Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-04-24

or cripple them both, as | feared that the
unhurt one would get out of SIGHT before
could get a fair shot at it.
Suddenly the big one threw himself
upon the elk with har III snarI. his hair
rising on end. his ears laio back, aud his
tail switching viciously as he lay at full
length, his head turned away from me.
evidently watching some object down the
canon. The female, toe, advanced nearly
beside him. her hair sticking out like
bristles, and her angry snarling was deep
er and more threatening than his.
AT first l could see nothing of the in
truder against which this fierce threaten
ing was launched, but | more than sus-
pected its nature, and my excitement rose.
Either another lion or a bear was ap-
preaching, felt certain, and so it proved;
it was grizzly, and one of the largest
had ever seen,
He reared himself suddenly out of the
bed of the little stream, only few yards
from the lion ard the elk. He had been
travelling up the bed of the creek-as bears
often do in hollow stream-and attracted
by the snarl of the lions. which had heard
him coming, had emerged to see what the
fuss was about.
To my delight, he took in the situation
at a glance, and without minutes hesita-
ton he shambled toward the belligerent
cats, mingling his hoarse growls with their
savage snarlings.
Il had heard that the mountain lion
would not run from grizzly, but did not
believe it, and despite the fearful threaten
ing of the two before me, | expected to see
them give way as the monstrous bear came
up. Imagine my establishment when, as
the grizzly charged within leaping dis
tance, both of the panthers sprang upon
him instantly.
Il could not properly describe the scene
which followed. Both hrutes bounced up
on the grizzly tooth and nail and closes
with him in such fury of savage outcries
as made my hair rise, and my whole body
prickle with intense excitement
1.-The grizzly reared as the two animals
struck him; he came up into a sitting
position upon his' launches, he shook the
female lion from his shoulders. But the
male lion held him by the throat, his tawny
body lay along the bears body, and his
hind legs were working with Ii lightning like
speed and strength.
The bear opened his mouth wide, and
roared as be turned his head sidewise and
downward, and strove to catch his antag-
onist's neck with his teeth. He failed in
his attempt, but at the same moment he
caught the lions body just below the
shoulder in clutch of his terrible jaws,
which seemed literally to fatten the ami
NAL between them.
The lion relaxed his hold of the BEAR
neck. threw back his head, and sought to
writhe loose from the bear. 1t would
have gone hard with him, had not the
female lion by a desperate spring fastened
herself so strongly on the back if the bear S
neck that he was forced to drop the male
and turn to her. Over and over they roll
ed about the elk S carcass. They chawed.
bit and tore at each other with deep, muf-
fled snarls and grOwls. Sometimes the
bear was on top Of the lion, and again
both lions were on top of him.
The grizzly would gather one Of them
suddenly in bis huge forearms, bear it
down upon the ground in the effort to
crush and bite the life out of it, then, feel
ing the teeth of the other, which would
invariably seize the back of his neck, the
Infatuated monster would loose his hold
and whirl upon that one.
Soon, in one OF these whirls, he caught
the smaller lion and gave her such ter
rible bite before the males attack which
was from behind as usual-could induce
him to release her, that she lost sand
completely, and skunk hmping away, evil
IDENTIFY badly hurt.
The male lion Immediately took the
defensive, lodged about the grizzly and
leaped easily out of reach of his furious
charges saw that bruln had the best of
the fight and was likely to maintain his
advantages; and as | was far more anxious
to secure the tremendous beast than | was
to get the lions, | opened fire upon him
with my Winchester and gave him ball
behind the shoulder as he turned broadside
in one of his rushes at the lion. Luckily
the first shot killed him.
1.-The lion, more frightened at the report
of the gun than he had been at the bear,
bounded across the creek, and though |
fired two shots at him before he got out of
sight, I missed him. The male got of:
scot free. as l do not think the bear had
given him more than a few scratches, but
| followed the female and overlook her in
crippled condition some half mile up
the canon. A single bullet killed heI -