Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-08-03

They squealed, whirled about, and ran
away with us after Tige.
''Sam had only halter on his mule.
We could do nothing with them. We
| could neither hold them nor turn them
about. 1t was a regular stampede.
'Down the canyon they went at
full gallop, over and among the great
rough rocks and logs, Sam and hold
ing on for life.
CAS- soon as we could master them
we pulled up, and, jumping off, tied
them to the dry branches of fallen
pine.
''Then, although we had not sign
of weapon, we ran back to see what
had become of father. We thought
the bear certainly had caught him.
He had the rifle, and we had not heard
him fire.
cit would be impossible to describe
| what we two boys suffered in our feel
ings during those few moments. Back
we went, all in trembIe
''On coming within a hundred yards
or SO of the place, Sam said that we
had better call out, for we did not
care to run upon the bear. So we
called softly at first, then a little
| louder.
"'Yes, yesv said fathers we'll
| known voice, from somewhere up the
side of the canyon. Don't come anOth-
er step! Stay where We arep
eve drew great breath of relief.
"FWhere's the bear? quavered Sam
at length
SO He's right here
"And where's the rife?' I ven
tured to ask.
"' Down there in the path; but ye
can't get it. Bear II see ye.'
"Then there was a pause of doubt
g Sam, have you any matches about
ye? Have you, George? father pres
emily said.
eve did not have a match about us,
thanks to his fatherly injunction
against smoking.
"Then run for home and bring
same. Climb up the side of the can
yon, and come along on top. Then I'll
tell we what to do. And don't let
your mother know a word about the
| bear
"Thus eXhorted, we set off after
matches. Neither of us had the slight
est idea of what the bear or father was
doing, for we had been warned not to
come out in sight.
CAS- we ran back to where the mules
were tied, Sam said that one could just
as well ride for the matches as two, and
told me [ had better climb up the side
of the gorge, and go along on the ridge
above, to where / could look down
down and see what was going on, and
be ready to help if / could. He set off
at a gallOp.
'After following along the path fo1
some distance, | found a place where ]
could climb up out Of the canyon, and,
after hard tussle, gained the top
) 4" Keeping back from the brink, and
hiding among the evergreens, made
my way cautiously forward till ]
: judged that | was opposite where we
: had heard father. Getting on my
hands and knees, [ crept down to the
brink of the chasm, and looked over
from behind a tangle of ground-hem
lock.
"A queer sight met my eyes. ]
think that | should laugh now; but
was quite too anxious then.
Down thirty or forty feet, among
the lodges, | saw the bear, as if in the
act of crossing on drift log from one
big rock to another.
Father was at the other end of the
log, on the Other rock. The chasm be
tWiXt the two rocks, over which tht
J log lay, was perhaps twenty feet deel
: by twenty-five or thirty in width.
cit was not a large log, and the
bear evidently did not dare to trust his
J weight on it. In case he did venture
father stood ready to push his end Of
| the log off the rock.
q could hear him talking to the
bear. / guess ye'd better not.
guess ye'd better not try it! Well,
| try it if We think best. Try it if "
: want to! Try it,
: "Then he would gather up bits O
5 the broken rocks, and pitch them a
| the animals head, at which the bea1
would growl and shuttle fiercely, anC
J show his ugly teeth, and scrub his fee
on the bare rock.
''Pretty soon, as if an idea had EN-
/ tered his big gray head, the grizzly
t turned and leaped down from rock t.
, rock into the trail. Running along, h,
< began to climb up in the rear of til,
rock ON which father was perched.
1 but the old gentleman was watch
ing him, and as soon as the beast cam,
near, he very quietly walked across OF
the loo tO tho rN,.tz which tho l,oo,. i .,