The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1913-01-16
Old-Time Stories.
When Bears, British and Indians Threat
ened the Early Settlers.

There are handed down in almost every
family stories Of the early days, when
America was a land where Indians, the
British. bears, wolves and wildcats We're
real dangers; when long journeys had
to be taken on horseback or on foot,
through the midst of these real dangers,
and when men and women were hardy
and brave. living simple, honest. loyal
lives that cause their descendants to look
back upon them with a just pride.
One naturally regrets that these stor-
les, which are OF thrilling interest when
told BY some aged narrator, who either
lived them himself or heard them first
hand, should be lost to future genera
tons. As one by one they are forgot
ten, something that is distinctly Ameri-
can seems to have vanished. We, and
the generations that come after us, may
still sing:
II love thy rocks and rlls,
Thy woods and tempted hills"
but even in these days the rocks and
rills and tempted hills are associated with
the ever quickening pace of modern
civilization. Locomotives and steam
boats, automobiles and aeropanes, the
Morse and Marconi telegraph systems
the telephones, and countless other in
ventions, will go on facilitating travel and
communication, and it will become more
and more difficult to realize that little
more than century ago America was a
primitive land Of vast forests and wilder
nesses; land of prowling Indians and
wild beasts: land where our forefathers
ploGded their way over these rocks and
beside these rils, and toiled with almost
superhuman patience and energy that
we, their descendants, might enjoy,
these great benefits. We, and those
who come after US, will, it seems to me,
find it difficult to enter into the spirit of
that grand old hymn as completely as
did those TO whom ''the rocks and rills,
the woods ard tempted hills were close
friends and boon companions.
Many stories, heard years ago from
lips long silent, picture these early days
for me in vivid colorings; of these the
following were the most delightful to
childish ears:
My father, when small boy, was
going home one night at dusk through
the Searsmont wooGs, near the Quante-
bacook, with a big roll of leather over
MS shoulder Suddenly he saw in the
road ahead of him, standing up like
man and evidently waiting for him-a
bear. Knowing that if he turned and
ran his danger would be greater, he stood
STILL and as he stopped, he remembered
having heard that bears feared the
human voice. So he yelled at the top of
mis- voice, at the same time striking out
with the roll of leather, the whole inside
of which flew out and flew at the bear.
The combination was too much for Bruin.
He turned and shuffled off into the
woods, leaving the road free to boy
under whose feet there was doubtless
very little grass growing that night.
The other story was of Indians. My
maternal grandmother, Deborah Ward,
whose home was in China, Me-, was left
one day, when girl of fourteen, in
charge of several smaller children. Dur
ing the day she was alarmed by seeing
two Indians come out Of the woods and
the doors and the heavy shutters over
the wiz Gcws; she heard the Indians try
the fastenings, and then all was still.
After time she hearC them on the roof
and knew that they were planning to
come down the chimney which opened
into huge fireplace. Quick as thought
she ripped open a big feather bed and
burned the feathers, creating such a
smoke that the Indians gave up the at
tempt to play Santa Claus. Peering out
after while she saw ore of the Indians
making off into the woods, while the
other fingered Good Indian" she cried
10y GU re gong away" "Ugh' answer
,ad the disgusted loiterer. "Me good In
jun-him big fool"
n 1e" u1yo aSo HeaTu Inc story oI
how the Nickersons drove the British, as
1t was tol1 years ago 70 Mrs. George
Ryan of the Upper Bridge by the late
Capt Ryan's mother, who was the
daughter Of Ephraim MoKeen and in her
girlhood lived on the McKeen homestead
at the Upper Bridge. Zone day." she
said. the rumor spread about that the
british were on their way from Castine
to take Belfast, and were headed for the
Upper Bridge. The rumor spread to
.Swanvine, where tine Nickersons, race