Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-03-31


After an absence of about half an
hour, Tom appeared staggering under
the weight of fine fat doe, which was
soon dressed, and portion of it broil-
ing over the GOALS for our supper. This
over, we threw ourselves upon our
blankets, and, while enjoying the cheer
full light of our camp fire, Tom related
his experience with the first grizzly he
ever saw.
You see, when [ first came up to this
country, didn't know much about it;
but General Garland allowed [ was the
man he wanted to scout for him, and SO
I entered his service. When he was a
travelin' over the country, [ used to
make it pint to look around consider
able when In camp, SO as to get &C
quianted with 1t like, because in my
business a fell4r had to know it pretty
middling we'll.
. I'd heerd a good deal about griz-
lilies, though I'd never seed one, for
they don't have 'em up In Kentuck',
where [ come from, or in Texas either !;
but when I heerd old trappers talkin'
about 'em, and tellin' how savage and
ssfsapa a and dldhg 1fH noa a tiers Was t
either. You see, [ didn't let 'em know
that I'd never seed one of the critters,
for I made up my mind that if ever [
come acrost one, I'd have tussel with
him, and he shouldn't get away from
me neither, though [ must confess that
/ felt q little skeery of critter that
could crunch man or kill buffalo as
easy as [ could break an egg. Still,
T talked big, cause talk is cheap, you
know.
Well, one day we was to the north of
this-camped on the San Juan river.
The valley was eight or ten miles long,
and perhaps couple wide, with the
biggest oak trees CROWN in it that I
ever seed CROWN anywhere; some of
'em would measure twenty feet round
the butts, and the General said he
reckoned they was morn'n hundred
years old.
ssI got tired of stayin' round camp
and doiu' nothin'; SO [ walked down to
where the animals were feedin', and
talked to the herder awhile, and then
went on down the valley, lookin' at the
rocks and mountains and trees, till I got
long ways from camp, and calculated
1t would take me a good hour to git
back. After startin' on the back trail,
1 happened to notice one tree, which
stood little to one side of my track,
that looked so much larger than the
others, that the idea came into my head
to just examine it. [ hao a stout oak
stick in my hand, and as I came up to
blows, to see if it was sound, you know.
4 IL T 1, L 4 4
was, So that [ could tell the General
how many steps it took to circumnavi-
gate it. So [ stuck my stick in the
ground for mark and started.
''When I got about halfway round, I
happened to look up, and I'll be blest
if there wasn't a grizzly as big as an OK,
within two feet Of me, a settin' on his
launches and watchin' me out of hole
In the stump of that tree
q brought up pretty sudden, [ tell
you, and took one good look at him.
He looked meek enough at first glance,
but in a jiffy he fixed his eyes on me,
and his great mouth, which was half
open, with his white teeth, looked wa
terish like, as though it was just achin'
to git hold of me. [ see him kinder
half raise one of his big paws, and then
[ started. 1 heerd him give a low,
wheezy kinder growl. as he started after
me, and didn't wait to hear any more.
If ever feller run, that teller was Tom
Wilson.
Ireckon I thought of every story I'd
ever heered about grizzlies; how savage
they was; how they could beat boss
runnin' any time. TIL, more thought,
the faster | run, and the palmer [ could
hear the bar a. comm after me.
declare ] never knowed it was in me
TO run SO. I throwed off pretty nigh ali
the clothes had on, and was dom jest
my level best, when suddenly tripped
on sonnet. In or other, and went down.
Then | knowed twas all up with me for
startln, and | expected every minute to
feel that bars paw on to me.
[ remembered how I'd heered Nst
Zeal say, that II grizzly thought a
80 he'd dig a hole and bury
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