The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-28
BATTLE ON AN ICE CAP.
From the New YORK Sun.

mr
,rourtaius in the Unc0mpahgre region. in
,sstigating some mining properties for
,-sv york syndicate when il occurred
The leads were all at high altitude. and
a. following up some float on a mountain
SIDE one July day left my two compan-
ions al the timber line to await my return
ana Kept on going upward until 1 got
auorg the summit levels near the edge
Of the ice cap. This is the snow and ice
which collect in winter upon high noun
tain tops. and, which. in places sheltered
from the sun, does not disappear through
4 the entire year Upon broad, level sum
mits. which in some parts of the Rocky
mountains form lofty, irregular table
lands. the accumulated snow of winter
i rnalts very slowly through the warm sea-
SON and. alternately freezing and thawing.
forms glaciers often of great extel- ana
Il depth 1t was toward such a table land
and glacier that ] was climbing.
"A half mile from the summit an oil,
1 broke out OF little canon ahead. and
Il stopped lot moment TO survey me as he
crossed my path. j was carrying May
n8rd rifle, light mountain gun, and at
4 once hred. Wounding him in the BODY
A Immediately he turned and started at fun
4 speed up the face of the mountain. /
knew that the way TO secure him was not
% follow him UP closely which would
keep him on the run as long as he bad
strength to go, but to wait for him to stop
ana lie down, which, if undisturbed, he
presently would do If badly hurt Then
4 the chances would be that in a short time
could approach him near enough to give
4 the finishing shot If one We're necesssr,,
4 But the elk did not stop while within NV
4 view. He kept straight on up the noun
H tain side and disappeared over The edge
Of he summit.
Then 1 started after him. The slone
. was very steep, and in the rarified air
Of the high altitude climbing was slow
work But what glorious scene it led
me 10. When came up to the edge
Of the summit it was to look forth upSn
a rough and undulating ice plain MANY
acres IN extent rejecting the suns rays
IN tints OF white and crystal. Uncom-
pahgre lowered high above it. but on
every other hand the many SUBMITS in
view rose. to heights inferior or only equal
10 that Of the glacier. Upon the ice field
five hundred yards from where | was. the
elk had laid himself down. Against the
smooth surface about him he presented.
with MS branching horns a striking pic
ture. the only living thing, except the
eagles, IN sight. His course on the ice
was marked by trail of blood, and he
t ~ Yen had sunk down exhausted, not
AS 1 peered over the edge, debating
whether had better at once try to ap-
proach him, another actor appeared on
the scene. From behind some snowbound
rocks off to the right a huge silver-tipped
bear emerged suddenly upon the ice field.
He walked out a short distance upon the
Ice, stopped, looked around, and snuffed
the air. then started toward the elk his
long, loose, shutting. pace taking him
along much faster than would appear
merely from looking at his motion. The
wind was blowing In a direction to carry
his scent from the elk, that did not seem
70 De aware of his coming until he was
clese at hand. Then the elk started to
his feet to face him. but fell upon his
knees, The bear went straight upon him.
pulled him down by the head, and broke
his neck with one powerful twist He
wasted no time IN preliminaries. but fell
at once TO tearing and devouring the car
by that time, as the elks fate was
settled, and il was now a question OF
possession between the bear and me- 1
hdd decided to take hand again in the
performance | was then a novice in
Itocky mountain hunting, and l thought
at the moment only of the fine chance
had TO bag a big silver-tip, trusting
10 my light Maynard rifle with a tender
1oots confidence that was not at all
9usIlhed by It's caliber and carrying quail
!Ies. started with no more ado across
lhe ice 10 interrupt the bear at his din
nef L was somewhat apprehenslve, not
from a sense of danger-far from it,
put Tor fear he would run away before
could get within easy shot / might
have spared myself any concern on that
account Tn. me bear was too busy at his
Iepdst even TO look at me until | had got
more than half way to him. He looked
up from time TO time as | came nearer,
then fell TO tearing the elk again.
1T was not until / was within a hun
dred yards of him that he seemed to take
my coming seriously; then he stopped his
eating to growl in deep bass note that
seemed to shake the air like the distant
muttertng of thunder, lifting his head and
looking at me in way that made me
Tor the first time realize what / was ven
turing upon. The chill and desoIa ton of
the frozen landscape suddenly impressed
me as they had not done before, and the
proximity of a tree convenient for climb
ing would have added vastly to my com
Tort Just them The absence of such a
feature made me unappreciative of the
grand and savage spectacle that the hear
presented as he stood facing me, his fore
1eet planted on the elk. his magnificent
coat of black and silver brstling and
shifted in the wind, while the low, in
tense monotone of his growl vibrated
lhrlllngly through the silence of the ice
held above the clouds.
The growl increased TO a roar. and I
stopped. 1t was well for me that / did
SO at the moment for ! checked my steps
at the edge of a wide rift in the ice that
yaWned deeply at my very feet So alb
sorbed was I in watching the bear that
had not perceived it. As l drew hastily
back a large fragment of ice broke from
under my feet, and ] heard it crash ana
splash far down in a torrent whose rush
ing l should have heard before had not
my attention been wholly taken up by
the more portentious sound of the bear
He had already seemed on the point or
starting for me, as was evident by the
thrusting forward of his head and the
uneasy moving of his shoulders. NV
backward spring and the crash of the fail
ing ice was all that was needed to deter
mine the matter with him. and in another
instant he was over and past the elk ana
coming for me at a shambling pace so
swift that it seemed literally to swallow
the space that lay between us.
II was time to get my rifle to work
and to shoot fast, and I gave him bul-
let aimed at his breast a little to the left
Inc only effect of the shot was to change
the bears shambe to a gallop. My rife
not being of a magazine pattern, | had
70 put in a fresh cartridge for every
shot made. That I did so quickly that I
was able to give him a second shot aimed
az the same place while he was run
nlng toward me.
At the edge of the crevasse he halted
win surprising suddenness, felt the
strength of the ice with his paws, and ran
pack and forth, seeking a place to cross.
l kept my rifle going, plaking shots into
ms side and shoulder, from which the
blood was now pouring fast from several
wounds At last, Unsteady of turning Re
ran along the creYasse with the apparent
intention of rounding it's end 1T closed
I9V PAGES down TO the left and at about
an equal distance away on the righr.
what might be the strength of the ice
over the undermining torrent of water I
SouId only guess. ] had to take my chanes
oH us holding me up, so down I ran to the
otHer end Of the creyasse, and making A
Mlue circuit, came up on the other si6e
as as me bear dashed down the side I had