A Savage Slash.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 156, 4 July 1896, Page 3 (Supplement)

A Savage Slash.

Fighting an Infuriated Bear with a

Pocket Knife.

By A. R. Phillips,

Gkandfathep. Gower lived aboub thirtyfive miles from our home, and his visits, which occurred but seldom, were looked upon ai among the happiest events thab occurred in my boyhood's days.

The last viiib thab.be made at oar bouse was a memorable one to mo, because of the entertaining stories he told of bis life and adventures in the great forest where he built his home. I was eight years old at the time. Ib was late in tho alfcernoon of a chilly, rainy day in November thab mother looked out of the window intently for some time at some one in the distance coming down the road. At last she said with much animation, ' I do believe thab is father's old white horse coming yonder.' I was altnosb beside myself with joy, and my boyish welcome was demonstrative almost to the poinb of rudeness. That evening I cuddled down in grandfather's lap and begged hard for a story. ' I always like to hear you tell of the big woods and the wild animals,' I added, eagerly. . • When your grandmother and I moved into the forest,'grandfather began, 'I took the contract with a cooper who lived ab the little town of Chagrin Falls, of furnishing & number of thousand shocks.' Here grandfather stopped an instant, I suppose to await) the question thab co.mo from my lips : ' Whab are shooks, grandfather?1 1 Shooks are staves properly rived out und roughly trimmed, for making hogsheads, casko, barrels and so forth/ I was to be paid all in money—and I was very nnxioun, you may be sure, to fulfil my part of the contracb. 41 wa» to geb them out in the spring, or early summer, stack in piles so they would season out during the hot weather, and deliver in the fall. 1 had plenty of good oak timber to make them of, and'tho work was done ab the proper time agreed upon.

' Near the place where I gob out most of the shooks, 1 had noticed an enormous old forest basswood tree. It waa a very-giant among the trees around it. Ib was hollow ab the base, as nearly oil baaswooda are, and I also had noticod a large opening in the eido of the body away up among the huge limbs. My.old hunting dog, Marco, always went with me to my work in the woods unless told to a buy ab the cabin with grandmother. I had Been him go many timoa oub to the old basswood and smell around the roots and then look intently up the tree. I paid bub little attention to him, bat kept busy at my work and thought no more aboub the matter until in the fall when I went to get my first load of shooks Bad deliver them ab bhe little village, which was fifteen miles away.

•On the morning thab I was bo haul this first! loud I was up and away a long time before sunrise. I could just sue to pick my way through tha.forest. There bad been a heavy storm, accompanied by a terrific wind blow, a few days before, and many largo trees weio down. ° When I came near whore the piles of shooks were I found that the huge, old basswood was blown down across my roadway, Ib had nob quita fallen to the earth, but was caught and held by a tang-led mass of torn trees and broken limbs that had cruehed into ib on Us downward course. It lay up a fow feeb from the earth, so that a person could walk underneath ib, bub I could not drive my team of oxen and heavy waggon under it. I Bboppod the oxen in fronb and began looking about to find a good pathway around it.

'While I was searching for one Marco went into the tangled mass of broken limb's near the top and was soon barking Bavagaly at the huge hole in tho top thab I had noticed while tho tree was standing. I left) the oxen standing quietly while I wens to see what) Marco had found. As coon aa I came pear him he plunged inlo the hole and was instantly engaged in a terrific battle with something, I could cob toll what). Tho burking, growling, snarling end yelping of both old Marco and the nnitnal he was lighting was terrible. I peered into the hole and. shouted. "Sic 'ma, Marco; sic 'im ; take hold of him !' and various words do encourage him in the fighfc. •As soon as Marco bad backed near enough the opening I reached in and seized him'by.tho hind legs and began pulling. In my excitement 1 shouted, "Seize 'im, Marco; have 'im out* !" and pulled away as hard as I could. In this way, with hia backing and my pulling, he came out of the opening, bringing his pa mo with him, and fell among the tangled mass of brush and limbs, locked in deadly embrace with a half-grown cub bear.

"The cub was large enough bo be a formidable too for any dog, and had torn and lacerated brave old Marco's sides fearfully. Ho bad a death grip on the cub's throat and was getting the bebter of him in fehe tight. , I ran quickly to the waggon and fetched tny fixe, intending to kill She cub and do help the brave dog in the fight. I had just gob back t.o the combatants and waa endeavouring to gob in a heavy blow on the cub without hinting the dog, when I he/ird the oxeu give a snort and frightened bellow. I looked up justi in time to see them turn squarely around, overturn tho waggon, break loose from it, and, in wildest terrer, run toward home. I was nob long in discovering whafe had frightened them, for, crashing through the underbrush, up from a near-by ravine, came the infuriated mother bear, (she most savage and dangerous of beasts to encounter when fighting to protect her young. < She came in mad, bounding leaps, with moufeh open aad eyea glaring in beastly rage, straight for the scene of conflict. I was. almost paralysed with fear ab fchis sadden and dangerous turn of affairs. I did bho only thing possible. Throwing my axe ab her as she came toward us, I turned quickly and climbed a email rough-barked

tree that was near by. The tree was aboub the size of a big telegraph pole, bnt considerably taller. I made as rapid work of getting as near the top as I could. When I looked down from my perch I saw with horror and frighb a short bub deadly struggle. Poor, o.'d Marco 1 Exhausted from bis bitter fight) with the cub, and weakened by much loss of blood from his many wounds, he was no match for the infuriated beast thab now rushsd upon him. He released his grip upon the dying and nearly strangled cub and turned bravely to most) this new foe; Ib was terrible for ma to look upon. The maddened mother reared upon her haunches and opened oub her powerful arms. The brave old dog leaped for her throat), and fastened his jawe for a moment aboub her windpipe. The strong arms of the old bear closed aboub him in a deadly bug thab crashed him sr easily as you would destroy an empty egg-

shell in your hand, and then with a downward swoop with her long, sharp clawa, she tore the Bides and back of tho dog open to the vitals. She then threw the crushed and lifeless mass from her and glared wildly, around for me. ■ : 1 Sho soon spied me—Bmelled me, I supposo—and then her ragoseemed fco increase as she rushed to the tree and b6gan to climb. 1 The tree was small, the baric was herd

and rough, and the bear was heavy. All of these things, excopb the rough" bark, seemed against her being able to reach me. I soon saw, however, thab sho could climb the tree. Her powerful clawa sank deep

into the bark and her huge bulk came

eiowly upward. Isaw no way of escaping her fury. I could nob jump down, as tho leap would certainly kill. me. I had no weapon to defend ; myself with except my large clasp knifo. The blade luckily had been forged by a blacksmith, and was much

longer than the blada of an ordinary pockob knife; Ie had a keen edge, and I gripped ib with the determination to do as much execution ac possible. • The furious, maddened ibeast came slowly and leisurely up. The tree awayed with her huge bulk till I thought) it would overturn or break off,

•Iknew thab it would nob do to let her get at my feet and legs, so I drew them up, and, hanging firmly to a limb with my left) hand, I ewung myself parbly down to meet her. She could not release her paws to claw me off withoub falling, and so whon her head waa ne^r enough I made one vicious flash at hor nose. Ib was a fortunate Btroke of tho keen-edged blade, slashing across both nostrils with a deep, quick cut. '

• Tha blood ran down into her, no»e and mouth, she gave a strangled growl of rage and pain, and, releasing her hold, fell with a hoavy thud to tho ground. She whined and pawed ut bar nose and whirled round and round in the wildeab manner. I saw that I had made a lucky atroke, but felt vory insecure yet.

' Juafe then I heard a voice calling in the distance. I instastly knew that ib was your grandmother. The oxen had rwn home in terrible frigbb, and she had come on quickly to find if I was hurt. When she came near enough for me bo speak bo her I bold her to go back home and bring both guns, cautioning her to keep still when ehe returned.

' Ib seemed a long time before I saw hor approaching in the distance. Tho old bear in the moanr.ime was in'the most violent paroxysms of rage and pain, and was again trying to climb the tree, but with every effort would claw nb her nose and fall back to tho ground. I called out to your grandmother to approach qniebly until 1 should tell hor to shoob. She did bo, and when within easy range took good aim at a point just behind tho tore phouHer and fired. The huge beast. Bprang into the air and fell over on her side. It was a good shot. Grandmother came nearer at my suggestion and fired tho other load iufco the boar's body ; bub the first shob had done tho work and the big brute was dead. I came quickly down the tree, rejoicing at mv deliverance.

"'Poor old Marco! Faithful old dog J Thero he lay, mangled and dead, torn into a almpelesß mass by the savage fury of the mother bear, We buried him in the forest; nenr where he fell. I never owned so good a dog before or since.'

An Old Achievement.—'How fallacious sotnß of these proverbs are,' remarked the sagacious man. ' Take, for example, that one aboub there being nothing new under the sun.' 'Is there anything really new ?' said his wife. 'Of course there is. Don't you read the paperß ? Don't these "x" rays enable you to take a man and see right through him?' 'Yes, William, dear,' she answered gently. 4Bub any woman could do that before 'x' rays were even thought of.'

An Acquired Gift.—'l'm a victim ef kleptomania, your honour,' pleaded the prisoner. 'I can'b help stealing.' 'Indeed,' said the justice, with interest. 'I've heard of such cases. Is your kleptomania a natural or acquired gift?' 'Acquired, your honour," replied the prisoner thoughtlessly. ' I thoughb so. So is your sentence—2os or seven days. Cail the next case.'

A Resemblance.—Mr Dude : I was thinking how much I resemble your carpet —always ab your feet, you know. Mise Sly: Yes, you are very much like my carpet. lam going to shake ib soon.

Unnecessary.—Blobbs : What nonsenee ib is for newspapers in their accounts of weddings to describe the bride's being led bo the altar. Slobbs: How so ? Blobbs : Why, most of the girla could find their way there in the dark. .