The Bear and the Gardener in this case keeping the flies off a friend, and the ultimate good of safeguarding his welfare. The story gained currency in England from the 18th century on through translations or imitations of La Fontaine. One of its earliest appearances was in Robert Dodsley's "Select fables of Esop and other fabulists" (1764), where it is given the title "The Hermit and the Bear" and a milder ending. In this version a hermit has done the bear a good turn; later still this was identified with taking a thorn from its paw, drawing on the story of Androcles and the Lion.
USS Paw Paw (1863) Thompson in command. "Paw Paw" patrolled the upper Mississippi River protecting Union communication and supply bases from guerrilla attacks. She struck a snag and sank in Walnut Bend 6 August 1863, but was pumped out and raised by steam pump boat "Champion No. 5". After repairs at Cairo, Illinois, she resumed patrol duty. From 10 October to 13 December, she supported General William Tecumseh Sherman's operations on the Tennessee River. In acknowledging the arrival of the gunboats, General Sherman wrote Admiral David Dixon Porter: Of course we will get along together elegantly. All I have, he (Lt. Comdr. S. L.