Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-12-02

of beasts.S / rode long and lar, and
when the sun was high threw myself
beside a little spring that dubbed
from the rocks, and ate my luncheon,
allowing my horse to Craze near me.
On my right was q small patch OF
green heritage, across which the tall
pines cast q sombre shadow. There
was not a. sound except that OF the
horse feeding. was too high for birds;
| they were below in theyalleys, though
| now and then a vulture sailed maiesti-
cally around some distant peak. The
loneliness and silence of the place be-
gan to be oppressive.
Suddenly there was q rustic in the
tall grass under the pines. Looking
up saw the head of a deer. ! seized
my rifle, and, leveling it, fired with
steady hand. A deafening report
crashed through the stiffness, and
there escaped into the air a white
deerl / sprang to the place. In the
bloodstained grass lay tile noble an
imal, struggling with death.
felt thrill ofseperstitious horror;
something as an old Egyptian must
have felt had he killed unwittingly the
sacred ibis, or the Ancient Mariner
when he slew the albatross. / tried
| to staunch the blood, but the muir
derous ball had done its work too
well. Hardly knowing what did, /
| took the head OF the dying creature
into my lap. In the large soft eyes
were reflected the rocks and the sway
hal h fs,f
head turned with convulsive move
ment, and the fast glazing eyes looked
into mine with gaze so human in its in
telligence that | was almost craZed with
grief and terror. hurried from the
spot, only TO find that my horse, prob
ably frightened by the rihe-shot had
disappeared. was alone and miles
from home.
] discovered, too, that / lacked one
of the most necessary requisites of the
true hunter-ability to find my way
| under all circumstances.
1t was already afternoon. / start
Ell to go back on foot the way had
come as nearly as ] could remember
| it. When | reached q point high
enough to command q view | did not
feelreassured, for the mountains look
ed all alike, and range after range
stretched away on every side, silent
and relentless as the tomb. There was
not living thing in sight but buzz
card circling about far-off peak.
At last / set of in direction where
/ thought recognized familiar rocks.
The killing of the white hart weighed
heavily upon my spirits, and filled me
with vague fears. The stories of the
night before added to my uneasiness.
There was the danger that / might
meet bear. had my rife and three
dozen cartridges in my belt, bat Uncle
John had said: "Give grizzlies a wide
| berth"
What could / do if met one?
The way grew more and more in
tricate. Now l had to climb over
powders, and now force my way
through tangled underground, from
which | emerged into the shadow of
| pines so gloomy that twilight seemed
suddenly to have fallen.
There was a crashing OF bushes, as
OF some heavy body pushing itself
through. / tried to run, but the
roughness OF the ground made me
stumble at every step.
The noise came nearer. Iknew that
it could be nothing but bear, and
every other anxiety was swallowed up
in present terror. | remembered that
grizzlies do not climb unless the tree
is neither too large nor too small.
Ten yards to the left stood a slen-
| der tree, with trunk clear for fifteen
| feet.
sprang toward it, and although l
| had never been able to climb a tree be-
fore, / climbed now without q moment
| OF hesitation, and scrambled to q seat
among the branches. | shook so
! violently that | had to hold on by
main force to keep from falling. Ihad
been there probably thirty seconds
when there shuffied from the bushes.
With awkward but impressive gait, a
monstrous grizzly bear.
had dropped my gun in the excite
ment, and even had kept it should
not have dared to FIRE. As the great
beast shambled along saw that be
was lame. 1t was old Clubfoot, the
terror and autocrat ofthe mountains.
He was headed directly for my tree.
My blood cur3led and my breath stop
ped. ! have no distinct recollection
OF the next few seconds. Heapproach-
ed within ten feet of my hiding-place,
rolling his heavy head from side to
| side as il aware of an unseen foe. Then
| he passed on and was lost among the
trees.
remained motionless for nearly an
hour fearing to descend. Then crept
noiselessly in the direction whence old
| Clubfoot had come. My rifle, which
must havefallen against the PROSTATE
| trunk by which found it, was broken
short off at the breech, the bear hav-
ing struck at it with his paw in pass
| ing.
Imagine my surprise when emerged
from among the trees to find the same
little grass plot where had killed the
deer. At first could not believe 1t,
but there was the spring with the rock
by which had sat, and the remains
OF my luncheon lay scattered on the
ground. was tired, as well as weak
and nervous, after the fright the bear
had given me. But it was becoming a
question of life or death, and was
not willing to die. Carefully gathering
the scraps of bread and meat had
| thrown away, resolved to follow the
nearest canon down to its mouth,
which / was sure would lead me out
into the open country somewhere.
The sides were so steep that had
| to let myself down by elinging to roots
and overhanging branches. / plodded
on doggedly In the heart of the can
ons unnumbered horrors lurked, and
the rocky walls rose on each side of
me, towering insurmountable. i be-
gan to wonder if had better 90 back,
when was startled to see open before
me what seemed almost a bottomless
pit. The declivity was probably not
more than fifteen feet, but it looked
very terrible to me. / could not leap
that distance, nor could | climb
around the steep slippery sides. A
| tall tree grew from the lower level,
however, and by leaning far out
caught branch and thus climbed
| down.
felt certain that now i must be
very near the valley floor, for l had
been descending long time. Behind
me, in the hollows of the canon, the
| shadows of evening were already ly-
ing. had sprained my ankle in the
descent-an injury that at any other
time would have disabled me, Tut
now could not be allowed to impede
my progress. limped along, hoping
and fully expecting to see, at It turn