Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-15
TnsED by DEAD BEAR.
LauEhablc Experience of an Old
Hunter.

From the St Louis Globe De,nocrat.
..rhe thirty years I have been hunting
and trapping" says Henry Ellison, the
veteran hunter have taught me that the
grizzly bear is. next TO an Arizona Apache
Indian the uglest crossest and most un-
reliable crittcr that a hunter or prospector
has to deal with.
when | came out 10 California in 1855
there were hundreds of grizzlies in the rcd
woods along the Russian and American
rivers. That reminds me of funny cNDcri-
ence OF mine. l was green and fresh then,
even If | had been in the war. one NOM
ing | was out alone for deer in the Lake
county foothills when | saw wEoppinS
big grizzly WAY Up the side of Il noun
tain: | Went right after ii without realizing
the risk l crept cautiously up the noun
tain, keeping out of sight of the bear as
much as possible | got within 100 yards
of him. AMI. taking careful! aim. just at the
bac TX of the shoulder. / let drive. The b. ar
f.ll at the crack Of the gun. hut Was Hn his
feet again iii an instant. and came tearing
down the mountain in Decline for where
| stood. My rifle was a nIuZZle-loatler, and
I had no time 10 reload. ] was not half
anxious to kill the bear as I was to saw"
my own bacon. \ tree stood below me,
and. without stopping to measure its size
TO consider what sort of place Of
refuge it WAS. | SpraEg TO il and went UP
like a coon chased by a pack of hounds.
had reached tie branches. about ten feet
from me SIOIhu, anu litfl ntl YET tilifuEht
of looking down, when heard the bear
scratching at the foot Of the Tree. and inn
aeined he was coming after me.
We'll. he didn't come, ami wh7n I had
climbed about as high as | could get l
stradHicd a limb to await developments.
The grizzly stood on his HIND legs. scratch
ed and growled and snarled, while my
heart Mas right between my teeth, ] must
confess
After an hour when the bear Gained
down. l felt easier | thought The bear
would soon get tired of keeping walcn and
would get up and go away. He did roth
ing of the kind however. and hour after
hour I sat there in that tree watching the
bear. | imagined ] saw him move oeca-
sionaliy. But he lay still, and finally be
gan to break branches and throw them
down on him, and yelled at him until ] was
hoarSe. There he lay, and he seemed deter
mined TO remain there until he starved me
out. My situation began TO grow desperate.
Night was coming. and already | MAS so
stiff from my position that could scarcely
move. Something must be done. and il had
to he done mighty quick.
My rifle lay on the upper side ard the
bear was below the tree. | climbed Gown
to the lower branches and, reakirg oil a
few smaller limbs. 1 threw them down on
the bear. He did not move. He asleep.
/ thought, and now was my time. Gaze
fully, and still as death. ! slid down the
tree until l was within six feet of the
ground when i sprung Oh ne upper Size,
grabbed my gun and ran like a scared
coyote TO some rocks about fifty yards
away.
When safely behind the rocks. | pe4lp.d
out. The bear had not novel. Then L
loaded my gun. and, drawing careful
bread. with a dead rest over rock, shot
the brute square between the eyes. Still he
did not move. Again l loaded my rife
cooked it and walked cautiously toward the
bear. When close enough I picked up a
stone nj struck him with II. He did not
Seem 10 mini it: then / mus, erc.i up cour-
age enough to GO near enough 10 poke Kim
with rny gun. He was as stiff as a poker
and had been dead for hours. 1 mad been
ir the tree all day. freed By i dead ID. ar
Oh, l was an awful green tenlelfoot then