The Portland daily press., 1888-01-03
A BEAR TEA PARTY.
The Chicago Young Man In a Wyo-
ming Hunting Camp.
fchicago Trlbune.l

GChicago Tribune.]
While we were at Fort Fetterman, W. T., /
got into conversation with young man who
was waiting for the stage.
"Are you folks out here hunting?" he ask
ed.
PARTLY" replied.
That's what came out for" he contin-
ued, "but I've got enough Of it. and I'm going
back. live in Chicago, but I've got an an-
Gle living out west of here on ranch, and
he wanted me to come out and go on a big
hunt with him; so l did,"
didn't ike it, eh?"
"Wel, I'll tell you how it was We had to
60 up in the mountains about thirty miles.
"Then we all got our horses and took our
guns and went out looking for game. We
rode up aud down perpendicular rocks all
day, and once went mp one that hung out
over little, but we didn't see anything but
one small owl and the track of a deer. We
kept this up for two or three days, all the
time living on cold beans, in anticipation of
the big game dinner that we were going to
have.
"After three days of this l began to get
enough, and said | would stay in camp that
day and let the others 60 out Up to this
time we had not had sight of game, but
they hadn't been gone more than an hour,
and / was lying on my back ON the grass,
when heard little noise and looked and
saw bear which doomed up in the air like q
wheat elevator coming right into camp, as 1t
had been her home for the last ten years.
couldn't find my gun. | might have been
able to have found it If had had more time
to look for it, but the length of time between
when L first Saw the bear and when was
perched up in q tall tree was so short IL is
not strange that overlooked such little
thing as gun. The bear found it, however,
and nosed 1t all over camp
The old bear had brought two cubs with
her and they Immediately took full possess
sion. They got up in the wagon, and scat
tered the flour and groceries all around, and
ate what they wanted, and then rooted
around and got the tent down, and the cubs
rolled'on it, and appeared to have pleasant
time. Along in the afternoon became
aware that 1t was the old bears day to re-
ceiye. Other bears began to drop in and pay
their respects. Most Of them seen ed to be
warm personal friends, as they were not
content with a formal call, but settled down
aud acted as If they we're going to stay to tea.
At o'clock there were twelve distinct
bears in camp, and more coming on the run.
They sat around and conversed ON such
subjects as are of vital interest to bears, and
looked up at me and winked at one another
and one old customer looked as II he wanted
to ask me il was quite comfortable.
II expected the hunters back about
o'clock, but they didn't come. A few more
bears dropped IN, however, and / heard
mountain lion screaming of a short distance
1t soon got so dark that couldn't keep tally
of the bear arrivals. but, judging from the
sound, concluded that the convention was
only just opening. thought could hear
delegations arriving from California and
Maine.
This kept up till about 4 o'clock the next
morning, the mountain lion in the meanti me
having worked along to the next tree to mine
where could have good view of his eyes
and hear him licking his chops and getting
ready to jump over to my tree. About this
time the hunting party got back, they having
been on the trail Of a deer, which they didn't
get and so were delayed. Just before they
came the bears all left on the gallop, all of
them making pleasant, sociable kind Of
noise, as If they were feeling well and hoped
| enjoyed the same blessing-or something
like that. As soon as it was light enough
one of the men climbed the tree with a rope
and let me down. | remained in the position
had adopted on the limb for about two
hours, when | gradually Strengthened out,
got on a horse and came to this place."