The Portland daily press., 1888-02-23
PRICE THREE CENTS.

tluutu dL DnCt ~ uluhb 10 VARAoAt "-N
gave chase with the idea Of rounding II up.
had no gun or revolver with me, nothing in
fact but my bowie, for, as l say,I had merely
strolled over from camp to water and shift
the mules. The cub was a lively and mus
cular little whelp, with legs almost as thick
as Its body; and as l took after him, he hus-
tied along through the pines at pace that
made me hump in order to keep him COM
pany. might have run some faster, maybe,
except from the suspicion that.the youngster
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 bowie.
After following the cub about a mile, how
ever decided that it must be an orphan be-
yond doubt otherwise the old bear would
have turned up, and so put on a little more
speed. Finding itself pressed pretty hard,
the young bear lodged this way and that.
doubled across paches Of Juniper and finally
scuttled up big cedar tree.
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 a
four-months-oid cub can telimb tree any
bigger round than 1t can span with its fore
arms. That only goes 10 show what sort Of
truck they print in books, and how puch
down casters know about bears, anyhow.
Out here brown bear at that age can Skinny
up a tree three feet in diameter easy, II the
bark is only rough enough to give him good
claw hold.
While stood looking at him. undecided
whether to follow him up into the tree or go
back to camp after my Winchester, the cub
settled himself in fork about thirty feet
high. With his tongue lOlling out and pant
ing for breath he sat and looked down at his
pursuer with an expression in which fear and
curiosity made most comieal mixture. 1t
was probably mile TO camp, and, afraid the
cub might escape II left him, i finally de-
cided 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 a baby. IL wasn't very easy
tree for man to climb, for although the
rough bark afforded band and foot hold, af-
ter fashion, there were no branches for the
first twenty feet. The cub retreated higher
up the tree, whining and crying and looking
anxiously about for someavenue Of escape,
but always keeping well out Of reach.
1 had been chasing 1t around In this man
it up, without success, when all OF sudden
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 700
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 q moment the cub seemed
to forget me In his delight at seeing its nat
ural protector, and with an appalling whin-
nv hanOa1 fha old hear fO and
save IT, As for myself, reckoned | was In
a mighty tight place, for brown bear can
climb as easily as a squirrel, only not so tast
At first | crawled out on limb as Tar as L
dared trust myself, In the hope that the
whining little cuss would pass on down and
join its mother, in which case It was reason
able 10 think they would both clear 0ut and
give me a show to get back TO camp While
had started out to capture the cuo, 1
wasn't at all anxious to try itlwith the.squaw
without firearms. But, now that l wanted
him to 90 down, the OTnery little devil
wouldn't stir peg. Only a. minute before
he seemed particularly anxious to reach a
pOsition.in the tree than my own, but ne
had changed his mind now, and wanted the
old bear to come up after him, In which case
/ should have bundled him down deal live
lier than he came up; but IL wouldn't WORK
The way the old bear caved around and
roared was a caution TO snakes. She was at
it for some time before attempting 10 climb,
and went to work hacking away at a limb
as thick as your arm with my bowie, making
a club with which hoped TO be able to keep
the ferocious old bear at bay as she tried to
climb up after me. did the tallest whiting
on that limb for about minute than was ever
done in Montana, reckon. did wel 70
whlttle, lively, too, Tor had hardly got ,ne
club well in hand when the old bear pulled
herself together on the fork about eight feet
lower down, preparatory to sailing In and nm
ishing me up. The cub was about the same
distance above where | stood. The old bear
was a regular monster, and madder all
through than rattlesnake. As she champed
her mouth with rage, big flakes OF foam iiew
all over her and dropped down to the ground
Up she came, Open-mOuthed at me. Whaekl
went the club; but it didn't do her any dam
age. Clinging to the tree with one arm, the
old she fury fenced with the other paw as
cleVerly as John Lawrence Sullivan could
have done to parry the blows l aimed at her
head. IL was mighty ticklish work Tor me,
this fencing with the old bears handy paw,
for reckoned at the time that II she should
knock the club out Of my hand | was as good
as done up for good. At tlength managed &c
fetch her an ugly whack across the snout,
which seemed TO daze her little, and before
she could recover followed this up with an
other. The second blow hit her squarely IN
the laws, and lOOsened tooth or two, may
be; anyhow, IT made the blood fly. 1t also
seemed to rouse all the devil IN her carcass,
for she gave a roaring snort that sent the
blood and foam scattering all over my face,
at the same time she reached up and made
savage blow with her paw.
As her broad paw raked off the bark
couple of feet below my face Il was lying on
my stomach across a fork, l made vicious
dig at it with my bowie and pinned 1t TO the
tree This was coming TO pretty close quar-
tiers. The bear uttered hoarse roar OF rage
and, reaching up close to my resting place
with the other paw, she seized the bowie
knife between her teeth and snapped IL In
two. This movement was done so quickly
tat | had no time to recover the bowie knife
l was now practically within the bears reach
and the chances were all against my being
able to stand her off with the club where |
was Quicker than it takes TO tell about II
swung myself up into the next roosting place
above.
In the meantime the cub had ventured
down TO this point, and had to yaeate 10
particular hurry about IL; in fact, the little
whelp seemed half inclined to take a hand In
the fight now he seemed to realize that they
had me eornered up, and he only moved away
a few feet l had barely got settled IN tnis
new position when the bears paw and the
club were at It again. l managed TO Ietcn
her another vicious rap over the head; Dut
the blow only made her roar and duck ana
scatter blood and foam all over me and tne
tree. At this stage OF the hight she looked
like fiend incarnate. After fencing a while
for an opening, / MADE out TO hit her another
sockdolager acioss the snout. hit her 50
hard this time that SplintefS new OH the cAuo
but il only made her savager and more dan
gerous than ever. tried hard TO jab her IN
the eye, but you might as well try 70 poke a
fencing master in the eye with stick as
bear, even If he only has one paw at liberty
At last she grabbed the stick, and quicker
than chain lightning she wrenched 1t out OF
my grasp. There was only one thing TO be
done now, and that was to get from between
her and the cub Just as lively as possible:
at the imminent risk Of breaking my neck
scurried along the nearestbranch on all fours
until the bough bent and swayed with the
tension. The old bear was blind with fury
and started out after me, but as the branch
began to snap and splinter she funked and
drew herself back to the fork. A moment
later she was joined by the club, who threw
its paws about its neck and began licking
her bleeding mouth. The old bears fury
seemed to cool Of wonderfully at finding her
cub uninjured. The chief concern OF the old
bear now was TO get away with the cab. AS
soon as they reached the ground they looked
up at me, apprehensive like. as though fan
cying might be going TO follow them up,
and then struck of through the timber.
You can bet your sweet lie, however,
had no notion Of following up thatss0ld she
bear and her cub at that time. After waiting
In the tree a while to give them plenty OF
time to clear out, slid down and In about
fifteen minutes struck camp. That was the
last time ever sauntered over to water the