The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-04-08
feller had to know it pretty middling

heerd old trappers talkin' about 'em
and tellin' how savage and strong they
was, always allowed that there warn't
no kind of a bar that was afeerd OF, and
l didn't know there was either. You
see, l didn't let 'em know that I'd never'd
seed one of the critters, for / made up
my mind that ifever come acrost one,
I'd have tussle with him, and he
shouldn't get away from me neither,
though l must confess that felt little
skeery of a critter that could crunch a
man or kill buffalo as easy as could
break an egg. Still, l talked big, cause
talk is cheap, you know.
"Well, ole 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 big
gest Oak-trees growin' in it that I ever
seed growin' anywhere; some of 'em
would measure twenty feet round the
butts, and the General said he reckoned
they was morn'n hundred years old"
"I got tired of stayin' round camp
and dOin' nothin'; SO walked down to
where the animals was feedin', and talked
to the herder awhile, and then went
on down the valley, lookin' at the rocks
and mountains and trees, till got a
long ways from camp, and calculated it
would take me good hour to git back.
After startin' on the back trail, l hap
pened to notice one tree, which stood a
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. had stout oak stick in my hand,
II 20 he troa II
trunk two or three blows, to see if it was
sound, you know. Then ! thought I'd see
how big round it was, so that / could tell
the General how many steps it took to
circumnavigate it. So stuck my stick
in the ground for mark, and started.
"When got about halfway round, /
happened to look up, and I'll be blest if
there wasn't 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.
"I brought up pretty sudden, ] tell
you, and took one good look at him. He
looked meek enough at first glance, but
in a iiffy he fixed his eyes on me, and his
great mouth, which was halfopen, with
teeth, looked waterish like, as though it
was Just achin' to get hold of me. l see
him kinder half raise one ofhis big paws,
and then started. heerd him give a
low, wheezy kind er growl, as he started
after me, and l didn't wait to hear any
more. Ifever feller run, the feller was
Tom Wilson.
"I reckon thought of every story I'd
ever heered about grizzlies; how savage
they was; how they could beat hOss
runnin' any time. The more thought,
the faster | run, and the palmer l could
hear the bar a-cOmin' after me.
"I declare never knowed it was in
me to run so. throwed of pretty nigh
all the clothes had on, and was doin'
Jest my level best, when suddenly trip
ped on somethin' or other, and went
down. Then knowed twas all up with
me tor sartin', and l expected every
minute to feel that bars paw on to me.
81 remembered how I'd heered Nat
Beal say, that if a grizzly thought man
was dead, he'd dig hole and bury him,
without hurtin' him any, and after day
or two would come back and dig him up.
So / laid still and held my breath, waitin'
for the bar to bury me.
"I could hear him diggin' the hole,
and, though my eyes was shet, could
see Jest how he looked, as he handled
them paws of his.
"It seemed to me that / laid there and
held my breath for nigh an hour, ex-
pecting every minute to have the bar
roll me into the hole. After awhile l
ventured to peek out, and, would you
believe it, there want no bar there!
"I Jest picked myself up mighty sud-
den, and made tracks for camp, and /
reckon if ever feller felt beat that feller
was me, then and there.
"It was long time before said any
thing about my scare in camp; but, at
last, 1 told the General, and l thought
he'd split a-laughin'."
"Well, Tom," said /, you must have
been pretty badly frightened"
Frightened! jest tell you, sir,
was the worst scarf man this side of the
San Juan, and didn'tgit over it neither
in hurry, sure's you're born"
"What had become of the bear?
asked 1.
"Why, you see, he was asleep in that
hole, and when thumped on the tree
with my stick it woke him up. AS
nat'ral consequence, his curiosity was
riz, and he poked his head out to see
who was a-knockin' but" added Tom,
with a laugh, "before he could say come
in,' was gone. I've always owed griz-
zlies grudge since that scare"
"Well, TOm," said !, that's pretty
good story, and / don't blame you for
running. I'll now fill my pipe and have
smoke before retiring. Will it be nec-
essary to keep guard to-nightY
"No, / reckon not" replied Tom eve
haint seen no trail for two days, nor any
patches of corn, and l don't believe the
Indians come into this region very often.
Anyway, we'll risk it tonight" with
which remark he went out to take last
look at the animals before retiring, and
upon his return spread his blankets lit
tie distance from the fire, and was soon
fast asleep.
Not feeling in mood for sleeping, !
replenished the fire, and sat smoking my
pipe and laughing to myself at the
ridiculous figure Tom must have cut,
running over the prairie with nothing in
pursuit; until, some hours later, grow
ing feeling Of drowsiness warned me that
it was time to spread my own blanket,
which did, and soon fell asleep.
How long slept do not know but l
was reused by vague impression that
something was wrong about the camp.
Half awake, turned over, and, opening
my eyes, fancied that could discover in
the darkness the faint outlines of an
animal, which I supposed to be one of
the mules; 30 once more dropped to
sleep.
In short time I again awoke, and
this time saw two eyes angrily glaring at
me in the darkness. / sprang into sit
ting posture; but as did not then see
them, supposed that had been dreaming,
and that the fiery eyes were the natural
result of Toms story.
The fire had burned low occasionally
halfconsumed brand would flare for
an instant into bright flame, casting
ruddy glow upon all things around, and