The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-25
"Whoap-ea!' How Trightened the Bear

" uDJ AEo0 l. itS llttsiiGQ bllG Dull 5
Years ago. when Indians and bears
were plentiful i'll California ana white
men We're not, on my way to San Fran
cisco | was riding through what wer,
known as the TIL; marshes, bordering
the san Joaquin River near It's mouth.
Those were days before railroads, steam
boats, or even ordinary sailing vessels,
when Journeys of four or five hundred
miles We're made on horseback swim
ming streams when you came to them.
or canoeing them when they were
| very wide, and leading your horse from
the stern of the ''dug.out.
was to cross the San Joaquin in this
| latter fashion, and was approaching the
| point from which travellers shouted to
! the indian ferryman on the opposite
| shore, and called him over in his cranky
| craft.
The sun of a brilliant summers day
was setting behind me, ana his dazzling
rays, already nearly level with the tops
of the bushes that sprang up by the
horse-path, lit up the tall, sturdy trunks
of the forest trees that stretched far TO
my right. | was about breaking the
silence of the vast soltudcs by shouting
with all my might. w hoop-ee!' which
was the ferry-cail. and had Just turned
my horse S head toward the riyerbank
whca two bears, which had come down
from the woods for their evening drink,
and had been concealed from my view
by the bend of the road and the tall
bushes, suddenly appeared not twenty
PAGES in front. scratching for roots in
the middle of the road Now. horses
love bears about as much rs do little
children who have heard nurses stories
of them; SO. no sooner had the beast on
which was riding caught glimpse of
the great, shaggy intruders, than he gave
a snort of surprise. and wnirlod SO sud
denly in his tracks that went over his
side, saving myself from IA tumble only
by clutching the high pommel of my
California saddle and holding on for dear
life. Back up the road scampered my
lying steed, while | chung like IL Cam
anche to his TANKS. Fighting myself in
the saddle. however, brought my heavy
Spanish BIT to bear, and soon refined in
the frightened animal had much diff
ficulty in making him face about, but
the great, jin@lfng spurs which we wore
IN those daysiwere very persuasive, and,
though with fear and trembling, the poor
horse putting like a locomotives began To
retrace his steps.
We had gone back only a few wards
when we saw bears again. and. despite
my own and the horses nervousness, |
burst out laughing nj their comicai APP
pearance. They had been as much fright
ened. probably, as We. but SEEING our
coWardly flight, had taken courage and
tTotted up the road after us, until they |
came into the full glare of the sun; and |
there they both stood, motionless. on their |
hind legs, side by side, each shatiino his |
eyes with his right paw and apparently |
transtiXed with wonder and amazement. |
Horses they We're familiar with. because
the plains of San Joaquin were covered |
with rowing bands of wild horses; In
dians they had occasionally seen and put
10 flight; but what that whte-faced OBJ
lect, with the blue shirt and colored
handkerchief4r around his neck. was. must
have been to them. just them an alb
sorbing inquiry of the bear intellect. for
they were certainly taking their first
look at "A white man. The left paw of
each hung by his side, limp and nerve
e:s5; and, under the paw, which deity
and with a most ludicrou5 effect shaded
lieir vision, the little, witie-open. piggish
eyes were, in their puzzled expression,
rresistibly eomieal.
had no gun with me- and [ don't
hink should have used it if had one:
mt 1 bethought me of the ferry-call, and
'elled, *Whoop-eei' at the top Of my
nngs. That broke the spell and inter
upted their gaze at the same moment
Lnd two more frightened bears never got
Town from their hind legs and took to
he woods.
The Indian ferry-man across the river
ave me the answering shout. '.Hy-vart'' ,
md shouted '.Whoop-eer' again. | !
eard the bushes clash and snap and
freak, as those two utterly astonished I
ears burst madly through them in their I
light. | did not call them back.-E. /
Y. Keinple IN 81. Nicholas ,