The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-04-04
Aow + 1t when L Shot


Discovering no bear advanced slowly and
cautiously Suddenly perceived a rank peculiar
ordor; it reminded me of that | encountered at
the ZOO In Philadelphia, in 1854 while stood con-
templatinG some bears in the pen below. Inow
knew was very close to 4 bear, and that from the
location it must be a grizzly. o! how frightened
! was. had never met grizzly; what should
do hardly knew. The thought OF being lone too,
ar! out of sight and hearing of Hank, all made
me culver and shake like aspen.
While thus medtating, and looking in every di-
rection, and trembling from head to foot, soon
the cause of tho odor standing ON al-fours
with its tail toward quiely digging in q hill
side. My heart went like trip hammer, l could
hear the blood rushing up through my carotids,
and feel its impact against tho base of my brain;
my throat was dry, and my hands tremblcd as
grasped my rifle.
/ surveyed the huge brute q few seconds and saw
that he was about eighthy yards away. | stood on
q hog-back, or ridge, and between the bear and
myself ravine thirty feet deep and filed
with thicket of underbrush.
The grizzly stood on clear ground 1t did not
take me long to see that Ind the advantage; this
the head of the canon 20 my right black
thc!let Of pine, in front was the animal, TO my
left the stretched away 10 the lake. \ small
eapling grew where stood; let luyself down
ray knees and toes. and projected nv piece over
branch of the sapIng | was waiting for the bear
to give INC an exposure Of its sdo. Tho wind
blowing brisaly from it to me gave it no Opportu-
nifty to scent me. My sensations were those of re-
sgnaton TO my fate. felt as imagine q soldier
feels on the eve of his first battie-only more 20.
realized fully what a small thing should be in
hand to hand conflict with that wounded and in
furiated monster; but | was determined to fight
if it cost me my life. remembered my ten weeks
of typhoid fever at Garfield hospital i'll Washing
ton .. c., when l thought my time had come.
by this time had become more composed; my
Al
thinking of what an everlasting shame it would
he to my conscience to steal away and let THAI
magnificent beast get off with its life; and while
thus cogitating the bear slowly moved into tho
position desired, and when there, with a steady
nerve glanced along the blue barrel of steel and
fixed the sights on line with spot about where
thought it's heart lay, held it there a second and
pulled the trigger. Bang! went the magnificent
arm, and simultaneously the grizzly leaped into
the air. uttering loud prolonged cry of pain.
Through the smoke | saw it fail on side and
quickly recover itself; its head was toward NE;
with mouth wide open and head erect II began the
charge. threw another Cart dye into the barrel.
looked and it had reached the bottom of the
canyon and was making its way through the brush,
blowing and shifting. C0olly awaited its emerg
cncc, but it never came out. Midway the thicke5
/ could sec some OF its branches qutvering, bus
could not see the bear
At this juncture another grizzly, larger than tho
one shot, out of the pine thlcket 10 my right
and bounded down to the spot of the quiVerlng
bushes in the bottom of the and alsoiost
10 sight; did not have time or opportunity to
shoot it. Immediately behind me i'll tho timber
heard tho cry wall of stlll another bear This
again terrified me beyond expression. sat there
gazing at that thicket hour by the watch, L 80
co 30 p. M October 10, 1892, and no bear appear
cd All was still DEATH and from inactton
began to got chilly No amount OF money could
have induced me to venture down to those two
mammoth brutes in that canyon. did not even
know that one dead, and was painfully aware
that one at least was untouched SO believing that
n skilltul retreat is good or better than poor
victory. decided to return and get reinforce
ments in the shape of Hank.
did so, and when we reached the spot we ad-
yanced abreast, Queen in terror at our heels, into
the thicket. We found one bear stone dead, bus
the other had gone.