The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-02-29


spring: for the tawny shadow we had
seen flash through the air was the lion as
he sprang on the unsuspecting bear.
A low excited Ugh" from Long Dog
and another motion of his hngcr caused
me to glance again into the clump Of will
lows. Take my head for coyote bait If
the lions tail wasn't still in the deer
path, thrashing like fury. Before you
could say "whisk" twice, however, bill
went another shadow out of the will
lows, and when 1 looked for the tail
again it was gone. Instead of one noun
tain lion, as we had first thought, the
willows had sheltered two.
And now the circus opened up with
savage earnestness. The second lion lit
square on the silver tips withers aud
we'll nigh toppled him over. The other
one, which had evidently been waiting
for his partner to come on, sailed in at
the same moment, and I tell you they
made old bruin hustle around pretty
lively for while. The three varmints
rolled over and over on the ground in
heap, struggling, biting, roaring, and
clawing away at each other like mad de-
mons. First one party seemed to be get
ting the best of the fight and then the
the other The lions were on top most
of the time, however, for the silver tip
seemed to think he would stand better
show if he kept down on his back and
fought with all four of his paws at lib
erty. The way he worked those paws
was caution. Once or twice during the
first few minutes the lions came in for
vicious scrapcs that ripped long red
gashes in their hides, and they backed off
few PAGES and uttered dismal howls,
as though bcwailing their hurts. This
gave the old bear a chance to pull him
self together, and he stoodup and weaved
back and forth and moaned, sorrowful
like, as though he would heap rather
sec his assailants turn around and walk
of than come at him again. This was
in the carly stage of the fight, before the
bear had properly got his mad up.
1t was pretty e, en- match considering
everything. A mountain lion can walk
all around bear for quickness, and two
of them together are able to make things
mighty uncomfortable for almost any
kind of an animal. But, on the other
side, their hides are right smart tenderer
than bears, with no wool to speak of;
and an old silver tip has more lives than
a dozen mountain lions.
After snarlipg and grinning at each
other awhile, they were at it again, the
bear down on his back a-thrashing and
swapping like mad to stand the lions off.
The lions, however, badly lacerated as
they were in the first two rounds, seemed
determined to chew the bear up. They
flew at him like twin furies, biting and
tearing away with such demoniacal fero-
city that more than one cultural "Ugh"
involuntarily escaped Long Dogs lips as
we lay there and looked on. Ten min
utes after the commencement it became
very evident that the fight couldn't last
much longer. The skin of one of the
lions left side was hanging in ribbons,
and the other one seemed to have half
its face torn away. Owing to the bears
heavy coat it showed up at this Stage of
the struggle heap perter than the lions;
but, all the same, it was dyed from head
to tail with its own blood. All three
were becoming somewhat weaker from
loss of blood, but the silver tip was by
far the likeliest-looking animal of the
three. As the fight progressed he got
madder than a hornet all through, and
instead of weaving and moaning when
the lions drew off for breathing spell,
he took to chasing them al 1und. The
lions kept clear of him until they got
good and ready to waltz in and on him
again, when they made the fur fly for all
their teeth and claws were worth.
When the lions drew off for the fourth
time, one of them had his body ripped
open and his entrails were dragging on
the ground. He soon got so weak that
he couldn't keep out of the old bears
reach. The silver tip fetched him q
savage swipe over the head that tore
away the scalp. He then flung himself
on the helpless lion and finished him up
in fine burst of savage fury.
The beer was now boss of the field,
but he was growing so weak that he
fauly staggered as he moved off after
the other lion. This critter had got all
the bear fight he wanted for one dose,
and was plainly on the point of clearing
out. He didn't seem to understand that
hiS pdithei "ooo Soh0iJ ShouSh, ouo ho
sat down on his launches out of the
BEARS reach, as though expecting the
other one to Join him.
"Ugh" said Long Dog, "now kill"
Bang! bang! Long Dog bowled over
the surviving lion, and toppled over
the bear. We then strobe out upon the
field of battle and took in the slaughter
pen. The old silver tip staggered to his
feet as we moved ont of cover, but it was
all he could do; another shot laid him
out for good. We examined the car
casses with u good deal of curiosity to
see which had Jared the worst. There
wasn't much to choo o between them,
after all. Beneath the fur there was
hardly an inch of sound hide on the
bears body. One of his eyes was torn
out, and his tongue was bitten completely
in two. He would have died, probably, |
in less than half an hour if we hadn't !
finished him off.
A Wonderful Escape from a Geyser.