Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1885-06-25


trees seem to be ever in motion, no
matter hew light the wind.
After going few hundred yards tho
tracks turned of on a well-bea,en path
made by the elk; the woods we're in
many places cut up by these game
trails, which had often become as dis
tinct as ordinary foot-paths. The
beasts footprints were perfectly plaiE
In the dust, and he had numbered along
up the path until near the middle of the
hillside, where the ground broke away
and there were hollows and howlders.
Here there had been windfall and the
dead trees lay among the living. piled
across one another in all directions;
while between and around them
sprouted up n thick growth Of young
spruce and other evergrecns. The trail
turned off into the tangled thicket
within which it was almost certain we
would find our quarry. We could still
follow the tracks, by the slight scrapes
OF the claws on the bark OF by the
bent and broken twigs; and we advanced
with noiseless caution, slowly
climbing over tho dead tree-trunks and
upturned stumps, and not letting
branch rustic or catch on our clothes.
When in the middle OF the thicket we
crossed what was almost breastwork
of fallen logs, and Merrifcld. who was
leading, passed by the upright stem of
great pine. As soon as he was by Il he
sank suddenly on one knee, turning
half round. his face fairly ahame with
excitement, and as strobe past him,
with my rifle at the ready. there, not
ten steps OIL, was the great bear. slow
ly rising from his bed among the young
spruces. lie had heard us, but appar-
emily hardly knew exactly where or
what we were, for he reared up on his
launches sideways to us. Then he saw
us and dropped down again on all foIrs,
the shaggy hair on his neck AMI shoul-
dcrs seeming TO bristle as he turned
toward US. As he sank down on his
fore-feet had raised the rifle; his head
was bent slightly down, and when saw
the top of the'white bead fairly between
his small, glittering, evil eyes l pulled
the trigger. Half rising up, the huge
beast fell over on his side in the death
throos, the ball having gone into it,
brain, striking rs fairly between the
eyes as IL the distance had been meas
ured by carpenters rule.
The whole thing was over in twenty
seconds from the time caught sight oil
the game; indeed. IL was over so quick
ly that the grizzly did not have time 10
show fight at all or come a step toward
us 1t was the first | had ever seen.
and felt not a little proud as / stood
over the great brindled bulk. which lay
stretched out at length in the cool
shade of the cvergreens. He was a
monstrous fellow, much larger than
any have seen since, whether alive or
brought in dead by the hunters. AS
near as we could estimate (for, of
course, we had nothing with which to
weigh more than very small portions),
he must have weighed about twelve
hundred pounds; and though this is not
as large as some of his kind are said to
grow in California. it is yet very un-
usual size for bear. He was n good
deal heavier than any of our horses;
and II was with the greatest difficulty
that we were able to skin him. He
must have been very old, his teeth and
claws being all worn down and blunted;
but nevertheless he had been living in
plenty, for he was as fat as a prize hog,
the layers on his back being n fingers
length in thickness. He was still in the
summer coat, his hair being short, and
in color a curious brindled brown,
somewhat like that of certain bulldogs;
while all the bears we Shot afterwards
had the long thick winter fur, cinna-
mon or yellowish brown. By the way.
the name Of this bear has reference to
its character, and not to its color. and
should. suppose, be properly spelled
grisly-in the sense of horr Bile, exactly
as we speak of "grisly specter' and
not grizzly; but perhaps the latter way
OF spelling it is too well established to
be now changed.
In killing dangerous game steadness
is more needed than good shooting. No
game is dangerous unless man is close
up. for nowadays hardly any wild beast
will charge from a distance Of a hum
drcd yards, but will rather try to run
off, and il man is close IL Is easy
enough for him to shoot straight II he
does not lose his head. A bears brain
is about the i of pint bottle: and
any one can hit pint bottle olf.hard at
thirty or forty feet have had two
shots at bears at close quarters, and
each time fired into the brain, the til-
let in one case striking fairly beiw en-
the eyes, as told above. and in the other
going in between the eve and ear. A
novice at this kind OF sport will find
II best and safest to keep in mind the
old Morse vikings advice in reference
to a long sword If you go in close
enough, your sword VIII be long
enough" II q poor shot goes in close
enough, he will find that he Shoo'
straight enough.