Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-02-28
THE SALMON AND BEAR OF TIE
y0oksACE

sick country. IN the northern part Of
this Territory, tie editor Of AorSes
Monthly tells some fish and bear stories
worth repeating. He says:
While passing down this portion of
tue r4veE, We we're frequently Compelled
10 waa.. it. AT tie SANE time the
''humpy" salmon we're running. This
far up the river. their backs were coal
black, and haa p. Or rounded 50 a. 10
form p semielrc.e along the back and
extending from the head 10 the tai.
These salmon completely filed tie
stream: literally. there we've millions OF
them. On the riff S they we're 50 thick
that when we were wading the river 1t
such places they would dart between
our legs and nearly trip Us up. Bear
were on the banks of the river by hun
dreds, feeding on the salmon; that -,
we saw no bear, but heard great many
Of them, and saw inpCmergbie fresh
bear tricks In fact. bear trails were
almos: tbs only trails We had, and sone-
times these appeared to have been as
well Travelled - q village sidewalk; but
again they would cease az the end of a
hollow log, OF won d take Us into a
Simon brush, crabapple or devils club
thicket, and "a Mr.. Bear has no use for
a trail over four feet high, In the deDss
uaderbrusn. none of these trails were
cleared higher than that, and thus, one
would be frequently compelled to 60
down on all foTrs 10 follow them. III
other places, the trail would be. for
mile or more at a time, SO full of rotten
fish, that one could scarce avoid step
ping on them. Evidently Mr. Bear,
finding j: TO be good day for fishing,
had been catching salmon by wholesale,
iust for the run of the thing, and AS he
could not eat them all, was compelled to
leave them there in the trail. TIE salm-
on at work on the rifles In suoh vast
numbers, roofing like SO many hogs
among the bouldefs and gravel, made a
noise which could be heard for one
fourth of mile. They worked away,
half out of the water, digging in the
gravel with their long thin shouts, with
their backs clustering in the sun, sntil
the flesh would fall from the bones;
when, losing their strength, the swift
current would sweep them down the
stream. and of the rifles. AS long as
possible, the y would attenp. to make
Roadway up stream; but growing weaker
rapidly. they would soon drift ashore to
die. In this stream the water WAS so
cle,.r that the fish could be sen Oh the
bottom and one could watch all their
motions. IL was not an uncommon
thing To see trout, splendid looking fell
lows from one to two feet in length,
feeding on the torn and ragged backs
of the still alive, but defenseless hump
les; who In vain sought to get away
from their active and rnsrciless enemies.
In going down the river We would fro
quent.y strike through the timber and
for quite a long distance be entirely ont
Of eight of the river; but we would al
ways try To keep within hearing OF the
clear, sharp. metallic, ringing sound.
which mingled with and WAS softened
by a musical murtoer, All produced by
the salmon on the rifles. Whenever
these peculiar, but not unpleasant.
sounds began to grow faint we would
Immediately endeavor to get back TO
the river bank or near enough thereso
so that the noises reaching Us from the
rifles We could direct our course. We
took no compass with Us on this trip,
and We seldom carry one, rs We usually
find IL easier. If not sci fer, to relv on
natural objects "a guides in the forests,
than on the points of the compass.
Above the canyon elk trails were
common and fresh elk tracks frequently
seen. Below the canyon deer signs
We're common but no trace of ok were
to be seen. The timber below the can
yon was not only very different IN char.
acter from what it was above but it vas
much more dense. At first there was
considerable cedar and hemlock, bus
this soon gave way to extra large and
tall old growth yellow fr. The river
was very swift and, below the canyon,
too deep to wade.
On Sunday forenoon, We began to APP
proach the region Of drifts and jams.
Above there tue river WAS kept free by
the swiftness of the current. We were
on SO good q trail We felt certain tina: an
Indian camp must be close ahead. We
fanoied that we could hear children
playing. anu heard what greatly resem-
bled the noise OF drawing q canoe over
the gravel and showing il into the water.
We hurried on. the noise grew palmer,
and now seemed to resemble the excited
talk of several startled Indians, but the
more We hurried the faster these noises
receded from us and the further off they
seemed to be. Finally the trail led us
over jam, across the head of a slough,
and then for one fourth of mile on !,
gravel spit, until We dsspaired of over
taking our fi{ticams. We had closely
followed this retreating sound for a
mile or more. on a we'll beaten path,
when we oame to the lower end of the
gravel spit. ali this time we had been
so certain that the sounds we heard
came from Indians, that we had not
examined tho fresh tracks i'll the trail
To see whether they were made by the
bare feet of Indians or by bears feet.
bnt here We saw what made us almost
Wish we had not been SO much in a hur-
~. AT our feet was very large humpy
salmon with a large mouthful bitten
out OF It's back. II had been so recently
taken from the water that il was wet,
willis the fresh blood was still running
from ITS back Between where il Law,
on the lower point of the gravel spit, and
the banx OF the river, WAS low sag
covered with soft mud. In this soft
mud were to be seen the fresh tracks OF
an enormous bear. just as we saw all
tins we heard loud crashing in the
bushes, made by the rapidly ret-eatins
pear, whom We had So far and 80 eager
~, but unconseiousiy pursued.
After seeing that our cartridges were
IN rood condition, We took out a rule
aud measured one of these tracks. An
ordinary black bear makes track from
four to i've inches wide, and from sew.
ca TO nine inches long. THIS track was
m ,de IN the soft mud. and the impress
SION OF every part of the foo. was plain
ly visible. IL was nine inches across
the bali OF the foot and thirteen inches
IN length, inclu ing the marks of the
nails IN the mnd; without them it was
oaiy twelve inches long. This was evil
IDENTIFY an extra large cinnamon or eriz-
ely bear. At least, We did not feel as If
we had lost any bear 80 did not try to
cultivate his acquaintance further.
Around Mount Baker IL found a very
large bsar, which is called grizzly
bear. Whether or not it closely resem
bles the grizzly bear af California, or is
a cross between the white polar bear
Aud the cinnamon, or il species pseu-
lar 10 that region, and separate from
these Others, we are unable II say. A.
least, Il Is there, aud the Indians great
~ dread an encounter with 1t.