Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-07
EOOLING WITH CUBS.

what particular breed OF the varTnint 1t be-
longs to-grizzly, cinnamon, or what not.
Nevertheless, by fooling with bear cub
fellow can very easily get himself into big
ger rumpus than if he had tackled full
grown animal to begin with. Take a cub and
ats mother together, and the combination Is
every bit as dangerous as two full grown
bears. Not because the youngster is likely to
take any hand in the fight, but because the
old she bear will fight heap savsSer and die
harder on account of the cub, every time. If
you want to see an old sauaw bear turn her
self wrong side out with fury and cave around
till her eyes throw OFF sparks, all you have to
do is to get cornered up bstwixt her and her
cub, as | once happened to be.
1t came about one day while Sagebrush Bill
and the three Englishmen were out in the
mountains hunting and was staying st
home to look after the camp. Our camp was
In a little mountain park near the head wa
tiers of the Rosebud on the Crow reserva-
ton, Montana. Our mules were picketed in
sort of off-shoot OF the park, short dis
lance away where there was plenty of bunch
grass, and was just returning from water
ing them and shifting them over to new
ground one morning, when l stumbled upon
brown bear cub about four months old
The sight Of a cub abroad at that age with
out its mother is so very unusual that | con-
rluded at once it must be an orphan. and
gave chase with the idea of rounding il up.
l had no gun or revolver with Inc. nothing in
fact but my bowie, for, as / say, | had merely
strolled over from camp to water and shift
the mules. The cub was a lively and EauScu-
lar little whelp, with legs almost as thick as
e nd I Il of ba 1,,,S+1 ~
along through the pines at pace that made
me hump in order to keep him company. L
might have run some faster, may be, except
for pretty lively suspicion that the young
ster might turn out after all not to be an
orphan A long experience with Big Horn
mountain bears had taught me to entertain a
good wholesome respect for bear cubs
mother, and didn't exactly feel like chasing
this particular whelp right into its mothers
arms, with no other weapon handy than q.
bowie.
After following the cub about mile. how
ever, decided that il must be an orphan
beyond a doubt; otherwise old bear would
have turned up, and SO | put on little more
speed Finding itself pressed pretty hard,
the young bear lodged this way and that,
doubled around patches of juniper, and
L4IilIS SCuLJiel ub Il DlE feu cSildF.
| once heard a tenderfOot tourist, whom
Sagebrush and guided through the Yellow
stone park, read bear yarn out of down
east book, in which it was claimed that
4-nonths-old cub can't climb a tree any big
ger round than it can span with its forearms-
That only goes TO show what sort of truck
they print in books, and how much down
casters know about bears, anyhow. Out here
q brown bear at that age can shiny up a
tree three feet in diameter easy, if the bark
is only rough enough TO give him good claw
hold
While I stood looking at him, undecided
whether to follow him up into the tree or 90
back to camp after my Winchester, the cub
settled himself in a fork about thirty feet
high With his tongue lolling out and pant
ing for breath, he sat and looked down at his
pursr1er with an expression in which fear and
curiosity made most ccmcal mixture. 1t
Was probably a mile to camp, and, afraid
the cub might escape if | left him, | finally
decided TO climb up and settle him with my
bowie. His anxiety and fear were something
lauGhable TO witness as he watched me start
TO climb the tree, and he began whining and
crying like baby. 1t wasn't very easy tree
for man TO climb, for although the rough
bark afforded hand and foot hold. after
fashion, there We're no branches for the first
twenty feet. The cub retreated higher up
the tree, whining and crying and looking
anxiously about for some avenue of escape,
but always keeping well out of reach.
/ had been chasing it around in this man
ner for several minutes and trying to corner
it up, without success, when all of a sudden
there came terrific roar right at the foot of
the tree. 1t was the old she bear, the cubs
mother, and she was almost beside herself
with rage. Both the cub and | had been too
busy watching each other To notice anything
else, and neither Of Us had observed the she
bear until she startled the woods with her
savage roar. For Z moment the cub seemed
to forget me in its delight at seeing its natural
protector, and with an appealing whinny it
begged the old bear 80 come up and save it.
AS Tor myself, l reckoned was In mighty
tight place, for brown bear can climb Is
easily as a squirrel, only not so fast. At first
/ crawled out on limb as far as dared trust
myself, in the hope that the whining little
cuSs would pass on down and join its mother,
in which case ii was reasonable to think they
would both clear out and give me q show to
get back to camp While [ had started cut
to capture the cub, wasn't at all anxious to
try it on with the old squaw without fire.
arms But, now that / wanted him to go
down, the little imp wouldn't stir a peg.
Only a minute before he seemed particularly
anxious TO reach a lower position in the tree
than my own, but be had changed his mind
now, and wanted the old bear to come up
after him. tried to Chamber up above him,
in which case | should have bundled him
down a good deal hvelier than he came up:
but it wouldn't work worth red.
The way the old bear caved around and
roared was caution TO snakes. She was at
it for some time before attempting to climb,
and went to work hacking away at a limb
as thick as your arm with my bowie, max
ing Il club with which | hoped to be able to
keep the ferociouS old bear at bay as she tried
20 climb UP after NE. | did the talleSt
whiting on that limb for about minute
that was ever done in Montana, l reckon. ]
did well to whittle lively. too, for | had
hardly got the club wei in hand when the
old bear pulled herself soSether on the fork
about eight feet lower down preparatory to
sailing IL and finishing me up The cub was
about the same distance above where | stood
The oil bear was a regular monster. and
lnadder all through than a rattleSnake. As
she champed her mouth with rage big fakes
of foam. few all over her and dropped down
to the ground. Up she came, open nouthei
at me- Whack! went the club; but il didn't
do her any damage. C2inging TO the tree
with one arm. the old she fury fenced with
the othsr paw as cleveriy IS John Lawrence
Sullivan could have done 70 parry the blows
/ aimed at her head II was mighty tick,iSh
work for me, this fencing with the old bears
handy paw, for l reckoaed at the time that
If she should knock the club ont OF my haad