lar
time in deer hunting until we had looked all of the bear traps over.
We were quite sure that some of the traps would be likely to be in a
mixup with bruin as the weather had been favorable for bruin to be
prowling around. Further we had seen several fresh tracks in the past
few days. Early in the morning with an extra lunch in our knapsack we
started out to see what luck with bruin, each taking a different
route.

Bill went to Baley Run, while I went to Conley Run. I had not gone
far out on my road, when I came across a man that had been out as he
said, hunting deer. But from the story he told, I judged that he had
put in the greater part of his time hunting himself, and he was still
lost.

The man informed me that he was from Lockhaven, Pa., and that his
name was Henry Jacobs; and that he was boarding at a farmhouse on the
Portage but had gotten a little mixed and was unable to find his way
out to his boarding place. I told him that I was on my way to the
Conley waters to look after some bear traps, and if he wished he
could go with me to the main branch of the Conley. Then he could
follow the stream down until it emptied into the Portage, and to the
road which would take him to his boarding house, which Mr. Jacobs
seemed pleased to do. But it proved that Mr. Jacobs' destiny was in
other directions.

The first bear trap that we came to, we found a "porky" in it. I
could see that Mr. Jacobs was very much excited and began to ask many
questions as to bears and bear trapping. When we came to where the
second trap was setting, we found things generally torn up and the
trap gone, and it was plain to be seen that it was no cub that had
taken the trap this time. The bear had gone only a few yards, when he
had gotten fast in some saplings, and he had gnawed the brush and
raked the trees and "raised Ned" generally; but had finally released
the clog and had gone on down the hillside.

By this time I had discovered that Mr. Jacobs had become pretty
nervous and was shaking rather too much to do good shooting. At every
rod we advanced along the trail, it was plain to be seen that Mr.
Jacobs was becoming more and more excited. We did not follow the
trail far when we discovered Bruin fast again. We went up within a
few yards of the bear, who did not seem to like our company and would
chank his jaws and snort similar to an angry hog.

I told Mr. Jacobs to shoot the bear, and he did shoot somewhere, but
I could not say that