Butte record., 1856-03-01
Gbt 5tnrq.
A Battle With Grizzly Bears.

| l. he following adventure with griz-
! zly bears, is from work by Capt.
Nlayne Reed, entitled S'The Hunters
Feast" just published by Messrs. De
witt & Davenport. The captain had
been travelling with strange party
scalp hunters in the mountains
near Santa Fe, when they were over
taken by sudden and heavy fall of
snow, tliat rendered further progress
impossible. The Canon" a deep val
ley in which they had encamped, was
difficult to got through at any time,
but now the path, on account of the
deep snow, was rendered impassable.
When morning broke they found them
selves 'ln tie tap We copy:
Above and below tie valley was
choked by snowfve fathoms deep. Vast
fissuros-barancas were filled with the
drift; and it was periIous to attempt
penetrating in either direction. Two
men had already di appeared.
Ga each side Of our camp rose the
walls Of the canon, almost vertical to
the height Of a hundred feet. These
we might have climbed, lad the wea
ther been soft, for the rock was trap
folmatn, and offered numerous seams
and lodges; bat now there was a coat
Of ice and snow upon them that rem
dcred the ascent impossible. The
ground had been frozen hard before
the storm came on, although it was
now freezing no longer, and the snow
would not bear our weight. All our
efforts to get out Of the valley proved
idle; and we gave them over, yielding
ourselves in a kind Of reckless despair
to wait for-we scarce knew what.
For three days we sat shiyering a
round the fires, now and then casting
looks Of gloomy inquiry around the
sky. The same dull grey for an an
swcr, mottled with flakes slanting
earthward, for it still continued to snow.
Not a bright spot cheered the aching
eye.
Tie little platformon which we rest
ed-a ieca of TWO CT three acres-was
still free from the snoW-drift, on ac-
count Of its exposu to the Wind
Struggling pines, stunted and leailess
grew over It's surface, in al about. fifty
or sixty trees. From these we OBJ
tanned our fires; but what were fires,
when we had not meat to cook upon
them.
We we're now the third day with
out feed. without food, though not alb
solutely without eating. The men
had bolted their gun covers, and the
cat-skin flaps Of their bullet-pouches,
and We're now seen-the last shift but
one-stripping the palJieche from the
soles OF thelr moccaSlnsl
The women wrapped in their fi'mqs,
nestled closely in the embrace Of ia
Jher, brother, husband and lover; for
all these affections were present. The
last string Of tGsao hitherto ecoro-
missed for their sake, had been parcel
cd out to them in the morning. That
was gone, and from whence was their
next morsel to come? At long inter
walls, ''.fy de ma, Dios de mi .4Inaa.w
were heard only in low murmuls, as
some colder blast swept down the can
on. In the faces Of those beautiful
creatures might be read that uncom-
prsmising patience-that high endu-
rance, characteristic of the Hispano-
Mexican women.
Even the stern men around them
bore up with less fortitude. Rude
eaths were uttered from time to time,
and teeth ground together, with that
wild look that heraIds insanity. Once
ortwice fancied that | observed a
look Of still stronger, still wilder ex-
preston, when the black ring forms a
round the eye-when the muscles
twitch and quiver along gaunt famish-
ed jaws-when men look guilty like at
each other. Oh Godl it was fearful. The
half-robber discipline, voluntary at
best, had vanished under the leveling
rod OF a common suffering, and trem-
bled to think
at Glars little, out tharawnr'
1t was the voice of the trapper, Ga
rey, who lad risen and stood pointing
towards the east.
In an instant we were all upon our
feet, looking in the direction indicated.
Sure enough there was break in the
lead-colored sky-a yellowish streak,
that widened out as we cotinued gaz-
ing-the fakes fell lighter and thin
ner, and In two hours more it had ceas-
ed showing altogether.
Half dozen of US shouldered our
rifles and struck down the valley. We
would make one more attempt to tram
pie road through the drift. 1t was
a vain one. The snow was over our
heads, and after struggling for two
hours, We had not gained above two
/ l,,J-J xa-I- H. oo,,-b< n