The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-07-20
A HUNTERS STORY.

early hour in the morning.
Thc Blue Mountain country of Oregon.
in which rise two OF the branches of the
Columbia River, was once a hunters
paradise, and il was there the cinnamon
and gr.zzly bears grew the largest and
were always aching for row with some
one. The first few white men in there
after pelts Glanced 50 many perils that it
WAS almost miracle II any of them got
ont alive. The Indians We're numerous
and wUtchfuI, bears and panthersa sas thick
rs miceiu farm house, aud an adventure
OF some sort was sure 10 occur daily.
lad been in = bit of cove or valley on
the eastern side Of the mountains for ten
or twelve days before got anything like
4 scare.
Il was within forty miles o, the south
line of Washington Territory, and the
country for Il hundred miles around me
was in the same savage state Is when Col
umbus discovered the continent. The
Indians were further east, on the Snake
River, or further west, ON the Columbia
and its branches, and only detached par
ties were TO be feared.
While this was great burden of my
mind, the bears and panthers were so nu-
mcrous that was in . state of constant
glarn through the day, and dared not
shut both eyes TO sleep at night.
I lad q pack and = riding mule, and on
the first night of my arrival, while had
Il bright fire burning, and the animals
were tethered within q stones throw, a
panther sprang upon old Bob, my riding
lrllc, and clawed him in 4 terrible way
before ] could get near enough TO settle
him with a bullet. Three or four bears
prowlcd around my camp all night, and
the screams OF a panther kept my eyes
wide open until daybreak.
However. after had thinned out the
colony by dozen or fifteen, the yarmiuts
began to give me n rest.
ON the tenth or eleventh day OF my stay
left camp AZ an early hour in the morn
Ing loaded for bear. followed the val
ley mp FOR half mile, and then turned
iuto Il raviue which was the bed of a creek
during the melting OF the SHOWS
Ii assembled very gradually, and had
been following it for half an hour when
ttaol a sharp bend 10 the right. At this
poiut there was a hole in the right hand
cUI, and ss halted 20 look at il won
dercd il il was not the home OF some saw
age beast.
| had moved on about five hundred feet
when o grizzly, which had been lying
down among the broken rocks, suddenly
rose before me. ] was looking for his
kind, bat his appearance was 50 sudden
ant he showed fight 50 quickly, that my
Eesrt was beating altogether too fast Hs
pulled up for = shot. IL had 20 be = snap
sLo., for not more than thirty feet Sepsr-
afrd us Mine was a single barrellrd rife,
aud / also had = knife and revolver.
The bullet struck bruin in the left
shoulder, and he spun around = dozen
times like 2 top. ] WAS reloa,!iuS when
hc -Jr ready TO form closer acQualEt-
C-.r. lie had wOrked.up the rsvins and
II.at worked down, and we were now a
hundred feet apart. / knew l could not
tai~h leading before he reached me, and
these va, no other way but TO ran Tor il
and hope that he WAS too seriously
vDuad-d q OyGrtaAe me
In those days / could run like horse,
a,d vas accustomed TO ali sorts OF
ground, but l hHdn'r made ten jumps on
this occasion before my foot slipped on
s-as.e and 1 went down with crash
Old grizzly WAS within twenty ieet Of
re when got up, and l pitched my rife
ilto his face - / took new start. The
roar lie uttered lifted me a foot high, and
made dozen extraordinary leaps, but
&c wasn't a minute before ! realized that
l.g was holding his ground, IL not gaining
&. little. No man can guess how far
wounded and eEraged beast Will pursue
him.
/ believe I could have kept clear of this
Ir.,r down 10 the mouth of the rayIne,
Iut Il De pursued me far enough he would
Ic -e-t,,iu TO overtaSe me. made up my
--.,iJ - ] ran that would try the hole in
tuc cliff. IJ was large enough for me TO
r..t-r, and migh be large enough for the
l-. but once inside / could turn and
J..s I..y revolver.
ola grizzly was hardly more than rod
llaiEl is.c when plumbrd into the hole,
and scrambled ahead uu hands and knees.
Nffrr going in about ten feet the hole
turned To the left and narrowed consider
ably. sud seven or eight feet further on l
cane 90 tie end
A. did 50 my hand encountered some
thing SOC and furry, and there was n hiss
end a spit that told me that kitten pam
ther was present. l felt all around me in
size black darkness, but the kitten WAS
the only living object. He was a little
fellow not more than four or six week.
old, but ready 10 bite and scratch If my
lugss touched him.
TE- grizzly did not follow. at once into
the cave. II was five minutes before /
heard him working his way in, and by
this time l had recovered my breath and
nerve. was certain ne could not reach
I've within six feet, and was rather glad
go hear him wheeling and snorting as he
pulled himself along.
BY and by l saw his eyes shine. He
could come ua further. His claws dug at
the rocks and his rOars Of rage deafened
me but ! WAS safe.
1t was now my turn, and I gave him
two shots from the revolver which caused.
him to redoubIe his roars Of rage.
For about ten minutes felt very qJfeer
over the situation, but ali Of a suddieriit
struck me that l had gained nothing by
the change. In place Of being fugitive
I was 4 prisoner. The bear showed no
disposition TO retreat, and now became
r,vcre of the fact that the cave had a rank
Smell and that the body OF the bear pre-
veatcd the fresh air from entering.
irit that I must drive him out, and
did . very foolish thing. / edged nearer
TO him and put four bullets into his head,
and after a long drawn moan he closed
Lis cyesand died.
l congratulated myself for n moment,
Int then il dawned uPon me that had
cAokcd up the passage 70 liberty with the
Carcass OF bear weigh hing at least COO
pounds. l thought | might be able TO
ru-h u before me, but when / made the
@-tcWpt could not stir IL an inch. had
Corc au iaiutic thing, and there was no
WY 20 repair tie error.
WAS wondering how should get ont
% ir. wi;,n heard th. scream of another
s,-.-.1l ut thr entrance of the cave, and in
% firoulr.it more realized that the mother
al tuc cab panther had arrived IL wSs
w-.i for me that the body OF the bear
Z .rch-tI tl.c entrance
Tire panther went Wild with fury when
her kitten began TO call. She bit and
clgved 20 the bcs-. and by great effort
pulled IL bac,s few inches. Had not the
space been "a contracted she could prob
ably have drawn it olt, but she did not
Lave fair sh " 10 use her strength. Her
eyes looked at me over the body Of the
bear. aud If one ever saw fury it was in
Nrar