The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-11-24

ne GOb Vic BERT hl06s
II had some pretty close calls in the old
days fighting Indians and bears single
handed" says Colonel Burrows of Mon
tana, "but once was cornered by griz.
ely, a centiped and a Crow Indian, and get.
ting out of that corner I had the closest
shave of my life, guess. was prospect.
ing along the foot of the Rockies one sum-
mer.
lone morning / started to follow up a
small ravine that had discovered the day
before, along the banks of which were some
very scant outcroppings of silver. I got
SO interested in examining specimens OF
rock that pushed on, quite forgetful Of
time and distance, until a feeling of empti-
ness warned me that it was noon.
sit was a hot day, and when I had fin
ished my dinner l was sleepy. l lay down
in the shade Of tree to take short nap,
knowing that I would wake up in less
than an hour, which weuld give me plenty
of time to get back to camp before dark
took off my coat and put 1t under my
head, rolled up the sleeves of my flannel
shirt and made myself as comfortable as
possible. I had been asleep possibly Is
minutes when a peculiar tickling sensa-
ton on my right arm caused me to wake
suddenly. Fortunately for me did not
spring up with start.
"Opening my eyes, I looked first at my
arm where I had felt the tickling. AS
did SO my heart stopped beating for min
ute, it seemed to me, and I felt a cold
sweat starting out Of every pore. Halt
way up my arm was a full grown cent?
ped crawling around on the bare flesh.
II could see the veno1nous insect with
out even turning my eyeballs, and lay
perfectly still. How did it don't know
1t seemed to me that there was a ton OF
weight ON my chest holding me down,
and although it was scorching hot day l
was soon as cold as if had been lying in
an icebox. The centiped would crawl to
where my shirt sleeve was rolled up, then
crawl all around the arm, back to the
wrist and then back again He must have
made the circuit 30 times, and the strain
on my nerves was telling on me fast.
Suddenly new danger appeared be-
fore my staring eyes. / heard a rustling OF
leaves, and moment later huge brown
bear, gaunt and hungry looking, walked
out of the bushes and came straight to-
ward me.
1uoA SdFo LIZ bell w lOI Eoou, oAu
half closing my eyes I tried to think of
prayer to say. The bear walked straight
up to me, and beginning at my feet began
to smell and push me with his nose The
centiped saw the bear coming and crawl
ed around on the under side of my arm
and stopped. Every instant expected to
feel the sharp sting of the insect, and ]
was trying to nerve myself up to let the
bear finish me In short order rather than
suffer the torture of the slower death.
"But the bear looked me over, pushed
my arms and legs about and licked my
face. Still the eentiped did not move.
The bear stood there for several minutes,
it seemed to me, but at last appeared to
make up its mind that was dead, and he
would leave me to the coyotes. Then he
turned and numbered of in the same di-
rection from which he had come.
But the deadly centiped was still on
my arm, and Ivy this time was SO weak
as to be in danger Of rolling over in utter
collapse Then sudden warning of a new
danger gave my nerves another shock.
1.-THE bear had gone less than so feet
away when heard the sharp crack of a
rifle on the other side of me, heard the
hiss of bullet as it few over me and saw
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