Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 May 1895 — BRUIN'S BOXING LESSON. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BRUIN'S BOXING LESSON.

“A couple of us were splitting slabs in the Madawaska woods along in the fall, when all of a sudden the head of the maul flew off. The maul struck a tree, glanced and took Bill on the side of the knee. It keeled him over so that he couldn’t do any more work that day. and I bad to help him back to the camp. Before we left,-I took a bit of dod line out of my pocket, ran it through the eye of the maul, and strung the maul up to a branch, so that it would be easier to find when I wanted it. “It was maybe a week before I went for that maul—a little more than a week, I should say—and then. It beyig of a .Saturday afternoon, when there was no work to do, and Bill’s leg being so much better that

he could hobble alone, he and I thought we’d stroll over to where we'd been splitting, and bring the. maul into eamp. “When we got pretty near the place, and could sec? Through the trees the maul hanging there where we had left it, Bill all of a sudden grabbed me sharp by the arm. and whispered: ‘Keep still!’ ' . “ ‘What is it?’ said I, under l my breath, looking all around. “‘Use your eyes if you’ve got any,’ said he; and I stared through" the branches in the direction he waslooking. But there was a trunk- in The way. As sobiTas - 1 moved my head a bit I saw what he was watching. There was a line young bear sitting back on his haunches, and Ipoking at the .maul as if he didn’t know what to make of it. Probably that-bear had once been hurt in a trap, and so had grown suspicious. That there maul hanging from the limb of a tree was something different from anythiii'g he’d: ever Seen before. Wondering what he was going 'to do, we crept a little nearer, without mailin’ any noise, and crotiehed. down behind a spruce bush. “The bear was maybe a couple of yards from the maul, and watching it as if he thought it might get down any moment and come at him. A little &ust of wind came through the trees and set the rzaul swinging,a bit. lie didn’t like this, and backed off a few feet. The maul swung some more, and he drew off still further: and, as soon as it was quite still again, he sidled around it at a prudent distance and investigated it from the other side of the tree. i “ “The blame foob is scared of it,’ -Whi-Sjiereclßill, scornfully; ‘let’s fling a rock at him.'

“ ‘No,’said I, knowing bears pretty well; ‘let’s wait and see what he's going to do.’ “Well, when the maul had been pretty still for a minute or two, the bear appeared to make up his mind it didn't amount to much after all; he came right close up to |t, as bold as you like, and pawed it kind of inquiringly. The maul swung away, and', being hung short, it came bad. quick and took the bear a smart rap on the nose. “Bill and I both snickered, but the bear didn't hear us. He was mad right oft', and. with a snort, he hit the maul a pretty good cuff; back it came like greased lightning and took him again square on the snout with a whack that must have made him just see stars. “Bill and I could hardly hold ourselves; but even if we had laughed right out I don’t believe, that bear would have noticed us, he. was so mad. You know a bear’s snout is mighty tender. Well, he grunted and snorted and rooted around in the leaves a bit. and then went back at the maul as if he was just going to knock it into the other side of tomorrow. He stood up to it, and he did hit it so hard that it seemed to disappear for half a second. It swung right over the limb, and, while he was looking for it, it came down on the top of his head. Great Scott! how he roared! And then, scratching his head with one paw he went at it again with the other, and hit it just the same way he’d hit it before. 4'tell you, ?ill an d I pretty near burst as we saw Tfaut maul fly over the liinb again and come dowm on the top of his head just like the* first time. You’d have thought it would have cracked his skull; but a near’s head is as hard as they make them.

“This time the bear, after rubbing his head and his snout, and rooting some more in the leaves, sat back and seemed to consider. In a second or two he went up to the maul and tried to take hold of it with one paw; of;course it slipped right away, and you’d have thought it was alive to see the sharp way it dodged back and caught him again on the nose. It wasn’t much qf a 1 whack this time, but that nose was

tender enough, then! And the bear got desperate. He grabbed for the maul with both paws; and that way, of course, he got it. With one pull he,snapped the codline and the victory was his.”

A WHACK THAT MUST HAVE MADE HIM SEE STARS.