The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-08-31
LYING ABOUT RRuIN.
Picturesque PrevaricatOrs Who Had Great
Times in Hunting for Bears.


Times in Hunting for Bears.
We were gathered around the camp
fire after supper, some silently loung-
ing with their backs against the trees,
Others lying Tin both senses of the word)
at full length. The fire fiared redly
against the night, now illuming the
circle of interesting faces and now
leaving all in shadow. We had been
talking bear. Trouble was bruin.
Il haven't lost any bear" said the
man with the scatter gun; birds are
big enough for me. If l ran across one
think would hunt tree"
"Humph"' said the man with tho
rifle. IF you do you want to hunt to
better purpose than the guide we had
on our last tripato the mountains. He
was picturesque liar. He had been
bad medicine to hear him tell it. The
bounty on bears he had killed would
have placed him above the necessity of
misguiding sporting men at the paltry
stipend of five dollars per day. You
know bear are very fond of the big
red berries that grow on those noun
tain rose bushes. Two mornings in
succession we crawled upon a patch in
the mountain side just in time to be
too late. The patch was all torn up;
the little stream that tricl<led through
it was still riled where the bear had
stopped to drink. The third morning
we crawled up to it just at daylight,
that guide behind one tree, myself be-
hind another about fifty yards apart.
There sat big she grizzly in the mid
die of the patch, complacently finish
ing her breakfast. We both fred to-
gether and she went down in the
bushes with a squeal, came up clawing
at her side, and plugged her again in
the same place. The next minute she
was coming down that mountain side
with the gait of an avalanche, and
shelled them out of that old rifle as l
never did before.
81 never heard from our guide and 1
wondered why, but | did not stop to in
vestigate. My last shot tumbled her
and she rolled up bang against his tree,
dead. Then looked at him. He was
standing behind the tree, pressed up
against it, with his face turned up and
his arms and legs moving like a wind
mill.
"'Hello, Bill' says l, pretty close
shave But he never answered, kept
right on looking up the tree and work
ing away. Then l went over and
slapped him on the shoulder
"'Bill,' says l, what do you think
you are doing to that tree?'
''rhen he stopped and looked down
at the ground he was standing on and
then back up the tree kind of puzzled
and said:
"Darned if I didn't think was
pretty near up to the top"
THAT was close shave" said the
colonel, and we knew he would see the
raise and go it one better. His old
briar root was drawn from between his
teeth and a cloud of smoke sent sky
ward. "But it wasn't circumstance
to one had several years ago in the
Rockies One day, after hunting all
day without success, put out for camp
AS started to pass big tree grunt
s vas Se Sf tnyg iBtissgest 'gwz3nes + rad
ever seen. One jump and was behind
the tree The bear was close behind
me. Around the tree | went with the
bear shifting at my heels | was in good
time and fairly flew. My hair stood on
end and my coat tail Topped in the
wind. This mad race must have con-
tipued for five minutes when gained
on the bear and was almost treading on
his heels Things began to get des-
perate. The bear was wringing wet
and the water dropped from him in
streams.
Gle steamed with heat, thought,
and a great idea came into my head. l
had kept hold of my rifle. Catching it
in both hands, hit the tree terrific
blow and the barrel wrapped around
the tree. / then had curved rifle.
That blow almost lost me, for the bear
was close at my heels, and snapped at
me. spurted and was at his heels
again. We were running around the
tree with our right sides to it. AS |
rot close to him | thrust that rifle
around the tree and aimed it for where
| | thought the bears heart should be
and pulled the trigger. The bear fell
so suddenly that | plunged head fore
most over him and rolled for twenty
feet. When got up the bear had quit
kicking"
Not one of us had a word to say. We
looked at each other and with sober
faces went to bed.-Rod and Gun.