The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-01-31

n was . Battle 60 tho Death. and there
Was No Survivor.

among the French half-breeds a good
deal, had received from them the French
name Of Baptista He said:
zone summer. long ago. was with
large party OF Indians. We were max
ing long journey over the rolling
prairics. from one place to another.
That we might have plenty OF meat to
eat, two Of US were appointed TO keep
about two days journey ahead OF the
company to hunt and 10 kill all the
game we could.
@The reason why we kept so far apart
was because we had dogs and babies and
women in our party, and you know they
will all make much noise, so they would
scare the animals far away.
well, wetwo hunters kept well ahead.
Some days we had good luck and killed
great deal, and then other days we did
not kill much. What we got we cached,
so that the party could easily find 1t by
the sign we gave them when they came
along. We always put IL near the trail
for them. Then we would push on.
looking for more
I'm the rolling prairies the hills are
like the great waves of the sea. only
some Of the hills are about mile apart,
with the valleys between. When we
were coming TO the top of one Of these
swells. or hills, we would creep up very
carefully in the long grass and look over
down in the valley on the other side
Sometimes wa would see game TO shoot
and often there was nothing nc all.
When there was no sign Of anything
worth stopping TO shoot, as we were
after big game, having many mouths to
feed. we would hurry across 10 the next
hilltop and carefully look over into the
next valley.
One day as we had passed several val
leys and had seen nothing that was worth
our stopping TO shoot, we came TO the
top Of pretty large hill, and cautiously
looked over. There was a sight that
we shall never forget
Right down before us. within gun
shot. was very large grizzly bear and
two big buffalo bulls. Well for us the
wind was blowing from them 20 US.
They were very angry-looking and were
preparing for big fight. The buffaloes
seemed 10 know that the bear was an
ugly customer, aud he looked as IL he
did not know how to manage the two Of
them at once.
For quite a while they kept up what
you might call pretense of battle. The
bulls would paw the ground, and keep
up constant roaring. This only made
the bear the more angry, and IL there
had only been one he would soon have
got his big claws upon him. but there
being two made HIM cautious.
After a while both of the bulls sud
denly lowered their heads and charged
the bear. AS they rushed at him
he quickly arose upon his launches
and. as they closed in upon him, he
seized one Of them by the head and
neck, and, with asuddcn jerk, so quickly
broke his neck that he fell down as dead
as stone.
"The older buffalo, which had charged
at the same time, gave the bear fear
full thrust with his sharp horns, one Of
which pierced him between the ribs,
causing an ugly wound from which the
blood soon began TO flow The bear,
having killed the other buffalo, tried 10
sieze hold OF this one also, but he. hav-
ing given the bear the ugly wound.
quickly sprang back out OF his reach.
lie ran off for little distance, but, as
the bear did not follow him, he came
back again. There they stood looking at
each other, both very angry, but both
very cautious. As they kept moving
around il seemed 10 us as though the buff
falo had 80 come round To the windward
side of the bear that he caught the scent Of
the blood from the wound. The smell Of
blood always oxcitcs to fury those
animals and 30, lowering his head, he
furiously charged at his wounded yet
still savage enemy. The bear rose up on
his hind quarters 10 receive him, and,
seizing him as he did tho other, killed
him ON the spot.
I'VE saw him go from one buffalo 20
another and smell them both, but he did
not offer TO tear or eat either. We could
see that he was very badly wounded from
the way he Ike 4 twitching his side, from
which the blood kept running. IL was
an ugly wound and he was very sick
bear, rnd SO as he looked so cross we
were not in a hurry to LEI him know any
thing about us.
Imagine. II you can, said Baptiste.
while his eyes flashed at the recollection
Of this royal battle, show excited we
were as we lay there In the long grass
and watched this great fight
-Then we thought: Now II we can
only kill that wounded bear we win have
plenty OF meat for the whole camp for
good while. But. although we had our
guns, we were none too anxious TO begin
the battle with such bear as that one
no we crouchcd low and watched him
II was very fortunate that the wind,
which was quite breeze, blew as II did
He never seemed TO suspect that other