Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1886-09-22
AN ARTISTS ADVENTURES.
Hairbreadth Escapes of a Colorado Painter
from Wild Beasts.

Mr.. A. L. Proctor, a very promising
young Colorado artist, whose works
have attracted a great deal of attention
when exhibited here in Denver, is soon
to 90 to New York for season. Many
interesting incidents might be related
connecting with the lonely hunting ex-
periences in which Mr.. Proctor obtained
material for his work. At one time he
was following a mountain lion which
he had crippled. The trail led him into
a thicket, and, in following it, he almost
stepped upon his game before he was
aware. The savage beast made at him
with an ugly growl. To retreat would
have been fatal. There was no time to
parley. The lion had made up his
mind. Prompt action was necessary.
Fortunately for Proctor, he had obeyed
one good maxim of hunters, viz:
Never 90 about with an unloaded
gun" That good weapon was in his
hand. He thrust the muzzle into the
wide open mouth of the lion and blew
the top of his head off. Then Proctor
sat down and had spell of the
''shakes."
Some one tells story of how Proctor
slipped up to big bull elk, and taking
refuge in a clump of small dead pines,
opened fire upon his game. The beast
gave jump and a snort, and spying
his enemy lowered his huge horns,
started on a dead run for the clump of
trees, struck it like whirlwind, making
dead limbs fly in every direction. In
vain Proctor lodged about from one
part of the clump to another; the furious
hill fo11 .kril I,o1l
had caught in Proctor's gun and his
frantic efforts to reload were now
changed into frantic efforts to escape,
for the elk seemed determined to dis
lodge him from the pines and have it
out with him on open ground. Proctor,
on the other hand, preferred the pines,
and lively game of "hide and seek"
took place. The elk was fast getting
| the best of him, when in watching the
movements of the animal and retreating
at the same time, Proctor ran accidental
ly into the top of fallen tree. This was
| his salvation, for as the beast came at
him with lowered horns, he lodged
! down and crawled under the branches,
leaving his elkship entangled upon the
other side. This advantage enabled
Proctor to reload and few well-directed
shots ended the battle. This was his
biggest elk and he felt Justly proud of it,
so proud that he foolishly attempted to
take the head into camp; so strapping
his gun to his waist, he lifted the head
upon his back, the large horns sticking
over his shoulders and nearly touching
the ground, and started home. He got
along very well until in climbing over
fallen tree he lost his footing and
down he rolled, head, horns and all.
And he then INDUCED in an experience
something like that of man having a
catch-as-catch-can wrestle with wheel
barrow. If the head had been animated
and attached to the original owner it
| couldn't have been more vicious. Each
individual horn on those huge antlers
seemed to be charging on him. One
would give him wretched poke in the
ribs, another darted up and took him
under the chin, then came a rap over
his head, then came a gouge in the pit
of the stomach, and anon one was
boring him in the back. Quiet being
restored ut last, he crawled out from
under the horns and inspected the scene;
the gun was not damaged, the sketch
book was all right, but he was covered
with bruises and scarcely able to walk.
At this juncture he was aware that he
was an object of interest to large bear,
who had smelled fresh blood and con-
cluded to drop around. To shoot was
his first instinct, and he had the salts
faction of seeing the bear give quick
Jump and q howl and whirl rapidly
| around, biting himself, rolling on the
ground, turning somersaults and acting
crazy generally. This programme the
bear quickly changed by starting on a
bee line for our hunter. Another shot
staggered him, but amazed beyond
measure, he still came on, bent upon
having fight. The next shot worsted
him. He lay down with his nose be-
tween his paws and gave up the ghost
Proctor sat still for half an hour, tremb-
ling like leaf, fearing to move or
shoot again, imagining that the beast
was playing 'possom," and fearing
that the next move might bring con-
test for which he felt i'll prepared; by
degrees his courage came back to him,
and, having tried several expedients to
awake the bear, left him for dead, and
limped into camp covered with bruises
and glory.-Denger NeaOS.