The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-03-02
Startled by Discovery on the
Upper Salmon River
DAVE S0LBERG'S EXPERIENCE
Au App"r.tion Cad Ia Bu kskin troc~
and Leg ms with High Brog,ns
r. m mber-d the Day.

Among the daring hunters who for
years have tramped the Businesses of |
the Cascade and Rocky mountains Dave
Solberg is acknowledged chief, says the
San Francisco Chronicle. He is of mod
est demeanor, and no boaster, and yet
he has killed, in his solitary wanderings,
more cougars, California lions, wolves
and grizzly bears than would suffice to
stock all the menageries in the United
States Unlike his fellows he is col
lege-bred man, is a versatile talker and
tells a good story.
During the past five years Solberg's
range has been through northern Cali
fornia. eastern Oregon. Washington and
Idaho. His present hunting grounds
comprise a wide eXpanse of rough coun-
try on the western slope of the Rock
les, near the headwaters of Salmon
river
Wonderful and thrilling as have been
his past exploits, his last big find as
he calls it, beats them all. To a cores
pondent who recently met Solberg in
Spokane the hunter told the following
queer story:
1t was early in September last that l
started out to fill a Chicago order for
lot of cougar, black lynx and cinnamon
bear skins. Having heard from remote
settlers that game Of all kinds had been
driven down from the mountains by the
severity of the past winter and sweep
ing forest fires, I directed my course to
the upper Salmon river, my. objective
point being 200 miles southeast of Pierce
City
Besides Ben, a stout Lapwai half
breed, my faithful hired man of all
work, caterer, tent-keeper, etc, my out
fit consisted of two Indian ponies for
packing service, three old hounds, camp
fixtures, two Winchester rifles a shot
gun, reVolvers. and plenty of canned
provisions and ammunition. Ben car
ried his own shotgun and belt knives.
Ben sometimes accompanied me on
short excursions, but on such occasions
we left a couple of dogs at camp to
give the alarm in case of mischief, and
we never went beyond hearing distance
Of their baying, if they should be dis
turbed.
REMEMBERED THE DAY.
Monday, September "a. will always be
a memorable day in my experience
Leaving Ben and one dog in camp,
started early in the morning for an all
day trip, directing my steps toward thu
headwaters of a little stream neal
which we were camped. We had gon
about two miles from camp when Tig'
and Fan scented something and bound
ed off through the dense thicket.
uuickened my pace in the direction tn
dogs had taken, and soon came upon tn
tracks of what l knew must be larg
grizzly bear. Presently, as / anticipat
ed, the hounds brought the bear to ba,
a few hundred yards ahead. This wa
clearly evident from the altered tone
of their cry. When / came up with tn
dogs, there. sure enough, was bi
grizzly sitting on his naunches an
complacently taking in the situation
l poised my rife and was about
fire, when to my surprise, l saw stou
leather strap about the bears chubb
neck, while from the brass ring unde
his throat dangled a rosette and tass'
made of red, white and blue ribbons
Besides the animals coat was as slee
and clean as if he had just come from
tub of soap and water. So long as
allowed the dogs to bark at safe dis
lance he sat bolt upright, perfectly still
neither shifting nor growing, and wit
an air of stolid Indifference.
was the brute an escape from SON
menagerie? Was he a household pc
or was I dreaming? None of thes
surely. We were in the heart of
mountain wilderness, more than
miles from the nearest border settl
ment. and 200 miles FROM the neare
town ever visited by circus or menag
RE. Besides, family pets are not mac
of grizzly bears weighing half a to
Moreover. was wide awake, and l h;
not tasted my brandy since leaVii
camp.
I called off the dogs and put them
leashes. Strangely enough the hu
beast plunged instanter into the thick
and shambled off up the creek, while
followed as fast as ] could lead [
hounds. At a point about half m
further up the bear forded the streal
scaled the bank and was soon lost in t
brush followed still leading the dos
now furiously barking and madly II
inc TO get loose. could hear the crac
ling of dry twigs under the bears fe
and ouieting the dogs in order to cat
his course 1 heard human voice, l
shrill. treble cry of woman.
oHo. Diol Dio! Dio-o? 1t came.
WAS DAZED.
Once more 1 was dazed. All the IA
stories of bears and wolves hau eN
heard or read came back TO me, an'
was beginning to distrust the rehapli
Of nv senses when the cry came aga
a good deal nearer and louder ID
Dio! Ho, Di-o-o-o!
Claiming the hounds to a sapllng
nIunged forward. l soon overlook
hear which paid no attention to
whatever. but lazily walked along az
49,