St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-12

and made friends with Seattle Tom and
me last June in Lost Mine Gulch, MI.
Editor of the Sun, you ought to have
been on hand. When we sent the letter
off East, Seattle Tom and Kanuck Pierre
allowed that would be the last of it; at
least they thought it mighty doubtful
about the Sun printing their names in
it, anyhow. Neither of 'em had ever
seen their names in print before, and
want to tell you they were both nightly
tickled. We've decided to send you the
first cinnamon cub we round up next
spring. as slight token of our regard.
You'll find cinnamon cub heap pert
er varmint to have around your office
than cat.
told you in the last letter of the first
night we spent in the Bears Paw
mountains. and of the grizzlies loafing
and rumaging around outside the shack
all night, and then taking to the woods
at daybreak. My hair stood on end
once or twice during the night, as huge
grizzlies came nosing almost into the
doorway, and | was mighty glad to find.
laughed when | told him how. during
my watch, the grizzlies simply stood
and stared, eproachful-like, when L
s-scatted at 'em and queeked to scare
Fem off.
Better not poster 'em." said he;
"they're friendlier this season than
Eve seen 'em since the winter of '56,
when Mexican Sam and | were showed
in on the Rattlesnake range, and should
have starved to death but for pair OF
grizzlies who broke path through the
drifts for us, and helped US down to
lower ground.
Little did Seattle think. when he
laughed at my scariness, that before an
other twenty-four hours he would be as
eager to light out for Camp Cook AS a
tenderfoot, although he had been hand
and glove with grizzlies. so to speak.
most of his life. We prospected all that
day for the lost mine. following the
gulch from point where we had picked
up promising piece of float. Some
distance further along we stumbled
upon an old moccaSin and couple OF
empty bottles, and were expecting to
locate the mine any minute, when gath
ering darkness compelled us to give it
up for the day. We had fastened the
shack door with chain in the morning,
and had no idea the bears would come
round again during daylight. Even
Seattle allowed they would give us the
shake till about supper time, when Old
Eph would be pretty sure to turn up for
more tiapjacks, and the whole herd wait
upon us again later in the evening.
We were both way off, however,
for when we reached camp about
6 o'clock, we found the door
caved in, and that the grizzlies had
been in full possession of the shack.
They'd about Quilted the place. The
only thing left was ham. which hung
up out of their reach. They had even
bursted open our baking powder and
coffee tins. and had licked out the sugar
tin cleaner than a mining pan. The
pepper was the only thing left untouched
We scraped up what flour we could,
which, with the ham, would last US, we
reckoned, till Thursday morning.
Lets see," unused Seattle. as we lit
a pine knot and surveyed the wreck,
wasn't there something else? Why,
certainly, the dried apples" We had
brought up twenty eight pound bago
dried apples. Looking about, we found
the remains of the bag over in one cor
ner, but not so much as one slice or ap-
pie. Seattle looked at me and laughed.
''Remember the three commissary
mules at Fork Kinney year ago last
winter" said he, that made away with
a sack of dried apples? Well, you
know what'll happen to the Ornery cuss
of a bear that has devouled twenty
eight pounds of 'em."
We were frying ham and pancakes
for supper when the circus, that finally
scared us out of the gulch, commenced.
The shindy opened up much as it did
the evening before-by few grizzlies
sliding mp in a neighborly way toward
the campfire, and others making them
selves at home about the shack.
The night was dark and the wind
moaned and sighed through the pines
as we sat and eyed our strange visitors,
some of which seemed, in the uncertain
flicker of the fire, as big as cows. We
could hear them all around US making
cracking amcng the pine needles just
beyond the glow of the campfire, as
thew walked round and round, half
afraid. yet nightly tempted to come
into the light. Now and then a pair of
playful young grizzlies, full OF devil
ment, would come numbering into the
glare, edging away from Seattle and me
bashful sort of way.
We were smoking and figuring on the
likelihood Of locating the mines next
morning, and wondering whether the
grizzlies mad molested the burros down
in the park, when terrific swapping
and hard breathing near by arrested our
attention. The next moment the thiev-
ing old Gus that toted off our jug OF
syrup. and whom we had given pan
| menced twirling round and round and
swapping at his own stomach.
"Dried apples" said Seattle; that's
him Old Eph. What with sugared
flapjacks, molasses and dried apples,
| it's been a case of short life and a
merry one with him since our arrival. -
As he tumbled we'll into the glimmer
| he presented a spectacle that made
| Seattle and ME look instinctively round
| for tree. Not that he seemed inclined
| to attack us particularly, but the dried
apples were getting in their fine work
| on him in good shape, and he was about
| crazy with pain. His back was arched
| like possum'S back in a biz
card, and his sides were bulged out as
round as whisky barrel. He looked
| almost ready to explode, in fact, and
| his eyes glowed and twinkled like live
Goals. The froth flew from hts mouth
as he twirled and snapped at himself
and thrashed around. He seemed a
mighty ticklish customer to have
around, and was liable to go crazy as a
loon any minute and run amuck.
We decided to get to our Winchesters
and take tree. Before going. how
ever, we piled wood on the fire and took
with us what was left of the flour and
the ham. Nothing happened for some
time after we climbed the tree, and we
sat and discussed the situation. Seattle
had had experience with crazy grizzlies
| several times, and he allows that real
demon grizzly is about ten times as
| dangerous as one that's only
| fighting mad. A demon grizzly
doesn't know his own strength.
| Seattle says their strength increases
| Just as it does in the case of a mailman.
| In Idaho [ once saw demon grizzly
tear up trees foot through, and end by
| rushing, as if he was stone-blind, over a
/ ,,..oai,aioa To hiC daath Whpthar Old