The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1886-08-04
A Wyoming Bear Story.

At the nearest ranch on the western
side of the mountains, there lives a Ger
man 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 finished, 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
hanging a blanket over the doorway
which was still without door, he went
to bed. He slept soundly, but there
dimly seemed to him to be some distur-
bance about the house during the night ;;
and when he went out in the morning,
every bit of his fine deer was gone, and
the bear tracks up and down the noun
tain-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 ten
der 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 sound at
the back of the house. Something was at
work on his wild mutton. There was
noise of scratching and tearing. Itseemed
as if several bears were making short
work with his meat He seized his load
ed rife and jumped out of bed with very
scanty clothing on. Going to the door
way and drawing aside the blanket, he
saw that the night was cloudy and as
dark as Egypt. He stopped and thought
for a moment that it would be impossible
to kill a bear in such darkness, even if
he should be able to hit it, for these
beasts are so tough that they will carry
dozen bullets about in their bodies
without much inconvenience, if they are
not wounded in the heart or the brain
81 our friend laid down his rife and took
Instead a loaded shotgun. "This is the
thing Tor 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. Some
thing appeared to be moving below in
the darkness. Taking random aim, ne
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 man g hair
stand on end there was q scamperinq
and shuftlingof many feet up and down,
and around the cabin even in the thick
darkness ne 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 dozen furious, hungry
bears. "They didn't scare worth cent,
he said. 1t was not long before they
discovered 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, grunting
and growing over their injuries. Bears
can climb quite az well as men, and old
Frank stood with fear and trembling in
the middle Of the roof, ready to receive
with the butt Of bic gun the first nose
that should rise above the edge. If two
had happened to mount the roof on OPP
posite sides, there would have been q
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
saivsring, how long he never knew. I'll