The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1910-06-17
Gettjn' EN- Bare-Handed.

watching bruin gather a mess or me
fish with his huge paws.
81 do, for I've seen the same thing,
spoke up Uncle Billy" Stevens, once
a trapper and guide, who since he LOST
one of his feet when he was nearly
frozen to death several years ago, has
done odd jobs around the cannery.
Tell US about it." urged Lloyd.
well, you see it was like this" be-
gan Uncle Billy" 'I was huntln
down on Camas creek in the winter
of sc and game was none too plentl'
full. When spring came on had a
few skins, but it had been tough pick
ir,-,I tell YOU My grub had about
,1fsn out and I was preparin' to go
to town. We had had several days
of sunshine an the old creek was
thawed out, so | thought I'd have
some fish for my breakfast. So cut
me a good pole and tied on my line
and started over to a spot near the
bend where | thought | could land a
trout or two.
GAS came into sight of the river
I had the greatest surprise of my life
was out for fish and had left my rifle
in the shack. Of course 1t was a fool
thing to do, for no man should go out
without his gun.
'You fellers can imagine my feel
ms when tell you that had run
on to a big bear. The old galoot had
accumulated an appetite for fish just
like I had an just like that Pennsyl
yania Teller tells about. | was PROUD
of one thing an that was that my
Judgment about the proper place t
get a mess of trout was borne out b!
the bear.
"The critter stood in the water jus
where | intended to try my luck an
he was gettin' em bare handed
, That's no Joke, either. That bear wa
, the hest fisherman | ever saw. Nv
seen these fellers with their I'm
tackle an fancy bait, but they WASH
, in It with Mr.. Bruin. He knew NOR
about fishin' than any man IN tn
p world, unless 1t was Grover CleVelant
q His claws were his hooks and ri
o front legs the poles. just stood ther
and watched the critter for few mil
- utes an in less time than it takes m
= to tell 1t he had swished half doze
g beauties on to the shore.
It Mad! Say, was the maddest ma
| in ldyho Here I'd come out to g
d some breakfast and that internal bel
q was takin' it right out of my nout
d It was two miles back to the shat
d where my gun was. but decided
re 20 and get that rife and blow tn
n bears head plum off. 1t was be-
re meat wanted for breakfast then al
,e not fish. So hustled back and G
IN "Old Jinny"-that's what called n
is rifle.
Id when got back to the creek t
We bear was gone. Confound him. W
I'D mighty hungry and | didn't feel II
al irwin to find him. There wasn't
he sign of a fish, for the bear did
Mt leave even scale on the groul
9 He'd created such fuss that the Il
had all left and didn't get my bre'
ip fast after all. went back to
II shack and fried my last slice
le' salt pork.
WI But the next day l got even.
IT. knew that critter would come ba
al an I just waited for him. 81
va enough, | hadn't been there long WI
we he pushed his nose through the bl
Fps and looked around. was hidin IL
ire tree and just waited for chan
ST When he stepped out into the wa
'ay where could get good aim die
,eu wait for him to catch any fish.
Oh. shot him through the heads | had
eiu awful time pullin' him up on to
.nd hank, but l finally made it. L
ing meat never tasted so good to me
IN fore or since. An | got s12 for
-. skin"
did -