Year: 1878

ley Warner reports an experience in the
Adirondacks. He was not hunting for
bear, and had no reason to suppose a
bear was looking for him. ''The fact is,''
he says, .'we were both black berrying.
and met by chance" He had set down
his rifle, and was wandering on from
bush to bush, with his six-quart pail,
wishing he could meet 'a real BEAR"
and weaving story about it. But let
him tell it:


81 was in the midst of the tale, when
[ happened to look some rods away to
the other edge of the clearing, and there
was bear He was standing on his
hind legs and doing just what was do
ing-picking blackberries. With one
paw he bent down the bush, while with
the other he clawed the berries into his
mouth, green ones and all.


ITO say that was astonished is in
side the mark. I suddenly discovered
that l didn't want to see a bear, after
all. At about the same moment the
bear saw me, stopped eating berries, and
regarded me with a glad surprise. 1t is
all very we'll to imagine what you would
do under such circumstances. Probably
you wouldn't do it l didn't. The bear
dropped down on his fore feet, and came
slowly towards me. Climbing tree
was of no use with so good a climber in
the rear; if l started to run, | had no
doubt the bear would give chase; and
although bear cannot run down Eill
as fast as he can up hill, yet felt that
he could get over this rough, bush. tang
led ground faster than could.


"The bear was approaching. 1t sud-
denly occurred to me how ] could divert
his mind till could fall back upon my
military base. My pail was nearly full
of excellent berries-much better than
the bear could pick himself. put the
pail on the ground and slowly backed
away from it, keeping my eye, as beast
tanners do, on the bear. The ruse sue
ceeded.


"The bear came up to the berries and
stopped. Not accustomed to eat out of
a pail he tipped it over and nosed about
in the fruit, CORNING Gf there is such
word) it down, mixed with leaves and


dirt, like pig. The bear is worse


feeder than pig. Whenever he dis


turbs maple sugar camp in the spring


he always upsets the buckets of syrup


and tramples round in the sticky sweets,


wasting more than he eats. The bears


manners are thoroughly disagreeable.


'.As soon as my enemy's head was


down, l started and ran. Somewhat out


of breath. and shaky. L reached my RI


fe. 1t was not moment too soon. l


heard the bear crashing through the


brush after me. Enraged at my duplic-


ity, he was now coming on with blood


in his eye. felt that the time of one


of US was probably short. The rapidity


of thought at such moments of peril is


we'll known. l thought an octave vol


ume, had it illustrated and published,


sold fifty thousand copies, and went to


Europe on the proceeds, while that bear


was Looping across the clearing. As |
was cooking my gun | made a hasty and
unsatisfactory review of my whole life.
1 noted that even in such a compulsory
review it is almost impossible to think
of any good thing you have done. The
sins come out uncommonly strong.


recollected newspaper subscription
had delayed paying, years and years
ago, until both editor and newspaper
were dead and which now never could
be paid to all eternity.


'The bear was coming on.


IL tried to remember what | had reat
{ about encounters with bears. | couldn'
recall an instance in which man hat
run away from bear in the woods ant


escaped, although | recalled plent.,
, where the bear had run from the maj
1 and got off. l tried to think what is tn
best way to kill bear with gun, whel


you are not near enough to club hin
: with the stock. My first thought wa


to fire at his head, to plant the ball be
, tween his eyes /; but this is dangerou
" experiment. The bears brain is yer


small, and unless you hit that, the bea
- does not mind bullet in his head-tha
! is, not at the time. l remembered tina
the instant death of the bear would fo
r. low bullet planted just back of hi
N fore leg and sent into his heart Th
- spot is also difficult to reach unless th
h bear stands off side towards you, like
/ target. l determined to fire at him gel
- orally.


70 "The bear was coming on.


a. 1.-THE contest seemed to be very diffe
or ent from anything at Creedmoor. I ha
N carefully read the reports Of the shoe
q ing there, but it was not easy to app
or the experience had thus acquired.
=, hesitated whether had better fire lyir
ns on my stomach, or lying on my bat
Is and resting the gun on my toes. B
r. in neither position. I reflected. could
=. see the bear until he was upon me. III