Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1894-08-16
RoPlNe A BEAR.
A Cowboys Tale of an Exciting Experience
with an frritated Brnin.

with an frritated Bruin.
A number of cowboys attached to
Buffalo Bills Wild West were sitting
In one OF their tents the other day, re-
counting their personal adventures on
the great ranges of the far west, where
the early years Of their lives had been
spent The conversation turned upon
foolhardiness, and the boys related
some Of the escapades of their early
years, when they were less cautious
and more thoughtless than now.
81 thought | knew lot" said Geo.
stanton. one OF the group, "when I
was kid about eighteen, and what
didn't know just thought wasn't
worth learning. | would tackle any
thing TO ride that wore hair and hoofs,
and | came pretty near riding every
thing | tackled, too. But l did
the foolishest thing kid ever
tried one day when was going
up canyon in the Iron noun
tain country, in Wyoming, where
lived. There were lots of brown and
black bears in those mountains, and IL
was not an uncommon thing to see
them on the range when we were
rounding up the cattle. OF course the
boys were too busy then to pay any at
tention to them, but this time that l
am speaking OF had nothing to do,
and was thinking what deviltry I
could get into next. don't know, but
IL sort o seems to affect a fellow like
that, you know, away out there where
he never sees anything or anybody,
and he just sort o studies up things to
do that are odd and foolish.
"Well. as ] was about to tell you,
was riding along up that canyon one
afternoon, when what do | see but
two or three year old black bear a.
settin O, his launches maxim faces at
me. was just as fresh as the bear,
and l took II into my head, fool-lil1e,
that I'd rope him and ride him. II
had thought the matter over for a
would have thought better of it,
but ! was feeling very gay just then,
and that bear was my meat. He was
fool sort of bear anyhow, and didn't
seem to know whole lot, so rode up
TO within a few rods of him before he
started TO move. The funniest thing I
ever saw was the way that bear looked
when he lost his grip ON a rock and fell
down into the trail. 1t was only few
feet, and didn't hurt him a bit, but he
looked so foolish, like he was ashamed
of himself He started up the trail, be-
cause ii was better walking than the
rocks, suppose, and after him on the
broncho. My rope was whirlin', and
first thing he lnew-zip! and | had
him. | caught three or four turns
around the horn of the saddle, and
away we went. II was great funl
That fool bear was tuggih' away like a
beef steer in stampede, and fairly
pulling me and the pony along. 1t
was great fun and / yelled and howled
with delight.
But, say, fellows, all of a sudden
the bear came to his senses and made
up his mind il was his turn 10 have a
little fun with me. The rope slack
encd, he turned like a flash and came
straight at me at a railroad gait. /
couldn't get that rope off the saddle
quick enough to suit either Of us. |
got il loose at last, and IL ever you saw
me ride, you ought TO have been there.
When got 10 the mouth OF the canyon
/ looked back for the first thce. There
was that blamed bear a-settin' on his
hind legs chewin' on my rope as IL it
was good 10 eat. / thought Of shootin'
him with a six-shooter, and would have
done 50, only happened TO think he
might not like IL and might take il
into his head 10 chase me clean home
So ! waited until he walked over the
ridge a-draggin' my pet rope with him.
An ! haven't seen rope or bear since.
II any Of you fellows find bear with
a string 10 him in Iron Mountain canyon,
II is my rope. You can have the bear"