Volcano weekly ledger., 1855-12-22

done all that when | was an infant"
Come where we are seated, jim !" said
"No, thank you, am perfectly contented
where | am" he replied, clasping the pine
tree which he was clinging to, as though de-
termined never to leave it,
Smith," he said, at length, "are these red
berries good to eat?
II have never known men to eat Them
replied Smith.
"What animal does eat them?n
Grizzlys are very fond of them, and will
eat bushel without much exerton," replied
Smith, again lighting his pipe, and leaning his
head upon his pack
What gluttons they must be-" we could
hear Jim mutter. They must have appe-
tites something like mine, for feel as though
could eat the hind quarter of tolerable
sized bear"
For few minutes all was still, and then
we heard rumblng sound as though some
dirt had become disloged and was rolling
down the mountain. We paid no attention
to it, however, and were about doing off to
sleep, when we heard Counters voice
1t may be very gratifying to you fellow up
there to roll stones on me; but I'll be cussed
if like it. / don't object to reasonable
spot but when rocks weighing ten pounds hit
me on the head l shall speak"
We supposed he was joking, and paid no
attention to his words; but before many mo-
ments he again cried out
don't care who it is, but | wish you'd
quit. 1t seems to me you might find other
ways Of amusing yourselves. / won't be i'm
posed upon by any one"
"Why, what is the matter with the lad?n
cried Smith, slowly raising his head and re-
moving the pipe from his mouth
He gave sudden start he gazed upon
the mountain, and his hand sought his rife
Ny eyes followed his own; and then with
an exclamation Of horror, scrambled to my
| feet
BE quiet" whispered Smith, laying one
Of his strong hands upon my shoulder and
forciug me to my knees again.
1t required considerable nerve TO even fol-
low this advice, for about twenty yards above
us was a large grizzly, looking with every
mark of astonishment at our humble selves,
and apparently debating whether he would
make meal of us at once, or wait until his
appetite was good enough to swallow the
whole party. The stones which were ratified
About the head Of Counter, were displaced
the animal in his descent, aud while that
irritable young gentleman was blaming us for
I that which we knew nothing about, the bear
had gradually approached us unperceived.-
As yet he showed no signs of hostility, but
how long would his good temper lasty
BE quiet" again whispered Smith, and
let me see if | can't bring him down at a sin
gle shot His eyes is the only place to aim
at and he sits fair. Tell Counter to climb
the tree and take his rifle with him. He is
in the exact path of the varmint."
| spoke to him in low voice, but he was
sulky and would return me no answer until
had hailed the third time. He then looked
around with an angry frown; but when |
pointed with trembling hand TO the grizzly
brute, change came over his face that was
wonderful to behold. The frown left his
brow; his mouth opened to its widest extent
and his eyes glared like those of maniac.
For one moment he looked at the bear and
! then muttered-
"A grizzly b"
The balance Of his remarks was lost for
in his excitement he quilted his hold on the
tree, flung his arms wildly in the air in his
endeavor to gain his equilibrium, and the next
instant he was rolling down the steep side of
the mountain at more than railroad speed
There was fearful fascination in watching
the poor wretch whir over and over, some
times descending feet first for a few yards,
and then suddenly dart headlong, until his
body would strike some obstruction, and
then it would again reyolve like a cartwhee
For moment | lost sight OF him in cloud
of dirt, where, after laying motionless for a
minute, he scrambled to his feet and dashed
off in the direction of the camp | heard a
slight chuckle at my side, and then the sharp
report of Smiths rifle recalled me to sense
of my own danger. l turned, expecting to
find the bear within arms length; but, to my
dsagreeable disappointment, he was rolling
down the mountain, following in the exact
wake of Counter. When he reached the
valley, however, instead of picking himself
up and starting off in pursuit Of him, he lay
perfectly quiet and without signs of life.
That's the first grizzly that | ever killed
with single ball lie caught it right in the
eye,' said Smith, calmly reloading his rifle.
"Are you sure he's deadg" | asked, with
some faint idea that the brute might be play
ing possum.
AS sure as | am that Jim will not stop
running until he reaches the camp Lord,
how comical he looked going down the
mountain" Smith replied, preparing to de-
scend.
We found that it was useless to continue
our prospecting tour that day, and after we
had taken off the skin of the bear and hung
most Of the meat on tree, we retraced our