Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1888-05-19
A BEAR HUNT.

One uny Long LOG ana naQ gone out
with hunting party Of young bucks that
were securing the country for buffalo sign
in the Aeighborhood OF Pumpkin buttes.
The party had divided mp and spread out
over the country in twos and threes
Long Dog and l and young buck named
Two Knives struck of together up
through the cottonwood timber that
fringcs the river for width OF half q
mile or SO. Before going. far we bowlcd
over fine buck elk, and started Two
Knives back TO camp with the carcass.
Long Dog and l kept on up through the
cottonw0ods. An hour or so after parting
company with young Two Knives we
caught sight Of q big silver tip bear ON the
other side OF the river. He was standing
on his hind legs, digging the touchwood
out Of hollow tree. This Is fayorite
pastime Of bears, and particularly brown
bears and silver tips, who have keen
partiality for the big, fat inch grubs that
make their home In the decaycd cotton
wood.
The bear was so absorbed In his pur-
suit that we had no trouble In wheeling
our cayuscs around and rctrcating out Of
sight without attracting attention. 1t
was alout 800 yards from where we stood
to the bear, and Long Dog and both
agreed that to pump lead at silver tip at
that distance would be merely q waste Of
good ammunition.
What had we better do, Long Dog."
said I.
Ugh, heap kill" replied the Injun;
and pointing down the river he led the
way in an almost opposite direction from
the bear. We continued Oh down to u
To-. t.. a.. LII.
from the bear. and crossed over Riding
on up the other sidc u short distance we
hiichcd the bronchos behind u clump OF box
alders and proceeded cautiously toward
the bear. The immediate edge of the river
was thickly fringed with box alders and
mountain willows, and through these we
at length began To crawl ON hands and
knees. with the tdca Of taking the silver
tip by surprise at close quarters. With
an old seasoned Injun hunter Of
Long Dogs caliber leading the way,
this part Of the proceeding was easy
enough. lie worined and twisted through
the thick willows as slick rs n beaver
without ever swapping dead twig. All
had to do was TO crawl along In the
trail close behind. We had almost got to
the point where we bad been expecting to
be able to use our Winchesters with some
certainty when Long Dog halted, and,
without uttering grunt reached back
and tapped me cautiously on the back
with his moccasin. AS the old Injun
looked back over his shoulder and raised
his finger rs a warning for me to lay low,
his piercing black eyes glowed and
twinkled like pair Of black diamonds
with excitement.
OF course, I naturally supposed he was
merely worked up some over suddenly
catching sight Of the bear, perhaps, a lit
tie nearer than he had been expecting.
Seeing me peer inquiringly through the
brush In the direction Of the touchwood
tree. Long Dog raised one dusky finger,
and, without moving another muscle I'm
his body, pointed II toward q clump Of
willows standing. should say, thirty feet
70 the right OF tho tree, and about three
times that distance from u.s. The space
between our ambush and the clump was
quite open, and was travcrsed by q deer
path that led up from the water. The
deer path led straight through the willow
clump, and, following the direction Of
Long Dogs finger, saw, In the narrow,
alleylikc deer path, long, catlike tail
waving 10 and fro. II was the tail Of q
full grown mountain lion, an object famil-
lar enough to me, for had killed round
dozen Of the varmint In my time. No
part OF the lion was visible save his tail,
for the willows were thick between us
and his body.
Long Dog seemed TO comprehend the
situation ut once, for when glanced at
his finger tho next moment Il had turned
like weather vane and was pointing IN
the direction Of the bear. With the keen
perception Of n savage, che old Injun
hunter knew at n glance that the mountain
lion was lying there watching the move
ments Of the bear, and hadn't the least
suspicion Of our own presence. Our
situation was n thrilling one, even for an
old hunter. From where we lay, scarcely
daring TO draw breath for fear of betray-
Ing our presence, we could see one side Of
the silver tips big hairy body rs he stood
up and clawed away at the hollow tree,
aud ON the other hand there was the
mountain lions four foot tail waving to
and fro In the narrow deer path like the
tail Of an angry eat. All a a sudden,
bill. went n biz tawnv object through the
mir as quickly and noiselessly as IL il had
been the flash OF shadow. But now the
silence, which had hardly been violated
at all by the industrious bear at the tree,
was broken rudely by whole woodful OF
savage rOars, youts, snaps, snarls and
stand offs. Under the cottonwood tree
stood n big mountain lion in an attitude
Of defiance, scowllng at the bear, which
looked anxious to attack him and yet
half inclined 10 back away.
There II always something unspeakably
eomical about a bear 20 me, whichever
way you take him, and even under the ex-
citing conditions OF the occasion the old
silver tip seemed TO me To wear clown
lsh look. lie stood there a few moments
weaving his big numbering body back
ward and forward, as though he didn't
care n pine needle whether the lion In
tended tackling him again or not. Yet
we could see the blood gently oozing
out Of the long sllvery wool on his shoul-
der, where the mountain lion had gouged
Into him when he made the spring; for the
tawny shadow we had seen flash through
the air was the lion rs he sprang on the
unsuspecting bear.
A low excited ''UghS" from Long Dog
and another motion Of his finger caused
mo 20 glance again into the clump Of will
lows. Take my head for coyote bait II
the lions tail wasn't still In the deer path,
a-thrAshing like fury. Before you could
say ''whlsky" twice, however, biz went
another shadow out Of the willows, and
when looked for the tail again Il was
gone. Instead Of ono mountain lion, a
we had first Thoughts the willows had
sheltered two.
And now the circus opened mp with
savage earnestness. The second lion M
square ON the silver tips withers and well
nigh t0ppled him over. The other one
which had evidently boon waiting for h,