An American Bear Story.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 206, 11 June 1887, Page 3

An American Bear Story.

" You can believe me or not, stranger, but as sure as Moses was swapped in the bulrushes, clear me out for a tenderfoot, but I saw three bears in a clearing going at it hammer and tongs, fighting to the death. Two of them were cinnamon mates, and the other was a silver tip. How the fur did fly ! The plucky silver tip would slap first one and then the other. The cinnamon cusses didn't seem to have sense enough to tackle the big mongrel together, but they came up one at a time, only to get a dose which the other fellow always had ready for them. The silver tip knocked them out every time, and won every round just as he pleased. Pretty soon the pair began to weaken, and then old Ephraim put in his licks thick and fast. He knocked the male flat, and proceeded to hug the female. He simply squeezed the life out of her, for I could hear the bonea. snap and crack from where I was hid. The male by this time had recovered a few of his senses, and sat upon his haunches to see how the day was going, but the wise old silver tip, dropping the female for a minute, walked over to where the dazed brute was squatted and brought him such a whack beside the head with his big paw that the poor fellow never did get over it. He simply rolled over on the ground, and died without another protest. I tell you, stranger, that bear was an awful sight to see after I had given him the fifth ball. Still he came on, and did not falter. Poking the muzzle almost into his mouth, I pulled for the last time, and down we both went. For a minute I really did not know whether I or the bear was killed, but in a few seconds I crawled out from under the huge mass, and then I saw the bear was dead, and not I. He had made a lunge just as I fired, fell over on me in the agonies of death, and we rolled among the bushes all in a heap. I rose to my feet, gave a big sigh of relief, and stuck the old fellow under the ribs as a parting send off. I skinned all three of the bears, and returned to camp late that night, telling the story to my pards just as I have told it to you, and, stranger, that is how them three bears hides come to be lying on the floor." — "San Francisco Chronicle."

The inventory of the personal estate of the late Mr David Kennedy, Scottish vocalist, shows that the net value of the estate amounts to £7,184 17s lid. In addition to the property in Scotland the deceased gentleman left another £7,000 of assets in Australia. The total property left by him is £14,100 in personal estate, and £1,000 heritable.