The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-04-15

hSSRi iOihOiSh Jul III tuC iHilh assault
the boat was SO filled with water that it
capsized, and the adventurous pioneers
found themselves swimming for life
l3ruin was master Of the situation, but
stupidity declined the advantage. As the
party clInging TO the oars swan away,
they saw the bear regarding their exer-
tions with philosophical indifference
The common bear is an insignificant
creature. 1t is the grizzly bear of the
Rocky Mountain who alone gives dignity
to his species. An encounter with griz-
zly is fraught with peril The creatures
strength, courage aud strange vitality
make the deadly contest nearly equal be-
tween the armed man and the unarmed
beast Heaven help the hunter whose
unsteady aim leaves the grizzly unir jured.
Before he can reload the enemy will be
upon his works When the contest is
narrowed 10 that pass, Daniel Boone's
celebrated prayer, when that famous pio-
neer found himself face to face with the
common brown bear, would be waste
of breath: 80 Lord" piously cried the
fighter, "theres a goin' 10 be one of The
bigSist bar fights you ever did see and,
o Lord, eff you can't help me, for Gods
sake don't help the bari"
\ friend of mine, bold hunter from
England, told me once of scrape he found
himself in, while hunting the grizzly bear
of the Rocky Mountains He came upon
his prey quite unexpectedly, and man and
beast stared at each other in astUnishment,
not fifty yards apart. The bear exhibited
no disposition OF a modest or retiring sort,
and my friend made haste to tender him a
warm reception. He fired with more
quIckness than accuracy. The bullet
from the heavy rifle tore away a portion
OF bruin 5 ear, and grazing the skull, stun
ned the brute for an instant. The hunter
. FASTENED 70 reload, but before he could do
so the bear had reganed his legs, and al
though somewhat groggy, came at his en-
emy. My friend had time only to drop
his weapon and spring into a tree. Griz-
zly, one Of the largest, made short work
with his rife. Then he sat on his haunch-
es and gazed stupidity at the man up the
tree. As the pain of his damaged ear in
creased he grew furious, and, seizins the
pine in which his enemy had taken refuge,
fairly shook it III his rage. My friend
had revolver in his belt, and bringing
| this 10 bear, he favored bruin with six
shots. At every discharge the bear ex>
pressed his intense disgust, and renewed
his assaults upon the tree.
A seat upon The rough branches of a
tree is never pleasant, but with bear be-
low on the watch, it may be considered
! really uncomfortable. Hours moved slow
Z 10 tb la Nh of
times III full view, and again hidden in the
under brush
AT last, about sunset, he took himself
of, and our hunter was about to descend,
when he once more heard from the animal.
There were fierce growls of rage that is
sued from the gorge near by. Ny friend
at first supposed that the bear had en-
countcred other hunters, but as he heard
no sound of guns, nor other evidences OF
mortal combat, he resumed his seat and
| listened. The mysterious uproar con-
tinued, and, what was strange, appeared
in the fact that all the noise came from
the same spot. Uaharmed. but faint
from hunger and fatigue, my friend re-
mained all night clinging to his perch, and
at intervals he heard the bear growing
and tearing furiously. The comical idea
seized on the hunter that bruin had stu~
! pidly mistaken some other pine for the one
! that sheltered his enemy.
The night wore slowly away. Our
| treed hero slept from tune to time, and IN
variably dreamed of falling, TO waken With
a start and find himself cinging to the
branches of the pine. When a man sleeps
-, fro r11nScloS IN lie
safety do not relax as in an ordinary sleep,
but when, through fatigue, they are about
to lose their tensien, the sleeper is awa-
kened by dream. This is one Of the
singular little phenomena we overlook
while in search of larger ones
Day dawned at last, and he crawled
down, sore, faint and hungry. He was
about TO gather up the fragments Of his
rifle and hurry back to camp, when a fresh
burst of rage from the same locality as
| during the night so excited his curiosity
that he determined to investigate, and
! therefore crept cautiously toward the
gorge from whence the noise proceeded.
The explanation made him laugh, Old
grizzly had fallen into log trap, such as
hunters set when seeking to capture a iv-
ing specimen. There was the last mig ght' S
foe well secured, and my friend was mean
enough to laugh in his faee while regard
/ ing curiously the wound his hastily dis
charged rifle had made The left ear was
torn away.
Nearly year after this event my friend,
the assistant hero of this adventure, was
passing along East Broadway, in New
York, when his attention was attracted by
sick!y hand organ that made an orches-
ira to the show of grizzly bear, with the
usual .accompaniments of a fat woman, an
anaconda, calf with two heads and an
assortment Of tails, and monkey.