Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Volume XXIX, Number 42, 18 ʻOkakopa 1890 — Our English Column. [ARTICLE]

Our English Column.

"fn K?kM 'an ffr Marhe#i

VNU.F rHIL> I>F>K

of \om U •>* and gnW ha*e bcjri, J>rc?ught to Honoiulu fron> other eounine*, to kno« «hii they look Hke Y(Hif irading hooU abo bate ttori<n> abou: tbe® Here w » that wiK mtere*t r>u ft ts calied, 'Jake IhmhaH'* Wooden and tt really happened, ooee, tn a tOuntry *bere there *ere roan* bearv One e»cn»n£ m iuoimer. lake I>im baiJ va» drmn* the eow» home f:o«n f>a*turc. It »a" tcn vear* ago, and J?m wx% a Moui boy of wieween, with no thought of ha«in# a wooe'en leg- In deed. he had no nced c( one. for h» own Segi o( b>ne and muv'e scemed to be ttrong enough to la*t him all ha iite time. I bat suffiro« r*ars had i/een often >cen in other t uunties. but not where Jake wa* now <inving h»s rowv S>, when Jake wa% frightened bv an angry from a th»rket on hii r jiht, he did not immedutely think of a lxar, Hc *aw that the to«s were but he »toj>i<d and iookc<i at the thif kct, < on*idering if he \hould *cif« h it.

While hc he>itatcd. a Urjcc bl»ck l>car tifoke Uirth lroui thc buthei, < amin,; lcrror to lake * soul Jakc hj<i no *ca{x>n than thc switch hc was orr\ing. aml thc jnkknife with whKh hc wa«i (nmminK it. \fter one .ind look »t thc f-car. lake rlc«! a!or;u thc rurr«>w »ow path. Jakc a fant runncr in tiays, yct ihe !>car on him vcry ihe< ow j»ath wjs a vcr> » ro«>kc<l ~ and the wut-»ide thc ;>ath wa> too rfjn f»st on. Jakc cnvic<l thc thcir line start. f!c wishc(i he wa> with thcm then, is he hcar<! thc fx:ar «omim; ncarcr. l'hen his fuot » a root aml he feP \s he fcll thc thou»jh: iiasht!iruuj;h hi* mind, **this i& the end ot me " His was darkencd (or an instant. a* he rolled »n the mem am! >t 1« ks ht.twecn two hiiiuckv l'hen, turninj; •»n his t».n k, he mw a l>car alrcady over him. and now • «Mir.i,;c « ame tu his aid

K.a 1 ill his heeK in thc «*ir he !»r-s>ujiht them down with vio!encc in thc bcar\ ta< e. Ihe animal started iiai knt this new wav of t'»uhting. But hr «,iinc up ai;.nn, and lake went to ki< aii the while «thouiing as ioud an he rould, so that s«me one might hcar, and »ome to his aid Kor a few minute> lake'h kicking kept the l»car ort. l»ist at tast thc bear isetting morc anii iuorc ticri e all the while, caught thc lad'H foyt i>ctwccn its }aws. I'he brnvc boy su kcncd undcr the t'rucl grip of thonc great tccth, but kcpt on with hi.l iree heel. !u*t al»out as he was tamting from pain and weakncss, some farmers who had heard his crics. eame up, and the bear ran ofT. I hat ni£ht thcrc was a bear hunt in that pla< e, !>ut no bcar was found. As lor jakc, his foot and tht lowcr part of his icg wcrc »0 dreadfuliy bitten and nuni;lc(l thit thc lcg had to bc <ut off 111 ht t>clow the knee. When he got weil, bcing a smart boy he cnade himseif a new lcg of white oak, around the bottom ot whieh he hammered a, stout iron nn;. Ihe year» wcnt quickly by. One June cvcning. tcn ycars after that on whiv h this story begins, Jake was driving home the eown as usual, when onee more he hcard the fierce growi. As bcfore, he saw ihe cows breaking into a run. In a momeni thcrc was the same dreadtui crashing in thc thickct. Was he drcaming ? He lookeii down and saw his woodcn le*. l hat $ettled it, and he ran as fast as his wooden leg would let him. Now long use bad made lake skilful *ith his wooden ieg; but with his lleshly legs he was no match for thc bcar bcfore. then what could he do with his wooden one now? Hc made up his mind to run no more, but to save his breath for vrbat might be his list fight. He gave a series of loud yells and tl)rew himself riat 00 ho back 00 a gcntlc hummoek that m»ght help him lome

Jake eye«l the bear *tefnly, and U seemed to him as »f the bear smikd to see that its intended ?ictim had not forgotten hw okl way of fighting, The animal turned a ltttle and atlacked the boy; but Jake whirled nimbly and brought elown hw 'tron $hod heel 00 i the bear's snout l'his did not make | the bear afraid. but u seixed ihe wooden leg in its angry jaws. )ake was yeHing for help all this while; but as soon as the bear found oui that the leg he w»s chewing on was of g«od white aak, ii teemed astontshed !t dropped the backed off a few paeea. sat down 011 iu haunehe*, and ga<ed at thas strange wooden maa After looking thus for a few minutes» the bear made a M attack. Perhapa «ome other part of the body was teodetef than that k% But Jake gave

it oo ehinee to trr Tbe next boid the bear go( ns nght oo tbe troo rūf; and that tasted no better thāo tbe oak leg. At let>fth, with the oi»o*t k*ce ot h» strockg th»gh, Jike drore tbe end of tbe vooden leg ngbt imo the be*r r s •pen roooth. Blood fio«ed freelj frcm ihe animii'* ihnMi, aod. io a Uttie «h«le, thinku>g tHi perb«ps tt* Ticth» might not be my good ealii>g alter tU f tbebear mored a«»f, coogbio{ aod whinmg

Jake iay quite ftxll, uU tbe bear dis appeared to the voods. Tben he weot bome, thinking how moeh better hxs wooden leg had bdped him, thao the otber rould hare dooe. !n a few minutes he was met by sooe of his neishbors who were hasteoiog to fiod 001 the < ause of the great ootse. J ake tnid tbem hu *torj, adding, * You lee now bow everythiog tums oot for the best It I hadn't lott that erelegof mioe tbis night ten years ago, !'d have tnebbe tost my head this very eteninf " -» But Jake » story was not beliered. Jake could not eveo get up a bear bunt Soroc ten days later f boweTer, its truth was proved. A man, iooking (or stray eanle, io the woods not far from Jake's pa.«ture, found a !arge bear dead tn a cedar swamp. He was puzzied to find a cause for deatb, tili he remember Jake's story. Then be looked at the throat, and the ncighbors were convinced of the fighting quaiities of the wooden leg.