The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1854-07-07

| the now maddenFd animal, and so Kept at wary
distance. Lander appeared TO have exhausted al
the loads in his revolver, and yet, save llmpIng
motion in his gale, the bear appeared unharmed
bot the headlnng speed at which he had gone ha'
evidently told upon him, and as Lander galIoppec
! towards US, he slowly turned again toward the
covert.
ale tried to prevail upon Guy to ride up /; tell
ing him there no danger, and that both o
his barrels, loaded with slugs, would certainty
kill him. But Guys sole answer was:
g.. Look a-here Kernel, you sock along
arter that bar Just as long you've n mind ~
and here's my x-shoo,er, but you can't toll me
up thar no now don't mind akin turn with
IA big black Arkansaw, but when 1t comes TO hunt.
ing grizzlies on on pony. just count me 0"tH-
But nothing could prevail upon Lander to
| allow the bear to- escape; but so, exchanging re-
volvers, he again dashed into the bushes.
! "The bear, we could see had lain down in a
tangled spot the covert and seemed to await
| Ihr coming OF his enemy. Lander, supposlng
| that most, of his shots had been futile, from The
Swerving of his horse, determined to make surer
work his time and so rode down to within twenty
feet of the bear, and, taking deliberate aim at his
! head, fired.
! ' In bound the bear almost on him, and
! held my breath and closed my eyes, but was too
paralyzrd to attempt to render any assistance.
Guy seemed frozen his horse but the
Black foot with wild whoup charged down in
circle" waving his blanket upon his gun, and ma
king loud ouicres TO engage the attention Of the
bear but all would have been fruiIltss had
the gallant old horse, true his training. dartrd
off TO the right ard suddenly that could scarce
believ" he had escaped, when sa the bru,e, with
mad howl, fall where they had stood moment
before.
One of the stirrups caught in low bush, and
the rider was thrown backward upon the saddle
and | found myself wrhng in my seat as ! fam
ctcd that all was lost. But no bv violent effort
he recovered HIMSELF and | again breathed more
freely; but only again to suspend my breath, as,
moment later. the old horse stumbled over a
grassy mound. The bear was within six feet of
him, and it seemed as if all earth could not save
the Ider
50 | dashed madly down on y to have ridden to
my own destruction; but again the brave old horse
redeemed himself nohIy and though evidently
much blown, stretched out across the prairie like
The wind tbe bear close behind. Swinging along
with rolling gail, his green eyes seemed to strike
lire; toaming at the mouth. and hOWling with rage
and pain, ever and again Lander would in
the saddle and fire. When they reached the open
prairie, Old Buffalo gradually widcned the distance
between them and firing low. the fore}eg of the |
bear was broken; and rolling over on the prairie,
and groaning the wounded limb the air grew
Grigh!Iul with his howngs. Once more g back.
ing his horse down." Lander fired The last shot in
zy," rearing upon his hind legs, stood for mo-
mcnt paving the air frantica lily, and then fell back
-dead!
"Aller man has, upon the lonely prairie, stood
his watch rough The dark hours of the night mo.
m"ntarIly exprctIng attack from hostile Indians
and his blood has chilled and his flesh crept as he
imagined, or really has seen, the lurking Zoe
through the gloom, and yet dare not fire. lest he
expose his own person as target {; alter man
has gone through Ills, night after night, be may
imagine he can realize the meaning Of anxiety
/" All this have undergone but never before
did my heart stand sill, as it did during that half.
hours cambat-knowing as did that with one
false step Of the horse, The riders life was not
worth the purchase; impressed the more forc;by
upon next day, when | saw Guy thrown
amidst herd of buffalo, by his Stumbling horse.
"On taking off the skin. ii found that eight
revolver bullets had passed into vital parts.'-
One had broken foreIeg one had made deep
wound i'll the shoulder; and the last shot had CIV
en- the death-wound in the head.
"Oi twelve shots fired in The heat Of the con.
est, eleUen had hit the bear nine Of which would
nave been death wounds TO anything but a grz.
lilly. We estimated hun to weigh twelve hundred
pounds.
Our little mule was loaded down, with the
,est portions OF the meat, and driven into camp by
,ur Backwood alIay, singing the brave song of his
ace, and relating between-whiles how their war
ors kill the fierce ANIMAL
With their imperfect arms, they never attack
he bear in the summer. 1t is only when torpid
With coal that they seek his den the mountains
,eiore which. they make barricade of logs and
,indlng huge fire, by its light riddle the vulner.
bic parts Of The bear with arrows.
"Landrr became TO our Indian guides an object r
# great admiration and chris,ened by them .
Kaya, or Bear of The Mountain, which we an ,
cized by the euPhonions c"gnomen Of Old Grlz.
.y.' =
"A pleasant journey we had towards the camp. +
he Indian chanting as we went, and we admiring :
he sublimity OF IA sunset upon the broad prairie. +
The dropping down behind the " Rocky $
which, stretching far to the northward,
With here and there a crowned peak uplilted, q
Ike giants, seemed indeed II
To sentinel enchanted and:'
There was no speaking aloud: awed by the lone b
ness and quia:ude, there was something deeper, a
obler in the very hush of solitude, then earthly Il
oices speak, n
' We made our camp by the shores Of Low lake. II
,here nvrads of water r-fowl sported unsca red by II
he unwonted presence Of white men. Under the g
hadows of The dark pines the water seemed of II
eel.like blackness. contrasting grandIv with the
livery streams that were bounded in by the gras o
Y banks OF The prairie. s.
Sitting round our campfire at night, and "
,atcbino the Pickering light shining out upon the