The morning news., 1889-03-28
AN ILLUMINATED BEAR.
Old Bruin Set the Camp Af1re and
Chased jim Watts Into the Creek.

Old Bruin Set the Camp Af1re and
Chased jim Watts Into the Creek.
From the Sdn Francisco Examiner.
Aleck McGregor of Mono, who is gener
ally on a hunt at this time Of year, came
down to San Francisco and registered al
one of the notels. An Examiner man met
him in the corridor and asked him if there
was any game up in his country.
II know there is one smashing big grizzly
somewhere around Mono lake, replied Mr.
McGregor. slim Watts, Manuel Lopez
Sing Wong and myself went over there in
October with camping outfit to have
about four weeks fun, and we crowded
is all into one week and had lots tC
spare.
"You see Jim Watts has some uotions OF
his own about how go have a good tims in
camp, and when we were putting up our
stuff for the trip, Jim said it wouldn't dc
for man to make too radical a change in
his way of life. and for his part he didn't
propose to break up his constitution either
by chopping flrewood or going to bed at
an unseemly hour. SO he piled in a coal-oil
lamp, a deck of cards and a four gallon can
of kerosene. We had plenty of beans and
Sing was cautioned to reserve from the pot
enough TO furnish chips for a pretty stiff
game
''We pitched our tents on the bank of a
stream and got fixed up in shape, and l re-
gret to say that owing to the pernicious
counsels and example of Watts, i" did nc
hunting, but sat up all night playing poker
and slept every day until noon. Sing did
all the work, of course, except taking care
of the horses. which a Chinaman can't do.
Manuel did that, and we allowed him the
kitty for it.
'One night we had fine game goi
and were paying for a Jackpot which had
goGe round four times. | lad an open
ing hand Manuel had something good and
Watts wanted only one card. Just as we
were calling for cards Sing jumped up with
yell from his blankets at the back of the
tent and stampeded right over our game,
knocking the oil can upon which we were
playing wrong end up and seattle ing the
beans all around. Manuel pulled his re-
volver and was about to take shot at Sing
when we heard a growl, and turning our
heads saw the gray muzze of a grizzly
pOked through the back of the tent into the
syrup dish.
EMANUEL was mad and saying, Dana
you, spoila such pot like himl Carajol
he popped at thu BEARS head. Then we all
got up and went ont of that tent | was in
hurry and took tue front tent pole along
with me, and Jim tipped over the kerose ae
lamp en- route. Tne bear came i'll rather
hastily at the back and knocked down the
other tent pole That brought the whole
thing down about his ears and in two sec
onds there was more fun than a barrel OF
monkeys in the camp.
"The lamp broke and exploded when il
fell, and evidently the plug had fallen out
OF the oil eau, for everything was in a blaze
in no time. Old Bruin, for we discovered
afterwards by the clubfoot track that he
was the disturber, got tangled up in the
bnrpipO tant and IN, rol1ino a ahout ha eoDpaf
up good deal of the loose oil. While ht
was slamming things around like q full
grown earthquake and making Rome how
in taat neck o woods we stood around plug
ging revolver bullets into the general i'm
broglio of things, which didn't improve hi:
temper.
"It was probably less than a minute be
fore he came out Of the wreck, blazing lik,
a Fourth of July celebration. His oil-soakeC
hair was atire in patches, and pieces OF
burning canvass hung about him. OF all
the bowling and roaring / ever heard-and
mind you I've heard Sam Davis of Carson
try t. siug-that was the worst. That ole
bear just s5ormed around the camp, claw
ing at the fire, tearing the burning canva
VITA his teeth and betting everything tina
came in his way. When he'd swing paw
and hit the trunk of tree swat, the barl
would fly
"Manuel and / Skinned up two tall tree
like squirrels, and Sing crawled into a hol
low log and kept quiet, but Jim Watts STOOD
there like chump and watched the circus
We couldn't shoot the bear because we had
left our rifles in the tent and they were
being burnt up, and revolvers were of NJ
account against beast in such tantrums
Watts did pepper him though, and got
into trouble Tor doiug it. His bullets JUS
attracted old Bruins attention as he swung
around the circle, and he made rush fol
Watts.
Watts didn't have time to pick out a
route of retreat. He just had to scoot, and
how he did scoot! He headed for the bank
of the creek, which was about ten feet
higher than the water, with the illuminated
bear in hot pursuit There WAS no chance
TO dodge or turn, and Watts took the leap
He struck feet first about twenty feet from
the bank, aud went down 'kerchug.' Watts
came up to breat e just as old bruin piled
over the bank and fell into the water with 6
splash and sizzle Watts dived, swan uI
stream and under water, and crawled 81
lently out in dark place. Old bruiu kept
straight across and landed on the opposite
bank. His plunge had extinguis ed him,
and he was blazing only with wrath, and
he tore away through the brush, growing
and m king the bark fly.
Watts came back to camp, and when we
gathered about the burning ruins of oul
outfit he showed up bobtai flush which ht
had held in his left hand all the time, and
said:
Wasn't that dandy hand to draw tC
on a jack-potP"