Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-09-02
bESiEGEO BY BEARS.

Experience OF wyoming Pioneer VINO
Attacked Bruins Family will, q Shot.
Gun.
At the nearest ranch on the western
side of the mountains. there lives a
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 a
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 i 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 Bnt game was plentiful.
and it was not long before his deer was
replaced by big-horned sheep, which
ID buC u1OoI tS11uCk JuANN fACaS AudI
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 verv late and he was about
to give mp watching, he at Last
heard a 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 snort work with his meat. He
seized his loaded rifle and jumped out
of bed with very seanty 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 for
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 III the heart or the
brain. So our friend laid down his
rifle and took instead loaded shot
gun. This is the thing for theDi,"
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.
appeared to be moving be-
low in the darkness. Taking a ram
dom aim. he blazed away. The
shot scattered, and evidently took
effect; for there arose a chorus
of growls and bowls and yells
that would have made the bravest
mans hair stand on end; there was
and shutting of many feet
up and down, and around the cabin;
even in the thick darkness he could
zee 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 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
% have that man for supper, even if
hey had to put Off their supper till
So while some sat
Town here and there, the others walked
about. granting and growing over
heir injuries. Bears can climb quite
Is well as men, and old Frank stood
With fear and trembling in the middle
If the roof, ready to receive with the
putt of his gun the first nose that
should rise above the edge. If two
lad 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
vas the safer place for them, so there
hey staid; and up above sat old |
frank shivering, how long he never
Knew. 1t seemed centuries. 1t was
sharp, frosty autumn night, and, as
lie had on very little clothing, Frank
vas soon chilled almost to his bones.
But the bears coats were warm
They were more hungry than
hey were cold, so there they sat and
,rowled and waited for their prey to
ome down and be eaten. Soon a BIZ
erly cold wind began to blow. Every
oint in the poor mans body stiffened;
nut it seemed pleasanter to freeze to
leath than to be eaten up by those ugly
'easts, so he bore his discomfort as
'est he could. The hours of that
light seemed to be endless, and the
hill grew terrible; but at last dull
ray streak appeared in the east. No
nan was ever more glad to see the first
ign of dawn than was that chilly
hatcher. Bears are very shy by day
ght, and as the twilight little by little
rev into broad day, Franks visitors
rotted away disappointed and sulky
p to their dens on the mountain.
heir victim, more dead than alive.
,as able at last to climb down and
indie fire to warm himself. He still
YES to tell the story in the same log
abin; but it has a good stout door
ow, and he will never again 60 bear
uniting with shotgun Terry
aeon, in st. Nicholas.