Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1890-01-17
had now time 10 think, and, as a

] IL
fast OF sweet acorns. | had lost
my way. had only a ducking gun,
which, however formidable to wild
geese, was a mere plaything when
brought to bear upon the thick,
tough hide of an acorn fntted grizzly,
whose gross weight might he some.
where in the neighborhood OF nine
hundred pounds. AS for my hunting
knife | had lett it at home, What
wonder if, as an Irishman might say,
wished that had left myself there
before started!
Against all this had the consola-
tory assurance that the grizzly bear
never climbs, which, as the
trees were all on the side OF
the bear. did not add much
to my sense of security. But my
principal hope lay in the fact that /
was just then hidden by the gully, the
depth of which varied from eight to
twelve feet, with PERCEPTIONS sides and
and dry bed. which probably led
down to some ne ghboring stream oil
water.
"Now," thought l, Il have only to
crawl along this ditch, reach the
stream, cross 1t, and bid good-by to
grizzly"
had just picked myself up, and
was proceeding TO carry out my plan
of escape, when | heard cracking
and breaking fthe underbrush which
fringed the ditch, and by which was
/ h.
speedily followed byan angry growl,
us the trecherous earth gave way, and
let Mr.. Bear with no gentle tumble
directly down into the very gully in
to which had fallen.
Fortunately for me. bruin had not
only greater fall, but tumbled into
the ditch at a point somewhat dis
tant from my hiding place, and .he
little ferret eyes did not Mt once per
ceive me. An unluckv stumble, how
ever, which owed to twisted root.
betrayed me. and he turned and gave
chase
They have very expressive phrase
in California when person is desir-
ed to leave suddenly; it consists OF
but two words, You git" My
young reader, when that bear tum-
bled into my gully II got, and when
he took up the chase, Icontinued 'to
git in style which astonisbed even
myself.
When first saw him fall certain
~ hoped that he had broken his nose
at least, or even dislocnted his great
ugly neck; but that hope vanished in
u moment.
He was evidenely not a whit the
worse for his somersaut.
1t was no longer IL matter of cere
mony. | sped over the ground likea
hunted deer, while my stout friend
came numbering and putting on be
hind, like a portly old gentleman who
fears lie may be too late for the even
ing train. was expecting every mo
ment to feel the blow of his heavy
paw, when, turning an angle of the
gully, | perceived with no little dis
may, that the ditch in front OF mt
was blocked by an immense fallen
tree. The smaller end of the broker
trunk being toward me, showed M
opening wide enough to admit my
then somewhat more than usually
slender form.
There was little time for hesita
ton. could hear the bears heavy
tramp behind me. A moment more
and | had plunged into the opening
and drew my gun after me, Just ms
my fat friend rounded the turn oftht
''slue' in hot pursuit. Running blind
ly on, he endeavored to force himscl
after me, giving the log a shocl
which made me tremble for the secur
ity of my new tenement.
One or two furious plunges tended
to convince him that | could enter
where his huge frame could not, fol
t he seemed to reflect, and finally in
troduced a paw, from whose tal
reaching grab | retired into the innel
recesses af my chamber.
Finding that his attempts in this
way were equally futile, | began tt
!, feel a little more Mt easo; and whel
! bruin again poked in his great paw
in an inquiring sort of way, | man
aged to push dead duck out to hin
with the butt Of my gun by way of {
peace offering was willing just ther
/ to. have peace at any price short o
surrender.
But Sir Bear had no thought o
such compromise He tore ava,
! and made feathers fly with his crue
, teeth and claws, in style which CAV,
me pretty lively notion of what
might expect were to trust mysel
within their grasp.
| had begun to think seriously o
giving my pursuer the benefit of ,
charge of duck shot, in the hope o
t putting out one or both OF his ugl,
little eyes and making him give NJ
: the hunt when, my eyes becomin.
accustomed to the darkness, discov
cred a faint indication oflight behino
me.
On working myself round, | saw
that the hollow into which | had en-
tered was divided by n narrow 70
! eaten wall from still larger oper
, ing in the trunk beyond, the portion
j, OF the great tree in which | had en-
sconced myself being in reality onl,
=, the main branches and lying almos
at right angles to the parent stem
A little lusty kicking, with SOM
, help from my pocket knife, soon en-
5 abled me to worm my way witt
2 difficulty through the opening. Int,
|, this | immediately stuffed nv lioh