The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-19

was nowhere to be seen. We descended
oy different route, seeing only a large
porcupine. which allowed as to approach il
Within distance of couple of wards with
out showing any inclination to stir from
the Dusn to which it was clinging TWENTY
Iour hours later was once more upon my
OLD post at the edge of the great moraine.
High up on the moutain side above me were
couple OF black bears disporting them
selves, but my attention was concentrated
on huge brown bear, whose skin. skull
and paws are before me as I write together
with the skin Of three others) pegged out to
its full capacity. This bear was fully eight
times as large as any OF the black bears,
and l had an opportunity of comparing
them at that very moment, since one OF
the black bears was feeding not more than
stone-throw away. The tape measure
ments of the skin give it an area of sixty
i've square feet, including head and
it measures six feet. and in
length nine without the head, the
claws of the fore paws measure four
inches round the curve, and in fur, size and
texture the hide strongly resembles that OF
buffalo. But meanwhile one of the black
bears scented danger, scampered upwards,
and passing across the face of an appar.
emily inaccessible precipice, disappeared
from view. The brother bear continued
feeding. sometimes standing still to gaze
down upon the moralne and valley below,
or Atting up TO reach some of the sour. red
berries which yet fingered, or paving up
the stones. For several hoars | watched
the animals movements. hoping it might
take fancy to descend, but it con.
unued mounting, mounting upwards, the
angle OF the slopes being about two in
one, or twenty-five degrees from the per-
pendicular. So colossal was it that took
the black bear at the first glance to be its
cxfh ho hos
without shifting ground. in an open glade
between some rocks. About dusk is dis
appeared from view into the thicket. To
be able during an entire afternoon to obs
serve wild bears in their native haunts, I'M
der such favorable circumstances, would
be considered by many sportsmen a great
privilege. But while had passed the day
alone upon the glacier John Ham.
mond had been more successful in q
narrow ravine upon The opposite
side of the valley. After climbing sutfi-
GENTLY high to obtain good view he
sighted one black bear below him and an.
other upon the opposite side of the gulch.
Climbing down TO find the former, he en-
countered a cinnamon bear upon the same
ridge and promptly fired upon which il
leaped aside and vanished in the brush
wood with an uncommon crushing OF
twigs and branches. Not supposing il
wounded he abandoned further pursuit
temporarily in order to recover his
hat which had rolled some five
hundred feet in the canon below.
showing the extreme abruptness of the
declivity. but on re-ascending the beal
was discovered stone dead, having re
ceived bullet through the spine. Thf
black bear on the opposite face had re-
manned in the same locality as when frs,
seen. After severe climb he arrived al
spot about twenty yards to Ieeward of il
the animal lying down; upon the FIRST
shot striking its shoulder it seemed al
though it might succeed in escaping, but I
second gave it the qcietus. after which tho
successful nimrod returned triumphantly
to camp, proud man. These
two bears were in poor condi
ton, but their fur was astonishingly
thick and fine. The following morning
1 assembled to the spot where the biz
on the previous evening and waited
for several hours impatiently hoping
for its appearance. The view
was considerably impeded by the
vegetation and the unevenness of the
ground, while the wind blowing in treach-
erous gusts from the different directions
may have given it the alarm; above there
stretched a long wall of cliffs, and as II
was impossible to see more than very cir
cumscribed portion of the ground, found
thar / should have done better had I
waited patiently below. The climb &C
corded more with my idea of the chamois
or wild-goat hunting than that of bears,
cred. 1t requires some time to elapse for
man to become accustomed to the extreme
loneliness of these portions of British Co
lumbia. especially in such situations, when
he feels that in no eventuality can he hope
for assistance from any human being but
himself.
Before quitting camp 10. I assembled the
mountain on which / had seen so many
specimens of the bear as far as suow level
seeing in different places two more bears,
but not in such q position as to render il
possible to approach them; this mountain
mass gave the name of Mount Ripinsky,
trusting that DR.. Selwyn will kindly allow
these few names have bestowed to figure
in future maps of this portion of the Do
minion. This block of snow peaks is en-
closed between the Klaheena and Marble
rivers, and the whole range include under
name was originally given to those lying
between the Chilcat country and Glacier
bay.
The same day on which I left camp 10
tie big brown bear and fine black bear
met their deaths at the hand of Michael,
the half-breed, who. / might mention, is
half Kwagiulth Indian and half Sandwich
Islander, and an expert axeman, canoeiss
and woodsman. Lending him my Eng
lish express ble-barrelled rifle, left
him to make the best of the opportunities
which chance might bring. His inclina,
ton led him to select the same spot upon
the Marble moraine where had waited sc
patiently for the big bear. Diana smiled
upon him, and the monster descended the
slope lower than it had ever done before,
and actually came to within 10 yards OF
where he was lying in wait. This prox-
unity was becoming uncomfortable and
Michael fired at the brute. hoping that ID
would retire, because q much pleasanteS
adversary in the shape of harmless black
bear was feeding near at hand. The
big bear did retire-mortaliy wounded,
but is was not discovered until next
morning that the bullet had entered the
neck and after traversing the chest had
lodged somewhere in the neighborhood OF
the heart After routing the brute Michael
next attacked the black bear, and killed IL
in two shots at q distance OF about fifty
yards, and leaving further operations till
next day, returned 10 camp.
The Victim OF Excessive Industry.
All the Year Round.