The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-12-13
Saved by Feisning Death.

l
There are on the foothills in Gunni-
son County, at this season of the year,
great numbers of deer and elk, with
many mountain lions and bear. VIII
| lam Yule and brother left Mr.. Preston s
ranch on the GunnisoH, few days ago,
to hunt for4 deer and elk. A wagon
drawn by two animals, guns, ammuni-
ton and provisions. completed their
outfit. They travelled all day and
reached the hills about nightfan and
encamped. Seeing the next morning a
good deal of signs Of game, they con-
Guided to remain at least one day, and
try their luck. Early in the morning
they started in different directions, with
guns, powder and ball, Of course. After
going about five miles from camp and
seeing no game, William Yule con-
cluded to return. He had proceeded
but shor. distance before he heard,
as he thought, the rustling of the dry
leaves Looking up, he saw, only about
thirty wards from him, a huge bear,
coming directly toward him, with open
mouth, growing, and giving other evil
dences Of thirst for blood. Yule wait
ed until the brute came within a few
PAGES of him, wien he took deliberate
aim, but unfortunately his gun missed
| fire.
The ferocious beast ran directly
| against the hunter, knocking him down,
and as quick as thought Yule turned
over on his face and feigned to. be dead.
The bear bithim severely in four places,
disabling one arm and one leg. After
the lapse of few minutes, neither
| feeling nor hearing the beast, Yule eau
tiously raised his head and saw his an
tagonist about thirty yards off, appar-
emily covering up something with grass.
Seeing a tree near him, he made up his
mind to reach it and get up it if possi-
BILE, even though seriously wounded.
So off he crawled shrough the snow,
keeping an eye attentively on the bear
and the tree. Reaching the tree, he
started to climb it, and the bear started
from his retreat directly toward him +,
growing and gnashing his teeth. He
soon reached the tree Yule had gone
up only few feet-just high enough
for his own safety. but not too high for
the bottoms of his feet to be touched
by the nose of the beast. He again at
tempted to use his gun, but in vain.
The animal whined, growleG and
gnawed at the tree. After while he
returned to what appeared to be a large
pile of grass, and commenced again to
work as though he was concealing
something.
Yule, though suffering much from
cold and his wounds, resolved to make
last effort to save his life. So descend
ing cautiously to the ground while the
bear was at work, he crawled few
steps till he got low, bushy tree be-
tween him and the bear, watching the
animal closely in the meantime. He
could not travel more than hundred
yards at time without resting. AT
last he reached the camp, completely
exhausted. a N
The next day Col. cashion, James
Preston, P. T. Stevens and john M.
Smith armed themselves and went to
the scene of the fight, and when within
about thirty-five orf-forty yards of a
large pile of straw,s they saw a large
bear emerge therefrom and make
toward them, evidently with the inten-
ton to fight; but he did not proceed far
before he fell, pierced with ten balls.
He weighed 300 pounds gross, and was
neither grizzly nor a cinnamon, but a
cross between the two, called silver-tip
or range bear, a malignant and fero-
cious beast. Covered up in his bed was
found large dead deer, which, it was
supposed, mountain-lion had killed
and the bear had stolen.-Cor. Denuer
(Col.) Neaos.