Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-01-31

blank. Not track, not sign of visi-
tant was there, and after carefully
examining bait and trap-spring off
they tramped toward their next goal.
It was a long, hard march. Here
and there in the clearings patches of
bare, brown earth had to be crossed,
and the sledge dragged heavily. Halt
ing in the midst of cluster of spruce,
they lighted fire, boiled tea, toasted
their frozen sandwiches and partook
of lunch in true bush fashion. After
ward came brief rest, and then they
set off again, for the suu sinks early
in those ATTITUDES, and should their
next trap be occupied a full hour would
be spent in skinning the catch and re-
arranging the trap, and even then the
third had still to be visited.
Some 30 minutes of steady marching
brought them to the spot where the
big steel jaws had been set and an
chored by a strong chain to a tree
stump, but of trap or its occupant
there was nothing to be seen other
than the broken anchor chain. The
heavily trampled snow and q trail,
newly made, indicated a recent cap
ture, and SO, with rifle at half cock,
the wary old hunter and his little COM
panion cautiously commenced to fol-
low their prey.
Five or six hundred yards through
the trampled and crushed brush they
were halted by naturally formed
breast-high barricade of fallen trees,
but the trail indicated that Bruin, with
the heavy trap still fastened to one
of his hind feet, had scaled the bar
rier, and, of course, the hunters must
follow suit.
Kicking off their snowshoes, the pair
made ready to scale the barricade, but
with instructive caution the lad was
warned to remain behind until the old
man had ascertained the nature of the
country ahead. Slowly Dennison scaled
the pile, and, glancing at the land in
front, was surprised to find no trail
whatever. For brief instant his hunt
er's wit must have failed him, for,
fully anticipating a continuance of the
animals tracks, he had neglected to
look Immediately below him, and his
moccasined feet slipped from their in
secure hold on the topmost log.
L S
he fell.
1t was not so. however. Climbing to
the top of the barrier. the lad became
spectator at, and to a certain extent
participation in, a display, combat
can 1t what you will-such as is sell
dom viewed by human eyes.
There on the frozen creek, some 20
feet below him, stood man and bear,
the one shaken and tired, the other
enraged and in pain. Trapped they
both were, for the farther bank of the
creek was almost perpendicular and
practically unscalable.
To the keen-Witted lad it was evident
that FOR the moment fear had gripped
the hearts of both antagonists. but
such timidity or fear is of a very tran
silent nature, and simultaneously with
the first movement on the part of the
hapeer to recapture his fallen rifle the
Dear stood erect, and. limping pain
FULLY, advanced upon his foe
Would his grandfather succeed in re-
covering his rifle? No! Just as Den
nlson's fingers touched the barrel he
shipped on the treacherous ice and fell
quick as flash he rose again. grasp
ing the weapon by the barrel end, but
with speed equal in every way to
ms own the bear was upon him.
Vainly did the lad discharge the con-
tents OF his small-caliber arm at the
BEAST; such tiny missiles, well aimed
though they We're, served only to en-
rage the animal
What a spectacle that must have
peen. 10 and fro lodged the combat
ants, always within inches of each
other. ever striving, the one to get
rifle length away, the other to embed
ms claws in any portion of his adver-
sary anatomy Oh, they're devilishly
cunning brutes, those big bears, Strive
as ne would, Dennison could never get
sufhciently far away to enable him to
bring his rifle into service. First this