The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1913-08-28

POIAIO FIELD OF ".
countered my first adventure since en-
tering the forest.
Il had crossed the Spencer trail and
was following the west shore of Big
Spencer Lake in search of birchbark,
when | saw, creeping out of thicket,
a full grown wild cat His attention
was on something ahead, and he slow
ly crept along a dead cedar which lay
on the shore near where | stood.
Il peered through the brush and
could see a doe and her fawn feeding
on the shore.
THE wind was blowing from me in
the direction of the deer and | think
it was the scent of me or the cat that
started them, for they disappeared
into the woods.
THE wild cat, without seeing me
backed up and also disappeared, as if
he had important business in the
same direction.
Il proceeded on my way, thinking
no more of the deer and the wild cat.
White birches grew on the poin,
across the narroWs. | was taking
chances of being seen by campers on
the south shore of the lake but the
birches were on the other side and |
would have to show myself on the
point before | could enter the water in
the narroWs.
Il stood near my point OF crossing,
when | heard scream behind me.
1t was not like that of a wild cat or
any other animal | had ever heard.
| ran in the direction of the sound and
listened.
Il heard the scream again to my
right and followed it. Before | had
reached the place it came from, |
heard it again TO the left and not far
away.
Il reached a blow down of spruces
and was standing on one of them try
ing to locate the animal with the
strange voice, when | saw a pair of
eyes looking through the spruce top
on which / was standing directly at
me.
Il was creeping slowly up along the
trunk of the fallen tree toward the
top. watching the eyes that were
watching me, when | again heard the
scream and a rustic in the leaves un-
der the tree top.
II jumped to the ground and ran
around to the top just in time to see
the wild cat measuring the distance
between the spruce top and the thick
ct The fawn | had seen with heG
mother feeding on the shore had fall
len a victim and lay painting and
bleeding under the spruce top, unable
to rise.
Il attempted to help her and she
! staggered to her feet and ran short
distance and fell again. This time
| let her lay until she was able to get
up alone. She ran in the direction
of the point and joined her mother,
and they swan the narrows together.
Il followed them and got my bark,
then followed down the east shore to
the outlet, crossed the stream and re-
turned to my camp.
"A yearling bear fell victim to my
pitfall last night.
| looked at the pit yesterday and
nothing had passed on the trail lead
ing to the trap This pitfall is
about mile from my camp, in berry
country where bears are feeding at
this time of year.
Il was returning to camp near
nightfall, when / heard crash in the
direction of the trap. | listened for
another sound, but heard none, so
decided l had started a bear.
When a bear Is suddenly started,
he usually makes one bound and then
creeps away quietly; while a deer,
when started, will continue to run, re-
CARELESS of the noise 1t is making I'M
til out of danger.
THE one bound let me to believe
this animal was bear; but as it was
growing dark, and l had about mile
to go before reaching camp, | did not
bother to look at the trap the second
time.
LAS | thought it over last night,
decided to visit the trap in the morn
ing. ! was up early and off to the
pitfall.
There was my bear. tearing around
and pacing back and forth at the bot
tom of the pit The more he would
dig at the bottom, the more secure the
pit became and the less his chances
to scale the sides.
II was interesting to watch him At
work at the bottom of the pit tie
was surprised whet he first saw me at
the edge of the pit and stopped oper-
atoms for while and sat and sulked.
when | attempted to stir him with
a pole he did not show a very friendly
disposition. He stood up on his hind
legs, and with one blow of his paw
knocked 1t out of my hand. | was
glad II was the pole and not me that
received the blow.
Now that had the bear. the next
thing was to kill him. Ii he had