Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1861-04-26


to be disappointed; for almost as soon as
had effected my landing he had reached the
log and after looking across and giving vent
to one or two low whines, like the whine oi
baffled dog, he started slowly and cautious.
ly over. Ny God how big that bear looked
He appeared to swell up to twice the size oi
moment, that could almost have counted
every hair on his body, they stood out SO
stiff and erect in the moonlight. saw in
an instant, that unless could do something
to prevent his crossing | was as good as
gone up the fume." I seized the end oi
the log and tried to roll it off and after lift
ing till saw any amount of stars and till
every joint in my frame cracked had il
on the edge Of the cliff and was about to
hurl log. bear and all down into the boiling
abyss Of waters below, when it suddenly
flashed through my brain that if threw
down the log, thus getting rid Of the bear
and present danger, l was cutting off my
only chance Of escape from the cliff and
would be forced to die a lingering death Of
starvation or end my misery by leaping
down the precipice; for it might be months
before any human being would pass tina!
way.
When this occurred to me and had ex.
amined this new dilemma in all its bearings
with that lightning-like quickness and pre-
cision of thought which always comes to the
aid Of any human being--who is not an oh
ject coward--when desperately situated,
was quite as anxious to get the log back to
its former resting place as had but short
time before been to roll it off, Selling hold
Of it succeeded in putting it in its old po.
sition. found that moving the log distur-
bed grizzly, as it caused him to stop and
crouch down close to its surface therefore
| thought that if could roll it or rock it back
and forth might prevent his coming over
But soon found that owing to branches o,
knots or the opposite end it wouldn't roll a
particle; and as the next best thing to be
done, commenced sliding it back and forth
This had the desired effect, while could keep il
up, but it was dreadful hard work and caused
the sweat to stream from every pore in my
body; then | had to stop every five or ten
minutes to rest and the moment stopped
the fierce and determined beast crept for.
ward Once, and only once, had hopes Of
getting quit of him, as he attempted to turn
back, but it appeared he was unable to do
so for after turning halfway round he
|
| time I became exhausted and stopped for a
breathing spell he crcpt forward-slowly and
cautiously, but oh how surely he was com.
ing toward me! think this game must
have lasted over an hour was complete.
| ly tired out with the cxcrtion necessary to
slide the log back and forth, and my enemy
had been gradually nearing me and in spite
of all my efforts was now almost half way
over; so, thinking might as well fight i,
out first as last gave up shaking the log
| Being determined to leave nothing untred
hastily gathered up five or six large round
stones and placed them as far out on the log
MS could reach one against the other in q
row. BY the time had finished doing this
he was in six feet Of the first stone and moi
over ten feet from where l was crouched
down, in line with the log and BEAR, with
my revolver cooked and pointed---nerycd foi
what felt was to be, the last struggle 70,
one or both of us
T At that moment, which then had nc
doubt was almost my last on earth, was
perfectly calm and collected; sort Of cold
damp, dcathlike rigidity pervaded every mus
| Gle my thoughts were clear and distinct
but passed from one object to another with
the rapidity of lightning. thought Of my
mother: 1t needed but a second for the whole
subject of her reception of the news of my
death, and her after life tnged with sorrow
on that Account, to pass through my mind
another second disposed Of my brother and
his grief, and another settled all my worldly
affairs and made my peace with Heaven
Between the lifting of Grizzly's paw and put
ting it down again, ] found time to think o
dozen matters and dispose of them-my
mind even wandered off to ludicrous scene
had once witnessed in the Sandwich
Islands at a fandango, where two drunken
native women trounccd an English naval of
ficer This scene my mind seemed persist
emily to dwell upon and am not sure but
smiled, as my fancy painted in vivid colors
the picture of the two vxcns with their feet
braced together pulling in two his wig, while
he, with bald pate and horror stricken coun.
tcnance stood looking on, in fiddled bewil
derment, as though he imagined it to be his
head thus being rent asunder. Besides this
] had marked out every move was to make
in the approaching conflict:
AS soon as found that the bear could and
would cross the stones, was to fire on him
aiming only at his lcgs,--if he landed in
spite of all my efforts, | was to dodge past
him before he had time to turn and rc-cross
the log. These thoughts were all past and
gone before he had moved a space of six feet
and reached the stones, and new thoughts
were coursing through my brain When
grizzly came to the stones he paused and
eyed them closely as though suspecting Q
snare had been laid for him, then lifting one
of his great paws he brushed the first one off
He was ABOUT to brush off the second one in
The same manner
The time had come to shoot THE pisto
was aimed at his legs---I pressed the trigger
At the crack of the pistol one of his hind
legs gave way and with howl Of pain he
turned halfway round as though as If to try
to get back. Thinking to force him to retreat
or fallin the attempt to turn, | fired again--
aiming this time at his shoulder The in.
| slant the ball struck he turned again toward
me and being now blind with rage forgot his
former caution and the stones turned and lei
him fall. He did not lose his hold. however
but caught round the log with his huge paws
and as he swung underneath strove and
struggled desperately-giving vent to means
almost human-to get his hinder legs upon
the log /; and had he not been disabled would
doubtless, have succeeded However, I did
not give him time to try long: I reached
out as far as could. and placing the muzzle