The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-08-05

there was mud, ana showed so PLAIN that
could measure them. and that hind-foot COW
cred fourteen inches every time it went
down. The tracks were not very fresh but
knew | could follow them, and was off on
the trail right sharp"
''Bot stop. Jake; look here You told us
few minutes ago that it was always good
plan to let grizzlies alone. Seems to me
preaching and practice ought to go to-
gether."
"Well. there, boys-there you have got
me, 1 did say 50. and what said was
true, every word of il, and should not have
done right not to say it. Meddling with
grizzlies is dangerous business. Let 'em alone
every time. That is my advice to you, but
somehow never do it myself and like as
not will get caught for it one of these days.
am such fool l would start right off after
one tomorrow if knew where he was. And
so put out on that trail as | told you. 1t
led up toward the mountain, and then off
around and into a big canon that comes
down alongside of the northwest spur. There
is a heavy growth of spruce all through the
lower Part of the canon, and L lost the trail
and found it again, and lost it and found it
again dozen times until, with about an
hour OF sun up it was gone completely, and
was beginning to think what a fool L was
to be hanging round a thick canon like that,
so near night and so many grizzly signs
about. All at once came out OF the spruce
thicket into an opening by the side OF the
high rocks, and there in snug
corner lay two little cubs, no
bigger than small puppies, fast asleep"
Il did not stop even to think. l snatched
them both up, put them into my bag, JAM
med them down tigh. to prevent their MAX
ing any noise, and started just as fast as L
could run to get to the lower edge of the
thicket and the canon. / knew that their
mother would be after me as soon as she
came back, and knew it was certain death
for her to get hold of me. But l knew too
that them cubs were worth lot of money
ard was bound to have il though l had 10
fight The fight l cared nothing about if |
could only get into good place for it, and
that was sure of as soon as | was beyond
the spruce.
''when came out into the open ground
he sun was just under, and looked around
in hurry. Along the middle of the valley
all was clear, but toward the SIDE were 10 Ose
rocks and lodges. l turnc | in so as to be
within about fifty yards OF tie rocks, ard
then kept on. l had not gone two hunC ed
yards when L heard the old bear coming.
And she was a-coming now, you may guess;
she was just tearing through the brush with
a sort of snort or howl thai was enough to
make your hair sand on end.
before she was ont where
she could see me sprang
in toward the ledge, and when l was within
twenty yards of it dropped tie Two cubs
out of my bag. leaped behind The nearest
rock, and there l stood with my rife cooked,
waiting for her. had not long, of course,
to wait; but il was long enough for me to
get my breath and be ready.
when she broke cover, and could fairly
see her, thought that she looked larger and
heavier than any buffalo bull on I'll the
plains, and | am not sure but that was
right. She was runring only by scent. but
she was going at her full speed She did not
hor he l1c1,a fovr ,ic
them. She gave a kind of yell, bounded 10
them, smelled at them for not more than
second. and then looked up for me- That
was the the chance | was wait
ing for, ard OF course | took it. As
her head came up to level, my ball went
plum centre through her right eye, and her
BRAIN and on down her neck as Lf0und il
afterward. There was one less grizzly left in
the world to hurt people.
"The first thing | did was to pick up my
cubs, and put them back in the bag, and tie
them tight Then / had time to look at the
old one, and of all grizzlies ! have never seen
the like of that big brute. had no way to
have weighed nigh upon eighteen hundred
pounds. Perhaps not, but that was the way
She looked to me.H
sit was too late to do anything about skin
ming her that night, so | camped where |
was. 1t took me all the next day and the
day after that to skin her and get her skin
and meat and cubs down to my camp on the
river. But l did get em down, and /
made better thing OF it than
i should have done to fol-
low up the elk. sent the meat down to the
Bay, and it brought me 500. / kept the cubs
till they were about six months old, and
then took them down myself, and each
one brought me a Waas-Molitor slug. Pret-
ty good, wasn't it?"
Drought Won what? Was -s)me-
thing?'
''Oh, / forgot that you never saw any such
things. In the old times in Frisco they had
fifty-dollar coins and those with the stamp
of Was q Molitor were just as good as Uni
ted States money. Six-sided they were, not
round"
1.-TWO Slugs, that made 1896 for that one
afternoons work, Pretty fair doing Jake;
though do not Know about standing the
rush Of that old bear for it. | am lite in
clined to think your advice is better than
your example | shall let grizzlies alone"