Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1889-03-07
SMILEY'S TOUGH FIGHT.
HE LAYS OUT TWO IMMENSE BEARS
WITH A HICKORY CLUB.

An Act of careiessness Which Came Near
Costing a sIan His Llfe-A Fight for tho
Carcass of "a Deer-An Interesting REM
ipiscence Told by the Old Hunter.
+ On the top of Smoky mountain, at
least five miles from any settlement or
farm. in the midst Of the widest part of
this rough, mountainous section. there is
an old hunter named Job Smiley.
Among the many narrow escapes he
has had, one Of the most interesting per-
haps is the account, as he himself told it,
OF his fight With two full grown black
bears, in which, with nothing but a big
hickory stick, he comes off finally victori-
GUS, although terribly clawed and bitten.
This is the story as he told it himself:
was out hunting as usual one day on
one of the cross ridges of the Big Smoky
when l got on the trail of q big buck,
which l followed for two hours before /
got close enough to shoot. When l did
get the chance the buck was about
seventy yards below me on a narrow
shelf, which overhung a rocky precipice
of fifteen or twenty feet. ! drew a bead
on the buck and dropped him dead in his
tracks. Then did a very foolish thing
l never did before and never will
again, and that was this: / laid my gun
down against a log, not even taking time
to load it, and climbed down to the spot
where the buck lay.
THEY ALL GOT THERE.
Igot there safely, and SO did a couple
of laundering big bears about the same
tine. They had a den in the side of the
mountain close by, and my shot alarmed
them or they had been laying for the
deer themselves. We'll, they were there
and SO was l, and, unfortunately, l was
without q weapon. l saw there was
going to be trouble, and that | couldn't
get back to my gun, so / looked about
me quietly to see if / could find anything
with which to defend myself. IL
Down close by my feet / saw a big
hickory limb, which had been broken off
in some of the fearful wind storms so
common on the mountain. The stick
was about five feet long and nearly three
inches thick. Now, you can just imagine
that / got hold Of that stick mighty
quick. 1t was fresh and sound, and an
excellent weapon against one bear; but
two-I had very serious doubts about the
outcome in that case. This all occurred
In q good deal less time than it takes to
tell tin fact, in less time than that
both brutes We're coming ut me with
open mouths. / waited until the first
one rose to his feet, which they do when
they are in for a fight, when I gave him
n rap on the side of the head that knocked
him down. Then l drew back my club
just in time to strike at the other one.
somehow that bear knocked that blow
off, and he did it 30 quickly that the
force l had given it came near making
me lose my balance. As it was. the in
ifernal brute gave me a swipe with his
for paw y &c. et.esssiH uniting sii EErttat
t~heisliouldef into shoe strings and%ripped
my hide and flesh clear across from the
shoulder half way down my arm.
Before the bear could close in on me,
however. l sprang back and drew up my
club ready for another blow. The first
one / had knocked over was now on his
feet, and both of them having smelled
the blood were in savage earnest, and it
was now a fight to the death. They
both came at me on their. hind feet,
about six feet apart and about the same
distance from me. AS they got close
enough to reach | swung the big club
down on a level, and just as quick as l
possibly could | gave one of them a
laundering poke square between the
eyes. This vas the fellow on my left.
Then | swung the club to the right, and
got in q pretty good one on the ether
ones neck. The bear 1 had struck be-
tween the eyes was badly hurt, as he
laid right down aud whined. l hap
pened to turn my eyes in his direction
and this gave the other one an oppor-
tunity, and the first / knew l was
knocked backward and came near fall
ing, with the bear close upon me.
l. A TIGHT CORNER.
There was no getting away this time.
he had his fore paws around my left arm
and waist almost before I knew it. For.
tunately my right hand was free, and ]