A Hunter's Yaru.

Otago Witness, Issue 1418, 25 January 1879, Page 22

A Hunter's Yaru.

0 One day, a long time ago, about the time when Jackson ran for President the first time, perhaps, I was one day hunting upon the ridge between Meadow llun and Cucumber Hun, which tumbles off the recks just across there. I had known for some time by the signs that there was a nest of cub bears somewhere in the neighbourhood, so on that day I couchided that I would put in my time finding them, as a paity up in Uniontown wanted a pair to send over to Baltimore, to ;i friend who was fond of outlandish pets. You see that it was along about the Ist of September, and pretty waiin at that, and after walking up and down the ravines I began to get pi etty tired. I was not so heavy then as I am now, and did not weigh more than a couple of hundred pounds. As I paid, I was a little tired, and so on the top of the ridge I sat down by the side of a smooth chestnut stump about twelve or fourteen feet high. I hadn't sat there more than a minute until I heard something inside the stump, and soon made out that it was a couple of bears playing with one another. I looked on all sides of the stump to find an opening, but none was to be seen. Then I happened to notice the murks of claws up the side of the stump, and I understood it. The hole went in at tho top. I set my gun against a bush, up-ended the branch of a tree, and wns soon at tho top of the stump, looking in at tho two cubs, which were about tbe size of full-gioivn r«t-ilogs. I was so excited that 1 jumped down into the stump and grabbed the cubs. They at iirst began tc squeal and then turned on me for fight. But they were small enough to handle, and in a minute or two I had their mouths tied bo they could not bite, and their feet fastened se they could not scratch. I knew that tho old bear would be along pretty soon and make it hot for me if she found me iv the nest, so I swung the youngsters into my buckskin belt preparatory to getting out. Get"out? Did I get out 1 Land of love ! It makes me shiver to think of ie yet. [ could no more get out o{ that stump than I could fly. The hollow was bell-shaped— larger at the bottom than at the top — so large, iv fact, that I could not put my back against one side and my feet and hands against the other and crawl up, as rabbits and other animals climb up inside of hollow trees. In no way could I get up a foot. There were no sticks inside to help me up, and I made up my mind I had to die certain. About the time I came to this conclusion I heard the old bear climbing up the outsiiln of the stump. "With only my hunting knife as a means of defence, and in such close quaitois, you may possibly imagine theetato of my loolinys.

l The old bear was not more than half a i minute, at the outside, climbing up the i Btump, but it seemed like a month, at least. I thought of all my sins a dozen times, at least. At last she reached the top, but she didn't seem to suspect my presence at allj as she deliberately turned round and began i slowly descending, tail foremost. ,; I felt as though my last hour had come,; and began seriously to think about lying 1 down and let the bear kill me, so as to get out of my misery as quickly as possibly.; Suddenly au idea struck me, and despair^ gave away to hope. I drew out my hunting knife and stood on tip tee. When the bear' was about seven feet from the bottom of the hollow 1 fastened on her tail with my left hand with a vice-like grip, and with my; right drove my hunting-knife ta the hilt into] her haunch, and at the same time yelling; like a whole tribe of Indiane. [ "What did she do?" chorused the whole' crowd, who had been holding their-breath.~ ' What did she do ? Well, you should have seen the performance. She didn't stop to reflect a moment, but shot out at the top of the stump like a bullet out of a gun. A hair's breadth to the minute. I held on until we struck the ground, some thirty feet from the sturup. Then the old bear went like lightning into the brush, and was out of eight; in half a second. I was a little bruised by the fall, but that was all. I took the cubs to Uniontown the next day, and on account of the^ad venture 1 got sd6ls. -apiece for them, and in those time 3 sdols. Was as good as 50 lols. now.— Pittsburg TelegrapTi.h "— — — — — ■■ — ■ ,