West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-09-18

out WeaT COS, unless a small hand-aNe
that one cE-ried could BIO called such.
The bea5 could not possibly have
chosen n better place TO dispute their
march, for il was almost impossible 10
retrace their steps aud find a passablc
route around this savage obstruction
Had there been such a way they would
have taken the advice of one of their
number 70 tempt the bear out 10 his
limits, about halfway. having previous
~ chopped off their end. but securing
1t with strong rawhide lashings, and
when he was perched on the middle cut
the lashings with the axe and drop Mr..
Bruin into the roating rapids below,
whieh would certainly cool OF his hot
temper in the ice-water just from the
glaciers ON the mountain ops. To do
go was tempting, but the thought of de-
stroying the only bridge on the route
was enough to make them desist.
IL was finally decided hat two or
three or them should 20 back a little
ways on the mountain side and send up
a couple OF distinct smokes. about ten
or hfteen mute apart, which is the
signal used among these Indians to
show that they had gone into camp at
that point, II was thought that the
Tahkheesh Indians. whom they were
trying TO reach, seeing these signal
smokes, might come up to them this
short distance, thinking they had gone
into camp after an unusually long
march from far beyond the pass, and,
being burdened with only a few furS.
might bring their guns and tn IS
brighten away or kill the bear; or even
II they did not bring them, when the
bear was seen or his presence known
they could easily return and ge them
In the meantime the others held n
couucil OF war while their companions
were gone to start the signal-s mDkes.
Many expedients were proposed, but
most of them partook of the nature Of
the mice belling the cat, and but few
were attempted
At last n plan was proposed, more TO
pass away the time until the Tahkheesh
should arrive than with my hope of
success. One of the shrewder Indians
proposed that with the hand-ax they
would chop oil all the limbs of the foot
log on that part of the ground where
they stood, and which prevented the
log from turning or rolling over, except
one strong vertical limb, and to the top
of this they would tie a strong lashing,
and some four or five of the strongest
men would get on the ground near by,
W. 1NeNh "ObAA 10 OOdNtI Oui W HIS III
position on the log, and by pulling on
the rope the log could be turned around
and possibly their enemy might be
spilled of into the boiling water be-
meath, especially if il was done quite
suddenly. And even if failing the first
time, the limb. when reaching the
ground, could be seized vigorously and
showed into the air, the rope thrown to
another lot of Indians on the other side.
who would jerk the limb to the ground,
and this could be kept up backward
and forward until the peal had been
upset INTO the water or had backed off
to the stump again, and which they no.
ticed always took him quite awhile to
accomplish, and increased the chances
of Their singular scheme. Everything
was done as indicated, the limbs
chopped off from the part of the log
resting on the ground except the up.
riSht one, and it was tested, showing
that it would not break off in turning
the log, however quickly done. Tue
rope was lashed to the outer end of the
branch some twelve feet long. and the
two bodies of men took their assigned
positions on the two sides of the log ID
posite the erect pole. One Indian then
walked for W or three steps on the
toot-log until the bear was induced to
make one more of his charges, stop.
ping as usual where the limbs interfered
with his progress. The second he reached
this place he Indians on one side of
The log pulled down the erect limb by
the rope until they could reach it with
then hands, when il was lowered to
the ground, all being done i'm less time
than it takes to tell 1t. This threw the
log quarter of the way round and the
bear with it, and, although he was not
thrown oil, he had very hard scramb-
ling TO keep on, and mt once started to
back u No sooner had the limb
touched the ground than il was showed
to an almost erect position, the rope
passed over to the opposite crowd, and
they pulled and pushed it TO the ground
on their side. This turned the log
hall way over, and it was just by the
skin OF his teeth that the bear hung on
and crawled to the top as it went over.
Backward aud forward it went this
way, he bear using up nearly all hs
time trying to keep on, and finding but
little during VIII. oh he could back out
yet slowly gaining to ward the stump.
The Indians worked like demons. with
uproarious laughter at the bears fran
tic Jumps He was nearly back 20 the
stump, where he could gain the shore.
when an unusually active half turn was
made by the Indians, and the bear
scrambled around so very lively to
counteract IL that ne tore OF the th.cK
bark from that side in a great sheet
covering half of the butt Of the tree.
and bark and bear went rolling into
the seothing waters below, while the
Indians sent up "a deafening yen at
their victory. The bark and
bear touched the white sheet of foam
away they went rolling over each other
IN the swift stream, followed by shouts
from the Indians craning their necks
over the edge of the canyon. The
bear was borne down some iifty yards.
where he managed TO seize a project
ing snag and crawled out upon it.
howlinR furiUusly, and ~clinging TO il
despite the ston,ng he got from his en-
emi's. In n few moments r. Talk
hcesh Indian came up with "a gun. and
shot at him from the shore. breaking
hs shoulder, which so eurogcd the ami.
nal that he once more jumped into tho
water, but, not having counted ON his
broken, useless shoulder, he was carried
away in the rushing torrent. head
over heels, and was never seen again
lieutenant r. SehWatka. sc Cht.ag0
Tunes.
Destructive Avalanches.