Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-09-09

BESIEGED BY BEARS.
Experience OF a Wyoming Pioneer Who
Attacked Bruins Family with Shot

BESlEGED BY BEARS.
Attacked Bruins Family with a 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 a
new cabin for himself at the foot of
Before his house was fin
ished, he went out one day and killed
a fine fat deer. Bringing the carcass
home at night, he hung it up against
the back of his house, and then hang
ing a blanket over the doorway which
was still without door, he went to
bed. He slept soundiy, 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
noise of scratching and tearing. II
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 the
night was cloudy and as dark as
Egypt. He stopped and thought fol
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; ''it 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 a 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 shuffling 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
Uuu dluuthtd llC odW piup hS
was besieged on his own roof by a
least dozen furious, hungry bears
They didn't scare worth a cent, hi
said. 1t was not long before they dis
covered whence the shot had come
and, knowing very we'll that there il
strength in numbers, they determined
to have that man for supper, even i
they had to put off their supper til
breakfast-time So while some sa
down here and there, the others wake,
about, grunting and growing owe
theif injuries. Bears can climb quit
as well as men, and old Frank stoo,
with fear and trembling in the middl
of the roof, ready to receive with tn
butt of his gun the first nose tina
should rise above the edge. If tw
had happened to mount the roof o.
opposite sides, there would have beel
small chance of life for the poor man
But the bears thought that solid groun
was the safer place for them, so ther
they staid; and up above sat oil
Frank shivering, how long he neve
knew. 1t seemed centuries. 1t Wa
sharp, frosty autumn night, and, q
he had on very little clothing. Fran
was soon chilled almost to his bone'
But the bears coats were war;
enough. They were more hungry tina
they we're cold, so there they sat an
growled and waited for their prey
come down and be eaten. Soon bi
terly cold wind began to blow. Ever
joint in the poor mans body stiffenet
but it seemed pleasanter to freeze
death than to be eaten up by those ugl
beasts, so he bore his discomfort /,
best he could. The hours of thi
night seemed to be endless, and Il
chill grew terrible; but at last du
gray streak appeared in the east n
man was ever more glad to see the fir
sign of dawn than was that chill
watcher. Bears are very shy by da
light, and as the twilight little by lit
grew into broad day, Franks visito
trotted away disappointed and sull
up to their dens on the mountain
Their victim, more dead than aliv
was able at last to climb down ar
kindle a fire to warm himself. He ST
lives to tell the story in the same 10
cabin; but it has good stout do
now, and he will never again 60 bea
hunting with shot-gun.-AJred Ter
Bacon, in 81. Nicholas.
Not So Low as That.