The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-05-27

with donble-barreled shotguns, some
with rifles, Grip up on that load O. hay
and scrouged up close together on the
middle. for a big load of hay, you know,
as big as that was anywez, is mighty
shaky when you get on top of it.
1.-The carcass was out there in front of
them, they had their guns all fixed for
shootin', and the moon was shinin'
sorter dim-like.
There comes a hoss down the gulch
yander,' whispered the Shurf,
That's him. That's the bear,' said
the rancher. Great glory, what a big
oner
THE bear come on slow and stiddy,
takin' his time.
They had the wind o. him, but when
he got to the colt he sees there was
somethin' wrong. So he walks around
to the wagon. The men was breathin'
awful low. They couldn't see the griz-
ely, and was feared to move less'n they
might scare him. The bear put his foot
on the wagon and gives it a shake.
Then he goes back to the carcass and
begins eatin'.
Hadn't somebody better give the
word?' some one whispered.
&" Better let him git his belly full o.
medicine fust, answered the Shurf
THAT bear could a turned that load
o hay with one flip of his foot, and
them fellows know'd it.
He snatched off a hind leg of the
colt, finished his meal and went back in
the woods where he come from. There
were nary shot fired at him, neither,
and if the strychnine did not agree with
him they didn't find it out, for he was
never seen afterward. He never come
back to that dead colt, anywez, no
more"
I'VE were taking band of wethers
once-we had 10000 in the band-from
Umatilla County, Oregon, to Chey-
enne," said shepherd, who had been
listening and now came to the support
of the last speaker, land had three men
besides myself each man with a dog.
We had several horses, guns and camp
ing outfit of course.
''One hot day, about noon, the sheep
anchored on us. and while they were
lying in the shade we went down to the
water to cook dinner. This was in the
Blue Mountains. on the Middle Fork of
the John Day River, ut sort of horse
shoe bend about a quarter of a mile
around. 1t did not look like a white
man had ever been there before.
'.Some of the boys went in swim
ming, and went across the river to the
| inside of the bend. They found thous-
| ands of tracks of all kinds of game in
the sand-deer, elk, coon, bear and
goose tracks.
"'Them goose tracks, interposed a
voice, was beaver tracks. A beavers
hind foot is webbed, and makes track
like Il goose's.'
That's so. found that out after
wards. The river was full of mussel
| shells, with mussels in them at that.
You could have scooped up a wagon
| load of them in little or no time.
They saw 81 right fresh track of a
bear and a cub where they had been
after those mussels and gone into the
| brush
Il tried to get them not to go into the
| brush after the bear. but no, they were
bound to 90.
They stationed me on a point that
| came down between the cogs of the
! horseshoe, and commanded the under
| lying flat completely.
Then they took the dogs and their
| guns and went into the brush. A man
could just crawl through the brush, and
! that was all.
1.-The bear was there, you bet, and the
dogs bayed her before they had gone a
hundred yards. The men could not tell
from the barking where she was. They
kept as near together as possible, Bill
| Sloan in advance. Presently Bill shot,
and the bear made a lunge and was on
| top of him, and got him down. The
| other man raised his gun to shoot, but
was SO close that the bear struck his gun
from his hand and knocked it clear out
of his reach. He got away from her,
and she went back and stepped around
on top of Bill, who was about half dead.
The third man opened OH her, and she
would drop down every time he hit her,
and he hit her every shot. He called
for help, and hurried to them as fast as
l could. had little collie bitch that
was rs timid us q hare around you, but
for fighting game never saw any ami
NAL so big tnat she was afraid to tackle
it. She went to the bear a-fying. The
other dogs were simply barking around
it, Dixie seized OH the bear from be-
hind and made it so lively for her that
she left Bill and was worried by the
dogs until she died from the effects OF
the wounds she had received.
1--WE got Bill out, packed him on a
horse to the nearest town, which was
100 miles away, and it was three months
before he was able to be up and about
again"