Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1886-04-24
A MONTANA TALE.

-naif hotel and half stable, built {
pine logs, some Of which are two fee
in thickness a lonely place under th
pines, where | could hardly hope fe
any but lonesome night of it. Th
place was hotel some twenty yeal
ago, but has been deserted since ther
| Twas glad to find q crowd Of hunt
ers, trappers, miners and traveller
collected there, driven in like myse]
by the snow storm which had bee
raging all day on the mountain to]
road. After a good supper, which in
cluded elk steak we gathered aroun,
a blazing fire of dry pine wood on tn
old hearth.
eve were hunting black-tail dee
on the main range Of the Rock,
Mountains, near the head-waters O
the Little Blackfoot River, in Mon
tana," ventured slim young man
Heath and I. Heath was a yeune
fellow from Boston, aud Beacor
street may be at that He had Joined
the United States Army He had
been in the Territory year or SO, had
served with General Terry against
the Sioux, and had seen some service
too: was at the Little Big Horn just
after the Custer massacre. Becoming
tired Of life in barracks, he got out OF
the army by the assistance of friends
at home, among them General B., I'M
der the plea that he was not of age
when he enlisted.
''Well we had been tracking band
OF deer until We were just about play
ed out, when we saw them away up
on the side Of the mountain. It was
about three hours till sundown.
eve tied old Prince, Heath's dog,
to q little bush with q silk handker-
chief, intending to leave him there
while We slipped on the deer The
dog would break sometimes and spoil
q shot.
i was ahead of Heath about a 100
yards with my Winchester on my
shoulder had some six or eight loads
in the chamber. She was what is
called an Express rifo, 5Ocaliber, and
shoots a hundred grains Of powder.
When that gun spoke, something Was
liable to get hurt. HeathB was
know, but for one shot [ hardly think
there's better
L had always been anxious to run
across a grizzly, and We both had
about made up our nids that whenev-
er we should come up with bear on
our hunts we would try him & vhirl.
l am no slouch of a shot, If I do say
it myself, and Heath was as quick as
rabbit and as steady as bridge, az
he would say.
s'Well, old Prince began tugging at
the handkerchief and broke loose
He came running up to Heath as If
frightened. [ looked back, aud Just
where little while before we had |
been resting under u little fr-tree
came two bears at dead run, one fol-
lowing the other, and both right On
our trail. They were silver tips, and |
we're coming about as fast as an aver
age cayote can run, and getting over
the rough ground as nimbly as cats.
"'Look out, Heathr I hollered,
there's something after u.s.
'.But he had already seen thom and
they saw him, for the leader turned
aside and they both passed in about
fifty yards Of him. I saw him raise
bis rifle, then he lowered it and lok-o
I'd around, and began backing toward
3 tree that stood not far away from
him. He saw that the tree was han
1y, and he slipped his hand into his
pocket for more cartridges, SO as to
have them ready.
"Those bears looked to be about the
'ize Of sack of wool, such as You see
q this county, and about that shape.
wasn't hungry for bear meat just
sbout that time, gentlemen
"'Give it to 'em, Health I cried.
or [ thought he was not going to
hoot. In fact, / didn't have time to
hink much about it or would not
AVE said that. It was all done as
quick as you can bat your eye, any
yay.
Nang!' went his Remington.
Stay with mo, Louis he shouted. ,
They are on the fght!'
HE shot at the bear in advance.
nd hit it IN the rear somewhere. It ;
topped, turned round, stood up on ]
S hind feet and showed its teeth. It +
'orked It's jaws as If it was chewing i
$ cud. When it roared or groWled 1
! Observation-Disclosures you may call it 5
twice, and you could have heard it t
mile Never heard such a voice any |;
here else. /
L ran out to the place where [
ould get fair sweep at them. when d