The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-11-22
CHASED BY BRUIN.
A Young officers Lively Experience
in the Wilds of 0ld-Time
California.

Forty or more years ago, in the days
when California was only poor, far-otf
Mexican California and nothing more,
and l was a very young officer in Uncle
Sans little army, / once found myself
stationed at a certain inland town-lf a
collection Of adobe or mud huts deserved
the name-situated about sixty miles dis
tant from the her scarcely larger village
of Yerba Buena, the now mighty city of
San francisco.
We were doing garrison duty-a single
company, under old Capt. Jack B,
an easy going commander, who gave us
little to do and plenty of time to do it in.
So, as the hours hung somewhat heav-
lily upon our hands, Capt. Jack and L
the only officers at the post-took tc
hunting and shooting, with now and
then a little fishing by way of change, to
vary the monotony of u soldier life.
Countless flocks of wild geese, brant and
lesser water fowl came by thousands to
banquet upon the wild oat fields and
make their reedy homes among the wide
marshes which separate the firmer land
about Sonoma from the spreading bays
that terminate in the Golden Gate.
We had goose for dinner, brant for
breakfast and cold duck for supper and
lunch, till old Jack declared his belief
that he should quack if we ate any more
such fare.
Orfe morning I had been very success
full at duck shooting, and when ] tired
of the sport l proceeded to shoulder my
piece and secure my game for the home
ward tramp of three or four miles.
AS 1 lost sight of the shooting ground,
and began to enter the live oak groves
scattered here and there along the higher
ridges bordering the marshy edges of
the bay, I found myself suddenly envel-
oped in one of those dense mists which
sweep up at certain seasons from the
sea, like the ocean vapors of a Newport
summer afternoon.
AS I had no special path, and was
travelling only by familiar landmarks,
now rendered indistinct by the hoary
haze, / was obliged to 0 more slow
ly, and soon felt satisfied that / had
missed my way.
Reaching at length a space open
upon three sides, the fourth being thinly
wooded, but without a particle Of under
growth paused for a moment to sur
vey, SO far as my limited horizon would
permit, a tract of country which was
new to me; moreover, 1 hoped to hear
the sound of running water, which, as /
knew the general direction Of the
streams, would serve to guide me in
taking what sailors call a fresh depar-
ture.
While listening intensely, / heard from
the wooded side of my narrow, visible
world a sort of pounding, as if some mar
with large boots and no corns had found
his feet unpleasantly cold, and was en-
deavoring to warm them by stamping in
a manner which betokened an utter dis
regard for shoe leather.
Then came a wheeze like that Of a
gruf giant troubled with the asthma,
and finally a mixed compound Of
~crunchihg and mumbling, as if q huge
hog were eating hard III My atten-
ton being now thoroughly aroused by
SO remarkable a combination of sounds,
I peered into the gloom until I fancied
/ could perceive the vague, misty form
of some creature stirring up the fog
within twenty feet of the spot on which
/ had halted.
at is-no, it can't be-yes, but it is a
grizzly! Don't l wish l was at home!"
That's what I thought. You see, I
hadn't come bear hunting, l was duck
shooting, and had no conveniences for
carrying home a bear, even if I should
kill one; and the more I looked at Mr..
Grizzly, the better satisfied I was that
he had every convenience for killing and
carrying mel
All l had ever heard or read of his
ugly, hateful ways seemed to rush into
my mind.
If / had been examined on this subject
in natural history just then, l should
have gone up to the head of my class
Immediately.
Meanwhile we stood looking at each
other. 1t was evidently a surprise on
both sides. l stared very hard at the
bear with wide open eyes, while the bear
stared very hard at me with wide open
mouth.
/ think the bear got over his astonish-
ment first, and, what is worse, I could
see he wasn't at all alarmed. He stopped
eating, gave a sniff and a snort of inter
rogatory "Who are you?" grunt, and
then took a step toward me.
AS I am of a retiring disposition, and
have never been willing to intrude my
self into company where I have not been
invited, | felt some delicacy in continu-
ing to be a witness of his repast, and was
accordingly Withdrawing in as unosten-
tatious a way as good manner would
permit, when it seemed to occur to bruin
that he owed it to good fellowship to
cultivate my acquaintance.
Declining that honor, l dropped into a
backward walk, keeping my face, after
the manner of royal presentations. toward
this monarch Of the western wilds, when,
to my horror, he favored me with a grin
such a grin!-and it was followed by a
snap and a growl.
AS he quickened his steps toward me,
Iunconsciously fastened my own; when,
taking a long stride backward, l found
myself suddenly PROSTATE in a sort Of
dry ditch or ~''slue," where l lay for a
moment half stunned, in company with
my dead birds and duck gun.
AS l recovered myself ] could hear my