing, anyhow. Mighty
good proof that is that I m playing in
big luck to bring home my own hide,
even with three or four broken bones
| inside it, and battle scars enough to
admit me to the inner circle of the
| elect hunters on sight. And bear
handed me the whole package.
I" I found where family of them
! fused, that's the shacker's word ana
means hung round, and hunted them
with such diligence and caution that it s
| a wonder | didn't bag the whole lot.
There were two big ones and two cubs,
as their tracks told me, and I was so
anxious to reap. the whole glory of the
| taking Of one or more of them, that [
/ never breathed word about them
either to Oyer or the shacker, an ex-
cess Of caution that / now plainly see
| bordered on folly. For with united
and as it is, well you see how it is, don It
| you9
hunted them hard for several days
without sight OF sound of them, and
| then, getting careless, perhaps, I ran
right INTO the whole family engaged in
tearing to pieces a big, rotten pine log
! lying on the ground, and greedily de-
vouring the. large black ants which
swarmed inside it. I wasn't fifty feet
away when I saw them, and they must
have sighted me at about the same
/ instant did them, for four heads went
| up in the air at once, four fine sets of
/ teeth were shown, and four thunderous
growls came to my address. I suppose
/ was rather fustered; at any rate, it
seemed to me that they would be right
on top of me the next moment, and I
opened FIRE. l emptied the magazine
very swiftly, and when the last shot
was gone l could only see one bear, and
it was coming right at me with APP
/ palling swiftness It might have been
the male; it might have been the fe.
male; I II never tell you, for we not
the slightest idea myself which it was
1 But you'd better believe that I lost
], no time in shining up big oak tree
right behind me And I found myself
but little better off when I got well up
| into the branches, for that devilish
bear was coming up like a cat, and
plainly meant to make finish Of me
if it was to be DONE
/ had a little 80 revolver, very flu.
tile gun for such work. in my pocket
4 and emptied the. whole six cartridges
into the bear. But he never batted an
!, eye. coming steadily closer and closer
! going higher and higher, and farther
and, farther out on the topmost bough
Of the tree, until could go no farther.
And then the fiendish beast handed, me
a clip on the head and side of the face,
cutting my countenance to ribbons, as
i you see, and darkness closed around
8 me and I fell.
When / came to, was in the shack.
, Oyer and the shacker having heard the
shooting, came out to investigate, and
j. found me lying at the foot of the tree
I unconscious, but never bear in sight.