It was a great event in our neighborhood
when a bear was caught. Whoever caught him blew a horn, and the men and
boys came trooping together to see the sight. I've known them to blow
that horn on a Sunday morning, and I've seen the men turn their backs on
the meeting house to go and see the bear."
"Was there no more merciful way of catching them than by this trap?"
asked Miss Laura.
"Oh, yes, by the deadfall--that is by driving heavy sticks into the
ground, and making a box-like place, open on one side, where two logs
were so arranged with other heavy logs upon them, that when the bear
seized the bait, the upper log fell down and crushed him to death.
Another way was to fix a bait in a certain place, with cords tied to it,
which cords were fastened to triggers of guns placed at a little
distance. When the bear took the bait, the guns went off, and he shot
himself.
"Sometimes it took a good many bullets to kill them. I remember one old
fellow that we put eleven into, before he keeled over. It was one fall,
over on Pike's Hill. The snow had come earlier than usual, and this old
bear hadn't got into his den for his winter's sleep.
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