The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-09-10
AN ARCTIC BEAR HUNT.
A Shot That Saved the Greedy Survivors
from Starvation
Correspondents Philadelphia Times.

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from Starvation
Correspondence Philadelphia Times.
Sergeant Francis Long of Brooklyn
N. T., survivor OF the Greedy Arctic
expedition, tells the following bea,
story, which has hitherto been scarce.
ly more than mentioned in the &C
counts ofstarvation Camp. He says
Bacon, shrimps and seals!in stew,
ali in small quantities, had been our
fare for over two weeks, and there
was not a full round of rations left.
More than half the men in camp were
| incapable OF work, but that was little
matter, for there was no more to do
than three could handle. Ths steady
cold made us all drowsy, and there
Was the worst danger in sleep. Ii a
man was allowed to have his sleep out
he certainly would never wake, SO We
had to make rule that no one should
sleep more than oWo hours at time.
1t began to look, with only one day
between us and starvation, MS if it
might be better for us all to go to sleep
together and die unconscious of the
terrible cold and the pangs of the
hunger. We had plenty OF hunting,
fishing and cooking utensils, ammuni-
ton and all that, but what good were
they? There was no game, no fish.
During all OF our camp we caught only
two fish. WAS the hunter otthe par
ty, and had tramped the region over
and over, and rarely had the luck to
get shot at anything.
"'Fhe day before we came to our
last round of rations had discovered
the tracks OF bear. l had followed
them about until l was exhausted
! trying to meet the beast, but had ut
terly failed. On this day a light snow
fell i'll the morning, just enough to OBJ.
scure the trail, but still | hunted. /
gave it up late in the afternoon and
returned to camp. Brainerd hadgone
to the shrimping ground, and was
still absent when | laid by my gun.
Suddenly he appeared running down
Cemetery Ridge us fast as his poor
weak legs would bring him. We all
started up and waited his coming in
the most painful excitement. When
he reached the camp he fell to the
ground all out of breath. Tie men
crawed to his assistance, and two of
them raised his head in their arms.
He gasped ana looked at us wildly.
'Brainered,' exclaimed the Lieu
tenant, what is it?'
Bear bear!' was all he could an
swer in a choking whisper.
"'Where. nan, where?' Icried, reach.
ing for my gun, all trembling and
quivering with hope and fear.
There, he said, family, pointing
towards the ridge. 'Hefollowed after
me. He's coming
GLOW can 1 tell the terrible excite
ment that prevailed? The men were
in perfect frenzy. Cruel suffering had
made them worse than unreasonable.
Some OF them could think of nothing
but cursing poor Brainerd for not
killing the bear, and were with diff
Guilty restrained from falling upon
| HIM to wreak vengeance. He had not
taken his gun with him; nobody ever
| did who went shrlmping, and they
cursed and raved at that and burst
into tears at the loss of their last
chance for life. Others, and they were
the weakest men in the party, were
| AoL oSoh SiiS ouu oilGc lOE dIl dill
night hunt over the snowfelds and
icebergs. Nothing could be more fool
hardy. They couldn't have gone be-
yond the top OF the ridge without
breaking down, to say nothing OF
carrying gun and firing accurately.
The Lieutenant used his authority
and 1my influence to quiet the men,
and at last the plan OF the hunt was
arranged. 1t was really only few
minutes, but it seemed an hour. Jan
| the Esquimau, and l started up the
ridge to meet the bear if he should
continue toward us.
Hardly had we got rod from the
camp when a long white nose appear.
ed over an ice-covered rock at the top
| OF the hill. The men set up q shout,
and think it unnerved me, but it was
long range shot--nearly three hun
dred yards-and the target was small.
] raised my gun and, taking a quick
aim, fired. The ball missed, but it did
not go wide OF it's mark. The bear
WAS startled. He paused just too
short q time to give the Esquimau q
chance at him and turned tail and
ran. heard the howls and groans OF
disappointment and rage behind me.
l believe that some of those poor,
haf-starved, half-frozen men would
have shot at ME in their anger if they
had had their guns at hand.
Jam l said hastily, take the
course to the left, and go around the
ridge and keep we'll to the west, so as
to keep between the bear and the
water. will SO on in the same way
on the east
'The faithful Esquimau understood
the plan at once and set out without
word. / crawled to the top OF the
ridge as fast as could and saw the
bear a long way off out of rSnge, still