The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-03-23
GRIZZLIES OF IDAHO.
Tacit Agreement with Men In tho Early
Days Not to Modest Each Other.

Days Not to Modest Each Other.
Speaking of grizzly BEARS" said
Judge Henry 1. Warren to New York
Sun man, ''wc didn't look on these an
imals rs particularly dangerous in
Idaho when / was the United States
district attorney of that territory. If
man attacked one at close quarters
he sometimes got killed, but at lit
tic distance not much more attention
was paid to bears than if they had
been SO many hogs or cattle. between
human beings and the bears there
seemed to be ut that time tacit
agreement to let one another alone.
"Onc OF my hardest horseback trips
led Inc through wild region where
often saw bears. At ono point the
trail crossed an open valley, dotted
with scattering big trees and clumps of
underbrush, and ON the further side
wound up steep mountain side
through thick oak and pine woods
Coming down into that valley one day
l saw, littlo way off on my right,
five bears, two very large ones and
three smaller ones, constituting pos
sibly family party. They were run
ming about hero and there nosing the
ground, turning over stones and knock
ing to pieces rotten logs, hunting for
mice and grubs. They apparently
paid no attention to me as rode past,
one hundred and fifty yards away.
My horse looked little wild and fidp-.
eted some at the sight of thorn, but I
kept him in the trail without difficulty.
eat another timc bear gave me
considerable of scare. I had just
crossed this same valley and was just
beginning to ascend the wooded
heights beyond 1t. I had dismounted,
and was leading my horse up the steep
hillside when bear broke out of tho
bushes little behind mo and came for
me furiously, showing her teeth and
growing. l stood still, expecting to
be torn to pieces the next moment,
from the determined way in which she
camc-it WIS she beur-but she
stopped just short of scizing me and
turned to dash in the same way at nv
horse, and at that l dropped the bride
and made up the trail as fast as l could
go. My horse, instead of turning back
to run for life in Che clear open ground
OF the valley, when she charged at him,
made dctour up the hill and came
back on the trail behind me. The bear,
looking mighty ugly with her frothing
mouth and bristling hair, kept up her
demonstrations, directing them princi-
pally Mt my horse. You know how II
horse, when thoroughly frightened,
will seek the company and protection
OF humanity, and so, do all l could to
drive him away, my beast all the time
kept right behind me with his nose at
my shoulder, trembling with fear, but
refusing to leave me, us the bear kept
making dashcs at us out of the bushes,
sometimes from one side and sometimes
from the other
II didn't know then what l have
learned from the habits of the animals
since, that the bear was running bluff
on us and did not mean SO much to
harm us as to scare rs away. She un-
doubtedly had cubs concealed close by
in the bushes and rcsorted to common
trick of the female bear to drive away
intludcrs. Probably if had stood my
ground she would have tackled me and
in that case IL would have been all up
with me. She followed us one hun
drcd yards or so and then, seeming sat
isfied that she had got us fairly on the
run, fell back into the bushes and
watched us out of sight"