The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1893-08-31
THE MOUNTAIN KING.

. :Ef5.y
THE MOUNTAIN KING.
Terrible Ferocity Of the Bald-Face
= Bear.
He IL Monarch of tho ACKNOWLEDGMENT
and Fatal Encounter with an Animal
More Dreaded ! han the Grizzly
An Unheeded Warning.
There yet remain in the United
States but two great game preserves
wide sections OF country, rough noun
tains, broad tablelands and forests al
most impenetrabie, where the native
denizens of century ago still range
without fear of the hunters rifle. The
enterprise of sportsmen and the cupid
ity of pot hunters have in a great
measure pursued to the death the small
game of the country. Coupled with the
march of civilization and the vigorous
pursuit of the larger animals of the
wilderness they have been driven to
the deeper and more inaccessible re-
treats, until the remnant of the many
monsters which once rOamed the plains
and inhabited the wilds are found in
the Olympia mountains in western
Washington and the Sawtooth noun
Francisco Call.
These Idaho mountains are in reality
n spur of the great range of the
Rockies, which extend like vast but
tresscs across the entire middle west
ern front of the United States. In
many places the Sawtooth range is in
expressibly rugged and there are
stretches and depths which have never
been explored by any human being.
In these vast wilds are to be found the
most dangerous animal of which there
is any record in this country, an ami
NAL which as far outranks the dreaded
grizzly as that monarch does the COM
paratively little brown bear, whose
chief mission is to frighten children in
doors after dark and catch an OCCASION
al straying shoat. This animal is the
bald-faced bear. He is emphatically a
royal edition of the grizzly, has all the
tenacity Of life and is not only abso-
lutely fearless, but persistently aggres-
sive.
The "bald-face' owes his distinctive
title to d face which is white. He is
larger than the grizzly. Beginning
above his eyes several inches, the dark
color of his body fades into dirty
gray, thence down to the point of his
nose and on either side it becomes pure
white. Hence the name "bald-face.''
The grizzly will never run from man.
1t will move on it's course frequently
after it sights him; when wounded it
will pursue the hunter for reasonable
distance, and when bodily hurt it some
times gives up the fray and beats re.
treat. Herein lies the dangerous diff,
ference between the two species.
Pioneers and settlers of Idaho who
are acquainted with the habits of this
bear, which is not found, so far as l can
learn or ever heard in any other part
of the United States, never think OF
attacking him. They never hunt the
bald-face for the reasons given. Tc
begin an engagement with him is tc
simply mean a fight to the death.
shall never forget an experience l
had with one of these animals. 1t was
in 1892. In company with three other
young men, had gone into the Saw
tooth mountains to hunt big game,
deer, bear and such like. We had been
told of the bald-face. bat having had
no experience with him. and having
two grizzlies to our credit, our party
smiled increduously when Joe Penning-
ton, an old hunter and trapper who
had of late years devoted himself to
the less hazardous pursuit of chicken
rounding near Boise City, told us to be.
ware of the baldface bear. Being ia
siderable effort we induced Pennington
to accompany our party, taking along
three excellent dogs, we'll trained and
courageous.
But Joe stipulated that we were not
to get into controversy with the
bald-face, because he said it would
mean the death of his dogs and the re-
treat of our party to the foothills, if
nothing more serious.
We had been in the mountains a
week; had killed several deer and black
bear and any number of birds. On the
morning of the seventh day we left a
young Englishman named Kingsbury
in camp, as on the day before some
animal had visited our quarters, eaten
a lot of bacon and played havoc geLer-
ally with supplies. There had been a
good deal of chatting about the bald
face, and Pennington had grown tired
Of warning us of the danger of an en-
counter. However, as we left camp the
old trapper shouted out, as he whistled
! to his dogs and walked away: Say,
Kingsbury, if you see a bald-face ] ad-
wise you 70 make break for the mule
and light out for the valley; for if you
don't we'll never collect enough of the
remains to ship back to the folks at
home"
The mule referred to was staked out
about one hundred yards away in a level
clear spot. The Englishman didn't re.
ply, but held up his rifle and big
hunting knife as an answer.
We thought nothing more of the cir
cumstance. The days sport was fairly
good. one deer, one mountain sheep
and several birds being the result OF
the hunt We met at an agreed spot
some three miles from the camp and
proceeded together to our quarters, ex-
= pecting that Kingsbury would have
prepared for us substantial dinner.
Reaching an elevation some distance
from camp we paused moment. when
Pennington remarked: ':By gosh,
where's the mule?'' We all looked. but
no mule could we see. Possibly it had
broken away and gone off, or it might
be hidden in the grass, lying down, but
"a field-glass failed to reveal the animal.
= Proceeding slowly toward camp. we
onsreached the space where thAoDule