The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1882-08-25
A NOVEL BEAR HUNT.
Herding Bruin In Spring Wagon Across
n Prairie.

Herding Bruin in Spring Wagon Across
Prairie.
Especial Correspondence Ne,c NORTH West.l
WHITE SULPHUR STRINGS, August 10
Whether or not man aesireth TO be healthy,
wealthy and wise, he must yet rise early if
he would take the White Sulphur Springs
coach at Laney's eE route for Helena. Such
was the object of Mr.. David Folsom, of Smith
River Valley, as after three o'clock break
fast he stepped into his spring wagon this
morning-the tifteenth-to be driven by Mr.
Aaron Goodale towards that station.
Beyond Mr.. Folsom's meadow the road
stretches straight as an arrow through a rich
uriant growth of the sweet and nutritious
bunch grass, and thence climbs through
picturesque ravine to a broad and magnifi-
cent plateau beyond
II wish to state, parenthetically, that no
grain Of truth was allowed to mar the beauty
Of that last sentence. The writer considers
it rather neat way of disposing at once Of
the inevitable erich and well-watered,"
"sweet and nutritious" etc, ETC., without
as corned-beef without mustard and having
thus dragged in all his welcomed adjectives
at one fell swoop, he humbly begs to de-
scribe, as simply as may be, the exciting
sport which caused Mr.. Folsom to defer his
trip to Helena.)
The road, then, beyond Mr.. Folsom's mead
ow, is unfenced, and out of sheer perversity,
or, perhaps, with intent to run into as many
bitches as possible, meanders diagonally
across a three mile stretch of sage brush,
prickly pear and badger holes; the ascent to
the plateau beyond Is through gulch SO
deep that team climbing this rise would be
entirely hidden from any one standing but a
little way above.
Mr.. Folsom had scarcely reached the brow
Of this hill, when his horses stopped with q
quick snort, and he beheld at a few rods dis
lance q cinnamon bear standing face towards
him in the middle of the road. The only
arms of Mr.. Folsom and his compan ion were
the iack-knife, without which the Yankee Is
not, and an ordinary carriage whip. But, 10
doth man watch two nights in rain for the
bear which hath stolen his eve lamb, to pass
him in the highway with cold obeisance
Not so. With true Western hospitality Mr.
Folsom conceived the idea of pressing my
| lord bruin to return with him to his ranch
He accordingly put his horses into run, and
| making as short a circuit as possible, was
| for which that beast was making with all
convenient speed. 1t looked for single In
slant as If the bear had a notion Of contest
| ing the right of way. But it is supposable
| that he mistook the two plunging horses, the
| long spring wagon, and its two shouting oc
| cupants for one and the same sui generts fol-
which he had no use, and he struck off dag
| onally for the valley. The circle had been
| made with comparative ease on level surface
of the plateau, but in this headlong race down
| the bluff-over sage brush, badger holes,
rocks, ditches-the wagon leaped, swayed,
| and pitched like mad thing. 1t is no won
| der that poor bruin again turned his course;
when, after wild chase of mile, this jerk
| ing, flying, roaring phenomenon appeared
between him and the mountains. To the
great delight Of his pursuers, instead of cross.
| ing the road again, he kept it for half mile
and until he was within two miles of Mr.
Il
| rush around the fences for the mountains.
Such was his extraordinary swiftness and
| endurance that, even on the open road, Mr.
Folsom was obliged to keep his horses at
| sharpest trot in order to equal the bears
speed, and when again their course lay over
| the sage brush, he had run mile before they
could overtake him, by their maddest gallop-
ing-retarded as they were by wagon which
the actors in this scene gravely aver bounced
twenty-five feet into the air at every plunge
of the horses.
But at last-waS bruin after all to escape
| them ?-he leaped the fve-rail fence like a
deer and with apparently undiminishedspeed
rushed through the pasture. 1t is needless
| to say that his pursuers made short work of
the fence, but meantime he had distanced
| them considerably, and among the fences he
| undoubtedly had the best Of them. The chase
| continued as madly as before, but only for a
few moments, for like another brave Mon
| tanian poor lord bruin "resolved to have a
| drink if il was the last act Of his military ca
reer." His tongue was lolling far out, his
eyes were bursting with the heat, he indis-
| creetly plunged into deep slough, thereby
| signing his own death warrant.
The wagon was instantly driven ut full
speed toward the house, Mr.. Folsom shout
ing to his men to saddle his horse and bring
his gun. Ten minutes later sharp rife re.
port, followed by groan and splash, told
that the cinnamon bear, which had been
herded for four miles in spring wagon,
would no more trouble the eve lamb Of the
| flock. The skin, n remarkably fine one, Mr..
Folsom will have made into rug as gift to
his wife and a lasting trophy of this most
| remarkable bear hunt.
DAVID KENYON.