Year: 1879

We make the following extract iron


a hunting story entitled "The Bi.


Bear of Wannetola," printed in st


Nicholas for May. The incident tool


place in the back country of Arkansas


in the year 1860, and the hunters wer,


Harvey Richardson and the narrator


They were after % big bear, whose dep


relations had made him the chief topic


of conversation; aud they started out


with their dogs early one November


morning:


Just at daybreak, we came to cross.
| ing of the bayou where we felt sure the


bear must pass OF his way TO his den


Harvey placed me, the dogs, and him
self. A fallen tree was in my front.


and through its interlaccd roots could
| see in every direction. Hardly had we
completed our ambush when quick


movement of one of the dogs startled


me. But, in moment, noticing that


his looks were directed toward the


crossing, | too, looked thither and


heard the sound of heavy animal


sauntering slowly over the sodden
ground and approaching my lair. In
an Instant pair of yellow eyes glared
at me, and with as wide look of sur
prise as there was in mine. Recovering


myself fired at the monster. which
appeared like huge, animated black
cloud as he rose up before me. The
brute disappeared with the smoke OF
my gun, but in moment was startled
by the report and shock of q second dis
charge. The other load of my gun had
been accidentally exploded. Looking
in the direction that the bear had taken,
| saw he had run along the other side
of the fallen tree and met at the farther
end the two dogs, when he turned
about and came toward me at his most
rapid speed and in savage humor.
Then there was a fearful crash and
rush. The black mass came on, with
eyes cleaning, and bewildering me
with the reflection of their glare in the
sunlight.


L was conscious that my gun was use
less, and so instinctively grasped my
pistol, but found it hopelessly entan-
gled in my belt. For second, despair
came upon me, but a sudden revulsion
aroused every sense and prompted me
to defense for lif,. Quickly drawing
my knife, it was presented at n thrust
as the dark mass sprang at me.


AT this moment, one of the huge dogs
leaped at him SO fiercely as to divert
the monsters attention from myself and
make him miss his bite. He reared,
and as he again came down on his fore
feet and was in the act of going over
the bank, plunged my knife to the hilt
in his body, in the region of his heart.
He turned and made terrible snap at
my legs, but at the moment fell back |
ward over bush, and so we all went
into the bayou together, foundering in
the water and mud.


| scrambled to the edge of the slough,
and watched with intense anxiety the |
result of the battle. In another mo-
ment, and when the bear had nearly |
reached the farther side of the pool.
desperately fighting with the dogs every
inch of the way, heard a rushing
sound and the whiriing flight of more
Of the pack as they sprang over me. In |
the same instant a flash shot out from
the brown barrel of Harvey's rifle, and
the bear rolled over, though he still
feebly fought the pack, and kept on
lighting to the last moment of his exist |
ence. To my modification, an exami- |
ton of the huge carcass showed that nv |
shot had not made any visible mark on
the animal, and that my knife had not
quite reached his heart. Harvey's shot
had killed him. The weight ofthe saw
age animal was over five hundred
pounds st. Nicholas.