The Opelousas courier., 1890-06-28

AN EAfLOSlfE bbhS AN
Last summer I was hunting in the
widest part of the Coast Range, Cali
fornia, and one evening while trudging
along the bottom of a deep ravine |
skirted the edge of a deep thicket, and
NV coat sleeve brushed against the
bushes. This slight disturbance of the
brush was followed by a deep, hoarse
sswoof,n something like the grunt of a
hog. that came from the chaparral not
more than a dozen feet away. A bear
was in there, and if he had charged ]
should have had no time to get ogaot
his way. For a few seconds l stood
with cooked rifle at the edge of the
thichet, backed by the almost perpen-
d1cular wall of the ravine, which cut OIL
ANYTHING like a rapid retreat. But the
bear did not seem disposed to start a
fight, and as he did not charge, l moved
away cautiously and climbed backward
up the side of the ravine a few yards,
got behind a large rock that would
serve as a breastwork and rolled a few
powders down into the brush in revenge
for the scare old Bruin lad given me.
He demonstrated by a growl or two, and
then heard him making his way down
| the ravine.
Subsequent events make me thank my
stars that the bear didn't take the trou-
bic to follow me up the side OF that
gorge. Jack Waddell, an old mountain
| Ger, was in the same ravlne a few days
later walking along a ledge about thirty
J feet above the stream when he saw q
a large grizzly on the other side. Jack
thought he was pretty safe and opened
the fight by sending a so calibre ex-
plosive bullet into the bears shoulder.
The grizzly sprang into the air when
struck, but when he recovered from ms
surprise he saw Jack and started prompt
ly down the bank to cross the ravine and
get at him. Jack knocked the bear
!, down twice with explosive balls before
he reached the creek, and twice more
while he was crossing the little stream,
but the grizzly got up every time and
seemed more determined to reach his as.
sailant.
Jacks confidence was severely shaken
and he would have been glad to retreat
but it was impossible to get out of the
ravine with any celebrity. He had tt
fight it out right there. He could see
the ragged wounds made by his bullets
in the bears chest and shoulders, and he
knew that any one of them ought to Kill
an ordinary animal. He said it just
broke his heart to see that grizzly pal
himself together and come On in the face
of such a fire, and he felt very dubious
about the result of the scrimmage. Blu
as the bear reached up to climb the ledge
upon which he was standing Jack put al
explosive bullet through his eye and
scrambled his brains, and the bear rolled
&c the bottom Of the gorge. Jack sat
down on a rock and had a good trem.
bling spell all by himself.
If the grizzly had the cat tribes liking
for human meat, or wa of a malevolent
nature, his great strength and absolute
fearlessness would make him a worse
scourge than the man-eating tiger OF
India, but he will not eat human flesh,
and he generally minds his own business
when not interfered with. His method
Of fighting makes him the toughest Gus
toner d man ever tackled in . rough
and tumble. When the grizzly attack
he rushes upon a man at full speed, ant
overthrows him with the impetus Of thu
assault, at the same time striking a swing.
ing blow with his ponderous paw. I'm
agine an animal weighing half a tor
hurting himself head first against a man
and then believe what you please abou
the hunters who stop the onslaught witt
a bowie knife. The grizzly stands fou
feet high at the shoulders, and he cal
strike a man in the face without risins
ON his hind legs. Usually he does strik,
at the head SO swiftly hat no man cal
dodge the blow, and the man who sur
wives such q stroke is very lucky. IhaV
seen full grown steers killed by one blow
of a grizzly's paw, the neck being broker
in every instance.
:. John Searles, d leading citizen of Sal
Bernardino, is one of the few men VIII
have lived to tell how it feels to be hi
BY d grizzly. a few years ago he me
d large bear In che mountains near For
|, TETON and shot him in the shoulder
with one paw and then with the other
The frst blow tore off part of Searles'
scalp and the second smashed his jaw an
knocked him end over end down I'll
E Il F2s9-A - -