The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-04-19

cure.
"But nobody can describe the lone
| someness of The life of shepherd. All
day long he must wander about with
| his sheep, keeping them in sight, yet
being careful to not herd them too
closely together, with not even dog
to speak tc One gets to holding con-
verse with sheep even. There was
one old eve that | came to have quite
| a regard and affection for, she was so
| intelligent and docile She would
| feed about me all day, never getting
| off far, and, when tired, would lie
down somewhere near me, and chew
| her cud with great content. | used to
call her Aunt Peggy, from an old dame
| in Nova Scotia whose cast of cOunten-
ance l whimsically imagined the
sleeps face resembled.
"But for all the days were so lonely,
| the nights were at first almost unbear-
abie-miles away from any human be-
ing, and with only the wild howl of
the coyote, the wildcats scream, and
sometimes the lonely cry of the noun
| tain lion to lull one to sleep.
sometimes the sheep were restless
and would bleat half the night, max
| inc such din that there was no sleep
for any one.
"Once a mountain-lion, which are
rather cowardly creatures, after all,
came about the corral.
The sheep at once detected its
presence, and stamped their feet and
| pufed as if in great terror 1t was
some time before | discovered it,
creeping up from some scrub cotton
| woods down by stream at which the
sheep drank night and morning.
at was a moonlight night, and as it
drew nearer | slipped cartridge into
my rifle, and made ready to defend my
little citadel and the sheep under my
| charge.
Il wasn't sure at first which he in
tended to attack, for almost all wild
animals, however fierce, dislike to ven
| ture inside an inclosure, even if the
fence is quite low.
But in few minutes his determin-
alton to sup off mutton was evident.
He crept along stealthily-a few yards
| at time, like a cat watching bird
in the grass, and his long tail switched
nervously from side to side-nearer
and nearer.
AT length he reached a knoll not
far from the cOrlsll fence. He raised
| himself for a moment to scan the sur
roundings before springing upon it,
and | felt that was my time.
Aiming my rifle as steadily as
could, sent the heavy charge singing
toward the enemy. With a scream
that rang far and wide, the brute
leaped into the air, then fell back on
to the knoll.
Il thought had made sure of him,
and l was about to descend to have a
nearer view, when the lion recovered
and began making off toward the cot
tonwoods, snarling and growing.
81 didn't want him to get away, and
| running out a little way, fired again,
but without effect, | think, for it didn't
stop him, and ne disappeared in the
brush moment later.
'He did not come back, and the
next morning, when taking the band
out to the range, | came upon the lion,
dead, down by the stream. My first
shot had probably given him his
death"
"But about the grizzlyP" interrupted
the captain.
"Oh, yes" said the cook. ut was
two or three months after l had the
visit from the lion that the grizzly
paid me call. 1t was cold night,
about the middle of November, the
time when the winter rains set in.
II had about concluded that my
tabtddo was little open for the
weather, and the next time the major
domo came out intended to order me
a nut, such as most of the other shep-
herds had.
1t was rainy, yet not dark, for it
was the time of the full moon. | had
sewed together the skins of the sheep
l had killed for mutton, and had them
stretched for prOtection-such as it
was-abOve my bed-place. Beneath
this | had crawled and listened TO the
lonely howls of the coyotes till l had
dropped asleep.
Along in the night was awakened
suddenly by tie tramp, tramp of heavy
feet about the tabIado.
"For a moment | thought that the
sheep had got out of the corral, and l
sprang up to see; but instead of the
white coats of my flock, l deserted q
big beast accommodating leisurely
about my bed-chamber, and consider
ing whether it was best to mount it.
Il was Mortified, for | knew at once
that it was grizzly come down out of
he mountains.
II seized my rifle, which, for some
unaccOuntable reason, | had gone to
bed without loading, and feeling out
my cartridge-boX, quickly slipped in a
h., I 10 ,la rbn,
10! the brute, hearing my movements,
was staring at me full in the face few
feet below.
Taking careful aim down at him, l
pulled the trigger, but, to my con-
sternation, the rifle would not go Off
Frantically, pulled and tugged, but
with the same result. 1t had rained
in the night pretty hard, and the
| water had run down into the box of
cartridges.
"Well. there | was, like a turkey
roosting on a fence, with fox within
reach. The old fellow, after eyeing
me awhile and growing ominously,
began to claw into the posts which
held up the tabldd0.
Il had now no doubt as to his in
tentions. He was coming up-if he
could-to look me over But | rather
! thought he couldn't get up.
Il hastily selected another cartridge.
withdrawing the first; but this, too. was
of no good. / tried another and an
other, and could hear the bears claws
tearing into the posts, trying to
get good hold. for they were too small
to climb-at least, that was the inten-
tion of the builder.
AT last one of the cartridges proved
dry. but. in my excitement, | only
grazed the animal. sending him into a
terrible rage, and he began clawing in
dead earnest.
Il tried another cartridge, but, like
the first, it was wet, and, disgusted,
began hunting about the tabtado for
something to ward off the terrible
beast supposing he could get up to me.
My hunting-knife | always carried,
which could be used at close quarters,
L. IL