TWO BOYS AND A BEAR.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XI, Issue 46, 18 November 1893, Page 431

TWO BOYS AND A BEAR.

The common black bear of northern latitudes, as is well known, usually lies in a torpid state during the winter, securely hidden in some cave or hollow tree, where he is not likely to be disturbed by hunters. But a correspondent of a paper, writing from Bay City, Michigan, relates an auventure which seems to show that Bruin does not always sleep soundly at such times. Our correspondent was going to his office, one January morning, when he saw a crowd of people standing in front of a butcher’s shop, staring at the carcase of a bear. Blood was still oozing from two bullet holes in its head. The creature had been killed by two Bay City boys, one of them sixteen years old and the other fifteen. The two boys, Henry Meisel and Charles Bodey, went out in the afternoon hunting for rabbits, the weather having taken a mild turn. After some time they missed their dog— * Little Spot.’ They whistled and called, but without success, till by-and-bye they heard him yelping as if in great agony. Apparently he was not more than two hundred yards away, but before they could get to him the cries ceased. They found him crushed, bleeding, and just breathing his last on the snow before the up-turned, earth-laden roots of a fallen tree. 1 nder the tree was a small cave, almost concealed by a clump of bushes. Out of this cave proceeded low growls, and on peeping cautiously through the bushes the boys saw a big black bear lying Hat in the hole, with his head on his paws, quietly watching the intruders. The youthful hunters were pretty badly scared at first. They had never seen a wild bear before, and bad with them no ammunition heavier than number eight shot. This would have been as effective as a bullet, if fired at a distance of no more than six feet ; but the boys did not know. it, and probably would not have ventured so near even if they had known it. The bear manifested no disposition to break cover or attack the boys, but lay still, mumbling and grumbling, as if satisfied with having killed the dog. ‘ What a glorious thing if we could kill him ’’ the two young fellows said to each other ; and with that they ran off to a farmer’s house, a quarter of a mile away, and borrowed two rifles. When they got back, the bear was still there. They knelt down, took aim at his head, and fired together. Both bullets took effect, and the bear was dead before the smoke cleared away. The happy boys then got the farmer to bring out a bobsleigh and draw the carcase to his barn ; and the next morning they brought it to the city and sold it to the butcher. It weighed two hundred and eighty-two pounds.