Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-08-14

A Shot that Saved the Greedy Surv1v-
OrS from Starvation.

Shot that Saved the Greedy Survfv-
Ors from Starvation.
A LONG CHASE AFTER BRUIN-Two DESPERATE
MARKsMEN WHO RAN TEN MILEtKILLED
AT LAST.
Correspondence Of the Philadelphia Times from New
York, August eth.
Sergeant Francis Long, Of Brooklyn, sur
vivor Of the Greedy Arctic expedition, tells the
following bear story, which has hitherto been
scarcely more than mentioned in the accounts
| OF Starvation Camp. He says:
Bacon. shrimps and sealskin stew, all in
| small quantities, had been our fare for over
two weeks and there was not full round of RAJ
| tions left. More than half the men in camp
| were incapable of work, but that was little mat
ter, for there was no more to do than three
could handle. The steady cold made US all
drowsy and there was the worst danger in sleep.
If a man was allowed to have his sleep ont he
make a rule that no one should sleep more than
two hours at time. 1t began to look, with
only one day between us and starvation. as if it
might be better tor us all to go to sleep together
and die unconscious of the terrible cold and the
pangs of hunger. We had plenty of hunting,
fishing and cooking utensils ammunition and
no game, no fish. During all of our camp we
caught only two fish. l was the hunter of the
party and had trarnped the region and
over and rarely had The luck to get shot at
anything.
r.
"The day before we came to our last round Of
rations had discovered the tracks of a bear.
had followed them about until l was ex-
bausted trying to meet the beast, but had ut
terly failed. On this day light snow fell in
the morning Just enough to obscure the trail,
but still hunted. / gave it up late in the af-
ternOon and returned to camp. Branerd had
gone to the shrimping ground and still
appeared running down Cemetery Ridge as
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.
The men crawied to his assistance and two of
them raised his head in their arms. He gasped
and looked at us wildly.
'Brainerd, exclaimed the lieutenant, what
is it,?
Bear! bear- was all he could answer in a
choking whisper.
Where man, where?' l cried, reaching for
my gunall trembling and quivering with hope
and fear.
There he said. family, pointing to-
wards the ridge. He followed after me. He's
coming
EXCITEMENT IN CAMP
"How can l tell the terrible excitement that
prevailed? The men were in perfect frenzy.
Cruel suffering had made them worse than I'M
reasonable. Some of them could think OF moth
Ing but cursng poor Brainerd for not killing
the bear, and were with difficulty restrained
from falling upon him to wreak vengeance. He
nad not taken his gun with him; nobody ever
ala who went Shrimping, and they cursed and
tnelr last chance for life. Others, and they were
the weakest men in the party, were for starting
out at once tor an anisht huns over the snow
neidS and icebergs. Nothing could be more
fOOlhardy. They couldn't have gone beyond the
top OF the ridge without breaking down, to say
nothing OF carrying IA gun and firing accurately.
Inc lieutenant used his authority and my in
huence to quiet the men, and at last the plan
OF the hunt was arranged. 1t was really only u
few minutes. but il seemed an hour. Jan, the
Esqui,naux, and started up the ridge to meet
the bear II he should continue towards us.
MISSING THE MARK.
"Hardly had we got rod from the camp
when a long white nose appeared over an ice
covered rock at the top of the hill The men
set up shout and think it unncrved me- but
ii was long-range shot-nearly three hundred
yards-and The target Was small. l raised my
gun and, taking quick aim. fired. The bail
missed, but ii did not go wide OF its mark. The
bear was startled. He paused just too short
time TO give the Esquimau chance at him
and turned tail and ran. heard the howis
and groanS of disappointment and rage behind
me. 1 believe that some OF those poor, half
starved, hail-iroZen men would have shot at
me in their anger il they had had their guns at
hand.
"Jan, I said hastily, take the course to the
left and go around the ridge and keep well to
the west, so as to get between the bear and the
water. l will go i'll the same way ON the east.
''The faithful Esquimau understood the plan
at once ana set out without I, word. l craWled
TO the top OF the ridge as fast as could and saw
the bear Il long way out OF range, still on the
run He turned around for a second and looked
sued, continued his light. diam go straight
alter him, but, keeping out OF MS sight much
as possible, crawled and ran and slid up and
down the icy slopes, making all the time Tor the
water. was ieverish with fear. 1t seemed
If every possible obstruction got in my way and
many d time L Tell to the ground. Ii was u ter
rlDle chase. May never have another like 1t!
TEN-MILE CHASE.
ut seems incredible now, but actually went
ten miles out OF my way to get i'll front of that
bear. knew that he would stop running when
he got over his scare aud saw nobody in pur-
suit, and had to take this roundabout course
tance was passed on the run. Most OF it was
crawled. But had no thought OF giving up.
alter leaving camp, l gained the position
wanted. l climbed a low hlIi, and there Was
bruin, one thousand yards away, sitting
down alter his hard run within thirty yards
OF open water. l had not succeeded fully
in my plan. He could still escape, but
his back was towards me and | Gid not
despair. Almost at the same moment that |
the bear discovered Jan, the E.>quinau,
at some distance, and we both inade Tor the
beast. With the utmost care not to alarm him,
We crawied over the ground, approaching nearer
and nearer to our prey. We mad got pcrhap,
half the distance when Jan raised his gun and
fired. l think it Was bad judgment, for we
might have got much closer. But there no
time tor regrets. Excitement gave me more
strength and l ran with all my might straight
towards the bear. he got up and looked at me
and seemed not to know wucIner To run again
stand and make u fight OF it. resis led the
temptation TO fire at him until was within
one hundred anu fifty yards. Then l stopped
running, threw my cap down, pnlled on my
mittens and acted as deliberately if l were
out practicing at target.
KILLED AT LAST.
my excitement seemed to leave me, or
rather to make me steady. / took a long, care
full aim and fired. The bear turned slightly,
but it was evident that l had missed. l fired
again quickly. Another miss! My heart sunk
low. Jan had not been able To get anot her shot.
and was not now where he could fire with any
hope OF hitting. The bear began TO make Tor
the water. Ready to die with despair ii l
should fail again, took another long aim. The
bullet struck the bear in the head, and he tunl-
bled over instantly, stone dead.
ut was haiI-past eight O'Clock, and the place
where bruln Tell was three miles in IL straight
line from camp. We left the 400 pounds of
food lying on the ice and returned to the ;inX-
iOus party To get help in bringing the carcass
home. We did not sleep that night until the
dead bear was brought into camp The lieuten-
ant gave out extra ratIOnS to the men VINO
assisted III the work, ana made up Il stew of all
the scraps that were LETT OF The regular ratons.
IL wasn't much, but it seemed quite Il feast to
turn gave out the rcscuing expedition found
u.s.
POlysamy Among the Indians.
From an Interview with Ex-Agent McGilicuddy in
the Chicago Tribune.
Il IN no Indians act REG ard MI,