Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1888-07-06
A HUNTERS PLIGHT

A HUNTERS PLIGHT <,
Twenty wear, ag before the di'ap- ', q
.oara,,e Of the luiTalo, and before INV %
powrr Of the fighting tribes Of Indians G
.,.' ro" h.ol<oo a white man could set al, a
most any sort of adventure west
omobo ot very early hour in the morn i
inc, Tn. Blue NJ untaia con''r! !,
OREGON in which rise two o' wy
hroocbes oftho Columbia river was
once hunters paradise, and mere -
was the cinnamon and the grizzly o'"''
GROW the lar COST anl were al" ys ".A
inc for a row with some onc. Inc n'''
white men in thcr, after poIts 'hau00N
so many perils that it wa almost a III" mn
aclc if any of them got out alv'' lH
Indians were numerous and wa'cn w.
bears and panthers as thick as mice II
fa,m borsc and an aIve lture Of someV
sort was sure to occur dai'y'
1had been in a bit OF cove or val'ey
on the eastern silc of the mountains
fot ton or twelve days before got any
tbinq like a scare. 1t was within lof'y
miles of the south line of Washington
Territory and the country for nun
drod miles around me was in the same
.4o+o 90 when Columbus dis
covered the continent. Inc lnuia"'
wcro further cast, on the Snake rlVcr'
, or further west on tho Co 'umbia ana It's
branches, and only detached par'i''
wore to be feared. While tins was
GREAT burden off my mind, the De"i'
and panthcrs were so numerous th@'
was in a state of constant alarm throu3l
tho day, aud dared not shut both eye
TO sleep at night. had pack ana
riding mule, and on the first night
nv arrival, whi l had bright ilr
burning, and tho animals were tcthero
! within stones throw, apanther spran
upon old Bob, my riding mule. an
y
1 could get near enough to settle hi
4 with bullet. Three or four bea
. prowled around my camp all nigh
aad the screams of panther kept m
% eyes opca uatil dayorcak. Howeve
alter had thinnod ous tho colony by
dozen or fl teen, the varmints began
sivJ me rest.
On the 10th or t1th day of my stay
lot camp at an early hour in the NOR
ing loaded for bear. followed the VI
! ley up for a half mile, and then turn(
/. into raviao which WIS th1 bed oil
creek during the melting of the snow
r, It cendcd very gradually, and III
!. been following it for half an hour, VIII
4 it took sharp bend to the right.
this point there was hoe il the rigt
hand cliff, and as halted to look at
wondered if it was not the home
some savage Least. 1 had novel
about 500 feet, when grizzly, VIII
ha been lying down anorg the brok
rocks. suddenly rose be ore me. "
looking for his kind, but his appearan
- was so sudden, and he showed fight
e quickly that my heart was beating all
!. gethcr too fast as pulled up for sh
:. 1t had to be snap shot, for not m'
than 80 feet separated u'. Mine wa
sinqlc-barrellcd rifle, and | also ha'
knife and revolver. The bullet stru
d, bruil Ia the left shoulder, aad he sp
ar around dozen times like top.
il reloading when he got ready to iorr
closer acquaintance. He had worh
II M the ravine AMI had worke do'
ng and We were now 100 icct apart
u, knew could not fini,h loading BET
"a he reached me, aud there was no OF
,r- way but TO run for it and hope that
d, was too seriously wounded TO overt'
~ me.
~ In those days l could run like mol
"A and was accustomed to all sorts
IN, ground. but hadn't made ten lul
Hu on this occasion before my foot sap
on stone and l went down VIII
crash. Old grizzly wa within tive
feet of me when got up and pl'c
=, nv rifle into hi, face as took
in start. The roar he uttered lifted m
rid foot high, and made dozen c1'r'
rs binary leaps, but it wasn'ta minute
hs m fore realized that he was holding
ground, if not gaining a little nv
lite can Guess how far wounded anu
'ra nt ragged beast will pursue him. oe',
on. | could have kept clear oil TINS
tel, down to the mouth of the raVlne, "
,e' Z he pursued me far enough ne wouiU
The certain to ovcrtake me. | made up
rof mild as | ran that l would try inc
ers in the cliff 1t was large enough
me TO enter, and might be large eHO
for the bear, but once INSIDE =
ss' turn aud use my revolver GA 9
s. was hardly moro than rod OeNi'N
when I plumbed into the io'g
scrambled ahead on hands ana n
After going in about ten iee' ny
turned to the left and narrowed oO-
erabIy, and seven or eight leee ~ "
on came to tie end. As ! aiu -
hand encountered something sou
! "a furry, and there was hiss anu
4 "a that told me that kitten pan 'nV'
- present. 1 felt all around m0 :. =
black darkness, but the kitten -, ~
only living object. He was ~
low, not more than four or SiA
old, but ready to bit aud scrA''A
fingers touched him.