Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-09-26
AlBEAR STORY.
a Night I'm n Narrow Cleft With Angr,
Grizzly Bears on Guard.
Nrlp York Sun,

Grizzly Bears ON Guard.
Nci0 York sun.
/ was prospecting in the Hot Creek
mountains, Nevada, well toward the south
ern end" said Gus Frisbec, an old miner
and prospectOr, when j had the closest
shave of my life. One afternoon, when
about half wey up one side Of the range, !
came TO a spot where some CONFUSION of
nature had split an immense rock into
many pieces. The original rock was a solid
mass about a hundred feet square. The
cracks started at a common center and
branchcd OIL like the legs of a spider. At
the center these cracks or assures were
three feet wide. Fifty feet away they
mario wed to six or eight inches. | stood
there that afternoon prospecting and won
dcring, when ! suddenly smelt grizzly.
| mean Just what | say. | got a strong
sniff of bear odor, and looked up 10 find
myself coopered. There was a grizzly
coming up the path which ! had followed,
and there was another on the path that !
must take to get away. Above this split
rock ! have been telling you Of was II cliff
up which q squirrel could hardly have
made his way. | don't say the bears had
planned to get me between them. There
was probably q den above me on the path.
The one had been off foraging and was re-
turning, and the other had scented me and
come out. Neither one was fifty feet away
ween | looked up.
81 was well armed, Of course, and you
may set il down that a man who cuts
loose from civilization for six months nj a
time, and takes his life in his hand, has
some little nerve. | had bagged four OF
five grizzlies in the previous year, and was
posted rs TO their cunning, strength and
f~erOcity. ! had a couple of minutes to
think. The bears sat up and shifted and
growled. | had a repeating rifle and two
reyOlvers, and you may wonder that
didn't open fire on them. First, the first
shot would have brought them in N me;
secondly, ] was ratified. could Just ~
well tell yOuthat ] stood there and popped
both grizzlies over, and then went my way
with cool indifference, but that wasn't the
way OF il. The shock came 40 suddenly
that / was upset, and my nerves were in
such a state that | couldn't have hit an
elephant n hundred feet away. | felt just
like running, and had there been any show
for it / would have taken 10 my heels. As
I said, there was a couple of minutes
grace, but they passed before ! had any
plan To extricate myself. didn't wilt en-
tirely. ! lOosened my reyolyers with the
intention. of using them at the pinch, but
the way the affair turned IN was laugh
able. As the hears dropped down on all
fours TO charge me ! took q jump forward
into the largest assure, and down ! went
for eight or ten feet, or until | stuck fast.
It seemed as if some one took possession Of
me and flung me down there, for ] had no
thought Of my W about il. The first /
knew | was down there, and the hears were
looking over the edge Of the fissure and
dropping their saliva upon my upturned
face. My rife had come down with me,
but had gone out Of sight down the assure.
/ was standing straight up, stuck fast as
high up as the knees and the first move ]
made was TO pull n revolver and open fire
on the beasts raising q row above me. As
they were lsaping back and forth across
the assure | had no trouble In putting
lead into them. The six bullets in the
first revolver were about equally divided,
but by that time old Bruin had got . flea
into his ear. He kept back u Of sight;
but of all the growing. roaring and rioting
you ever heard the fuss the pair kicked up
was the worst. The bullets had stung
them TO fury, and the scratching Of their
claws on the rocks sounded like iron rakes
being drawn over stones by human hands.
The row continued tor about ten minutes
and then died away.
at seemed 10 me that ] had the better
Of the situation, though there were come
drawbacks. Ny position soon became
painful, and when ! made an effort 70
change it / was compelled 70 leave my
boots behind. In such a narrow assure IL
was quite easy TO work myself upward,
and by and by / began the moyeIpent,
hoping that the bears had been killed or
driven away. Ny head sas within three
feet Of the surface when n couple Of growls
warned me- TO stop right there. They had
retired out Of range Of my bullets, but
were on hand 10 receive me If came up.
/ had 10 brace with my shoulders and feet
to maintain my position, aud ] soon got
tired and had 10 90 further down. Get
ting anything like an easy resting place
was impossible, and in less than an hour !
made up my mind that the bears had the
call on me. II was about 2 o'clock in the
afternoon when | went down, and by 5 /
was sore, Thirsty and desperate. went
mp again. and one Of hebeafs CAME 20 near
getting my scalp that his claws clried on
my fur cap. / went down the crack feel
ing that l was in for an ~afternoon's job.
/ thought the bears might possibly leave
at dark, but they did not. Indeed, from