Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1886-04-09

me long chase over the ridges and noun
tains, striking in again at the Wittenburg,
then on the Hanover. then following that
ridge until it came near the head
of Watson hollow. There I crowded
It close with the dogs. Just above the
hollow, on tho road to the gulf, is q
steep descent Of nearly one thousand feet,
should judge, caused by a slide, and
when covered with snow, IL there is q
crust to ride down it, even on snow
shoes, think, would take the wind out
of a man. and certainly would break his
neck at the bottom. AS we reached the
head of that steep pitch, the dogs be-
gan to worry the beast One greenhorn
ran up to it and caught it by the hind
leg. The bear gave that dog a slap which
sent him away about ten feet, and made
the whole side of its head look as though
it had been blistered. The dog had
enough of it; but one of my dogs was
an old bear dog, and brain was forced TO
bay. i had in my gun only buck shot, and
so had TO go closer to it than if had had
a rife. / reached the outer edge o.
the ridge and FASTENED to get within
range, when the bear, seeming to realize
that it was conquered, gave bound in the
air, Topped over on its back, rolled itself
in a sort of ball, and the next second was
going down on the icy crust so swift that
you could hardly tell what the object was.
1t was out of sight in jiffy, and that was
the last saw of it, for had to go at least
two miles around to get down into the
gully, and though found some hair and q
piece of hide, the bear had evidently come
out OF its ride without much injury and
gone up the steep side of the opposite
mountain. tell you bear is very cute
animal in some respects. Talk about rid
ing down hill, will relate circumstance
which, of course, you won't believe, but
which is an actual fact"
"Go ahead, )" said the reporter.
Zone day was toiling up the steep side
of Slide mountain, having seen bear
trail. All at once my dog came sour
rying back with its hair pointing toward
its head, and its tail bristling all over.
The canine was very much excited, and
thought it must have struck wild cat. 1
cooked my gun and moved cautiously
along to a clump of bushes, and all at once
an object shot by me, over the crust, and
fairly made me jump. could not imagine
what it was. Just then another went by.
wood, because it made so little noise. It
kinder Missed as it slipped past. Cautious
ly l worked my way close to the place, and
there was a sort of slide that looked
like long, shallow trough, worn in
the crust and ice. 1t must have
been three hundred feet long.
thought first some one had been sliding
down the side of the mountain, as you
know they have slides, or runs, sometimes;
but when came to think, knew it wasn't
wide enough for that Just then seen an
object coming down like streak of light
ming. could have shot it, suppose, il
had shot up the slide, but did not know
what it was. 1t went by me so quick that
the wind fairly brushed nv cap or. Then
saw hair on the edge of the slide, and it
came to me all at once that it was a bear.
waited for another, and / would have
given it dose of buckshot If it had come,
but it didn't come. Now, do you know,
that after investigating that thing came
to the conclusion that the bears had Inads 9
that slide to have fun riding down hill.n