The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-11-26
A BEAR HUNT.
BY PLUS ULTRA.

We were lying in camp in jack
sons Basin, on the headwaterS OF
Snake river. The camp, which con-
tanned some half dozen prospectors,
was located on the east side of the
lake which bears the same name as
the basin. The moon was just be-
ginning to cast its mellow, mystic
light through the openings in the
great forest which surrounded us,
and throw bands of silvery light
across the dark waters of the lake
which lay silent and murmurless at
our feet. The Tetons, rising in
magnificent grandeur on the oppo-
site side Of the lake, their serrated
peaks looking like the pinnacles OF a
Titanic temple, were magnified IN
the bright, shimmering light of the
rising moon until they seemed to
pierce the sky with their spear-Lke
points. Supper had been disposed
of, pipes filled and lighted; the time
and surroundings were propitious
for story telling, and as one of the
party had that day shot young
"silYer-tip," the fat of whose ribs
yet shone on the unkempt boards
and grizzled moustaches of the party
the talk naturally drifted into
tales Of bear hunting. Each one
from Jules Marie, who had spent a
lifetime in the mountains, to my
partner, Jim Pringle, "ane O. SEQ
tia's canny BARNS" and Patrick
Keland, a 10-year-old importation
from "the jim of the say" had an
lnsplriting tale to tell of imminent
danger and narrow escape from
Bruins claws; all had met the ursine
monarch of the mountains, and
come off without loss of life or
honor from the deadly encounter.
l alone had none to tell. Of ante
lope, deer, elk, moose, and even the
lovely buffalo | had slain enough
and to spare, but save brown cub,
who, shame to tell, did not resist
when l. put my foot on his neck and
my knife into his throat, bear | had
never killed so perfolce sat silent
listener, as story after story went
around the circle Of the campfire of
the slaughter Of brown, black, Gin
namon, silver tip and the monarch
of the forest, F'King Grizzly" in
wardly resolving that not many
days hence, too, would come into
camp self.croWHed with laurelS and
grizzly claws.
The following morning [ filed
my belt with cartridges, Shout
dered my rifle, and directed my
steps to the northWard where some
small streams putting into the lake
made a perfect jungle of willows
and reed grass, famous place for
bear to lurk in. After many hours,
which seemed to me as many ages,
spent in creeping through the
thicket, Wa1ing beaver dams, foun-
dering through boys and fighting
sWarms Of mosquitoes, | was forced
to give up the fruitless search.
There was plenty of fresh signs, but
40 bear. l concluded to climb the
mountain, in hopes of finding a fat
buck or starting up a band of elk
and getting a calf out of the herd.
To return to camp empty-handed l
dared not, as had vauntingly. said
on leaving in the morning "here
goes for fat meat and big game"
and should | return without game
of some kind | would have to listen
for the ensuing week to the jibes
and Jeers of my comrades.
After walking for some distance
| through dense forest Of pine I
came out into what is called in the
vernacular Of the mountains. "a
parkey country"-openlngs in the
| forest Of several acres in extent,
and as l proceeded up the mountain
side these became more frequent
and the face of the country was
broken up into deep rayines and
sharp, steep ridges. Whilst clam
bering up one of these ridges a mag
nificent buck with antlers, now in
the velvet. like young blasted oaks,
sprang out of clump Of young
pines and making q few bounds
along the side Of the ridge halted to
investigate the cause of the dis
turbance of his solitude. The halt
was fatal of his buckship; ball
from my rifle went crashing through
his shoulders and after making a
few frantic leaps he staggered
around in a half circle, then fell to
the earth to rise no more. InWardly
congratuiating myself on my good
luck, began the task of taking off
the saddle when a noise on the crest
of the ridge attracted my attention
Looking up my eyes met a
sight,. fearful enough to make
the stoutest heart quail; huge
grizzly coming down the ridge
directly toward me and about
J fifty yards distant. Here was
an unlocked for, unwelcome chance
for honor; but / determined tt
"hold the fort" be the consequences
what they might. Grasping the rifle
I waited until the bear halted tt
Etake another sniff of the fresh blood
then fired; where the ball went to
1II am not prepared to say. l only
know that the bear, through tht
sights of my gun, looked as big as {
haystack, ard that the gun waverC
7 in my grasp like reed shaken b.
the wind. Then 1 was conscious
that the bear made a big rush, anC
that [ followed suit in my livelis
manner. Bun! it doesn't express
the idea at all, | leaped like a wilC
: gazelle. bounded like an America
hex, and as | tore down the noun
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