The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-09-01
BESIE0ED BY BEARS.
Experience OF . Wyoming Pioneer WIT
Attacked Bruins Family with . Shot.

Experiences OF . wyoming Pioneer Whe |
Attacked Bruins Family with . Shot.
Gun.
At the nearest ranch on the western
side Of the mountains. there lives
German who was the first pioneer to
bring cattle in among these valleys.
Not long ago, this old fellow built .
new cabin for himself at the foot of
mountain. Before his house was fin.
ished, he went out one day and killed
. fine fat deer. Bringing the carcass
home at night, he hung it up against
the back Of his house, and then hang
ing blanket over the doorway which
was still without . door, he went to
bed. He slept sound.y, but there
dimly seemed to him to be some dis
turbance about the house during the |
night; and when he went out in the !
morning, every bit of his deer was
gone, and the bear tracks up and down
the mountain side showed what had
become of it. But game was plentiful.
and it was not long before his deer was
replaced by big-horned sheep, which
is the most tender and juicy meat that
ever was eaten. This time he was
more careful. and lay awake half the
night, fearing that he should lose his
stock of fresh meat When it
was very late and he was about
to give up watching, he at last
heard q sound at the back of
the house. Something was at work
on his wild mutton. There was a
noise of scratching and tearing. 1t
seemed as if several bears were max
ing short work with his meat. He
seized his loaded rifle and jumped out
of bed with very scanty clothing on.
Going to the doorway and drawing
aside the blanket, he saw that tho
night was cloudy and as dark as
Egypt He stopped and thought for
a moment that it would be impossible
to kill bear in such darkness, even
if he should be able to hit it, for these
beasts are so tough that they will carry
a dozen bullets about in their bodies
without much inconvenience, If they
are not wounded in the heart or the
brain. So our friend laid down his
rifle and took instead a loaded shot
gun. "This is the thing for them,"
he said to himself; 1T will pepper
them all over and scare them SO they
never will come again." Then, with
gun in hand, he silently climbed the
projecting logs at the nearest corner
of the cabin, and, creeping across the
roof, peeped over the edge above the
place where the sheep was hung.
Something appeared to be moving be-
low in the darkness. Taking ran
dom aim, he blazed away. The
shot scattered, and evidently took
effect; for there arose a chorus
of growls and howls and yells
that would have made the bravest
mans hair stand on end; there was a
scamperlng and shutting of many feet
up and down, and around the cabin;
even in the thick darkness he could
see many great fat creatures running
and shifting angrily about to find who
had attacked them. He saw that he
was besieged on his own roof by at
least q dozen furious, hungry bears.
"They didn't scare worth a cent" he
said. 1t was not long before they dis
covered whence the shot had come,
and, knowing very well that there is
strength in numbers, they determined
to have that man for supper, even If
they had to put off their supper till
breakfast-time. So while some sat
down here and there, the others walked
about. granting and growing over
their injuries. Bears can climb quite
as well as men, and old Frank stood
with fear and trembling in the middle
Of the roof, ready to receive with the
butt of his gun the first nose that
should rise above the edge. II two
had happened to mount the roof on
opposite sides, there would have been
. small chance of life for the poor man.
But the bears thought that solid ground
was the safer place for them, SO there
they staid; and up above sat old
Frank shivering, how long he never
knew. 1t seemed centuries. 1t was
sharp, frosty autumn night, and, as
he had on very little clothing. Frank
was soon chilled almost to his bones.
But the bears coats were warm
enough. They were more hungry than
they were cold, so there they sat and
growled and waited for their prey to
come down and be eaten. Soon Bit
terly cold wind began to blow. Every
joint in the poor mans body stiffened;
but it seemed pleasanter to freeze to
death than to be eaten up by those ugly
beasts, so he bore his discomfort as
best he could. The hours OF that
night seemed to be endless, and the
chill grew terrible; but at last dull
gray streak appeared in the east. No
man was ever more glad to see the first
sign of dawn than was that chilly
watcher. Bears are very shy by day
light, and as the twilight little by little
grew into broad day, Franks visitors
trotted away disappointed and sulky
up to their dens on the mountain.
Their victim, more dead than alive.
was able at last to climb down and
kindle fire to warm himself. He still
lives to tell the story in the same logl
cabin; but it has a good stout door
now, and he will never again 60 bear
hunting with shotgun. Terry
Bacon, in st. Nicholas.
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