The San Francisco call., 1895-07-14

down the mountalnSlde and Just here
took a mighty leap over the soft slate rock
and, cutting its way through the stone,
had, as time passed, hewn out this great
basin.
Straight up on two sides the cliffs
beetled and frowned, in almost unscala-
bic precipices. On the third side the rocks
shot heayenward, over which the rushing
torrent had formerly taken its famous leaps
in the days before the hydraulickers had di-
verted the stream to the scene of the min
ing operations, halfway across the range.
The lower end of the basin was open, and,
following the rocky bed of the original
stream, good climber could, score of
years ago, come out in time at the dry
diggings some ten miles below.
Before the ancient torrent had taken its
final plunge down the two hundred feet or
more of perpendicular cliff it had appar-
emily essayed a series of smaller ones, cut
ting its way for each one over range of
picturesque stone terraces, rising one
above another like the seats OF an amphi-
theater, only it would need to have been
an amphitheater for the gods, builded in
the days when there were giants in the
land.
On the last one of these terraces one
bright October afternoon in the early six
ties family party was basking in the
delicious autumn sunlight that, sitting
through the tall redwoods and madronos
picked out an exquisite carpet in brown
and gold and slatey blue, where the
bright rays cast leafy shadows upon the
rocks and their covering of brown needles
and leaves.
The members of this family party of
three were sucking their paws, licking
their chops and grumbling, amicably. over
the remains of plump young porker of
which Papa Grizzly had managed to de-
spoil the sty of some unlucky dweller in
the mountain Businesses. 1t had been a
particularly plump young porker, and
Papa and Mamma Grizzly and little Hiram
were in the best of spirits as they summed
themselves on the rocky ledge and listened
to the providers tale of how he had torn
down the strong logs of the corral and
made off with his booty in the wee small
hours, dragging 1t for miles through the
brush and tangle, before the settler could
get his wits together and mend the pen
sufficiently to keep in the rest of his herd
while he should 60 in search of the ma
rauder.
AS he continued the narrative of his
prowess there appeared, entering the basin
from the stream below. two men, evidently
miners, clad in red shirts and blue jeans
tucked into the tops of their heavy boots,
and carrying Winchesters.
The family party on the ledge above
paused in Its chop1ickings and self-ex-
ploitation and calmly surveyed the new
corners.
'Goshl what a shot," exclaimed Long
Tim Simpson, bringing his rifle to his
shoulder. He fired hastily, scarcely taking
aim, and missed.
"Time for US to be leaving" said Papa
Grizzly, retiring, as the playwrights say,
Cup the stage" followed by Mamma Horidi-
bus in good order. But little Hiram being
but a cub without the knowledge Of man
in his brain or the fear of Winchesters in
his heart, fingered behind, and approach
ing the edge of the shelving rock reared
and stood gazing curiously down at the
intruders and the stick that made such a
queer noise. As he watched them Long
Tim brought his rifle to position again and
fired, not killing little Hiram outright,
but wounding him in his round little
stomach, where he had just tucked
away such a comfortable portion of a
plump porker. The cub still knew not
enough to retire, but stood rub
bing the wound with his paws and crying
pitifully, whereupon Mamma Grizzly re-
traced her steps and taking him in her
arms was retiring, walking upon her hind
legs, when Joe Derrick, Long Tins COM
panion, raised his rifle and aimed bullet
at her exposed broadside.
The shot took effect in her great shouI-
der. She reeled, staggered, and then came
plunging heavily, cub and all, down into
the basin.
'Shes done for, sure,' said Joe, and the
two men waited till her death struggle
should be over before approaching.
Instead of dying, however, she began TO
paw over and smell her cub, who, IL was
evident even to the men at distance, was
quite dead. She herself was bleeding pro-
Alrv f-~,, L
der, and they looked to see her follow the
cub in a very few moments.
Suddenly she turned and with q savage
growl charged down upon the two miners
They separated, each making for the near
est place OF what appeared 10 be safety.
Joe sprang for spur of rock that afforded
a precarious foothold, and inch by inch at
tanned a narrow ledge that iutted out from
the face of the precipice. He had dropped
his rifle in jumping, and a rocky projec-
tion catching it, as he climbed, had cut
his leather belt clean in two, and it fell,
with his trusty pistol, upon the floor of the
basin.
Long Tim was not so fortunate. He had
started down the course of the stream, to
where he remembered a giant redwood
grew, but before he could get out of the
basin his loot caught in a creYice of the |
rocky floor and he was thrown down. |
wrenching and spraining his ankle.
DeIore ne COuld rise the bear was upon |
him and had seized him through the right
arm and shoulder in her fierce white |
teeth. Pain, rage, grief were all to be |
avenged, and she mauled and chewed the |
helpless miner as cat would play with a
mouse. lie made vain effort TO reach |
his knife, but his right arm was gripped
fast IN the brute's jaws and his left had
been ripped from shoulder to wrist by one !
sweep. of single formidable claw. From
his safe perch on the rocky ledge Joe Der
rick saw his companion being reduced to |
mincemeat, but reflected that, to use his
own phrase, he was done for anyhow" |
and to descend would only be to bring |
vengeance upon his own head, so he awaited |
developments.
Suddenly, giving Tim fling that threw
him, nearly dead, back upon the rocky |
floor of the basin, the bear ran back to |
her cub and began again to turn it over
and smell it, moaning pitifully.
Shoot her, Joe, yer dog-goned fool.
gasped Tim in hoarse whisper.