The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1896-10-29
IN the level with me and rose to en-

tried to remember that my chance for
life lay in that gun barrel, and l must
be cool and collected and very brave,
and 1 guess l must have remembered
it, bit to save my neck l couldn't be
steady, and as l backed away to let
the bear 90 on by me if he wanted to,
l stepped into hole in the rock, the
gun went off, my beloved watch chain
went whiZZing out into the blue empy-
rean of the Rocky Mountain heavens,
and the bear winked and growled and
came right at me. The next shot he
got at short range, and collar and cuff
buttons were hanging in his hair, whilo
diamonds glistened like the mountains
dew as | tumbled off the edge of the
rock and lit on ledge about six feel
below. Here l was safe for minute
or two. at least, and l stopped to think
| Thinking at such time is Il thing
man ought never neglect to do. Tht
bear, weighing about a ton, exclusive
of the loads had put into him, was on
top of the rock, chewing and splitting
like the mayor of New York, and tear
| ing around in a blinded rage for the
man with the gun and the jewelry sam
piles, while / was hanging on to the
side of that boulder with a gun in my
hands and nothing to load it with ex-
cept powder, unless l could think of
something else. Under these circum-
| stances l thought of what the last
charge was, and once more l went
| through myself. This time 1 got the
| uncut diamond, marked down from
1880; the diamond stud going below
cost, and an assortment Of small ar
| ticles, such as scarf pins, studs, sus-
| pender clasps, necktie pinches, and a
| variety of things that wouldn't go into
gun barrel without squeezing. These
| l rammed down and waited, for I
knew the beast would be coming as
soon as it got its wits together.
"And it did. l guess it must have
scented me, for with a roar and a
bound 1t came over the side and lit on
| the rock beyond and Immediately pro-
| cceded to join me ON my small terri
tory. Now, 1 knew 1 was a goner if
didn't do something with the loads
! in that gun, and as Mr.. Bear came
on the gun went off, and there was
howl went up that was terrifying. 1
| thought l had blown the bear clean
into kingdom come, but l hadn't; l
had merely blown his face full of brio
a-brac and small jewelry, and my hope
was that enough Of it had gone into
his eyes to blind him and give me a
chance to get away. He was paving
his face and pulling at himself in great
shape as l left the rock, and l hoped
1 wouldn't be called on to risk my
life further, but bears are animals of
no sort of courtesy and kindliness, and
before had got any distance he had
cleared up his line of vision and was
after me again. Fortunately for me,
rocks and trees were plenty, for after
l had poured in my first load 1 was
much more agile than he and could
by extra effort keep out Of his way,
though if he could have got me in the
open / wouldn't have had the chance
of humming bird in hades. As 1
covered myself behind the next point
of rocks 1 thought again Of loading my
gun and wondered what there was in
stock to load it with. l went through
my pockets and found only a bunch
of KEYS and pocket knife, both too big
to go in the gun, as was the silver dol
lar and other change. Neither could
l find bit Of stone small enough and
1 began to think of climbing a tree
and waiting for storm to come and
blow me to town or something like
that, for 1 didn't see much chance In
any other direction, when 1 bethought
myself of a heavy gold pencil studded
with jewels that my best girl had given
me, and must have cost a hundred
and half, if it cost cent. 1t was In
my inside vest pocket and went after
it with a rush. I rammed it down,
and as 1 pulled out the ramrod it oc-
Cured to me that that would be of no
further use to me now, and l might
as well bang it into the bear, too, so
showed it into the other barrel and
waited for my enemy. He was as
game as you ever saw, and though
he was badly disfigured he was still
in the ring. But he was groggy and
uncertain on his pins and l felt sure
that one more good one would fix him
so 1 could go home where 1 had been
wanting to go ever since l had met
the confounded beast. Well, steadied
myself better than at any time since
the scrap began as he came at me, and
when he had got as close as 1 had the
nerve to let him get without making
some sort of a demonstration, banged
away with both barrels and the jar
knocked me off the rock, rattling the
gun down after me. 1 only fell two
or three feet, and as 1 jumped to my
feet l caught up the gun and stood
with it dubbed, ready for the last and
greatest effort of my life, for there
wasn't anything now to ram with
even If had plenty to ram. But the
bear didn't show up, or down, rather,
and after a minute or TWO slipped
to do next. To my infinite relief 1
discovered that 1 could go home or
do anything else l wished, so far as
that bear was concerned, for he was
kicking his last kick and going along
the road to bear heaven as fast as he
could go. l sat watching him for five
minutes or more, and then when l was
sure he was approachable l went up
to him and Investigated while. 1
don't know how long he would have
lived if 1 had not fired that last shot,
probably to this day, for the jewelry
had only barked up his face and blood
led up his eyes so he couldn't see, be-
sides cutting him up about the neck
until he was weak from loss of blood, |
from which he would easily have re-
covered with three or four days rest |
in his den, and the beautiful $50 lead
pencil of my best girl had simply cut |
pretty round hole through his ear |
and gone to meet the watch chain, l |
suppose, while the ramrod, the poor
and despised ramrod, the last resource,
went into his eye. and so his brain, and |
killed him"
"Where is that ramrod now?" in