The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1894-04-07
LYING ABOUT BRUlN.
Picturesque Prevaricators Who Hunted
4;#N Bears for Fun.

,;s5.
{ Picturesque Prevaricators Who Hunted
&;3 Bears for Fun.
H We were gathered around the
campfire after supper, some silently
Longing with their backs against
the trees, others lying Gin both
senses of the word) at full length.
The fire fared redly against the
night, now illumining the circle OF
interesting faces and now leaving ali
in shadow. We had been talking
bear. Trouble was bruin.
Il haven't lost any bear,'' said the
man with the scatter gun, thirds are
big enough for me. If I ran across
one | think would hunt a tree"
''Humph!'' said the man of the
rifle: IF you do you want to hunt to
better purpose than the guide we
had on our last trip to the mountains.
tie was picturesque liar. He had
been bad medicine, to hear him tell
It, Ihe bounty or the bears he had
killed would have placed him above
the necessity of misguiding sports
men at the paltry stipend of SIS per
day: You know bear are vcrv fond
OF the big red berries that grow on
those mountain rose bushes Two
mornings IN succession we crawled
upon patch on the mountain side
just in time to be too late. The
patch was all torn up, the little
stream that trickled through it was
still riled where the bear had stopped
to drink. The third morning we
crawled up to it just at daylight,
that guide behind one tree, myself
behind another, about fifty ward 5
apart. There sat a big she grizzly
in the middle of the patch, com
placently finishing her breakfast.
We both fired together and she went
down in the bushes with a soueal.
came up clawing at her side, and I
plugged her again in the same place.
Ihe next minute she was coming
down that mountain side with the
gait OF an avalanche, and l shelled
them out of that old rifle as | never
did before.
Il never heard from our guide, and
! wondered why, but I did not stop
to investigate My last shot tumbled
her and she rolled up bang against
his tree dead. Then I looked at him.
he was standing behind the tree.
pressed up against it, with his face
turned up and his arms and legs
moving like a Windmill.
"Hello, Bill!'' says I; .'pretty close
shave. But he never answered;
kept right Cd looking up the tree
and working away. Then T went
over and slapped him on the shout
dor.
BILL" says |, "what do you think
you are doing to that tree?"
Then he stopped and looked down
at the ground he was standing on.
says Rod and Gun, and then back up
the tree Kind OF puzzled and said:
charmed if / didn't think | was
pretty near up to the top.''
THAT was q close shave" said the
colonel. land we knew he would
see the raise and go it one better. -
Ills old b1iar root was drawn from
between his teeth and a cloud of
smoke sent slkyward.
But it wasn't a circumstance to
one | had several years ago in the
Rockies One day, after hunting
all day without success, I put out for
camp. AS | started to pass big
tree grunt stopped me. Within a
few feet of me was one of the biggest
grizzlies I had ever seen. One iumn
and was behind the tree. The bear
was close behind me. Around the
tree went, with the bear shifting at
my heels. I was in good time and
fairly flew. My hair stood on end
and my coat tail Topped in the wind.
This mad race must have continued
for five minutes when I gained on
the bear and was almost treading on
his heels. Things began to get des-
perate. The bear was wringing and
the water dropped from him in
streams.
':He steamed with heat, thought.
and great idea came into nv head.
| had kept hold of my rife. Catch
ing it in both hands, hit the tree a
terrific blow and the barrel wrapped
around the tree. 1 then had a
curved rifle. That blow almost lost
me, for the bear was close at NV
heels and snapped at me. spurted
and was at his heels again. We
were running around the tree with
our right sides to it. AS I got close
to him | thrust that rifle around the
tree and aimed it for where thought
the bears heart should be and pulled
the trigger. The bear fell so sud-
denly that l plunged head foremost
over him and rolled for twenty feet.
When got up the bear had quit
kicking"
Not one Of US had a word to say.
We looked at each other and with
sober faces went to bed.