The Louisiana Democrat., 1891-09-02
nose unto one.

off leetle to one side, an seed thet
performance I'd a laughed ter split
an, eff hadn't ben quite SO clost, I'd a
done it as twas, but I reckoned as
'twouldn't be discreet-least way I'd
better save it few minnits. We navi-
gated down that ar slope till struck
big fat rock that formed shelf,
leavin' drop of about eight feet to the
next rock below.
"Soons we got onto the first rock the
grizzly clawed a halt. Luck war on
my side, fer when l stopped rollin', 1
war on my stomach-side, ready to
jump.
"The sun came down bilin'-hot, in
the open space, an it peard like the old
chap had just had his breakfast, an
war about to take bis mornin' nap
when 1 disturbed him, an, now that
the sunshine made him sleepy, he
warn't goin' ter be cheated out ov it.
| So he loped down side O me, an went
ter sleep, or ruther bout ez had con-
cluded thet he war asleep, he'd roll up
one eye, much ez ter say: o, I'm
watchin' We! Ez these cat maps
seemed ter grow longer, made up my
mind that the time had come to try my
leetle game.
ST waited till both the brute's eyes
war shut, an then began to crawl fur
the edge of the rock. 1t war mighty
slow work, an l hadn't got morn
three feet away when he pulled up the
lid ter one eye, reached out his old paw,
with the claws run out full length, an
hauled me back.
''It had ben a bad move. an, besides,
/ didn't know how much more Nv that
kind NV foolin' the old chap would
stand without gettin' riled. So l jest
laid on my back till / knowed I'd spile
nv complexshun an make the ground
tired. That wouldn't do, SO l rolled
over: one! two three!-I can tell ye
my heart thumped purity lively when l
rolled over that third time-an' it could
afford to, fer the old brute snatched me
up by the claws of one fore paw, ez
handy ez thet thar cat picked up that
mouse mipnit ago! 1t didn't prick
none! Oh, NO!
"Ef it didr. feel like ez though l had
pot hook run under my back bone,
an was being jerked around by it.,
then don't know how it did feel. But
the old rutfian war obleegin' enough to
land me face down, an, from the time
l lay with my nose agin thet rock, it
must have looked like ez tho ] war
mighty interested in its geography.
"Howsomever, / concluded it war a
mighty good place ter leare This time
l waited It'll the bar got well under
way with his nap, then l jumped to my
feet, leaped to the lower rock an made
fur the tree as fast as it war perlite
to run in thet kentry. 1 could hear,
an nigh-a-most feel the old fury a
tarin' alter me like cyclone. When
got ter the tree made a jump fer the
lowest limb, caught it, an swung uT
, Jest In time ter let his claws zip unde,
, me!
81 never saw man er beast half sc
crazy cz thet bar war when he could
sec me up thar in that tree, an couldn't
git mel You'd tho't he'd a-eat his
self up-an' howl!-you could a heerd
him fer two miles!
, ''Thc other boys heerd the racket
an knowed wha. was up They crept
up on the old chap while he wa:
T chawin' an clawin' away at my roost
: in tree, an sent five balls inside hi!
hide, an he went to sleep so sound tina
he wouldn't woke up if the whole
a mountain he'd turned over.
c mo, thank'e! don't care ter PLAY
= mouse ter a grizzly agin!''
S FORREST CRlssEy.