The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-10-21
4 BATTLE BETwEEN BEASTS.
the Fierce Encountsr 81 y Cinnamon Deai
and MouAtalM Zion.

the Fierce Encounts sf y ClnnaMsn Deai
and MountalM Zion.
Last night In the light Of tho 200 two
brothers, old prospectors and hunters who
have been in the hills for years and have
seen many strange and startling sights
report having seen one Of the most thrill
ing and desperate fights they have ever wit
messed, ,
They we're camping in = canyon that
comes into the main San Antonio canyon
from the west about n and one-hali
miles below the miners' camp. They had
bssn ont during the day prospecting on the
south slope Of Badly and had started camp
near shutdown. when they killed 4 deer.
which delayed them till dark. They hung
the Deer in q tree rather than paok u to
whore they left the deer being only . short
distance from camp in the west fork OF the
caMyon.
They had hardly rolled themselves in
their blankets when they heard an nm.
earthly roar and scream. quickly followed
whole menagsrie OF wild beasts had been
turned loose. 1t tool them but = few mo-
ments to determine the cause Of the dis
turbance. 80, dressing quickly and taking
their rifles, they started to see the fun. by
crossing the canyon in which they were
CuDp0u buoy W0nb oVUE y ROhAp AAoAA ~
point of which they could command q view
Of quite a piece of tho western canyon.
When they gained tho top OF the point
they sRw just below them. not lW yards
away, what had caused the noise. They
could SEQ the tree where they had hung
their deer. and Just beneath the tree they
saw the deer and W other lima a
monster California lion and an Immense
cinnamon bear. They had smelled out the
deer and had come for a feast, each little
expecting the other; but there they were,
fighting over the CARCASS to see which was
to be master of tho situation.
Their roaring and screaming awoke .
thousand echoes in the canyon, which
made the fight seem more dreadful still.
It was q fight to tho death. Struggling
and rolling, biting and clawing, scratch
ing and screaming, did the monsters
fight, only breaking away. from n n
other long enough. seemingly, to regain
their breath and strength, whom at it
they would so again with roar and scream.
Thus they fought for over an hour, whom,
torn, bleeding and completely exhausted,
evidently dying. they rolled apart, only
to lie and snarl at each other, unable
from their terrible exerti0ns to do more.
them than they were to each other.
Quietly the two brothers, knowing there
was nothing to fear from the two exhausted
champions, leveled their rifles, and after
five shots had been fred the two mighty
brutes had ceased their struggles. having
gained what each had tried to do for the
other, for the two fighters of Old Badly lay
dead. There lay a California lion that
eight feet four inches from tip of
nose to tip Of tail, a king of his race. The
bear, q cinnamon. was a monster OF his
species. As near as they could estimate he
would have weighed 1000 pounds. Each
a mass of cuts and wounds. The lion
had one fore leg crushed and manQIed, rs
though from q bite, and the bear was cut
muzzle to tail by the knife-like claws
Of his more active opponent.-Buckskin in
the Ontario Observer.