The Red Cloud chief., 1881-10-20
THRILLING ADVENTURE WITH A
BEAR.

DIhn
A citizen of New York sends to the
Euening Post Of that city the following
copy Of a private letter from a friend in
Colorado, which letter was not written
for publication:
my Dear Friend: l have just re-
turned from my first venture out OF
doors. My stride is short. and my pace
is not yet swift. put / have managed to
get a few yards from my cabin and re-
turn again, and / feel able now to tell
you fully of my very recent unpleasant
ness with the bear. i was out pros
pecting and had just left T.. and was
walking ~unconcernedly at the base of a
very high cliff. AS l stepped aside to
avoid a tree, / beheld TO my surprise a
bear standing motionless and looking
as demure as the obelisk. She had moi
yet seen me, SO | attempted to retreat
without disturbing her, but, after nov
ing back a short distance. l looked and
saw the bear in the spot l had just va
Gated, standing Of her launches look
ING at me with a ~cOuntenance which
lacked amiability. i did not then know
its sex. or that she had two interesting
cubs, but supposed it to be an old male
Bruin, that would use the same discre-
ton as myself, and retire in good order
as soon as his curiosity was satisfied.
Yet l hurried away. and. soon hearing
the brush cracking, l stopped to listen.
hoping to discover that she. too, was
running from me, but the great noise
made by the dashing water in the
creek ovcr the rocks prevented my dis
tinguishing her direction for a moment
or two. When / saw her it was too late;
she was bearing down upon me with all
her speed. l saw at a glance that l
was in for it, as there was no tree near
enough that l could climb to escape
her, SO, in the absence OF anything else
to do and to fill up the time, l ran down
the hill with my best speed. Of course
she could run three rods to my one, and
in looking back to take in the situation
j caught my toe in some underbrush,
and turned a somerset or two. The
impetus of the bear caused her to run
over and fifteen feet beyond me before
she could stop. i had fallen upon my
face, with my head quartering up the
hill. so l threw my arms over my head
ard waited for the bear to proceed in
her own way, having read how MINI
rods have been treated when they
"played 'possum." In a moment she
stood oyer me, her head about over my
shoulder. She growled a little and
then very delicately took hold of my
shoulder-blade. turning me over on nv
back. Then she walked round me and
took hold of my LEFT leg at the hip
joint, fortunately taking the contents of
my pocket Consisting of ten sharp me-
tallic cartridges and my glasses for ex-
amining stone) in her mouth, which
made her a good mouthful; neverthe-
less her Jour tusks went into my flesh,
n cutting a cash an inch and a half
long and directly across the femoral
artery, but not deep enough to sever
it. She then left me for a few mo-
ments and returned with redoub-
led energy; catching me by the
right thigh, she sat back on her haunch-
es and shook mt terribly. II was then
! first saw her cubs; they came whin-
ing around. not seeming to enjoy the
sport. She would 60 to them a second
and return to me and give me another
shake. Thus she caught my right
thigh three times, once Just below the
knee, taking the entire leg in her mouth
back of her tusks. shaking me as n
would adishcloth. In this last bite she
broke the skin in but one place, leaving
marks, however. of the other three
tusks, and pressing so hard that the
flesh was started from the bone, so that
the doctor thought at n time the
wound would have to be opened, and
from this l suffered most. Again she
returned to her cubs, and thinking she
had gotten through with me l got upon
my feet, but had no sooner done so than
she came at me again. / was then near
q large tree. and having thoroughly
cess, / determined to abandon them. l
lodged round the tree. She made a
fearful plunge at me, but. like the priest
and the Levite, ''went by on the other
side" Thus l eluded her several times,
but from exhaustion. my right leg torn
to pieces. and faint from loss of blood, I
stumbled and fell. Again she was
upon me; / moved my left hand
toward my small sheath knife; she
caught my arm just above the wrist.
fracturing the bone. This seemed
to satisfy her; the cubs were fright
ened by our performance around the
tree, and to her young 1 doubtless owe
her withdrawal and perhaps my life.
At last / got upon my feet; the bear
was not 10 be cen Itook . few steps
to try my strength, and after . hurried
inventory of my condition I found NV
right arm uninjured and my left leg
comparatively so. 1 could bear my
weight upon my right leg. but had lit
tie use Of it. and the slightest turn of
the foot or ~unevenness OF the ground
rendered it entirely useless. The camp
had been moved that morning, and i
supposed il to be near the mouth of
che creek where I first met the bear.
20 / struck out diagonally toward the
creek. Ny progress was very slow.
the ground being covered with brush
md faIlen timber. I had to rest on
eyery log I came to. then throw my
Veil foot over and lift the injured over
With NV hands. This exertion caused
the blood to flow more freely. l tied
nv suspenders round my leg, but was
too weak to draw them tight enough TO
! the blood from flowing. could
20 only . few steps at . time; my shoes
1esA fuIl of blood, my trousers