St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-03-10

some faster, may be, except for a pref
ty lively 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 particu-
lar whelp right into its mothers arms,
with no other weapon handy than a
bowie.
After following the cub about mile,
however, / decided that it must be an
orphan beyond doubt, otherwise the
old bear would have turned up, and so
Iput on a little more speed. Finding
itself pressed pretty hard, the young
bear lodged this way and that, doubled
around patches of juniper, and finally
scuttled up a big red cedar.
/ once heard tenderfoot tourist
whom Sagebrush and guided through
the Yellowstone Park read a bear yarn
out of Down East book in which it
was claimed that a four-months-old
cub can't climb a tree any bigger 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 a brown bear at
that age can shiny up tree three
feet in diameter easy, if the bark is
only rough enough to give him good
claw hold.
While stood looking at him, unde-
cided whether to follow him up into
the tree or go back to camp after my
Winchester, the cub settled himself
i'll fork about thirty feet high. With
| his tongue lolling out and painting for
breath, he sat and looked down at his
pursurer with an expression in which
fear and curiosity made most comical
mixture. 1t was probably mile to
camp. and, afraid the cub might escape
if left him. ! finally decided to climb
| up and settle him with by bowie. His
anxiety and fear were something laugh
| able to witness as he watched me start
to climb the tree, and he began whin-
ing and crying like a baby. 1t wasn't
very easy tree for man to climb, for
although the rough bark afforded hand
and foot hold, after a 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 some avenue of
escape, but always keeping well out of
reach.
I had been chasing it around in this
manner for several minutes and trying
to corner it up, without success, when
all of sudden there came terrific
roar right at the root of the tree. 1t
was the old she bear, the cubs mother,
and she was almost beside herself with
rage. Both the cub and I had been
too busy watching each other to notice
any thing else, and neither of us had
observed the she bear until she startled
the woods with her savage roar. For
moment the cub seemed to forget ME
in its delight at seeing its natural pro-
tector, and with an appealing whinny
it begged the old bear to come up and
save it. AS for myself, l reckoned |
was in mighty tight place, for a
brown bear can climb as easily as
squirrel, only not so fast. At first |
crawled out on a limb as far as I dared
trust myself, in the hope that the whin-
ing little cuss would pass on down and
join its mother, in which case it was
reasonable to think they would both
clear out and give me show to get
back to camp. While | had started out
to capture the cub, WASH at all anx-
ious to try it on with the old squaw
without firearms. But, now that
wanted him to go down, the ornery
little cuss 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 he 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 good
deal ivelier 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 at
tempting to climb, and 1 went to work
hacking away at a limb as thick as
your arm with my bowie, making Il
club with which | hoped to be able to
keep the ferocious.old bear at bay as
she triedsto climb up after me. | did
the tallest whiting on that limb for
about a minute that was ever done in
Montana, reckon. | did well to whit
tie lively, too, for I had hardly got the
club we'll in hand when the old bear
pulled herself together on the fork
about eight feet lower down prepara-
tory to sailing in and finishing me up.
The cub was about the same distance
above where / stood. The old bear
was regular monster, and madden all
through than a rattlesnake. As she
ehamped her mouth with rage, big
fakes of foam flew all over her and
dropped down to the ground. Up she
came, open-mouthed at me. Whack!
went the club; but it didn't d. her any
damage. Clinging to the TIE with
one arm, the old she fury fenlsd with