Rock Island Argus., 1894-12-20

Auoexco Ov0r " SAlvef mp Inn oou
Buried In the Snow-whea she Came |
Back For Feast, the Iarder wss Empty. |
and tho Situation Was Reversed.
EARLY in the fall of 1880 our regiment |
was ordered into the field against hos |
tile Indians, and about the beginning of |
October we were encamped on Poplar |
creek, q tributary emptying into the |
Missouri from the north, about 60 miles |
distant from Fort Buford.
Our instructions required us to re-
main here until further orders should be |
received, and during these few days that |
we lay idle in camp the men amused
themselves in various ways, but princi-
pally by organizing short hunting expe-
diticns into the surrounding country.
Our chief Of teamsters was Henry
Morgan, o good all round shot and one
who had more than once brought down
big game by his skill He started of
alone one morning Just rs a mild bliz-
zard began to fly and openly declared
that when he returned he would bring
an antelope or a deer back with him,
and perhaps both.
We saw him disappear in the direc-
tion Of Mill creek with his rifle over
his shoulder, but the narrative of his
subsequent movements is best told by
himself:
II had gone perhaps three miles up
the creek, and had as yet seen 10 signs
Of any wild animal, when all at once
from behind a cottonwood log near o
thick bunch of underbrush a long cared
cottontail rabbit leaped nimbly into
sight, and the next moment my shot
laid him low.
81 hurried over to tho spot and was
leaning over to examine the animal
when felt crash as if the whole can
yon had exploded, and as l tunbled
over in the snow my fast departing
senses recognized u hinge silver tip bear,
whose powerful paw had been the au-
thor of my mischief.
II lay there half stunned and badly
bruised, with just enough conscious
ness left to observe what was going on
around me.
1.-The old bear nosed and rolled me
about, and finally succeeded in pushing
and dragging me about 90 feet; then she
pushed me down into washout of the
creek bottom and paved away until she
had me almost covered with snow,
brush and other trash. had now re-
covered my senses, but IS could easily
breathe through the Loose pile that COW
cred me thought it safest to lie still
and await the outcome.
Completing my funeral arrange
ments, the bear walked about and shifted
few times suspiciously at the spot;
then by the sound of her satisfied snarls
and growls growing fainter and less
distinct I knew that she was moving
off.
"When I considered she was far
enough away, l scrambled out of the
hole, shook myself clear Of the trash
and then looked around for my gun.
1T was lying safe and little damaged
near the log where killed the cotton
tail, but was somewhat scratched and
choked with snow.
Il first cleaned the piece out, placed
it in good order and then went back to
my involuntary grave, where I found
the tracks made by fruin to be quiet
distinct and widely separated, showing
that the beast had gone off down stream
somewhat i'll hurry l suspected the
old monster would be back sooner or
later; so, rearranging the cavity and re.
storing the brush and trash as naturally
as possible, retired to safe position
behind the cottonwood log, which had
been the scene Of my first disaster, and
sat down to wait.
Perhaps three-quarters of an hour had
passed when far down the open / saw
the old mother with her cubs trotting
merrily at her heels, making all haste
up stream toward my place of conceal.
ment. kept as still as death and scarce
4 ly breathed, but got my rifle into posi-
tion and nervously waited until the trio
should come within easy range
ION she came, rolling from side to
side, and then / saw that her object
was the hole in which had been SO un.
tremendously buried.
'She hurried to the spot, growled
something at the cubs; then all three,
cubs and dam, began paving and scratch
ing the brush and trash aside and send.
ing it in perfect shower behind them.
Finally the hole was scooped ont clean,
and then the old one. evidently compre
hending that the promised dinner had
escaped, lay back her head and howled
her woes to heaven.
This was my first opportunity, and ]
! fred with careful aim, the lead striking
her in the lower part of the neck an6
causing her to pitch heavily forward
. BY the time had placed bullet in the
fore shoulder Of the largest cub the
dam, with mighty howl. regained hel
feet and savagoly began to lick the
wound of her bleeding offspring. wa.
perfectly cool how, and realizing tha,
it was a matter of life or death will
me took another aim while the ole
one was poised on her hind legs mop
ping her own wound and sent a bulle
through her heart The younger cul
got away in the brush before ] was read,
for it. but the large one, who had already
been wounded. finished with another
shot ''-Philadelphia Times